Just like many other girls in the world, I cannot not say yes to chocolate. Though it seems so sinful, every time someone give me chocolates, I would say, "Ow, another one? OK. Thanks." even when my mind knows that I have had enough chocolate for the day.
Anyway, just like I cannot say no to chocolate, I cannot help not to share this message. It has appeared twice in 10 minutes right after I prayed, "God, I want to write something on my blog today."
So, here is the message: HELP IS ON THE WAY!
These are the web places where I saw the message:
- ODB: June 29, 2012
- Mercies (Israel Houghton ft. Kirk Franklin)
I hope the song and the devotion encourage you like it encourages me! Be strong and faithful 'til our help is here!
Cheers,
Raissa
Friday, June 29, 2012
Everywhere I look
Everywhere I look, I look at Your love.
To the right, I see Your goodness.
To the left, I see Your mercy.
To the past, I see Your faithfulness.
To the future, I see Your glory
At this very second, I see You're watching over me.
<3
To the right, I see Your goodness.
To the left, I see Your mercy.
To the past, I see Your faithfulness.
To the future, I see Your glory
At this very second, I see You're watching over me.
<3
Friday, June 15, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
No Fear
Be strong and take courage! Our Lord is guiding us every step of the way. He's ready to catch us when we fall. (Joshua 1:9)
Monday, June 11, 2012
Joy vs. Rejoice
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Today, two people in my close circle mention this same exact verse to me.
I'm in the mood of discussing about having joy in our lives and rejoicing. Is there any difference between the two?
As I have remarked briefly in my previous post. Joy is an outward appearance of peace. I think, it's impossible to be joyful when there is no peace in our lives.
On the other hand, Philippians 4:4 is a command. It doesn't matter what our situation is and what our circumstances are; good, bad, horrible, terrible, or helpless and hopeless. We, as God's children are asked to rejoice.
According to most online dictionaries,
rejoice (v) means:
- To feel joyful; be delighted
- To fill with joy; gladden.
rejoice in (v) means:
- To have or possess
From those definitions, my understanding of rejoice turn from a feeling into an action.
Rephrasing them, to rejoice means to me, an act of giving joy to somebody, or a situation. Let's say we rejoice in the Lord. For me, it means that we are giving God the honor and the glory for everything that He has done. And acknowledging His sovereignty over my life.
And it is different from being joyful. God's peace is a sign that God abides in our life. Sometimes, when we worry or fear about something, God's peace vanishes. And we can't be joyful anymore, for there isn't any peace in our heart. The only way, we can be joyful, is to keep a good relationship with God constantly.
Yes, sometimes, God seems distant. But He's never too far away. He leaves His Holy Spirit to guide us along the way. And as we walk through our tough days with God and keep His peace in our hearts. We'll be able to face the day without worrying too much and fearing unimportant matters.
Conclusion:
joy is a reaction of peace
rejoice is an action of transferring joy into a not-so-joyful circumstances
In a chain line, it can look like this:
God -> Peace -> Joy -> Rejoice
Anyway, these are my thoughts. Please leave a comment if you agree or disagree with me.
Cheers,
Raissa
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Today, two people in my close circle mention this same exact verse to me.
I'm in the mood of discussing about having joy in our lives and rejoicing. Is there any difference between the two?
As I have remarked briefly in my previous post. Joy is an outward appearance of peace. I think, it's impossible to be joyful when there is no peace in our lives.
On the other hand, Philippians 4:4 is a command. It doesn't matter what our situation is and what our circumstances are; good, bad, horrible, terrible, or helpless and hopeless. We, as God's children are asked to rejoice.
According to most online dictionaries,
rejoice (v) means:
- To feel joyful; be delighted
- To fill with joy; gladden.
rejoice in (v) means:
- To have or possess
From those definitions, my understanding of rejoice turn from a feeling into an action.
Rephrasing them, to rejoice means to me, an act of giving joy to somebody, or a situation. Let's say we rejoice in the Lord. For me, it means that we are giving God the honor and the glory for everything that He has done. And acknowledging His sovereignty over my life.
And it is different from being joyful. God's peace is a sign that God abides in our life. Sometimes, when we worry or fear about something, God's peace vanishes. And we can't be joyful anymore, for there isn't any peace in our heart. The only way, we can be joyful, is to keep a good relationship with God constantly.
Yes, sometimes, God seems distant. But He's never too far away. He leaves His Holy Spirit to guide us along the way. And as we walk through our tough days with God and keep His peace in our hearts. We'll be able to face the day without worrying too much and fearing unimportant matters.
Conclusion:
joy is a reaction of peace
rejoice is an action of transferring joy into a not-so-joyful circumstances
In a chain line, it can look like this:
God -> Peace -> Joy -> Rejoice
Anyway, these are my thoughts. Please leave a comment if you agree or disagree with me.
Cheers,
Raissa
Peace & Joy (II)
Peace is in inward quiet spirit, not constantly worrying about what will
or could possibly happen. Peace is also the kind way we treat others-
even when they have done things where we could be mad at them.
Joy is the outward showing of our peace. The face that we are trusting that God will work things out and, in spite of circumstances, we are content.
I have always felt that there is a strong relation between peace and joy, but I've never known what. I googled it and found the above statement in wiki answers. It is very simple but yet very explaining.
