This verse:

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."-James 1:12

Few words, but much heart encouragement.

Blessed...

With What Awe

"The Bible is God's voice speaking to us, just as surely as if we could hear it with our ears. If we realized this, with what awe we would open God's Word and with what earnestness we would search it's precepts. The reading and contemplation of the scriptures would be regarded as an audience with the Infinite One."

~ My Life Today, pg. 283

"Do you desire to become a follower of Christ, yet know not how to begin? Are you in darkness and know not how to find the light? Follow the light that you have. Set your heart to obey what you do know of the word of God. His power, His very life, dwells in His word. As you receive the word in faith, it will give you power to obey. As you give heed to the light you have, greater light will come. You are building on God's word, and your character will be built after the similitude of the character of Christ."

~ Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, pg. 150

I've just finished listening to a sermon/presentation by Janet Page, on audioverse.org. She brought these quotes up during her talk, and they were just what I needed to hear--her whole presentation was what I needed to hear. They both spoke directly to some questions on my heart that I had been struggling with these past few weeks. Nothing was said that I haven't necessarily heard before, but this time I was listening, and through her talk God provided so many answers to my questions.

She was here at SAU when she presented her talk. It was in 2009. I was here at school, probably at another seminar. After hearing her talk just now, I was kicking myself for not having gone to hear her in person when I realized she had spoken here...but I have a feeling that I might not have been ready to listen back then.

It's funny--or sad, how truth can be all around us, how powerful speakers and servants of God can be speaking directly to some spiritual need/lack in our life, and it wont be until years later that we are able to appreciate God's heart reaching out to us through their words.

As God has been awakening my heart to Him, I'm beginning to realize how many opportunities for drawing closer to God and drawing others closer to Him, that I've allowed to slip through my fingers, and it's so saddening...but it's also encouraging, because I realize that although I've wasted so much time, God can and will "restore the years that the locust hath eaten".

My heart overflows with awe, with gratitude, to a God who so mercifully pursues us, waits for us, and awakens us to Him.

As a Little Child

"To him who is content to receive without deserving, who feels that he can never recompense such love, who lays all doubt and unbelief aside, and comes as a little child to the feet of Jesus, all the treasures of eternal love are a free, everlasting gift." -8MR 186.1

This quote was on the EGW estate website early last week, and since I first read it, I've carried it with me in my binder, I've written it on my dry-erase board on the fridge, I've shown it to my family, and still, after several days, I can't seem to reach to the bottom of these beautiful words. Each time I stop and read them, it feels like I am reading it all for the first time.

I am daily being amazed by God, by how He can take a once distrustful and unbelieving child, and open them up to being "content to receive without deserving". This has been so hard for me. Earning everything I get, it's such an ingrained thing in me, God has had to really be persistent and patient. It's still not easy for me. But I am learning, and what a beautiful thing it has been to allow Him to give, and give, and give, and not try to "earn" His favor, His giving.
It's so new, being vulnerable and open to a generous God who gives, never expecting anything in return. To accept that I can't ever be enough, but that God is willing and eager to give and keep giving simply because He loves me! Even now, just writing it out, it overwhelms me; that God can love me like that, that He can care enough to want to bless me, and only expect me to be content and grateful for all that He gives of Himself. And to think that He loves everyone like that!
What a mystery.
I've realized that when I gratefully receive Christ's gifts of grace, forgiveness, without trying to earn them, I am able to much more freely give of myself to others, so much more forgiving, and so much less judgemental. Very little can rub you the wrong way, can irritate you, when you have uppermost in your mind the generousness of a God who loves one as undeserving as you.

I have wanted to share this for awhile, but just couldn't really seem to put any of it into words--but after reading this quote, I couldn't wait any longer. I still couldn't really find the words, but this quote did it for me. It sums up what God has taught me over the last year in just one short, beautiful sentence.
May Jesus continue to teach me what it means to sit at His feet as a little child, and may I let Him teach me.
Mark  9:24,11:24

So Fragile

Life is so fragile..
My heart breaks for a family I don't even know.  A young man died today. I believe he was in his mid-twenties. My sister Diana knows his brother, and she had been sharing with us about this young mans battle with cancer. We had been keeping him in prayer. And just the other day I heard that he had a blog, so today I finally had time to search for it, and after reading his post from today, I heard that he died today.
I was so blessed and challenged by his post, I just had to share it on here.
I can't imagine the grief that his family must feel right now, I can't begin to imagine the heart-struggle...

Read Daniels challenge to us. Be willing to accept the message God has for you through it. And pray for his family.

Jesus is coming. Soon. Will He find faith on the earth?

Until

"God has made us for Himself, and our hearts can never know rest and perfect satisfaction until they find it in Him."
- Hannah Hurnard

Summer Camp

Heading out to Cohutta Springs Youth Camp this afternoon. I'll be gone 2 months. Not sure how much internet access I'll have up there without a laptop, and wont have a phone probably, but I'll get 1 day off a week, so I might have time every now and then to share how things are going.
But for now I just ask for prayers. Doing summer camp was never in my plans. If someone had told me 2 years ago, or even last year that I would be Camp Nurse this year, I would have laughed. In amusement.
But I guess God is the amused one now. He caught me totally by surprise on this one, but because I know it's where He wants me this summer, I am excited.
I'm really nervous about the 2 presentations I'm going to have to do in front of my fellow staff members next week. So if you think of me in the next week, please do pray for me. I tend to mess things up and get in God's way, so pray that I will not worry myself out of His care, and that I will rely on His strength. Pray as well that I will not listen to Satan's lies. Also, please pray that I will be a good witness. That I wont get caught up in being so busy, that I forget to put Jesus first.

It's been only almost two months since I was at Cohutta Springs, for Arme Bible Camp. Being there again will bring back some of my favorite memories... I still haven't written about my time at the Bible Camp on this blog. To say that I was blessed would be a huge understatement. Back in April while I was there, I told God that I would love to spend an extended period of time there (it's so incredibly beautiful there!!) and I guess He honored my wish... in the most unexpected way. I'll definitely have to share more about Arme Bible Camp sometime. It exceeded my expecations, and that's saying a lot, because my expecations were pretty high. So yeah, more on that later hopefully.

Anyway, gotta run finish packing.

Maranatha!
Jeremiah 33:3

Mercies in Disguise

"What if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you’re near?
What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?" ~ from the song Blessings, by Laura Story.