"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love." John 15:9
Hello readers. Welcome to my heart. Let's begin.
This is transparency hour. I'll be writing a two part "Intimate" series, each with a different perspective on seriously the greatest things that has ever happened to me. I'm in love with cliches, to the point to where I dislike them. I hope that makes sense. I'm aware of the preacher talk and the things Christians are supposed to say, but right now, for a moment, I would LOVE it---if you wouldn't consider it that way. I would LOVE it if you would block out what you've heard and just read. Don't let your mind try to dull this moment because its becoming repetitive in your life. I'm afraid this Bible Belt area I live in fall victim to this. Hey, here's some fresh air. I want you to breathe fresh air again. No minds are welcomed right now, only hearts. Wireless connection to each other hearts. Ready? Lets go.
So, my Christian walk has been flooded with normal responses. I was raised in the church, I knew about God, and I knew what was expected of me. So, when I decided to accept Jesus into my life, I knew what was expected of me----but not of what I should be expecting from Him.
Uh oh? Please don't miss that. I knew what was expected of me, but not of what I should have been expecting from Him.
And, to a certain degree, we Christians, have ruined the message of Jesus Christ with our do's and don'ts. I struggled with not experiencing God because I was trying to get my actions to measure up to God. So, with my apparent lust problem, here I am, saved, and FIGHTING to continue to stay pure. Oh,and I didn't know what that looked like. Because to me, purity was NO SEX. Hey, that was on my list of don'ts. But they didn't say DO NOT DO EVERYTHING ELSE that could eventually lead up to having sex. So I looped holed and tried to get away with as much as I could and still hold the title "Christian". Not very fruitful is it? Not very worth living? Who would desire this life? And see, I wouldn't dare turn away from God, my mom would be so hurt. My pastor would be so hurt. Ugh!
And then, a sweet precious friend told me to start seeking a more intimate relationship with God.
Um? Excuse me? Intimate?
Now, to this day I love my friend so much for this, because she planted this beautiful seed in me, not knowing it'd blossom into this giant tree of life I'm eating from today. But this right here, changed my perspective of God. It changed to me focusing on what God was expecting from me, to what I should be expecting from Him. Because, intimacy involves two parties. The definition of intimate is: marked by very close association, contact, or familiarity, or marked by a warm friendship developing through long association. Oh wow, I can have that with God? This implies that I can actually exchange something with the ALL MIGHTY GOD! The creator? The....the...GOD!
I was in this horrible place of my life. I had been girl crazy and chasing my lust for like, 6 years, very comfortable in that lifestyle, and now God is asking me to not have a girlfriend.
Um, excuse me Sir. That's not an option.
But see that right there showed me that my desire for love from a woman was higher than my desire for God. Oh, I didn't explain that. Eventually, God showed me that I was looking for love through lust. Trying to build something from ashes. Trying to find life through death. So He literally broke me down, emptied out my mental capacity of love and restored it with Him. I remember the night I chose to seek intimacy from Him instead of from a woman. I had been around some very happy couples and they were all cuddly and wuddly and doing clean couple stuff, and I left their house in an envious state of mind. I'm looking up at God, asking Him why would You deny me that!? Why have You asked me to do something but not them? Why are You punishing me? I WANT THAT! I WANT TO BE LOVED RIGHT NOW! But guess what happened? God actually responds to these kinds of questions, not always by speaking, but by showing. So after my long rant, too exhausted to find someone to flirt with and tease this desire, I turned on some worship music and just rested. And Jimmy Needham Dearly Loved came on my iPod. And I sat there. Listening to the lyrics. Focusing my attention on I AM DEARLY LOVED. Jimmy kept asking me DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE DEARLY LOVED? Claude? Do you know you are loved? Do you? And God moved on me. He answered my questions by simply loving me. And while I'm being completely filled He whispers to me, "Son, I want you to experience TRUE LOVE, and that's from Me."
Intimate God.
His desire to be with us is remarkably the craziest thing in the world. With the dumb stuff we do on the daily, He just sits and waits for us to finally just drop all of our frustrations and just say, HAVE YOUR WAY. That's all I really did that night. Instead of going with my flesh of desiring intimacy from a woman, I let God have His way and I saw what happened. My life was changed that day. I FINALLY understood why He was telling me I didn't need a girlfriend, because He was wanting to show me what love was, because I didn't understand it.
Intimate God.
If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Is It Really Worth It?
Hello readers. Welcome to my heart. Let's begin.
If any of you are human just like me, I know this question has crossed your mind before. Christian or not, believer or not, I'm sure this has crossed your mind. Is it really worth it? Is living for God really worth it?
Now, having typed that, I can tell by my natural response that this question is a little controversial. When I asked myself that question before typing this, my skin cringed. My heart seemed to skip a beat. I found myself holding my breath, waiting to hear my hearts answer. I know my answer, but I want you to know yours. Let's walk through it.
I think this question is controversial because of many reasons. It challenges us in ways that are outside of our comfort zones. The first thing that comes to mind is, well, who is God to you? Who or what is this God to you? I'm learning that a lot of people see our Creator in many different ways, here's a few. : The higher power, that thing in the sky, distant, mean, angry, uncaring, doesn't exist, good. Do you see the inconsistency here? There's so many different views on God. Um, lets go at it this way. If there was a movie that just came out. And while you were at work, you walk by the water cooler and hear 8 people talking about this movie. And all are saying something different. Some say they like it, some say they didn't. Some say the plot was terrible, some say the characters didn't mesh well. Some say the ending was predictable, some cried, some laughed, some were bored, some couldn't sit still. Which do you choose to believe in? I would hope with this confusion and the inconsistency that is obviously present while this move is being talked about, I'm pretty sure you would decide to go and see the movie yourself to get your own view on it. You'd go just to experience the movie yourself so you can form your own opinion on it. So, why not with God?
Don't answer yet, keep reading.
Is it really worth it? My skin cringed again. Another reason I think this is controversial is because of the reality kicking in. First of all, its more comfortable to not think about death. I mean, I don't think about dying every day, not even every week, not even every month. But, to ask yourself is it really worth it, would make you think about where you're going to spend eternity. Of course we all want to go to heaven. I rarely hear people say that Hell is where they'd like to end up after death. But, again, this isn't a college that you're deciding on. We can choose our colleges by just applying, but Heaven and Hell have a little bit more requirements than merely a piece of paper and an acceptance letter.
So come on? Is it really worth it? What do you think? I'm attending college right now. And, I have found that there is a very very high expectation on how college students should live. I hear it even while I'm in college, but I heard it before I got here too. "College is the best times of your life. Go and have fun, make friends, have a good time. Have your fun now, because the real word is something serious." Stuff like this. And I still get asked, "You down there partying or studying?" So there's this living standard amongst college students, and you'd be considered lame, disconnected, if you're not doing. And don't let me get started on a traditional school like the one I'm at, where people take GREAT GREAT pride in these traditions created by men. So the ideal is to come to college and submerge yourself in fun, while still managing to make good grades. And, what I've also seen, is that Satan loves this. This is the perfect opportunity for him to lay out traps. Because we're so hyped up on "having fun" and "school traditions" that whatever our bodies at the moment considers fun, we'll do. So, asking college kids this question, is it really worth it? Many will say no. Because a lot of college fun isn't necessarily pleasing to God. So its ineffective when you're preaching at people the Christian lifestyle is better than the World's lifestyle. Fun is a fleshly desire, yes, to be compared to any other that we have. My fun used to be trying to find a foolish enough girl to fool around with, and NO! I will not offer any kind of commitment. Yeah, I'm disgusting right? But I'm just trying to have fun.
