Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Boobs and more boobs!

Yes, you did read that title correctly. No, you don't need new glasses - No, I did not just mispell "God is so good!" with "Boobs"... And no, I do not need to put an adult warning sign on my blog/get counselling from my pastor/go through a deliverance session. I meant to spell boobs and I did B-D

Are there any boys still giggling over the use of the word 'boobs'? Well here, let me help you get it out of your system......

BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS,
you have them, your dad has them, your mom has them, your grandmother has them, your cow has them (sort of). BOOBS!

And now, the reason why I'm writing this post is because recently, some people made comments about me being less well-endowed being blessed by God with smaller assets. (Don't worry, they said it to my face, so its not like I'm, y'know, bitter or anything...) And of course I was like all sad and such, waving my fist at God and asking if He had been thinking of aeroplane lanes when He designed me thinking that there was something wrong with me/I will never find a boyfriend/I will grow old and alone in Tenneesee with 89 cats and 3 hamster farms. But then after a while, I realised - why the heck am I even bothering about this and thinking that I'm not normal?

The only reason why girls think that there is something wrong with them or that they're not 'normal' is because society has somehow formed a perception of what normal actually is! Ladies are actually thinking that small boobies aren't normal.... Say what now. Somehow, people have forgotten that boobs actually come in multiple sizes and not just the typical, well, BOOBIES! (Sorry, I have to admit, it's a fun word to say.)

So here's too the ladies: Small boobs are totally okay and totally beautiful. Medium boobs are totally okay and totally beautiful. More endowed boobs are totally okay and totally beautiful. Whatever size you are (or aren't), you are totally NORMAL and BEAUTIFUL :-) End of story! No more comparing or wondering or complaining!

(And something that I just have to add on: Nothing you eat will cause your boobs to increase in, uhh, proportions or whatever. Unless you're taking in a lot of fat, which in that case your entire body will, uhh, expand or something. Because my relatives always tell me to eat more - Please, if the things that you ate could determine your boob proportions, I (and a large majority of ladies in the world) would probably be lugging around suitcases on our chests instead of, uhh... You get the idea.)

Sunday, February 12, 2012

I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith and love and every grace
Might more of His salvation know
And seek more earnestly His face

Twas He who taught me thus to pray
And He I trust has answered prayer
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair

I hoped that in some favored hour
At once He’d answer my request
And by His love’s constraining power
Subdue my sins and give me rest

Instead of this He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart
And let the angry powers of Hell
Assault my soul in every part

Yea more with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Cast out my feelings, laid me low

Lord why is this, I trembling cried
Wilt Thou pursue thy worm to death?
“Tis in this way” The Lord replied
“I answer prayer for grace and faith”

“These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free
And break thy schemes of earthly joy
That thou mayest seek thy all in me,
That thou mayest seek thy all in me.”

— I Asked The Lord // John Newton

Friday, February 10, 2012

... in Quietness and Trust is your strength. {Isaiah 30:15}

Tired and weary. Helpless and utterly worn out, frayed threads, dusty curtains. Infinitely small, scared, fearful. Unloved. Desperate. Needy. Hesitant, holding back, uncertainty. Doubts. Burdens. Heaviness. The weight of works - or perhaps lack of it - Guilt. Pulling down. Walls are caving in and I can hardly breathe, and I cannot decide if I am a dry, barren wasteland or a torrential storm raging. I am desperate, reaching out to grasp empty air to steady me. I am leaning on stilts made of sand, standing on floors unsteady, enclosed within invisible limitations. I am lonely, I am guilt-ridden. I am fearful, insecure. I am weary.. I am tired.

Tired of being tired. Tired of struggling. How did I get so hurt, without me realising it? You never see the shards of glass till you feel it.

Tiredness comes when I do not rely on Him for strength. It overwhelms when I do not rest in the shadow of His wings. Still, You beckon me and Your untiring arms are held open. You are there and You long for me to cast all sorrows unto You. You would gladly take it all with tenderness and care, how gentle the heart that I learn from! Come, come, come away. Fall away from the world and into My rest. You take all that I am, giving me all that You are. Peaceful is the heart that holds steadfast to You in the midst of pain. Strong are the hands that hold me and keep me safe. My head rests on You, I lean on Your faithfulness; security and this sweet love paving the way to healing.

