Contemplations while I Have Strep

From Saturday to Tuesday I had a fever, never consistently below 100-101 degrees, but it was usually higher than that. Yesterday (Tuesday) the doctor told me I have strep throat, and I was so surprised because---praise God!---I didn't have any kind of sore throat at all. The wonderful thing is yesterday God reminded me of the beauty of the Gospel. I had stopped preaching the Gospel to myself every day, and constantly I had sort of fallen from my first Love. It is so easy to compare myself to the people at school---all of whom claim to be Christians, few of whom actually care about God---and think "I'm doing fine." Do you know what I mean?

Yesterday I was listening to CJ Mahaney's sermon Gethsemane. I was so moved by what Jesus did for us on the cross because of how grieved He was in Gethsemane when he had a foretaste of what it means to be the sin-bearer. What caused Him so much distress was not thinking about the physical pain (though that was indescribably great) but God's wrath is what He dreaded the most! Jesus was so horrified at this very thought that He prayed three times for any other way...if there was any other way, God would have answered the Son's appeal. But this is the only way God could save sinners, by Jesus bearing the wrath of the Father for our sin! CJ Mahaney said that John 3:16 means that God so loved the world that Jesus asked for an alternative and God was silent. Jesus took on the cup of wrath should have been in my hand and he replaced it with the cup of salvation! If I ever doubt God's love for me, I can look back at not only the cross but at Gethsemane...the intense suffering of the Saviour. Wow.

Thinking about the Gospel, considering how much Jesus did for me---taking God's wrath upon Himself that was supposed to be given to me for my sin!---oh, why? Why would the LORD have mercy on someone like me? I feel so unworthy---probably because I am so unworthy!---and I am almost upset with God for loving me when I am such a disobedient child who loves sleep more than my Saviour, who wastes time so frequently, who gossips when I know God hates that. Oh how thankful I am for being a recipient of grace, chosen and covered. We cannot exaggerate God's love for us. It's impossible.

So I encourage you to preach the Gospel to yourself every day. Remind yourself of what Jesus did for you. Remind yourself of the victory He had when He rose from the grave. Do it. I dare you. :)

What God Has Taught Me From 2 Corinthians

I have been taking my time through 2 Corinthians because each passage is so stinking incredible.

God has used this book to make me want to change everything about how I live. It's pretty crazy because as I was praying for God to do all these things in me (I prayed pretty specifically), a random freshman came up to me, gave me a folder, and said "I wrote my journal entry about you for English class." I read her entry in which she wrote about how there's a difference between joy and happiness, and she said that she has happiness but can see that God can give joy and peace like He has given to Hope Chambers (me!) It was really cool to read this because it had very little to do with me and mostly to do with God and how HE can give joy; I'm just an example of someone who has received such joy. A friend gave me some really good advice last time I talked to him and expressed to him my discouragement about seeing such little fruit on my mission field (a lukewarm Christian school): he told me that my job is to be satisfied in the LORD and to let that shine to those around me. Once I stopped focusing on what I was doing and focusing more on who I was becoming, life became much less depressing and I relied much less on myself and much more on God. I suppose the effects of ministering to God foremost and ministering to people as overflow have been more successful also. I hope that doesn't sound prideful or anything; really, it's just so amazing that God answered my prayer and satisfies in a noticeable way!

Here's a brief stroll through what I have learned so far from 2 Corinthians...and I know a lot of it seems straightforward but seriously, these concepts are so unbelievably deep.

