Day 323: All in a Day's Work

2 Peter 3:8

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.

I remember when I first heard and read this scripture I was so discouraged. I was discouraged because what I took from it was, that I would be waiting all my life to receive a blessing from God. I thought that I would have to wait until I was nearly dead. However that is not the case, yes we have to patiently wait for God and trust in His timing and sometimes that means waiting longer than expected. One thing we must know is that God’s plan and timing are perfect.

It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I grasps true clarity of this scripture.  When I took my eyes off myself and put them on Christ I gained an understanding that wa beyond me. God does so much in a day that it’s like a thousand years. That’s mind blowing when you think of it. God does so much in a day that it can be spread out over the span of a thousand years. Crazy! The saying, “God is working or God is busy.” has a new meaning. He is literally always working and doing things, He’s keeping the earth in it’s place. To start things off there’s approximately seven billion people on the Earth, 7,000,000,000. That’s a big number, He wakes us all up every morning. God wakes approximately seven billion people up every morning. Different regions, continents, time zones. It’s mind blowing! Let’s think about this, how many battles has God defeated before they even got to us. How many times has He spared us and we didn’t even know. Stopped attacks from reaching us that we never even knew about. God is fighting battles for us that we never see. His walking before us and defeating enemies we didn’t even know we had, and that’s just the supernatural.

God is constantly moving in our lives and we see that everyday, He is answering our prayers, listening to them, and blessing us all at the same time. He always has His eyes on us, God is always watching out for us.  He knows every move we will make before we make it. He knows where each of us are going at every moment.  

This is one of the most humbling scriptures I have ever read. Sometimes we can get so busy and so tired and exhausted and start to complain. Yes we are human and the more stress we put on ourselves and our bodies, the more exhausted we will be. Sometimes we have to just thank God for everything He’s done. Even in our exhaustion and even in our times of stress, we cannot automatically fall into this world of complaints because God is so much greater than it all. We also get to points in our lives when we are so proud and excited for the things that we do for ourselves that we tend to forget that it’s really God doing and the doing. It’s really God that’s giving us the means to take care of ourselves. We have to set ourselves aside to see and understand how the glory of God is constantly being played out in our lives. All of this goes to show just how great God is. We will never understand the magnitude of His greatness. We can never completely wrap our minds around His glory.

All of this to say, God does so much for us, more than we can ever imagine and it’s all explained to us in this small verse. God is great.

Response/Prayer Time

Take the time to respond to what we discussed today. Rest with this scripture, meditate on it and just take the time to thank God for who He is and all He’s done, is doing, and will continue to do in our lives.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening!  Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 324!

Day 45: It Is My Duty

It Is My Duty...

It is our duty as Christians, as the body of Christ to care for, defend, speak up, and lift up our brothers and sisters. We cannot sit around and do nothing when we have the ability to change a situation for the better. We are our brother's keeper. We must stand together and be one body, or else we fall.

Galatians 6:1-2

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Proverbs 31:8-9

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

How many times have we been in a position to do something for someone and didn’t? How many times have we seen our neighbor falling and didn’t pick them up? How many times have we stood by and watched the oppressed remain oppressed? Many times we have the ability to do things and we do not because it will mean sacrificing self. It will mean possibly ruining a reputation, or image that we have taken so long to build. But God did not give us the power and authority to rule His nations, and have dominion over the land for nothing. God has place His word on our hearts, He has given us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. We are His people, and sometimes we have to stand up for His people. He is instructing us to lift up our brothers and sisters, carry their burdens, be a voice for the voiceless. It is our duty.

Standing up and speaking about it is one thing, and praying about it is another thing, and something we must do. But God gave us the gifts and ability to act, we have to put these words in action and be there for our brothers and sisters. And this sometimes means standing up for those whose lifestyles we don’t necessarily like or agree with. It means loving and defending our enemy, It means opening our door to people we wouldn’t usually sit next to on the train. And yes, it means taking in refugees. Jesus never turned anyone away, he never pushed anyone away because of their lifestyle, but He came for everyone. He came to heal, and direct His people. We must take on the attitude of Christ towards others.

