Zeal

I recently stated reading a daily blog called "Daily Devotioanl Blog". I don't know much about it but I came acorss it when I was searching for my spirtual gift. They give an option to take a free spiritual gift test, which I think is awesome. So when I was lead here, I started reading. Eventually, I made the blog my homepage and everyday, I get a boost of spirutal energy in the morning befroe starting my day. A couple days ago, I read a post about a "big-moment" or "life changing" experience in one's life and how this moment can quickly fade. When the movie Passion of the Christ came out, many people were returned to Jesus and rememebered the sacrifice He gave to us when He carried that cross to Calvalry and hung His head. Some people even started to change their life around to be more Christ-like. But as time went on, they returned to their old ways. After 9/11 took place, patrionism sky rocketed. Every house and car in America waved a red, white and blue flag and people respected one another as fellow Americans. This too has faded. The blog post I read on my daily devotional gave insight to how this can happen in our experience with the Lord and what to do to avoid it. I throuhgly enjoyed it so I have posted it below. I hope you receive a blessing from it too.  

Zeal

TODAY’S VERSE“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” (NIV)
Romans 12:11 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHTAs much as we want, we cannot live on last week’s provisions. Sooner or later we need to do something to replace the food and water that we have already consumed. Paul knew that this was true of our spiritual life. We may have had a dramatic “born-again” experience, but sooner or later the “honeymoon” wears off. We may have had a mountain top experience of worship and revival but soon we come back home. There needs to be more. We need the consistent daily grow and maturity in our spiritual life. But maturing doesn’t come naturally. If we are going to grow in Christ, we must decide everyday to be proactive. We must be zealous about our spiritual life. It is this zeal that causes us to pray, meditate and worship. It is this zealous following of Jesus Christ that raises our spiritual fervor resulting in serving Him with abandonment. Today, determine not to be lacking in zeal about your spiritual life. Decide to do whatever it takes to keep your spiritual fervor, serving Him with all you have.

TODAY’S PRAYERFather, help me live for You. Help me be zealous in all that You ask me to do. Help me know You, love You, worship You and serve You. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit I pray! In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

Blessings

Just a Thought...

I notice that us as Christians openly pray and give thanks for the food we are given. We ask God to bless what we have received. But why don't we give thanks before everything, openly praying asking the Lord to bless and sanctify it? I don't know, just saying.

Blessings

Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27.46).

This morning, this verse was blaring in my head. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" What is this? Why is this verse in my head? I didn't feel forsaken. I didn't feel upset or let down by God. So why was this verse being repeated over and over in my head. I tried to ignore it and assure the Lord that I was not feeling betrayed by Him. I finally got up out of bed to get ready for work. I suddenly began thinking about my mother's friend Kim and her sick mother. Yesterday, my mom told me that Kim's mother has many illnesses and has been in the hospital for a while. She recently was released but got a call yesterday to come into the hospital to receive her test results. When I heard that, I thought "that can't be good" but I assured my mother that God is in control. I began thinking about Kim and how she was handling this. My mother told me that Kim had been taking on a lot of the responsibility for taking care of her mom and how it was weighing down on her. Then, it suddenly came to me: was Kim feeling forsaken by God? And if her mother did not heal from her sickness, will she too cry out Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? Immediately, I began to pray.

Often times, when things go wrong, we as humans react first by placing blame. When God questioned Adam about eating the forbidden fruit in the garden, he replied, "Then the man said, 'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate'" (Genesis 3.12). Adam blames God for giving him Eve and then blames Eve for eating the fruit. The story continues on with Eve blaming the devil, "And the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?' The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate'” (Genesis 3.13). With our oldest ancestors using the blame game, it's not wonder we do it today. Often times, we blame God for the things that go wrong in our lives. Whether it's a family member becoming sick, not being selected for a particular job or even missing out on an event due to inclement weather. We always tend to ask God "why did You let this happen too me?"

