Gems from Jesus

Dear readers,

No, this isn't the post I promised last time. To my shame I have not finished studying that one out yet :( and I apologize!! But it is still forthcoming, so stay tuned for PART 2 of "What Does It Mean to be On the LORD's Side??"!!!

I would like to share some verses with you all however that I pray will be as encouraging and meaningful to you as they were to me!!

"And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend..."

~~Exodus 33:11a~~

   "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."

~~John 15:13-15~~

What a unmerited favor and privilege to be called the friend of Jesus Christ!!

 "And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle."

~~Exodus 33:11b~~

As a YOUNG man, a young WARRIOR, Joshua saw and desired the close fellowship that Moses had with the LORD. Surely when He saw and heard God and Moses communing together in the Tabernacle and upon the Mount of God, he yearned for this kind of fellowship with the God of his fathers. So when Moses emerged from God’s presence in the Tabernacle, and went back to speak to the people, Joshua, a young man, departed not out of the Tabernacle- the place where God met with and spoke to those who sought Him with their whole hearts! (see Exodus 33:7 and Deuteronomy 4:29-31) No doubt he pleaded with God for that type of fellowship! Joshua, as a young man, was seeking God with all his heart and soul—he was spending time with God! Even though Moses finished and left, Joshua did not let that deter him from spending a little extra time with the God he loved! But what struck me about this account of Joshua was this: the Scripture doesn’t tell us that God spoke face to face with Joshua. Of course this doesn’t mean He didn’t, but it brings up and interesting and applicable point. Joshua must’ve known God was talking with Moses face to face, friend with friend, and wanted that same fellowship with Him. Perhaps that’s why Joshua stayed behind- to ask for it! But even though at this point Joshua does not receive the fellowship he so fervently desires, he doesn’t allow that to discourage him from spending time with Jesus! And neither should we! He stayed behind anyway to talk to God. And what happened? Nothing, you might say. Well—nothing yet! Nothing at the time Joshua may have wanted it. But forty-something years down the road, Whom did Joshua happen to meet with, face to face? (see Joshua 5:13-15) The Captain of the Host of the LORD—the Angel of the LORD—the preincarnate CHRIST! Even though at first it seemed as though his prayers were not answered, he did not become discouraged, he continued to spend time with God, and God rewarded Joshua’s years of steadfast service with a glimpse of the face of Christ! So don’t become discouraged! Don’t allow Satan to deter you from spending time with and standing fast for the One Who died for you! Joshua stood fast for over forty years—DEPART NOT!!!

 "And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest."

~~Exodus 33:14~~

 "...I know thee by name."

~~Exodus 33:17b~~

  "And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen."

~~Exodus 33:21-23~~

(This picture made me think of the "cleft of the rock" :D )

Who Is On The LORD'S Side...?

For the past few weeks during my quiet time with Jesus, I've been reading (omisoul ever so slowly! :D) through Exodus. This morning, I read Exodus 32:26, and the LORD gave me what I hope and pray will be my next three blog posts. :)


  "Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me..."  Exodus 32:26

What Does It Mean to be On the LORD's Side??

Part One

This morning as I read these words, it made me wonder... 'what does it really mean to "be on the LORD's side"?' I say I am, and I strive to live in such a way as to portray it... or do I?

If someone is on "some one's side", it usually means that there is another and opposing side that the first someone is going up against. This means two groups opposing each other-- everyone is either in one or the other, and only one of these groups will win. The opposing 2 groups in this case, the differing sides, are the LORD's side and the Satan's side.

When I think about quote "sides", a few different scenarios come to mind. For this study, we will take an in-depth look at all three, one at a time.

The different scenarios are as follows:

1.) A GAME: Such as a basketball or volleyball or soccer game-- or even simply an AWANA game, with two groups of teens/kids lined up against the opposing side/wall of the gym, ready to go at it.

2.) A DEBATE: An argument; like a college debate team or a fight on the school playground. Or as with politics- two sides debating about the same issue and the right &/or wrong way to solve it. Or even a court of law.

3.) A WAR: (who didn't see that one coming? ;p) A battle, with two armies of men on opposite sides of the battlefield, swords and sabers drawn, ready to fight.

Each of these illustrations have a few things in common:

1.) Each of them is under the leadership of one

     -a sports team has a coach and even amongst the team, there is usually a captain

     -a debate team had a leader; the playground has the bully and the 'hero'; with politics it the Republican candidate and the Democratic candidate; in a courtroom there's 2 lawyers each one representing their opposing client

     -a group of soldiers has a Captain or General leading them and giving them their orders

2.) In each case, the "sides" are in opposition or competition to or with the other

3.) In every instance, the main objective, the bottom line,the common goal is the same--- to win!!

