“And no one else could ever compare
To You, Lord
All the earth together declares …
Glory in the highest … to You, Lord
All the earth will sing Your praise
The moon and stars, the sun and rain
Every nation will proclaim
That You are God and You will reign
Glory, glory hallelujah
Glory, glory to You, Lord
Glory, glory hallelujah
Hallelujah”
~ “Glory in the Higest” Chris Tomlin
as sinful people, i believe that the root of all evil really comes down to pride.
we are just always thinking of ourselves.
however, the one thing that has the power for us to overcome this selfishness is the mystery of love. something so consuming, that we find ourselves living sacrificially, completely putting another’s interests & best over our own..
wow.
love has the power to transform us and make us want to be better.
love never fails.
i see this love in the way my mother constantly lives for her children, so sacrificially, so selflessly…in the way nicholas cage in “the family man” chooses love over being the wealthiest man in the world with all the world success…
…in the way that God is love.
that God transforms us. sacrifices His son for us because of His love. the way that His love compels us to want to live sacrificially and surrenderred to Him. the way His love makes us want to be better, to be more like Him…to know that He has our best interest at heart.
to live our lives knowing we are completely and utterly loved by God is the reason why we were created. yet the blessing that God gives us on earth to allow this love to spur us onto love one another with all that we are..
…is a mystery that i smile upon… and cannot wait to be transformed by it completely.
thank you, God… for love. for being love. for showing us how to love. for a love…that never fails.
sometimes the truths of God speak to me in a deeper way according to the season of life I am in, and the circumstances I am facing…
in this particular time in my life, God’s reminded me of this important truth, that ultimately my identity and my worth is only found in knowing that I am approved by God…
….not seeking the approval of man.
by nature, I confess that I am a people-pleaser and find that I oftentimes don’t realize that I am living for the acceptance and approval of man. If I really think about it, I oftentimes define my own “worth” by who shows me attention, who calls me, who meets my oftentimes “very high” expectations, and that is why i also am so sensitive to how people treat me, how they talk to me, and why I get disappointed in people so easily..
…it’s because i realize that i put way too much of “who i am” in “what people think” and “how they treat me”.
and i realized that living this way … is a little like chasing the wind.
it never satisfies. it never gets you anywhere.
In Galatians 1:10, Paul says, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
I secretly am thankful that living to please others is so unsatisfying. For if it truly filled the void of “needing love and acceptance” than I would never be drawn back to the open arms and heart of my dear sweet Father, who loves me incredibly, unconditionally, and eternally..
think about that. it is God’s design that we can only be satisfied by him. because everything in this world ultimately does not s a t i s f y.
I was reading this article about “the enslavement of seeking man” by Brent Barnett at www.relevantbibleteaching.com.. and wow, it was so awesome to have words truly pierce and convict my heart with truth…
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The Enslavement of Seeking Man’s Approval
It is no mystery that many of us have suffered hurt or rejection in some way during our lives. For some, the hurt has come from those who should have loved us the most and best. Thus, their rejection cuts even deeper, leaving wounds that need to be healed by the unconditional acceptance and love of Christ. Until a person finds his identity and worth solely in who he is in Christ because of His love for him, he will continue to seek his worth elsewhere, typically chasing the approval of others.
It indeed is the natural way of man to constantly seek the approval of others. Teenagers, for example, look to their peers in particular as a means of gauging their own worth. The high school experience is notorious for ranking individuals based upon clique, dress, extracurricular involvement, and smarts. In fact, much of life is based upon performance and rank. Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, said, remarking on life in general, “I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 4:4). Like the futility of chasing the supposed pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, trying to find our worth based upon human rank, performance, or others’ acceptance is never going to satisfy or fulfill the void that rejection and hurt has left in our hearts. It is a striving after wind.
Every labor, activity, and work of man is, in his natural state, based upon competition with others. Women, for example, tend to compete based upon their looks, beauty, and figure. They compete based upon whom they have married and how well or poorly their spouse treats them. They compete based upon how successful their children are in school, sports, or other activities. More recently, they compete by trying to outperform men in what has traditionally been areas only open to men’s competition. There is nothing wrong with a woman playing sports or trying to make a career in business, for example, but it is a striving after the wind if she is trying to do so to make a statement or prove something to the world as a means of validating her own worth. Men, on the other hand, are prone to find their worth in who they are dating, in their status at work, in their bank account, in their athleticism, in their ability to fix things, and in their house, yard, and other possessions. A man is tempted to think that he has made it if he can just outdo some other man in terms of achievement, wealth, or any other kind of competition. Much of this is so ingrained in our ways as men and women that we don’t even have to consciously decide to compete and compare. We do it unceasingly and without even noticing it. We subconsciously chase after the wind, and we have become enslaved to a temptation of the devil. We are trying to find our worth and identity not based in how God values us but in what others think of us. This is why we glorify and even deify sports stars, Hollywood icons, pop artists, and media elites. We constantly live under the illusion of if only I did this, had this, made this, knew so-and-so, became like so-and-so, and got this, then I would get so-and-so’s approval and then I would be happy. Such is like the ridiculous notion of trying to catch the wind. It can never be done, for it is impossible. In fact, it was ordained and designed to fail. Such is supposed to draw us to the only true source of satisfaction, wholeness, healing, and fulfillment which is Jesus Christ. It is all by God’s design.
