Just a thought this morning...

9.13.2009

This post isn't intended to be insanely deep or crazy long or anything...it's just something God brought to my attention during church today.

In Ephesians 5:1-5, God has a little "compare and contrast" section.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness or nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

God is giving us a sharp distinction between the love of God (vs. 1-2) and the love that the world has (vs. 3-5). God's love is sacrificial, and concentrated on the good of others. The world's form of love is concentrated on self - what I can get for myself, how I can gratify myself.

Just thought I'd share that ;-)

For what it's worth...

9.10.2009

"All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising question on the ground of conscience. For "the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience -- I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do , not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.                                                                                   -- I Corinthians 10:23-33

 God has given me freedom in many areas, but He has been showing me over the past few weeks that although I may have freedom in these areas, out of respect for another brother or sister's conscience I should refrain from exercising this freedom. As I was reading this passage today, just a few minutes ago, I totally missed that last little sentence. "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." This sums it all up, doesn't it? If I am constantly imitating Christ, then I will be able to exercise freedom. But part of imitating Christ is refraining from exercising all of the freedom that I have been given. It's a radical thought for me, and for most Christians here in America. Have we not been taught from our early childhood that freedom is what our country was founded upon? As a homeschooled kid, I was taught that this freedom is given by God. I was taught that we have God-given rights, including the right to be free. It's radical that as a Christian I am supposed to limit my freedom. Would it not have been easier if God had just laid down the law, if He had just said what we can and can't do?

Up at Journey we studied different "bad" or "evil" heart attitudes. Part of one of the hearts was the fact that in order not to have this heart, we will have to limit ourselves. I hate lines, I hate rules, I hate being told what to do. But God is not demanding - that's the beauty of free will. Yet, as we are told in James, our faith in God is demonstrated by our works. My love of God should be enough to overcome what I want to do, to the point that I no longer want to gratify myself but to glorify God in everything that I do.

Staying here at Verity for the past week has been amazing. Going up to the Northwoods in Michigan was something that allowed me to both bond with my fellow students and to spend a great amount of time alone with God. Today instead of class before lunch Charity Larson told all of us students to just spend an hour alone with God. This post is one of the things that has stemmed from that. Where else, what other college can you go to that would skip class in order to spend time alone with God?

God is good indeed.

Prayer and the Power to do God's Will

9.08.2009

The following is the essay that I was required to write during orientation this week, concerning what God taught me during the Journey to the Heart.

"Leading up to this Journey, I was excited about going back up to the Northwoods, I was excited of the opportunities I was going to have to be out in His creation, but most of all I was looking forward to the time I was going to be able to spend alone with Him, praying and hearing Him.

The time that I spent with my fellow students, in my Journey group, was amazing but it was nothing to equal what God had in mind for me. I was able to fellowship with God in a way that I have never done before. God was near me last week, speaking to me for as long as I was willing to listen.

The first day I concentrated on getting my heart right with God. Over the past few weeks God had done great things in my life, but there were still a couple areas to clear up. I spent as much time alone with God as I could, in prayer and just listening. I asked Him to give me the answers to a couple of things, and was just waiting for Him to answer me.

Thursday afternoon my group split up for alone prayer time. I started walking with my Bible and binder, but ended up setting them aside as they were just distracting me from talking with my Creator, Father, and Friend. I had a certain place that I wanted to go, the hills that are pretty much the highest point around the Lodge, but I asked something of God. I knew that it was a very visible place, but I didn't want anyone to see me. I asked Him to either make me invisible, not noticed, or to make people move. I didn't know it at the time, but I had passed one of my brothers on my way up and he told me later that shortly after I passed he got up and left. A coincidence? I believe it was a direct answer to my prayer.

Up on that hill, I gave everything that I had been keeping from God to Him completely and unreservedly. I had given almost everything to Him, but He showed me that there were certain areas that I was still holding back. One area was music. I had purposed several months ago to only listen to music that honored Him, but at Northwoods God showed me that I was choosing what was glorifying, rather than following His word.

God did some amazing things in my life up at Journey, but the coolest thing that He told me, that I learned from Him, was the day after we got back, Sunday night. I had asked God to give me a mission purpose for the next year, as He gave me last year about this time. He didn't answer me while on the Journey. But as I was praying along with several other guys on Sunday night, God spoke to me and told me what purpose He has for me for the next year! It was awesome to know that God is still speaking to me, as I am with Him.

The greatest thing I learned or was taught on this Journey is the power of prayer and how important it is to everything that I do, and how important prayer is in discerning the Lord's will for my life. During Journey I was constantly praying, and have continued since we got back. God keeps on giving me instruction for what to do, when I need to know. I am awed that He is answering me, and I intend to keep on talking to my Father for a long time to come. My Heavenly Father is all-knowing, and with His wisdom available for me I will never fail so long as I stay close to Him in prayer."