Applying Biblical Principles to everyday life

Hello readers! I hope you are having a good school year so far. As I am sitting here writing this I am just glad that this blog post is not getting graded;) And I want to apologize for not getting your guy's comments, I found out they were going to the wrong email. So I will fix that and will respond to your comments.

Ok with all that out of the way I am going to talk about applying biblical principles to everyday life. So you have read the bible, you have your name engraved in the front, and you have highlighted all your favorite verses. Now what?? I think one of the hardest thing to do is put biblical principles into practice. A lot of times we make the excuse that the bible does not apply to use because it was written so long ago. We don't have to love the tax collectors or travel on donkeys and camels to preach the gospel, we are not beaten for praying and Cesar Augustus is only someone we read about in history. The world makes the bible seem like a good story we only read. The bible is Gods breath speaking to us and it is our call as Christians to use our guide book. We first need to realize how important the bible is. Have you ever been so confused and thinking hurt or not understanding  why a hurricane has to kills so many. The bible is our answer book.

Now applying what you read is not that hard once you understand the bible was written for YOU. I have a couple things that help me apply the bible to my everyday life.

1.  Get a email telling me the verse of the day.

2. Reading other Christian blog posts

3. Reading a little of the bible everyday and thinking about it all day

4. Going to a bible study or getting a personal study book

5. Writing a bible story in the modern world

6. Memorizing scriptures

It's really reading the bible and understanding what Gods point is. you will realize that a lot of the stories in the bible you can turn it into a lesson for your life. I hope this will help you put biblical principles into everyday life. And I hope you have a great November!!

P.s. I will be working on 2 new blog posts very soon so stay posted. They will be about Friendships falling apart and Surrendering fully to God.

Intercede for Our Nation!

May this be the prayer of all our hearts.

Dear God,

I'm so sorry that my country, my home land has turned from you and into terrible ungodliness. Please show me how I can play a part in bringing us back to you. It is scary the direction that we are turning with ungodly leaders. No longer are we obeying you and chastising those who do otherwise. Now we applaud evil and promote sin! God, how far we have come from you! Our nation was founded on your holy words and principles. We once were a Christian nation! But alas, no longer! We have come so far away from you it is a wonder that you can forgive us! But I thank you and praise you that you are good and that you still love us even while we are still sinners. Thank you that you sent your perfect son to die for us wicked people so that we could be spared from eternal death and live with you forever. Knowing how it grieves my heart to see how evil America has become, I know that it grieves your's even more. Isaiah 5:20 says, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet  and sweet for bitter!" In 2 Corinthians 7:14 you say that if we humble ourselves before your throne and intercede for our country, that you will heal it. So now, God, I am pleading that you heal America! We call ourselves Christians but yet we praise evil! Please, God. Heal America!





All references are ESV

Job 39:19-25

Well, I found my new favorite Bible verse! It is about . . . what else? Horses! So I figured that this was appropriate to put on this blog. A blog about God and the Bible and Marci and myself. Part of me is my love of horses so I simply had to share this with you! Prepare to fall in love with the horse!

Job 39:19-25 ESV
“Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrifying. He paws in the valley and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons. He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; he does not turn back from the sword. Upon him rattle the quiver, the flashing spear, and the javelin. With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground; he cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet. When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

My horse: Baylie

My horse: Dream

Are you celebrating your TRUE citizenship?

Hello, everyone! May you all have a wonderful day celebrating our freedom. Just as our American freedom was bought by blood and war, so is our Christian liberty. Jesus purchased our freedom from eternal death by pouring out his life in exchange for ours even though he had never done anything wrong! Think of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God, the Creator of the Universe loved us so much, even when we had turned our backs on Him and become evil, that to save us from eternal separation from Him, He sent His only Son to die our death. To free us! And that is the best freedom of all! Although I am truly grateful for my freedom as an American citizen, I am even more thankful for my liberty where my true citizenship is—heaven! Thank you, Jesus, that I am free and forgiven despite my many sins! Thank you that I have my true citizenship in heaven and that you sent your perfect son to give me this freedom from Satan's grasp!

Feedback...

