Healthy things make healthy things. Fruit bears after itself. The seed of an apple has the ability to produce another entire apple tree. The seeds of a pumpkin can easily produce another healthy pumpkin to add to a beautiful pumpkin patch.
As Christians it is true that we are called to share the Gospel and the Love of Christ to those who have not accepted Jesus as the Lord of their life. As Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost. So lets think of another aspect.
If fruit produces itself, then is it not important that we continually help to grow and to nourish ourselves and other Christians so that when we do produce (sharing the Gospel with those who do not yet belong to Christ), we produce others that go out to follow Christ for themselves healthily.
Basically what I am saying is, we want to be at the point where we can produce others who want to seek Christ for themselves, learning to love and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. But the only way that we can reproduce that, is to be at that point where we are genuinely seeking ourselves. So remember, healthy fruit reproduces after itself.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Not Just a Building
A few weeks ago, I blogged about the fact that in Christ, we are all truly one. One Christ died for all of the sins of all of us. Whether you go to Macedonia North Baptist Hill Presbyterian Ethnic Community Church or wherever you may choose, you are still One Body in Christ.
The thing is, we like to put our "churches", or congregation of people in buildings. That is not the problem. The problem arises when we start to think of these various buildings as defining the church. We can even get to the point of thinking that because you have a three thousand per week congregation on average, a four million dollar paid off facility, and a fat paycheck every month, you must have a good church in the eyes of God.
While there is nothing wrong with those things necessarily alone if they either have the intention of or are fruits from a relationship with God, there are two things to caution in that statement. The first thing is that the goal is to bring people to Christ and have their eyes and hearts open to God, and if that goal is being met, then the building that you inhabit on Sunday morning has the right things occurring inside of it. The other thing to caution is that its not your church, it two ways. You dont own it, God does, and your congregation are by no means the only ones involved. We as Christians are the church!
The thing is, we like to put our "churches", or congregation of people in buildings. That is not the problem. The problem arises when we start to think of these various buildings as defining the church. We can even get to the point of thinking that because you have a three thousand per week congregation on average, a four million dollar paid off facility, and a fat paycheck every month, you must have a good church in the eyes of God.
While there is nothing wrong with those things necessarily alone if they either have the intention of or are fruits from a relationship with God, there are two things to caution in that statement. The first thing is that the goal is to bring people to Christ and have their eyes and hearts open to God, and if that goal is being met, then the building that you inhabit on Sunday morning has the right things occurring inside of it. The other thing to caution is that its not your church, it two ways. You dont own it, God does, and your congregation are by no means the only ones involved. We as Christians are the church!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
First and Foremost
I'm sure most of you have at least rode in a new car once in your lifetime. Maybe you even own one. So tell me, if you know anything about cars, what happens when your axle begins to become off centered?
Well your car spaces out. It starts to drift slowly off of the road and over time it takes more and more to be able to control it. This progresses until the car is either eventually uncontrollable or you get it centered correctly again.
If you leave your car the same way, and you have to drive through tough conditions for example, say a snow storm, and you must stay straight on the road, guess what, you may be in trouble. Now you are going through a test when you need all of your parts to work but they do not, because they were never fixed. Now you are going from side to side on the road, hoping to reach your destination safely.
But say when you realized that your axle was starting to become slightly off centered, you immediately got it fixed or "refocused" if you will. When the snow is on the ground (or the storm in life approaches), you will have confidence that your car will last.
That is the seasoned Christian. It seems as some graduate if you will from the Cross and the Gospel. But this is our Salvation. And it does not matter how much scholarly information you can swallow about Religion, if you dont have the relationship from the Cross of Calvary, you really dont have what is first and foremost, and that is Christ dying for our sins.
Well your car spaces out. It starts to drift slowly off of the road and over time it takes more and more to be able to control it. This progresses until the car is either eventually uncontrollable or you get it centered correctly again.
If you leave your car the same way, and you have to drive through tough conditions for example, say a snow storm, and you must stay straight on the road, guess what, you may be in trouble. Now you are going through a test when you need all of your parts to work but they do not, because they were never fixed. Now you are going from side to side on the road, hoping to reach your destination safely.
