Acts 17:24 “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.

Here Paul is explaining to the people of Athens the characteristics of the TRUE God. God is the one who made the world and everything in it. He is not limited to power in heaven but also has power over this earth. God does not dwell in temples made by man. Notice though that He does reside in the temple of our bodies (1 Cor. 6:19), but our bodies are not made with hands of man but by the God of heaven and earth.

The Holy Spirit dwells in each believer allowing us to meet with the Lord anytime or in any place. God has no limitations in where He is but is ever-present. This is an incredible truth that I want to grasp further. God is always with me so I need never fear…I have the POWER of the Holy Spirit abiding in me.

Application:

As I go back home there will definitely be times where I face situations or a job that create fear in my heart; I am going to cling to the truth that I have the Holy Spirit living inside me so that I remember to put my trust back to the Lord claiming the power that lives inside me.

Acts 17:25 “Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.”

This verse made me think of worship in a whole new light. When I worship, it is not because the Lord “needs” to be glorified but solely my response to the Lord’s greatness because He does give life, breath, and all things.

Life…everything living on this earth and in the atmosphere is made by the Lord. From the biggest mammal to the intricate microorganisms that are unseen to the human eye. He is the one who gives breath…He has our days numbered and knows how long we will be on this earth. What a comforting thought that my time to go be with Him will never come too soon or too late. He gives us “all things”. All things can be summed up in Psalm 68:19 where it says he loads us with benefits daily. God gives us the strength to live out His word and be a light. My worship is solely a response to His greatness. Even though the Lord doesn’t need my worship…it brings Him pleasure.

Application: Today, I am going to take some time solely worshiping the Lord…doing nothing else but responding to all He has done, doing, and will do for me.

Acts 17: 26 “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.

This verse has a whole new meaning to me since being in another part of the world for almost five months. The people I grew to love and know in Costa Rica as well as the people here in the US….all came from one blood Adam and Eve. But what is even more mind- boggling to me is the fact that God has already pre- determined how many days I have on this earth and knows every single step of my future even to the extent of where I will live. I need not fear anything not even death itself because I am the property of Jesus Christ; what a marvelous promise.

Application:

Today, I am going to pray for God to extend my boundaries like Jabez did in 1 Chronicles 4:10. Jesus is in control of everything in my life and I want to live life to the fullest of what it can be in Him because He does have all my days counted.

Acts 17:27 “ so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us…”

Even though Jesus is not far from us because He sees everything and is omnipresent, He can be very distant at the same time. The words from “More Like You” are still playing over in my head ….”all the worlds attractions, the things I hold, they are just distractions” The things in this world can be major distractions that make me distant from the Lord. At first, they seem wonderful….affordable clothes, more money, a nice car, affordable peanut butter J…all summed up in one word it is materialism. However, the one thing I really don’t want to lose being here amidst the distractions is the precious presence of God. However, the only way that I will be able to combat these things is seeking after the Lord. Paul uses the verb “grope” to seek after the Lord. To me, grope means to be in such a desperate position that I am grasping for the Lord with everything I am just trying to obtain a part of Him to hold onto. I don’t see this desperation though, when all my physical needs and often wants are met. How do I practically grope for the Lord seeking Him with all my being? First, I believe it is making my Bible time a PRIORITY….something that I sacrifice other opportunities at times to keep daily in my week. Two, I believe, it is recognizing the “attractions of life” are just distractions. This materialism will never fill me and my ultimate contentment needs to come from the Lord. What a hard but invaluable lesson this is to learn.

Application:

I have already decided on who is going to hold me accountable for my daily Bible reading as I return home, but I also want to continue to remind myself that when I am longing for something materially that I can’t have or don’t need, I will remind myself to long after the Lord first and foremost to find true contentment and satisfaction in this life.

Phil. 3:13 “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”

This verse really spoke to me that Paul was making a conscious choice not to stop but to keep going forward. I don’t want to live in the past…I should hold onto the lessons that God has shown me in the past but then close that chapter to go and live out a new chapter.

