Just a thought.

"Feeble, frail, ordinary human beings bare the Imprint of the everlasting God."  --Louie Giglio

Jeremiah 1:5 (MSG): Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations— that’s what I had in mind for you.”

John 15:18-19 (MSG): “If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world’s terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God’s terms and no longer on the world’s terms, the world is going to hate you.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV): "For we areGod's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." 

Romans 1:6 (NIV): "And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus."

 

Psalms 139 (NIV): "O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. 5 You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! 20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? 22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Genesis 1:27 (NIV): "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."


It's  such a familiar yet underemphasized concept sometimes -- God had plans for us before we were even created in His image. But it's just so cool when you realize the gravity of that very statement. In verse 13 of Psams 139, David writes that God KNIT him together. He could have snapped His fingers and called us into existence, but guys, He didn't. Everything about us has passed through The Maker's hand -- stitch by stitch, loop by loop, we were delicately and carefully planned out and crafted by God. Our lives aren't the product of an impersonal evolution, but the result of a loving Father, who planned our creation before the foundations of the world. You are a masterpiece created by and in the image of The Great I Am .

Our very beings were created in likeness to God's image so that we could become more like Christ in our walk with Him -- that's such a wonderful opportunity of service we've been graced with. I just find it amazing that out of the entire realm of possibilities, God picked me to be one of His Own before the earth was even created, that we are chosen. That He knew me then, knewwho I was, knew how I would defy Him, knew how I would sin, and yet He still chose me to be with Him and to be His Child. It's just incredible how much love and mercy He shows us, even in a fallen world. I can't even express it. 

Besides Daniel. "Postcards And Phone Calls."

---Hey all.
I love what Besides Daniel stands for and the beautiful music they produce. “Postcards And Phone Calls” is the first song of theirs I heard, and no matter how many times I play it, it always is as lovely as the first time I gave it a listen. So go one and give it a listen.

(for all you mobile phone viewers, there’s a link to the youtube video at the end of the post).

The lyrics:

If you are the sky then I must be the sea
And it may look like we touch, but the horizon’s a dream And if I am the fall, then you must be the spring
‘cause there’s always something between us it seems But I’ll keep reaching If you’re far away from me I’ll put on my comfortable shoes I won’t stay far away from you Postcards and phone calls they simply won’t do. I need your hand in mine. There’s not enough lifetime to go on without you I need you. I want your arms about me.
I’ll move my feet ‘til I reach you.
And I want your eyes to meet mine.
I want you near me.
Like empty religion and losing the point,
are we bone of bone or just set out of joint?
And like Jacob we wrestle, we rage and we war.
Have we simply forgotten what His presence is for?
And instead of my hip I think that He’s touched my side
and sealed up the spring that gives forth the bride.
Should I pledge to love never seeing your face,
then, with absence I kiss you and with distance embrace?
Or could I be dreaming?  If you’re miles away from me, could that what is better for you?  Then I’ll write these songs in the saddest of keys
and I’ll give you a phone call and I’ll bid you adieu.
Though I want your hand in mine, there’s not enough lifetime to go on without you,
I want you. I need your arms about me.
I close my eyes and I see you.
But I need your eyes to meet mine.
I want you near me.

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If you loved what you heard (and you did, right?) go on and click on some of the links below check Besides Daniel out some more – you’ll be happy you did:

Besides Daniel's website.

Besides Daniel on iTunes.

Besides Daniel's twitter.

Besides Daniel's facebook.

And for those who couldn't see the youtube video linked into the post, click here.

Singleness: Promises.

“We’ll pray for God to send your husband your way soon.” “Pray for your future husband.” “Your period of singleness is preparing you for marriage – just stay strong.”

…Do any of those phrases sound familiar, single ladies?

Today I read a post on Tumblr saying something like this: “God will bring the perfect person into your life, just continue to wait and save your heart.” I am so exhausted (and a little bit aggravated) from hearing and reading those well-meaning but misleading words.

I mean, stepping back, that statement I read on Tumblr sounds pretty dang good – if we’re faithful, God will give us the man (or lady, for all you men reading this) of our dreams. Totally rockin’. …But from what I’ve been reading and from the content I’ve been digging into lately, I’m not quite sure that’s how it plays out. I’ve been thinking and meditating and learning, and I mean, really thinking and really meditating and really learning, on what God’s will is for singles and for married couples. I want to get out some of the truth I’ve gained from doing so that will hopefully encourage all of you fellow singles, but I don’t want to sugar-coat it all and follow suit with the somewhat cliché lines that Christians tend to feed to single Christians.

In the majority of church events I’ve attended related to topics on purity and relationships and in the majority of books I’ve read that discuss Christian dating/relationships, it always seems like people are saying God said  “Oh, I’ve got just the right someone picked out for you,” or “Yep, you’re getting saved for someone special.” But hold up, stop the press. Having read through the entire Bible and having read over and searched for topics in it related to marriage/dating/etc. lately, unless I’m completely missing something, I don’t see God promising any kind of marriage for me in my future.