It is our duty to:

1, hold one another accountable, and when we see our neighbors falling we are there to restore them and pick them up. Many times we are quick to judge the sins of our fellows Christians without knowing what led them to turn away from from God. But the moment we see someone slipping we should all be rushing to make sure they stay on track. Because that is how we are supposed to love and care for one another.  We cannot be the type of people to kick someone when they are down, that is not Christ-like. We must lift them up, we must pray for them, and with them. We must go to our brother or sister and let them know that God is greater than their sin, or struggle. God has equipped all of us, so that when one falls the next is there to catch them. If we can help bear the burden, why not take it on. Standing on the sideline and encouraging with our words sometimes isn't enough. We have to get in the game a play in order to get a victory. And when that victory comes we have to be okay with receiving no recognition for it. Because we do not help our brothers and sister for what we will get out of it. We have to put ourselves aside, for the well-being of others, and that in itself is a reward. Jesus did it for us, so let’s pass it on.

2. Stand up for one another. We have a voice, and God has given us the words and wisdom to speak up when we need to. Many times as Christians we shy away from speaking up out of fear that we will be judged. Well, news flash, we’re judged every day of our lives whether we know it or not or whether we like it or not, so that’s something we can stop being afraid of. There are people that need our voice, who better to speak for them than the body of Christ? There are people being oppressed and if we can do something about why not? People are waiting for us. If we are loving our neighbors as ourselves that means we are standing up for our neighbors the way we stand up for ourselves. We are defending and protecting our neighbors the way we would defend and protect ourselves. Because we love them, and it is our duty.

• I don’t care if we agree with people, or the lifestyle they live, it’s not for us to judge. God does the judging. What we are here to do is love them. All of them, not just the people we like, not just Christians, not just the people we know. We are to love EVERYONE. Standing up for each other, being there, speaking up, and defending our brothers and sisters falls under the umbrella of love.

Alot has fallen on this generation. We are living in and have grown up in a time where there is a lot of pressure to fix everything broken in this world, and create a better one for the generation after us. One thing’s for sure is that we cannot fix it without Christ. Now is the time for us as not only young people with a voice, but young Christians to be on the frontline of every outlet. We must occupy the space we are in and use the platform we have been given to share the message of Christ, to give the people hope in a Savior that saved us long before we knew we needed it. A Savior that was thinking 2500 years in the future when He died so that we may live. The world needs us as the body of Christ to stand up and protect, and speak His word. We must declare that the power of the living God is greater than all the chaos that ensues in the world on a daily basis. We must be the love that the world is missing, We are representatives of Christ and we must lead His people back to Him. Use the gifts He has given you to spread His message. No matter how big or small your platform is, we each have the ability to reach somebody and that somebody can reach someone else, and we will start a chain reaction. Occupy the space you're in.  

Reflection

1. Reflect on what was discussed today. Do you believe that it is your duty to stand up, protect, and lift up your brothers and sisters?
2. How can you use the gifts and platforms God has given to reach His people?
3. What are ways that you can stand up for and defend the oppressed, give a voice to the voiceless, and lift those up who have fallen?
4. GO do it! But first…
   
   

...Prayer Time

Take the time today to pray for the world, and the state that it is in right now. Make that prayer a little more detailed, pray for your country, your city, your town, your village, your island, your community, your home. Pray that the people will be united and reunited with the one and only living God. Pray for wisdom, that you will be able to stand up for your brothers and sisters in a Christ-like manner.

Now go out there and fulfill your duty! Have an AWESOME day or evening, I love you! Share this with a friend and make sure you come back tomorrow for day 46!

Day 26: Walls

Wall(s)

• a rampart raised for defensive purposes.
• an immaterial or intangible barrier, obstruction, etc.

