A Worthy Woman

So I read Proverbs 31 today, which is mostly a "Description of a Worthy Woman." My first thought was, "Wow! I hope I can find one!" But then I got to thinking. Am I the kind of man this woman is worthy of? Am I worthy of this worthy woman? It's easy to go on searching for a worthy woman and forget about making sure I'm worthy first.

Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." I find myself too often worried about finding out who my mate is instead of finding out who my Saviour is. This is a backwards. A worthy woman's "worth is far above jewels" and "a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised." Do I fear the Lord? Or do I fear not finding a wife?

The Apostle Paul even went so far as to say that marriage gets in our way of living for Christ, because we are more interested in pleasing our mate than pleasing God (1 Corinthians 7:32-34). For this reason, I think it even more important that we learn to live for Christ as a single before we even think about taking on the journey with a significant other (Joshua Harris addresses this in detail in his book, "I Kissed Dating Goodbye," which I highly recommend to anyone in any stage of relationship, from single to married).

Anyways, I guess what I am trying to say, is that I need to be sure I am a righteous man of God before I even think about getting married. I think marriage should be a partnership in serving Christ, and I need to be a man that my future wife can count on to do that.

The Middle Road

I once had a friend who told me that if Jesus knew Buddha (or rather Siddhartha Gautama) that they would have been friends. I don't know a lot about Buddhism and so I can't make a complete statement, but I do know that Buddhism promotes the philosophy of the Middle Road, and on that, I think the Bible agrees (Though I think Jesus would have been friends with Buddha anyways, since He came to seek and to save).

So, what is the Middle Road? Well, for Buddha it meant living between poverty and luxury were you have what you need but not in excess. A lot of people, including myself, have the idea that with great wealth, all our problems would fly out the window of our million dollar mansion. On the other hand, there are some people who think they need to forsake everything and live in poverty since Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all he had and follow Him (Luke 18:18-23). But I don't think either of those are what we should be aiming for. I was reminded of all this while reading my chapter in Proverbs for the day. Proverbs 30:8-9 says:

"...give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the food that is needful for me,

           lest I be full and deny you

and say, “Who is the Lord?”

           or lest I be poor and steal

and profane the name of my God"

So, I think we need to be wary of taking things to the extreme. I also believe that this can be related to other areas of our lives as well. One non-spiritual example is this: You can't only eat healthy food and never exercise and expect to be healthy, while you also can't exercise a lot and eat junk food and expect to be healthy. So, if we spend all of our time reading our Bible and no time living out what we read, we can't expect to bear any fruit for Christ. Also, if we go out and try to change the world without having a good relationship with God, chances are things won't go so well.

So what do you think? Do we need to find a middle ground? What things need to be moderated in your life? I'd love to hear about it.

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Feelings pt. 2

Welcome back for part 2 of Feelings. Yesterday we discussed and agreed that we all must embrace our feelings, it is part of being human, but at the same time we need to temper that with discernment and wisdom so that we don't become despondent when the feelings go away. From what I've heard (I certainly don't know from experience) the same thing happens in marriage (and Christ describes the church, us, as His bride). I learned the technical terms in Intro to Communication but I don't feel like digging out my notes, so I'll just make up my own words when I can't remember.

The first stage is Euphoria, where both parties "feel good" about being together, doing things together and often cover up any mistakes or short comings, believing the other to be perfect (Please note that I don't think Christ goes through these same stages of relationships, which is good for us especially for this next part). So, after the good feelings die down and you really start to get to know the person, things can change. You start to notice their flaws and recognize that when the euphoria is gone, they might not be the person you thought. And this often leads to divorce and adultery in our culture. People get "bored" after the excitement dies down and then go looking elsewhere to try and find the euphoria again.

We need to realize that love isn't all about feelings. Love is about a journey with another person and love is about putting that person before yourself. Christ did it for us, even when it didn't feel good, and we need to do the same for Him. Christ promises that "pay day" is coming (Galatians 6:9) but He doesn't promise that once we're saved it'd be all sunshine and rose. Unless of course you pledge to give 400 dollars a month to my blogging efforts! Just kidding. That's Prosperity Gospel. Not truth.

