Finding Friends 04/28/2011
I have 671 friends on Facebook! I probably only talk to about 10% of these people on a regular basis. Maybe even less than that. The question I ask myself is, "How many of these people are really my friends?"
What is a friend? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a friend as: One who you share esteem or affection with. I agree that you share affection with friends, but there is much more to it!
I'm not talking about someone who you sit next to in math class and talk to once in a while, I'm talking about a friend, as Proverbs 18:24 says, "...sticks closer than a brother." In the Bible, David was close friends with King Saul's son, Jonathan. The relationship between David and Jonathan is a perfect example of what a good friendship has and what it should be like. I consider a friend someone who would give their life for me. Who loves me as much as they love themselves. In 1 Samuel 18:1 it says, "After David finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself." Do you love your friends as much as you love yourself? Real friends are people who love you. Love is the biggest thing in a friendship.
What is love? What does it look like and feel like? Love, to most, consists of warm fuzzy feelings and writing on each others Facebook walls myspace hearts<3 and a million smiley faces:) That's just babyish love! The strongest form of love is sacrificial love. Jesus showed us how much He loved us when He died on the cross for us. Self sacrifice is the strongest form of love.
John 15:13–15
I hope the definition of a "friend" is clear to you now. It's important that we guard who we surround ourselves with. I have only a select few of good friends. With these people, I am able to have mature spiritual conversations, I can count on them for helping me with my burdens, I can help them with their burdens, and we spur each other on. God has blessed me with them, and I thank Him for them! I hope you have good friends too!
What is a friend? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a friend as: One who you share esteem or affection with. I agree that you share affection with friends, but there is much more to it!
I'm not talking about someone who you sit next to in math class and talk to once in a while, I'm talking about a friend, as Proverbs 18:24 says, "...sticks closer than a brother." In the Bible, David was close friends with King Saul's son, Jonathan. The relationship between David and Jonathan is a perfect example of what a good friendship has and what it should be like. I consider a friend someone who would give their life for me. Who loves me as much as they love themselves. In 1 Samuel 18:1 it says, "After David finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself." Do you love your friends as much as you love yourself? Real friends are people who love you. Love is the biggest thing in a friendship.
What is love? What does it look like and feel like? Love, to most, consists of warm fuzzy feelings and writing on each others Facebook walls myspace hearts<3 and a million smiley faces:) That's just babyish love! The strongest form of love is sacrificial love. Jesus showed us how much He loved us when He died on the cross for us. Self sacrifice is the strongest form of love.
John 15:13–15
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.
We need to set a Christ-like example and be willing to lay down our lives for others. So when I say, "real friends are people who love you", I mean that they are willing to die for you. We offer our friendship out to many people, but how many of them can really say that they are your friends? Do they bear with you in your burdens? Are they there when you need someone to talk to?
Over the years of my life, people have come and gone. For a long time, I defined a friend as someone who I just messed around with, but the time we shared together was pointless! It wasn't until these past 6 years of my life that I actually benefited from a friendship. I was finally able to grow in character and grow spiritually from the people around me. That's what friends are! They aren't just the people you enjoy spending free time with, they are the people who care enough for you, that they would invest in your growth!
That's where the second part of the love comes in. A friend cares about who you are more than how you feel. If your friend approaches you telling you that you have sin in your life that needs to be corrected...they love you! A friend who loves you will show it by rebuking you when you are doing wrong. So many people have the definition of friendship backwards.
I was talking to a guy a while back, and this is what he described a "good friend" to be like, "I know my friend cares for me because I got drunk one time at a party, and he didn't let me drive home. He called a cab for me." ...............So that's what a good friend is like? NO! A good friend would of made sure that you didn't get drunk in the first place. Better yet, a good friend wouldn't of let you go to a party where the temptation of drinking would of come up!
See how the world totally has it all wrong?!
Proverbs 27:5-6
We need to set a Christ-like example and be willing to lay down our lives for others. So when I say, "real friends are people who love you", I mean that they are willing to die for you. We offer our friendship out to many people, but how many of them can really say that they are your friends? Do they bear with you in your burdens? Are they there when you need someone to talk to?
