I remembered that I had this blog after spending a few weeks in China and trying to journal everything that happened! I realized how much easier it is to type out my thoughts than it is to write them down. Sometimes by the time I put pencil to paper, I've already forgotten half of the things that I wanted to say. So maybe it's time to write on the blog and replenish those posts that I once deleted from here. :)
Today was a great day. I think I am finally recovering from the jet lag of the trip to and from the other side of the world. I drove out to Pinelake this morning and heard Chip preach a sermon out of Ezra. When he told us the scripture reference, I couldn't recall ever having heard a sermon out of the book of Ezra. I definitely needed to hear it though. Ezra 7:10 says "Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord..." Ezra spent time in the Word but not because this is what was required of him, but because this is what his heart was set on. Ezra desired to know the Law of the Lord. I enjoy studying the Word, but I'm afraid that I am not as consistent as I should be or desire to be. My prayer is that our hearts be so focused on studying the Word of the Lord that we simply overflow with the message that lies within those pages. That we would impact our world through knowing and sharing the Truth of the Lord!
I ate lunch at the Ray's house and watched a movie and relaxed until it was time for the small group Bible study that Mr. Chris and Mrs. Candy lead on the signs of the end times. This is not a subject that I have done much studying on, but I am very glad that I stayed. Before everyone got there for the study, we watched a story on FOX News. It was about a once-leader of Islam who has converted to Christianity and who is proclaiming his faith no matter what the consequences. This was really an interesting story (not to mention inspirational and convicting as far as standing up for the faith goes) and went right along with what we would be discussing later in the evening during Bible study. I think it's amazing how God lines up things like that! During the study, we discussed the significance and importance of Israel being God's chosen people and what that means for the end of times. When you look at the big picture, it can be a bit scary, but those whose hope is in the Lord shouldn't fear! Praise Him for that! After many questions (some of which we never figured out the answers to), we had even more discussion on things like predestination, salvation, and evangelism. It was a great time of really searching the Word - especially after the morning's sermon. I am thankful that I have friends and family that I can talk about these things with! I'll probably further explore some of the things we talked about in later posts here.
I was reminded of a David Platt sermon that I listened to a couple of months ago... "What Happens To People Who Never Hear About Jesus?" If you've never heard it, I would recommend going to iTunes and downloading it on the Brook Hills Podcast. It just might challenge you.
Hopefully all of this makes sense. It's been a long time since I've written my thoughts like this and I am too tired to proofread. Ha :)