That being said, one major thing I DIDN’T miss is that God DOES say He has a plan for my life: 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 (Romans 8:28). …I think a lot of the Christian community (myself included) is guilty of putting words in God’s mouth based on that verse – many of us would like to think that, because God has promised that He has a plan for our good, that means we are promised a happy and romantic life.

David talks about how God knit him together in his mother’s womb in Pslam 139 and goes on to talk about how his unformed substance was seen in God’s eyes and written in His book before he was even knit together; in that same passage, he also talks about how God knows the words he is going to say before they even reach the tip of his tongue. And as we mentioned in Roman’s 8, we are once again reminded of God’s intricate plan for His children. His plan is “for our good” – His plan is to mold us into the image of Christ – we are on a constant journey in this life to BECOME pure and Christ-like.

So yeah, for quite a few of us, I think God’s plan includes those white dresses and vows and first dances. Marriage is such a great thing and I think we should all be super duper thankful for – it illustrates the love Christ has for His bride – God uses it illustrate His love for us to others, as well as to the married couple. But yo, singles, we can’t delude ourselves into thinking that God has promised all of us that blessing. Heck, let me be honest – the advice that I'm constantly fed insinuating that it actually IS a promise (“God has the perfect spouse made for you, but you need to trust Him in that”) can really make me feel like I’m doing something wrong sometimes – like, “Oh, okay, I must be spiritually inadequate because hey, I’m still single here and He hasn’t magically poofed that custom-designed male into my life yet.” 

A quote from “Are You Waiting for ‘The One’?”:

"‘I detest when people say that after they got their priorities in order and truly gave dating and finding a mate up to God, then God provided a soul mate,’ wrote one woman. ‘It puts terrible guilt and pressure on a single person who is not in a relationship: not only must there be something physically wrong with them to make them turn off members of the opposite sex, but something must be spiritually wrong too.’”

There have been times in my life where I’ve wanted nothing more than to be a young bride. And I can tell myself that desire for companionship is a-okay, after all God has placed in us those desires for community – those desires for each other and desires to get married. But  I can’t place my hope, my security or my comfort in that dream (or desire) of mine. Instead, and as hard as this is for me at times, I need to lay down my dream and desire before the Lord daily and say “Not I, but You,” and trust Him with whatever He wills. Because I am promised that His decisions, no matter their outcomes, are for my good, regardless, singles, of whether or not this includes a future spouse. And being single DOES NOT mean you are lacking in Spiritual maturity.

Oh, but wait, Psalm 37:4 says to “Delight yourselves in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  Man oh man, what a beautiful thing. But I think if we’re not careful, it’s really easy to look at this promise in a way we tend to look at the promise in Romans 8. I think it’s easy to go, “Well, all right then God, so if I love You and if I pray for the (insert the name of that cutiepie you think is a big cutie here) look alike of my dreams to just walk into my life, then it’s totally going to happen and I’ll have a cutie-patootie who will love me forever and ever!”

Negative.

Sarcasm aside, I’ve been learning that Psalm 37 is a call for me to straight up get on my face before the Lord and not shape my life to match up with my desires but rather shape my heart to desire the right things. Because when my heart can truly delight in the Lord, that’s when my heart will start to desire the things that He desires for my life. So instead of it being about letting go and trusting God with my future spouse, it’s really moreso about trusting God with my future. We all must have realistic expectations that come along with our desire for marriage – we can’t comfort ourselves with lies.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7: Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

I John 4:8: Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

It doesn’t matter if you’re married or you’re single. In either situation, you get to experience perfect love just as God intended you to – through Him. 

Singles, you are single right now for a purpose, and that purpose is to serve and worship Christ with all your being. Stop waiting around. Live your life. Serve Christ. Serve others. Proclaim the gospel. Maybe you’ll meet a guy (or girl, men) along the way. And if you don’t, you’ll meet people who can pour into you and you’ll meet people you can pour into – You will build and develop relationships regardless. However, in either case, God will still be the object of your attention and you will be content serving Him. 

You can live a fulfilling, God-honoring life of love if you ARE married/dating someone and you can live a fulfilling, God-honoring life of love if you ARE NOT married.

Praising the taking.

I've decided to re-read through Job and a concept stuck out to me tonight during my reading:

So many people give thanks for getting, but Job gave thanks for taking.

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When Job's wife told him to curse God's name because of his misfortune, Job said "You're talking like an empty-headed fool. We take the good days from God -- why not also the bad days?" Job 2.10, MSG.
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"Naked I came from my mother's womb, naked I'll return to the womb of the earth. God gives, God takes. God's name be ever blessed." Job 1.21, MSG.
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How radically different would our world be if we thanked God for the "good" in the "bad" and instead of sulked or cursed when He took something (or someone) out of our lives, rejoiced in His will, regardless of our feelings or the circumstance?

Praise God always, because unlike us,
God is not working against a deadline --
He has all eternity to sort something out perfectly.