December

Well, it's the end of the year- can you believe it? The end of the semester has rivaled the beginning in terms of busyness. I thought I would recap and fill you in. My December is broken down into four parts:

Part one: The end of my first semester at FSU.

It's hard to believe a whole semester has passed by! We have been so busy! Our Bible study concluded in summarizing what we learned and what impacted us each the most. It was really awesome to hear how the girls grew in their heart for God's word. I asked the girls to write down what they're taking away this semester from our study, and here is what Denise wrote:

“I’ve learned a lot about spending time alone with God. It’s helped me to start spending time reading the Bible and talking to God about anything.”

How exciting to labor with the Lord on campus to see these young women grow!

Our last event together was the Christmas party, and it was quite an event indeed! We had over 75 people over to our house for snacks, the Christmas story, and a White Elephant gift exchange. It was a blast! Lots of delicious food! Deb shared from the gospel of John the Christmas story. Some of you might be thinking, John doesn't include that story. Well, Deb helped us see that he does!

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it...The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
John 1:1-5, 9-12, 14

Jesus, the Word of God in flesh, came to communicate (as words do) to us who God is. We see here that Jesus has always been, from the beginning before creation, and it was through him that all things were made. John explains here that he brought two things: light and life. He is light in a very dark world, bringing to us life abundant and life eternal. So in this it's important to realize that God, who is limitless, not confined to space or time, made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness (Philippians 2:5-11). He chose to confine himself in time and space, to a human body, prone to sin and decay (yet he was without sin). And what's wild to think about is that he didn't begin as a baby, but as a fetus! You can't get much smaller or weaker than that! But He chose to make himself nothing, out of deep love for us.

Sadly, as he came into the world, his own did not recognize him. In fact, they hated, opposed, beat, and crucified him. Yet all along he knew this would be, and he chose to come anyway. Wow. And the good news is that for those who do receive him, we are blessed to be called His children. How amazing.

So the Word became flesh, and Mary was instructed to name him Jesus, because he would save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21); Immanuel, which means "God with us" (Matthew 1:23, fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14). He made his dwelling among us, no longer a distant God, hard to relate to and understand. A man? Yeah, I think we can all relate to that. Now that's a new perspective on the Christmas story, one to rejoice over and celebrate this Christmas! God is with us. Amen.


Part two: Back to Ft. Myers.

After things on campus were wrapped up, I headed back down to Ft. Myers to meet my brother there to work on things at my mom's house. I've explained before how much I hate going there. Mostly because it's so painful and depressing; it's like ripping open a wound again. We spent 5 long, hard, grueling days at the house. What's more, the water isn't working. No clean water. No showers. No toilet. Perfect.

But I experienced the grace of God in that house. He provided. We didn't go hungry, we had a place to shower (thanks Mr. and Mrs. Sutkowy!) and a place to sleep, and we got a lot of work done. We mostly concentrated on sifting through everything we could find. We sorted and packed up books; went through every cabinet, throwing tons of half-used products away, saving what was useful; went through basically everything we've owned, trying to decide what's worth keeping; found every receipt, every check, every tax document my mom kept (the earliest dating all the way back to 1989!) and enjoyed a warm burn pile; packed up boxes; made a couple trips to goodwill; cleaned up the garage; worked on the car left behind; and discovered and saved many forgotten treasures. We must have had nearly two dozen bags of trash by the time we left.

Once we finished our work at the house, we rented a truck and hauled all the treasures we couldn't part with up to Tallahassee. It's hard to explain how strange it is to fit your whole childhood memories, every piece left of someone you love and miss so much, into a single closet. I know it sounds crazy, but choosing what to save and what to let go was like saying goodbye to my mom over and over again. It was incredibly difficult.

But God's word was my saving grace. He pressed three passages from Luke on my heart the entire time we were there:

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Luke 5:1-11

When Jesus called his disciples to follow him, he encouraged them not to be afraid. It's hard and scary to let go of things. Our things, our family and loved ones, our past usually bring us comfort. Jesus was calling them to follow him, which meant they had to leave all these things behind. But he said, "Don't be afraid." He was calling them to something so much greater- to go after the souls of men! For that, they trusted him and left everything, their whole lives, behind.

