Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
A Few More Weeks...
I took my last midterm of my undergraduate career today. I only have a few more weeks at UCLA, 5 to be exact, which is really quite strange. This place has been my home for these past 3 years. I've loved it from the beginning, and love it even more now. I was looking through my pictures over my college years, and it's really been such a sweet time. As I reflect on my time here, I realize just how faithful God has been to me through the years and how He's grown me and changed me in many unexpected ways. It's interesting that the more I learn about God, the more I realize I don't know anything, and the more I think I've got something figured out, the more I realize I don't have anything figured out. And the more I see the gravity of the sin in my life, the more amazing and sweet God's grace becomes. I guess that's why I love this paradox.
At Epic, we went through Philippians 3:1-11, and so, I've been thinking about Philippians 3:8-9 for the past few days,
"Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith."
Do I really count everything as loss compared to knowing Christ? Have I really suffered the loss of all things? So many times, I take pride in my own strength and intelligence - in my own merits and accomplishments instead of attributing praise to Christ and seeing Him as greater than everything, my number one Treasure. I want to gain Christ and know what it means to gain Christ. Through His cross and through His righteousness, He has allowed me to be God's child. So that God sees Christ's blood that covers me, instead of my sin. How marvelous and amazing is that! He no longer sees my sin and my wretchedness, but lovingly looks at me with endearing eyes of grace as a Father looks lovingly at his child. I am completely free from condemnation through Christ, and I don't need to attempt to attain His righteousness, because He has already given it to me. So many times, I forget this, and fall in a legalistic attitude, that if I did more, God would love me more, but how utterly gross this attitude is. God has already cleansed me and freed me from guilt and shame, and I can walk in the confidence and joy that God has saved me.
On another note, I'm so excited about Japan! Whoo! Tokyo here I come! We got our Epic: Tokyo Project notebooks and I'm super stoked! Whoo!
At Epic, we went through Philippians 3:1-11, and so, I've been thinking about Philippians 3:8-9 for the past few days,
"Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith."
Do I really count everything as loss compared to knowing Christ? Have I really suffered the loss of all things? So many times, I take pride in my own strength and intelligence - in my own merits and accomplishments instead of attributing praise to Christ and seeing Him as greater than everything, my number one Treasure. I want to gain Christ and know what it means to gain Christ. Through His cross and through His righteousness, He has allowed me to be God's child. So that God sees Christ's blood that covers me, instead of my sin. How marvelous and amazing is that! He no longer sees my sin and my wretchedness, but lovingly looks at me with endearing eyes of grace as a Father looks lovingly at his child. I am completely free from condemnation through Christ, and I don't need to attempt to attain His righteousness, because He has already given it to me. So many times, I forget this, and fall in a legalistic attitude, that if I did more, God would love me more, but how utterly gross this attitude is. God has already cleansed me and freed me from guilt and shame, and I can walk in the confidence and joy that God has saved me.
On another note, I'm so excited about Japan! Whoo! Tokyo here I come! We got our Epic: Tokyo Project notebooks and I'm super stoked! Whoo!
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