Nothing is Wasted

         Last week I picked up my computer to write a new blog, I didn't know what to say, I was so deep in my trials and struggling I didn't even know what to say to myself. The week went on and I was listening to music and a song came on that I had heard many times but never really listen to the words. I was so encouraged by it I want to share it with you.
        "Nothing is wasted, You work all things for good." This song was only encouraging because it led me to a promise in the Word. "And we know that God causes all thing to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
       This verse encouraged me in so many ways. The things I'm going through right now are for a reason, my Father sees whats going on in my life, and Hes sovereign over it all, to me it seems like a mess, but to Him its clear. And just like the song says its not a waste there is a plan and purpose for it all. "So the rugged hope of the believer is not that we will escape distress or peril or hunger or slaughter, but that Almighty God will make every one of our agonies an instrument of his mercy to do us good. "You meant it for evil," Joseph said to his brothers who had sold him into slavery, "but God meant it for good." And so it is with every calamity of those who love God. God meant it for good!" J. Piper
        I was brought back to the gospel, look at who this is for, those who love Him, and those who are called. Its is only by God mercy and grace that I love Him, and vs.30"These whom He called He justified." He has called me, He has justified me and because of that, this verse is true for me, in my life, in this trial.
      
   

Pillow Talk

New years night was a fun adventure, but when all the excitement was over we went to bed, the first time in 2013. I was sleeping at a friends house, me n her were squished together in her little twin bed. there were many other girls in the room so we pulled the blankets over our head and talked, just like I did when I was seven. We started talking about where we wish we could be in seven years. Its really easy to know where I would like to be, what I would like to do. After we finished our stories of what would happen, how it would happen, and when. We said "Why don't things just go as we plan them?" I wonder if things just went as planned what would our relationship with God look like? probably very shallow, if everything went as planned where would the trust be? over this past year when things were good, that's just it they were good, I was happy, joyful in the Lord, I had so much peace. But when things got hard I was tested, I had to not only have joy and peace but I had to fight for them. I had to rely on God to give me strength to make it through the day, but in the end, the hard was so much sweeter, because Christ has been near to me, in that my joy has been increased.

Im Worn

One of my favorite songs right now is called worn. The first thing it says is "I'm tired I'm worn" This song is more true today than I think it ever has been in my life. I cry as I write this because its hard. Have you ever been there? It feels even hard to breath. Its feels as if God has left us alone, but has He? We fear because we believe lies, I can fear and be crushed because I believe the lie that my Father no longer hears or cares about me. The Cross tells me just the opposite, it tells me His love is never going to end, its never going to fail, its constant.  The Cross was not pretty, it was a picture of suffering, Christ suffered, He suffered the heavy, guilty weight of our sin, He suffered when He cried out "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" but heard no answer in return. But in that we are redeemed, we are forgiven, Freed from the chains of sin and death. The Cross is good, it shows that good things can come out from the bad. Today I can have hope, hope because of the cross and because God is faithful to me. What do you choose to hope in? In yourself? in Christ? Or maybe you choose to despair and not hope at all, hope in Christ, He's good.
   "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine or nakedness, or peril or sword?"

At The Feet Of Jesus

           Constantly my Heavenly Father is always being faithful to me, He is so good. Even when I really feel like I messed up, or when im totally faithless, the sinner that I am, He still loves me with a faithful, steadfast love. I am so grateful that He keeps me, I don't know where I would would be if He didn't hold me in His hand. It amazes me that He wants us in our brokenness, in those times for me its so apparent that I need Christ, who am I without Him? I am past Nothing, He is my righteousness, my advocate. That's always amazing to me, but I find alot of times its in my brokenness, my weaknesses that I can see that more clearly, with my own self righteousness out of the picture I just see Christ.

        This morning in my devotional Charles Spurgeon says this,"Deep love of Jesus.... Lift up my earth bound soul, and float it right up to my Lord's feet, and there let me lie, a poor broken shell, washed up by His love, having no virtue or value; and only venturing to whisper to Him that if He will put His ear to me, He will hear within my heart faint echoes of vast waves of His own love which have brought me where it is my delight to lie even at His feet forever."  Beautiful this is! oh to lie at my Lord's feet. The nail pierced feet. I always hear "Cast your burdens at the feet of Jesus." But 99% of the time I am my own burdens, must I cast myself at the feet of Jesus? Yes, and with gladness I do. How unworthy an I to lie at the Kings feet, yet because of those nail pierced feet I can.

