Green Thunder was robbed. If you don't attend Bob Jones, you likely will not understand, but please just acknowledge that fact as true. Just like the Cardinals were robbed in their Super Bowl attempt a few years ago by a terrible call, so was the Green Thunder team of the 2013 edition of Gold Rush Daze here at the big Bob.
What am I really talking about? When I arrived on campus in January, I was already hearing things about an event coming up in March. A huge campus-wide competition that only occurs once every four years. Of all the semesters I could chose to begin my studies, I had chosen the most epic.
For two and a half months, the anticipation grew with every midnight pep rally and Facebook meme. Then the day came that the students were allowed to decorate the entire campus, and it looked like Christmas had come back to raise it's ugly head (it really did look ugly).
But, unfortunately, events began to take place that tore through the veil of friendly competition. Decorations that had taken hours to make were destroyed. Pranks were played. Some really weren't that bad, but some were pretty destructive.
And the fun stopped.
The competition continued, but the few who had gone too far made the rest of us just wish for March 12th to be over.
One day. That's all. All the planning. All the money. All the late hours decorating. All for one day. All for the "rush" of Gold Rush Daze. I enjoyed the event as much as everyone, but at the end of the day, it really just felt empty. I was hoarse, sunburned, and very tired. I never wanted to see the colors green or red again.
A whole college campus consumed with the temporary.
But, don't we all struggle in that way? Some people call it the rat race, the business of life, or just life. We are consumed with the here and now.
And I don't just mean today.
In the big picture, we have eternity to look forward to as Christians. James 4:14 shows, in a way, how God views our life: a vapor.
A vapor. A tiny puff of water that disappears as soon as it has appeared. That's all that our life is. It's nothing!
And yet it is still something. We are given the number of our days, and no more, to be used to serve God for His glory. While we are here on this earth, ours eyes should be looking for "that blessed hope" and "glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). The world wants us to see life in the view that today is all that matters; get as much of a "rush" as you can from it. Someone once said (I forget who) that for Christians, this world is as close to Hell as we can get... and for the unsaved, it is as close to heaven as they can get. If that is true, then it is no wonder the unsaved are consumed with this world and the pleasures thereof. But why do Christians become enraptured with it... even within the goal of service?
I've noticed a pattern within my own life. When my focus is on Christ and glorifying Him and looking towards His kingdom, my joy and eagerness to serve Christ knows no bounds. I cannot get enough of His Word or spending time with His people. But when my life is consumed with the here and now, I know that I am only serving for self-glorification...and oddly enough, I'm ok with that, though I have lost the true joy that comes from service.
I'm ok with that?! Yeah, well as a selfish person living in a selfish world, its easy to forget my first and only true love and look back and enjoy what I see, then to continue in life walking backwards. But walking backwards is only easy for a short time. It becomes difficult... confusing. A path that was normal and easy a month ago is now a struggle to surmount. I cannot see all of the pitfalls of sin, and thus fall into them much more easily. I begin a downward spiral, obvious only to me and those who know me the best. Still I persist until, at last, I am driven to my knees begging for forgiveness. I thought that I was standing, but I fell. (1 Corinthians 10:12)
Keep your heart and mind turned to God, and do not allow the world to daze you with its charms and entice you away from Him and the true purpose of life - glorifying Him. Make your vapor count. (Thank you Ironwood)
Because of Him,
Missa
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Long Distance Relationship
70% of all long distance relationships are doomed to end within seven months. Freshman college students vow that they will not be part of the statistics as she heads to Westcoast and he jets off to Bob Jones. They text each other faithfully every 5 minutes... until the time comes when she wants to have some girl time with her roomies and he begins to occasionally ignore a message or two. Then there's midterms, school sports, Starbucks study breaks, and video games that just make it so time is sapped and the boyfriend/girlfriend is pushed to a once-every-other-week-15-minute chat. That, boys and girls, is why long distance relationships fail.
So, how far away is God? We know the Sunday school answer. God is everywhere, so He must be right here. When you pray though, do your prayers get past the ceiling? That's a common colloquialism in Christianity today. Our relationship with God becomes strained because of problems throughout the day, or something we prayed about didn't turn out the way we hoped, or we just really haven't thought that much about God lately.
