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nrfrench
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Name: Nicole
Location: Elkhart, Indiana, United States
Birthday: 8/19/1986
Gender: Female
Interests: I love anything from the 50's and 60's! It's rather sad I know. When I have time I love to read, although I really don't have time. I absolutely love to hang out with my friends from SCF. They're the best!
Expertise: Don't think I'm an expert in anything....
Occupation: Student
Industry: Medical
Message: message me
Member Since:
10/23/2005
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| The verse for today is 1 Peter 1:17, in the King James Version it reads
this: "And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons
judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning
here in fear." I decide to BLB this verse and see what it meant in the
original Greek/Hebrew.
Judgeth: to separate, put asunder, to pick
out, select, choose; to approve, esteem, to prefer; to be of opinion,
deem, think, to determine, resolve, decree; to pronouce an opinion
concerning right and wrong.
Work: that which one undertakes to do,
enterprise, any product, anything accomplished by hand, art, industry,
or mind; an act, deed, thing done
Time: either long or short
Sojourning: a dwelling near or with one, dwelling in a strange land, a foreigner
Fear: reverence for one's husband
This
verse strikes a cord with me, because I realized that my life doesn't
reflect the meaning of this verse. God is my Father, but He is also my
Judge. As I live my life He is approving, choosing, giving an opinion,
pronoucing what is right and wrong. Whenever I thought of the word
"judge," I always pictured a court room where this mean, intimidating
judge sat and passed a sentence on you that could be devestating. But
in this verse Jesus is referring to judgement and judging as being His
influence if you will in my life. He is separating what I do, and
pronouncing whether it is right or wrong. That also made me think, am
I listening to His voice? The word "work" also had a different meaning
in this verse than what I had previously thought of it. I assumed that
"work" was anything I did physically, including employment. But this
definition of work includes anything I do with my mind. It's anything
I accomplish with my hands, mind or industry. That pretty much
includes anything that I do throughout the entire day. It's kind of
overwhelming to think that everything I do throughout my day, no matter
how mundane or complex, God is judging it. That must be why the next
sentence says to livee your time out here in fear. I also thought the
definition of sojourning was interesting: a foreigner, dwelling in a
strange land. Because I am a Christian, I am not of this world. I'm
supposed to be an alien because this earth is not my final home.
Perhaps the part of this verse that struck me the most was the very
end, when I discovered the definition of "fear." What comes to mind
when you first hear that word? Is it synonomous with panic? Or
anxiety? It is in my mind. But here it means having reverence for your
husband. I thought that was the perfect picture, I am the bride of
Christ, and He is my husband. In the natural I don't have a husband,
so in that sense knowing what it means to reverence your husband is
still kind of gray to me. But I think of my parent's marriage, and how
much my mom loves my dad. Sure they don't always agree on everything,
or always see eye to eye, but never, ever have I seen my mom disrespect
my dad. She might not agree with something he says or does, but she
still chooses to respect him and support him. Her love for him doesn't
change. So I parrell that with my relationship with God. I am at a
point in my life right now where I feel like the future is this big,
dark, unknown place. I know that God is holding my hand and will be
with me every step of the way, and it's about trusting Him to shine His
light and bring about what He has purposed for me. I also feel like
this time in my life certain events and situations are happening and I
have no clue why, and what lesson God is trying to teach me through it
all. I think about how I need to reverence Him in the midst of all of
this. Even though I don't understand what He is doing or why, my love
for Him isn't going to change, and I still need to respect Him. Other
hallmark of my parent's marriage is their respect for the other's
feelings. They aren't going to make a big, or even little decision
without first consulting the other. So in my life, part of reverencing
my Husband is to think of Him before making decisions. Having a
husband is also an intimate thing, in that that person is constantly in
your life/thoughts. You marry someone because you love them and
couldn't possibly imagine living without them. If God is my Husband,
then my thoughts should be wrapped around Him throughout my day. He
needs to be so intimately involved in my life that my day(s) reflect
that by what I decide and how I act, and as this verse describes...even
that which I think. I know that I am no where near this, but it is the
desire of my heart to be! | | |
| Yesterday in my devotions I read an awesome verse in Acts. Verse 25 says: "For David says of Him(God) 'I saw the Lord always in my presence; for He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.'" My Dad introduced me to blueletterbible.com it is an AWESOME site and I encourage you to visit it the next time you get into the Word. Anyway, I decided to look up the verse at BLB.com. It will break the verse down into the original Hebrew/Greek meanings which I find awesome because it gives me a better idea of what Jesus actually meant when He spoke/inspired Scripture. In the original Hebrew here is what Acts 2:25 means:
Right hand: A place of honor or authority
Shaken/moved: A motion produced by winds, storms, waves etc. To agitate or shake, to cause to totter, to cast down from one's secure and happy state. To move, agitate the mind, to disturb one. The tossing or swell of the sea, cause to tremble.
