Cup of Thoughts

Resurrection Day is here! I cannot believe that Spring has already come. Every year, I like to read one of the 4 Gospel's views on the crucifixion around Easter. This year I started reading from Matthew. During my Bible reading, I felt led to share this with you all. Here is what I got out of Jesus's parable in Matthew 21:33-44 . Characters (perceived by me): The Landowner is God. The servants are the previous prophets in the Old Testament. The Son of the Landowner is Jesus. The vinepressers are us. Parable summary: The landowner plants a vineyard puts up a hedge, builds a winepress, and creates a tower for it. After he leases the vineyard to some vinepressers, he sends his servants to receive the fruit of the harvest. The vinepressers kill all the servants that are sent. The landowner sends more servants and the vinepressers commit murder again. Then the landowner decides to send his son, thinking that the vinepressers won't kill him out of respect. Yet,...

What does aroma mean in the Bible? When the Jewish people wanted to be forgiven of their sins they would purchase a spotlessly clean animal and take it to a high priest for a sacrifice. ( "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.." ) During the sacrificial ceremony on the altar in the holy of holies, there was a separate  offering of burnt incense  in front of the curtain. The aroma was a mixture of oils and spices that was pleasing to the Lord. This altar is a representation of Christ.  As Jesus was our intercessor, he preceded the sacrifice for our sins. He became not only our sweet-smelling sacrifice, He was our precious lamb that was slain. "Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us." Romans 8:34b Why are there two forms of sacrifice then?   "...The altar is especially holy to the Lord.”   The incense had to be by the exact recipe God ha...

I wanted to try something new for this post. I've been really interested in fashion lately as well as posting more reviews on certain products. So for this post, I would like to introduce an outfit + some book reviews (maybe a few makeup products too!) The outfit These boots were a gift from my sweet aunt. I have no idea where they came from, so I had to find a relatively similar pair in my lookbook catalog. I love them because they're so cozy and warm. You can barely tell you're walking with heels because they're so comfortable.  Here is my cheesy face trying to not act like I'm taking a selfie when in reality I totally am.  The Makeup I hope you enjoyed my little lookbook and seeing my favorite products to use! Now on to the books! If you like superheroes and action-packed adventure stories, Renegades , is perfect for you! Or maybe you're thinking a beautiful fairytale retelling is up your alley. You ...

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8 Do you ever feel like your on pause? Like there's something happening all around you but you can't see it? Recently a friend mentioned something that stuck with me. She made the reference to Peter denying Jesus. Even though Jesus' disciple sinned against Him three different times during the crucifiction, what happened to Peter 50 days later? Did Peter stay hidden and scared for his life? Was he trampled on by the enemy? Or did he become stronger and braver as a voice for the Lord? (see here the day of Pentecost) “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14 I think we as believers forget after we get stuck in a rut, that we can come out of it much stronger than before. I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to being caught up in the moton of things. But God reminded me this week that we don't have to be that way. Foc...

Ever since I read the Christy Miller series as a young girl, I started writing letters to my future husband. The main protagonist in the book does the same after she becomes a believer in Jesus, realizing that marriage is a picture of our relationship with God.  Don't worry, this isn't a letter to him, although it could be. I won't even allow my sister to read the things that I have written for his eyes only. This will only be my open list of attributes that I look for in the one who I will marry one day.  The things he strives for. Jesus  First off, he needs to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son. Without knowing Jesus, I don't see how our relationship would even work out. Since we both wouldn't strive for the same things. I pray that we both are growing spiritually during this time of waiting. "-grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him...

If there's one thing that I've learned in my 17 years of existence is, the distractions of this life are abundant. Seems like I'm always living in the tomorrow. Just recently my Heavenly Father has opened my eyes to my rapid pace- you need to slow down. Between relationships, school, work, and Christmas just around the corner, along with the stress of all those things piled up on top of each other, it's enough to make a person swamped. I find myself stressed over the smallest of things, like what I'm going to wash tomorrow so that I'll be able to wear it on the days of work, or a certain chore that needs to be finished, how many algebra problems I need to complete, and the Instagram pictures I need to post, etc. Do you ever feel as if you're living in the next day? "Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." ( James 4...

You might not know this, and if you do you're pretty cool, but some of our favorite and most known hymnals have breathtaking backstories. Here's a few that I found fascinating. Amazing Grace John Newton, (the author of this story/song), was born in 1725, near the Thames river in London, England. He grew up with his father, a merchant seamaster in the Mediterranean after his mother died when he was about to turn seven. Newton refused to concur with his father's plans of working on a sugar plantation in Jamaica. So instead he left with another ship back to the Mediterranean Sea. In 1743, Newton was captured and forced into the Royal Navy.  After trying to escape, he was brutally beaten in front of the whole crew. Newton wanted to murder the captain and die, but for some reason he restrained himself. (The captain, William Adams, was killed five years later during the War of the Austrian Succession. Just in case you wanted to know.) Headed to India, Newto...

Thank you for spending this precious time to come and read my wandering thoughts. This blog is going to have multiple purposes. One of which, I hope will encourage you in your walk with Christ. There came a time in my life when I realized that knowing about Jesus and the Bible was not enough. My heart longed for more. Little did I realize my soul needed to know Him on a personal level. In 2008, I decided to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I've never been the same since. If I were to ask you if you know who the President of the United States is, (taking into account that you do) ; since you indeed do know who he is, if you went to their house, would they let you in? Just because you know someone, doesn't mean that you know them on a personal level. No offense, but I highly doubt that the most guarded citizen in the States would actually invite a random stranger into their living quarters. At least not without looking through your sock drawer. That's one of t...