Category: Bible Commentary

Some Thoughts on Tragedy and the Resurrection

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Yesterday, at Brussels International Airport, two bombs went off and killed over thirty people, with many scarred by the trauma of the event. (www.bbc.com)

But that’s not the first tragedy to strike the world. Just last year, ISIS struck Paris in a series of traumatic attacks. And, a couple of months back, California dealt with their own incident, this one a shooting. Not to mention that we have hundreds of refugees fleeing from danger in their own country and hundreds of our own citizens dealing with homelessness, poverty, disease, abuse, and about a thousand other tragedies.

Most of this doesn’t even surprise us when we see it. It’s just another hour of nightly news, which leaves us asking “Where is God in all of this?”

It has often been said that tragedy is the atheist’s best argument against God. After all, if God is good, why would He allow suffering?

The truth is, we often don’t know. We can’t always explain the reason behind every tragedy. While I believe that God can work through tragedy, I don’t believe He ever causes it.  It is simply the result of living in a fallen world. Someday, God promises to take away the suffering of the world, and make it bright, beautiful, and new.

We have hope, even in a world that’s broken. Jesus experienced suffering on this earth too, as He died on the cross to wash away our sins. And, because He did, no matter what we go through in this life, we can have hope for the next. Hebrews 9:28 says “So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

When Jesus died on the cross, He didn’t stay dead. God Himself looked tragedy straight in the eye so that in the end, none of us would have to. He was beat, flogged, and harassed, and nailed to the cross in hopes that each of us, when we came to the end of life, wouldn’t be faced with death but new life. 

And, because of the cross, we have been given the freedom to go to God directly and approach Him with anything that may be weighing heavily on our heart.

God is bigger than the tragedies that we face in this life. I am not saying this to belittle what the people affected by Brussels went through, but to remind anyone reading this that we have hope beyond this life. As a popular worship song titled Your Love Neve Fails says, “there may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

This Easter week, let’s praise God for the life that He’s poured out for us and remain in prayer for all those around the world dealing with hardships.

Waiting And Trusting

Courtney4 Comments

Hey everyone! I’m back in the blogging world! Sorry for the long hiatus (apparently my last post was twenty-two days ago…eek!). I’ve been keeping busy with school and revising a book that I’m writing (or, should I say re-writing?).

But, I’m back and I finally came up with a topic to write about (YAY!!!). This post is going to be about…wait for it…wait for it…It’s going to be about waiting! Yeah…I tried to throw in a little joke there.

Lately, as I’m getting older and closer to becoming an adult, I’ve been hyper-focused on my dreams and goals. A couple of years ago, things like a future career seemed so far off. Something to worry about in the distant future. But, suddenly, everything feels super close, which raises a million unanswerable questions to surface. Will my writing career sink or swim? And if it does work out, how? Should I make this change or that change to my book? Are my characters distinct enough? Are they relatable?

And then there are the more universal concerns.

In a couple of years I’m going to be living on my own, will I be able to handle it? I still only have my permit and haven’t even been practicing my driving lately. Will I ever get the hang of it? And, what will college be like? Will I be able to handle college math (My worst subject)?

I find myself caught between now and the future, half wishing I could ride in the crazy scientist from Back To The Future‘s time machine and be assured that everything will fall into place. But, I have something better than a time machine: God’s word.

As Christians, we’re not left alone to worry about the future. God speaks about this topic numerous times throughout Scripture.

““Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ?” Matthew 6:25-27

““For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”” Jeremiah 29:11

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

God has our whole lives planned out, and His plans for us are beyond our wildest dreams! We may not be able to see the future, but God can. Plus, if we could see into the future, we’d miss all of the surprises that come with living! As scary as it can often be, it’s also exciting to know that God has good things planned for us that we can’t yet fathom. At times, we may wish that everything would just happen right now. But, sometimes He sees things we can’t and has us wait for a reason.

Two years ago, I would have loved to perform a song that I wrote right then and there; but God had me wait until it I got better at singing and composing the instrumental for it. As hard as it was at the time, I’m now thankful that He had me wait. I trust that this is true for all my other goals/dreams/aspirations as well. God may be growing us during times of waiting, and asking us to trust Him with what you can’t see. He may be planning opportunities that can only be found further down the path of life. We don’t always know why God asks us to wait, but we can know this-

We never have to wait alone, because God is always with us, and always has our best interest at heart. ❤️

This song, While I’m Waiting, is from the well-known Christian movie, Fireproof. I think the song fits this topic pretty perfectly. 🙂

The Best Kind of Love

Courtney5 Comments

Valentines day. 

