Spring Break

This past week was my spring break. For those of you who don't know, I went to Texas to spend some time with Alex. Unfortunately, he wasn't on spring break and still had to go to classes (he attends LeTourneau University), so that meant lots of relaxing sleeping in time for me! Well, I didn't just sleep in....I did some homework too. I even went to a couple of classes, but since airplanes really aren't my cup of tea, I just did my own homework while he learned about avionics and fuel pumps. :) But I did learn a lot while I was in Texas. It was really good to just be able to be there and see Alex in his element. He's a great teacher and a great pilot and is going to be such an asset to the mission someday (so long as he continues looking and depending on Him of course). I'm so thankful for the time that we had to learn more about each other. I learned a lot about myself too, in all honesty, and how selfish and rude I can be. I am beginning to more clearly be able to see and distinguish opportunities to walk in the Spirit...and learning the effects of when I choose not to and when I choose to do so. It's funny how prideful we can be and not wanting to humble ourselves before Him sometimes. God's been working on my heart and showing me the depths of my sinful nature and how important it is for me to be constantly in fellowship with Him, walking in the Spirit and depending upon Him in ALL things because when I'm not....I am embarrassed of myself and my selfish choices. All in all a very growing spring break. :) I even got to book chart Galatians in preparation for the class in a week! I'm excited! But for your viewing pleasure, I thought I would post a few pictures. :)

First, on the motorcycle...about to take a drive to the lake. I told him he had to get used to making funny faces in pictures. :) Aviators. Stereotypical pilot...


This is me "flying" an airplane. It's harder than it looks, let me just say that. I have a whole new level of respect for him...

Learning

There once was a spunky little girl who grew up without a care in the world. And then one day, she learned of God's call to take the Gospel to those who had never heard. At first, she rejected that thought. Why would she want to sacrifice all of that to live in a place of no glory and serve amongst smelly people who probably wouldn't listen anyways? What would ever possess her to do such a thing? You see...at the time, she cared much more about herself then listening to God. And He allowed that for a time. He didn't force her, but continued to show her through His word the importance of ALL people knowing His glory, His salvation, His story. And so, at the age of 13, she began to look for a mission trip to go on. And she went.....to Quito, Ecuador with a group of about 200 other students. She saw sights she never thought she would see, such poverty, such need. She smelled things she never wished to smell again...but smells that were all too common in this world. Her world was rocked. The name of the trip was "Never the Same" and it held true; she came back different. She came back passionate. At this time, her passion was for the people and their physical needs. Oh how blessed she was. Oh how unfortunate the people she saw were. She wanted to help. She wanted to be His hands and feet. But alas, she was 13 and had to return home to her nice suburban house and go to high school. But there was always next year.

That little girl lived for the summers. It was then that she truly felt alive. Ecuador. Bolivia. Brasil. She waited to be overseas, to get to see and experience different cultures and helping those less fortunate. She was almost blinded to those around her when she was at home and at school; her focus was completely on those overseas. She couldn't wait to leave everyone behind and move over there. She was going to change the world. Graduation was so close she could feel it. But her plans changed. She ended up going to a four-year college, not jumping into a Bible program to get trained to go overseas. After a year of college, she quit, knowing that she needed to pay off her debt so she could go into training. And then she got sidetracked. She became caught up in romance and things of this world. She was scared to go overseas, even more scared to go alone. Part of her just wanted to run away and forget people overseas. She just wanted to live her life with her family and her friends and get married and stay here. But then her romance ended. Tragically, in fact, and she hit rock bottom. She struggled for a long time trying to find out who she was and where her worth was found. She realized she had been focused on the wrong things for a long time and had lost her identity. Basing her worth on other's opinions and the way others treated her had landed her distraught. You see, this girl didn't understand what it meant to be a Christian. She didn't understand all that Christ had done for her. And I don't mean she didn't fully grasp it; she didn't grasp it at all! She didn't get her new identity in Christ and what that meant. She didn't understand the truths of Ephesians 1-3 and all the things that God had blessed her with simply because HE chose to do so. But she did understand that her walk with God was missing something. So she signed up to start the first part of training with New Tribes Mission; their Bible Institute in Jackson, MI. She figured she wasn't giving up enough for God and she knew that God wanted all to be saved and was running from it, so maybe she'd make God happy by actually becoming a missionary. That and she really did want to help people. But mostly this was a desperate attempt to find some sort of meaning in the Christian life. She was at rock bottom.

