As a Christian, I've come to find that sometimes, being honest can be offensive. I hear people stand on the streets and scream at people to turn from their sins or they will burn in hell. Although aspects of this are true and the unsaved will not have eternal life, this approach doesn't usually have people running to the sanctuary.
When I used to work at CVS, sometimes customers would come in asking if a particular item was in stock. I would check the back room and if the product was not there, I would tell the customer "We get a delivery in on Tuesday. Try coming back to see if it will be in." Although the customer may not be totally satisfied, he/she has a little hope that when Tuesday comes around, that product might be in. However, I knew that the order for the upcoming delivery was placed 8 weeks ago. It's very unlikely that this particular product would be in that upcoming delivery. Yet I told the customer to return on Tuesday anyway...and gave them false hope.
In a sense, I do the same when it comes to friends who have fallen off track with their relationship with the Lord. I have some family and friends who will say, "Well I go to church, that's good right?" Although it is great to go to church, if the lessons from church are not applied in life, it's almost like going to class for law everyday but getting a job in farming. You have all this information that looks and sounds nice but you do nothing with it. Yet, I find myself saying, "That's great! I'm sure God is pleased with your commitment to church once a week." I know this person can give more. I know this person can pray more. I know this person can apply the lessons they learn in church into their lives and spread the Word of God. But I tell them what they want to hear.
I want people to not only call themselves Christians but to act like Christians. But it's hard to tell someone they are slacking in their spiritual walk. But is giving false hope the answer? Is filling someone's head up with the notion that what they're doing is the best they can give and God will just forgive them of their short-comings? It is a tough question to answer. How would you tell someone they need to devote more time to God, put more faith in God, study God's Word more and give time to prayer and fasting?
How does one be blatantly honest without offending? A question I'd love to seek advice on.
Blessings
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Blissful Rest
It's Sabbath morning and I'm feeling joy in my heart. I just felt the need to write a little. This week has been tiring and long. I anxiously wait for the Sabbath to come, that I may find rest. While I was in school, Sabbath was a burden. I couldn't party on friday evenings and I couldn't watch big muscly football guys tackle each other down the field on Saturday mornings. I was missing out on the many joys of campus weekends. But now, I view the Sabbath in a different light. It is a time set apart from other days for me to spend time with my Savior. Too often I utilize my days talking with people, mingling with work folks and watching my shows online. But the Sabbath tells me to sit down, rest from wordly duties and spend time in prayer with Him. A time to fellowship with others in talks of the Lord. It is a great day for me. I truly enjoy the "resting" part of Sabbath lol. But it also is very beneficial to me because I can use this day to escape from the world and spend it with my Lord. He deserves my time more than anyone else. After such a long and tiring week, I'm glad I can sit back and relax while basking in the Lord's glory. Thank God for setting a day apart for us to rest from daily labors and rejuvenate our bodies and commune with the Savior. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope you are enjoying this day of rest as well. Bon Sabba et bon semaine!
Blessings
Blessings
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Testimony Time
There's nobody like You Jesus!
I just want to thank God for His traveling mercies. I went to my alma mater and had a blast. I also want to thank Him for the special treat I had this weekend :)
Stay blessed my loves!
What's Love Got To Do With It?
We all watch these amazing love movies and hear these great love stories of two people locking eyes with each other and being in love from first sight. But is this really the way it goes? Even still, is this the way it should be done? How important is "love" in a relationship?
If we look at the great patriarch Abraham, he commanded that his son marry a woman that was found for him. And Rebekah was chosen (Genesis 24). Now Isaac and Rebekah did not meet in the book store or at the coffee shop. Rebekah was brought to Isaac and they became one and he loved her.
The parents of the greatest man who ever walked the earth, Mary and Joseph, were set up in an arranged marriage (Luke 2.4-5). These two worked out their lives together and raised Jesus, the Lord and Savior.
There are many other cases in general life where marriages that did not spark from a deep passionate love have been very successful. So I pose the question, will we refuse God's will for our lives because we can't find Mrs./Mr. Right to fall in love with? Or is the command to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis9.7) and to raise up a child in the right way so he won't depart from it (Proverbs22.6) more important than love with our perfect mate?
Blessings
If we look at the great patriarch Abraham, he commanded that his son marry a woman that was found for him. And Rebekah was chosen (Genesis 24). Now Isaac and Rebekah did not meet in the book store or at the coffee shop. Rebekah was brought to Isaac and they became one and he loved her.
The parents of the greatest man who ever walked the earth, Mary and Joseph, were set up in an arranged marriage (Luke 2.4-5). These two worked out their lives together and raised Jesus, the Lord and Savior.