SO!

What exactly does it mean to be 'on the LORD's side'?

It means that

a) I'm not on the devil's side,

which places me in

b) Opposition to the devil's side,

which means I'm

c) Fighting against the devil's side

But how exactly does being on the LORD's side apply to our lives? How do we get there? What does it entail?

First of all, we are all born on the devil's side. We join the LORD's side by realizing we are sinners,, bound for hell, and in need of a Savior and by accepting God's gift of salvation. But we can also be on the LORD's side, but live as though or in such a way as to imply we're on the devil's side. This aught not be!!! I am on the LORD's side- it only makes sense, therefore, that i behave in a way that aids His cause and bares a good testimony to others for Him!!

How can we as Christian young ladies do this? 

If we were to view the "LORD's Side" as a sports team, we could infer a few useful applications to our daily lives.

The LORD is our Coach (and/or Team Captain). We are to follow His shouted calls and plays as we race against the clock and members of the other team ("team sin" we'll call it lol). The objective is to win! To beat the opposing team! As a member of this team, we are to wear it's colors, to represent to all the people in the stands which team I am on. I am to behave with a good sportsman-like attitude toward my fellow teammates. To help them and encourage them. Every good player knows that a team that is truly united and playing as a team-- as one body under the coach's instructions, not a bunch of individuals that play the way they think the game should be played, play to show how great their supposed skill is, or ignores the Coach because they think they know better-- is the team that wins. Also, as in any sport, you are expected to give it your absolute all, play with your all the energy you posses!!- even though you're drenched with sweat; even though you can barely move; even though your nose is bleeding; even though #7 got a foot of height on you or you swear #16 is an Olympic runner ; even though every muscle in your body is screaming at you; you keep running even though you can't breathe and your side is cramping up; you give it everything you've got until the buzzer sounds, until the ref blows the final whistle, because you know that if  you stop or ease up on the pace even for a second,  the other team will take advantage of you/that. They'll spike the ball right into that open spot you're supposed to be covering. They'll steal the ball from you or slip that goal past you! If they see you slow down, it only encourages them to run faster!

So in this "game" we play every second of each day of our lives, we, as young ladies on the LORD's "team", must:

1.) Wear His colors and display His name (Exodus 17:15)

2.) Display good sportsman(woman)like attitudes toward our sister teammates (Mark 3:25) (1st Corinthians 12:12-27)

3.) Play the game with every ounce of strength we have and not give up until the whistle blows (1st Corinthians 9:24) (Hebrews 12:1-3) (2nd Thessalonians 3:13) (Galatians 6:9)

THIS IS OUR PART!!

BUT! Also, we must remember, our Coach is a Loving Coach. He knows exactly how much each one of us can handle before expiring of exhaustion; He knows the are certain aspects of the game we struggle with specifically; He knows which "position" on the court/Field we're weakest in and in which areas we're am strong; He knows exactly what to say to help and motivate us and what advice to give to strengthen our areas of weakness!

As my omnipotent Coach, the LORD:

1.) Knows when and why to call a "time out"

     -for critique of my technique

     -for correction or my attitude

     -for rest, refreshment, and renewal (of energy)

     (Isaiah 40:29) (Matthew 11:29) (Philemon 1:20)

2.) Knows which drills (or how many extra laps lol) to do next practice to strengthen us in our individual areas of weakness 

3.) Knows exactly which words of comfort to give when we are carried off the Field/court injured; He also knows the exact words to whisper in the huddle to inspire us and motivate (to keep us going) for those last five minutes of the game

But most importantly, He is a Coach that loves us for who we are, and who has saved us from the opposing team's captain!! This is what it means to be on the LORD's "team"-- on His 'side'.

Let us apply these thoughts to our lives today with the help of our Heavenly Coach, and play our hardest for Him today!

I love you all, dear sisters! Stay strong in the daily battle (or game :P) and stay tuned for the next two posts!

love in CHRIST OUR CAPTAIN

Katie

Long Enough?????

O.
MY.

SOUL.

!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is uncharacteristically PATHETIC that it should've taken me this long to get back to my poor neglected blog!!!

I apologize! I knew it was bad when I started dreaming about meeting girls whose blogs I read. I told my little sister that maybe that was God's way of telling me to get back to blogging! lol and then there's the fact that I've missed it! and I've missed hearing from my sweet fellow bloggers! and reading your posts...

But any way... :) I believe I've finally returned! :-)

Happy New Year!

Ha! It's 1:23 AM  New Years Day and I'm too tired to think let alone really post anything! But I just discovered an Internet connection and wanted to wish you all a

Very Blessed 2011!

Another Christmas Post!

