Empty

Three things I have learned from going to college full time:

• You can either get an "A" in English or in your favorite class - not both (choose wisely)
• They give away twice as many room job demerits on Friday because nobody works the desk after classes
• You will get very sleepy - really! By the second week of school, you are falling asleep in classes

Why? Because the plain and simple fact of life is natural selection - only the strongest can survive the full credit load, work, and social time involved in college. Oh, and there's eating too... forgot about that one.

So I'm kinda joking a bit, but sometimes that is how it seems. And talking to those who are older than me, it sounds like it doesn't actually get better the older you get - you just don't have as much energy to do more things.

Have you ever thought about the fact that God doesn't get tired? Well,duh! Who else would be listening to our prayers at 2 am when we're working on our paper and the computer dies?

No, seriously. Our God is never weary, never weighed down by the cares of life, never sleeps, never faints, never even takes His eyes off of us to blink. He is vigilant, faithful, and cares for us more than we do.

On Monday, in chapel, the preacher was reading Isaiah 40. He was really only reading the first part to emphasize the perfect and enduring nature of God's word and the necessity for Bible translation. That afternoon, I was studying for a science test and came across a note I had made about a verse later on in the passage. Then, that evening I was getting ready to go running and was a bit antsy, so I pulled out my Bible again to read the same passage (once I get stuck on something, I have a hard time getting off of it until I have it completely processed in my mind).

The whole passage is speaking about the marvelousness of God and asks twice "Have you not known? Have you not heard?" concerning certain attributes of God. But I want to show one thing to you:

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31 

Our God is not weary and doesn't faint. That is something that everyone should know and accept. But God is the One that gives us our strength. We are weary. We faint. God renews that which we have lost so that we can run without weariness and walk without fainting.

Another thing I've learned, somewhat recently but this is also just a review lesson for me, is that there are different kinds of weariness. Sometimes it is physical weariness. Without the proper amount of sleep and nutrition, your body wears down faster and faster until you can barely stay awake in chapel at 11, much less pay attention in your 4 pm class. 

The second type of weariness is emotional or mental. You can reach a point where you're technically getting enough sleep, but because of just life in general, you are weary. And it's not necessarily something bad that happened, but just something that took up a lot of emotion in your day. For me, when I write, especially on this blog, I'm basically putting my devotional journal on here - that just takes a lot out of me. Sometimes it's comforting a friend who is hurting, sometimes it is a moment of complete joy and happiness. Somethings are just emotionally draining.

And then we have Christ. We love as He loved. We give ourselves to others for His glory. And there is always enough grace to make it through one more day. 

I can tell you that there have been times this semester that I have gotten up before 5 and didn't fall asleep until after 2. I was completely worn out and was struggling to get the minimum amount of work done (lets not even talk about the "extras" of studying). But daily I found that He gave me energy to make it through. He gave it by different ways - a friend to talk to, an encouraging verse, a kind word at work.... But it was Him. He daily filled my life with His strength and then kept topping me off until I reached the end of the day - completely empty, but looking forward to the next day to glorify Him in His strength.

Because of Him,

Missa

Suntanned

During prayer group this week, we were reading a prayer letter from a missionary in Antigua who told the story of a man who did not want to get saved until he had had his fun. This unsaved man know that to be a Christian meant a radically different life from that of the world. That is what being a Christian is.

If you look at American Christianity throughout history, there has been a dramatic progression from having a noticeably different lifestyle to just blending into a crowd. This is due, not to a lack of true regeneration, but to a blurring of the line of what is good and what is bad. There is now what is called "a gray area" of "not that bad". Why is "not that bad" acceptable? What is the "that" that we are comparing our actions/words/entertainment choices on? 

When you are first exposed to the sun at the beginning of the summer what happens? Initially, you will get burned. It hurts and you notice it and shy away from it. But sunburns don't last forever. For three months, though, you are being exposed more and more to the burning rays, and yet you don't get burned. You get more and more tan. Eventually, it can get to the point that you don't even see that you are tanned and spending hours outside no longer causes the pain it once did. It's only when you return from your vacation and come in contact with those who worked desk jobs all summer and are still pasty white that you see how far it has gone.

