Faithfulness

Having big dreams, visions for your future-they’re all good, especially if they’re God-given dreams.  I definitely acknowledge that having big dreams is an exercise in using your faith.  Dreams give you hope.

But how do we realize these dreams?  Do we just wake up one day with all our dreams coming true?  Maybe so, but that’s highly unlikely.  I don’t think that that’s how God works most of the time.  You see, if everything happens that way, in an instant, we don’t gain any character.  And character is something He definitely wants us to have.  To gain something good, we will more than likely have to work for it.

But we want big things!  We want an amazing job, tons of money, a great house, a beautiful wife.  We want people to respect us for our talent, coworkers to love our personality.  We want to be great!  Is there anything inherently wrong with these things?  I don’t think so.  I think God has great plans for our lives too.  Sometimes it does happen instantly.  When Saul became king of Israel, God chose him, and he instantly became king.  Of course, people already respected Saul, but I’m sure being king was one of his wildest dreams.

With David, it happened differently.  When he was anointed king, he had to wait for years until it finally happened, going through all kinds of trials before he got there.  He learned a lot from leading small groups of soldiers and small armies before he led an entire nation.  Most of the time, greatness happens like this.  Perhaps you are destined for greatness.  It will probably be a long road to get there.  Life will be difficult.  You might be bored sometimes, and you’ll most likely fail more than once.  That’s okay.  Keep going.  Stay faithful to your responsibilities.

Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit for a very good reason.  You’re not always going to feel like doing right.  However, you must remain faithful in the small things.  You want to get married someday?  Try being a good sister or brother to the ones around you.  Do you want to be a great missionary, reaching thousands for Christ?  Try reaching out to your coworkers, especially if it makes you uncomfortable.  Do you want to be a leader?  Be a servant.  Being faithful with the small things is what grows us, making us ready for the big things.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” -Luke 16:10

Mistakes And Glories

Well, today was day 3 in California. Today we went to Vallejo to visit our old apartment and church, and my dad’s old workplace. I was actually only 1 year old when we lived there, so I don’t remember any of it. It was nice to see my parents having fun recalling old memories, though.

Memories are a good thing. Not all of them are pleasant to remember; we’ve all made our share of mistakes. But our bad experiences are a huge part of what makes us who we are today. Learning from those mistakes is essential to living our lives wisely.

The opposite side is good as well. We should always hold dear the good memories of our past. Remembering past glories can allow us to praise God even more for those things. Those triumphs of the past can give us hope for the present.

Of course, it’s never good to dwell in the past too much. We shouldn’t live in shame, guilt or condemnation from past mistakes. We shouldn’t live in regret that our lives now aren’t as good as the glory days. We live in the present, not the past. We should make the most of today. Not letting the past get in the way, we should still keep it in mind. We all have our share of mistakes and glories. They’re part of growing up.

“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” -James 1:23-24

We Need Each Other

Well, we made it to California.  I guess the Lord wasn’t done with me yet, so no airplane crashes.  We visited the Jelly Belly factory today, which was fun.  My youngest brother liked it the most, I think.  Free jelly beans are a good thing.

 

You know, in a factory, no one can do everything on their own.  Each person has a role to play for everything to be accomplished.  The same is true in a family.  I really believe I and the rest of my family would still be starving if it weren’t for my dad.  If it weren’t for my mom, we would probably still be in Pensacola.  This vacation definitely wouldn’t be much fun without my brothers.

 

In the body of Christ, we all have a role to play.  Pastor, intercessor, administrator, secretary, prophet, provider and money-maker, worship leader, musician, teacher: we all have something to contribute.  Each position may butt heads with another from time to time, but that’s to be expected.  We all have a slightly different outlook on life, a different personality, but our diversity is what makes us so great!  We are so different.  That’s amazing.  So many different people, uniting under the one purpose that is Christ: that should be the greatest testimony of all time!  Each one of us should give the greatest respect to our brothers and sisters in Christ, holding each other up as more important than ourselves.  That’s the definition of family.

 

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” -1 Corinthians 12:27

Airplane

I’m writing this from Chicago today.  We’re here on a layover right now, and headed to Oakland in about an hour.

