God is still Faithful in our lack of Trust

Yes, his anger rose against Israel, for they did not believe God or trust him to care for them. But he commanded the skies to open; he opened the doors of heaven. He rained down manna for them to eat; he gave them bread from heaven. They ate the food of angels! God gave them all they could hold. He released the east wind in the heavens and guided the south wind by his mighty power. He rained the east wind in the heavens and guided the south wind by his mighty power. He rained down meat as thick as dust– birds as plentiful as the sand on the seashore! He caused the birds to fall within their camp and all around their tents. The people ate their fill. He gave them what they craved.
        -Psalm 78: 21c-29 [NLT]

Reflection
As I was reading this passage earlier today I nearly cried. How many times do we KNOW that God can do miraculous things and take us out of all our troubles but just can't seem to TRUST that will do it. God is our wonderful father and maker so of course he would take care of us. Not putting our trust in God makes him angry because after everything that he does we still can't see past our human limitations or the devil's rose-colored glasses and know God is far greater than anything we could possibly think of.

What stood out to me was that even though God was so angry with Israel because they didn't put their trust in him, He still gave them all they needed to survive the wilderness. When they were thirsty He had water pour out of a rock. When they were hungry He opened the skies and had food fall to them. He gave them enough to the point they were full, and yet they still didn't trust God.

The world is our wilderness and we have to walk through it each and everyday but God is giving us all we need to survive. No matter who hurt us or the guilt we may feel, God loves us so much that he doesn't unleash his total anger because he remembers that we are mortal and our mortality is rooted in sin (Psalm 78:38-39). His love for us runs so deep that he himself died for us. He laid his life and took on our humiliation. He allowed himself to be mutilated. He allowed himself to be spit on and cursed. The pain he felt while on earth is nothing compared to the love that drove him.

Reflection Song
Artist: Flyleaf
Song: Circle

-:- PeaceLoveHarmony -:-

Birthday Prayer

"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you..." Lord I thank you for this new year of life you have granted me. I thank you for being so wonderful and loving me despite all my failures. You are truly a wonderful maker and I pray my life is a testimony of that! Love you dad!! <3

Jeremiah 1:5 [NLT]

Just As Hate

I am currently in the process of reading 1 John. 1 John 3: 15 really spoke to me.

Hating your brothers and sisters means you are a murderer and being a murderer means you have no eternal life within you. One step further, hate doesn't just mean to have an intense dislike for someone or something, but hate can also include ill feelings no matter how big or small they are.

Any ill feelings toward anyone in the body of Christ, and also those who are living in the world, will lead you to have a sense of superiority. They may be struggling in some aspect of their life but instead of you helping them find their way, you are just there thinking how much better you are for resisting. By not helping you are spiritually killing them because how can they enter God's kingdom if they are constantly living in sin and don't know how to get out?

How can you truly be humble, like Christ was humble, if you think you are better. Though Jesus was perfect and we were born sinners, he is always kind and humble to us and always putting us first. Jesus has made the direct link to us and his father, be we must act as the link between the world and Christ. But in order to be the link we must be like Christ and have no harsh or ill feelings and hatred in our hearts.

-:- PeaceLoveHarmony -:-

Scripture
1 John 3: 15 (NLT)

Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them.

God's Laughing

I think God is laughing at me at this very moment! He's showing himself in the little things, especially today. I know he's telling me: "If you find joy in the little things you ask for and I give, how much more joy can you get from obeying me and getting the big things without even asking?" And it's true. All we have to do is stay diligent in our readings and spending time with him. Being in his presence is enough, but he's always topping our expectations, and that is one reason why he is so wonderful.

-:- PeaceLoveHarmony -:-

Scripture
Philippians 4: 6-7 (NLT)

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

He is Jealous

[You are] jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of [Your] wind and mercy
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
I realize just how beautiful you are
And how great your affections are for me

Artist: Kim Walker
Song: He Loves Us


The first line alone should be enough to have us on the ground. Think about it. He is jealous.... for us? How could someone so mighty be jealous for someone so insignificant? He is wonderful for even creating us let alone loving us when all we do is wrong.

Tonight this verse actually clicked with me, with the help of my Praise Team Director. Because God is jealous for us he doesn't want us to make anything in our lives more important than him. Just as fast as he gave us everything we have he can take them away! The job, house, friends, money, family, education. All of it can be gone before you're done blinking. You and your friends may become distant or your loved ones may die. Everything in your life can come crashing down all at one time and you have no idea why nor what to do next. It's all to show you that no matter how hard you try nothing in life is safe from destruction except for you relationship with him. We're stubborn and sometimes have to learn things the hard way, but I believe that God doesn't allow for what he knows we can't handle. That's the great thing about having an omnipotent father! He knows everything about us even when we have no clue.

