This is something that I wrote a few months ago... just thoughts...
Ecclesiastes 12
1Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
2While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
3In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
4And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
5Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
7Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
8Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
9And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
10The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
11The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
12And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
And so it tells us here that we are to be taking advantage of EVERY opportunity to serve God, because one day, those opportunities will be taken away from every one of us.
(Verse 1) In our youth, we are to Remember our Creator. The word REMEMBER in this verse does'nt mean to recall Him but it means to Fear Him and to Love Him. We are supposed to Honor Him as Our Master and Maker of All Things. It says that we are supposed to do this in our early years. Before Old Age sets in. That way, we will have established solid ground to build the rest of our lives on. God is that solid ground! Deuteronomy 6:5 says: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Love God.
(Verses 2-5) These are all signs of time. Our bodies are subject to time. We will all grow old. Now in these verses it gives us examples of how the body gets old and what eventually will happen. When the keepers of the house shall tremble and the strong men shall bow themselves: It says that as we grow old, we will tremble when we walk and stoop over and will need the aids of other objects to hold us up. The grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of windows be darkened: We will lose teeth and have few or none and those of us who have vision, will start to lose it. And the doors shall be shut in the streets when the grinding is low: Our ears our subject to time. We will start to lose hearing. And he shall rise up at the voice of the bird: We will wake up early and not be able to sleep as long as we used to or might like to. And all the daughters of musick shall be brought low: We might lose our ability to speak clearly or to sing clearly or we might lose our voices completely. And the almond tree shall flourish: When an almond tree blossoms the blossoms on the tree arest of pure white. Almost like a grey tint to them. Our hair will fade and turn grey. And desire shall fail: Here it is talking about a loss of appetite. It is common for someone, during death, to not have an appetite. Now, when all of these things happen to ourselves, what do we start to do? We start looking for things that will help us. Things that will make life just a little easier. We have canes and walkers and wheelchairs and all means of transportation aids to help us out when we can't move like we used to. We have false teeth to help us chew and talk. We have glasses and contacts to help us see. We have hearing aids to help us hear. We even have medicine, to help us sleep! We have hair dye to hide our grey hairs. God is telling us here that if we seek Him while we are young if we know the way we are supposed to live from the start, you will not have to rely on anything but HIM! So how are you able to know the word without seeing it? How are you able to know the word through song without being able to hear? By building your life on the solid rock from the beginning! Matthew 7:24 says: Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.
(Verses 6-8) It says here that we are all subject to phyical death. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Genesis 2:7 says: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. God gives us life and God takes it away. What stops all of us from making use of our time here? It says in the next verse, that vanity is it. We are vain. PRIDE. We have too much pride. If we go to church an others see us, what will they think? If I stop going to the bars, what will my friends say? If I stop drinking, I'm not going to be seen as cool anymore. If I stop getting high, my friends are going to think I am a loser. I am going to lose social position in the whole community! I am going to be laughed at for this! I am going to lose friends for this! You may give up one or two friends for this journey, but you will have gained Jesus as your best friend. What a friend we have in Jesus!
(Verses 9-12) And through all of this sin and vanity, the preacher keeps on preaching. He keeps on because he knows that this is his duty. Matthew 5:14 says: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Nobody will get out of this wold without hearing the word of God. He kept preaching. He knew that if he led even one person closer to Jesus Christ, that it would be worth it all.
(Verses 13-14) The wrath of God is great! Nobody shall escape His wrath. There is coming a great judgement. Everyone is going to be judged accordingly. Everything that you have done, everything that you have said and everything that you have even thought of is going to be judged against you. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or wheter it be evil. There are no secrets with God. He knows all sees all and hears all! What you do on your weekends, He sees. What you do in your home, He sees. What you say on the telephone, He hears. What you say at school or at work or at a ballgame He hears and what you. Say it as quietly or as loudly as you want. He hears. And you will be held accountable. And If you are'nt one of His, you will be cast out of His sight forever. You will have no more chances. You will have no more pleas of salvation. Matthew 25:41 says: Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. To burn forever with Satan and every single person who has ever walked this earth and rejected Jesus Christ. Think of the pain that just a little burn on your hand or arm or foot causes. You can escape that fire. You can escape the grip of Satan. How do you do this? Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man. For what is the first and greatest commandment? Jesus said Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And if you love God, you would accept His gift of salvation. You would not show any pride and you would bow before everyone and say Jesus, here I am. You died for me and I am thankful. I want to spend eternity with you and escape that awful place called hell. I accept you now as my personal savior.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
"Things that weigh on my mind" for $500 Alex...