Why chase the approval of man? Why look to earthly things to fill a void that only Jesus can fill? Why constantly compete to look better than someone else? Someone will always be better at something, more beautiful, or more successful than we are. Rather, we ought to enjoy what God has given us to do and do it to the best of our ability and to God’s glory. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.”
May God work in our hearts to give us hearts wholly devoted to Him, hearts that find their worth and identity in Christ, and hearts that are filled to the max with His joy and satisfaction. Why chase after something that we can never get enough of and that will never satisfy? Let us passionately pursue God Who is eager to let us embrace and enjoy Him. With Him is full satisfaction and rest rather than a constant striving after vanity.
Wrestling with insecurity? Harboring rejection? Choose by faith to break the chains of seeking man’s approval. Anchor your faith today in the unconditional love and acceptance of Christ Who adores all of His children equally and perfectly. Find your worth today in the only One Who is worthy. Don’t wait for somebody to come and boost your self-esteem. Let Christ be your esteem. ”
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TOP 10 REASONS WHY i <3 LEE LEE LEE
10. she is so small, with a very small nose, small teeth, BIG eyes
9. she has a cute little snore when she sleeps
8. she lets me kiss her 10,000 times 
7. she still knows her “pick which hand” trick for her treats
6. she just follows me when i take her for a walk outside and races me back to the apartment (i win!)
5. she gets energetic spurts and plays with me
4. she scratches on my door to come and find me
3. she’s always so precious-looking when she sleeps, especially with her tongue out, when i go find her
2. she lets me mess around with her [like this picture above] and she doesn’t care!
1. i have had her for FIFTEEN YEARS, FOUR MONTHS..
…..she is my very own. she is mine. she is MY baby!
this page is dedicated to my little monster.
::smile::
as i was walking to school today, i realized why i love the sunshine so much…
…it’s because when the sun shines on my face…when the wind blows against my face…when i see the intricate designs of our Lord.. i am reminded of how the Lord gently pursues us with his love.
Divine Romance.
that’s a song by Phil Wickham that I have recently grown to love… as a hopeless romantic, I love thinking about how I am loved by God. The Lord pursues me, adores me, leads me, is faithful to me, wants to spend time with me, gives me words of affirmation…… he calls me his own…
The Lord is My Perfect Gentleman
it is in this divine romance…that i pray we can all be truly captivated…
“The fullness of Your grace is here with me
The richness of Your beauty’s all I see
The brightness of Your glory has arrived
In Your presence God, I’m completely satisfied
For You I sing I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands
To show my love, to show my love”
~Phil Wickham..Divine Romance.
Anastasia is one of my favorite movies. When I was thinking about going home for Christmas this year, I just thought of this song scene, especially at [3:55], when Anastasia is reminiscing about a family that loves her…
I just love families. I love family time. I love the warmth of love, being accepted, being known, being cared for.
I love my family so much. Next Wednesday, I’ll be going home for Christmas and New Year and just know that the time we spend together is so precious, that it means that much more to me. I am looking forward to just quality time. It’s kind of cool, but my family has always been one to just enjoy time spent.
and that’s why I think that God is so awesome. Because He calls us into HIS family. Because of JESUS, we are now all are sons and daughters of the Living God. Because of JESUS, we are redeemed. we are loved. we are saved. we are freed.
As my first real quarter at Fuller is coming to an end, I look back at these past 10 weeks and have been so thankful that God has called me to be here. studying at Fuller. in California. in this place. at this season I see so much purpose in how God works, how He brings all things together for good. He provides me with so much hope and joy. God has truly humbled me this past quarter — I have done really well in my classes, and that’s really all because of God, you know?
