Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

Why?
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get the other side, right? (Okay, you can stop laughing now.) Why did God  part the red sea? So the Israelites could get to the other side, right? Wrong. Why did God part the red sea? To trap Pharaoh's Army...maybe? Not quite.

The Passage Begun
Let's take a look at the passage. Exodus 13:17 says, "When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, 'lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.' Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt."

No Accident
One of the things that we learn from this passage is that God intentionally lead the Israelites "around by way of the wilderness to the Red Sea". It was no accident that they came to the Red Sea; God led them there to fulfill His purposes. 

Ready For Battle
I also found it interesting that, "the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt." They were ready to fight, and there would indeed be a fight. The battle would not be fought by them, however. Once again Pharaoh changed his mind and decided that he was not going to let the Israelites get away that easily. Pharaoh and all his army went with him in pursuit of the Israelites, but God had a plan.

The Passage Continued
Exodus 14:10-18 says,"When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, 

"'Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.'  And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.  The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.'
"The Lord said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.' "

"I will get glory"
Within chapter 13 and 14, God mentions getting glory three times. In Exodus 13:4 He says, "I will get glory over Pharaoh."Again in 14:17 God says, "I will get glory over Pharaoh." Yet again He says in 14:18, "When I have gotten glory over Pharaoh." The recurring theme in this passage is God's glory. Yes, this is the main reason God parted the sea. He was going to deliver the Israelites, and He was going to triumph over the Egyptians. More than that though, He was going to get glory, and the Egyptians would, "Know that [He] [was] the LORD," This is why God parted the red sea.

God the Deliverer, God the Destroyer
Before I draw this to a close, I have two more point to make. First, God was not only glorified in delivering His people but also in destroying those who were not His. His love and mercy were shown by providing a divine way of escape for the Israelites, and His power and righteous judgement was shown in destroying the Egyptians.
Secondly, In the same way that God was glorified by delivering some and destroying some, He will one day receive glory in condemning some to Hell and saving those who repent and trust Christ. This is  a difficult thing to understand. Isaiah 55:9 says,"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Sometimes we cannot understand God's ways, but who are we to question Him?

"You will say to me then, 'Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?' On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, 'Why did you make me like this,' will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, "Romans 9:19-23

It is true that God's glory is His main objective in all His actions, and His glory should also be our main objective in all our actions. Whose glory are you seeking?

No Peace Now, No Peace Later

We have been in a very trying season of life lately. God has been teaching me a lot though. One of the things that He has been showing me is that peace that is dependant upon circumstances is no peace at all. If I cannot be at peace right now in this difficult season, I will not be at peace when it passes.

 I am reminded of what Jesus said to His disciples when they were in a storm, and they were afraid their boat would sink. He said, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (Mark 4:40). After reading this passage, I realized that my lack of faith is the reason for my lack of peace. If I were trusting that God knows exactly what He is doing and that He knows exactly what I need, I would not be without peace. True peace comes from faith, faith in the Faithful God. We can have faith in His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us, and we can have peace when our circumstances change because our God does not.

The Little Girl At The Laundromat

She held out her sticky popsicle to me and offered me a lick. The little girl looked about seven years old. "Oh, thank you. I'm okay." I said with a smile. "What's your name?" I asked. The little girl looked at me with her dark eyes and said "Bree"."What a pretty name; my name is Dallas. Is that a good popsicle?" Bree nodded shyly. My older sister and I sat waiting for our clothes to finish drying at the laundromat, and Bree, who was waiting with her mother, had wandered over to us.

My sister and I continued to talk to her. We played a game of tic-tack-toe and drew together on some paper my sister had with her. As we drew, I asked Bree, "Do you know who Jesus is?" She looked up and thought for a moment before replying in her little voice "Um... yeah, He's up there." She pointed upwards.  I asked her if she knew who Adam and Eve were, but she did not. I told her the story and explained that they disobeyed God and had to be separated from Him. I also explained that we too have disobeyed God, and we would have to die and be separated from Him too. I asked her if she knew what Jesus did for her so that she would not have to die and be separated from God. She did not, so I told her that Jesus is God's Son and God sent Him to earth to save us. He never sinned and He died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. I told her that if she asked God to forgive her and trusted in Him, that He would forgive her and give eternal life.

