If The Savior Stood Beside Me

If the Savior stood beside us...

This is something worth pondering about. Let this song take our mind off the world for a while and imagine. If Jesus was standing beside us right now, would we do the things we do? Would we still do the bad things that we do? Or would we actually try to follow what the Bible tells us to do?

Our God is always here with us, whether or not we could see Him doesn't matter. He sees us. He knows what we're doing, what we're thinking about. If we wouldn't commit sins if Jesus was here, why would we still do bad things when He is constantly watching our every move?

#readnreflect

More Precious Than Silver: King David's Story

David, son of Jesse, came from a household full of strong and powerful men. His brothers, all blessed with amazing skills and looks, impressed even the prophet Samuel – the one told by God to anoint the future king of Israel. No one in all of Israel would have guessed that this little shepherd, no older than 16 at that time, would become one of the greatest men in all history.

When it became known to Saul, the previous anointed king of Israel, that David has been chosen to take over his throne – his judgment was clouded by envy and rage. (1 Samuel 16: 1 -13) He spent years trying to get rid of his enemy with everything possible, but none got to David. Although under God’s protection, David had to flee the land in order to survive; encountering countless obstacles along the way. Even during his years as a wanted man, his suffering never got in the way of his love for God. He felt tortured, not because of his mortal suffering, but because of his distance from the Holy Land; he was devastated of his inability to worship the Lord in freedom. As the years passed, there were times when he could have gotten rid of the evil King Saul, but remembering how Saul was also anointed by God to be king – David spared his life. (1 Samuel 23)

The time for David to be king finally came, he returned from exile and ruled the kingdom under God’s guidance and wisdom. Israel flourished. King David, absolutely in love with the Lord, sang praises to Him day and night. Whenever he was faced with troubles, he never failed to remember to ask for God’s wisdom. Except for the time when lust came over him, and turned his life upside down. (1 Samuel 27)

It was his greatest sin. Not only did he commit adultery, he also ‘murdered’ Bathsheba’s husband by sending him to the front line in war. He didn’t recognize his sin up until the prophet Nathan came to him with an allegory of a rich man stealing a poor man’s sheep. What came after was the act that made him different from the rest of us. He admitted his sin. David could have come up with a million excuses, ‘Uriah died in war, I didn’t kill him’. But he chose to stand up for his mistake. He repented complete pureness. This was the reason that made God say to him, ‘you have been forgiven’.

David was no perfect man. He sinned just like the rest of us. But we could learn from what he did do right: he admitted his mistake; he sought for the wisdom of God; and he loved God above everything else.


*This is my research essay for Biblical Studies. Thought it would be helpful to some of you if I posted it here. God bless!

About Homosexuals

Guys, I know the bible specifically told us about how wrong homosexuality is. When we receive that kind of information, our mind seems to do things for us on its own. Meaning, we discriminate them without even thinking about it. That is not what the Bible told us to do.
Well, sure, we don't agree with their cause, but that doesn't mean we don't intentionally do anything to hurt them.
And also with that case, we might also refuse to help any of them because who they are. The Bible tells us to help those in need, ignoring all differences. If we are available for service, we should always assist those who need us. No matter who they are.
Here is an article from Christian Today that might enlighten you more on this topic.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/why.christians.should.stand.up.for.persecuted.homosexuals/39434.htm

King David: An Influential Christian Leader

All of you must have heard about David the Psalmist, or David the Giant-slayer, or just simply King David. He was known for his humility, his passion for Christ, and his talent of music. He was also described by the Lord as "a man after God's own heart". However, no matter how perfect things look from the outside, nothing ever is. Here is a link to check out the details about this King David:

http://www.vtaide.com/gleanings/Kings-of-Israel/biography_David.html

But of course, King David was a man that was deeply in love with God, and felt tortured whenever he could not worship his God in freedom. Learn from his character, his repentance, also his mistakes.

May you be blessed by this information,
and God bless all of you!

Psalms 23:4 Wallpaper

 Here is a custom-made wallpaper for you to put on your computers! Remind yourselves, we will fear no evil, for Jesus is with us!

The God of Angel Armies (Whom Shall I Fear)

This song will make you remember His promises.

"I know who goes before me, I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies, is always by my side
The One who reigns forever, He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies, is always by my side!"


*Also with guitar chords!

Something About Jealousy

Here's a little testimony... from me!
So, I'll admit it. I've been a little jealous these days, of a person I admired so much before. Though I still admire her, I'm also a little envious. I know that this feeling is wrong, and I've tried to let this feeling go. But it keeps on coming back. Ever feel that way?
So I tried another solution, praying. I prayed to God to forgive me of my sins, to let me un-feel this jealousy inside of me that has been growing; and for that certain person. I've done that, and it let me feel a lot better, like the burden's pulled off of me.
If you're someone like me, try that. God's always there, waiting for you to remember Him, notice Him. He's always wanting you to come to Him to ask for advice and forgiveness, because He is ready to give you that. No matter what you do, what you think is so unforgivable; truly repent, and He'll have you back.
I've done so many mistakes in my life, but I want to repent, because I want God to be controlling my life. He knows best, even when things are falling apart - our faith is shaking, believe that He'll always hold on to you and never let you fall.

