Peace

   There is a ton going on at any given moment in this world today. There are plenty of countries in political battles, wars, and even economic downfalls. In the midst of all of this, there are alot of people who seek peace, for their souls, their countries, and this world.
   For the past few days, we have been discussing the subject of patience. We have said that practice basically makes patience, but lets go deeper. Why do we want patience? Being patience brings and maintains peace. If there is anything that we can learn from the life of Jesus is peace.
   The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, loved all of us better than we could ever love each other or ourselves. And one of the greatest things that He showed us was peace. Jesus was absolutely and perfectly truthful all of the time, for the opening of spiritual eyes of people on life. Sometimes He was dissapointed by the actions of those who claim to follow His Father in Heaven. Yet even in this Truth, Jesus still had both patience and peace beyond belief. So my challenge for this week and this new year, find new ways to work peace and patience in your life, so that the year of 2012 will be one of the most growing and fulfilling years in your life. Remember: The Best is Yet to Come! Happy New Year from H.O.P.E. Ministries of the Upstate! God Bless!

Practice Makes Perfect

   Today I went out to a golf course with a very close friend to the family and started on the driving range, then I moved on to the course itself. We played around six holes. On the driving range, my swing was corrected, as well as my contact, and things went great.
   I learned how to take a much better shot with a much better approach, and general things to make me a much better golfer as a whole. My grip was altered, and my swing relaxed. Now the practice that needs to take place is consistency.
   In life, practice on the small things also makes a much stronger person. For example, lets take patience. In this subject of patience, practice really does help. For example, if one has worked up the patience to not get angry or frustrated over the small things, like spilled milk or something small of those sorts, then when we have big tests in life, like when our boss really tests all of our patience and we have to use all within us to control our emotions, we will have the practice to deal with it. In life, practice reflecting the image of Christ so that at all times, we will show it the most consistent and strongest way possible.

Always Be There

   Have you ever seen the super ironed TV shows about the spies of the CIA tailing someone? You see them in their extremely fast car chasing their target but trying not to be seen by them so somehow they can retrieve some very valuable information that they need.
   So they follow the person for hours, days, weeks, and even months until that very valuable information is found. But the person that they are following never knows that they are there, and that is the key.
   The person that they are following feels all alone and unsuspecting, not knowing that they are being followed or tailed, but instead going through their life as normal, but they were never really alone.
   I know that sometimes, that is how the Christian can feel. We at times feel as if we are just going through our everyday lives alone, sometimes even lonely. But we should know that we are never alone.
   God promises that He will never leave us or forsake us, and that He lives within us, always being there right beside us, no matter where we go. So in those times in this life and this spiritual battle when you feel completely alone, always remember that God is right there by your side.

Greater than Money

   This Christmas, I received many various large and small gifts. Some of them were clothing apparel, which i thoroughly enjoyed, and I also get to go to Passion 2012 in Atlanta as part of a Christmas present.
   I also got my parents some neat little random nick nacks this year. Just little somethings of little monetary value to put smiles on faces. After all, that was the goal of the Christmas presents anyways.
   But even after all of that, those would have meant nothing if we only spoke that day when we were giving each other gifts, and the rest of the day, we barely realized that each of us was there.
   My point is, sometimes the greatest gift of all is shared time. God did not just create this beautiful Earth and walk away for eternity for us humans to figure everything out so that He may one day return, but God sent His Son Jesus so that we may come to Him, and He be a part of our everyday lives, sharing time as we know it with us.
   God knew the importance of time building relationships, that is why Jesus did not leave us alone, but the Holy Spirit came on Earth. God wants to be with us, not just give us creation, because we need to understand that one of the most important aspects of life is our time.

Savior in a Manger

   I really hope that this Christmas was great for everyone! I hope that you all got to spend great time with family and friends, and even maybe enjoy a few gifts. But when we think back on this day, and let us not only remember the family, friends, and gifts, but the reason for the day in the first place, to celebrate the birth of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
   Born of a virgin impregnated by the Holy Spirit, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was born in a manger. That is why we celebrate, the sweet child, you was born to die, was now on the Earth. The Messiah had then been born.
   He would go through His ministry with the trade of a carpenter and eventually be put on a cross, better yet, nailed to the cross, and crucified, all so that we could be saved from our sins. So that we may come to God without blemish for eternity.
   The One and Only God and man who came to die was born and we celebrate that very special birth on this day called Christmas. As we think back, let us remember that Jesus is the True Reason for that day!