During this month, Pastor Steve explained to us the importance of  unpacking all the stories of our time…the good and hard experiences, taking the lessons learned, packing them up again, and launching on this new foundation for what is ahead. This is very exciting to me as I look to the future. However, there are still those moments where it is hard to move forward looking at all the neat opportunities that I had and the friends I made in Costa Rica. I don’t want to keep reliving what God did in Costa Rica to avoid facing challenges in the future. The Lord has been giving more clarity and vision for the future and I know that there are new things the Lord needs to mold in my life to make me more like Him giving me enthusiasm for the future.

Application:

I don’t want to “stop” where I am at….but keep going forward. I am going to continue doing what I did yesterday for my application which was reading the Word and praying throughout the day instead of just in the morning… I know that the more I pursue the Lord, the more aligned I will be to where He is directing me and the clearer I will hear His voice speaking to my heart.

 Phil. 3:14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

What a good reminder this verse is to me. So often I get caught up in the running the race looking around me instead of gazing at my prize. I remember earlier in the year when it came alive to me that my true treasure is in heaven. Everything that I do for Jesus Christ will be rewarded after this life on earth. This made me start thinking why I wouldn’t do all I could to get as many treasures as possible. I don’t want my only motive to be getting treasures but to also honor my Lord because of my love for Him.

The call of God, I believe, that Paul refers to here is easily summed up in Matthew 28:19-20 for everyone. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)  As I seek to live out this verse in my life, I am pressing for this goal.

Application:

Today, I am going to stop looking at the things I do to serve God as sacrifices but more as actions of obedience seeking to store up treasures in heaven. Anything that comes to mind as difficult today, I am going to remind myself of heaven and the glory awaiting there.

Phil. 3:15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.

Here Paul is referring back to the previous verse of having a mindset of reaching for the goal…our heavenly prize. I thought it very interesting that Paul also added that if the believers of Philippi disagreed with the mindset he shared, Paul knew that God would reveal the TRUTH to them. This gave me motivation to pursue God for direction in everything. Unfortunately, often in the past I would only look to the people around me: my parents, my mentors, my friends, and those in my church for clarity on the things of God and my next steps in life instead of just going to God Himself. That is why it has been so good for me to come here to the ranch where I am solely just pursuing God for direction and learning to listen to His still small voice. I find that when I make time to spend and ask God to speak to me, He always does. This could be something practical for my next step, wisdom in a situation, or simply just the reassuring words of, “Trust me.” God is so worthy to be praised.

Application:

When something in my life is foggy and I am not sure how to handle it, I know that I should look to God above all else. Yes, I believe that God most definitely can and has spoken to me through those around me, but ultimately, I should be looking to my Creator, who made me, for this insight.

Phil. 3:16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

This verse points out a great lesson that I need to consciously keep in my heart as I go back. We, Believers, are not all at the same level in knowing God as those around us. Here at the ranch, I have been taught and shown how to live out a life in Christ in areas I didn’t know before I came. From day 1, the PFR staff constantly encouraged and poured into me, and with that came growth. Paul is saying here that to the extent that we understand and have grasped the things of God, we will be held accountable.

As I go back home, it is critical to understand that I cannot expect the same excitement or understanding of others if they have not been taught the same things. At the same time, however, Paul makes an excellent point that we believers should still be of one mind. It is okay to disagree on certain areas but as a whole, we should all be seeking to follow the Lord and bringing glory to His name, unified on this aspect.

Application: As I go back home, I am going to remember that as I have been given much, much is expected. I am going to make a list of people that I will ask at home to keep me accountable to certain lessons that I want to live out in my life.

Phil 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

I love this exhortation from Paul because we are constantly in a stage of sanctification reaching for Christ and pressing forward in this race. This verse is what both Brooke and Rebecca (the missionaries we were with in Costa Rica) encouraged us with when we left. This has been such a good reminder and guide to check my heart to keep pressing on in the race of Jesus Christ. Coming back, I see the danger of being satisfied with the level in which God revealed himself to me in Costa Rica. I depended on Him for strength in a way I never had before asking continually for the grace to keep pressing forward when my flesh didn’t want to. However, I need to remember that God did not reveal Himself in this way just to have me stop pursuing Him. I need to keep pursuing Him with the same desperation because NO ONE will truly experience the presence of God to the fullest until we get to heaven. Therefore, I must press as close to Him as humanly possible. I confess that here in the United States I find it harder to have that thirst when all your physical “needs” and wants are met, yet having this accessibility only creates more distractions to fight and move on. For truly the only thing that I need in this life that will always fill, always be faithful and never reject is my Lord Jesus Christ.