-Christ leads us in triumphal procession, proclaiming to all creation what He has done in the lives of His people. We should be a beautiful scent to the people around us, spreading the knowledge of Him everywhere. (See my most recent entry.)
-The Holy Spirit is more permanent and more glorious than the 10 Commandments, and the 10 Commandments were extremely glorious. WE HAVE GOD'S SPIRIT. We cannot underestimate His power!!! My goodness, how I underestimate the Holy Spirit that I posses!
-Christ has torn the veils off our faces, and by this freedom from the Spirit we can behold His glory and be transformed to be more like Jesus.
-We are ugly horrible broken jars of clay but we contain a great treasure: THE GOSPEL. We must let the Gospel emanate through our lives in everything we do.
-We must look "not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:18) If something can be seen or touched by humans, it is probably not everlasting. Praise God that His Word is more than a book, His church is more than a building, and His love is more than goosebumps. God is indestructible. I now see the beauty of faith. If something doesn't require faith, it is probably not eternal.
-I am thankful that GOD is my inheritance. In Joshua 13, Moses was giving different tribes different portions of land, "But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them." They received no tangible portion, but He is their inheritance, and that is more than enough. God has given me good things like a house, a family to snuggle with, friends to have fun with, a bed, etc., but all these things can be destroyed by fire, killed, or stolen. My heart cannot stop praising Him because He is everlasting by nature! The things of God cannot be seen, this is true, but I am so glad that He requires faith because things that can be seen aren't guaranteed and are not constant. We don't need to worry about anything for two reasons: 1) What do I have to lose? My life? Yay. My car/house/stuff? So what? The only important thing (God's love) cannot be taken away from us because He promised us so. 2) The safest place in the world is the center of His will...and even then we are not promised that we won't die or get hurt; but even then we know that's according to His perfect plan and He will be glorified through it. The LORD has promised us everlasting life, and He has never backed down on his promises. There hasn't been another earth-cleansing flood. His love for his people is secure because of what Jesus did. I have said words similar to this before, but they develop more and more meaning as time passes. The weight of His truth becomes heavier and heavier, and deeper and deeper imprinted on my heart. The LORD is my inheritance.
-God, who said "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Can you imagine how powerful that command was that God made? "Let let shine out of darkness." Can you imagine the world if He had not said that? And that same God has shone light into our hearts! What power!

So in conclusion, I think I have been underestimating everything...the power of the Gospel, how much it means for God to shine through us, our inheritance through Christ, the God-ness of the Holy Spirit. This is real stuff, not fiction, not "a part of our lives." Religion is not something God made. He just is, and the universe is to respond accordingly.

And I've been really humbled too. God has convicted me of a lot of sin in my life, which is very good because I was becoming extremely self-righteous and my heart was disgusting. It hurts to be humbled and sometimes I feel like I can hardly breathe because I hate myself so much, but through this I can also learn a lot about God's grace and how He is faithful even when I am unfaithful. (2 Timothy 2:13)

