Here is the Sea

My first sight of the Pacific Ocean!

   "Here is the sea, great and wide,

   which teems with creatures innumerable,

   living things both small and great.

   There go the ships,

   and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it."

Psalm 104: 25-26

How great is our God! When I look out into the vast expanse of the ocean, I cannot help but feel overwhelmed not by a pretty sunset or the crashing waves, but by the beauty of God. I am so blessed that I can look out among the waters and see God, the creator of all things whose wave of the holy spirit has washed away my sins. 

Blessings

It has almost been two months here in Cabo and I am about to go home for a while. Me and the missionaries that I am staying with are going back to Dallas to try to raise funds for our ministry. I am excited for the opportunity to go back home and recongize it as a blessing to be able to reconect with friends and family. Not only that, I am excited that I have the oppotunity to share here on my blog, all that I am learning from my journey with God.

I have been learning that everything is a blessing. Waking up each morning, breathing air, having a meal to eat in the morning, or being able to love someone. We have been so blessed and highly favored by God. He wants to bless us so that we can bless others in love. When I think from the standpoint of God, I can imagine that God would want to love as many people as possible. This must mean that God overflows blessings to those that are in His will! But how can we use God's blessings to bless others when we don't even recognize His blessings? This must make God very sad when He blesses His people, yet they only forget Him or use His blessings to curse others. :(  The sad part is, I don't recognize God's blessings all the time!

I know my life would drastically transform if I only began recognizing all the blessings of God and using them to love others more. What do you think? How has God recently blessed you and what are some ways that you are using that blessing to love others?

Do Not Forget

Oh how I have missed my blog so much! I cannot say how happy it makes me to be writing once again. Now that I am back, and that is for good, I want to share what God has been whispering to me these past few weeks. Three words: Do not forget.

"Be careful not to forget Adonai your God by not obeying his laws, rulings, and regulations that I am giving you today." Deuteronomy 8:11

God continually blesses me more than I can imagine. He shows signs and wonders, miracles day by day, and above all, He shows me so much love. Yet, I forget. I forget all the things God has done for me. I will say, 'Thank you Lord', and proclaim the name of God believeing that I will serve Him with everything I am. However, the next day comes, I forget God's blessings, and I turn back to living for myself.

"Oh, how I wish their hearts would stay like this always, that they would fear me and obey all my laws;so that it would go well with them and their children forever." Deuteronomy 5:26

The people of Israel said they would listen to everything God told Moses and do it. They made this as a promise to God. But within days, they went to worshipping idols. It grieves God that His children forget Him. Reading through the books of moses you find that everything is repeated. Deuteronomy begins as an overview of all God has done for the people of Israel so that they will remember.

Do not forget. These are the words spoken to me by God that I may never forget the blessings He has shown me.

Merciful

I want to share a story of God's mercy.

There once was 5 kids between the ages of 13-18. They were all camping together and learning how to work togther as one. They sought desperately after God's own heart and with questions they sought after a bible study with their pastor. Wanting to bless these kids, the pastor took them out of the heat and into the air conditioning where he answered all their questions and more. The lesson: faith. What these kids learned that night was that God wanted to bless them with faith, they just needed to believe that He could. The pastor, in all his love decided to bless the kids even more and take them all out for dinner and ice-cream. It was beyond their belief that the pastor would be so kind to them, but he was teaching them to have faith. With rich blessings and a full stomach, the kids went on their way home and played together until they could no longer keep their eyes open.

The next morning, the kids woke up late. The alarm that was supposed to ring for 7 a.m., rang for 10 a.m.! Realizing they had slept in too late they quickly arose and set out to their responsabilities. One of the kids left for a party, three of them left to run the weekly errand, and the third stayed behind. When the three returned, they all went their seperate ways with their thoughts on when they could go swimming or what they would cook for dinner. When the pastor came as they were all back together eating their supper, he asked if they had any questions for another bible study. The kids were silent. They realized they had no questions, that they had gone the whole day never thinking about God. They woke up, lived life, and never once gave thought to God. A normal routine of waking up at 7 and reading God's word, giving thanks to Him, it was all lost. It was lost because they forgot. The pastor asked if they had questions and they had none. After being richly blessed the night before, they never acknowledged God's blessings and instead only acknowledged themselves.

In utter conviction, they cried out to God to forgive them and admitted to the pastor of their sins. Then the first thing out of their pastor's mouth was, "I can see God is moving in all of you." "Really?", the kids thought. Not only that, the pastor told them that they would be the ones to save an entire congregation that had lost their love for God. Save a congregation? After their disobesdience to God? Impossible! But God who is rich in mercy taught them the meaning of grace. That He would love His children despite their disobedience and He would use them to save the lives of a congregation.

What these kids learned:
1. Do not forget God's blessings
2. Do not be lazy
3. Do not separate yourself from one another
4. Listen to God's whispers (convictions)
5. Don't forget God

God is always going to give you favor. Be mindful of satan's schemes and in all ways, acknowledge God. Do not forget God because the minuite we forget, His whispers fade the the world begins to shout. And remember, God is merciful. When you mess up, get back up on your feet and tell God, here I am Lord, how can you use me today! God is so rich in mercy!