Taking care of His Own

   Have you ever seen the child who runs home to his house after he falls down on the playground? The scene usually looks like him coming in crying his eyes out, calling for his mother or father. Then what does the mother or father do? It seems like a simple question. Obviously they go to the necessary aid of their child.
   When we call of God, he comes to our necessary aid, in ways in which we didnt even think were imaginable! I have found this to be true even this week with school finances. God will always take care of those who call on Him, so call on the Lord!

Dropped Baggage

   Have you ever driven a car that had over 200,000 miles on it, bad brakes, and the trunk was full of bricks? You probably would not prefer to drive that car over a newer one, however, this is how we come to Christ. Full of sludge and baggage. However, there is a promise from Christ.
   His Promise: Cast our burdens upon Him and He will give us rest. This means that all of the things of our past, all that e have done and all that have been done to us, can be dropped and given to Christ, and in return, we will get rest! What a Promise! Cast your burdens upon Christ!

Model

   In Calculus class, there are different concepts that we study daily. Some of these concepts are very easy to understand for most, as they simply draw on other concepts learned earlier in mathematics. However, there are other concepts that are harder because they are completely new and do not draw on anything learned earlier.
   For those concepts, there is a critical component for learning. They are examples. They show what we are taught, which is critical to our understanding. We are to be examples for the Christian walk. We are to show what we are taught through the Word of God living through Jesus Christ. We are models for believers and inspiration for non believers. Be an example!

Fire

   Have you ever seen a presidential debate in which the candidate running for president is talking about something dear to his heart, but is whispering the entire time? Probably not. Because when someone is serious about something, it is hard to be quiet about it. I dont mean that becuase you truly believe something, you should yell it everywhere that you go. But it does mean that at least your actions speak volumes about it.
   Therefore, those that believe that Christ died for them and they are forgiven of their sins to have eternal life with God forever should be on fire absolutely for Christ. This means that their actions speak loudly about their belief, and they do things that magnify Christ and proclaim His forgiveness. They are on fire. Are you?

Make A Way

      Have you ever heard someone make a promise to you that you really trsuted? You trusted them so much, in fact, that you knew that whatever they said, they would fulfill, even to the point where it may seem impossible? What I mean by that is even if the task was not easily accomplished, they would do it simply because they said they would?
   Well God has made us MANY promises in His Word. The great thing about it is that He has insurance on EVERY promise. This means that even if it seems quite impossible, God will make a way for His Word to be accomplished. Be confident in the fact that God will make a way!

No One Higher

   There are people that worship many things. Some worship money. No, this does not mean that they have a face built out of money that they use to bow down to every night, but it does mean that they give some devotion to the acquisition or idea of money.
   However, as Christians, we worship Christ and Christ alone. Whats the difference you ask? The difference between worshiping Jesus and anything else is that NO ONE or NOTHING is Higher and Holy like our God! Be encouraged that the One you worship creates and controls everything, and He sits High above everything, yet He loves you enough to call you His own and call you friend. There is No One Higher!

Unity

   As Christians, we are all called to be part of the Body of Christ. So let us take a look at the human body to use as an example. As I am typing this, my brain is processing what to type and my fingers are carrying out the action. Typing this would not be possible without BOTH components.
   Yet they are not the same thing. I doubt anyone would mistake a finger for a brain. We are not all called to do the same thing. Some of us are music oriented, some of us speak, or other things that help advance the Kingdom. We are not the same, but we are called to all work together in UNITY to advance the Kingdom of God! So, how can we Unite?

Beautiful Things

   As Christians, we realize the forgiving power of the Blood of Christ! We realize how indescribable the Joy is to be forgiven of our sins of the past, and redeemed to God by the blood of Jesus. That takes places during the acceptance of Jesus into our lives, and then there is santification.
   You see, the Bible says that we are now the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God! God is infinite in Righteousness, and we have been called to be that! What an honor. He has taken us from our sinful desires and ways, cleaned us, and made us a new creation. The Ultimate Creator ONLY makes Beautiful Things!

Going to War

   Imagine that you were, for whatever the reason, recruited in the United States Army. Not just were you recruited, but you knew that the next day, in fact, you would b shipped to a foreign frontier to defend your country. Tell me, would you be passive in your preparation?
   Would you dare not to prepare at all? Of course you would prepare! You would tirelessly get ready. Guess what, we are at a war, with the enemy and with our flesh. We are to prepare daily, tirelessly, by staying in the Word of the Lord and seeking His guidance! With Him not only are all things possible but are things may be endured! Prepare, for we are in a war!