A day when couples celebrate their romance and singles celebrate Netflix.

Or, at least, that’s how it’s how it is often characterized. Admittedly, I’ve been single for my whole life, so I honestly don’t have much helpful advice in regards to relationships, except to follow the Bible, ask for wisdom from wise mentors, never compromise, and pray a lot.

But, I do have a thing or two to say about love. Because regardless of whether or not you’ve ever been in a relationship, if you’re a Christian, you’ve been given the best kind of love. A love that took human form and willingly allowed Himself to be “pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our sins” (Isaiah 53:5).

A Love that left Heaven in all of it’s glory to unite us to Him.

A Love that allowed every person the opportunity to find Him and live in Heaven with Him for all eternity.

A Love that made all who accept it one giant, diverse family.

This love is the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. John 15:13 says “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  This is exactly what God did for us. 

But, the picture gets even more beautiful. Because of this amazing, out-of-this-world love, Christians are given the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of this counter-cultural kind of love. We’re invited into the family of God and called to invite others into this masterpiece. Following God is ultimately a call to love and be loved.

Maybe you’re single this valentines day. Perhaps you’re dealing with a breakup or unrequited feelings. Whatever your relationship status this Valentines Day, I want you to remember that you are loved. God’s love never fails, and I’m willing to bet that you have a handful of other people who care about you too. If you want something to do this Valentines Day, perhaps you could go out with a group of friends and celebrate your friendship. Or, you could spread the love by volunteering at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. There are a lot of ways to celebrate love this Valentines Day.

And, the first place to look is up. ❤️

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:9-11. (NIV)

What Does Jesus Look Like?

Courtney2 Comments

If someone had never opened a Bible, what would they think about Jesus?

Would they see Him as loudmouthed, always spouting off right-and-wrong and shaking His fist at the crowds? Or, would they see Him as loving, deeply interested with who each individual was as a person, and wanting to see them live a beautiful and vibrant life?

Would they see Him as fearful, convinced that if A+B doesn’t happen, the whole world as we know it will come to an end? Or, would they see Him as calm, knowing that whatever happens, God has the ultimate authority?

Would they see Him as exclusive, only welcoming some people? Or, would they see Him as radically inclusive, building the most diverse family ever known to mankind?

As you read these, different people may have come to mind, but how about if they saw you? What do your actions communicate about Jesus?

A couple of months ago, Buzzfeed came out with highly controversial video titled “I’m Christian But I’m Not…” While I understand the concerns that many expressed about the video, it serves as a huge wake up call. Rather than having a knee-jerk-reaction, it would be helpful to ask ourselves why so many of them felt a need to clarify their faith. It seems that Christianity currently has such a tarnished reputation that people felt a need to explain themselves.

This shouldn’t be the case. When Jesus was on earth, He was radical. But, not in the way that many today would expect. He was radical in love. He loved the very people that the rest of society shunned. He turned both church tables and people’s perceptions of God upside-down. They expected powerful leader, not a carpenter-preacher. Rather than law, He preached grace. Rather than power, He taught humility.

As Christ’s representatives, we’re called to do the same. We’re called to love the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable. Now, obviously we’re not perfect. If we were, we wouldn’t need Jesus. We’ll never be able to flawlessly immitate Jesus here on earth, but if we show love and grace, we’ve demonstrated the most important attributes of His character. 

The most powerful sermon we’ll ever preach is the one that we live with our lives. Thus, I challenge you to live grace.

To show it to even the most difficult of people.

To love people where they are.

To live in such a way that anyone who saw you would get a window into the amazing love and grace of our Savior. 🙂

When God Closes a Door…

Courtney4 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I was given a reminder.

This wasn’t just any reminder either. It wasn’t a reminder about homework or about chores.

It was a reminder about a time when a door was dramatically slammed in my face. It was a reminder about something that happened that came completely out of nowhere. It was a reminder about something that I had to leave behind.

