That green paper sure does go fast!

Today I got my monthly letter from the bank, showing my deposits, deductions and balance.

To say the least, I was blown away at how much money I spent in the past month. I thought I was going to be sick!

Now, while I feel guilty, I do have some good excuses, including my passport, which was over $100, along with plane tickets for my mission trip which were over $300 as well. But still, there was definitely a good chunk 'o change that I could have saved if I had been wiser with my money. 

Consequently, I created a budget for myself with the help of a book my Dad bought me when I was younger. It had a basic plan for creating a budget as follows:

Tithing 10%

Spending 25%

Long Term Savings 10%
Short Term Savings 25%

Taxes 5%

Expenses 25%

I took taxes, expenses, along with both saving categories and combined them, considering I don't really worry too much about taxes, nor do I really have any "expenses" (yet). 

Hopefully this plan I've devised will be beneficial and allow me to spend less and save more!

Here's my challenge to you: Are you wise about your spending/saving habits? Are you frugal or do you blow your money 'like nobody's business'? I've heard before that you can tell a lot about a person simply by what they spend their money on. What does your spending habit/purchases show about you?

 

"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:21

"The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."

Proverbs 21:5

Do you hate sin like you hate pimples? Part 1

You know what bugs me? When finally, that nasty pimple is gone from my face, just to wake up the next morning with a brand spankin' new and nasty one! Aren't pimples just so gross and annoying to have to deal with?

I was thinking about it recently and I discovered that pimples and our sin have a lot in common.

Though you may not physically SEE your sin like a pimple, sin's description at the core, is quite similar. Think about it. What are pimples? They are spots that are unclean, clogged (doesn't that just make your gag-reflex go off?). What is sin? Spots in our lives that are unclean and where we are perhaps spiritually "clogged" . 

Does your sin bug you as much as pimples do? Enjoying and lathering up in your sin is like saying you enjoy pimples! Ew!

According to God's word, we are called to hate evil things, or sin. Check it out!:

"Let those who love the LORD hate evil,"

Psalm 97:10a

"Hate evil, love good;"

Amos 5:15ab

"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;"

Proverbs 8:13a

Are there some "unclean" and "clogged" parts in your life that you've been forgetting to "scrub" with spiritual "cleansers" such as reading God's word, praying, or fellow shipping with others?

My challenge to you: Take a good and long hard look at your heart, where are there parts that are in need of a cleansing? Spend some time with God and ask Him to reveal where these spots are.

This post isn't over yet! Check back in a couple days for Part 2! 

Click here for Part 2! 

So there's this guy..

Photo credit belongs to Holly Lueers. :)

I have a secret. :)

There's this guy in my life. -blushes-

He's amazing. 

I can't even begin to describe how good He is to me. I don't deserve Him! His love for me is incomparable to any other guys. He constantly melts my heart with His goodness and compassion. He always forgives me when I mess up and never ceases to listen to me. He encourages me daily and builds me up. He is someone who I know will always be there for me, through good and bad - thick and thin. Did you know you can share in His love too?

 Girl say what!?

Yeah, you heard me!

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm talking about my sweet Prince Jesus. :)

His love is so refreshing and unchanging. 

"The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:   
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
   I have drawn you with unfailing kindness."

Jeremiah 31:3

 

So why is it that His love to us constantly seems not enough? Why is it so often that we find ourselves in search of earthly guy love and attention? There are many reasons, but I think when it boils down to it, it's because we are forgetful. We often forget that we do not need a guy's love or attention to make us complete and have a fulfilled life. It's tempting and our emotions can pull us in all sorts of directions away from Jesus. I've been there, done that. It never fills though. It never is enough. There is still a void, a gap. A whole in our hearts longing to be filled with everlasting love. 

More recently, I have found myself in various conversations relating to guys. It has actually started to bug me! Why can't we be happy with JUST our Jesus? Whatever happened to waiting on God's timing for love in our lives? Whatever happened to soaking up our singleness and taking advantage of it, using it as a time to grow closer to Jesus and deeper in love with our Savior? Instead we become miserable, we view it as suffering, we are impatient and must get what we "need"! We keep searching and waiting for that special guy to come along all the while forgetting that that "special guy" came for us a long time ago. Have you forgotten about your Prince Jesus?

My challenge to you: Don't waste your time waiting around for a guy to appear in your life, and instead focus on the Prince that has been in your life ever since you were born (and before that)! Hold fast to Jesus and never let go of your first True Love. I know there are times when you will feel lonely and wish that there was an earthly prince there to hold and comfort you, I feel that sometimes too! Even though we may forget about Jesus and His love, He certainly never forgets about us! He knows your longings and your hearts desires, but you have to trust in Him and wait on His timing, not your own.

 

" For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
 My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be."

-Psalm 139:13-16

Note: If you're a guy, I encourage you to do the same. Wait on God's timing for Him to bring that special lady into your life! Until then, run after Jesus with all that you are and seek first His will for your life. :)

Left or Right? How about WRONG!

Have you ever been wronged? Or at least felt like you were wronged by someone?

Yeah, me too. It's a terrible feeling, isn't it? Doesn't it just make you cringe and wish to make things even or at least something within you screams for justice and something that would make up for the wrong?

It can be a very strong emotion, depending on how serious the injustice upon you is. Often times, it is easy to quickly judge the person for what they've done, to believe they deserve something in return that is utterly terrible, that you should get revenge and make SURE it hurts.

There is nothing wrong with anger, righteous anger--meaning your reason for being upset is one that is "legit". It really all comes down to what you do with the anger or feelings.

Leviticus 19:18

"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."

Proverbs 24:29

"Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did."

