"But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
"Would you be free from your burden of sin?
There's power in the blood!
Power in the blood!"
"What can wash away my sin?
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!"
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. John 6:53
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:13-15
"Hail to the King,
Hail to the living Word!
Let praise arise,
Heaven and earth,
Sing praise to the lamb,
Seated on the throne,
Power and strength are yours alone."
Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! Revelation 5:12
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22
"Lead me to the cross where your blood poured out,
Bring me to my knees Lord, I lay me down.
Rid me of myself,
I belong to you...
Lead me to the cross."
3/11/2008
3/10/2008
3/08/2008
Waiting vs. Trusting
God is good. Can I get an amen??
Here I am, slightly annoyed that his plans aren't the ones I had in mind.....and WHAM, I got hit with a spiritual sledge hammer. There are some that say that God is always gentle, and that he only whispers, but I beg to differ. For those of us with heads made of steel, and a will stronger then that, the sledge hammer approach has to be used.
I was "waiting" on God for my future....honestly, I thought I had approached everything right. I was thinking, "okay, here are my plans, and I'm waiting for God to do this."
WRONG.
You see, what I've learned is that waiting and trusting are two different things. Waiting isn't bad, to the contrary, it's a very good thing. Trusting and waiting just look different depending on the circumstances. When you wait on God, you have a goal in mind, and you wait for God to bring you to that goal. When you trust in God, you trust that though you don't know, he has a goal, and he will bring that about.
What I need to do is TRUST God for my future.....well, for everything really. I need to trust that he has a plan, and that his plan is best, instead of waiting for him to come around to my way of thinking.
I realize that I was trying to honor God with my approach. My heart was in the right place, but my thought process was wrong. My goal (wanting to go to school), is not wrong, but I neglected to lay that down before Jesus. I just assumed that he wanted what I wanted. I also assumed that he'd do things in my timing (I'd rather go to school now, while I'm young, instead of waiting until I'm older.)
Does that make sense? My heart was willing to go wherever God wanted me, but my mind had over analyzed everything.
Moral of the story: Trust in the LORD with all you heart and lean NOT on your own understanding. In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
Here I am, slightly annoyed that his plans aren't the ones I had in mind.....and WHAM, I got hit with a spiritual sledge hammer. There are some that say that God is always gentle, and that he only whispers, but I beg to differ. For those of us with heads made of steel, and a will stronger then that, the sledge hammer approach has to be used.
I was "waiting" on God for my future....honestly, I thought I had approached everything right. I was thinking, "okay, here are my plans, and I'm waiting for God to do this."
WRONG.
You see, what I've learned is that waiting and trusting are two different things. Waiting isn't bad, to the contrary, it's a very good thing. Trusting and waiting just look different depending on the circumstances. When you wait on God, you have a goal in mind, and you wait for God to bring you to that goal. When you trust in God, you trust that though you don't know, he has a goal, and he will bring that about.
What I need to do is TRUST God for my future.....well, for everything really. I need to trust that he has a plan, and that his plan is best, instead of waiting for him to come around to my way of thinking.
I realize that I was trying to honor God with my approach. My heart was in the right place, but my thought process was wrong. My goal (wanting to go to school), is not wrong, but I neglected to lay that down before Jesus. I just assumed that he wanted what I wanted. I also assumed that he'd do things in my timing (I'd rather go to school now, while I'm young, instead of waiting until I'm older.)
Does that make sense? My heart was willing to go wherever God wanted me, but my mind had over analyzed everything.
Moral of the story: Trust in the LORD with all you heart and lean NOT on your own understanding. In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
3/06/2008
Evaluations
Hey all.
Well, we had evaluations today. I got promoted to Trainee 2. (For those that haven't heard me explain, this is how B. Mag works.)
Trainee 1 (which I'm in this year) doesn't feed into the company, it's for training only. Trainee 2 is the level that they choose company members from. It's more advanced technically, they perform more, they have harder choreography....they have a different schedule from Trainee 1's.
