tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34954763381563408922023-11-15T05:29:17.285-08:00Look to JesusLooking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:2Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495476338156340892.post-35432979458228921122011-06-29T11:36:00.000-07:002011-06-29T11:36:01.788-07:00Wedding PlansSince it's been almost a year since I blogged, I guess it's time to get back into it. I contemplated starting a new one dedicated to wedding planning (which I'm falling in love with now that I get to do it myself!), but I can't even keep up with 1 blog, so what makes me think I'd be able to stay on top of 2? So one it is...at least for now.<br />
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It's been so excited planning for my wedding! I love envisioning it all, making things myself, and seeing all the details come together. The Lord has constantly been blessing us with everything falling into place, from venue, to dress, to close friends/family being able to come all the way from England and join us for our special day. As our date gets closer (11.5.11), my excitement continues to grow at the thought of spending my life with my best friend, through good times and bad. Our heart is to return to England and be involved in ministry out there. We are waiting and praying and relying on the guidance and provision of the Lord to direct our steps in His perfect timing.<br />
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It can be overwhelming at times when you try to plan out your life yourself, and greatly disappointing when it doesn't happen as you imagined. However, when you continue to seek the Lord, He promises to direct your path. He has a perfect plan for those whose hearts are loyal to Him. We have no need to worry or stress about the future. I'm sure we will encounter difficultly, in fact the Bible promises that, however knowing that we are never alone on this journey makes all the difference. Seeing the Lord work daily in small ways enables you to trust Him fully when big things come up. This whole relationship and wedding planning has been just another example of that in my life. God's past faithfulness demands our present trust.<br />
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He has never failed. No matter what you're facing, know that you can trust Him completely. Will you trust Him today?Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495476338156340892.post-29737387386645912252010-07-07T11:53:00.000-07:002010-07-07T11:53:17.851-07:00New SeasonsIt's been a while since my last post, partly because I never knew what to say. A lot was happening in my life and the Lord was teaching me many lessons, but most of them I needed to keep to myself for a while...looking to Jesus and trusting that He knew what He was doing, no matter how much it didn't make sense to me. Once again the seasons are changing, but this time I can share it with the world.<br />
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My best friend of almost 2 years and I have decided to embark on a new journey together. After much prayer, waiting on the Lord, wrestling with the Lord, Bible verses, more prayer, "patiently" waiting, more verses, and more prayer, we felt the Lord leading both of us into a relationship with each other. He has been such an encouragement to me over these past couple years, but especially since last summer. I am truly blessed that the Lord has placed him in my life and constantly uses him as a tool to point me to Jesus. As we've grown to get to know each other, our hearts for ministry (as well as many other things) are the same. It's been a privilege to serve alongside him so far and I'm excited to see what else the Lord has in store for us.<br />
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Are any of you waiting for something? Does it seem like an answer my never come? Remember, fix your eyes upon Jesus. Trust that He is working behind the scenes in ways you couldn't even imagine. Know that His timing is perfect and continue to seek HIM, not an answer, but Jesus.<br />
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<i>"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6</i>Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495476338156340892.post-53971386780577724432010-03-27T19:34:00.000-07:002010-03-27T19:34:26.116-07:00OutreachToday some members from my church paired with the <a href="http://armoroflightcc.com/">Armor of Light</a> ministry to put on a family event day at the Marine base here. We served a grilled lunch, had inflatable games, pony rides, live music, face painting, and an Easter egg hunt. Most of this particular battalion had already been deployed last month so many that attended today were families left behind. It was a wonderful opportunity to serve those who are sacrificing to serve and protect our country. This is a difficult time for their families, so it was a blessing for me to be involved in putting on an event for them to have some fun together. Personally, I didn't get an opportunity to share with any of them in word, but seeing their faces gives me more to pray for, that our actions and countenance of our faces would be emblazoned in their mind, not because of us but because of Who we represent: Jesus Christ. May His name be glorified in all we say and do. Thank you to those who have served or are currently serving our country, sacrificing yourselves to protect our freedom. I pray that you all would be able to experience the greatest freedom that comes through Jesus Christ...freedom from sin and death.Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495476338156340892.post-74515629507105667222010-03-01T21:10:00.000-08:002010-03-01T21:10:11.053-08:00ComplainingNumbers 11:1 "Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused."<br />
