Backwards could work . . .

I've tried reading through the Bible a few times . . . starting in Genesis and going to Revelation. Well, 'round about Genesis 19 or so, I'd either get behind in my reading, or just forget completely! After this happened several times, I decided to start again . . . except backwards. I still wanted to save Revelation for last, so I started in Jude. 1 Peter is almost completed and then it's on to James! I kind of like this arrangement . . . although if reading the Bible "forwards" isn't even necessarily chronological sometimes, reading it backwards will be really non-chronological. However, it could be like a negative times a negative equals a positive type thing. :)

Anyway... :) Mom, Jerusha, and I are leaving for New York to visit our relatives in a few days! Because of this impending trip, Josiah decided about a month ago that Jerusha and I could have his old netbook. (He was buying a new laptop for himself...) Regrettably, I destroyed the old netbook before it was even totally ours yet! Not-regrettably, Josiah (with the help of one of his friends) bought us a new one!! And it's an amazing shade of red! ;) I could hardly believe it when he set a box on the table and said "This is for you girls." He's such a great big brother!!!! :)

Recently I've been really enjoying going through our hymnals and sitting outside singing them. Sometimes I just pick a random one and try to sight-read it . . . it's at those times that I'm glad our cat is the only one outside! :p  The one song that has stuck out to me in the past few days is called Give of Your Best to the Master.

Give of your best to the Master; Give of the strength of your youth;

Throw your soul's fresh, glowing ardor Into the battle for truth.

Jesus has set the example; Dauntless was He, young and brave;

Give Him your loyal devotion, Give Him the best that you have.

Chorus:

Give of you best to the Master; Give of the strength of your youth;

Clad in salvation's full armor, Join in the battle for truth.

Give of you best to the Master; Give Him first place in your heart;

Give Him first place in your service, Consecrate ev'ry part.

Give, and to you shall be given; God His beloved Son gave;

Gratefully seeking to serve Him, Give Him the best that you have.

Chorus:

Give of you best to the Master; Give of the strength of your youth;

Clad in salvation's full armor, Join in the battle for truth.

 

Give of your best to the Master; Naught else is worthy His love;

He gave Himself for your ransom, Gave up His glory above:

Laid down His life without murmur, You from sin's ruin to save;

Give Him your heart's adoration, Give Him the best that you have.

Chorus:

Give of you best to the Master; Give of the strength of your youth;

Clad in salvation's full armor, Join in the battle for truth.

 

Although it has a nice tune, I really like this song because of it's words. It reminds me that I truly need to give every single part of myself to my Master; to HIS service. Nothing less than everything is worthy His love.
I am required to give Him all my heart's adoration. When I hear this song, why wouldn't I want to give Him everything? ...It's all the distractions in life that keep me from loving Him wholly. All the things to whom I give little pieces of my heart, when all of it should belong to my Saviour.

Mark 12:30 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Okay, now for the quotes . . .

A few months ago my sister Jessica let me borrow a book of hers called "Stepping Heavenward" by Elizabeth Prentiss. (Prentiss also wrote the hymn "More Love to Thee, O Christ".) I read the first few pages and then lost interest. Finally a month or two later, I picked up the book again and started reading more. This time I was hooked.
If you're like me, most of the time when I read books I want to just skim over the parts that are "boring" and seem to be going on and on. In this book, however, I decided that if I was really going to read it, I probably shouldn't skip over some parts. I'm glad I decided to read it completely, because these few paragraphs really help me to see more clearly what Christ is doing in my life.

" . . . you must go to Christ Himself, not to one of His servants. Make your complaint, tell Him how obscure everything still looks to you and beg Him to complete your cure. He may see fit to try your faith and patience by delaying this completion; but meanwhile you are safe in His presence, and while led by His hand, He will excuse the mistakes you make and pity your falls. But you will imagine that it is best that He should at once enable you to see clearly. If it is, you may be sure He will do it. He never makes mistakes. But He often deals far differently with His disciples. He lets them grope their way in the dark until they fully learn how blind they are, how helpless, how absolutely in need of Him.

What His methods will be with you I cannot foretell. But you may be sure that He never works in an arbitrary way. He has a reason for everything He does. You may not understand why He leads you now in this way and now in that, but you may, nay, you must believe that perfection is stamped on His every act."   Stepping Heavenward, pages 85-86

Encouraging . . . Thought-provoking . . . I love how Elizabeth Prentiss words this. You can go straight to God and bring to Him your needs and your grievances, your joys and your pains, your smiles and your tears. You don't have to go through "one of His servants" to talk and listen to Jesus. He cares about you personally and wants you to come to Him yourself and ask Him to take help you. Meanwhile we have to be patient and wait on Him to do what He will with us in HIS timing. That's a lot easier to write than it is to do.

"He lets them grope their way in the dark until they fully learn how blind they are, how helpless, how absolutely in need of Him."

Have I fully learned how blind, how helpless, and how absolutely in need of Him I am?  May Christ teach me and cause me to understand this fact so that I will become more and more like Him until the coming day.

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure"                 Philippians 2:13