Have we turned God into the one we go to when we want someone who makes us feel good? I have seen long distance relationships that seemed to exist only for the occasional opportunities to go on a date when the couple returns to their hometown. Is that how we treat God? As a steady date?
When our relationship with Christ is good and fresh, when we are coming off of the latest spiritual high, when we come back from an amazing week at camp, we are so good about talking to Him and thinking about His Word. We pray, we read,we spend time adoring Him. Soon that begins to wane and we no longer crave His Word and His presence.
So what can be done? We are fallible people who easily leave our first loves for something else.
A truth that became very evident in my own personal life this is semester has become a motto for me:
You make time for what you love
The 30% of relationships that do not fail when the couple is separated almost always had a common factor: they had a plan for when they would talk to each other. Perhaps this is how we should treat our relationship with God. We must plan for when we will spend quality time with God. This doesn't mean that you don't seek Him during an "unscheduled" time, but that, no matter how busy the day is, you will only focus on Him for this certain period of time.
A lot of people call this quiet time, or personal devotions. I try to stay away from both of those terms. The first, because it reminds me of nap time from when I was a child. The second, because it leans toward a "have-to-do" attitude. We don't spend time with the ones we love because we have to, we spend time with them because we love them and want to know and understand them better. We do need to spend time with them, otherwise our view of them could be quite incorrect, but that is not the main reason we spend time with people.
Seek Him, know Him, have a constant relationship with Him.
Because of Him,
Missa
So, how far away is God? We know the Sunday school answer. God is everywhere, so He must be right here. When you pray though, do your prayers get past the ceiling? That's a common colloquialism in Christianity today. Our relationship with God becomes strained because of problems throughout the day, or something we prayed about didn't turn out the way we hoped, or we just really haven't thought that much about God lately.
Have we turned God into the one we go to when we want someone who makes us feel good? I have seen long distance relationships that seemed to exist only for the occasional opportunities to go on a date when the couple returns to their hometown. Is that how we treat God? As a steady date?
When our relationship with Christ is good and fresh, when we are coming off of the latest spiritual high, when we come back from an amazing week at camp, we are so good about talking to Him and thinking about His Word. We pray, we read,we spend time adoring Him. Soon that begins to wane and we no longer crave His Word and His presence.
So what can be done? We are fallible people who easily leave our first loves for something else.
A truth that became very evident in my own personal life this is semester has become a motto for me:
You make time for what you love
The 30% of relationships that do not fail when the couple is separated almost always had a common factor: they had a plan for when they would talk to each other. Perhaps this is how we should treat our relationship with God. We must plan for when we will spend quality time with God. This doesn't mean that you don't seek Him during an "unscheduled" time, but that, no matter how busy the day is, you will only focus on Him for this certain period of time.
A lot of people call this quiet time, or personal devotions. I try to stay away from both of those terms. The first, because it reminds me of nap time from when I was a child. The second, because it leans toward a "have-to-do" attitude. We don't spend time with the ones we love because we have to, we spend time with them because we love them and want to know and understand them better. We do need to spend time with them, otherwise our view of them could be quite incorrect, but that is not the main reason we spend time with people.
Seek Him, know Him, have a constant relationship with Him.
Because of Him,
Missa
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Two Roads
Everyday, we make decisions about ourselves and how we want the people around us to view us. Whether its something as simple as choosing white socks over black socks or as complicated as who we eat with (or don't eat with) in the dining common, decisions consume our lives.
Sometimes our decisions have long running effects. If you chose to wear black socks one day, I highly doubt that your purpose in life would change too much. The friends we chose does affect a good deal. The church you chose, though, has the strongest effect on our lives (providing we are not only going to church when we feel like it).
Most of our biggest and life-changing events occur during the our teen and college years. During our junior high years, we are the most impressionable. It is then that we determine what is cool and what is not. The friends we chose during those years will steer us either toward God or toward the world. During high school is when we begin to think and look toward the future and make decisions as to our lifetime goals. College is when we decide who we are. We are no longer under as much parental guidance. Suddenly, we are on our own, perhaps across the country, and we must make decisions about what we truly do believe.
