Romans 12

I just read this chapter and, man, it relates to several different areas of my life at the moment. Powerful stuff to remember and apply...

New International Version (NIV)

Romans 12

A Living Sacrifice

 ¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

 ³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your^[a] faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,^[b]do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

 ⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.^[c] Do not be conceited.
 ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^[d] says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:
   “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
   if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”^[e]
 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

As You Wait

Just because I like to share things I've read that might be an encouragement to others...

As You Wait 

By Brian Orme

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"I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope."
 Psalm 130:5 TNIV

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AT TIMES, JESUS WAS worn out by life's demands. Jesus seems to remind us, in the way that He lived, that sometimes saying "no" to good things is necessary in order to tend to the needs of the heart. Jesus offers us a model for renewal. In the final hours of His life, He was in the garden pleading with the Father, waiting on the Father to answer. In the garden, Jesus received the insurgence of the Father's strength needed to guide Him through the last tumultuous hours of His pre-resurrection life.

In essence, true spiritual renewal arrives when we become boldly aware of our own weakness. The exposure is painful, but in these moments we are closer to God than we could know. When we wait on God, we develop an expectant faith, pregnant with hope.

Finding the rhythm and grace in this sacred effort of waiting teaches us to renew our hearts through divine resources instead of conjuring up some pseudo-strength of our own.

Waiting goes against our natural instincts. But when we stop and wait for God to renew us, we receive what only God can give: a fresh expression of faith and a new passion for life.

Anne Jackson

I don't know her. But I like her honesty and how genuine she is. This is her latest blog post... The Slow and Inefficient Work of God (Part 2). I love it how you read about things around the same time you're thinking on the same topic, and they help you confirm your thinking. I'm also loving blogging at the end of the day at the moment, because it's a way of processing things and helping me get things out or realign my thinking before I go to sleep. I've recently struggled pretty badly with depression and anxiety (that's a whole other story that I'll get to another day!!), and it felt like there was absolutely no way out. There were small glimmers of hope that quickly fizzled out. When I even acknowledged God's presence, I was just crying out to him to help me stop feeling like that, and dwelling on all the bad stuff that was going on. Recently I've turned a bit of a corner, have made an attitude change, and feel like I'm on the up, but it's a very slow process that threatens to backslide at any moment. The last bit of Anne Jackson's most recent blog post really resonated with me and this topic as I read it tonight, and these are her words:

I thought about my heart. It’s crag-like and rough. If you were to walk on it, there are sharp edges that would cut your feet. I want God to change my heart. Now. I want him to take away my impatience, my entitlement to not feel lonely sometimes, the way I can impose on others. Take it away, God. Now?

He gently says no as one, single wave of his grace washes over.

And then another.

And then another.

I could move my heart farther from the ocean and let it live untouched and unbothered by this seemingly unproductive task. I could build a dam around it and not let the waters in. Or I could simply sit and let the waters of grace slowly, moment by moment, smooth my heart out.

"Because I am not getting what I deserve from God, I have the power to release others from what they deserve. I'm able to give them what God has given me—love, acceptance and grace." -- Ed Young

Heart friends.

Once again, Jon Acuff has hit the nail on the head. Oh, how I'm loving these little sayings today! Haha. Anyway, in this post he talks about some things I've been thinking about a lot lately, about investing in relationships, opening up to people, and about how many true heart friends we have. The blog post itself as well as the comments below, make for a good, thought-provoking read!

Actions speak louder than words.

Actions speak louder than words. They really do. I know that some people love me more than some of those few that regularly tell me, because of their actions. Hearing the words is nice, but they don't prove that it's true. The proof is in the pudding. Haha, just wanted to use that saying, because I never have before!
C. S. Lewis talks about the idea of love as a feeling versus love as an action in his book Mere Christianity, and one of the major points he makes is that feelings come and go. In a recent article by Debra Fileta, she uses the phrase, "Love was never just intended to be, it was intended to do."Like the DC Talk Song, 'Love is a Verb'. She goes on to say that "frankly, it's the hardest verb you will ever do. It's a verb that requires a selflessness and altruism beyond any other experience on earth. It's a verb that is not always felt but must always be chosen. It is a commitment to do what is right, even though the one standing before you may be entirely undeserving."
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. (1Corinthians 13:4-8)
I used to have those verses written on a piece of bubble wrap on my bedroom wall. Perhaps it needs to go back up there. So important to remember these things, in relationships with everyone!

Meanwhile, on a completely unrelated topic... I've been looking into the possibility of teaching English, maybe in South Korea, for a year or so in the near future. Not entirely set on the idea yet, but am considering it. There are just so many options out there! There are also a few weddings I'd love to be able to attend in the Northern Hemisphere next May-ish! But how to make it happen? Dreaming, praying, thinking and researching...

I'm working on it...

Working on a few things at the moment:
- Not relying on other people to make me feel any kind of self-worth. I never knew how much it could affect me when people don't reciprocate the efforts I put into relationships. It's like being rejected, and it feels horrible. So either I let these instances make me feel like crap every time they happen, or I carry on making the effort on my part and try not to be too disappointed when nothing comes back the other way, or I simply make less effort because then I'm less likely to get hurt. And whatever I choose at the time, at least I'm making that decision knowing that God gives me the worth that matters, that he cares what's going on for me and that he will never let me down like humans so often do!
- Related to this is the idea of adjusting my attitude, so that even when I'm down or discouraged I can see a way out. I'm trying to focus on what really matters rather than dwelling on things that are only going to make me feel worse. I've recently become rather cynical and negative about so many things, but I need to try and turn those around and get back to the real me who is so much more positive and optimistic.
- Living in the moment. I remember a guest lecturer in one of my courses this semester making the point that if you're really present in a moment then anxiety cannot exist. Neither can anger. Because you're focused on the here and now. So, that may not be entirely practical or possible, but I can definitely see some value in what he was saying.
- Making more time for God. I know this is a cliche goal, but I also know it has to happen. I have been shocking lately, but whenever I do make the time, I am so glad I have and always vow to do it more. Chatting with him throughout the day, involving him in all of life and sometimes just sitting in his presence make a big difference to how I act, cope, respond, think and feel. So why would I not want those improvements in my life?

Now comes the big task of deciding what to do with my near future... ugh. There are so many options! But at least I'll be in a bit of a better state of mind once I start sorting some of those things out. It's exciting, and it's scary. Bring it on.

Just saw this on Twitter. Sometimes I have to give myself this advice... but it makes me sad...
"If someone is not responding to you, then stop worrying about them. The people who want to be in your life make the time."