I Wouldn't Trade You for the World

I need to write something. I need to just start typing and see what comes out. I've sat down a few times this week and stared at this page. I've tried to conjure up some sort of recap of my week, craft post, something inspirational, anything! But nothing has come out. I'm near the middle of the semester, I have spring break in a week or so, midterms, papers, all of that good stuff. I'm also finishing up my General Psychology course (it was a half-semester course) and so I have a paper to write for that. I'm at that place where there is no "Creative Thinking" section of my brain left. Right now, I'm renting that area out to "Get 'er Done". So, today I come to you with not a whole lot.

Last night my friend and I were struggling through a bad mood and this morning I woke up happy, how that works, I don't know. Anyway, the first thing that came to mind this morning was a verse. Of course, I texted it to my friend and encouraged her for the day, told her I'll be praying for her. So I'm going to be a terd face and redirect you to another blog I wrote about this particular verse, and I'm going to encourage you to read it and let it sink in for the day. Yup... I just went there.

"That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you." - Isaiah 43:4 (MSG)

Go ahead, click on the picture... you know you want to.

 

~ Jessica

More than Conquerors (I heart you)

Hey guys - time for another I <3 U post. The last one can be found here! I have to admit, I've not been staying on top of my blogging or even thinking about it, really. This cookie thing plus school has taken up a lot of my time! It's really hard balancing it all, but I'm learning how to. So, anyway, today I sat down at my desk to rest and get some school reading done, but decided to pick up my bible first. I'm trying to get through Jeremiah right now, so I read a chapter or two there and then flipped to the New Testament. This week I've been flipping through Paul's letters to the different churches not really sticking to one solid book or chapter, for that matter. Today I found myself in Romans 8:28-39 and it captured my attention. So much so, that I pretty much underlined the entire section of Scripture. So go ahead, grab a bible, visit biblegateway.com, and listen to this song as you read.

Verse 28 is a pretty 'famous' verse, it's very well known. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who ahve been called according to his purpose." A footnote in my bible says "...God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good" which I thought was pretty interesting. God works together with us? Most of the time we view it either as God working for us, granting our every wish, or us working for God, doing everything and anything he asks us to do. But this says that our relationship is mutual, God works with us to do good. He wants to accomplish things with us and for us, but primarily for His glory.

Now, the next 2 verses are a little tricky. They have to do with predestination, which is something that there is a lot of conflict or debate about in the church. Some people say that predestination could not be because Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 to pray for all people, that they may be saved. If everyone is already predestined to salvation, what's the point in praying for them? I don't have time to go into all of this, and honestly, I don't know whether we're predestined or not, but research it a bit more if it interests you. Here is a sermon from John Wesley himself, about it.

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies." (Romans 8:31-33) We can't find satisfaction or validation in other people. 'It is God who justifies' God didn't spare his son, he gave him up so that we could be with him. We are validated in Christ. He holds our worth and he showed that by sending his Son.

I love this next part, "Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life -" I can just see Paul scribbling out the 'who died' section of it and re-writing 'who was raised to life'. That's the power of God. He didn't die, He's alive! "is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." Christ is interceding for us, he's rooting for us. His death was an intercession on our behalf. He intervened on our behalf. "Who shall seperate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" No way! Christ went through all of that for us and He did it all in love, we can't let all of these things listed above get in the way! They can't get in the way, Christ already has and will defeat them again!

Let me leave you with the last 3 verses. "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angls nor demons, neither the present nor the futurem nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39)

We are MORE than conquerors!
~Jessica

Simply His

Happy Monday friends!!!!  Does that greeting bring joy & anticipation or fear & angst to you spirit?  If I were to take a guess, I'd go with the latter.  Why is it that we find ourselves not looking forward to another day?  What did Monday do that was so bad that it turns stomachs?  Could it possibly be because we don't live our days out in the right way, right place, right mindset?  I'm going with yes on that one!  We're gonna tackle that one today.  Jesus came so that we could live life abundantly....groaning over Monday doesn't sound like abundant living to me!!  Let's go!