60% of all college students leave the faith they grew up with. More then half. That's kinda scary. What happens is, the students decide to attend a secular university (not necessarily a problem) and are forced to be on the defensive spiritually. The problem is, these students are crippled without a shield to defend themselves. So many people share the same testimony: I grew up in a Christian home and got saved when I was a little kid. All of their life, their faith based on someone else (this is not saying they are not saved, just that their foundation was never strengthened). When asked why they believe something, the response often is "well, that is what my church teaches". There is no maturity behind a statement like that, and those in the world are waiting to hear it and jump to destroy a faith without foundation.
Teenagers are often raised with rules, yet lack the principles behind them. They hear "thou shalt not" or "thou shalt" day in and day out from school, church, and parents. Some will ask why, but most simply accept it (unless it "cramps their style").
This is why ministry directed at youth is so important. It is during this time that we have the opportunity to teach young men and women why they should believe what they do. As Christians, we are not called to follow our parents faith, we are called as soldiers, irrelevant of patriarchy, to stand up and defend our faith. More then that, we are called on to be on the offensive and proclaim our faith.
When a soldier stands to fight in battle, he does not chose to stand on think sand which will move and trip him, but rather on a solid rock so that he is stable and unshakable to wield his sword. Sand and rock are made up of the same thing, but one is ground up and the other is solid ground.
But how are these principles to be taught so that they do not become rules? Titus 2 and 3 give us a model to follow for teaching those who follow behind us in the practicality of the faith. 2 Timothy 2:2 goes further when Paul tells Timothy to tell others of the things which Timothy learned by Paul.
What is lacking is not education in the faith and the dos and don'ts, but understanding what a true relationship with God is. When our God becomes merely a god of rules, it is no wonder that the minute we are not forced to obey them, we turn away from them. But when our lives are lived because we are completely in love with God, we naturally will become more like Him and evidence the fruits of the Spirit. This leads to a desire to know as much as we possibly can about Him and study His word for the answers. Then we are led to ask why.
Why is not a bad question. Why is preparation for the battle. Why did Jesus die on the cross? Why did He have to rise again? Why do bad things happen to people? Why should I read a Book that is 2,000 years old? Why? This is how we must teach the upcoming generations: we must teach them to ask why before the world does. 1 Peter 3:15 says "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear". In order to be ready, we must train. A soldier does not enter a battlefield with a sword if he has never touched one before. So should not a soldier of the cross venture into this world without knowing how to wield the sword of God. A soldier's commander makes sure that he is prepared by teaching him the skills necessary. We have a responsibility to teach those coming behind us how to wield their swords.
Because of Him,
Missa
Sometimes our decisions have long running effects. If you chose to wear black socks one day, I highly doubt that your purpose in life would change too much. The friends we chose does affect a good deal. The church you chose, though, has the strongest effect on our lives (providing we are not only going to church when we feel like it).
Most of our biggest and life-changing events occur during the our teen and college years. During our junior high years, we are the most impressionable. It is then that we determine what is cool and what is not. The friends we chose during those years will steer us either toward God or toward the world. During high school is when we begin to think and look toward the future and make decisions as to our lifetime goals. College is when we decide who we are. We are no longer under as much parental guidance. Suddenly, we are on our own, perhaps across the country, and we must make decisions about what we truly do believe.
60% of all college students leave the faith they grew up with. More then half. That's kinda scary. What happens is, the students decide to attend a secular university (not necessarily a problem) and are forced to be on the defensive spiritually. The problem is, these students are crippled without a shield to defend themselves. So many people share the same testimony: I grew up in a Christian home and got saved when I was a little kid. All of their life, their faith based on someone else (this is not saying they are not saved, just that their foundation was never strengthened). When asked why they believe something, the response often is "well, that is what my church teaches". There is no maturity behind a statement like that, and those in the world are waiting to hear it and jump to destroy a faith without foundation.
Teenagers are often raised with rules, yet lack the principles behind them. They hear "thou shalt not" or "thou shalt" day in and day out from school, church, and parents. Some will ask why, but most simply accept it (unless it "cramps their style").