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

©Isaiah 9:6©

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

©Isaiah 7:14©

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

©Luke 2:10-14©

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Seeing as this is most likely the last time I'll be blessed to be able to use the Internet until after Christmas :( I want to wish all of my precious readers a very                        Merry Christmas!!
Right now I'm spending time with one of my SUPER SPECIAL VERY BESTEST FRIEND in the world :) :) My special sister Gabrielle Allen! Her family (which is even larger than mine! 10!) are Southern Gospel singers (to learn more about them click here!!) so I rarely get to see her which makes these two days even more special!! I don't know how many times the Lord has used her voice, texts, or simply prayers to comfort and encourage me!
But anyhoo... :)
    Merry Christmas my precious sisters in Christ!
Fight hard for Him this Christmas season as His warrior, but take time to remember that you are His precious princess, and that he came as a child to die as a man because He LOVES YOU SO MUCH!! Take a little extra time on your knees this Christmas to thank Him for His wonderous love!

My Awesome Siblings

Last night my family put up our Christmas tree!! (okay, my brother put it up and then sparadically it got decorated lol) The front room is now littlered tastefully with Christmas knicknacks and just makes everything more Christmassy!! :) so happy! Now if we could only get rid of those few remaining pumpkins and gourds sitting on each end of the mantle... lol

I've been meaning for a while to post some pix of my awesome family!!

This is my younger (I can no longer say "little" :( and be truthful!!) brother Joseph and his first deer!!! I was SO proud of him!! And happy too! I've got a freezer full of venison to cook all winter! lol

These are my little sisters Bethie (who just turned 9 this week!!) and Hannah (who is ten). Hannah's the one in curlers! lol As you can tell, this was a lazy day at home! Hannah usually runs around the house in an ancient, worn out, and really whacky skirt on, and Bethie's gonna pass her up in height any day now :(

This is my best friend and room mate Heidi on her 13th birthday (just 10 days before my 18th!!) We gave daddy a hard time by reminding him that he had two milestone bdays that month :) (mom would normally groan from somewhere in the background lol) Apparently us being so old makes them old as well lol.

This is my perky little (at this blessed point in time he still is my "little" brother!!) brother Nathan, who is also the youngest!! Isn't he just hysterically adorable?!

So these are my awesome siblings!! Now, this may not be my mindset every moment of the day (lol) but it always is in the long run!! They are such a blessing when I just stop to think about it-- even in the little things! Joseph put up the tree and strung the lights last night, and only last week he just randomly suprised my dad at hanging some drywall he (my dad) had been meaning to get around to for heaven knows how long! lol He'd never done it before and did an AMAZING job! (he and dad both said there was a small gap, but to my untrained eye, they could've fooled me!) And just look at that deer!

Then last night after the frontroom was all decked out, I made everyone hot chocolate and they plopped down and popped in a Christmas movie. I went to go back to my room (which is in the basement) and lost traction on the first step with my houseshoes and ended up falling down the stairs (owie!!) Heidi, Hannah, and Bethie were at my side, crowding me out on the steps within seconds, bombarding me with "Are you okay?" "What'd you hurt?" "Did you slip?" (Nooo!! lol) "Did you hurt anything?" "Are you alright?" "Need help?" It struck me how sweet it was that they all came rushing to make sure I was okay. :)

And then little Nathan... omysoul is that little buddy a bundle of energy!!!!! Yesterday I was juicing apples for breakfast and he (being the only one up and at the table at that point) begged me to let him put a few apples in the shooty thing and push them down. So I let him. :) It was super cute how excited he got over putting three apples in and juicing them! As everyone else came to the table, he let them know how HE made apple juice with Katie. It was so precious. He begged me to get him up this morning so we could do it again, and I planned on it, but I got up too late and was doing my devotions when he wanted to this morning, so he did it with mommy. He told me later, "Me and momma made juice!" Mom had already told me (she told me they had added a few carrots, despite his plea not to, and then he was pleasently suprised when it was really yummy lol) "I heard!" I told him. "I heard you added a special ingredient this morning and it was really yummy!" "Yeah!" He said, but there was no more left, so he added, "We can make you some later." It was so precious!

As "big sister", who is often "in charge", I need to remember these precious moments and focus on the special and promising talent with and belonging to my siblings whenever they start to argue or rough house or tattle and I begin to feel agrivated and lose my meek and quiet spirit and joy in the LORD.

I challenge you, dear sisters, to do the same thing this week! Every time you begin to feel aggrivated and are tempted to be greived with your siblings, pause and thank God for them and then ask Him to show you something good about them you can focuse on and even praise them for! Remember, even though "all those brothers and sisters'' can drive you crazy, there are girls out there who would do almost anything to just have ONE.

Our siblings are blessings- gifts!- from God!!!!

What are you thankful for about your siblings today?