What I am learning...

 Like I mentioned in my last post I'm currently reading the book of Luke. I'm struck dumbfounded by chapter 12:13-34. The fact that you can store up empty treasures here on earth and not in heaven is scary. Do I do this? Yes, I store up treasures here on earth. Instead I need to work on storing up treasures in heaven, my home. But Jesus goes further by saying "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys."

Then there is the part of the hidden treasure parable in Matthew 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid it again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." Wow, all that he has! He kept nothing back. I want to be like this man, I want to hold nothing back for my joy of the kingdom. Do I do this?  No, on the contrary I have a ton of stuff, and then more stuff. 

If I was asked today to give up everything that I own, would I give it up?  All of those memories, all of those desires to own this or that...

But that's the point.  

We don't own any of it.  

We're just stewards of this stuff.  None of this belongs to us.  

I don't even know if my brain can conceive of this, giving up everything. What would it be like? Let's say for modesty that you had the clothing on your back, but then nothing. No house, no books, no movies, no electronics, no craft supplies, no anything. Just the clothes on your back, and this amazing treasure, that you, simply put, can't live without. What would it be like? You wouldn't have to worry about thieves or moths, you wouldn't be worried about having not enough space to hold this or that.

But what about food? The Bible says not to worry about such things, but it doesn't mean that you'll have good, tasty food, or even three square meals a day, or even food for that day. And what about water?, we're not supposed to worry about that too. But that doesn't mean that we'll have fresh, clean water., let alone icy cold on those hot summer days. And are we promised enough to quench our thirst, what if we get just barely enough to survive? 

These are things that could happen.  

But we must keep in mind a few things; that whatever you experience in life will all be worth it in the end. God is a loving and caring God, even when whatever you're going through doesn't feel loving or good. Always remember that He has your best interests in mind.

What is at the end of the line?  Life with Jesus! Heaven is our home. There will be no more sadness, no more tears. No more sickness, no more death. No more sin, no more of the curse.

I'm the type of personality to have a plan, in fact all day long I ask `what's the plan?' or `What are we going to do next?', I'm also the type of person to have a bag packed for this or that situation, a notepad full of lists if this or that outcome happens. But to have no bag because you don't have anything to put in it?  What would that be like? And being the type to need to have a plan makes trusting God hard, so I need to work on that constantly.

The very thought of giving up everything that I own is frightening, crazy to the typical person, but also exhilarating at the same time.  To not be tied down with owning any junk, but also to not have that as extra security. 

What would it be like?

I hope that you enjoyed this post,

KARA 

YOU ARE LOVED

The phrase "Jesus loves you" has gotten a bad reputation, it's become a bumper sticker phrase that people say when someone's having a hard time, maybe struggling in their faith, or maybe to that divorced spouse with little kids, or to a woman who just lost her child. Though this phrase has a bad reputation, it still rings true to this day, and how do I know?, all you have to do is read just one book of the Gospels: MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, or JOHN. I'm currently reading the book of Luke. Most people haven't even heard about the good news in other countries, and often in countries where this message is preached frequently, it is often misunderstood.

So with the possibility of becoming very unpopular, losing your friend, or maybe even losing your career over the simple fact that you are loved, why risk it at all? For a very good reason indeed, for faith, for doing the right thing, but most importantly for your love of Jesus. If you are feeling discouraged and think 'why even bother', or 'what's the point' I recommend taking the time to read about what THE SON OF MAN did for you, what He endured, and would endure again to this day, just so that you can have a hope, and spend eternity with Him. Have you ever thought that  Jesus would still have gone through with His crucifixion if you were the only person on the face of the earth? 

Without a doubt, you can safely and assuredly say that you are loved by a holy God, who sent His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life. Isn't that the best news! It means that we have hope each and every single day. 

But will it be easy? 

No, I can tell you with what little experience that I have it will not. 

