Mustard Seeds

These are some of the pictures from my flight from Moline, IL to Minneapolis, Minn.  I was just sad that I didn't have a window seat on the flight to Washington.  I love how you can see the squares of the farms. :) I also like how you can see the shadows of the clouds below. And I most enjoy how beautiful the fluffy clouds are the God has given us. In God, Emily

So today, for the first time, I am taking a huge step of independence and flying by myself. And I am going to admit, it's a bit nerve racking to take that step. And right now I feel like I want to cry, but I think I will be okay. In just have to believe that God will not leave me in this time that I feel like I so desperately need Someone. "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8 In God, Emily

  . This morning I was really convicted when I read my devotional. Like I said before, I have been asking God to speak to me through His Word. So as I opened up my devotional this morning and began reading, I felt conviction about what I was reading. Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 reads, " Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless." (NLT) Although the first part of this passage is powerful, it is the second part that convicted me. Verse 10 says, "So refuse to worry and keep your body healthy." First of all, I worry about everything. Things that I have no reason or cause to worry about, I do. I worry. I know that the bible tells us that we have no reason to worry and that we shouldn't but this is something I ...

So last night as I was praying, I asked God to speak to me as I read His Word. I started reading, and the second verse I read was Job 38:2.  It says, "Who is this that darkens the counsel by words without knowledge?" And it hit me. How many times do I open my mouth to try to help someone out and give them some advise without even knowing what is going on or what the best thing to do would be? Why do I feel the need to always give my opinion, even if I am unsure of what to do.  My guess is that I do this because I want to be heard. I want to be thought of as wise. I want to build my flesh up, not build Jesus up.  I do this because I am sinful. I mess up. I talk when I shouldn't. I interrupt people. I am loud and overbearing.  God shows us in this verse that we should not speak without knowledge.  So this is definitely something I need to work on a lot in my own life. And I challenge you, that if you struggle with this as well, to think before...

We wait for so many things in this life. We wait for birthdays, Christmas, driver's licenses, high school graduation, college graduation, marriage, kids, retirement. As Christians, there is another very important event that we hope and wait for: The return of Christ Jesus our Lord.  One part of Scripture that tells us about His return is Acts 1 (we will focus on verses 1-14). Verse 11 specifically tells us that Jesus will return in the same way He left.  Acts 1:10-11 - "And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.'" While we wait, God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us. When we become Christians, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us, to lead us and guide us through life here on earth. To be baptized with the Holy Spirit (verse 5...

In prayer, we want a lot of things. James 4 tells us that there are two reasons why we don't always get what we want. 1. We do not ask God, therefore we do not receive those things that we want. (verse 2) 2. We ask for the wrong reasons. We ask God for things that we want, but we do not want these things for the right reasons. We want things for our own pleasure, not to bring honor and glory to God. (verse 3) This shows that God keeps His promises that He will hear and answer our prayers. There are many places in Scripture where God tells us that He hears and answers our prayers. 1 John 5:14 - "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us." Matthew 7:7,11 - "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you... If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to thos...

"And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward." 2 Kings 19:30 We are called to take root downward. This is making sure that we are grounded in Christ Jesus.  Also, we are called to bear fruit upwards. This is showing the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of righteousness.  The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We are called to practice these every day of our lives. We are to show these to the people around us, to be an example to the people around us that do not know Christ's love and God's grace. Just something to think about. And I have to throw this in for a friend...Jesus is awesome! And so true it is. Thanks for reading. In God, Emily