Arriving at Bible school in January of 2009 and beginning classes that started in Genesis, she felt a bit elementary. Why were these teachers trying to talk down to her? She didn't need help learning Old Testament Bible stories! She knew them! She just wanted to learn the answers to all the big questions, all the hot topics. She wanted to have an answer. She wanted to learn what she was missing...because she knew she was missing something. Over the past year, she has been learning the Bible. She has been learning God's story in a way she never knew before. She has seen the importance of understanding the Bible from the beginning to end, as a unit, as all part of God's progressive revelation. She has been learning about the Spirit and how to walk in the Spirit. She has been learning about who Christ made her once she first believed. She has been learning she will never quit learning. There are so many things, so many truths that have been brought to life for her. God has changed her mind on so many issues...even missions. She is passionate about missions, not because she wants to help people, not because it will make her more acceptable to God (she is already as accepted as she can get because she is in CHRIST!), but because God wants that none should perish. Because God commanded us to GO. Because they cannot truly live without the truth of His Word. Because they NEED to hear His truth. Because they cannot believe if they do not hear. Because the Christian life isn't about what's easiest, but about HIM.

Looking back, she is grateful for the hard times that have brought her closer to Him. She is grateful for the pit of despair, because it was only when she was at the end of herself, when she had tried everything she possibly knew how to do and seen it fail, that she could try rest in His finished work on the cross....or begin to learn how to. Life is not perfect. Her walk with God is not perfect. But she has a faith unlike one she has had before because it is built upon a foundation of TRUTH found ONLY in HIS word. She is learning that a life of sacrifice isn't to be feared because as she learns to allow the Word to renew her mind (through studying it) and to set her mind on things eternal, on things above, the circumstances and things on the earth are only opportunities to allow Christ's life to live through her and glory to be brought to HIS name. She is learning....

Identity

When I was little, I lived in the beautiful state of North Carolina. We lived on an enormous plot of land that was covered in trees and wildlife and anything green. I grew up away from the hustle and bustle of the city or the suburbs. I didn't have friends around the corner to play with, just me and my brother. And it was fun. Most days I spent an adequate amount of time playing by myself...no one wants to play basketball for 12 hours a day unless your name is Chad. (Possibly an overstatement, but still.) I read books, collected rocks, played with my kitchen, and just walked around the outdoors. It was a great childhood.

As I got older, I learned more about who I was and I changed. We moved to the suburbs of Columbus and the things I used to do weren't really done in the city so much. No more walks in the fields because they were non-existent. I had to adjust to having neighbor kids to play with all the time and not having all that much alone time. At first it was great. But I came to miss the times I had in North Carolina. Different experiences impacted me in different ways and I spent a lot of time figuring out who I was. I had been thrown into an unfamiliar environment and I had to find myself in it. I'm not sure I'll ever completely understand myself, to be honest, but it's interesting to see how I struggled with my identity growing up. Put in different circumstances, sometimes I would lose sight of myself because I just didn't fit there. Sometimes I would try to act a certain way because it was expected, but it wasn't true to me and I always knew that. You can try to change who you are all you want, but you always know when you aren't being true to yourself.

I've been thinking a lot about identity lately. In fact, I recently gave a speech on the topic in speech class. I used Miss Ohio as an example. You see, when you're crowned Miss Ohio, you begin to act like Miss Ohio. Miss Ohio says certain things, has certain opinions, wears certain types of clothes....and all this may be different from what you did before, but since you have become Miss Ohio, you must change to ACT like Miss Ohio. You take on the identity that you have been given. It's the same for Christians. As human beings I think we struggle with this issue a lot, and I think as believers in Christ, we may at times struggle more than most. We have a new identity in Christ. At first, it was a nice phrase and a nice thought, but I didn't get what that meant. And....I'm still learning what it means. But Christ is now my life. He is now who I am. He is my true identity. But my life doesn't line up with that. My thinking doesn't always show that to be true. My actions are often not HIS actions, but my own. I've been learning a lot lately about identity...what it means, what the implications from it are, how it should be changing my thinking and my actions. A true understanding of who I am in Him will cause change. The more that I focus on those truths, the more I see how far I fall short of truly seeing myself as God sees me. I don't live in those truths very often. I'm learning. I'm learning what it means and I'm learning who I am...but I'm still figuring it out. It's clearly defined in the Word of God....so I have the tools necessary to understand, but it's a process. Just as when I was younger I had to figure out who I was, I am having to do the same thing now....only with my TRUE identity in Him. Who am I? How should that impact the decisions that I make? The Lord is in the process of transforming me to His image. How cool is that. But right now, I have every heavenly blessing. Right now, I have the power of the Holy Spirit living in me. I am God's daughter! My goodness! The things that are true as a natural result of who I am are astounding. And to think that who I am in Him is all for HIS GLORY, not because of anything I have done...it's all so amazing. And elementary....yet I'm still grasping these things. And I will continue to grasp them. I want to grasp them. I want to understand who I am in Him.