So, where are you in your relationship with God? What did you do when the feelings left? Have you struggled with looking elsewhere for euphoria and leaving God behind? I'd love to hear about it, Let's do life together!

Feelings pt. 1

My experiences yesterday included a lot of great new ideas. My Sunday night small group is close to finishing our study of Bruce Wilkinson's book, Secrets of the Vine. This book addresses some foundational aspects of how we approach abiding with Christ and how we bear fruit. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it. But last night, we talked about a common misconception about abiding. Abiding in Christ is not based on feelings. As humans, we have an innate ability to follow our feelings and react to our instincts. The problem with this is that our feelings are rather untrustworthy. I'm not discounting feelings all together, that would make us robots. But I think we need to tread a little more carefully with them.

Another discussion I had on Christmas with my uncle, though not specifically related, also sheds some light on this. He is a professor at Penn State University and was telling me that he takes video footage of different student activities and things, like the new freshman playing Frisbee, etc, but no one ever wants to watch any of it. So, I told him he just needed to ramp it up a little make the clips shorter, fast paced and add exciting, fist pumping music, then everyone would want to see it, even if they didn't really know what it was they were watching. To this he replied, "I have a bit a of a moral problem with that." I think he's right, and I think we do that with our relationship with God.

Worship is a good example of where this pitfall is most evident. Sometimes it's like we're just looking for our next "spiritual high." You know the feeling, were you get really emotional, get some shivers going and some goose bumps. Doesn't that mean you're really worshiping? I'm sure it could, but I don't think it's exclusive. If you feel like you haven't worshiped God unless you get those feelings, I think there is a problem. We can't base our relationship with God just on what we feel at the moment. A lot more goes into it like our attitude and our actions. There is a lot more to say on this subject but I'll leave it here for the time being. I'd like to hear what you think.

Blessed

Well, it's almost the end of Christmas, ten more minutes according to James' clock radio. It has been a great day spent with family and friends from 8 AM until 10:30 PM. Lord, thank you for family, thank you for grace, thank you for coming to the Earth, knowing all along that your mission was to die. Amazing. My Christmas morning began as it has my entire life, with the family reading of the Christmas story in front of our nativity set, lit only by 4 old kerosene lamps. Following this tradition, we opened presents, enjoying each other's generosity and gratefulness. At 9:30, the Turkey went into the oven and extended family began arriving around 11. Lunch was at 2:00 with the grandparents, an aunt and uncle, a couple from church and two family friends. The abundance with which the Lord has blessed us is humbling. The conversation that ensued was enjoyable as family members related old stories and jokes were exchanged. Then came a rousing game of salad bowl and then some singing, Good King Wenceslas on the guitar, all three parts voiced. Then Bob played some carols and hymns on the piano as we all sang along. It's truly a blessing to be surrounded by family that is in love with you, Lord. We ended the night with a real treat, Coca-Cola in 12 oz glass bottles, made in Mexico (That means real sugar, none of that corn syrup crap) and a game of Quiddler. I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful way to spend the holiday and I thank you again, Lord, for your gift of great family, friends and food. Help me to honor you and what you came to this Earth to do, all year long.

Once Annually

It's Christmas Eve and tomorrow is the celebration of our Saviour's birth. I was just reading a parody of The Night Before Christmas and found a troubling insight into how the secular world views Christmas. The antagonist is pleading for forgiveness and remarks, "It's the time for forgiving- comes only once a year!" I have also heard some musical pieces throughout the season that reiterate this idea. Do people really think that forgiveness and kindness are only warranted around Christmas? And if so why? Do we as Christians not do a good enough job of showing kindness and forgiveness all year long? Maybe we all need to spend some more time intentionally loving and forgiving people all year round. And on that note, I'm off to the Christmas Eve service at Obi where I will be playing a wise man. Merry Christmas everyone, and thank you for coming to this Earth to save us Lord!

