The Light

Psalm 119: 105: "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a Light unto my path".

John 1:5: "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it".

1 Corinthians 4:5: "He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motive of men's hearts."

John 12: 36: "Believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light."

The Lord is our Light. He will never desert us, for He is the Light in the darkness. No troubles can overcome Him. He is watching over us and guiding us.

To Give

2 Corinthians 8 10-12: "And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have."

2 Corinthians 9: 6-7: "Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

For also, the Bible says, "It is better to give than to receive". But how can we give, when our heart is not set into it? I think God would rather you give in a generous, willing manner. Not to do so because you "feel you have to" yet you don't want to. Our hearts should be set into it.
I still have to work on giving in the way that I actually want to, but I do find it exciting, and it does make me feel good, to give.

Racing the Race

1 Corinthians 9: 19: "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more."

1 Corinthians 9: 24-27: "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified."

To me, these passages seem to show that Paul was a dedicated and passionate man. He would go through so much to preach the gospel. He was free from all men, but he made himself a slave to all. He was so willing--he had such a love for the Word. He was running the race. He didn't quit. For He knew that the prize was worth it all. He knew God would not quit on him.

I think we can learn something from this. We should learn to be that willing to preach the Word. To have such a love for the Word. To not give up. To keep running.

Dating/Love, Part 2?

So today as I was on a forum, someone made a thread announcing she got a boyfriend. Let's just call her "Lisa". And I got on this pretty interesting conversation with another user, whom I'll call "Jill". I thought I'd share with you the conversation. I suppose it's like a second part to my "dating/love" blog:

Lisa: "Today I got my first boyfriend! I mean yeah, I am young, but I have had a crush on this guy since 3rd grade. We were already really good friends so just pray this works out. Thanks and no insults please."

Jill: "Congrats! People need to know that when younger people get boyfriends it's not like 'kissing'. Or any of that stuff. People should stop making mean remarks about it. It's not wrong even if you think it is."

Me: "Our point is not just "getting physical". We're not being mean, we're giving advice because we care about you all. Just because it is something you don't want to hear, does not mean we aren't right.
We've had to go through this over and over and over...age and maturity matters when it comes to dating. What, you're like, 10, 11, Lisa? Dating prepares for marriage. It is important that you take you're relationship seriously, and to consider your plans for the future. You both will probably change as you get older. Do you think you'll still be dating him years from now? Most likely not."

Jill: "Well I was there like, 3 or 4 years ago and it wasn't anything at all. It was like a guy was your best-friend and you could hang out all the time with him. It's not a big deal."

Me: "Well if it wasn't "anything at all", and if it was just you and your best guy friend hanging out all the time, then it wasn't dating. The truth is, it IS a big deal. Dating prepares for marriage, how is that not a big deal?"

Jill: "But is she gonna get married?"

Me: "Maybe someday in her life, if it is God's will. But I really don't think that years from now she's going to marry this guy that she's dating now. She's too young to be dating."

Jill: "She most likely won't but people like to experiment."

Me: " Experiment?
The people you date are not "experiments". Dating is not something to be taken lightly...you have to really care about the person. (And I'm sure Lisa does) I'm just saying, that because it does prepare for marriage, you have to consider your possibilities for the future with him. If you know that you're probably not going to even get married to the one you're dating or the one you could date, then just don't date him. It's not worth it."

Jill: "I didn't mean it like that. I know it prepares you in the future for marriage. But let's just say you reeeeeally like this guy and you realllly want to go out with him. And you know that you won't ever marry him. Is that a reason to not go out with him? Bit silly."

Me: "
If you reeeeeeeally like him and you realllly want to go out with him but know that you won't ever marry him, then don't date him. You may think it's silly, but it's not. It's not worth the hurt."

Jill: "So you should just expect that someone going out with someone will eventually marry one day?"

Me: "You shouldn't always just expect it. But you have to consider it, and it's not something you just think about to yourself. It's something you need to talk about with the one you're dating.
I understand if you're mature and are dating someone, and you do actually talk about it with the one you're dating (about your future together). Then you think it will work out, but something comes up and you both realize that it's for the better that you don't continue dating/get married. Then you move on, and if it's God's will, He'll send you the right one."

