well, this is the last time that i will be on the computer for 2 weeks. i am leaving for Ethiopia for a missions trip. never in my life have i thought or even wanted to go to africa and yet here and i am, excited and nervous about going. I can't believe all that God has been doing through me and for this trip so far. He provided all the funds for it and I never even had to really ask for money, it just came when i needed it. i have had poor health for quite awhile now and yet God is sending me to a place that doesn't really have modern medicine. i am going to a village of lepers, that's weird and scary. i talked to a person recently and they didn't even know that leprosy was still around. it is. i am going to help an orphanage that is run by widows and i've never been married or had kids yet i'm helping them. heck, i'm still a kid myself. God uses the most unlikely people to do His work. i can tell you all that right now. i would not ever pick me to do anything for the Creator of the universe and yet He seems perfectly fine and willing to let me do it, how cool is that. i get to serve the King, the Creator, God. i feel small.
yet there is much to praise and pray for: that i am able to go, that a stinkin' huge blessing to me and hopefully to those whom i go to. i am going with a great team of people who are going to be a lot of fun. i get to go with my dad, that is crazy. most sons would never get the chance to do something like this with their dad's yet i get to and i am excited for that. please pray though. pray that God would give us all strength. we are all humans just like you going into a place that we are not used to, we need prayer more than ever now. grace, that we would love and spew out grace on one another and on those around us so that we can be a testimony to those whom we meet. and pray for the souls of the people that we get to come in contact with on this trip. pray that God would save some and that we would be the instruments that He uses to do that. pray for the lost, for the sick, for the poor, for the orphan, for the widow, for the leper. allow us to bless them and show Christ to them. help through to love God more because of this. help us to love God more through this trip.
To God Be The Glory
Living Out Unseen Things
please pray
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
another year comes and goes
so this last year has been quite eventful for our family: we got another brother, as well as a brother-in-law, garrett graduated, kim got married, moved away, and is now expecting a kid (she thinks a girl), i got a job where i have to talk to people all the time, garrett works at nike now, john is speaking fairly good english now, i destroyed my car, my parents have changed churches and priceless granite is still in business; all in all, a pretty full year.
now to look ahead though. i worked last night and so i didn't go to any year-end parties and so when i got home, i took some time to study. my mind naturally started to wondering and i ended up thinking about the year and what i wanted to change for this next year. i think about sin, study habits, loves, and how i spend my time often but i must say that i am rather lazy. i enjoy sitting in a comfy chair with a cup of coffee and just thinking about whatever comes into my head, that's enjoyable to me. i know that there is nothing wrong with thinking, many people my age need to do much more thinking and less time moving, but for me, i want to work on thinking actively, with pen in hand and thinking about things and pushing the envelope. i want to stop being complacent. this is going to be very difficult for me. this will be difficult because i get tired easy and when i get tired, i get cranky. i don't want that to be me though, i want to have joy in all of this.
so basically, i want this to be a year where i fight myself and my natural tendencies so that i can become a person whom i want to be. the person whom i am now is no good. i turn 21 this year, i think it is time to grow up.
now to look ahead though. i worked last night and so i didn't go to any year-end parties and so when i got home, i took some time to study. my mind naturally started to wondering and i ended up thinking about the year and what i wanted to change for this next year. i think about sin, study habits, loves, and how i spend my time often but i must say that i am rather lazy. i enjoy sitting in a comfy chair with a cup of coffee and just thinking about whatever comes into my head, that's enjoyable to me. i know that there is nothing wrong with thinking, many people my age need to do much more thinking and less time moving, but for me, i want to work on thinking actively, with pen in hand and thinking about things and pushing the envelope. i want to stop being complacent. this is going to be very difficult for me. this will be difficult because i get tired easy and when i get tired, i get cranky. i don't want that to be me though, i want to have joy in all of this.