The next passage is this:

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

"When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere."
Luke 9:1-6

So first he called them, then he began training them, and now he sends them out. Again, we see a sacrifice is required. He commands them to take nothing for the journey. No money. No food. No clothes. They had no place to call home. He was calling them to step out in faith and trust him to provide everything they needed. And as we continue to read on in the gospel and the New Testament, we see that he does. I know the circumstances are different, but the principle is the same. Things slow us down; we don't needed them. Eventually, everything is going to be destroyed. What we need to be doing is trusting the Lord to provide, storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven where moths and rust do not destroy, where thieves cannot steal (Matthew 6:20).

The final passage is this:

The Cost of Being a Disciple

"Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? ³⁵ It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

Luke 14: 25-35

If anything is of value, it comes with a cost. And that includes following Jesus. There are three things in this passage that Jesus says are required, or we cannot be his disciple (not that he won't let us, but that it's impossible):

1. Love him more than anyone, even family (verse 26)
2.Carry our cross and follow him (verse 27)
3. Be ready and willing to give up everything we have (verse 33)

All of these requirements call for us to trust him. One point of note here is that we have a cross to bear. This doesn't just mean that we must deny ourselves, but also that we each are given a specific cross to bear. This produces experience from which we are able to more effectively minister to others in similar circumstances. The Greek word "Hupomone" means "to remain under." Most of the time, I want so badly to leave all of this behind, escape, and start anew. But God's plan's include Hupomone, to remain under, to endure suffering. It's difficult, but it's here we experience the grace of God.

So the whole time in Ft. Myers I experienced that, constantly reminded of these verses, and heard over and over again "Trust me, Victoria. Don't be afraid. You don't need these things, you need only me."

Part three: Summit II.

We left Ft. Myers on a Thursday, spent the night in Tallahassee, and then the next afternoon I traveled to Orlando in order to fly out to Colorado Springs for Navigator Staff Training. It was a quick and emotional turn around. But boy was I excited for something good. I LOVE the Glen and I LOVE my fellow EDGErs! It was so refreshing to be in one of the most beautiful places on earth for a week, receiving training, spending time in God's word, and catching up with so many great friends. Some of the workshops we had included Asking Questions, the New Testament, and the Life of a Missionary. Some highlights: a dinner murder mystery, a huge snowball fight, a day in Manitou Springs, a dance party, games by the fire, exploring the castle, meeting with Cynthia from PRT, seeing REAL snowflakes for the first time, and a winter hike up to Dawson's grave. Oh, what good times. I didn't want to leave. But I had somewhere else wonderful to travel to! From Colorado I flew to Washington to spend Christmas with my brother and Heidi.



Part four: Washington.

This part is unfinished, because I'm still here! And loving it! I arrived Friday night, we drove from Seattle to Anacortes, and then the next morning they had a surprise for me. All I knew was that I had to pack an overnight bag. We left on an adventure, drove through the Cascade mountains, and arrived in Leavenworth, WA. This Bavarian town has a Christmas light festival every year, and it was so beautiful! There was so much to see and do: delicious food, Christmas shopping, sledding, carols, an old bookstore, and the lighting of the whole town! Somehow, the snow had perfect timing: it started once we arrived and made the festival that much more beautiful. It was a great way to start the visit.

Once back in Anacortes, we found a Christmas tree, brought it home, and decorated it. She's a gorgeous tree. And we had a couple days to finish our Christmas shopping. My brother and I headed into town in his VW Bus; now that was a blast! He loves this thing, and it was so fun to ride with him, receiving glances, and getting compliments from strangers. More than that, it was just great to spend the day with him :) We took our Christmas photo, wrote out our Christmas cards, and wrapped presents.

So far, it's been very busy but good. The past two days have included camping out at Starbucks, getting a lot of much needed work done, and getting ahead for next semester. Christmas hasn't even arrived, but I don't want to leave! Stay tuned for more updates! And thanks for reading :)

Oh, how He loves!

