Arise and Shine

This blog is going to be a little different than my others.

About two years ago, I went to visit some family. My aunt and uncle gave me a book called Arise and Shine by Sarah Wehrli. I didn't read it. I put it with all my other books. It didn't catch my interest back then.

Yesterday I was cleaning my room and found it. It immediately caught my attention. Today I started reading it. It took me about 20 minutes to read nine pages because I'm not just reading what it says, I'm really taking in what it means. I'm also writing down most of the Bible verses included in those pages.

I just wanted to share a little excerpt from chapter one because I think it's something we, as Christians, need to hear. So here it is:


"Jesus said in Matthew 10:8 '...Freely you have received, freely give.' We need to arise out of selfishness and begin to give out on a regular basis.


One example of this principle was illustrated to me when I was in Israel. It is found in the picture of two main bodies of water there: the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is Israel's largest freshwater lake and is fed by the Jordan River, which flows through it from north to south. Galilee's shore has rich soil which enables plants to flourish, and many types of fish live in the Sea of Galilee, providing fishermen with great sustenance. 


On the other hand, nothing lives in the Dead Sea. There are no plants or seaweed of any kind in or around the water. The Dead Sea is continually fed water from rivers and streams coming off the mountains that surround it, but no rivers drain out of the Dead Sea. The difference in the two is that the Sea of Galilee has water flowing into it and water flowing out of it, so it stays fresh; the Dead Sea has water coming in, but there is not any water flowing out of it.


This is a picture of many people if they don't get out of their comfort zone and give out of themselves on a regular basis. They can receive a lot of head knowledge from the Bible, but if they don't give it out, they become stagnant. God has called us to be a river, not a reservoir. He has called us not only to receive from His Word on a daily basis, but also to give out His love and message to others. When we do this we stay fresh, full of life and joy as God has designed us to live."


All I can say is wow, that's some powerful stuff right there. It really made me think about how I'm living my life. We waste so much time watching tv and movies, playing video games, sitting on the internet, the list goes on and on. I'll be honest with you, I'm guilty of those things. If you know me, I like to be on my computer. I like to do things with my photos and talk with my friends on facebook. But we need to get out there and step out of our comfort zone. We need to start living our lives to make a difference for God! We very well might be in the end times.

Some of you might say "Oh, I'm just a shy person. What can God do with me?" You know what? I'm pretty shy and God's using me. If you just step out into boldness it gets a little easier each time. God has used me to reach out to other people who are shy. Don't let satan feed you lies that God can't use you because you're too shy, or for any other reason. God wants to use you! He has a plan and a purpose for your life!

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you" says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

That right there tells me that God loves me and wants to use me for His Kingdom! God has given you gifts and abilities in you and He has a plan to use those for His Kingdom in ways that no one else can! All you have to do is hand those over to God, they're His anyway, and ask Him to use you! Trust me, He will!

While writing this, this song came to mind.

Copy and Paste:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B1Lv8k5pEc

Whenever I hear this song, I'm always in the car...alone. So I blast it and I just scream out this song. My favorite line is, "Oh, I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else to do what God has called me to do myself." So when you ask God to use you, when you pray to Him, take the time to actually listen to Him as well. He'll let you know what you're supposed to do.


You're all loved and valuable! Don't settle for the "normal" life or the "American Dream". Live for God. It won't be easy, I'll be honest. But it will be for the best, and God will take care of you.