Hello, Readers! Sorry about not posting in such a long time! I have been very busy with my 8th grade graduation party, visiting people, and being involved in a wedding that my Dad is officiating. Anyways, there will be a post on the Forth of July and I hope to start posting a little bit more frequently! And that is where you come in: please leave Marci and me a comment giving us suggestions for posts that you would like to do! Give us specifics, or general ideas—it doesn't matter! I am eager for your suggestions! Thank you!

Remembering the Pain

John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."
Hello, everyone! I would like to share two poems with you written by two fellow bloggers about Memorial Day and the pain. Not to say that we shouldn't have fun on this day to celebrate our freedom, but we should also remember the cost of our freedom. Thank you Jesseca Dawn and Rebekah Eddy for letting me share. I also thought that this verse was fitting for the occasion: 

Jesseca Dawn's poem:

"No greater love"

The bombs are exploding, the smoke is thick

Yet still they press on, retreat they won't

Then suddenly, a soldier turns

for right beside him, he hears a moan

He drops down to the ground, his younger brother lies there.

Then reaches out with the gentlest of care

"We'll go home together, I'll not leave you here."

He doges the explosions as best he can

Before dropping his brother down onto the sand

"You'll be safe here," he looks back and yells

just before he hurries back into the fight.

One year later, the younger brother kneels

beside the grave, where his older brother now lies.

A tear slips from his eyes and rolls down his cheek.

"You saved my life, you gave your all.

You are my hero, the only one I'll ever seek."

He salutes, then stands. He'll go home alone.

Yet a part of him will remain in that battlefield, far, far from home.

And here is the poem from Rebekah Eddy:

This day we take to honor

those who answer freedom’s cry,

Those nameless thousands over sea

who for our lives did die.

Greater love has no one

than laying down his life,

For those he loves the most,

his children, friends, and wife.

Those wives who now are widows,

those kids who lost their dad.

Those ones who lost a brother

and friends that they once had.

Jesus did the same thing,

when he came down to earth,

Becoming man while still our God

through his humble birth.

He also gave His precious life

and saved the human race,

By giving us a chance to live

 and one day see His face.

Those ones across the ocean,

those ones across the sea,

They show what Jesus gave

when he died for you and me.

15 Minutes

What fills your days? School? TV? Texting? Games? Email? Blogging? Sports? How much time do you spend on each of these subjects in one day? And how much of your day does God get? Do you give Him some time each day praying and reading the Bible? Do you give Him 5 minutes a day? Super, He loves to hear from you! What about 10? Even better! 15 minutes? More? Now, compared to how much time other activities take up, does God get that much of your time? I am not criticizing any of these activities; I believe that there is a time and a place for each one. My question is, does God get some of your time?

Ideally, Christians should be in a constant conversation with God. "God, can I do this?" "Sure." "God, can I go to that party?" "No." "God, can I check my email and write up a blog post now?" "Okay." "God, thanks for this food!" "You're welcome!" "God, I'm ready and still to just listen for you." "Thank you."

God is a part of our every minute. You can breathe, read, see, and your body is reproducing cells every second. God is always there, but do we give Him time to just speak with us? God should be a part of every minute of our life. We are constantly having to make choices, and do we make those alone, or with His help? Psalm 1 says "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked . . . but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." Not only should we be talking to Him, but we should set aside some time each day to read the Bible. Some might read it before bed, while others might study it in the morning. The important thing is not the time of day, it is simply getting into the Word and asking Him what He wants to show you. Maybe He will have you start reading the Bible cover-to-cover. Maybe He will point out a specific passage to you. Ask Him. Talk with Him. Study His Word. Obey Him. Give Him a part of your day. Start by just giving Him 15 minutes. Right now.

How Should a Christian Act in Hardship?

Here is a post that a friend of mine, Rebekah Eddy, did on her blog, Rebekah's Remarks. Thanks for letting me share this touching post about loss and what it means as a Christian!

