Worship the Lord in the Splendor of His Holiness

Wow. Tonight was great. Our youth group put together a worship service at my church, and we performed tonight. It was awesome; worshiping God with your friends on stage. We had communion and we had banners on the walls that you could write thanks to God for something. We also had pieces of paper to write your sins on that we put on a wooden cross.

At my church people don't really raise their hands or clap very often, so we as a youth group were really trying to stress that raising your hands doesn't make you super religious or something. I like the way a friend puts it."Raising your hands is a form of surrender to God."

I think that the service was a great opportunity to seriously worship God, and I know of many people that enjoyed it :).

God, thanks for the opportunity we had to lead the church in worship tonight. Thanks that everything went smoothly. Lord I pray that we would not just worship you in church, but that our whole lives would be a song, bringing glory to you. Thanks for our great worship team and our talents. Help us to use them for you Lord.

Amen

Psalm 96:9
Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.

Mallory

JOB 31

This is just a quick little post, as it is late. I was reading Job 31 and one verse stuck out to me. It is verse 29.

If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune

or gloated over the trouble that came to him—

Have you ever told on your brother or sister and been glad when they were punished? I have :(. Or is there some one you don't get along with, and you are glad when they mess up or do something wrong? That is what Job is talking about here. Sometimes my heart turns cold and is so concerned in making sure that justice is served, that I forget to love the person that is sinning.

There is something in me that just needs to make sure that person gets in trouble for whatever they were doing wrong. And then when I get in trouble and some one does that to me, I judge them for it, when I did the exact same thing! I'm kind of just rambling on, but this verse reminded me that sometimes I need to check my attitude and say, "You know what? God loves them too. Would I want people to 'rejoice' when I mess up?"

Mallory

JOB 29-30

In this chapter, Job is talking about his life before his troubles started. He had a very successful life. He was wealthy, had a large family, and had a very large farm. Job also was a well-respected leader of the people. The people were glad to hear Job speak. They always agreed with his speeches, until he suffered his great troubles. At that time even Job's friends didn't think his speeches were right. Just think about that for a moment. Think of a couple of your best friends in the whole wide world. They probably trust you and believe you when you tell them things right? Now imagine that they don't believe you anymore; they don't trust you. How would that make you feel? I would probably feel pretty devastated. That is probably something similar to what Job was going through. I can't even imagine how he felt.

Job 29

Job’s Final Defense

1 Job continued his discourse:

² “How I long for the months gone by,
for the days when God watched over me,
³ when his lamp shone on my head
and by his light I walked through darkness!
⁴ Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house,
⁵ when the Almighty was still with me
and my children were around me,
⁶ when my path was drenched with cream
and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.

⁷ “When I went to the gate of the city
and took my seat in the public square,
⁸ the young men saw me and stepped aside
and the old men rose to their feet;
⁹ the chief men refrained from speaking
and covered their mouths with their hands;
¹⁰ the voices of the nobles were hushed,
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
¹¹ Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
and those who saw me commended me,
¹² because I rescued the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to assist them.
¹³ The one who was dying blessed me;
I made the widow’s heart sing.
¹⁴ I put on righteousness as my clothing;
justice was my robe and my turban.
¹⁵ I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
¹⁶ I was a father to the needy;
I took up the case of the stranger.
¹⁷ I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims from their teeth.

¹⁸ “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
my days as numerous as the grains of sand.
¹⁹ My roots will reach to the water,
and the dew will lie all night on my branches.
²⁰ My glory will not fade;
the bow will be ever new in my hand.’

²¹ “People listened to me expectantly,
waiting in silence for my counsel.
²² After I had spoken, they spoke no more;
my words fell gently on their ears.
²³ They waited for me as for showers
and drank in my words as the spring rain.
²⁴ When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
the light of my face was precious to them.
²⁵ I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;
I dwelt as a king among his troops;
I was like one who comforts mourners.

In the beginning of chapter 30 Job tells about how no one wants to listen to him talk anymore. In verse 30:1 it says "“But now they mock me, men younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to put with my sheep dogs."

At the end of chapter 30 Job says "My skin grows black and peels; my body burns with fever. My lyre is tuned to mourning, and my pipe to the sound of wailing." He is talking about an illness he had. I've never heard of an illness like this, but it sounds pretty intense.

Job is really going through some tough stuff right now. No friends and a terrible illness :(. Reading this sure makes me thankful for my friends and good health.

Mallory

We Should No Longer Be Slaves To Sin

I know it's Wednesday, but I really wanted to talk about youth group that we had this week. I thought that by far it was the most uplifting session we have had so far. It was so cool..... We read from Ephesians 4 and 5 (if I remember correctly). Then we discussed what we as a group could do to improve. After we discussed that for a while, we all prayed about a sin that we have been struggling with. When we finished praying we all got a piece of paper and wrote our sin on it.