There are many other cases in general life where marriages that did not spark from a deep passionate love have been very successful. So I pose the question, will we refuse God's will for our lives because we can't find Mrs./Mr. Right to fall in love with? Or is the command to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis9.7) and to raise up a child in the right way so he won't depart from it (Proverbs22.6) more important than love with our perfect mate?
Blessings
Monday, April 11, 2011
Struggling or Deliberate Disobedience
I was listening to the radio the other day and a woman called up to ask a question, "How can I be closer to Jesus instead of just being a baseline Christian?" When hearing the question, I assumed the host would answer as I would "Study the Word of God, pray and keep His commandments." Although these were all apart of her answer, the first comment she mentioned in response to the question struck me by surprise, "Stop hanging out with baseline people." Wow! I was shocked. The host of the program was advising this woman to stop hanging out with basic, average Christians in order to gain a closer relationship with God. I found this very interesting.
Growing up, I always knew who the Lord was and what He did for me. But to call myself a Christian (follower of Christ), would have been an exaggeration. When the Lord came to me and I gave my life to Him, I was so happy and excited to start this new journey. But because I was so new, I didn't know where to start. So, I read the Bible. The Bible taught me who God is and what Jesus did for me. It taught me how to live like a Christian and what is pleasing to God. So when I went out in the world to go to church and hang out with my new Christian friends, I thought we would all be on the same page doing the same thing. I soon found out I was wrong.
Because I was so new, I almost looked to other Christians to see what they were doing and how they were living their lives. More importantly, I looked to people who were like me and who were doing the same thing as me. They would understand my struggles and be able to provide me with encouragement through my trials in addition to prayer. I found that a lot of things the Bible told us is bad for us though (God never withholds any good thing from His children Psalms84.11), they were partaking in. But they were all calling themselves Christians. I even had one friend say to me "I know sex before marriage is a sin...but I do it anyway." This was very confusing to me.
Reconnecting to my opening paragraph, I have recently begun to question if individuals who identify with Christianity but do not keep the commandments of God or who do not have a relationship with Him are holding other Christians back from gaining a closer relationship to Him? Are Christians who are lukewarm discouraging Christians from seeking a higher spiritual level with the Lord? Proverbs 28.9 says "One who turns his ear away from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination." Are Christians who do not obey the Lord praying for other Christians and turning blessings into curses?
I went to my friend's school which is a Christian school. I fell into the same naiive trap I did when I gave my life to Christ and I expected everyone there to be on the same page, devoted to doing the Lord's will. But when I got there, I found that people were disobeying. I spoke to my friend about this and she felt I was being judgmental as if I was expecting everyone to be perfect. This is far from true! That is not the point I am trying to get across. My point stands here: there is a difference between struggling with a particular sin or temptation and deliberately going against the Word of God knowingly. Are we as Christians giving other Christians the green light to sin by pulling the "Jesus will forgive you" card? Is this attitude keeping us back from gaining a closer and stronger relationship with the Father?
Please let me hear your ideas.
Blessings
Growing up, I always knew who the Lord was and what He did for me. But to call myself a Christian (follower of Christ), would have been an exaggeration. When the Lord came to me and I gave my life to Him, I was so happy and excited to start this new journey. But because I was so new, I didn't know where to start. So, I read the Bible. The Bible taught me who God is and what Jesus did for me. It taught me how to live like a Christian and what is pleasing to God. So when I went out in the world to go to church and hang out with my new Christian friends, I thought we would all be on the same page doing the same thing. I soon found out I was wrong.
Because I was so new, I almost looked to other Christians to see what they were doing and how they were living their lives. More importantly, I looked to people who were like me and who were doing the same thing as me. They would understand my struggles and be able to provide me with encouragement through my trials in addition to prayer. I found that a lot of things the Bible told us is bad for us though (God never withholds any good thing from His children Psalms84.11), they were partaking in. But they were all calling themselves Christians. I even had one friend say to me "I know sex before marriage is a sin...but I do it anyway." This was very confusing to me.
Reconnecting to my opening paragraph, I have recently begun to question if individuals who identify with Christianity but do not keep the commandments of God or who do not have a relationship with Him are holding other Christians back from gaining a closer relationship to Him? Are Christians who are lukewarm discouraging Christians from seeking a higher spiritual level with the Lord? Proverbs 28.9 says "One who turns his ear away from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination." Are Christians who do not obey the Lord praying for other Christians and turning blessings into curses?