so basically, i want this to be a year where i fight myself and my natural tendencies so that i can become a person whom i want to be. the person whom i am now is no good. i turn 21 this year, i think it is time to grow up.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Be Still
it seems like there are tons of people around me who are going through tough times at the moment. things just seem to be going poorly for people. i wouldn't say that things are going awesome for me but i would say that i am used to things not being perfect and so when things aren't good in my life, i'm completely fine with it. this is not to brag that i handle things well but more to say that my life isn't going perfect and thus disqualify me from making the following comments. my life is generally a struggle, but a good struggle.
i was thinking about these people around me though and trying to think of something to tell them that would encourage them and help them get through these tough times. i was thinking about it and an old song that i used to sing in choir came to mind. the song is called "Be Still" and it is based off of Psalm 46:10a "Be still, and know that I am God." the verses leading up to this verse is all about the works of God and all that he can do and does, mostly in a wartime setting. verse 10 is then just kinda thrown in there almost as if to make us stop and take a double take at this verse. the author then gives the sum up and calls us back to the point that he was trying to make and the point that he introduced in the beginning, that God is our fortress, our refuge and strength.
i like the first part of verse 10 though, "Be still" our culture is all about going and moving, more coffee to keep us going, and more stuff to keep our attention from ever having to think on it's own. this verse is just telling us to stop, sit down, and KNOW that God is God. that is a chilling thing to think about. to just sit and think about the fact that God is God and we are not and that we don't have to worry about anything, God is the one who moves mountains, He is the one who causes the seas to churn, and He is the one who causes all things to happen. we don't have to figure out why or how or anything, we just have to trust, do still, and know that He is God and that He is going to take care of it. we just must be faithful. God is God. He does it all.
we can worry about life and struggle and work to make things right, but we are not called to do that. we are called to be still and know that He is God. we can then think about what we should be doing, if anything, and go from there. first though, we must be still.
to take this even further though: while being still and figuring out what we can be doing, in all this, we must also be trusting that God will take care of it all. it isn't enough to know and think that He will take care of it all, we just actually trust Him to do it and to put our faith in Him to do it. faith requires action but this faith, this action, is probably going to be not action. it is going to be a trust God thing. what are you going to do about something? oh, i'm going to let God take care of it. this is actively non-active. this isn't laying in bed, trusting that God is going to pay your bills. this is busting your butt and trusting God to provide you with work so that you can pay your bills. if there is no work, then you continue to trust God and allow Him to work and bring you work. you don't need to worry about the lack of work, you just have to worry about what you are doing in the absence of the work. you are responsible for your time on earth, not on if work comes to you. if no work, then there is more time to witness about how you trust God to bring you work and He will then bring you work, though not always in the way that you think.
if something bad happens in your life, being still would mean that you don't worry about the bad in your life, but you rather look to God and see Him and His greatness and know that He is God and that He has ordained all things for some reason. bad things do happen and will always happen on this earth, we don't have to worry about finding bad things to happen to us, they will find us. what we have to worry about is how we handle them. it is easy to get mad or angry when bad things happen to us, and that would be the wrong response. we are called here to be still and know that He is God. so even when the bad things happen, we can know that a sovereign God is doing it, a God who is our refuge and strength. how can He be our refuge when He ordains bad things to happen to us? because while they may seem like bad things, they are for the best.
i think i should write more on this but my mind has just decided to shut down and so i am going to stop here.
i was thinking about these people around me though and trying to think of something to tell them that would encourage them and help them get through these tough times. i was thinking about it and an old song that i used to sing in choir came to mind. the song is called "Be Still" and it is based off of Psalm 46:10a "Be still, and know that I am God." the verses leading up to this verse is all about the works of God and all that he can do and does, mostly in a wartime setting. verse 10 is then just kinda thrown in there almost as if to make us stop and take a double take at this verse. the author then gives the sum up and calls us back to the point that he was trying to make and the point that he introduced in the beginning, that God is our fortress, our refuge and strength.
i like the first part of verse 10 though, "Be still" our culture is all about going and moving, more coffee to keep us going, and more stuff to keep our attention from ever having to think on it's own. this verse is just telling us to stop, sit down, and KNOW that God is God. that is a chilling thing to think about. to just sit and think about the fact that God is God and we are not and that we don't have to worry about anything, God is the one who moves mountains, He is the one who causes the seas to churn, and He is the one who causes all things to happen. we don't have to figure out why or how or anything, we just have to trust, do still, and know that He is God and that He is going to take care of it. we just must be faithful. God is God. He does it all.