Application:

Today, I am going to use my spare time throughout the day to pursue the Lord. This can be praying while I am doing KP, servant time or taking a break. There was so much fruit that came out of pursuing the Lord through my whole day in Costa Rica instead of just in the morning, and I don’t want to lose sight of it.

Acts 21:1 “Now it came to pass, that when we had departed from them and set sail, running a straight course we came to Cos, the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.”

Here Paul is closing one chapter of his life with the Ephesian church and moving on to a new chapter. Wow, this sure describes what I am going through right now. I am closing these last 9 months preparing to set forth in an exciting new path.

I love the phrase “running a straight course”. Paul wasn’t looking to the left or the right but was continuing forward. He wasn’t worried about what was behind or before him but was courageously stepping forward into what God had told him to follow through with.

 In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah constantly had to overcome the blows of fear that came his way. These blows could have easily paralyzed him in his tracks stopping the progress of his vision, to rebuild the wall of Judah.

This lesson was critically important for me to keep in mind because as I am moving forward into this next stage of life, I want to not look to the left or the right infringing upon seeing the full vision of God for my life.

Application:

Today, I am going to take every fearful thought captive to the obedience of God. I am not going to let these earthly things with God’s strength paralyze me from doing everything that He has put in my heart to accomplish.

Acts 20:38 “…sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.”

Wow, this verse sums up what I was going through about two weeks ago in Villarreal, Costa Rica. The reason the Ephesian church is grieving over Paul’s departure so is because they knew they would never see his face again. This was THE HARDEST fact about leaving Costa Rica, the thought that I may never see any of these people again. I am thankful that the Lord could call me back, but I had to prepare myself for not getting this opportunity as well.

However, at the same time, the beauty of being fellow believers is that we all have the hope of heaven seeing each other again face to face. This is so beautiful and what I am so grateful for in the Kingdom of God, the huge reunion of God’s people. Grief is something that I don’t think anyone can get over but the hope of eternal life sure puts my heart at ease not only as I left Costa Rica but also while I am preparing to leave the ranch. Only God knows when all our paths will cross again but we can be sure we will all reunite in heaven before the throne of God.

Application: Today and especially for when I leave, I am going to try to keep an eternal mindset. I need to mentally prepare for the fact that I may never see some of you or those in Costa Rica again after this, but we have eternity to look forward to spending together.

4/11/12

Acts 20:37 “Then they all wept, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him,”

Here is a heart-wrenching moment for Paul and the believers. Paul was leaving for good and they knew he would be facing persecution. How easy it would be to just throw in the towel, go, and hide from the danger Paul knew was awaiting him. Yet Paul kept persevering.

Last night Pastor Mike was talking at Tuesday night chapel how important it is to keep strong in the Lord not making those subtle decisions along the way. Those subtle decisions start to add up and they affect what you do for the rest of your life. This was huge because as Pastor Steve said, I want to be a victor with God on the throne and not a victim with myself on the throne.

I want to continue having the mindset of dying  to myself. The only way Paul could keep going was to live out Phil. 1:21 which states, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” TO DIE is GAIN. Wow! Dead men have no rights. I am dead in sin and alive in Christ.

Application:

Today, as I continue to search what God wants me to practically do when I go back home I will remember to not necessarily choose the easy route but the route that God is calling me to. Because I want to live out my life as a victor, I need to consider myself dead giving the throne of my life to the Father.

Acts 20:36 “And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.”

What an example the apostle Paul is showing the church of Acts right up to the last minute when he leaves. This shows to me how important it is to have prayer corporately making it a priority in life. Prayer isn’t something we just do but should be seen as vital to flourish in life with Christ. Prayer is just as important as reading the Word. I have really come to realize that not only is there sweetness in reading and journaling through God’s Word but also in prayer time with Him alone and with others.