I went to my friend's school which is a Christian school. I fell into the same naiive trap I did when I gave my life to Christ and I expected everyone there to be on the same page, devoted to doing the Lord's will. But when I got there, I found that people were disobeying. I spoke to my friend about this and she felt I was being judgmental as if I was expecting everyone to be perfect. This is far from true! That is not the point I am trying to get across. My point stands here: there is a difference between struggling with a particular sin or temptation and deliberately going against the Word of God knowingly. Are we as Christians giving other Christians the green light to sin by pulling the "Jesus will forgive you" card? Is this attitude keeping us back from gaining a closer and stronger relationship with the Father?
Please let me hear your ideas.
Blessings
Prayer
Last weekend, I went to church in Maryland and it was awesome! The pastor spoke about prayer. I'm sure there are many definitions for prayer but I simply define it as a fancy word for "talking to God". When describing the importance of prayer to others, I always try to give the relationship context of the individual and the Savior as a relationship between two people.
When a female and a male begin to date, they spend time getting to know each other through hanging out, spend time together and talking. This is vital in understanding who each person is, what different traits and characteristics they have and various things they like and dislike. It also builds some type of relationship, whether that be just friends or more.
God is our Heavenly Father. To have a relationship with Him, we must do the same as we would with another human being and keep a constant line of communication. When two individuals are dating, they seem to talk all the time and for hours on end. If we want that same strong bond with the Lord, we must commune with Him daily. This mean talking to God when we wake up. Asking Him what we should wear that day. Thanking Him for every meal we eat. Chalking it up on the way to work or home for the day. We should always make time to talk to the Lord for everything.
Even Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the One who came from the kingdom of Heaven to earth, prayed. In Mark1.31-32, it says "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed." Christ knows the Father, for Jesus dwelt with Him since before the beginning of time. Yet even Jesus prayed to the Father, constantly keeping communication with Him. But what is an even better testimony is that Jesus prayed for us! Instead of having an angel come down and deliver a speedy message to the Father, Jesus prayed for people,"And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.'" How encouraging this is! This is a great example of how Jesus Himself prayed to the Father to keep His relationship with Him and to support His fellow brethren.
Brothers and sisters, I urge you to build your relationship with the Lord through prayer. If you love Him, you will keep His commandments. But in order to know Him, you must commune with Him. Too many times people rely on the teachings of a pastor or the lesson from Sabbath school to help them know who their God is. To me, that's almost like me going to my boyfriend's best friend to learn what kind of person my boyfriend is. The Lord has left the lines of communication completely open and He allows us to come to Him freely to talk to Him. Isn't He a great God for such a thing! Let's take advantage of this opportunity and get to know the Savior today!
Blessings
When a female and a male begin to date, they spend time getting to know each other through hanging out, spend time together and talking. This is vital in understanding who each person is, what different traits and characteristics they have and various things they like and dislike. It also builds some type of relationship, whether that be just friends or more.
God is our Heavenly Father. To have a relationship with Him, we must do the same as we would with another human being and keep a constant line of communication. When two individuals are dating, they seem to talk all the time and for hours on end. If we want that same strong bond with the Lord, we must commune with Him daily. This mean talking to God when we wake up. Asking Him what we should wear that day. Thanking Him for every meal we eat. Chalking it up on the way to work or home for the day. We should always make time to talk to the Lord for everything.
Even Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the One who came from the kingdom of Heaven to earth, prayed. In Mark1.31-32, it says "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed." Christ knows the Father, for Jesus dwelt with Him since before the beginning of time. Yet even Jesus prayed to the Father, constantly keeping communication with Him. But what is an even better testimony is that Jesus prayed for us! Instead of having an angel come down and deliver a speedy message to the Father, Jesus prayed for people,"And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.'" How encouraging this is! This is a great example of how Jesus Himself prayed to the Father to keep His relationship with Him and to support His fellow brethren.
Brothers and sisters, I urge you to build your relationship with the Lord through prayer. If you love Him, you will keep His commandments. But in order to know Him, you must commune with Him. Too many times people rely on the teachings of a pastor or the lesson from Sabbath school to help them know who their God is. To me, that's almost like me going to my boyfriend's best friend to learn what kind of person my boyfriend is. The Lord has left the lines of communication completely open and He allows us to come to Him freely to talk to Him. Isn't He a great God for such a thing! Let's take advantage of this opportunity and get to know the Savior today!