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Pretty self-explanatory. Why should we complain when we have so much to be thankful for. When we complain, we are saying that we are not satisfied with the way the Lord is providing for us and guiding us, thinking we could do better or that we deserve better. Looking back over my life, I know that God's ways are perfect. He has blessed me abundantly and I have NOTHING to complain about. Blessed be His name.Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495476338156340892.post-44498757369507640332010-02-28T20:38:00.001-08:002010-02-28T20:38:57.918-08:00Appointed Duties<div style="font-family: inherit;"><meta content="" name="Title"></meta> <meta content="" name="Keywords"></meta> <meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></meta> <meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId"></meta> <meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Generator"></meta> <meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Originator"></meta> <link href="file://localhost/Users/lindsaykishi/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">I was reading through Numbers today and something caught my attention. In chapter 4, the duties of the Levites were being defined specifically for each family—Aaron and his sons who were the priests, the sons of Kohath, the sons of Gershon, and the sons of Merari. What I found interested was throughout the chapter, the Lord specifically assigned duties for each family so that everyone had a roll and no job was left undone. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">Often as Christians we can become jealous about what the Lord is doing through the life of another believer. We want to have their life and be assigned their duties rather than being faithful with what the Lord has entrusted to us. On the flip side, we can wonder why other Christians aren’t helping us with our work. They seem to only be concerned with what they are doing that they don’t stop to offer to help us.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">My friends, the Lord has given us each a specific task for His kingdom…one that we are designed to do, that no one else can do. It would be slighting the Lord if we thought we knew better than He, thinking we would be better suited for a different task or someone else for ours.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">Throughout the chapter God says to “appoint each of them to his service and his task,” “appoint to them all their tasks as their duty,” “assign to each man by name the items he must carry,” “each according to his service and according to his task.” Everyone had a job to be performed “to do the work of service and the work of bearing burdens” in order that the tabernacle, the place of God’s dwelling, might be taken care of. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">We, as Christians, are the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the church His body. If we are too busy striving to be something we’re not, as Paul says in 1 Cor. 12:14-27, we will be divided as a body and accomplish nothing, which is exactly what the enemy, Satan, wishes to accomplish in the church. Run your race in your lane. Let us stop quarreling and complaining, but be faithful to the end with what the Lord has given us that He might say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” </span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495476338156340892.post-67419895204676789372010-02-21T13:03:00.001-08:002010-02-21T13:05:22.154-08:00Discipleship<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span><br />
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’ve been reading a book by G. Campbell Morgan entitled “Discipleship”. Last night I came across a passage that struck me. The truths and lessons we have been taught as disciples of Jesus should not be mere theories committed to memory, but should be displayed in our lives as principles. “The teaching of Jesus is cumulative and progressive.” We cannot move on to learn other lessons or skip to the end until we have applied what we’ve already been taught. You can’t skip steps because it all builds upon each other. I was reminded of a couple verses as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>2 Timothy 3:14</u>—“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Psalm 11:3</u>—“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We must continue to persist steadily because the lessons the Lord is teaching us now are for our good and are building the foundation for our future. Though we may not understand it, God knows, and is using it for our advancement in His discipleship program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495476338156340892.post-92117521870816057932010-02-14T21:20:00.000-08:002010-02-21T13:07:03.270-08:00Something To Consider<div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p><u>1 Samuel 12:24</u> – “Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.”<o:p></o:p></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the context of this verse, the nation of Israel was afraid the Lord would destroy them because of their disobedience to Him. However the Lord encouraged the people through the prophet Samuel and pointed them back in the right direction. They were not to go after empty things, but to follow the Lord, to “fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth will all your heart.” What was their motivation to serve the Lord rather than to gain alliances “prosperity” from the people already in the land? Why should they serve Him with all their heart? Simply because of what the Lord had done for them. He had created their nation, delivered them from Egypt, brought them through the desert, given them victory over their enemies, and had shown mercy to the people despite their sin. He had been faithful in the lives of their forefathers and would be faithful forever. Because of this, the least these people could do was to follow the Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">But what about me? What about you? Most likely, we have never wandered through a country without stopping at a place we call “home”; have never been made a slave, forced to work in the mud pits and make bricks; have never spent 40 years wandering in a desert, fed daily by miracle bread that dropped from the sky each morning. But maybe, some seasons in your life have felt like that. You don’t know what you’re doing with your life; you seem to be surrounded by impossibilities on every side; you’re stuck in a place where it seems easier to give up and go back to the life you knew before Christ, or worse yet, you only display your faith around other Christians but hide your light when you’re with everyone else at work or school or the stores.