Until next time ...

... more like prayerful reconstruction!

Please pray me through this process as God beautifully interrupts MY plans for His will.

Grace and peace

Mere Christianity: Quote 3 of 5

3. Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years." pg 56-57.

Man, oh man!"No fun" is a huge, giganormousgantic (pronounced gee-GAH-nor-mass-GAN-tic) understatement! My previous post talked about a recognition of sin being needed in order for repentance and salvation to become a possibility for someone. And what does that come with? A guilty conscience!! To know better is to do better but when you don't, do better that is, that nagging kicks in. You know what I'm talking about, right? 

                                                        ******************         

I found myself focusing on that first sentence of the quote and wrote out so much about it and then it hit me; the weight of the quote lies in the last sentence. I can't take all the credit for this a-ha moment as it took prayer to open my eyes to this. Thanks be unto You oh God

Scroll back up and read it again. Meditate on it real quick before you read on. Please. 

                                                       *******************

Unlearn, as per Google, is defined as to "discard (something learned, especially a bad habit or false or outdated information) from one's memory." This definition is so on point as it embodies the work involved in this journey towards holiness and righteousness; a conscious turning away from one thing in order to attain another (discard). Salvation is immediate but this thing we call deliverance is a daily, progressive journey.

Let's go back to the quote again. That part that states "training... for thousands of years" is so loaded. Romans 5:12-14 states: 

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—  (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come."

So from Adam's time, the fleshly nature, rooted in pride and self-will has enforced and reinforced sinful habits as our normal desire. Therefore, when the Gospel is introduced it often feels almost foreign and difficult to integrate it into our lifestyle. But with time and consistency, we take on a new normal, anchored in love for and obedience towards God.

Going back to repentance...  The word "sorry" was foreign to me in high school. I would rather tell you "my bad" which itself was a stretch than acknowledge my wrong and sincerely apologize. Why was it so hard to do the right thing which would've taken less a minute to just confess to one another and/or to God when we've been in the wrong?? "Training.... for thousands of years." 

I get it now and not just from a practical standpoint but spiritually too where the opposite is just as true; "God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant (Romans 5:20)." 

So for thousands of years a new way - THE WAY, was being enforced and reinforced, shared and spreading like wildfire across the earth. "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. (Romans 1:20)"

No more excuses, can you vow that? 

Reinforcing sin or righteousness comes with it's struggles, one towards death and the other towards life (Romans 6:23).

Pick your struggle; choose wisely. 

1 Peter 5:6 - "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you..."

Grace and peace. Amen.

Mere Christianity: Quote 2 of 5

2. "Christianity tells people to repent and promises them forgiveness. It therefore has nothing (as far as I know) to say to people who do not know they have done anything to repent of and who do not feel that they need forgiveness." pg 31. 

Self-explanatory right? One cannot seek a savior if they don't think they need to be rescued! Christ is the perfect lamb who was sacrificed as payment for our sins. We believe in that finished work of Christ understanding that judgement is our just due unless we abide in Him. 

This made me think back to the position of my heart when I determined to have a relationship with Him. Notice I say relationship, versus just believing and going through the rituals and motions of what it means to be a "christian." I was at a place where I knew either I had to be all in or all out. I was doing myself and those around me a disservice as both they and I saw contradictions in my walk with Christ. 

Off course this doesn't mean that now I actively pursue Christ through His word and through serving His people that I don't fall short. Far from that. But it means that my life is a constant cycle of pointing myself and others back to oneness with the Lord after stumbling.

Going back to the quote: So now does this mean that we are to ignore those who do not believe they need to confess, repent and ask for forgiveness from a perfect savior? Not at all, quite the opposite! John 13:35, one of my favorite verses states "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Do you know one of my callers told me this? even in the midst of their psychosis they had a blessed assurance that Jesus is Lord and that all we need is love! But I digress...

1 John 3:10, Mark 12:31, 1 John 4:7-21 and a bazillion other scriptures remind us constantly in the Word that to be ambassadors of Christ is to love others into the Kingdom. Before trying to force people to church, ask how they're doing, offer a hug, money if they're homeless, a coat in this cold weather, a ride home, an invitation for coffee... do something! Anything that will show your care about them unconditionally; yes, even if they don't go to church! 

Ask God to show you where there is a need you can help meet. Ask Him to help you see the world like He does. Pray for help loving the "undesirables" of this world as you would like to be loved. Just ask God, He'll do it! And soon, you'll see the opportunities to win people to Christ too.

