So I was checking out at Walmart tonight...
It's been a long day with classes getting started and transitioning into management at work. I was putting me stuff on the counter at Walmart and for some reason I looked over what I was buying again. Toilet paper, surface cleaner, paper towels and laundry detergent. Talk about the most boring trip to Walmart ever. It hit me super hard all of a sudden. I'm an adult now.
I don't know exactly when it happened. In my head I'm still about 17, figuring out the world and wondering what the future holds. Then I look at the mirror and realize all that's going on in life...graduating soon, thinking about career opportunities, talking to God about my future wife, thinking about how awesome fatherhood is going to be, etc.
My friends, whether you're a freshman or a victory lap senior like me...you're officially an adult. Congratulations.
Whether Mom and Dad still pay the bills, or you're busy slaving away at your college job to make ends meet. We have left the confines of the roof we were born under. It's just you, God and life. How awesome!
Take advantage of the freedom you've been given. Put your minutes and hours to work for something significant. Don't waste your adulthood like many of us, myself included, mostly wasted our childhood.
Life...it's a beautiful thing.
Be blessed!
15 January 2008
11 January 2008
Judge not...
This post isn't any more fun to read than it is to write, but it desperately needs to been said...
Negative, cutting, derogatory remarks have no rightful place in a healthy community of people. Whether those people claim the name of Christ or not, that statement is still true. However, it's even more true when the people involved are supposed to be emulating Jesus Christ himself.
This whole post hinges on one verse I read in my JAM time (Jesus And Me).
Romans 14:4, "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."
So many times we just truck right along in our humanness and take pot shots at whoever gets in our way. It's so easy to be negative about things or people. It's in our nature.
My friends, answer some good prayer and meditation over this particular verse, the only message I get from God is this: "let me handle them, they are my children just like you are."
It's very cut and dried. Unless the person you have beef with is engaging in open sin, keep your comments to yourself. Even if they are sinning, DO NOT GOSSIP. Take your concerns to that person and deal with them biblically and personally.
I have no right to pass judgment or make slanderous comments about you or anyone else. It really fries my bacon when believers attack each other, especially when the world can see it. There is no faster way to lose your witness with most people than to cut someone down, talk behind their back or gossip about them.
Here's the bottom line. If you verbally attack someone, you are sinning. If you gossip about them, you are sinning. The way you judge someone else is the way you'll be judged when your number is up. If you call someone a fool, you are the fool. The next time you point your finger, look at your hand. There are 3 fingers pointing right back at you!
Let's build each other up, not trying to elevate ourselves by tearing everyone else down. Live to see the best in the people around you. Look for their best, encourage them to be and become all that God has for them. Kindness given fosters more kindness to be received.
Compliment, encourage and bless the people who cross your path. Don't be a poison. No one likes negative people. Leaving the judging to the Judge.
-----
Romans 14:4, "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."
Negative, cutting, derogatory remarks have no rightful place in a healthy community of people. Whether those people claim the name of Christ or not, that statement is still true. However, it's even more true when the people involved are supposed to be emulating Jesus Christ himself.
This whole post hinges on one verse I read in my JAM time (Jesus And Me).
Romans 14:4, "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."
So many times we just truck right along in our humanness and take pot shots at whoever gets in our way. It's so easy to be negative about things or people. It's in our nature.
My friends, answer some good prayer and meditation over this particular verse, the only message I get from God is this: "let me handle them, they are my children just like you are."
It's very cut and dried. Unless the person you have beef with is engaging in open sin, keep your comments to yourself. Even if they are sinning, DO NOT GOSSIP. Take your concerns to that person and deal with them biblically and personally.
I have no right to pass judgment or make slanderous comments about you or anyone else. It really fries my bacon when believers attack each other, especially when the world can see it. There is no faster way to lose your witness with most people than to cut someone down, talk behind their back or gossip about them.
Here's the bottom line. If you verbally attack someone, you are sinning. If you gossip about them, you are sinning. The way you judge someone else is the way you'll be judged when your number is up. If you call someone a fool, you are the fool. The next time you point your finger, look at your hand. There are 3 fingers pointing right back at you!
Let's build each other up, not trying to elevate ourselves by tearing everyone else down. Live to see the best in the people around you. Look for their best, encourage them to be and become all that God has for them. Kindness given fosters more kindness to be received.
Compliment, encourage and bless the people who cross your path. Don't be a poison. No one likes negative people. Leaving the judging to the Judge.
-----
Romans 14:4, "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."
08 January 2008
heart attack
Ok, so the topic of relationship has been heavy on my mind for a long time, but particularly these last several weeks (the CHRISTmas season is the only time of year that I genuinely wish I wasn't single). God has been working me over the coals for some time now and I haven't really been getting what He was sending.
There's a worship song, "Lord I give you my heart", you've probably heard it if you've been in a contemporary service in the last 5 years. I have been pondering over the words of that song for a long time (it's one of my favorite to play). See, the thing is that I had no idea how to "give Him my heart". I spent most of 2007 trying to keep my heart focused on God, in the midst of some terribly strong distractions. It was, and has always been, a struggle. I have a friend who I know has successfully given her romantic heart to God; she doesn't even possess it anymore. Until today, that has frustrated me to no end, because I can't seem to do the same.
