A recent discussion with a friend has sparked these thoughts and is truly the inspiration for this post!!!
We as guys hold onto a deep responsibility that is very hard given our sin nature but also given the way God created us. By nature we are sexual beings, God made us this way... however given the Fall of Man we have warped our nature into something immoral. I don't believe things have changed over the centuries... if you read God's Word we see that the pagan nations as well as the Israelites warped God's command of a one-man and one-woman relationship of marriage. Sexual Immorality raced throughout the world and overwhelmed the marital relations. People choose desires and pleasure over commitment.
Summarizing my discussion, she is dating a young man (based off the discussion I observe he is NOT a believer in Christ though I am NOT judging for God is the only One to Judge the truth of a man's heart... I observe his actions). She tells me that he wants to "test" their love for each other by "experimenting" with other young women! I told her "Honey break up right now!!!"
""Experiment" with other woman"... those were her exact words! What a sick world we live in. Us men are on a mission... it is not to test the love of woman for we already know the woman will love us... that is clearly obvious (in my opinion and based off what I read in the Bible and other books). This young man has his mind warped.
Quite frankly I am ticked (... I want to use the other word cause I am extremely mad)!!!!!!! As someone who wants to protect women and their purity, as well as my own for I have taken abstinence commitments, this enrages me. "Experiment with women"!?!? NO!!! We don't do that... yet Satan has done such a great job at warping our minds using many things in this world that we don't monitor... the media being one of them and probably the easiest to manipulate and then use to manipulate others in mass.
As Christian men we are to protect the woman and her purity... yet I rarely see that among us. We talk about them as "experiments" utterly breaking their hearts.It is truly a horrible thing what we do and I am ashamed to be apart of a gender that does that... yet I set my standards much higher so that shame is wiped away because the truth is out there and has set me free. Yes the truth is in Christ Jesus for salvation but there is another truth that I am talking about!
That truth is treating a woman the way God would treat her. Respect for who she is and ultimately respecting, loving, cherishing, and honoring her regardless your relationship to her. I am convinced spreading this message through word and actions women's self-esteem will rise through the roofs and men will start seeing that they are not "experiments"!
It pains me to hear this about "experimenting" with woman and then some of her responses to my urgency for her to break up with him which currently she won't... It just breaks my heart... Keep praying!!!
About Me
- Jakob
- A young man seeking after the Lord's will for my life. I am a believer in the One True God (John 14:6). A current student in college excited to be transferred to a Christian school to major in Youth Ministries!!! Yeah I believe the Lord is leading me to His ministry!!!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Desiring God
I've just begun to read "Desiring God" by John Piper and few things caught my attention.
One such thing is the downplay we have on our sin nature! We tell ourselves that our sin wasn't so bad and we'll go before God and confess our "little" sin and then move on. We fail to realize how horrible our "little" sin is in front of a perfect, holy, and all mighty God who absolutely despises sin!
In our world today we have people telling us that hell isn't real or everyone except Satan and his demons are going to Heaven. Our concept of heaven and hell as to very real places is very messed up. We fail to see that our sin is such an abomination to God that He can't even be in our presence it is so bad.
I think that the "believers" these days who think that everyone is going to heaven or that hell isn't real have a very relaxing opinion about sin and how the Lord views it! Our Bible's make it very clear that Heaven and Hell are very real places. It also makes it very clear that the only way to Heaven is by "believing in the Lord Jesus Christ"! So why the confusion?
Obviously we are all human beings and a wonderful aspect of being human is differing opinions. We all think differently and have different mindsets. However absolute truths have all but vanished in our society today. Heaven and Hell is one such absolute truth that people are now trying to take away.
The problem begins when we think that our sin was little before God's eyes. If our sin was so little than why is the price for the payment of our "little" sins so big?!?! Death is a very big price to pay, I hope you would all agree with me on that!
Stop toning down your sin. Everything you do that is sin is horrible in the sight of our Almighty God. Don't go before Him and confess your "little" sin. Act in outright repentance and confession as you know that you have committed a horrible act before a righteous God who knows everything you do, right or wrong! Once people actually realize the horror of their sin before God's eyes the actualization of what Christ did on the cross for them will become a reality, as will the realization of Heaven and Hell!!!
One such thing is the downplay we have on our sin nature! We tell ourselves that our sin wasn't so bad and we'll go before God and confess our "little" sin and then move on. We fail to realize how horrible our "little" sin is in front of a perfect, holy, and all mighty God who absolutely despises sin!
In our world today we have people telling us that hell isn't real or everyone except Satan and his demons are going to Heaven. Our concept of heaven and hell as to very real places is very messed up. We fail to see that our sin is such an abomination to God that He can't even be in our presence it is so bad.
I think that the "believers" these days who think that everyone is going to heaven or that hell isn't real have a very relaxing opinion about sin and how the Lord views it! Our Bible's make it very clear that Heaven and Hell are very real places. It also makes it very clear that the only way to Heaven is by "believing in the Lord Jesus Christ"! So why the confusion?
Obviously we are all human beings and a wonderful aspect of being human is differing opinions. We all think differently and have different mindsets. However absolute truths have all but vanished in our society today. Heaven and Hell is one such absolute truth that people are now trying to take away.
The problem begins when we think that our sin was little before God's eyes. If our sin was so little than why is the price for the payment of our "little" sins so big?!?! Death is a very big price to pay, I hope you would all agree with me on that!
Stop toning down your sin. Everything you do that is sin is horrible in the sight of our Almighty God. Don't go before Him and confess your "little" sin. Act in outright repentance and confession as you know that you have committed a horrible act before a righteous God who knows everything you do, right or wrong! Once people actually realize the horror of their sin before God's eyes the actualization of what Christ did on the cross for them will become a reality, as will the realization of Heaven and Hell!!!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
A LIving Sacrifice
I little while ago I was asked "what does "living sacrifice" mean?" I thought it out a little and gave a quick response that was very... immature. To be quite honest with you, I never really thought about it to much. So now I want to share my thoughts.
So I think about "sacrifice" and its context within the Old Testament. It was used in terms of sacrificing animals to God. It was used for pagan worship as well. In the New Testament it is used in terms of Christ coming and being the sacrifice for our sins. Putting Himself in our place for our sake. In our world today we don't see much of sacrificing ourselves for other people. Our world is all about the "me" mentality, the ME MONSTER!!! We live in a very selfish world.
"Living" is self explanatory. We are alive.