As part of our commitments for this month, we interns committed to praying corporately at least three times a week. These have been sweet times so far but I can see how easily it can become an obligation to fulfill a commitment. It is not to be looked as this but instead a desire within to spend more time with the Lord together seeking Him for answers as well as worshiping Him.

Application:

Today and for the rest of this week, I will start looking at these times of corporate prayer not just as “fulfilling the class commitment” but something that could radically change our hearts if I come expecting to see the Lord work.

4/9/2012

Acts 20:32 “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

First, I find it very interesting in the beginning of this verse because Paul is saying that he actually brought praise before God about the brethren. What a wonderful example this is because Paul is training himself that even in the privacy of his prayers to have an eternal mindset…seeing others as God does washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. I am sure at times Paul was annoyed with the brethren or thought, “Can’t they at least get down this simple truth?” But this is where the rest of the verse wraps up in one single word, “GRACE”. GRACE = God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense Grace builds up; without grace we would all have to be perfect and we all fall short of that. Because we all fall short of perfection, forgiveness is given to us that we might have an inheritance among the sanctified.

During my time in Costa Rica, I read the book, “In the Grip of Grace” by Max Lucado. In it, I realized how I had been living my life in a very legalistic and striving way. God did not expect me to be perfect…and I never can. Trying to be independent getting it all right and “earning good works” was actually hurting God because He wanted me to be DEPENDENT on Him. He knew I couldn’t do it in my own strength…only in His power.

Application: During my prayer times, I am going to start adding in praise for those around me before God. It gets my heart in the right place and deepens my love for those around me.

4/4/2012

John 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God,

Here is a complete heart of surrender. Jesus is offering up all to the Father as Judas is leaving the Last Supper to go betray Him to the Jews. I think this is absolutely incredible because Jesus was God....He too held all the power and yet, at the same time, He knew He needed to submit to the will of the Father. I am so blessed that Jesus sets this example for all of us because, at times, I think I too easily forget how Jesus went through all the trials and faced all the same temptations we live through today. He is chose not to fear the future but to surrender all that He knew was going to take place along with His own divine power to bring salvation to the world.

The verse then concludes with Jesus going back to who He is in God the Father…His mission for being on this earth. He had come from the Father and was going to return after He had accomplished all things.

Application: As I have returned from Costa Rica, there are many things that I desire to do in the future. I am not all-knowing but God the Father is. I need to have a surrendered heart coming in with no preconceived ideas of what my future should look like but instead going back to who I am in Christ Jesus as my identity for what I am on this earth. I shouldn’t find my identity in what I do but who I am in the Lord, a sinner saved by grace living to bring glory to His name.

4/5/2012

John 13:4…rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.

Wow, there is so much symbolism and a powerful example of what servant hood in this verse. Here Jesus is initiating serving…He is not waiting for someone else to jump in but He is the initiator. Secondly, Jesus took off His garments laying aside His “appearance and status” and clothing himself with a towel (humility…the lesser position).

I found this so true in Costa Rica. I can’t serve God to the fullest if I am holding on to things of myself…my appearance, my wants, and even self-consciousness. I have to lay aside every snare that so easily entangles me that I may run the race that is set before me with endurance.

Application:

I want to apply this to my life today by committing to initiate serving the rest of the day. Instead of waiting for someone else to lead, when an opportunity reveals itself, I will initiate.

4/6/2012

John 13:5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

Here Jesus is starting to wash the disciples’ feet using the towel that was wrapped around Him.  I found this extremely striking because Jesus was using something that was on Him…He was getting Himself dirty and messy but showing such a powerful love through this example.

In Costa Rica, one of the biggest things I learned was when you love, love with all your heart. Yes, you are more susceptible to pain and getting messy but that is the only way we can experience the fullness of God’s blessing. On Wednesday, all the returning interns and pastors were discussing how feeling pain is not a bad thing and actually shows how you loved the country you were placed in…pouring everything you had into the people you were serving.

So often, before, I would put up walls to protect myself from getting hurt not wanting to love freely. However, through the example of the missionaries and Costa Rican people, I was amazed at the sincerity of love and the sweetness it brings.

Application:

I am going to ask God for strength as I seek to love those around me with all of my heart instead of putting up walls. Yes, at times it will get messy and will bring pain but this is the only way I will experience the fullness of serving Jesus Christ.

