Lost in Joy

Do you ever get shocked by joy?  Just for no reason and all of a sudden?

I Do. I get lost in joy.

Not for any apparent reason other than the fact that I am a son of God!

I would be driving and hear, “I’m so proud of you.”

Or walking and hear, “You make me so happy.” 

Or horribly mess up and hear, “I will always love you.”

 

I’m asking God for one thing,
    only one thing:
To live with him in his house
    my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate his beauty;
    I’ll study at his feet.

                   -Psalm 27:4 Msg

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Having a Father that sees no labels…I love that!

Status, wealth, or fame doesn’t matter to Him…I love that!

He is Great and wants you to sit with Him…I love that!

I love this:

He lifts the poor from the dust
    and the needy from the garbage dump.
 He sets them among princes,
    even the princes of his own people! (Psalm 113:7-8 NLT)

BE TAKEN BY THE FATHER OF LOVE! 

^1-3 Hallelujah!
You who serve God, praise God!
    Just to speak his name is praise!
Just to remember God is a blessing—
    now and tomorrow and always.
From east to west, from dawn to dusk,
    keep lifting all your praises to God!

^4-9 God is higher than anything and anyone,
    outshining everything you can see in the skies.
Who can compare with God, our God,
    so majestically enthroned,
Surveying his magnificent
    heavens and earth?
He picks up the poor from out of the dirt,
    rescues the wretched who’ve been thrown out with the trash,
Seats them among the honored guests,
    a place of honor among the brightest and best.
He gives childless couples a family,
    gives them joy as the parents of children.
Hallelujah!

                 -Psalm 113 MSG

Vanity

Since I lost my iPhone, I’m using this old phone that’s a piece of junk.

But this piece of junk was one of the greatest phones a few years back. This piece of junk used to have the same amount of hype as todays latest iPhone.

Eight years ago we would have never guessed that this phone would ever get outdated, we thought it was the greatest invention at the time.

Today, this, what used to be the highest selling phone on the market, is the biggest piece of junk ever. It belongs in a high-speed blender. And then dumped into a urinal.

We treasure things, and then, it turns into junk.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” –Matthew 6:19-21

Then I was reminded with the words of one of the greatest and wealthiest king to walk this earth:

“Vanity, Vanity, All is Vanity,” King Solomon.

 

What is really important and what is not?

Earthly treasures today will be junk tomorrow.
Only one thing is eternal.

 

I lost my phone and I know why.

 

 

So a little while back, I started blogging again… It was about spending time with God while having the biggest distraction turned off.

That distraction was my iPhone. 

But, I’ve been lagging lately and haven’t been writing or spending the usual hour and fifteen minutes with God, which is the same amount of time an average person uses their iPhone in one day….

So today I lost that iPhone and I know why…

I have a water proof case for my iPhone, so I was taking some shots of surfers pulling into the barrel when I got slammed by a wave.  The strap ripped off my wrist and my heart sank. WHERES MY IPHONE!?!

I franticly searched everywhere. but it was goners.

And then God reminded me of my blog, “I thought you said you were gonna spend more time with me and less time on your iPhone?”

BUSTED!!

Suddenly, I didn’t care about my iPhone anymore. I was more terrified that God, the Creator of the universe literally slapped me in the face with a wave and ripped off the greatest distraction off my wrist.

Surprisingly, I was thankful. God reminded me of the joy it’s been to turn everything OFF and spend quality time with Him.

So now. I’m gonna blog daily again, partially because I learned my lesson but mainly because there is deep joy in cutting out everything to spend intimate time with the LORD.

 

 

Riches of the Sea

Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. – Isaiah 60:5

My playground is God’s Masterpiece

I love this playground.

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” -John Piper

One of the things that I do where I find the most satisfaction, is surfing. I’m not good at it, but I enjoy it. A LOT.

And I take it as a gift from the Creator.

It’s just me and God’s masterpiece.

 

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. –Psalm 24:1-2

 

Sacred

As I’m reading my bible while sitting on a picnic table overlooking the ocean, I started thinking…

 

There are so many nations where this is considered illegal. 

 

In many areas of the world, if you’re caught reading the Bible, you could be stoned, beaten, beheaded, raped, flogged, burnt, skinned, eaten…dead.

 

I get the freedom to read the bible but sometimes it’s more like a chore than a privilege.

 

There was tons of blood that was shed in order for me to hold this book in my hand and sometimes I treat it like a phone book.  Stored on the shelf and used only when needed.  (Who uses phone books nowadays? But you get the point…)

 

Jesus, Apostles, disciples, missionaries, had suffered a great deal of pain so that I could have these Holy Scriptures. Among the many, Paul was one of the greatest missionaries, and this is his letter of suffering:

 

“I’ve worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death’s door time after time. I’ve been flogged five times with the Jews’ thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once. I’ve been shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day.  In hard traveling year in and year out, I’ve had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes. I’ve been at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those I thought were my brothers. I’ve known drudgery and hard labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, blasted by the cold, naked to the weather. AND THAT’S NOT THE HALF OF IT…” 2 Corinthians 11:24-28

 

I need to wake up and realize how sacred these scriptures really are.

Be loved & be love.

“You belong to God, now go be His!” That’s how I would sum up the book of Ephesians in one sentence.

I read the book of Ephesians today.  It’s a book about encouragement. And it was exactly what I needed today.

 

It is because of God’s LOVE that WE are His chosen people. (A)

We are His MASTERPIECE that God is head of heels IN LOVE with!! (B/C)

Since you are LOVED, GO and LOVE. (D)

 

BE LOVED & BE LOVE. 

 

(A)”In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” -Ephesians 1:4-5

(B) “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”-Ephesians 2:10

(C) “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19

(D) “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2

 

Rest.

4:05-5:20pm

I have to confess…I don’t like to rest. 

Someone once told me “If you don’t rest, then God, being a good Father, will force you to rest. And sometimes He does that by making you sick.”

I can’t find scripture to prove this or anything. But i think it’s true. I’ve gotten sick every month since I’ve been back on Kauai and that’s not normal for me. But its definitely not normal to just GO GO GO and not take a day or two for rest. 

God being God, rested. So what does that mean for me? 

Today I just played worship music for an hour and fifteen minutes and it was awesome. 

 

Surprise!

Day 2 10:29-11:44pm

This morning I was surprised by a bill of over $600.

I make $400 a month…So could you imagine…I was in full panic mode cussing up a storm…I was PISSED.

 

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!?

 

I decided to go surfing and the whole time I was stressing…#anxiety

Several minutes later, I was reminded of truth:

If God took care of my death and resurrection and my salvation for eternity, then shouldn’t I believe that God can take care of my finances too!?

And God spoke to me “Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable then they?” -Matthew 6:26

As I sat there on my surf board this wave of peace washed over me. “Why do I worry so much about something so minor!?”

I was at PEACE!

Even though I suddenly owed over $600, I was at peace because I prayed and trusted that God would take care of me.

For the rest of the day I was at peace and about ten hours later I was surprised by joy.

My prayer was answered!

I have some of my paintings for sell at a restaurant called “Mi Casita” in Kappa. And today was the first time I sold a painting there! I’ve never sold anything there ever, its been three months and it just so happened to be on the very day that I needed the $ the most!! AND IT WASN’T JUST ONE PAINTING!! THE COSTUMER WAS COMING BACK TO BUY MORE!!!

 

“…Are you not much more valuable than the birds of the sky?…But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore DO NOT WORRY…” -Matthew 6:25-34

 

…Have Faith…Easy-Childlike Faith…And Be Surprised by the Almighty…