I am a living sacrifice. My life is God's cause He gave it to me and He can take it. I am sacrificing my will for my life to do the will of my Lords. Allowing God to take COMPLETE and ABSOLUTE control. This goes right along with the second verse of not conforming to this world because we have given ourselves to God!!!
So I think about "sacrifice" and its context within the Old Testament. It was used in terms of sacrificing animals to God. It was used for pagan worship as well. In the New Testament it is used in terms of Christ coming and being the sacrifice for our sins. Putting Himself in our place for our sake. In our world today we don't see much of sacrificing ourselves for other people. Our world is all about the "me" mentality, the ME MONSTER!!! We live in a very selfish world.
"Living" is self explanatory. We are alive.
I am a living sacrifice. My life is God's cause He gave it to me and He can take it. I am sacrificing my will for my life to do the will of my Lords. Allowing God to take COMPLETE and ABSOLUTE control. This goes right along with the second verse of not conforming to this world because we have given ourselves to God!!!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Spiritual Warfare... Yeah It's Real!!!
Sunday evenings at CBC we are going through a video series on Spiritual Warfare by Chip Ingram a well-known speaker and pastor. July 10, 2011 was a Sunday and the video discussed two tactics that Satan uses against believers: 1) Guilt and 2) Condemnation of the believer. But what gave me the most thought was that "believers fight FROM victory NOT FOR victory."
Take a moment to think about that!
The Bible tells us that this is true. I Cor. 15:57. Yet this is something that we fail to realize... at least I failed to realize it. Maybe I read over the passage without evening thinking about it at all. It's simply something that hasn't clicked inside my head! My question is this: If the battle is already won, why do we fight like it isn't? In fact I believe that we fight like the battle is lost sometimes. We cower inside our comfort zones and watch as our enemy, the Devil, does whatever he wants. We keep the Great News of Christ to ourselves so as to avoid "persecution". But if the battle is already won, than why do we worry about that? What is the worst people can do to us? Kill us? Most certainly not because than we obtain our ultimate desire, to be in Heaven with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!
Okay so in my mind than the worst thing is pain... I don't like it though I am told I can handle it rather well (ask my mom on this one)! My mind moves immediately to pain and suffering as the worst that can happen to me personally. So I think about Christ. His pain, His suffering all for a single purpose! The salvation of my soul. Then I think of the early apostles... Most of them suffered painful deaths and most certainly believers around the world and even in the United States suffer persecution.
I write this with the knowledge that I am as guilty as you. I get scared at the thought of death, pain and suffering. I am a young man, nearly 20, with a life to live ahead of him, but whose life is it? Mine or the Lord's? The world says it's mine, but the Lord says it's His!!! I know it's the Lord's because He gave it to me and He can most certainly take it from me in an instant. I'll close in the words of well-known Christian artist tobyMac, "I'm Yours, take me as I am!"
Take a moment to think about that!
The Bible tells us that this is true. I Cor. 15:57. Yet this is something that we fail to realize... at least I failed to realize it. Maybe I read over the passage without evening thinking about it at all. It's simply something that hasn't clicked inside my head! My question is this: If the battle is already won, why do we fight like it isn't? In fact I believe that we fight like the battle is lost sometimes. We cower inside our comfort zones and watch as our enemy, the Devil, does whatever he wants. We keep the Great News of Christ to ourselves so as to avoid "persecution". But if the battle is already won, than why do we worry about that? What is the worst people can do to us? Kill us? Most certainly not because than we obtain our ultimate desire, to be in Heaven with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!
Okay so in my mind than the worst thing is pain... I don't like it though I am told I can handle it rather well (ask my mom on this one)! My mind moves immediately to pain and suffering as the worst that can happen to me personally. So I think about Christ. His pain, His suffering all for a single purpose! The salvation of my soul. Then I think of the early apostles... Most of them suffered painful deaths and most certainly believers around the world and even in the United States suffer persecution.
I write this with the knowledge that I am as guilty as you. I get scared at the thought of death, pain and suffering. I am a young man, nearly 20, with a life to live ahead of him, but whose life is it? Mine or the Lord's? The world says it's mine, but the Lord says it's His!!! I know it's the Lord's because He gave it to me and He can most certainly take it from me in an instant. I'll close in the words of well-known Christian artist tobyMac, "I'm Yours, take me as I am!"
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Hope When There is No Hope!!!
Have you ever been in trouble?... No I am not talking about "stealing a cookie out of the cookie jar when Mom ain't looking" trouble. I'm talking "I don't even know if there is a God anymore because of the things going on in my life" kind of trouble.
For us believers the majority of the time we get in this kind of trouble is when disaster strikes close to the heart. It could be anything... death, divorce, accidents... etc the list can go on to whatever you think of.
Have you ever been in that kind of trouble... if not maybe you know someone. I do!!! About a year or so ago I had a friend who tried suicide. The question is this... Where is hope when there seems to be none?
The answer of this question is so simple we either overlook it of use it to much to see the sincerity in it and truth. We'll shrug it off because things just can't be that simple or think "we've heard this so many times before..." Our answer is the essence of our Christian walk and faith... THE CROSS!!!
Now you are thinking... "okay what happened there?... Jesus died there okay... um.. Jakob how does this make any sense if we are trying to help someone NOT kill themselves cause disaster and death is not the answer. Plus they don't really go together."
Alright yes I am talking about disaster and death that happened a long time ago yet holds so much relevance today that believing in it is the most important decision you will ever make. The cross is where our hope lies. Our God and King, Jesus Christ showed the hope, love and forgiveness that He has for us by taking the most painful death (see previous blog post for a brief description of Crucifixion) and then transforming that into life three days later by rising from the dead.
Jesus Christ was taken into the hands of his own people, the same people that once shouted "HOSANNA HOSANNA!!! Blessed is HE who comes in the name of the Lord!" to shouting less than a week later "CRUCIFY HIM CRUCIFY HIM!!!!" The cross is where the Son of Man gave His life to show us unconditional love for us to have a relationship with Him and the Father. The cross, where you and I can find the hope that we need.
When we think there is no hope, think again. When we think that God can't possibly know what we are going through... think again because He went through it and knew He was going to have to go through it. He suffered a more painful death that any of us will have to suffer. We have so much evidence that what Christ did on the Cross and rising from the dead is true, what He did was real and we know it though people still refuse to see it. What he went through is a whole lot worse that whatever you may be going though now.