This is why ministry directed at youth is so important. It is during this time that we have the opportunity to teach young men and women why they should believe what they do. As Christians, we are not called to follow our parents faith, we are called as soldiers, irrelevant of patriarchy, to stand up and defend our faith. More then that, we are called on to be on the offensive and proclaim our faith.
When a soldier stands to fight in battle, he does not chose to stand on think sand which will move and trip him, but rather on a solid rock so that he is stable and unshakable to wield his sword. Sand and rock are made up of the same thing, but one is ground up and the other is solid ground.
But how are these principles to be taught so that they do not become rules? Titus 2 and 3 give us a model to follow for teaching those who follow behind us in the practicality of the faith. 2 Timothy 2:2 goes further when Paul tells Timothy to tell others of the things which Timothy learned by Paul.
What is lacking is not education in the faith and the dos and don'ts, but understanding what a true relationship with God is. When our God becomes merely a god of rules, it is no wonder that the minute we are not forced to obey them, we turn away from them. But when our lives are lived because we are completely in love with God, we naturally will become more like Him and evidence the fruits of the Spirit. This leads to a desire to know as much as we possibly can about Him and study His word for the answers. Then we are led to ask why.
Why is not a bad question. Why is preparation for the battle. Why did Jesus die on the cross? Why did He have to rise again? Why do bad things happen to people? Why should I read a Book that is 2,000 years old? Why? This is how we must teach the upcoming generations: we must teach them to ask why before the world does. 1 Peter 3:15 says "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear". In order to be ready, we must train. A soldier does not enter a battlefield with a sword if he has never touched one before. So should not a soldier of the cross venture into this world without knowing how to wield the sword of God. A soldier's commander makes sure that he is prepared by teaching him the skills necessary. We have a responsibility to teach those coming behind us how to wield their swords.
Because of Him,
Missa
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Right Of Way
Ye are not under the law, but ye are under grace! Romans 6:14 is the most freeing verse in the New Testament! It is simply amazing that God has sent His Son to completely fulfill the law in our stead and then to take the penalty for our failure to keep it to remove us from the ritual lifestyle of temple worship. We are no longer tied to sacrifices and dietary restrictions (yeah bacon!) to be able to maintain our relationship with Him. We can have a relationship with Him! We have access to God through a great High Priest who has experienced all of the temptations and hardships we have and is still without sin. We have instant access to this God.
But how far does this liberty allow us to go?
That truly is the wrong question to ask. If you need to define where the line of sin is, you should be as far away from that line as possible.
This past week during chapel at the big Bob, the topic was alcohol and the Christian. Throughout the entire week, social media exploded with "haters" who railed against the stand that this college took, insisting that because it was not strictly forbidden in Scripture, we should, as Christians, be allowed to consume alcohol on a social level. Please note, I am not talking about stuff like mouthwash and vanilla extract, but alcohol in the sense of beer, wine, or distilled liquors.
For me, the choice is clear for all Christians: we need to abstain from alcohol.
The purpose of our life as Christians is to glorify God in all that we say, do, eat, or drink. Glory can be defined as the visible manifestation of God's essence. (Thanks Pastor Mike. :) ) When we are consuming alcohol, can we truly say that this drink will be the best option to show my God to those around me? Well, it's just a drink, who really cares? Well, speaking from experience, the world knows that alcohol is not something Christians "do". I have worked in a secular environment where there were alcohol parties on a regular basis. I was among the youngest employees, yet I was over the legal drinking age. Everyone around me knew that I was a Christian. I never hid it, but rather proclaimed it as my reason for everything I did and how I responded. When the beers were passed around, I was asked if I would take one. When I gave my reason (which I will explain later) my co-worker shrugged it off. A few days later, she approached me and told me that if I had taken a drink, she would not have been able to believe that I was a Christian anymore. What's the big deal? One drink will not make me drunk.
The big deal is we are associated with our choices. Drinking of all kinds has been negatively associated in recent days as being a decidedly non-Christian activity.