Also just take a look at what happened to the apostles, and what they did to Jesus Himself, what gives us the idea that it will go smoother for us? We need to pick up our cross and follow Him. Your cross could be not having slept the night before because of that toddler, or your cancer is back, or your pet just died, or even worse. So if life's going to be hard for you why even bother with Christianity? 

1. It's the truth, Jesus says that He is the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6

2. It is worth it in the end, Rev. 21:4

3. It gives us hope, where nothing will help you, not even yourself, Jesus shows you the way

4. You are never, ever alone, you could go to the depths of sheol, and you can't out hide God, even in the garden of Eden, when man first sinned, Adam and Eve couldn't hide from God. Psalm 139:7-10

5. God loves you so much, I can't even properly know just how much He loves me. I had this rabbit that I got for my 12th birthday, and he loved me to bits and pieces, we had such a special bond, but even that pales in comparison to God's love. And the same rings true for how much I loved him. A parent's love for a child, or even a husband's love toward his wife, or a wife's love toward her husband will pale in comparison to what we will feel when we get to Heaven. 

I don't know if I'll ever see my rabbit again, but I do know that I will see the face of God, and my Savior, because of my faith in what Jesus did. I don't know what I'll see because No ear has heard, no eye has seen, and I believe this. 

I hope that you enjoy this post.

KARA

WHAT IS LOVE

 Hi, I hope that everyone is having a good day, filled with the knowledge that no matter how far away you run, no matter where life unfolds and God takes you, He is forever loving you. What does this look like? What does this mean?  

First Corinthians 13 is the chapter in which you can learn more about the meaning of love, starting with verse 4 (not word for word) through the beginning of verse 8: love is patient, kind, not jealous, doesn't brag, isn't arrogant, does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, bears all things, endures all things,. Love never fails;-

Now what can we learn about God from this since God is love, we need to ask the question of what is love, and then apply that knowledge into what we are learning about Him, thanks to God's Word we get a biblical picture of what love looks like, because if you asked 100 people you would probably get at least 100 different answers, but we have the answer, and sense the author Himself is telling what love is, and calls Himself love, then we can safe assuredly rest with the knowledge that this is the right source. 

Now we know that God is perfect, with no sin, with no mistakes, with no "oopsies", He is the ultimate source of love. And we can find out what love is by reading 1 Corinthians 13. we can safely say that God is;

Patient- think of the most patient person you can, and God exceeds that by myriads  

Kind- what's the kindest thing anyone's ever done for you, that pales in comparison to God's kindness

Not jealous- I'm stumbling with this one because God's a jealous God,

Doesn't brag- so you don't have to worry about God bragging, although He has a right to since He's Himself

Isn't arrogant- think about that one person that's in your life(or maybe on tv) that is arrogant, and know that God's not like this

Does not act unbecomingly- I've been told that God is the perfect gentleman, and what a delightful picture

Does not seek its own- God sent His Son for our sake, but I will have to ponder deeply on this

Is not provoked-  this does not mean that He does not get angry, you just need to read the book of Jerimiah(which I'm reading through right now), so I also have to ponder this

Does not take into account a wrong suffered- He sent His Son for us, so we have hope. This does not mean that you can do something wrong and than not be punished for it though

Does not rejoice in unrighteousness- God's not up there going "yay" when people steal, no He's sad 

But rejoices with the truth- can you even imagine that moment in time where one of God's lost children come to repentance, comes to know the truth about God, can you even begin to imagine what God's reaction is

Bears all things- this is obviously seen when Jesus was on the cross and took upon all of the world's past, present, and future sins

Endures all things- the fact that He's still on His throne after all of the mistakes you've done, after all the mistakes that I've done is a good example of this one

And last, but most certainly not least, Love never fails- God's still there on his throne, you can trust him, He's right there for you, He'll NEVER EVER EVR fail you. Even when your spouse, friend, sister, brother, mother, dad fails you, God won't.

I hope  that you enjoyed this post,

KARA