But say when you realized that your axle was starting to become slightly off centered, you immediately got it fixed or "refocused" if you will. When the snow is on the ground (or the storm in life approaches), you will have confidence that your car will last.
That is the seasoned Christian. It seems as some graduate if you will from the Cross and the Gospel. But this is our Salvation. And it does not matter how much scholarly information you can swallow about Religion, if you dont have the relationship from the Cross of Calvary, you really dont have what is first and foremost, and that is Christ dying for our sins.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Time Out
We live our days in absolute high gear all of the time. With Droids, iPhones, iPads, laptops, basically modern convenience technology, we are used to a lot of instant gratification and access to infinite information. With a single question or command, technology now responds to us to as close as human form as possible, and it is getting really close.
We drive fast cars to distant places with lots of people seven days a week, going as fast as we can all of the time. Most of the time, hopefully, we are running so hard to in some way show the love of Christ to someone else, in which, in my opinion, is amazing!
But answer this, when have you just stopped your car on the side of the road with a lot of trees, and just listened to the breeze rustle through the leaves? When have you just went somewhere by yourself, and rested and listened to the Lord, without a phone, or anything that could be a possible distraction?
Exactly. Hopefully your answer is not never, but it probably is not as often as it should be. God is with you everywhere, true, but dont you think that maybe we should get some quiet time alone with Him, so that He may renew, grow, and comfort us?
We drive fast cars to distant places with lots of people seven days a week, going as fast as we can all of the time. Most of the time, hopefully, we are running so hard to in some way show the love of Christ to someone else, in which, in my opinion, is amazing!
But answer this, when have you just stopped your car on the side of the road with a lot of trees, and just listened to the breeze rustle through the leaves? When have you just went somewhere by yourself, and rested and listened to the Lord, without a phone, or anything that could be a possible distraction?
Exactly. Hopefully your answer is not never, but it probably is not as often as it should be. God is with you everywhere, true, but dont you think that maybe we should get some quiet time alone with Him, so that He may renew, grow, and comfort us?
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Who vs Do
In a few months, I will be getting ready to move into a college dorm somewhere probably in the state of South Carolina to live on campus. Ill study for four years, and then four more years to get a license in pharmacy.
If the Lord does not choose the path of a worship leader full-time, then I would show up at a pharmacy for whatever my hours may be and do work.
Some would consider me a pharmacist. But I am a minister, full time all of the time. Christians, we are all called to the same thing, all of us are all full time ministers. In every way, we are supposed to show and share Christ.
Some would say well dont you do pharmacy? And the answer is yes. The problem is though, what I do does not define who I am. I repeat, what I do is not who I am. Who I am is defined by Christ and what I do will then fall in line with His Will.
Once we understand that actions do not define our identity, but nearly a derivative of our identity that has been given to each one of us individually by our Creator, Christ. So let us not think that our actions or the actions of others define who we are, but let who we are dictate our actions!
If the Lord does not choose the path of a worship leader full-time, then I would show up at a pharmacy for whatever my hours may be and do work.
Some would consider me a pharmacist. But I am a minister, full time all of the time. Christians, we are all called to the same thing, all of us are all full time ministers. In every way, we are supposed to show and share Christ.
Some would say well dont you do pharmacy? And the answer is yes. The problem is though, what I do does not define who I am. I repeat, what I do is not who I am. Who I am is defined by Christ and what I do will then fall in line with His Will.
Once we understand that actions do not define our identity, but nearly a derivative of our identity that has been given to each one of us individually by our Creator, Christ. So let us not think that our actions or the actions of others define who we are, but let who we are dictate our actions!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Until the End
For about four hours earlier today, I sat at the computer and worked to unlock an iPhone 3gs. Four hours. If you speak tech lingo, the firmware would not download, so in turn no jailbreaking occured, and thus no unlocking, for about 4 hours. If you do not speak tech lingo, it is as complicated as it sounds.
It was sort of like a race. You run and run in the beginning and everything seemed fine. So you keep running, but all of a sudden, there is that feeling of oh crap, when something happens and your endurance and dedication is starting to be tested.
But there is something that you have to realize, as soon as you start, you are past the point of no return. Once the race begins, in your mind it ends, because a Christian mindset never gives up when it comes to seeking our goal, Christ.