How deep is His love for me? Deeper than all the tears I could cry.

Friday, February 3, 2012

I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing." {Psalms 16:1}

He is standing in front of me and I rest my head on Him. I lean on Him and feel so secure, so rested, so at peace - it is always in this hug-like embrace I find myself in so often when I have come to the end of all I can do. So I ask, "Why is it always in this way that I find myself in?", because when I come into awareness of Him standing in front of me, His presence, I rest on Him between His shoulders. Being held up by His strength, I know that I can lean all that I am on Him and still have Him support me. And He answers, "Because it is in this way, that you are not standing on your own strength but leaning on Mine." And that is rest, that is peace, that is security. Leaning on Him utterly. On only Him and His completely, perfectly able, Strength.

"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders." {Deuteronomy 33:12}

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

The Yirah of Yahweh

The Bible does use this phrase, “the fear of the Lord” often, for example, Psalm 34:11 “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.” The Hebrew word “yirah”, used in this phrase is often translated into the English word “fear”. But as you might guess, it’s not that simple. If you break down this word yirah, you find three key elements of it’s definition:

YIRAH:
1) a sense of holy reverence
2) a dread of being disrespectful
3) an overwhelming sense of awe

If you ask me to translate yirah into one English word, looking at those three elements, I don’t think I’d choose fear, at all. Indeed the same word is translated as “awesome”, or “reverence”, or “respect” in other places in the Bible. I dunno, you come up with a better word that sums up those three elements. Maybe there isn’t one in English. Maybe just leave it yirah and be done with it.

Psalm 103:11 “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is God’s love for those who YIRAH Him”

Psalm 33:18 “The eyes of the LORD are on those who YIRAH him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.”

Psalm 103:17 “From everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who YIRAH him.”

Psalm 147:11 “The LORD delights in those who YIRAH him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”

////

Friday, January 27, 2012

What Is Love?

In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul says that there is only one stat that ultimately matters in your walk with God - one thing that that truly tells the world who you are, and that is your love (or lack thereof). The real question is, how do I grow in love? What does love look like? What does love do, and what does it not do? What is love?

2. Love Is Jesus-y

When I picture Paul writing 1 Corinthians 13 and describing love, I picture him writing down that first word, “Love is patient” and then struggling to come up with the next thing to say… “Okay, love is patient… it’s… it’s… hmm… how should I say this? Love is patient, it’s… it’s…”



Now, I don’t know if I’m right about that, but the reason I always picture it that way is because of the second word Paul used to describe love. And look, It’s not that I think he was struggling because he didn’t know how to describe love, but because his mind was literally exploding with so many things and so many ways and words to describe love! There was so much he wanted to include and the thing that came into his mind next was a word that is completely and totally amazing.



“Love is kind.”



That word that we have translated ‘kind’ is a Greek word that is almost exactly like the Greek word, ‘Christ.’ In fact, (and don’t miss this) most guys who study the Bible and the Greek language feel that this is a word that was invented because of Jesus and His life. Here’s what I mean… When people watched Jesus live His life, He loved in a way that no one ever had. He loved outcasts, strangers, foreigners, little kids, enemies of the state and even His own betrayers! Jesus was kind to people when He was exhausted and overwhelmed. He was kind when everyone else wanted to turn folks away and be mean. He was tender to the broken and He was gentle with those wearied by their own sin. He was willing to be a servant when He had the right to be the boss. There was literally never anyone like Jesus, ever. No one loved like He did. No one was kind like Him. He was so loving and so kind, that it seems like folks literally started using a new word to describe it.



That is the word Paul uses to say that love is kind. It’s a word that looks and sounds almost exactly like the word ‘Christ.’ It’s like Paul is saying, “Love is patient… it’s… it’s… how should I say this? Umm, love is patient, and… well, it’s just all Jesus-y. That’s it! Love is Jesus-y. Love acts like Jesus did.”



Here’s the big question though: If love means to act like Jesus did, then how in the world am I supposed to pull that off?! I mean, Jesus was kind like that because, well, He’s Jesus… and I’m not! — Well, that is an awesome question. I guess the thing we need to figure out is this: How did Jesus love the way He did?



