Do you remember when you were young, and as you would fall asleep, you would cling to a stuffed animal? Then in the morning the animal would be at the foot of your bed, maybe on the floor, or even clear across the room?
I've noticed that in many ways this is like one's relationship with God. One day, we're clinging to God, praying, reading the Bible, worshipping. The next, you're slacking. Not making the right choices, not praying, you skip the Bible.
Pretty soon, your whole life is like that. One day, your clinging; another you're slacking.
This is something I need to work on. I need to work on reading my Bible every day, praying more often, and stuff like that --- for me. I am getting better. I pray every night and every morning. I am praying more each day. Doing these things keeps me focused on what really matters.
What a lot of people do (and this is not a good thing) is they are only really close to God during hard times in their lives. Then, they go back to their old ways after the bad times have passed. It shouldn't be that way. We should be willing to pursue a relationship with God at any time.
God is pursuing a relationship with you all the time. It's just a matter of when you are ready to complete the circle.
God wants more than anything for you to know him as a Father. When you die, and you're standing at the gates of heaven, He wants to be able to say He knows you. And He wants to let you in.
But it's your choice, not His --- isn't that amazing? Are you going to gladly walk through the pearly gates? You decide; it's your decision, and the most important one you'll ever make.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Left Behind
I'm currently reading the "Left Behind" series. And I love it! But the books really get you wondering, "What would happen if the rapture were to happen right now?" But we push the idea from our head right? It's ridiculous, it won't happen right now. It can't; I have my whole life ahead of me.
If you start thinking like that, you're heading into a dangerous place. Maybe you think like that because you are young, but that brings us to the issue: How old are you when you can't get into heaven free anymore?
Well, first of all, I believe that except for babies and young children, no one gets into to heaven free.
(The Rapture is the concept of God taking all the believers and real Christians to heaven, all material is left behind. But the non-believers stay on earth until the 7 year treaty is signed, and the last 7 years the planet will ever see begins.)
It is right around the time of late preteens-early teens, when getting serious about your walk with God is really important. There is no specific you-can't-get-into-heaven-free-anymore-because-you-are-this-age rule. It is all about innocence. Once you learn the importance about believing in Jesus, you are all set to take on a life-long responsibility.
Now, I don't have to worry about being left behind, I love the Lord with all my heart. That's why it's my job to help others to Christ. I do what I can to help others with that. But it's difficult when others don't care. Either they don't know anything about God, or they don't want to be involved because Christians around them are so mean.
Which brings us to another problem. Christians think they are so right, that they can force non-believers into loving God. But most of the time, the non-believers are pushed away from the truth because that reason itself.
Back to the Rapture, the Rapture used to scare me a lot. It scared my sister, too. Sometimes, just to scare each other, we would try to trick each other by changing our clothes when the other was out of the room, lay our others clothes on the ground neatly (as if we were "taken up but our clothes were left behind"), and hide.
It never worked.
But there was one time when I really believed I had been left behind. Then I would see my mother and father around me. If the Rapture had happened, they would have been taken too.
Now, I have no worries about not getting into heaven. And I can't wait until that day comes, but now that I'm secure and confident, I need to help my friends and my younger siblings to my position as well. And I have no doubt that we will all walk together in Christ.
If you start thinking like that, you're heading into a dangerous place. Maybe you think like that because you are young, but that brings us to the issue: How old are you when you can't get into heaven free anymore?
Well, first of all, I believe that except for babies and young children, no one gets into to heaven free.
(The Rapture is the concept of God taking all the believers and real Christians to heaven, all material is left behind. But the non-believers stay on earth until the 7 year treaty is signed, and the last 7 years the planet will ever see begins.)
It is right around the time of late preteens-early teens, when getting serious about your walk with God is really important. There is no specific you-can't-get-into-heaven-free-anymore-because-you-are-this-age rule. It is all about innocence. Once you learn the importance about believing in Jesus, you are all set to take on a life-long responsibility.