A Christian has trials that they go through during life all of the time. From the peer pressure of the world, the little cares of this life, various troubles of this world, etc, but what seperates us from everyone else, we persevere and seek Christ. You see, what I learned in those four hours today was simple, if you keep seeking, you will find a solution, in this case, configuring the iPhone. The same for Christianity, if you seek (Christ) you will find the solution (Christ). So continue to seek, UNTIL THE END of the race!
It was sort of like a race. You run and run in the beginning and everything seemed fine. So you keep running, but all of a sudden, there is that feeling of oh crap, when something happens and your endurance and dedication is starting to be tested.
But there is something that you have to realize, as soon as you start, you are past the point of no return. Once the race begins, in your mind it ends, because a Christian mindset never gives up when it comes to seeking our goal, Christ.
A Christian has trials that they go through during life all of the time. From the peer pressure of the world, the little cares of this life, various troubles of this world, etc, but what seperates us from everyone else, we persevere and seek Christ. You see, what I learned in those four hours today was simple, if you keep seeking, you will find a solution, in this case, configuring the iPhone. The same for Christianity, if you seek (Christ) you will find the solution (Christ). So continue to seek, UNTIL THE END of the race!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
From Whom Do You Judge
When I play a game of football, I tend to continuously, intentionally, and intensely measure myself against everyone else that also takes the field with me. For example, if I am at the position of a running back, the only thing that tends to go through my mind is the performance of the other running backs during the game.
The same goes for lifting weights. I tend to easily compare my muscle size and work intensity to the others who lift around me. It may even get to the point where my ego takes control and I want to lift with someone who does not lift as much as me, just because in the light of weight lifting, I look better.
Other than the pride, the problem with this story is that I judged my success by the placement of others. I judged how my running skills were by the skills of another running back. I also judged my lifting strength by someone with less strength than I have.
So tell me, why do us Christians tend to do the same thing? We tend to take our relationship with Christ and judge it by the lives of American Christians around us. And when we do this, we seem to want to look at the Christians who are having a tough time right now. Our growth in Christ should solely be judged by our relationship with Christ, not the appearance of other people. Remember that Christ is the only judge of our relationship and growth!
The same goes for lifting weights. I tend to easily compare my muscle size and work intensity to the others who lift around me. It may even get to the point where my ego takes control and I want to lift with someone who does not lift as much as me, just because in the light of weight lifting, I look better.
Other than the pride, the problem with this story is that I judged my success by the placement of others. I judged how my running skills were by the skills of another running back. I also judged my lifting strength by someone with less strength than I have.
So tell me, why do us Christians tend to do the same thing? We tend to take our relationship with Christ and judge it by the lives of American Christians around us. And when we do this, we seem to want to look at the Christians who are having a tough time right now. Our growth in Christ should solely be judged by our relationship with Christ, not the appearance of other people. Remember that Christ is the only judge of our relationship and growth!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Different
Jesus calls us to be holy. That literally translates to being different. Being different as Jesus was different. Not alot of people will willingly get on a cross and die for a bunch of people who claim to love them, or maybe even not, so that they may be saved.
Not alot of people would have the dedication to get up every Sunday morning and join the fellowship of believers in body and in spirit every week to worship the Lord together.
Not alot of people would have wrong done to them and turn the other cheek in forgiveness in the hopes that the love and forgiveness of God may shine upon them.
Not alot of people would give another human being time, that can not be given back, to invest in someone. Others would not spend a day or two just pouring love and wisdom into someone else's life so that they may be better equipped to follow the instructions of Christ.
But this is what we do, as followers of Christ. We take the time to invest in others, we forgive showing the love and forgiveness of Christ. We turn from the ways of the world out of the return of the Love of the Father in our lives. We are different!
Not alot of people would have the dedication to get up every Sunday morning and join the fellowship of believers in body and in spirit every week to worship the Lord together.
Not alot of people would have wrong done to them and turn the other cheek in forgiveness in the hopes that the love and forgiveness of God may shine upon them.
