My Lord, My Lover

My Lord, my Lover, with me abide
Reignite my passion lost inside
Recapture my heart too prone to stray
And reclaim me boldly everyday

Relocate me to Your lands
Reposition me in Your hands
Replant Your seeds of joy and peace
Release my fears, my sorrows cease

In the dark Your name I've screamed
In desperation have I cried
In love You tell me I'm redeemed
And that You never left my side

My Saviour God, how You provide!
Let not my faith in You subside!
You know I thirst to put You first
Let not my yearning be denied

Help me shine glorious as Your bride
My Lord, my Lover, with me abide.

The practice of 'Jeremiah twenty-nine:elevening it'

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
- Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

The verse this irreguslackerly-updated-blog opened with. Probably one of the most quoted verses from the Bible... and quite likely one of the most misquoted too. Because people use it to mean "hey, I know things suck right now... but it's OK, God will get you out of it quick smart cause he has wonderful plans for you." But really, Jeremiah was rebuking false prophets who were saying that, because it was the will of the Lord to have the Babylonians prevail over Judah for a long while.

It's not about a quick-fix. Jeremiah was saying "hey, I know things suck right now... and guess what? They'll be lame for quite some time. But learn to praise God in the suckiness cause regardless of your circumstances, you can seek the Lord and find Him wherever you're at, right now. He is good and He does have wonderful plans for you - but you gotta let him do it His way. No matter what, you have to trust Him."

That is infinitely so much more beautiful. Hmmm. Yes, I have been through some hard times. And I will have to go through more. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation.
But take heart; I have overcome the world."
John 16:33 (ESV)

Peace is found in Christ, not in the world. We are guaranteed to face hardship here - but Jesus has triumphed over sin and death. Through His sacrificial love for us, we have been adopted as God's children: our citizenship is in Heaven. How comforting, how lovely it is to know that when my short time on this troubled earth comes to an end, I will snuggle up at God's feet - exuberant, brilliant, triumphant.

"So we do not lose heart.
Though our outer self is wasting away,
our inner self is being renewed day by day."
2 Corinthians 4:16 (ESV)

God is worthy of worship in worst times and best - through worries and war zones and through all the rest, let us practise Jeremiah twenty-nine:elevening it.


Through the darkness and the dreary
I will praise Your holy name
Through my weakness, though I'm weary
I will worship all the same

Through the high tides and the low
I will praise Your holy name
My enemies you overthrow
I will worship all the same

You are Almighty God
And You'll always carry me
Through the storms, past the thorns
I'm reborn and I'm Yours
You have plans for me

In the sunshine, in the rain
I will praise Your holy name
Be it pleasure, be it pain
I will worship all the same

You are Unchanging God
And You'll always hold me near
Through the storms, past the thorns
I'm reborn and I'm Yours
I will persevere

When I'm troubled, when I'm tense
I will praise Your holy name
Through it all, Lord, You make sense
I will worship all the same

I will worship
I will worship
I will praise Your holy name

I will worship
I will worship
Be exalted, I proclaim

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." - Proverbs 31:26

At church on Sunday, I came across something which kind of just hit me. It was just a short clip as part of a video promoting an event which didn't have anything to do with the sermon or anything, but I was just impacted by it.

"If you want your leadership to matter, lead in the things that matter to God."

I don't know what the full meaning of this will be in my life yet, but it just got me thinking about how I need to lead. First and foremost, I am a child of God, called by Him for His will and purpose. This means that when I am in a position of leadership, (and at all times), I need to honour God. I need to lead the way He wants me to lead. I need to teach sound doctrine and reflect Christ in my teaching at all times, whether this is at Sunday School or at a secular Primary School.

I'm sure God will show me more in due course, but for now, I wanted to look at the Bible for some verses about teaching/teachers/education/children so I can keep them in mind.

There are heaps and I noted ones that are particularly profound/badass/supermassively awesome... and lo and behold, they flow like a letter of instruction just for me!!

[These are all from the Extra Sexy Version (ESV)]


The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. [Proverbs 13:14 ]

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. [Romans 12:6-8]

And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. [1 Corinthians 12:28]

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. [James 3:1]

And if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? [Romans 2:19-21]

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness... Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity... Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. [1 Timothy 4:7,11-12,16]

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. [2 Timothy 2:22-26]

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. [Titus 2:1,7-8]


So, my prayer?


Behold, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him? [Job 36:22]

May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! [Deuteronomy 32:2-3]

My teaching is not mine, but His who sent me. [John 7:16b]

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. [Psalm 51:13]


Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord! [Psalm 34:11]

♥ In Adoration ♥

You are Almighty God,
Creator of Heaven and Earth,
You knew me and penned my life
from before my moment of birth.

You are my Heavenly Father,
my counselor and my comforter,
my protector and provider,
a teacher like no other.

You are the Sovereign King,
amazing, awesome, adored,
You reign majestic and mighty,
all glory to You, my Lord.

You are my peace and my rest,
a joy that's all fulfilling,
my purpose and my passion,
secure and everlasting.

You are my strength and my song,
greater than all distance,
a melody sweeter than honey,
you are my whole existence.

And You have called me daughter,
declared me friend and crowned me saint,
counted as righteousness,
free from blemish and taint.

And I am a new creation,
made to worship and to serve You,
clothed in sweet salvation,
to honour and glorify You.

I run to You, O God.
Be near me now and always!
Preserve me in your love and grace
til we meet face to face.

But what will you do when the end comes?