"Why does He let me go through the pain and suffering then?" Deuteronomy 29:29... "the secrets belong to the Lord" and He has a purpose for everything. I know that you will receive rewards in Heaven for persevering. Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I AM GOD!!!" In our world today we are very much a here and now generation... we don't look to the future and think of the benefits then if we wait now. We "need" everything now or we won't be happy. But the Bible says plainly... "BE STILL" It's hard and I know it cause I struggle too but the Bible also promises that everything works out in the end. The Lord is the Author if your life and if He is writing it than you KNOW that everything will work out.
I have been through pain and suffering as well and I have made it out... mine may be worse or not as worse than what you are going through, I suffered the loss of my grandmother, being the godliest woman I ever knew, 4 years ago on June 3rd. I've lost friends and I've had troubled times... but I am one of the happiest people you will ever meet. Why??? My hope is found in the Lord Jesus Christ and His mercy and grace He gave me at the Cross. He gave me the greatest Hope ever in the Cross!!! My hope is found in Christ Alone and I dare not trust in nothing less!!!
For us believers the majority of the time we get in this kind of trouble is when disaster strikes close to the heart. It could be anything... death, divorce, accidents... etc the list can go on to whatever you think of.
Have you ever been in that kind of trouble... if not maybe you know someone. I do!!! About a year or so ago I had a friend who tried suicide. The question is this... Where is hope when there seems to be none?
The answer of this question is so simple we either overlook it of use it to much to see the sincerity in it and truth. We'll shrug it off because things just can't be that simple or think "we've heard this so many times before..." Our answer is the essence of our Christian walk and faith... THE CROSS!!!
Now you are thinking... "okay what happened there?... Jesus died there okay... um.. Jakob how does this make any sense if we are trying to help someone NOT kill themselves cause disaster and death is not the answer. Plus they don't really go together."
Alright yes I am talking about disaster and death that happened a long time ago yet holds so much relevance today that believing in it is the most important decision you will ever make. The cross is where our hope lies. Our God and King, Jesus Christ showed the hope, love and forgiveness that He has for us by taking the most painful death (see previous blog post for a brief description of Crucifixion) and then transforming that into life three days later by rising from the dead.
Jesus Christ was taken into the hands of his own people, the same people that once shouted "HOSANNA HOSANNA!!! Blessed is HE who comes in the name of the Lord!" to shouting less than a week later "CRUCIFY HIM CRUCIFY HIM!!!!" The cross is where the Son of Man gave His life to show us unconditional love for us to have a relationship with Him and the Father. The cross, where you and I can find the hope that we need.
When we think there is no hope, think again. When we think that God can't possibly know what we are going through... think again because He went through it and knew He was going to have to go through it. He suffered a more painful death that any of us will have to suffer. We have so much evidence that what Christ did on the Cross and rising from the dead is true, what He did was real and we know it though people still refuse to see it. What he went through is a whole lot worse that whatever you may be going though now.
"Why does He let me go through the pain and suffering then?" Deuteronomy 29:29... "the secrets belong to the Lord" and He has a purpose for everything. I know that you will receive rewards in Heaven for persevering. Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I AM GOD!!!" In our world today we are very much a here and now generation... we don't look to the future and think of the benefits then if we wait now. We "need" everything now or we won't be happy. But the Bible says plainly... "BE STILL" It's hard and I know it cause I struggle too but the Bible also promises that everything works out in the end. The Lord is the Author if your life and if He is writing it than you KNOW that everything will work out.
I have been through pain and suffering as well and I have made it out... mine may be worse or not as worse than what you are going through, I suffered the loss of my grandmother, being the godliest woman I ever knew, 4 years ago on June 3rd. I've lost friends and I've had troubled times... but I am one of the happiest people you will ever meet. Why??? My hope is found in the Lord Jesus Christ and His mercy and grace He gave me at the Cross. He gave me the greatest Hope ever in the Cross!!! My hope is found in Christ Alone and I dare not trust in nothing less!!!
Whose Cross Is It?!?!
Sorry it has been so long since I have last posted... Things have been busy which is a good thing. Softball, work, church, missions trip... so this post may be rather long so find yourself a comfy chair, popcorn and a drink.
The missions trip went great. It was June 10th - 18th. We went to Wyoming to Frontier School of Bible and to Tentmakers Bible Mission to help with some labor. Also we went to a town called Chugwater to help with a VBS. We at CBC support two missionaries working at Tentmakers and we were able to see them and help them out while at Frontier, since one of Tentmakers HQ's is located near the school. The school is in LaGrange, a small town of 300+ people, Chugwater is smaller with 244 people.
Anyways the drive was 16 hours, so 32 total there and back... my legs were pretty cramped. The total number of people going from CBC was about 27 ish, 17 or 18 youth, the most ever for a missions trip. We did a lot of painting, picking up tree branches, mulching, throughout the week. A group of 7 of us went to Chugwater each day for the VBS in the morning and came back for work in the afternoon.
Everything went very well. 4 kids in VBS trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and I had the privilege of leading 2 young boys on the very last day of the VBS. It was so cool to see our witnessing effecting then and there immediately. It really is something to lead a child to Christ, there is not a feeling like it and to see the Lord working through you!!!
It was great to see the young men of the group being chivalrous, and to see everyone get along, the beautiful scenery, an awesome storm, friendships, new friendships and the Lord ultimately getting all the glory.
Now for something else I wanna talk about and that is the title of the post... Whose Cross is it? When we believers evangelize and preach we often tell people that Christ died on THE cross for YOUR sins. By all means this is absolutely true and correct. Jesus DID die on the cross for our sins. We can easily personalize the sin aspect of it... but what about the punishment for OUR sin. Romans 6:23 says that "the wages (punishment) for sin is death. That punishment that is rightfully ours is the cross...
So whose cross is it? It is OURS!!! Jesus died on OUR cross to pay the penalty for OUR sins!!!
You know the Romans perfected crucifixion as the most painful way to die, quite possibly ever. Jesus took that away from us... the spitting, the mocking, the beating, the whipping, the nails driving through his wrists and his feet, the piercing of the spear in His side... He did all this for the whole world if they so choose to believe that He did.
This is His perfect example of love and forgiveness, taking away our cross and sins and placing the penalty on Himself. Maybe another way to evangelize is to personalize the cross as well. SO ask yourself... Whose cross is it? Because that cross... to steal a quote from Darth Vader... was our destiny!!!
The missions trip went great. It was June 10th - 18th. We went to Wyoming to Frontier School of Bible and to Tentmakers Bible Mission to help with some labor. Also we went to a town called Chugwater to help with a VBS. We at CBC support two missionaries working at Tentmakers and we were able to see them and help them out while at Frontier, since one of Tentmakers HQ's is located near the school. The school is in LaGrange, a small town of 300+ people, Chugwater is smaller with 244 people.
