Life

This morning I had a shock.  I went to bed last night with the idea that I was going to wake-up at 7:30; therefore, I set three alarms; one at 7:20, one at 7:30, and one at 8:45.  These alarms were all purposed to wake me up before my first class at 9:30.  

THINGS DID NOT GO AS PLANNED

I ended up waking up at 11:00.  I was upset.  I was not upset that I had missed my class but more because of what it meant for me.  For the last few years one of my life verses has been Romans 12:1, "Therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God."  Because of this, lately I have realized that this means I should offer every part of my life to Him.  This morning, I realized that I don't.

Unity in the Spirit

I don't know about other people out there, but I grew up in a conservative Southern Baptist Church, and while it was not as bad as other churches, I've experienced my fair share of "Church" arguments.  Everything from the clothes people wear to church to what night (or day) the church business meeting should be on.  For those who didn't grow up in church, I'm sure you've either heard or said something to the effect of, "I thought those Christians were about love.  If that is what love is then I don't want it."  I have heard and been involved in these scenar1os my entire life, but now, I would like to set it straight.

Ephesians 4:1-6: I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

After reading this, I began to think.  We as Christians sometimes (most-times) get into petty arguments because of two major reasons:

1. They don't understand what they believe completely.

2. They aren't Christian.

I honestly believe that the main reason we get into these arguments is the first reason.  No offense to the church, but we have been really good at developing surface Christians and stopping there.  I challenge Christians who read this to not get mad but to look at where they are in their walk and to dive deeper.  Also, I am not saying that all arguments are bad.  For example: we should know where we stand on many issues and should not waver, issues like the deity, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and many others.  

This scripture is very clear that we should all walk in the way we are called.  If we walk in this manner, while we might have different ways of doing things or ideas, we should still be working toward the same goal- Glorification of Christ.

The second reason church people get into these arguments is because they are not Christian.  It does not matter if you have grown up in church your entire life or have Christian parents.  The only way to be saved is, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." Romans 10:9.  This is the only way to salvation.

In closing, I would like to encourage you to know what you believe.  I'm sorry this blog was so long, but I felt like this need to be said.

Glorious Revelation

This past weekend, I attended a conference in Myrtle Beach known as Converge.  While there, I began to debate with myself about many different issues.  Lately, I have been asking God to just allow me to see Him.  One of the reasons that I have been praying on this is to just alleviate doubt in my mind. Doubt of who God is and also of His position in my life.  While I believe that God is Sovereign and that without Him I am nothing, sometimes I just need to be reminded, I hate being like this and don't like it, but it still seems to happen.  Then, one our second night at the conference, the group I was with got back from dinner around sunset.  

A friend of mine and I then decided to try to go to the top of the hotel.  When we got there, the sun was setting and the view was incredible.  It was at this time that I began to realize something.  I had been wanting God to show up and do something spectacular like heal a sick person or give me A's in all of my classes, but in reality, God was and is demonstrating Himself and His glory constantly.  A few passages that speak of this very issue are Psalm 8 and Job 38.  Job 38 especially speaks concerning God revealed in creation.  Isaiah 55:8 says: "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways my ways, " declares the Lord.  Now, I have a question, if God truly is Lord of all, who am I to question Him? And if I doubt, God provides everyday revelation for me to see His glory.