I was so excited today because I did really well on my first research paper at Fuller, that I spent at least 20+ hours on, and I just kept thinking, wow, there’s really nothing for me to boast in. every desire of mine, every “talent/skill” I have, is ALL GOD’S…given to me, because He has entrusted them to me. I feel so blessed to think that God is using this time to prepare me… for whatever He has planned for me. All that I’ve learned in my classes, God just asks that I do my BEST with what He’s given me, and He will take care of the rest
and…God always provides! he is SO faithful. he has ALWAYS been faithful. Ashley and I went to go look at an apartment today….and I think we have a winner! we will be putting our deposit down this week, and I think I will be officially moving out at the beginning of February next year
so this week, I am wrapping things up here. I have my last final in Greek on Thursday, and then spending time with friends before I fly out to Atlanta on December 17th Thank you God, for this quarter. for this season. for a time where we can be reminded over and over again that YOU ARE GOD. YOU ARE GOOD. and YOU DESERVE ALL PRAISE.
be joyful always!
DLee.
thought i couldnt live without you
its gonna hurt when it heals to
it’ll all get better in time
eventhough i really love you
im gonna smile cause i deserve to
it’ll all get better in timesince theres no more you and me
its time i let you go so i can be free
and live my life how it should be
no matter how hard it is ill be fine without you
yes i will
At the start
he was there, he was there
In the end,
he’ll be there, he’ll be there
And After all our hands have wrought
He forgives
Oh the Glory of it all is:
he came here
For the rescue of us all
that we may live
for the glory of it all
for the glory of it all
All is lost
find him there, find him there
After night
Dawn is there, Dawn is there
After all falls apart
he repairs he repairs
Oh the Glory of it all is:
he came here
for the rescue of us all
that we may live
for the glory of it all
oh he is here
for redemption from the fall
that we may live
for the glory of it all
oh the glory of it all
the glory of it all
oh the glory of it all
After night
comes the light
dawn is here
dawn is here
it’s a new day
it’s a new day
everything will change
things will never be the same
we will never be the same
we will never be the same
we will never be the same
we will never be the same
Oh, The glory of it all is
you came here
for the rescue of us all
that we may live
for the glory of it all
Oh you are here
with redemption for us all
that we may live
for the glory of it all
for the glory of it all
oh the glory of it all
——-
God is SO beautiful to me. He knows how much I am blessed by this advent season,
celebrating the JOY, PEACE, HOPE and love that we have in our Savior who was born to us this day..
that I woke up this morning..and felt this URGENCY to rush to our school’s chapel service..I left the house in a rush…bed unmade, lee lee hungry, dishes in the sink..and basically booked it over to school…
AND GOD TRULY BLESSED ME THIS MORNING!!
It was Fuller’s Advent/Christmas service and the LAST CHAPEL this quarter!!!! GOD HAS PERFECT TIMING!!!
To sing of God’s love together, to worship and remember Christ our King..and to remember that
HE IS THE LIGHT…
My heart feels so much peace, so much joy, so much love.
I love those God moments..where you know He knows you…knows what makes you smile..
and does it.
Thank you, God. GLORY TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nehemiah Notes
December 1, 2008 | Vol. 12, No. 16
Your Life’s Long-Range Impact
Appreciating the Multiplier Effect–And Enjoying Its Benefits
M. Blaine Smith
A man once took four boots with the soles falling off to a cobbler for repair. The cobbler told him it would take eight nails to reattach each sole. The charge would be $2.00 per nail–a total of $64.00.
When the customer replied that it was outrageous to charge so much for hammering just thirty-two nails, the cobbler offered a different arrangement. “Pay me one penny for the first nail, two for the second, four for the third, eight for the fourth, and so forth,” he said. This sounded like an excellent deal to the customer, so he agreed. But when he came to pick up his boots the next day, he was mortified to find that he owed the cobbler over $20 million. Never in a lifetime could he pay even a small portion of that debt.
I’ve long been intrigued with the geometric progression in mathematics. When you double a small number, then continue doubling the results, you soon have an astronomical figure. The total is indescribably greater than that obtained by arithmetic progression, where you merely add a number to itself a succession of times.
There is value in meditating on the geometric progression, for it deepens our appreciation of how the multiplier effect works in many areas of life. Take God’s influence in history. Time and again Scripture shows that a small beginning, or seemingly insignificant event, had greatly magnified results over time.
What the Christmas Story Teaches Us
This was clearly the case with Christ’s entrance into the world. Only a handful of people had any idea that the birth of a peasant child in the stable of an overcrowded hotel had eternal significance. During the next thirty years, his life had little obvious impact. Then he entered a public ministry that lasted only three years. At the time of his death, it’s estimated that his sincere followers numbered only around 500.
