More than just a DVD

   Recently I decided to start doing P90X workout programs. Now, I know what most of you are thinking, intensity. That is how it should be, however, it is only what you make it. This is what I mean, If you pop in the DVD and just look at the screen while sitting on the couch as they work out, the intensity is not there at all.
   If you just look at the DVD and never even put it in your DVD player, the intensity is not there. If you only do half of the excersizes, most likely, the intensity is not fully there. But lets go a little further.
   What is the consequence if the intensity is not there? That means that the growth is not there. The excersizes are made to literally break your muscles so that they may grow back bigger and stronger than they were before! This wont happen by just staring at the DVD!
   When it comes to our growth in fighting sin, looking at our Bible sitting on the countertop doesnt help. Opening the Bible in the middle so that the impression that someone reads it is given does not help you grow. Its reading, believing, and practicing the word of God is what gives you the strength! The intensity and endurance of following the word of God is what it takes for the growth against sin!

Nothing Else

   Have you ever seen the really small, seemingly having no muscle, skinny guy walk into the gym to work out? But instead of starting with low weight so that he can lift it and progress the weight with time, he goes in to work out with the big guys that warm up with over 300 pounds for bench press.
   Of those guys, there is one training for the world's strongest man's competition. He is obviously the strongest one in the entire gym. He could lift the weight that no one else there could! So when it came to the 400+ pound weight on the bench  press excersize, he was the ONLY ONE that could lift that weight.
   We are that small, skinny guy in the gym, without the Lord. Without Him, we are trying to go through life like we are working out against the world's strongest man. Our sin cannot be defeated if we try to fight it by ourselves, completely unassisted.
   However, the God that we serve is stronger than that worlds strongest man, everytime! He easily lifts the weight and burden of our sins, for He has already conquered everything in existence! The good news: He is on our side, for those that know and love Him! Do you know Him?

Never Giving Up Faith

   Ive heard prayers where people thank God for both the good and the bad that happen in their lives. I honestly cannot agree with those prayers any more than I do. They are so very true when we look at Romans 8.28 as Paul states, "Therefore, we know that all things work together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purposes."
   If we TRULY believe every word that the Bible says, then we have FULL CONFIDENCE that as long as we love the Lord and are called according to His purposes, that even the "bad" that occurs in our lives is actually good in the end.
   My Bible does not stop here and go on to tell what specific good things are planned for my specific life and how all of what I think are bad things will turn out to be for the good. However, this does not give me the excuse to give up on the Faith because it looks as if this verse is not true. In fact, it should motivate you to stay in the life. You do not know your future, but God does! And He promises that in the end, it will ALL work out for your good!

The Right Target

   Have you ever seen the really hyper kid running around on the playground during recess at their school? Maybe they are talking too much in general or even being disruptive in class. Basically, this child generally exhibits qualities that show entirely too much energy.
   After going to the doctor, the doctor gladly states that the child is suffering from the condition that is entitled ADHD, attention deficit hyper disorder. Basically the energy level of the child is so much that it distracts and even impedes everyday tasks.
   However, what if his energy is not the problem? What if the problem is simply where the energy is focused? For example: instead of using his energy to disrupt class by talking, what if he used it to study for his next test?
   What if, instead of using our words and our talents and our lives for selfish gains, we used them solely to glorify the name of Christ? That is our goal, and it should be the target of everything that we are!

The Power of the Tongue

   Let us go on another hypothetical middle school adventure. Let us say that we are walking down a middle school hallway one day and simply observing whatever we saw. All of a sudden, we see this girl, who has a lot of friends that seem to be very popular in their school.
   However, when you listen to their conversations, they tend to put people down. For example, one time you see the girl walk up to another girl in the school and criticize her purse because she did not buy it from a store, but it was given to her by her parents.
   You may think, wow, how mean of a statement and a person this girl is. But, in her mind, she is only hoping to motivate the other girl to fit in like her, and impress her friends at the same time. In her mind, she has good intentions, but her words greatly and detrimentally effect the other that she picked on, so much so that the girl decides to transfer schools!
   We may have halfway good intentions in the things that we say, but are they still encouraging? Do we truly monitor our tongues, which possess the power of life and death? It is not just about intention, the actions themselves matter as well! Do you truly monitor your tongue?