we can worry about life and struggle and work to make things right, but we are not called to do that. we are called to be still and know that He is God. we can then think about what we should be doing, if anything, and go from there. first though, we must be still.
to take this even further though: while being still and figuring out what we can be doing, in all this, we must also be trusting that God will take care of it all. it isn't enough to know and think that He will take care of it all, we just actually trust Him to do it and to put our faith in Him to do it. faith requires action but this faith, this action, is probably going to be not action. it is going to be a trust God thing. what are you going to do about something? oh, i'm going to let God take care of it. this is actively non-active. this isn't laying in bed, trusting that God is going to pay your bills. this is busting your butt and trusting God to provide you with work so that you can pay your bills. if there is no work, then you continue to trust God and allow Him to work and bring you work. you don't need to worry about the lack of work, you just have to worry about what you are doing in the absence of the work. you are responsible for your time on earth, not on if work comes to you. if no work, then there is more time to witness about how you trust God to bring you work and He will then bring you work, though not always in the way that you think.
if something bad happens in your life, being still would mean that you don't worry about the bad in your life, but you rather look to God and see Him and His greatness and know that He is God and that He has ordained all things for some reason. bad things do happen and will always happen on this earth, we don't have to worry about finding bad things to happen to us, they will find us. what we have to worry about is how we handle them. it is easy to get mad or angry when bad things happen to us, and that would be the wrong response. we are called here to be still and know that He is God. so even when the bad things happen, we can know that a sovereign God is doing it, a God who is our refuge and strength. how can He be our refuge when He ordains bad things to happen to us? because while they may seem like bad things, they are for the best.
i think i should write more on this but my mind has just decided to shut down and so i am going to stop here.
Friday, August 6, 2010
God saves sinners
tonight we have our first "out of the box" event for a long time. as the intern, i'm kinda leading it, i guess, as such, i am going through the gospel and the things that it takes to be saved. going back to the basics is a really good thing to do. i have actually been having a hard day today and thinking through the gospel has been a great exercise for my encouragement. to think that there is a Holy God and we are sinful men and we are the ones who sinned. God then sent His only Son to die for our sins and then raised Him from the dead. all we must do it to confess that we have sinned and that it is only through Jesus Christ that we can be saved from our sin and that He will save us and we will be saved. this is an amazing and mind blowing truth. to think that God created us and yet rebelled and instead of killing us he provided a way for us to have union with Him again. that doesn't make sense to the human mind. we get even with people who wrong us, God, instead, gives us blessings.
i don't get excited much or about much even and yet i think i am getting excited about tonight. to have an opportunity to share this great news with people should be and will be a great treat for us as believers. i am still scared, but i pray that my excitement will over throw my selfish stupidity. God is in control, so why should i fear anything, silly me, haha. we serve a big God who loves to care for us.
as the people in Ethiopia say, "God is good, all the time"
i don't get excited much or about much even and yet i think i am getting excited about tonight. to have an opportunity to share this great news with people should be and will be a great treat for us as believers. i am still scared, but i pray that my excitement will over throw my selfish stupidity. God is in control, so why should i fear anything, silly me, haha. we serve a big God who loves to care for us.
as the people in Ethiopia say, "God is good, all the time"
Sunday, July 18, 2010
the joy of the Lord
it is fun to sit and listen to our church choir sing. i actually really enjoy this. there is something that i enjoy more than this though: to watch my brother John sing and listen and smile as he hears the words and music. he really loves to sing. it's awesome to watch. to think that God worked many crazy things together so that he could be here is something even more amazing. if God hadn't worked hundreds of things together, there would have been no way for him to be here now. yet here he is, sitting next to me, listening and singing songs to God. please continue to pray for him, we are not certain of the state of his soul. he understands sin, though i'm not sure as to how much he understands atonement and Christ's work on the cross for him. he really is a great kid.