In addition to this, medically it is truly unwise. The idea that I will not get drunk after one drink is actually not true. After one drink, your body has been affected. The alcohol enters your blood stream and begins to inhibit your vision and reasoning skills. You are no longer able to fully control your body. We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to control us and not some other substance. It is fairly universally agreed among Christians that social drug use is to be condemned because you lose control over yourself. Why should anyone freely give up control simply because the Bible does not expressly forbid it? The principles are there in Scripture, Christians have chosen to ignore it.
Alcohol also is a poison and has been shown to increase the risk for cancer as well as self-inflicted injuries (car wrecks), and kidney/liver/stomach failure.
But they drank wine in the Bible! True, but not in the same way that it is drank now. Wine was always diluted with water... even among gentiles. Even the Romans, with their promiscuous ways, did not drink straight wine. The purpose of wine was to cleanse the water to make it drinkable. We have all seen the commercials on TV for charities dedicated to bringing good water to third world countries. In the times of the Bible, there was little understanding of sanitation processes. The idea of bacteria was not even conceived. There was simply the knowledge that if you added a small amount of wine to water, it would make it drinkable. The alcohol would kill the bacteria. (Wait, aren't we filled with good bacteria...?) Even now when traveling to other countries, the advice always is to not drink the water, unless you are able to somehow kill the germs (most likely by boiling the water).
The wine in the Bible was also not as intense alcoholically as it is now. We have sought out the way to get a buzz from this drink and have discovered distillation processes that were not possible with the technology available back then. Again, we are should not allow ourselves to be controlled by anything other then the Holy Spirit.
Consider again your testimony. I know people who were alcoholics. We are judged in our actions towards and around them. In 1 Corinthians 10, we have the illustration of the meat offered to idols. True, the meat itself was not bad, nor was it expressly forbidden. But Paul clearly shows that we are judged not only by our own personal conscience, but of those around us. I have already shown that the unsaved do not think it right for Christians to drink, but it is also true that there are Christians who have either personally struggled with alcoholism or have family who have struggled with it. Would it not be best to give up a small liberty for the sake of a brother?
Perhaps it is because my desire is to be in full time ministry, but I cannot see why any Christian would chose to imbibe socially. Consider carefully everything you do and seek to do all things completely and totally for the glory of God. Do not allow yourselves to "claim your freedom" because it is available.
When I was preparing to take the test to get my driving permit, I was told that there was no law that absolutely gave anyone the right of way. We are merely told who is to yield the right of way. The same is true of Christians. We are not told when we have the right to do something we are told to yield to those around us.
Because of Him,
Missa
But how far does this liberty allow us to go?
That truly is the wrong question to ask. If you need to define where the line of sin is, you should be as far away from that line as possible.
This past week during chapel at the big Bob, the topic was alcohol and the Christian. Throughout the entire week, social media exploded with "haters" who railed against the stand that this college took, insisting that because it was not strictly forbidden in Scripture, we should, as Christians, be allowed to consume alcohol on a social level. Please note, I am not talking about stuff like mouthwash and vanilla extract, but alcohol in the sense of beer, wine, or distilled liquors.
For me, the choice is clear for all Christians: we need to abstain from alcohol.
The purpose of our life as Christians is to glorify God in all that we say, do, eat, or drink. Glory can be defined as the visible manifestation of God's essence. (Thanks Pastor Mike. :) ) When we are consuming alcohol, can we truly say that this drink will be the best option to show my God to those around me? Well, it's just a drink, who really cares? Well, speaking from experience, the world knows that alcohol is not something Christians "do". I have worked in a secular environment where there were alcohol parties on a regular basis. I was among the youngest employees, yet I was over the legal drinking age. Everyone around me knew that I was a Christian. I never hid it, but rather proclaimed it as my reason for everything I did and how I responded. When the beers were passed around, I was asked if I would take one. When I gave my reason (which I will explain later) my co-worker shrugged it off. A few days later, she approached me and told me that if I had taken a drink, she would not have been able to believe that I was a Christian anymore. What's the big deal? One drink will not make me drunk.
The big deal is we are associated with our choices. Drinking of all kinds has been negatively associated in recent days as being a decidedly non-Christian activity.
