Parakaleo

"Therefore, I urge (parakaleo) you, brothers,
in view of God's mercy,
to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God—
this is your spiritual^a]"> act of worship.

Urge.
'Parakaleo'.
-To call to one's side
-To admonish, exhort
-To console, strengthen
-To comfort, teach, and encourage

Urging. Calling. Comforting. The words that Paul is writing here to the church at Corinth are just as applicable to our lives now as they were to the Corinthians then. Paul is encouraging us here (because of the great and abundant mercy of God) to present ourselves as a 'living sacrifice'.

The Corinthians no longer had to make animal sacrifices. The blood had been shed on the cross of Christ to cover all sins...past, present, and future. So what is Paul saying here?

Paul is saying, give it ALL. Sacrifice is no longer a ritualistic ceremony of bloodshed that must be done in order to bring forgiveness of sin. The living sacrifice mentioned here is to give over our lives in obedience to the Lord. It is an act of worship... of submission to the wisdom of the God that we serve.

...do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—
His good, pleasing and perfect will."
~Romans 12:1-2~

As Christians, this is our calling. 'Do not conform', 'be transformed', gain knowledge of Christ to 'test and approve what God's will is— His good, pleasing and perfect will'. We don't blend in with the world... and we shouldn't. We have been called to be non-conformists that will, through studying God's Word, be transformed by these God-breathed words:

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness..."
~2 Timothy 3:16~

Lately, I have felt convicted about how I spend my time. You can tell a lot about ones priorities through taking a quick peek into their Day-Planner of Life. Is the day spent in prayer? Studying the word? Wow... imagine what 'training in righteousness' can take place through daily study of God's Word!

On the flip side, is the day spent mindlessly surfing the internet? Planting and harvesting crops on Farmville? Updating a twitter or status to fill in your peers in on your fickle mood? Hmm... I wonder if my status will really effect ones day, or if my attitude towards them will have more of an impact?

I am no Greek scholar, but I am developing a passion to learn more of 'the Greek' or 'the Hebrew' in order to get a fuller understanding of the Word of God. To my fullest knowledge and understanding of this word, I believe I have a sudden sense of God's parakaleo— His urging to come alongside Him, learn from His wisdom, and be empowered by His strength.

I am going to be taking a bit of a sabbatical from a few of the distractions in my life (including facebook). You can still reach me via email, but it may take longer than usual for me to answer.

I restate this here as a bit of a reminder to myself:

"Therefore, I urge (parakaleo) you, brothers,
in view of God's mercy,
to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God—
this is your spiritual act of worship..."

Asking the Wrong Question

Tonight, I found myself rather weary as I sat on my couch after a physically and emotionally exhausting day. As I typed up music therapy notes, studied random countries on a map, and tried to comprehend scientific formulas, I began to ask myself this question:

How much of this do I really need to know?
Can't I just kinda... skim it over and be okay?

This question seemed vaguely familiar in my mind, but I couldn't quite place it. As my 92 year old great-grandfather would say, 'then, the light lit'.

It's that age-old relationship question. The 'how far is too far' question that all Christan teens seem to ask as they begin to notice that cooties really aren't so bad.

How far is really too far?
Can't I just kinda... play it by ear and see what happens?

Do you know what I realized?
The two questions have the same answer.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
~1 Corinthians 10:31~

In what stuff?
Whatever we do.

How much of it?
All of it.

How is God glorified?
By our half-hearted attempts at 'skimming by'?
Or by us doing all of whatever we do for His glory?


So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
~Galatians 5:16-17~

A Lesson from a Railroad Spike

I have to remind myself each and every day to give everything over to the Lord. Just like I was reminded this week on my morning run...

I was running down the railroad tracks near my apartment and almost tripped over a large, rusty, railroad spike. As I picked it up and turned it over in my hands, the words of Jesus came to my mind: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34).

'But Jesus', I cried... 'It is so hard. The cross is so heavy. How can I, who am so very weak, carry such a huge burden? Why would you want me to struggle underneath such a cumbersome load?'

Almost instantly, the Lord brought another Scripture to my mind: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30)

Wow.

Jesus does command us to take up our cross each day, but then He tells us to come to Him with our burdens! He also says that we can learn from Him and find rest for our souls. What a blessing that is to my heart.

Soaring

God has been so faithful! I found out this past week through some test results that I have had Mono since early May. I can't believe how much strength God has/is giving me to make it through this sickness. I just returned from a blessed vacation with my family. It was a time of renewal, closeness, and relaxation. It was much needed for my family and it was a blessing for the four of us to be together... it's quite rare these days.

This vacation gave me some time to reflect on some recent happenings in my life. The majority of people I have met at my 'new' college have told me time and time again that I am too idealistic, have the standards of a perfectionist for my future mate, and that I will possibly remain single my entire life.

Here's my honest response to them and to the world:

I do have ridiculously strong ideals, Jesus Christ set/is the perfect standard, and if I remain single my entire life to bring God glory and to further His kingdom, then so be it.

I cannot consent to creep when my heart's impulse is to soar. I want to soar. If this means that my life will be lonely, if I live it for Christ, then I have succeeded.

Your Gift

Since sex is desirable, why not have sex?

God wants you to be a 'Lady of Purity' because He wants to protect you from the consequences that sex before marriage brings. These consequences can be physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual.

Have you ever secretly opened a Christmas gift before Christmas Day, then rewrap it and put it back under the tree? How thrilling and exciting it was when you first saw the surprise! But what about the 'big day' when the gifts were supposed to be opened for the first time? Where was the excitement when you opened your gift? The gift did not seem quite as special because it had already been opened for the first time.

Each woman receives one 'first time'.

One first kiss. One first night.

One first chance. One.

God desires for your precious gift to be given to a committed lover who will cherish, keep, and protect you in the bonds of marriage. God wants you and your gift to this man to be treasured and cherished, not perceived as something to be conquered and trampled upon.

"Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires."

~Song of Solomon 8:4~