Anyways the drive was 16 hours, so 32 total there and back... my legs were pretty cramped. The total number of people going from CBC was about 27 ish, 17 or 18 youth, the most ever for a missions trip. We did a lot of painting, picking up tree branches, mulching, throughout the week. A group of 7 of us went to Chugwater each day for the VBS in the morning and came back for work in the afternoon.
Everything went very well. 4 kids in VBS trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and I had the privilege of leading 2 young boys on the very last day of the VBS. It was so cool to see our witnessing effecting then and there immediately. It really is something to lead a child to Christ, there is not a feeling like it and to see the Lord working through you!!!
It was great to see the young men of the group being chivalrous, and to see everyone get along, the beautiful scenery, an awesome storm, friendships, new friendships and the Lord ultimately getting all the glory.
Now for something else I wanna talk about and that is the title of the post... Whose Cross is it? When we believers evangelize and preach we often tell people that Christ died on THE cross for YOUR sins. By all means this is absolutely true and correct. Jesus DID die on the cross for our sins. We can easily personalize the sin aspect of it... but what about the punishment for OUR sin. Romans 6:23 says that "the wages (punishment) for sin is death. That punishment that is rightfully ours is the cross...
So whose cross is it? It is OURS!!! Jesus died on OUR cross to pay the penalty for OUR sins!!!
You know the Romans perfected crucifixion as the most painful way to die, quite possibly ever. Jesus took that away from us... the spitting, the mocking, the beating, the whipping, the nails driving through his wrists and his feet, the piercing of the spear in His side... He did all this for the whole world if they so choose to believe that He did.
This is His perfect example of love and forgiveness, taking away our cross and sins and placing the penalty on Himself. Maybe another way to evangelize is to personalize the cross as well. SO ask yourself... Whose cross is it? Because that cross... to steal a quote from Darth Vader... was our destiny!!!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Tomorrow's Not Promised!!!
School's out for summer!!! and I passed all my classes!!! So thanks goes out to all who prayed for me!!! Now I'll be off to Calvary in the fall studying in Advanced Biblical Studies wanting to become a youth pastor. Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday I was pulling into Waubonsee's parking lot to begin college for my first day!!! Life is too short to be lived in vain.
Looking at my life, some of that vanity is thinking about the future when Matthew 6:33-34 where it says that tomorrow is not promised to us.
I gotta say I am probably the most guilty of thinking about the future and the past. I'm constantly thinking about the future with college, my future wife/marriage, career, etc etc. I'm not gonna lie I am really excited about beginning at Calvary and looking forward to a career and marriage!!! I am really blessed cause I know God is preparing me for both very well!!! And there is nothing wrong with thinking about the future but I am left wondering what would it be like to simply always think about the present merely because tomorrow is not promised to us!!!
I've been thinking about Matthew 6:33-34 and about all the time I spent and do spend thinking about the future. If tomorrow is not promised than why do I spend so much time thinking about it!!! I am trying to put my attention to the here and now which is rather hard cause my mind is always racing.
There are many things that I've prospered from by thinking about the future and the past. Looking back at my life I have changed drastically over the past 6 years. I give all the praise and glory to God but all this stuff I am writing is to give you a bunch of stuff to think about!!!
Looking at my life, some of that vanity is thinking about the future when Matthew 6:33-34 where it says that tomorrow is not promised to us.
I gotta say I am probably the most guilty of thinking about the future and the past. I'm constantly thinking about the future with college, my future wife/marriage, career, etc etc. I'm not gonna lie I am really excited about beginning at Calvary and looking forward to a career and marriage!!! I am really blessed cause I know God is preparing me for both very well!!! And there is nothing wrong with thinking about the future but I am left wondering what would it be like to simply always think about the present merely because tomorrow is not promised to us!!!
I've been thinking about Matthew 6:33-34 and about all the time I spent and do spend thinking about the future. If tomorrow is not promised than why do I spend so much time thinking about it!!! I am trying to put my attention to the here and now which is rather hard cause my mind is always racing.
There are many things that I've prospered from by thinking about the future and the past. Looking back at my life I have changed drastically over the past 6 years. I give all the praise and glory to God but all this stuff I am writing is to give you a bunch of stuff to think about!!!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Compliments!!!
First of all I want to apologize for not posting anything recent... Things have been busy, school, finals, and work. None of this is bad cause it allows me to really think about stuff and ultimately rely on God for the strength to get through each day!!!
It'll be three weeks ago from this Saturday since we, the church body of Central Bible Church (CBC) received a hard blow. Our youth pastor, for six years, and his wife and kids are leaving. The Lord is beginning to write a new chapter in their lives. None of us at CBC are happy to see them go, but we are happy to know that they are following after the Lord's desire. We are happy, grateful, and thankful for the six wonderful years of memories and awesome teachings. Thanks so very much and God bless!!!
The second thing I want to discuss is a question I have for you women. If a young man, a good friend of yours walks up to you and says, "Hey you look nice today!" What will your response or reactions be?
As a young man and having done just that, I've been put into some, dare I say, awkward situations. And I can say that I have personally witnessed two different reactions. There is the external and the internal reaction, they can both be the same or be different. Externally you may smile and say "thanks!" Internally you may be thinking "Does he like me?, Why is he saying this? etc. I don't know exactly what you may think cause I am not any of you. No one knows what is going on in your mind but God and yourself. Am I wrong about this or am I right? Please I'd like to know.
Now let me tell you all why... Now I am choosing my words carefully. Is it too much to ask of us guys to simply be courteous to women? Can we compliment the ladies in our lives without having it mean something romantic? I'm here to say that it is possible because I have experienced just that... however therein lies a problem: The problem is that I can do it to only a few select women because they are the only ones who don't take anything by it. Unfortunately I know a lot more women and would like to be the gentlemen the Lord is making me.
Gentlemen, please be courteous to the women in your life. Just compliment them, and don't mean anything by it. Be their friend.
Ladies let us be gentlemen, let us compliment you and don't take it with a grain of salt. Take them for what they are compliments of our friendships.
Fortunately and unfortunately I can only speak for myself when I say all this and the following: If you know me, you will know that I am straightforward. I say things that are and I don't beat around the bush. Understand that if I ever compliment you and please, please don't take anything by it!!!
It'll be three weeks ago from this Saturday since we, the church body of Central Bible Church (CBC) received a hard blow. Our youth pastor, for six years, and his wife and kids are leaving. The Lord is beginning to write a new chapter in their lives. None of us at CBC are happy to see them go, but we are happy to know that they are following after the Lord's desire. We are happy, grateful, and thankful for the six wonderful years of memories and awesome teachings. Thanks so very much and God bless!!!