We had to dry our clothes at the laundromat because my little sister's asthma got worse when we dried them at home. I had brought a book to read while I waited, but God had something else planned. I did not know I would have an opportunity to share the gospel. Sometimes our opportunities to share the gospel come to us in unexpected places, and sometimes all we have to do is ask a few questions and show kindness to others. It could be a sticky little girl with a popsicle or an old lady sitting on the bench at Walmart. It could be somebody who you do not know, or it might be somebody in your own home. It is important to, "always [be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;" 1Peter 3:15. The truth is, we have many opportunities to share the gospel; sometimes we just do not make good use of them. Who knows, you might have an opportunity today. Ask God to help you make the most of every opportunity He gives you, and be sensitive to the spirit.

What Do You Want To Be Known For?

There are many things that I want people to think of me, but I asked myself the other day,"What do I most want to be known for? Is it my talents, my beauty, or my intellect?" As I pondered this, another question came to mind,"What should I be known for?" Then God brought a verse to mind, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."John 13:35

Of all the things that I want to be known for, the greatest thing I want to be known for is God's love in me. First Corinthians 13:1-3 says, "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." If I have all talent, beauty, and intellect but do not have love, I am nothing. If we are in Christ we should be known for love, for "God is Love"1 John 4:8. I want to be more loving.

What are you known For? What do you want to be known for? How can you become what you want to be?

Escaping

Just Relax
It's been a long day, and you are ready to just relax and turn your brain off. You grab your novel and find a comfortable position. As soon as you open the book, you are in another world. You no longer have to worry about anything that is going on around you, because you imagine you are a part of the world in the book. You can be anyone you want in this book. Life seems so much more exciting in the book that even when you are not reading it, your mind is there.

You find yourself feeling depressed or down, and you know you can always find something to do online. You surf around on Face Book, Pintrest, Utube, and check your emails. Somehow it seems to numb your mind, and the empty time you had is filled or rather passed.

You are board and you find a movie to watch. You can feel all the emotions of the character you like best. Somehow, you find yourself wishing that it were real. The next time you are board you just relive the movie in your imagination.

You are lying in bed drifting off to sleep and you imagine up your own utopia. All the things you wish could happen to you can be real in your mind.

It's that hobby of yours that you can turn to when you need something to occupy your mind. You can ignore all of the other issues in your life when you are shooting those baskets, playing that instrument,  painting that picture, finding the right shoes, or hooking that fish. You can just let your mind be numb.

Mental Escapism
All of your troubles, stresses, and worries can be forgotten and ignored when your mind escapes. We all have ways of doing it, whether I listed yours or not. This is a temptation for all of us, but our troubles will not dissolve if we try to escape them. Many of us do not realize that we have addictions that we use to help us cope. Perhaps we are not even escaping from something but to something. We may just be escaping from our boredom to a more thrilling, interesting, and exciting world. The fact is when we are discontent with the situation God has placed us in, the temptation is to create our own world in our minds. There is nothing wrong with reading, having a hobby, or watching a movie. There is a problem with using these things to escape reality though.