Over the years of my life, people have come and gone. For a long time, I defined a friend as someone who I just messed around with, but the time we shared together was pointless! It wasn't until these past 6 years of my life that I actually benefited from a friendship. I was finally able to grow in character and grow spiritually from the people around me. That's what friends are! They aren't just the people you enjoy spending free time with, they are the people who care enough for you, that they would invest in your growth!
That's where the second part of the love comes in. A friend cares about who you are more than how you feel. If your friend approaches you telling you that you have sin in your life that needs to be corrected...they love you! A friend who loves you will show it by rebuking you when you are doing wrong. So many people have the definition of friendship backwards.
I was talking to a guy a while back, and this is what he described a "good friend" to be like, "I know my friend cares for me because I got drunk one time at a party, and he didn't let me drive home. He called a cab for me." ...............So that's what a good friend is like? NO! A good friend would of made sure that you didn't get drunk in the first place. Better yet, a good friend wouldn't of let you go to a party where the temptation of drinking would of come up!
See how the world totally has it all wrong?!
Proverbs 27:5-6
"Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses."
than hidden love.
Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses."
I hope the definition of a "friend" is clear to you now. It's important that we guard who we surround ourselves with. I have only a select few of good friends. With these people, I am able to have mature spiritual conversations, I can count on them for helping me with my burdens, I can help them with their burdens, and we spur each other on. God has blessed me with them, and I thank Him for them! I hope you have good friends too!
(Leave a comment!
If you have any other spiritual topics in Christianity that you would be interesting in hearing about, please email me!) luke.melrose@gmail.com
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Open Your Mouth. 04/05/2011
Today at Saddleback College was like any other ordinary school day. Go to class. Go home. I usually don't spend time there loitering due to my busy work schedule, but today was different. My American Film class got out early, so I decided to sit in the cafeteria with my friend Jordan and wait until my next class started. Jordan and I began talking about normal topics like church, family, friends, movies, and then the topic of colleges came up. We started talking about The Master's College and a little while later it turned into a simple spiritual conversation. Little did I know that our conversation was heard across the cafeteria by a guy named Ben.
Jordan and I where caught off guard when Ben approached us. He introduced himself and said, "Couldn't help but overhear what you guys were talking about!" Jordan had to leave, but Ben stayed, and I talked with this guy for a good half and hour! He was a Christian believer also, and his doctrine was very sound, straight from the Bible. He agreed with me on how rare Christians are at Saddleback College. The "Christians" at Saddleback wont even stand up and defend their faith (If they had any in the first place). Ben let me know how encouraging it was to be talking to someone at school who had the same beliefs as him. The whole "encouragement vibe" we had going on continued as we continued to talk about different religions, misinterpretation of scripture, famous pastors, books, and the Bible. We even pulled out verses (with our iPhones) and read them aloud to each other! WHAT AN OVERALL AWESOME EXPERIENCE!
This short 30 minuet period at school with Ben totally made my day. This is why I am writing about it now in this Blog! Now there is a point of why I am sharing this story.
It's surprising to find what type of people are at our schools. There will always be those who need to hear the Gospel, and there are those who are totally on the same page as you spiritually. I would not of found Ben if I didn't start talking with Jordan about The Master's College and the Bible. We go day to day, wasting time, talking about pointless things. Why can't we spend time talking about something wholesome for a change? Even talking about something as simple as the Bible can open up a thousand different doors when talking to people. Even the people who you don't think are listening are hearing you.
Here is the point I want to leave you with: OPEN YOUR MOUTH! Don't be ashamed of Christianity. If you say you are a Christian, then PROVE IT by living the life of one. Let holiness and the Word of God be on your lips constantly. You never know who might be listening.
