Meditate on His Laws

Scripture memorization. Not my strong suit.

Typically, I can remember parts of verses but have no clue where in the Bible it is from. Which is fine but I want to be able to remember full the verse and where it is in the Bible. 

Thus, the newest addition to my to-do list: scripture memorization. 

To make it a little more fun and enjoyable, I decided to make the verses God led me to chose for this week look cute. This way I will enjoy looking at it, so I will read it more, and reading it more should lead to memorizing it. Easy peasy! 

Instead of keeping this to myself, I am sharing it here so maybe you can get some enjoyment out of it also. Feel free to print it out, like I did, and hang it up somewhere you will frequently see it (like the fridge, the bathroom mirror, or next to your computer). 

Let me know if you tried it and if works for you! 

JLin uses the NIV (New International Version) translation for scripture memorization. 

P.S. Does anyone else find it fitting that the verses God led me to memorize this week are about meditating on his law day and night? 

Life in Death

My dad died six years ago and I still don’t like to talk about it. 

One month before it happened, my husband and I had moved across the country. Five days before “the call,” my husband deployed; leaving me to fly with an one and a two year-old by myself.

Yet, I was happy when my dad died.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want him to be gone and I was mournful but at the same time I was happy. My father had been suffering with sickness for years and I knew he was Saved (meaning he accepted Jesus as His Lord and Savior). I could be happy within that great sadness because I knew my father moved to a place where there is no more suffering, no more tears, and no more pain (Revelation 21:4). 

I remember sitting in the front row of his funeral, crying quietly, unable to focus. I kept thinking, “I can’t do this. I have to leave. I can’t do this,” while trying to focus on simply breathing. But guess what? I made it through. I survived and soon I would learn how to thrive.

You see, the whole painful experience pushed me closer to Jesus. I had believed in God for as I long as I could remember but I hadn’t learned how to apply His teachings to my life. After the funeral, when I made it back cross-country with my young children, I realized I needed to find a church. I didn’t just want to get closer to God, I knew I needed to. 

I found a women’s Bible study and joined partway into Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I remember praying and thanking God for bringing me there and pushing me to go (because I needed that push). From that moment on, God lit a spark in my heart. I started attending Bible studies, became involved in church, and started living out His word (to the best of my ability!). 

God took a bad situation and He turned it around to use for my good. God had been calling me closer to Him for years but I let things get in my way to prevent it. This made me spiritually dead because of my disobedience (Ephesians 1:18). Then my dad died and I was forced to rely on God. By showing me how to access the Holy Spirit and how to hear from Him, God used this situation to put breath into me and made me live again (Ezekiel 37:5).

I don’t like talking about my dad’s death because I don’t like to remember all that sadness. So instead of focusing on that hurt, I am choosing to look at all the good that came out of it. Just like in Romans 8:28, I know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. He took my dad’s death and used it to push me to Him and bring me to life. 

Today, God is pushing me out of my comfort zone—I didn’t want to start a blog. Obviously, I obeyed God and started JLin writes. I took my own advice from “I’m a Little Gideon” and took a step of faith to get out of the boat. God called me and I am answering, “Here I am Lord, send me!”  

God Makes It Grow

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I'm a Little Gideon

Hi, I’m JLin and I’m a little Gideon. 

If you know anything about that Bible story it’s not exactly a compliment. In Judges 6, Gideon questions God five times before he does what God is asking him to do. I like this story because I don’t think Gideon was doubtful because he didn’t think God could do it. . .he was doubtful because he didn’t think he could do it. He came from the weakest tribe of Manasseh AND he was the least in his entire family; but in the end he trusted God and he went with the strength he had and he was victorious. 

Which brings us back to me. I’m a little Gideon, I believe God will do what He says He will. . .it’s just sometimes I have a hard time believing he wants to use me to do it. 

I choose to do a Bible study on Evangelism and it challenged me. Reaching out to people who are not saved is a big part of Evangelism but I also feel it is very important to love on those who already believe as well. In Matthew Chapter 5 verses 14 to 16 it says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Notice it does not say, “let your light shine only before unbelievers.” No, you are the light of the world—that’s everyone.

But why do we need to be a light for believers? As Christians, we go through “deserts” in our lives, dry seasons. This is where we struggle and maybe have a hard time keeping our eyes on Jesus instead of the waves of turmoil in our life. In Matthew chapter 14, Jesus is walking on the water during a raging storm and Peter asks if he can go to him. Jesus called him out of the boat onto the water. Peter kept his eyes on Jesus and he actually walked on water! But what happened when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus? And noticed the wind and the waves? He started to sink. But then he called out to Jesus and immediately Jesus pulled Peter back up. Even, believers need help sometimes. 

God has called me to write encouragement cards and so far, most of my cards have been sent to women who I know follow Jesus; but maybe they are going through a desert I don’t know about. A lot of prayer goes into this.

I have written 19 of these cards so far this year and not one of them has been the same but it is a complete test of faith each and every time. As I’m writing I’ll doubt and ask questions like, “God, I haven’t really spoken to her lately, are you sure I’m not going to sound like a creepy stalker by saying how awesome I think she is?”

I’m a little Gideon! Since starting these cards, He has given me lots of confirmations to encourage me I am in His will and doing exactly what He has called me to do. I have gotten these confirmations both through His Word and from some of the women I’ve sent the cards too.

Now, there are still times when I don’t feel qualified to do God’s will but He is incredibly patient and gently encourages me. 

So if you are at a point right now, where you think God maybe might possibly be asking you to do something and you are thinking, “God, I can’t do that.” I’m here to encourage you that “yes you can!” Deuteronomy 31:8 tells us, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Nothing surprises God. If you still aren’t positive God is calling you, be like Gideon!  It’s okay to ask for confirmation and it’s okay to ask for it more than once! 

If you only remember one thing from what I say today remember this: *God loves you, He knows you and he still wants to use you.* There are certain people on earth that only you can reach, of course it is only by God’s grace that anyone is saved, but he uses us to plant the seeds that he will grow, just like in 1 Corinthians 3:6 when Paul says, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” God has included us in His plan.

God has called me—and you are reading this so I think he’s calling you too—to be the salt and light of this world. His city on the hill. So what are you waiting for?

Get out of the boat, keep your eyes on Jesus, and shine bright, my friends. 

~This post has been adapted from it's original format. JLin wrote this as a speech for a women's Bible study group on April 16th, 2015. She has slightly changed the wording so it makes sense for this online audience. 

JLin writes

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