• Not God Glorifying One of the problems with escaping is that there are no other realities. No matter how much we fantasize and fancy we can only be in this world were God has placed us. If we are mentally in a world that does not exist or that we do not exist in, we cannot be glorifying the God who created us to live in this world in the place that we are in. 
• Shows Distrust in God Acts 17:26 says,"and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation," God knows all things. He knows exactly the right geographical location for us, exactly the right year for our birth, and exactly the right circumstances for us to be in. When we try to escape from the place that God has put us mentally, we are showing our distrust in God's ability to work out the details of our lives.
• Not Kingdom Building We are also not able to further God's kingdom when we escape from reality. We are supposed to be seeking first God's kingdom and His righteousness, not the most exciting or pleasurable life. Sometimes building God's kingdom means loving that little baby who cannot thank you, doing the dishes again with a cheerful heart. Sometimes it means getting out of your comfort zone and sharing the gospel. Anything done to build God's kingdom though, cannot be done in a fantasy world or in our imagination.
• Practicing Discontentment Another problem with escaping from reality is that we are not practicing contentment. Paul said in Philippians 4," I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." I have often had to repent of a discontented spirit and and pray for God to help me to learn to be content. When I notice that my mind is escaping, this is one of the major indications that I need to repent of discontentment.
• Not A Good Use of Time No matter how heroic, productive, talented, or virtuous we are in our imaginations, all of our accomplishments from our fantasies do not carry over into reality. In the same way that winning money in the game of Monopoly will not profit you the next time you make a purchase. It is simply not profitable to escape from reality. We are only given a short amount of time on this earth and we must use is well. Ephesians 5:15-17  says, "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." This is not an option but a command.

Running From Problems, Tasks, and Responsibilities
Often we are like Jonah who tried to escape from the task God had given him, and Elijah who tried to run from his troubles. However, God has intentionally placed each of us exactly were we are for a reason. 

Embracing Your Circumstances

Esther was a Jew who was chosen to be the Kings wife without her consent. While she was queen, a decree went out to kill all the Jews; however, it was against the law for the queen to go to the king unless she was summoned. Mordecai was Esther's uncle and he worked for the king. Upon receiving this news he sent word to His niece. Esther 4:13-17 "Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, 'Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews.  For if you remain silent at this time, relief anddeliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?'Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai,  ^'Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.'  So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him."

Such a Time as This

Perhaps you find yourself in a difficult situation that you'd just like to escape, but perhaps God has put you in it for such a time as this? No doubt, God had a reason for Esther becoming queen, and he has a reason for everything He does in your life too. If you find yourself having a hard time embracing the circumstances you are in, ask God to help you to see why He has put you there. God may have something to teach you, something he wants you to do, or a character he wants to refine in you. When you embrace the life that God has given you and the plans He has for you, you will find that life is not a thing to escape from but to live for the glory of God. 

Where does your mind tend to escape to? How do you think we can cultivate contentment in out lives?

Is there something you are try to escape from? How do you think God would have you deal with that situation? How can you build God's kingdom right were you are? Do you trust that God knows what He is doing with your life? How well are you using your time? Do you think that escaping your problems is a good way to handle them? May we live life to the fullest for the glory of God!

God and the Holy Trinity

I wrote this poem with the intention of displaying God's character in an artful way. It is when we try to gaze into the face of God that we realize our true sinful state. And when we see our true sinfulness, it makes His grace all the more precious, glorious, and wonderful. God is so vast, He certainly cannot be described or contained in one poem. He could not be contained in all the books and libraries that exist either. In fact, He is infinite and cannot be contained in the cosmos! Yes, this is someone worth writing about, reading about, and living for!

The Lord is God. There is no other.
He's infinite in being and perfection.
He is not dependant on another.
His essence is beyond all comprehension.

He alone has immortality.
He is a most pure spirit invisible.
Immutable and most holy
He works all things according to his counsel.

A God most wise, infinite, and free
Who's dwelling is in light unapproachable
Who's full of splendor and of glory
Unending, without beginning, eternal

A patient God who's longsuffering
One who forgives and pardons iniquity
Who's merciful, good, and loving,

Yet just and will by no means clear the guilty.

A God who alone is all-knowing

There's nothing that is hidden from His sight.

The Lord is powerful, almighty.

He's immeasurable in strength and matchless in might.

The Lord is completely sovereign,

Most holy in all His works, counsels, and plans.

He has dominion over all creation.

