I have had so many things running around in my head that I want to write blogs on, but every time I think about what I want to write I feel like I don't have the time, or maybe the words to get it all out. Over the last few months a lot of things (good and bad) have been going on in my life. I am so thankful for these things, yes even the bad, because I am a new and better person because of them! I am going to write more often about certain things that I have found super helpful, some aha moments, share some cool graphics I have made, a cool tip, maybe a photo...just take time doing more quick posts than some deep, long reads, cause "who has time for dat?".
So here goes...15 minutes of truth. Start timer, check! GO
So I heard something in a conference I attended recently (confession I just hit pause and went to look where I wrote down some good stuff, and can't find it so I don't know if it was really at the conference, but I am going to give the credit to my awesome new friend Vickie anyway - unpause) that really hit home for me.
Be careful where you get your Truth because the world (church, preachers, media, internet) gets God's Truth wrong a lot of the time.
This was like a smack upside my head....DUH, aha moment. Man, THIS is why the world is such a mess. When I was a new believer I didn't read the Bible for myself. I relied on sermons, and on books ABOUT the Bible by other people I didn't really know except they sold a lot of books, what other people had to say, about their interpretation of the Bible. I didn't realize the importance of reading God's word FOR myself, so that it could come alive for ME. So that I could HEAR from GOD in His voice through the pages of HIS BOOK, His story...the Bible. I know this seems so trivial and simple. But really, confession time here...I didn't read my Bible for myself until I arrived in the Dominican Republic to become a missionary (3 1/2 years ago). GASP! I know, crazy huh? I just didn't know. When you know better...then you can DO BETTER!
If we don't read God's word and let it marinate and soak in, shoot even read it a TON of times, we don't get filled with HIS TRUTH. If we allow the news, the media, or the world be our way to the GOOD NEWS, we will be contaminated by UNTRUTH and a lot of times just BAD NEWS.
When we don't read REAL truth found in the BIBLE,we won't know when the world is lying to us. If we rely on what the world says we will more than likely think that we are independent, we don't need anyone or anything and WE are in control of our lives. We will be tricked into believing that money and things are most important . We will sacrifice our family and even our lives to achieve a better job, more money, and more things.
I am here to tell you that I had a beautiful house, a job I loved, my husband was a baseball coach (whose team won 3 back-to-back-to-back state championships) and teacher at a prestigious private school,, we had one child in that amazing school and another to attend in a couple of years, we had 2 cars, I got my hair colored every 14 weeks for ALOT of money...basically we didn't lack for anything. Now we are missionaries in a 3rd world country, all of our money comes 100% from God through amazing donors that truly believe in what we do and send us money to make it happen, we lost our house through some tough circumstances and we gave away pretty much all of our belongings to friends and even some things to complete strangers. I say all this not to brag or make you feel bad. I say all this to say that without the things of the world that make us feel worthy and worth something (house, stuff and money) I have never felt more rich! We don't have any money in savings, we have bills that are more than we planned, we have a beautiful house that we rent and I feel like I have truly found complete happiness and joy living under God's wing. I am completely dependent on Him. I am not in control and HE is and that makes me feel free!
Time is up!
I hope you take away from this that GOD'S WORD is important. Put down your smart phone and pick up a BOOK called THE BIBLE that will make you smarter in life than any phone ever will. My friend Vickie said something like this...."You shower daily with soap, so make sure you WASH DAILY with GOD'S WORD". I love that! I don't want to go a day without GOD'S word, because without HIS truth, my life can smell pretty stinky!
I love you that read my mind ramblings! Thank you!
In His Grip,
Jodi