Not alot of people would give another human being time, that can not be given back, to invest in someone. Others would not spend a day or two just pouring love and wisdom into someone else's life so that they may be better equipped to follow the instructions of Christ.
But this is what we do, as followers of Christ. We take the time to invest in others, we forgive showing the love and forgiveness of Christ. We turn from the ways of the world out of the return of the Love of the Father in our lives. We are different!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
You Are Watched
As small kids look up to their big brothers and sisters on a daily basis to see what they do, how they think, how they treat others, how they treated themselves, etc, you, as Christians are watched by the world daily.
You may not fully realize it but the world is always looking for something with true fulfillment, true affection, true leadership, something real to worship. They are looking for an all satisfying, all knowing, Omnipotent "something" that they can sink their lives into.
Yet, Christianity has been so tainted at times by those who claim to follow Christ, that we all seem like huge hypocrites with a God who is either powerless or not worth the effort to follow Him, because of our actions, private or public, that others see. They want to follow a real, loving caring God, but they dont think that ours is real or credible because of our decisions.
So my challenge, in all of you affairs, think that someone who wants to follow God is always watching you, to see if the way you live shows them that our God is worth following, worth serving, and living for. So let us not be careless in our ways for our own selfish gain, but be persistent in the following of Christ Jesus.
You may not fully realize it but the world is always looking for something with true fulfillment, true affection, true leadership, something real to worship. They are looking for an all satisfying, all knowing, Omnipotent "something" that they can sink their lives into.
Yet, Christianity has been so tainted at times by those who claim to follow Christ, that we all seem like huge hypocrites with a God who is either powerless or not worth the effort to follow Him, because of our actions, private or public, that others see. They want to follow a real, loving caring God, but they dont think that ours is real or credible because of our decisions.
So my challenge, in all of you affairs, think that someone who wants to follow God is always watching you, to see if the way you live shows them that our God is worth following, worth serving, and living for. So let us not be careless in our ways for our own selfish gain, but be persistent in the following of Christ Jesus.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Not an Option
I am sure that if one were to just sit down and think of the sins that they commit during the day, I am sure that they could easily think of many reasons why these sins are committed. The "reasons" over time in turn evolve into excuses and we then think that it is perfectly acceptable to willingly sin because of "human nature" or something of that matter.
Here is the thing, yes it is impossible for us not to sin. We are human and that means that because of Adam, we sin and we sin continually. Even when we try to do good at times, evil may be present.
However, as Christians, we do not simply accept the fact that we are going to inevitably sin so we give up our will to follow the Will of Christ in holiness, but we never give up in seeking to do the things that advance the Kingdom of God. For us, quitting in the battle against sin is simply NOT AN OPTION!!
In no way do we ever settle in our minds that it is acceptable to simply be OK with sin because we all do it, instead, we are ALWAYS pressing to run from our sins and draw closer to Jesus, who was the ransom for our sins! NEVER GIVE UP in running for your sins and towards the Cross!
Here is the thing, yes it is impossible for us not to sin. We are human and that means that because of Adam, we sin and we sin continually. Even when we try to do good at times, evil may be present.
However, as Christians, we do not simply accept the fact that we are going to inevitably sin so we give up our will to follow the Will of Christ in holiness, but we never give up in seeking to do the things that advance the Kingdom of God. For us, quitting in the battle against sin is simply NOT AN OPTION!!
In no way do we ever settle in our minds that it is acceptable to simply be OK with sin because we all do it, instead, we are ALWAYS pressing to run from our sins and draw closer to Jesus, who was the ransom for our sins! NEVER GIVE UP in running for your sins and towards the Cross!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Time on Earth
If you or anyone you know has ever left milk just to sit in the sun for a few days, you know what happens. The milk for becomes a solid liquid, and then later, well I dont even know if one would feel comfortable to still call it milk. Well, what happens, over a short period of time, milk cannot last as itself any longer, it perishes.
The same goes for bananas and just about any other fruit you can think of. The ripe fruit looks absolutely delicious to the taste buds, but after a certain period of time, that same fruit can make you want to gag because of how rotten it seems to be.
Using these observations, we all know that our time on Earth does not and was not meant to last forever. We all, as some would say, "Have an appointment with death, that we all will keep." The act of leaving this earth has absolutely no discrimination, everyone is picked to leave this earth no matter race, sex, occupation, or your actions on earth.
