(1) Why do nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? (2) The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. (3) "Let us break their chains" they say, "and throw off their fetters." (4) The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. (5) Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, (6) "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill." (7) I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me :You are my Son; today I have become your Father. (8) Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possessions. (9) You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." (10) Therefore, you kings, be wise;be warned, you rulers of the earth. (11) Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. (12) Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Starting with verse 1. the word conspire, according to my Bible (and NIV, or New International Version) is Hebrew, actually a word used for rage.
May I be honest? Well, I'm going to be. I took this passage and I read through it, I typed it, I read it again and now I am only feeling anything at all for the ending. Verses 11-12. I don't have a strong faith, I will admit that right now, but these two verses are saying something to me, speaking on a bit more of a personal level and that is what I am going to write on.
Verse 11:: Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
This verse is underlined in my Bible, though I don't recall ever underlining it. This verse is saying to me that I do need to be scared, I should be trembling and afraid because I live under an awesome and powerful God who HATES sin and I sin every day, every second of my life is consumed by sin. I want to serve God, but I always wanted to serve God and be 100% confident that I am pleasing Him and that I am doing the right thing and I guess this is telling me that I won't always be 100% confident because serving Him is going to be hard and I'm going to be scared and I will tremble and fear will consume me because I live in a world of sin and I am sin and I know that, but I also know that I am a child of God and He will never give me more than I can handle. I know I'm not making much sense, but this is the best I can describe this verse in my own words and in relation to my life right now.
Verse 12:: Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
So I love this verse for its dark turned light aspect. The first part of this verse is saying that anyone who crosses Christ will be taken down because He is the Son of God and He will not be messed with nor will He be put down. He will strike you where you stand! Then the verse turns around and tells us that everyone who seeks Him out and takes refuge in Him will be blessed, safe from His wrath. Don't stray from His side, keep close to Him and you'll have nothing to fear. It is such a stark contrast to the previous verse where we see that we must serve the Lord with fear and trembling, even though He will bless us for seeking refuge in Him, it is confusing and enlightening all at once and perhaps I bit off more than I can chew at the moment, but this all does make sense in my head.
I'm surrently very sick and have been missing quite a bit of class because of it and I feel like everything is caving in around me but after going through this I almost feel as if my panic is silly because God will take care of it if I just seek Him out. So, sorry this wasn't as Verse by Verse as I'd like it to be, but I haven't posted in so long that most of you won't even care. Have a great week everyone and leave your own thoughts about this in the comments below. Thank you!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Sexual Purity
I was at church today and my pastor was talking a lot about sexual purity. For those of you who don't know, I attend a great church in Fresno California called Campus Bible Church, the pastor there is an awesome Italian guy and he is super funny, really great. Anyways, so he was talking about sexual purity and how it isn't just the physical actions that make us pure, it is our thoughts and in every movement. It just got me thinking a lot more about how I see guys and how guys must see me, you know? I mean, I'm not exactly one to dress super modest, but he said that if any man looks lustfully at a woman then he has commited adultry in his heart (scriputrally found in Matthew 15:19). I mean, I never liked the thought that guys might actually undress me with their eyes, even thinking about it kinda makes me uncomfortable to be honest with you, but anyways!! I just really started thinking about how I dress and how it could effect the guys around me. I mean, if I choose the low cut top for when I hang out with my guy friends in place of the regular T....does that really make a big difference? More clevage, boob exposure, whatever you wanna call it.......I never really thought about it before. And shorts, it gets super hot here and shorts are a must have for any closet, but does length really matter?
Well..that's just kind of what has been going through my head, leave your questions or comments below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible, okay?
Well..that's just kind of what has been going through my head, leave your questions or comments below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible, okay?
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Psalms 1
Psalms 1:1-6
(1) Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners; (2) but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. (3) He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yeilds its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (4) The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. (5) Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; (6) for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
I actually got a lot more out of this passage than I thought that I would, which is surprising because normally I read through something and am like "wait..what did I just read?" and I can't remember anything about it, but this time I got a lot the first go through.
The author is talking about Christians, saved people, he refers to them as blessed. He is saying that their interactions with nonbelievers should be limited because the people you hang out with are the ones who can most influence you. Believers shouldn't walk in their ways or stand among them or sit among them, I know that my friends who I see the most often, they are the ones whom I most reflect. I spend a lot of time with my boyfriend and my mother tells me all the time that have moments where I mimik him.
The passage goes on to say that these blessed people should meditate on Gods word, His law, day and night. That means that they know the scriptures, they are constantly in a state of thinking about God and His plans and what He has in store for them and their loved ones. They are doing things to help out others who are in need and he calls them trees planted by streams of water. He says that they bear fruit in their season and their leaves don't wither, so because of God, they are healthy and strong.
The wicked, or non believers as the case may be, are not so fortunate. They are blown away in the wind, so they cannot stand tall, they are weak and will perish. Their ways will not last.