Joy is the outward showing of our peace. The face that we are trusting that God will work things out and, in spite of circumstances, we are content.
I have always felt that there is a strong relation between peace and joy, but I've never known what. I googled it and found the above statement in wiki answers. It is very simple but yet very explaining.
Peace & Joy
Hey All, I'd just like to share some verses about peace and joy. The thing these people were talking about is real. And it feels great to experience them. I hope that you'd be able to find it too.
Philippians 4:7
Then
you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can
understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in
Christ Jesus. New Living Translation (©2007)
Ephesians 3:9
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. New Living Translation (©2007)
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. New Living Translation (©2007)
Isaiah 26:3 You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. EAV
G'day!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Double Double
I am officially 22 now.
Like every other 21 years that had happened in my life, I'd never known what 's gonna happen in the next 365 days of my life. As I look back for awhile. I am just awed with my God, JESUS CHRIST, has done in my life. Things that I have never thought and imagined were given to me. I am so very thankful for all the small details that I have gone through.
"Nothing can be wrong when the Sovereign God guides one's path." I'd like to believe that.
This year, anything can happen! Right now I only pray that I'll be obedient enough and diligent enough to hear His small voices in my every day life, even if my Master asks me to do something UNREASONABLE.
Bottomline: I am open to the ways of God! Super curious! Super excited! Super pumped! It'll be a roller coaster! But I'll get off it alive and full of joy!
Friends, help me monitoring my journey with God and people by keeping in touch with me via email or commenting on my posts. Thank you!
Heart you!
Like every other 21 years that had happened in my life, I'd never known what 's gonna happen in the next 365 days of my life. As I look back for awhile. I am just awed with my God, JESUS CHRIST, has done in my life. Things that I have never thought and imagined were given to me. I am so very thankful for all the small details that I have gone through.
"Nothing can be wrong when the Sovereign God guides one's path." I'd like to believe that.
This year, anything can happen! Right now I only pray that I'll be obedient enough and diligent enough to hear His small voices in my every day life, even if my Master asks me to do something UNREASONABLE.
Bottomline: I am open to the ways of God! Super curious! Super excited! Super pumped! It'll be a roller coaster! But I'll get off it alive and full of joy!
Friends, help me monitoring my journey with God and people by keeping in touch with me via email or commenting on my posts. Thank you!
Heart you!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Garage Time
God's after the development of one's characters. He wants his daughters and sons to be perfected; everyday shaped to be more like Him.
It's not an easy work, I think, to reshape one's image to His image. If I think about how broken I had been, how deformed my heart was, how nasty my characters were, He must have plenty of work to do.
I guess, figuratively speaking, He must have seen me as an old, dusty car with broken engine, flat tires, and shattered windows. Maybe, the oil tank is even leaking and the brake does not work. He needs to fix it so badly.
Well, as God is God, I think, He can magically abracadabra this broken car into a new Lambo, but it seems that He does not want to miss the fun. He wants to get His hands dirty and take his time to slowly and painfully work on this hopeless car. I think, He'd like to boast around about it in the end. He wants to say to the world that He has completely transformed the old car to a great, working car in shape.
We are the chosen people that God loves so much (John 3:16). Being 'worked on', is painful, there are some parts in our lives that needs to be replaced or even molded. Think of, kidney transplant, a patient should be prep for days to get him ready for the surgery. But I believe, it is for the best. He wants to see us roar our engine and hit the road, and go to places He would like us to go.
Have faith, Friends! What we are undergoing is a temporary 'garage' time. Very soon, we'll be up and running again! Be steadfast til that day comes!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Work Smard
It's been over three months since I start working on my thesis. I have planned how I am going to do and finish writing it on time but more than occasionally the plan fails.
I can say so many reasons and justifications why the plans have failed but it won't do me any good. There are times when I decide not to plan anymore. I know that the plan won't help much. The only thing it does is to scare me and letting me know that the deadline is approaching. I end up frustrated and unable to do any work.
So, I go to the other extreme. I let it flow. I work whenever I like to work, wherever I am comfortable working at, and with sleeping pj's that I don't care to change. It does me okay but the work progress is still slow. I become easy on myself and let time pass by so easily. The time which I could have used it to work.
I am still looking for the best solution on how to work better. I guess, it is not just about working very hard, but also about being able to work smart -- and have real fun longer! =D
In the mean time, I'd like to remind myself to pray, stretch out, have a bit of fun and treats, and back to work diligently. Cheers, Bros and Sisters!
I can say so many reasons and justifications why the plans have failed but it won't do me any good. There are times when I decide not to plan anymore. I know that the plan won't help much. The only thing it does is to scare me and letting me know that the deadline is approaching. I end up frustrated and unable to do any work.
So, I go to the other extreme. I let it flow. I work whenever I like to work, wherever I am comfortable working at, and with sleeping pj's that I don't care to change. It does me okay but the work progress is still slow. I become easy on myself and let time pass by so easily. The time which I could have used it to work.
I am still looking for the best solution on how to work better. I guess, it is not just about working very hard, but also about being able to work smart -- and have real fun longer! =D
In the mean time, I'd like to remind myself to pray, stretch out, have a bit of fun and treats, and back to work diligently. Cheers, Bros and Sisters!
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