There are days when I’m too lazy to write my devotional response in my journal.. so thanks to technology, I can type it out. I also haven’t been able to update my blog in such a long time! As life gets busier here in Japan, I allow my daily tasks to take over and consume my time and energy. Moreover, I find that tasks, as spiritual as they may be, become a replacement for spending time with the Lord. This, in turn, tires me out even more because I am not feeding my soul with the living water and bread of God’s Word and time with Him. Yes, sleep and food are important (obvi), but if I’m just living off of my own strength, wisdom, and little motivation, how is that glorifying God? I need Him, and it’s very clear that my work is in vain when it is not by and for Him. Tonight’s devotional was on Ecclesiastes 1:14 (“Behold, all is vanity.”), and I’ve actually been reading Ecclesiastes on my own time. The great and prosperous King David writes about how he has tasted and experienced all the pleasures and luxuries of the world, but all his work, all his possessions were vanity. Chapter 6, verse 7 says: “All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied.” If you are a king and have everything a human could ever want, but still feel that it is not enough… shoot, I don’t know what is! It is God who gives us meaning, purpose, and fulfillment day by day. Yea, there are times like now when I forget or am not sure what my purpose is, but He shows me that living for tasks, accomplishment, my own happiness, etc.. it’s just not enough. I can be comfortable but still not be at peace. I know that God places this discomfort in me because only HE can be my peace, rest, joy, everything I could ever really want. Sure, I can eat a lot of snacks, go on the computer until 3 AM, buy some more cute striped shirts, but how long is that going to keep me satisfied? Is that going to really make me happy? Until when? And when I need to buy, eat, consume more… isn’t that an indication that my hunger for more cannot be satiated by things? even things that I really really really like/love? Thus, all these temporary pleasures are consumed in vain if they are not for the glory of my loving, patient, and just Father. He watches over me, and I’m sure it pains Him to see me value my comfort and little pleasures above the greatest and eternal comfort/pleasure/everything I need: God Himself. But I am bound by His love and promises. His truth. There is no other truth that has presented itself to me. There is no other happiness or meaning that I have found like that of the Lord’s. Thank God that He won’t let me go. Thank God that I feel His presence with me everywhere. Praise Him forever. How blessed I am.
Just a quick photo update of what’s been going on recently:
YUMM THANKSGIVING DINNERR
Another Thanksgiving party!! Our high school ministry :)
One of our stinter brothers made the sisters a BOMB DINNERRRR
PAD CEE YOU (I know this is the wrong spelling), twas SO good
heck YEA those are dark chocolate covered oranges
me and Harry Potter, he gave me his glasses!!!!
I would like to update more in detail, but it is late! I will definitely try and be more consistent with my updates, but it is getting BIZZAY. Thank you everyone for your prayers :) A newsletter (aka email update) will be going out soon as well. Preparations for Christmas are underway!
That pad-cee-you looks exactly like some other chinese dish. it’s called gon-chow-ngow-haw :)