So anyway, that's what happened! It's amazing how much peace I have about all this. Don't get me wrong, I still have my moments, but I know that the Lord has everything under control. I wanted to go to school, I thought it was time to move on from ballet....but the Lord has something else in mind. I'm here at Ballet Magnificat....for at least one more year.
Praise him.
This is what he's been impressing on my heart, I hope it encourages you all:
"This is the way my child, walk in it. This is where I have you, do not be afraid. This is my plan for you, do not doubt. This is my will, this is my voice. I am, that I am. I have covered the past, control the present and direct your future. Do not be afraid, for I am your God and I will be with you every step of the way. Follow me, for my yolk is easy and my burden is light. For there is no safer place to be then in the center of my will."
-Julie
Well, we had evaluations today. I got promoted to Trainee 2. (For those that haven't heard me explain, this is how B. Mag works.)
Trainee 1 (which I'm in this year) doesn't feed into the company, it's for training only. Trainee 2 is the level that they choose company members from. It's more advanced technically, they perform more, they have harder choreography....they have a different schedule from Trainee 1's.
So anyway, that's what happened! It's amazing how much peace I have about all this. Don't get me wrong, I still have my moments, but I know that the Lord has everything under control. I wanted to go to school, I thought it was time to move on from ballet....but the Lord has something else in mind. I'm here at Ballet Magnificat....for at least one more year.
Praise him.
This is what he's been impressing on my heart, I hope it encourages you all:
"This is the way my child, walk in it. This is where I have you, do not be afraid. This is my plan for you, do not doubt. This is my will, this is my voice. I am, that I am. I have covered the past, control the present and direct your future. Do not be afraid, for I am your God and I will be with you every step of the way. Follow me, for my yolk is easy and my burden is light. For there is no safer place to be then in the center of my will."
-Julie
3/05/2008
Commitment vs. Surrender
Hey all!
We're learning about this in Bible study, and I think it's such an awesome perspective, so I thought I'd share my thoughts:
What is the difference between commitment and surrender?? How does that apply to your (my) walk with Christ? Here are some things you "commit" to.
1. Diet
2. School
3. Exercise
4. Job
What do all those things have in common?? You have control. You choose what to commit to. When you commit to something, you are relying on your own strength to hold to whatever you've chosen.
Now think about surrender. When you hear the word surrender it's usually in the context of:
1. War
2. Property
3. Law
What do these have in common? You have no control. You must give up your right to choose because there is an authority more powerful then your own. Surrender means giving up the power to choose. Surrender means laying down your rights, and giving someone else complete control.
Now think about that in the context of your Christian life. I "commit" to reading my Bible.....then I fail....why? Because I'm trying to hold to it in my own strength. I commit my life to Jesus....and I stray.....why? Because I'm using my own power to make it come about. When you surrender your life, when you surrender your heart and mind to Jesus, you're relinquishing control. You're giving up your right to choose, and giving Him lordship over your life. When you surrender, Jesus is in control and you live like Him by His power, not your own.
So which would you rather? Commitment or surrender? If you commit to Jesus, then you have the power. The power to succeed, the power to fail....and ultimately, you're not going to be able to reach his standard on your own. If you surrender to Jesus then the ball is in his court. He calls the shots, he makes the decisions, all you have to do is follow. He will never fail, he will never fall short.....surrendering to Jesus, giving up the power you have over your own life is not only necessary, but it's freeing.
"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1
We're learning about this in Bible study, and I think it's such an awesome perspective, so I thought I'd share my thoughts:
What is the difference between commitment and surrender?? How does that apply to your (my) walk with Christ? Here are some things you "commit" to.
1. Diet
2. School
3. Exercise
4. Job
What do all those things have in common?? You have control. You choose what to commit to. When you commit to something, you are relying on your own strength to hold to whatever you've chosen.
Now think about surrender. When you hear the word surrender it's usually in the context of:
1. War
2. Property
3. Law
What do these have in common? You have no control. You must give up your right to choose because there is an authority more powerful then your own. Surrender means giving up the power to choose. Surrender means laying down your rights, and giving someone else complete control.
