Gravity wins: Not now. Not ever.

In order to create a successful story, there needs to be a solid introduction, a juicy middle, and an ending that makes the reader's mind explode from surprise yet set their mind at ease because everything is wrapped up perfectly. Our lives as believers, in essence, is a story: a story of how God took our lives--something that we saw without purpose--and, as the rising action progressed, gradually showed us otherwise.

We have the introduction down: our story begins when we take our first breath. We can check off the ending, too, but I'll talk about it later. What about the middle part? What is the bridge that mends the gap between the beginning and end?

Here's something to start the rising action: life as a Christian is tough. When we pray to accept Jesus into our hearts, we are enlisting in spiritual warfare. It's easy to simply say "I don't want to deal with this. Why do non-believers get to live life easily? I wish I could have that," but we shouldn't envy them, "for their hearts plot violence, and their words always stir up trouble" (Proverbs 24:2, NLT). As members of God's Army, we will face hand-to-hand combat with Satan's soldiers--his demons.

That is where the falling starts. Satan knows about our strengths and weaknesses and uses them against us, causing the very ground under our feet to collapse. As we get closer to helping bring people to Christ, the devil works harder at trying to sweep us off our feet. Falling on our faces, we feel defeated, which is exactly what he wants, but "God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him" (Philippians 2:13, NLT). When we fall, God gives us the strength to get back up again.

Here's where the excitement comes in: this battle that you're facing may look hopeless, but God has already won the war! Want to know how I know that? Just look at the cross and what it symbolizes! Jesus Christ died on that cross, taking all of our sin and shame with him to Hell, but he DID NOT STOP THERE. That right there, my friend, is how we are able to stand in the victory circle. That is how we know we are going to stand before our Father when He takes us Home to live with Him forever.

The juicy middle is what keeps us from being a stoic character in our story. God walks us through these trials so we are stronger than we were before--so our trust in Him is stronger as we draw closer to Him. We need to trust God's will and God's wisdom. He knows what's best for us and keeps that in mind constantly. My New Living Translation Bible commented this about the first three verses of Psalm 23:

David compares God's concern for his people to that of a shepherd. When we allow God to guide us, we experience peace and contentment. Our Shepherd knows the "green meadows" and "peaceful streams" that will renew us. We will reach these places only by sticking close to him like a sheep would to a shepherd. How close are you?

 Even though Satan throws you to the ground, don't let his stabbing and kicking you while you are down keep you down. Find strength in your Heavenly Father, and get back up again (you're maybe knocked down but not out forever).

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4).

God bless!

The Side Not Seen

People around the world are bashing Christians because of the things we are against, like homosexuality, greed, and gay marriage, but they aren't seeing what Christians stand FOR! Throughout all of the Gospels time, and time again we see Jesus show compassion and love towards those who were "sick" or the unrepentant sinners; yet we today show hate and nothing but.

I challenge you to do as Jesus did, BREAK THE CHAINS of the people around you and show the true colors of The Almighty and Glorious God that we serve... Love, compassion, forgiveness, and mercy.

"For Jesus did not come to this world to condemn the world, but to save it." (John 3:17 paraphrased)

Even the lost are kind to those who are kind back, but I ask of you this. Show even those who frustrate you a smile, show them a friendly face, show them the compassion of Christ Jesus to the best of your ability.

The stand.

"So the last will be first, and the first will be last." --Matthew 20:16.

Twenty-first century life is very competitive: sports teams are shedding sweat, blood, and tears to see who is the best; people are rushing through doors to see the number one movie on the charts; and résumés are being polished to fight for the position in a business. Although this arms-around-the-neck-of-the-opponent atmosphere is in the worldly parts of our lives, we shouldn't let our competitive tendencies be a trait of our spiritual lives.

There are no winners or losers of faith. In God's eyes, we are all equal. How could it be any other way? We cannot make God love us any more or less than He already does, no matter what we say or do:

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

So wait... what's the talk about being first and last then? When I run to call shotgun and my sister gets to the car after me, does that mean she gets shotgun? I know that's how I've been exposed to that particular verse, but that's taking it way out of context.