Are you getting my point?
This fun factor CAN BE dangerous. I'm not saying don't try to have fun, yes there is clean fun, I shouldn't even have to say that. But what I am saying is that living our lives only by what we consider is fun can be dangerous, because it can lead us further into sin. I repeat it this way. Living by our flesh is dangerous, because it can lead us further into sin. And the more we indulged into sin, the more distant we get from God. Its not that He pushes us away, but we choose to walk away from Him. Following our flesh usually is a clear picture of you being your own God. I want to do it because I feel like doing it. I don't see anything wrong with it. Here's the funny thing about that, Eve said in the Garden before she ate from the tree. Is it really worth it? Was it really worth it to Eve? Desiring her flesh OVER being obedient to God cost them greatly. So, again, is it really worth it?
I could TRY to explain this answer for you, but I can't. I know its been worth it for me, only because I experienced Him myself. I didn't just take the pastors word for it. I tried that reason alone, that didn't keep me from wanting to have my fun. That didn't keep me from sweet talking women, or hoping to find a secluded place for us to do whatever. But when I experienced my God----when I tasted from the bread of Life, had a heart to heart with Him, when He hugged me when I cried, when I was fighting and scratching and desperately desiring intimacy, when I needed someone to say I'm proud of you, when I needed patient love, when I need grace, when I messed up, when I failed a test, when I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, when I didn't have any purpose, lost a loved one, lost a friend, felt lonely, didn't have a Father to call on, He was there. He loved on me, He kept me, He stayed with me, He hugged me, whatever I needed, HE BECAME IT!
So, is it really worth it? For me. Yes, very much so. But, those are my reasons. You have to learn that for yourself. Don't just take my word for it. And here's a thought, when you ask yourself this question, whatever pops up in your mind that kind scares you, stuff that make you ask this question, "What if God ask me to give _______up? Man.. that is Satan's way of reminding you of what you're giving up and without knowing it, its become an idol of yours. Because when you were in great need, this person or thing or place or event or activity settled it for you. So you worship it by doing it every time you get that feeling again, and you praise it when you talk about it. For me, I found my intimacy, which was my distorted view of love, from women. So they were my idols. And every time I felt lonely or wanted to be loved, I'd hook up again. So whats yours? Whats your idol? What's scaring you of giving it all to God because HE MIGHT ASK YOU TO GIVE IT UP? Just remember this. God GAVE UP His most precious possession, HIS SON, and got back way more in return, US.
So, is it really worth it?
If any of you are human just like me, I know this question has crossed your mind before. Christian or not, believer or not, I'm sure this has crossed your mind. Is it really worth it? Is living for God really worth it?
Now, having typed that, I can tell by my natural response that this question is a little controversial. When I asked myself that question before typing this, my skin cringed. My heart seemed to skip a beat. I found myself holding my breath, waiting to hear my hearts answer. I know my answer, but I want you to know yours. Let's walk through it.
I think this question is controversial because of many reasons. It challenges us in ways that are outside of our comfort zones. The first thing that comes to mind is, well, who is God to you? Who or what is this God to you? I'm learning that a lot of people see our Creator in many different ways, here's a few. : The higher power, that thing in the sky, distant, mean, angry, uncaring, doesn't exist, good. Do you see the inconsistency here? There's so many different views on God. Um, lets go at it this way. If there was a movie that just came out. And while you were at work, you walk by the water cooler and hear 8 people talking about this movie. And all are saying something different. Some say they like it, some say they didn't. Some say the plot was terrible, some say the characters didn't mesh well. Some say the ending was predictable, some cried, some laughed, some were bored, some couldn't sit still. Which do you choose to believe in? I would hope with this confusion and the inconsistency that is obviously present while this move is being talked about, I'm pretty sure you would decide to go and see the movie yourself to get your own view on it. You'd go just to experience the movie yourself so you can form your own opinion on it. So, why not with God?
Don't answer yet, keep reading.
Is it really worth it? My skin cringed again. Another reason I think this is controversial is because of the reality kicking in. First of all, its more comfortable to not think about death. I mean, I don't think about dying every day, not even every week, not even every month. But, to ask yourself is it really worth it, would make you think about where you're going to spend eternity. Of course we all want to go to heaven. I rarely hear people say that Hell is where they'd like to end up after death. But, again, this isn't a college that you're deciding on. We can choose our colleges by just applying, but Heaven and Hell have a little bit more requirements than merely a piece of paper and an acceptance letter.
So come on? Is it really worth it? What do you think? I'm attending college right now. And, I have found that there is a very very high expectation on how college students should live. I hear it even while I'm in college, but I heard it before I got here too. "College is the best times of your life. Go and have fun, make friends, have a good time. Have your fun now, because the real word is something serious." Stuff like this. And I still get asked, "You down there partying or studying?" So there's this living standard amongst college students, and you'd be considered lame, disconnected, if you're not doing. And don't let me get started on a traditional school like the one I'm at, where people take GREAT GREAT pride in these traditions created by men. So the ideal is to come to college and submerge yourself in fun, while still managing to make good grades. And, what I've also seen, is that Satan loves this. This is the perfect opportunity for him to lay out traps. Because we're so hyped up on "having fun" and "school traditions" that whatever our bodies at the moment considers fun, we'll do. So, asking college kids this question, is it really worth it? Many will say no. Because a lot of college fun isn't necessarily pleasing to God. So its ineffective when you're preaching at people the Christian lifestyle is better than the World's lifestyle. Fun is a fleshly desire, yes, to be compared to any other that we have. My fun used to be trying to find a foolish enough girl to fool around with, and NO! I will not offer any kind of commitment. Yeah, I'm disgusting right? But I'm just trying to have fun.
Are you getting my point?
This fun factor CAN BE dangerous. I'm not saying don't try to have fun, yes there is clean fun, I shouldn't even have to say that. But what I am saying is that living our lives only by what we consider is fun can be dangerous, because it can lead us further into sin. I repeat it this way. Living by our flesh is dangerous, because it can lead us further into sin. And the more we indulged into sin, the more distant we get from God. Its not that He pushes us away, but we choose to walk away from Him. Following our flesh usually is a clear picture of you being your own God. I want to do it because I feel like doing it. I don't see anything wrong with it. Here's the funny thing about that, Eve said in the Garden before she ate from the tree. Is it really worth it? Was it really worth it to Eve? Desiring her flesh OVER being obedient to God cost them greatly. So, again, is it really worth it?
