Is It Well With My Soul?

One of my favorite hymns is It Is Well With My Soul, by Horatio G. Spafford. There is a lovely arrangement of it on this cd (one of my current favorite albums btw) and I've been listening to it almost nonstop lately. Add to that the fact that we just sang this song in church and... yeah, it's been on my mind lately.

There is so much truth in this song, so much comfort, and so much conviction as well. Because as I've listened to it over and over again, I've had to repeatedly ask myself:

Is it well with my soul?

The first verse makes me think about every day instances.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul

For example: when I'm late to work and my car is out of gas and someone cuts me off on the highway, is it well with my soul? Do I walk in the Spirit and keep a good attitude, or do I scream "OUTTA MY WAY YOU MORON!!!" I have to admit, there are  times of both. Why am I so easily ruffled? I have a big God who is in control of everything, even my daily commute! So why don't I trust Him more easily and just do right? Or, as Pastor Scott preached on a couple of weeks ago, why can't I exhibit more meekness?

The third verse gets me thinking a little more deeply.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

My sin, not in part but the whole!!! Wow!!! We have so many reasons to glory in Christ. He has taken all of my sin on Himself and set me free from the bondage I was in! He has sealed me with His Holy Spirit and will never, ever let me go!!! He WILL finish the work that was started in me at salvation! So why am I so weighed down by this life? Why do I allow myself to grow so weary, so busy trudging down here that I forget to look up? I think a big part of the problem is addressed in 2 Timothy 2:4

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

Even after reading this verse again and again and again,
I get so entangled with this life.
I worry and stress and struggle and focus on things of this earth. With what I'm going to do here, where I'm going to go, how I'm going to get there. I have problems with this relationship. I won't be able to afford this need. I bury myself under a load of anxiety, and instead of casting my cares on Him, I try to carry them all by myself. Then, after living my day to day life barely acknowledging God because I'm so focused on the things of this world, I wonder why I continually fall into sin. Why can't I get the victory? Maybe it's because I'm not being a good soldier.

I heard an incredible message on Sunday night entitled He Is Able. It was based on what is quickly returning to a 'favorite verse spot'.

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.          Jude 1:24

It was one of the best messages I've ever heard, and I'd suggest you listen to it here. (Sermon from 05/08/2011 Evening) I think the biggest encouragement is in the title itself. He IS able!!! He can keep me from falling! He can give me victory over sin! I just need to 'untangle' myself from this world and and focus on Him, and "the Only wise God" will take care of the rest.

My Two Cents Worth

Well, this post won't be terribly wrong, or terribly original either. This is what everyone is talking about right now, and others have waaaay more wisdom than I do on this matter! But I haven't done a politics post in a while and this has been on my mind, so I thought I'd put in my two cents worth.

What am I feeling over the death of Osama Bin Laden?

If I said I was feeling only righteous sadness over the loss of his soul, I'd be lying.
If I said that I was only rejoicing in complete celebration over his death at the hands of our soldiers, I'd still be lying.

The truth is, I'm torn.
See, I have dual citizenship. I'm a citizen of the United States of America (The greatest country on earth!) and I'm proud to be so. But I'm also a citizen of Heaven, and have been since the day I was born again. So, the American in me wants to jump up and down saying "yes yes Yes Yes YES!!!" But the Christian in me.... is glad that God's justice has prevailed, but also sad that a soul was just condemned to Hell for all eternity.
I can't deny the sense of satisfaction at the justice of his death, who killed so many of my countrymen. But neither can I think of where he is now without a twinge of regret at the waste of a life, and without wishing that at some point in his life he had turned to the Savior. This leads to something else I've been thinking a lot about, something my cousin Luke brought up yesterday-

Do I feel that same regret over every person that dies without Christ?

This is such a high profile case that it's easy for everyone to pass judgement and have an opinion, we are all thinking about it. But am I daily grieved because people are lost and dying without a Savior? Witnessing isn't just something to do when you get around to it. I need to feel a sense of urgency! People are dying every day, and they need to hear!!! So, while it is too late for Bin Laden, the best thing that I can do is go out there and tell everyone I can, before it's too late.

It's All About The Cross.

I'm having a wonderful day!
A) There was free breakfast in the office;
B) I'm going to get a free Starbucks drink by bringing in a reusable cup;
C) I get off work at noon instead of five;
D) I'm going for lunch and shopping with my mom, just the two of us;

Simple equation:
A+B+C+D = Absolutely, positively, fabulously wonderful day! (And there are even more factors I'm not listing!)