Deuteronomy 11:18 - Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
Jordan and I where caught off guard when Ben approached us. He introduced himself and said, "Couldn't help but overhear what you guys were talking about!" Jordan had to leave, but Ben stayed, and I talked with this guy for a good half and hour! He was a Christian believer also, and his doctrine was very sound, straight from the Bible. He agreed with me on how rare Christians are at Saddleback College. The "Christians" at Saddleback wont even stand up and defend their faith (If they had any in the first place). Ben let me know how encouraging it was to be talking to someone at school who had the same beliefs as him. The whole "encouragement vibe" we had going on continued as we continued to talk about different religions, misinterpretation of scripture, famous pastors, books, and the Bible. We even pulled out verses (with our iPhones) and read them aloud to each other! WHAT AN OVERALL AWESOME EXPERIENCE!
This short 30 minuet period at school with Ben totally made my day. This is why I am writing about it now in this Blog! Now there is a point of why I am sharing this story.
It's surprising to find what type of people are at our schools. There will always be those who need to hear the Gospel, and there are those who are totally on the same page as you spiritually. I would not of found Ben if I didn't start talking with Jordan about The Master's College and the Bible. We go day to day, wasting time, talking about pointless things. Why can't we spend time talking about something wholesome for a change? Even talking about something as simple as the Bible can open up a thousand different doors when talking to people. Even the people who you don't think are listening are hearing you.
Here is the point I want to leave you with: OPEN YOUR MOUTH! Don't be ashamed of Christianity. If you say you are a Christian, then PROVE IT by living the life of one. Let holiness and the Word of God be on your lips constantly. You never know who might be listening.
Deuteronomy 11:18 - Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
Wait what!? High school is over!?
Time is a very strange concept. We are bound to it like slaves. When we are younger, it almost feels like we can control it, but that is NOT the reality! Whether we like it or not, time goes by and old things pass away. While you still have time, what will you do with it?
There are many things that I miss from my past and there are also things I wish I can do over from my past. For instance, I wish that I were a little more involved in my High School. Most of my friends went to all the dances, games, and activities. I barley did anything! Although I was heavily involved in the True North High School Ministry at Compass Bible Church, I still wish that I did more than that. But oh well! Time carried me a lot faster that I thought it would!
The point is, time flies by very quickly. As I went through the rough transition of high school to college, I felt lost. Spiritually, I was doing pretty well during my senior year of high school. I read my Bible daily, prayed daily, and constantly had the "here to serve" attitude. Then college came and I crashed pretty hard. I didn’t really like church anymore, I missed high school, and I missed the excitement that I had before. It took me a while to realize what God was doing in my life. It's clear that He was pulling me away from the immaturity of high school and pushing me toward the responsibility of college. The old is gone and the new has come! I have always had a colorful personality. I have a lot of energy and once in a while I enjoy being wild, but there is a time and place for that now. I can't go crazy and expect to have fun all the time! Sometimes we need to be calm and handle things more like an adult.
Ecclesiastes 3:4 - "A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance."
Yes, it is sometimes sad that the old things are fading away, but keep in mind that God has many NEW and BETTER things planned for you! The reality of this life is that we are only here for a short while, and then POOF, we are gone! So let's stop hanging on to the old things and let God bring the new things into our lives. I tried so hard to hold onto high school, but God gave me a swift kick to the pants, telling me to get on with my life! I have better things to do than to waste time thinking about the past! We need to use our time WISELY. Live in the NOW. Let's use our years, months, days, hours, minutes, even the seconds, that God gave us, to passionately serve Him!
If you are going to take anything from this blog, let it be this: WAKE UP and realize that serving God is how we need to spend our precious time. Forget about the past, and live for the NOW. The sand in the hourglass is falling a lot faster than you think!
Psalm 39:4-5 – “LORD, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; surely every man at his best is a mere breath.”
Time is a very strange concept. We are bound to it like slaves. When we are younger, it almost feels like we can control it, but that is NOT the reality! Whether we like it or not, time goes by and old things pass away. While you still have time, what will you do with it?