While we were having worship we all took turns nailing our piece of paper to a wooded cross. After singing a few songs, we all knelt while our leaders took the sins off the cross and read them out loud. Then some people prayed. It was so cool to sit and listen to kids pray while we were all kneeling on the floor to God. After we finished praying, we went outside and burned our pieces of paper with our sins written on them. We finished the night with a nice meal :).

It overall was quite a moving experience :D. I especially liked the part where we burned the "sins". It was a great reminder that Jesus already paid for all our sins, and that we no longer are slaves to sin. I think that a good way to end this post is with Romans 6:6

Romans 6:6
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—

Mallory

Wisdom

I read Job chapter 28 today. It is very special, according to my commentary, because Job finally talks about wisdom. He talks about how precious wisdom is, and that it is more important than silver or gold.

Job 28

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found

¹ There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
² Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
³ Mortals put an end to the darkness;
they search out the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.
⁴ Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,
in places untouched by human feet;
far from other people they dangle and sway.
⁵ The earth, from which food comes,
is transformed below as by fire;
⁶ lapis lazuli comes from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
⁷ No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon’s eye has seen it.
⁸ Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.
⁹ People assault the flinty rock with their hands
and lay bare the roots of the mountains.
¹⁰ They tunnel through the rock;
their eyes see all its treasures.
¹¹ They search the sources of the rivers
and bring hidden things to light.

¹² But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?
¹³ No mortal comprehends its worth;
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
¹⁴ The deep says, “It is not in me”;
the sea says, “It is not with me.”
¹⁵ It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
¹⁶ It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
¹⁷ Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
¹⁸ Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
¹⁹ The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.

²⁰ Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?
²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds in the sky.
²² Destruction and Death say,
“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
²³ God understands the way to it
and he alone knows where it dwells,
²⁴ for he views the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
²⁵ When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,
²⁶ when he made a decree for the rain
and a path for the thunderstorm,
²⁷ then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.
²⁸ And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.”

In 1 kings God gave Solomon an abundance of wisdom.

1 Kings 4:29
God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.

Isn't that amazing?!! I can't even imagine having as much wisdom as Solomon.

So like it says in verse 28, we need to fear God, and refuse to do evil things, and God will give us wisdom :D

Mallory

My Baptism

My baptism tonight was a great experience. I was nervous to share my testimony, but God got me through it. The support of the congregation was wonderful.

Right now all I can say is that I'm filled with joy :D

Thanks to all of you who made my baptism so special :)

Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

Psalm 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 5:11
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Mallory

My Blessing

This is a story that I wrote for my English class. I really felt what I wrote so I decided to put it on my blog (The story is fiction). Hope you like it :).

My Blessing

I stared at the picture of Emily and I for what seemed like hours. I looked out the window and saw the snow gracefully falling to the frozen ground. Emily loved snow. Emily was my best friend, and we had been friends since the second grade when my family first moved to town. I was all alone; didn’t know anyone. The very first time I met her was in the lunch line at school. We ended up sitting together at lunch and eventually became inseparable. “Two peas in a pod” as my mom would say. Em and I turned out to have a lot in common. We played the same sports, loved the same movies, and we both played the clarinet in band. One thing was different though. Em went to church and believed in all this “Jesus” stuff. I thought it was kind of weird at first, but then I got used to it. I guess you could say that I was a “bad kid”. I didn’t really get along with my parents, and had snuck out of my house a few times. Emily had the complete opposite attitude, but yet we still became friends.

Em invited me to her youth group, and whenever I spent the night on Saturdays? I always went to church with her the next morning. It was okay I guess. We went to middle school together and made many lasting memories. Then freshmen year came, and something drastic happened. My life was changed, and somehow something awful, turned out to be a blessing.

“Tessa, you have to be strong and not tell a soul. Do you understand?” said Emily as we entered her bedroom.

“Em, how can you expect me to not tell anyone that you have a tumor the size of an acorn in your head?! Do you know how hard this is going to be for me? You know I can’t keep a secret.” I argued as I plopped on her bed.

“Tess I know, but you have to trust me on this. No one needs to know yet. I don’t want everyone giving me all sorts of attention or giving me gifts and cards just because I’m sick. Don’t you see? I’ve never liked attention and I don’t want any now. Please, will you just keep it quiet? At least for awhile?” said Emily with pleading eyes.

“Alright, I’ll try my best.” I said reluctantly. After that we were quiet for a while. I finally found the courage to ask, “So, is the tumor cancerous? How long has it been there? How serious is it? Do you need surgery?”