Still Rejoicing

   There is a season for everything under the sun. Most of us have heard that in our bible study or in Sunday School, but do we keep in mind that even though their are seasons for everything, God and our purpose in Him will always remain the same?
   Well, if our purpose of worshiping and obeying and glorifying the Lord are the same, then our rejoice should be as well. That means that even though we may not understand what is going on at a particular point in time for a specific situation, we know that, IF WE LOVE THE LORD AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE, ALL things work together for our good!
   If we know that, then the season matters not, our purpose is the same and therefore our worship is consistent. Our thanksgiving should not be seized by earthly circumstance, for circumstances change, yet the Lord shall always remain the same throughout eternity, and that is Good and Just! Are you still rejoicing in the Lord?

In the Mind

   I still remember the days when I went home afraid seemingly out of my mind because during the day, a myth was told to all of us kids who attended and after school care facility. We were told that the boogie monster was real and that everything that he touched, turned to green. Not only that, we were told that he was coming to visit the after school care facility as we took our naps for the day.
   As one can imagine, all of us were absolutely terrified at nap time, and none of us wanted to go to sleep, but at that age, it was hard for any of us to stay up for that length of time for some reason. Therefore, when nap time arrived, I did all that I could to stay awake, but it was in vain. I ended up going to sleep and then woke up, with everyone else, to snack time. We had apple sauce, but not just any apple sauce, GREEN apple sauce, and all of us just knew that the boogie man had came when we were sleeping! I was terrified to sleep at my house for days.
   The boogie man sounds silly but the principal behind it remains the same. The boogie man idea was purely of the mind. It caused physical things, the green apple sauce, to be detrimentally amplified to mean something that it truly did not. Sometimes our biggest battles are not physical, but they happen in our mind. If we can get our minds into submission, our views change and our bodies follow. What are the battles of your mind?

Trophies of Grace

   I have recently heard this wonderfully put, "when people see us, they see Christ through the reason that we are complete trophies of grace!" Yes, the way that we currently live should reflect the Gospel, but every full fledged disciple has a story! Whether long or short does not matter, but there is a story and the subject is grace!
   ALL of us have been tempted by Satan and sin and the hings of this world. All have sinned, and fallen short of the Glory of God. Some have fallen deeper than others. Do not misunderstand me, all sin is sin! Yes, but some have had lives so entangled and deep with the mindset of sin and the world that to an average person, it would seem impossible to change.
   However, that just sets the stage for a bigger trophy! God can turn absolutely any life around! If you do not believe me, ask the president of HOPE Ministries his story! Everyone has a story! Is yours a trophy of Grace?

Persistence Wins

   Today was a day of a pretty epic soccer game. I and 5 others of the best players among my friends got together and player for 2 and a half hours against 6 other random people. In fact, the last thirty minutes of the game were lit only by the street lights on the road.
   The first half took up the bulk of the game lasting a full two hours. It was fast paced and extremely hard fought. The teams were pretty evenly matched as no one seemed to score in the beginning. However, things started looking downhill for us as we were losing at the half.
   At this point everyone was fatigued and only wanted to go home. Yet the first team to score ten points won the game. We were down but there was something that we know, if we could only outlast them, we would win. At this point, persistence was more important than skill.
   We ended up scoring six unanswered points and winning the game. When we look at our sin, things may seem like they are going downhill. They may seem as we will be defeated. But God calls us to be persistent in seeking Him, for through Him all things are possible. Know this, persistence in Him will ALWAYS bring victory in the end!

It's Only Right

   Let us take a hypothetical adventure. There is a king who has unlimited dominion on the Earth and has had it since the dawn of time itself. This king decides to create citizens that they may praise and obey this king. Yet He gives them the unique option that they may worship and obey out of love and gratefulness.
   Not only does the king create them and give them their own will, he greatly blesses them. Not only with money, but with houses, cars, clothing, honor, etc. and there is but one thing he ask when it comes to the things that he blesses the people with. He explains the basis that he created it all and ALL is his, given out to the citizens simply to manage.
   He asks for 10% to be returned to him, the king. Now tell me, if you were a citizen of this kingdom, would you not be extremely excited to give back 10% to this gracious king? Well, YOU ARE a citizen in that kingdom, and the Lord is the King! The 10% is our tithing! We should be grateful and joyful to give back to our great Provider! Let us give our tithing to the King!