I could TRY to explain this answer for you, but I can't. I know its been worth it for me, only because I experienced Him myself. I didn't just take the pastors word for it. I tried that reason alone, that didn't keep me from wanting to have my fun. That didn't keep me from sweet talking women, or hoping to find a secluded place for us to do whatever. But when I experienced my God----when I tasted from the bread of Life, had a heart to heart with Him, when He hugged me when I cried, when I was fighting and scratching and desperately desiring intimacy, when I needed someone to say I'm proud of you, when I needed patient love, when I need grace, when I messed up, when I failed a test, when I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, when I didn't have any purpose, lost a loved one, lost a friend, felt lonely, didn't have a Father to call on, He was there. He loved on me, He kept me, He stayed with me, He hugged me, whatever I needed, HE BECAME IT!
So, is it really worth it? For me. Yes, very much so. But, those are my reasons. You have to learn that for yourself. Don't just take my word for it. And here's a thought, when you ask yourself this question, whatever pops up in your mind that kind scares you, stuff that make you ask this question, "What if God ask me to give _______up? Man.. that is Satan's way of reminding you of what you're giving up and without knowing it, its become an idol of yours. Because when you were in great need, this person or thing or place or event or activity settled it for you. So you worship it by doing it every time you get that feeling again, and you praise it when you talk about it. For me, I found my intimacy, which was my distorted view of love, from women. So they were my idols. And every time I felt lonely or wanted to be loved, I'd hook up again. So whats yours? Whats your idol? What's scaring you of giving it all to God because HE MIGHT ASK YOU TO GIVE IT UP? Just remember this. God GAVE UP His most precious possession, HIS SON, and got back way more in return, US.
So, is it really worth it?
Thursday, August 4, 2011
The Heart in Temptation
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13(NIV).
Hello readers. Welcome to my heart. Let's begin.
As with the rest of the blogs, this new revelation has been laid on my heart. I've been praying a prayer to God, asking Him how can I effectively minister to people. How can I effectively write blogs to touch people, or effectively talk to people to maybe lead them to Him, really cashing in on the Wonderful Counselor nickname He has. So, the answer that continues to come to me is, "Focus on the heart." Not in a deep Morgan Freeman voice, but I will say, that would be cool. Anyways, lets check out a few moments in the Bible that I've never thought to compare, the temptation of Jesus, and the temptation of Eve.
Now the scenario of the temptations, I can believe is actually how many of our temptations are brought to us. Maybe not so much in a "snake form", like it was with Eve, but more so in a subconscious way, or the mouth of a friends, or triggers that reminds us of pleasures, whatever the case may be, THE ENEMY APPROACHES US TO TEMPT US. (that's the point I'm trying to make.) Now, we are looking at two people who were tempted, Eve and Jesus. Now, please don't go Holier than thou and say that well, it was Jesus. I know..I understand that. But ignore that He was the Son of God for a quick second and accept that He was a man. Yes, He was man, which means we're asked to imitate Him because He came to prove it was do-able. Lol...ok fingers. Stay focused.
So, Eve and Jesus were tempted in similar ways. The enemy approaching them in times of "vulnerability." Jesus was hungry, and Eve, well, she was a 21st Century Bible Belt woman. (Stay with me.) Eve knew the "word of God", but she didn't really believe in them. She knew God said, "Don't eat from the tree", but she didn't believe in them deep enough to stand on them and submit to them. Now, Jesus, the same. He knew the word of God, and spoke them back to the enemy. Well, Eve did too. She said what God had told them, but she still was deceived. So...what happened?
Thanks for asking.
The real question is "WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?" I'm starting to love this question. WHY? Why do we fall? Why do we give into temptation? Why do we conform to the world? Why? WHY? Here are two people. One failed in their temptations, like many of us. And one succeeded in their temptations, like maybe many of us too.So, what is the difference here? Enough questions, lets get into this.
So, let's look at Jesus first. Jesus knew the word of God. So did Eve. But the difference is that jesus had to have been firm in His belief when He said it. There's power in the word of God, but none in us. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Mark 14:38. The spirit of God in Christ was willing to obey God during His fast, so He spoke the word of God to help Him. But something else took over. He didn't have heart issues with the word of God. Jesus wasn't only listen to God because was the son of God, or because He was raised in the church, or because He was born in a manger, but He had a relationship with God. It's assumed that Jesus was tapping into His purpose when He was 12 when He was talking back to His mom at the Feast of the Passover. (Luke 2:39-50). But see, Jesus knew that He could bank and trust in the word of God. He knew whatever the enemy had to offer was not close in comparison to what His Father in heaven could offer. Oh, wait, He actually says this. "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.
Now poor Eve. She didn't. She hadn't gotten close enough to God for Him to show her WHY He doesn't want them to eat from the tree. Eve didn't take seriously the part of "You will most certainly die". She didn't stand on His worth. She didn't see that it was worth giving up her taste for it because God said so, but also because He loves her and is trying to protect her. She didn't see that. So, what am I saying here?
Knowledge is good. Knowledge of the word of God and knowing right from wrong is good, but honestly, that alone isn't keeping people. That alone isn't keeping this generation. I think you can always tell the ones who have the knowledge, because they the ones yelling "Only God can judge me." But, there has to be a heart change. The Bible says that EVERYTHING flows through our heart (Proverbs 4:23) This means both good or bad, EVERYTHING flows through our hearts. According to this word, EVERYTHING we do has a heart condition attached to it. So I believe with all my heart that reading more books won't heal us. Reading more blogs like this won't heal us. Going to church every Sunday won't heal us. Just these actions and disciplines alone do not have the power to save us. God does. His gentle touch on our hearts can flip the script. It can turn a story of getting expelled from the Garden into a redemptive story of you returning home, returning to your warm place in His arms. I think Jesus knew that. He knew that it wasn't just what you know, its who you know. Jesus knew that first we must love God with all of our hearts and minds and souls and the body will follow. Not lets LEARN about God and try to line up our lives in order to love Him. Hey, rank them in the right way. LOVE GOD FIRST, WITH ALL HEART,MIND, & SOUL. God knows there's enough power in His love to change you, if you come to Him in that way. I'm not even worried about preaching that, and that alone.
So, to finish up this blog, I'm going back to the theme scripture. The escape, I think, is simple. I don't think it was the tree exploding in the Garden, or all the fruit disappearing, but the escape is perhaps our hearts choosing to stand on our Father's love. He's faithful. And just like with Jesus, the devil left him alone. Defeated!!
(Feel free to do any dance of your preference here, I honestly, chose to dougie.) I'll say it again so you're ready.
The devil is DEFEATED!!!! (do your dance.)
Hello readers. Welcome to my heart. Let's begin.
As with the rest of the blogs, this new revelation has been laid on my heart. I've been praying a prayer to God, asking Him how can I effectively minister to people. How can I effectively write blogs to touch people, or effectively talk to people to maybe lead them to Him, really cashing in on the Wonderful Counselor nickname He has. So, the answer that continues to come to me is, "Focus on the heart." Not in a deep Morgan Freeman voice, but I will say, that would be cool. Anyways, lets check out a few moments in the Bible that I've never thought to compare, the temptation of Jesus, and the temptation of Eve.