Now, I don't have to worry about being left behind, I love the Lord with all my heart. That's why it's my job to help others to Christ. I do what I can to help others with that. But it's difficult when others don't care. Either they don't know anything about God, or they don't want to be involved because Christians around them are so mean.
Which brings us to another problem. Christians think they are so right, that they can force non-believers into loving God. But most of the time, the non-believers are pushed away from the truth because that reason itself.
Back to the Rapture, the Rapture used to scare me a lot. It scared my sister, too. Sometimes, just to scare each other, we would try to trick each other by changing our clothes when the other was out of the room, lay our others clothes on the ground neatly (as if we were "taken up but our clothes were left behind"), and hide.
It never worked.
But there was one time when I really believed I had been left behind. Then I would see my mother and father around me. If the Rapture had happened, they would have been taken too.
Now, I have no worries about not getting into heaven. And I can't wait until that day comes, but now that I'm secure and confident, I need to help my friends and my younger siblings to my position as well. And I have no doubt that we will all walk together in Christ.
Monday, October 29, 2007
The Servant of All
The ranking system. So not cool --- people base your importance on your position in your family, school, church and city. Everybody is equal, so what is the ranking system all about?
Humans naturally like to be more important, and more valuable. But most people seeking high value and importance are seeking those things for the wrong reasons. They don't seem to realize that the more powerful you are, the more people you serve. And the more people you serve, the lower you are on the scale.
Jesus was the most important of all, and yet at the same time, he was the servant of all. Psalm 118:22 says,
The stone rejected by the builders has now become the corner stone. This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous to see.
The cornerstone is the most important of all stones because it supports all the other stones. Jesus was the chief corner stone, created the universe for goodness-sake! His is the cornerstone! And yet, He serves us all, He holds everything together for us. He makes everything work for good for us In fact, most of the stuff he does is for us.
Anyway back to the ranking thing. In a church, everybody looks up to the pastor, they all count on him to show up to church on Sunday morning. He basically works for the congregation. While the one person in the back of the sanctuary is on the verge of deciding whether to commit to Jesus or to not. This person is serving no one, therefore, he is the most important.
What I'm trying to say is that if anyone wants to have any sort of importance at all they must be willing to be just as much a servant as they are a leader. And if you serve, know that you are important though you may not see it yourself.
Humans naturally like to be more important, and more valuable. But most people seeking high value and importance are seeking those things for the wrong reasons. They don't seem to realize that the more powerful you are, the more people you serve. And the more people you serve, the lower you are on the scale.
Jesus was the most important of all, and yet at the same time, he was the servant of all. Psalm 118:22 says,
The stone rejected by the builders has now become the corner stone. This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous to see.
The cornerstone is the most important of all stones because it supports all the other stones. Jesus was the chief corner stone, created the universe for goodness-sake! His is the cornerstone! And yet, He serves us all, He holds everything together for us. He makes everything work for good for us In fact, most of the stuff he does is for us.
Anyway back to the ranking thing. In a church, everybody looks up to the pastor, they all count on him to show up to church on Sunday morning. He basically works for the congregation. While the one person in the back of the sanctuary is on the verge of deciding whether to commit to Jesus or to not. This person is serving no one, therefore, he is the most important.
What I'm trying to say is that if anyone wants to have any sort of importance at all they must be willing to be just as much a servant as they are a leader. And if you serve, know that you are important though you may not see it yourself.
Miracles
There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail,
It's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles,
You can achieve
When you believe,
Somehow you will,
You will when you believe,
You will when you believe.
This is one of my favorite songs, not only because it's beautiful, but because it is true. I am reading Acts right now, so I'm reading about different times where miracles have happened like when Peter healed the crippled man. Like many, I used to think it was impossible to perform a miracle myself.
