Pictures

I haven't posted pictures for a long time! They are coming, don't worry :) But probably after my mission trip, so don't expect it for at least a month :)

Here's a little sneak preview: 

1 Thessalonians 5 [part 2]

After I saw that first analogy, I was blown away by how simply profound it is. We are children of the light, so how can a thief sneak up on us? We will totally see him coming. Like a busy, crowded city with many sketchy-looking people, the signs of a pickpocket are obvious.
So I kept reading on, and then I stumbled across verse 8: "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation."
Immediately, my mind jumped to the armor of God, which are named in Ephesians 6:13-18. But in Ephesians 6:14, it talks about the breastplate of righteousness, not the breastplate of faith and love. But what if Paul was making a comparison between them? What if he was letting us in on the two keys to having righteousness? When you think about it, faith and love are two completely essential parts of our Christian walk. It takes faith to just believe in God, let alone have a relationship with Him, and love is the foundation of His law. Two sentences sum up the entire list of laws and rules in the Old Testament: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.

Today, I especially need faith and love. Love to treat everyone equally, to look past any faults or failures, and faith to believe that God will help me do it. Love so that I will not become frustrated, and faith to help me see as God sees.

That's my prayer. Won't you make it yours too?

1 Thessalonians 5 [part 1]

I found the coolest thing in my devotions on Sabbath, and I just had to share it. :)

In 1 Thessalonians 5:2, it says, "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." Then, it, says, in verse 4: "But you, brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." It goes on, in verses 5 and 6: "Ye are all children of the light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of the darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." I thought that was such an amazing analogy! Sure, the Second Coming might creep up on some, because they are in darkness. They aren't ready for it, so it will come as a surprise, like a thief in the night. But to us, who are in the light, it won't come as a surprise, because we will totally see it coming! We will have the light we need to read the signs around us, so it won't be surprising at all. In fact, we will be waiting and watching. So when we finally see Him, we will be able to say, "Lo, this is our God, and we have waited for Him. (Isaiah 25:9)"