I Love Jesus

Lacking inspiration on something to blog.  So....I going to branch off a Facebook status update of mine.  The essence of the update included making yummy food, watching The Bachelorette, and thinking that a boyfriend sounds good....

Oh silly Jess...think think think!!! I didn't mention that I wasn't looking for a boyfriend, just the thought sounded nice. Of course a relationship sounds nice! Don't most of us want that? Someone to who understands and appreciates us? Someone who makes us feel special and fuzzy on the inside.  Someone who lets you be yourself and you feel safe enough to be yourself.  Ugh. Relationships. Ugh. Boys.

Relationships are complicated. I'm not good at them. I really don't have much of a history in relationships.  But that's okay. I don't mind. :)  I've had one relationship, and while I am definitely no expert, I have learned a lot from that experience, and combined with my leaders and pastors' instruction I hope to provide some insight.

So my advice on relationships...

Keep God #1!!!! Soooooo important.  The moment your significant other becomes more important than God things will fall apart.  God is the only one who can keep two imperfect people together.  If your focus isn't the Lord then you're not mature enough to be in a relationship.
Exodus 20:2-4  ² “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. ³ “You must not have any other god but me. ⁴ “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. (NLT)
This includes making your boyfriend or girlfriend your idol; loving them more than you love God. It's easy to do, trust me.

When in doubt, snuff it out. If you're questioning whether your getting too physical, sharing too many emotions, wondering if your parents or leaders would approve, then stop!!!! In fact, don't even put yourself in compromising situations. Easier said then done. It's sooo easy to put yourself in a place where the chances giving into temptation are escalated. 2 Timothy 2:22 ²²Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (NLT)

If you're questioning, then you should probably stop and avoid. God's given you a conscience for a reason.

Have Accountability!! This is also vastly important!! Let people know you're in a relationship. Let your friends now how you're doing. Check in with your with leaders/pastors/parents.  Find people who have experience (this does not mean your friend who's dated 50 boys and she just entered her freshman year...of high school), let them give you advice and listen to them.
Luke 11:36  If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” (NLT)
You should be transparent in every aspect of your life (Check out this blog!! It's sweet stuff.).

So yes....talking about relationships is awkward. Especially when you're single, but you want relationship, but you're not sure if you're ready, and you're very picky, and you have amazing lady friends who are even pickier, and you have a billion father figures who all want to shoot the boys who come to the front door AND you have a super protective Daddy who has shot most of the boys who have come to the front yard.

So what am I saying???
 I love Jesus. 

Transparency 2.0

First 2-part blog ever! ...well for me. I feel like there were several things left unsaid in Transparency.

I need to clarify the how of living a transparent life.  Many Christians today take this concept of living transparent to a lawful extreme, which is everything Paul teaches against in his letters.  A little background before I continue, I'm taking New Testament/Early Christianity at my secular college, Western Washington University. And it is quite interesting I do have to say.  To study the Bible in a "pure academic" sense...well I tried...but having the Spirit of God in me makes it absolutely impossible. No matter what I read, God's grace and love shines through and out and around, and it's kinda funny (and completely awesome!) to hear my non-Christian professors preaching God's word. Love it!

What I've been learning in this class is what Paul's main message was, what my professor would call "his version of Christianity". Paul was all about faith and grace, and none about works and the law. In Galatians 3 Paul clearly states that righteousness does not come from fulfilling the law, but through faith.  'Righteousness' is the same Greek word for 'Justified'.  And 'Faith' in Greek also means 'trust' and 'belief'. Paul is saying we are justified through trusting God, having faith in Christ's resurrection. And in fact, Paul even says the law is no longer valid because of the Cross and Christ changing reality (which He indeed did change).

So while I've been talking about needing to live a life that is transparent, I want you to know that it is not because of the law that I'm choosing to live this way.  I'm choosing to live this way because I have the Spirit of God present in my life, and that alone begins to change my actions from the inside out. While we are not required to do anything by the law for salvation, it does not mean we should do anything and everything we want (especially what our flesh wants).

1 Corinthians 6:12-13 ¹² You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. ¹³ You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. (NLT)

There is a "delicate balance between Freedom in Christ and living how Paul wants us to live" so says my professor. And while that might seem like an obvious statement, if you love the Lord then it's going to be easy.  By transforming your heart to His, by letting Him mold you and shape you, you'll find yourself wanting to live by the Spirit. You have Christ in you! He's leading and guiding you, and as you grow closer to Him you'll find yourself wanting the same things He wants.

So while I'm called to a transparent life, I do not need to be lawful about it. If I mess up 

(which I will, trust me.) God's going to provide me grace. Like I said in my last post, Jesus already sees me as transparent. To Him I'm already crystal clear because His death paid for every blemish and impurity.  But because I'm already crystal clear to Him, I want to live a life that reflects His Spirit in me.

Galatians 3:24-29 ²⁴ Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. ²⁵ And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.  ²⁶ For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. ²⁸ There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Enigmatic Introspection?

Blogging....I've been sucked into this cyberspace of communication.

I'm not sure how to approach this expedition of sharing my thoughts. My first conclusion was to be funny! Everyone loves reading comedic writings. I sure don't want my blogs to be boring...how horrid would that be? But I realize that my strengths do not lie in humor....or humor that everyone else gets (I personally think my jokes are hilarious...but no one else agrees). My second notion was to be philosophical! People like questioning and listening to theories on the purpose of man's existence, religion, theology, etc. But…alas…I’m too lazy. I barely understand my own speculations…so how would I ever put them into words on a computer screen?!! My final thoughts to sound insanely smart and use big words like “hippopotamus” and “antidisestablishmentarianism”. But…no one would understand anything!!!

Conclusion: I fail at blogging.

But wait!!! What’s this?!!….I have successfully created a blog of my very own! My own thoughts, reasoning, deductions, findings!

I guess it’s not as hard as I initially assumed. Weird.