At this particular moment in time, my life is pretty dandy. The plans I thought I had all neatly set out for myself are no longer there, but they've been replaced by something much better. I'm quite content with where I am right now. In fact, I haven't dealt with anything really hard for quite some time now. That always worries me a little. Maybe that it's the calm before the storm. I don't know. But anyways, there's gotta be someone out there who's having a tough time, so hopefully this will help someone.
In Acts 7, Stephen is giving a not-so-brief history lesson. At least that's what it looks like at first. But if you look at little closer, Stephen is describing lots of the major characters in the Old Testament. He talks about trials they went through and how they each reacted. One of those "bitter or better" sort of things.
Well, as it would turn out, I've heard that people today also have to deal with hard things. While our problems are different than those of Moses and Abraham, we all run into those rough patches. I hope I can be strong enough to withstand my personal storms when they come, and I hope that others will find that strength too.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
New Life Resolutions
Usually around New Year's, I spend some time reflecting on my past and what I've accomplished with 365 days. I've also been given another 365 more to fill, hopefully with many wonderful things. I've decided that one of those wonderful things shall be actual scripture study. Old fashioned scripture reading is great! Love it. But scripture study is where it's at. I certainly still need to work on that, but this being the case, I want to continue learning about the New Testament this semester, beginning with the book of Acts.
Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start, yes? In Acts 1:1, Luke addresses this book to Theophilus. While he was likely a real person, here's a fun fact for you. "Theo" means God, and "philus" means lover or friend. So, the name Theophilus is translated as Lover or Friend of God. I like to think of my Heavenly Father as one of my closest friends, and I hope you feel the same. So really, this book was written to you and me! Cool, right?
I suppose the next reasonable question would be why this book was written. Cue verses three and eight. Using the "infallible proofs" (v. 3) that Christ gave, the book of Acts "shall [help us] receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me." (v. 8). I have been so blessed to have a knowledge of the Savior in my life, so I suppose the least I could do in return is to help share my happiness with those around me. I guess a good way to start is to continue to learn about my Savior. You can't teach what you don't know.
So, cheers. And here's to a New Life.
Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start, yes? In Acts 1:1, Luke addresses this book to Theophilus. While he was likely a real person, here's a fun fact for you. "Theo" means God, and "philus" means lover or friend. So, the name Theophilus is translated as Lover or Friend of God. I like to think of my Heavenly Father as one of my closest friends, and I hope you feel the same. So really, this book was written to you and me! Cool, right?
I suppose the next reasonable question would be why this book was written. Cue verses three and eight. Using the "infallible proofs" (v. 3) that Christ gave, the book of Acts "shall [help us] receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me." (v. 8). I have been so blessed to have a knowledge of the Savior in my life, so I suppose the least I could do in return is to help share my happiness with those around me. I guess a good way to start is to continue to learn about my Savior. You can't teach what you don't know.
So, cheers. And here's to a New Life.
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