Refreshment

Psalm 16:11 says, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." I think the main reason it's taken me so long to write anything on this blog is because we do so much here that I don't even know where to begin to communicate what God has been teaching me. So, if I in any way seem a little scatterbrained, just bear with me.

I read this verse in Psalms this morning, and I think it so wonderfully explains my time here so far. We've stayed pretty busy going in and out of classes from 8:00 - 5:00, but the evening times and morning times have been so full of what's important. I've been able to keep the main thing the main thing, and that's putting God first. And what a joy it is to put God first rather than letting the flesh try to compete with Him. It's just been refreshing. I've been able to spend so much time reading the scriptures, and it really does revive the soul. It makes me wonder why I didn't spend much time reading God's Word and Praying back at home. I think the answer is simple - Distractions. With the Internet, and TV, and Movies, and you name it right there at the house, it's easy to simply forget about God and give Him second place. While here, it's been so much easier to really focus on what's eternal. Peter, John, and Paul all called themselves bond-servants of Christ and the Bible says that we are the same. The Greek word there is Doulos. A definition of Doulos is one devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests; a slave. According to this definition, if we are followers of Christ, then we are slaves of Christ, and if slaves of Christ then we should be so devoted to obeying Christ in our lives that we disregard our own interests.

One of the weirdest things about this is that when we finally do give Jesus the reigns, there is no regret. At the surface level it doesn't sound fun to be anybody's slave. It's not exciting to forsake our own desires in order to follow someone else. But for some reason, when we stop holding on to our lives too tightly and follow Jesus every step of the way, there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. Instead of watching SportsCenter I've been reading my Bible, instead of wasting time on facebook I've been praying. And I can tell you that it has been an incredible week, just sitting back letting God fill me with more and more of himself. There is no regret in living for Him.

If I could ask you to keep on praying though then I would greatly appreciate it. Keep on praying for the lost along the Amazon River where I will be going. Pray that God would begin opening their eyes to the Truth. Pray that when I get there God will have already been at work among them even if they don't realize it till I get there. Pray also for me. Pray that God would continue working on me, molding me into the obedient follower that I must be before He sends me out. Thank you all so much for your prayers, He does hear them!

"That times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord..." Acts 3:20