The other cool thing about identity is that ALL believers have the same identity. We all have the same blessings in Him. We are all found IN HIM. All that we have been given is because we are IN HIM. How cool is that? Yet do I see other believers like this? Do I treat them like that? Am I unified with them or do I just sit here and judge them, condemn them when they fail? God doesn't. Why would I? So many thoughts. So many things to ponder. So many things to learn as I simply behold who He is, my Savior, my King, my eternal Father. He is my life.

Update

It's been a CRAZY busy week and I thought it would be good for me to take some time to reflect on things. With the fast-pace here, it's easy to just get caught up in things and not take the time to sit down and really mull over things.

I have been talking to a lot of people lately about walking in the Spirit. Okay, and honestly, I feel kind of dumb. Here's the thing....I've been gaining understanding in this matter for....the past year really (before that, I had little understanding and my understanding wasn't growing) and was starting to think "Hey, I'm getting this!" Any red flags going up? Yeah, that can be a dangerous place to be sometimes. Especially if you're me. Anyways, so we actually were in Romans small group over chapter 8 and we were drawing diagrams up on the board and I sat there the entire time thinking "That's not right. That's not what I thought. That can't be right. NOOOOOO!" Seriously....I did. And so, I decided to take a look at what the Word of God had to say and then talk to older, wiser, more mature Christians about the matter. And that's what I did. Three days in a row I had an hour long conversation with three different people and it was really neat to just see how God was at work. I don't understand fully what walking in the Spirit is. But after my first conversation with one of the guys on staff, God had me at a point where I could pray "I don't fully understand, but I trust You to grow me in it and I will walk in the truth that I DO know." I went into the conversation thinking "This can't be what walking in the Spirit really is because I don't want this to be the answer" and came away thinking "I don't understand it, but I see it as truth in the Word of God." Well, actually, I was thinking a lot more than that. I was thinking "Well, how does walking in the Spirit connect with walking in the truth that you have?" and "Does that mean God always has one choice for you to make in moral issues?" and many other questions. But I have been able to discuss them with others and been challenged to take it back to the Word and it's just been really neat to see God growing me in His truth. And it's been neat because at times I almost feel like light bulbs really are coming on. I find myself realizing the lies I've been thinking or believing or the truths that I know in my head or true, but I don't actually think are true based on my actions. They aren't experiencially true for me. I'm so thankful for a God who is faithful to conform me to His image. :) And let me say this: After a week of mulling over what walking in the Spirit is, I feel like I DO have a better understanding. BUT I feel like I'm only scratching the surface....but at least I KNOW it's the surface of truth.

P.S. Evaluating your thoughts is hard work! And rather draining....but yet so rewarding!

We just started Ephesians class and our speech class, meaning we just FINISHED James/Jude and Dan/Rev. Which also means I just finished my Dan/Rev timeline.....let me tell you that was a stressful assignment. We had to take pretty much all the events of Daniel(the visions) and Revelation and put them all in a concise timeline of end times events. That's right, a complete description of the Church Age, Rapture, Tribulation (including all the judgments and information about the 7-headed beast....mine looked like a body with 7 balloon heads....i'm not an artist...), Armageddon, the Millennium, Gog and Magog, The Great White Throne, the Eternal State, and much much more. It was crazy....I learned a lot, but it took a while to compile a timeline on all of that. :)
But back to what I was saying....we just started Ephesians and speech class. So far I really like Ephesians. It's been neat to see how I've read Ephesians 1 before and how I thought it was all about us and now how I can see it's all about GOD! I apparently didn't read it too closely. I mean, it has us in it, don't get me wrong, but the main point of the passage is what GOD has done FOR US! Somehow I was too consumed with what I had that I completely missed what GOD had done before. Go figure. So that's been really neat. We are only on chapter one and its amazing, so I'm looking forward to more of it!
Speech class....well....if you know anything about me, then you know this isn't my favorite thing in the world. I mean, I will do it, but I get really nervous, as I'm sure is normal. Anyways, my first speech is on Friday. And I'm really excited about my introduction...haha. Somehow I feel like if I can find a good introduction, that makes everything else easier....I'm more comfortable and it's all around better. :) So let's hope that I actually do okay when it comes time to giving this speech. Perhaps I'll post my outline on here when I'm done with it. :)

And now I'm off to hear a speaker...a really cool speaker named Lane Sanford. He's kind of a "special emphasis" speaker...but really he's a missionary who's fresh off the field on furlough and he's here to tell us all about Papua New Guinea and his experiences in a tribe there. I'm really excited to hear him speak!!