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here, we are given the answer. How can we go on in the face of such difficult circumstances? We look to Jesus and what He did for us…”for consider what great things He has done for you.” When you look, truly look, at all that Jesus went through for us in His life on earth and the intense pain and suffering He experienced on the cross, and you realize that HIS motivation was His love for YOU, how can you do anything else but serve Him with all of your heart? When this Christian life becomes a “bore” or seemingly too difficult to carry on, look back at what Jesus did for you. You will be humbled by His great love and sacrifice, and that will be your motivation. May we all remember what great things He has done for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495476338156340892.post-58687506527784028942010-02-11T22:05:00.000-08:002010-02-11T22:05:14.189-08:00UpdatingWhile I'm here visiting the Cate family in Colorado, Carleigh and I decided to update our blogs with fun new backgrounds. Since I changed the layout, I thought it'd be about time to make a new post as well, considering my last post was 4 months ago. However, it's getting late and my brain can think of nothing better to write at this point in time, I'll conclude this small post and try again when I have something better to say. So long for now.Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495476338156340892.post-60882511008367660612009-10-18T19:34:00.000-07:002009-10-18T19:40:42.797-07:00Absolute SurrenderI can across this section of Andrew Murray's book this evening and it really struck a chord with me. He was able to put into words exactly what has been going through my mind.<br /><br />"What is it that keeps us from trusting Him perfectly? Many say, 'I believe what you say, but there is one difficulty. If my trust were perfect, all would be right, for I know God will honor trust. But how am I to get that trust?' Through death to self. The great hindrance to trust is self-effort. As long as you have your own wisdom and thoughts and strength, you cannot fully trust God. But when God breaks you down, when everything begins to grow dim before your eyes and you see that you understand nothing, then God is near. If you will wait upon God, He will become all you need. As long as we are something, God cannot be all, and His omnipotence cannot do its full work. That is the beginning of faith-utter despair of self and dependence on God alone."Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495476338156340892.post-40489617519476602862009-08-29T00:48:00.000-07:002009-08-29T00:51:22.559-07:00Love<meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/lindsaykishi/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>614</o:Words> <o:characters>3502</o:Characters> <o:lines>29</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>7</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>4300</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; 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mso-level-text:o; mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:"Courier New";} @list l14 {mso-list-id:1523671063; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:480967120 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l14:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l14:level2 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:o; mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:"Courier New";} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} --> </style> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults ext="edit" spidmax="1026"> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout ext="edit"> <o:idmap ext="edit" data="1"> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><u>LOVE<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><u>1 Corinthians 13:4-8<o:p></o:p></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Love suffers long and is kind;<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Suffer long—to be patient; to be lenient; have a long enduring temper; forbearing; to patiently endure<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Kind—serviceable; good; to show oneself useful; to act benevolently; better; easy; gracious<o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Not being quick to point the finger and pick out faults, but to serve, to be gracious, and to put up with anything without losing your temper<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Love does not envy; <o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Envy—to have warmth of feeling against; fervent mind; indignation; jealousy<o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It stews inside of you<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Love does not parade itself,<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Parade itself––to brag; to boast; vainglory<o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Not thinking more highly of oneself than one ought to think; not putting eyes on yourself and your accomplishments or your humility<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Is not puffed up;<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Puffed up—arrogant; inflated; to make proud; haughty<o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Does not think they know what is best or their way is the only right way; does not think they are better than another<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Does not behave rudely,<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Rudely—unbecomingly; shapeless, unseemly; inelegant; uncomely<o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Behaves properly; fits in the right shape and isn’t bent out of shape; it’s attractive<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Does