But what separates us Christians from the rest of the world is that for our time on earth, we have a set influence, to influence, teach, and spread. Influencing others that our God is Real and Loving and Just and teaching the values and goals of a Life in Christ, and Spreading the wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have limited time, don's waste it, start living the Goals of the Christian Life today!
The same goes for bananas and just about any other fruit you can think of. The ripe fruit looks absolutely delicious to the taste buds, but after a certain period of time, that same fruit can make you want to gag because of how rotten it seems to be.
Using these observations, we all know that our time on Earth does not and was not meant to last forever. We all, as some would say, "Have an appointment with death, that we all will keep." The act of leaving this earth has absolutely no discrimination, everyone is picked to leave this earth no matter race, sex, occupation, or your actions on earth.
But what separates us Christians from the rest of the world is that for our time on earth, we have a set influence, to influence, teach, and spread. Influencing others that our God is Real and Loving and Just and teaching the values and goals of a Life in Christ, and Spreading the wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have limited time, don's waste it, start living the Goals of the Christian Life today!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Making No Provision
With all of the daily distractions and opportunities, whether good or bad, that face may of us on a daily basis, there are alot of chances and ways that we can and do easily make provisions for the flesh daily. In case one does not understand, let me clarify what a provision of the flesh is. This is when we put ourselves or allow ourselves to stay in a situation or surrounding where our minds or hearts may wonder into the things of the flesh, that is our sinful nature, and actions are generally bound to follow closely. Here are some examples of HIGH SCHOOL provisions that you may not realize:
- Being alone with the opposite sex (rather Christian or not if you both are single)
- Making things being friends physical (rather opposite sex or not)
- Allowing yourself to be comfortable around ungodly actions and idea
Basically, anytime you put yourself in a situation where sin is likely, and this varies from person to person, you are making provisions. But as we grow in Christ we learn as Paul tells us to make no provision for the flesh, so we flee from the opportunity of sin, and run full speed to the Cross of Jesus, every time. Watch for those provisions in your life that you may not even know about.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Let Hope Rise
Imagine for a second that you are a priest in a huge city, with hardly no money, but a desire to spread the Love of Christ and Word of the Lord. You say that you would do anything just to see another soul get into Heaven through the ministry that God has blessed you with. You personally pick up half of your congregation every Sunday morning on the way to your church.
Yet, one day, as you are taking a walk down the sidewalk, you see a mother and her child, alone, scared, and seemingly hopeless. You only have five dollars in your pocket and ten to your name. You have your Bible in your hand, walking to your church to meet up with a couple who is about to get married and wanted some counseling.
So you walk right past them. You dont know whether or not they knew Christ. At that point, you were in a hurry, and you didnt really care. Now in your heart, you really did wish the best for them, but to them you just walked off.
Dont just focus on Spreading the Gospel and staying close in the fellowship and serving of those that you are close to. Make sure to take every opportunity to serve and share the Gospel of Jesus to those that you may never see again in your life. We do not know our tomorrow, so we must take every God given opportunity of today to give and love like Christ gives and loves. May be that last five dollars, was meant to be hers so that her and her daughter may go through one more night, go to church tomorrow, and receive Christ for eternity. Take the opportunity, every single one you get, and serve and love like Christ!
Yet, one day, as you are taking a walk down the sidewalk, you see a mother and her child, alone, scared, and seemingly hopeless. You only have five dollars in your pocket and ten to your name. You have your Bible in your hand, walking to your church to meet up with a couple who is about to get married and wanted some counseling.
So you walk right past them. You dont know whether or not they knew Christ. At that point, you were in a hurry, and you didnt really care. Now in your heart, you really did wish the best for them, but to them you just walked off.