The Wages of Sin IS Death
Ephesians 5:1-20
1Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
3But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
13But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
15See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Key Verse
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 and 2 - We must follow God’s path to get into the Kingdom of Heaven! But we must follow God as His Children and no other way! The path to heaven is narrow and the road to hell is wide. And that road is full of sin and the wages of sin is death.
Matthew 7:13-14 says - Enter ye in the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate , and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
To follow that narrow path to Heaven, we must walk in LOVE. To truly be filled with love in your hearts you must first love the Lord, just as He loves you. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-39 - Thou shalt love the lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
In order to walk that path, you must love God and one another. There is only one way to get on that pathway to Heaven and that is through Jesus. Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man shall enter the kingdom of heaven except through me. The admission for you is easy, but the journey after is not always simple. It is extremely easy to slip and fall away… The mind tends to falter…and The Wages of Sin IS Death!
3-7 - The road to hell is full of fornicators! Fornication is sex between two people that are not married to each other and the bible tells us that we are to flee this sin. 1 Corinthians 6:18- 20 - FLEE FORNICATION! Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that commiteth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s!
We are to glorify God with everything we have including the temple which our spirit resides in. OUR BODIES. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 - Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. This body is a temple that has been paid for. And the price for us was Him. God’s son Jesus Christ! The Wages Of Sin IS death! It is death. The price for our sins was Christ’s death. How undeserving we are.
How many times have you thought or said, “I want… I want… I want…” What are you doing when you look at someone and see what they have and want what they have so bad? You are coveting! Exodus 19:17 - Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s. Very plain! Very Simple! We are supposed to be content with the things that God has given us. He has given us air to breathe, land to walk on, another day of life And He has given us His son Jesus Christ! The bible tells us not to covet certain things, but does it tell us not to covet altogether? 1 Corinthians 12:31 - But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way. And then in chapter 14 verses 1 - Follow after charity and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. We are to covet not the things of this world, but rather the things of God. And us as Christians should be working hard to make people want what we have! When I was younger, I wanted a lot of things… I coveted a lot. But I never knew that I was coveting something of God. Because before I was saved, before I came to know the Lord I looked at my Grandpa and I always knew that he had something that I didn’t have. I could tell by the way he acted. I wanted what he had. I coveted salvation. Be careful of what you are wanting, of what you are coveting today. Are you coveting the things of God or are you coveting other worldly things. Do you covet wealth, do you covet fame, other women? It is all Sin. The wages of sin IS death!
Verse 4 - Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting… How many times have you thought about what you were saying? A lot of times we speak without thinking. I know that I am guilty of it. Especially when I was a teenager at home with my parents. I NEVER thought before I spoke. I was thinking as I was saying it. Sometimes I would say something and then disagree with what I said after I had said it. But, in this particular verse, it is talking about speaking words of filth and foolishness. Meaningless words that are not needed. Cursing is a sin! Even talking foolish without cursing is a sin! We are to walk IN LOVE. How can you be walking IN LOVE and cursing and speaking in vain at the same time!? Well, maybe you think God wasn’t listening that day you said those things. I am sure he would let it slide anyways. I was angry or upset when I said those things. I didn’t really mean it. You better think again! God knows all sees all and HEARS all. He knows what you were going to say even before it came falling out of your mouth. And God will hold you accountable! Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37 - But I say unto you, That every idle word that men speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Are you glorifying God or are you glorifying Satan with the words that you speak. The wages of sin IS death!
