May 8th

[hannaleeAdmin]

Passage: 1 Peter 4

v.7-9 "... be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling."
- I hope I can learn to possess self-control, a sober mind, love, and hospitality!

v.16 "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name."
- The Christian life is not easy! It is so easy to love and praise God when life is going well, but I hope to love and praise Him the same or even more when I experience suffering and hardships
- I hope to not turn away and resent God when I encounter difficult moments in life, but rather rely on Him and crave for a closer relationship with Him! God is the best healer, advice-giver, and friend

Please pray that I will crave scripture and have a longing to read and learn more and more and more every single day! I hope that after MARKcentral I can use my new knowledge to live a life that is better representing of God's grace and His kingdom!!

[JamesAdmin]

Scripture Passage: Habakkuk 3:16-19;

Feels like I've been spending more time on short passages, a breath of a fresh air for a change...

-We see the end of Habakkuk's prayer in the midst of the Babylonian invasion, beautiful stated in verse 17 and 18, "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olives fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
-Back then, in the context of an agricultural economy, Habakkuk states a prayer of unwavering faith that He would remain committed to God, regardless of physical conditions. He states that, regardless of Israel's physical prosperity or lack thereof, he would dedicate himself to God - for He is his strength.

v. 19, "God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places."
-Reminded of Isaiah 40, "He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

I believe that this is the mentality that I need to have before attending seminary. That regardless if it'll be tough to attend in light of finances, that I may trust in God. God blessed me with another job at Jack Astor's and I need to dedicate that to Him. And if He didn't? I would pray that I would be able to remain in faith that His will, will be done. Regardless of finances. Regardless of physical conditions. "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olives fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD."

A question I am meditating on is, "Do I rejoice in my conditions or do I rejoice in God?" I think this may be a basic question with a simple answer, but I do need to continue to re-evaluate God's blessings and acknowledging God in the midst of them. Sometimes it's really easy to thank God, often times it's also easy to find ourselves complaining and grumbling in certain situations. I wish and pray that I may exemplify a life that remains faithful to God - regardless of physical conditions. Easier said than done, for sure. But do I not have you to help me and assist me in journeying with me? <3 Love you Hanna.