I just returned from a weekend women't retreat and the title was "Simply His".  Isn't that sweet, refreshing, and endearing?  If you are married, think back with me for a moment to when you either first laid eyes on your spouse or when you first realized that you longed to be Simply His or Simply Hers; no messiness, no drama, no confusion, no one elses, Simply Theirs <3  God calls us to be Simply His, He longs for us to claim that we are Simply and Only His.

This could almost be placed under Jessica's "I <3 You" series.....we're going to Isaiah 62:1-3ish, here are a few nuggets from that, little love notes, if you will.

*  "you will be called by a new name (and recieve a new character) 

*  "you will be a crown of splendor"

*  "the Lord will delight in you"

*  "your God will rejoice over you"

So when we come to Him, He gives us a new name, like a lover gives a nickname to his love, we receive a special name, full of love and affection.  We will be a crown of splendor -  something to behold, something of great value to be placed in a special position of honor.  Where do crowns usually go?  Yes, on your head.....God places us up above the rest, for all to see!!  He will delight in us!!!  His pleasure, His joy, His love, His enjoyment all comes from us!! God will rejoice over us!!!!  He will be glad in us and take take delight in us.  I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty amazing!!!  To have the affection, that kind and amount of affection from someone is exciting.  But to have that from our Creator puts me through the roof with joy and gladness!!

So do you remember how you felt when you were dating your true love?  Remember how you couldn't stand to be apart?  How you hated to say goodnight and you lingered long there in that moment, dreading the end of the day?  You anticipated the next day with such delight and excitment because you were free to think about and spend time with your love again!!!  That, my friends, is how we ought to approach our days, every.single.one.  Mondays are a gift, Tuesdays are a gift, Wednesday....gift <3  Each day is another chance to spend with our One True Love, the One who delights in us, who takes joy in us, who longs to be with us.  Every moment of every day is a chance to be with Him.  If you walk through your days with Him by your side, everything has to be better.  Yes, even those moments of dealing with crying children, spilled milk, loads of laundry, dirty diapers, etc. I'm totally serious here, please don't laugh it off and say "yeah right". 

This life is hard and frustrating, but remember how that young love made everything better?  Don't you think that God will make things even better than that??  You have a choice, you can just accept the dirt that life throws in your face, or you can catch it in a bucket and build a sandcastle!!  (I know, that was totally corny, but just go with it).  Thank Him in those hard moments, for that is where you will find Him!!  He longs to be enough for you!!  He is absolute truth and absolute love!!  That's not something that you want to walk away from and let go.  Stay connected (i.e. pray without ceasing) walk with Him through the moments of your days and nights. 

But in order to walk with and in that Truth, you have to know the truth.  One thing that stuck out to me this weekend was the comment the speaker made that "Every thought is a voice and everything that we see creates a thought".  Chew that for a second..............done? Good....what voices do you have in your head, what lies or truths are you bending your ear towards?  Know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free!  Free from the bondage of sin, free from the bondage of lies, doubt, insecurities, addictions, lonliness.  Do you want to be free?  Know the truth - know freedom.  A few practical nuggets for you:

*capture every thought (where did it come from?  truth or lie?)
*know the Truth (as the sheep know their sheperd, we too can know Our Shepherd)
*walk in that truth
*practice loyal obedience
*He is Absolute Love
*He is Absolute Truth
*Jesus is ENOUGH!!

It's time to renew our mind friends.  Know who you are listening to and make the proper adjustments.  Fall in love with Jesus, for He delights in You <3

-Lorraine

Here's Where it's At (I heart You)

So, I have to admit, I have been putting off blogging this whole week because of my Cookies for Compassion endeavor. But, nevertheless, I have taken the time to sit down and bring you another I <3 U! So read on! This I <3 U is going to be a little different from the normal post. We're going to jump out of the Old Testament and take a look at Ephesians. So, please read Ephesians 3:16-21 and then continue!