Romans 12:2 -And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. What is the will of God? Is the will of God for you to take the path that is wide and walk in darkness? Is it the will of Got that you should be fornicators lusting after every earthly thing and coveting after everything of this world and speaking the filth of this world and watching the filth of this world and listening to the filth of this world? What is the will of God? The will of God is that NO MAN, No MAN would die. That pathway will KILL you. It will kill your soul. Lets face it, this body is nothing. Like we said, it is but a temple for God. A temple for our soul to reside in. So tell me now, how much time do you have left to be saved? Do you know? Nobody knows how much time they have. But know this; when you are called, when your time is up, that’s it. You have no more chances. No more time to decide. In that next second after your death where will you be… in heaven with Jesus. Lord of Lords, King of Kings our Saviour or… will you be in Hell, dying eternally in fire and torment? Hell is a real place. Jesus made it a point to let everyone know that Hell was a place to avoid! He mentioned it more times than he mentioned heaven. So where are you going? Which path will you choose and how much time do you have left? Will you choose the pathway of sin which leads to death and destruction; For the wages of sin is death. Or will you have your sins covered by the blood of Jesus Christ? Jesus knew what the will of God was. Jesus carried that cross through those narrow streets and He was beat and kicked and spit at. When He finally managed to get to that hill. Mount Calvary, he allowed them to drive nails into His Right hand. He allowed them to drive nails into His left hand. And He allowed them to drive nails into His feet. He then allowed them to lift the cross up. And He hung there while they mocked and watched. And when He was hanging there in pain, bleeding the sins of the world through His body, he said, “Father! Forgive them. For they know not what they do…” And He fulfilled the will of God as He died on that cross. For the Wages of sin IS death. And now He is sitting on the Right hand of God saying, “Father. Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” There is a way to have your sins forgiven. To have your soul saved from Eternal Death. Jesus Christ can save your soul
Are you walking a wide pathway alone? When you walk, wouldn’t you rather have someone at your side? When you accept Jesus into your heart, when you get down on your knees and pray, Lord forgive me, I have sinned! I am a sinner and I know that you are the one true God and I know that you died for my sins and I ask you now to save my soul from hell. Save me now lord Jesus. At that moment, Jesus takes your hand, lifts you up off of your knees and says come, walk with me and I will give you rest. I will wipe away your tears and carry your burden. Come walk with me in God’s Righteousness. From that moment on, youll never walk alone.
Ephesians 5:1-20
1Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
3But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
13But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
15See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Key Verse
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 and 2 - We must follow God’s path to get into the Kingdom of Heaven! But we must follow God as His Children and no other way! The path to heaven is narrow and the road to hell is wide. And that road is full of sin and the wages of sin is death.
Matthew 7:13-14 says - Enter ye in the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate , and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
To follow that narrow path to Heaven, we must walk in LOVE. To truly be filled with love in your hearts you must first love the Lord, just as He loves you. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-39 - Thou shalt love the lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
In order to walk that path, you must love God and one another. There is only one way to get on that pathway to Heaven and that is through Jesus. Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man shall enter the kingdom of heaven except through me. The admission for you is easy, but the journey after is not always simple. It is extremely easy to slip and fall away… The mind tends to falter…and The Wages of Sin IS Death!
3-7 - The road to hell is full of fornicators! Fornication is sex between two people that are not married to each other and the bible tells us that we are to flee this sin. 1 Corinthians 6:18- 20 - FLEE FORNICATION! Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that commiteth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s!
We are to glorify God with everything we have including the temple which our spirit resides in. OUR BODIES. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 - Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. This body is a temple that has been paid for. And the price for us was Him. God’s son Jesus Christ! The Wages Of Sin IS death! It is death. The price for our sins was Christ’s death. How undeserving we are.