“Calm down Tess. The doctor said that they are going to have to try surgery to remove it. They don’t think it is cancerous, so once it is removed I should be fine and everything will be back to normal.” Em said a little too assertively. “Let’s watch a movie. How about The Blindside? That will cheer you up,” Em said.

Funny, she is the one with a tumor in her brain, and she is trying to cheer me up. Ironic isn’t it? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? If it were me with the tumor, I would be bawling my eyes out, and I would be the one needing to be cheered up.

It has been months since Emily and I had this conversation. Sadly, my parents got a divorce and I moved in with my mom in the neighboring town. My parents hadn’t been getting along for years. They tried counseling, but that didn’t work. “We just don’t love each other anymore”, my mom said. This was hard for me to understand, because my dad told me repeatedly, “Tess, you don’t ever have to worry about your mom and I splitting up. I love her now more than ever.” Then I would smile and remember those words when my parents fought. It gave me hope that everything would be okay. Then recently my dad moved out of the house. He said it was for his job and that he would come home on weekends. Well, that didn’t happen. I kept waiting and waiting for my dad to come home, but he never did.

One night, I saw my mom packing some things in boxes, so I asked her what she was doing. “Mom, what’s with all the boxes?” I asked, hoping that she would say that they were just for a garage sale or something, and not say what I thought she would.

“We’re moving” she said. Those were the words I didn’t want to hear. “Your father decided to stay here, so you and I are moving out. It will just be to the neighboring town so it won’t be that far.” she said, trying to look at the bright side.

“Will I have to change schools too?” I asked, hoping for once that I would get “no” for an answer.

“Yes, Tessa. I’m sorry but that’s just the way things worked out. You never know, maybe it will be for the better.” she said.

As soon as I heard those words I stormed off to my room and reached for the phone. “I should call Emily”, I thought. “She always makes me feel better”. So I dialed Emily’s number and waited for her to answer. “Hi this is Emily Renolds”, said the answer machine. “I’m not here right now so leave me a message and I’ll get back to you soon.” I hung up the phone and laid on my bed. “My whole world is falling apart”, I thought. “My parents are splitting up, I’m moving, changing schools, and my best friend in the whole wide world is sick with a cancerous tumor. What exactly did I do to deserve this?” I said out loud, hoping for an answer. I then got in bed and pulled the covers up to my head, hoping that I would find comfort in them since I couldn’t find it anywhere else. I turned off the light and cried myself to sleep, wishing that tomorrow I would wake up and find that everything was just a dream.

It turns out that I wasn’t dreaming, sadly. I moved that week and started going to the new school. It was okay, but not that great. There were a few nice girls, but none of them ever paid much attention to me. I joined the volleyball team, and made a few friends. None of them even came close to Emily though. “I hope that she is doing okay”, I thought. Just as I was thinking that, the phone rang. I picked it up and said “Hello”.

“Hi, this is Emily’s mom”, said the person on the end of the line.

“Oh hi”, I said. “How is she doing?”.

“Actually that is what I was calling about”, said Emily’s mom. “Tessa, Emily had a relapse and is back in the hospital. The doctors don’t think that she has much time left. She is in ICU now and is stable. She specifically requested to see you.”

“Okay Mrs. Renolds, I’ll have my mom drive me in right away.” I hung up the phone, stunned by the words I just heard. I quickly called to my mother, giving her the news. She hugged me as I sobbed in her arms. “Thanks mom, but I’m better now. We better head out.”, I said, half sobbing.

On the way to see Emily, I couldn’t stop the tears from running down my face. “She must feel so alone,” I thought to myself. “I should have been there for her when she needed me. What if she dies? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. What did I do to deserve all this?” I thought. Before I knew it, we were in the hospital parking lot. I took a kleenex from my mom’s purse and quickly dried up my tears and made myself presentable. We walked through the parking lot and into the main lobby of the hospital. “How can I help you?” asked the secretary.

“We would like to see Emily Renolds please.” I said, trying my best to pull it together. “Room 316 on the 2nd floor.” she said a little bit too cheerfully. “She obviously doesn’t know why we are here,” I thought.

My mom and I walked to the elevator and went to the second floor. We found room 316 and saw Emily’s mom waiting outside. “Karen, I’m so sorry. We came as soon as you called,” said my mom, embracing Emily’s mom. She looked worn out. I can only imagine how she was feeling; staying up with Emily the whole night, afraid that if she closed her tired eyes for even a moment, her little delicate angel will slip away into the night without her.

“Um, how long did the doctors say she had left?”, I asked timidly.

“The doctor said it could be anywhere from a few hours to a couple days”, said Emily’s mom, starting to sob. I was speechless when I heard this. I couldn’t think of anything that seemed right to say at the moment. I just stood in the doorway to Emily’s room, numb to all emotions.

