Weeks 3, 4, 5.

Well, I come a little embarrassed and sorry to this post. I am REALLY behind on this. I recently went on a missions trip and I think that I just let that be my excuse for how busy I was, but that was no excuse. This is a commitment too! So here is my catch up:

Week 3: Holy Week-
I loved this. The simplicity yet depth of this description of Jesus' triumph over death brought it back to a more tangible level. I especially liked where it talked about A dark night in the garden and said that Jesus had to lose the father. Wow, I had never thought about that. I tend to always focus on the physical pain that Jesus must have experienced, but this Easter season, I think God has been working on my heart a lot to remember that perhaps the most painful part of the crucifixion wasn't necessarily the part we could see, but the spiritual turmoil that we may never understand.Which makes the statement, "It wasn't the nails that kept Jesus there. It was love.", that much more powerful! God is good!

Week 4: Study-
Well, like I said, I am super late on this, but thankfully, God can use my shortcomings to glorify himself. There is nothing that I can mess up enough for him to not be able to fix it! This is one of those times. I recently decided to go to Biola University in the fall. This decision came from a very strong answer from God after much prayer and deliberation.
I had, before deciding, been reading MANY verses about how important wisdom and knowledge is to equip yourself with (check out Proverbs 8 for example). I knew God was trying to tell me something, but I wasn't quite sure what it was until I was talking about Biola with my parents one day. I started to say that I liked it because I knew that I would learn so much about the Bible which will equip me for life later on. And then it just clicked. That is what all those verses had been telling me. I have never felt so positive about hearing God's voice! Praise the Lord! So, as you can imagine, doing this week of study, about Study, late, was quite the blessing because it helped answer. God even used my problems to speak to me! So, what did I learn from this week, well a lot, but mainly I learned that God is listening and active, so study is alive and important. Thanks for that tangible lesson God!

Week 5: Submission-
Lifestyle change... here we come. Submission is often used as such a negative term with humans. We like to feel completely free and as though no one can hold us down or change our ways. However, it is vital to shake off the fleshly desire of being superior in order to follow God COMPLETELY! Pride and submission should always be thought of together because with one we lose the other entirely.
Father, help me shake off my old ways and be yours and only yours. You are worthy of our praise! Here me cry out to you father. Thank you for being bigger and strong than, not only me, but also my fears. I love you!

Well, hope you all are having a great day! Jesus loves you!
- Jess Snow