The KJV of the Bible says: the Lord is "always before my face."
Before: towards which another turns his eyes
It gets better! Verse 26 says: "Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted, moreover my flesh also will live in hope." KJV says: "My heart shall rest in hope."
Shall rest: To pitch one's tent, to fix one's abode, to dwell
Hope: Expectation of good, the thing hoped for
Isn't it awesome how this verse fits together? Basically Paul is quoting David and his awesome faith in God. David had many chances in his life to experience the help/presence of God! This verse is saying that the Lord's presence is ALWAYS with me. Wherever I turn my eyes His presence will be before my face. He sits at my right hand, a place of honor. I honor Him(give Him weight) because I love Him. Side note: honor means to give someone weight in your life, meaning when it comes to decisions and respect that person you give honor to you value them and their guidance/direction. My right hand is also my place of authority, in which the influence of God flows. It is His authority that has been given to me to operate in. Because He sits in this place of authority, and because I give Him weight in my life, I will not be shaken. No matter how hard the wind blows or the sea swells, I will not be moved. I can't be agitated or shaken, I can't be cast down from my place of security and happiness. I won't totter or tremble, and I won't be disturbed! Because of this I can pitch my tent in hope. I can live to expect the goodness of God in my life, and that He knows my wants and needs. I can expect those things to be filled because He is good! I don't know how this looks in real life, but I know that I am going to try and make a conscious effort to think of this verse throughout my day. No matter how stressful these last few weeks get, or how big the waves seem to be...I will not be shaken! The Holy Spirit is with me to remind me of these truths...and no matter where I turn my eyes, the presence of the Lord will be in front of my face!! 
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| Yes, you saw right I am posting two blogs in one night. I guess I could've combined them, but this one is such a different more sentimental topic that I felt it deserved it's own entry. I am doing my clinicals at HealthSouth and am working with stroke patients. At first I felt jipped by my professor because I told her that I love working with kids and wanted to be placed in a pediatric facility...but now I can see why God directed my path to HealthSouth. I have loved every minute of my time there...no it hasn't always been easy or pleasant, but I have learned so much about the value of life and family. Many of the patients I see were once vibrant, full of life seniors who were enjoying their retirement with their spouse, children/grandchildren. I think of one lady in particular...I will call her "Betty." Prior to her stroke Betty had a full schedule to keep...she traveled alot with her husband...going cross country many times through the year. She was an avid golf player and the winner of tournaments. Then one day she had a horrible headache, and her husband took her into the doctor. There he discovered a subarachnoid hemmorage(basically bleeding in the brain) Unfortunately during surgery the hemmorhage erupted causing excessive bleeding. She then suffered a massive stroke. Betty is now non-verbal and completely dependent upon the nurses and therapists at HS. Hearing her story broke my heart, and also caused me to think about how unpredictable life can be. I guess that is why Jesus warned us not to place treasure and value in earthly things...because they can quickly be taken from us, or we can be taken from them. I have also seen the importance of family and commitment. It warms my heart to see the wives who stick by their husbands as they through therapy/recovery. Truly they are experiencing the "for worse" part of their vows to each other...but they aren't giving up! Being at HS has made me realize how much I love my family and friends, and that I am thankful for them and the love we have. Yes I am thankful for the "stuff" I have, but I have realized that it is not all that important! It's people we are supposed to bond with and place value in, and more importantly our faith in Jesus. So I want to encourage you, if you haven't told your family or friends that you appreciate/love them in awhile....what are you waiting for? We have no guarantee of tomorrow...and by God's grace may we be able to live our lives with no regrets! I don't mean for this to be a depressing entry, just one that prompts comtemplation and appreciation for who/what God has placed in our lives. Too many times I have taken people and things for granted...and when it really boils down to it that is a selfish attitude. I expect those people and things to always be there or do something for me...and that won't always be the case. So again, be grateful! And remember that every good and perfect gift is from above. So go give someone a hug...it will make your day I promise!