Sometimes God does things we don't understand as humans. Things that make us ask "why?" When the sun is shining and everyone is happy, it's easy for Christians to heave sighs of contentment and say, "God is in control." But when the storm clouds roll in, covering the sun and pouring sorrow, pain, and loss down on us, our true faith is tested. Suddenly we begin praying more, reading our Bible, asking others to pray for us. Songs and verses we've sung or read all our life take on whole new meanings when we see them in a completely different light. Just a few days ago, one of my [Rebekah's] Christian friends who had just found out in April that she was pregnant, went into her doctor for an ultrasound and had her worst fears revealed: the precious life she had been wanting so badly to bring into this world had been taken to heaven instead. There was no baby, no heartbeat. When I heard about this happening, my first reaction was anger, and I immediately asked God "why?". I demanded answers for thousands of other questions which also stormed through my mind. By taking that precious life before it came into our world, He had thrown not only the young parents-to-be into deep sorrow, but also the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and church family. Wouldn't it have been so easy for Him to let it live and keep everyone happy? But we don't understand. God is God, and He knows best, even when we think WE do. He IS in control, no matter what the circumstances. Despite the sorrow, the anger, the tears...God knew what He was doing, and He did it (believe it or not) for our best. But even when we know this-even when we understand that we can never comprehend God, and that He always knows best-it doesn't mean we don't feel the hurt, the pain that accompanies such a loss. We still cry, we still ask "why?" But there is an answer to why God allows pain and sorrow into our life: it brings us closer to Him. The trails we go through can make us better Christians if we let it, and it helps us help others when they go through the same loss we did. . . . God is in control. He loves us no matter what. He knows what He's doing, even if we don't. Whatever He does is for our best.

Thank you, Rebekah, for listening to the Spirit's voice to post this! I know that many will be touched by it! We need to always remember that God is in control and He knows what is best for us even though it may not seem like it at the time. He loves us so much—we are His masterpiece! Even in the hard times, in the loss, in the pain, He is there. He is Emmanuel—God with us. In those times of trial, remember this and trust Him. Let your light shine through the darkness to all those who do not have Jesus to climb to. 






Note: Check out this link for a chance to win in a giveaway: http://crazygodgirls.blogspot.com

Faith

Faith is hard. I mean believing in something you cannot see or feel is difficult. Even air and gravity you can at least feel. But you can't see any of those things. Still we know they are there. At first we believe what others tell us and eventually experience them for ourselves. If that is so then why do so many Christians struggle with faith of God. Mostly they say I don't see God or I don't feel him. For years and years we hear that he is real but sooner or later we give up. That is it... we give up. We need to look for Him ourselves. Rarely do we find something we are searching for without looking for it. Once you start looking you will realize he is there and has been there all the time. The devil does try to hide God. And most of the time God doesn't show himself with big flashes of light or world storms. He does through small miracles and will talk to you if you are listening. And just like air or gravity we may not see him directly but we can see his work. We can breath and last I checked I can't float to space. Other people might not want to find faith because they have seen the worlds pain and mistakes, blaming God. That is just a result of sin. I love God-sightings, little things we notice God did. They could be seeing a rainbow to having someone healed. Soon you will see God so often doubting seems silly. Many people don't have faith just because they have never looked for it. Think of your best friend. If you fell would they catch you? Probably. It's not just Faith here, its also trust. Do you trust God? That he is there, that he will take care you, that he will catch you.. Not even friends are perfect but God is. Have you even tested Him. Have you ever tried to see Him. God wants to know him but if you don't believe fully it is hard. As I said before faith is  hard but if you don't try you will never know. All you have to do is try!

By,

Marci

About Me

Hello,

 A couple of months ago Bethany asked me to write a post about me. Unfortunately I have not gotten around to it or any others until now. I have been crazy, busy over the last couple months and I can't wait for summer. But here it is, hope you like it and more posts will be coming soon...

So I am going to tell you a little about myself so you can relate to me and Bethany more. It is probably going to be a lot, but anyway I am 14 going on 15 in a little less than a month. Being the oldest of 3 kids my parents are learning how to cope with a teenager And I am learning how to cope as a teenager. I am homeschooled which I love. When I am not doing school I am either drawing, reading or writing. Currently I am writing a novel which is coming along slowly but I think it's turning out great.  On the drawing level I am a artist. I tried just about every kind of Art there is. But having stuck with pastel, graphite and computer graphics keeps me busy. I love Manga but it's not my best art. My dream job is working for Disney as a animator. Amazingly that dream is becoming reality. I also love music. I play acoustic, electric and bass guitar and want to learn drums and piano. Archery is also another pass time.  

