Praise God from whom all these blessings flow

I have just been reminded of how fortunate I am. I am in beautiful British Columbia at a school with 30 people who are taking the year to dive deeper into their walks with Jesus. I have friends and family back home that love me. I have amazing professors here and access to amazing teachers on the internet. I have the words of God written in a book that's all mine in my own language. I eat three meals a day with snacks in between. I have a guitar that I can use to sing praises to the Lord. I have friends that love to worship with me. and on top of all that I can count all these things loss compared to the greatness of know Jesus Christ.

I've been noticing a lot in my bible reading lately the emphasis Paul and the other apostles put on hoping in the revelation of Jesus Christ and the resurrection from the dead. Paul said he knew how to be content in any situation whether well fed or hungry. content when he was hungry because he knew God was his provider and that He was Paul's portion, and content when he was well fed because he knew that God was his provider and that He was his portion.

In Hebrews Chapter 11 It talks about how some people while living for Christ; shut the mouths of lions, prevailed in victory and even received back their dead. Then it goes on to say that others were stoned, flogged, and even sawn in two because they were hoping for a better resurrection.

I think my life right now could be describes as a period where I'm 'shutting the mouths of lions' Things are going good. The temptation is to say, "Things are good enough how they are" and I'll put my hope in my circumstances rather than in God.

I want to be a person that says when things are going good. "Praise the Lord, he's got me in his hands." and to say when things are going bad. " Praise the Lord, he's got me in his hands." I want my life to be defined not by what is seen, but rather by the unseen hope of the grace that is going to be revealed at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

I've been reading revelation alot in the past little while. specifically the 4th and 5th chapters talking about the throne room of God with the elders, and the four living creatures, and all the angels worshiping God who sits on the throne and worshiping the lamb that was slain; singing his praises continually forever and ever.

I've been taking great encouragement realizing the realities that are taking place as I walk this earth. When things go bad instead of my default being to say, "Things will be better tomorrow, " or "I still have this thing to be happy about." I want the first thing to come to mind to be, " Right now my God is being worshipped by angels in heaven where Jesus is preparing a place for me."

I want to be living out what Paul writes to the Colossians when he says,

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

I'm back...

Christmas break came and went and now I'm back at school. It was a good time back home with family and friends. That sounds cliche' but I had a really good time praying with my family and dreaming with my friends. At first I was worried about coming back, I was pretty content where I was and I was worried that the second semester wouldn't measure up to the first. So far that hasn't been true. Almost everything I've experienced so far has been pushing me deeper into my walk with God. I've had many opportunities to take up positions of leadership within the group. I've already had two opportunities to be involved in leading worship which has been such a privilege. I've been able to make a more constant pattern of reading my bible and praying in the morning before breakfast and I'm excited to continue that throughout the semester. I've also enjoyed the relative peace that has accompanied this first week of school. This semester is going to be very busy and I know I'll look back and appreciate this time.