Proverbs 3:11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; 12 For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
Wouldn’t it be kind of crazy if our parents and those who are supposed to be looking out for us let us do WHATEVER we want to do WHENEVER no matter the consequences? At first, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea, but if we really think about it, we would have to admit that we, and everybody else, would be in trouble if there were no rules.
Rules are guidelines that usually are meant to keep us safe and out of trouble. If we didn’t tell little kids that they couldn’t touch the stove, then they’d end up burned. If we weren’t taught as kids to look before crossing and to not walk in the road, then, well… you can guess the result of that. If someone didn’t find out that we need to brush our teeth a couple of times everyday, then we’d be “all gums.” You get the point… rules are necessary in just about every walk of life. Including our spiritual lives. [...]
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Genesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
This passage is so sad. Mankind was created and shown great mercy even after we rebelled …the LORD gave Adam and Eve clothing before HE booted them from the Garden; HIS disappointment didn’t overshadow HIS grace, mercy and love. Out of the world’s population, the LORD our GOD only found one righteous man (Noah, whose family was probably saved because of him); the rest of the world showed no desire to seek out their CREATOR, but rather showed desire for devising wicked, selfish schemes. It grieved GOD in HIS heart. HE had no pleasure in destroying all that HIS HAND had created, but HE is a JUST GOD and evil cannot dwell with HIM.
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Peer pressure. We’ve all been in those situations where people want to make a huge deal about our decisions either to do something or to not do something — but whatever we decide, they just can’t agree with it and think if they apply enough pressure, we’ll break and do what they want us to do… or think we should do.
There are two types of peer pressure — in some cases it’s good and positive, in others it’s dangerously negative. The most common we’ve seen of negative peer pressure I think is the “After School Special” type of examples. These are the ones where usually a young person is faced with the decision to do drugs, drink alcohol, have sex, etc. Either the young person does it and is accepted by his/her friends; or they don’t do and get made fun of and lose all their “super cool” friends. [Keep reading...]
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This post is based on Luke 12:35-40:
The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant
(See also: Matt. 24:42-51)35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; 36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.
38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Jesus was telling HIS disciples (and us) in this passage that we have to be faithful to HIM ALL OF THE TIME. We can’t just be Christians on Sundays (or Saturdays, if that’s you), or just when we’re around other Christians, or when we’re praying. Our Christian faith and values have to be present in us 24/7 — like we need oxygen to live, so Christians need true faith and perseverance to live — the Eternal life with Jesus Christ. [Keep reading...]
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I was reading through the Book of Judges recently, and came across the passage on how the LORD used Gideon to help end the Hebrew people’s oppression at the hands of the Midianites:
Judges 6: 11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” 15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” 16 And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
I got to thinking how amazing it is that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY usually calls on those who have a very low opinion of themselves to do HIS work. Usually these men, when they are called, shy away and come up with all kinds of excuses as to why they just can’t do it. But as the LORD says, “Have I not sent you?” …And when the LORD our GOD says that, you really can do what the LORD has called you to do. If couldn’t, HE wouldn’t have called you. [Keep reading...]
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A preacher recently posed the question: What if we had to walk around with Jesus Christ literally attached to our hips, like how Siamese twins are physically connected to each other? Actually, the preacher said what if it were our parents who we had to walk around with at all times — literally attached at the hip?
I’m going straight to the LORD Jesus Christ because, as Christians, we do walk around with the Holy Spirit of the LIVING GOD within us at all times. We know that we are always walking before the LORD — that there is nothing we do or say or think that HE doesn’t see and hear, no matter where we are. But do we walk that way all the time? …Or do we think we can get away with stuff and repent about it later? Christians have to repent everyday because none of us are perfect yet (only when Jesus Christ returns to the earth and perfects us) and we are bound to make mistakes. But sinning on purpose — actually choosing to do and say things we know that we shouldn’t — that’s a problem. [Keep reading...]
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1 Corinthians 4:9-13
9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.
10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!
11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
As a young Christian woman, I find it curious sometimes when I consider what is supposedly ‘normal’ for a person of my age group and gender living in America. Of course, I wasn’t very different from my peers before I gave myself over completely to the LORD Jesus Christ, and HE showed me exactly what Salvation is about and what life is worth.
Based on previous experiences and observations, I know, for example, the typical weekend for a young person consists of going out to a club or bar with friends and acting a little wild to blow off steam from a week of work (or studies). Some ‘harmless’ party drugs might come into play. A random make-out (or hook-up) session will most likely happen. Guys will wear a simple top (button-up, nice shirt, etc.) and jeans or khakis; girls will wear something with straps, that doesn’t completely cover their stomachs and tight, low-cut jeans (to expose even more of what’s beneath the belly button) or a mini-skirt (even in winter). All in all, the guys look comfortable; the girls look like they’re using their bodies to bait something. [Keep reading...]
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