A little side story:
"Hey, aren't you scared?" said a stewardess to a little girl in the passenger seat. The entire plane was shaking so badly, the entire crew were on their knees.
"Who's the pilot?" the girl responded.
"Your father," the stewardess answered.
"Then I'm not."

This little girl believed that her father would never hurt his own daughter, because he loves her so much. The faith of this girl could be an example to all of us, leading us into stronger ground. Mountains will erupt, the earth will shake, the islands will sink, the sky will turn dark - but no matter what happens, God will never fail. And he will be there for us. The King of all kings, by our side.

Just believe!

#FallingPlates

#FallingPlates.

We were created.
Perfectly.
But we fell.
Into sin.
We broke.
Into pieces.
We were.
Dying.

But Jesus came.
He was
Humiliated.
Beaten.
Betrayed.
Shattered.
Tortured.
Crucified.

What are you going to do with your life? #FallingPlates #readnreflect #watchnreflect

How He Loves

How He Loves by Jesus Culture.
I think this is an amazing song that really sings about how Jesus loves so, so much. Have you truly thought about how amazing His love is for us sinners? Listen to this song, and get ready to feel His presence in you!

Weekly Devotion: Praise & Worship

These days I've been reading the Psalm of David. As you all may or may not know, Psalms is the record of almost all of David's praises and worships to God; during both good and also bad times. As I was reading it, something struck me. I realized how I only went to look for Him (by praying earnestly) either when something just turned really good from something bad, or when disaster strikes.

But in Psalms, David was praising the Lord all the time. Literally. In every situation, every event, every disaster, every celebration. He spent his whole life praising and worshipping the Lord. (see how Psalms has 150 chapters?) David has his faults and mistakes, but right after it, he repents and asks for forgiveness; and he really repented, not making the same mistakes again.

How many times has God saved us from trouble? Really, it's uncountable; because he saved us even when we do not realize it. How many times have we sinned and He still forgives us? Sin is in our nature. But He is still giving us the opportunity to be part of his kingdom. He forgives us. Like what David said, when we repent God pushes our sins away from us as far as the East is from the West.

What can we do to repay His love and forgiveness? When we think of it, there's nothing we can really do that could match up to His grace for us. But there is something that He wants us to do: praise and worship Him. Praise and worship can be in the form of anything! Really, you don't have to be an awesome singer to worship Him in singing. He sees the heart. And if singing is not your thing, you can be doing anything of your interest that could be glorifying His name. Anything that goes along with His word could be a form of worship and praise. Writing your own book of how great God is, writing on your blog about His awesomeness - that's a form of praise (this is what I'm trying to do!)

I know I may not be an awesome writer, my writing could be horrible, and you might have already dozed off in the middle of the text. But I really am trying to do my part of praising and worshipping Him. Also trying to raise your awareness toward these things. These may seem insignificant, useless. But try thinking about it. It won't hurt spending five minutes of your time reading a chapter of the bible, or thinking of what you could do to praise Him in your own way. Or just sing your favorite gospel song for Him! As long as you do it with a heart of worship that really wants to make Him glad, go for it! Remember, He sees the heart.

God bless!

Bible Verses:

Psalms (everything!)

Weekly Devotion: Isolation

Sitting alone by the lunch table? Talking to yourself while walking to class? Don't be afraid, because you're not alone. This is exactly what I'm experiencing right now.

You probably have experienced betrayals that you have cried about in the corner of your room, heartbreaks, disappointments; these are all inevitable. This devotion is for everyone, but specially towards those who are experiencing a similar kind of problem as I am right now: isolation. I was very warmly welcomed by my classmates the first day I came to this new school last year. Everything seemed perfectly fine; a lot of people piled up to become my friends. But who knows? Things changed over time. I was no longer the girl people longed to be friends with, they started hanging out with other people, not realizing that they were leaving me alone. I was deeply hurt. I felt betrayed. I didn't think I did anything wrong that they would not want to be friends with me, I was always there for them when they needed advice, when they needed help. But then, I was alone.

Walking my ways to class, I started recalling all my memories: my friends, family, God. Right, God! I completely forgot about Him! I was so caught up in all the busy-ness in my life that I forgot to devote some of time to the loving Father that has always been there for me. I was complaining and ranting about how I was always there for my friends but then they still left me. Now I felt just like them, God always being there for me, but then I just forgot about Him when nothing is needed from Him. I felt horrible.

To not do the same kind of horrible thing (I've experienced myself) to God - I started to talk to Him. Lord, I'm in need of help. I'm alone. I'm weak. What should I do now? This is exactly what I should do: ask the Lord for advice. He has everything planned out for us, as long us we follow his paths, he promised us everlasting lives.