it's also great to watch my other brother Garrett sing in the choir this year. he just started in the choir but he has always loved to sing, even though it bugs me at times. he is seriously always singing. i wish that i was like that. as christian, we are always to be singing our saviors praise, he does things. he really is always singing, even in the shower at times. it is cool to watch him grow up. he is still very much a kid most of the time with his friends, but he is good at being serious when he needs to be. he just needs to learn when to be serious at certain times, because unless he is called or told to lead, he doesn't so much. he'll grow up though, he is the most disciplined person i know so i know that it is just a matter of time. i do wish i could have fun like him. my idea of fun isn't so fun, i generally just read or something, but people love him. he really is a huge leader, i just am not sure how much he realizes this. anyways, i've got off topic. it has been great to watch him sing on sundays and then also tonight at the concert.
it's also great to watch my other brother Garrett sing in the choir this year. he just started in the choir but he has always loved to sing, even though it bugs me at times. he is seriously always singing. i wish that i was like that. as christian, we are always to be singing our saviors praise, he does things. he really is always singing, even in the shower at times. it is cool to watch him grow up. he is still very much a kid most of the time with his friends, but he is good at being serious when he needs to be. he just needs to learn when to be serious at certain times, because unless he is called or told to lead, he doesn't so much. he'll grow up though, he is the most disciplined person i know so i know that it is just a matter of time. i do wish i could have fun like him. my idea of fun isn't so fun, i generally just read or something, but people love him. he really is a huge leader, i just am not sure how much he realizes this. anyways, i've got off topic. it has been great to watch him sing on sundays and then also tonight at the concert.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
"By this we know love..."
so tonight i was closing my eyes to go to bed and my mind was kinda sleepy but i wanted to go to sleep thinking of something good so i thought about a verse that i am studying to teach this wednesday.
1 John 3:16 "By this we know love, the he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers"
the first phrase really got me thinking and after a hour of thinking and 600 words, i figured i would write down some of my thoughts here.
"By this we know love..." how amazing is it that we know what love is because of what the Father and the Son has done for us. just as children learn to live and love from their parents, so we learn to live and love from our heavenly Father. we are His sons, we are like Him and so we should live and love like Him. in Matthew, we learn the greatest commandment, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strengthen, while the second greatest commandment is like it, that we should love our neighbor as ourselves.
as Christ gave up His life for us, so we should give our life to Him. if we give our life to Him, then we should live our life the way that He would want us to live it.
my mind is seriously going in a million different directions a million miles per hour because of this phrase. this verse reveals a trait of God in it's entirety and it is the trait that means that most to us because this trait is what saves us from ourselves and brings us back to God.
i'm having a hard time writing my thoughts down because of how awesome this verse is and what it means to us. we get to know and see God's love for us and we also get to know how we are to live our lives. this is what it is to be Christian, to live and love as Christ.
1 John 3:16 "By this we know love, the he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers"
the first phrase really got me thinking and after a hour of thinking and 600 words, i figured i would write down some of my thoughts here.
"By this we know love..." how amazing is it that we know what love is because of what the Father and the Son has done for us. just as children learn to live and love from their parents, so we learn to live and love from our heavenly Father. we are His sons, we are like Him and so we should live and love like Him. in Matthew, we learn the greatest commandment, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strengthen, while the second greatest commandment is like it, that we should love our neighbor as ourselves.
as Christ gave up His life for us, so we should give our life to Him. if we give our life to Him, then we should live our life the way that He would want us to live it.
my mind is seriously going in a million different directions a million miles per hour because of this phrase. this verse reveals a trait of God in it's entirety and it is the trait that means that most to us because this trait is what saves us from ourselves and brings us back to God.