But God's plan for our lives is perfect! We will not always understand why God is allowing certain things to happen the way they do. But they are always in our best interest. A woman had a conversation with God. She was complaining about the same things we typically complain about. But listen carefully to the Lord's response:

Me (upset) : God, can I ask you something?
GOD: Sure.
Me: Promise you won't get mad?
GOD: I promise.
Me (frustrated): Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?
GOD: What do you mean?
Me: Well I woke up late,
GOD: Yes
Me: My car took forever to start,
GOD: Okay....
Me (growling): At lunch, they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait
GOD: Hmmmm..
Me: On the way home, my phone went de...ad, just as I picked up a call
GOD: All right
Me (loudly): And to top it all off, when I got home, I just wanted to soak my feet in my foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work. Nothing went right today! Why did you do that? 
GOD: Well let me see..... the death angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that.
Me (humbled): Oh...
GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that might have hit you if you were on the road
Me (ashamed): ............
GOD: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work
Me (embarrassed): Oh.....
GOD: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to give a false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered
Me (softly): I see God
GOD: Oh and that foot massager, it had a short that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.
Me: I'm sorry God.
GOD: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.........in all things, the good and the bad
Me: I WILL trust you God
GOD: And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your plan
Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything today.
GOD: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I love looking after my children.

This beautiful story illustrates the love God has for us and how His plan is always the best for our lives. No one knows the outcome in our daily lives. But we have to trust that we are guided by the Holy Spirit of God. And when loved ones get sick, sometime Jesus sends healing. Other times, He calls our loved ones home. No matter the outcome, what happens is what's best. To my mother's friend Kim, if you are hurting, it's ok. If you are frustrated, it is expected. But if you are placing blame on the Lord and asking why He has forsaken you, remember to trust in His plan and His will. And let this verse comfort your heart: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29.11).

Blessings

He's All Around Us

You will notice on my blog that I talk a lot about knowing the Lord. That's because it truly makes a difference in our lives. When you stop and think about God, what comes to mind? Is He a big mysterious mist somewhere up in the clouds? Do you imagine someone in a long white robe and a staff with a beard as long as Dumbledore's? Or maybe nothing at all. When you sing praises to Him in church or at home, does anything come into the theater of your mind from your day that you experienced with God? This may be difficult to imagine if you don't know Him.

I used to imagine what college would be like. I would have my own place, my friends would always be over and we would always be hosting some event and having a good time. This was my vision of college based off what I heard and saw on TV. College looked fun! Although I had lots of fun in college, there was one little detail I missed out on in my fantasy: class. The point of going to college is to get higher education. But with the freedom that comes along with living on a campus with all your friends and having no parental guidance around at all, that last thing I was thinking about was class. When I finally became a college student, I was embraced by the many facets of that new environment. As I reflect on my college days now, fun times come to mind. But those times are coupled with walking across campus at seven in the evening to take a chemistry test, staying up all night in my room studying for finals and sitting in a 300-person class finding it hard to concentrate. I have a more realistic view of college because I experienced it. Have we experienced Jesus?

When we think about Jesus, do we only know what we've been told? Do we only know what Bible scholars and pastors say about Him? If so, we are going to have a one-sided view of Jesus. Pastor Smith may only talk about God's mercy. Elder Jean only talks about God's justice. And the Bible scholar at the local university heavily preaches prophecy and the last days. But is that all there is to our Heavenly Father, Creator of all living things? Can't be. We will only know Him on a personal level when we go out and experience Him ourselves. 