As for my personality, people say I am shy but only until you get to know me. I am a personality geek and love trying to figure people out. I am a INFJ on the Myer Briggs personality test. I am an Introvert but a lot of people get introverts wrong. No I do not lock myself in a room for days:) I DO need to recharge after a long day though. I am very much inside my head and a daydreamer. When I was younger I knew something about me was different and now I know I am the rarest kind of personality out there. My moral is different is good. Be yourself God made you this way for a reason.

I think that's about it I hope that this blog will help you become closer to God and put him first over everything else.

 By, Marci

Fun Facts about me...

My favorite color is purple and number is 13, I live on a small farm with lots of animals,  Favorite subject in school is Art, I am half Middle eastern, My full name is Marciella, I love Owl City.

Love With Care

I got permission to post this poem from a friend named Amy with the blog Living in Faith and Fun. I thought that this was so important that it should be shared with the world!

Love With Care

by
Amy

The cry of a bird,
A happy or sad word.
A day full of strife,
So the cry of the heart pierces like a knife.
Be careful heart, be careful who you love,
For some will promise, turn, and fly above.

But harden your heart not,
Remember, love cannot be bought.
Love as Jesus did,
And of compassion, don't be rid.

Hate people not,
For your love may be all they've got

Isn't that last line so powerful? Good job, Amy and thanks for letting me post this so that others may benefit from your reminder!

Wait on the Lord.

In my school, I was writing something with one of Charles Spurgeon's devotionals called, "Wait on the Lord" based off of Psalm 27:14. I thought about how important this is. . .but how hard it is at the same time! I wondered if you might be blessed by it.

"Wait on the Lord" (Psalm 27:14)

by

Charles Spurgeon

It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God's warriors than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not what part to take. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption? No, but simply wait. Wait in prayer, however. Call upon God, and spread the case before Him; tell Him your difficulty, and plead His promise of aid. In dilemmas between one duty and another, it is sweet to be humble as a child, and wait with simplicity of soul upon the Lord. It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own folly, and are heartily willing to be guided by the will of God. But wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in Him; for unfaithful, untrusting waiting, is but an insult to the Lord. Believe that if He keep you tarrying even till midnight, yet He will come at the right time; the vision shall come and shall not tarry. Wait in quiet patience, not rebelling because you are under the affliction, but blessing your God for it. Never murmur against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses; never wish you could go back to the world again, but accept the case as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will, into the hand of your covenant God, saying, "Now, Lord, not my will, but Thine be done. I know not what to do; I am brought to extremities, but I will wait until Thou shalt cleave the floods, or drive back my foes. I will wait, if Thou keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon Thee alone, O God, and my spirit waiteth for Thee in the full conviction that Thou wilt yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower."

By,
Bethany

Live Your Life to the Fullest!

How might you do that? Well, to begin, live each day to the fullest. I believe that it is important to do this. You don't want to be on your deathbed looking over your life and thinking how much time you wasted, how many days could have been spent doing something that will have eternal value, how many foolish arguments you got into. What will matter? When your life ends, you will go either to heaven (I hope and pray that's where you will go) or hell. Both places are just as real. One place is perfect, forever with the One who made you. The other will be a torturous place separated from anything good. So, it is important to live each day to the fullest. Strive to honor God and do what he commands in His word. How do you know what he wants you to do? Simple. Read the Bible. Just like when you buy a new I-phone or a kitchen appliance they come with an instruction manual, the Christian walk comes with one too. The Bible, God's holy words. In it is everything that we need to know to live how He wants us to. Live each day to the fullest. Don't argue over foolish things or let selfishness rule you. Honor God. He loves you and want you to love him back. Will you? So, live each day to the fullest as you honor and love God.

By,
Bethany