Today was our off day. We went into Athens and visited the Acropolis, Parthenon, Temple of Zeus, and a few other ancient ruins. It is scorching hot here - it was predicted to reach 100 degrees F - so we only stayed in town until about 2:30.
We were honored to have dinner tonight with the Petrou family who live at the Bible school. Argyris Petrou is a pastor and teacher at the school. He has been in charge of our "schedule" while we've been here. He and his wife are incredibly hospitable and cooked us a fabulous, homemade Greek dinner. It was honestly one of the best meals I've ever eaten!
On a different note…
Today has been a serious struggle for me. The entire day I have been completely conscious of the immensity of my sin. My words, behavior, and thoughts all stemmed from selfish desire and motive. My words may have sounded polite and honorable on the outside, but inside they were completely hollow. My thoughts were plagued by frustrations and self-interest. And my behavior was nothing more than empty actions seeking approval and recognition.
I constantly devalue the people here by being more concerned with accomplishing a task than spending time with them. I become frustrated that I am not able to serve in more meaningful ways. And I crave structure and order at the expense of joyfully digesting the culture. Pray that Christ will give me a heart for the people he places in my path. That I will see the importance of these relationships and seek to be a witness for Christ through loving others. Pray that I will remember that my plan may not mirror the Lord’s plan. That perhaps he has me in Greece for completely different reasons than I expected – even if just to grow me in these weaknesses. And lastly, pray that I can surrender control of my schedule to the One who is truly in charge.
Today I recognized the utter depravation of my heart. On one hand, I am thankful for this realization because it allows me to see my need for rescuing. For a Savior. On the other hand, I am feeling completely helpless when I know I should not. Christ died to bear all sin and, for that reason alone, I can have hope that this sin will not overcome me. I am in the process of redemption and I can have hope that he is using every situation in my life for growth in him. I must remember that Christ can and will use the weak to accomplish his purpose.
I look forward to the day when I am before Christ and witness the final defeat of sin. A day that I will no longer be bound by my flesh. Thank you Jesus for loving me the way you do – even though I am so undeserving. Thank you for exposing my heart and need for you. Remind me of these things daily.
"And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you." - Psalm 39:7
We were honored to have dinner tonight with the Petrou family who live at the Bible school. Argyris Petrou is a pastor and teacher at the school. He has been in charge of our "schedule" while we've been here. He and his wife are incredibly hospitable and cooked us a fabulous, homemade Greek dinner. It was honestly one of the best meals I've ever eaten!
On a different note…
Today has been a serious struggle for me. The entire day I have been completely conscious of the immensity of my sin. My words, behavior, and thoughts all stemmed from selfish desire and motive. My words may have sounded polite and honorable on the outside, but inside they were completely hollow. My thoughts were plagued by frustrations and self-interest. And my behavior was nothing more than empty actions seeking approval and recognition.
I constantly devalue the people here by being more concerned with accomplishing a task than spending time with them. I become frustrated that I am not able to serve in more meaningful ways. And I crave structure and order at the expense of joyfully digesting the culture. Pray that Christ will give me a heart for the people he places in my path. That I will see the importance of these relationships and seek to be a witness for Christ through loving others. Pray that I will remember that my plan may not mirror the Lord’s plan. That perhaps he has me in Greece for completely different reasons than I expected – even if just to grow me in these weaknesses. And lastly, pray that I can surrender control of my schedule to the One who is truly in charge.
Today I recognized the utter depravation of my heart. On one hand, I am thankful for this realization because it allows me to see my need for rescuing. For a Savior. On the other hand, I am feeling completely helpless when I know I should not. Christ died to bear all sin and, for that reason alone, I can have hope that this sin will not overcome me. I am in the process of redemption and I can have hope that he is using every situation in my life for growth in him. I must remember that Christ can and will use the weak to accomplish his purpose.
I look forward to the day when I am before Christ and witness the final defeat of sin. A day that I will no longer be bound by my flesh. Thank you Jesus for loving me the way you do – even though I am so undeserving. Thank you for exposing my heart and need for you. Remind me of these things daily.
"And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you." - Psalm 39:7
1 comment:
Girl, you are amazing and i pray that God will open your eyes to show you a glimmer of the path he wants you on. Struggling with sin and with figuring out where God wants you is part of the journey of getting to know God better. I'll leave you with a quote that Tanner Cummings (from SS) shared with me that i thought of when i read this: "Courage is seeing how close you can get to God, before running away"
The journey will be rough, but i know you have surrounded yourself with some amazing people who will be with you every step of the way.
God Bless and PEACE
STKerr
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