It was a weird feeling, as memories that I haven’t even thought of in a long time flooded back to a less-then-pleasant time in my life. I didn’t understand why things had to happen the way they did; why everything had to change so drastically and so suddenly.

A couple of months later, I finally understood. I found out some details that pertained to my situation and “thanked God I didn’t get what I thought that I deserved”, in the words of Carrie Underwood’s song, Good in Goodbye. Today, I realize that what happened was for the best.

Oftentimes, when God closes a door, we don’t understand why. We want things to happen our way in our timing. We plead with God, we ask why, and we we analyze our situation to death. Nonetheless, I’ve found that every time God has closed a door, it’s been for the best. The times that God has said “no” and “wait” have always been times that have led me to something better. Whether it be with an opportunity or relationship, God always knows what is best for us.

Perhaps you’re going through a time like this right now. Perhaps God is shutting a door that you’re struggling to pry back open. You cry out to God asking “Why?” You ask how this could possibly be good. If this describes a situation in your life, hold on. God has a greater plan for you than you can even imagine right now. That closed door will end up being the very door that steers you to find an open window. You may not see the light right now, but believe that it’s there. God never closes a door unless He has something better for us, and endings are always portals to new beginnings.

If God says no to something, it’s because He sees what we can’t. We can only see the here-and-now, but God sees the big picture. In the movie Do You Believe life is compared to a tapestry. Our lives are all intertwined, threaded together to create a masterpiece. From our perspective, we only see a mess of scattered threads, but from God sees the full tapestry, in all of it’s wonder and beauty. Each event is one chapter in the story of humanity, and every end leads to something far better.

So, next time God closes a window, take heart. God is opening a window somewhere else that is more amazing than you could ever imagine. 🙂

God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything he knows.-Tim Keller

Don’t Be Afraid to Dive

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Childhood summers. 

Days filled with friends, relaxing, and the local swimming pool. The feeling of walking on sun-kissed pavement into the coolness of the water. You know you have to go all the way in, no matter how cold it feels. So you take a deep breath and go under, your hair drenched with water and chlorine. You see kids jumping off of the diving board, which looks like great fun. You get in line, climb the stairs, and look down into the water. Somehow, you muster up the courage to jump. You hold your breath and cannonball straight down into the water. Finally, you accomplish the next great hurdle of the swimming pool. Diving. You aren’t allowed to dive from the diving board (Ironically), so you go the edge of the swimming pool. You put your hands up, bend down, and fall headfirst.

You go headfirst into deep water. You don’t know what will happen. But, you come up again. You swim to the top, with a wave of determination rushing over you. And, you come up, greeted by sweet victory.

Diving can be scary. Letting ourselves fall seems counter-intuitive to everything instinct seems to tell us. We don’t want to let go. We don’t want to loose our grip on gravity.

It can be the same way with our faith sometimes. The thought of committing everything to a God who we can’t see or touch sounds foreign to us. The thought of letting go of the reigns sounds downright frightening. Nonetheless, I’ve come to find that when we surrender to God, we become more fully ourselves.

God made each of us with great potential, but what we do with that potential is up to us. He wants to work in our lives in ways that we could never even dream of, but whether or not we let Him is our choice. Surrendering to God does not mean losing ourselves, it means becoming more authentically us than ever before. God gave us our personality and passions for a a reason, He’s not going to call us to something that we hate. He takes seeds buried deep in our heart and waters them.

I’ve always loved stories and I’ve always known that someday I want to write professionally. When I became a Christian, I realized that I could use my passion for written word in a way that makes a difference, both in this life and the next.

Another thing that I’ve gotten into is lyric-writing. I wrote my first “song” when I was about seven or eight years old. When I got to high school, I began writing song lyrics as sort of a personal diary. As I’ve grown in my faith, my songs have reflected that. Someday, I hope to get those lyrics out there as songs that inspire and encourage others, just as songs by people like Britt Nicole have inspired me.

Whatever your goals, whatever your personality, and whatever your passions, I urge you to grab onto them, and dive into the ocean of faith. God can take those things further than you can dream, and use them in ways that are beyond what you can imagine.