3/30/12

John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

I love ending my time here in Costa Rica with this verse because it sums up the Gospel in such a simple and comprehendible way. Anyone who hears the word of God and believes in the Father who sent Jesus will be saved. Shaylene has been reading the book How to Give Away Your Faith. In this book, it challenges the reader to sum up the Gospel in a basic message. I was inspired by this verse because it clearly lays out what one needs to do to be saved. Evangelism really is simply sharing the Good News of freedom in Christ.

Application: As I am on the plane, I am going to commit to talking with at least one other person about the Good News. Even though this seems like a simple step of faith…it is huge for me and I am going to commit to opening up my mouth and proclaiming.

3/28/12

John 5:5-6 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

Wow, this man had been ill for thirty-eight years and was waiting by Bethsada, a pool, where “an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.” (verse4) Yet, Jesus still asks this man if he wants to be made well. This was huge for me because from an outsider’s perspective reading this passage it was obvious that this man wanted to be healed, but God desires that we make our requests known to him. For it says in Matt. 7:8 …Everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. This obviously does not mean that everything that we ask for, we will receive, but Jesus does desire that we voice our requests to Him.

This made me question my own life. Am I faithfully asking the Lord for the areas that I desire to have clarity or need changed in mine or someone else’s life? I know that the Lord extends grace, but before I can expect an answer I need to be asking.

Application: I am going to start making my requests more specific this week. God already knows my heart, but it is His desire for me to voice them to Him. I am thankful that God’s character and will is not dependent on me, but I desire to this (pray specifically) out of obedience to what He has showed me in His word.

3/29/12

John 5:13-14 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

These verses are taken from the story of the man who Jesus healed near the pool of Bethsada. What is important to note here, I think, is that Jesus followed up with the man. He didn’t leave him hanging but followed through with what he had started even though the Jews were seeking to harm Him.

This shows how critically important it is to follow through with a new believer even when you have to overcome obstacles. As I will be leaving Costa Rica soon, it has been on my heart to not let these kids at PFK feel as if I just left them hanging as well.

Application: When I get back to the US, I am going to write some letters to the PFK kids so that they know that they are not only special in my eyes but the Lord’s as well. I know that the PFK program is made up of solid leaders that absolutely love these kids and pour out their lives for them. I just hope that by me writing a letter, it would show in another way as well the immense love God has for them (as well as myself).

3/26/2012

John 4:43-44 Now after the two days, He departed from there and went to Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.

Here Jesus is explaining that a prophet is not respected in his home country. People often doubt when they can’t get past the familiarity of that person. (Matt. 13: 55) It is hard to look past the outside and look at the person as God sees them. As a result, familiarity can be a blinder and hinder others.

This made me think of missionaries to the US who are from the US. So often I have seen how others including myself often consider those who go overseas a novelty or a step above those who are working in the US. Yes, working here in Costa Rica has been nothing like it would in the US. It is a completely different scenario with the culture, language, and everything much less accessible than in the US. However, at the same time, that does not diminish what the Lord might have called someone to do in their home country. The most important thing is that I am where God wants me. If I am in HIS will than no other place will do.

Application: As I go back to the US, I want to keep in mind that I am still a missionary no matter where I go. Pastor John Whang said that he put a sign in front of his door that read, “Entering the mission field” so that he would remember that when he walked out that door…there was a mission field awaiting him. I need to recognize that wherever God calls me is where I am supposed to be no matter if that is in my home country or overseas.

3/27/12

John 4:48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” The nobleman said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!” Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.

“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” This phrase clearly shows a lack of faith among the people. However, the people are given such a powerful example of faith in the following verses from this nobleman. For even when he had no proof in the moment that his son was healed, he still believed. This man had to put faith in what Jesus said to him verbally before he could see it visually.

This was a really good reminder for me because as I trust God with my future knowing He holds all. I need to stop worrying about it and instead believe and put my faith in who HE is. I am encouraged how this man’s faith was rewarded but it took that whole trip back to his house walking in faith before he was able to visually see his faith confirmed.

Application: I am going to continue trusting the Lord….even when I am don’t visually understand what is happening, I need to have faith. For without faith, it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)