I've been pretty excited about it all morning.

But then I got to thinking:
Today is Good Friday, when many people celebrate the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This may not be the actual day he died, but it is the day when much of the world takes time to remember and reflect on it.
I heard a message yesterday morning in which the preacher said that the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, all points the message and power of the Cross. I got so excited! Christ died for me, shed His blood to atone for my sins, and rose on the third day to conquer death and give me eternal life!

But this morning when I was soooo excited:
It wasn't about the Cross.

I'm easily stirred to passion for the gospel when it's repeated to me or right in front of my face, but why am I not passionate about it all the time?

My 'wonderful exciting' days are few and far between.
Why?
I serve a Risen Savior, each and every day!!!
There is ALWAYS something to be excited about, the Cross! It should affect my life in every way. Every action, thought, and word. Every aspect of my life should be changed and transformed because of the cross. It should be my focus, my passion, the object of my devotion and gratitude. It should be everything!!!

Is my life all about the Cross?
Is yours?

Praise God for Crutches!

Have any of you ever heard derogatory terms used for the Christian life such as:
"Oh, they are living in their safe little bubble!"?
or
"You are just using your religion as a crutch!"?

So often we rush to defend ourselves, talking about how those are the worlds perceptions but it isn't really true, and trying to save face in front of the lost.

But I've been doing some thinking.

Those things are true. So why are we so quick to deny them?

After all, I do live in a "safe bubble"! I am not completely isolated from the world, but I am safe and protected from harmful influences by my Lord, and I am separate from the world and all it's sin and heartache!

The point of my "bubble" isn't to keep me in, but to keep evil out! And it doesn't mean I can't communicate and be friendly with the outside world! In fact, I would love to invite anyone reading to join me in my bubble, it's a fabulous, peaceful place to be!

Jesus truly is my crutch. I wouldn't have it any other way. If anyone says that the reason I need religion is because I'm not strong enough to stand on my own two feet? They are absolutely right.

I am crippled because of my sin: we all are. The ONLY way that I can stand and live a full life is if I lean wholly on that 'crutch' that I've found in Jesus Christ!

With all the depression, suicide, emptiness, and heartache in this world, do people really still believe that we are fine on our own? That we don't need anything? I'm SO thankful that I've found a way to stand!!! And by the grace of God I will continue to stand, not choosing to grope around on the floor because of my own pride in refusing the ever necessary crutch.

How foolish would it be of me to try and walk on a broken leg unaided, making it worse and worse, when I had a crutch available to help me?

That's the foolishness of the world.

So I challenge you, when you are accused of your own weakness in accepting Christ, agree! We are weak. We do need help. We can't make it on our own! So let's stop fighting the worlds attacks, and instead point them to God, showing how different things are from His point of view.

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.  I Corinthians 3:18, 19a

When Will My Life Begin?

So, I recently watched the new Disney Princess movie;

Tangled.

And guess what? I loved it! It's a really cute movie with awesome characters, (The horse is seriously hilarious, and I might have a bit of a crush on Flynn Rider;) majorly catchy songs, and a pretty good plot in the process! I've always loved the story of Rapunzel, {Being a bit of a hair fanatic myself} and I think she's a pretty awesome heroine. I loved the songs so much that I went home and bought them for my two cousins [NOT for me of course!] and put them on their music players. (It might have ended up on my ipod too....) The other day I was listening to the soundtrack and I started singing along to one of the theme songs,          

"When Will My Life Begin"

It's one of those catchy songs you just *have* to sing along with. But as I'm belting it out with my headphones in, something struck me.

That's how a lot of us live our lives.

Christian young people, and girls especially, always seem to be waiting for something. We feel like our lives won't *really* begin, we won't truly begin to serve Christ, until...... {You fill in the blank}

For many of my friends, they feel life won't begin until they get married. For others, it's when they start college. I know personally I often think [even subconsciously] that my christian service really starts once I get my medical degree. We are constantly waiting for that catalyst that will start our lives. The problem is, there is always something more to wait for. Once you get married, you are waiting until you have kids. Once you go to college, you are waiting to graduate. Once I get my medical degree, I'll be waiting for all sorts of opportunities! (such as.... a job!) So here's the idea I came up with.