So think of sin in the same way. The first time you heard a curse word or profanity in a movie (and actually knew what it meant) were you surprised? Did it cause a bit of pain? But you were watching the movie with your family or close friend... and they thought it was fine... Or at least they didn't say anything about it.

Fast forward five years. Now you regularly watch movies with "questionable" (sinful) content. But it's only rated PG13! Or maybe even PG... But there is so much worse out there right now. This movie really isn't that bad. 

I heard a sermon at camp about David. He was a man after God's own heart, but how was he so? In 1 Samuel 24, twice David sinned. Both times they were things that aren't that bad, and yet it says that his heart smote him. He felt the pain of sin. Instead of excusing it since it wasn't that bad, he repented and did not repeat the sin. In Psalm 101 we find his plan to stay away from sin:

Psalm 101 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. 

I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. 

A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person. 

Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. 

Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. 

He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. 

I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD. 

Because of Him,

Missa

Enduring

*The following story is told in first person for dramatic effect ONLY. Any resemblance to people or events living or dead is purely coincidental*

I am very close to someone. I care about them more than anything and do what I can to serve them in sacrificial love. Not necessarily a spouse, but certainly a very close and dear friend. I confide in this person and they confide in me. 

And then, one day, I learn that the trust we shared has been broken. This person has been taking my  information and using it behind my back to mock me or to damage my reputation. 

What am I going to do about it?! This is totally uncalled for, I have done everything for this person! I've served them and they turn around and stick a knife in my back! This is not fair! I shouldn't have to put up with this!

*Deep Breath* Well, maybe this was a one time sin.... Yeah, that's it. I can forgive and forget! Life returns to its placid state. 

And it happens again! 

Let us say, for the sake of shortening our words, that this cycle happens many times over several years until....

I just don't care anymore. I don't want to love that person anymore. 

All right, story time is over. I think, in all honesty, this has happened to a lot of us. We've been betrayed by someone we love. How are you supposed to respond to this? Even when the offense has only happened once, not multiple times, how are we supposed to respond? To be completely honest, I am dealing with something like this right now, as well as watching a conflict like this develop and simmer for several months (years, really). How are we all to respond as Christians? 

Someone whom I greatly trust gave this advice: apply 1 Corinthians 13. Isn't it great when God gives us very specific instructions on how to act?

Yeah, well I want to see anyone who can completely apply that passage! "Believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things"... Love is really hard!  Love is not "when I feel like it" or "when they are always acting in a loving manner towards me" Did you know that we are supposed to even supposed to treat people this way when they are our enemies?! (Matthew 5:43-44) 

So, the Bible really is pretty intense on this issue of what true love is. Let's just look at 1 Corinthians 13 in parts:

Charity (Love)...

• Suffereth Long - that means to suffer for a long time (i. e. you don't have a "last straw")
• Is Kind - We went over this in Sunday School today. Kindness is doing something for someone because you care about, whether you want to do it or not
• Envieth Not - You are not jealous of what the other person has that you don't (be it possessions, popularity, or personality)
• Vaunteth Not Itself - Basically it means that your goal is not to be lifted up or promoted by the object of your love. Your goal is actually to lift the other person up.
• Is Not Puffed Up - Don't be proud in a self-glorifying manner. (See the whole book of proverbs)
• Doth Not Behave Itself Unseemly - It knows where the boundaries are and stays well within them
• Seeketh Not Her Own - Look out for the other person, let God worry about Who is taking care of you
• Is Not Easily Provoked - Don't let your buttons get pushed (see "suffereth long")
• Thinketh No Evil - This is a hard one: don't assume that the person who is doing you wrong is actually being malicious. This is a really hard one. Personally, I love to talk issues out - to think out loud. Sometimes I want to have someone with a listening ear. That may be all that the issue is about. True, the other person may be lacking discernment as to who they are confiding in, but we are talking about your response, not their actions.
• Rejoiceth Not In Iniquity, But Rejoiceth In Truth - Don't silently gloat when the other person is falling on their face in sin! Just because you have an issue with them does not mean that the more they stumble the better because that might mean that they will finally get right with God - and you. Anyone who has struggled with sin can tell you that one sin leads to another which leads to another... and the more sin the harder it is to get it all right and taken care of. We should rejoice when we see them doing the right thing! That shows a tenderness towards God and perhaps a leading to restitution
• Beareth All Things - Carry the other person's burdens
• Believeth All Things - When they tell you that they are sorry... believe them
• Hopeth All Things - An old saying is "while there is life, there is hope". It is ok to hope for a restoration!
• Endureth All Things - No matter what happens... you will always still love this person. Period. 