Now the scenario of the temptations, I can believe is actually how many of our temptations are brought to us. Maybe not so much in a "snake form", like it was with Eve, but more so in a subconscious way, or the mouth of a friends, or triggers that reminds us of pleasures, whatever the case may be, THE ENEMY APPROACHES US TO TEMPT US. (that's the point I'm trying to make.) Now, we are looking at two people who were tempted, Eve and Jesus. Now, please don't go Holier than thou and say that well, it was Jesus. I know..I understand that. But ignore that He was the Son of God for a quick second and accept that He was a man. Yes, He was man, which means we're asked to imitate Him because He came to prove it was do-able. Lol...ok fingers. Stay focused.
So, Eve and Jesus were tempted in similar ways. The enemy approaching them in times of "vulnerability." Jesus was hungry, and Eve, well, she was a 21st Century Bible Belt woman. (Stay with me.) Eve knew the "word of God", but she didn't really believe in them. She knew God said, "Don't eat from the tree", but she didn't believe in them deep enough to stand on them and submit to them. Now, Jesus, the same. He knew the word of God, and spoke them back to the enemy. Well, Eve did too. She said what God had told them, but she still was deceived. So...what happened?
Thanks for asking.
The real question is "WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?" I'm starting to love this question. WHY? Why do we fall? Why do we give into temptation? Why do we conform to the world? Why? WHY? Here are two people. One failed in their temptations, like many of us. And one succeeded in their temptations, like maybe many of us too.So, what is the difference here? Enough questions, lets get into this.
So, let's look at Jesus first. Jesus knew the word of God. So did Eve. But the difference is that jesus had to have been firm in His belief when He said it. There's power in the word of God, but none in us. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Mark 14:38. The spirit of God in Christ was willing to obey God during His fast, so He spoke the word of God to help Him. But something else took over. He didn't have heart issues with the word of God. Jesus wasn't only listen to God because was the son of God, or because He was raised in the church, or because He was born in a manger, but He had a relationship with God. It's assumed that Jesus was tapping into His purpose when He was 12 when He was talking back to His mom at the Feast of the Passover. (Luke 2:39-50). But see, Jesus knew that He could bank and trust in the word of God. He knew whatever the enemy had to offer was not close in comparison to what His Father in heaven could offer. Oh, wait, He actually says this. "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.
Now poor Eve. She didn't. She hadn't gotten close enough to God for Him to show her WHY He doesn't want them to eat from the tree. Eve didn't take seriously the part of "You will most certainly die". She didn't stand on His worth. She didn't see that it was worth giving up her taste for it because God said so, but also because He loves her and is trying to protect her. She didn't see that. So, what am I saying here?
Knowledge is good. Knowledge of the word of God and knowing right from wrong is good, but honestly, that alone isn't keeping people. That alone isn't keeping this generation. I think you can always tell the ones who have the knowledge, because they the ones yelling "Only God can judge me." But, there has to be a heart change. The Bible says that EVERYTHING flows through our heart (Proverbs 4:23) This means both good or bad, EVERYTHING flows through our hearts. According to this word, EVERYTHING we do has a heart condition attached to it. So I believe with all my heart that reading more books won't heal us. Reading more blogs like this won't heal us. Going to church every Sunday won't heal us. Just these actions and disciplines alone do not have the power to save us. God does. His gentle touch on our hearts can flip the script. It can turn a story of getting expelled from the Garden into a redemptive story of you returning home, returning to your warm place in His arms. I think Jesus knew that. He knew that it wasn't just what you know, its who you know. Jesus knew that first we must love God with all of our hearts and minds and souls and the body will follow. Not lets LEARN about God and try to line up our lives in order to love Him. Hey, rank them in the right way. LOVE GOD FIRST, WITH ALL HEART,MIND, & SOUL. God knows there's enough power in His love to change you, if you come to Him in that way. I'm not even worried about preaching that, and that alone.
So, to finish up this blog, I'm going back to the theme scripture. The escape, I think, is simple. I don't think it was the tree exploding in the Garden, or all the fruit disappearing, but the escape is perhaps our hearts choosing to stand on our Father's love. He's faithful. And just like with Jesus, the devil left him alone. Defeated!!
(Feel free to do any dance of your preference here, I honestly, chose to dougie.) I'll say it again so you're ready.
The devil is DEFEATED!!!! (do your dance.)
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Pursuit of Happiness
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"--- Declaration of Independence.
Hello readers. Welcome to my heart. Lets begin.
Now, our forefathers has exposed a secret desire in all of us. The pursuit of happiness. And, I love the word choice because its so flawed. :D No disrespect to them, but, you'll understand after I'm done.
So, dictionary.com defines pursuit as:the act of pursuing. An effort to secure or attain; quest.
As you can see, terrible word choice. Because as many of us have discovered if you've lived any measurable time on this beautiful corrupted Earth, HAPPINESS cannot be securely attained. We can be happy on Monday and miserable on Friday. OH, even better, we can be happy Monday morning and miserable Monday night! I'm a monster with analogies so lets get into some.
The pursuit of happiness is like chasing a kid that cannot sit still. Or even cuter, a very hyper puppy. We can catch it, but whenever its ready to move again it just darts out of our grip. Even threatening it doesn't work all the times. I remember my beautiful and wonderful friend Tisha once quoted something she heard, "Happiness depends on happenings, joy depends on God." And as you can imagine, it rocked my world. Because it does. A lot of miserable people are miserable because of things that happened to them. And a lot of people are happy because happy things have happened to them. Natural response, I mean? Come on. You find $100 every two weeks, that's a reason to be happy. You finally find a boyfriend that treats you right, that's a reason to be happy. You are finally accepted by some friends, that's a reason to be happy right? Like how I'm tossing this ball up in the air? Now let's crack that bat on it.
What happens when your car breaks down and you HAVE to get it fixed, no money? What happens when you lose ALL of your money? What happens when that boyfriend dumps you? Cheats on you? What happens when those friends betray you? Stab you in your back? Sale you over for 30 pieces of silver?
Hey, news flash to the newbies who doesn't know this, but LIFE HAPPENS! Stuff happens. And if we're living off this happiness kick, then we're in for a rollercoaster way of life, a bumpy road in an old car, a jog through rough terrain.
So, what's the other half of that quote? But joy depends on God. Now I can't leave you without introducing you to a beautiful part of my Father. Joy. I could end it right there, but I'll continue.
Joy is obtainable. Psalm 19:8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. Joy can be securely attained because God can be securely attained in our hearts. He is the giver of that joy. And it can be so internalized that NOTHING can touch it. Paul wrote a lot of his letters when he was in prison. And he was just this old chipper church planter in prison writing to all his friends about talking about Jesus and how thankful he was. Paul was in touch with this thing called joy. He knew he lived for a higher purpose. He had tasted a sweetness that the world can't offer us, that our happenings can't offer us. He tasted God in a heavenly realm to where he was separated from this world enough so that his happenings couldn't effect what was securely attained in His heart. HALLELUJAH!!!!!
(I literally screamed that).
So with the security of joy, its becomes instead of a roller-coaster, but like Aladdin's magic carpet. It becomes the Mercedes Benz with the great shock system, so those bumps on the road doesn't rattle you. Or those $200 running shoes that you can't feel every rock that you step on. Because there will be rocks, and there will be bumps, but what you're riding in determines the ride. So, let's try the Pursuit ofHappiness JOY.
Hello readers. Welcome to my heart. Lets begin.