God's jealousy show's how much he loves us. His jealousy is holy and pure and nothing like the jealousy mankind has for other's. The jealous nature of God comes from his love for us and the desire he has for us to make the right choice to trust and love him just as he first loved us unconditionally without us doing a thing. God loves us because he is jealous, and is jealous because he loves us.

Because God loves us so much we have to try our best in order to please him by not allowing anything Earthly (Spiritually, or Emotionally) come between us. God should come first in all that we do. I know that it's hard sometimes to put God first in everything but nothing in life is more important than he is. He is so great and all he really wants from us is to let him into our lives and have a special home in our hearts.

My challenge for me and anyone else reading is to let God come first. We always, at least I do, seem to push him back when life gets hectic but it should be the opposite. We need to want him more during those times because without him how do we expect to get through all the stress and frustrations? In whatever way you praise God, do it. Give Him the praise He deserves in your daily lives in all that you do.

-:- PeaceLoveHarmony -:-

Childlike Faith

Last week was my spring break and I spent it at home with my family. My mother told me a story about when I was a child:

During a few of my elementary years I would go home with the niece or cousin of a family friend because my mother was working when I would get out of school. I would spend the afternoon at her house until my mother was ready to pick me up. Out of the blue the girls mother just kicked me out and told me to walk home because she claimed my mother was home. Till this day I still do not know what possessed this woman to kick out a 6 year and make her walk home alone. I don't remember how I felt at the time but I can guess I was very confused because I kind of recall walking back and forth. She had her daughter walk me as far as their street corner, but I still had to walk 5 - 10 minutes in order to get home.

When I got home I told my mother what had happened. She was so concerned for me, but with my oh so innocent eyes I looked up at her and said "I wasn't afraid because God was with me."

This morning I read Psalm 16 and I paused on verse 8:

"I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me."

I just thought about those two sentences and quickly remembered the story my mother told me. That one-sentence I gave my mother many years ago left my heart as I started to get older. I knew that God has always been with me and I knew that to be true at an early age. But then I grew up. I got caught up. Deep down I always felt this but never really acted like it was true. At age 6 I should have been in a ball crying but I wasn't. I knew that I was being watched over. But as I grew up I believed less with my actions and would cry or be afraid when there was no need to be because God was with me. I have a big brother keeping me safe and being protective and I have a father who will do anything for me as long as it is what is needed in my life. I remember that now and am trying to get back to that childlike faith and back it up with me actions.

-:- PeaceLoveHarmony -:-

Passage
Psalm 16 (NLT)

Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge
I said to the Lord, "You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you."
The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them!
Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods. I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood or even speak the names of their gods.

Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine
The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!

I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.
I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

An Attitude of Christ

This being the first ever entry for Sapfire Letters, I feel like it would be appropriate to start off with the concept of having a Christ-like attitude. Some of us don't know what that really means but Philippians 2 sums it up perfectly. I read this passage this past month and loved it, but I feel as if God was telling me to look deeper into it because it came up during bible study tonight.

Having an attitude of Christ means that we don't just care about ourselves or even just our family and friends. We should care about the people we don't know. Whether it is a stranger you are passing by on your way to the mall, care for and love them. A simple smile of acknowledgment could be the very thing that makes someone's day go from bad to good.

Even though Jesus was God, he thought of God as being greater than himself. And that is how we must think. We are not supposed to feel as though we are better than anyone, in fact verse 3 tells us to think of others as being better than ourselves. That doesn't mean to think you are worthless because we all have value in God's eyes. I think its the way God spoke to Paul as to how we remain humble. If we believe we are better than others then we may soon believe we are too well off to need God in our lives. But that is so far from the truth, because without God we are nothing! Without God we absolutely truly SUCK!!! Just look at the world. Everywhere you turn you hear about another child who was molested, another woman struck or even killed by her husband or boyfriend, or even another young man who was gunned down because he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Humbling ourselves means that we live in obedience with God's plan for us. A slave cannot lead his master, for it is the master who feeds the slave. God is our master and provides all that we need and all he ask for is that we obey him. If we had really known all that God has done for us then in a heartbeat we would fall to our knees. But for the fact that we aren't as humble as we think we are this isn't the case.

Knowing and understanding that God is above us, He will bless us with much more than we have.

-:- PeaceLoveHarmony -:-

Passage
Philippians 2: 1-11 (NLT)

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with eat other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.