not seek its own,<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Seek––demanding, inquire, looking for, made efforts, search, striving, trying to obtain; plot; be about, desire, endeavour, enquire for<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Own—of himself, herself, itself; possessive<o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Doesn’t demand it’s own way; it’s striving to be put first; this is not what love is about, it’s not part of the job description at all<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Is not provoked,<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Provoke—to sharpen, stimulate; exasperate<o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Is not sharpening it’s knife to cut someone with; is not stimulated into action; is not exasperated with the object of affection; love makes no provision to strike out against someone<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Thinks no evil;<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Take into account (thinks)—to reckon, to consider; maintain; mind dwell, number, regard; to take an inventory or estimate; conclude; despise, esteem, impute, lay, number, reason, reckon, suppose, think on<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Evil—bad, evil; intrinsically worthless, injurious; harm, ill, noisome, wicked<o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Does not take an inventory or impute any worthless or injurious thing to anyone’s account; does not think about anything that causes harm or ill to someone.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Does not rejoice in iniquity,<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Rejoice—to be cheerful or calmly happy; be glad<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Iniquity—injustice; unrighteousness; wickedness; wrongfulness of character, life, or act<o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Does not find pleasure or happiness in unrighteousness; is not secretly glad about the wrongful acts of others or done by yourself<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>But rejoices in the truth;<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Rejoices—to sympathize in gladness, congratulate, rejoice in/with<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Truth—truth, not concealing; real; right<o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It rejoices together with what is real; it can rejoice with another when the matter is no longer concealed; it’s a joy in the exposure of truth rather than an inward smirking at wickedness<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Bears all things,<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Bears––to roof over, to cover with silence; endure patiently; forbear, suffer; to cover closely so as to keep water out<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">All things––<span style="color: black;">all, any, every, the whole; always, anyone, daily, forever, everyone, everyway, as many as there are, thoroughly, whatsoever, whole, whosoever</span><o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black;">Covers what does not need to be exposed every time and with everyone; endures patiently anything and everything, daily and forever</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Believes all things,<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Believes––<span style="color: black;">to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), credit; to entrust; commit to trust, put in trust with</span><o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black;">To have faith in that person and entrust them with all things; to commit to trusting them in everything</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Hopes all things,<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Hope—to anticipate, expect, hope; to confide; to anticipate with pleasure; to have confidence<o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Expects the best from everyone and out of everything; has confidence in the object of your love<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Endures all things.<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Endures—to stay behind, to await, to endure; perseveres, remains; abide; <span style="color: black;">to undergo, bear trials, have fortitude, take patiently, suffer, tarry behind</span><o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black;">It can be tried and it perseveres; it can stay behind and wait for the right time; love sucks it up and suffers patiently and silently, not through some, but through all things</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i><u>Love never fails.<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Never—never; not ever; cannot; not even at any time; never at all<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fails—to fall; fall down<o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Love cannot at any time, ever, fall down. It doesn’t break under the weight or crack under pressure; it doesn’t get hurt or pull out of the race.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></ul> <!--EndFragment--> Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495476338156340892.post-83951872617841732012009-08-06T08:32:00.000-07:002009-08-06T08:38:08.917-07:00Be a Winner<span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Olympic athletes live their life in such a way that they are always in training for the next competition. They want to be in the best physical shape and have the most endurance so that they can have the victory. They are conscious of their diets and exercise programs and do not stray from their strict regiments in order to achieve their goal and obtain the prize.