He deserves our worship and obedience to His commands.

In this one God are three persons,

All one in power, attributes, and eternity.

There are three persons but no divisions.

Each with different roles but equal in divinity.

(I used the "1689 Baptist Confession of Faith" edited by Peter Masters as a guide for this poem. I do not, however, affirm the impassibility of God. Thus, I did not include this doctrine in my poem. I have not found this doctrine to be biblical. Wayne Grudem's "Systematic Theology" is very helpful on this subject. He explains were this doctrine came from and why it is not Biblical.)

What The Disabled Taught Me

Two of my sisters, my grandmother, and I were blessed to be able to serve at a camp for people with special needs called Joni and friends family camp a couple of weeks ago. I went with the intention of blessing others, but I was the one who was blessed by the experience. The lessons I learned while being there were priceless! 

Every Good Thing

One thing that I became increasingly aware of was the fact that everything we have is a gift from God!

I discovered that I had thought of my mental and physical abilities as things that were rightfully mine. I did not realize that God did not have to give me the abilities that He would be totally fair in not giving them to me. As I spent time with the blind, the crippled, and the mute I realized that the things I thought were my right were really a gift.  I did not earn them, and God had no obligation to me, but he gave me everything that I have. The only reason I can speak, see, reason, hear, walk, read, eat, breath, or do anything is because God has given me that gift. Some of the people had feeding tubes and had never eaten anything orally. I realized that even something as simple as eating an ice cream cone is a gift from God! James 1:17 says, "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." God does not give us all the same gifts, but we are each given gifts. We must realize that they are from God and praise Him for them. I learned thankfulness.

Helpless

There were two twin brothers who were both in wheel chairs there. They had such bad seizures that they could not even be in a room with ceiling fans because the motion triggered their seizures. These two boys could do absolutely nothing for themselves and were dependant on others to everything for them. I thought, "How sad. They must feel so helpless!" It was then that I realized that all people are dependant on someone else for everything. We are all dependant on God For everything, some of us just do not know we need Him. Hebrews 1:3a says,"And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power." We are all helpless and our only hope is to call out to God for mercy.

No Room For Boasting

Over the week I was brought face to face with my ugly pride. I realized that if everything I had was a gift, then all the things my pride had stood on were crumbling. My academic achievements were only possible because God had given me a capable brain. My physical achievements were only  possible because God had given me a capable body. I can do nothing without Him! Romans 3:27a " Where then is boasting? It is excluded." I learned that there is simply no room for boasting. 

Valuable

There was one boy at camp who everybody knew and loved. His name was Judson, but everyone called him Juddy. His entire face was always absorbed in a smile. He could not do anything else, but his joy was contagious! I realized that I placed so much of my value and other's value in our abilities. I realized that I had been selfish in my relationships, seeking to gain rather than to give. True love is giving of ones self freely to benefit another. There were other children there who were moody and did not have pleasant dispositions. These children caused me to examine my own motives in serving. I had a choice to make, to love or not love. It is easy to love people with pleasant dispositions or people who are talented. The true test of our love is if we love those who have nothing to offer us back and who are not grateful. I learned that we should value people not because of what they can do or even who they are, but because they are valuable to God.

I hope to be able to serve at this camp again, and I am so thankful for the lessons God taught me! God used the disabled to enabled me to see my own disabilities and weaknesses. We are all disabled in some way or another, we all have special needs, and we all need a Savior! 

No Place Wither You May Flee

I do not really know who wrote this, but I thought It was worthy of being quoted. I read it in a book, and the author was not cited. It was actually a quote, of a quote, of a quote, of which I am now going to quote.

"When you wish to do something evil, you retire from the public into your house where no enemy may see you; from those places of your house which are open and visible to the eyes of men you remove yourself into your room; even in your room you fear some witness from another quarter; you retire into your heart, there you meditate: he is more inward than your heart. Wherever, therefore, you shall have fled, there he is. From yourself, whither will you flee? Will you not follow yourself wherever you shall flee? But since there is One more inward even than yourself, there is no place where you may flee from God angry but to God reconciled. There is no place at all wither you may flee. Will you flee from Him? Flee unto Him."

