Well my friends, we've said goodbye to 2011..but we've welcomed 2012!
God blessed me beyond measure last year and I am so very thankful. I started my photography business - Aysha Nicole Photography, my niece was born, I found out I'm having a nephew, I'm closer than ever to finishing my Creative Writing degree, and so much more.
How did you bring in the new year?
This year, as with previous years, I stayed home and spend it with my grandparents. Nothing fancy, but definitely my kind of night.
Yesterday morning, on January 1st, I went to church. It was the first time that I've been there in a year and a half because of being away at school, and it felt like walking back into my home. I loved seeing all of the familiar faces! I also had the chance to bring my 11 year old sister, Hannah, with me :)
After church, I brought Hannah back to my house and we cooked lunch together - Chicken Parm :)
With the new year upon us, this is my new year's resolution:
That I become weary with holding in the name of my God; that I would feel an all-consuming fire within my bones at the thought of not being able to proclaim the truth that God has revealed to me; that I would be passionate about seeing the work of Christ here, in my life and in my home and in my city and in my state and in my country and in my world; that my heart would be burdened by the things that burdens the heart of my Lord; that I would meditate on His Word, day and night; that my life would be a place in which God's glory is displayed, for His glory alone.
As a student at a Christian university, I've had the opportunity to read large portions of the Bible, take classes where I learn (in-depth) what it means, learn from prominent scholars in the field, and worship with other students at Chapel.
I've been blessed, to say the least.
But my heart longs for so much more.
One of the major prophets of the Old Testament, Jeremiah, was ridiculed by his people for His trust in God. Yet He remained steadfast. He understood that God had given him a job to do: to warn the people of Israel that if their hearts remained hardened against YHWH, that they would be handed over to their enemies, that they would enter exile.
This is his response:
If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
(Jeremiah 20:9 ESV)
Have you ever had something so powerful, so empowering to tell that you would tell anyone who would listen? Something that you would gladly hand over your life for, so that the secret didn't die with you?
This was Jeremiah.
His resolve came with waiting upon the Lord, trusting in who He was and who He is - filled with His spirit to go forth and do the things that God had called him to.
This has become my prayer. To have such a fire within my bones, a fervent desire to see the Kingdom of God come to earth, to see His glory displayed here, that I literally become weary from holding it in..so that I cannot.
Okay, so with all of this recent hype with the end of the world coming in December of 2012, I thought I would write a little bit on that. I don't know everything about it. I'm looking into it, but as far as I know, these are the assumed facts (correct me if I'm wrong):
1. The world is supposed to end on December 21, 2010
2. That date is the end of the Mayan calendar
3. The planets will align on that day
4. The polarities of the earth are going to switch because of the planets aligning (this is supposed to cause all things that run on electric or magnets to shut down)
Those are some of the facts (or thoughts) that I've heard.
In my opinion, I don't think that is going to be cause for the world to end. Yes, it is going to cause A LOT of chaos, but I don't think that would be means for the end of the world.
What do people mean by the end of the world anyway? Some people I've asked, think that it's going to be when the world blows is, or is taken over by aliens. But what I've heard that makes the most sense, is the idea that Jesus Christ is going to come back for His followers. Now, that's not to say that it is going to happen on this exact day.
Matthew 24:36 says: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
So the way that I understand it is, that Jesus doesn't even know the moment that He is coming back. God does. There are places in the Bible where it says that certain things have to take place before He can come back...one of those things is the title of my blog.
Until the whole world hears.
Matthew 24:24, Jesus says, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
There is absolutely no way that we can find out when this will occur. Wycliffe Bible translators are working on having the Bible translated into all languages; they are almost done. So the way that I take this Bible verse is, that when everyone has had the chance to HEAR ABOUT, not CHOOSE, Jesus, then after that time, He will come back.
But that isn't the only thing that has to take place. There are certain things that have to take place in Israel. And not to mention, the Antichrist is going to be making his appearance. People debate on whether or not the rapture is going to happen before or after the Great Tribulation, but part of this event is the rise of the Antichrist. So I'm not sure either. There are places in the Bible that speak about the Antichrist, and his rise that has to take place, but it's not clear as to when he is going to appear.
As far as the hype around 2012...maybe, maybe not. I know one thing for sure though. The world isn't going to 'end,' by blowing up, aliens, or any other weird event, because the Bible doesn't speak about it. The 'end' is Jesus' return for His saints.