Huddle Up, We Got a New Play

So, I didn't post yesterday. I just realized this while taking a shower, but I had an arguably full day yesterday so I  am going to call it a legitimate excuse and not do two today, unless of course later tonight I feel really inspired.

Anyhoo, I have been thinking some more about fighting sin and have had a new idea. In the past, when I came under attack, I would often cower and grovel and cry out for help, but put up no real defense. Now, as we discussed before, the Name of the Lord is our strong tower. But that doesn't need to be static defensive structure. What I'm thinking, is making the fight against sin a little more of an offensive maneuver. We HAVE victory over sin, we don't need to be afraid of it, we don't need to cower from it, we need to kick it's butt!

So, this morning, when tempted with sin, I shook my fist and raised my head high, and declared, "I don't need to struggle with this, I can win! In the name of Jesus Christ, my Saviour, get outta here!" And then went back to what I was doing, significantly less interested in doing the wrong thing.

Now for the exhortation: Next time sin attacks, sally forth from the gate, take the fight to the enemy, and use the Name of Jesus as a siege tower! Let's conquer Satan's strongholds in our lives, not just weather their attacks! We need to do more than survive, we need to THRIVE!

We Will Win This War

Well, I lost. A battle anyways. It's really frustrating because I was doing so well and felt so able to win. The easy thing to do at this point would be to slip into a cave of self loathing, as I roll around in my guilt and my sin, refusing to accept forgiveness, since I feel so undeserving. But, as a friend counseled me, that is easily the worst thing to do. As she put it, "...it's like letting Satan win twice." We need to realize that it's exactly because we don't deserve it that we get it. The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair. What a simple truth. Why do we beat ourselves up? "What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning that grace may abound? BY NO MEANS!" This is certainly no excuse for my sin, but rather a call to make amends with my father as soon as I realize my folly. He is standing at the door looking for His wayward son, waiting for me to run back to His arms. How amazing is that! But so often I prefer to sit in the pig pen eating pods, whatever those are. So, we may ahve lost some battles but WE WILL WIN THIS WAR!

Counter-Attack

I've come to some pretty big conclusions in the last few days, things that should help me greatly in my walk with Christ. This morning Satan counter-attacked heavily, this only reassures me that God has shown me something great. By the grace of God and through the intervention of some friends I was able to fend off the strike, but even then, just barely. It seems that it is indeed true that I won't go up against more than I can handle, but there were some moments that I doubted. How does Satan convince me that God can't keep His word? My carnal desires are overpowering at times, leading me to doubt even my own Saviour! May it never be! Gah! It's just so frustrating how easily we sheep are led astray. We're sooo dumb! So gullible! But even Christ's closest companions had moments of fear and doubt, on the boat in the storm, after Jesus' arrest. They were men just like us, and even so, they did great things in His name. I want to be like that. I may never be free from temptation, but in the face of it I can still live abundantly. Thank you Lord! Help me to honor you. In all I do, I want to honor you. Goodnight.

Only what is Common

Well, since yesterday's post, I've learned a few more things. I read Mariah's blog from a few days ago shortly after posting and it had some great insight into this issue and tonight an old friend that had fallen away from the Lord spoke at my small group about how the Lord has turned his life around and said something that hit home on this too. In case you hadn't read my previous post, this issue I am currently exploring is whether or not it is possible to find freedom from a temptation here on earth. There are areas in my life, and in each of your's I am sure, that we constantly have to fight with, so is there rest for the weary or will we have to keep living with the temptation moment to moment til we arrive at the pearly gates?