Bible verse(s):
2 Corinthians 12:9

If you read this post, tweet with a hashtag #readnreflect

Be Still, Know He is God

Still by Hillsong. Be strong, stay strong, remember what God promises. Be Still, Know He is God.

Weekly Devotions: Especially for Girls

Dear girls,

I have some information that might interest you. Last night, as we sometimes do, our family sat around the dining-room table and looked through the summer’s social media photos.

We have teenage sons, and so naturally there are quite a few pictures of you lovely ladies to wade through. Wow – you sure took a bunch of selfies in your skimpy pj’s this summer!  Your bedrooms are so cute! Our eight-year-old daughter brought this to our attention, because with three older brothers who have rooms that smell like stinky cheese, she notices girly details like that.

I think the boys notice other things. For one, it appears that you are not wearing a bra.

I get it – you’re in your room, so you’re heading to bed, right? But then I can’t help but notice the red carpet pose, the extra-arched back, and the sultry pout.  What’s up? None of these positions is one I naturally assume before sleep, this I know.

So, here’s the bit that I think is important for you to realize.  If you are friends with a Hall boy on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter, then you are friends with the whole Hall family.

Please know that we genuinely like staying connected with you this way!  We enjoy seeing things through your unique and colorful lens – you are insightful, and often very, very funny.

Which is what makes your latest self-portrait so extremely unfortunate.

That post doesn’t reflect who you are at all! We think you are lovely and interesting, and usually very smart. But, we had to cringe and wonder what you were trying to do? Who are you trying to reach? What are you trying to say?

And now – big bummer – we have to block your posts. Because, the reason we have these (sometimes awkward) family conversations around the table is that we care about our sons, just as we know your parents care about you.

I know your family would not be thrilled at the thought of my teenage boys seeing you only in your towel. Did you know that once a male sees you in a state of undress, he can’t quickly un-see it?  You don’t want our boys to only think of you in this sexual way, do you?

Neither do we. We’re all more than that.

And so, in our house, there are no second chances with pics like that, ladies. We have a zero tolerance policy.  I know, so lame. But, if you want to stay friendly with our sons online, you’ll have to keep your clothes on, and your posts decent.  If you post a sexy selfie (we all know the kind), or an inappropriate YouTube video – even once – it’s curtains.

I know that sounds so old-school, but we are hoping to raise men with a strong moral compass, and men of integrity don’t linger over pictures of scantily clad high-school girls.

Every day I pray for the women my boys will love.  I hope they will be drawn to real beauties, the kind of women who will leave them better people in the end. I also pray that my sons will be worthy of this kind of woman, that they will be patient – and act honorably – while they wait for her.

Girls, it’s not too late! If you think you’ve made an on-line mistake (we all do – don’t fret – I’ve made some doozies, even today!), RUN to your accounts and take down the closed-door bedroom selfies that makes it too easy for friends to see you in only one dimension.

Will you trust me? There are boys out there waiting and hoping for women of character. Some young men are fighting the daily uphill battle to keep their minds pure, and their thoughts praiseworthy – just like you.

You are growing into a real beauty, inside and out.

Act like her, speak like her, post like her.

Mrs. Hall

http://givenbreath.com/2013/09/03/fyi-if-youre-a-teenage-girl/

*Girls, this is especially for you! Read this and think about it. Have you ever done the same thing? Taken semi-inappropriate photos/selfies? 

Bible Verses:
Matthew 5: 27-28

Think about this. Read&Reflect 

Mention @godinmystory #readnreflect if you read this post!

Weekly Devotion: Sinful Nature

Sin. It's something that everyone does. It's inevitable. We are already full of sin right when we come out from our mother's womb. Humans are never righteous; not one of us are righteous or holy. There's nothing we can do to save ourselves. But our Heavenly Father saw our desperation and misery, so He sent His precious one and only Son to take our place on the cross. We all know the story. But no, it's not merely a story. It's a life-changing act of true love from the God of all Gods, Creator of heaven and earth, King of all kings. We are not even worthy to untie His sandals, but He humbled Himself to become one of us in flesh and humanity so that He could understand us, relate to us. He did all that He could to reach out to us. But what did we ever do to reach out to Him? Or even get to know Him?Jesus knows all our troubles. He knows all the temptations we face daily. He was like one of us. But he overcame all of it. In circumstances just like ours, He managed to overcome all the troubles we face and become a perfectly righteous person. We can never be like Him, but that shouldn't stop us from trying. He did His part; have we done ours?


Bible verses to read: 
James 4:171 
Corinthians 10:13
Romans 6:23
Galatians 5:16


I will be posting new devotions every week for you to read and reflect, read the text and the verses - then pray to God! Let God help you deal with your sins, we are all weak, only by God's grace and strength that we may accomplish great things! Jesus loves you, and blesses you all!


*If you want me to post a devotion about a certain topic, tweet to @godinmystory, with a hashtag #readnreflect