Grace and Peace!

P.S Merry Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours <3

Mere Christianity by C.S Lewis: 1 of 5 simple-yet-amazing Quotes

This book right here... So powerful I have no words to explain it. I mean C.S Lewis uses simple, tangible, digestible scenarios and words to explain such profound truths it left me puzzled. Puzzled in a really good way. I usually go through books in a matter of days but I really had to take my time with this and I savored every moment of it. I had to pause often and really think deep on each page's truths and how I can apply them in my life. I highly recommend this to everyone; believer and unbeliever alike, READ IT PLEASE!

With this book being so amazing, it was difficult to narrow it down to just 5 quotes (one at a time) over the next few weeks but I'll do my best to be concise.

1. "If a good God made the world, why has it gone wrong? And for many years I simply refused to listen to the Christian answers to this question, because I kept on feeling "Whatever you have to say, and however clever your arguments are, isn't it much simpler and easier to say that the world was not made by any intelligent power? ...  My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?" pg 38 

Naturally, we have certain standards we live by that we can't really explain them past "they're just human nature." Like the value for life; we get that murder and suicide are tragic even if we can empathize with some of the accused (even if we disagree), say if it's self-defense or trying to avoid torture from others, respectively. We have this tendency to compare this world's level of evil to "goodness" that we never dig deeper to search out and identify the source of "good." Like it or not, God is that source and regardless of whether or not we acknowledge it or Him, that truth remains unchangeable.

I had an opportunity to share some of my thoughts on this as I dropped a coworker home after celebrating another coworker's farewell. God's plan for goodness to be reflected on this earth was through us! Can we stop right here and take in what an honor that is? As in, the God who can crush us like ants, who spoke the mountains, seas, oceans, sky, stars, sun, moon... etc. to existence, whose glory is so awesome we cannot see it with human eyes, chose you and I to be his representatives on this earth He also created?? That's ... DOPE! *Selah* 



Think about it....

I say it again, whether we like this plan or not, we have no choice. God is supreme and what He says goes even if we don't understand. Therefore, when we are not doing our part in showing kindness, mercy, forgiveness, patience and most especially love to others, how can we expect the world to look any different? How can we expect those without the knowledge of God to produce righteous living without us showing or telling them how?

We must play our part! And it starts with prayer and bible study. We can only pour out that which we've allowed God to pour into and to work out within us; let love in to pour love out. Spend time with God in order to know Him so that you can share His true self with others; not assumptions or who others say He is. No, not that. But who He has revealed Himself to be personally to you. Let's do our part in being a light to this dark world; in bringing the Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven (Luke 10:27; Matt. 6:10; Matt. 5:14-15; John 13:35; 1 Cor. 13:13). Amen.

Grace and Peace.

Where's Wisdom?

I started this evening's study with the intention on finishing up Psalm 139 which I had started a little over a week ago. As is usually the case, I got sucked into all these other awesome scriptures that went along with it. Needless to say, I never finished that chapter. So anyway, I log on to BibleGateway.com ; I love using their parallel bible capabilities. And BAM! As soon as I got on the homepage, I went no further; happily sidetracked again. They usually post a verse of the day and today's was:

“This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

Jeremiah 33:2-3 NIV

Awesome verse in and of itself but it held even more weight today. Here's why: I literally just finished reading (longest, coolest title ever) Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will OR How to Make a Decision without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in The Sky, etc. by Kevin DeYoung this morning and he writes: 

"Isn't it interesting that we are never told in scripture to ask God to reveal the future or to show us His plan for our lives? But we are told - in no uncertain terms - to call out for insight and to cry aloud for understanding.  In other words,  God says, "Don't ask to see all the plans I've made for you. Ask me for wisdom so you'll know how to live according to My Book."

This was the quote that stuck out most to me and I love that the scripture above gave me a reminder that prompted me to meditate more on what this really means. Even more, how to make it applicable to my life daily! The last post i wrote on was about the Holy Spirit and how we cannot do anything contrary to the flesh and it's sinful ways without His help. This is one area that we need His help in more than ever!

3 steps though Mr. DeYoung highlights to help in this process of gaining wisdom:

Pray: Invite the Holy Spirit who authored the Bible and who lives every minute within you, to guide you and open you up to receive understanding.

Search the scripture: No greater wisdom can be found on this earth than in the Holy Bible.

Seek Counsel: Not just advice but wholesome words from bible believing-and-living people who know you and who have your best intentions at heart.