How many times have you thought or said, “I want… I want… I want…” What are you doing when you look at someone and see what they have and want what they have so bad? You are coveting! Exodus 19:17 - Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s. Very plain! Very Simple! We are supposed to be content with the things that God has given us. He has given us air to breathe, land to walk on, another day of life And He has given us His son Jesus Christ! The bible tells us not to covet certain things, but does it tell us not to covet altogether? 1 Corinthians 12:31 - But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way. And then in chapter 14 verses 1 - Follow after charity and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. We are to covet not the things of this world, but rather the things of God. And us as Christians should be working hard to make people want what we have! When I was younger, I wanted a lot of things… I coveted a lot. But I never knew that I was coveting something of God. Because before I was saved, before I came to know the Lord I looked at my Grandpa and I always knew that he had something that I didn’t have. I could tell by the way he acted. I wanted what he had. I coveted salvation. Be careful of what you are wanting, of what you are coveting today. Are you coveting the things of God or are you coveting other worldly things. Do you covet wealth, do you covet fame, other women? It is all Sin. The wages of sin IS death!
Verse 4 - Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting… How many times have you thought about what you were saying? A lot of times we speak without thinking. I know that I am guilty of it. Especially when I was a teenager at home with my parents. I NEVER thought before I spoke. I was thinking as I was saying it. Sometimes I would say something and then disagree with what I said after I had said it. But, in this particular verse, it is talking about speaking words of filth and foolishness. Meaningless words that are not needed. Cursing is a sin! Even talking foolish without cursing is a sin! We are to walk IN LOVE. How can you be walking IN LOVE and cursing and speaking in vain at the same time!? Well, maybe you think God wasn’t listening that day you said those things. I am sure he would let it slide anyways. I was angry or upset when I said those things. I didn’t really mean it. You better think again! God knows all sees all and HEARS all. He knows what you were going to say even before it came falling out of your mouth. And God will hold you accountable! Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37 - But I say unto you, That every idle word that men speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Are you glorifying God or are you glorifying Satan with the words that you speak. The wages of sin IS death!
Romans 12:2 -And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. What is the will of God? Is the will of God for you to take the path that is wide and walk in darkness? Is it the will of Got that you should be fornicators lusting after every earthly thing and coveting after everything of this world and speaking the filth of this world and watching the filth of this world and listening to the filth of this world? What is the will of God? The will of God is that NO MAN, No MAN would die. That pathway will KILL you. It will kill your soul. Lets face it, this body is nothing. Like we said, it is but a temple for God. A temple for our soul to reside in. So tell me now, how much time do you have left to be saved? Do you know? Nobody knows how much time they have. But know this; when you are called, when your time is up, that’s it. You have no more chances. No more time to decide. In that next second after your death where will you be… in heaven with Jesus. Lord of Lords, King of Kings our Saviour or… will you be in Hell, dying eternally in fire and torment? Hell is a real place. Jesus made it a point to let everyone know that Hell was a place to avoid! He mentioned it more times than he mentioned heaven. So where are you going? Which path will you choose and how much time do you have left? Will you choose the pathway of sin which leads to death and destruction; For the wages of sin is death. Or will you have your sins covered by the blood of Jesus Christ? Jesus knew what the will of God was. Jesus carried that cross through those narrow streets and He was beat and kicked and spit at. When He finally managed to get to that hill. Mount Calvary, he allowed them to drive nails into His Right hand. He allowed them to drive nails into His left hand. And He allowed them to drive nails into His feet. He then allowed them to lift the cross up. And He hung there while they mocked and watched. And when He was hanging there in pain, bleeding the sins of the world through His body, he said, “Father! Forgive them. For they know not what they do…” And He fulfilled the will of God as He died on that cross. For the Wages of sin IS death. And now He is sitting on the Right hand of God saying, “Father. Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” There is a way to have your sins forgiven. To have your soul saved from Eternal Death. Jesus Christ can save your soul
Are you walking a wide pathway alone? When you walk, wouldn’t you rather have someone at your side? When you accept Jesus into your heart, when you get down on your knees and pray, Lord forgive me, I have sinned! I am a sinner and I know that you are the one true God and I know that you died for my sins and I ask you now to save my soul from hell. Save me now lord Jesus. At that moment, Jesus takes your hand, lifts you up off of your knees and says come, walk with me and I will give you rest. I will wipe away your tears and carry your burden. Come walk with me in God’s Righteousness. From that moment on, youll never walk alone.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Insert Cliche Title Here...