Okay, so let me give you a little bit of background information on the book of Ephesians. Ephesians is actually a letter written from Paul to the church in Ephesus. While Paul wrote this letter, he was awaiting trial in Rome. At the same time that this book was written, Nero had his wife, Octavia, killed and is about to launch the persecution of Christians in Rome. So, Paul is pretty much doomed for death. The section of scripture that you just read was a prayer for the Ephesians. But, instead of thinking of it as a prayer for some people in a church a few thousand years ago, think of it as a prayer for you. More importantly, think of it as what God has to offer you, the glorious riches he plans to give us, His children. "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being," God has glorious riches to offer us, and through them he can strengthen us with his Spirit. The same Spirit that was around for the disciples after Jesus' death is the same Spirit that is around today. We have the same power in us that the disciples had in them.

"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ," Have you ever heard the VBS song "deep and wide"? It goes like this: "Deep and Wide, Deep and Wide, there's a fountain flowing deep and wide". It's so simple, yet so profound. God's love is a fountain that is flowing deep and wide. It's a flood of grace and a flood of love. Which sounds so very corny, but try to get past that and think about it. In this verse, verse 17-18, Paul tells us that the fountain of his love isn't just deep and wide, it's deep and wide and long and high. It surrounds. "...and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." So at the beginning of this paragraph we read where Paul said that he prays that we "may have power... to graps... the love of Christ" but here, he says that the "love surpasses all knowledge". God can give us the power to grasp how great his love is, but it surpasses knowledge. We can grasp how "wide and long and high and deep" God's love is, but it surpasses our knowledge. I don't think Paul is talking about a mental 'knowing', I think he's talking about us knowing God's love and understanding that we can never understand it.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout generations, for ever and ever! Amen." God can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. Our wildest dreams can't ever compare to what God can do. That's what we're here for. We're here for the glory of Christ Jesus, He who can do immeasurably more than whatever our human hands are capable of. That's where it's at.
 - Jessica

New Heaven & New Earth (I heart you): Part 2

So, yesterday we left off with a very gloomy post and the promise of something better for today. But first, if you haven't read it yet, look at yesterday's post and then read Isaiah 65:17-25 in preparation for today! I'm super excited about this section of the chapter and I hope you realize why soon. While you're reading check out this awesome song by Phil Wickham, which was also featured in yesterday's post.

Now, before I start breaking down this part of the chapter, I want to say that I am not claiming to understand the endtimes at all, I only know what God promises and what we can trust is God's word.

Starting off, verse 17 says that there will be a new heaven and a new earth, this topic could take up a whole blog's worth of posts, and we don't have the time here. I encourage you, if you're interested, to research more about this! The second part of verse 17 says that "the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind." Which means that we aren't going to look back on things we've done and cringe. There won't be guilt about things in the past, there won't be grieving about things in the past. Well, there won't be grieving at all, but we'll get to that later.

"But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more." This is what we have to look forward to. If you've kept up with any of the news about Jerusalem and the surrounding lands, it most certainly has not reached this point yet, which means this is something that will happen in the future. God will rejoice in us forever. He'll take delight in us and there will be no more crying. Think of the last time you cried, what was the reason? It might have been a recent death, stress, anger, etc. There won't be any of that in heaven, we won't have a reason to cry!

This next verse talks about death and life. It tells us that there won't be "an infant who lives but a few days"and "there won't be an old man who does not live out his years." You might have known someone who would fall into these categories, they won't have to if they're in heaven! These categories won't exist there! "He who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth"; you might think of living to a hundred and groan, but in heaven, when we live to a hundred, we won't be ill at that age, we'll be a healthy and happy person! Who wouldn't want that?

Verses 21-22 say that when we build a house, it's gonna be for our own benefit. The same goes for planting food. This might sound like a selfish lifestyle, but I think what it really means is that we won't have to work. Why do people build houses and plant vineyards besides for their own benefit? It's to make money, to work, it's their job. We won't have to do any of that in heaven. No work. No 9 to 5. :) Hallelujah? Hallelujah! Skipping down to verse 24, which is super cool, "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear." Have you ever prayed for something and then had to wait for God's timing? If you have, you'll agree with me that it can be so very frustrating. God says that there won't be waiting for an answer. Before we even ask, he'll answer. Or while we are still spekaing, he'll hear us. I love this chapter... I love having something this exciting to look forward to!