Mariah brought up the passage in Romans were Paul says that even though he wants to do what is right he still finds himself doing the things he doesn't want to do (Romans 7:14-25). So, even Paul struggled with temptation. I also noticed in 1st Corinthians 10:13 Paul says that "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." So, even though we may have to live with temptation, not only is it the same kind of thing everyone deals with, but there is always a way out. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness! Think of that! Always a way out, He will never allow us to be tempted by more than we can handle. This also indicates that God isn't doing the tempting (see also James 1:13-17) but that He is giving us opportunity to choose Him instead of our old way of life. It's like giving a spelling quiz to someone with a word bank to choose from. We can do it! sometimes it may not be quite as easy as that, but God has provided us with the tools we need to work through the trial and persevere (also a topic in James 1).


I may never be free from the temptation to use my body selfishly, but I can be assured by the fact that I have the power, through the Holy Spirit living inside of me, that I can overcome. We are MORE THAN CONQUERERS! So let's nip Satan in the bud!


Let me hear what you think about all this, I seem to have found some answers, but do agree? disagree? have more information to help me better understand? Don't hold back! Let's grow together!

Sinking Ships

I've enjoyed a recent period of victory over some sin in my life that has been pervasive for several years. It happens every now and again, but I can never seem to make it last. And I can't figure out why. We are all born with a sinful nature and that makes us want to do the bad things, the things that gratify us instantly, often at the expense of others or with consequences later on. But we also have access to freedom from that sinful nature through the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:16 has a bit to say on the matter, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." Actually, the whole chapter has a good deal to say on the subject. But what does it mean to walk by the Spirit. My brief freedom from sin seems to indicate that I am walking with the Spirit at least momentarily. But when I fall again it would seem I have lost that. Galatians 5 points out the "obvious deeds of the flesh" and also indicates the Fruit of the Spirit. So, is it simply doing the second list and refraining from the first? That is certainly the result, but I don't believe that is the cause. Is there a way to break free from the desires of the flesh? Or must we live out our earthly lives in constant temptation, always at the brink of the wrong decision? I do not have answers to all of these questions and I am still searching for what it takes to achieve complete victory over sin. I intend to address this issue later on when I have learned more about it, but until then, I look forward to hearing what any of you have to say about it. Have you overcome an area of sin in your life that you no longer feel tempted by? Are you in the same boat as me looking for a way out of the sinking ship? Has God given you some answers in this area? Please let me know, and let's grow together! 

Yep, He's There.

There's a lot that I could write about today, which I count as a good thing. I had some good readings from Morning and Evening, a great time of discussion about revival with some friends, and enjoyed some real Christian fellowship. This (or rather yesterday) morning's devo was about Christ's promise to always be with us. Even when we forget Him, or lay Him by the wayside, His promise still stands true. I found this evident today through the time I spent with other believers. I met with 6 other friends at Wendy's today to discuss revival. We had a great time, but we also had some serious discussion about what it might take to truly see revival happen. We decided that at least one of the main elements would be people realizing their hopelessness without Christ. And that goes for those who already call themselves Christians. Even now we can often base our salvation on works. But before we can expect to see revival we need to understand that it is not by anything we have done or can do that we are saved but only by the wonderful grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ (Eph 2:8-9). After this meeting we all conveyed ourselves over to an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party ( where I took third in the ugly sweater contest). The party was put on by Mike Sainz and it was just a bunch of brothers and sisters in Christ having a good time. After the ugly sweater catwalk contest we played a rousing game of salad bowl and enjoyed each other's company while eating food. Now, even though both events served different purposes and played out completely differently, Christ was present at both. "Well of course Christ was there, those were Christian events!" you might be saying. Well yes, but He was also there when I was struggling with my thoughts earlier in the day and He was there when "coincidentally" my friend texted me to see how I was doing. So, whether you are honoring God or doing your own thing, Christ is there, why not make use of the time and spend it with Him instead of trying to hide from Him!

Even So

This evening's reading from Spurgeon's Morning and Evening discussed the remarkable fact that, even though Christ knew what we were yet to do, He still gave up His life for us. It's not just that He knew what people had done before and had decided to forgive, but He knew exactly what I was going to do in the future. Even after my salvation He knew how many times I would turn my back on Him, how many times I would choose to go my own way, and even so, He gave up His life so that I might be forgiven. This is one of those "Wow" moments, when there really isn't anything else to be said. Thank you Lord for your mercy and grace! I want to honor you by not requiring it so often.

