God gave us the perfect example for our relationships though His creation: just look in the mirror!

 

When we try to measure the amount that someone loves us, we usually do so by their actions. Do they do stuff for us? Would they protect our good name? How about being willing to suffer for us? Maybe even die in our place? If any of you have ever seen the Passion of the Christ, you have witnessed but a glimpse of what Jesus went through...for us. His love is that much. He is perfect, He did not have to die, He chose to because of God's perfect plan and because of His love for us. (talk about obeying your parents :P)

This leads me to another point: Have you ever looked at a person and seen the perfect symmetry of the human form? Two eyes, two ears, two hands, two feet, etc...the perfection of it all just shows God's perfect handy-work! But have you ever noticed that in all of this symmetry, both sides (side by side) work as one in order to have the best results? If one side is even slightly disabled, the balance is set off and the perfection is marred. The Bible says that the two shall become one (speaking of a husband and wife), haven't you ever seen your parents in perfect sinc? However, if one was  slightly slacking in their  spiritual walk, the two could not walk to the same ability for they would be on two different paths.  This example doesn't just stop there: The Bible says "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48)    God is perfect, and through this He has set the bar for us.  Though sin disables the perfect symmetry that we were meant to have with Him, we are supposed to walk in His footsteps until we are perfected through Christ in heaven and are able to walk beside Him. We will never be perfect until then, but when we are, we will finally be able to be symmetric with our Lord. He created us in His image, to walk with Him, to be as one with Him in perfect fellowship. He is not just our Father; to be obeyed and to learn from, He isn't just a spirit; who is our everlasting guide, He isn't just our God; to be worshiped and praised, He is our lover; someone of perfection, who no one else will ever be able to measure up to, someone who we are to become one with and strive to be like. When one of our eyes is blind, marred, or flawed, we attempt to correct it to be like the good eye. The same principle applies to God, only we are the part which is flawed and marred. However, the marring came from a choice, (God gave us free will and no other living creature, only further proving that we were meant to be like Him) and we can choose differently! He is the perfection we must strive to be like in order to be able to function to our full capability!  The closer we get to Him the more in sinc we will be and the easier it will be to know His will for us so that we may follow Him and do His work efficiently.

We are blind but He can see,
follow His light and we'll be set free,
of the sin that tarnishes the work of His hands,
and disables us from reaching the place in which He stands.





Are you doing your best to be symmetric with God?

Where satan works...

 Our body is the temple of God. So where is the most likely place that satan is going to bring his army in order to attack God's work? Your body :P

 Have you ever had a bad illness and then right after, you feel as though your spirit is being attacked over and over, wearing you down till you break? This happened to me this past year and I kept asking God "why?" over and over, to no avail. What I should have been asking myself was "how?" Last Sunday I figured it out: It is harder for my spirit to fight temptations and trials when my body (the physical) is weak. I mean, it's harder to be a witness for God or do anything really positive for Him when we are not feeling very well. This is exactly what satan wants. What he doesn't want is for our spirit to be up and fighting, and if we are saved then he can't get us that way, thus we are a threat to him. So guess what? Satan then tries to ruin our lives in ways that would make us incapable of serving God to our fullest ability. How does he do this? Well, let's examine that more closely by  looking at how satan tries to work in us.

 Our circumstances are something that can really either bring us up or tear us down. When God allows satan to try to tear down our situations in life, it can be very weakening, so why would God do this? Because He has a purpose for it, when we are going through trials it isn't because God doesn't care but because He knows that even though satan is trying to bring evil, only good will prevail in the long run. He is allowing it because He knows that we are up for the challenge or is preparing our spirit for the real battle. He says that He will "never leave thee nor forsake thee"Heb. 13:5 and that He will never give us too heavy of a burden. He knows our limits and won't allow us to be overtaken, however, sometimes our circumstances happen the way they do to make us rely on Him more. I had a blog post way back when talking about the fact that when we are the weakest and are crying out for help to God, that is when we are the strongest, because we are finally looking to Him as a refuge. This is the same principle, but there is a slight difference in what I am talking about.  When satan works in our circumstances it is depressing and difficult, this is a time when we need to rely on God, be in prayer, and ready to fight. However, there is another approach that satan tries and often succeeds in: Physical ailments. That is where we are most vulnerable. Why? Because anyone can rely on God and let Him take care of our circumstances, but what is one to do when satan is literally tearing our body apart; thus weakening our spirit, and making our life issues play at their worst with us over and over and over; always where and when we are weak, till we crack and break? This is when it becomes more difficult. So what are we to do?  Nothing is too big for the Lord! "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."Phil. 4:13 I believe that prayer and scripture are the best way of overcoming the devil, through them we are made strong. If our hearts are filled with scripture, prayer, and God, then there is no more room for satan, and if satan doesn't fit then where can he work?  If you believe that your body is the temple of God, then make it holy, sacred, and full of Him and only Him. Also know that when satan attacks us; though he is trying to get us down, God is using even this for His perfect plan. "Be strong and of a good courage..."Duet. 31:6  "neither give place to the devil."Eph. 4:27 Be ready for the challenge and be ready to be a witness to those around you. You never know who's watching.