“Emily is sleeping. You may go and see her.” said a nurse as she left the room. I walked in slowly, not wanting to awaken Emily.

The hospital room was pretty nice (they always give you the good rooms when you’re are going to die). Emily was hooked up to all kinds of machines. She was on oxygen and had an IV in her arm. “She doesn’t look like my Emily anymore”, I thought to myself. “Oh Em, I’m soo sorry.” I whispered to her. “I should’ve been there for you. You went through surgery, getting poked with needles, Chemo, and tests, and I wasn’t with you for any of it.” I choked, trying to hold back the tears. I sat by Em’s bed and gently stroked her hand. “It’s just that things have been so hard lately. I’ve had to move to a new school and dad and mom got divorced. I just don’t know how to handle it all. I feel as if I’ve hit rock bottom.” I sobbed, loosing control.

Suddenly, I heard a soft, gentle voice say, “I know Tess, and I wish I could’ve been there to help you through it. I can’t imagine the pain that you are going through.” I looked up and Emily was awake, looking right at me.

“What do you mean you can’t imagine what I’m going through? You’re in far worse pain than me, Em. Does it hurt much?”, I asked.

“Actually, they keep me pretty medicated so it doesn’t really hurt.” she said with a smile. “But what really hurts is everyone I’m going to leave behind”, she said.

I looked at her and saw a tear in her eye, but she was trying so hard to be strong. I longed to relieve her of this pain. This cancer was like a monster, slowly eating away at someone that I loved so dearly.

There was a long silence until Emily said “You know Tess, I’m not scared to die.”

“What do you mean Em?”, I asked, curious about what she meant.

“Well, I know that I’m going to a better place. A place with no pain, suffering, sadness, or disease. Just a place full of joy, happiness, and a whole lot of worship.” Emily said smiling.

“I wish I was going to heaven when I die”, I said.

“Oh but you can Tess!” Em said excitedly.

“No, there is no way God would accept me with everything I’ve done”, I said still sobbing.

“See that is where you are wrong. John 3:16 says ‘For God so loved the world, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life.’ Don’t you see Tess? God loves YOU! He sent his son to die, so that YOU can live with him in heaven! Isn’t that awesome?!” said Emily.

“So do you mean that all I have to do is believe in Him, and I will go to heaven? What’s the catch?” I asked.

“There is no catch. All you have to do is pray to Jesus and ask for forgiveness of the wrong things you have done, and ask Him to come into your life.” said Emily.

“Excuse me miss, but Emily needs to take her medicine.” said the nurse. “Okay. Well, I’ll think about what you said. I’ll be in the waiting room until you are done getting your medicine.” I said. “Ok. See you in a bit”, said Emily.

I walked out of Emily’s room and went into the waiting room. I sat down and heard a Christian song come over the loud speaker. It went like this “When everything falls apart, your arms hold me together. When everything falls apart, you’re the only hope for this heart. When everything falls apart, and my strength is gone, I find you mighty and strong. Keep holding on.....” “Wow. They must be talking about Jesus. Maybe Emily is right about what she said.”, I thought to myself.

“We need help over here!”, said the nurse. “Her heartbeat is irregular!” I rushed into Emily’s room. There were lots of doctors and nurses flooding the room.

“Em! Em! You’re going to be fine Em, just hold on! You’ll make it.” I said panicking.

“No, my time is now Tessa. God’s calling me home.” said Emily, straining with every breath.

“What about what you said?! What am I supposed to do?” I asked. “Just pray to Jesus, ask forgiveness for the wrong things you’ve done, and ask Him to come into your life. He will always love you, Tess, no matter if anyone else does.” Emily said as she drew her last and final breath.

By this time, tears were flowing uncontrollably down my cheeks. I played the words that Em said to me over and over again in my head. “He will always love you, Tess, no matter if anyone else does.” I left the room and sat on the floor in the hallway. I quietly prayed what Emily told me to say. “Dear Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for me. I’m sorry for all the wrong things I’ve done. Please come into my life. And thank you that Emily told me about you. Amen.”

It has been five years since Emily died and I accepted Jesus into my life. I thank God everyday for Emily. My life has changed. I go to church and I’m in a Bible study. My mom has become a Christian also. Without Emily, I would never have become a Christian. And if she didn’t have cancer, I might not have heard about Jesus. This is how God turned something awful, into a blessing.

THE END :)

Mallory

JOB 25-27

This morning I read Job 25-27. I thought that verses 7-14 of 26 were pretty cool. I love the way that it is worded. It just sounds cool :)

⁷ He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.

⁸ He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.

⁹ He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.

¹⁰ He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.

¹¹ The pillars of the heavens quake,
aghast at his rebuke.