Romans Outline

I've been here for over a year now and never posted any of my assignments. I have decided that it's time. You get to hear all about the time that goes into them, but you haven't actually SEEN any of them. I doubt you'll be able to get through it all, which is fine, but I thought I'd show you the gist of what I do. This is my Romans outline over chapters 6-8. It's not perfect, just let me preface by saying that. It's flawed. But it took me a good 9 hours to get to this point, so I'm going to leave it for now and work on something else...like my Daniel/Revelation timeline that will also probably take me a good 9 hours. Woohoo. Okay, so here it is....

Terms:
Non-routine

Grace (6:1)
United (6:5)
Crucified (6:6)
Reign (6:12)
Impurity (6:19)
Lawlessness (6:20)
Enslaved (6:22)
Jurisdiction (7:1)
Released (7:6)
Bound (7:6)
Deceived (7:11)
Spiritual (7:14)
Bondage (7:14)
Dwells (7:17)
Wretched (7:24)
Condemnation (8:1)
Flesh (8:3)
Offering (8:3)
Set (8:6)
Peace (8:6)
Hostile (8:7)
Subject (8:7)
Dwells (8:11)
Obligation (8:12)
Adoption (8:15)
Testifies (8:16)
Heirs (8:17)
Sufferings (8:18)
Glory (8:18)
Revealing (8:19)
Futility (8:20)
Hope (8:20)
Slavery (8:21)
Corruption (8:21)
Perseverance (8:25)
Intercedes (8:26)
Foreknew (8:29)
Predestined (8:30)
Justified (8:30)
Glorified (8:30)
Delivered (8:32)
Elect (8:33)
Condemns (8:34)
Tribulation (8:35)
Distress (8:35)
Persecution (8:35)
Peril (8:35)
Conquer (8:37)
Principalities (8:38)
Powers (8:38)
Separate (8:39)


Repeated
Died/death (6:2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10, 11, 13, 16, 21, 23) (7:2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 13, 24) (8:3, 6, 10, 11, 11, 13, 13, 34, 36, 38)
With Him/Christ (6:3, 5, 6, 78, 8)
Sin (6:1, 2, 6, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 22, 23) (7:7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 13, 13, 13, 14, 17, 20, 23) (8:2, 3, 3, 3, 10)
Present yourselves/members (6:13, 13, 16, 19, 19)
Slaves (6:6, 16, 16, 17, 18, 19, 19, 20, 22)
Live/Life (6:2, 8, 10, 10, 10, 23) (7:1, 2, 3)
Righteousness (6:13, 16, 18, 19, 20)
Law (6:14, 15) (7:1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7, 7, 9, 9, 12, 14, 16, 16, 22, 23, 23, 23, 25, 25) (8:2, 2, 3, 3, 7)
I/me (7:7, 7, 9, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 16, 16, 16, 17, 18, 18, 19, 19, 19, 19, 20, 20, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 24, 25)
Good (7:12, 16, 18, 19, 21)
In Christ (6:11) (8:2, 10, 11, 39)
Spirit (8:2, 4, 5, 5, 6, 9, 9, 9, 10, 11, 11, 12,3, 14, 15, 15, 16, 16, 23, 26, 26, 27)
Flesh (7:18, 25) (8:3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 12, 13)
Mind Set (8:5, 6, 6, 7)
God (8:3, 7, 7, 8, 9, 11, 11, 11, 14, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21, 27, 28, 28, 31, 33, 33, 34, 39)
According to (8:4, 4, 5, 5, 12, 12)
Hope (8:20, 24, 24, 24, 24, 25)
Waiting eagerly (8:19, 23, 25)
Groan (8:22, 23, 26)
Love (8:35, 37, 39)
Intercedes (8:26, 27, 34)