In addition to this, medically it is truly unwise. The idea that I will not get drunk after one drink is actually not true. After one drink, your body has been affected. The alcohol enters your blood stream and begins to inhibit your vision and reasoning skills. You are no longer able to fully control your body. We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to control us and not some other substance. It is fairly universally agreed among Christians that social drug use is to be condemned because you lose control over yourself. Why should anyone freely give up control simply because the Bible does not expressly forbid it? The principles are there in Scripture, Christians have chosen to ignore it.
Alcohol also is a poison and has been shown to increase the risk for cancer as well as self-inflicted injuries (car wrecks), and kidney/liver/stomach failure.
But they drank wine in the Bible! True, but not in the same way that it is drank now. Wine was always diluted with water... even among gentiles. Even the Romans, with their promiscuous ways, did not drink straight wine. The purpose of wine was to cleanse the water to make it drinkable. We have all seen the commercials on TV for charities dedicated to bringing good water to third world countries. In the times of the Bible, there was little understanding of sanitation processes. The idea of bacteria was not even conceived. There was simply the knowledge that if you added a small amount of wine to water, it would make it drinkable. The alcohol would kill the bacteria. (Wait, aren't we filled with good bacteria...?) Even now when traveling to other countries, the advice always is to not drink the water, unless you are able to somehow kill the germs (most likely by boiling the water).
The wine in the Bible was also not as intense alcoholically as it is now. We have sought out the way to get a buzz from this drink and have discovered distillation processes that were not possible with the technology available back then. Again, we are should not allow ourselves to be controlled by anything other then the Holy Spirit.
Consider again your testimony. I know people who were alcoholics. We are judged in our actions towards and around them. In 1 Corinthians 10, we have the illustration of the meat offered to idols. True, the meat itself was not bad, nor was it expressly forbidden. But Paul clearly shows that we are judged not only by our own personal conscience, but of those around us. I have already shown that the unsaved do not think it right for Christians to drink, but it is also true that there are Christians who have either personally struggled with alcoholism or have family who have struggled with it. Would it not be best to give up a small liberty for the sake of a brother?
Perhaps it is because my desire is to be in full time ministry, but I cannot see why any Christian would chose to imbibe socially. Consider carefully everything you do and seek to do all things completely and totally for the glory of God. Do not allow yourselves to "claim your freedom" because it is available.
When I was preparing to take the test to get my driving permit, I was told that there was no law that absolutely gave anyone the right of way. We are merely told who is to yield the right of way. The same is true of Christians. We are not told when we have the right to do something we are told to yield to those around us.
Because of Him,
Missa
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Effectual Fruit
How hard does a peach tree work to make peaches? Well, it doesn't, of course. It's a peach tree.
I've heard that illustration so many times in my life, but I do have to ask;
Are the fruits of the spirit, like love, joy, meekness, are they a choice or natural?
Maybe I'm the only one, but I've been taught that love is not merely a feeling, but that you actively chose to love someone, in a true Christlike manner. (Kinda talking about romantic love, but this really applies to all relationships in our life). So, if we are bearing fruit as a Christian, do we still have a choice in bearing fruit? If a Christian is not evidencing a certain fruit, are they really a Christian?
I was very convicted this past week that I am not a generally meek person. I love to argue for argument's sake. Meekness is a fruit of the Spirit, but it is certainly not a strong point for me. But does a fruit bearing tree ever struggle with producing less then excellent fruit?
Galatians 5:25 says "if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit". It could also be translated as "since we have been given life by the Spirit, we ought to manifest that life in our walk". In our natural born state of being unsaved, we have no life. We are completely dead and are unable to produce any fruit of any kind. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are given life. Colossians 2:13 "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;" Our life as Christians is not mere physical life given to every creature that draws breath on this planet, but rather the complete and satisfying life of eternity, never to end, always to be in fellowship with our Creator. We are animated by the Holy Spirit unto life and good works, which God has set that we as Christians should do.
