Peace of Mind

   I still remember the days in high school in which I would come home with some kind of fine or something that needed to be paid to the school that I just could not handle myself. For example, during my freshman year of high school, there was a filed trip to Williamsburg, VA, Busch Gardens to be exact, and I had absolutely no job and no means to pay for the trip by myself.
   However, I did know that whenever I went home, there would probably not be any problem with the monetary cost of the trip. Not saying that my parents had all of the money in the world, but they had enough to supply and care for the family. Therefore, when I gave it to my parents, it was handled and I was able to go on the trip.
   Tomorrow, I will take antoher aspect of this stroy bu for now let us focus on the fact that whenever I stepped through the threshold of my house, I knew that my concerns were handled. That is how it is in Christianity as well. God is the Father, who has all that one may need. Once your burdens are truly given to Him, there is nothing more to worry about. Ive heard it said, "If you are going to worry, dont pray. But if you are going to pray, there is no need to worry!" Do you have peace of mind in the Father?

Actual Shining

   The South Carolina Christian Conference was held at the Marriott in Spartanburg, South Carolina on yesterday. At this conference, a lot of different organizations, ministries specifically, came to celebrate the works of Christ in the city of Spartanburg. Along with this, was a speaker, Chris Pollard. He is a Pastor at the Journey Church in Spartanburg, SC. He spoke on the theme of the conference, which was letting our light shine, not verbatim.
   That got me to thinking, the verb. "to shine" is active. That is, it requires some type of action at some level. However, the verb to glow, is more passive. For example, it does not take any action for your watch to glow in the dark. However, when a light bulb shines, it uses energy!
   We are not called to only glow, but also to shine! Yes, we are to glow as well in the since that even when no one is looking, we are to be living a life based on the life of Christ. However, we are also to shine, which translates to actions being done to some capacity that reflect the life of Christ.
   That means going and loving the unlovable, not only praying for the fallen, but helping them up, active benevolence to share the love of Christ! that is actively shining, so let our lights shine for Christ!
   F.Y.I.- Do to recent schedule changes, the times that the posts are written are now designed to be read later in the evening, maybe during your quiet time after work or at night, as Christian food for thought for the next day, something to start your tomorrow with strong! God bless you all on behalf of H.O.P.E. Ministries of the Upstate!

Required Summer Reading

   As part of the required Summer Reading at Wofford College this year, we were required to read a book called "Old School" by Tobias Wolff. The story in itself was pretty well written in my opinion, but my focus for now is on the theme of the story. The theme of authenticity.
   We were to read the book and write an essay on how the theme of authenticity played a role in the story. There were many points in the story where the characters seemed to lose both their authenticity and their identity. For lack of authenticity generally points to lack of identity.
   However, this reminds me that our lives should be as authentic as our Faith, and our Faith as authentic as our Bibles. Let me explain this second part. This is stating that our lives should reflect a Faith that is always grounded, on a solid foundation, not ashamed in any way. When we pick up our Bibles to read them, they do not disappear from our hands all of a sudden and then come back. The pages are not wiped blank spontaneously. The Bible remains the same, and so should our Faith, and so should its reflection on our lives!
   God is "I AM" and Jesus is the Son of God. God and Jesus both stated these statements themselves. Why? Because They are 100% authentic by telling who They are. We should do the same as we show others that we are sons of God and disciples of Christ!

Outlook...

   There are two males who grew up together practically side by side. They ate together, played together, learned together, and even got into trouble, together. How was all of this so possible? They were twins brothers. They looked alike, at least on the outside, all of their lives.
   They had the same smile, same hair, same face, everything. Most people that did not know their personalities would have no chance at guessing which one of the brothers was which. However, there was one MAJOR difference. One believe whole heartily in Jesus Christ and everything He taught and stood for, while the other did not.
   So, that leads to the question, "What is one thing that separates us (Christians) from the rest of the world?" The answer: outlook. One of the brothers took the Bible for what it actually said, while the other just saw it as a task and long set of rules. One took Jesus for who He said that He was, while with the other, it fell on deaf ears. So my question to you is, what is your outlook? Not just on the Word of God, but what it implies about life in general? If it does not line up with God's Word, then maybe it needs to change.

One Way Street

   All of you who have have your drivers licenses for a while now surely know the rules of the one way street.  You know that if you break these rules, which are, on this road, all traffic must go in this one direction and this one direction only, then there is a definite price to pay!
   This week has been another milestone week for the ministry. With all that is going on behind the scenes, and the graduation that took place a few days ago, surely God is moving a lot with H.O.P.E. Ministries of the Upstate. However, it is our job to keep on direction in mind, and that is, ahead. We are always to be looking and moving forward.
   On that one way street, if the police catch you moving in the wrong direction, you will probably get a ticket. A hefty fine to make sure you do not try to go in the wrong direction again. Or, even worse, you may hit a car that was going in the correct direction.
   Spiritually, when you look back, you give the enemy an opportunity to sneak into your mindset and try to manipulate it. I understand that we are more than conquerors, but that is no reason to give the enemy ammunition! I encourage all of you to continue to look forward and follow the ways of Christ, continuing in the Faith daily!