The secret to true success:

the secret to success is not in who we are but in what we do
not in what other people tell us about ourselves but in what we choose to believe about ourselves
not in what the world says but in what God says
not in what we want to believe but what we should believe
not in what we want to do but in what God wants us to do
not in how we wish to see the world but in what is really there
not in others success but in our own knowledge and creativity
the secret to success is not in the world around us but in heaven above

 

If we are looking for success here in any other way than in pleasing God then what success will we have? Matthew 6:19-21 says to lay up our treasure in heaven (the reaping of success) and our heart will follow. Why will our heart follow? Because our heart is in what we are sowing, if we intend to reap success from this sowing then it will most likely take up a lot of our time, if it takes up a lot of time then we are most likely pondering it a lot,  and if it is always on our mind then our heart, time, thoughts, and efforts are in it. Our heart is in what we spend the most time with...we reap what we sow and if we are sowing something that does not honor God then what treasure will we gain from Him and where will our heart be? However, if we sow seeds for Him then our treasure will be for God and our hearts will follow. Then will we have reached true success, because it will not have been of this world but stored with God and our rewards will be eternal.
WARNING: God promises treasures in heaven, but He warns that if we choose to sow His seeds and follow Him, we will receive not only those rewards, but also a hard life. Now, this life might not be as hard as those He was directly telling this to as the persecution for Christians is not nearly as bad, however, if we are truly honoring God then others who are not will be put off by our spirit and might cause us some trouble. Just because we chose the right path doesn't mean everyone else has, Satin in them will try to cause us misery and heartache, but if we are to reach success then all we have to do is call upon the name of the Lord.


 

 But really, what danger is there in this world against God and those who serve Him when He created all.

 

I have chosen the path that leads to everlasting treasure instead of biding my time in earthly things that will pass away...will you join me? For then we will be:

 This is true success!

What is this world coming to?

 Ok, so our economy is really bad (trillions in debt to be exact), so morality is on the decline(fast), so gas prices are expected to hit $5.00 sometime soon, so most of the world is turning away from Christianity and people are revolting against their governments, so it seems that our current president is leading our country to poverty and ruin, so we are at war, so we have military posts in almost every country but don't have enough money to maintain those without borrowing more, so we are actually borrowing money from China, so same-sex marriage is waiting for legalization, so abortion is still around, so what? So what are we going to do about?

  As soon as I turn on the TV. or go outside the first thing I see is how far America has declined. I go inside the Christian community and even see it there: the same pettiness, jealousy, backbiting, worldliness, and disregard for modesty. There seems to be no preaching on sin, the music we listen to is the same as the music our next door neighbor listens to, and our language is even the same, we have made so many compromises in Christianity to supposedly "bring people in" that we have turned into the very people that we are trying to change for God. So what difference are they going to see?   Well, if they walk into the common church then they will probably see a lot of emotion and rock music that repeats to the point of a lull...are these worship hymns or something to numb your soul? What do people see when they look at us? Do they simply see themselves or God? We are supposed to be separate from the world, this means from worldliness as well...however, this also means that we are separate from the stress of what the world is going through. So, yes, we have to pay higher taxes, higher gas prices, budget better, and have a lot more to pray about, but we are not of the world. So guess what? When this world finally falls apart in its own misery and ruin, we won't be here and won't have to worry. God is still in control and He still knows best. This doesn't mean that we don't have a responsibility and can just hang back and watch though. On the contrary, this is the time in which we need to be on our toes spreading God's truth and being a witness for Him. We can also help out  in the community, encourage those around us, simply be a blessing if nothing else. We're the next generation, so we should be aware of what is happening in this generation, cause it's what we get to deal with next :P

So what do we do about it? I think the answer to this question is different in every life...so I challenge you to pray about it... God will show you.

                                      
                        So what seed are you sowing?



                       

Galatians 6:7-8