Dont just focus on Spreading the Gospel and staying close in the fellowship and serving of those that you are close to. Make sure to take every opportunity to serve and share the Gospel of Jesus to those that you may never see again in your life. We do not know our tomorrow, so we must take every God given opportunity of today to give and love like Christ gives and loves. May be that last five dollars, was meant to be hers so that her and her daughter may go through one more night, go to church tomorrow, and receive Christ for eternity. Take the opportunity, every single one you get, and serve and love like Christ!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Get to Know One First
A lot of people lot to live their life in complete organization, which at times, for some, makes them want to operate in an environment where rules thrive to keep things in order. In this environment, tasks are done very efficiently, one may feel a sense of perfection or precise balance in their life. Well, while God has things in perfect organization, he does not want us to live our life when it comes to Him in sheer rules.
Ill explain by taking the example of conduct. In Christ, our conduct is not a product, or fruit, of rules, yet a fruit of our relationship with Him. So how can our desire in conduct be Godly when we do not really have a developed relationship with God? This is why is does more harm than good most of the time to simply study the Law in the Old Testament, especially forgetting that Jesus came to fulfill that Law, and focus on never breaking a single law in the Bible. If you think about this idea, never breaking any Law would make you perfect, and sinless, but this is not possible, or there would have never been a need for Jesus to take away our sin and transgressions. So out of your relationship with God through Christ, the Fruits of the Spirit will flow naturally, not because of the Laws of Leviticus, but because of the Love and intimacy with Christ. Abide in the Vine!
Ill explain by taking the example of conduct. In Christ, our conduct is not a product, or fruit, of rules, yet a fruit of our relationship with Him. So how can our desire in conduct be Godly when we do not really have a developed relationship with God? This is why is does more harm than good most of the time to simply study the Law in the Old Testament, especially forgetting that Jesus came to fulfill that Law, and focus on never breaking a single law in the Bible. If you think about this idea, never breaking any Law would make you perfect, and sinless, but this is not possible, or there would have never been a need for Jesus to take away our sin and transgressions. So out of your relationship with God through Christ, the Fruits of the Spirit will flow naturally, not because of the Laws of Leviticus, but because of the Love and intimacy with Christ. Abide in the Vine!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Fresh Renewing
Image if you woke up one morning, did you morning routine, whatever it may be, went to the bank and withdrew one million dollars and spent it all in a day. Then, the next morning, you wake up, do your morning routine and spend it all in a day. And imagine that you do this same routine until you are in your late nineties and have no desire of getting up and going to the bank again?
Well, accept for the last part, that is a life in Christ. In Christ, even if you are in you late nineties, a fresh renewing of the Spirit of God is always to your access if you will only seek it. Life can be tough of course, and the spiritual tasks and growth throughout any given day can truly take a toll in the long run, but there is good news, Christ and His Spirit are always and infinitely at the ready, all of the time!
It may take that 30 minutes every morning to just read the Word of God, listen to some music that exalts His Greatness, and drink some coffee, just something that brings you and Him closer so that He may renew your spirit and your mind. So that of all the hectic things that may go on in any given day, you may always be reminded that God is with you and is ready to renew you every step of the way!
Well, accept for the last part, that is a life in Christ. In Christ, even if you are in you late nineties, a fresh renewing of the Spirit of God is always to your access if you will only seek it. Life can be tough of course, and the spiritual tasks and growth throughout any given day can truly take a toll in the long run, but there is good news, Christ and His Spirit are always and infinitely at the ready, all of the time!
It may take that 30 minutes every morning to just read the Word of God, listen to some music that exalts His Greatness, and drink some coffee, just something that brings you and Him closer so that He may renew your spirit and your mind. So that of all the hectic things that may go on in any given day, you may always be reminded that God is with you and is ready to renew you every step of the way!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Fellowship of Believers
I cannot stress the importance of the lessons learned from staying connecting connected with the fellowship of Christian believers throughout life. It really at times can be like night and day when my surroundings change from believers to nonbelievers. By the pronoun it, I am describing the instantaneous desires of the heart. If one bad apple spoils the bunch, what does a bunch of rotten apples do to one good one?
Now let me clarify, by rotten I am referring to the sin of others, not the person themselves. For sin is a verb, and people are not defined by their actions in the eyes of Christian, rather who do they belong to? Are you a Son or Daughter of Christ or have you denied or not yet heard of or met Him yet? That is what defines someone.
So for those who have accepted Christ, lets bond to them because in Christ, we are One and brothers and sisters as the children of God. Bond so that together you may seek Christ with a continually renewed flame because of a continually renewed perspective.
