a beginning.

So I have entered the blogging world. I never thought I would actually ever be writing one of these, although I read at least 3 different blogs everyday. But I began to think how so much goes on in my life and how I never sit down to stop for a minute and process what is happening.

It’s a beginning. I have had many beginnings in my life, especially in the past year. Moving to college has been such a growing experience for me. I have grown so much. Many times I look back to see how far I have come, and all I can do is thank God for where he has brought me.  I have gotten involved in so much and have met some pretty incredible people. People that have become lifelong friends.

As we all know, beginnings so many times come to an end, and as this school year is coming to an end I am starting to reflect, and God is exposing things to me through him.  Things that are blowing me away.

One of the greatest things that has happened to me this year is finding NewSpring Church and getting involved. I went through the membership class and joined the church earlier this year. I finally feel that I have found a place that I love, somewhere I have chosen on my own.  I have started volunteering with the youth group, and it has been nothing but a blessing to me.  I lead a small group of 8th grade guys with a guy named Andrew Sentell who actually works for NewSpring. Andrew is an awesome guy and someone I look up to. Going and hanging out with my boys on Wednesdays is the highlight of my week.

Through all of these beginnings, God has had me thinking…what is my purpose in life? Am I following His purpose or just what I want to accomplish? Throughout high school, I always knew when I went to college I wanted to find somekind of major so I would have a job that paid very well…even saying that now I sound so shallow. For so long I have been getting caught up in the things of this world.

So yesterday, (Monday), I went with Andrew to Lakeside Middle to have lunch with some of our small group boys. We had an awesome time, and the guys were really happy we were there. God began tapping me on the shoulder saying “see the smiles you are putting on their faces? THIS is what will fulfill your life!” I heard what God was saying, but I was confused because I didn’t know whether He was just affirming what I was doing with my small group, or whether He was trying to tell me something more…something bigger.

Then, last night I started to do my Bible study for Pine Cove, the camp I am working at this summer.  It’s entitled ARNEOMAI – which in Greek means to deny. The key verse is:

“Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.’” Luke 9:23-24

To be honest, I haven’t been denying myself at all.  That has been the problem. So many times we get so wrapped up in the things of the world, when this life is not even about us! In the book of Luke, John the Baptist is there to baptize people that have come to him. The first thing he tells them is they are a “brood of vipers.” Their hearts are not in the right place – saying their lives resemble the devil more than the Lord. Ummm HELLO!! Can anyone relate to this???

But He gives them this command:

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance…the ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Luke 3:8-9

(Fruit – “karpos” – that which originates from something, a result.)

I want my life to be one that produces fruit DAILY. God is still showing me things, and I am still struggling with my plans for the future – aka school! It can be very uneasy when your future is being changed, but God has gotten me excited for what He has yet to show me. At this point, I want to do whatever He wants me to do. If we try and make our lives our own, we may accomplish a few things in the eyes of the world, but God will always bring you back to where He wants you…You just have to deny yourself.

I challenge you to reflect on your life and determine if you are producing fruit. Take time to stop…and listen to what God is trying to tell you. I guarantee it is something you will not want to miss.

I will leave you with this passage:

^1-6It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

^7-10Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (The Message)

Advertisement