Pushing Hard

   Have you ever seen the end of a high school, college, or professional basketball practice? I will give you the general idea of what goes on to set up the background. After previously lifting weights the day before, a team of around 30 players head onto the court to start practice.
   The start with shooting drills, do some dribbling drills, some more shooting drills, and a couple of passing drills, totaling to about an hours worth of work. After they are done with all of that, they have to do it all again. Simply to build ENDURANCE.
   Yet even after all of that, to conclude practice, they get to run from one side of the court to another, as fast as they can, for however many times the coach specifies. Yet after practice, they can endure much better than when they went into practice, which was the point.
   We do not go through trials for the sake of trials. We dont have tests for the sake of tests. However, we learn how to endure, in our Faith, which is solely in Christ Jesus! I exhort to you, no matter the season of life that you are in, ENDURE, in Christ Jesus!

Mid- Day Encouragement

   As you are probably taking your lunch break or something of the sort, you may want or need some encouragement for your day, and youve come to the right place! You may be going to lunch and entering your car to find that your gasoline tank is on Empty, or looking into your wallet to find out that there is no money for you to go purchase lunch.
   However, I want to restate something said earlier. We, as Christians, are a part of a kingdom. The Kingdom. And in a kingdom, the people are only as successful as the king. So what about the kingdom in which the King created the ENTIRE UNIVERSE? Whos resources are absolutely unlimited! That is our King, and that is why the Bible says to seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and ALL other things will be added unto you.
   No, this does not necessarily mean that new BMW we want will fall in our driveway, but it does mean that everything we NEED will be given to us. By our Father. Therefore, there is absolutely no need to worry about anything of this world, for it is all in the Lords hands! Be encouraged, for God has your back!

To the Graduates

   You are only hours away from walking across the platform, leaving the past behind, and continuing on the road to become more and more like Jesus Christ daily. I can almost assure that there has been days where you thought this day would never come. Where you thought you may not fully understand what is expected out of you as a true man of God, however, tonight you will see how untrue that statement really was.
   Remember that you never truly graduate, for the road is truly ongoing in becoming like the One who has saved you from your sins. However this is simply a landmark, stating that you have completed an intense program that shows you how Christians truly live.
   You will always have H.O.P.E. Ministries but much more importantly, you will always have Jesus Christ with you wherever you go and whenever you go there! Keep up your Faith in God, love Him, and be called according to His purposes and everything will work out for your good in the end! Congratulations!

Genuine

   What if I told you that you could attain a brand new Rolex timepiece (around $5k) for only $250? While there are some that save up for years for something like this, you could get a Rolex as well for much less of a price. What would be your probable response?
   Im not a mind reader but I could probably guess that you would think that this "Rolex" that Im referring to was a complete fake, not something that you would ever invest your hard earned money into. Why? Because your hard earned profit is real, so why would you use it on something of a non genuine value?
   When it comes to Christians, why would anyone want to spend their time, something they can never get back, working to become a non genuine Christian? What does that mean? In the words of the President of the ministry, some become a "great pretender." They may go to church and attend Christian events but their hearts may not be in good standing with God.
   The point, if you are going to spend your time in church, in the Word, etc, do it with the intention of becoming like Christ, otherwise you are pretending! Your fruit that you bear through studying and sanctification should be genuine as well! Dont "do" Christianity just for the sake of calling yourself a Christian, but GENUINELY seek and follow Christ!

Why of Importance

   I want to exhort to you another reason why we should study the Word of God, and for this, I will use a football analogy for all of you sports fans. Say you are watching the SuperBowl and the New York Giants have the ball on their own 10 yard line. There is one minute left and they are down by 6 points.
   A touchdown and an extra point would win the game, so they decide to snap the ball. The quarterback takes the ball and looks down the field- vision. He already knew what routes the receivers were going to take and he looked in those areas for the open one. He found the receiver in which he had anticipated to catch the pass. They scored and won the SuperBowl.
   What does this have to do with the Word of God? Well among other things, it stresses the importance of vision. We must KNOW the Word so that we can see life through the Word and have the vision to carry out the Word of God!"Knowing to see what to carry", if you will. Read the Word, seeing life through the eyes of God, and carry out the vision of His Will!

Benevolence

   I am sure that most of you have heard the word benevolence used at one point of your life or another. It is not really a word of major complexity, but rather one of much importance, especially in the life of one who claims to be a Christian. It is also one much overlooked, mainly because of a lack of knowledge of a kingdom mentality.
   The word simply means giving, specifically in a way that benefits others. This could mean materially, but really giving anything that is for the good of others. As in the words of the President of H.O.P.E. Ministries of the Upstate, the important thing that one can give is time. The reason, time is one thing that no one can ever get back.
   However, it seems that in a daily walk, we do not tend to actively give time or anything else that may be of any sacrifice to us, for the benefit of other people, because of fear that we will no longer have all that we need. This especially comes in play with material things. However, we a part of the Kingdom of God. A king ALWAYS supplies for his people, especially the TRUE King! Therefore, we will always have what is of necessity to a life that lives for Him!
   Benevolence is giving, and the Kingdom of God is receiving. As we receive from the King, we are to give to others, both our time and what we can for the benefit of others, for that is what Jesus did! Let us be benevolent in our Christian lives!