Cause and effects
Sin = grace increases (6:1)
Baptized into Christ = baptized into His death (6:3)
Christ raised from the dead = we can walk in newness of life (6:4)
United with Him in likeness of death = united with him in resurrection (6:5)
Old self was crucified with him = body of sin done away with = no longer slaves to sin (6:6)
Died to sin = freed from sin (6:7)
Died with Christ = live with Him (6:8)
Raised from dead = death no longer master (6:9)
Dead to sin = alive to God (6:11)
Sin reign = obey its lusts (6:12)
Slaves of sin = death (6:16)
Slaves of obedience = righteousness (6:16)
Freed from sin = slave to righteousness (6:18)
Present self as slave to impurity = lawlessness (6:19)
Present self as slave to righteousness = sanctification (6:19)
Sanctification = eternal life (6:22)
Wages of sin = death (6:23)
Gift of God = eternal life (6:23)
Alive = law has jurisdiction (7:1)
Husband dies = released from law (7:2)
Joined to a man with living husband = adultery (7:3)
Died to Law = joined to another = produce fruit for God (7:4)
Sinful passions aroused by law = fruit for death (7:5)
Released from Law = serve in newness of spirit (7:6)
Law = reveals sin (7:7)
Sin alive = my death (7:9)
Commandment = death (7:10)
Sin = deceived = killed (7:11)
Law in members of body = prisoner of law of sin (7:23)
In Christ = no condemnation (8:1)
Law of Spirit of Life = free from law of sin and death (8:2)
Sent Son as offering for sin = condemned sin in flesh = requirement of law fulfilled (8:3-4)
Walk according to flesh = set mind on things of flesh (8:5)
Walk according to Spirit = set mind on things of Spirit (8:5)
Mind on flesh = death (8:6)
Mind on spirit = life and peace (8:6)
Mind on flesh = does not subject itself to law of God (8:7)
No Spirit in Him = does not belong to God (8:9)
Christ in you = body is dead = spirit is alive (8:10)
Have spirit swelling in you = life to your mortal bodies (8:11)
Live according to the flesh = death (8:13)
Putting to death deeds of body by spirit = life (8:13)
Led by Spirit of God = son of God (8:14)
Children of God = heirs with God and Christ (8:17)
Suffer with Him = glorified with Him (8:17)
Creation waits = revealing of sons of God (8:19)
Creation subjected to futility = set free from slavery to corruption (8:20-21)
In hope = saved (8:24)
Don’t know how to pray = Spirit intercedes (8:26)
Foreknew = predestined to be conformed to image of His Son (8:29)



Comparisons and Contrasts
Death/Life (6:4)
Law/Grace (6:14)
Death/Righteousness (6:16)
Lawlessness/ Righteousness (6:19)
Death/eternal life (6:23)
Wages/Free gift (6:23)
Fruit for God/Fruit for death (7:4-5)
Newness of spirit/oldness of the letter (7:6)
Good/Death (7:13)
Good/Evil (7:19)
Mind serving law of God/ flesh serving law of sin (7:25)
Law of Spirit of life in Christ/ Law of sin and death (8:2)
Law could not/God could (8:3)
Walk according to flesh/Walk according to spirit (8:4)
Death/Life and Peace (8:6)
Flesh is hostile toward God/cannot please God (8:7-8)
Body dead/spirit alive (8:10)
Spirit of slavery/spirit of adoption (8:15)
Suffer/glorified (8:17)
Slavery/Freedom (8:21)
Hope/Wait eagerly (8:25)
Justifies/Condemns (8:33-34)

Lists
With Him
Died (6:8)
Buried (6:4)
United (6:5)
Crucified (6:6)
Live (6:8)
Law (7:12)
Holy
Righteous
Good
True of believers
Died to sin (6:2)
Baptized into his death (6:3)
Buried with him into death (6:4)
Raised to walk in newness of life (6:4)
United with him in death (6:5)
United in His resurrection (6:5)
Old self crucified with Him (6:6)
No longer slaves to sin (6:7)
Died with Christ so live with Him (6:8)
Still have flesh (6:19)
Our relationship to Law
Released from (7:4)
Died to it (7:4)
Free from it (7:3)
Why died to Law?
Joined to Another (7:4)
Bear fruit for God (7:4)
Relationship between sin and Law made death only way (7:5)
Those walking according to the flesh
Set minds on flesh (8:5)
Death (8:6)
Hostile toward God (8:7)
Doesn’t subject itself to law of God (8:7)
Cannot please God (8:8)
Those walking according to Spirit
Requirement of law fulfilled in us (8:4)
Set mind on things of spirit (8:5)
Brings life and peace (8:6)
Spirit of God dwells in us (8:8)
Life to mortal bodies (8:11)
Put to death deeds of body (8:13)
Son of God (8:14)
Spirit
Intercedes (8:26)
Helps our weakness (8:26)
Testifies (8:16)
Dwells in us (8:11)
Puts to death deeds of body (8:13)
Gives life to our mortal bodies (8:11)
What we can conquer through Him (8:35)
Tribulation
Distress
Persecution
Famine
Nakedness
Peril
Sword
Believers (Ch. 8)
Foreknown (29)
Predestined (29)
Will be Conformed (29)
Called (30)
Justified (30)
Glorified (30)
Elect (33)
Christ intercedes for (34)
Can’t be separated from God’s love (35)