It is scary for me to think that I might be like these wicked people, driven away, tossed aside, unable to stand with the blessed. I like to believe that I am a blessed person, my life has been fairly easy, and that is part of what frightens me. I know that when things are going good, something is bound to go wrong. I am one of those people who just waits for something bad to happen. That last verse really hit home with me, because it says that the Lord knows..He actually knows the path of the righteous. I feel as though that is meant for more than just a basic understand, more like an intemate knowlege of every little thing that each righteous person is going through, has gone through, and wil go through. The gave me chills because it might just be my own interpretation, but that sounds pretty intemate to me.It's almost scary..but then he goes on the say that the way of the wicked will perish. destroyed. gone. That really scares me. If i am wicked and my way will perish then what becomes of me? The only answer i can come p with is that i will perish as well. So...what then? if the wicked perish and the blessed are known by the Lord..I'd rather be known by a God than perish. Just saying.
That's a lot and there is a lot that I didn't add in, too. I know I probably contradicted myself and left out a bunch of really major points, but that is why there is a comment box here you can talk to me about what you think. Ask me questions or tell me anything, I'll do my best to answer any questions and reply to all comments. Thanks everyone. Oh! I promise these posts will get better, more organised and less..well, spazzy and frantic and flustered. Okay? Good. See you next time!! :D
(1) Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners; (2) but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. (3) He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yeilds its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (4) The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. (5) Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; (6) for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
I actually got a lot more out of this passage than I thought that I would, which is surprising because normally I read through something and am like "wait..what did I just read?" and I can't remember anything about it, but this time I got a lot the first go through.
The author is talking about Christians, saved people, he refers to them as blessed. He is saying that their interactions with nonbelievers should be limited because the people you hang out with are the ones who can most influence you. Believers shouldn't walk in their ways or stand among them or sit among them, I know that my friends who I see the most often, they are the ones whom I most reflect. I spend a lot of time with my boyfriend and my mother tells me all the time that have moments where I mimik him.
The passage goes on to say that these blessed people should meditate on Gods word, His law, day and night. That means that they know the scriptures, they are constantly in a state of thinking about God and His plans and what He has in store for them and their loved ones. They are doing things to help out others who are in need and he calls them trees planted by streams of water. He says that they bear fruit in their season and their leaves don't wither, so because of God, they are healthy and strong.
The wicked, or non believers as the case may be, are not so fortunate. They are blown away in the wind, so they cannot stand tall, they are weak and will perish. Their ways will not last.
It is scary for me to think that I might be like these wicked people, driven away, tossed aside, unable to stand with the blessed. I like to believe that I am a blessed person, my life has been fairly easy, and that is part of what frightens me. I know that when things are going good, something is bound to go wrong. I am one of those people who just waits for something bad to happen. That last verse really hit home with me, because it says that the Lord knows..He actually knows the path of the righteous. I feel as though that is meant for more than just a basic understand, more like an intemate knowlege of every little thing that each righteous person is going through, has gone through, and wil go through. The gave me chills because it might just be my own interpretation, but that sounds pretty intemate to me.It's almost scary..but then he goes on the say that the way of the wicked will perish. destroyed. gone. That really scares me. If i am wicked and my way will perish then what becomes of me? The only answer i can come p with is that i will perish as well. So...what then? if the wicked perish and the blessed are known by the Lord..I'd rather be known by a God than perish. Just saying.
That's a lot and there is a lot that I didn't add in, too. I know I probably contradicted myself and left out a bunch of really major points, but that is why there is a comment box here you can talk to me about what you think. Ask me questions or tell me anything, I'll do my best to answer any questions and reply to all comments. Thanks everyone. Oh! I promise these posts will get better, more organised and less..well, spazzy and frantic and flustered. Okay? Good. See you next time!! :D
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
The First Step of a Long Journey
Hello, I'm Riku and I feel like I should be totally honest with you guys and start off by saying that I was born into and raised by a very conservative Christian house. My family is well known in our church. I, however, am not exactly the Christian daughter they were looking for. I am not entirely sure what I believe, I know that there is a God. There must be. Nothing in this world truely makes sense if God is out of the picture. I am honestly afraid of reading the Bible because I feel like it really is the truth. The truth is painful, and unavoidable, so I guess this is going to be more of a diary than a blog. I just want you all to know that everything I say on here is the truth. Everything is entirely my own opinion and my own thoughts and I will most likely contradict myself a million times. Please feel free to comment and ask questions and engage me if you want.
This blog is going to be about me and what I read and what I think about what I read. The Bible I am going to be using is an ESV (English Standard Version). Please understand me when I say that I am not at all a scholar when it comes to the Bible, in fact, I know very little about it. This is going to be a learning process, so please bear with me as I work my way through this.
I am starting in Psalms, not sure where to go after that, probably to Proverbs and then...well, I guess that is all part of the journey, figuring out where to go next. I have a system in mind for my entries, but I'm not going to try and explain it since it will most likely change as I blog and figure out how to arrange everything haha so keep reading and leave comments below!
This blog is going to be about me and what I read and what I think about what I read. The Bible I am going to be using is an ESV (English Standard Version). Please understand me when I say that I am not at all a scholar when it comes to the Bible, in fact, I know very little about it. This is going to be a learning process, so please bear with me as I work my way through this.
I am starting in Psalms, not sure where to go after that, probably to Proverbs and then...well, I guess that is all part of the journey, figuring out where to go next. I have a system in mind for my entries, but I'm not going to try and explain it since it will most likely change as I blog and figure out how to arrange everything haha so keep reading and leave comments below!
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