The second thing I want to discuss is a question I have for you women. If a young man, a good friend of yours walks up to you and says, "Hey you look nice today!" What will your response or reactions be?
As a young man and having done just that, I've been put into some, dare I say, awkward situations. And I can say that I have personally witnessed two different reactions. There is the external and the internal reaction, they can both be the same or be different. Externally you may smile and say "thanks!" Internally you may be thinking "Does he like me?, Why is he saying this? etc. I don't know exactly what you may think cause I am not any of you. No one knows what is going on in your mind but God and yourself. Am I wrong about this or am I right? Please I'd like to know.
Now let me tell you all why... Now I am choosing my words carefully. Is it too much to ask of us guys to simply be courteous to women? Can we compliment the ladies in our lives without having it mean something romantic? I'm here to say that it is possible because I have experienced just that... however therein lies a problem: The problem is that I can do it to only a few select women because they are the only ones who don't take anything by it. Unfortunately I know a lot more women and would like to be the gentlemen the Lord is making me.
Gentlemen, please be courteous to the women in your life. Just compliment them, and don't mean anything by it. Be their friend.
Ladies let us be gentlemen, let us compliment you and don't take it with a grain of salt. Take them for what they are compliments of our friendships.
Fortunately and unfortunately I can only speak for myself when I say all this and the following: If you know me, you will know that I am straightforward. I say things that are and I don't beat around the bush. Understand that if I ever compliment you and please, please don't take anything by it!!!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Broken Promises!
I was listening to a song called "Cat and Mouse" by the punk/screamo-lid band Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. A very good song and a very good band. One phrase of the song really sticks out in my mind concerning relationships.
"You said that you would die for me, you must live for me too"
Gentlemen, I'd like to address you first. If you really are in love with a woman I am willing to say that you probably have told her that you would die for her. If you haven't told her that, you probably have thought it. I know this is true because I have and I know how men think!!! Now let's take a look at this phrase, "You must live for me too". Dying for a woman, or any one for that matter, is a huge cause and a very noble one at that. John 15:13 makes that perfectly clear... however the liklihood of us men having to die for the woman we love is slim to none.
My point is this: Don't tell her or even think that you'll die for her literally if you won't do it figuraively. What I mean is sacrifice your time to please her, to do something for her. Don't tell her that you'll die for her than go sit on the couch and veg in front of the TV while she is cooking, cleaning, watching the kids, etc. You can prove to her that you'll die for her by doing it everyday, simply by sacrificing your time and pleasures for doing something for her. Show that you will literally die for her by figuratively doing it for her in your everyday life. Sacrifice something you enjoy to help her. I gaurantee that she will vocalize her appreciation, gratitude, love, respect and honor for you.
Now I wish to address the Ladies. Don't ever forget about the sacrifice that your man is willing to make for YOU!!! You may or may not understand what goes on in his head and why he would do that but never disrespect it. Give him the unconditional respect!!!
Ephesians 5:33: Each man should LOVE his wife... and the wife should RESPECT her husband!!! UNCONDITIONALLY!!!
"You said that you would die for me, you must live for me too"
Gentlemen, I'd like to address you first. If you really are in love with a woman I am willing to say that you probably have told her that you would die for her. If you haven't told her that, you probably have thought it. I know this is true because I have and I know how men think!!! Now let's take a look at this phrase, "You must live for me too". Dying for a woman, or any one for that matter, is a huge cause and a very noble one at that. John 15:13 makes that perfectly clear... however the liklihood of us men having to die for the woman we love is slim to none.
My point is this: Don't tell her or even think that you'll die for her literally if you won't do it figuraively. What I mean is sacrifice your time to please her, to do something for her. Don't tell her that you'll die for her than go sit on the couch and veg in front of the TV while she is cooking, cleaning, watching the kids, etc. You can prove to her that you'll die for her by doing it everyday, simply by sacrificing your time and pleasures for doing something for her. Show that you will literally die for her by figuratively doing it for her in your everyday life. Sacrifice something you enjoy to help her. I gaurantee that she will vocalize her appreciation, gratitude, love, respect and honor for you.
Now I wish to address the Ladies. Don't ever forget about the sacrifice that your man is willing to make for YOU!!! You may or may not understand what goes on in his head and why he would do that but never disrespect it. Give him the unconditional respect!!!
Ephesians 5:33: Each man should LOVE his wife... and the wife should RESPECT her husband!!! UNCONDITIONALLY!!!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
TGIT... Thank God It's Thursday!!!
I am dead tired as I post this cuz I've been up past ten every day of the week and it's been constant work... so it's a literal lack of much needed sleep. Oh and I'm at school as I type this too so I can't go take a much needed nap!!!
Anyways I was talking to a friend last night at AWANA and she too finds it hilarious that apparently beats two and four are sinful according to many people who oppose CCM! Also I was impressed that she knew a little bit about hymn history and the music to for the early hymns were actually secular tunes.
Also I got an article from my youth pastor and in it discusses the sexualization in advertising contributing to rape. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE!!!! You women hold a lot more power than you give yourselves credit for. You, just like everyone else hold the power to change the world.
The way I see it is this... men began lowering their standards. The women followed in unison and here we are today with divorce, non-married living together, and the list goes on!!! I believe that, not only the women but the men too can raise and hold onto the standards proper for believers than we can change the world. It only takes one person to start a revolution!!!
Don't be afraid to rise against the world. I am certianly going against a lot of what the world "teaches" about dating and I have caught flak from fellow believers for it!!! But I know it's right because as believers we are literally "slaves" to Christ following after His will for our lives!!! I challenge all you young people out there to question the standards you hold... Are they following after the world or are they following after Christ?!?!?!
Anyways I was talking to a friend last night at AWANA and she too finds it hilarious that apparently beats two and four are sinful according to many people who oppose CCM! Also I was impressed that she knew a little bit about hymn history and the music to for the early hymns were actually secular tunes.
Also I got an article from my youth pastor and in it discusses the sexualization in advertising contributing to rape. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE!!!! You women hold a lot more power than you give yourselves credit for. You, just like everyone else hold the power to change the world.
The way I see it is this... men began lowering their standards. The women followed in unison and here we are today with divorce, non-married living together, and the list goes on!!! I believe that, not only the women but the men too can raise and hold onto the standards proper for believers than we can change the world. It only takes one person to start a revolution!!!
