God's Goodness

"Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!" -Psalm 105:1

For a while now, I have removed myself from this blog mainly out of convenience. It takes effort to sit down and recount the things that have happened in my life. In my readings of the Psalms, however, I immediately hit upon the theme of declaring the works of God to all peoples. The Holy Spirit did that conviction thing that it likes to do and so now I've returned.

For the past two months, I've been at Hillsdale studying harder than I ever have in my entire life. I am taking 16 academic credits which include Organic Chemistry and Rhetoric and Great Books with Jackson (purported to be the most difficult teacher in the school). I am also taking piano lessons with a wonderful (and difficult) teacher as well as playing lead trombone with the Big Band and a small combo. Even with that schedule, the grace of God has given me the ability  to spend time at home and serve at church on the weekends and also build my relationship with my older brother. In hindsight, I don't see how those things are possible except through the supernatural. I am experiencing firsthand that when God gives responsibilities, he also supplies the time and resources that you need in order to be excellent in whatever those responsibilities are and regardless of how many you have. God provides.
Transferring from Hillsong to Hillsdale has been quite a change. The thing that sticks in my mind the most is the level of encouragement that gets thrown around. I believe that people of the kingdom of God should be people who encourage each other and use encouragement to minister to those outside the church. When I say encouragement, I don't mean that we should always be telling people things that we don't actually believe. If you're impressed with someone, let them know how and why. I guarantee that you'll stick in their mind as someone they can identify with and rely on. Wherever we are generous with our words, people will be built and God will be glorified.

If you ever have trouble finding a way to encourage someone, remember: "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8