Stop Waiting.

Groundbreaking, I know. But as simple as it sounds, it can be a lot more complicated than first glance reveals. It takes a focused effort, a daily decision to serve God right now. But while it isn't easy, I'm starting to see just how necessary it is. If I wait until I have my medical degree to start really serving God, I am going to waste almost thirty years of the life that God has given me!

James 4:13-17
Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.





My life is nothing but a vapor. It's like when you breathe out into the cold air. Your breath makes that really cool fog.... and then just like that, it's gone. It's neat while it lasts, but it isn't here long. That's my life!!! God has given me this marvelous opportunity of living on earth as His child, and I take it for granted every day. I have a small window of time to accomplish as much for Him as I possibly can, and I don't even know how small that window is! I could die of old age at eighty five years old, or I could die on my way home from work tomorrow in a car wreck and the age of eighteen. I'm not promised a specific amount of time. All I can do is make the very best of it. The last verse in that passage is particularly convicting. [To me anyway!] "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin." Wow. How many times am I faced with opportunities to serve God that I just let slip through my fingers? Sin isn't just doing wrong things, it's not doing the right things that I know I should! It's waiting because "I'm too young" or "I'm single" or "I haven't even graduated from college" and giving up chances to change lives for the Kingdom of Christ because I just haven't decided to start yet. So I've made a decision:

My life starts right now.

I'm going to do everything I can to live a life fully surrendered to Christ right now.  I'm not going to wait for my life to begin. Because if I just keep on waiting? It never will.

Till Next Time,

The Princess.

Is My Price Above Rubies?

Proverbs 31:10-30 
 10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
 11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
 12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
 13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
 14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
 15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
 16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
 17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
 18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
 19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
 20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
 21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
 22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
 23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
 24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
 25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
 26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
 27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
 28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
 29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
 30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

I was going through some old sermon notes in my Bible cover and I found the sheet from Pastor Scotts message on Mothers day a year or two ago about the Virtuous Woman. I was sifting through a lot of notes so I only skimmed it, but a paragraph caught my eye that said that passage of Proverbs 31 (shown above) is one that every young woman should have memorized. I thought about it and... I didn't! I had some time between answering phone calls at work, so I decided to give it a go. (I've been trying to get back into memorizing since I graduated and wasn't a Bible quizzer anymore.) I was amazed at how natural it felt! I'm still working on getting all the verses word perfect, but I got a pretty good grasp on them as I worked. The way I memorize is to write everything down, read it, read the same verse in the Bible to make sure I got it down right, and then close my eyes and quote it in my head. Rinse and repeat. So when I was done, I had a handwritten copy of Proverbs 31:10-30. I was amazed at some of the things that jumped out at me, so I highlighted them on my paper. (Same as above.) These aren't by any means the only good parts of this passage, but they really stuck out to me! I recognized some traits in this 'Virtuous Woman' that I really want to see in my life. I know that if I want to be a certain way in the future, I have to start working now, so I decided to make a list of some character traits from this passage that I wanted to achieve by the Lords grace. Here is the list I came up with and that I am going to be working on to get better at!

1. Hardworking.

I will not be lazy or idle, and I will make a conscious effort not to choose the easy way out.

Proverbs 31:13,14,18,19,24

2. Early-Rising
I will not choose sleep over productivity. That means not hitting the snooze button.
Proverbs 31:15

3. Wise Speech
I will think before I speak, and I will only say what's necessary.
Proverbs 31:26a

4. Kind Speech
If something isn't edifying, I won't say it, period.
Proverbs 31:26b

5. Physically Fit
I will stay strong and in shape so that I can do whatever needs to be done.
Proverbs 31:17

6. Forward Thinker
I will plan ahead and be ready for whatever God may choose to send my way.
Proverbs 31:16,21

7. Selfless
I will put the needs and desires of others ahead of my own.
Proverbs 31:11,12,15,20,23,27

8. Humble
I will not be vain. I will realize that what is inside of me matters much more than my physical exterior.
Proverbs 31:30a

9. God-Fearing
I will fear and serve the Lord my God above all else.
Proverbs 31:30b

These obviously aren't anything new, but this is my plan of action, my list of goals, my "March resolutions". I hope they are an encouragement to you, let me know how I am doing in each area as I progress by Gods grace!

Till Next Time,

The Princess