Outline Romans 6:1-8:39

I. Freed from the Authority of Sin (6:1-23)
A. Shouldn’t sin so grace can increase (6:1-2)
1. Died to sin
2. Cannot live in what we are dead to
B. Identification with Christ (6:3-10)
1. Baptized into His death
a. Body of sin is done away with
b. No longer slaves to sin
c. Freed from sin
2. Buried with Christ
3. Raised to walk in newness of life
a. Never to die again
b. Death is no longer master
c. Live to God
C. Present yourselves to God as alive from the dead (6:11-23)
1. Choose righteousness
a. Consider self dead to sin and alive to God
b. Don’t let sin reign
c. Don’t obey sin’s lusts
d. Present self as alive from dead
e. Present your members as instruments as righteousness
2. Under Grace
a. Not under law
b. Sin no longer master
c. Grace doesn’t give us freedom to sin as we wish
3. Slaves to Sin
a. Impure and lawless
b. Free in regard to righteousness
c. Outcome is death
4. Slaves to Righteousness
a. Commanded to present self as such
b. Freed from sin
c. Enslaved to God
d. Results in sanctification, which results in eternal life
II. Set free from Law and joined to Christ (7:1-13)
A. Law in Marriage (7:1-3)
1. Bound to husband in life; cannot remarry
2. Released from husband in death
a. Free to marry another if husband dies
b. Must wait until death or is an adulterer
B. Bearing Fruit (7:4-6)
1. Died to the Law
a. Under the law in the flesh
b. Law aroused sinful passions to bear fruit for death
2. Joined to Christ
a. To bear fruit for God
b. Now serve in newness of Spirit
C. Law and sin in us (7:7-13)
1. Law
a. Was to result in life
b. Holy, righteous, and good
c. Reveals sin
2. Sin
a. Dead apart from the Law
b. Uses the Law to produce more sin
c. Always results in death
d. Deceives and kills
e. Is utterly sinful shown by commandments
III. Helpless on our own for deliverance from sin (7:14-25)
A. Two Natures (7:14-23)
1. Flesh
a. Sold into bondage to sin
b. Practice what self hates
c. Nothing good dwells in
d. Cannot produce good
e. Present within
f. Makes prisoner to way of sin in members
2. New Man
a. Desires to do good
b. Does not understand why can’t do good
c. Concurs with law of God
B. Desire to be set free (7:24-25)
1. Cannot set self free
2. Thanks to Christ
IV. Christ is the only answer for deliverance from sin (8:1-4)
A. In Christ (8:1-2)
1. No condemnation
2. Set free from Law of sin and death
3. Now under Spirit of life
B. What Law couldn’t do, God did (8:3-4)
1. Sent son in likeness of flesh
a. As an offering for sin
b. To condemn sin in flesh
2. Fulfilled requirement of Law in us
V. Walk according to truth (8:5-39)
A. Two ways to walk (8:5-8)
1. According to the flesh
a. Set mind on things of flesh
b. Death
c. Hostile toward God
d. Doesn’t subject self to law of God
e. Cannot please God
2. According to the Spirit
a. Set mind on things of Spirit
b. Life
c. Peace
B. Those in the Spirit (8:9-13)
1. God dwells in Him
2. Body is dead because of sin
3. Spirit is alive because of righteousness
4. Have life from Spirit that dwells in them
5. No obligation to live according to the flesh
a. Flesh must die
b. Spirit puts to death deeds of flesh
C. Sons of God (8:14-18)
1. Those led by Spirit of God
2. Received spirit of adoption, not fear
3. Spirit testifies that we are God’s children
a. If children, then heirs of God and Christ
b. Glorified with him if suffer with Him
4. Will be revealed as sons of God in glory
D. Hope of creation (8:19-25)
1. Waits for revealing of sons of God
2. Longs to be set free from corruption
3. Groans and suffers until glory revealed
4. We await our adoption as sons
a. In hope
b. Persevere and wait eagerly
E. Holy Spirit (8:26-27)
1. Helps our weakness
2. Intercedes for us according to God’s will as we do not know how to pray
3. Searches hearts
F. God’s purpose (8:28-30)
1. Work all things together for good
a. For those who love Him
b. Who he foreknew
i. Predestined
ii. Called
iii. Justified
iv. Glorified
2. Conform us to His Son’s image
G. Love of God (8:31-39)
1. For us
a. Gave Son on our behalf
b. Freely gives us all things
2. Causes us to stand un-condemned
a. God justifies, Christ condemns
b. Christ intercedes on our behalf
3. Nothing can separate us
a. Death
b. Life
c. Angels
d. Principalities
e. Things present
f. Things future
g. Power
h. Height
i. Depth
j. Any other created thing
4. Enables us to conquer in all things