In time, of course, his influence was felt universally. No other individual has so altered history. Billions of lives have been changed and challenged by his. Your own life very possibly has been more affected by his than by any other.
Were a modern public-relations firm to plan Christ’s entrance, their approach would be far different. Newspapers and magazines worldwide would announce his birth in bold headlines. Television and radio would give up-to-date information through satellite transmission, echoed on a major Web site. Vendors would sell many trinkets to celebrate the occasion. Massive media coverage would follow his ministry from beginning to end.
Yet the mass-publicity approach so often produces only an arithmetic effect. A star is born and loved by millions for a time, then quickly forgotten. It seems only a few years ago that my sons were enthralled with the likes of Hannibal Smith, Marty McFly, Daniel LaRusso, and Sledge Hammer. Now help me remember, please, just who were these men? . . .
While God could have used such a method to bring Christ’s influence to bear on the world, he in fact chose a much quieter, subtler approach. Jesus’ ministry succeeded not because of the quantity of his actions,but the quality. Everything was accomplished perfectly. He was born at exactly the right time. While he ministered to a relatively small number of individuals, they were exactly the right ones, touched in exactly the right way. Throughout history the Holy Spirit has continued to apply his influence to exactly the right people, as the circle of his impact has grown larger and larger.
God’s influence on human life should be understood not in arithmetic but geometric terms.
Thinking Broadly About Your Life
This perspective not only deepens our appreciation of God’s influence in the world, but of our own life and the impact we can have. We grow discouraged with ourselves and our accomplishments, so often, because we judge our effectiveness in linear, arithmetic terms. We measure our worth by immediate results we can see–how much money we’ve made during the past year, how quickly we’re advancing in our job, how many important positions we hold, the number of friends we have, how many people we’ve recently won to Christ. God sees our lives in a much more far-reaching way. He’s concerned not nearly as much with immediate results as with the long-range effect of how we live–including our influence on generations after us.
If you’re a parent, consider this statistic. If you raise two children, who by age twenty-five each marry and raise two children, who by age twenty-five each marry and have two more children–by the time this pattern repeats for only ten generations, or 250 years, you’ll be the ancestor of over 1,000 offspring! And they will all in some way be a reflection of you. It may seem hard to appreciate the value of time spent with your children. There are so many other things to do with your time, so many others you can help. Yet given your children’s dependence on you and the respect they have for you, the benefit of time spent with them far exceeds that of most other relationships. If your influence on them is positive, it will be felt for generations to come.
Here Scripture makes one its most extravagant promises. If we teach what we know of God to our “children and to their children after them” (Deut 4:9), we’re assured that God will keep “his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands” (Deut 7:9). The ripple effect of our lives upon future generations is beyond comprehension! It’s to this end that Malachi urges us to take the marriage covenant seriously, for the sake of producing “godly offspring” (Mal 2:14). Time spent building a healthy marriage comes back to us in the effect upon our children, and upon the generations beyond.
The geometric principle also applies to our witnessing for Christ. While we should be alert to every opportunity to tell others about him, in the long run the quality of our interaction with people has far greater impact for the gospel than the number of people to whom we witness.
Some find they can persuade many to accept Christ through an evangelistic method or routine. Evangelistic methods have value in some cases and help some have clearer focus when they share the gospel. Yet when we become too concerned with goals or quotas in witnessing, the conversions that result are often superficial, and don’t hold firm over time. We are usually most effective for Christ when we spendour time building solid relationships with a few people, with whom we share our faith naturally. Conversions that result from such friendships are more often genuine, and prove to be the seed sown in rich soil that Jesus spoke of in the parable of the sower (Mt 13:3-9).
Taking Time to Gain Perspective
It is important for us to think geometrically about our professional life and other roles as well. Over time, it’s the excellence of what we do, rather than the quantity of our output, that makes the greatest impact. While our job may not allow us the luxury of emphasizing quality over quantity, there are often golden opportunities outside of our professional work for doing so, where we can use our best gifts and meet critical needs of people. And with careful long-range planning, we can usually make improvements in our career that help it better reflect our potential for excellence, and allow us a more meaningful opportunity to help others.
This is the time in the calendar year when we’re most inclined to reassess our life and consider new directions we should take. The fact that a new year is about to start inspires us to make resolutions, and the holidays provide many of us leisure to reflect on our life as well. More than anything, let us take time during this season to meditate on the Christmas story, and how it reminds us of God’s concern for quality over quantity. And let us determine that this same spirit will be ours at every point as we follow Christ–that we might enjoy the wonderful benefits of the multiplier effect, and inspire others to do the same.
“The kingdom of God . . . is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade” (Mk 4:30-32).
