Continuous Improvement

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 

Colossians 2:6-7 NIV

I find myself in a continuous struggle with Satan.  Every step I take I find him tempting me to veer down a different path.  Every spare moment I have, I find him creeping into my life.  Many times it is overwhelming.  More times than I dare to think about, I have given in.  I've allowed his influence to overpower my love for God, and in return, has lessened my resolve to live a life centered on my faith.

I have discovered that in order to stay deeply rooted in my faith, I need constant reminders and constant encouragement.  That is one of the primary reasons for this blog.  By expressing my faith in a public forum, I have people looking to me to carry out my faith in my daily life.  Anything less is just words on a page.

Much like a strong house has to be built on a strong foundation, I realize now more than ever that Jesus is my solid rock I stand on.  I am forever thankful for our father's love and live knowing my actions are an expression of my love for him.  I just continue to pray that he will guide and direct me to do his will in every walk of life.

I pray tonight that he will continue to strengthen my faith and allow me to work towards his will.  I know that the devil does his best to work in all of us, but it is ultimately through God's saving grace that we achieve salvation.

Giving- Good and Honestly

Ephesians 4:29
"Don't use bad language. Say only what is good and helpful to those you are talking to, and what will give them a blessing."

As a part of human nature, we gossip. We talk about our friends, talk about our family, talk about anything generally to avoid being the topic of conversation. But really, what in the world are we accomplishing? Are we building other people up? Sometimes. Are we spreading useless nonsense. Almost always.

I'm no theologian, but in this mind frame, I take Ephesians 4:29 to mean that bad language is not simply cursing, but any language that can be harmful and demeaning to others. Last Sunday in church the sermon was on honesty, and how being honest is one of the highest forms of love. Lying to someone to save their feelings, or worse yet, failing to help them acknowledge the truth shows of your failure to love them. So if honesty is love, and love is good, then what does that make of dishonesty?

We use bad language all of the time. Whether we are gossiping about people, stringing together curse words, or failing to be honest with those we love, we are failing them as Christians and as people by not saying what is good and helpful, by not blessing them with the gift of good language.

2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Starting today, give of your heart. Instead of taking part in idol gossip, let's take part in sharing of our faith. I know I will and continue to struggle with being honest about my feelings, but I hope you will join me in working to be honest about how you feel, caring more for the person's eternal soul than their earthly friendship. And I hope, that you will give with a decided heart, pleasing God by being a cheerful giver and blessing those around you with words that are good and helpful.

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT.Psalm 23

I sit here dreaming of the days of going back to school. Football games, friends, tailgates, a great job, everything I love about the University of Florida wrapped in an orange and blue package. But then there’s the baggage- classes, exams, money, time. The great of them all though- what am I going to do after I graduate.

I spend countless hours worrying about the future. Grad school, law school, teaching, working, the possibilities are endless. But the nice thing is, I don’t have to worry about that. While I greatly want to know what the future holds, I have to trust in the Lord to provide. This doesn’t mean sitting back on your laurels, but instead preparing yourself for a life of service to him.
I don’t know what the future holds. Nor do I want to know. But I know I want to live a life that reflects God’s love. I hope that my life is one of service.

As I wrap up my thoughts, I think back to my favorite verse in the Bible. As I go back to school, I can want lots of things. The temptation to go out more than I study. The temptation to spend money on material things versus something that matters. The temptation to serve my own personal wants more than the Lord.

Joshua 24:15 tells us “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.”

We have to choose who we will serve. Will we want for material possessions, or will we allow the Lord to shepherd us so his will is done. Today is a new day. Today is a day for choosing.

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:15

"Happy are people of integrity, who follow the law of the Lord"  Psalm 119:1

As I look back on my summer in DC, this scripture really speaks to me.  As I come nearer and nearer to the end of the summer, I have a heart full of happiness.  Part of it is because I am leaving DC and returning home to my family and friends.  Part of it is because I have had  a great summer and had a chance to build new relationships and strengthen existing ones.  But a greater part of it is because I leave here with a greater sense of who I am as a person, or more importantly, who I want to be.

I realize that in the first few weeks of summer, I was not a happy person.  Sure I had a full social calendar.  Every weekend was planned and most week nights included some form of event.  Sadly though, almost every weekend lacked time for worship.  And basically every night passed by without me reading scripture.  While I won't go into the sordid details, I realized at one point this summer that what I was doing with my life was completely against God's will, and a total violation of God's law.  I was focusing too much time on my happiness here on earth, very little time on my eternal happiness, and as a result, was living a miserable existence.  So how then did I make this change, and how do we change ourselves from spiritually lacking to fulfilled people?  By remaining pure to God's word and following his law.

"How can a young person stay pure?  By obeying your word and following its rule."

-Psalm 119:9

I realize now I was not following God's law.  And as a result of lacking God in part of my life, Iw as lacking God in all of my life.  You may be a better person at this than me, but for me, it's all or nothing.  I either have to live a life that exemplifies my faith all of the time, or none of the time.  Anything less just drives me crazy!  Now I will admit, I sin, quite a bit in fact.  But the great thing is God offers us forgiveness.  I know that I am not full of only pure thoughts and actions, but by making a conscious effort to be a person of purity, we come closer to mirroring God's love and hope for the world.