The last verse may be the most well known...

"The wolf and lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain."

Just yesterday my brothers and I were watching a tv show about the giant octopus. This thing was massive, and it was lethal. But, on the new earth, it will be gentle enough to hang out with Nemo! Yes, Nemo. hehe I couldn't resist... Getting back on topic, "the lion will eat straw like the ox" there won't be carnivores, no killing another living thing for your own well being. The verse goes on to say that "dust will be the serpent's food", that goes back to Adam and Eve and the devil taking the form of a serpent, the devil will have nothing to help him grow or prosper. He will be nothing and God will be everything. God will be everything and He will delight in us.

~ Jessica

New Heaven & New Earth (I heart you): Part 1

If you haven't read my last I <3 U you can do so here! For this "episode" of I <3 U I want to talk about something that excites me a lot! But before I can get to the exciting part, there is something that might be a little tough to hear or process. But, as with most things, you have to get through the nitty gritty before you can get to the reward. So if you would please read Isaiah 65 before continuing, that would be greatly appreciated. But, this time we're going to do it in two segments. Right now just read Isaiah 65:1-16!

Alright, assuming you have read Isaiah 65:1-16, I'm going to continue. You may have picked up on this, but verses 1-5 talk about how even though people aren't seeking out God, he will show himself to them. People won't listen, though. You may have experienced this recently, people are looking for an explanation for this world, or they can't take the burdens of life on themselves any more, but some of these people, even when you tell them about Jesus' love and forgiveness, won't accept it. People don't want to admit they're wrong. I don't want to admit I'm wrong. But, it's something I have to work through. The human race is so prideful that we can't say that we're wrong and someone else is right, so we miss out on a lot of what life, and primarily God, has to offer. God tries to show himself to people, but the people won't listen. "I said 'Here am I, here am I.'... [to] a people who continually provoke me to my very face" (Isaiah 65:1b, 3a).

Verse 6 is very interesting to me. "See, it stands written before me: I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps..." God doesn't say that He's going to punish everyone in full, he doesn't say that He's going to get revenge. He says he'll pay us back in full. Our God is a just God. He's going to give us what we deserve. This payment could be good, it could be a reward, or if we don't choose God's path, it could be punishment.  But, thankfully, he also gives us a second chance through His Son, Jesus Christ. That second chance allows us to wipe away our past sins as far as the East is to the West. But, if we don't take that opportunity, that's on us. I know that it sounds harsh, but God tells us that He will show himself to everyone. We'll all have an opportunity to choose God and forgiveness or to choose our own selfish desires. I could stay on this topic forever, but we have to move on.

Let's jump down to verse 11. These next two verses, in my opinion, are very harsh. But, although they are harsh, they are full of truth and understanding; they offer us guidance on how to live life for Christ. "But, as for you who forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny...". Let's break this down further: forsake isn't a word we use very often nowadays, is it? Nope. The dictionary.com definition of forsake is this: 1. to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert 2. to give up or renounce (a way of life, habit, etc.).  So this verse says, in Jessica terms, Everyone who has abandoned, quit, or given up my way of life and who has entertained fortunes and destiny... And yes, fortunes and destiny include horoscopes and anything else of the like. We're told to stay away from those things, to put our future in God's hands and not in the stars.

 "I will destine you for the sword, and you will all bend down for the slaughter; for I called you but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me." This scares me, to be honest. Although our God is a loving God, he's just. Thankfully, though, through Jesus Christ, we can be sure that we are saved. But, it doesn't stop there. After we accept Jesus' forgiveness, we need to pursue a relationship with him, one that is real and personal. Jesus didn't come to Earth to give us everything we need; Jesus came to Earth to guide us into a relationship with him and through that give us everything we need. See the difference? It's not a free pass to do anything and everything we want. It's going to change our view of what we want to do with our life.