Directing your affections is almost impossible to do. For most of the fall semester, it was an almost constant struggle to keep my affection and attention focused on my Savior. My heart has a tendency to wander back to worldly things if it's not corralled properly. I had a bit of an epiphany today when I was driving to work on my bike. I love the solitude driving the bike provides; plenty of thinking time alone inside my helmet...
Anyways, I realized that I have been trying to direct my affections. Away from certain people, towards Jesus, etc. That approach has failed miserably. The word I received from God today is that we are to release our heart, let go of it completely. We are to entrust it to God and let him take ownership of our heart. This is great for several reasons...
First, it allows us to relax and give God total control over the romantic affections that are present in our lives. It makes it easier to "guard your heart" because your heart is in God's hands.
Secondly, it makes finding the right person easier. It's not your job anymore. I came to that realization when I was having one of those ultra-significant conversations with a special person in my life. I told her, "It's not my job to win you...it's my job to be that Psalm 112 man and practice to be that Ephesians 5 and 1 Peter 3 kind of husband. It's God's job to bring our heart's together. He does the winning." I can't put words to how much relief that brings me. Stop worrying about "the one" God has for you. Release your heart and place your focus on being the one He's called you to be. Let those in your life see His light in your life and His joy in your eyes. Do what we've been called to do, leave the results up to Him.
Finally, it brings a safety to this life that I've never experienced before. I fight fear and worry on a daily basis. One of the areas I'm really bad about is the future. When it comes to relationships, especially those of the romantic variety, all my confidence goes out the window. To be perfectly transparent, every single person I've ever truly cared for has either wounded me deeply or been deeply wounded by me. I bring to Christ a heart that is weary and apprehensive when it comes to relationships in general. That is why simply releasing your heart to Him, to let Him assuage your grief, relief your worry or doubt and keep you on His path for you. Every bit of confidence I lack in myself is more than replaced by my faith in an omnipotent Creator who has my best interests at heart.
Stop trying to push your heart around like it's a shopping cart in the parking lot of love. Put your heart in God's vehicle (providence and grace) and let Him take your heart where He wants it to go.
----
Hopefully some of that made sense. It's 4:30am and I'm writing this now because I try to never put off what needs to be said. There was far too much scripture to choose from for this passage. I'd suggest checking out Song of Songs, Haggai, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians and 1 Peter.
Be blessed...
There's a worship song, "Lord I give you my heart", you've probably heard it if you've been in a contemporary service in the last 5 years. I have been pondering over the words of that song for a long time (it's one of my favorite to play). See, the thing is that I had no idea how to "give Him my heart". I spent most of 2007 trying to keep my heart focused on God, in the midst of some terribly strong distractions. It was, and has always been, a struggle. I have a friend who I know has successfully given her romantic heart to God; she doesn't even possess it anymore. Until today, that has frustrated me to no end, because I can't seem to do the same.
Directing your affections is almost impossible to do. For most of the fall semester, it was an almost constant struggle to keep my affection and attention focused on my Savior. My heart has a tendency to wander back to worldly things if it's not corralled properly. I had a bit of an epiphany today when I was driving to work on my bike. I love the solitude driving the bike provides; plenty of thinking time alone inside my helmet...
Anyways, I realized that I have been trying to direct my affections. Away from certain people, towards Jesus, etc. That approach has failed miserably. The word I received from God today is that we are to release our heart, let go of it completely. We are to entrust it to God and let him take ownership of our heart. This is great for several reasons...
First, it allows us to relax and give God total control over the romantic affections that are present in our lives. It makes it easier to "guard your heart" because your heart is in God's hands.
Secondly, it makes finding the right person easier. It's not your job anymore. I came to that realization when I was having one of those ultra-significant conversations with a special person in my life. I told her, "It's not my job to win you...it's my job to be that Psalm 112 man and practice to be that Ephesians 5 and 1 Peter 3 kind of husband. It's God's job to bring our heart's together. He does the winning." I can't put words to how much relief that brings me. Stop worrying about "the one" God has for you. Release your heart and place your focus on being the one He's called you to be. Let those in your life see His light in your life and His joy in your eyes. Do what we've been called to do, leave the results up to Him.
Finally, it brings a safety to this life that I've never experienced before. I fight fear and worry on a daily basis. One of the areas I'm really bad about is the future. When it comes to relationships, especially those of the romantic variety, all my confidence goes out the window. To be perfectly transparent, every single person I've ever truly cared for has either wounded me deeply or been deeply wounded by me. I bring to Christ a heart that is weary and apprehensive when it comes to relationships in general. That is why simply releasing your heart to Him, to let Him assuage your grief, relief your worry or doubt and keep you on His path for you. Every bit of confidence I lack in myself is more than replaced by my faith in an omnipotent Creator who has my best interests at heart.
Stop trying to push your heart around like it's a shopping cart in the parking lot of love. Put your heart in God's vehicle (providence and grace) and let Him take your heart where He wants it to go.
----
Hopefully some of that made sense. It's 4:30am and I'm writing this now because I try to never put off what needs to be said. There was far too much scripture to choose from for this passage. I'd suggest checking out Song of Songs, Haggai, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians and 1 Peter.
Be blessed...
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