It's not a Fence; It's a Guardrail

A lot of people have the conception that Christians are a bunch of stick-in-the-muds who are bound by limitless numbers of laws and rules and dos and don'ts. It is a real tragedy that people think that way. It is all a ploy by the devil to get people to turn away from God. But when I really look at it, ALL God's laws serve a purpose - and that purpose is ALWAYS our own good. It's so obvious all around us. Not doing God's will doesn't make anyone happy or free - it just leads to death and destruction - literally.

The most obvious example I can come up with is relationships - the romantic ones. So much heartache and suffering could be avoided if we just listened to what God has to say about this subject, and do what he says. God ALWAYS knows what's best. After all, He is our Creator, how could he not?

But back to relationships. The Bible says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery" Exodous 20:14. This Commandment includes fornication. If you don't believe that, then here's another text for you: "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body" 1 Corinthians 6:18. The Bible is so clear on this. God is not trying to curb our sexual appetites by commanding this; and He is not trying to curb our fun. He made us to have sexual urges and desires. But they were meant to be expressed in the right context - a loving marriage. Instead, we choose to ignore this and what's the result? - Unwanted children, single parenthood, teenage pregnancies, emotional scars and debilitation, STDs, and who knows what else. Now I know unwanted children and single parenthood can happen in marriage or when a spouse dies, but don't get technical with me. My point is, that many of the problems associated with romantic relationships would be nonexistent if we obeyed God's law about fornication and adultery.

There are other examples. What we eat and our lifestyles are two others. If we were to go back to God's original vegetarian diet, with no animals or their by-products, we would be so much healthier. It has been proven by science that eating foods loaded with animal fat leads to health problems like high cholesterol and heart disease. Eating foods high in sugar like sodas and donuts can lead to diabetes. The food God prescribes would cause no debilitating diseases.

My point is, God's laws are there for our protection, and our own good. So why not follow them? It's so hard not to eat that piece of fried chicken when I smell it. But thinking of the damage it can do to my insides - damage that God has foreseen - makes me step away from it. I am trying to be a vegan and it's not easy. I have not eaten any meats for months now, but I'm finding it more difficult to stay away from cheese and yogurt. But I know that these foods are not good for me. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and I should treat it as such. By God's grace, and through the strength he gives me, I will overcome. We just have to take it day by day and remember to depend on God for strength.

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" 3 John 2.

God Wants Our Everything

I went to a church service last night and the speaker said something that I have been struggling with: He said that God does not want half of us; He doesn't want some of our time and attention or some of our commitment. He wants ALL. I don't think we could ever really know God and be truly transformed unless we give Him our all. I don't believe that He can give us all that He wants to give us either if we aren't prepared to give Him everything we are. The hymn Nothing Between really captured my feelings even as I struggle to give Jesus my all and surrender myself completely to Him:

Nothing between my soul and the Savior,
Naught of this world's delusive dream,
I have renounced all sinful pleasure,
Jesus is mine, there's nothing between.

Nothing between my soul and the Savior,
So that His blessed face may be seen,
Nothing preventing the least of His favor,
Keep the way clear; let nothing between.

Nothing between, like worldly pleasure,
Habits of life, though harmless they seem,
Must not my heart from Him ever sever,
He is my all! There's nothing between.

Nothing between e'en many hard trials,
Though the world against me convene,
Watching with prayer and much self-denial,
Triumph at last! With nothing between!

The verse about habits that seem harmless especially got me. There are some habits I indulge in and I don't believe they're outright sin - like for instance, I enjoy watching various secular television shows. At first, I didn't think there was anything wrong with that. But the thing is that these shows depict things that are not of God - murder, adultery, fornication, revenge. They also incite negative feelings inside me when I watch them - feelings of intense dislike for certain characters; wanting revenge and retribution. I used to think that it was all just innocent entertainment, that I'm not committing any sin by watching. Honestly, I can't say that it is sin or not, but I know that the Bible says this:

Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think of these things. Philippians 4:8

Anything that is not of God could not possibly fit that description. So when I watch these shows, I feel guilty, and I ask myself, 'what's the reason you're watching this? What can you gain spiritually by watching it?.' I always come up empty, but I still find myself watching the shows. A Christian I know once said that our lives must be balanced between the spiritual and the worldly. This statement couldn't me wrong. Our entire being should be focused and pointed toward the spiritual. The temporal is fleeting, but the spiritual is forever.

Jesus said in a parable, 'occupy till I come (Luke 19:13), but I don't believe he meant occupy time in worldly pleasures that have nothing to do with our salvation and the salvation of others. He wants our everything, all the time. And it's not much to ask of us considering what He has done for us, and what He has promised us despite our disobedience. Thank God for His never ending grace, mercy, and love.

It's going to be difficult, but I need to make Philippians 4:8 my criteria for EVERYTHING that I choose partake in.

Just A Thought...