Jill: "Okay, that makes sense. But why do you need to talk about marrying when you're, like, under 18? I'm not gonna do that, but I might, but I won't be telling my boyfriend about marrying him. He'll get weird around me and break up with me. Actually I don't have a boyfriend at the moment, but still."

Me: "Personally, I think a good age to start dating at is 16. I'll make a general statement and say that 16-year olds are probably more mature for dating and will actually think more about marriage. I do think it depends on maturity--for the couple. Not just one of them being mature for it and the other not. The point is that if you aren't mature for it, then you shouldn't talk about it with, and shouldn't date until you're ready and mature for it/talk about it.

If he'll get weird around you, and not being understanding about it, then he's most likely just not the one for you. (or, at the time, just not mature enough to talk about it or ready to talk about it)

However, if the couple is considering it, and talking about it, but they don't think it's the right time for them to date, then they can wait for each other, if they truly are that committed."

Jill: "You make dating sound not fun."

Me: "I don't mean to. I'm just saying in dating you should know when to be serious and what things you should consider. I'm not saying dating isn't fun--because it is since you're spending time with the one you care about, and doing fun things. But you have to know when to be serious too, is all. :) "

Perhaps you learned something from this. Maybe not. But I thought it was a good idea to share this.

Dating/Love

Here's the deal. I do not think that people younger than 16 should date. Dating prepares for marriage...and people who are dating at an age younger than 16, usually aren't mature enough for it, aren't serious about it, etc. I do think it depends on maturity, because sometimes someone who is 25 isn't mature enough to date, but someone who is 15 could be mature enough to date.
I'm tired of seeing 11-year old's say, "I'm in love!!". No. You're not. You may be in like, but not in love. Love is a strong word, and it has more meaning to it than you may think. To me, love is wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone. (basically why dating prepares for marriage...you obviously should love the one you want to marry) Love is wanting to be there as a shoulder to cry on, to show care...now, you can say that as a friend/family sort of love (excluding the "wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone" part. There's a difference, but I can't quite explain it). Love is also not just a feeling...it is an action.
Love is described in the Bible. More specifically, 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, 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, always perseveres."
When you are dating, you need to learn to take it seriously...it should not be taken lightly, and it is important that you talk with your significant other about your plans for the future. (such as marriage, kids, financially-related stuff, etc) You can't just "wing it". You can't rush into things. Which is why I don't think people should date an age lower than 16. They will probably change as the years go on, and they aren't usually even mature enough to be thinking about their plans with their significant other for the future. At that age, they don't need to be worrying about dating. If God wills it for them to date, then He will send the right one for them, but they can wait. They can be patient. And at a young age, they most likely aren't even allowed to go certain places alone. (such as malls, parks, etc).
So there ya go.

Ugly is Beautiful

Think about it. God, our Creator, has pretty much the Biggest Imagination ever. He is the Most creative Being. He created this world, the universe, you, everything. And I am in awe of it, because all of His creation IS beautiful. Yeah, you may look at dangerous neighborhoods filled with graffiti and whatnot, and think, "This place looks awful". I admit, even I would say that. But that's because of man. Man dirties up God's creation. Yet, that place would still be beautiful because it's creative and different. If you think about it, is it possible for God to create something that is disgusting, revolting, and/or ugly? I don't think so. Take time to just sit, be still, and take in God's beautiful creation. And when someone says they're ugly, just tell them, "You can't be ugly. God's creation is beautiful, and He created you". And never tell yourself that you're ugly, either. It's true, even I may think "oh, that person didn't look very good tonight", but I think it's just human nature. We have this thing about being critical or worrying about our looks/the looks of people/things.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with trying to pretty yourself up or a place up. Because if you don't do anything you will come across as un-professional or like you don't care if a guest comes to your house and you have pizza lying on the floor and drinks spilled on the table. But if you really think about it...everything about God's creation is amazing and beautiful. Sometimes I'll tell myself, "I look terrible in that picture", but I just gotta remind myself, that God doesn't think so.
I hope that made sense...maybe it doesn't...I wasn't entirely sure how to explain it, but to sum it up, ugly is beautiful.