Jeremiah 5

²¹"Hear this, O foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes, but see not,
who have ears, but hear not.
²²Do you not fear me? declares the LORD. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.
²³But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
they have turned aside and gone away.
²⁴They do not say in their hearts,
'Let us fear the LORD our God,
who gives the rain in its season,
the autumn rain and the spring rain,
and keeps for us
the weeks appointed for the harvest.'
²⁵Your iniquities have turned these away,
and your sins have kept good from you.
²⁶For wicked men are found among my people;
they lurk like fowlers lying in wait.
They set a trap;
they catch men.
²⁷Like a cage full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;
therefore they have become great and rich;
²⁸they have grown fat and sleek.
They know no bounds in deeds of evil;
they judge not with justice
the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper,
and they do not defend the rights of the needy.
²⁹Shall I not punish them for these things?
declares the LORD,
and shall I not avenge myself
on a nation such as this?"

³⁰An appalling and horrible thing
has happened in the land:
³¹the prophets prophesy falsely,
and the priests rule at their direction;
my people love to have it so,
but what will you do when the end comes?

In the past, it may have been the case that the church used to 'scare' people into 'believing' with "if you don't come to church, you'll go to hell!" which, of course, is not true or loving or good. But I think that these days, people tend to not be afraid of God at all. They forget about or ignore His majestic, awesome power and have no idea just how incredibly scary it would be to stand before a righteous God in judgement.

1. A couple of weeks ago, I was observing at a primary school with four other girls about my age. This particular day, we had seen a Scripture lesson take place as part of the school's program. On the walk home, we were discussing it and one girl remarked about how she thought it wasn't fair to have Christian Scripture taught to everyone and not any other religions some of the children may be a part of. The other girls pointed out that parents always have the right to exclude their child from Scripture at school. Afterwards, I made some comment about how Australia can't seem to decide whether they want to be seen as a Christian country or not. One girl said that she thinks that's the beauty of this country, that we don't have to choose.

But the truth is, we do have to choose. God has made it perfectly clear. We can't pretend like Judgement Day isn't real, like it isn't coming. Heaven is a perfect place, and the only one who meets the criteria for entry is Jesus Christ. Either you rejoice in God's grace and let Him pay the price for you and reserve a room for you, or you say "no" and turn away from God and take the consequences that come with it. We must make a choice to take Jesus up on his offer, surrender our lives to Him and be glorified with Him in Heaven; or to reject him, live our lives for ourselves and in turn be rejected by Him from Heaven.

2. The other day I started reading a book called "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert, which has become popular recently. I'm not very far through it at all, but I have already come across some things that make my blood boil and my soul sorrowful. She says:

...let me first explain why I use the word God, when I could just as easily use the words Jehovah, Allah, Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu or Zeus. Alternatively, I could call God "That"... but that "That" feels impersonal to me... and "God" is the name that feels the most warm to me, so that's what I use. I should also confess that I generally refer to God as "Him"... of course I don't mind if people call God "Her"...

And while I do love that great teacher of peace who was called Jesus, and while I do reserve the right to ask myself in certain trying situations what indeed He would do, I can't swallow that one fixed rule of Christianity insisting that Christ is the only path to God.

But the truth is, we cannot choose bits and pieces of the Bible or of God's character as we please. We can't choose to believe in this bit because it's convenient for us or in that bit because it seems nice and not in this bit because it's difficult or in that bit because it's hard to swallow. Being a Christian means you get to know God AS HE IS, ON HIS TERMS. This is GOD we're talking about. The omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God! Not some 'nice idea' we can mould into whatever we want to make ourselves feel better.


If you're not a Christian yet, you need to look into it, get the facts right and make your choice. Look, mate - God is real. He knows everything, He's everywhere and He's all powerful and you need to have a reverent fear of Him. But He is your Heavenly Father - a loving, caring, gracious and merciful Father and you need to have a personal relationship with Him. And you know what? It's the best ever.

If you are a Christian, praise God that your name is written in the book of life!! (Luke 10:20) Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) and reach out to the lost with the Good News of Christ!! (Matthew 28:19)

2 Corinthians 5

¹¹Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. ¹²We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. ¹³If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Pray, obey...

RESPOND! SURRENDER!!

Joy...

... I have found, is vital. I've resurfaced from a couple of weeks of just being down with a sorrowful heart and by God's grace had such a lovely day yesterday. I met up for prayer with some Christians in my course which was really encouraging and I also had a wonderful Discipleship Time where I shared about Joy. I won't say much about it... just let the verses speak to you.

JOY

Oxford English Dictionary definitions:

a. A vivid emotion of pleasure arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction; the feeling or state of being highly pleased or delighted; exultation of spirit; gladness, delight.

b. An instance or kind of this.

c. The expression of glad feeling; outward rejoicing; mirth; jubilant festivity.

Some verses about joy in the Bible

Who

¹ Shout for joy to God, all the earth; ²sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! ³Say to God, “how awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. ⁴ All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name." [Psalm 66:1-4]

What

²⁷ The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. ²⁸ The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. ²⁹ The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. [Proverbs 10:27-20]

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [Galatians 5:22-23]

When

²¹A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. ²²So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. [John 16:21-22]

² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴And let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. [James 1:2-4]

Where

²⁴ Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. ²⁵ For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. ²⁶ For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. ²⁷ Splendour and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place. [1 Chronicles 16:24-27]

Why

¹⁰ Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." [Nehemiah 8:10]

How

¹⁰If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. ¹¹I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹²My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. [John 15:10-12]

¹If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. [ Philippians 2:1-4]

>> Some of these things may seem to counter-intuitive. But there you have it - that Jesus, He's so radical! In one of the Rebel's Guide to Joy sermons, Mark Driscoll spoke of finding freedom in slavery (to Christ) and joy in humility.

>> Go watch that part in Sister Act II where they perform Joyful, Joyful.

>> And read Philippians.