I read Matthew 8:29 the recently and it made me think. Now, I'm just conjecturing here, but I still thought I would share as food for thought. The text is as follows:

'And, behold, they cried out saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?' Matthew 8:29

What it prompted me to think of was the end of the world. The devil and his angels are going through a lot of trouble to get people to be lost and miss out on eternal life that Jesus has promised. One of the ways he does this is to have people believe that there is no God, or that Jesus does not exist. To me, this text points to the hell that awaits the devil and his angels at the end of the world. Now I would suggest that you read Matthew for the back story, but basically Jesus meets a man on his travels who has been possessed by demons, and it's the demons speaking to Jesus through this possessed man that made this statement.

Anyway, back to my original thought - the demons ask Jesus if he is there to torment them before the time. I think they are talking about hell fire. Because Jesus never tormented demons while on earth, so they can't possibly be talking about any acts during his time. To me this text is evidence that there will be an end, and that there is a hell to come. What else could they mean about Jesus tormenting them before the time? I always believed in the end as the Bible teaches - that hell is real and heaven is real, but I just found it interesting when I found this text and thought I would share.

Jesus IS is real, and he IS coming and there WILL be a judgement for all those who commit evil. I leave you with this other text:

'Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.' James 2:19

Thank God For Things I Can Wrap My Head Around

I often find myself sitting and thinking of the end of the world, and I find myself thinking that it is all just impossible: Jesus, busting through the clouds on a trumpet sound with great glory, surrounded by legions of angels; Jesus calling the righteous dead from their graves to meet him in the air where the righteous living will also join Him; and then everyone going to Heaven with him. It all seems so unrealistic! Especially when I consider that there will be no more pain and death - everything will be perfect, AND we will live forever.

I'm smiling to myself even now as I describe this fantastic scene. Living in this world of logic and reason and science, it's so easy for me not to believe what I have just described. Sometimes I believe it with every fiber of my being and the thought makes me happy and hopeful and anxious (in a good way) for Jesus' second coming. But sometimes, the doubt creeps in and I wonder: 'Is this really possible? Eternal life? No pain or death?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not doubting God in these times, at least that's what I tell myself. But I guess what I am doing is doubting his promises, which I've come to realize is doubting Him. In John 14:1-3, Jesus says, 'Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am there ye may be also.' The promise here is clear - Jesus WILL be returning to take the faithful with him away from sin forever.

I will have doubts and questions sometimes, but really, I thank God for the things that I can wrap my head around. I may find it hard to sometimes believe what the end of this world will be, but God provides me with the faith I need to press on in this journey and to believe. He sends me messages and speaks to me in my life. As I stated in a previous post God Answer's Prayers, Jesus speaks to me directly through his word. This direct communication is something that others may see as small and unimportant, but to me it means the world because these interactions are what my faith is built on. If I didn't have those small moments, it would be so hard for me to believe in the big things like the Second Coming.

I'm going to focus more on the little things that God does for me and reveals to me. Those are what are most important, and they will pave the way for my faith to grow stronger so that I could believe the big things. Most importantly, I will trust in Jesus, and lean on Him daily, because He is 'the author and finisher of our faith' (Hebrews 12:2). So to whoever reads this, if you don't believe that's okay; if you do believe but have doubts, that's okay too. Just earnestly and sincerely pray to God and ask him to give you faith and to help you believe, he will NEVER deny you that. But remember also that we must diligently seek Him. Relationships are built over time and communication and that's what God requires of us.

The Bible's Promises II

In my study of my Bible this morning, I cam across the story of Jeroboam in 1 Kings. What struck me was the similarity between some of my earlier discussion on Bible promises and Jeroboam's life and story. These texts sum it up:

"Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel, And rent the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes; But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back." 1 Kings 14:7-9

God gave Jeroboam a kingdom, earthly riches and glory, and what did he do? He turned away from God. David had all these things that Jeroboam had, possibly more, and he remained with God. Now, I don't know about you, but to me, this story further convicts me of the truth that earthly riches are given only as our Heavenly Father sees best for each individual. So, next time you ask for a car, or money, and you don't get it, don't think that he does not care, or is not there or not listening. KNOW that he knows better than you do what is best for you. Trust him, and watch his will work in your life for YOUR betterment. I know that it's really not that easy, I'm struggling with it myself, but a relationship is a process that takes time and constant communication. So hopefully, and by God's grace, I will get to the point of blind trust - because really, there's no way I'm more knowledgeable than the all powerful God.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not  unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6

The Bible's Promises

As promised in a previous post, I want to explore the theme of the Bible's promises. I had stated that not all of the Bible's promises are for everyone at any time. This is something that I learned from a book 95 Theses on Righteousness by Faith by Morris Venden. In it he states,  

"The spiritual promises - for forgiveness of sins, for the Holy Spirit, for power to do his work - are always available. But the promises for temporal blessings, even for life itself are given on occasion and withheld on occasion, as God's providence sees best." (p. 58)