But one day, my dad's friend Darren (we called him Doughnut because I couldn't pronounce his name when I very young), had hurt his ankle and had to walk with crutches. My sister and I were so young then, we had infinite hope that if we merely laid our hands on him, prayed, and commanded his leg to be healed, he would be able to walk. So we did just that. The very next moment, he could walk. We were amazed!
After that, I was always confident that I could pray for anything and I would get it. But then my cat, Mr. P.C. (Mr. Personality Cat or Mr. Privileged Character --- it depends which of my parents you ask) died. He was my best friend, and it was so sudden. The doctors think he died from a stroke. Whatever.
Anyway, for the next ten hours or so, he was in a box in the garage. I prayed my heart out for him to come back to life. The only reason my parents kept his body out was because I was so sure he would be resurrected. That "resurrection" never came. I barely even remember, but my parents buried him in the backyard late that night in the rain, in a flower bed. My heart was shattered that I would never see him again.
Even though I was so young back then, the grief was overwhelming. Why hadn't God answered the way I wanted Him to? I don't know exactly why, but I do know that He does have a reason for everything. And His reason is good enough for me.
When you believe
Though hope is frail,
It's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles,
You can achieve
When you believe,
Somehow you will,
You will when you believe,
You will when you believe.
Stephen Schwartz (1948 - )
This is one of my favorite songs, not only because it's beautiful, but because it is true. I am reading Acts right now, so I'm reading about different times where miracles have happened like when Peter healed the crippled man. Like many, I used to think it was impossible to perform a miracle myself.
But one day, my dad's friend Darren (we called him Doughnut because I couldn't pronounce his name when I very young), had hurt his ankle and had to walk with crutches. My sister and I were so young then, we had infinite hope that if we merely laid our hands on him, prayed, and commanded his leg to be healed, he would be able to walk. So we did just that. The very next moment, he could walk. We were amazed!
After that, I was always confident that I could pray for anything and I would get it. But then my cat, Mr. P.C. (Mr. Personality Cat or Mr. Privileged Character --- it depends which of my parents you ask) died. He was my best friend, and it was so sudden. The doctors think he died from a stroke. Whatever.
Anyway, for the next ten hours or so, he was in a box in the garage. I prayed my heart out for him to come back to life. The only reason my parents kept his body out was because I was so sure he would be resurrected. That "resurrection" never came. I barely even remember, but my parents buried him in the backyard late that night in the rain, in a flower bed. My heart was shattered that I would never see him again.
Even though I was so young back then, the grief was overwhelming. Why hadn't God answered the way I wanted Him to? I don't know exactly why, but I do know that He does have a reason for everything. And His reason is good enough for me.
Trapped
Sometimes I feel trapped. Trapped in and limited to this one world, one life, one body, and one perspective. Being a human, I can reach out, but I can only reach so far. I need more, a sense of something different.
This is when the spiritual realm comes in. Something that no one can see or hear, but we can sense it.
But who said only humans can sense it? Well, I used to have a cat named Iris. One time, we were praying for a friend in our living room. Towards the end of the prayer, Iris had a sudden and total change of character. Her pupils covered her eyes entirely. She was almost baring her teeth, and she made a horrible growling noise as she warned something to get out...or else. Then, with the deathly look on her face, watched something unseen move across the room. Finally, whatever it was, a demon, an evil spirit, exited. After this, all was normal. This is how the story goes as told by my parents so many years ago.
Something supernatural had happened then. The spiritual realm was temporarily tapped into. And we had God-given power to eliminate "the thing."
This was not the first time something like this has happened, nor will it be the last. The moral of the story is that we have power to do things that may seem impossible at times, but nothing is impossible when we call on the Lord Jesus.
This is when the spiritual realm comes in. Something that no one can see or hear, but we can sense it.
