More

More purity give me,
More strength to o'ercome, 
More freedom from earth-stains,
More longings for home;
More fit for the kingdom,
More useful I'd be, 
More blessed and holy,
More, Savior, like Thee.

—Philip P. Bliss, "More Holiness Give Me"

Are you struggling right now?  What are you in need of?  What are you searching for?  I know, just as the song lyrics plead, that I need more purity, strength, and separation from the world.  I need a more centered focus on heaven, on reaching souls, and on serving others and God.  I need to be more like my Jesus.  Sometimes I get discouraged (one of Satan's best tools, by the way) and wonder if I will ever measure up.

I can't.  Not alone, anyway.  I needed Someone's help, and Jesus was the only One who could offer that help.  He truly was tempted just as we are, but lived a perfect—sinless!—life (Hebrews 4:15b) and therefore is the one and only acceptable, eternal sacrifice for our ugly, selfish, heavy sins (Hebrews 10:1-14).  His blood was the only thing that could allow me to "measure up" before God (Ephesians 1:7).  I was able to come in contact with that redeeming blood through baptism (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4), and now it continues to cleanse me as I strive to take each step in the light (1 John 1:7).

We forget that a lot, don't we?  The simplicity—yet the divine significance—of having such a High Priest, such a Best Friend, such a Shepherd...

He knows when we are trying (Matthew 5:8).
He knows when we aren't (cf. Matthew 9:4).  
He knows our hearts (cf. Psalm 44:21; Psalm 139:1-4; Acts 1:24)  
If you're searching, keep seeking (Matthew 7:7-8).  
If you're struggling, keep striving (1 Corinthians 10:13).
If you are a Christian, trust and have faith, because He understands, and He will never leave (Hebrews 13:5b; Psalm 9:10).
If you're not a Christian, ask yourself why; study, because He has given us all we need to know (2 Peter 1:3) and His Word is perfect (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  It is the single most important thing you will ever decide on.
He knows when we truly desire more—and He is ever-ready to fill that void with His wisdom, strengthening tests, guidance, blessings, purity, humility, comfort, and on and on...

He has done far too much for you and me for us to never begin, or to give up in the middle of the fight.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." -James 1:5-8

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need." -Hebrews 4:16

Memorization

As children in Bible classes, we were often assigned portions of Scripture to memorize and recite the next time we would meet.  I can recall learning the passage and reciting it with pride, only to forget it within a week's time.  The same routine continued throughout high school, though this time with academics.  Formulas in math were only stored mentally for a short time (i.e. until the test was passed), as were Shakespearean quotes, governing laws, and Spanish verb conjugations.

There are many "popular" Bible passages that people all over the world have memorized:  John 3:16, Psalm 23, I Corinthians 13:4-8 are just a few.  Theses passages are beautiful, meaningful, comforting, and lovely!  Knowing them by heart can bring reassurance and peace in times of trouble and in day-to-day life.

Now let's look at Psalm 119:11, "Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You" (NASB).  It seems here that the Psalmist is on to something we too often fail to take notice of.  We tend to memorize passages of Scripture that are "feel good" passages--and we should!  But do we realize that a tool for fighting temptation is right at our fingertips?  Why don't we memorize verses such as Galatians 5:16-17,

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please." 

Or Romans 6:12-14,

"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.  For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace."

Why do we suppress these Scriptures when we begin thinking of passages we'd like to "treasure in our hearts?"  Do we maybe not feel good when we read these verses?  Do we maybe feel convicted, pierced, pricked to the heart?  One of our main motives for memorizing Scripture should be as we read in Psalm 119:11, "That I may not sin against You [God]."

Which passages in God's Word convict you?  Which are difficult for you to read, because you know you struggle to follow them?  I know I have many, and I need to etch them more deeply into my heart, as well.  I challenge us to find those Scriptures--and memorize them, write them down!  When we learn to treasure Scriptures that encourage and warn us to keep from sin, we will find that indulging in Satan's destructive traps becomes less and less enticing and obeying God's perfect commands becomes more and more appealing.

Very Quickly

...shall I update about college!  As I type, I sit on a chocolate brown couch outside Room 8 in the upstairs of a very old building.  I am joyously eavesdropping on the Chorale practicing their pieces and hoping I can make it out of here before they catch me. :0)

My roommate's name is Timberly; we are so blessed to have each other.  We've enjoyed days of comforting one another and nights of ceaseless laughter.  A true, not-conformed-to-the-world Christian friend is a valuable, valuable blessing in this generation.  We've also added another roommate recently--Franchesca Pearl, Timberly's goldfish, who I'd venture to say has had the longest lifespan of a campus fish-pet yet.

Many blessings has the Lord bestowed upon me in my short time here so far...thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers as I graduated high school and prepared for this step in my life!  I hope to organize my thoughts more efficiently and share some encouragement with you very soon.  I hope you're enjoying the "little" blessing He puts in each and every day...they're there. :)