A Triumphal Procession

    This morning, 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 blew my mind. There is so much to unpack in these few verses:
    But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
    I would like to primarily focus on this idea of the triumphal procession in verse 14. My ESV Study Bible told me that this is referencing lavish victory parades that the Romans had during this period, with the victorious leader in front and his captives trailing behind in defeat. I can imagine the people on the sidelines jeering the losers and being in awe of the greatness of the general. If Christ has captivated your heart, you are joining in this triumphal procession daily, (Christ being the victor over your old sef!) but the difference is your face now expresses great joy to the people who see us. This beautiful procession---our everyday intentional living, displaying God’s goodness---is like spreading a fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere.
    Romans 8:15 describes such a transformation:
    For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
    Our spirits are still crying out, but now they are crying praises to the Father!
    At the Passion conference in January, Louie Giglio shared a really good example of this showing-the goodness-of-God-on-your-face concept. At the end of Extreme Makeover Home Edition when the family is about to see their new house, and the bus that was obstructing their view is finally moved, the camera does not pan to the house as much as to the expressions on the family’s face. The family’s reaction---tears of joy---is what moves the viewers at home and reveals just how beautiful the new house is. In the same way, the world can’t really see Christ directly, so they should see the His beauty through how much His people are amazed.
    Remember that we cannot fake awe. We cannot put on “radiance powder” on the days when joy from Jesus just doesn’t naturally radiate from us. Our aim should not be to grab the attention of everyone anyway. That’s what I like about John the Baptist. When his followers left him for Jesus in John 3, John the Baptist was ecstatic! He was losing glory and Christ was gaining it, which was delightful, for “He must increase, but I must decrease.” But if you really want to make a difference for the Kingdom, if you really want to know the heartbeat of the Father...spend time with Him!
    True change does not start from circumstances then make its way to change your heart. In Mark 7:15, Jesus said that what goes inside someone isn’t what defiles him, but rather what comes out of him. The heart, not the external stuff, is what matters! We have seen this over and over again. You can take drugs away from an addict for a month, but he will still crave them, or at least he will still crave something to fill that void. The reason Jesus could hang out with really bad people and remain sinless is because His heart was pure. The hypocrites were sinning just by hanging out with each other because their hearts were far from God. This is not to say avoid Christians and instead go to bars all the time, but please understand me when I say that change happens from the inside out. The Spirit alone can transform our hearts, so ask Him to do so! Spend serious time in the Word! There is some kind of perfect balance between our effort and the Holy Spirit’s work, but to the best of your ability pursue Him wholeheartedly.
    I often get discouraged at school because it seems like all my efforts from the past four years have been for nothing. However, I should instead focus on being obsessed with the LORD rather than being obsessed with what He is doing through me. He will cause everything to happen naturally in His time; my job is to trust in the LORD and do good (Psalm 37.) It is very rare to see people who have actually been changed by God; there are many who can pray extravagantly and who even read the Bible frequently, but God is still a 9 to 5 job for them. The world is hungry for a God that satisfies and consumes We must show the world that this is the God we know, or rather, this is the God who knows us.
    However, this is very difficult to do. For example, I believe that God calls us to show His impact in our life by obeying our earthly masters as if we are doing it for Him. Colossians 3:22-24 changed my life and is my main motivation for completing busywork or doing chores. Show your teachers and parents, that God’s love is so great that it has caused you to obey them. They’re a lot more likely to see that God is real if He brings about a real change in His children. And if you are indeed His child, He should be bringing about a real change in you.
    So may our lives be reactions to His greatness. May the world see Him on our faces. May He use us to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere.
    He is so worth it.

One Day.

I have been thinking a lot about Heaven lately. The more I study it, the more I realize that I really have no idea what it's like. I haven't studied much eschatology, but I love Revelation because, even though he is inspired by the Holy Spirit, John cannot fully describe what God's presence is like...and it is hard to imagine! No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him!
(Also, what does the Holy Spirit do in Heaven?)

Anyway, today Revelation 1:12-18 totally gripped me.

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

 Does this description of Jesus not make you tremble? He is fierce!

Check out what God is like according to Revelation 4:2-11:

At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!” 

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”

We will be worshiping the eternal, Almighty God forever. So let us start now!

A close friend of mine, an atheist who had evangelised and been on more mission trips than I have before becoming such, displayed some very insightful thoughts about Heaven on a Facebook spiel:

"You see, the way I've always heard it is that heaven is a place of eternal worship of God. If that were the case, then, that place would only be enjoyable for those faithful who had already dedicated themselves to such activity. Such a place would be torturous to someone who had spent their lives differently- being forced to praise a God that they never knew...Also, what if the importance of 'salvation' during the natural life was to be mentally prepared to enjoy this sort of endless worship?" 

Even an atheist realizes the foolishness of those who want to go to Heaven but don't give a flip about worshiping God now. Would you still want to go to Heaven if God was not there? Why would you want to worship forever if you don't want to worship now?
Just some sobering thoughts. :)

Thoughts on Sanctification.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.
Philippians 1:6
And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you [(salvation)] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Before we continue about sanctification, let me clarify the difference between the three "ifications" that are used to refer to the past, present, and future tenses of salvation: (as rhymed by Shai Linne in the song Atonement Q&A):
Justification: God declares us righteous
Sanctification:We’re being made into His likeness
Glorification:What happens at the finish when God conforms believers perfectly to Christ’s image
If you are a believer, justification already happened because of what Jesus did at the cross (Ephesians 2:8), sanctification is happening (Philippians 2:12), and glorification will one day happen (Romans 13:11).