i'm having a hard time writing my thoughts down because of how awesome this verse is and what it means to us. we get to know and see God's love for us and we also get to know how we are to live our lives. this is what it is to be Christian, to live and love as Christ.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
first public day on the job
a few hours ago (i would say earlier today but it is no longer the same day so yeah) i taught for the first time this summer in one28. i am very surprised as to how comfortable i was speaking. it seemed normal and i wasn't really nervous to speak though i am always nervous about the content of my messages. i would say that i could have known my passage better. i think for this next time i will spend much more time mediating on the passage before i start to read about it and then mediate on it some more after i researched some. i just need to know the passage better. i have heard positive reports as to my delivery of it though it will be interesting to hopefully hear about the students response to the message after a small group or something. i hope that the message itself will draw much conversation because it probably does hit so close to home on so many of the students. i want to see people fall radically in love with Christ and with living for Him. this was my message in a nut shell.
well, i need to get up in a few hours so i am going to bed now. there is never enough time in a day.
well, i need to get up in a few hours so i am going to bed now. there is never enough time in a day.
Friday, June 11, 2010
problems with rain
well, i got up with morning and when i got out of the shower around 4, i could hear this very annoying buzzing sound but i could NOT find where it was coming from. so i just ignored it. i thought the neighbor has left some of the work equipment or something, oh well.
well, when i went outside to get a propane tank from the back so that my dad could fill it at work, i found the source of the rather annoying sound. there was a little box on the back wall of our house and when i went up and looked at it, it says TANK ALARM. hmmm.... i wonder which tank this is? so it was about 5 in the morning at this time and i had to leave and i knew my dad would be getting up any minute so i went and told him what was going on. he came out to turn off the alarm, which was a relief, and then went inside to do something or other. i then left for my morning meeting.
the ironic thing about all this is that just last night, we were talking about how we were hoping that we wouldn't have troubles with our septic tank, bam! we got a wee bit of trouble. oh well though, at least it isn't the morning of the wedding, right.
well, when i went outside to get a propane tank from the back so that my dad could fill it at work, i found the source of the rather annoying sound. there was a little box on the back wall of our house and when i went up and looked at it, it says TANK ALARM. hmmm.... i wonder which tank this is? so it was about 5 in the morning at this time and i had to leave and i knew my dad would be getting up any minute so i went and told him what was going on. he came out to turn off the alarm, which was a relief, and then went inside to do something or other. i then left for my morning meeting.
the ironic thing about all this is that just last night, we were talking about how we were hoping that we wouldn't have troubles with our septic tank, bam! we got a wee bit of trouble. oh well though, at least it isn't the morning of the wedding, right.
Monday, June 7, 2010
MY call
Psalms 24:3-6
Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
5He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
so i am currently interning for one28, our church youth ministry, and one of the responsibilities i have is to teach on corporate one28 wednesday nights, so i have been studying to do so. perhaps the most annoying and amazing parts about this studying and work is the fact that you have to have a constant clear conscience before God in order to do it right. i have worked at another job this past school year and it never really matter what mood i was in at work. i could be mad, happy, or whatever and i could still polish granite to the same standard. studying and teaching God Word is not at all like this. i have to be pure. i have to have confessed and repented of everything i can think of that is sin in my life. i can't hold on to anything in this life in order to simply do my job, which is what makes this job difficult and at the same time, completely worth it. this job is not enjoyable when i want to sin or have just sinned, but it is enjoyable cuz it makes it so that i feel like i can't/shouldn't sin. i am compelled to do this job, and there is little else that i think is worth doing. i wish that i could do an easy job, i am the laziest person alive, i think. i wish i could do a job that doesn't take my whole being. yet i know that there is no other job that i can do and feel whole doing. there is nothing else that i prefer/want to do. i get to do what i want to do. are you?
Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
5He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
so i am currently interning for one28, our church youth ministry, and one of the responsibilities i have is to teach on corporate one28 wednesday nights, so i have been studying to do so. perhaps the most annoying and amazing parts about this studying and work is the fact that you have to have a constant clear conscience before God in order to do it right. i have worked at another job this past school year and it never really matter what mood i was in at work. i could be mad, happy, or whatever and i could still polish granite to the same standard. studying and teaching God Word is not at all like this. i have to be pure. i have to have confessed and repented of everything i can think of that is sin in my life. i can't hold on to anything in this life in order to simply do my job, which is what makes this job difficult and at the same time, completely worth it. this job is not enjoyable when i want to sin or have just sinned, but it is enjoyable cuz it makes it so that i feel like i can't/shouldn't sin. i am compelled to do this job, and there is little else that i think is worth doing. i wish that i could do an easy job, i am the laziest person alive, i think. i wish i could do a job that doesn't take my whole being. yet i know that there is no other job that i can do and feel whole doing. there is nothing else that i prefer/want to do. i get to do what i want to do. are you?