There are many things that I miss from my past and there are also things I wish I can do over from my past. For instance, I wish that I were a little more involved in my High School. Most of my friends went to all the dances, games, and activities. I barley did anything! Although I was heavily involved in the True North High School Ministry at Compass Bible Church, I still wish that I did more than that. But oh well! Time carried me a lot faster that I thought it would!
The point is, time flies by very quickly. As I went through the rough transition of high school to college, I felt lost. Spiritually, I was doing pretty well during my senior year of high school. I read my Bible daily, prayed daily, and constantly had the "here to serve" attitude. Then college came and I crashed pretty hard. I didn’t really like church anymore, I missed high school, and I missed the excitement that I had before. It took me a while to realize what God was doing in my life. It's clear that He was pulling me away from the immaturity of high school and pushing me toward the responsibility of college. The old is gone and the new has come! I have always had a colorful personality. I have a lot of energy and once in a while I enjoy being wild, but there is a time and place for that now. I can't go crazy and expect to have fun all the time! Sometimes we need to be calm and handle things more like an adult.
Ecclesiastes 3:4 - "A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance."
Yes, it is sometimes sad that the old things are fading away, but keep in mind that God has many NEW and BETTER things planned for you! The reality of this life is that we are only here for a short while, and then POOF, we are gone! So let's stop hanging on to the old things and let God bring the new things into our lives. I tried so hard to hold onto high school, but God gave me a swift kick to the pants, telling me to get on with my life! I have better things to do than to waste time thinking about the past! We need to use our time WISELY. Live in the NOW. Let's use our years, months, days, hours, minutes, even the seconds, that God gave us, to passionately serve Him!
If you are going to take anything from this blog, let it be this: WAKE UP and realize that serving God is how we need to spend our precious time. Forget about the past, and live for the NOW. The sand in the hourglass is falling a lot faster than you think!
Psalm 39:4-5 – “LORD, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; surely every man at his best is a mere breath.”
Proverbs 2:2-5
Tune your ears to wisdom,
and concentrate on understanding.
Cry out for insight,
and ask for understanding.
Search for them as you would for silver;
seek them like hidden treasures.
Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,
and you will gain knowledge of God.
How will we understand God and learn to fear Him?
Well, this obviously wont happen by sitting down and doing nothing. A good viewpoint of our God is very important. With reverence and awe we see God. One might ask, “How do I attain this fear of God? How will I get this reverence and awe for Him?” The answer to this question is very simple. The more you read your Bible, and learn about God, the bigger He gets. I mean, if we really want to veiw God the way He is supposed to be seen, the only way you can do this is by learning about Him. God is constantly explained all throughout the Bible, and it is OUR job to read it, study it, and learn everything about God. In the Bible it explains WHO He is, what He has DONE, and what He is DOING, and what He will DO. So let’s increase our knowledge (daily) by getting into God’s Word!
This short blog is designed to get you to READ YOUR BIBLE! I cannot stress enough how important this is! The Bible is the living word of God....God breathed! Do you realize what this means? The creator of everything, from the trillions of unseen atoms, to the 250,000,000 x 250,000,000 stars, intricatley placed across our vast universe....HE has written a book! Like I said before, the Bible wasn't written by a bunch of old guys, IT IS WRITTEN BY GOD! He did not write this best seller to be ignored or maybe read by people, He wrote it so that ALL mankind can read, learn, and repent! This book is powerful and I STRONGLY recommend reading it. Without it, the world is lost. So if you really want to be wise (and Im not talking about worldy knowledge, because in the end it is useless).....If you want to be wise.....READ. THE. BIBLE. Let us build our minds and fill it with scripture so that we can get to know our closest friend, our father, our creator...the almighty God.
Proverbs 2:6
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding...
If you would like to join me and many other high school Christians out there who want to learn about God's Word together, JOIN US ON SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY! On this website you will find many other High schoolers commenting and learning about the Bible DAILY! We are serious about reading the Bible everyday! ARE YOU!?
Tune your ears to wisdom,
and concentrate on understanding.
Cry out for insight,
and ask for understanding.