¹² By his power he churned up the sea;
by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.

¹³ By his breath the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.

¹⁴ And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?"

These verses painted a vivid picture in my mind.When you read those verses couldn't you just picture everything as it was happening? It's cool isn't it :D

In the beginning of Chapter 27, Job is saying that God made him suffer, but he still trusted Him. His friends also think that the reason he is suffering is because of his sin, but Job disagrees.

¹ And Job continued his discourse:

² "As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,
the Almighty, who has made me taste bitterness of soul,

³ as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God in my nostrils,

⁴ my lips will not speak wickedness,
and my tongue will utter no deceit.

⁵ I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.

⁶ I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it;

my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.

Wow. Job really was sure of himself. He says that he will argue this for the rest of his life. In my commentary I'm using it says that the attitude Job has right here is wrong. He should have insisted that God was right, but he continued to argue that he was right.

So the lesson to learn from this I guess is to never argue with God. God is always right, no matter if we like it or not.

Mallory Bjork

JOB 24

I read Job 24 today and I really liked the point that a few of the verses made.

JOB 24:13-16

¹³ "There are those who rebel against the light,
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.

¹⁴ When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up
and kills the poor and needy;
in the night he steals forth like a thief.

¹⁵ The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk;
he thinks, 'No eye will see me,'
and he keeps his face concealed.

¹⁶ In the dark, men break into houses,
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.

These are verses that talk about how people sin at night because they think that no one will see them, but that is where they are wrong. God knows exactly what they are doing. Have you ever done something wrong when you were alone, and thought "no one will ever know"? I know I have. That is where we are very foolish. God watches us trying to hide our sins, and I'm sure that it disappoints Him greatly.

So the next time you are tempted to sin just because no one else is around, remember that God is watching.

Mallory

JOB 23

Well tonight I only read one chapter of Job due to my tiredness. In Job 23 Job is replying to Eliphaz. Job is basically saying that he is innocent and is longing for God. One verse I find interesting is verse 10.

It says:

Job 23:10

¹⁰ But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

My footnotes say that the phrase "the way I take it", means "the way that is in me; my conduct". And the last part of the verse refers to Job's innocence. I just thought that the wording of this verse was kind of neat :).

Well that's all I have for tonight.

Mallory

Drama

DEVOS

So tonight I'm reading Job 20-22. Job and his friends are still debating back and forth. They keep bringing up how Job is a wicked man, when really he is a true servant of God going through a very tough time. They keep telling Job that he is wicked and needs to repent so that God will forgive him. In the end, Job's troubles ceased when he prayed for his friends (Job 42: 7-8). I think that his friends were trying to help him, but were going about it the wrong way by saying he is wicked and lecturing him. I know that would frustrate me if I were Job.




JOURNAL

So tonight I've been thinking about how blessed I am to have such great friends. I have one friend this week who has been sort of "stabbed in the back" by another friend, and is going through a lot of drama. She has had a pretty rough week. I despise drama. It is so over rated. Just the other day, there was a cat fight in our school hallway with two girls. One thing I don't understand is why us girls get into fights and they drag on and on until we can't even remember what we were fighting about, and when guys fight, they might be mad for a day, but they get over it. Why is that? Most of the time the arguments aren't even important, but yet we choose to jeopardize our friendship over something that wouldn't matter at the end of the day. My sisters and I are like that sometimes. We argue about insignificant things or argue just to argue. But, in the end we still love each other. We just need to remember that our friendship with each other is way more important that winning an argument.

So to my friend out there who is hurting, I pray that everything works out okay, and that the drama will go away as quickly as it came.

And to all my friends out there, thanks for being so great :D

1 John 4:11
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Nite!

Mallory

Job 18-19

These past couple weeks have been pretty hectic with homecoming and everything else that is going on. So I haven't written in a while. Job 18 and 19 is what I'm reading today. Bildad is basically saying that wicked men will never be successful. He thinks that Job is wicked, and thinks that if he confesses his sins to God, then God will forgive him.

Here is the passage:

JOB 18

Then Bildad the Shuhite replied

² "When will you end these speeches?
Be sensible, and then we can talk.

³ Why are we regarded as cattle
and considered stupid in your sight?

⁴ You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger,
is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
Or must the rocks be moved from their place?

⁵ "The lamp of the wicked is snuffed out;
the flame of his fire stops burning.

⁶ The light in his tent becomes dark;
the lamp beside him goes out.

⁷ The vigor of his step is weakened;
his own schemes throw him down.

⁸ His feet thrust him into a net
and he wanders into its mesh.

⁹ A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare holds him fast.

¹⁰ A noose is hidden for him on the ground;
a trap lies in his path.