Thursday, June 3, 2010
great cloud of witnesses
i must say that there is little better for the use of encouragement then christian fellowship and brotherly love. i started a new job this week at the church as the intern and while everyone around me is super busy with graduation and such, they are always quick to help me or offer me advice or to tell me something that i probably don't know or remember. it has been great thus far and i am excited for the rest of the summer. this is something that i could get used to, working with people who love their job, love God, and love you. it has been great.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Christology
Philippians 2:1-11
"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
i want to look at verse 6-11 specifically because, as far as i know, these sum up the infinite person of Christ and His deity fairly well (haha, sum up infinity, but yeah, i said it).
first, Jesus is in the form of God meaning that He is God. then He became a man through the virgin birth. by becoming a man, he became the ultimate servant for the more power that you give up, the greater the servant you become. the creator served the creation, you can't lower yourself much more and yet Christ did. He submitted to the Father's will towards us, to serve us so that we may have life with Him. to serve us, He sacrificed Himself on the cross. since He did this, the Father has greatly exalted Him and made it so that He is the only way for us to get to the Father. He is the only one to save. only through Him do we have eternal life for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. one day, every person and thing will confess that Jesus is Lord and this is all for the glory of the Father. so the Father glorified the Son, the Son glorifies the Father, the Son glorifies the Spirit and they all work together to show each other off. they are the epitome of love, for they love each person as much as themselves, serve each other, glorifying each other, and we, mankind, get to share in this in the fact that we were created for the glory of God. we were created so that the triune God could show Himself off through and to us. we are the example to the angels for how to act and worship. what a glorious thing. we are not robots or mindless zombies, but people who have wills that we are allowed to use to glorify God with.
we only have one life, are you going to use it the way the great triune God intended us to use it, for His glory and our satisfaction?
yes, God created us so that we would be most satisfied in this life when we are most saturated with Him. what a marvelous thing. our best life is the life that we are meant to live. the best thing that we can do is also the thing that we are supposed to do.
well, i can just keep going on this topic probably for eternity for God is infinite so i will end this here this time.
"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
i want to look at verse 6-11 specifically because, as far as i know, these sum up the infinite person of Christ and His deity fairly well (haha, sum up infinity, but yeah, i said it).
first, Jesus is in the form of God meaning that He is God. then He became a man through the virgin birth. by becoming a man, he became the ultimate servant for the more power that you give up, the greater the servant you become. the creator served the creation, you can't lower yourself much more and yet Christ did. He submitted to the Father's will towards us, to serve us so that we may have life with Him. to serve us, He sacrificed Himself on the cross. since He did this, the Father has greatly exalted Him and made it so that He is the only way for us to get to the Father. He is the only one to save. only through Him do we have eternal life for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. one day, every person and thing will confess that Jesus is Lord and this is all for the glory of the Father. so the Father glorified the Son, the Son glorifies the Father, the Son glorifies the Spirit and they all work together to show each other off. they are the epitome of love, for they love each person as much as themselves, serve each other, glorifying each other, and we, mankind, get to share in this in the fact that we were created for the glory of God. we were created so that the triune God could show Himself off through and to us. we are the example to the angels for how to act and worship. what a glorious thing. we are not robots or mindless zombies, but people who have wills that we are allowed to use to glorify God with.
we only have one life, are you going to use it the way the great triune God intended us to use it, for His glory and our satisfaction?
yes, God created us so that we would be most satisfied in this life when we are most saturated with Him. what a marvelous thing. our best life is the life that we are meant to live. the best thing that we can do is also the thing that we are supposed to do.
well, i can just keep going on this topic probably for eternity for God is infinite so i will end this here this time.
