Hello amazing readers!
What have you been doing this past week? Maybe you’ve been home for all of it, trying to get used to a new schedule and routine for school work. Maybe you’re on the front lines working hard and keeping a business running. Or maybe you’re enjoying the fresh air and taking as many walks as possible to get your exercise. Whatever your week has looked like, I would like to challenge you to do something. If you’ve been a follower of my blog for a while you may already know that I love assigning challenges and helping people reach their goals and do those hard things for the glory of God. But sometimes it's not easy to receive those challenges and achieve those goals. Most times they’re easier said than done. Can you relate? But this week I promise, I am going to jump in on my own challenge. I hope you will join me in deepening your relationship with Jesus this week as you would a friend. Many teens over the years have asked me questions like, “How do you really have a relationship with Jesus?” Or “How can I make spending time with Him feel like a connection, because it seems boring and I always forget?” Well, my question to you is… how do you grow closer to your friends? You aren’t forced to enjoy them, but rather they gain your trust and you both like being together. The more time you spend with them, the more you enjoy their friendship. The truth is, our relationship with Jesus is the same way- the more time we spend with Him, the more we begin to love Him. Each of us connect with friends differently, so in the same way, each of us connect with God differently. Though the time you spend with Him may look different for you than for me, He still has the same truths for each of us to know and take to heart. So, what exactly are my pieces of advice for spending time with God and how does our relationship with Jesus relate to our connections with our closest of friends? Proverbs 8:17- “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.” Matthew 7:7- “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
If it's been hard to spend time in God’s presence, take small steps and know that He is more faithful than any friend you’ll ever meet. I challenge you this week to spend that time with God. Pick a time and stick with it. If you already spend time with Him regularly, how can you deepen your study in God’s Word? Maybe you could come alongside someone else who is just starting out. Together, we can know our God! Love in Jesus Christ, Hannah Kohner
0 Comments
This last Sunday, a group of online friends and I decided to do a group video call. We gathered together for a time of prayer, fellowship, and worship. Several of us played instruments and sang as others read verses and shared encouragement. We decided instead of sitting at home complaining of how we had nothing to do, that we could use the time we had for growing each other in Christ. We decided it was time to do hard things for the glory of God as we had learned from our elders, and take the step to encourage the discouraged in these hard times. We compiled a list of 7 ways that we decided to trust God this week.
Will you join us? As it says in Psalm 56, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” David says right there that we will be afraid, yet in those hard times we can place our confidence and trust in God. We can pray though we feel alone, fear God above the concerns of this world, and read the Bible and know that every word spoken is true and for our good. We can choose joy over complaints, and repeat the promises God gave us through the words we speak, write, and sing. We can use these hard times to shine like a star in a dark sky for Jesus Christ. Whether you’re 14 or 54, you can choose to make a difference today and encourage the hurting around you. We were given this life to glorify God, love Him, grow closer to Him and love people. What makes us think that even when our own personal routines, schedules and plans have fallen on their faces that God’s commands have as well? His words are the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). The truths that He expects us to hide in our hearts (Ps. 119:11) and live by (John 15:10) haven’t changed. If you are still alive and breathing today you have a divine purpose from God here on this earth. Your story isn’t over yet, and God is still penning out those perfect chapters in His Book. We can trust Him, and know that He is in control. I am thankful that God is still on the throne and is sovereign! If He wasn’t, it’d be time for me to panic and my desire for control would kick in. But guess what, God will never fall off of the throne, so you can leave your sense of control at the foot of the cross. He has got this. Don’t be afraid to use this time to grow closer to Christ. Don’t waste these hours you could be using to strengthen the church, your faith, family, and friends. Don’t wish away the time that God is using to call men to repentance in the stillness, but learn to hear His voice and get right with Him too. I know things are hard, but it's in these moments that the true Christians shine. The Bible says to not be weary in doing good, but that in the right season we shall reap if we faint not (Galatians 6:9). Use these moments to make a difference and change peoples lives. Press into Christ. He's using these times for His glory, and we can trust that! So now my question to you is, what will you do with this time that God has given you? Love you all in Christ, Hannah K. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
|
AuthorHello, I'm Hannah and I'm so glad you're here! I'm a twenty-year-old Jesus-loving writer, National Bible Bee Alumna, and homeschool graduate. Jesus redeemed me, and now I give my life, and this blog, to serve Him. Hebrews 3:13 reminds us to encourage each other daily, lest we be hardened by sin. I hope that reading each blog entry that I post you will be encouraged and challenged to become more like Christ daily. |