This summer I have had my own personal problems.  Missing home, having a rocky relationship with a friend, learning my way around a big city, looking temptation in the eye and saying no.  But I've also had some of my greatest triumphs.  And more than anything, I am truly blessed to have been able to grow as a person and as a Christian.  I leave DC in two weeks.  I leave with a greater understanding of myself.  I leave with a greater understanding of how our country works.  I leave with a greater understanding of God's will.  And I leave reborn in a sense in terms of my faith in God and in people, my hope that all will know and follow God's plans he has made for us, and my love for my family, my friends, and my all powerful God who is always there.

A mentor of mine shared with me a sign she saw at a church the other day-

“God does not call us to be judges or lawyers, but witnesses”

How true it is. Sometimes as Christians it’s easy to get caught up in how others actions don’t reflect God’s commandments for us. We say “Hate the sin, not the sinner” or “Love the sinner, but not the sin” but honestly, do we mean that? No, we pass our judgement just the same. We judge people based on their actions, period. That’s right, we judge them and their actions. Yet we are not called to be judges, just witnesses.

At the same time, we all find ourselves taking part in things we shouldn’t. It’s easy to do. Too easy. I know this summer I found myself slipping from my faith. I would go out with friends on Saturday night, sleep in on Sunday, and before I realized it, another Sunday had gone without going to church. That’s ok I would tell myself, I’ll read a few more verses in the Bible. I was defending my actions. God doesn’t call us to be a lawyer either- he calls us to be a witness.

If we are not called to judge and condemn, or to defend and justify- what is it then we called to do? We are called to witness. Witnessing can look different to many different people. To one of the ladies I work with this summer, it is taking time before every meal to say a short silent prayer. Without uttering a word, she is witnessing, showing her love and reverence for God through a small action. To a good friend of mine, its through simple acts of kindness, like giving her leftover food to someone with none. To one of my professors, its signing up to be a bone marrow donor- and then praying to be called upon. Whatever way you choose, we are all called to witness, the question is, how will you answer that call.

1 John 3:18
"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

Let us show our love for God and others, not through meaningless words, but through our actions. This summer a number of my friends facilitates a service based conference here in Washington, DC. One of the trademark lines of the conference is, “We must, because we can”. Think of showing God’s love in that context. We must show it, because we can. If you really think about it we are truly blessed, and it is our duty to witness to people through our actions. We must, because we can.

As I sum up, I think back over the last few weeks since my last posting. In the beginning of the summer, I was struggling with some of my relationships, both with people and with God. But as I find myself being called more and more to witness to others, I find myself growing stronger in my faith, and stronger in my relationships with other people. Recently I have struggled with the decisions of a very close friend. But as I think back over the saying “God does not call us to be judges or lawyers, but witnesses” I realize the best thing I can do my friend is simply to love them for who they are. I must witness to them not through my words, but through actions that show understanding and compassion. I must be a witness to them, because I can.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."Proverbs 3:5-6

I must trust in the Lord, and know that his will, will be done. And I must answer the call to be a witness, not through words, but with actions, and in truth.

The Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance ... for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
-1 Samuel 16:7 (NRSV)

Vanity. We all experience it. We all hate it. We all have it. From the time we were young, most of us have been told not to judge a book by its cover. Yet, around every corner is a reminder that to most of us, beauty is skin deep. It’s on billboards with scantily clad models. It’s on the front of magazines. I even had a friend who refuses to go to the gym without having either his hair fixed or a hat on- he’s afraid of what people would think to see him as he is.

I am as guilty as anyone. When I first meet someone, most of the times I judge them based on their appearance. Eventually, I look into their heart, but unmistakably, my impression is formed based on their appearances. I find many people to be beautiful outwardly, with enormous pain on the inside. Others who may be no beauty to look at, have hearts yearning to care.

I’ll admit, I don’t go to the gym 4 or 5 days a week because I like to work out. I don’t run because I find it relaxing. No, I hate it. I don’t eat healthy because I like salad and grilled foods. Give me bacon and butter any day of the week. I do all of these things to be healthy yes, but primarily, to look good in a t-shirt. Yes, I let vanity consume a few hours of every day.

But what if, we focused just a fraction of our time being vain on getting to know someone’s heart? I can recall meeting a good friend of mine a while back, and my first impression was that he was a fratty jock who cared about nothing more than partying and meeting women. But as I got to know him, I realize he cares more about helping people achieve their goals, and ultimately wants to teach, so that he can better influence future generations. Had I allowed my first impression to shape how I saw him, I would have missed out on a great friendship.

Starting today, ignore outwards appearances. Seek to understand others for who they are, not what they look like. Seek to know their hearts, and you will know true beauty.

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”- Romans 12:3

Growing up in the south, I knew my fair share of holier than thou Christians.  I can actually remember a time when a youth pastor from another church questioned my own sincerity in terms of salvation.  Talk about a turn off.

It can be easy to get arrogant in our faith.  Some feel because they can quote scripture at will that makes them a better Christian.  And at times, I'll admit that because I don't read the Bible as often as I should, I wonder about my own standing with God.

The truth is though, we are lucky, very lucky.  Because we have an all loving God who loves us, even when at times we don't love him.  It is my hope that a strengthened relationship with Christ will not bring arrogance, but instead understanding.