One of the most amazing examples of the kindness of Jesus was on His last night before the cross when He washed His disciples’ feet. Washing feet was slave labor, literally. Jesus was and is Almighty God and the King of the universe. He didn’t have to wash the nasty feet of those guys who were arguing about who was the best and would soon betray Him, but He did it anyway. He got down on the level of a slave and served them… Wow. And here’s the really cool thing: Right before He did that, John says this about Jesus: “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.”



You see that? Jesus knew two things: He knew who He was and He knew where He was going. The same is true for you, right now. You know you are a child of God. You know you have been forgiven an eternal debt of wrong. You know God adores you right now as you are and always will. You know that as soon as this life ends, you’re going to heaven forever to be with the God who loves you. If you know who you are and where you’re going, you can love like Jesus loved. Knowing who you are and where you’re going frees you up to get rid of selfishness and just love people. If you know who you are and where you’re going, you can be Jesus-y. There are people in your life who are almost impossible to love, but they are longing for someone to love them. In the deepest part of their heart, they’re wondering if anyone could - or would be like Jesus to them. That person is you.

Source: LeeYounger

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Others May — You Cannot.

Others May — You Cannot.
by G.D Watson

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

Others can brag on themselves, and their work, on their success, on their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

The Lord will let others be honored and put forward, and keep you hid away in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice fragrant fruit for His glory, which can be produced only in the shade.

Others will be allowed to succeed in making money, but it is likely God will keep you poor because he wants you to have something far better than gold and that is a helpless dependence on Him; that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day - out of an unseen treasury.

God will let others be great, but He will keep you small. He will let others do a great work for Him and get credit for it, but He will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work you have done, and this will make your reward ten times greater when He comes.

The Holy Spirit will put strict watch over you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.

So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a right to do what He pleases with His own, and He will not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealing with you. He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and let other people say and do many things that you cannot do or say.

Settle it forever, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that others are not dealt with.

Now, when you are so possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this particular personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven.

I know the Devil delights when I feel left out by God. I know he rejoices when I question God and His ways and seeds of doubt are readily planted. And when I feel like I have been pushed to one side by God, cheated out of my inheritance, and so, so, so, alone - trumpets of victory are blown in the darkness.

He is the father of lies. Of guilt, doubts, worthlessness. Deceit, pride, envy. And I know he roams my life, looking for areas where his demons can set to work, where he can begin to creep in unnoticed and start to destroy. His tools are doubts, delighting in overwhelming worthlessness, inciting fear and rejection; how heavy are his chains of guilt and bondage! And what victory he gains when we do not fight back, self-controlled and alert against the wiles of him who prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for one to devour! He laughs when we are blind and stupid, not realising that he must flee when we stand firm.

The father of worthless idols knows the Father of All that is Good, and even his demons know that there is one God - and they tremble! The god of this world knows that the God of the Universe has good plans for my life - and so he tries to steal. Steal away my faith, my trust, my confidence in His justice. So he tries to kill - my hope in the Lord, that He is faithful to all His promises, loving towards all He has made. And he tries to destroy - all my efforts done for the Lord, making them seem worthless and futile, and as if God had forgotten me.

But the Devil will get no victory in this life of mine.. I stand on His Word. That I am born of God, overcoming this world, not living of it. That He who is loving and faithful gives what is needed to His creatures at the proper time, in His time, and satisfies the desires of every living thing. That I am arranged in this part of the body right where He wants me to be - I cannot be an eye and desire to be an ear, or say that I am not part of the body because I do not have the same role as the feet, or say to the neck that I do not need it. Because if we were all an ear, where would the sense in that be? And if we were all one part, where would the body be? For the body is made up of many parts - but it is one with Christ as it's life.

And He tells me that those parts of the body which seem to be weaker are in fact, indispensable... And the parts which are unseen, thought as less honourable, we treat with special honour.

The Lord does not see things as man sees,
He looks beyond the outward appearances
and into the heart.


(2 Peter 5:8, James 2:19, John 10:10, Psalm 145:13-16, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, 1 Samuel 16:7)