Every time this song comes on Pandora, I have to stop and listen. It causes me to praise God, how he loves us with a sort of love we would never understand apart from him. My heart jumps inside me as it longs for that day heaven meets earth! The Lord grabs my heart through the lyrics, and I just want to share it with you. Take a moment to stop and listen, and praise God.

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

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way

What Makes a House a Home

In all my life I never thought I would be living in a house with 8 people. I grew up with an older brother, but he moved out when I was only in 8th grade. After that, it was just me and my mom until I went off to college and shared a tiny dorm room with a different girl for 4 years on campus. Then I moved into an apartment with 4 other girls, hoping to experience community that I'd heard about from friends or read about in Acts. Unfortunately, it just didn't happen.

When I was told that I would be living with 7 roommates (two of whom are my bosses!), I was nervous. I am definitely an introvert, being recharged by time alone and reflection, so the thought of not only sharing a room with someone else (and for a while it looked like there was going to be 4 of us in one room!), but knowing that there would almost always be someone home, didn't really excite me. In fact, I wasn't looking forward to it.

But one thing I have been learning in this season is how awesome and full of surprises the Lord is! His plans are so far beyond mine, sometimes I wonder why I even bother planning at all! Living in a community of people who are loving, encouraging, uplifting, and genuinely interested and concerned for you is so amazing. I love each of my roommates so much! Honestly, it's been so encouraging to gain a better understanding of what the author was writing about in Acts about the early church:

"All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
~Acts 2:44-47

We share just about everything! From food to bills, living space to chores, having everything in common actually is a learning experience in humility, service, love and grace. We all left so much behind for this. Taking 8 people and all their things and putting them together in one house, there were many sacrifices we each had to make, but I don't regret it for a second. What I have gained is so much greater. We share stories, encourage each other when we're struggling, hold one another accountable, and give hugs when they're needed! One of my favorite things is when we somehow all manage to gather around the table together for a meal. With such busy and conflicting schedules, it really is a special time! I can speak from my own experience, it sure does make my heart glad and sincere and obviously causes me to praise God and enjoy these people!

Even closer still is my roommate, Lauren. Oh what a blessing it has been to share a room with her. I have never loved having a roommate before, but I do now! It's honestly weird when she's not home. I can't fall asleep! We share life, secrets, and funny stories. I have lost count of all the times we have almost died from laughing so hard! And we are so similar it's crazy how God has brought us together. We're both introverts, so at night it's just comforting to know she's on the bunk below me, reading as well. Or to encourage one another when we're believing lies about ourselves. Or on our days off, to have someone else with whom to indulge in my guilty pleasure: ice cream and America's Next Top Model :) I love her!

So what makes a house a home? I haven't felt this way in a long time, and it is so refreshing. I think above all else, what makes a house a place you can call home is that you look forward to walking in the door, knowing that you are about to walk into an environment of love and support. I have that here, and I am so thankful for it.

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!

Ministry of Reconciliation

A couple weeks ago as I was reading through Romans, the concept of reconciliation had been on my heart (now I'm beginning to understand why), so I spent my extawG reading about it. So what exactly is reconciliation?

Reconciliation: "to make oneself or another no longer opposed; to become friendly with someone after estrangement or to re-establish friendly relations between; to settle a quarrel or difference; to make two apparently conflicting things compatible or consistent with each other; to bring together again."

I kept seeing it come up in the Scripture God was bringing me to, especially as we studied Genesis 1-3 as a staff team, I saw our desperate need to be reconciled to God. So let's go back to the beginning. These first three chapters of Genesis paint the picture of who God is, his desire for relationship with us, man's freedom to choose, Satan's craftiness, man's disobedience, and the entrance of sin and separation from God.

It wasn't meant to be this way! God created all that is good, and he created man for a relationship with Himself. In his love, he created man with the freedom to choose, for what kind of love forces or controls? He gave us the ability to choose to love him in return. But when man chose not to listen to God, to disobey his command, he chose not to love God:"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me." John 14:21

With this choice, our relationship with God forever changed. Sin entered and separated us from an intimate relationship with our Creator. Instead of becoming like God (Satan's lie- Genesis 3:5), we became unlike him: sinful and unholy. There was a sudden and obvious difference, thus creating a need for reconciliation.

