Thankful!

I've been blessed with an amazing family! I'm thankful for them, for the time I've been able to spend with them this summer, for the chance to get to know my little baby sister and brother! <3

Ask

What do we ask for when we pray? Often it is for things or that things will happen in a certain way. Yes, our Father does want us to bring everything to Him in prayer. But where is our heart behind our requests?

For my personal devotions I have been in the books of the Kings. In 1 kings chapter 3, God speaks to Solomon in a dream, and tells him to ask anything and He will give it. Solomon could have asked for anything, Health, Wealth, Land, Power. But he instead asks the Lord for Wisdom that he may rightly rule God's people, Israel.

"And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days". - 1 Kings 3:13-16

What an example we have in the request of a king!

I have been pondering this account on Solomon for a few days. For your family devotions we just started reading James. This thought ties right in.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it (wisdom) shall be given him. But let him ask (for wisdom) in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:5-6

So often when situations arise in our life we ask God to work in it according to how we see fit. Rather we should be asking for wisdom for the situation that we may respond in a godly way and that Christ would be glorified.

Do our requests please the Lord?

Joy in Serving Jesus

When you truly love someone you want that person to have what he wants. More than wanting your own pleasure, you want his.

"When obedience to God contradicts what I think will give me pleasure, let me ask myself if I love Him. A little quiet reflection will remind me that yes to God always leads in the end to joy. We can absolutely bank on that." - Elizabeth Elliot

How often we get caught up in the things of this world that we think give us pleasure. Yet they are so unsatisfying and have no eternal value. Serving the Lord takes commitment and sacrifice. But there is no greater joy and peace than what come from serving God!

There is joy, joy, joy in serving Jesus! Joy that never shall depart!

Service

"Where shall I work today, dear Lord?"

And my love flowed warm and free.

He answered and said

"See that little place?

Tend that place for me."

I answered and said. "Oh no, not there!

No one will ever see.

No matter how well my work was done,

Not that place form me!"

His voice, when He spoke, was soft and kind,

He answered me tenderly,

"Little one, search that heart of thine,

Are you working for them or ME?

Nazareth was a little place....

so was Galilee."

- Unknown

Memories of Choir Tour

My favorite memories of the Walk Worth Tour 2011....

The wonderful times with amazing friends who love the Lord and want to serve him!

Staying in trailers in Dix.

Everyone buying knives at Cabelas (everyone, as in all the people who realized that knifes are a good thing to carry around :D )

Rain for the first 8 days of Tour.

The storm in St. Frances as we sang ALMIGHTY UNCHANGEABLE GOD!

The "Theology Lesson" that God gave to Job

Watching Alligator Hunters with Bekah, Po, Sarah, Chrystal, and Mr. Culwell! :D

Singing in Steamboat Springs

Glenwood Springs!

Singing in the Gun Museum!

Spending time with Papa and Mama Friesen!

Driving to Burns and wondering if we were ever going to get there...:P

Breakfast at the ranch!

Having devotions on the pond dock!

Seeing the beauty of God's creation!

Singing "Jesus Lives" at Grace Bible Church in Colorado Springs!

Talking Papa Friesen into letting us get Ice cream :)

Staying with Bethannie!

Meeting Bekah and Ron.

Trying not to laugh while singing when Mama Friesen would start to laugh :P

CAMP JOY!

ACTUALLY getting to meet the Rio Grand team!

All the DUCKS that joined us for lunch....QUACK

The very interesting books that Bekah and I found in Barns and Nobles. HAHA

The Cosmosphere!!!

The IMAX!!! What an AWESOME God we have!

Walking around in the Franklin's back yard late at night trying to find internet connection :P

Studying Philippians!

"She was a very shady Lady" :P

Being one BIG family! :P

Listening to Papa Friesen reminis about his childhood! :)

Having my first Sonic

Staying at the house with the heated pool with a slide and fountains.

The Bathrooms not working at the church out in the middle of no where, Parkervile. :P

Mine and Bekah's stay with Elma Norman :D

Our last concert in Newton.

But most of all what I will remember about Choir Tour is the blessing it was to me to minister to the body of Christ and the refreshment of the fellowship in the churches that we sang at! There is no greater joy then knowing the Lord and serving the Him!

The Heavens Declare the Faithfulness of Our Father

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." - Psalm 19:1

I have always loved this verse. Living here at camp we have amazing dark nights making visible millions upon millions of stars! During choir tour this past Spring we had the opportunity to visit the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas. We were able to watch "THE HUBBLE" in the IMAX there! AMAZING to see the vastness of the universe! This is the handywork of our Father who we know personally! The heavens are filled with beauty that we cannot even see with our necked eye, yet our God created it for His glory and for His good pleasure!