Search for them as you would for silver;
seek them like hidden treasures.
Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,
and you will gain knowledge of God.
How will we understand God and learn to fear Him?
Well, this obviously wont happen by sitting down and doing nothing. A good viewpoint of our God is very important. With reverence and awe we see God. One might ask, “How do I attain this fear of God? How will I get this reverence and awe for Him?” The answer to this question is very simple. The more you read your Bible, and learn about God, the bigger He gets. I mean, if we really want to veiw God the way He is supposed to be seen, the only way you can do this is by learning about Him. God is constantly explained all throughout the Bible, and it is OUR job to read it, study it, and learn everything about God. In the Bible it explains WHO He is, what He has DONE, and what He is DOING, and what He will DO. So let’s increase our knowledge (daily) by getting into God’s Word!
This short blog is designed to get you to READ YOUR BIBLE! I cannot stress enough how important this is! The Bible is the living word of God....God breathed! Do you realize what this means? The creator of everything, from the trillions of unseen atoms, to the 250,000,000 x 250,000,000 stars, intricatley placed across our vast universe....HE has written a book! Like I said before, the Bible wasn't written by a bunch of old guys, IT IS WRITTEN BY GOD! He did not write this best seller to be ignored or maybe read by people, He wrote it so that ALL mankind can read, learn, and repent! This book is powerful and I STRONGLY recommend reading it. Without it, the world is lost. So if you really want to be wise (and Im not talking about worldy knowledge, because in the end it is useless).....If you want to be wise.....READ. THE. BIBLE. Let us build our minds and fill it with scripture so that we can get to know our closest friend, our father, our creator...the almighty God.
Proverbs 2:6
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding...
If you would like to join me and many other high school Christians out there who want to learn about God's Word together, JOIN US ON SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY! On this website you will find many other High schoolers commenting and learning about the Bible DAILY! We are serious about reading the Bible everyday! ARE YOU!?
I'm Alive and Well 02/19/2010
Everyone has had a life. Some have lived it, and some of us (myself included) are living it. It's really sad to see how people dont value life as much as they should. I'm not really talking about the value of earthly life, because there are many people (non-Christian too) who care about this life were living. They care about the healthiness of human life in a non-eternal sense.
Now, I'm not saying that we aren't supposed to care about those things, but I am saying that there is a more important part of life that everyone needs to look at. ETERNAL LIFE.
We are only on this earth for a little while. Which means that this is NOT our home. As Christians, our home is in Heaven with Him. Sounds like an amazing future to me!
We need to make sure that we are spending our life on this earth in the way God wants us too. How are we serving Him? Do we obey Him and do everyhting He says?? If not, then what's the point!? God didn't create us to live for ourselves! We are here for HIS glory, not ours. It's imparative to serve God with 100% of our being. Our reward is in Heaven, where there is no sin, no guilt, no pain, etc. I look forward to the day when I will be with Him. My soul will be satisfied. I hope everyone else is with me on this. It's important to value life here on earth, but the real life awaits us in Heaven.
It's like my youth pastor once said, "We are foreign exchange students from heaven." I thought that was kinda interesting. When you meet someone from a different country for the first time, its easy, based off what you learned from them, to make a judgement on what the rest of his people in his country are like. Its the same way when a non-Christian looks at you because he is basing the whole religion of Christianity on you. God isn't the only one looking at us, there are people all around us who look at our example. To some people, the only "Jesus Christ" they will see, in this life, is the one we show by our example. As Christians, we try to be like Christ and live in his ways. We cannot deface the Christian name by being complete hypocrites. So let's live our lives according to what God wants, not our own selfish ambitions. Life is short.
Now, I'm not saying that we aren't supposed to care about those things, but I am saying that there is a more important part of life that everyone needs to look at. ETERNAL LIFE.
We are only on this earth for a little while. Which means that this is NOT our home. As Christians, our home is in Heaven with Him. Sounds like an amazing future to me!