Light

   It is our calling from the Great Commission to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others, that is the wonderful news of Christ dying on a cross and being Resurrected from the dead so that our sins may be given and we may be with the Father in the end.
   It is also our calling to be holy, that is different in pursuit of the life of Christ, which was Holy and sinless. This is what I want to focus on. In our pursuit of holiness, it is great to tell people why we choose to live a life that is Holy unto God, but saying that alone is quite powerless without a life that is actually Holy.
   What if one day, God decided to take your lips away from you forever? What if He decided to take your tongue out of your mouth so that you could no longer speak? Would people around you still say that there was something different and Christ like about you? Would Christ still say that your life models His?
   The Light of Christ should shine in your life whether you have words to say or not. You wont get a chance to talk to every person you see at your local Walmart, but you can show all of them an example of the Heart of Christ in your actions. Let the Light of Christ shine through your richly!

Strength

   In the eighth grade, I progressed like any other middle school boy back then. That was the year that I started being interested in females, and started wanting to be a big superhero type macho man. I started wanting to have the coolest clothes and the most popular friends. And like the cooled and most popular back then, a guy named Matthew, I wanted to be physically big and strong.
   So I started lifting weights for the first time. I was naturally a little strong but not nearly as strong as the ones who had been lifting weights for two or three years. The first time we were in the weight room, our quarterback lifted about 150, and matt was at around 275. Our principal was still over 300 as far as bench press goes. Big man.
   After a few days, I quit lifting and just thought I would do it later or at home. I got no bigger and by the end of the year I had joined the wrestling team the same size as I was on the football team. I depended on genetics alone for my strength.
   I know some may think that idea was crazy, but its what we all do sometimes. We forget that the Joy of the Lord is our strength, and depend on ourselves for strength to conquer the world, but its the Lord where our help comes from. Depend on the Lord in All of our ways, for His Joy is our strength!

It doesn't matter

   Im sure that if you surf through the channels on your television for an hour straight, you will find something blatantly against the teachings of Christ and the Bible. This could be morally related, sexually related, or whatever else. That is because sin has obviously become an accepted principle in today's lifestyle among the world.
   It has become normal to have pre marital sex, to go and lose control while drinking, to do a little bit of drugs, skip school and go party, etc. Those things are always seen as bad, but sometimes normal among some. At least normal enough to advertise.
   That is why the title is "It doesnt matter". We as Christians are not called to do what is normal, but we are called by God to be Holy, that is different. We are the ones who are always going against the grain of this world to do things that are acceptable unto and mirror the image of Christ.
   So my challenge, throughout the rest of this week and the rest of your life, find different ways to go against the culture of the world and do things that explicitly serve Jesus Christ.

King

   For a second, I am going to go back to the subject of my mom. Over the years, my mothers has become a pretty good friend. She may not be as daring as I am, or quite as young, but she has become a great friend. One to laugh with, joke around with, etc., just as any other friend would be.
   But when it comes down to it, at the end of the day, she still has the title mother, and no matter what, as long as I am under her roof, what she says goes. No discussion, she holds the cards over me, if you will. And if I ever forget that, I am quickly reminded.
   It is a great thing that the Lord calls us friend. It is amazing that we can come to Him as we are, and just talk to Him like our friend or our brother, telling Him about all that is going on in our days and in our lives.
   But God is also our Sovereign King, the King of the Universe, to whom's name every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. So while we consider Him friend, also remember He is Lord over ALL, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords who reigns forever! Its fine to think of Him as friend, but also remember, He is the one and only Living God of All, the Lord Almighty!

Passion

   When my mom comes home from work everyday, I hate to say it, but most of the time I am all in her face, joking, laughing, and sometimes even getting on my moms nerves. It is not because I havent seen her in a long time, I just saw her the night before and we live together, but I love my mom so much that every day my love shows in a close, exciting, sometimes annoying way.
   On the other hand, my mom shows her love for me in a more subtle approach. She might offer me some of her apple cider or tell me a joke of some sort, or just kid around with me. She does not have to be in my face all of the time and in fact most of the time, she is not.
   Which one of us loves the other more? Can you really judge? No, you cannot. We both have love for each other, just shown in different ways. So do I shun her for not being an in your face type of person? No. Does she shun me for that? No. The point is, do not just someone's love for God by how much they are yelling as they preach, or how high they jump during worship. Not every sermon has to be loud, and not every worship has to contain a jump. Some in the bible we very physical about their passion and worship. Some others were not so much. As long as your passion and love for Christ and His renown is genuine, that is what matters.

Full Time Love

   One day, this guy, we will name his Gold, woke up for work and he had just had one of the worst nights of his life. His wife had recently left him and their kids were given to her as well. He only had one more week to work at his job before he had to try and find a new one, which he hadnt even started to do yet.
   Gold was a believer in Jesus Christ and a great servant in the Church. Gold was a man of God who had made some mistakes that others just did not want to forgive him for. He was ready to start over, this time only trusting in Christ as his guide, and not himself.
   But at this moment in time, he just felt sort of down. As he gets dressed and walks out the door to get into his car, his neighbor stops him, as he does everyday, for a hello and encouragement to start his day. Now the neighbor did not know what exactly was going on in the life of Gold, but he did not need to.
   The point is, we never really know what is going on in the life of someone else, that is why we are to encourage others, no matter what, in the good and bad, as a CONSTANT reminder that wherever they are, the Lord is with them and watching over them. That encouragement that morning gave Gold the strength to persevere and trust, and no Gold's life shine the light of Christ, just as his neighbor's did. Encourage others.