Find For Yourself

   Have you ever heard of the child that grew up in church, on the choir, in Bible study, and every religious event you could think of every week because their parents went? They would just get in the car and go. To them, it was a way of life, they did not have to exactly know and experience God for his or herself, but instead they accepted the idea of God from their upbringing.
   However, when they leave the house and enter the world fully, they seem to slowly falter, leaving the Gospel farther and farther behind. Over time, they seem to let their faith in God fully deteriorate. Do not misunderstand me, this is not the fault of the parents by any means. However, the point of this passage is to stress the importance of knowing, accepting, and studying the Word of God for oneself.
   There comes a time where saying that Christianity has just been all Ive done for my life no longer suffices. I urge, no I exhort to you all to study and know God and His Word for yourself, so that you are His and He is yours!

Same Goal in Mind

   Most of us have seen the television show or the movies where the entire family is sitting at one table and they are eating dinner and just having a great conversation. Laughter, smiling, and food all brought together for whatever the particular occasion. However, like most families, there was eventually something of controversy said at the table that brought mixed feelings to those involved.

   Something that was not discussed often because of the mixed feelings. Whatever the topic would generally cause division in some sorts in the family. They may have bickered or became upset, but they were still family. 

   It seems that the church can be this family. Issues and interpretations in the Bible tend to split into denominational differences. Different opinions seem to cause bickering at times between the same family. But this was written to remind the church that we should all have the same Goal in mind, that is doing the Will of God by proclaiming His Son Jesus Christ to all Nations, no matter the denomination! Do you have the same goal in mind?

Status: Active

   Did you know that, while simply sitting on the couch for an hour, you would have burned one calorie per kilogram of weight that you have? This translates to a 60 kg person burning about 60 calories after simply one hour on the couch by just sitting there.
   However, in your opinion, do you think that one would burn the same amount of calories if they were running for an hour straight? Do you not think if they were sweating and fully active that they would burn a lot more calories than just sitting on the couch?
   Passive attitudes and actions very rarely pay off more than active ones. For example, in reading, one just scanning an article probably wont get as much out of it as one who is intensively reading for a gaining of knowledge. Our Faith is the same way. We cannot wait to do God's commands, live for Him, and proclaim His name. We ACTIVELY do those things every day. We reach out to the lost and the hurting, not wait on them to come to our doorstep with a sign reading "lost and hurting." Christianity is not a passive thing, so I urge you, ACTIVELY live your life for Christ!
 

A Verb

   You have probably already heard it, the verse that everyone loves to say when it comes to the Bible, John 3.16, for God so loved the world... So lets take a look at the word "love" and what it therefore implies. We especially want to look at this in our country  because the political excuse for all of the things that are being approved that go against the Word of God and foundation of this nation is that "God is love."
   Well, lets go deeper into that verse. "For God so loved that world that he... GAVE!" Now, as you know, giving is not some passive thing done just by sitting on a couch all day. Giving requires an action, against human nature even, for the greater good of all involved. Therefore, saying that you love God, yet doing absolutely nothing, helping no one, giving in no possible way, is NOT love!
   God GAVE his ONLY Son! The Son of God was given for us so that we could be forgiven from our sins. Therefore, it takes giving, especially our time, in showing that the Love of God is a verb and is to be returned in the same way received. Love is not passive, it is a verb. Have you given the Love of God?

Already Answered

   Remember when you were a child, and you wanted some cereal, but there was no way that you could reach the box on top of the refrigerator? So what did you do? You asked your parents or guardians every single time that you wanted some cereal. No matter the time or place, you would always ask.
   Then, as the years went by, you got taller. You could finally reach the box on your own. However, because of your age, you still had to ask permission before the cereal was yours. Not because of your physical ability, but because of your maturity and discretion on when to eat the sugary food.
   However, eventually there came the age where your maturity and age caught up to letting you eat cereal at your own discretion. What did your parents do? They told you that you did not have to ask to get cereal. They already said yes.
   You do not have to ask to do the Lords Will. If it is in His Word, the answer is Yes or No accordingly. He will never go against His Word, therefore, if you know His Word, you will already know the answers to some of your questions. Read his Word, your questions may be already answered!

More Confidently

   Do you remember in grade school when the teacher first said the words, we are going to have a test? No if you had an older brother or sister, you knew that to prepare for this test properly, you needed to study hard on the subject at hand.
   When you got older, the test may have gotten harder, but the concept never changed. You studied, this time more confidently, trying to pass the test. Why more confidently? This is because you had been tested before, and you still passed.
   So at this point, when you take a test, there is no reason to sweat it at all. You have taken tests all of your life, and you know how to study for them. So when the tests and trials of life come upon you, you have already studied up in the Word of God so that you can answer confidently and pass the tests of life! Study up, in the Word of God, and ace the tests of life by His standards!