We need to make sure that we are spending our life on this earth in the way God wants us too. How are we serving Him? Do we obey Him and do everyhting He says?? If not, then what's the point!? God didn't create us to live for ourselves! We are here for HIS glory, not ours. It's imparative to serve God with 100% of our being. Our reward is in Heaven, where there is no sin, no guilt, no pain, etc. I look forward to the day when I will be with Him. My soul will be satisfied. I hope everyone else is with me on this. It's important to value life here on earth, but the real life awaits us in Heaven.
It's like my youth pastor once said, "We are foreign exchange students from heaven." I thought that was kinda interesting. When you meet someone from a different country for the first time, its easy, based off what you learned from them, to make a judgement on what the rest of his people in his country are like. Its the same way when a non-Christian looks at you because he is basing the whole religion of Christianity on you. God isn't the only one looking at us, there are people all around us who look at our example. To some people, the only "Jesus Christ" they will see, in this life, is the one we show by our example. As Christians, we try to be like Christ and live in his ways. We cannot deface the Christian name by being complete hypocrites. So let's live our lives according to what God wants, not our own selfish ambitions. Life is short.
The Marvel Creation Brings 02/02/2010
Before I begin about the topic....let's just say something.
We are Christians, and we belive in God. I constantly hear the words, "God is amazing," but seriously.....how much amazement does God bring YOU? If someone was to ask you, "tell me about God"....would you be able to rant on and on about Him? I would hope that you cannot stop talking about Him! .............It comes down too how big God really is in your life. Is he just the guy who created everything, knows everything, sacrificed His son, and H loves us, etc...? Or is He the guy that when you talk about Him, THERE ISN'T EVEN ENOUGH TIME IN A DAY TO TALK ABOUT GOD!!!
In reality God is "all that". He should be the topic of our convesation on a regular basis. God can be descibed in many ways. Now, I dont want use this weeks blog to talk everything about God. I wanted to focus more on one centeral thing about Him. HIS CREATION.
When thinking about God, I find that His creation is one of my favorite things about Him. I want to share with you the awe-inspiring sensation that God's creation has brought me.
Genisis 1:1 "God created the Heavens and the Earth."
God- Our Creator
God is our creator, we know this because it says it many times throughout the Bible. The word creator has more meaning than just a word. Let's identify certian marvelous things that he has created! The stars for instance. There are at least 250,000,000 x 250,000,000 bodies out there, each bigger than our own sun! It is by God's hand that they are scattered across the vastness of our outer space! Go and walk out alone one clear night and just gaze up. The night life is one of my favorite things that God has created. Everything about it points to HIS GLORY! For those of you who still aren't impressed (I find it insane to think so), lets look at smaller parts of creation, like the living cell! Yeah, Biology...I went there. Think about it though! The cell isn't even the smallest form of matter. Atoms are. They make up the Nucleus, Cytoskeleton, Ribosomes, etc. (which are all in a cell by the way). It' so amazing! Cells are so intricate and small that they can only bee seen with a microscope. The human body alone is made up of more that 100 TRILLION cells! If that does not blow your mind...I dont know what will, but take time to think about it. I would like to write about everything that God has created....but the internet just isn't big enough to hold all that info.
Our earth is packed tight with different things from beautiful plants, intriguing animals, wonderful people, landmarks, smells, it goes on and on! Our temporary home, Earth, seems big to the people who live in it. In reality, we are only a barely-visible speck in the universe. Next time you look up, or down, or almost anywhere in the world, recognize who made it all. I hope God's creation is as humbling to you as it is to me. With our busy, fast-paced lives its really easy to forget the beauty that God has surrounded us with on this earth. The amazment really drains me and puts things in the right perspective.
Read Genisis chapter 1 and take the time to go outside and marvel.
We are Christians, and we belive in God. I constantly hear the words, "God is amazing," but seriously.....how much amazement does God bring YOU? If someone was to ask you, "tell me about God"....would you be able to rant on and on about Him? I would hope that you cannot stop talking about Him! .............It comes down too how big God really is in your life. Is he just the guy who created everything, knows everything, sacrificed His son, and H loves us, etc...? Or is He the guy that when you talk about Him, THERE ISN'T EVEN ENOUGH TIME IN A DAY TO TALK ABOUT GOD!!!