The next 3-4 verses shows a parallel of Heaven and Hell. We can look at these verses and think, 'oh my goodness, this is horrible and there is no hope'. Or we can say 'wow, look at all that God is going to give me, I need to go tell my friends about this guy!'. That's what this part of the chapter is for, not to scare us into depression, but to show us that these are the consequences and we need to do everything, not in our power, in God's power through us, to save our friends from this. I pray that you will read this and take that away, if nothing else. Our friends need us, they need to know about Jesus and they need to know about his grace.

Since this post is getting long, I'm going to have to end it here. I know that this doesn't sound like an I <3 U kind of post, but it's the preface to the I <3 U that is to come. Look for Part 2, the exciting part, tomorrow in addition to our Friday's Favorite Five!!
~ Jessica

Lapis Lazuli (I heart you)

Here comes another round of I <3 U! The last edition can be found here! If you liked the format of that post, with the music and such.. here is another song that you can quietly listen to while reading Isaiah 54! If you don't have a bible with you, you can go to www.biblegateway.com and read there. Throughout this post I will be referencing NIV. I greatly encourage you to read through the entire chapter before continuing on with the rest of this post.

(I do not own this music)

Once again, this chapter is full of great promises and great hope, I can't wait to uncover it all with you. If you stop after verse 1 you could be confused, it might sound as if God is condemning marriage and mothering. But, this is not at all what he is saying. Instead of reading verse 1 and thinking that we must be called to never marry, think of it this way; God appointed each of us a period of time of singleness, in that singleness we are called to follow God as well as we can. Let's face it, if you have a husband (or wife) to take care of, or to make sure you spend enough time with, it could put a damper on your relationship with God. Only God knows when we can handle the balance between family and God. God's telling us to shout for joy with the opportunity we have to serve God with no strings attached. The next two verses tell us to open up our hearts, home, and life to God's people. To open up and let others into our lives and to care for them without holding back.

Skipping down to verse 4: "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood." If you have never been shamed or humiliated by either your faith or your singleness... I'd like to talk to you. People will shame you, they will look down on you for faith and for lack of a partner. But, God will not. The people that truly matter, will not. The second half of this verse pretty much says "you'll thank me for it later". When we get to a resting place in life, where we can look back on our youth; we won't regret not having a boyfriend or girlfriend to hang on. I've never had anyone tell me (over the age of 25) that they regretted the time in highschool when they didn't have someone to hang all over. But, that is a lesson for a different time...

Verses 5-12 are my favorite. My maker is my husband. The "bible" definition (I don't know what that is, but if you go on dictionary.com and scroll all the way to the bottom of the search page, it's there) of husband is " the "house-band," connecting and keeping together the whole family. A man when betrothed was esteemed from that time a husband (Matt. 1:16, 20; Luke 2:5). A recently married man was exempt from going to war for "one year" (Deut. 20:7; 24:5)." God is our house-band. My maker is what connects and keeps the whole family together. :) "the holy one of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth" it's like the ending of a really good book when you find out just who THAT person really was. The God of all the earth is my redeemer, husband, houseband, connector.

This post is getting a little long, so read over the next few verses and stop right after 9. If you don't know the story of Noah you can read it in Genesis 6. Long story short, God wiped out all of humanity because of their repulsive sin. "To me, this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again" (Isaiah 54:9). I was angry with you because of your sin, I HAD to turn my face in anger. But not anymore, I have a solution, I will never ever be angry with you again. I love you. Verse 10 tells us that although this earth is temporary and can be shaken "my unfailing love for you will not be shaken". God's love can't fail, it can't even be shaken. It's as sturdy as sturdy gets!

This next one is my favorite out of this whole chapter, which might confuse you a little bit. I love this verse so much, it's hanging on the wall next to my bed. "O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted..." (that's us!) "I will build you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with sapphires." We are afflicted beings, people come against us, and as much as we can say 'sticks and stones may hurt my bones but words can never hurt me'. It's not true. That's crap. We are a city lashed by storms on the right and left, but God's going to build us up. He's not JUST going to build us up. He's going to build us up with stones of turquoise and sapphire. Another word for 'sapphire' in this verse is lapis lazuli.

