Stumble Upon

I love the app stumbleupon. If you don't know about it or use another form of it online, stumbleupon is an online discovery engine that, after your put in what things you like, discovers websites that you might find interesting.  All of that at a click of a button.

Similarly, when I'm reading the Bible or listening to a christian radio station I will stumble upon encouraging or at times helpful verses/lyrics.  Now, you might think that when you read the Bible there will always be that verse that catches your eye or when your listening to the radio that part of the song that does just that too (to your... fill in the blank... ear...).  In some way yes, but sometimes not so much.  You might be struggling with something and you switch on the radio.  You might not get your answer but you did hear some good news.  You might be struggling with something and you open your Bible.  You might not get your answer but you did read some good news.  Well, I guess not always good news if your reading that your a sinner.  But if you were to keep going the fact that you are a sinner is solved by what Jesus did for you and me when he died on the cross.

"... We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?  Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.  For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin." - Romans 6:2-7

 Getting back to my topic of discussion...  I'm sure you have had times in your life where you have no answer or maybe you think you do but only more questions and problems come after you have tried to fix it your way.  We all do.  Now, I'm not saying a problem as that my feet are cold.  Well, I'll just put on some socks.  My feet are still cold.  Maybe a warmer pair of socks or even some shoes might do the trick.  No, I'm talking about instances where someone is hurting and you don't know how to console them.  Instances where you worry yourself about getting the bills paid.  Times when your family is in some turmoil and even when you do everything in your power to fix the issues.  You get the idea.

I'd love to tell you that if you open your Bible you will find your answers.  That might lead though to you opening your Bible up and turning to Exodus 26 you find that that chapter of Exodus tells of how the tabernacle in those days was to be constructed.  The curtains are supposed to be what color!?  Thank you blue and purple curtains for fixing my day.  Not to belittle that chapter of the Bible because it does have some real significance to the faith but I'm just pointing out that by just opening up your Bible you will find your answer.

Sometimes, though, you stumble upon something in there that really hits home.  I am doing my best to read the Bible each day.  It is easier some days than others but it is something that I want to make part of my daily life.  Today, I got some terrible news which I am extremely hurt by.  I'm not hurt because it hurts me directly but because others are being hurt the most.  I want to be able to pat them on the back and say its going to be ok.  I want to tell the hurt you are doing bad things and to stop, but I can't.  It is so hard to stand on the sideline and although I can yell, "keep on going, your doing great, that was a nice hit, its alright you'll get'em next time," it doesn't solve anything.  This is one of those times where you need to put the issue in the hands of the Lord.  And I stumbled.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." - Romans 8:26-27

I was let onto this verse in my Bible study that I was a part of at school but hadn't read it myself in its full context.  I am making my way through the book of Romans right now and so happy to have read that verse today.  I'd like to say by sharing this verse it has solved all of our problems and by sharing it I'd have done the right thing and handled it the right way.  But then I'd be wrong.  Sharing a verse from the Bible is one thing but for that verse to have any meaning the person receiving the verse would have to put it to good use.  This is where God tells me to read the verse and put it to good use myself.  I am in a state of weakness now.  I don't know what to pray for.  I am trusting the Spirit to intercede for me when I pray because I believe the Holy Spirit will speak for me.  I have the Holy Spirit in me and I have to trust the Spirit to move me.  Its not an easy concept for me to fully grasp but because He is in me I must have faith.

Romans 7:14; 8

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.

Romans 7:14 

Life in the Spirit

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.1 2 For the law of hthe Spirit of life ihas set you2 free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For jGod has done what the law, kweakened by the flesh, lcould not do. mBy sending his own Son nin the likeness of sinful flesh and ofor sin,3 he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that pthe righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, qwho walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For rthose who live according to the flesh set their minds on sthe things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on tthe things of the Spirit. 6 For to set uthe mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is vhostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; windeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact xthe Spirit of God dwells in you. yAnyone who does not have zthe Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of ahim who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus4 from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies bthrough his Spirit who dwells in you.

Heirs with Christ

12 So then, brothers,5 we are debtors, cnot to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you dput to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are eled by the Spirit of God are fsons6 of God. 15 For gyou did not receive hthe spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of iadoption as sons, by whom we cry, j“Abba! Father!” 16 kThe Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then lheirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, mprovided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Future Glory

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time nare not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for othe revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation pwas subjected to futility, not willingly, but qbecause of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that rthe creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that sthe whole creation thas been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have uthe firstfruits of the Spirit, vgroan inwardly as wwe wait eagerly for adoption as sons, xthe redemption of our bodies. 24 For yin this hope we were saved. Now zhope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we await for it with patience.

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For bwe do not know what to pray for as we ought, but cthe Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And dhe who searches hearts knows what is ethe mind of the Spirit, because7 the Spirit fintercedes for the saints gaccording to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together hfor good,8 for ithose who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he jforeknew he also kpredestined lto be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be mthe firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also njustified, and those whom he justified he also oglorified.

God's Everlasting Love

31 What then shall we say to these things? pIf God is for us, who can be9 against us? 32 qHe who did not spare his own Son but rgave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? sIt is God who justifies. 34 tWho is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—uwho is at the right hand of God, vwho indeed is interceding for us.10 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

w“For your sake xwe are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than yconquerors through zhim who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.