It can be a very difficult thing to do but these verses call us to let go of those feelings of revenge or of anger.
Sometimes you wonder why you have to, as if the person is going to get away with what they have done against you. But this is not true! We, as Christians, know that God is the true Judge.

1 Peter 2:23 

"When they hurled their insults at [Jesus], he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly."

Did you catch that? Even Jesus (who was God) did not fight back, but rather he let it go to the Father, the true judge, the one who judges justly! 

Now, Jesus was perfect and could not sin, so therefore, it's not completely the same, but once again, we are called to be like Christ and to follow in His footsteps. 

My challenge to you: Let God be the Judge! In moments when you're first wronged, your emotions may be screaming for you to get revenge on the other person, but REMEMBER, God will take care of it. Perhaps this person is not a Christian, think about where they are headed in regards to eternity. Instead of seeing it as you must get back at them, see it as an opportunity to witness through shining as the light of Christ by example and your actions, pray for them, etc. because you know they are headed to a very dark and terrible place! Once again, God is the judge, you do not need to try to justify things for yourself. Usually, by seeking revenge or letting go of control of our anger or high raging emotions, we make poor and unwise decisions which just lead to other problems! I think Romans says it perfectly...

Romans 12:17-21

"Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Hey! Would you cut it out?!

Have you ever done something and someone else tries to tell you to do it another way, because it's apparently "better"? Isn't that a little annoying sometimes? As if your way isn't good enough or something?
 

Yeah. That can be a bit frustrating. 

Now you know how God feels!

Okay, now you may be thinking.. "Wait what? How God feels? What are you talking about?"
 

As followers of Christ, God has a perfect plan for each of our lives. So often, we try planning our own steps, or the way WE want to go, rather than letting it be up to God. We think that we know better, you know, because we're somehow smarter than God, and know ourselves better than God does even though He created us, riiiight? WRONG! Is it coming together now?
 

I bet you can think of a time when you tried to plan things yourself, or figure out a way to force things together rather than letting God do His thing. I know I can!
 

So here's my challenge to you: Stop trying to metal with God's plans! Trust Him because He loves you more than you know, so much that He sent His only son to die for you! Have faith in Him because He is faithful to those who love Him. And be excited, for the Creator of the universe is working in YOUR life, and you never know what amazing things may happen when you leave it up to Him! :)
 

Proverbs 16:9"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
 

Proverbs 19:21"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."   

Jeremiah 19:11"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

The Struggle of Beauty

(Originally written July 15th, 2009).

Proverbs 31:30

 It started weeks ago when I happened to see a make-up commercial for Covergirl announcing their new product called "Simply Ageless". Ellen DeGeneres played the usual, unrealistic looking "model" to show off the product. It wasn't the actual commercial that bothered me, but what she said in the very beginning... "Inner beauty is important, but outward beauty is even MORE important." In all honesty, I was somewhat angry. Being "beautiful" isn't everything. The sad part is, many girls will believe that. And it's completely contradictory to the Bible as 1 Samuel 16:7 says:

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

and 1 Peter 3: 3-4 also states:

"Let your beauty not be external – the braiding of hair and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes – but the inner person of the heart, the lasting beauty of a gentle and tranquil spirit, which is precious in God’s sight."

More recently, I went to the beach for a week and during that time and the week after I got back five different people mentioned to me that I didn't seem THAT tan. (If you're one of those people, and you're reading this, I have nothing against you, I am just adding this to my point). It irritated me though... I'm not one to care a significant amount about my own outward beauty but this did bother me. Did you know that being tan was once not even valued?

"The alabaster skin I mentioned earlier was considered an essential item for the fashionable woman four hundred years ago, but it also caused a variety of skin problems. Some beauty writers at the time discouraged this practice, pointing out that it made skin appear grey and shriveled. Even worse, the foundation was responsible for numerous physical problems and resulted in some cases of muscle paralysis and untimely death. During the Renaissance, wealthy Italian women wore a popular face powder made of arsenic." (Graffiti: Learning to See the Art in Ourselves. p. 18).

Just as you can tell, beauty trends are constantly changing. What does it matter if I'm not tan enough today, for tomorrow, pale skin could be in style again.... as for any trend, whether clothing or objects, etc. Part of it is just being satisfied with the way God made you and not constantly trying to be "good enough" for the world and it's corrupt and unrealistic views. Because the truth is, you will NEVER be good enough to the world or to people of the world. It ached my heart as I read through different posts from girls from the blog at http://www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com/ So many girls (no matter what the age) struggle with being pretty enough or skinny enough.. the list goes on and on. And it's Christian girls too. Even Godly girls can be so insecure about the way they look. However, being beautiful can mean nothing when a girl's heart can be a dark shade of black, and full of hate and bitterness (Matthew 23:28). (Be sure to check out this link about having a "pretty heart": http://www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com/index.php?id=307

But in the midst of all the shallowness and fake views of the world, we can find truth from God's word about the way he loves us and what REAL beauty is:

Proverbs 31:30 - "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Psalm 45:11 - "The King is enthralled by your beauty, honor Him for He is your God."

1 Timothy 2:9-10 - "I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."

Psalm 139:14 - "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Jeremiah 1:5 - "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart."

and a verse I previously mentioned from 1 Peter chapter 3:

"Let your beauty not be external – the braiding of hair and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes – but the inner person of the heart, the lasting beauty of a gentle and tranquil spirit, which is precious in God’s sight."

I think a girl can be most beautiful when she's in love with Christ her Lord and desires to be more Christ-like each day; containing the most valuable fruits of the Spirit which are "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23a). And if you read that verse carefully, you'll see that no where in it is "outward beauty".