Anyways, the past few weeks have been very difficult for me because in this time God has been powerfully convicting me and breaking me. I realize that I have become, as I said earlier, arrogant about my sanctification. Some of you may know that over the past year God has been refining my desires and consequently I have set some rules for myself regarding entertainment that I have taken pride in as being "radical" and "extreme." Yet though I have been abstaining from almost everything, I haven't necessarily been replacing that time or money spent with things of the LORD either. Hope Marie Chambers is living proof of Calvin's "our hearts are idol factories" statement. Even in 7th grade when I quit Neopets because it was wasting my time, it wasn't long before I jumped right onto another virtual pets site and became equally addicted!

Ephesians 5:15-21
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the LORD is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the LORD with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reference for Christ.

Verse 18 is the one that really got me. "Do not get drunk with wine", okay, I got that! Go me, yay Hope! But "be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another with psalms, etc."? I don't do that. So why am I bragging? I avoid bad things but don't pursue good things, if that makes sense. Ephesians 4:28-32 is even more convicting (which I didn't think would be possible!):
Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labour, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Friends, I'm a hypocrite. I don't know what it's like to have bruises on my knees from praying for hours every day. I think horrible thoughts about a lot of you---most of you---and I gossip boatloads. I disobey my parents so often. I waste so so so much time. I haven't even read the whole Bible. Despite my words about wanting to be forgotten, I still want to be popular; making a name for myself is still priority. My heart is nasty, and I don't know why I've been trying to conceal it for you and for God...Jimmy Needham said it wonderfully in his song Rend:
(this is from the perspective of God)
I don't need I grand display; show Me that your heart has changed; I don't need a show, only just to know your own heart breaks.
Psalm 51:16
For You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

I can show God all the stuff that I gave up and say "This is for You, LORD; look at me, I'm awesome!" But first of all, even my best works are like menstrual rags (Isaiah 64:6, eww) and still tainted with sin. (Even further, if I'm not covered in Jesus' blood I have no business fellowshipping with God in the first place. Though that's not what I'm talking about here, some of you do still believe that works---such as baptism---will get you into Heaven, and you're extremely wrong.) Second of all, as I said previously, my sanctification isn't up to me; it's all God and I only know as much about Him as He allows me to. Third, I haven't even been doing a good job using the amount of free will that I have for His glory.

God wants us to come before Him like a child; Brennan Manning pointed out to me today in The Ragamuffin Gospel that in Luke 18, it's no coincidence that the author juxtaposes the "let the children come to Me" passage right before the part where the rich ruler asks Jesus what he must DO to inherit eternal life. This dramatically contrasts the difference between needy children self-sustaining fools.

I'm not sure where my thought train is going here but this is what I'm trying to convey to you, dear friends (and I'm tired; forgive me if I accidentally said something heretical):
1) Lying to God and putting on a front for Him doesn't work and He hates it so don't even try.
2) Boast in God alone! Arrogance is a bad idea always, even if you don't brag about yourself to other people and you're just prideful in your heart. You're nothing; the LORD is everything.
3) Don't just say "I'm a sinner, I'm weak" and leave it at that! All the time Jesus would heal people and then be like "Go, and sin no more!" Repentance is key. But we will fail, so Grace is sweet.

My Photography

I really enjoy photography and photo editing. God is creative, so I do think it's possible to worship through creative pursuits as well.

Jesus is not cool…and neither is following Him.

Jesus is not cool…and neither is following Him.

(read this in an Irish accent or listen to this quote here: http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=2903 )
“And there's no room for [Jesus] in the inn.
He got a bit older, there was no room in His family, His family turned on Him.
He went to the temple, no room in the temple, the temple turned on Him.
And when He died there was no room to bury Him, He died outside of the city.
Well why in God's Name do you expect to be accepted everywhere?
How is it that the world couldn't get on with the holiest Man that ever lived and can get on with you and me?
Are we compromised? Are we compromised?
Have we no spiritual stature?
Have we no righteousness that reflects on their corruption?”
-Leonard Ravenhill

I am a female. Females seek attention. God wired us that way, but our sinful nature has transformed a beautiful need for Him into a desperate quest for popularity. Pursuing popularity (or doing whatever it takes to get people to like me) poses a problem, a contradiction to the lifestyle of the Jesus to whom I surrendered.