Don't be afraid to rise against the world. I am certianly going against a lot of what the world "teaches" about dating and I have caught flak from fellow believers for it!!! But I know it's right because as believers we are literally "slaves" to Christ following after His will for our lives!!! I challenge all you young people out there to question the standards you hold... Are they following after the world or are they following after Christ?!?!?!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Here I'll Stand
On Monday I gave some time for prayer. I was at work, loading a part in a machine, pressing the "start" button, and deburring the finished part, so I had time. Out of the 2 hour time of prayer I came to a spiritual high. I think the greatest thing was that lately I had been struggling with giving my time to God for prayer. Sincerely looking to Him for guidance and giving my time to Him rather than the typical prayer before meals and before I go to bed, it was great!!!
A little while ago I did a Bible study on prayer and was amazed at all God's word had to say about prayer and the power that it holds:
It really is amazing. Probably the scariest part of it is that we throw that away because we rarely take the time to sincerely look to God in prayer other than our normal daily time we take!!! How many times have you taken time out of your day to just pray??? Personally I have not done it many times, yet every time I do I come out refreshed, knowing God listened to me, at the same time listening to all those who were praying at the exact same time I was!!! It really is amazing!!!
Another disturbing thing is the lack of confidence someone may have in you for asking for a prayer request. Trust in their good will and leave the judging up to God. If you have something that you don't want to become public knowledge, keep it to yourself, but when someone asks you for a prayer request say unspoken or just don't say anything at all but I'll pray for ya anyways!!!
A little while ago I did a Bible study on prayer and was amazed at all God's word had to say about prayer and the power that it holds:
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15).
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).
"…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16).
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18).
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).
"…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16).
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18).
Mark 10:27
27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
Mark 11:24
24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Luke 22:40
40On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation."
Luke 11:9-10
9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
John 14:13
13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
It really is amazing. Probably the scariest part of it is that we throw that away because we rarely take the time to sincerely look to God in prayer other than our normal daily time we take!!! How many times have you taken time out of your day to just pray??? Personally I have not done it many times, yet every time I do I come out refreshed, knowing God listened to me, at the same time listening to all those who were praying at the exact same time I was!!! It really is amazing!!!
Another disturbing thing is the lack of confidence someone may have in you for asking for a prayer request. Trust in their good will and leave the judging up to God. If you have something that you don't want to become public knowledge, keep it to yourself, but when someone asks you for a prayer request say unspoken or just don't say anything at all but I'll pray for ya anyways!!!
Monday, April 4, 2011
CCM
Last night was the coolest display of lightning I'd have ever seen. What a great way to show Your Power God, Kudos!!!!
Any ways last semester I took an English class that was hellbent on writing papers, of course I really enjoyed that!!! The research paper was the largest and the most stressful paper I've ever had to write. I decided to write it about Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). At that point in my life and still I really enjoyed seeking out the arguments for and against CCM because I have such broad musical interests. If you have looked at or read my interests you will see that there are many different musical artists, both secular and Christian.
First for those who do not know, CCM, in my opinion, is taking Christian-based lyrics and putting them to rap, rock, metal, metalcore, screamo, punk, pop, etc. different kinds of music genres. Personally I am very much for CCM because, for one reason, I have such a broad interest in so many different kind of music genres.
Second for those who do not know, traditionalists are those who oppose CCM, for the most part. They think CCM supporters are pushing away the traditional hymns from the church. Oh and did I mention that they think CCM is of the devil. The present some good arguments and some rather ridiculous ones, both using Scripture passages. Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 are the two passages mainly used, both of which suggest "Speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns!"
However they only present half the verses, which is so convenient for them to leave out the other halves which say "singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord!" (Eph. 5:19), "Singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God!" (Col. 3:16). They fail to mention that although they are both the verses they'll use to present their arguments against CCM.
A point that I am trying to make is this: The music and to a certain extent even the lyrical content of the song does not matter. It is the attitude of the performer and the heart is something ONLY God can judge! I'd like you all to take a look at Psalm 150. It is very short but in it, the author talks about worship. It is to be loud( clanging cymbals) with lots of instruments.
Do I think that churches should get rid of Hymns? By all means NO!!! I LOVE the traditional hymns, but I want people to understand that CCM is an alright form of worship!
My personal favorite argument is that the downbeats of 2 and 4 are satanic. I'd like to see a Bible verse on that please! They are sinful because those are the beats that the snare drum will normally be hit for a downbeat which is helpful for the other performers to count the beats in a measure! Also solos are sinful because they put all the attention on the performer. What if the performer is playing for their Lord God???!!!
I see that fellow believers judge what they cannot, the heart of other believers!!! They judge the book by it's cover. They accuse CCM being satanic because it is taking the genres of the secular world and putting Christian lyrics to the music. If one knows their hymn history, they would know that a lot of the popular hymns we sing today once had secular music to it until the artist made the music we know it to be now!!!
Please understand that I am not out to get these people who oppose CCM. I love my hymns and really enjoy singing them in church, but I want people to open up there eyes that God is who we want to worship and all the attention goes rightfully to Him!!!
I'd like to close with a quote. "God gave Rock and Roll to you!!!" Gene Simmons
Any ways last semester I took an English class that was hellbent on writing papers, of course I really enjoyed that!!! The research paper was the largest and the most stressful paper I've ever had to write. I decided to write it about Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). At that point in my life and still I really enjoyed seeking out the arguments for and against CCM because I have such broad musical interests. If you have looked at or read my interests you will see that there are many different musical artists, both secular and Christian.
First for those who do not know, CCM, in my opinion, is taking Christian-based lyrics and putting them to rap, rock, metal, metalcore, screamo, punk, pop, etc. different kinds of music genres. Personally I am very much for CCM because, for one reason, I have such a broad interest in so many different kind of music genres.
Second for those who do not know, traditionalists are those who oppose CCM, for the most part. They think CCM supporters are pushing away the traditional hymns from the church. Oh and did I mention that they think CCM is of the devil. The present some good arguments and some rather ridiculous ones, both using Scripture passages. Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 are the two passages mainly used, both of which suggest "Speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns!"
However they only present half the verses, which is so convenient for them to leave out the other halves which say "singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord!" (Eph. 5:19), "Singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God!" (Col. 3:16). They fail to mention that although they are both the verses they'll use to present their arguments against CCM.
A point that I am trying to make is this: The music and to a certain extent even the lyrical content of the song does not matter. It is the attitude of the performer and the heart is something ONLY God can judge! I'd like you all to take a look at Psalm 150. It is very short but in it, the author talks about worship. It is to be loud( clanging cymbals) with lots of instruments.
