Embracing the Battle

1Ch 29:12-13 丰富尊荣都从你而来，你也治理万物。在你手里有大能大力，使人尊大强盛都出於你。 我们的神啊，现在我们称谢你，赞美你荣耀之名！

That's chinese. :)

I know that we are 3 months and 5 days from China but I am so excited. Each day the Lord brings me reminders of the trip and gets me stoked about it! But that will have very little to do with this blog. hehe...Our campus director Wyatt told me about this program called E-sword that you can download on your computer. It has a ton of resources for scripture and journaling and writing notes and sermons...it's the jam! Hence why I can now post verses in Chinese--which I will continue doing!!! :)

so in English:

Both riches and honor come from You and You rule over all. In Your hand are power and might, and in Your hand it is to make great and to give strenth to all. But who am I, and what is my people that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from You and of Your own have we given You.

This is a commentary from one of the resources from the program, very cool.

Both riches and honour come of thee,.... Whatever of either the children of men have is not owing to their merits, nor to their diligence and industry, and wise conduct, but to the providence of God, Ecc_9:11 so the gods with the Heathens are said (o) to be givers of riches:

and thou reignest over all; govern the world by wisdom, and dispose all things in it for the best:

in thine hand is power and might; to do whatsoever he pleaseth:

and in thine hand it is to make great; in worldly things, and so in spiritual:

and to give strength unto all; against their enemies, and to do the will and work of God; of all which David had had an experience.

My thoughts this past week have been anxious. I have not been trusting the Lord. I am so anxious. Constantly trying to fight off feelings and thoughts that I don't want to accept. But these verses, along with thinking about Philippians 4, reminded me that I am to submit all my anxious thoughts to the Lord with thanksgiving...and His peace will surround me. Since these thoughts have been progressing, I have been whining to the Lord instead of surrendering my thoughts with thanksgiving. I have been seeing the negative in all I am dealing with rather than seeing God's provision, purpose, sovereignty, strength and comfort. So...let's embrace this. He refines my through a fire of affliction, not a bubble bath. It's supposed to be hard. But my attitude is not suppose to be anxious. I have been nothing but unfaithful these past few days. It stops here. You rule over all.

Now it is true that we were made for God and that in Him we live and move and have our being. Yet such is the immersion in the world even of the most prayerful and most watchful that the approach to God with the whole heart demands a concentrated effort.