It is there in the Garden this drama begins to unfold. All along God knew this would happen if he created man with the freedom to choose. But because he is loving, he did. And because of this great love, he made a way to restore our relationship to reconcile us to him. We had no power to make right this union, so he took it upon himself to do it- that's how much he desires us! Again, this thought hits me: Perhaps God created us just so he could save us! So how was this done? How was reconciliation between God and man made possible? We were in opposition with God; his enemies. We needed a neutral party, a mediator to help us make right this special relationship. Enter Christ:

"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time."
~I Timothy 2:3-6

So we now have a third party, neutral, both God and man, to bring reconciliation. And I find myself still in Romans 5, where Paul writes about this. We see in I Timothy 2:3 that God desires all men to be saved; and it is through Christ this is made possible.

"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."
~Romans 5:9-11

So what does this say? We were God's enemies, in opposition with him because of our sin, but there has been reconciliation through Christ's sacrifice: his death. What's more than this, not only is our relationship with God set right again, we are saved because he lives to intercede for us!

"Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."
~Hebrews 7:25

We can now rejoice because we have been forgiven, justified, saved and reconciled! Praise the Lord! On top of that, it doesn't end here- the drama continues! Once we ourselves have been reconciled to God, we are called to join with him in helping others find reconciliation through Jesus as well. Paul writes of this Ministry of Reconciliation in II Corinthians 5. He begins:

"Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men."
~II Corinthians 5:11

We have our testimony, which is powerful ("They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" Revelation 12:11), to help convince others of their need for reconciliation, and the Mediator who makes it possible. Christ's love compels us (II Corinthians 5:14) to share. God chooses men to join with him in this ministry. Wow. What a ministry! This awaits on campus! Oh how I love these freshmen girls! This ministry is a gift. Paul writes,

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God."
~II Corinthians 5:18-20

So God has given this ministry to us! He calls us to join with him to tell others that he has done all that is necessary to reconcile the whole world, all men, to himself- through Christ. Our sins are not held against us; they are forgiven. We are messengers, Christ's ambassadors, his representatives. God is making his appeal through us, as if to say, "Look what I've done! Look how I have changed this life, how I have set our relationship right. I can do that with you too, if you'd let me." It is our ministry to share this, but it is God's to change hearts.

Paul concludes this thought:

"As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation"

~II Corinthians 6:1-2

I love that God considers me his fellow worker. What he has been at work doing since before the creation of the world, man, even time, he invites me, all of us, to join in to help others accept this reconciliation, this favor, this salvation. Because it is now! Today is the day of salvation! Be reconciled to God.

Reconciliation doesn't end here either. I've also begun to see that this is God's desire for all relationships! He intends all relationships to be made right. Relationships only bring glory to him when there is peace, when they have been reconciled. That I am still processing. Stay tuned.

Prayers Please!

Hey all! Just a quick prayer request! All of the Florida Nav girls (and Valdosta State!) are heading to Gainesville for a Woman's Retreat this weekend :) Pray for:

• A safe trip

• Quality conversations (especially in the car!)

• Deep and meaningful experiences for the students

• A hunger to grow in relationship with God and for his Word
  
  
  

Thanks so much!! I'll have an update on the weekend posted soon!

Hope does not disappoint

A few more words from Paul from my reading through Romans:

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
~Romans 5:1-5

Conclusion: Justification, peace, grace, and joy through faith Christ!

Also,

suffering --> perseverance --> character --> hope

And hope does not disappoint! "Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed." ~Isaiah 49:23

That's all for tonight. It's been a long week, and another long one awaits. I will post more updates soon!

Justified

I've been reading through Romans in my personal time in the Word. It has been so rich! Every time I open up, I am blown away by the treasures to discover. I spent some time reading Romans 3 last week, and here is what I've found. Every sentence is packed with Truth helping to further explain and understand the Gospel. One thing that has been so refreshing is reflecting on an important aspect of God's character: He is just.