So look into the water, bend down, and don’t be afraid to dive. 🙂

 

Tips for Navigating the Political Season

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Ok, I’ll be honest. Politics is typically something that I try to steer clear of on my blog. Nonetheless, with the election being such a huge topic right now and the recent debates, I feel that it is a fitting topic to blog about. Especially considering that some of you reading this may be old enough to vote in the next election.

I’m not going to tell you who to vote for, or take a political “side”. We all have the opportunity to choose our own preferred candidate and vote accordingly, that’s one of the beauties of living in America. This post is going to focus on engaging in this election humbly and looking at it through the eyes of Christ, with both wisdom and grace. Thus, I’ve come up with four tips for navigating the election season.

  1. Respect those with opposing viewpoints-This is really, really, important. Because this is often a significant and deeply personal matter to people, it can sometimes turn into a very heated discussion topic. Nonetheless, people often have good reasons for believing what they do on both sides. I know people who lean more right-wing in good conscience and people who lean more left-wing in good conscience. James 1:19-20 says “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” Rather than being quick to jump in with our own arguments, it would be helpful to try to understand why others believe as they do  and understand the deeper motives behind those beliefs. Even if we still end up disagreeing, we can do so respectfully.
  2. Turn to the Bible for answers-As Christians, we believe that the Bible contains ultimate truth. Thus, whatever stance one party or another takes ought to be looked at in the light of God’s word. Because both parties are products of man, it’s highly probable that there are flaws in both ideologies. Rather than blindly accepting all of the ideologies of one party, I challenge you to look at each issue through the lens of faith.
  3. Remember how these issues affect others-A common theme that I find throughout the Bible is love and compassion. One of the most important things that we can do as Christians is to love others. Mark 12:30-31 says “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”” Thus, we ought to ask ourselves how issues of legislation affect other people, particularly the vulnerable and hurting. The people affected are more than just pawns in power wars, they’re real people just like me and you.
  4. Take the time to research the candidates-Bandwagon mentality can be common during election season. It’s easy to hear tidbits of information about the candidates without knowing their full platform or stance on the issues. Just because someone is affiliated with the political party that lean towards, doesn’t mean that they’ll share your views on everything, or even most things. Take the time to research the candidates you like to make sure that they’re honest, godly, and kind people. Granted, we’re all fallen, but it’s important to vote for the candidate who you feel is the most ethical.

In addition to my tips, I found two articles from RELEVENT magazine that I feel give really great advice. Feel free to check them out!

Whoever you decide to vote for, remember to navigate this year with 1 Peter 2:17 in mind. “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.“*

*Emperor, the authority of the day, would be the equivalent of the president and those in authority.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/current/politics/how-would-jesus-vote

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/current/politics/politics-shouldnt-be-us-vs-them

 

 

Lessons From Bethlehem (Part Three)

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Imagine this scenario: An angel appears to you to tell you that you’re pregnant.

Not only are you pregnant, but your to-be-born child will save the world.

You’d probably be scared. Like, what-the-heck-is-happening-scared.

What complicates this situation even more is that you’re engaged to be married. Somehow, you’re going to have to try to explain all of this to your fiancé and hope he believes you.

If you’re a guy and reading this, imagine that your fiancé is telling you all of this. You may be a little suspicious. You may wonder if she’s completely lost it when she tells you that an angel appeared to her.

This is more than just a crazy what-if scenario, this is what happened to Mary and Joseph in the midst of the very first Christmas 

I don’t know about you, but if I were Mary, I’d be really freaked out. I think we can pretty much bet that she would have been at least a little scared during that event, if not completely terrified. By the Jewish law of the time, Mary could have been stoned to death.(http://www.scripturestudies.com/Vol4/D7/d7_nt.html)

Nonetheless, Mary trusted that God knew what was best. “”I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.” Luke 1:38. Joseph also chose to have faith in God, and faith in his to-be wife after an angel appeared to him and explained that Mary’s child is from the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:24 says “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”

Sometimes, we don’t know why things happen the way they do. Life situations don’t always make sense to us in the here and now, from our perspective. But, God can see the whole picture. It’s kind of like a story. In book POVS, the omniscient narrator can see the entire story. With books written in this point of view, you can see every characters’ thoughts and actions. However, in first person, we can only see life through one character’s perspective. In real life, we can only see a tiny piece of a greater story in our own limited point of view. Nonetheless, God can see the entire storyline. He knows exactly how things will affect not only our own lives but the lives of others.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Even if we don’t understand life’s many unusual circumstances and wrenches in our plans, God does. Romans 8:28 reads “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This doesn’t mean that all things are good, or even make sense to us in the natural realm. But, it does mean that God’s ways are higher than our ways, and He holds the pen to all of our stories.

