Matthew 8:14-34

What really struck me as I was reading was verses 14-15.  Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law; she then immediately gets up and serves everyone.  Would I do that?  I really don't think so.  I'm so lazy--I spend so much time wasting time, rather than forcing myself to do things--and I haven't spent nearly enough time serving people lately.  I think that if that'd been me I would've just laid there, thinking about how I was just sick and needed to rest.  Ick.  Please give me an opportunity to serve someone today, Lord, and please help me to not pass the opportunity by.

Love God with everything you are.

Emotions

Emotions aren't always bad.  God gave us emotions, and He wants us to accept them, to deal with them--not to ignore them, to squelch them away.  But God also don't want us to be ruled by our emotions, to let them affect how we act.

Matthew 4

Matthew 4:1-11

Jesus' temptation in the desert.  If only temptation was always so clear.  Were You tempted?  Shomehow that insinuating tone reminded me of when i've been tempted--and unlike You, I don't always resist.  Don't ever try to, sometimes.  But You were tempted and never, ever gave in--so You can help us resist, and know what we're going thrue.  And was this the only time You resisted temptation?  I rather doubt it.  There's temptation every day, everywhere.  The devil is good at his game.

What was it like, growing up as You?  Did You always know You were the son of God?  If not, when did You find out, and how?  But when You were 12, You were teaching at the temple, so You must have been pretty young.  Did You have any friends?  Did You have to learn things like carpentry and the words of the Old Testament, or did You just know them?  Did You ever feel just unbearably different and lonely?

Matthew 4:23-25

You're healing people.  My first thouight was, 'Iwish it was really that easy.  Especialy to heal problems of the sould, not of the body."  But it can be--You can do anything, You just don't always choose to.  Where would be be if You always just did everything for us?  Not sure that came out right--You do help us with everything, after all, since we can't do it on our own--but if You did everything for us with a snap of Your fingers we'd never learn anything, never have to make choices.  Do I really believe that, or am I just saying it because I think it's the right answer?  I don't know, but I do know that right now, I am glad You don't do everything for me, even if I also wish for You healing for my many, many problems.

Decision

This faith is a decision, a decision made over and over and over, of small, small decisions.  Do I pray for five more minutes?  Do I pick up that bottle? Do I follow that still small voice?

Lately I've been making those decisions wrongly.  Slowly, slowly, it's built up, until all of a sudden listening to God isn't quite as important as it was to me one week ago, two weeks ago.  It's so, so easy to take the easy way, to focus on the wrong things.  Following God is not easy, and we have to guard against making wrong choices, especially small ones that don't seem so wrong to us.

But most of all, we need to rely on God.  He knows the future, what's best for you, what you're doing wrong.  He will help you choose the right path the more difficulty path, and he will help you overcome every difficulty you encounter.

Meh

Today just did not go well.  I just complained about everything, didn't do anything productive, thought mean things about people.  I feel like today was such a waste.  Lord, please help me to enjoy everything I do tomorrow, to give me true joy, to give me the patience to be kind to everyone.

Worry

A few days ago, I just could not sleep for worrying.  There was just so much that needed to be done--homework for three separate, intensive classes, an independent project, work on the church Advent play, group activities, keeping in contact with friends and family.  And then there's next semester to worry about--will my work-study position work out, the classes I'm taking, registration, plus clubs, not knowing where I'm living.  The worries kept whirling and whirling and growing inside my head.
Finally I turned the light on--I obviously wasn't going to get to sleep anytime soon.  I felt God whispering to me, to write in my journal, to pour it all out to Him.  So I did, I wrote about every single thing that was worrying me, and as I did, I felt His peace and comfort come over me.  Everything would work out; God was and is in control.