It is easy to gloss over this attribute, but never should it be diminished! I am struck by God's work in sending Christ as an atoning sacrifice. I know this is the very essence of our faith in Christ, but I pray it always strikes a cord with me, that I never grow numb to it. God is the only one who has the right and the place to judge, because he himself is without flaw and cannot be judged. And because he is just, he will judge. I try and imagine a world in which God is not just, and that is a world I never wish to experience. If this were the case, God would be unpredictable, unfair, and untrustworthy. But because he is just, we can trust that he will give what is deserved.

With this in mind, we have great need, for what do we deserve? According to Romans 6:23, because of our sins, we have earned death:

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

But because of Christ's atonement, God sees us as righteous! Not just as "not guilty," which basically means we break even; but Christ's righteousness has been credited to us! So when God looks upon us in judgment he doesn't see us as guilty, nor does he see us as not guilty: he sees us as righteous!

"But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world?"
(Romans 3:5-6)

How amazing that my unrighteousness points out God's righteousness. It's like comparing black and white: white is more vibrant the darker it is compared to. If this is true, then of course he is just in bringing his wrath in order to bring justice for our sins. The only thing that keeps us from experiencing that wrath is Christ standing between us, for a couple of reasons: To take our sins upon himself, to give us in turn his righteousness, and to absorb God's wrath (all of which has already been displayed on the cross).

So, if Christ stands between us, that means that God looks at me through Christ, and so he sees His righteousness, which covers me completely, instead of my sin, which Christ traded with me on the cross in the greatest exchange ever:

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
( 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Paul continues in his letter to the Romans to explain:

"But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."
(Romans 3:21-26)

I love how it is phrased here "through faith in his blood," that we would believe that Christ's sacrifice of his life- the shedding of his blood- would free us, if only we believe that this is what spares us from God's wrath and justifies our sin. Because of Christ, I never have to experience God's wrath. He has absorbed my sin, and therefore God's wrath, and I only receive Christ's righteousness instead! I am justified freely by his grace. I have done nothing to deserve this- it's free! This is how God's justice is demonstrated: through Christ. The firstborn son was often given as a sacrifice for the sins of the family, and God did this by sending his very own Son as a sacrifice. He demonstrates his justice by not holding back his wrath from the son whom he loves. It is this very wrath that I deserve and was rightly mine, that Christ took upon himself.

I later read this in a book:

"The Son of God dropped to the dirt in an olive grove- Gethsemane- and vomited in his soul at the prospect before him. Eleven men who would later change world history- some accustomed to working all night on their fishing boats- could not keep awake for the scene. Yet sixty feet away their eternal destinies were being fought over. Except for the heaving of these shoulders that bore the weight of the world, nothing could be seen in that shadowy spot where the Son of God groaned. But the bleachers of heaven filled to capacity that night- and hell strained its neck to see how the spectacle in that lonely acre would end. The Father gazed down and gave his sober nod. The Son stared back, and bowed his acceptance."
-Joni Eareckson Tada, Steve Estes

Wow.

I kept reading on in Romans. Not only is God just, he is the one who has justified us- and this justification comes freely through faith in Christ, in the grace shown in his redemption. It was through this scene that he has demonstrated his great act of justice. I began to digest another part of this: the law versus faith:

"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God."
(Romans 3:19)

So the law was originally for God's people, the Jews, those who are under the law, but then the end of this verse shows that Jews as well as Gentiles (all non-Jews) are held accountable. Paul goes on:

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
(Romans 3:20)

So it is not through the law that we are saved- no one can obey the law perfectly. We do not, therefore, become righteous by observing the law. So what then is the law good for? To make us aware of our sin and our need for a Savior! Paul writes,

"What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law."
(Romans 7:7)

The law defines what sin is and points the finger at us. Essentially, we are condemned through the law. Paul writes later,

"For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit."
(Romans 8:3-4)

And so here we see the comparison, the turning point. The law is good, because it points out our sin, but it is powerless to do anything about it, to remove it or save us from the consequences (Romans 6:23). In fact, the law is weakened because of our sin. So even though the law had no power to save us from our sins and an eternity separated from God, the Lord himself took care of this weakness by sending Christ as a sacrifice of atonement (Romans 3:25). In doing so, sin was condemned, but not man! This was done so that the requirements for righteousness might be met in us. For now, sin is condemned within us, we have been credited Christ's righteousness, and are therefore declared righteous by very nature. Wow. That's the sound of my mind being blown away.