The true context is a parable in Matthew 20: A landowner goes to town to find people to tend to his land for the day. He promises every person that he hires a denarius for the work they do. At the end of the day, each person hired gets a denarius, but the problem is that the people who were hired earlier in the day--and, in turn, worked longer--saw that the people who were hired later in the day--and, in turn, didn't work very long--getting a denarius, so they assumed that they were going to get more. The landowner's response to such reaction to his generosity was a question: "I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius?" (v. 13). It was the landowner's money to give, not the men's, so they didn't have any right to judge.

This parable was explaining how the kingdom of Heaven is: God lines us all up and gives us the gift of live through His Son, Jesus Christ, no matter how long we have been following Him in faith. Whether we have been Christians for fifty-five years or five seconds, we receive the gift that God promises us. He even loves those that deny Him. We have no place to say that someone doesn't deserve God's love.

Every one of us have been given our lives: lives that are perfect in God's eyes. We shouldn't be dissatisfied in any way. We all have fallen. We all deserve the penalty of death because of our sin, but we have all been redeemed through the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord and Savior. Thank the LORD for the life He has given you, for it is a life that could never be replaced.

God bless!

Seek First the Kingdom

I have found in my life that sometimes God acts as the "Great Reverser". By this I mean that several times in my life I have planned to do something in order to achieve something else, only to then have God reverse how it is to be done. For example, I went to college with a career focus hoping to grow in life through this pursuit, but God reversed it and told me "No, through focusing on growing in life you will learn what your career is to be." Next I wanted to grow as a Christian, and then I would be able to help others. But again He reversed it and told me "No, it is through helping others that you will grow as a Christian." Next, I really wanted a partner in life, one that I could love and one who could love me in that special kind of way that only husband & wife can. I thought that when I finally had a girlfriend, then I would grow closer to God.. but again God told me the opposite of what I was thinking: "No, take time now to grow closer to Me, and then through this you will find a partner." 

So I guess the only reason I tell you this story is because I want to let you know two things:
1) Every "No" from God is for you good, and every "No" is to guide you to the best He has for you.
2) When we worry about the things we don't have more than we look to God, we will not find the answers to these problems. Instead, by looking to God first and making Him first in your life, then you will given these things (Matthew 6:33).

Role Models (NIV 1 Timothy 4: 11-16)

As we are growing up, we [subconsciously seek role models in our lives] look to others to see a role model. Most would look towards a parent or older sibling, but those are not always the greatest. A healthy role model is someone who seeks after a holy life for God: someone who is selfless, loving, kind, and has a heart for the LORD. As a Christian, you would be looking for someone who is spiritually healthy, just as Timothy did towards Paul. Without these healthy role models in our life or those in the Scriptures we lose the goals that God has given us. Paul shows Timothy how to be healthy a healthy role model in Christ in 1 Timothy 4:11-16

                  11 "Command and teach these things. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."

(Bold added for importance)

Going through these bolded parts, each has importance:

Command - set standards and don’t lower them no matter what

Teach - inform everyone of these set standards

Set an example - Show the standards through you in speech, actions, love, faith, and purity.

Devote yourself - Prioritize

Public reading of Scripture - It’s not just tradition, but important to grow with those around you

Preaching and Teaching - Showing others, through words AND action

Gifts - God gave you something amazing as a gift. USE IT!

Diligent - Be an expert in Scripture--in holiness

Give yourself wholly to them - Put your all into the LORD.

Watch - Pay Attention

Life - The way you live

Doctrine - What you believe in

Persevere - Follow through, and NEVER give them up.

Just as Timothy had Paul to guide the way for him, who do you have in your life to do the same? A sibling, relative, or maybe even a friend, but I would recommend an adult the church, if not a leader, or a pastor. Someone who is older and more wise, so they would be able to give you sound advice in times of trouble, and just words of encouragement because they’ve been in your shoes before. I challenge you to find a mentor or a role model if you do not yet have one, because it will change you.