¹¹ Terrors startle him on every side
and dog his every step.

¹² Calamity is hungry for him;
disaster is ready for him when he falls.

¹³ It eats away parts of his skin;
death's firstborn devours his limbs.

¹⁴ He is torn from the security of his tent
and marched off to the king of terrors.

¹⁵ Fire resides in his tent;
burning sulfur is scattered over his dwelling.

¹⁶ His roots dry up below
and his branches wither above.

¹⁷ The memory of him perishes from the earth;
he has no name in the land.

¹⁸ He is driven from light into darkness
and is banished from the world.

¹⁹ He has no offspring or descendants among his people,
no survivor where once he lived.

²⁰ Men of the west are appalled at his fate;
men of the east are seized with horror.

²¹ Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man;
such is the place of one who knows not God."

Bildad is saying all these things because he wants to help Job, but he also thinks that Job is hopeless and wicked. I find this interesting because in the next chapter, Job replies to what Bildad says.

JOB 19

¹ Then Job replied:

² "How long will you torment me
and crush me with words?

³ Ten times now you have reproached me;
shamelessly you attack me.

⁴ If it is true that I have gone astray,
my error remains my concern alone.

⁵ If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me
and use my humiliation against me,

⁶ then know that God has wronged me
and drawn his net around me.

⁷ "Though I cry, 'I've been wronged!' I get no response;
though I call for help, there is no justice.

⁸ He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;
he has shrouded my paths in darkness.

⁹ He has stripped me of my honor
and removed the crown from my head.

¹⁰ He tears me down on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hope like a tree.

¹¹ His anger burns against me;
he counts me among his enemies.

¹² His troops advance in force;
they build a siege ramp against me
and encamp around my tent.

¹³ "He has alienated my brothers from me;
my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

¹⁴ My kinsmen have gone away;
my friends have forgotten me.

¹⁵ My guests and my maidservants count me a stranger;
they look upon me as an alien.

¹⁶ I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
though I beg him with my own mouth.

¹⁷ My breath is offensive to my wife;
I am loathsome to my own brothers.

¹⁸ Even the little boys scorn me;
when I appear, they ridicule me.

¹⁹ All my intimate friends detest me;
those I love have turned against me.

²⁰ I am nothing but skin and bones;
I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth.

²¹ "Have pity on me, my friends, have pity,
for the hand of God has struck me.

²² Why do you pursue me as God does?
Will you never get enough of my flesh?

²³ "Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,

²⁴ that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
or engraved in rock forever!

²⁵ I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

²⁶ And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;

²⁷ I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

²⁸ "If you say, 'How we will hound him,
since the root of the trouble lies in him,

²⁹ you should fear the sword yourselves;
for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,
and then you will know that there is judgment.

I was reading an online commentary and it said that verses 25-27 might be the most important verses in the book of Job. The commentary says "Elsewhere Job explained his troubles, fears and doubts. But in these verses, Job explained the reasons why he still had hope."

⁵ I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

²⁶ And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;

²⁷ I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

So as you go about your day, think about Job, and the hope that he had :)

Mallory

JOB 17

Job 17. This was a short chapter and rather depressing I thought. In my footnotes for verses 13-14 it says that Job again expresses his longing for death. Wow. He wanted to die. I can't imagine feeling that way. Being so upset and troubled that you actually wanted to die.

That is basically what I got out of these verses I guess.


Well, anyway. This week is Homecoming week. Today was celebrity/bling day. I dressed up as Abby from NCIS. It was pretty fun being goth for a day ;P. Tomorrow is twin day, and I'm twins with Glor so that should be fun :).

Austa manana chicos y chicas!

Mallory Bjork

Empty Me of Me

Devos
For tonight's devos I read Job 16. I was reading the footnotes of my Bible and for verses 9-14 it says that Job wrongly accuses God of mauling him as he would a beast, turning him over to wicked men, using him as he would an archer for target practice, and attacking him as he would a warrior. Wow. That is pretty deep stuff. In verses 6-17 Job is just describing his desperate situation. I wonder how long job was in this situation. It probably says somewhere in the Bible, but I don't know where. I can't even imagine being in his place.


Empty Me-Chris Sligh

This is a great song. It isn't new or anything, but I heard it in the car the other day and it just has been on my mind lately. I want this song to my heart's prayer to God. It is soooo good. The lyrics are just awesome.

So here is the song. Listen to it and think about the words. Is this your heart's prayer?


Empty Me-Chris Sligh



Well that song pretty much sums it up for tonight.


Empty me of me, so I can be filled with you Lord.

Amen


Mallory

Job 15: Eliphaz' Second Speech

I was going to post this last night, but my internet wouldn't cooperate.