For Eating

   Have you ever seen the bored yet imaginative child forced to sit through something that they did not want to attend? They seem to find absolutely anything to do with seemingly nothing at all. So, could you imagine what the possibilities would be if you gave them a fork?
   A fork seems like a simple and unipuposed instrument but the fact is, a fork could be used to stab something, fling food, as some kind of instrument, or many other purposes other than eating. However, there is one thing that we do know, the original purpose of that fork is to assist in eating, and that is when it is used at it's best.
   Our bodies are in a lot of ways just like that fork. They can be used in a ton of different ways. They can be used to beat other people up, run a marathon, sing a Requiem, and many other things. However, the sole purpose of our bodies is for the renown of Jesus Christ! As the founder of Hope Ministries of the Upstate put it, our purpose is to, "Bring Glory to the Father."
   So I encourage you, that even though we can use our bodies and talents for anything on God's green Earth, the purpose and our duty is to bring Glory to God the Father!

To Good Use

   I have a question for you, so, to set it up, let us go on a short journey. Say there is an older woman, named Aunt Shirley. It is Christmas time in the Shure family and everyone has congregated over Aunt Shirley's house to exchange gifts. However, everyone in the family knows what they will receive from Aunt Shirley.
   You see, every year, Aunt Shirley likes to give the family a gift that she thinks has immeasurable joy and will last forever, so she always gives everyone a Bible.
   This year, a friend of the family is in attendance. He receives the Bible out of shock that this would be his gift. He goes to his house and decides to use the Bible as toilet tissue instead of reading it and sharing the Gospel. Now I know what most of you are thinking, "How dare he use the Bible for such a purpose!". The fact is, we all have gifts as well that come from the Lord. For example: singing, dancing, speaking, etc. The real question is, "How dare we use our gifts for no purpose at all?" Are gifts are privileges from God! I urge you to use your gifts, whatever they may be, to bring Glory to the Father!

Bank Account

   When you work a job, receive inheritance, or anything that brings revenue on your behalf, most put that revenue in the bank for management, savings, or both. Therefore, common sense will tell you that when they go to the bank the next day, they are allowed to get out up to as much as they put in.
   However, it is not possible for them to receive more than what they put it. One cannot invest twenty dollars into their account and withdraw seventy five the next day, that is just not how it works.
   As Christians, we are supposed to overflow with the Love of the Father. He sent His sinless son to die for a sinful world so that, through the salvation offered by the blood of His Son, we may be saved from the eternal wrath of God for disobedience. That is what we should offer to others, this eternal Hope!
   However, you can only take out what you put it. Therefore, you have to continually remind yourself to deposit the Love of the Father through the Gospel of  Jesus Christ daily, so that you may make disciples out of others through that overflow of what you have deposited in your spirit! Basically, if you deposit the Love of the Father, you can give the Love of the Father!

Crushing the Ant

   Have you ever seen an ant crawl across a patio when you were growing up? What was the first thing that your probably tried to do? I think that I can guess this one. Step on it. Why?
   I doubt at that age you had taken a Physics class and knew about gravitational and normal force combined with the newton force and momentum of your foot coming down on the ant. No. You attempted to crush that ant because, even at that age, you knew inside something that made you feel destined not to fail in the attempt to crush that ant.
   God has conquered everything over and under the sun. This includes death through Christ Jesus as He raised Him from the dead! Therefore, more than the childhood confidence of crushing the ant, we are to have confidence that. as Philippians 4.13 says, we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us! Have that same confidence you had on that patio, in the God who is the Lord of ALL!

Won't Turn on by Itself

   Anyone that grew up watching their mother cook probably observed something pretty dynamic that they did not pay that much attention to. As the mother is preparing the ingredients and walking towards the kitchen, she is believing passively that the oven will surely turn on when it is time to cook.
   However, that is not all. Most of the time, the oven will not just turn on by itself! Yes, it is possible perhaps. Yet what the mother will do every single time is TURN THE KNOB on the over to turn it on. Yes, she did believe that it would turn on, but it was more that just a belief. MY Bible states that faith without works is dead.
   When God gives His Supreme Word or guides us and calls us to something, we are supposed to have absolute faith that what He Has said is absolute truth. Yet, that does not mean that we sit on the couch all day. If the Lord says there is a job for you, I would be picking up my phone and dialing, not just waiting for some random job to call me.
   I am not saying that this could not happen. However, God calls you not to just sit all day and wait for everything to be handed to you, He calls you to grow in Him. That requires seeking and moving, the "works" mentioned before. Because by itself, the oven just wont turn on!