You can hide in your house, in your room, or in your thoughts. You cannot hide from yourself though, and you cannot hide from God. You will know what you have done, and God will too. The only way to flee from God's anger is to be reconciled to Him. Are you fleeing from God? Does your conscience bother you? Do you wish you could be at peace in your soul and at peace with God? "as though God were making an appeal through [me]; [I] beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20. Trust in Christ for your righteousness and turn from your sins! Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved."When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."Colossians 2:13-14. Your debt can be canceled, and you can be set completely free! Will you flee from Him? Flee unto Him!

Too Bad for Heaven?

What About Them?
Did you ever wonder who you will see in heaven? Have you ever wondered if you will see that friend you have not talked to in years? What about your that person who died unexpectedly or the people you read about in history? Chances are you have wondered about this, but have you ever wondered if cereal killers, rapist, jihadist, murderers, thieves, drug addicts, child abusers, and abortion doctors will? Did you ever wonder if some of the past famous criminals will be in heaven?

Immoral and Impure
Ephesians 5:5 is an interesting verse :"For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God."Does this verse mean that there will be no cereal killers, rapist, jihadist, murders, thieves, drug addicts, child abusers, or abortion doctors in heaven then? These would certainly be immoral and impure people would they not? Is there no hope then for these people? Are they too bad to go to heaven? I would like to make two points concerning this verse.

1. The only people who will be in heaven are immoral, impure, and covetous people. 
2. Every person who has ever lived is immoral, impure, and covetous (Rom 3:23).

In Context
What then? Do I stand opposed to the word of God? By no means! We must not pull scripture out of context. By reading the surrounding verses and chapters, we can understand what Paul meant. The next three verse say. "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord."

1. One thing we see in this passage is that these people are sons of disobedience. These are people who habitually disobey. In 1 John 3:10 we read, "By this the children of God and the children of the Devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God." Christians do disobey, but they are not sons of disobedience. This passage in Ephesians is not saying that people must be perfect to go to heaven. It is saying only those who have been born again and are no longer sons of disobedience will be in heaven. We are all sinners and if we had to be perfect no one could go to heaven. 
2. The next thing we see is that Christians all formerly live in darkness, but after salvation are light in the Lord. All Christians used to walk in darkness. No one is born a Christian. The only people who will be in heaven are immoral and impure people; however, they do not continue to live in darkness after salvation. They become light in the Lord.

The "Too Bad Myth"
The truth is we are all too bad to go to heaven, but no one is too bad to be forgiven. Most people have the idea that there are degrees of sinfulness; however, there are degrees of sinning but not of sinfulness. What do I mean by this statement? I mean that one may not sin as much as another, but they are no less sinful. Adam and Eve were separated from God after their first sin. All they did was eat a piece of fruit. James 2:10 says, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." If you break one law, you are a law breaker. You can break more laws, but you were already a law breaker the first time you broke the law.

By Grace Through Faith
In Ephesians 2:8-9 we read, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works so that no one may boast."We are not saved by works but by grace through faith. It is all a gift. Even the faith we have is a gift from God. We cannot even trust in Christ unless we are born again by the spirit. (Eph 2:1-7) We are all just as lost as the worst man who ever lived, and we are all saved by grace exactly like everyone else who is saved.

The Only People
I do not know the list of names in the book of life; however, I do know who the only people who will be in  heaven are. Only sinners who have been saved by grace through faith.

The Word of God

I wrote this poem with the intentions of encapsulating all the main points that the first article of the "1689 Baptist Confession of Faith" makes. I wanted to exhibit the rich doctrine in the article in a beautiful and poetic way. I hope this blesses you!

The word of God is  complete.
No other book can compete.
The Holy Scriptures do suffice
For salvation, doctrine, and daily life.