Now, our forefathers has exposed a secret desire in all of us. The pursuit of happiness. And, I love the word choice because its so flawed. :D No disrespect to them, but, you'll understand after I'm done.
So, dictionary.com defines pursuit as:the act of pursuing. An effort to secure or attain; quest.
As you can see, terrible word choice. Because as many of us have discovered if you've lived any measurable time on this beautiful corrupted Earth, HAPPINESS cannot be securely attained. We can be happy on Monday and miserable on Friday. OH, even better, we can be happy Monday morning and miserable Monday night! I'm a monster with analogies so lets get into some.
The pursuit of happiness is like chasing a kid that cannot sit still. Or even cuter, a very hyper puppy. We can catch it, but whenever its ready to move again it just darts out of our grip. Even threatening it doesn't work all the times. I remember my beautiful and wonderful friend Tisha once quoted something she heard, "Happiness depends on happenings, joy depends on God." And as you can imagine, it rocked my world. Because it does. A lot of miserable people are miserable because of things that happened to them. And a lot of people are happy because happy things have happened to them. Natural response, I mean? Come on. You find $100 every two weeks, that's a reason to be happy. You finally find a boyfriend that treats you right, that's a reason to be happy. You are finally accepted by some friends, that's a reason to be happy right? Like how I'm tossing this ball up in the air? Now let's crack that bat on it.
What happens when your car breaks down and you HAVE to get it fixed, no money? What happens when you lose ALL of your money? What happens when that boyfriend dumps you? Cheats on you? What happens when those friends betray you? Stab you in your back? Sale you over for 30 pieces of silver?
Hey, news flash to the newbies who doesn't know this, but LIFE HAPPENS! Stuff happens. And if we're living off this happiness kick, then we're in for a rollercoaster way of life, a bumpy road in an old car, a jog through rough terrain.
So, what's the other half of that quote? But joy depends on God. Now I can't leave you without introducing you to a beautiful part of my Father. Joy. I could end it right there, but I'll continue.
Joy is obtainable. Psalm 19:8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. Joy can be securely attained because God can be securely attained in our hearts. He is the giver of that joy. And it can be so internalized that NOTHING can touch it. Paul wrote a lot of his letters when he was in prison. And he was just this old chipper church planter in prison writing to all his friends about talking about Jesus and how thankful he was. Paul was in touch with this thing called joy. He knew he lived for a higher purpose. He had tasted a sweetness that the world can't offer us, that our happenings can't offer us. He tasted God in a heavenly realm to where he was separated from this world enough so that his happenings couldn't effect what was securely attained in His heart. HALLELUJAH!!!!!
(I literally screamed that).
So with the security of joy, its becomes instead of a roller-coaster, but like Aladdin's magic carpet. It becomes the Mercedes Benz with the great shock system, so those bumps on the road doesn't rattle you. Or those $200 running shoes that you can't feel every rock that you step on. Because there will be rocks, and there will be bumps, but what you're riding in determines the ride. So, let's try the Pursuit of
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Never Thirst Again
"Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”John 4:13-14
Hello readers. Welcome to my heart. Let's begin.
I'm really excited about this blog. I love when God reveals more of Himself to me. Now, its your turn to hopefully see Him as well through this blog. Because, I believe there are some key things of God that we CAN easily miss out on because of our limited brain capacity. Which further amazes me how we'll cling so tightly to our own understanding of things. Which is why God suggests that we not lean on it, because it'll get us nowhere closer to Him. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Anyways, let us begin. As with many things, God gave me this article. And that simply means its been on my heart here lately so of course I would share it with you all. So in my quiet time the other day I was just thinking on some things and this verse came to me. Well, more so the words, "never thirst again." And God quietly said, "And a lot of my children don't understand this."
Yes. Here once again God is reminding us that HE IS EVERYTHING WE NEED.
If we have any room to complain, whine, or whatever about our situation-----we should go drink again. Because God is simply saying that He is all we need. We should never be thirsty for anything. And I know what you're thinking, "Come on Claude, you don't understand. My life isn't this cut and dry and mushy." My friend I'm sorry, but that's not my problem. I'm doing a book report about what my Father has told us and He said we should never be thirsty again if we drink from the living water. So my joy and expectations are dependent only on what He offers me, not on what my situation and the world offers me.
My mother is being used as an example for this blog because it was from our conversation that this was placed in my heart. My mother has been a single mom for most of my life. We always have conversations about what she wants to do to her house, about her getting a raise at work, more money, new car, extended bathroom, etc. I listen to her pretty often pour out dreams of more stuff she would like to have or do in life. Nothing wrong with that right? So when God blesses her with some of these things, she's happy. But what happened this time, after she got new flooring put in her house, we were having a serious heart to heart conversation and she exposed to me some hurt in her heart from my dad leaving and her giving so much of herself to her children---she feels used up and has nothing to offer a husband if God blesses her with one. And God took over the conversation. (And this example will be used in my Healing series I'm getting prepared to start as well.) But God took over the conversation and I said to her, "SEE MOM, THESE THINGS DON'T HEAL US. These things do not make us HAPPY." I said while pointing at her new floor that's 3 months old. Jesus told us we should never thirst again, so that means we can be so completely filled up and satisfied with Him that all these Earthly blessings are overflow---ALL EXTRA. Because this is what I know happens, since we focus so much on our Earthly blessings, that becomes our gauge of how deserving God is of our praise. We'll praise louder when we get that raise. We'll praised louder when God somehow worked it out for a bill to get paid, or for us to go on vacation, or my car didn't break down. What about His son that came and died for you? That took a beating and nails in His flesh for you? Hey, you do not have to live in this pit of sin anymore, but we can have new life and an abundant supply of it. THAT'S our gauge of how good God is. If we only praise God only when good things happens to us, no sir/maam. God deserves the praise even if you lose everything. See Job. God deserves the praise even when you're betrayed by your friend, denied by your friends, hung up on a cross for an unappreciative world. See Jesus. God deserves the praise when your plans don't work out and you wrongly end up in prison. See Paul. I can keep going for days with this. And I know this is hard to understand. But is it really? What did Jesus say? And man, the rest of the verse explains how this was able to be done by these men.
But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”John 4:13-14
That's called JOY! Pure, 100%, no Trans Fat, no additives or preservatives, JOY OF THE LORD. So one sip of the goodness of God can produced this fountain of joy that's flowing through your body and nothing can phase you. No matter what life throws at you, and oh by the way, it will throw things at you. We can't blame God for life doing what He said it'd do. Instead, lets embrace this verse. Let's seriously drink from the living water so we're never thirsty again, but most importantly, so that fountain of joy can be flowing through our bodies. And this my beautiful friend, will be your gauge of praise. So try it---- go drink again.
Hello readers. Welcome to my heart. Let's begin.
I'm really excited about this blog. I love when God reveals more of Himself to me. Now, its your turn to hopefully see Him as well through this blog. Because, I believe there are some key things of God that we CAN easily miss out on because of our limited brain capacity. Which further amazes me how we'll cling so tightly to our own understanding of things. Which is why God suggests that we not lean on it, because it'll get us nowhere closer to Him. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Anyways, let us begin. As with many things, God gave me this article. And that simply means its been on my heart here lately so of course I would share it with you all. So in my quiet time the other day I was just thinking on some things and this verse came to me. Well, more so the words, "never thirst again." And God quietly said, "And a lot of my children don't understand this."