Summary
Paul previously told us how we have been justified by faith in Christ. Now he goes on to explain our sanctification. He first tells us how we are freed from the authority of sin. Then he shows us the importance of having died to the Law and sin so that we could be joined to Christ and grace. We then learn that there is a battle within believers between the flesh in us and our new nature and we are powerless to do anything about it. But thanks be to God, who has conquered sin for us! In Christ we have been set free and in Him alone is the power over sin and death. He has given us His life in us and we are to walk in the Spirit in us and when we are, we will not walk in the flesh. This section gives us hope in the struggle against sin and confidence in our security in Christ. Paul began by showing us our depravity and then how God provided for our justification, and now has told us how to live a life pleasing to Him. We know that it is apart from the Law. It also sets us up for the next section, which will be on Israel and Paul’s desire to see them know and walk in these truths.

Whew! It's been a long couple of weeks. It's been busy and hard to find some time to write, but it's really been on my mind that I needed to update this so here I am! :)

First off, after the last post that I put up here, God constantly has been bombarding me with this idea of rest and a reminder that while my job is to appropriate and that is not a passive position, it is His job to grow and my job to "labour unto rest". And so I am attempting to remind myself of these truths and rest in Him, although I'm still working toward that and haven't arrived...naturally.

Second, I should update you on a few things in my personal life. Some of you know that I have been having some issues with my stomach lately. I went to the doctor about a week ago and was tested for celiac's disease, which came back negative (Praise the Lord!), but I am intolerant of gluten. If you don't know what gluten is...well, neither do I. :) I know that it's a protein found in wheat and a few other grains and I can no longer ingest it unless I am okay with not feeling very well for a while. So I am in the process of having a gluten-free diet and figuring out what I can and cannot eat. It's a challenge, but I'm always up for those.

A bit more interesting side of my personal life has to do with a certain young man. :) The story is actually pretty neat...but long. I don't really have the time at this moment to write it all out for you, but his name is Alex and he is in school right now in Texas of all places to finish up a degree in missions aviation (it's actually more technical sounding than that, but since I don't yet know much about aviation, that's the best I can do :) ) and then would like to go into New Tribes Mission, which is the organization that I am currently in training with. He will graduate this December just like I will. Perfect timing. ;) He was able to come up last weekend (Valentine's Day) and meet my family and most of our family friends, and everyone loved him and was so glad to get to meet him. He was able to explain his heart to many of them sitting around the dinner table and I just sat there and smiled because his heart for missions is so neat for me to hear about and to see. Anyways, I know that's not too much information, so feel free to email me if you want the whole story. I'm always happy to share it. :)

I'm not sure if I wrote about this on here, but I have been doing language helping with a Korean woman here at school. It has been going well, although I keep telling her how silly I feel when she asks me to explain things that we do or phrases that we use and I have absolutely no idea how to explain things to her! Sometimes the things we say are just silly and don't actually make much sense....we just don't realize it until we are forced to explain our idioms. :) But it's been really neat to be able to interact with someone trying to learn our language and see a glimpse of what it will be like when the roles are reversed and I am the one trying to learn a different language!! It's a really neat opportunity and I am so thankful for it. :)

One of the things that I have been seeing in the Scriptures, mainly Psalms and Revelation, is how off my view of God is. I have this idea of God as being this God of justice to non-believers and a God of love toward believers. When I picture Him, I picture Him as my Daddy and my friend, and while these are true statements, that does not fully encompass the God that I serve. It's been convicting to me to be reading through the Psalms and seeing all the attributes of God and realizing that my view of God does not always cause me to fall on my knees before His throne. And it should...EVERY TIME. So I've been trying to immerse myself in His word and highlight all times I see a description of who God is. It's been pretty challenging and while I know that I cannot produce change in my life, God wants me to be actively engaging my mind in His truth and seeing the light of it and walking in that light. It's been a neat study and I'm excited to see what else I see of Him and how my view of Him changes over time. I hope that it continues to be more complete in the revelation that He has given us.

