One of the many countdowns to come

76 more days till I'm in Australia!

Pressing On

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)

This verse today in Bible Study encouraged me to keep pressing on towards my goal to go to Australia and to more broadly just continue evangelizing & reading the Word. Sometimes I may feel intimidated to share the Gospel, but a key point is that I am not alone and that I have the Almighty God on my side. These verses really depict the ups & downs of the Christian life. However, the key part of that is "up." Jesus never lets us stay down, rather he might have to break us down to remind of us of His glory and sovereignty. It's an encouraging thought to have - that no matter what, my Lord will help me, love me, and ulimately save me of eternal pain and suffering. So after this verse I am inspired! To keep pressing on to get into the Bible! To keep pressing on to spread the Gospel! To keep pressing on to Australia!

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

This also was a great verse in Bible Study which was very influential! These verses solidfy the fact that this life is only temporary, but our life in Heaven will be eternal! It gives hope to a future that we can't even fully comprehend. Even though life might have it's struggles down here, it will all pay off when we reach that everlasting life with God. I am encouraged by this verse to fix my eyes on what is unseen, rather than seen. Again - Putting God at the center of my life and having everything fall into accordance with His will.

And yes, this did remind me of Relient K's song "Pressing On"

"I'm pressing on.

Pressing on, all my distress is going, going, gone."

Happiness

My opa sent me this excerpt from one of Billy Graham's devotionals and I found it very relevant to my life. . .

I almost wish that Thomas Jefferson had not written about "the pursuit of happiness." Jefferson was correct that we should have a "right" to pursue happiness, but the problem today is that so many people are pursuing happiness without knowing exactly what they are looking for or where to find it. Happiness is a byproduct, not an end in itself. Happiness cannont be pursued anymore than one can pursue a cloudless day, grasp it, put it in a bottle, and then bring it out on a rainy day to enjoy again. True happiness is not superficial and fleeting, as a day at an amusement park might be. True happiness begins when one is in right relationship with God. In fact, God is the only source of true happiness, because He offers those intangibles that we mistakenly believe can be found on earth: contentment, security, peace and hope for the future. None of these can be found in a job, a human relationship, money, power or position. They are God's alone to give. That is why the Lord Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, told where ultimate happiness lies when He said, "Happy are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."

Now even though this doesn't directly relate to my summer project in Australia, it definitely relates to my spiritual walk with the Lord. It has put me into perspective of where I define my happiness. It brings up questions as to what I put at the center of my life. I do know that I am trying to pursue my Lord Jesus' attributes as best as I can. I am encouraged by this excerpt to further strive after that goal. I know that I am definitely not perfect, but I also know that He is perfecting me. He puts me through struggles for a reason and provides solutions for a reason. He challenges my faith but then picks me up if I fall. My God is a great God indeed and I know that only pure happiness can be found through Him. That is why I am happy today! Because I have full faith in my Lord that He will get me to Australia! One way or another I am going to get over to that continent and spread His name to the nations!

And it begins