Our Generation does not like to be vulnerable, we spit on feelings. We want to be seen as tough and careless. We act as if nothing gets to us but deep down we’re hurting, we’re being torn apart. But we refuse to let it show, instead we  build (metaphorical) walls. We build walls around our hearts to protect ourselves. What we don’t realize is that building a wall to cover up the pain is like putting a band-aid on a wound that needs stitches, it'll fix it temporarily but it will never heal completely.

In our twenties we will face a ton of pain, and heartbreak, and that is what drives us to harden our hearts to the point that we let no one in. As a defense mechanism, we isolate ourselves out of the fear that we will be hurt. We anticipate that people are out to get us before we know for sure. Therefore we try to protect ourselves before anything happens. We give only a glimpse of who we really are so that no one can judge us. We wear a mask so that no one can see the real pain. We make ourselves numb to any type of feeling so we won’t feel the pain.  Sometimes we’ve built our walls so high that we won’t even let God in, the one person we can fully trust with our heart is the person we hide it from. We refuse to give him the pieces to repair, when we know only He can do it. Why is that?

Psalms 147:3

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Ezekial 36:26

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

If we know that God is a healer, He can love us pass the pain, and that He will never hurt us, why do we hide from Him? Why do we turn away from healing when we need it the most?

I remember being sixteen and giving my life to Christ. I was in so much pain, this pain is what led me to Christ, I was completely and utterly broken. I had no idea who I was or where I was going, all I knew is that I was hurting and covering it up wasn’t helping anymore, I was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. I had built so many walls, and hid behind so many different identities, and I was comfortable in the little shell I was in. No one could reach me to hurt me, but that did not change the fact that I was hurting. All it did was build, and before I knew it I exploded everything that I had been hiding, all the pain that turned into anger just came out, and it left me feeling empty. I had to make a conscious decision to allow Christ into my heart to heal me.

-Dyamond 

We have gotten comfortable behind our walls, life has gotten bearable and the pain has eased enough for us to get through the day. We find a glimpse of happiness and moments when we can genuinely smile. But we have so many walls around our heart that we sometimes forget that they are there. We convince ourselves that we are okay when we are not. We're “fine”, even though we’re crying on the inside. We’re alright until someone asks us if we’re alright. Friends, that is not how we are supposed to live. Just because the pain is bearable doesn’t mean we that we have to carry it. We don’t have to walk around with a heavy heart, we don’t have to walk around suffering because we’re afraid to ask for help. Our healing is in Jesus. When we can’t turn to anyone we can turn to God. Why is it that so often He is our last resort. He loves us so much, He doesn’t want to see us in pain. We have to open ourselves up to Him, because if we don’t we will only destroy ourselves. No one can sooth the pain like Jesus, no one can love us like God. Nothing can take the place of God in our hearts no matter how hard we try. He can rip through the walls to reach us, but will we take His hand or continue building walls. He can take the pieces of our heart and make it new, He can take the heart of stone and make it a heart of flesh, and not only that, He will protect our hearts. When we give our lives to Christ we give our hearts to Him, every inch of it, even if it’s in pieces, because He can repair it. He can love us through the pain, He can love us through the anger, His love can tear our walls down. Whatever it may be, give it to God, we don’t have the bear the pain of a broken heart because God is our healer. Whatever is broken, He can fix it, we just have to be willing to let Him do it.

Reflection/Prayer Time

After reading today, check in with yourself. Are you okay, if you are hurting right now, or find that you have isolated yourself out of fear of being hurt, surrender it all to God. Whatever you are going through lay it at the cross, know that you do not have to go life constantly hurting. Give your heart to God even if it’s in pieces, He can mend it for you. Open your heart to God, let down your walls, let Him in. Surrender it all to Him, let Him take the burdens and the pain, it’s no longer yours. Trust in the healing power of Jesus Christ, He will make you whole.