So my challenge, find those around you who are Sons and Daughters of the Most High God as well and join with them, in pursuit for Christ!
Now let me clarify, by rotten I am referring to the sin of others, not the person themselves. For sin is a verb, and people are not defined by their actions in the eyes of Christian, rather who do they belong to? Are you a Son or Daughter of Christ or have you denied or not yet heard of or met Him yet? That is what defines someone.
So for those who have accepted Christ, lets bond to them because in Christ, we are One and brothers and sisters as the children of God. Bond so that together you may seek Christ with a continually renewed flame because of a continually renewed perspective.
So my challenge, find those around you who are Sons and Daughters of the Most High God as well and join with them, in pursuit for Christ!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Ignite
When it comes time for you to cook something on the stove, what happens? Well, you might say that a fire simply starts and food is cooked and eaten. Well lets go a little deeper.
What happens is, a flame is ignited and it stayed lit and on fire until you turn it off. The fire continues to burn and burn and burn until someone decides that the food is cooked and they turn the flame off to eat the cooked food.
So what happens when someone truly accepts Christ? Well what should happen is a flame being ignited and staying lit throughout their entire life and all through eternity, to where they cannot contain themselves anymore even to their physical body. The where the Power and Joy of the Lord overtakes their life in every way possible. To where they know that God Himself is with them and goodness and mercy follow them for all of their days.
This is what should happen in all of us. If we have let our flames be doused by life, I urge all of you brothers to seek the face and Power of God and in turn rekindle the flame, showing the Power and Love and infinite Knowledge and Wisdom of Jesus wherever we go. My challenge to you, reignite!
What happens is, a flame is ignited and it stayed lit and on fire until you turn it off. The fire continues to burn and burn and burn until someone decides that the food is cooked and they turn the flame off to eat the cooked food.
So what happens when someone truly accepts Christ? Well what should happen is a flame being ignited and staying lit throughout their entire life and all through eternity, to where they cannot contain themselves anymore even to their physical body. The where the Power and Joy of the Lord overtakes their life in every way possible. To where they know that God Himself is with them and goodness and mercy follow them for all of their days.
This is what should happen in all of us. If we have let our flames be doused by life, I urge all of you brothers to seek the face and Power of God and in turn rekindle the flame, showing the Power and Love and infinite Knowledge and Wisdom of Jesus wherever we go. My challenge to you, reignite!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Focus
With all of the distractions that show up in this world, there is sometimes a need for a reminder to just stop and focus on God. Most of us have so may things going on daily. But Paul says that he is convinced that nothing can separate us from the Love of Christ, so tell me, why cant we take time out of our day to focus on that? For example:
1. Lunch Time at School or Work
2. When we awake in the morning
3. Study Time
4. Facebook Time??
5. Right before bedtime
All of these are just small examples of times where instead of our normal routine now, or just sitting there, we should take the time to read the Bible or do something to focus on the Love of God and spreading of the Gospel. Make acknowledging God our normal routine!
1. Lunch Time at School or Work
2. When we awake in the morning
3. Study Time
4. Facebook Time??
5. Right before bedtime
All of these are just small examples of times where instead of our normal routine now, or just sitting there, we should take the time to read the Bible or do something to focus on the Love of God and spreading of the Gospel. Make acknowledging God our normal routine!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Prioritizing Time
With all of the things that us a Christians and even non believers in modern society have the opportunity to do on a daily basis, it is very easy to become over committed, double booked, and physically and emotional drained because of the either improper or non ideal management of our time.
Although many apply, this post is mainly aimed towards ministers. Ministers are the first ones to tend to commit themselves to things that they can surely fulfill with time, but because of the lack of time a minister may have, they can no longer fulfill all of their promises in a given day. The will to do all that was planned is there, but the time just is not. Even with the most up to date technology, and the most precise planning equipment available, one but still be pretty easy in their schedule to continually fulfill all of their daily duties without passing out.
Thats when we need to realize two things, A. try not to overbook yourself into a hole because you want to fulfill too many obligations in a day, and B. even if you go by a schedule, the Holy Spirit is the ultimate guide and time clock throughout any given day. One must trust Him in all that they do so that, if they are led by the Spirit, all of God's schedule will be met, which is more important than whatever we have planned on a piece of paper called and earthly calendar.