"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law."
(Romans 3:28)

There is a distinction here. We are justified by faith, that much has already been made clear, but this is apart from observing the law. They are separate. We are justified by faith in Christ, not in the law. So what then? Is the law, the Old Testament as a whole, made obsolete because of Christ's work and God's new covenant with us given in the New Testament? Not at all! Paul goes on:

"since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law."
(Romans 3:30-31)

There is so much said here! First, there is only one God (speaking in address to the fact that God is God of Jews and Gentiles alike). This then infers that God is God of the law (circumcised) and also of faith (uncircumcised). The Jews have not been justified through this law, but through their faith in Christ. So Jews and Gentiles have the same faith if it is indeed in the forgiveness of their sins through Christ's sacrifice, and it is through this faith that God justifies us. Paul begs the question, is the law nullified by this faith? No. Quite the opposite actually. It is through our faith that the righteous requirements of the law are satisfied (Romans 8:3-4)! We uphold the law through our faith in Christ who imputed to us the righteousness he displayed in living a life that met all the requirements of the law. So much to take in...

So these are just some of the discoveries I am making in Romans, and this is only the beginning! I love that because God is just, I am justified. He is not only just, but He is the one who justifies. Praise God and Amen!

Into the Word

This week marks the 5th night of Bible study for the semester. Each week around 7 or 8 girls show up in the first floor lobby of Kellum Hall to study God's word together with us! It has seriously been a blast and the highlight of my week!

We are going through a Foundations study, which takes a look at what it means to be a Christian through different topics, such as making Christ the center of your life, memorizing scripture, finding our satisfaction in the Lord, our identity in Christ, and other disciplines like reading the Bible, praying, fellowship, and sharing the gospel with others. So far, the girls have really enjoyed the study and a core group of 7 girls continue to get time in God's word each week and then join us to discuss their findings.

These girls are an answer to prayer. I have so enjoyed getting time together with them over the past 5 weeks, both as a group and individually one-on-one. Last night we discussed our identity now that we are "in" Christ. We started the night by simply drawing a picture of ourselves along with all the things that we think define us. The pictures reflected friends, family, faith, hobbies, school pride, hopes, and desires. We shared why these things define us which led right into our study on identity. We focused most of our discussion on three passages of Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-5, Titus 3:3-7, and Colossians 1:21-23. In each of these passages we talked about how they each start off with the reality of what life was like apart from Christ, and then the good news comes at the end! Take a look at Titus 3:3-7:

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

Wow. I remember what life was like apart from Christ, and I never want to return to those days. I don't want to be foolish, making mistakes, or disobedient, choosing to do wrong, or deceived, being led astray by others, or enslaved to sin as I once was. What freedom we have in Christ! And what a joy it was to discuss the hope that we have for eternal life with this group of girls! It was so great to hear the girls' thoughts on the fact that it was not anything that we have done to deserve forgiveness of sins but it is only by his great mercy.

My favorite thing to talk about with students is the gospel, and that was basically all we talked about last night! I am so thankful for our Bible study and what God is doing in each of these young woman's life. Pray for them! Pray that they would continue to grow in a love for God and for studying his word. These girls have been faithful to come out each week and share their discoveries; pray that the hunger and faithfulness grows deeper!

I had one girl share with me: "You all are so sweet. I am so thankful I found this group of girls I can relate to and share with." I am amazed at how well our group has meshed together, even though we are all very different. A couple of girls have checked out the study once, pray that they return. My heart is so for these young women, and I know God is doing a great work in their lives and will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1:6).

It has also been a blessing to live life among these girls. We get dinner together once a week, we've had fun eating fondue, painting our nails and watching a movie, and cheered on Florida State at a tailgate. I honestly have to ask myself sometimes, "Has God really blessed me this much that I get to invest in the lives of the next generation of leaders and laborers? How am I so fortunate to know these young women and share life with them, lead them in studying God's word, and helping them discover how to have a deeper and more personal relationship with the lover and creator of their souls?" Praise God. That's all I can say :)