Radical

   Have you ever heard the term "holy roller" or something along those terms? It is generally or has historically been used as a derogatory term to insult Christians that were wild about their Faith and what they believed in to the point where they started to stand out from other people.
   However, tell me, or rather yourself, would you rather be insulted for persistantly following what you believe in to the point where everyone around you knows how radically you are in your Faith or would You rather insult Christ by not upholding His Name to the point where everyone knows? The choice is yours. I encourage you, be radical!

Like a Lion

   How do you generally greet your best friend? Probably with a hello, or hey, or whats up buddy. And these days, there are more and more guys that greet eachother in humor with not much respect at all, in fact with a tad of disrespect, because that is the value of the friendship.
   It is true that Jesus calls us friend. That He loves us unconditionally and forgave and forgives us of our sins, yet He is still King and the Almighty ONLY True God who reigns in Power and Majesty! He is to be treated with the UPMOST respect as He is the Deity! He is the Lion of Judah and sho9uld be treated as such! He is friend, but He is God!

In Love

   It is true that iron sharpen iron. What that means is, as we grow in Christ, and we congregate and live life with others who are also growing in Christ, we use our experiences, trials, and such to help others in the walk, so that we may become stronger together.
   The goal however is what I just said, so we become stronger together. That means that the spirit or intention of the correction or guidance of others is out of pure love, as Christ loves us. This does mean discipline, as being a disciple requires it. However, examine your heart and your intentions. Are they out of love?

A Follower

   What does it mean to be a disciple? Back in Jesus's time, if you were a disciple, it meant that you followed Jesus. Literally, you followed Him. Where He went you went. And you studied what He did, how he lived His life, what He said, what He believed, how he treated others.
   And today, the definition has not changed. You may not see Jesus walking around the Earth like they did over 2,000 years ago, what we are still just as called to follow Him as they were back then. Today that means going where He leads us, studying how He lived, what He said and believed and how He treated others. It has not changed.
   So how much do you follow? Do it literally follow Him with the way that you live your life or do you say youre a Christian but dont truly follow at all? The choice is yours.

Undefined Time

   Today, I want to take a different approach to the audience of this topic. I say that because tonight, I have good news for the unbeliever. Not a lot of good news, just one piece. IF you are an unbeliever and you are reading this post, that means you still have an unknown amount of time to make the life changing decision to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
   I, nor does any other man, know how much time that is, so now is always the best time. You have this moment to accept Him, believe that He died on the Cross to forgive our sins and was raised from the dead three days later, and Call on Him to be Lord of your life. Why? He is the ONLY answer to True life, for the wages of sin is death and ALL have sinned. Save yourself while you still have time. If the Lord is calling you, answer!

By Design

   There are what are called, moving or motorized Spot Lights that are produced by Higher End Systems called Studio Spot 250. They are classified as intelligent lights. They can change color, they can shuffle through color, effect (gobos) and change position by the actions of the light board via DMX protocol.
   Why am I telling you this? Well it is not just because I really enjoy the usage of those lights, but because they were made by design. Higher End Systems did what I would consider a marvelous job in those lights, but they are controlled by a user to do all that they can do,
   How much more then went into our design, that we can operate independently and go on to design other things? What is my point? We are of fascination design, and there is no way that it was my chance of any kind. Take confidence that there is a God, YHWH, and we were designed skillfully and wonderfully by Him!

Refresh

   There is honor in getting things done. To me, there is nothing like the feeling of accomplishing something that I was supposed to accomplish, or understanding something that I was supposed to understand. However, as most college students can attest to, after a certain amount of time of doing that intensely, there comes a time where a refresh is in order.
   God created the world Himself in a week. He spoke things, everything actually, into existence. But, after everything was created, He took a break, and rested. Resting is something that we are called to do. It is of God, when it is used the correct way.
   I urge you, take time to refresh and rest. So that we may not grow weary in our well doing. So taht we may persevere. Refresh in the Lord!

Cake in the Microwave

   Have you ever seen the grandmother or mother in the kitchen baking a cake from scratch? Some would say, including me, that cake made like that is by far the best tasting cake in existence. The taste is original and most can tell that it was not made on a production line.
   However, if you pay attention to the actual making of the cake, you will realize that they did not bake it in a microwave. What I mean by that is it took time to make that cake. It took much patience to put it in the oven and let it bake to perfection. It was not something just done in a few minutes.
   Patience is the key to making something good and worth it. That is true for the Christian walk as well. It is more than a virtue, it is an absolute necessity in relating with people, and growing in Christ. Neither are done over night. Patience is the difference between a cake in the microwave and one in the oven.