Mutualistic Symbiosis

Mutualistic symbiosis is a biology term for a relationship in which all partners obtain an advantage... its usually having to do with plants or algea. Like this one gets food from eating the dead cells off this algea- and the algea gets cleaned and can breathe better or something. Gonna leave the actual analogy superficial.

I LOVE this in life. Relationships where both parties benefit? Its beautiful. I am thankful for all the relationships in my life where this is true- and we can mutually encourage one another in different ways! You have this one thing down... and I struggle. And vise versa. So thankful to God for putting relationships in my life. And for giving his people different strengths and weaknesses- this is why marriage is such a beautiful thing... and so sanctifying!

Yesterday we went to the nursing home to visit, and my friend Jamie said to me as we were leaving- "Its so good for them for us to visit! and its so good for us to see them!" Isn't it the truth? They need to see my joy, love, innocent trust, health and vigor- and I need to see there maturity, their pain and lonliness, their faithfulness/ tried trust/longsuffering.

May I never get prideful as I serve! If I go on mission trips to help people, as I am a Physical Therapist to help people, as I am in relationship with others, regardless of their religion or level- I need to learn something through them as much as they can learn from me! Thank you God for this truth and may you constantly remind me of it! Keep me from pride and remember me.

Expectation

Expectation... probably is the number one cause of disappointment and depression in the US today.


Bold statement? I authored it so I wouldn't tout that statistic to anyone... I really do think it is true though! Two weeks ago at church, a Biblical counseling professor from Masters Seminary was talking about depression- the cause not being from hating yourself, but loving yourself too much, and then being dissapointed in yourself- that you aren't skinny enough or your lips are too small, your husband doesn't make enough money...

You can listen to the sermon here:
http://gracebiblerichmond.org/media_player.asp?messageID=23200

Its true with me! My counselor mom has some catchy phrase about expect leads to reject or something like that... (obviously it wasn't catchy enough, right?) But whenever I have expectations of something that doesn't happen- serious discouragement is not far. I remember the entire 2 weeks I was in Malaysia last Christmas I was looking forward to going out with my parents to the Cheesecake factory after they picked me up from the airport. They promised it before I left, we even emailed about it... then- trauma of traumas- I got off the plane and into the car (seriously sleep deprived mind you, having been awake and traveling for 27 hours) and my parents told me we weren't going. NO LIE- I burst into tears. ;) Over the Cheesecake factory!!! LAME-O. I know... there is power in expectation.

The complete word expectation is only used a few times in Scripture... although expect is used a few times more.

Psalm 5:3 is one of them
"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

Thats a scary one... huge set up for dissapointment, no? This goes along with praying in faith- a concept I definitely don't think I understand.

The one that came to mind instantly was Romans 8:13
"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed."

I love Philippians 1:20
"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death."

Note expect is differentiated from hope here.
I think this is an important distinction.... My thought of the day is that I cannot expect ANYTHING except for the return of Christ and the things Im promised in Scripture. Anything else that I expect from my life will lead to disappointment and depression...

I can have hope for other things, but I dare not expect them! I can hope to be married one day, hope to wake up tomorrow, hope to hike Mt. Whitney... but the ONLY hope that does not dissapoint is found in the person of Christ (Romans 5:5) AMEN!

Woman among Women

While reading for the Sunday School lesson this week- it was on Luke 1... the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary...

He said to her- greetings you who are highly favored! and this greatly troubled Mary... was it just the fact that an angel was speaking to her? Or was it something about what he said? This puzzled me enough to look to MH. I love Matthew Henry... ;)

He chastens women to ask some questions regarding compliments they receive and the motives behind them... Some things that Mary may have wondered about Gabriel's greeting:
Was it from heaven or of men? Was it to amuse her? was it to ensnare her? was it to banter her? or was there something substantial and weighty in it?


"Mary's thoughtfulness upon this occasion gives a very useful intimation to young people of her sex, when addresses are made to them, to consider and cast in their minds what manner of salutations they are, whence they come, and what their tendency is, that they may receive them accordingly, and may always stand on their guard."

AMEN! Nice Challenge MH.
"The wise in heart are called discerning..." (Proverbs 16:21)

You are so wealthy

Been reading the book of James over and over... and loving it. God is continuing to show me more and more each day.

Definitely on initial read through you see a lot of condemnation toward wealth... chapter 2- don't give special treatment to the rich... chapter 5- You have lived your life in self-indulgence and luxury!

Chapter 1 is seems backwards when you first read it: (new living translation below) ;)

"Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements."

This also makes you be scared to have riches. YIKES. After meditating a few days first I decided to see what the infamous Matthew Henry says:

Good Christians may be rich in the world. Grace and wealth are not wholly inconsistent.

And my favorite thing he says is- BOTH the rich and the poor are commanded to rejoice! I didn't catch that- I was thinking, if you are poor- praise God, but if you are rich, LAMENT because your wealth and YOU are going to be destroyed. NO. James tells us regardless- we are to rejoice! Based on what? Not because God has blessed us with wealth! See below quote.

"For this reason let him that is rich rejoice, not so much in the providence of God, that makes him rich, as in the grace of God, that makes and keeps him humble; and in those trials and exercises that teach him to seek his felicity in and from God, and not from these perishing enjoyments."

O thank you most gracious Father! You give me just what I need. You are constant and the same- yesterday, today, and forever.

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have FOR He has said- never will I leave you and never will I forsake you." -Hebrews 13:5

Honest Struggles

Hypocrisy defined by a great theologian- "The masking of inward evil by an outward show of righteousness."

I struggle with my evil heart.
RID YOURSELVES of all hypocrisy and desire the pure spiritual milk of the Word to transform you!

I love that this is the first post of December. ;) God transform my wretched heart...

James 3 says- 'But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it OR deny the truth.
Lord I don't want to glory in my wretchedness or dwell on it... I also don't want to deny the fact that I truly am wretched! Thank you for giving me a right standing before you.