God's existence is proved by nature,
But nature is quite a limited teacher.
God's plan of salvation and will for man,
Aren't understood by the works of His hand.

Before He spoke in many ways,
But scripture is His method today.
Sixty six books do compose

The entire cannon that is now closed.

Scripture needs not explanation,

Nor man's approval or recommendation.

God's Word makes the simple prudent.

Every believer should be it's student.

It doesn't matter what churches say. 

It's God's word we're bound to obey.

If any man's teachings contradict,

We must follow scripture, holding fast to it.

The Bible is God breathed.

It's contents to pure to be man conceived.

Nature is in one accord

With the testimony of God's word.

The proofs without and proofs within,

Can't convince minds darkened by sin.

Unless a man be born again,

God's kingdom he can not enter in.

Not all things are equally plain,

But essential things need not be explained.

Whenever things are hard to grasp,

We must read scripture in light of the rest.

When controversies o'er doctrines arise

Scripture is to be our guide.

While others turn to their opinions,

We will trust in God's declarations.

Out of Comfort Zones

"You're really making me feel uncomfortable right now. Can we please just not talk about this any more?"

Walking on Eggshells
I had been sharing my faith with a group of people around my age. This girl had already told me she was an atheist, and I must admit to you, I was a bit out of my own comfort zone. I was not intimidated by her beliefs, but I just don't like to make people feel discomfort. I like people to think I am "Such a nice girl" and that I am "So sweet". We can come up with many different reasons not to share the gospel. Sometimes we just do not want to make others feel uncomfortable though, and we feel like we are walking on eggshells. Whatever our reasons are, we must put them aside. We do not have to feel comfortable or make others comfortable; we just have to be obedient and share the gospel.

Time
I had one evening to spend with these strangers, most of which was quite interrupted. There was only a  short window of time that I could actually talk to these people. As I prepared my mind for the evening, I thought about what I wanted to say to them. I was determined that I would not let my opportunities slip through my fingers. I knew that I would probably never see these people again. Ephesians 5:16 says to "[make] the most of your time because the days are evil." One reason we must not be too concerned with  others' momentary comfort, is because we have limited time with them. We may not ever get another chance to share the gospel, and we cannot count on tomorrow. We must have eternity in view, not just the moment.

Loving Your Neighbors!
Christ did not command us to make others feel comfortable; He commanded us to love others. The most loving thing we can do for another person is to share the gospel with them. We must love them more than we love ourselves, our popularity, and even their opinion of us. Love for others must drive us to share the gospel. If we aren't sharing the gospel, then we do not truly love others.

Our God-given Ministry
What is a Christian's ministry? Are we supposed to end world hunger, lessen poverty levels, care for the sick and the elderly? Yes, we are supposed to do all of these things, but that is not our primary ministry. These causes cannot replace our main ministry. According to scripture Christ, "gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation." Our ministry is to share the gospel! This takes effort and we might not always feel comfortable doing it, but this is the work that God has given us to do.

Squirmy Syndrome
I replied to the girl,"Sure we don't have to talk about this anymore, but please think about what I said, because it doesn't matter what I believe if it's not true. If I didn't believe in gravity and jumped of a building, I'd still have to face the law of gravity. I guess if I die and I'm dead, then I won't even know it. But if I'm right, and you die then you will have to face God on judgement day."OF COURSE SHE WAS UNCOMFORTABLE! She was uncomfortable because her conscience told her that there was a God and she had been suppressing the truth (Romans 1). She knew there was a God but she didn't want there to be one. She was uncomfortable because deep inside she wasn't convinced of her own beliefs. Truly, if I had tried to explain to her that I had a little man who was one inch tall that lived in my pocket she would have laughed. She would not feel uncomfortable at all. She was uncomfortable because she thought she might be wrong and she didn't want what I said to be true. In fact she went to the restroom three times during the fifteen minute period I was sharing the gospel. She literally couldn't stay still.