You're not alone!

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." --1 Thessalonians 5:11.

There are times in our lives when we feel the most alone even though we know that God is always there. Don't deny it. I know I'm not going to, but what's awesome about God is that He shows how much He loves us through the people that are in our lives: our brothers and sisters--the Body of Christ.

This is the crucial part of our relationship with Christ. Once we make the decision to accept that Christ is Savior and sincerely believe that God is the Creator of the universe, that is just the beginning. There are stumbling points along the way, and the great part is that we don't have to struggle alone "because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings" (1 Peter 5:9b). What an encouragement to have! Yesterday, today, and forever, there will be believers going through the same struggles that we are personally experiencing, and you can read yourself how the story ends. God wins!

We are created by God to be social beings, and by creating relationships with other believers, we build each other up:

"I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong--that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith" (Romans 1:11-12).

 No one person's walk with Christ is the same as another's. They're just as different as our gifts are that God has given us; however, we do not want to boast about the strengths that we have! Do not feed your ego by putting other people down. When they are weak, show them Christ and encourage them to make them strong, for "your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8b).

While looking for Scripture to suit this sort of topic, I was looking on Bible Gateway, in particular, for verses that had the words "encourage" and/or "companion" in them. What I found that was interesting was that Isaiah 41 came up for both:

"[T]hey help each other and say to their companions, 'Be strong!' The metalworker encourages the goldsmith and the one who smooths with the hammer spurs the one who strikes the anvil. One says of the welding, 'It is good.' The other nails down the idol so it will not topple" (Isaiah 41:6-7, emphasis added).

What is going on here? These people are making idols to worship! Alright, so people that turn their backs away from God also encourage each other, so how are we to show society that we are different from everyone else? We ought to act better than pagans do, but how? Matthew 5 helps a lot with the answer to this question. Let's break it down:

How do we stand out from the rest in regards to our relationships with people?

 "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (vv. 44-45).

 Why should we love those who persecute us? They persecuted us!

"If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" (vv. 46-47).

I don't want to be a tax collector or pagan. What do I do?

"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (v. 48).

Let's encourage the Body! Let's love like Jesus and encourage the world!

God bless!

 

God's Plan vs. Our Plan

 Often times God’s plan is a lot different from what our plans are. We could spend days, weeks, months, and even years planning something, but if it is not what God wants, then we should definitely not do that thing. I feel as if many people struggle with why God sometimes says “no” to a certain prayer, desire, or dream. I know for me personally, when God says no, I get kind of upset, and even angry. But this should not be our response. Please remember that God only says “no” when He has something better in store for us.

It’s kind of like when you go on a vacation, and you plan out the whole entire trip: activities, entertainment, adventures, restaurants etc. But all of a sudden, one of your dear friends comes by, looks at your itinerary, and says “how about this instead..”. You are hesitant to hear them out, but you do anyways just because they are your friend. “How ‘bout you go do this activity.. go see this movie.. go hike this trail.. and go eat at this restaurant instead. You’ll really like it.” But you don’t like the sound of it.

Time goes on, and the vacation is near, when all of a sudden, things get messed up and you have to go do what your friend suggested. You’re not too happy about this, in fact you’re really upset because you don’t get to do what you wanted. And it’s really not the fact that you can’t do it that you’re upset, it’s just that you invested so much time into these specific things. But, you take your friend’s advice and it turns out you have a blast!! And you realize that it was SO much more fun than what you had originally planned.

This is what it’s like with God. Sometimes in life, we will plan and plan and plan something. We will invest so much into it only to have God tell us “no.” But please listen to Him longer, He doesn’t just say ‘no’, He says “no.. I think you will enjoy this even more. Why don’t you give this a try?” And if you do give it a try, I guarantee that you will like it even better. You might even have a blast!!

Please remember Romans 8:28, and declare it's truth in your life today!

(Was not posting Rom 8:28 my way of making you pull out your Bible?? idk :P haha)

Be blessed everyone!