I'm a Blogging Machine!

So, I know this is my third posting for the morning but I figured I might as well keep going! There are still many more things I want to share with you - so even though the rate at which I blog is not very steady I still want to make sure that I squeeze it all in eventually. Crazy to think that in a few days shy of a month I will be home - it will be such a blessing to catch up with many of you then, in person! During my time here I have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people and have many wonderful conversations about the grace of God I have experienced in my life and the same grace that God extends to all who accept Jesus as Lord of their lives. However, the Lord is so good and faithful - not only does He ask me and help me pour out into the lives of others - He also is continually pouring into my life, overflowing my cup, and strengthening me by encouraging and challenging me to walk more closely with Him. There are many examples of this I could mention - but I will start with the most recent one for now. Yesterday during the prayer time before the evening shifts began at the hostel Benjamin, the manager on duty, read the opening pages from a book titled "Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian Life" by Donald S. Whitney. Interestingly enough, what was read was very similar to a chapter I had just read a few hours before in another book I have been going through. So the idea that was presented really struck me and stuck with me! The book starts with the line: "Discipline without direction is drudgery". Then comes the question of why Christians should practice spiritual disciplines such as reading the Bible, praying, fasting, worship, serving, etc. We can be disciplined because there is direction and purpose behind it! Romans 8:29 says that we are being conformed into the likeness of God's Son and 1 John 3:2 says "Dear friends, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is". Discipline takes forward-thinking, acknowledging that there is a reason behind what we do brings about the motivation needed to press on. We must recognize that we are training ourselves to be godly (1 Tim 4:7) only because of the blood of Christ and it's power to make us righteous in the presence of God - for no other reason should we practice spiritual disciplines but to glorify God in light of this truth. This certainly isn't easy for me - but I was encouraged by this and wanted to share it with you. It's so easy to become undisciplined in how we live when in fact if we, as Christians, can remember that we are to be disciplined because it is part of the process in making us to be like Him, Jesus, then I believe that provides more motivation then we could ever need. Now it's just a matter of keeping that in mind when the temptation to do otherwise stands in the way. "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Philippians 3:12). May the same be true of you in this day!