I am so thankful that I have the Word of God to study. And I am burdened for those who don't. They can see Him in creation, but Romans 1 tells us that they reject Him. God has called us to confront them with the truth of His word, to share with them His Word. But they can't hear it unless they have His word, and they can't have it unless we go. I am so excited to be a part of what GOD is doing to bring His word to people who have never had an opportunity to hear. Thank you for your prayers as I am on this journey of preparation (although I know I will always be) and as God continues to teach me and mold me.

Winter Wonderland

If only I had the time to blog everyday. My thoughts would definitely make more sense as I would be able to expound upon them more, but nevertheless, I will do my best! If you live on the east coast, you know that blizzards have been falling upon us. Yesterday and today we got our first REAL Michigan snow. Now, for those of you who don't know, my school and dorm are all in the same building. I never have to leave the school at all...except for church, youth group, and the times when I'm just plain nutty from being cooped up in one building with 150 other people 24/7. :) BUT, one of the amazing things about my community is how we all work together to take care of each other. While this is "required," it really is a blessing. For instance, when we have big snow storms, all the guys are split up on snow crew teams and get up in the wee hours of the morning and shovel. I can't tell you what a blessing that is! It's neat to see students with a servant's heart, faithfully taking care of the needs of the student body. And the staff even scraped off all the cars in the parking lot today! What an amazing act of service. So thank you to all who partook in serving us in the snow.

Snowy days like today are perfect for curling up on my bed and reading. :) And I have quite a large supply of reading these days. Today one of my assignments was called "What is the believer's rule of life" by George Zeller. To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to reading it, but God has definitely used it to reveal His truth in my life. We are about to start Romans chapter 7 tomorrow in class and this reading was on whether a believer is under the Law or not, and if not, what rule a believer is to follow. The article was very challenging in many different ways, but one thing really stuck out to me.

"What then is the Christian life all about? The Christian life is simply knowing a PERSON, loving HIM, seeking to please HIM, walking with HIM, honoring HIM, obeying HIM, thanking HIM, rejoicing in HIM, delighting in HIM, trusting in HIM, growing in HIM, talking to HIM, talking to others about HIM, abiding in HIM, learning of HIM, learning from HIM, sitting at HIS feet and enjoying HIS presence. Note the emphasis on HIM (on a person). As we go through each day, are we walking with a person and enjoying Him or are we following a religious, ritualistic, legalistic routine?"

I read this and sat there and thought, is this how I view my walk with God? Yes, I have a relationship with Him. But He doesn't want simply a relationship; He wants a friendship. Do I do the things that I do because I LOVE Him, because my desire is to please Him like a wife's desire is to please her husband, or do I do it because I have to? Butch was talking today in Revelation 2 on the church at Ephesus and how they had lost their first love. He was talking about a marriage where the wife had "vacant eyes" and was doing the things she was supposed to, but the flame was gone. Honestly, it didn't click in that class....well, it did in reference to the church, but not to me. But when reading the above paragraph it suddenly clicked. I have been just like that church. I have a relationship with my Savior, and I have had a friendship in the past where I wanted to please Him, but now it has been reduced to my duty. It pains me to write that. Sometimes I think I'm ridiculous for writing things on here for the whole world to read because then they will all see what a failure I am...but this is the truth. This is where I am at. This is what God is teaching me and revealing to me and this is the depths to my sinfulness. I want to do things because I love Him. I want to know Him more and to get to know Him and for that to be more important to me than anything else. Him and only Him. I don't want to do things out of duty. I want my heart behind it to be because I love my Savior...because He is the only one deserving of my love. I can't believe I've forgotten that and I am honestly just so incredibly fed up with me and my selfish heart. I want to intimately know His heart and respond to it in love, not obligation. And I know that's what He wants for me too. I know that I cannot change any of this by my own strength. Honestly I'm just a bit perplexed as to where to go from here...what my response needs to be. And that's my prayer...that I don't know, but I know that God is faithful to teach me and that He will. Please be praying for me. :) Thank you guys.