Yes. Here once again God is reminding us that HE IS EVERYTHING WE NEED.
If we have any room to complain, whine, or whatever about our situation-----we should go drink again. Because God is simply saying that He is all we need. We should never be thirsty for anything. And I know what you're thinking, "Come on Claude, you don't understand. My life isn't this cut and dry and mushy." My friend I'm sorry, but that's not my problem. I'm doing a book report about what my Father has told us and He said we should never be thirsty again if we drink from the living water. So my joy and expectations are dependent only on what He offers me, not on what my situation and the world offers me.
My mother is being used as an example for this blog because it was from our conversation that this was placed in my heart. My mother has been a single mom for most of my life. We always have conversations about what she wants to do to her house, about her getting a raise at work, more money, new car, extended bathroom, etc. I listen to her pretty often pour out dreams of more stuff she would like to have or do in life. Nothing wrong with that right? So when God blesses her with some of these things, she's happy. But what happened this time, after she got new flooring put in her house, we were having a serious heart to heart conversation and she exposed to me some hurt in her heart from my dad leaving and her giving so much of herself to her children---she feels used up and has nothing to offer a husband if God blesses her with one. And God took over the conversation. (And this example will be used in my Healing series I'm getting prepared to start as well.) But God took over the conversation and I said to her, "SEE MOM, THESE THINGS DON'T HEAL US. These things do not make us HAPPY." I said while pointing at her new floor that's 3 months old. Jesus told us we should never thirst again, so that means we can be so completely filled up and satisfied with Him that all these Earthly blessings are overflow---ALL EXTRA. Because this is what I know happens, since we focus so much on our Earthly blessings, that becomes our gauge of how deserving God is of our praise. We'll praise louder when we get that raise. We'll praised louder when God somehow worked it out for a bill to get paid, or for us to go on vacation, or my car didn't break down. What about His son that came and died for you? That took a beating and nails in His flesh for you? Hey, you do not have to live in this pit of sin anymore, but we can have new life and an abundant supply of it. THAT'S our gauge of how good God is. If we only praise God only when good things happens to us, no sir/maam. God deserves the praise even if you lose everything. See Job. God deserves the praise even when you're betrayed by your friend, denied by your friends, hung up on a cross for an unappreciative world. See Jesus. God deserves the praise when your plans don't work out and you wrongly end up in prison. See Paul. I can keep going for days with this. And I know this is hard to understand. But is it really? What did Jesus say? And man, the rest of the verse explains how this was able to be done by these men.
But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”John 4:13-14
That's called JOY! Pure, 100%, no Trans Fat, no additives or preservatives, JOY OF THE LORD. So one sip of the goodness of God can produced this fountain of joy that's flowing through your body and nothing can phase you. No matter what life throws at you, and oh by the way, it will throw things at you. We can't blame God for life doing what He said it'd do. Instead, lets embrace this verse. Let's seriously drink from the living water so we're never thirsty again, but most importantly, so that fountain of joy can be flowing through our bodies. And this my beautiful friend, will be your gauge of praise. So try it---- go drink again.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Series: The Root of Judgment
This is Part 1 of a collaborative blog series I'm doing with my good friend Tashara Ware, in which we've entitled, "The Judgment Seed". My words will be in italics, her's in regular font. Hope you enjoy.
Hello readers. Welcome to OUR hearts. Let's begin.
Hey yall! Remember on my tug of war blog, I said I wanted my blog to be more interactive? Well, I’m taking that a step further! I have collaborated with my dear friend, Claude, whom I’m always mentioning, to get another opinion on the subject of judgment. If people don’t know anything else about Tupac, aside from him supposedly being dead, they frequently quote him on saying, “Only God can judge me.” I wonder how many people have that tattooed somewhere on their body above a set of praying hands? But is this true? Is God really the only one who can judge? Is He judging today or saving that bit for the pearly gates? Why do people judge and where does it stem from? There’s so many issues. I couldn’t tackle this alone, so I brought Claude along with me! We are going to do this in a series we’ve titled The Judgment Seed. Welcome to part one!
The Root of Judgment
So you all won’t get too confused, Claude’s input on this will be in italics. Mine will be just normal font. Got that? Good.
Hello, my name is Claude (as already stated) and let me just be all formal and say it’s an honor to be collaborating on a blog with this woman. This is a moment similar to if Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan joined forces (yes, I meant to say forces) to win a championship. The prodigy getting a chance to play with the whole reason why he even picked up a basketball. The only difference, Tashara and I are actually going to pass the ball. (thumbs up)
Claude just threw Kobe under the bus to prove a point, y'all. This blog series is going to be serious! Let’s take another trip into the lion’s den!
Let’s not run in there holding hands just in case they like to eat women first. I wouldn’t want to get in their way.
It takes a woman to lead. Thanks, Claude for being such a gentleman and holding the den door open for me. I have noticed that a lot of people are stuck on this fact of being judged. No one wants anyone to judge them. We’re all filthy sinful human beings so no one even has the right or ability to judge, right? If we were in a church, this would be the moment when everyone would scream, Amen sista! We have this aversion to judgment because of the negative connotation associated with the word. Part of this issue boils down to linguistics. I KNEW that History of the English Language class would come in handy one day. Today is the day.
I went to my go to website, dictionary.com, and looked up the definition of judgment and they gave me a mouth full of truth.
Judgment (n): the ability to judge, make a decision, or form an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and wisely, especially in matters affecting action; good sense; discretion.
Where’s the negativity? This sounds pretty good to me. Do you see those adjectives? Aren't they awesome? Did anybody think the definition was going to be:
Judgment (n): The ability that only God has.
If you get a speeding ticket, you go to someone you don’t know and have never met and allow them to decide your fate. Have you ever asked a friend for advice and if there was just a hint of reprove in their voice, you went off on them? "Why are you judging me?! I thought I could tell you anything! You're no better than me! What about the things that you've done?!" This has happened to me and I'm usually taken aback like, "Wait? YOU asked!"
What’s the difference in these two scenarios? The level of personal connection. Later on, you realize that friend was right and you go back to them, apologize and say, “You were right. Sorry that I went off on you. I just didn’t want to hear what you had to say. Thanks for the advice.” After you’ve dogged the judge out to everyone you know because you had to pay the ticket instead of going to driving school, you don’t go back to the judge and say, “Thank you for making me pay that ticket. I’ve learned my lesson.” You might have learned your lesson, but there’s no tie between you and the judge. There’s no connection or pull that will lead you back to the judge. You don’t know the judge like you know your friend.
When you don’t truly know or love God you don’t keep His commandments. You use Him when you need Him and that’s the extent of the relationship. So when someone calls you out on something you feel like you’re being judged. There’s a false sense of entitlement that people have. It makes us think our ways are right.
A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2
When you really experience Jesus, you don’t feel entitled to anything. All you want to do is know Him and make Him known. You’re not worried about who’s judging you. That air of self importance is dropped. Your life is lived for His glory. It’s not about you anymore. Miniscule things like who’s “judging” you are no longer an issue. Your eyes will be opened to see and accept guidance and instruction that you once labeled as judgment.