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." - Revelation 4:11

Seeing the pictures taken from the Hubble cause me to worship my Lord who is so mighty and so vast...YET He LOVES you and me, and cares for us, and teaches us!

God created all this to display His unwavering faithfulness!

Latally I have been thinking about Israel and God's faithfulness to His chosen people. The book of Hosea pictures Israel as an harlot who has left her husband, God, and gone after other gods and committed idolitry and adultery. YET God does not forsake her!

"I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her." - Hosea 2:14

So many nations and people today believe that God is finished with Israel, that all the promises that were made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not going to be fulfilled literally, that the Church has taken Israel's place in the sight of God. This is NOT true!

This is am AWESOME verse....

"Thus saith the LORD; IF heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD." - Jeremiah 31:37

GOD WILL NOT FORSAKE ISRAEL!! The only possible way that God would cast of Israel is if the heavens could me measured. We know this is impossible from scripture "the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured" Jeremiah 33:22 And we know from what we can see from pictures taken of space that this is impossible!

May this be an encouragement to us, that this same God who is faithful to such a nation as Israel is faithful to you and me!

"I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" - Hebrews 13:5

May this be an encouragement to us to pray for Israel. God's chosen people!

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee." - Psalm 122:6

Because of who Christ is.....

For the past 6 months my devotion time has been camped in the book of Hebrews. It was been an amazing study and awesome to see the superiority of Jesus Christ our Savior. I could talk on Hebrews all day long and write many many blog posts, but this time just simply look at our Lord and how He is seen in this amazing book....

JESUS CHRIST:

- Superior to the prophets (1:1)

- Heir of all things (1:2)

- Creator of the world (1:2, 10 and 2:10)

- The visible manifestation of God Himself (1:3)

- Upholder and director of all things (1:3)

- Seated at the right hand of the Father (1:3)

- Better than the angels (1:4)

- Inherited a better name than the angels (1:4)

- Worshiped by the angels (1:6)

- Eternal (1:11)

- Unchangeable (1:12)

- The victorious one (1:13)

- Our Savior (2:3, 9)

- Ruler of all (2:8)

- The Captain of salvation (2:10)

- The victor over death (2:14)

- The deliverer from bondage (2:15)

- Our helper through trials (2:18)

- Our High Priest, the One sent from God to represent God to us (3:1)

- Builder of God’s house - believers (3:3)

- He is God (3:3-4)

- Our Sabbath rest (4:1-9)

- Knower of all (4:13)

- Perfect (5:9)

- Author of Eternal Salvation (5:9)

- The power of an endless life (7:16)

- High priest forever (7:23-24)

- Holy, Harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, higher than the heavens (7:26)

- The way into the Holy of Holies (9:8-11)

- The mediator between us and God (9:24)

- The Author and Finisher of our faith (12:2)

- The One by whom we praise God (13:15)

From looking at our Savior, let us look at our response as the children of this Almighty God.

LET US:

- Labor - 4:11 (because Christ has finished the work)

- Hold Fast - 4:14 (because we have a great High Priest)

- Come Boldly – 4:16 (because we have a sinless High Priest that understands our temptations)

- Go On – 6:1 (because we know the foundation doctrines, we move on to perfection)

- Draw Near - 10:22 (because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross which made a living way)

- Hold Fast our profession of faith – 10:23 (because Christ is faithful)

- Consider One Another – 10:24 (because of Christ’s faithfulness we are to encourage each other)

- Lay Aside ever weight and sin – 12:1 (because we have the witness/example of the heroes of the faith in chapter 11)

- Run with Patients – 12:2 (because Jesus Christ is the Author AND finisher of our faith)

- Have Grace to Serve God– 12:28 ( In the Greek, this word “grace” means “Graciousness, Joy, Liberality, Pleasure, Thanks”. Because we are secure in Christ and His kingdom/reign cannot be moved, let us have pleasure and joy in serving Christ!)

- Go Forth – 13:13 (Because of Christ sacrifice and salvation, we leave the world behind and be identified with Christ)

- Offer Sacrifice of Praise – 13:15 (because of what Christ has done and because it is a sacrifice that is well pleasing to God!)

We often ask, "What is God's will for my life?" The book of Hebrews and the whole Bible is full of the revealed will of God. We can run the race God has before us with joy and confidence because of who our Lord is!