looming judgement
James 3:1 "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness."
this verse has been in the back of my mind for awhile now and today, it is seriously looming over me. tomorrow i start my internship at the church and i have to finalize what passage i'm going to be teaching on this summer. just thinking through it all is seriously nerve racking. i feel very small, unlearned, and unqualified. "lucky" for me, i have an infinite God whom i can go do in prayer who will comfort and guide me as well as many older man around me who would love to help me if i asked. God is good to encourage we who are weak so that we can handle our small burdens of life for after He takes our burden of sin away, we have so little to worry about. all we must do is be faithful, which, in and of itself, is impossible for us, but through Christ, all things are possible.
this verse has been in the back of my mind for awhile now and today, it is seriously looming over me. tomorrow i start my internship at the church and i have to finalize what passage i'm going to be teaching on this summer. just thinking through it all is seriously nerve racking. i feel very small, unlearned, and unqualified. "lucky" for me, i have an infinite God whom i can go do in prayer who will comfort and guide me as well as many older man around me who would love to help me if i asked. God is good to encourage we who are weak so that we can handle our small burdens of life for after He takes our burden of sin away, we have so little to worry about. all we must do is be faithful, which, in and of itself, is impossible for us, but through Christ, all things are possible.
Monday, May 24, 2010
here i stand, i can do no other
with the discussion of membership and apostasy, i would like to discuss offense and where we draw the line. i know i am young, but this is how i understand it and how i believe the bible stands on the topic and how i am going to live my life till proved otherwise.
the bible clearly says that the world will hate us, but not because of us (or at least it shouldn't be because of us, they should love us) but because of our message. we are to present our message the best we can so as to win men but men will still hate us unless God calls them. it is a very bad thing if the brethren has a problem with our message because they are to help us by way of accountability. so, what if a brother has a problem with our message? we are to sit down together and reason through scripture to either be reconciled or to agree that it is a minor doctrine and that there are 2 ways to understand it and that we are to both be fully convinced in our minds so that our conscience is clear.
where is the line though? where can we stop arguing and to live and differ in peace? the bible clearly draws lines as to where we can not fudge. the doctrine of Christ and of salvation and of the Trinity. i'm sure there are a few others but they escape me at the moment.
these things though are very much linked and important. they pertain to the kingdom of heaven:
- Christ: He is the Holy Son of God who is fully God and became fully man through the virgin birth. He then died on the cross and was buried and rose again on the third day. He was then taken up to heaven at the appointed time.
- salvation: when Christ died, He died for the sins of the world, taking all that sin upon Himself. He then defeated death by rising again, thus allowing us to rise again with Him in the last day.
- Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: all separate and yet still one God. the Father is judge, the Son is the sacrifice and advocate for the elect, while the Spirit works salvation in the believer and works sanctification in him.
these things can not be altered
the bible clearly says that the world will hate us, but not because of us (or at least it shouldn't be because of us, they should love us) but because of our message. we are to present our message the best we can so as to win men but men will still hate us unless God calls them. it is a very bad thing if the brethren has a problem with our message because they are to help us by way of accountability. so, what if a brother has a problem with our message? we are to sit down together and reason through scripture to either be reconciled or to agree that it is a minor doctrine and that there are 2 ways to understand it and that we are to both be fully convinced in our minds so that our conscience is clear.
where is the line though? where can we stop arguing and to live and differ in peace? the bible clearly draws lines as to where we can not fudge. the doctrine of Christ and of salvation and of the Trinity. i'm sure there are a few others but they escape me at the moment.
these things though are very much linked and important. they pertain to the kingdom of heaven:
- Christ: He is the Holy Son of God who is fully God and became fully man through the virgin birth. He then died on the cross and was buried and rose again on the third day. He was then taken up to heaven at the appointed time.
- salvation: when Christ died, He died for the sins of the world, taking all that sin upon Himself. He then defeated death by rising again, thus allowing us to rise again with Him in the last day.
- Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: all separate and yet still one God. the Father is judge, the Son is the sacrifice and advocate for the elect, while the Spirit works salvation in the believer and works sanctification in him.
these things can not be altered
Saturday, May 22, 2010
personal holiness, but for who's sake?
i often find myself thinking about how i should be acting for my future congregation (if God gives me one) or future wife (again, if God gives me one :). i think about things like personal holiness, purity, knowing the bible, and things like these and how i need to have them in my life for their sakes, which is true, i should have them in my life for them, but truer still, i must have these sorts of things in my life for my sake and God's sake for i must desire a relationship with Him first BEFORE i can think of others.
when i say "before", so as to dispel some wrong notions, this "before" is not a measure of time but of importance. the first thing on a believer's mind should be God and how they (believer and God) are doing, and then second should be other people.
this comes back to the greatest commandment, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength" all commandments can be summed up in this one and the next one, "Love your neighbor as yourself" if you do these things perfectly, you fulfill the whole law. what a glorious thought! this shows that God had all male disciple (at least one thing) because God summed everything up into 2 things so that we could remember them :)
all things boil down to love so compare all that you do, if it is FIRST loving towards God and then loving towards ALL men, then you should do it.
(when i say "all men" i mean all but God does give some other laws about which men we are to follow at certain time, i.e. authority)
when i say "before", so as to dispel some wrong notions, this "before" is not a measure of time but of importance. the first thing on a believer's mind should be God and how they (believer and God) are doing, and then second should be other people.
this comes back to the greatest commandment, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength" all commandments can be summed up in this one and the next one, "Love your neighbor as yourself" if you do these things perfectly, you fulfill the whole law. what a glorious thought! this shows that God had all male disciple (at least one thing) because God summed everything up into 2 things so that we could remember them :)
all things boil down to love so compare all that you do, if it is FIRST loving towards God and then loving towards ALL men, then you should do it.
(when i say "all men" i mean all but God does give some other laws about which men we are to follow at certain time, i.e. authority)
Monday, May 10, 2010
fill your mind with unseen things
of late, i have struggled upon the notion of having joy in life when there is so much sin, past and possible future, in my Mind that grieves me. How do you enjoy a person, God, when you know that you have and will continue to cause them pain?
i believe i have found a solution to beat the joy and the sin problem in my life and mind by way of a message given by SKH yesterday.
i must look at this in a logical progression.
first, how do we not sin? there is only one way that i see this could happen and that is if sin is removed from our minds. to have no sin in our thoughts would make it impossible for us to do, would it not? so then, the next question must be how do we remove sin from our mins? by replacing it with something else. so what can we put into our minds to replace the sin in our minds with something that is not sin? the only thing that is right and commanded to fill our minds (Mt. 22:34-40) is, in fact, God. He is the only one who can drive out sin and replace it with something better. but, what ho! Christ/God is also the thing that will bring us joy. by allowing Him to pervade our thoughts, we are filling our minds with what they were meant to be filled with. what a glorious and simple truth!
God created us so that He would be the greatest "thing" for us. this isn't arrogant but great, for He is infinite, eternal, and omnipotent. so He is always with us and we can't get away from Him. so to enjoy Him is good for He is always there to be enjoyed.
i believe i have found a solution to beat the joy and the sin problem in my life and mind by way of a message given by SKH yesterday.
i must look at this in a logical progression.
first, how do we not sin? there is only one way that i see this could happen and that is if sin is removed from our minds. to have no sin in our thoughts would make it impossible for us to do, would it not? so then, the next question must be how do we remove sin from our mins? by replacing it with something else. so what can we put into our minds to replace the sin in our minds with something that is not sin? the only thing that is right and commanded to fill our minds (Mt. 22:34-40) is, in fact, God. He is the only one who can drive out sin and replace it with something better. but, what ho! Christ/God is also the thing that will bring us joy. by allowing Him to pervade our thoughts, we are filling our minds with what they were meant to be filled with. what a glorious and simple truth!
God created us so that He would be the greatest "thing" for us. this isn't arrogant but great, for He is infinite, eternal, and omnipotent. so He is always with us and we can't get away from Him. so to enjoy Him is good for He is always there to be enjoyed.
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