But who said only humans can sense it? Well, I used to have a cat named Iris. One time, we were praying for a friend in our living room. Towards the end of the prayer, Iris had a sudden and total change of character. Her pupils covered her eyes entirely. She was almost baring her teeth, and she made a horrible growling noise as she warned something to get out...or else. Then, with the deathly look on her face, watched something unseen move across the room. Finally, whatever it was, a demon, an evil spirit, exited. After this, all was normal. This is how the story goes as told by my parents so many years ago.
Something supernatural had happened then. The spiritual realm was temporarily tapped into. And we had God-given power to eliminate "the thing."
This was not the first time something like this has happened, nor will it be the last. The moral of the story is that we have power to do things that may seem impossible at times, but nothing is impossible when we call on the Lord Jesus.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
My Friend, the Bible
Sometimes I feel empty. Really empty. So I'll just wander around my house trying to find something to do. I'll end up upstairs, then downstairs, then upstairs again. I can't explain to anyone how I feel. No, I'm not bored. There are plenty of things to do, like the laundry, email, feed the cats, read, work on my blog, but something's missing. Maybe I have an idea, maybe I don't.
This particular day, Saturday, October 5th, 2007, I am tired, and bored, too. But it's more than that. So I decided to conquer another chapter of that big, black, leather covered book on my desk. Yes, you guessed it: my Bible.
Sometimes reading the Bible means stepping out of our comfort zone. No matter how scared and uncomfortable we are, we need to be brave enough to learn our faults and correct them. The Bible has a way of pointing out the things we've done wrong, but it also compliments us of the things we do right. I don't know about you, but I feel good after reading the Bible. Every time. It's supernatural, hearing voices from centuries ago.
Written by man, the Bible can't possibly be perfect, can it? Well, the text no. But there is a perfect, God-inspired message inside the imperfectness of the mortal-written book: love.
The Living Word, my partner, and my friend forever.
The chapter from the Bible that I read is: Psalm 48.
This particular day, Saturday, October 5th, 2007, I am tired, and bored, too. But it's more than that. So I decided to conquer another chapter of that big, black, leather covered book on my desk. Yes, you guessed it: my Bible.
Sometimes reading the Bible means stepping out of our comfort zone. No matter how scared and uncomfortable we are, we need to be brave enough to learn our faults and correct them. The Bible has a way of pointing out the things we've done wrong, but it also compliments us of the things we do right. I don't know about you, but I feel good after reading the Bible. Every time. It's supernatural, hearing voices from centuries ago.
Written by man, the Bible can't possibly be perfect, can it? Well, the text no. But there is a perfect, God-inspired message inside the imperfectness of the mortal-written book: love.
The Living Word, my partner, and my friend forever.
The chapter from the Bible that I read is: Psalm 48.
Monday, September 10, 2007
The word "want"
Everybody knows that the car in the Monopoly game is the most popular token of all of them. There are so many choices. But for some reason, the car token seems to be the most common choice. Maybe it's because it's the biggest or because it looks cool. It doesn't matter. This relates to how picky we are. As humans we want what we want and we'll do what we can to get it. Sometimes this means hurting some one's feelings by being inconsiderate to what other people prefer or want.
And what about the word "want?" Even as I write I don't want to write that word so often. The truth is the human race "wants." Maybe by being content with what we have, and realizing that maybe we are not the center of the universe, we can show progress in our attitude. We can not possibly eliminate wants completely, but we can however improve our need to have everything.
And what about the word "want?" Even as I write I don't want to write that word so often. The truth is the human race "wants." Maybe by being content with what we have, and realizing that maybe we are not the center of the universe, we can show progress in our attitude. We can not possibly eliminate wants completely, but we can however improve our need to have everything.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
One lunch period at a time
I like the way my youth pastor tells his stories, but not only the way he tells them, but the stories themselves. Yesterday, wait, two days ago, was his last lesson and he has a way of telling them so that you're really into his lessons. He mixes stories from his childhood into his lessons. This time his story was about when he was in middle school, this was his story.