Do I think that churches should get rid of Hymns? By all means NO!!! I LOVE the traditional hymns, but I want people to understand that CCM is an alright form of worship!
My personal favorite argument is that the downbeats of 2 and 4 are satanic. I'd like to see a Bible verse on that please! They are sinful because those are the beats that the snare drum will normally be hit for a downbeat which is helpful for the other performers to count the beats in a measure! Also solos are sinful because they put all the attention on the performer. What if the performer is playing for their Lord God???!!!
I see that fellow believers judge what they cannot, the heart of other believers!!! They judge the book by it's cover. They accuse CCM being satanic because it is taking the genres of the secular world and putting Christian lyrics to the music. If one knows their hymn history, they would know that a lot of the popular hymns we sing today once had secular music to it until the artist made the music we know it to be now!!!
Please understand that I am not out to get these people who oppose CCM. I love my hymns and really enjoy singing them in church, but I want people to open up there eyes that God is who we want to worship and all the attention goes rightfully to Him!!!
I'd like to close with a quote. "God gave Rock and Roll to you!!!" Gene Simmons
Friday, April 1, 2011
Modesty
Hey Baseball season is finally back... is this the year for my Cubbies??? Eh who knows, I am not one of those "This is the year" people anyways!!!
I have a question and maybe a suggestion for you women out there. I was thinking about all the cases of rape, sexual abuse and everything of that sort. I know the main problem is sin, the Bible makes that clear, but I have always thought what can we as humans do to help get the cases of abuse and rape down...
So my question is question is this: Do you think that the numbers would go down if the women would stop wearing clothing that reveals cleavage? Do you think that women should start dressing more modest and the numbers would maybe go down?
Ten bucks says that I would be barraged with women saying that it is the guys fault for looking and that they as women should be able to wear whatever they want. It's the whole feminist movement that is really hurt the men these days telling us to be more feminine when in fact we are guys and we are masculine. Guys are guys and girls are girls, there are many reasons God made us the way we are and there are reasons He made us with different mindsets and attributes. But this world is really trying to change them!!!
So Modesty, wearing clothing that doesn't reveal anything and the skirts are actually, in my opinion, knee length. My thought is this: What if you wonderful women out there did start wearing more modest clothing, what would happen? Would the statistics go down?
I don't know but I do know that a guys mind won't be going to places it shouldn't be as quickly as it normally would from a girl wearing some skimpy outfit.
Really the whole point right here is how about a little modesty girls??? Especially the girls who are Christians!!! Remember Romans 12:1-2, being set-apart!?!?
Also what would you say to God about your everyday outfits that reveal cleavage? I mean after all the Bible says that we are all going to have to answer to God, so you better start working on your perfect excuses or reasons to tell God why you wear and do what you wear and do!!!
I'd like to hear your comments!!!
I have a question and maybe a suggestion for you women out there. I was thinking about all the cases of rape, sexual abuse and everything of that sort. I know the main problem is sin, the Bible makes that clear, but I have always thought what can we as humans do to help get the cases of abuse and rape down...
So my question is question is this: Do you think that the numbers would go down if the women would stop wearing clothing that reveals cleavage? Do you think that women should start dressing more modest and the numbers would maybe go down?
Ten bucks says that I would be barraged with women saying that it is the guys fault for looking and that they as women should be able to wear whatever they want. It's the whole feminist movement that is really hurt the men these days telling us to be more feminine when in fact we are guys and we are masculine. Guys are guys and girls are girls, there are many reasons God made us the way we are and there are reasons He made us with different mindsets and attributes. But this world is really trying to change them!!!
So Modesty, wearing clothing that doesn't reveal anything and the skirts are actually, in my opinion, knee length. My thought is this: What if you wonderful women out there did start wearing more modest clothing, what would happen? Would the statistics go down?
I don't know but I do know that a guys mind won't be going to places it shouldn't be as quickly as it normally would from a girl wearing some skimpy outfit.
Really the whole point right here is how about a little modesty girls??? Especially the girls who are Christians!!! Remember Romans 12:1-2, being set-apart!?!?
Also what would you say to God about your everyday outfits that reveal cleavage? I mean after all the Bible says that we are all going to have to answer to God, so you better start working on your perfect excuses or reasons to tell God why you wear and do what you wear and do!!!
I'd like to hear your comments!!!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Motions!!!
Yesterday instead of AWANA at church we did a roller skating night at the Aurora Skating Center and we roller skated, well I roller bladed (what a rebel I am), the night away. Also I volunteered to do the devotion and planned for half-an-hour... I got ten minutes. So I really kinda had to improv what I had planned.
My plan was to briefly state how roller skating/blading relates to life. We are just going around in circles just like in life we are doing the same things over and over again. There is a wonderful song out there called "The Motions" by Mattew West and in the chorus, he tells us that he doesn't want to wish his life away wishing that he gave God his everything!!!
There is a link for the song, in case you havent heard it ever or in a long time.
Really what I wanted to get into was the "giving God our everything" part... surrendering our lives to the will of Christ and doing it, key word here, WILLFULLY!
I am convinced that God does NOT want us to read our Bibles and pray 24/7 because then the Great Commission would not be fulfilled. Instead we as believers should be set-apart, Romans 12:1-2, yes sir, by the things we say, do, the way we dress, etc. People should know that we are believers without us having to wear a shirt that says "Hey guys, I am a Christian" or by us telling them verbally. When I say set-apart I mean set-apart to the fullest meaning of the words and what the Bible means by it.
Right now I should emphasize that I am not perfect and I struggle with the very things I am telling y'all. This is a daily struggle with me too.
There are an endless nuber of excuses that people will give. I touched on three, which I have heard personally, and then I have used one of them too in my life. The first is that "I have committed so many sins, God cannot possibly forgive me!"
The first problem is this, they are limiting God. The second thing is why did Jesus die on the cross? Oh that's right, to die for OUR sins, I Cor. 15:3-4. Thirdly, look at many believers and their past lives... not pretty.
Second excuse: They don't want to surrender their lives to Christ because He will make them do things that they don't want to do. My question for them is this: Do they think that Christ was happy when He was being led to the cross, when He was whipped, mocked, cursed, beat, spat upon, and the nails were being driven into His wrists and feet? Matthew 26:39 says that He wasn't very glad about what was to take place. But He submits to the will of God the Father!!! So remember what Christ did for you before you tell God "No"
Finally and the excuse I have used. "He will make me get rid of the music, movies, games that I enjoy. For somethings I can ask, "Why are you doing these things in the first place?" for others He will change our mindset. But again from personal experience, you will forget about it all anyways.