Do not be surprised if no one claps for you, shouts encore, or ask for your autograph after you share the gospel. Others will probably be uncomfortable, and you may be uncomfortable too. If you share the gospel though, you have been successful! Your job is just to share the gospel faithfully. For some of us, that may be out of our comfort zones. Sometimes Jesus calls us to walk on raging seas though. The key is to fix our eyes on Jesus not the waves. It is outside our comfort zones that miracles happen, and if we fall Jesus is faithful and will pull us up when we call out to Him.

Stand in Awe

Have you ever looked at a small thing that God created, such as a seed, that made you realize the vastness of God? Have you ever marveled at how the seasons take place in order year after year, or have you ever tried to wrap your mind around how a small egg and sperm contain every bit of information for an individual human being? Do you wonder how their are no exact repetitions in snowflake designs or human DNA codes? Have you ever looked at your eye and thought about all that it does? Your eyes are constantly transferring information to your brain and interpreting it! You have to trust your eyes whenever you drive. If they relayed incorrect information to your brain, or if they were too slow at relaying it, you could wreck! Your eyes interpret so much information almost instantaneously! No one has a pair eyes exactly yours! Do you ever consider why your body can repair itself, why your heart beats rhythmically, or why you can remember?

 It amazes me to look at creation, yet how much greater, and complex is The Creator of all things! His ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours we can not even begin to grasp who He is.

Have you ever contemplated the awesomeness of God? Has His infinite power ever baffled you? Did you ever feel as though your brain would explode when you considered that God has always been and will always be? Think about who He is and stand in Awe!

The Power of God

*Hebrews 12:29 "our God is a consuming fire."

*Jeremiah 10:12 "It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom; and by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth;

¹³ He makes lightning for the rain, and brings out the wind from His storehouses."

*Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

*Hebrews 10:31 "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

The Wisdom of God

*1 Corinthians 1:25 "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

*1 Corinthians 3:19 "For the wisdom of the world is foolishness before God. For it is written, ' He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE  WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS'";

*Isaiah 55:8-9 "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord.'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'"

The Holiness of God

*1 Peter 1:6 "For it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.' "

*Isaiah 6:3 "And one called out to the another and said, ' Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of host, the whole earth is full of His glory."

The Goodness of God

*Psalm 38:4 "O taste and see that the LORD is good: how blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."

*Psalm 107:1 "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, For His loving kindness is everlasting.

The Kindness, Love, and Mercy of God

*Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

*Romans 2:4 "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of god leads you to repentance?"

*John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

Stand in awe of this AWESOME GOD with me! Praise His name for His wonderful works! Fear the LORD and tremble before him! He is worthy to be praised! (Originally posted on 1/22/13)

Forgiving As We Have Been Forgiven

A Testimony of Forgiveness

Gianna Jessen, the abortion survivor I mentioned in my last post, said of her biological mother, " Her sin almost killed me, but my sin did kill Jesus, and I've been forgiven on the cross, so I can forgive her also." I think we can learn a lot from her example. I have found this to be true as well. If I focus on what I have been forgiven, it is easy to forgive others. Their offenses seem strangely small when I consider how many offenses that Christ covered for me!

The Command to Forgive

Collosians 3:13 "bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you." We should forgive JUST  AS the Lord has forgiven us. He forgave us freely, sacrificially, and without reproach.

Why We Should Forgive

Matthew 18:21-35 "Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’  But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." 

Why Christians Should be The Most Forgiving People

This passage really speaks for itself! How do you think God feels when we will not forgive a smaller debt than we have been forgiven? We are commanded to forgive one another! Scripture also warns us that if we do not forgive others, our Heavenly Father will not forgive us. Christians should just be waiting around every corner, on top of every hill, and in every nation to forgive others. We should be willing to forgive and even glad to do it. We have been forgiven everything so would should be able to  forgive anything! (Originally posted on 2/2/13)