We often forget that in Christ we're made whole, renewed, holy, and blameless. When we know Christ we become more like him. We’re given wisdom. We’re given the ability to be able to lead, guide, and instruct. Maybe you still want to call this judgment. Label it whatever you like.
We have confused judgment with instruction/opinion/love. (Yes, love). So not only is this a linguistic issue, it’s also an interpretation issue. Someone can love you enough to advise you on an issue. Immediately when this happens, we throw up our hands, pull up our walls, get defensive and yell, “Don’t judge me!” Just like in my previous illustration.
Well said, Tashara. This generation has made that their motto for doing whatever they want to do. It amazes me now that I’m on the other end of that selfish-----selfless rope now to see how horrible I was. I mean, what if everybody thought that way? What if everybody, DID WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO? So the guy on the killing spree could shout out, “only God can judge me”, and we have to let him go because that’s the sword to slice back at correction today. But even worse, we’re allowing sin to kill us and we’re shouting out only God can judge me. I do have a joke I like to think to people who say that, and just have a good laugh to myself. Next time someone says “Only God can judge me” to you, say this back, “Well, what you think He’s gonna say?” Haha, carry on Tashara.
LOL! I’m going to try that! The place of instruction distinguishes between advice and judgment. What does that mean, you ask? It depends on what airport this “judgment” is flying from. If someone tells you something from their heart, this is not judgment. They might be giving you some tough love (ask Claude-I’m good at that) Yes she is. You grit your teeth, snarl, and scream judgment! Your perception overrules their purpose.
When this instruction comes from a place so high and mighty not even God can reach it then, yes, it is judgment. The Bible instructs us not to judge, but it does not say that you cannot give guidance. In whatever we say and whatever we do, it should come from a place of compassion and holiness. How this guidance is given is vital. How it is accepted is uncontrollable. Paul tells Timothy this:
“Preach God’s message and do it willingly even if it isn’t the popular thing to do. Be humble when you correct people who oppose you. You must correct people and point out their sins. But also cheer them up and when you instruct them always be patient.” - That’s a mingle of 2 Timothy 2:25 & 4:2
For this phrase, “Only God can judge me.” It is 100% true. When you’re standing outside the pearly gates, only God can judge you. One day, God’s judgment will be revealed- check out (Romans 2:5). Today is not that day, since God is not here on Earth. While you’re here on this Earth, sometimes you need help steering. God has placed teachers, pastors, counselors and people of wisdom to help you steer. When this instruction is given it should be given humbly, willingly, patiently and with encouragement. Don’t jerk the wheel and wreck all in the name of judgment.
Good stuff, Tashara! And a good Amen! I didn’t want to interrupt her too much, so it’s my turn. This issue is vital to me. It should be for all Christians, because it is the Great Commission and Jesus’ last words before He went up to be with God. So we should be concerned with the fallings of man, however, let’s not be vultures and attack the dead with our King James beaks. Jesus Christ was a gentleman. Amen, sir!
Oh, you judging people. We have to have faith in this verse:
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-6
This was said because if someone has TRULY tasted life, salvation, a little some some of Jesus, it’s impossible for them to turn around. But note though, this doesn’t say, if they have truly tasted you making them feel bad and pushing them to repentance. But if they truly taste our God, they’ll be changed. If they truly taste of the heavenly gift, the ultimate joy of Jesus Christ dwelling in their hearts, they cannot turn around. God pretty much has faith in Himself that He can rock a person’s world if they let them. So, that needs to be our focus, to get people to just experience God first, and He’ll take care of all that other stuff. His kindness will always lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4) Now everybody go listen to You Are Good by Gateway Worship. Carry on, Claude.
I’ve recently just learned that just like Tashara stated earlier, God has placed people in our lives to give us the wise counsel. So I think this “only God can judge me” type objection could stem from a lack of love in a person’s relationships. So that love thing is so clear to me now, because I ran into an incident the other day where a guy thought I was “judging” him. And since he doesn’t know me and know that I love him, then it’s hard to accept advice. I mean, think about it. If someone walked up to you right now as you’re reading this on your computer or your phone, and tells you something like, “Get off of that. You don’t need to be reading that right now.” What would you do? How many of us would immediately click the X on the top of the screen or close our phones? Ok. Now let’s change it. Same scenario, except it’s a close friend of yours? You’d probably ask why or consider listening to them because you know they wouldn’t suggest that without any reason. So the whole judging or wise counsel thing can be hard to intercept if the connection of love isn’t there. This is probably why mission trips do so well because the people in those foreign countries consider it such a great sacrifice for us spoiled Americans to come and experience their world. The same with this guy who thought I was judging him. He doesn’t really know me. He doesn’t know I truly love him enough to try to minister to him, because that connection of love wasn’t there.
Let’s sum this all up in a few sentences if possible. Godly counsel should be given from a place of love and concern. Knowing God transforms a person’s perception of judgment. Granted, not everyone who instructs you is for you and not everyone is against you, but at least consider what is being said before screaming, “Only God can judge me!”
And the church said?...
Amen!
Christian or Follower of Jesus?
"But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick." Matthew 14:13-14
Hello readers. Welcome to my heart. Let's begin.
I always start off with a verse. But this time, it was just necessary so the visual is in your mind as you read. Jesus spent a lot of time speaking to multitudes. It seemed He couldn't get away from them. They'd crowd Him because they were so interested and impressed with what He had to say and/or what He was doing. I can imagine the teenagers at this time running out of their high schools in the afternoon, "Dude, lets go watch Jesus heal people." But I titled this blog Christian or Follower of Jesus because I'm asking you, which are you? If you're asking, "Aren't they the same thing? Honestly, good question. Because if you hadn't asked that, this approaching transition wouldn't work out right.
Why are they different?
Well, technically, they really aren't supposed to be. The term Christian has been watered down in this generation as this fashionable accessory, maybe even an expensive necklace---we'll only wear on special occasions. Or even further, its the description of what "type" of the religion that people believe in, such as, "I'm a Muslim, I'm a Buddhist, I'm a Christian." Not necessarily follow, but I do know about Jesus.
Now don't get caught up in the titles, because "Christian" actually does mean followers of Christ or being Christ-like. But we're going to look at following Jesus or TRULY following Jesus. Because to follow Jesus, there are some conditions. And here's where it gets sticky.
So, we have the multitude. They are going to be the average 21st Century Christian. Only show up when Jesus is doing something cool, when He's not, they're not interested. They kind of come and go as they please, trying to time it right so they can take advantage of the blessings, whether its by entertainment or actually getting healed. Or even, they could be a firm follower of Jesus, the kind that show up everyday when they know Jesus is preaching that day, but haven't put for an effort to get close enough to Him to get to know Him. When life is tough, they'll come seeking Jesus. There's something about seeing other people healed or His presence that can make them feel better. And when life gets better, hey, I actually want to stay home with my family and not follow Jesus walking around everywhere---and now Jesus is forgotten about. Being this kind of Christian is easy, its comfortable. Not very profitable, unless its to our standards. "As long as Jesus continues to bless us like He's been doing, I'll ride this thing all the way to Judgment Day." But um, be careful. Matthew says this, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Matthew 7:13.
