Shakespeare and Springtime :)

Spring, oh Spring. Wherefore art thou, dear Spring? Summer, hence thou be thrown off no longer. Tarry none. Prowl thither and shake from thee Winter's dull mantle. Toss forth thine head in glorious triumph. Reign once more: victor.

I think Shakespeare has warped my mind . . . lol. :) We are reading "King Lear" (a Shakespearean tragedy) in Bristish Literature. I haven't finished it yet, but there has been one major question in my mind throughout this book: Why couldn't we have read a Comedy? ;) But wait! I think this could lead to an interesting thought . . .

Yes. I really do want spring - or summer. or something with warmth, an array of colors, and sunshine.

But you know what?

Even though I would love those things right now, guess what I am going to be wanting come August...

Yep. A cold winter's day; a cozy fire casting an iridescent glow on the couch, a cup of tea with wisps of steam pervading the rim, snow falling lazily aloft a frozen ground.

Are we ever truly grateful for what we're given right now? Even if we are, how long does it last? Sure, we may enjoy what we've just been handed. . . .until it gets old or a trial arises. Take, for instance, my second paragraph. The one about the tragedy vs. the comedy. Why couldn't we have read the other one!? Why do we have to do this!? Argh, I'm so tired of this! (Read in high-pitched whiny voice for added effect.) Instead of complaining about this and exasperating everyone around me, I could look at it like this. How grateful I am that God is allowing me to take this class! Wow, this book is really expanding my mind to be able to read different things! I'm so thankful that I have the ability to read!

Anyway, that's just one example, - and not a very good one at that - but you get the point. :)

Just a little thought to leave you with today. Instead of complaining and griping about our circumstances, let's find the things to be grateful for in each situation and praise the Lord for His goodness toward us! :)

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings:" Philippians 2:14

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

My Everything for Jesus

Do you have something in your life that is time-consuming? Something that is draining much of your time. Something frivolous in the light of eternity. Maybe it seems like it is invaluable to you, take a step back and look at it from a fresh perspective. Are you worshiping that thing? Idolizing it above Christ?

There are a countless number of things throughout our lives that demand or desire our attention. The only thing to which our attention should be so much attuned to that we worship, is Jesus Christ.

Let's put this in perspective. God created the earth. The Milky-Way. The Universe. And beyond. He also created every tiny cell. Every nucleus. Every atom. Every electron. Besides creating all these things without any effort whatsoever, God also knows how each one of these things work. Individually. He knows what is going on with that cell in your body that is going through mitosis right now, and at the same time, he knows exactly how many shooting stars are whizzing through the sky (and not just the ones in our solar system)! Okay, so this God that created every single thing, is -along with keeping the universe in order - listening to your petty complaints. Your pitiful pleas for help. Your scrawny thanks. Your ignorant demands.

Me: So, God. What's up?
God: Not much. I'm just holding together the atoms and molecules of your body. What about you?*

Think about it this way...

Me: God, if you get me out of this mess I've gotten myself into, I'll give you all my service.
God: Uh, what are you going to do? Bring me food or something? I own it all anyway.
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Me: God, if you give me a million dollars today, I'll give you the rest of my life!
God: I already own your life. I'm keeping you alive right now, you are in no position to bargain with me.

I'm sure you've heard the phrases "God is omnipotent" or "God is omnipresent". Have you ever grasped the meaning of those phrases? I know I can't. He's so beyond what I could even begin to understand. SO powerful! SO awesome! All the greatest words in any dictionary ever compiled by anyone anywhere, could not begin to describe Jesus!

Now that we've touched on how great God is, let's get into how this applies to our lives. Near the end of Philippians chapter 2, Paul is writing to the Philippian church about Epaphroditus. In verse 30, Paul says,

"Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me."

Wow! This man was so sold out to Christ that he didn't even regard his own life! That's how I want to be...so sold out to Jesus that I'm not concerned about fleeting life issues; so sold out to Jesus that I'm perfectly content with where He has me; so sold out to Jesus that it doesn't even matter where He leads me or what I'm going through, I still trust HIM; so sold out to Jesus that I'm putting my life in His hands and giving Him complete control to do what he will.

I saw this quote on facebook from one of my sister's wall posts: ". . . read this from Beth Moore on Twitter: "It occurs to me that I sometimes pray like God is all out of ideas. Like, if I'm stumped, He is, too. He knows both what and how. Move over."

Put all of yourself into following Christ. Pour your life into His design.

*A lot of these ideas I got from a sermon by Matt Chandler on "The Cross" series.