To leave y'all with this question. My job is not to change your lives, that is God's job and He does a fantastic job at it. I want y'all to think about the way you live your lives and are you set-apart from the people around you? My question is this: How are you living your life and WHO are you living your life for? Is this really your life or is it God's?
My plan was to briefly state how roller skating/blading relates to life. We are just going around in circles just like in life we are doing the same things over and over again. There is a wonderful song out there called "The Motions" by Mattew West and in the chorus, he tells us that he doesn't want to wish his life away wishing that he gave God his everything!!!
There is a link for the song, in case you havent heard it ever or in a long time.
Really what I wanted to get into was the "giving God our everything" part... surrendering our lives to the will of Christ and doing it, key word here, WILLFULLY!
I am convinced that God does NOT want us to read our Bibles and pray 24/7 because then the Great Commission would not be fulfilled. Instead we as believers should be set-apart, Romans 12:1-2, yes sir, by the things we say, do, the way we dress, etc. People should know that we are believers without us having to wear a shirt that says "Hey guys, I am a Christian" or by us telling them verbally. When I say set-apart I mean set-apart to the fullest meaning of the words and what the Bible means by it.
Right now I should emphasize that I am not perfect and I struggle with the very things I am telling y'all. This is a daily struggle with me too.
There are an endless nuber of excuses that people will give. I touched on three, which I have heard personally, and then I have used one of them too in my life. The first is that "I have committed so many sins, God cannot possibly forgive me!"
The first problem is this, they are limiting God. The second thing is why did Jesus die on the cross? Oh that's right, to die for OUR sins, I Cor. 15:3-4. Thirdly, look at many believers and their past lives... not pretty.
Second excuse: They don't want to surrender their lives to Christ because He will make them do things that they don't want to do. My question for them is this: Do they think that Christ was happy when He was being led to the cross, when He was whipped, mocked, cursed, beat, spat upon, and the nails were being driven into His wrists and feet? Matthew 26:39 says that He wasn't very glad about what was to take place. But He submits to the will of God the Father!!! So remember what Christ did for you before you tell God "No"
Finally and the excuse I have used. "He will make me get rid of the music, movies, games that I enjoy. For somethings I can ask, "Why are you doing these things in the first place?" for others He will change our mindset. But again from personal experience, you will forget about it all anyways.
To leave y'all with this question. My job is not to change your lives, that is God's job and He does a fantastic job at it. I want y'all to think about the way you live your lives and are you set-apart from the people around you? My question is this: How are you living your life and WHO are you living your life for? Is this really your life or is it God's?
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
A Living Sacrifice!!!
This morning I was listening to Relient k's album MMHMM and seriously enjoying the lyrical geniusness of Matt Theissen.
Any ways that was totally unrelated. I figure that I should probably explain the meaning behind my blog title and the verse. You may have recognized the verse Romans 12:1-2 and the title being the whole point of the verse.
Ever seince I had to memorize and learn the verse for Awana during my high school years it has become a favorite, if not my favorite verse! Just in case you do not know the verse, here you go: "1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
The meaning I gather behind the verse is this. The Apostle Paul, the author of Romans, is obviously talking to fellow believer, assuming that they are all followers of Christ. He is telling us to be set-apart from the rest of this world and the people around us who may not know or follow after Christ. They should be able to see and know clearly that there is something different about us as Believers! They that we are believers by the way we act, the things we say, the things we do, the places we go, the thoughts we think and even the way we dress. The examples can easily go on! But we are to be transformed, to be changed because of Christ indwelling in us through the Holy Spirit. Accepting Christ is not a ticket to heaven, it is a lifestyle we are to embrace. Our minds should be renewed because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
So that is what I get and understand from the verse Romans 12:1-2. My prayer is that I apply it to my life and I hope that someone reading this can apply it to theirs as well. Don't think that a Christian cannot listen or read or watch things of this world but we are called by Christ to be set-apart, so think about what you are watching, listening to, or reading. Think about your life that only you live. How do people think about you? If they don't know me and I asked them about you, would they say that you are a follower of Christ? If you do not know me, could I tell that you are a follower of Christ by they way you dress or a first impression?
That is what I believe should be our calling!!! Do I follow it 24/7? Psh... NO not at all. I struggle cause I am human. But I urge you to think about this!!! Just as I will also think and act on!!!
Any ways that was totally unrelated. I figure that I should probably explain the meaning behind my blog title and the verse. You may have recognized the verse Romans 12:1-2 and the title being the whole point of the verse.
Ever seince I had to memorize and learn the verse for Awana during my high school years it has become a favorite, if not my favorite verse! Just in case you do not know the verse, here you go: "1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
The meaning I gather behind the verse is this. The Apostle Paul, the author of Romans, is obviously talking to fellow believer, assuming that they are all followers of Christ. He is telling us to be set-apart from the rest of this world and the people around us who may not know or follow after Christ. They should be able to see and know clearly that there is something different about us as Believers! They that we are believers by the way we act, the things we say, the things we do, the places we go, the thoughts we think and even the way we dress. The examples can easily go on! But we are to be transformed, to be changed because of Christ indwelling in us through the Holy Spirit. Accepting Christ is not a ticket to heaven, it is a lifestyle we are to embrace. Our minds should be renewed because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
So that is what I get and understand from the verse Romans 12:1-2. My prayer is that I apply it to my life and I hope that someone reading this can apply it to theirs as well. Don't think that a Christian cannot listen or read or watch things of this world but we are called by Christ to be set-apart, so think about what you are watching, listening to, or reading. Think about your life that only you live. How do people think about you? If they don't know me and I asked them about you, would they say that you are a follower of Christ? If you do not know me, could I tell that you are a follower of Christ by they way you dress or a first impression?
That is what I believe should be our calling!!! Do I follow it 24/7? Psh... NO not at all. I struggle cause I am human. But I urge you to think about this!!! Just as I will also think and act on!!!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Figuring out the Kinks!
Although at first glance there really ain't much to it... please be patient with me as I figure out the kinks to the whole blog and everything!!! I'll work on it regularly... hopefully
Introduction... Prologue... Chapter 1 or whatever you want to call it...
Here we go again.... yeah after a period of thought... five seconds... I thought that maybe I could really get into this. Another thing to try to update periodically.
Anyways I thought that this could be fun and interesting. My goal is for people to read and comment for thoughts and opinions.
Anyways I thought that this could be fun and interesting. My goal is for people to read and comment for thoughts and opinions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)