Blessings
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Testimony Time
As I sit and wonder what I will discuss for testimony time, I think to myself, "what marvelous wonder has God done for me this week that I might share it with the people?". I think and think and think but no glorious moment of revelation comes to me. But is it only right to praise God when we have testimonies of healing, miracles and awesomeness? Absolutely not. I want to testify of the mercy the Lord has shown me this week. He woke me up each day and provided for me throughout. He blessed me with traveling mercies as I went home for the weekend and returned safe and sound. He blessed me with the strength to get back into musical ministry and working out my body in the gym. He blessed me with the introduction to Christian radio and I've fallen in love with K-Love. He blessed me with a quick recovery from a sickness I was feeling on Monday. The list of His tender mercies go on and on.
Praise God in the good and the bad and testify of His kindness no matter how big or small.
Blessings
Mercies in Disguise
I have recently fallen in love with a song called "Blessings" by Laura Story. While driving around at work, I was listening to the radio (big shout-outs to K-Love Christian Radio and Joy 102.5) and I heard this beautiful song about blessings. But it didn't talk about the typical blessings we always hear in Christian music. It discussed trials in tribulations as blessings in disguise. At first, I really liked the meaning behind the lyrics and enjoyed listening to it. But I gained an even deeper appreciation for the song when I learned about the inspiration behind the song. Laura Story's husband is battling with a brain tumor. He has lost almost all of his vision and has had to adjust his life to this new fate. Laura explains how she was praying for healing for her husband but when the answer she expected was not coming to her, she kept her faith up and wrote the song "Blessings". It has given me peace of mind in my struggles. In such a troubling situation, Laura was able to have faith in God's love and see the joy within so much pain. In your times of sadness and fear, believe that God is with you always and within those troubling times, there are blessings to praise Him for. I'm so glad I was touched by this song. I hope you are too.
LAURA STORY - "BLESSINGS" LYRICS
BlessingsWe pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet Love is way too much to give us lesser things
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home,
It's not our home
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise
Monday, April 4, 2011
A Faithful Generation
This past weekend was one of the best weekends I've had in a very long time. Did I go on an extravagant trip across seas? Did I explore some new discovery in the middle of the earth? Did I get pampered in fancy Italian restaurants and clothing stores? No. None of the above. This past weekend I spent with friends. And it was great. Since graduating from college, I haven't been able to see my friends in a while. We all got together to celebrate another year of life for one of our friends. We went to a bowling alley and a diner afterwards. It was simple yet so fun. But the best part about it was catching up with everyone and hearing what new adventures everyone was going through. Amongst applying for graduate school, gaining experience at work and taking care of finances, I was very happy to hear that my friends were all paying particular attention to building a closer relationship with the Lord.
Most of us grew up in the church. But all of us, especially when we were in school, fell short of the Lord's glory in many ways. We were lukewarm. Maybe we went to church and maybe we prayed before bed and during final exams but our relationship with the Lord was certainly on the rocks. I am so grateful to see that we all have taken a stand to take our relationship with God to another level and to devote our lives whole-heartedly to Him.
We all come from different backgrounds and different experiences so it was very nice to hear the journeys in which everyone was taking. One friend reaffirmed her faith and has been trying to find a good church home. Another friend has given up partying and drinking for the sake of the Lord. Yet another friend has diverted his attention from working hard to impress females to working hard to impress the Savior. The conversations at breakfast were surrounded by testimonies, love and joy over the greatness of the Lord's glory. We each have our own struggles we are enduring and our own challenges that we face. But because of our faith and our relationships with positive influencing Christians, we have been able to pull through the storm and the rain.
I see a movement on the rise. I see a lifting up of a faithful generation. A time when people, young and old alike, come together to do the work of the Lord, faithfully. Trials and temptations will always be there. But we not dare fight the devil's supernatural powers without the power of out supernatural God. I see a people who find joy in fellowshipping, praising God together and work diligently to save souls and bring lost sheep back home. I challenge you to encourage your friends and family to be apart of this generation. Know that we are all in this together and we must work as a unit for the Lord for we are all sons and daughters of Him.
Blessings
Shout-out to EJL, LJL, SR, MM, GM, NO, JT, ED, GV for inspiring this post.
What Would You Do For Jesus If You Knew You Couldn't Fail?
As Christians, we are called to be soul-winners. We are called to preach the Word of the Lord and to bring people to His great love. It is a challenging task in this world, but far from impossible. In the Bible, we read of great preachers such as the Apostle Paul and Simon Peter. Yet there are names of those humble, behind-the-scene servants such as Andrew and Barnabas whom did the work of the Lord quietly. No matter what type of soul winner we are called to be, it is our priority to do just that. Please watch the sermon "Simon Peter's Brother" by David Asscherick. This sermon can be found here on audioverse.org. Be encouraged.
Blessings
Blessings
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