As I was flying over from New Orleans, I was just thinking about the world.  Being up so high and looking down, it gives me a little different perspective on everything.  Every little patch of land down there is a forest, a pasture.  Each one of them is so full of life, so full of potential.  Each house holds people, each one of them has their own life, their own experiences.  I was up in the clouds, away from the earth for a little while.  God transcends the whole universe.  And He chose… me?  That gives me some perspective.

Another cool thing about flying is the turbulence.  We had a whole lot today.  It’s nice to know your life is out of your hands sometimes.  I just need to trust God, the pilots and air traffic controllers to keep me safe.  There’s nothing like the feeling that your life could end at any second.  I have to actively use some faith that God isn’t done with me yet…

“Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.” -Psalm 32:10

Stress

Well, today was the first day of vacation.  I’m writing right now from a hotel room in New Orleans.  We’ll fly out in the morning to California.  Thank the Lord for wireless Internet!

One thing I noticed today as everyone was trying to get out of the house: the stress level was extremely high.  Personally, my allergies were killing me this morning.  I got really frustrated, and I even snapped at my mom one time.  It really wasn’t a good time for any of us, trying to pack everything and get on the road.

What is the solution to all this stress?  I’ll tell you one thing I’ve learned to do: pray.  Really, sometimes it’s the only thing you can do.  Take a quick break and acknowledge God as your provider.  Keep an open heart towards God.  Let Him get you through trying times.  Be quick to forgive the ones who offend you.  By relying on God, and less on your own strength, by putting your problems in His hands, you basically give all your stress away.  I’m not saying it will be painless.  I’m sure it won’t.  But Jesus really can heal wounded hearts.  It’s only by trusting in Him that we have any hope of coming out of a stressful situation with our hearts in one piece.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:29-30

Adventure

Well, tomorrow my family and I head out on vacation.  We’ll be in California and Hawaii for about a month.  I’ll try to update this blog as much as possible, but I’ll probably end up missing a few more days than I’d like to.  It’s okay, though.  I’ll live not being able to blog every day.  My life is way more than this blog, but this has definitely been a most enjoyable discipline I’ve started.  I do love to write.

Hopefully, when I do get a chance to write, I’ll have something interesting to say.  I’m definitely anticipating this trip to be a very amazing one.  I hope to grow closer to God,my family and my own soul.  It will definiely be an adventure.  I’ll have new things to see and new people to meet, old friends and family to see again.

As I’m thinking about this, I’m wondering: shouldn’t my whole life be an adventure?  You never know where God will lead you.  When a heart is fully submitted to God, who knows what it will become?  I’m 20 years old, guys.  I have no job, no girlfriend and no clear calling I’m working toward.  Now more than ever, I want to be an open vessel, letting God lead my steps.  For who else could be a better guide?  Life is much more than a job, a wife or a city to live in: God has much bigger plans for me, much better plans for you.  Pouring out our lives for Him: what could be a higher calling than serving the creator of the universe in every way He wants you to?

We should be ready for anything.  Be ready for the call of God to come on your heart.  Life really is all about Jesus.  If we aren’t ready to go when the call comes, we will be left out of the wedding party.  Keep your lamp burning.  Be prepared.  Jesus will come like a thief in the night, but if we are ready for Him, we will not be surprised.  We are children of the light, not darkness.  Don’t get sidetracked by life’s daily grind.  A job?  Fine.  You need to support yourself, of course.  But what is your greater calling, what your heart burns for?  Chase after it, that greater vision from God.  That is your adventure.

We’re all just people on this earth.  There’reabout six billion of us here.  What can you do to change this world?  Probably a heckuva lot more than you know.  But God knows.  That’s why we have to listen to His voice.  He’ll speak to you.  Just listen.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” -Ephesians 5:15-16

Oppression

This morning at church in Pensacola, some of our pastoral team were believed to have experienced some demonic oppression.  I didn’t experience this first-hand, so I’ll just relate the story as it was told to me.