Now think about that in the context of your Christian life. I "commit" to reading my Bible.....then I fail....why? Because I'm trying to hold to it in my own strength. I commit my life to Jesus....and I stray.....why? Because I'm using my own power to make it come about. When you surrender your life, when you surrender your heart and mind to Jesus, you're relinquishing control. You're giving up your right to choose, and giving Him lordship over your life. When you surrender, Jesus is in control and you live like Him by His power, not your own.
So which would you rather? Commitment or surrender? If you commit to Jesus, then you have the power. The power to succeed, the power to fail....and ultimately, you're not going to be able to reach his standard on your own. If you surrender to Jesus then the ball is in his court. He calls the shots, he makes the decisions, all you have to do is follow. He will never fail, he will never fall short.....surrendering to Jesus, giving up the power you have over your own life is not only necessary, but it's freeing.
"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1
3/04/2008
A Day in the Life
Hey all!
Not a whole lot going on. I'm just living everyday, working to become more like Jesus....falling down a lot, but occasionally, I take steps forward. Today was one of those "forward" days. It was just awesome. I prayed for others, spent quality time with Jesus, got to encourage some of my friends and roommates. Glory to the Lord.....the good work he has started in me is that much closer to completion.
And.....
I'm having steak for dinner! Yum.
Later.
;-)
-Julie
Not a whole lot going on. I'm just living everyday, working to become more like Jesus....falling down a lot, but occasionally, I take steps forward. Today was one of those "forward" days. It was just awesome. I prayed for others, spent quality time with Jesus, got to encourage some of my friends and roommates. Glory to the Lord.....the good work he has started in me is that much closer to completion.
And.....
I'm having steak for dinner! Yum.
Later.
;-)
-Julie
3/01/2008
Grace and Forgiveness pt. XXVI
Hey guys! Sorry, it's been a while.
We had an amazing weekend. Megan came to stay with me for the audition this weekend! We had a wonderful time.....she loved my roommates (who wouldn't?!?!), and is really interested in Ballet Magnificat, so I guess we'll see what God has in store for her next year.
Okay, I know I talk about this all the time.....but it's constantly on my mind....so bear with me. Do you know what the most amazing words are?
"Paid in full."
Imagine being in debt. Not just a little short on money, I mean bankrupt. You can't work to pay off the debt...it's just too big, and it would take more time, energy and ability then you will ever have. The debt is completely your fault, you are to blame. The penalty for your debt is death. You're on the verge of death, it's looming, and you can't do anything about it. Then, out of nowhere, you receive a notice from your creditors that simply says, "paid in full." You're free. Your debt has been paid! You can start over....you have a brand new life. "It was an unfair deal on the part of Christ. He got my sin, I got eternal life"
Amazing. My debt is paid in full. I am a new creation. I am covered by Jesus' blood. I can stand before the throne of God my King unashamed, because instead of my sin, he sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
We had an amazing weekend. Megan came to stay with me for the audition this weekend! We had a wonderful time.....she loved my roommates (who wouldn't?!?!), and is really interested in Ballet Magnificat, so I guess we'll see what God has in store for her next year.
Okay, I know I talk about this all the time.....but it's constantly on my mind....so bear with me. Do you know what the most amazing words are?
"Paid in full."
Imagine being in debt. Not just a little short on money, I mean bankrupt. You can't work to pay off the debt...it's just too big, and it would take more time, energy and ability then you will ever have. The debt is completely your fault, you are to blame. The penalty for your debt is death. You're on the verge of death, it's looming, and you can't do anything about it. Then, out of nowhere, you receive a notice from your creditors that simply says, "paid in full." You're free. Your debt has been paid! You can start over....you have a brand new life. "It was an unfair deal on the part of Christ. He got my sin, I got eternal life"
Amazing. My debt is paid in full. I am a new creation. I am covered by Jesus' blood. I can stand before the throne of God my King unashamed, because instead of my sin, he sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
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