Sometimes, our job is to put down the pen and let God narrate, trusting that He will turn our lives into a beautiful masterpiece. 🙂

This is the last installment of the Lessons From Bethlehem series. There are many more things that we can learn from the Nativity, as well as many other events from the Bible. I highly encourage you to read the Bible on your own, letting God speak to you in a way that only He can.

I believe this song really captures the emotion that must have taken place on the night before Christmas. It’s also one of my favorite modern Christmas songs.

The Night Before Christmas by Brandon Heath

 

Lessons From Bethlehem (Part Two)

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Hey everyone! Sorry it’s been a couple of days since my last post! I’ve been busy wrapping presents, Christmas shopping, and baking cookies. The usual Christmas stuff.

The last post was all about how God can use anyone, no matter how small. This post is all about humility, and how God left all of Heaven for us.

John 15:13 says Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

While this verse is speaking about Jesus’ death on the cross, He laid down His life in multiple ways each and every day just by coming to earth. He left all of Heaven’s glory to come down as a baby, be born in a manger, live his life as a carpenter, preach the good news, and eventually die on the cross for our sins.

Jesus didn’t have to make such a humble entrance. He’s God, so He could have just as easily come as a king, not a baby. Yet, that’s how He chose to enter the world. And, not only did He come as a baby, but he was born in a manger!

Interestingly enough, His entrance into the world is consistent with his preaching later on.

So the last will be first, and the first will be last.-Matthew 20:16

But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.-Luke 14:10

Jesus lived and preached a message of humility. Now, I’d like to clarify that humility does not mean having a poor opinion of yourself. God created us and wants us to have a positive self-confidence. Psalm 139:14 says “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.” 

To be humble simply to be the opposite prideful. It means to put others before yourself. Jesus sacrificed his life for us, and because He did that, we’re called to sacrifice in small ways each day for others.

This could be something as small as letting your friend or sibling have the last cookie or holding the door for an elderly lady. Or, it could be something with a greater cost, such as standing up for someone whom no one else will.

However God may be calling you to sacrifice or give, I challenge you to accept that call. When God is leading us, it may not always be easy, but it will be worth it. The holiday season is always a great time to give back, so I challenge you to think of some way that you can make someone’s Christmas season a little brighter. 🙂

Here are two Christmas songs/music videos that I think apply to this post. I used two because I sort of ended up combining two different post ideas into one.

You’re Here by Francesca Battistelli 

Somebody’s Angel by Mandisa

P.S. I would highly recommend the movie that Mandisa’s song is from, called Christmas Angel. It’s a really sweet Christmas movie 🙂

Lessons From Bethlehem (Part One)

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A young peasant girl. 

A carpenter.

A shepard boy.

These are the people that God cast in the grand story of bringing the Savior into the world.

Jesus didn’t come into the world sitting on the throne. He didn’t come with a loud, grand entrance. He came in the form of a baby, whose parents were ordinary people just like you and me.

But, why? Why would God use such ordinary people to raise His son? Why not a king? Why would a Shepard boy be the one to take this family in? Why not at least a real inn and a bed, rather than a dirty old manager?

One reason could be that it had to be this way, in order to fulfill the prophesies, but why would God use his people to prophesize such a grand event this way to begin with? I believe that part of the reason he did this may have been to show us that no matter how ordinary our lives may look to us, God can use them for great things. Everyone’s life has a purpose. I bet the Shepard boy had moments when he saw his life as ordinary, but today, we still talk about him, and he’s known for his generosity in letting a tired Mary and Joseph stay with him.

Never think that your life is insignificant, because God just may use it in big ways that you never could have dreamed of 🙂

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.-Ephesians 3:20-21

A Strange Way To Save The World-Rascal Flatts 

As I was writing this post, I decided to stretch this out into a series, so keep checking back for new posts! I plan to post more on the Nativity in the near future. 🙂