In the first service this morning, our associate pastor who is a pretty old guy started getting confused during his sermon.  He started getting flustered, losing his place and repeating himself.  He started pacing on stage for minutes without saying a thing.  It came to a point where our team of elders an pastors had to basically stop the service for a while and pray for him.  (At this same time according to him, our children’s pastor was also experiencing this same spirit of confusion)  After prayer, our pastor was able to finish the service strong.  I went to the second service, and it was great.  Our pastor did a great job bringing the word.  I didn’t see one hint of the confusion he had experienced just hours before.

I relate all this just to say, the devil is real.  He really attacks us, so we have to be ready to fight back.  We can fight back, and we must if we want to defeat the power of evil.  We can’t run away.  We must face demonic oppression head-on by the power of Jesus Christ.  Our weapon in the Word of God, so we must hide the Word in our hearts.  Memorizing scripture is a powerful tool in our fight against the devil, one that we must learn to use well.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
-James 4:7

Praises!

I just wanted to say today, I love Jesus! 
He really is the greatest.
For everything I’ve gone through, He’s been there.
He’s never let me down, not even once.
Even when I let myself down, He’s always there to lift me back up again.

The more I listen to God, the more joy I have.
The more I put my trust in God, the more peace I have.
The more I wait on God, the more patience I have.
The more I give my heart to God, the more love I have.
The more I follow God, the more kindness I have.

Who can compare to the greatness of my God?  No one.
What earthly passion is greater than His love?  Nothing.
Where can I ever go to escape His love?  Nowhere.
(Well, hell, I guess… but I’m not going there)
How can I grow?  By getting closer to Jesus.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
       all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
       To him belongs eternal praise.”
-Psalm 111:10

With A Smile

I get so frustrated every time I see someone putting another person down, especially when I have no ability to help the situation.  Some people have a tendency to be very condescending, and I suppose I may be one of them.  I don’t think anything could be much more selfish than joking about someone else’s weaknesses and failings.  Saying a very hurtful thing with a smile is, I believe, just another way our own insecurity shows itself.

Is there some predisposition in all of us to want to feel better than someone else?  Well, yeah.  It’s called sin.  And we all struggle with it.  The things I hate about sin are usually the things I struggle with myself, and are the easiest to resent in others.  I think that a condescending attitude comes primarily through our own insecurity with ourselves.

I think I may write another post about this topic in the future.  In closing, here’s a verse:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” -Philippians 2:3

Legalism

It is so easy to get trapped in the pit of legalism.  Laws are how society works, right?  You don’t do these certain things, and you don’t get punished.  Everything’s good.  You pay your taxes, your debt to society.  You may even do a little community service, some charity work to let everyone know how much you care.  You may be a little shocked to read this, but according to the Bible, all that is worthless in gaining our salvation.  What’s that?  Well, what about the ten commandments?  What about all those “thou shalt not’s” and paying tithe money?  None of those things can bring us any closer to salvation.

As humans, I think it’s easy to be very task-oriented.  We need a schedule, a daily planner.  We need at least a B+ in that class.  We need to spent x amount of time with our children to be a “good father.”  If we just work hard, expect that raise in three months.  You know what?  Give two hundred strangers each a new car, and you’ll be the most respected person in the nation.  Go lock yourself up in a monastery on the top of a mountain, and you’ll be the holiest guy ever.  That’s just how the world works.  It’s all politics: please people, and you win.  But that’s not how God works.

You see, God knows that we can never do enough good things to make up for even one act of rebellion.  He is the sovereign Lord of creation.  We deserve death, so why should He even care how much “good” we do?  He still knows what you do in secret, in your heart.  It is only by His grace that we are saved from death.  It was His choice to show us mercy, and I don’t know about you, but I sure am grateful for that.  Of course, we still shouldn’t sin.  The Biblical law is still there to give us some guidelines, but our righteousness is nothing compared to His holiness.  We can’t make ourselves holy; God is the only one who can.

Trusting in His grace: that’s our only hope for perfection.  Only the blood of Jesus has the power to completely wash away sin.  Our faith, however small and insignificant it may seem, will shine brightest when placed in the ultimate source of light, the Lord God.  The Bible says it best:

“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” -Galations 2:21