Check Ins - They're Important - And Easy!

Being sick yesterday, I neglected to post a new blog on here. This is somewhat disheartening since it as been less than a week since I started my "One Blog a Day" journey and I have already failed. But to make myself feel better and to justify continuing, I am going to post twice today and call it even. I'd like to discuss the importance of regular "check-ins." As Christians we often find ourselves under attack from Satan's nefarious devices. Whether it's pride, lust, jealousy or whatever else, a day doesn't go by when we are tempted to disobey God and do what we think is best. Because this struggle is constant it is important to constantly be checking in with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Sometimes we only get that "check-in" feeling on Sundays when we're at church and so Tuesday morning we feel like, "Well that's a long ways off, I can get away with this." But if I know that someone is going to be asking me how I am doing at any moment, I feel less inclined to do something stupid. God has used spontaneous texts, phone calls and emails to get my attention just when I was about to screw up and they have proven to be an invaluable asset in the war against sin. So, I exhort you to contact people as often as you think about them through your preferred channel of communication. In our modern world there is certainly no shortage and it is unlikely for someone to go an entire day out of range of communication (at the very least you could send a messenger pigeon). Please give this a try, it has helped me and I hope it will help others as well. Stay tuned for my second post, coming later today.

Let's Stop and Think for a Minute

We live in a fast past culture that relies on speed to attain the advantage. I find it really difficult to slow down and think. I certainly have no problem slowing down and sitting in my chair doing nothing for a while, but even then my thoughts don't seem to slow down. I find that my mind is constantly racing, bouncing from one thing to another as fast as a hot potato from one hand to the next. Even when I spend sometime on one subject I can't seem to focus on any one aspect for long. I'm not sure if the culture is entirely to blame, perhaps it's just a human thing, or just something peculiar to me. Either way I need to get myself to STOP and think straight. This morning I was able to spend some time with a friend writing down some things that we needed prayer for after reflecting on Galatians 5:16-26. Writing is something that helps me sort out my thoughts. While putting it on paper I am forced to think through the subject a little more in order to correctly word it. This process of translating from brain waves to words provides me with an opportunity to sort out what exactly it is that I think.

Our sin and our shortcomings are easy to ignore when we don't think about them. Ignoring problems doesn't make them go away (sadly). Is there an area in your life that you keep failing at? Some temptation that seems to keep winning? I exhort you to take some time, stop doing everything, turn off your music, find a quiet place and think. Think about your life, think about the things you do, think about the things you don't do. Write it all down. Read through what you've written and take note of where you are. Go to a close friend and give them the list, ask them to pray for you whenever they think of you. Put the list by your bed, or your sink or your computer; somewhere that you will see it every day. Pray about these things as often as you can. Keep track of your progress and take some time every day to think.

The Big "In"

Today, I had two awesome opportunities to pray with a friend. I have always enjoyed one on one prayer. When I am on my own, I find myself easily distracted and when praying with a large group, the same thing seems to happen. But there is something about one on one that keeps engaged. Anyways, from the prayer and from some discussion I had today with a couple of different people, I began to consider our approach to prayer. What does it mean to really pray? Jude 1:20 exhorts us to pray in the Holy Spirit. So what does that mean? According to the Life Application Study Bible it means to pray with the power of the Holy Spirit and with the help of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27). So what is the power of the Holy Spirit? We can see examples of it throughout Scripture. Basically every time God did something miraculous through a man in the Old Testament it says that he was first filled with the holy spirit. An example of this is when Sampson tears a lion apart with his bare hands (Judges 14:5-6). The power of the Holy Spirit is also what caused all of the Apostles to be understood by many different people in their native tongues on Pentecost (Acts 2). We are also told in Corinthians that spiritual gifts all come as a result of the Holy Spirit. So, it's obvious that the Holy Spirit has the power to accomplish whatever needs doing. As Christians, we have received the Holy Spirit to help us. So, why don't we pray in the Holy Spirit more often. I find that my prayers are often half-hearted wishlists of "safe" things to pray for, things that won't rock my faith if they don't happen. I think I might be afraid to pray big because I am afraid of what I'll do if it doesn't happen. And since Jesus tells us that we need faith to make things happen (Matthew 17:20) it seems that I am at an impasse. What can I do? We are told in Matthew 7:7-11 that anything we ask for will be given to us. So why am I so afraid to ask? Maybe I'm scared that God will ask me to do something, that He will require action, and that would mean I would have to work. Whatever the reason, it's irrational rationalization, I'm sure. So what do I do? My only idea is to start asking God for the things I think are His will, and not just mine. Asking for the big things, trusting that God loves me enough to give me what I need (Matthew 7:9-11). If you have any wisdom concerning this or any thoughts about what it means to pray in the Holy Spirit, I would love to hear from you. I have certainly not "arrived" on this one. Let's grow together!