"I was in middle school and I didn't really have any friends.
Then one day this guy came up to me and said, "Do you want a piece of chocolate?"
So I said, "Sure" so I ate it and seven other people came up to me and gave me a piece of chocolate. I couldn't figure out why. Later, people came up to me and were asking me if I felt alright.
I said, "Yeah---no wait a minute, I feel kind of weird in my stomach area."
The guy started busting up laughing and said, "You just ate eight pieces of x-lax! One piece makes you poop all day and you just ate eight!" So I set up camp on the toilet and that was the end of that.
There was this guy named Tim who had all the clothes, he had all the shoes---everything and he was the nicest guy ever! And one day I was eating lunch by myself as usual them Tim came and sat next to me and asked if I had any friends I said no. So he said he'd be my friend from then on and he was my friend all throughout school."
I had never heard such a cool story in my life. So the next day, I went to school and before I sat down with my friends I looked over the lunch room to see if any one was sitting by them self. Well no one that day, but the next day there was. So I sat down with him and asked if he had any friends he said not really. Then I asked who he usually sat with and he said nobody so I told him I would be his friend. He said okay and so I just talked to him for the lunch period.
The world would be so much cooler if everybody decided to meet somebody new and actually take the time to get to know each other. One by one we can make a difference in some one's life---one lunch period at a time.
"I was in middle school and I didn't really have any friends.
Then one day this guy came up to me and said, "Do you want a piece of chocolate?"
So I said, "Sure" so I ate it and seven other people came up to me and gave me a piece of chocolate. I couldn't figure out why. Later, people came up to me and were asking me if I felt alright.
I said, "Yeah---no wait a minute, I feel kind of weird in my stomach area."
The guy started busting up laughing and said, "You just ate eight pieces of x-lax! One piece makes you poop all day and you just ate eight!" So I set up camp on the toilet and that was the end of that.
There was this guy named Tim who had all the clothes, he had all the shoes---everything and he was the nicest guy ever! And one day I was eating lunch by myself as usual them Tim came and sat next to me and asked if I had any friends I said no. So he said he'd be my friend from then on and he was my friend all throughout school."
I had never heard such a cool story in my life. So the next day, I went to school and before I sat down with my friends I looked over the lunch room to see if any one was sitting by them self. Well no one that day, but the next day there was. So I sat down with him and asked if he had any friends he said not really. Then I asked who he usually sat with and he said nobody so I told him I would be his friend. He said okay and so I just talked to him for the lunch period.
The world would be so much cooler if everybody decided to meet somebody new and actually take the time to get to know each other. One by one we can make a difference in some one's life---one lunch period at a time.
The color of difference
When I was younger, I just so happened to like this guy who had a different skin color than mine. Everybody said, "How can he ever like you? He's black and you're white." Now this confused me. I couldn't figure out why this mattered so much to people. After all, it's not a crime for two different people with two different colors of skin to like each other.
It hurt to hear them say that. It hurt like I had been slapped in the face. I had finally been exposed to real life. Nobody really cares about your heart, but they do care about visual differences. It's not like it's against the law to like some one different than you.
I don't know if you have ever noticed, but everybody in the world is different! So it's not impossible for someone not to love or like some one different than them.
The world needs work --- a lot of work. Racism is a poison that is tearing this world apart. Sometimes I wonder if the world will ever change. Look at the picture above. If a tiger and a lion can get over their differences, so can we.
It hurt to hear them say that. It hurt like I had been slapped in the face. I had finally been exposed to real life. Nobody really cares about your heart, but they do care about visual differences. It's not like it's against the law to like some one different than you.
I don't know if you have ever noticed, but everybody in the world is different! So it's not impossible for someone not to love or like some one different than them.
The world needs work --- a lot of work. Racism is a poison that is tearing this world apart. Sometimes I wonder if the world will ever change. Look at the picture above. If a tiger and a lion can get over their differences, so can we.
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