I had always struggled with the fact that bad things happen to good, God-fearing people. I had always refused to believe that a good God would let bad things happen to his people. I had taken Jeremiah 29:11 to task, 'For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.' But when I read that chapter of the book, I came to realize that I was wrong. Even upon examination of the Bible, I realized that my thinking was wrong. Take a look at Job, the most obvious of God's dedicated people and what he went through. Job was rich in earthly belongings, so God had granted him prosperity in that. But Job was also rich in spiritual wealth. He had a strong relationship with God. God had seen through his providence that Job would be faithful if given earthly wealth, but He had also seen that Job would still remain faithful if it would all be taken away - which is what happened. So when his life was being ripped away before his eyes, Job stayed faithful because God was always with him, and he trusted God. I guess that's the real test of faith, whether we stay faithful through good times and through adversity.

Another example would be the Apostles and the end that some of them came to. Not all were able to escape persecution and ultimately death - some of them died for telling the good news of God. The promise of life is not for everyone, but only "as God's providence sees best." The 'expected end' in Jeremiah 29:11 to me refers to eternal life. That alone is God's aim, and he will do whatever it takes to ensure that we get there. THAT is his promise. So it may mean that on earth we may not always get what we want or think we need, but I am slowly learning to be okay with that. I have to trust God because He knows what's best for me.

'For our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.' 2 Corinthians 4:17

God Answers Prayers

I've been amazed recently at how God has answered my prayers. To me, those answers are small miracles and evidence of his existence and the fact that he loves me and listens to what I have to say. I'm reading a book, 95 Theses on Righteousness by Faith, by Morris Venden, and in it, one of the things he says is that not EVERY promise in the Bible is for you at this specific time in this specific place. I had often struggled with reconciling the promises of the Bible to 'bad things happening to good people,' and his explanation opened my eyes to a new reality. (I will explore God's promises in another post). God's ultimate goal is for everyone to reach heaven. He will do whatever it takes to get you there, even if that means you have to be poor your whole life - if he made you rich, would you still seek and serve him? Why would he give you something knowing that it would lead you to hell? That's why not every promise is for everyone at some point in their lives. I understand that now, and I've accepted it.

But the other part of this is that there are certain promises that are for EVERYONE at ANYTIME, as long as we ask earnestly He will always hear us. One such promise is the imparting of the Holy Spirit. God will never deny the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks earnestly. Basically any requests having to do with your spiritual life will never be denied you by God. The key is that we have to be earnest when we seek answers.

Recently I committed a sin that I have always struggled with.  Personally I see it as somewhat of a failure that I commit the same sin over and over. I always wonder, 'does this mean that I was insincere when I repented of it the last time I did it?' Sometimes I even feel like just giving up because I feel I'm not worth it if I keep doing the same thing over and over. It's very discouraging. But one night I was talking with God and I wondered, 'What if I promised God that I will never do it again? Would that deter me?' I did promise that I would never do it again, but I also asked God for guidance. The next morning, while reading my Bible, God lead me to this text:

'When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it: for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.' Ecclesiastes 5:4,5

I was amazed, but there it was - my prayer was answered (Honestly, I felt scolded, but I also felt happy because I got the guidance I had asked for). Another time, I had concerns about my attitude towards people. Particularly about doing house work. I sometimes felt that I was the only one doing most of the work and I resented that. Especially when I later got told that it was 'my turn' to clean and I know that I do it so much already and we have no real 'turns.' I hated the negative attitude and thoughts I had towards the people I live with because of what I saw as injustice. I asked God to help me. I didn't even know where to start, or how to not feel the way I was feeling, I just knew that it was wrong. Again, during my morning devotion I was reading Messages to Young People by Ellen White, and I came across this passage:

"Closely examine your own heart, and the state of your affections towards God. Inquire, have I devoted the precious moments of today in seeking to please myself, seeking for my own amusements? Or have I made others happy? Have I helped those connected with me to greater devotion to God and to appreciate eternal things? Have I brought my religion into my home and there revealed the grace of Christ in my words and in my deportment? By respectful obedience, have I honored my parents, and thus kept the fifth commandment? Have I cheerfully taken up my little, everyday duties, performing them with fidelity, doing what I could to lighten the burden of others?" (p. 123).

The entire paragraph made me take a closer look at myself, but God spoke directly to me through the very last sentence. My prayer, again, was answered. I should seek to help people, as Jesus would have done, without complaint. I know that my attitude won't be changed instantaneously, but like my relationship with God, it will take time and commitment on my part. But thanks to God for his help, I don't have to do it alone, and neither do you.

Jesus is there to help us, whatever way we ask of him. All we have to do is call his name, and he will answer. When it comes to helping us change ourselves for the better; when it comes to matters of the spirit and of eternal life, we can be sure that God will ALWAYS answer.

'For the Lord is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.' Psalm 84:11