big brother

there are those days that when i get really down, my brother is the only one who can comfort me. when i have issues with my parents, my brother understands. i honestly think that he is the only person who can. God can heal me and give me peace, but sometimes it's nice to have someone encourage me through my pain.

also, my brother is very wise. he is such a blessing to me. he just knows how to explain something to me. i love him very very much. he is my big brother.

will he tell her to sleep well and have sweet dreams like he told me?
will he smile at her and make her laugh like he did me?
will he make her feel beautiful and wonderful like he did me?
will he hold her like he held me?

none of this matters because the Lord my God has taken the pain away. He will fix my broken heart and heal the scars. my God is my rock and my fortress.

why would i need any boy over my God? he is nothing compared to the awesome magnificence of my King.

Psalm 46:10

"Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"

hallelujah! what a savior!!

life can be really hard sometimes. there are things that are overwhelming, or just all-together sucky. but God is good. He's always there. He loves us little, crap-encrusted sinners more than anything in the world. He loves us so much that He knows the number of hairs on our heads. how amazing is that. He is an incredible God. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He saved us from ultimate, eternal damnation. He was crucified brutally on a cross made out of wood for US, us silly little humans who have screwed up so much. how fantastic is that? the fact that the Creator of the world would take on all the stuff we've done and die for it. you really have to wrap your mind around that. and it takes time, but what an amazing thought. amazing. "I am the Lord your God." He is our God! He loves us!! how exciting is that?

Man of Sorrows!  what a name
for the Son of God, who came
ruined sinners to reclaim. 
Hallelujah!  What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
in my place condemned he stood;
sealed my pardon with his blood.
Hallelujah!  What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
spotless Lamb of God was he;
full atonement can it be? 
Hallelujah!  What a Savior!

Lifted up was he to die;
"It is finished!" was his cry;
now in heaven exalted high. 
Hallelujah!  What a Savior!

When he comes, our glorious King,
all his ransomed home to bring,
then anew this song we'll sing:
Hallelujah!  What a Savior!

Leviticus 18:1-5

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2"Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them,
'I am the Lord your God.
3You shall not do what is done in the
land of Egypt where you have lived,
not are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan
where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in
their statutes.
4You are to perform My judgments and
keep My statutes, to live in accord with them;
I am the Lord your God.
5So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments,
by which a man may live if he does them;
I am the Lord your God.'"

Fabulous. Absolutely magnificent. "I am the Lord your God." What a strong statement. It reminds me that He created me and loves me, that He is in control. It gives me peace.

Also the fact that He wanted the Israelites to abstain from all of the wrong-doings of those countries around them. I think that's really applicable to our lives today as Christians. He wants us to be a light and be different than all those around us. What a cool passage! Thank you Old Testament class!

Philippians 3:7-11

"But whatever gain I had, I
counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Indeed, I count everything as loss
because of the surpassing worth of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord.
For his sake I have suffered the loss of all
things and count them as rubbish,
in order that I may gain Christ
and be found in him,
not having a righteousness of
my own that comes
from the law, but that which comes
through faith in Christ,
the righteousness from God that depends
on faith--
that I may know him and the power
of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death, that by any
means possible I may attain the
resurrection from the dead.

how amazing...to die so that i can live...

i am amazed when i sit down and look at the glory of my King. even though i go through hardships, i am still blessed by Him day by day.

over the course of my life, i have not seen a lot of pain, but within the last year, God has blessed me with struggles that have changed my walk with him. i have struggled with heart issues, from a break-up to protecting my heart. God says to guard your heart, and through these experiences, i am slowly learning to.

i have also learned that there is nothing greater than my King. there are many days that just walking on campus, this gorgeous campus on which i live, makes me so excited about my Lord.

I just want to be less of me and more of Him. To die to self and live in him. Philippians 1:21 states it best: "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."