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This is how we should be as Christians. We should live this life as if we were Olympic athletes competing to be the best. This world is not our home; it’s not the time to relax and kick back, but now is the time for training. If we strive to be like Paul and at the end of our life say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,” then throughout this life we cannot afford to be distracted with the things in this world. Our flesh will have its appetites that seem appealing and harmless if only indulged in “just this once,” but similar to an athlete eating a piece of chocolate cake, it ruins their diet and has great effect upon their training.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Paul points out in this passage that these athletes compete for a perishable crown. They are striving to win something that will one day fade in glory. However, we are competing in this world to obtain an imperishable crown, one that will last throughout eternity. If this is our goal, we should be even more diligent in our training knowing that our benefit will last forever. So why are we so lackadaisical in our lives here? Why do we not fight the good fight of faith? Why do we settle into complacency and get desensitized by the sin around us? Instead, we should be disciplined in our daily lives, physically and spiritually, so that we too can have this mindset: to run with certainty. We cannot afford to run half-heartedly, gazing at the scenery around us or the birds flying in the sky. We need to run hard and press forward in the midst of adversity, face first into the wind. We need to know what we’re fighting against, or more precisely who. We are not fighting against people, but spiritual forces around us and our flesh within us. We need to fight hard against our enemy because he will do everything he can to keep us from running and from fighting. He doesn’t have to come first in the race, he just has to keep us from completing it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So what are we to do? Discipline our bodies and bring them into subjection so that we are not disqualified from the race. We need to not indulge in the desires of the flesh, but keep our eyes fixed on the prize. Our prize is Jesus. We receive the imperishable crown and are able to cast it at the feet of Jesus for His glory. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. He is the prize and should be the motivation for our race.</span>Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495476338156340892.post-43875708639015099142009-07-26T13:10:00.000-07:002009-07-26T13:12:37.764-07:00Our mistakes<span style="font-family: verdana;">I had a random thought today, when I heard someone with an accent say “mistake”. It sounded more defined: “miss take”. And I thought…that’s it. What is a mistake? It’s mis-taking something. Maybe it’s taking something that’s not yours, taking something that belongs to someone else, taking something that’s reserved for someone else. Making a mistake is grabbing for something that the Lord has not appointed for you to have, or grabbing for something at the wrong time. When you think of the mistakes in your life, is this not that case? It seems to be in my life anyway, that when I make a mistake it’s because I’ve acted out before the Lord and taken the forbidden fruit. “I just made a mistake,” you say, then put back what you have taken and take the hand of Jesus instead. When your hands are in His, you won’t have room to hold anything else.</span>Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495476338156340892.post-23760356693570394352009-07-25T02:16:00.000-07:002009-07-25T02:18:57.763-07:00Look To Jesus<span style="font-family:verdana;">I graduated from Bible College in December. For the previous 2 years, I had been in England, getting rocked by the Lord and His Holy Spirit as I studied through the Bible and rebuilt the foundations of my Christian faith. There were so many ways that I had strayed from following the Lord and attempted to live life in my own strength, only to see everything crumble before my eyes. I knew that I could no longer do it on my own…if I was going to continue living, I needed to surrender it all to the Lord.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Since graduating and returning to southern California, I have once again been tested as I try to apply all that I’ve learned over the past 2 years (and it was A LOT!). There have been times of great victory and times of utter defeat, yet through it all I keep coming back to this one thing: <span style="font-weight: bold;">JESUS</span>. All the lessons I’ve been learning are centered around Jesus. It’s been the simple (yet not easy) task of simplifying my faith and simply looking to Jesus. I don’t need grand new revelations from His Word. I don’t need a huge vision of His life plan for me. All I need is Jesus. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" >But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">When I have Jesus, I have everything…everything I could ever need or want. Only He will satisfy every desire and only He can fill my deepest need. Only He will never leave me and only He can save me. When I get caught up focusing on other things, whether it be financial worries, my future career, missionary adventures, loneliness, marriage, I must stop myself and realize that the Lord has it all taken care of. He has my life written out already and I have nothing to fear. When I have Jesus, I need nothing else. An old hymn rings in my head as I remember this fact: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Turn your eyes upon Jesus</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Look full in His wonderful face</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">And the things of earth will grow strangely dim</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In the light of His glory and grace</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I write this blog mostly for myself, to remind me of the good things the Lord has done for me. However to anyone else who reads this and needs a bit of encouragement, may I offer this solution: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Look to Jesus</span>. He knows…He cares…and He can handle it, no matter what it is…so look to Him and nowhere else.</span>Alex and Lindsay Spampinatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145578719359179023noreply@blogger.com1