I did a little bit of research and the lapis lazuli (blue stone) is an incredible shade of blue. For the longest time, people could not make a fake dye that matched the deepness of this blue. It's referred to as 'ultramarine' which means 'beyond the sea'. The stone is thought of as a stone of friendship and truth. When a gem cutter cuts this lapis lazuli, they will many times turn up their nose. When the gem is cut it puts off an odour. Many gem cutters can tell the intensity of the color from the smell it puts off. When you wear the stone a lot, it could become kind of matte and dull, but no matter how matte and dull the stone gets, it can always be polished and brought back to its original beauty. This gem is one of the most expensive blue gems that is around the world today. Let's summarize: I am an afflicted city, I have many a storms coming my way from day-to-day. But, God is going to build me up with walls made of lapis lazuli, one of the most expensive blue gems of our time. In fact, one of the most magnificently colored blue gems of our time. He's going to build me up in friendship and in truth, and people will be able to tell from the smell I put forth (not literal smell) how intense my color is and how close to my original magnificence I am. But, don't worry! No matter how hard those storms hit and how dull my color gets, I can always be polished back to my original beauty by my maker.  Wow.

Read over the rest of the chapter yourself and look at how God says he will protect us and how he shows that he created the people who will come against us. Although he did not create the evil that will come out of them, he created them and knows them as well as he knows us. I really am unsure of how to end this post, but if nothing else, take the knowledge about the lapis lazuli and treasure that in your heart.
~ Jessica



Our Redeemer... (I heart U)

I'm happy to bring you the second installment of "I <3 U"! If you haven't read the first one, or simply want a reminder of what the series is based on check out The Start of a New Series. I'm going to ask you to go read Isaiah 49 before you continue reading (I'll be referencing NIV). If you don't have a bible or just don't have a bible around you, you can go to www.biblegateway.com. While reading, if you would like quiet music in the background, you can look at the video beneath... then skip to the next paragraph when you're done!

I know that Isaiah can be a very difficult book to understand and chapter 49 is no exception, but hopefully you perservered and finished the chapter. It is laced with awesome reassurances and promises from God. I'm going to start down at Isaiah 49:5 where God tells us that we are "honored in the eyes of the Lord and ... God has been [our] strength". God honors us. The definition of honor is as follows: "high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank". Let me say it again, God honors us. God has a high respect for us. He sees us as high in worth, we are valuable in his eyes. I don't know about you, but there are many times when I most definitely don't feel valuable. I break out for no reason, I feel bloated, or maybe I just feel guilty. But God STILL sees us worthy and honorable. Think of some people that you see as honorable: people who fight for our country, maybe a family member who dies to theirself everyday, that's how God sees us.

God, then, goes on to say that the job of being his servant and restoring his people is too small of a job. He needs us to be a light to the Gentiles. He needs us to bring his love to the sinners of the world. Now, I'm not saying that being a pastor or working with christians isn't fulfilling God's plan for us. I'm saying that even if you do work with christians on a daily basis, God still wants us to reach out to the non-christians. Our job doesn't end in the church, it starts there. If you jump to verse 7 you see this: "This is what the Lord says - the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel - to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: 'Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you." In Jessica terms: Our redeemer is speaking to, not the goody-two-shoes or the people who look good, God is speaking to the criminals, the poor and needy, the people who look as if their life will never turn out right. God says that kings will take notice of us, and that princes will respect us. But, not because of anything we do, this will happen because of the Lord, the Redeemer, the one who has chosen us.

The rest of the chapter is dedicated to how God is going to restore us or how God is going to take the criminal, servant, and despised and turn them into someone that is worthy and someone who will be noticed. Not noticed in the sense of the popular kids at school, noticed as in looked up to. It may not be in this life, or it may, but it may not be by the people we think it will be by. Down in verse 9 God says that he will "say to the captives, 'Come out', and to those in darkness, 'Be free!" God is going to call us out of the dark places in our lives, and the only way God knows that we're in those dark places is because he's there with us. Our job at that point is to respond, no matter how many times God calls, it's up to us to get up and walk towards he who is the light. 