All of these work ONLY if WE remain TEACHABLE. So let US:

"Therefore humble [ourselves] under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt [us] at the proper time, casting all [our] anxiety on Him, because He cares for [us]." 

1 Peter 5:6-7

Grace and peace good folks!

I Want the Power

• To Know Him and to make Him known

• Influence trumps emotions

• Rely WHOLLY on the Holy Spirit

Yup, these are the three main lessons I've been 'chewing on and trying to digest' these last few months. And not just as separate concepts but as interconnected principles that thrive on one another for complete fruition. 

       For the first point, that is all God's will for our life is. I mean, the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19) is accomplished this way; we learn the Word and ways of the Lord and we go forth and teach others about the same. Simple as that. Okay, maybe not thaaaaat simple but you get what I mean. This is the basic, underlying message and process that we should all be engaged in as believers. 

Clearly, it will manifest differently in our lives since we each have different platforms to share the message, personalities, experiences and testimonies. But again, there should be this common thread of conscious effort being put into understanding God's glory more and then sharing it with others (2 Tim. 2:15), especially non-believers.

       This is where the second point comes in. Whether we feel like it or not, whether we are having a 'good' day or not, whether we are experiencing trouble on every side or not, we are still called to be the light in this dark place. We are the "salt of the earth" as per Matt. 5:13 and when we lose sight of this, the word says we're basically good for nothing!

******************                         Selah (ponder on that)!                        *******************

1 Pet. 2:9-10 calls us God's special people specifically chosen to declare His praises. So then who are we declaring this praises to?? The New Living Translation (NLT) version puts it this way "As a result [of being God's chosen] you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light." God saved us to be His spokespeople to save others. Think about your salvation story. Whether your parents brought you up in church, a grandmother, a student on campus, a random stranger etc., SOMEONE brought you the good news. Who will you bring it to then?

       Lastly, all this cannot be accomplished without the ever-sweet and oh-so-powerful helper and comforter, the Holy Spirit. For "it is the Spirit who gives life. The Flesh is no help at all" John 6:63. Another version puts it this was, "The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing." As WE, on our own, can do nothing; NO thing. No thing at all. Another Selah moment right there! 

       I've met and spoken to so many people who do not want to accept that they technically still are wretches but the Spirit is He who is working in us, "giving [us] the desire and the power to do what pleases [God]" Phil 2:13. Ummmm, it's biblical guys! If that's not the case, why do believers still sin? Read through Romans 7 and really contemplate what you're reading. Take time to study it verse by verse if needed. The flesh is constantly warring against the Spirit. If the Christian life was easy or without any faults, then Jesus wouldn't tell us to take up our crosses DAILY and actively pursue and follow Him. Even Paul says in Rom. 7: 25 that "In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin." Paul was a BOSS in the gospel so if he calls himself a slave to sin, aren't we all?

       Anywho, I digress. The verses above clearly highlight how the Holy Spirit is the one who works within us, to be obedient to the Lord; to renew our mindset and desires to align with Christ's, and to be able to carry out the task of disciple making. Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8 are my staple verses right  now: 

 "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high"

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

***** Meditate on these and we'll touch on it some more soon. Until then, grace and peace :)

Embrace the Random...

"Our journey began at Genesis through Exodus.
On the way, we saw Leviticus recording the Numbers of people at Deuteronomy, while Joshua was waiting at the beautiful gate for Judges to see Ruth calling loudly "Samuel, Samuel".
At a stage, the first and second Kings of Chronicles were coming to visit Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther for the misfortune of Job, their brother.
Then they noticed that Mr. Psalm...s was teaching his children Proverbs concerning Ecclesiastes and Songs of Solomon.
This coincided with the period that Isaiah and Jeremiah were engaged in Lamentation for Ezekiel and Daniel their friend.
By that time, Amos and Obadiah were not around.
Three days later, Hosea, Joel and Jonah traveled in the same ship with Micah and Nahum to Jerusalem.
More also, Habakkuk visited Zephaniah who introduced him to Haggai a friend of Zechariah whose cousin is Malachi.
Immediately after the old tradition, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John got involved in Acts with the Romans who were behaving like the Corinthians, who were also always at loggerhead with the Galatians.
At that time too, the Ephesians realizing that the Philippians were close to the Colossians, suggested to the Thessalonians that they should first of all see Timothy who had gone to the house of Titus to teach Philemon his younger brother how to read and write Hebrew.
On hearing this, James asked Peter to explain to him how the three Johns have disclosed to Jude the Revelation of our Lord JESUS CHRIST!"