Someone once said to me, and I am paraphrasing, "I will go wherever you go. It does not matter where you are, I just want to be with you." You see, that was back when I thought I was going to go places and see things...
I never thought that I would still be here today. But as of this moment in time, I am here. In pretty much the same state of living I always have had. Some things have changed. I have an apartment. Im married. I have a cat. I have a job.
So, to clear some things up... In the beginning, I knew that this was not what I was supposed to be doing and that there was something planned for me to do, and as of this moment, approximately 4 years from then, I am still here.
Stay with me for a little while longer...
I have always been so sure of everything. I mean, when I was in highschool, I could not make a decision to save my life, but after that, I started making all of these big decisions. And I was always so sure of what I wanted. Or was I? I mean, I decided to go to McKendree basically because I did not want to go where my current girlfriend was going. Maybe, that was too big of a YES. And I was afraid of that yes. Tonight, I can honestly say that I have doubts.
I know that there is something for me to do. I know that there is something other than this. But I doubt that I will ever get anything accomplished. There are too many things that I want.
I cant get this off my mind. I think about this all of the time... I have heard my grandpa say this a few times, "When I die, and I see Jesus, I want Him to say WELL DONE." I believe that this has to be one of the biggest motivators of life itself. What do you want Him to say? I want Him to say "well done!" And as of right now, I know that I am falling short of those words. If I were to take my last breath and the very next moment see Jesus, I really don't know.
I know that this seems choppy, but I had to write... I start thinking about time and I get really worried about things. I know that I have made some unwise decisions that I regret and wish I could go the other way. I want to make one thing perfectly clear, though. I love my wife. Amanda is almost perfect. I would never doubt the decision to make her part of my life forever. I know that I want more to my life, and I want to make it clear that I want more to my life, with her in it. Whatever I decide, I will always want her in the big picture.
I never thought that I would still be here today. But as of this moment in time, I am here. In pretty much the same state of living I always have had. Some things have changed. I have an apartment. Im married. I have a cat. I have a job.
So, to clear some things up... In the beginning, I knew that this was not what I was supposed to be doing and that there was something planned for me to do, and as of this moment, approximately 4 years from then, I am still here.
Stay with me for a little while longer...
I have always been so sure of everything. I mean, when I was in highschool, I could not make a decision to save my life, but after that, I started making all of these big decisions. And I was always so sure of what I wanted. Or was I? I mean, I decided to go to McKendree basically because I did not want to go where my current girlfriend was going. Maybe, that was too big of a YES. And I was afraid of that yes. Tonight, I can honestly say that I have doubts.
I know that there is something for me to do. I know that there is something other than this. But I doubt that I will ever get anything accomplished. There are too many things that I want.
I cant get this off my mind. I think about this all of the time... I have heard my grandpa say this a few times, "When I die, and I see Jesus, I want Him to say WELL DONE." I believe that this has to be one of the biggest motivators of life itself. What do you want Him to say? I want Him to say "well done!" And as of right now, I know that I am falling short of those words. If I were to take my last breath and the very next moment see Jesus, I really don't know.
I know that this seems choppy, but I had to write... I start thinking about time and I get really worried about things. I know that I have made some unwise decisions that I regret and wish I could go the other way. I want to make one thing perfectly clear, though. I love my wife. Amanda is almost perfect. I would never doubt the decision to make her part of my life forever. I know that I want more to my life, and I want to make it clear that I want more to my life, with her in it. Whatever I decide, I will always want her in the big picture.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Satan Underestimated...
God is great and almighty and all knowing! Praise Him forever and ever. There. I wanted to proclaim that so there will be no confusion. The title of this post could throw some people off.
In sports, I hear the term often that "The best defense is a good offense." I have used this statement for many cases. "The War on Terror," is a perfect example in which this statement can be used. {Aside} We are still at war and probably always will be "at war" with terrorists. So that is exactly what I WILL call it. I refuse to use the "Overseas contigency" point of view.