But God did not create robots. We are not reprogrammed at salvation to just spew out joy, peace, patience, goodness. It is a result of gratitude and love that we are constantly looking to know Him more and be more like Him. As we have the Holy Spirit giving us life in us, we ought to act like it. The thing about love is that it compels us. We act toward the object of our love in a manner that is not in our natural being. In this case, we show the fruits of the Spirit.
Love: Unconditional,
Joy:Inexplicable,
Peace:Incomprehensible,
Longsuffering: Undeterable,
Gentleness: Charitable,
Goodness: Everendurable,
Faith: Unmeasureable,
Meekness: Unavoidable,
Temperance: Unpoluteable
It is not in us to produce the fruit as dead creatures, but only through the life of the Holy Spirit.
Some say, though, that fruit can be imitated. Have you ever had a strawberry right off of the bush? Compare that to strawberry candy. Though there is some resemblance, it is so poor that no one who has had the fruit will have any difficulty telling the difference.
Because of Him,
Missa
Sunday, February 24, 2013
When Trials Come
When trials come no longer fear
For in the pain our God draws near
To fire a faith worth more than gold
And there His faithfulness is told
And there His faithfulness is told
Within the night I know Your peace
The breath of God brings strength to me
And new each morning mercy flows
As treasures of the darkness grow
As treasures of the darkness grow
I turn to Wisdom not my own
For every battle You have known
My confidence will rest in You
Your love endures Your ways are good
Your love endures Your ways are good
When I am weary with the cost
I see the triumph of the cross
So in it’s shadow I shall run
Till You complete the work begun
Till You complete the work begun
One day all things will be made new
I’ll see the hope You called me to
And in your kingdom paved with gold
I’ll praise your faithfulness of old
I’ll praise your faithfulness of old
Keith & Kristyn Getty
Sometimes I wonder if pride or selfishness could be called the root of all sin. Money is cited as being that, but isn't even the love of money based on the root of selfishness? I am amazed at how many things I can take pride in... Not the good "I'm proud of you son!" pride, but rather the slithering permeating pride that may only manifest itself on the outside as "humility". The best part is I think I'm being humble the entire time!
I found that I can even take pride in what God has done.
Trials come to all of us. If we overcome them, we are lauded as great heroes. If we fail, depending on the seeming epicness of the fail, we are either shunned or we refer to it as our stumbling block.
Heroes. That sounds so nice! "Yeah, I, uh, went through this trial, and, well, I responded thusly and smote the FLAMING ARROWS OF THE DEVIL!!!!" Toss some Bible verses in there and you'll be the model for the next Captain Bible comic book.
Here's the thing, maybe we don't actually do that. Verbally, we give all of the glory to God. It's not our mouth that directly worships God. It is our heart. Our attitudes and motives. Even though we can completely acknowledge when it comes down to it that surviving that trial had nothing to do with us and it was God alone, we are still inclined to congratulate ourselves.
It may not even be an immediate response. In my personal life, I never really told people about the situation for a few months. It was when I began to enjoy telling it to everyone I met that the pride started to sneak in. Did you know sin feels really good going down? And then it gives you the worst heartburn. Then we run for our gracious Savior for forgiveness, which He so freely gives.
Our trials are not all about us. James 1 tells us to count it all joy when we are in temptations (trials) because this produces the fruit of patience. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says "there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." The faithfulness does not have anything to with us, but rather the grace of God.
It's kinda like walking into the Louvre and standing next to the Mona Lisa and insisting that you painted it. That seems ridiculous, yet this is how our pride is.
Because of Him,
Missa
I found that I can even take pride in what God has done.
Trials come to all of us. If we overcome them, we are lauded as great heroes. If we fail, depending on the seeming epicness of the fail, we are either shunned or we refer to it as our stumbling block.
Heroes. That sounds so nice! "Yeah, I, uh, went through this trial, and, well, I responded thusly and smote the FLAMING ARROWS OF THE DEVIL!!!!" Toss some Bible verses in there and you'll be the model for the next Captain Bible comic book.
Here's the thing, maybe we don't actually do that. Verbally, we give all of the glory to God. It's not our mouth that directly worships God. It is our heart. Our attitudes and motives. Even though we can completely acknowledge when it comes down to it that surviving that trial had nothing to do with us and it was God alone, we are still inclined to congratulate ourselves.