How do we experience a God whom we can't see and can't hear? Although this sounds like a challenging question, I believe God has made it easy for us. 1 John 4.8 tells us "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." In any circumstance of love, God is there. Exodus 20.8 says "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." God is the creator of all things. Where there is creation, there is God. The Lord also commanded us to rest. Where there are times of rest and peace, there is God. Psalm 23.4 exclaims "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Where there is darkness and fear, God shines through with light and protection. And one of the most famous verses in the Bible, John 3.16 says "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Where there is love for mankind, so much to the point of sacrifice, there is God. The Lord is literally all around us. Every step we take in our daily lives, there is some manifestation of God through what we see, touch, smell, hear and taste. We experience His love, peace, mercy, protection and creation all the time. With this, you have an opportunity to talk to the Lord all day. Not only can we talk to God all day, we can praise Him non-stop; I praise God for a peaceful sleep; I praise God for waking me up in the morning; I praise God for giving me working limbs that I may wash myself; I praise God for giving me money to catch the train; I praise God for getting me to work safely; I praise God for giving me a job; I praise God for guiding me through the work day and so on and so on and so on.

When we think about the Lord, let's not just limit ourselves to what we've been taught. Let's embrace Him daily in the many ways He expresses Himself to us. Then, when it is time for us to come to Him in prayer, we can imagine Him so much greater from our time with Him throughout the day. Even in times of struggle, we will see God and His working hand on our lives. See God daily throughout your day and embrace Him in all that He allows you to experience with Him.

Blessings

Fast Action: Responding to the Holy Spirit

   The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and the Lord speaks to us through Him. Thus, it is important to understand who the Holy Spirit is, what He does and how He affects our lives. 

   I'm sure there are thousands upon thousands of studies on the Holy Spirit alone. I will not pretend to be an expert and sum all these studies up but I will give you a brief synopsis of what I have learned. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our Helper, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you" John 14:15-17. This verse tells us that we have a Helper who lives (dwells) within us and is always there with us. Praise God for that! The Lord's Spirit is with us always. But if the Holy Spirit is our Helper, what does He help us with? The Bible says in John 14.26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." Ah ha! So the Holy Spirit will teach us and help us to remember the things we learn. When we are faced with temptation to sin, we will recall 1 Corinthians 10.13 which tells us that the temptations we face are the same that everyone faces and that the Lord will not let us be tempted so much that we will fall but He will always provide a way for us to escape the temptation to sin.  When we are going through tough times, the Holy Spirit will remind us that the Bible says to pray without ceasing and to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5.17-18). And when we are so far gone from the Father because of our sins, we will be reminded by the Holy Spirit that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8.35-39). We need the Holy Spirit in our lives to guide us on this earth with the teachings from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

   It doesn't stop there. The Lord's Spirit not only helps us in our day to day lives, He also tells us how to do the Lord's work. Matthew 10.18-20 says "You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you." The Lord's Spirit within us even speaks for us in times of defending the Kingdom. Hallelujah! God is truly wonderful for giving us His Spirit. 

   When the Spirit speaks to us, it is important to do that which He says, immediately. The words of the Spirit come directly from God and obeying the Spirit means obeying God. Delayed obedience is disobedience. This is especially true when the Holy Spirit calls us to pray. Prayer is not just a time to commune with the Father, it is a time to intercede on someone's life. When we are called to lift someone up in pray, our response time could mean the difference between life and death for them. For example, when the Lord was guiding the Israelites through the wilderness, they began to disobey the Lord by  worshipping false gods as their slave masters did in Egypt. The Father was so angry with them that He decided to get rid of them. Moses didn't go to the Israelites and tell them to stop. He didn't cry and sit in the dirt mourning about the destruction that was about to ensue. Moses interceded on the fate of the people...by praying. And because of his prayer, the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people (Exodus 32. 1-14). Simply amazing. 

   In this situation, Moses knew what He was praying for and why. But sometimes, the Holy Spirit calls us to action and we don't know why. Our first reaction must be to obey. We might be called to share a particular Bible verse with the guy sitting next to us on the train. Obey. We might be called to bring our Bible to work so we can give it to our boss. Obey. We might simply be called to tell someone "Jesus loves you". Obey! This was my call this morning. I saw a woman crossing the street towards me and the Holy Spirit told me to tell this woman "Jesus loves you". Instead of obediently delivering the phrase to her, I responded "she'll think I'm crazy" and walked right past her. This woman could have been having a rough morning and needed some encouragement. Maybe she had been feeling lonely lately and unloved. Even worse, maybe she was contemplating suicide. The simple phrase "Jesus loves you" could have altered this woman's life. But now, I will never know.