The narrow gate of course would be the road less traveled, and it's the one that is also less desired. It's the one that cost a lot. A certain young ruler know about that cost. (Luke 18:18-23) He asked Jesus how he could inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to sell everything and follow Him--which this request is very similar to what happened with those other followers amongst the crowd, the disciples. (There maybe could have been 13 disciples, if the young ruler would have acted right). Now, this is where the other option to the question comes into play. A true follower of Jesus Christ. One who has, "Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Luke 9:23. Now don't focus so much on details. It sounds like the young ruler had to give up more for Jesus, and that's not true. See what Jesus was testing in this young ruler and ultimately tests in all of us is our willingness to deny OURSELVES, which are things that we consider will make us happy or will complete us. Whatever it is that we've sat up as an idol and have changed our behavior around (which is a form of worship)--giving up those things and taking up your cross to follow Him. The disciples, who's occupations were recorded in scripture, left behind careers to follow Jesus. And poor Peter. Jesus had just blessed them to get an abundance in his career and then asked him to leave it to follow him. Now, I'm sure its safe to assume that the disciples benefited greatly from these decisions. Even though it seemed they were losing a lot, but in a heavenly realm, they gained a lot.
So what's your point Claude?
The Christian in this example, in this generation, are generally thinking only of themselves. We enjoy God enough for ourselves. They may be working in the church or participating where they should be, but its all for other reasons besides being a servant of Jesus. Basically the true heart to heart connection isn't there. And this is not to condemn, please don't take this the wrong way. I'm trying to introduce this in a way that its desirable to be a disciple, so lets head into that.
The disciple. The follower of Jesus. They got to hang out with the Savior. They prayed with him, laughed and joked with him. (Not in scripture, but surely they shared some giggles.) They spent time with Him, but most importantly though, they allowed Jesus to breathe purpose into them. Don't miss that. Jesus was able to breathe into them purpose. Jesus is aware that if a person is following a person, an imitation is naturally to occur. So these disciples were starting to become imitations of Jesus because they were getting to know Him. And in doing this, His heart and passion became planted in them. And He wants to do the same thing for you. His heart for the lost will naturally become yours and you'll desire your actions to mimic that. And let me just share this from experience, there is no greater feeling than this right here. There IS NO greater feeling than this, no exaggeration. So take this opportunity to think of where you stand in the multitude. Are you the outsider looking in? Or the insider looking out? Are following Jesus around the Middle East, or are you following Jesus through His life. He does have a journey He wants to take you on with Him. And let me just say from experience, it's such a good ride too.
Hello readers. Welcome to my heart. Let's begin.
I always start off with a verse. But this time, it was just necessary so the visual is in your mind as you read. Jesus spent a lot of time speaking to multitudes. It seemed He couldn't get away from them. They'd crowd Him because they were so interested and impressed with what He had to say and/or what He was doing. I can imagine the teenagers at this time running out of their high schools in the afternoon, "Dude, lets go watch Jesus heal people." But I titled this blog Christian or Follower of Jesus because I'm asking you, which are you? If you're asking, "Aren't they the same thing? Honestly, good question. Because if you hadn't asked that, this approaching transition wouldn't work out right.
Why are they different?
Well, technically, they really aren't supposed to be. The term Christian has been watered down in this generation as this fashionable accessory, maybe even an expensive necklace---we'll only wear on special occasions. Or even further, its the description of what "type" of the religion that people believe in, such as, "I'm a Muslim, I'm a Buddhist, I'm a Christian." Not necessarily follow, but I do know about Jesus.
Now don't get caught up in the titles, because "Christian" actually does mean followers of Christ or being Christ-like. But we're going to look at following Jesus or TRULY following Jesus. Because to follow Jesus, there are some conditions. And here's where it gets sticky.
So, we have the multitude. They are going to be the average 21st Century Christian. Only show up when Jesus is doing something cool, when He's not, they're not interested. They kind of come and go as they please, trying to time it right so they can take advantage of the blessings, whether its by entertainment or actually getting healed. Or even, they could be a firm follower of Jesus, the kind that show up everyday when they know Jesus is preaching that day, but haven't put for an effort to get close enough to Him to get to know Him. When life is tough, they'll come seeking Jesus. There's something about seeing other people healed or His presence that can make them feel better. And when life gets better, hey, I actually want to stay home with my family and not follow Jesus walking around everywhere---and now Jesus is forgotten about. Being this kind of Christian is easy, its comfortable. Not very profitable, unless its to our standards. "As long as Jesus continues to bless us like He's been doing, I'll ride this thing all the way to Judgment Day." But um, be careful. Matthew says this, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Matthew 7:13.
The narrow gate of course would be the road less traveled, and it's the one that is also less desired. It's the one that cost a lot. A certain young ruler know about that cost. (Luke 18:18-23) He asked Jesus how he could inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to sell everything and follow Him--which this request is very similar to what happened with those other followers amongst the crowd, the disciples. (There maybe could have been 13 disciples, if the young ruler would have acted right). Now, this is where the other option to the question comes into play. A true follower of Jesus Christ. One who has, "Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Luke 9:23. Now don't focus so much on details. It sounds like the young ruler had to give up more for Jesus, and that's not true. See what Jesus was testing in this young ruler and ultimately tests in all of us is our willingness to deny OURSELVES, which are things that we consider will make us happy or will complete us. Whatever it is that we've sat up as an idol and have changed our behavior around (which is a form of worship)--giving up those things and taking up your cross to follow Him. The disciples, who's occupations were recorded in scripture, left behind careers to follow Jesus. And poor Peter. Jesus had just blessed them to get an abundance in his career and then asked him to leave it to follow him. Now, I'm sure its safe to assume that the disciples benefited greatly from these decisions. Even though it seemed they were losing a lot, but in a heavenly realm, they gained a lot.
So what's your point Claude?
The Christian in this example, in this generation, are generally thinking only of themselves. We enjoy God enough for ourselves. They may be working in the church or participating where they should be, but its all for other reasons besides being a servant of Jesus. Basically the true heart to heart connection isn't there. And this is not to condemn, please don't take this the wrong way. I'm trying to introduce this in a way that its desirable to be a disciple, so lets head into that.
The disciple. The follower of Jesus. They got to hang out with the Savior. They prayed with him, laughed and joked with him. (Not in scripture, but surely they shared some giggles.) They spent time with Him, but most importantly though, they allowed Jesus to breathe purpose into them. Don't miss that. Jesus was able to breathe into them purpose. Jesus is aware that if a person is following a person, an imitation is naturally to occur. So these disciples were starting to become imitations of Jesus because they were getting to know Him. And in doing this, His heart and passion became planted in them. And He wants to do the same thing for you. His heart for the lost will naturally become yours and you'll desire your actions to mimic that. And let me just share this from experience, there is no greater feeling than this right here. There IS NO greater feeling than this, no exaggeration. So take this opportunity to think of where you stand in the multitude. Are you the outsider looking in? Or the insider looking out? Are following Jesus around the Middle East, or are you following Jesus through His life. He does have a journey He wants to take you on with Him. And let me just say from experience, it's such a good ride too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)