rainbows or clouds, faith or feelings 🌩 (1.4)
6 weeks in, 4th regular week: a heart of faith, our bulletin board theme, & more greek :)
Hello hello :) A quick email because I only have an hour again, but this could be considered a continuation, addendum, postscript of sorts(?) to the past email, because I left so many things out in a rush. (Also, my best friend got married this last saturday — so congratulations to Ariel and Freeman!! even though i couldn't be there, i'm so happy for you guys T-T <3) (oh and if you were just added, all past updates are here!)
more on schedule fatigue (a promise, a covenant)
Life might feel like a constant, non-stop rush sometimes, and there might always be some element of chaoticness outwardly, but in the midst of the outward busyness, we can find peace. We can have a response to pray in these moments, to abide constantly with the Lord. (We don't wait for disasters or sufferings to come to pray, but we can learn to abide in the Lord daily and have unceasing fellowship with Him. -Lessons on Prayer)
"Make me one who would pray
Mingled with God as my faith
Always praying and not losing heart
I'd persistently pray,
And through prayer be saved each day,
Not in self but in God fully trusting." (from a hymn, linked at end!)
On top of praying, every day we can also learn to turn our hearts back to the Lord, look away unto Him, and exercise to have a heart of faith to believe in His word (His covenant).
So here’s a short story: in Numbers 13-14, the people of Israel "had an evil heart of unbelief." Their heart was evil because they didn't believe. Even though God had already done so much, bringing them out of Egypt, and promising them this good land that they were to enter and take possession of, the people of Israel took a look at the people who were already living in that land, and thought of themselves as grasshoppers. They were afraid. They totally didn't believe in God and in His covenant (which is even stronger than a promise).
We're like that sometimes. When confronted with situations that seem even just mildly difficult, or when we start feeling like there's no way out, we're tempted to just be afraid. We end up looking at the 'clouds of our convictions, feelings, and environments' more than we believe in God and in His Word. This is why a shift in gaze is necessary—a turn from looking at all of these negative things, to a look at our Savior (Hebrews 12:2, Looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...) When we look away unto Him, He actually becomes our believing ability. Once we turn, we realize—we're such a blessed people: we're under God's covenant, and though these outward things may plague us, we have a verse of promise to meet every situation. God's Word is true.
a peek into greek
Greek is really cool—it's actually a really precise language. While we just have the word 'life' in english, there are 3 words for life in Greek, each referring to a different kind of life (bios, psuche, zoe). Grammatically also, things that are slightly vague in English are clearer in Greek.
Here's one example: In 1 Corinthians 3:9, it says
"for we are God's fellow workers; you are God's cultivated land, God's building."
In trying to find what the emphasis is in this verse, it might be kind of ambiguous. From the context, since the previous verses talk about planting, watering, and growth, we might think that the emphasis is on land. But actually, the grammatical structure of Greek makes it really clear that the emphasis is "of God," because this particular phrase is repeated 3 times, right after each other. This was an important emphasis—to show that it's not because of some really awesome, talented person that we're saved. Our salvation, our being here, is altogether of & because of God.
okey, that's all I have time for today. hope you're doing well!! as always, do let me know what you're up to if you have the time—and thanks for reading :)
much love,
Grace still enjoying grace
p.s. sorry, my numbering will just be confusing forever T_T
bonus content: some short enjoyments & hymns!
Going to intersperse some photos here too heh.
No matter how 'damaged' or broken we may feel, and regardless how much work Satan has done or is still doing, there is one thing that he cannot touch—our spirit. In our realizing this, we need to fan our spirit into flame (2 Timothy 1:6-7). We fan our spirit into flame by opening 3 layers of our being—our mouth, our heart, and our spirit. Though we are often cheated and deceived by the enemy, though we may feel we are this and that, we need to exercise to say that we are strong and declare the facts. We're strong because the Lord gave us a spirit of power, love, and sobermindedness. We can claim this, because this is our portion, allotted to us by God.
jinju & steph, some more of my lovely housemates :) the rest of the hymn above (from the schedule fatigue section) is really sweet but this email would be really long if i copied and pasted, so this is it!
"The Savior can lift every burden, The heavy as well as the light; His strength is made perfect in weakness, In Him there is power and might." (Hymn 534) there are just so many awesome hymns out there that other believers have written — and sometimes they're exactly what we need, just like how there is a verse of promise for every situation. As glorious inheritors, we have so many riches available to us! :)
"Thee I take to all my problems As the full solution now. Live Thyself, Lord Jesus, through me, In all things Thy will be done; I but a transparent vessel To make visible the Son." (Hymn 403)
"Whate'er my circumstances be, Help me in all Thy hand to see, So wilt Thou then be unto me, My all-sufficient Lord." (Hymn 533)
"The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you." 2 Timothy 4:22
if you’re still here—wow, thank you.