A couple of verses later God reassures us that he will never forget us. There are many people in our lives that will forget us, but not he. "See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands" I <3 that verse soooo much! At the time that this book was written, Jesus had not been to the earth, it was written atleast 500 years before Christ was born. Back then, it had to be pretty cool reading that we are engraved on the palms of Jesus' hands. But now, it's AWESOME! Jesus was pierced onto the cross through his hands, we are reminded of Jesus' death through these scars. Christ doesn't see the scar, though, all he sees is us. He doesn't see the pain that we wince at when thinking of the crucifixion, he sees his love for us. Verses 22 and 23 talk of how the Gentiles, the people we're called to save, will turn around and save those around them. Those people will be saved and they will save.

I, personally, feel that this chapter shows God perfectly as our Redeemer. He is the one that will save us and enable us to save others. Without him, we would still be despised and looked down upon, but through his saving grace we can rise up in honor and worthiness to be fully His.

Lord, thank you for being our redeemer and for calling us out of the dark parts of our lives. We see that without you, we would have no purpose or hope. You are our only hope and you are our saving grace. It's still hard for us to grasp the honor that you see in us, Lord we mess up so many times. Please forgive us and teach us to forgive ourselves. Help us to strive towards your perfection and redemption in every aspect of our lives.

~ Jessica

Start of a New Series

Last year, in lieu of Lent, a few people from our youth group committed to reading through the ENTIRE bible in 40 days. Yeah, I know. Anyway, I'm sad to confess that I didn't complete the challenge, I got stuck in the middle of Isaiah. Last year, my impression and take on Isaiah was that it was a boring book full of metaphors and prophecies.This year, not really in lieu of Lent, a single person (me) is trying to commit to finishing at some point this year. :) I am still in Isaiah but it is so much more to me this year. Although I didn't realize it until now, my spiritual growth has been exponential. I can't read through a chapter of Isaiah without underlining something. My updated take on the book of Isaiah is that it is a book full of promises from God to us, all of which demonstrate his love for us.  Now, I know that we just got over Valentine's day and the lovey-dovey stuff from that. But, I feel the need to share and stress some of the verses that I've encountered throughout Isaiah and continue to encounter throughout the rest of the bible.

Before I do that, however, I want to share something that I heard at a girl's retreat a few years back. In a very nonchalant way, one of my small group leaders shared how she marks in the margins of her bible a heart whenever she reads of a verse demonstrating God's love for us. Then, whenever you are feeling down and need that reassurance, you can flip through your bible and find all of those little hearts. This is something that I've been using a lot through the past couple of years, but mostly these past couple of weeks. So, I've decided to start a series on this blog, where I'll be writing about the multiple verses that I find and mark with a simple heart.

The first verse that I've found reassurance in is Isaiah 43:4. "Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life." (NIV) I love this verse, but I feel like the MSG version really breaks it down and allows us to feel what God was saying. "That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you." (MSG) Wow. It sounds like something from a Lifetime Movie or from a Disney fairytale. But, it's not. It's life and our creator is saying this. It's not theoretical. It's literal; the God of the universe has the world in his hands, he CAN sell the world for us and this verse says that He will! It's hard enough to think about Him giving His Son for us, but to think that he would sell the whole world or still give His Son even if I were the only one to be saved.

So, if you're ever feeling alone, or like nobody understands or loves you, remember this verse. God says that we mean so much to him that he would sell the world and trade creation for us to be with him. If that doesn't make you feel loved, I don't know what will. I encourage you to read Isaiah, or even just chapter 43 and look for all of the reassurance and love messages that God gives us through this book/chapter. Later on in the chapter he tells us not to be afraid, that he is doing new things in us, and that he remembers our sins no more. Share your favorite verses and thoughts from this chapter in the comments below! Tune back in next week for the next installment of I <3 You!
~ Jessica