Second Chance

   If you have accepted Christ, there is tons of good news for you in this life and the next. If you have not, there is good news, you still can! But for now lets focus on if you have accepted Christ. Among the tons of good news for you, one thing that is really good news is that our sins have been forgiven, the ones that we have commeited, and the ones that we will commit.
   Now that does not give us the right nor the excuse to sin whenever we want with the justification that it has already been forgiven, for that is still rebellion against God, and will not go unpunished. But that does mean that God is the God of many chances and we are not cast away from Him for eternity just because we sin, for we all have sinned and fallen short of His Glory.
   What this is saying is that our works, whether we sin or not, does not determine our entrance into the Kingdom of God. We do not have to mourn for five days and drink salt water for a week just because we have sinned, but we ask for forgiveness from God knowing that through Jesus dying on the cross, our sins have been blotted out for eternity. Not that is some second chance!

Life Inside

   I speak Spanish. In fact, I am very close to being fluent in Spanish. I am not exactly fluent yet, but I am at the rate where I could be dropped of in a Spanish speaking country without food or clothing or money and still survive.
   So one Sunday morning during worship band practice, as a joke, I told one of our singers that I was from Colombia, because our leader joked and told her that I was not from the US. So she asked me and I said, "Soy de Colombia."
   I spoke a little more Spanish for a convincing effect. I spoke it fast and perfect, and for that moment in time, she thought that I was actually from Colombia. But the only truth in that story was that I actually said it. The content of the story was not true at all.
   When people look at our lives, they should see that the Gospel truly lives in us. They should see a forgiven spirit and a heart after God because His forgiveness reigns in us. Don't let the Gospel seem hypocritical in our lives to where the only truth seems to be that we are saying the words. But live a life grateful of the Gospel of Jesus, so that it may be shown that it reigns as truth in your life.

God Gave Us

   Spiritual growth towards Jesus and a reflection of the life of Christ in our lives is definitely our goal! Taking time to think and process situations in a Godly manner using the Wisdom that comes from the studying of His Word and His guidance of our lives is surely a sign of our growth in Him. We spend time with God, pray to him, Worship Him, and obey Him.
   We want His Will to be done. Yet also remember that we were created in His image. I say this to bring up something that some may not think about, God gave us common sense. Naturally, he gave this to us. We lean not on our own understanding but the knowledge of God. So in this I am not saying to just follow our own way because we were made in His image, but I am saying that we do not need to pray before every time we go to the restroom. This also does not mean that one prays to God in question of doing something that we have been commanded to do, as such as worshiping and obeying.
   If the Bible, the Word of God, instructs me to do something, then it is my responsibility given to me by God to do it. Basically the point is to let God lead and guide us in ALL that we do, and at the same time, dont take the common sense or the responsibilities already given to us for granted.

Not Alone

   So many out there try to run the Christian race alone. I remember when I first started really playing soccer. I would watch some videos here and there. I would maybe even sometimes go out and kick the ball around by myself. I would kick the ball to one side of the yard, run, and chase it at the other side of the yard, and then do it all over again.
   Yet in that era, every time that I would go to play with my friends, I would do terrible. I was good compared to what I was the week before, but still not near where I would need to be to play at a competitive level.
   In fact, it was not until I started practicing with some of the ones that I would be playing against and having them train me that I would become pretty competitive to the point where I was someone wanted on a team.
   I realized that even though kicking the ball alone in the back yard did improve my fundamental skills and was much needed, practicing together with others turned out to make us ALL better players in the long run.
   So as a Christian, alone time is important, but fellowship helps us ALL grow together towards Christ. So remember that you are not in this race alone, but take some time to fellowship so that you may grow and learn together.

A Pushing Trust

  When one excersizes, some things that they do are to work on power/ thrust, and other things that they do are to improve endurance. If you imagine, its sort of like some work on the initial force it takes to push an object, and some work on the force it takes to drag the object somewhere. A lot of preachers in this generation love to talk about power, or the initial force, or breakthroughs in life. Like is an excellent and necessary thing.
   Yet it is not the only aspect. Another aspect is the endurance, pushing when the going gets tough. Not just gaining strength, but keeping it. This is a much missed thing, especially with the younger generation, to not only gain our strength, rather physically or spiritually, but to keep it in the long run.
   Here are some situations where you may need to just stop and trust God so that you may have endurance in your Faith to trust the Lord to get you through:

• When you feel as you are by yourself/ no one understands you
• When you feel as you have no money for yourself or your family
• When you feel as you, your family, and God are miles away from eachother

   Basically, when the going gets seriously tough, that is when your endurance for trusting in the Lord is tested, and grown. So endure in your trust so the you may grow in Christ!

