How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!
Romans 10:15b
I don't know exactly why, but lately this verse in particular has been on my heart. I remember first really noticing this verse my freshman year in college, when I went to Memphis and watched LeCrae perform his song titled "Beautiful Feet." I couldn't help but think about the awesome picture this painted.
Beautiful . . . and feet . . . how can these two words belong in the same sentence? As my friend Matt pointed out to me yesterday, the feet can be seen as our terrible wretched nature that can be made beautiful when we do the Lord's work. What an amazing picture of the redemption and covering we receive through following Christ! It is so promising to know He can take an ordinary and imperfect person like me and turn me into something beautiful to be used for His glory.
"But by the grace of God I am what I am . . ."
1 Corinthians 15:10
Blessings always,
Natalie
Friday, April 22, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Life in a Box
I love the phrase “Live Outside the Box.” The reason I love this phrase so much is because I feel this is how Christ calls us to live our lives. Living inside the box involves comfort, conformity, and trust in our own ability to make it through life. There is a sense (not reality) of safety. Inside the box we know the expectations, and we receive approval from those around us. We do not have to recognize the harsh realities outside our own little world. We leave no impact nor are we greatly impacted. Once gone, we are gone, making no eternal difference in the lives of those around us. Unfortunately, this is a life too often lived by the “Christians” here in the Bible belt. As Matt Chandler would say “they have learned how to play the game.” They gain approval by doing “Christian” things and living as a “Christian” should. I myself have filled this role: talking the talk, acting the act, but not truly walking the walk.
Living outside the box involves adventure, passion, and no choice but to trust in Him to provide for our every need. Each day God draws me further and further away from my comfort zone (my box), calling me to go one step closer to the call He has placed on my life. He is slowly but surely tearing down the walls I have built up around me. If I can only focus my eyes completely on Him and nothing else and keep from the distractions and desire for comfort in my daily life, I know I will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). My life will not be my own, but in the end it will be totally worth it. I encourage you to do the same – seek Him out and embrace the adventure He places before you. LIVE OUTSIDE THE BOX
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.
Romans 12:2
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
April Idol Treasures
April is here, and it is now less than six weeks until graduation! Oy ve, this time has passed by quickly. It seems like only a few weeks ago I was living in the dorms, eating panninis at Mean Green Cafeteria.
Unfortunately, I have not had much time to blog lately nor really known what to say (hence no blog last month). It has been an incredible semester, and not because of anything I have done on my own.
This past month, a big issue brought to the forefront in my own life was the idols I had placed before Him. I guess I had been blind for quite some time to the things I put before Christ. I have had to recognize and lay down some things that have in some way interfered with my relationship with Him - my obsession with success and perfection, my many insecurities, and my concerns about the future. I allowed my thoughts to too often dwell on these subjects, causing anxiousness and loneliness within me. In the Bible, we are called to trust in Him completely. Our anxieties reveal the insecurity of our hearts, the lack of reliance on His promise to provide for our every need. I'm not saying my idols have disappeared from my life completely now - I still must take up my cross each day, but I am more able to recognize them when they do come up and fervently pray and seek after God to remove them from my heart and mind.
Tonight, I went to an I Am Second group through UNT for the first time. In particular, the issue of storing up treasures on earth was addressed. Nothing we own on this earth is ours to claim - it all belongs to Him. If we can only wrap our minds around this concept, maybe we would stop being so concerned about material possessions, maybe we would give more to those in need around us, maybe we would realize life is short and unpredictable and material possessions cannot be relied upon for happiness and fulfillment.
Food for thought: consider examining the things in your life you have placed before Christ, work on laying them down, and see what ways He uses you in the weeks to come. I think you will be amazed by the freedom you receive in giving your idols up, no matter how precious or important they seem in the moment. If our lives are "but a vapor," imagine how much less important and minute these things we place before Christ are in the big scheme of things. Our short-lived desires and lusts are nothing compared to the enduring quality of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, I have not had much time to blog lately nor really known what to say (hence no blog last month). It has been an incredible semester, and not because of anything I have done on my own.
This past month, a big issue brought to the forefront in my own life was the idols I had placed before Him. I guess I had been blind for quite some time to the things I put before Christ. I have had to recognize and lay down some things that have in some way interfered with my relationship with Him - my obsession with success and perfection, my many insecurities, and my concerns about the future. I allowed my thoughts to too often dwell on these subjects, causing anxiousness and loneliness within me. In the Bible, we are called to trust in Him completely. Our anxieties reveal the insecurity of our hearts, the lack of reliance on His promise to provide for our every need. I'm not saying my idols have disappeared from my life completely now - I still must take up my cross each day, but I am more able to recognize them when they do come up and fervently pray and seek after God to remove them from my heart and mind.
Tonight, I went to an I Am Second group through UNT for the first time. In particular, the issue of storing up treasures on earth was addressed. Nothing we own on this earth is ours to claim - it all belongs to Him. If we can only wrap our minds around this concept, maybe we would stop being so concerned about material possessions, maybe we would give more to those in need around us, maybe we would realize life is short and unpredictable and material possessions cannot be relied upon for happiness and fulfillment.
Food for thought: consider examining the things in your life you have placed before Christ, work on laying them down, and see what ways He uses you in the weeks to come. I think you will be amazed by the freedom you receive in giving your idols up, no matter how precious or important they seem in the moment. If our lives are "but a vapor," imagine how much less important and minute these things we place before Christ are in the big scheme of things. Our short-lived desires and lusts are nothing compared to the enduring quality of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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