So, what are you going to do with this? Maybe, you aren't necessarily in the wrong. But when you do not respond in love, you are, in fact, sinning. Love is a command, not an option. So....Maybe you need to make things right. Maybe you need to admit to other person that you have sinned by not loving them in a Biblical manner. 

Please do not merely change your actions without making a verbal acknowledgment of your wrong! This is very important. When you do not admit your wrong, the other person will not see their need to admit their wrong. You are also dancing on the edge of pride, since you do not see the need to "go to thy brother" (Matthew 5:24) and humble yourself. 

Please do not leave this website without reading two other posts of mine, if you have not already done so: Mirror Image and Soul Piercing. Please note, I am not writing to someone else, I am writing this to YOU.

Because of Him,

Missa

Offending Gospel

Maybe this isn't a post for my regular readers... but it might be. Or maybe this post will just be one to refer to in future discussions. Definitely more practical than philosophical.

Manners matter.

Well, yeah, that's what my mom always said!

But have you ever really thought about what manners are and what their purpose is? Manners are actions or words used to make everyone around you as comfortable and non-distracted as possible. But does this really make a difference to a Christian?

Yup.

When you are having a conversation with someone, do you notice them doing things you were taught weren't polite? For example, as kids, we were not allowed to have our elbows on the table. Now, when I'm eating with someone, if they put their elbows on the table, it distracts me, even if only momentarily. The same goes for chewing gum in church, using language that is crude (not necessarily swearing, just unpleasant words), and cracking knuckles.

The point is, Satan will use whatever he has to to distract people from the Gospel, even bad manners. When someone displays poor manners, they are saying, even unintentionally, that they are the most important person in the room and they don't care what you think.

I've been told that having an attitude of not caring what people think is a good thing, and it probably is. Nevertheless, we must be aware that some actions completely repulse people. Without them, you are not that much at a loss, but your friends may be greatly benefited by them. You will never offend people by your lack of crudity, but rather attract people by your abundance of consideration.

Let me give another example in a slightly different direction. Recently, I was discussing an issue with a friend of mine concerning a recent news story about a boy not being allowed to wear a shirt with a confederate flag to school. While I agreed with the young man about it being an encroachment on our American liberty, I disagree that we should actually protest it, or intentionally wear that symbol (or any other one, for that matter) to make a statement. A common saying in this time is to "wear your heart on your sleeve". Let everyone know all of your opinions and vehemently defend them at all times.

But who are we proclaiming to the World? Ourselves? ... or Christ?  In 2 Corinthians 4:5, Paul gives himself as a model for how we should act. We're preaching Christ and Him crucified. Verse 11 talks about living Christ in the flesh. We are living like Christians (little Christs) at the expense of who we are.

Now before you decry my statements as too harsh and impossible... consider this; when you purchase a Mac, you are communicating, in a way, that you want to be associated with that brand. You wear a Superman shirt because he's cool. You are continually preaching something - why must it be something of this World and not of Christ? Live your faith - in what you say, do, and display to those around you (1 Timothy 4:12)

Because of Him,
Missa

Dazed

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

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

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