So I read Job 15 yesterday. Job finally ended his extremely long speech and Eliphaz is talking now.

These are the verses that stood out to me the most to me.

Job 15: 1-6

Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

"Would a wise man answer with empty notions

or fill his belly with the hot east wind?

Would he argue with useless words,

with speeches that have no value?

But you even undermine piety

and hinder devotion to God.

Your sin prompts your mouth;

you adopt the tongue of the crafty.

Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;

your own lips testify against you.

Words. They can be so helpful, but can hurt so much. You know the saying sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me? Well, that is full of balogna. These few verses kind of reminded me of gossip. Especially when Eliphaz says "your own mouth condemns you" and "you adopt the tongue of the crafty". That is what happens when we gossip. Have you ever been talking about someone, and they just happen to be standing right behind you? Well, that has happened to me before numerous times. I know that it was a sign from God telling me to watch what I say.

Now, I don't know exactly what Eliphaz meant when he said these words, but they reminded me of gossiping, and that got me going.

Here are some verses about gossiping:

Proverbs 11:13
A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

Proverbs 16:28
A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.

Proverbs 18:8
The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.

Well, I got to go.

See ya!

Mallory

Job 14

Job 14 is what I read for devos tonight. It really wasn't that exciting. Job is STILL talking to Zophar, at least I'm pretty sure. And he is still making his extremely long speech. But, there were some verses I found interesting.

Job 14:7-14

⁷ "At least there is hope for a tree:

If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not fail.

⁸ Its roots may grow old in the ground
and its stump die in the soil,

⁹ yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put forth shoots like a plant.

¹⁰ But man dies and is laid low;
he breathes his last and is no more.

¹¹ As water disappears from the sea
or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,

¹² so man lies down and does not rise;
till the heavens are no more, men will not awake
or be roused from their sleep.

¹³ "If only you would hide me in the grave ^a]">[a]
and conceal me till your anger has passed!
If only you would set me a time
and then remember me!

¹⁴ If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my hard service
I will wait for my renewal ^b]">[b] to come.

Job is comparing the life of a tree to us. He talks about how the tree will live again, and questions whether men will live again. He then says that he will "wait for my renewal to come". Job thinks that the fate of a tree is better than the fate of a man, because the tree can sprout again.

Do you agree with Job? ;)

Mallory

Job 13: Job's Reply to Zophar Continued

I read Job 13 tonight. It is basically Job 12 continued. Job is still talking to Zophar. He is making a long speech, which I think is pretty interesting. It seems like the type of speech someone would memorize for speech class.

Job 13

¹ "My eyes have seen all this,
my ears have heard and understood it.

² What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.

³ But I desire to speak to the Almighty
and to argue my case with God.

⁴ You, however, smear me with lies;
you are worthless physicians, all of you!

⁵ If only you would be altogether silent!
For you, that would be wisdom.

⁶ Hear now my argument;
listen to the plea of my lips.

⁷ Will you speak wickedly on God's behalf?
Will you speak deceitfully for him?

⁸ Will you show him partiality?
Will you argue the case for God?

⁹ Would it turn out well if he examined you?
Could you deceive him as you might deceive men?

¹⁰ He would surely rebuke you
if you secretly showed partiality.

¹¹ Would not his splendor terrify you?
Would not the dread of him fall on you?

¹² Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your defenses are defenses of clay.

¹³ "Keep silent and let me speak;
then let come to me what may.

¹⁴ Why do I put myself in jeopardy
and take my life in my hands?

¹⁵ Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;
I will surely ^a]">[a] defend my ways to his face.

¹⁶ Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance,
for no godless man would dare come before him!

¹⁷ Listen carefully to my words;
let your ears take in what I say.

¹⁸ Now that I have prepared my case,
I know I will be vindicated.

¹⁹ Can anyone bring charges against me?
If so, I will be silent and die.

²⁰ "Only grant me these two things, O God,
and then I will not hide from you:

²¹ Withdraw your hand far from me,
and stop frightening me with your terrors.

²² Then summon me and I will answer,
or let me speak, and you reply.

²³ How many wrongs and sins have I committed?
Show me my offense and my sin.

²⁴ Why do you hide your face
and consider me your enemy?

²⁵ Will you torment a windblown leaf?
Will you chase after dry chaff?

²⁶ For you write down bitter things against me
and make me inherit the sins of my youth.

²⁷ You fasten my feet in shackles;
you keep close watch on all my paths
by putting marks on the soles of my feet.

²⁸ "So man wastes away like something rotten,
like a garment eaten by moths.

The verses that stood out to me I put in bold font. I thought verse 7-9 were neat.

⁷ Will you speak wickedly on God's behalf?
Will you speak deceitfully for him?

⁸ Will you show him partiality?
Will you argue the case for God?