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| Tonight ended the long (and honestly depressing) volleyball season of the Decepticons. When my roommates asked me last semester to be on the intramural v-ball team I first said "no way." I am probably the least athletic person you will ever meet. (and not I'm not ashamed to admit it!) But then I started thinking of how little time I have left here...and I figured why not make some memories...even if I embarrass myself in the process!! We lost every game we played...but the fun part was that none of us really cared! I guess that is what enables a team to be a good sport...haha...I did have alot of fun playing with some of the best friends I have made here at USI. I think it is now time to retire the jersey...or maybe burn it? Just kidding!! I will frame it and keep it forever...again just kidding... At least for 3 weeks I could say that I did some sort of exercise besides walking. This is totally off subject...but speaking of walking...I wonder how much I walk to and from my apartment everyday on my way to and from class. I bet I have walked a bazillion miles by now...and I still feel out of shape...haha...oh well. I guess that's why I love when the Apostle Paul said that it really doesn't matter what the outside body looks like, and that all the exercise you force it to go through is in vain. Finally! A Godly man who could care less about how much a girl works out... Anyway, have a great week everyone!!!
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| Tonight I went to YCC(which is a juve center) with our team from SCF.
It was an awesome time sharing our love for Jesus with the kids in the
Center. After our little program we sat around and hung out with some
of the guys that stuck around. That was the best part of the whole
evening! The guys were real with us, and two of them were amazing
singers and sang 2 songs for us. I really like the first one that they
sang and so I just had to google it...haha...and I actually found it!
It's a really sweet sentimental song that can be used for a special
someone :D or for Jesus, since He is our first love!!!! Here are the
lyrics:
Love
So many things I've got to tell you
But I'm afraid I don't know how
Cause there's a possibility
You'll look at me differently
Love
Ever since the first moment I spoke your name
From then on I knew that by you being in my life
Things were destined to change cause
Chorus:
Love
So many people use your name in vain
Love
Those who have faith in you sometimes go astray
Love
Through all the ups and downs the joys and hurts
Love
For better or worse I still will choose you first
Verse 2:
Many days I've longed for you
Wanting you
Hoping for the chance to get to know you
Longing for your kiss
For your touch, your feel, your Presence
Many nights I've cried from the things you do
Felt like I could die from the thought of losing you
I know that you're real
With no doubts and no fears
And no questions
Chorus:
Love
So many people use your name in vain
Love
Those who have faith in you sometimes go astray
Love
Through all the ups and downs the joys and hurts
Love
For better or worse I still will choose you first
Verse 3:
At first you didn't mean that much to me
But now I know that you're all I need
The world looks so brand new to me
Now that I found love
Everyday I live for you
And everything that I do
I do it for you
What I say is how I feel so believe it's true
You got to know I'm true
Chorus(x2):
Love
So many people use your name in vain
Love
Those who have faith in you sometimes go astray
Love
Through all the ups and downs the joys and hurts
Love
For better or worse I still will choose you first
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