Anyway, The best defense is a good offense. This is almost a battle strategy for our struggle against satan. We have to be aware of who satan is and what his goals are. So who is satan? Satn is a fallen angel. Yes, an angel that was thrown from heaven by God. In Isaiah 14:12-15 we learn that Satan wanted to be like the most high in heaven. He wanted to be as great, if not better, than God. So, God threw him into the pit of hell. Satan is all about self glorification. And he will do anything to keep someone from God.
Satan is smart and resourceful. His goal is to keep as many people as he can away from heaven. He couldnt have it, so why should we? I think that is his reasoning. He will use anything he can to trap you. Think about everything that satan uses to make you stray. He makes them all look so great! That's part of his plan. Lets just make a list...
People - He uses people against people. Rivalries against eachother and races are all part of his plan. He would love nothing more for us to hate eachother. In fact, it is working for him in some aspects.
Sex - Well this is almost self explanatory. He uses sex in every aspect you can imagine.
Family - He is turning families against families. He is tearing families apart over things like people, sex, drugs... you name it.
Technology - This is a BIG help to satan. Im not saying that technology is bad. It is only bad when we start using technology more than other things.
Time - This is probably the biggest tool that is helpful to satan. Satan has the ablility to mask the presence of time. His biggest "play" is his playbook, i think, is keeping us busy. Think about it. How many times have you ever said, as an excuse for something, "I was just so busy this week." How many times do we not read our bibles because we weere just too busy? How many times do we skip church because we have such a busy day ahead and we need sleep? How many times have husbands or wives just been too busy to stop and appreciate eachother? How many times has a mother or father been too busy? How many times have we not done what God wants us to because we think wwe are too busy?
The best defense is a good offense. Be aware of what is going on and act before he tackles you. Because once he tackles you, it is VERY hard to recover. It is NOT impossible, because God breaks all chains, but it is difficult for some people to be humble. Be on the offense!
In sports, I hear the term often that "The best defense is a good offense." I have used this statement for many cases. "The War on Terror," is a perfect example in which this statement can be used. {Aside} We are still at war and probably always will be "at war" with terrorists. So that is exactly what I WILL call it. I refuse to use the "Overseas contigency" point of view.
Anyway, The best defense is a good offense. This is almost a battle strategy for our struggle against satan. We have to be aware of who satan is and what his goals are. So who is satan? Satn is a fallen angel. Yes, an angel that was thrown from heaven by God. In Isaiah 14:12-15 we learn that Satan wanted to be like the most high in heaven. He wanted to be as great, if not better, than God. So, God threw him into the pit of hell. Satan is all about self glorification. And he will do anything to keep someone from God.
Satan is smart and resourceful. His goal is to keep as many people as he can away from heaven. He couldnt have it, so why should we? I think that is his reasoning. He will use anything he can to trap you. Think about everything that satan uses to make you stray. He makes them all look so great! That's part of his plan. Lets just make a list...
People - He uses people against people. Rivalries against eachother and races are all part of his plan. He would love nothing more for us to hate eachother. In fact, it is working for him in some aspects.
Sex - Well this is almost self explanatory. He uses sex in every aspect you can imagine.
Family - He is turning families against families. He is tearing families apart over things like people, sex, drugs... you name it.
Technology - This is a BIG help to satan. Im not saying that technology is bad. It is only bad when we start using technology more than other things.
Time - This is probably the biggest tool that is helpful to satan. Satan has the ablility to mask the presence of time. His biggest "play" is his playbook, i think, is keeping us busy. Think about it. How many times have you ever said, as an excuse for something, "I was just so busy this week." How many times do we not read our bibles because we weere just too busy? How many times do we skip church because we have such a busy day ahead and we need sleep? How many times have husbands or wives just been too busy to stop and appreciate eachother? How many times has a mother or father been too busy? How many times have we not done what God wants us to because we think wwe are too busy?
The best defense is a good offense. Be aware of what is going on and act before he tackles you. Because once he tackles you, it is VERY hard to recover. It is NOT impossible, because God breaks all chains, but it is difficult for some people to be humble. Be on the offense!
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