simple?

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1

one of the "simplest" verses in the Bible- or is it?

can YOU create the heavens and the earth? I certainly cannot. i don't know about y'all, but i am majorly guilty of taking everything for granted.

another example is John 3:16 "For God SO loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." Probably the most stated and memorized verse of the Bible, but do we REALLY think about what it means? GOD LOVES YOU! again, those seem like such simple words, but they are the most amazing words i have ever heard in my 18 years of living. The same God that created the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1:1 loves YOU AND ME!!!! :) i don't even know what else to say. i just wish we could all stop and be in awe of our Creator and Lover. like i said, i am guilty of taking everything for granted and continuing life like my freedom in Christ is free when the truth is that is cost more than i can imagine.

If you don't remember anything else from this, remember that God loves YOU more than you can possibly know!

nothing left to be prideful about

One thing God taught me at Student Life Camp is that i have been looking at life all wrong. i have been struggling with pride and this was my thought process: "if i get closer to God, i will just be even better than everyone else so how do i do that without getting prideful?" and that is all wrong. i would try to get myself to be humble, but obviously that failed since i did it with my weak self (who thinks she is stronger than she really is!). but God put a thought in my head at the beginning of last week: what is my "good" scale made of? who is on it? because if i am comparing myself to the world, it is hard to not think i'm good because i live for the Lord and don't drink or cuss or any of that. but if i compare myself to the perfect, holy, and GREAT God, i am absolutely NOTHING and i have NOTHING to boast about. GOD gave me my talents and strengths, HE has given me the boldness when i witness, and everything else "i" have done for His kingdom is not me at all. i am just the messenger, simply the girl He chose to use. i have done nothing but give my life to Him. and when i really look at my life, it could be SO much better than it is. so no, i am not great, i am nobody, and i like it that way because God deserves ALL the glory and ALL the praise.