I’ve spent nearly my entire high school career trying to get people to like me. I’d laugh at the nasty jokes. I’d talk junk about the friends and teachers to whose faces I’d talk sweetly. But where in the Bible does it say this kind of compromise is okay? Jesus has promised that the world will hate me because it hated Him. Only one of His disciples died a natural death, friends, and even then John the Beloved was exiled and endured much suffering.

Read Matthew 10:16-39. Seriously, right now get your Bible out or go on Biblegateway.com and read it. Soak in each word. The context is Jesus was sending out His disciples to share the gospel with the Jews (though later they would also share with the Gentiles.)

This passage was at first scary, but once I thought about it more it became empowering. If we are living in obedience to God and sharing the offensive Gospel, we are guaranteed difficulties. We are not promised health and safety, but we can delight in knowing that nothing escapes our sovereign LORD’s sight. If it’s His will for a sparrow to die, the sparrow will die. If it’s His will for us to complete our stay on this world, then we will complete our stay here. If we are obedient to Him we don’t have to worry about a thing because we know that nothing bad will happen apart from His will. That’s more comforting than anything.

We as humans are so…humanistic. Everything we do revolves around us, even evangelism. We rely on ourselves so much, wanting to be “culturally relevant” so we can relate to everyone. We never take a stand on anything so we don’t “encroach on anyone’s beliefs” or “step on anyone’s toes.” This way of thinking/preaching is so flawed. Have you read Paul’s letters? 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 says that he didn’t come with superiority of speech or wisdom, but he was determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, so when he was preaching he was relying not on persuasive words but on the power of God. If what he was saying penetrated the hearts of the Corinthians, that meant that they were putting in their faith in Jesus Christ rather than in the communicative ability of the messenger. Paul didn’t learn funny jokes or hip slang; he learned Jesus. This leaves no room for justifying your approval of sin so you can “relate” with the lost. It’s not your job to speak to their hearts; it’s your job to plant and water but God gives growth. (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)

Today I read 1 Corinthians 4:11-13. Check this out.
“To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labour, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless. When persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.”

Scum of the world, eh? To the unbeliever this does not seem appetizing. (So thank God for intervening and giving the unbeliever understanding!) But though we as Christians will be oppressed and afflicted, the rewards are so much greater, not only in this kingdom but in the Kingdom to come! We have inherited salvation through the suffering of Jesus Christ. We can fellowship with a holy God. He gives us a peace that passes all understanding. How beautiful is the tortured life of the believer!

Philippians 4:11-13 is one of my favourite passages, but verse 13 is constantly taken out of context and deemed as a “life verse” for athletes. “…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me.” Paul was content with his condition because he had Christ. He knew that Christ likewise suffered much, so by also suffering for His Name’s sake Paul was able to share in His sufferings. That’s an exciting thing to have in common with Jesus.

How did Jesus survive the forty days of fasting? When the devil tempted him, He said “Man does not live on bread alone.” Jesus’ source of strength was the LORD. May we rely on Him to sustain us as well! We need not comfort or wealth or popularity. We need Christ.

Though in high school I do not have to face prison or beheading, but I do have to face people who will make fun of me or get annoyed with me for being passionate about Jesus (and I go to a Christian school, so I'm sure the rest of you have it way worse.) But it's not my job to stir up revival or get a million saved; it's my job to be obedient to Him (no matter the cost!) and let Him do as He pleases. And if I see fruit for my labour, yay. But if I don't see how He used me until I'm with Him, that's okay too. But He is so worth any kind of suffering.

You only have one life, friends. Will you pursue coolness or will you pursue Christ?