To Manage

   I still clearly remember my eighteenth birthday when, as my main gift, I was entrusted to switch main vehicles to a car instead of a van. As an eighteen year old male, this was a very exciting endeavor, as one can imagine. Seeing people drive past me so fast in the van, getting impatient because it took a while to take off, made me want to drive a faster vehicle.
   The car had power and was of much less weight than the van and consequently went much faster. And as all humans, including Jesus, were tempted, so was I. The thought of "now I can beat a lot more people on the road if I see what this car can do" popped into my head. Now of course safety was a concern, but the main reason why that thought was never carried out is because of the idea of stewardship. I own not that car, I am only entrusted to manage it well, in the same manager the owner would. That means using wisdom to take car of it, not see what all it can do.
   Everything on this Earth is God's. A common American misconception is that we own things. No... it is the Lord's and we are called to manage things with proper stewardship! To manage the Earth, essentially. Be careful how you treat things, including nature and this world, because EVERYTHING is the Lord's!
 

The Easy Way

   In the post yesterday, the discussion challenged the readers to open their lives to others, as they grow TOGETHER in community in the Faith and Belief in Jesus Christ. Saying that is a great and important, even necessary element to growing in community, so tonight I would like to go a little deeper into what to do with this information.
   Have you ever continued to do something wrong and your mother told you, "You gonna have to learn the hard way I see."? It usually happened in a situation like such. You play around with the stove when your mother is cooking. She tells you to back up, or youre gonna get burned by the boiling water. But you think it looks cool so you continue to play. What happens next? You get burned, of course! And for all of that to be avoided, all that you had to do was listen.
   The point is, when lives are shared to us and those around us have endured the same things that we are currently enduring, the challenge is not just to hear, but to LISTEN, LEARN and RESPOND from eachother so that maybe we will not have to learn the hard way!

Open Book

   We are called as Christians to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations, as proclaimed by Jesus in Matthew 28. The Gospel, that is, "Christ dying for our sins" is our job to spread around the world, starting with our community. However, in growing in the Truth's of Christ, together with community, we are supposed to also share our lives.
   Our lives completely in fact. Let us take an example of a book. We are supposed to, in theory, learn something that we did not know before in most books. Whether it be something of any particular subject, most books have some type of new information that the reader had not known before.
   If we are expected to learn from the situations and past experiences of the lives of fellow followers of Christ in the Fellowship, we must share those lives, as open books. You cannot read a book if the cover is closed, and you cannot learn from a life that is not open to those around them. I challenge you, when growing in Christ with the Fellowship of Believers, OPEN your life!

From the Inside

   Have you ever seen someone sleep like a baby while outside a thunderstorm is shaking the skies? Or how about someone who calmly sits and listens to someone else who insists on yelling at the top of their lungs in an attempt to prove their point?
   You may see it and think of it as a rarity. The fact is, unfortunately, today's world is obsessed with, looks for, and lives on complete chaos. Uproar and disagreement are of fair taste unfortunately.
   The point is, however, that Jesus was not the prince of chaos or uproar, but the Prince of Peace!! Another point to think about is that Jesus lives inside of us! If we abide in Him, he shall abide IN us!! (John 15)
   Therefore, peace comes from the inside! That is how someone may sit through that thunderstorm and sleep like a baby, or be in the midst of pure chaos and have perfect composure, for the One that lives inside of us is the Prince of Peace, and it comes from the inside, NO MATTER the outside circumstance. I have but one question: Do you have Peace? If not, is HE your source of it?

Examples

   If there is one thing that I remember from my high school Physics class is it is: examples were everything! In physics, there are so many different equations for one thing. In fact, you could have taken on equation and made it more. For example, work equals force multiplied by distance. Therefore, distance equals work divided by force.
   With all of these equations, there is not wonder why the class was sometimes a challenge to us students. However, instead of trying to just memorize equations and take a test, we learned by examples. Whether it be with yoyos or remote control cars, the examples always taught us how to handle the situation.
   As Christians, we are examples to the world. I bet you can see where I am going with this already. Therefore, we are to show the world, and other Christians, how to handle different situations. The big question: WHO do we run to? In these situations in where others are watching as we show them what the Bible teaches us about how to handle, well, life, we should be running to God as our example! Therefore, when those learning from your life have a situation themselves, guess whom there example told them to run to? You guessed it: GOD Himself! To whom does your example point?