The (not so) Great Escape

I've been thinking lately about the idea of Christ as our Strong Tower (Proverbs 18:10). Christ is a solid foundation and He is the strong tower on that foundation. It cannot be moved. This is comforting, we know that all we have to do in times of trouble is run back to the tower and rest in the wonderful name of our Saviour Jesus Christ. But if this is true, then how come I still sin? It is certainly not due to any inability of Christ's bastion to defend me. So it must be me. We know that the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, and when we see that it's easy to kick it into gear and bee line it back to the Tower. But Satan also masquerades as an angel of light. And that angel of light looks pretty good sometimes. So good, in fact, that we decide it would be better if we wandered beyond the confines of Christ's castle for a bit, and take stroll around the sin tree. Once we are beyond the perimeter, that's when we're in trouble. If God is for us, who can stand against us? but when we go off and leave our Defender behind how can we expect to win? I know that if only I am for me, things don't usually go so well. And that's when I fall; when I decide that I know what's better for me and that I can handle things on my own. What a sad delusion that is, even after falling into its trap so many times i find myself walking that road once again. The solution is simple, call on the name of the Lord and be saved (Romans 10:13). His name is a strong and mighty tower. And if we stay inside those walls when we're under attack, there is no enemy that can assail those walls and prevail. So instead of wandering out into the wilderness, let's keep our eye's on Christ and His name on our lips, abiding in his fortress until the attack is over!

A New Hope

Starting yesterday, I am going to embark on a new adventure in an attempt to improve my relationship with my Lord and Saviour. I intend to post here once a day the things God has shown me through Bible reading, interactions with people, or whatever other way He decides to communicate. I freely admit that I am doing this for my own betterment, but I hope that the things God shows me will help you as well. If you think of it throughout the next indefinite period of time, shoot me a text or call me and ask if I've posted yet that day. The encouragement and accountability is welcome.

As Pigs in Versailles

I just read the December 10th (a day late i know) Morning entry from Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" devotional. It discussed how awesome Heaven will be as we fellowship with our Lord and need not worry about sin or cares or a weary world. This sounds great but I thought, I don't deserve a place like that. If I went there as I am today I would be out of place, still worrying and sinning. I can't help but think I disturb the peace. Now I know that by the Blood of Jesus my sins are washed away, they are daily, or as often as I sin, and they will be on judgement day (listen to Carman's song "The Courtroom) But on our own we are not the kind of people who belong in Heaven, it's like letting a muddy pig run around the Palace of Versailles. The bottom line is this: I realized how little I am trying to be as acceptable as I can when I reach the gates of Heaven. Wouldn't it be better to require as little of Christ's blood as possible (Romans 6:1)? So we only have to spritz it on instead of bathe in it? (I hope that's not sacrilegious) I know we all know this in the back of our minds but it just hit me a little harder this morning and so I thought I would share in the hopes that God's word would encourage us all a little (or hopefully a lot) in our attempt to live like Christ.