Although many apply, this post is mainly aimed towards ministers. Ministers are the first ones to tend to commit themselves to things that they can surely fulfill with time, but because of the lack of time a minister may have, they can no longer fulfill all of their promises in a given day. The will to do all that was planned is there, but the time just is not. Even with the most up to date technology, and the most precise planning equipment available, one but still be pretty easy in their schedule to continually fulfill all of their daily duties without passing out.
Thats when we need to realize two things, A. try not to overbook yourself into a hole because you want to fulfill too many obligations in a day, and B. even if you go by a schedule, the Holy Spirit is the ultimate guide and time clock throughout any given day. One must trust Him in all that they do so that, if they are led by the Spirit, all of God's schedule will be met, which is more important than whatever we have planned on a piece of paper called and earthly calendar.
Monday, October 3, 2011
All I Need is You
Alot like to say that they rely on the Lord with their time, their finances, their family, the heart, their life, their everything. In saying that, however, one is saying that ALL they need is the Lord, which is absolutely true. The problem, we live our lives to be comfortable and self reliant. We live as if training for the CIA, to get to the point where you have to depend on no one else but your skill and knowledge to survive.
Lets face it, people equate college education, will, skill, perseverance, typical qualities of certain humans to the ability to make money. I know of some who only want to learn a skill so that they can make enough money to live in the biggest house in a neighborhood, or have the nicest car in town, or to have more money than the next guy basically. This love for self reliance dictates their entire major in college and career path as a whole, and their entire path of life.
The truth is, All that we need is Christ. We allow to Christ to fully guide our life so that if we were to lose everything today, we would know that God is Able and that He will provide because the whole time, we trusted Him and relied on Him not ourselves. My challenge, fully set your life to rely on God completely and not yourself. Realizing that All you need is Him!
Lets face it, people equate college education, will, skill, perseverance, typical qualities of certain humans to the ability to make money. I know of some who only want to learn a skill so that they can make enough money to live in the biggest house in a neighborhood, or have the nicest car in town, or to have more money than the next guy basically. This love for self reliance dictates their entire major in college and career path as a whole, and their entire path of life.
The truth is, All that we need is Christ. We allow to Christ to fully guide our life so that if we were to lose everything today, we would know that God is Able and that He will provide because the whole time, we trusted Him and relied on Him not ourselves. My challenge, fully set your life to rely on God completely and not yourself. Realizing that All you need is Him!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
All Things
If you have accepted Christ, you know that in Romans the Bible says that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. We will go into more detail of the prerequisites of this verse later, but for now I want this verse to be an encouragement for those who belong to Christ.
What this verse is saying is, you have to realize that in all things, they are worked for our good. The one thing that we must keep in mind though is that we are human, and our minds are relatively small compared to the infinite wisdom of the mind of God. We are quick to second guess this verse because of things that may happen in our lives, a death in the family, someone gets sick, you lose your job, a natural disaster, we see these things and think that it is the end of the world. But we do not always have an accurate perception of what is "good" as refereed to in this verse, in the long run.
We tend to equate happiness with goodness, and sometimes the complete opposite is the case. So this post is two fold, first I want to encourage the believers that ALL things that happen work together for our good in the long run, and challenge to trust God that these things will and are working for our good, and not doubt just because certain things don't seem "good" right now.
What this verse is saying is, you have to realize that in all things, they are worked for our good. The one thing that we must keep in mind though is that we are human, and our minds are relatively small compared to the infinite wisdom of the mind of God. We are quick to second guess this verse because of things that may happen in our lives, a death in the family, someone gets sick, you lose your job, a natural disaster, we see these things and think that it is the end of the world. But we do not always have an accurate perception of what is "good" as refereed to in this verse, in the long run.
We tend to equate happiness with goodness, and sometimes the complete opposite is the case. So this post is two fold, first I want to encourage the believers that ALL things that happen work together for our good in the long run, and challenge to trust God that these things will and are working for our good, and not doubt just because certain things don't seem "good" right now.
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