Back to Reality!

     Well friends, spring break is over and it's back to reality. It is so hard to focus and stay on task when there are so many other things I would rather be doing but I am going to do my utmost best to work hard and not check out yet! One of the classes I am taking this semester is "Life of Paul" and it's my one and only online class. I'm not a big fan of online classes (especially when there aren't any due dates) because I tend to forget about them and tell myself that there are more important things to do for my regular classes that have specific due dates. But you see even though he says there aren't due dates.. well they're there, hidden in the syllabus that I have been avoiding pretty much all semester.
     A plus to being in Bible College is that I get to read the Bible for homework. Great homework I know!! :) For my delightful online class we have to read all of Paul's letters and books that he wrote. In case you don't know what all he wrote, it's a large majority of the New Testament. I could be upset about all that reading but I have found joy in it realizing that I get to spend a lot more quality time with my Love! Yea pretty awesome I know :) I am most definitely the type of person that HAS to write something down whenever something happens so I will remember it and then can tell someone about it later (well depending on what it is! lol), basically journaling is a dear friend to me. So congratulations, I am going to share some things that have been a "slap-you-in-the-face duhh" moments lately for me!
     Okay so being that I am a scatterbrained creature (there are pros and cons to that but I won't get into that right now) I started to read through in the order in the Bible but that went out the window and I have been going all over the place and not really in any specific order.
     Let's start with Acts 10:25-26. So Cornelius sends for Peter to come and when Peter comes in verse 25 it states, "As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him." Then in 26, "But Peter lifted him up, saying, 'Stand up; I myself am also a man.'" Okay so those verses are pretty self explanatory but I read them and stopped and thought through them and applied it to my own life. I am going to use Beth Moore as an example. She is a VERY godly lady who has been gifted in women's ministry and God works through her in amazing ways! But when I hear her speak and I am touched do I praise God or Beth? I should be praising God but there have been times when I got caught up in the whole drama of it all and began looking to Beth and seeing just her and not looking deeper to see that it is really Christ speaking through her. It's something to think about and apply to your own life. We must always remember to praise HIM and not man. We are mere humans that fail and sin but He is perfect and He can do great and mighty things when we allow Him to and we praise Him and Him alone.
     Now onto a somewhat different topic.. Today I was reading in Galatians and well a lot of things caught my attention but one thing in particular struck me that I have seen lately. Our truth is rooted in Jesus Christ and what the Bible says, I think that any Christian can agree to that. Now if that is true, why do we get offended whenever someone honestly tells us something in our life that goes against the Bible says we should do? Aren't they trying to help us grow in our relationship with God? There are times when people say things intentionally to hurt us or bring us down and that is wrong on their part and God will deal with that but I am talking about the times when we're going against God and they are confronting to us about that. We should be thankful that someone cares enough to help us and encourage us but more times than not we get offended. I am also included in this and it must change, and soon. Sometimes we think that the issues that we are dealing with now are not in the Bible and that they were not dealt with in those times but they were! In Galatians 4:16 Paul says, "Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?" He was speaking truth the church and they became offended when really they should have been thankful that he cared that much to encourage them and wanted them to be the best that they could be for God to do great and mighty things!!
     Well that is the end so breathe easy ;) I hope that you can find a bit of encouragement and know that no matter what God loves you and He wants you to be the best so He can use you and work through you to do great and mighty things just like Paul wanted that out of the church in Galatia!! Stay in the Word dear friends and always go to Him first!
     Ciao, EmilyAnn :)