   I urge you to listen and obey the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit is here to be our Helper, Counselor, Teacher, Guidance and Friend. Obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit is obeying the voice of God. Commit fast action to His word and intercede on behalf of the people in the world today!

Blessings

Not Mine, but Thy Will be Done

Today, I sit back and look around at what I have been blessed with. Simply amazed. God has truly been good to me. By following the voice of the Lord, you may end up in places you never dreamed you would be. There are many directions and paths our lives can take, but God has the best route ironed out for us. If we listen, and follow His guidance, we will always be where is best for us. Where I am today would be a complete mystery to me if I did not believe in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I would be confused, wondering how I ended up here, in this region of the world, doing what I do. But Lord, thy will be done. Trust in the Lord today that He will not lead you astray but take you on the path that is best for your life. And embrace the struggles and joys as blessings on your journey getting there.

Blessings

Tug-a-Spiritual-War

As a Christian, one of the biggest challenges I face in this world...is the world. I believe it is our human nature to adapt. If someone moves to a country they are unfamiliar with, they adapt by learning the language, becoming accustomed to the food and partaking in the traditional practices of the land. In school, I went from an atmosphere of very hands-on teachers who sent progress reports and had parent-teacher conferences to a very large university where none of my professors knew my name. With this new environment, I learned to adapt. It is a feature of human nature that we can do well. But Christ is not calling us to adapt to THIS world. The earth was created by the Lord. Yes, this is true. But Satan was cast down to the earth and is now the ruler of this world (2 Corinthians 4.4, John12.31). He is formulating it to be the way he wants it. Thus, there is a spiritual battle over humans: the Lord is trying to get us to be righteous and to behave as sons and daughters of the Heavenly Kingdom (our home) while Satan is urgently persuading us to conform to his worldly and sinful ways. He was able to persuade one-third of the angels (Rev 12.4,9), no wonder he ends up so successful with us.

To this day, I struggle with understanding how to be a good example of how Christ lived in this day and age. Some people have mean things to say about pastors who drive nice cars. Apparently, they are suppose to be on buses. This is also said about Christians who dress nice and may have some expensive items. The world encourages us to be beautiful, have the latest fashion and know all the current music. Can one partake in these things and still be a good Christian? Or is that contradiction at its best? It is something, no doubt, I need to keep on my prayer list. But I believe the Lord wants what's best for his children. If we are blessed with very successful businesses and profits, we can wear designer clothing humbly and dedicate much of our funds to ministry. I believe giving is a spiritual gift. It is important however to not let money get the best of us and become our sole goal in life. As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus and store our riches in Heaven, I believe we will be following a good example of Christ.

I didn't grow up in a church so many things I learned about Christianity came from questions I would ask my friends, movies and books. In the movies, there were always a few people in an upper room, alone, praising God. They looked cheerful and happy but they also looked like they were suffering. In many Bible stories, the people who are mentioned in the books are the ones who went through suffering for the Kingdom. My brother often asks me "Why do Christians always have to suffer". His image of a Christian is one who has torn garments, scruffy face, eats leaves and walks around shouting praises to the Lord. These were the images he and I saw in the movies. We'd also read about Christians who were being beaten and killed in other countries for professing their faith. As a new believer, who lived in this world with nice clothes, a car and went to parties to have a good time, I felt like I wasn't being a good Christian when doing such things. I felt like I needed to endure suffering to be on the right track. Jesus says in Matthew 11.29-30 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (NKJ). The Lord is calling us to take up this burden (defined as "that which is borne with difficulty") but He promises that it is light. As Christians, there are some things we will suffer with. It may be sacrificing friends, giving up certain jobs or posessions we worked hard to obtain. We might be called to endure even harsher suffering such as the early Christians who were stoned and crucified for Christ. But the Lord will never put more on us than we can bare. He knows our strengths and weaknesses and He has built us to be able to withstand that which He has planned for us to go through. Take up Christ's yoke, follow Him and do not conform to the unrightenous of Satan's world. The world looks pretty and easy to live in. But this world will soon pass. Don't let Satan make you think that following the Lord is just about suffering and loss. Jesus says you will find rest for your soul through Him and who couldn't use a little rest?

