1 Corinthians 7?

Thought-provoking (for me, dunno about you. go read! –>) post on marriage over at Boundless Line.

“I’ve wrestled with 1 Corinthians 7 for years. It’s not a simple chapter. Paul affirms both married and single states; he encourages people to get married, he encourages people to stay single. He sometimes offers commands and sometimes offers concessions. Sometimes it appears that he’s giving his own personal opinion, while other times it seems he’s providing counsel directly from the Lord.

… this really is a complex chapter, and the tendency is to pick one verse out of it to defend our current lifestyle.

Let’s not do that, OK? Let’s wrestle with Paul’s elegant affirmation of certain instances of marriage, of singleness, and of delay of marriage. And reject arguments in favor of inappropriate marriage, undue singleness, and irresponsible delay of marriage.”

Undue singleness! Irresponsible delay of marriage! Hahahaha! OOPS. I think I’m not old enough to irresponsibly delay marrying (or be unduly single for that matter), but am guilty of possibly being on that track. Let me off the train!

I is like, cat now.

Yeah. I need my cat.

Plus, I haven’t been shooting much lately. I feel like starting the ‘make your own bokeh’ project but I have essays due. Can a kind soul tell me what the difference between ‘neuropsychology’ and ‘psychopathology’ is? I’ve been paying attention in class, but still.

And hey,

Did you know what your thinking and your heart are intimately connected? The Western mind-set compartmentalizes human beings when it comes to feelings and thinking – the heart feels and the mind thinks. But Scripture says, “for as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” (Prov. 23:7)

…

Scripture refers to this spiritual perception as “the eyes of your heart.” Thus, your heart is what enables you to have faith, which is the “evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1).

– Strengthen yourself in the Lord by Bill Johnson

Everything flows from the heart, I’ve been reminded lately. 

Oooo *shiver*, Damien Rice has been making me goosebumpy lately.

Comparing Godliness

Mmm… was reading SoloFeminity and the following analogy really hit home.

 

First of all, “godliest” is a bad label. It implies we determine our godliness by comparing ourselves to others. “She’s godlier than that other lady, so that makes her the godliest.” Wrong! Christ is our standard of perfection, and we all fall short of His glory. The best analogy I’ve heard is that it is like someone standing on a sheet of paper and claiming to be closer to the sun. When we try to use the label “godliest,” we are equally absurd.

 

 

The full article can be found here at The Resurgence blog.

approaching with a humble heart

 

 

“It is possible,” he said to his four listeners, “to pray at all times,

in all circumstances, and in every place,

and easily to rise from frequent vocal prayer to prayer of the mind

and from that to prayer of the heart, which opens up the kingdom of God within us”

 

I’ve been busy (ugh, I don’t like that word). This week, prayer and spending some quiet time in God’s presence have been quick thoughts of “God, help me focus”, flips through the Bible with tired eyes and rushed prayers for others. But even so, He’s been faithful (: He caught my attention when I had a moment to spare (how ridiculous does that sound? a moment to spare for GOD) today, and taught me something about prayer.

Many times I don’t approach God with a spirit of humility and reverence; my focus is on me, not Him. Like the Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14), I often begin with focus on myself: “God, I’ve been good this week. I got up early and prayed and read my Bible every single day. I even underlined stuff! So could you…”

Yet, as Jesus taught in Matthew 6:10-14 & Luke 11:2-4, our prayer should begin with glorifying our Abba Father. The word lord, meaning ‘bread keeper’ in Old English, reminds us that Christ holds the life-giving bread. How then should I approach such a life- and grace-giving God? The Bible tells us, with a humble heart. Having a humble heart means recognising who I am, and who Christ is, and coming to His feet to receive His mercy.

Keep my heart open always!

 

 

Quotes are from ‘PrayerStreaming – Staying in Touch with God All Day Long’ by Janet Holm McHenry.

 

 

secrets of soaring

“Since the mind holds the secrets of soaring, the enemy of our souls has made the human mind the bull’s eye of his target. His most insidious and strategic moves are made upon the mind. By affecting the way we think, he is able to keep our lives on a mediocre level…

God is interested in our breaking free from such locks.

And what is God’s ultimate goal? – To take “every thought captive.” When He invades those lofty areas, His plan is to transform the old thoughts that defeat us into new thoughts that encourage us.”

- Living Above the Level of Mediocrity by Charles R. Swindoll