⁹ Would it turn out well if he examined you?
Could you deceive him as you might deceive men?

Well, that is all I have time for tonight. Ponder those verses....... good food for the soul :)

Buenos Noches!! (Good night)

Mallory

JOB 12: Job's Reply to Zophar

Tonight I'm reading from Job 12. It is an interesting chapter. Job's friends are judging him. I'm using the book The Bare Bones Bible Handbook for Teens along with my Bible. My book says Job chapter's 4-37 is called The Debates. Basically so far Job and his friends are debating. They think that confession is the only cure for Job's suffering. Job had three friends mentioned in the Bible. They all thought that Job's suffering was a result of sin. However, Elihu declared that suffering is often the means of purifying the righteous. God wanted to remove all of Job's self righteousness and bring him to place complete trust in Him.

Job 12

¹ Then Job replied:

² "Doubtless you are the people,
and wisdom will die with you!

³ But I have a mind as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know all these things?

⁴ "I have become a laughingstock to my friends,
though I called upon God and he answered—
a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!

⁵ Men at ease have contempt for misfortune
as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.

⁶ The tents of marauders are undisturbed,
and those who provoke God are secure—
those who carry their god in their hands. ^a]">[a]

⁷ "But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;

⁸ or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish of the sea inform you.

⁹ Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the LORD has done this?

¹⁰ In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.

¹¹ Does not the ear test words
as the tongue tastes food?

¹² Is not wisdom found among the aged?
Does not long life bring understanding?

¹³ "To God belong wisdom and power;
counsel and understanding are his.

¹⁴ What he tears down cannot be rebuilt;
the man he imprisons cannot be released.

¹⁵ If he holds back the waters, there is drought;
if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.

¹⁶ To him belong strength and victory;
both deceived and deceiver are his.

¹⁷ He leads counselors away stripped
and makes fools of judges.

¹⁸ He takes off the shackles put on by kings
and ties a loincloth ^b]">[b] around their waist.

¹⁹ He leads priests away stripped
and overthrows men long established.

²⁰ He silences the lips of trusted advisers
and takes away the discernment of elders.

²¹ He pours contempt on nobles
and disarms the mighty.

²² He reveals the deep things of darkness
and brings deep shadows into the light.

²³ He makes nations great, and destroys them;
he enlarges nations, and disperses them.

²⁴ He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;
he sends them wandering through a trackless waste.

²⁵ They grope in darkness with no light;
he makes them stagger like drunkards.

I think that verses 7-12 are kind of funny. Job is telling his friend that animals are smarter than he is, since they know that calamities can come from the hand of the Lord (this is from the footnotes in my Bible).

Well I really should be getting to bed, especially since I was sick today.

Nite all!!

Enjoy Job ;P

Mallory

Paintball Outreach

I haven't posted anything for a long time I just realized. Well, a lot has been going on lately. With volleyball, cross country, band, school, etc. But, it is a fun kind of busy I think.

Tomorrow our youth group is having a Paintball outreach. I'm really excited! I've invited a lot of my friends, but a lot of them are busy :(. I managed to find a few who are going to be able to make it though :). We are going to have paintball, games, food, fellowship... It should be great. So if you are reading this, you could just pray that a lot of people come and that our youth group will shine for Jesus, and that everyone will feel welcome.

So that is basically my thoughts right now. Now I get to go to a family birthday party. WOO HOO!! ;P

Mallory

Summer ends, the worrying begins

Well, summer is basically over. Only two days left until school starts. Summer went by so fast. With Driver's Ed, Softball, Vacation, camp, etc., it went by so fast. I don't even really consider it a summer, but oh well. I had lots of fun anyway :).

Right now I'm kind of dreading school. It's my first year of High School so it should be interesting I guess. I'll be even busier than last year (which is hard for me to imagine). But, I know that if I just let God take care of my worries, I'll be okay.

I don't really understand why people worry. It doesn't make things any better. Lot's of the time I lay in bed at night and worry about what I have to do the next day. WORRYING IS SOOOOO POINTLESS!!!!!!!!!! and yet I do it anyway. WHY?! CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHY WE WORRY ALL THE TIME?! Obviously, we worry because we are sinful. We worry about the clothes we wear, how we look, how good we are in sports, our grades, our jobs, money, time, our impression on other people....... The list goes on and on and on. There is no need to worry about such tiny details in our lives when we have an amazing God who asks us to put our full trust in Him. Here are some verses about worrying.

Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?"

Matthew 6:27-28 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow? They do not labor and spin."

Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


These are great verses. As school starts I start to worry more about homework, sports, grades, etc. So if you are reading this, and feel like praying, it would be awesome if you could pray that I would let God take care of my worries :).


Mallory