Blessings

Escaping the Mundane

       Have you ever known someone for years, but never really knew them? It sounds like a silly question but it happens all the time. That guy at work that sits three cubicles down from you, the cashier who rings up your coffee at the same donut shop every morning and the same UPS guy who can never seem to deliver your packages damage-free. You've seen their faces, you may even know their name, but you don't know a thing about them. Sometimes, we think we know them, but we have no idea.
       There were several elementary schools in my hometown but I went to the best: Raymond School. I was friends with anybody and everybody in my year at that school. Most of us who went to Raymond Elementary moved up to the junior high across the street: North Junior High School. There was only one high school in my town. Therefore, everyone who went to Raymond and who went to North went to Brockton High School. I literally grew up with these folks. There was one girl in my elementary school named Jessica. I shared all the same classes with her. I sat next to her many times in school. I worked with her on projects together. I even lived 2 blocks from her. If anybody asked me if I knew Jessica, I would certainly say yes. So I thought. 
       It wasn't until 7 years of "knowing" Jessica did I realize that I didn't know her at all. In middle school, seventh and eighth grade, I really began to befriend this girl. She wasn't just someone I saw in school and spoke with about homework. I began to talk to her on the phone, hang out with her around town and at her house, get to know her family and friends. I communed with her daily and truly began to know who she was. To this day, Jessica is my best friend. There isn't much anyone can tell me about her that I don't know. We went to college together, still communicate frequently, see each other often (even though we live hours apart now) and will probably end up being each other's god-mothers to our children lol. Knowing someone is more than just knowing their name, where they were born and their favorite color. It takes more than reading their bio and reiterating what you remember. A personal relationship with someone takes time, attention and a deep personal care. I believe that many people who profess to be Christians do not know Christ. 
       Recently, I've been reading a book called "Becoming a Prayer Warrior" by Elizabeth Alves.

She teaches all about prayer: how to pray, when to pray, what to say and how to hear God’s voice. Reading the text in the pages of that book simply amazed me. She spoke about the Lord as if He was a person plain as day in front of her face that she spoke with! She mentioned how He responds, secrets He shares with her, their favorite meeting time and meeting place. This woman truly has a real relationship with Christ! Those of us who grew up in a church and heard the same ol’ sermons week after week may profess to know Christ. But the same mundane ritualistic time with God is not helping in building a relationship. Just as I developed a true friendship with Jessica after 7 years of knowing her through spending time with her, coming to know the Lord and having a relationship with him requires the same just effort.

       I encourage us all to escape from the mundane relationship with Christ consisting of facts and bible quotes and really dedicate ourselves to coming to know Him on a personal level in our lives. I’m grateful that the Lord kept Jessica in my life for so long. I found the Seventh-Day Adventist church through her and relied on her heavily for spiritual guidance when I first became a Christian. Jesus is always in our lives and is longing to become closer to us today. Pray that the Lord draw you near to Him and then take action. In moments of silence in your life, commune with the Father. Dedicate a certain time of the day for just you and Him. Read His Word and meditate on it to receive a word from the Holy Spirit about its meaning. Put your best foot forward in this relationship. In this day in age, what you know will take you nowhere. But who you know will make all the difference in your life.

Blessings