                                                 With Love,

                                                       Leah.

A Fight For Contentment

     I always knew that, like most people, I can be discontent.  I often would ask the Lord "Why me?" or "Why not me?" I knew of a specific area in my life where I would notice this most, and my disciple would tell me, "We must be content. We must fight for contentment." Honestly it wasn't that hard because the Lord ended up taking away what I wanted, I'm so thankful for His graciousness. It is a amazing thing to get to the point when you can say Lord your all I want and need. But creeping up behind me came my own selfishness, forgetting the goodness of my Lord and back to focusing on myself.
     I remember reading about the Israelites thinking "Wow, there so unthankful, the Lord provides them with food and the next second they want something better." Oh man how I would hate if someone wrote a book on my life because you would see the pattern of the Israelites over and over again. My discontentment is in so many ways connected in Unthanfulness. The Lord in His mighty grace give me a good blessing, and the next day I completely forget about it, I want something different, something, in my mind, better. Psalm 92:1 says "It is good to give thanks to the Lord." Its so good to reflect on all our good Father has done in our lives, to be thankful and focus on Christ not on our self.
       A fight for contentment. Finding contentment in Christ alone can be so difficult. For me its always  coming up again, and again. When a new situation comes up, discontentment fallows. Looking back on my walk, I can say I have been most content when I'm in close fellowship with the Lord. He is my contentment. In Christ is all that my heart truly desires. That famous John Pipper quote say "Christ is most glorified, when we are most satifyed in Him." That being true, then we must fight for it, because Christ is glorified! Our purpose is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever! "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
                             

                                         With Love,
                                              Leah.

Our Comfort in Prayer

         In my everyday life as an 18 year old girl, I often feel like things are out of control, a lot of thing that happen are things that I can fix or change. I can be overwhelming. But in the midst of all I have found a great comfort, prayer. The truth that God is powerful and can fix and change thing is part of the comfort, but theres a whole other side of things. He is close, I am His daughter drawing near to her Father, I can share my burden on Him who knows me and cares for me. He allows me to come to Him in weakness, in sadness, in excitement and times of great joy. Most of all if I'm close to my Father, things don't matter as much. Yes there are things that matter, and always will until there answered, (salvation of people I love). But the little things, the little cares and worries, what makes me anxious. The love of Him cast out my fears, being close to Him make things seem small.
       We must run to Him, like a child run to there father when afraid, He embraces us. He says, cast all your burdens on Him. Nothing is to Heavy for Him." He has never refused to bear your burdens, he has never fainted under their weight. "
     
 "I love the Lord, because He hears
          My voice and my supplications. " Psalm 116:1
        
"Run to the place where your fears have no voice any more."


                                  With Love,
                                     Leah.

You Are For Me

     Some days its hard to see, others its easier. No matter how I feel, its always been a comfort to know that God is for me. It means so much, His wrath is no longer on me, His grace hovers over me. "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name you are Mine." "If God is for us,who is against us?" To say God is for us could mean so many different things, and all of them are lovely and true, it calms the fears of the fearful, it gives peace to the unrested.
      About two month ago I was going through a trail, and in it learned a promise that I will forever cling to. I was faced with things that I knew the Lord wanted me to do, but I was so afraid, I realized that I didn't trust in the Lord, I wasn't fully convinced that He was not going to leave me, I hadn't realized that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God" and then I found a song, I would listen to this song and pray and cry when I would hear it, it said " So faithful. So constant.  So loving and so true. So powerful in all You do. I know that You are for me.  I know that You are for me. I know that You will never,  forsake me in my weaknesses"
       Such a beautiful reminder all the time, He knows what He doing, its going to turn out for good, for those who love Him, He doesn't do thing to hurt me, He has a purpose and a plan for all He does in our lives. He is our loving Father, our precious Savior. He has won our our victory, and theres nothing He gives you that you, through His strength, wont be able to face.
       With Love,
        Leah.