It may not even be an immediate response. In my personal life, I never really told people about the situation for a few months. It was when I began to enjoy telling it to everyone I met that the pride started to sneak in. Did you know sin feels really good going down? And then it gives you the worst heartburn. Then we run for our gracious Savior for forgiveness, which He so freely gives.
Our trials are not all about us. James 1 tells us to count it all joy when we are in temptations (trials) because this produces the fruit of patience. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says "there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." The faithfulness does not have anything to with us, but rather the grace of God.
It's kinda like walking into the Louvre and standing next to the Mona Lisa and insisting that you painted it. That seems ridiculous, yet this is how our pride is.
Because of Him,
Missa
Monday, February 18, 2013
O Sacred Head
O Sacred head now
wounded with grief and cares bowed down.
I love to imagine and picture what it
was like during the events depicted in the Bible. This past Sunday evening, my
church remembered the Lord's Supper. For some reason, my mind tends to
track to the disciples and their sorrow, shock, and fear. Can you imagine? All of their hope, gone. In an evening, a moment, a kiss. It was over. The Bible clearly shows that, even though Christ told them over and over, they did not understand the forthcoming death and the resurrection to follow.
Perhaps this is a strange question, but what did Christ have going through His mind during his last few days and hours? I began this post with a line from a well known hymn, and I am wondering if it is correct... How did Christ look? When my God was there on the cross bearing my sins, how did his expression communicate to those around Him His true thoughts?
Pain, certainly, was there. A physical pain. The torture surrounding the final execution on the cross would've almost killed a person. Almost. I cannot imagine, nor even attempt to describe this pain.
I wonder if you could look in His eyes and see the love and compassion that He had. He cries out "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!" Luke 23:34. He did not send a bitter look at the Pharisees standing off in their mock righteousness, nor did He only ask forgiveness for their sins, but also for the sins of everyone there. This would include the faithful few followers who stayed at His cross.
Perhaps grief was there. Imagine the pain of rejection of all but a few of your closest friends. To be killed by strangers. Even more acutely, perhaps, the rejection of His Father. To have a part of the Trinity be ripped from the other two is unfathomable. Because sin is so awful, our perfect Holy God could not even look at His Own Son as all of the sin from every person throughout time was laid directly on our Redeemer Lamb. To be rejected by friends and family is one thing, to be rejected by God is the epitome of despair.
But I also wonder, during His last few moments, was there a look of confidence, of victory? John 19:31 records the final words of our Savior "it is finished." As the Devil crowed with delight at the death of his enemy, was there a slight smile that decried the winner as being the One hanging on the tree?
I've seen many paintings of Christ on the cross and, almost exclusively, they show a defeated Christ with no hope. When I imagine my Christ, I see my victorious Hero who has brought hope to the world.
He did all of this, just for the sake of allowing us miserable creatures into His heaven! It is purely our own fault that we needed a Savior, yet He gives of Himself. No man took His life, He freely gave it up for our sake, John 10.
Because of Him,
Missa
Perhaps grief was there. Imagine the pain of rejection of all but a few of your closest friends. To be killed by strangers. Even more acutely, perhaps, the rejection of His Father. To have a part of the Trinity be ripped from the other two is unfathomable. Because sin is so awful, our perfect Holy God could not even look at His Own Son as all of the sin from every person throughout time was laid directly on our Redeemer Lamb. To be rejected by friends and family is one thing, to be rejected by God is the epitome of despair.
But I also wonder, during His last few moments, was there a look of confidence, of victory? John 19:31 records the final words of our Savior "it is finished." As the Devil crowed with delight at the death of his enemy, was there a slight smile that decried the winner as being the One hanging on the tree?
I've seen many paintings of Christ on the cross and, almost exclusively, they show a defeated Christ with no hope. When I imagine my Christ, I see my victorious Hero who has brought hope to the world.
He did all of this, just for the sake of allowing us miserable creatures into His heaven! It is purely our own fault that we needed a Savior, yet He gives of Himself. No man took His life, He freely gave it up for our sake, John 10.
Because of Him,
Missa
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