One way time

   As we have aknowledged before, there are alot of things that go on in our everyday live now a days. With all the new technology available to us, cellphones, computers, internet, it has never been easy to access information easier and faster, For example, when I need to access this blog for the daily post, it takes about ten seconds total after the computer has successfully booted.
   So one may think that time management must be easier than ever, as it takes less time to do the common day to day task. But it seems that as the world is today, even with the advances in technology and all, we still have more to do that our time will allow. Or at least we think we do because of the way our time may be poorly managed. Here are the important things that our time should be spread across- everything else is second.

• God
• Family
• Work
• Friends
• Meditation/ Free Time

   When all of these things are accomplished, then everything else will fall into place, for your time will fall into place. Not forgetting the continual things such as our calling to be holy all of the time, as our calling to be full time ministers all of the time, taking these other things into consider may make your day go by alot smoother and easier.

GO!

After you have accepted Christ into your heart, and you are starting to grow in the things of God, it is important to remember that we are called to go forth unto all nations and make disciples, showing others how to build a personal relationship with the Son of God. It is great to be disciples and to help strengthen others in the Faith but it is also important to go and Spread the Faith to those who may not believe. Here are some practical ways to open up that chance:

• Speech- Thinking and watching your words as not to indulge in as Paul would say "mindless chatter"
• Actions- Being considerate and wise in our decision making, as we realize it affects more that just us
• Response- Responding to situations with patience, knowledge, and Christ like Wisdom

The list goes on and on but the point remains the same, we are to be Holy in our actions and everything that we think, say, and do so that we may influence others maybe just enough for that little ray of light, that chance to spread life saving and changing message, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Guaranteed Acceptance

A while ago, I applied for a college in the city of Spartanburg entitled Wofford College. In these parts it is a very nice, yet sadly expensive school that many love to attend. Some would consider it being even hard to get in to. The point is that, upon application, acceptance is not guaranteed. It is not one of those things where if you accept Wofford terms, realize that it is a good college, and commit to put all that you have into Wofford, you will be accepted.
Instead you must go through the application process and wait. You wait for months to hear back from them until that final triumphant day when you receive your admission decision.
The good news is, when it comes to Christ, there is even better news. If you acknowledge Christ as Lord and Savior, and accept Him into your heart as the Son of God, to change and grow you for eternity so that His will may be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, guess what, that is guaranteed acceptance.
And not acceptance for four years, but for eternity, you shall forever be a child of God. If you feel the tug from the Lord on your heart to come into His Kingdom forever, accept the call, and be a child of God!

Precious Impact

   Last summer, as I attended a summer camp in Cleveland Tenessee entitled Student Life Camp, one of the most impactful moments was not necessarily during worship, it was not during a teaching, and it was not even during a game, but it was after all of those things when we were walking to lunch.
   You see, a day before, we had a day at SL entitled water day. This day, during our game time, we literally played in big tubs of water, along with hoses, wet sponges, etc. And afterward, we all got together as a team (SL had four teams) and we would talk, share, and pray.
   After all of that was done, one man asked me for my name. I gladly gave him my name and to his not thinking too much about it, thinking that with all of the people that went to SL Camp, there is no way that he would remember my name anyways, but it was very nice of him to ask for it.
   The very next day during recreational time, we played another game and afterward we huddle to talk, share, and pray. After this was completed, he called me by name. He remembered my name.
   That moment still sticks to me to this day. Sometimes the smallest things with the most compasstion have the most impact! Think of the little things today, see the trees and the forest as a whole, and do something small that could possibly make a big impact in someone elses life!

Overcomer

   As mentioned before, it is a great day when you can consider your enemies as footstools. It takes a lot but it can lessen your tension and or anger towards others when you stop considering people as your enemy, but rather seeing Satan as your enemy using them and consider him your stepping stone, to great opportunity in Christ.
   In this, it is great to also realize that we are over comers, more than conquerors. So in this, we put together the fact that our enemies are used to promote us and we realize that when we face opposition in life, it is only to make us stronger. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. This only adds to the pot. Not that we should go looking for opposition, but we should try to see God in every situation when it comes to opposition because we know that He is there, opportunity for promotion is present, and this thing works for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.
   The point, do not run from opposition, but instead run to Christ, for He is provident and is with us every step of the way. So continue to love the Lord, and he shall continue to work things together for your good.