In reality God is "all that". He should be the topic of our convesation on a regular basis. God can be descibed in many ways. Now, I dont want use this weeks blog to talk everything about God. I wanted to focus more on one centeral thing about Him. HIS CREATION.
When thinking about God, I find that His creation is one of my favorite things about Him. I want to share with you the awe-inspiring sensation that God's creation has brought me.
Genisis 1:1 "God created the Heavens and the Earth."
God- Our Creator
God is our creator, we know this because it says it many times throughout the Bible. The word creator has more meaning than just a word. Let's identify certian marvelous things that he has created! The stars for instance. There are at least 250,000,000 x 250,000,000 bodies out there, each bigger than our own sun! It is by God's hand that they are scattered across the vastness of our outer space! Go and walk out alone one clear night and just gaze up. The night life is one of my favorite things that God has created. Everything about it points to HIS GLORY! For those of you who still aren't impressed (I find it insane to think so), lets look at smaller parts of creation, like the living cell! Yeah, Biology...I went there. Think about it though! The cell isn't even the smallest form of matter. Atoms are. They make up the Nucleus, Cytoskeleton, Ribosomes, etc. (which are all in a cell by the way). It' so amazing! Cells are so intricate and small that they can only bee seen with a microscope. The human body alone is made up of more that 100 TRILLION cells! If that does not blow your mind...I dont know what will, but take time to think about it. I would like to write about everything that God has created....but the internet just isn't big enough to hold all that info.
Our earth is packed tight with different things from beautiful plants, intriguing animals, wonderful people, landmarks, smells, it goes on and on! Our temporary home, Earth, seems big to the people who live in it. In reality, we are only a barely-visible speck in the universe. Next time you look up, or down, or almost anywhere in the world, recognize who made it all. I hope God's creation is as humbling to you as it is to me. With our busy, fast-paced lives its really easy to forget the beauty that God has surrounded us with on this earth. The amazment really drains me and puts things in the right perspective.
Read Genisis chapter 1 and take the time to go outside and marvel.
Fearing God 01/25/2010
Fearing God is a concept that doesn't seem to get as much light as it should. In the second chapter of The Practice of Godliness It talks about having devotion to God. Devotion to God includes fearing Him, which does not seem like people really are these days. As Christians, we claim to be one of God's children, but are we really acting like it?
Fearing God means having reverential awe for Him. To put it into an easier grabbed concept , it means: respectful amazement. Are we really amazed by God anymore? Or better yet, do we even think about him anymore?? It doesn't seem that way. We are slowly drifting away, forgetting about what really matters the most. Even with Christians, it seems like they hardly ever give any thought to God. This is a bigger problem than one would think. Forget the secular non-Christians out there....Christianity is getting watered down!
Our minds need to be centralized around God. What kind of things do you think about during the day? Are they all about yourself?..... What am I going to do today? what am I goning to wear today? Who am I goning to hang out with today? etc..... Im not trying to point fingers at others, because I am guilty of the same selfish thoughts on a regular basis. He should be on our minds all the time. Only He is worth thinking about and devoting our time to. We are not put on this earth to better ourselves... we are here to serve God.
Our attitude towards God will effect the way we serve Him. So again, it comes down to, do I respect God? Can I honeslty say that I hold Him in the highest regard? You would if you loved him with all your heart. We know that if we want to walk in His ways, we are to fear Him.... but do we? In Deutoronomy 10:12 it says:And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul...God tells us to fear Him, follow Him, love Him, and to serve Him. This verse puts all four of these things on a parallel. If we love God, we fear Him. If we serve God, we follow Him. We do all of it or nothing. Many Christians claim to love God, yet they dont want to do what he says. This is SO wrong!
How big is God in your world? Is there anything that you devote your time to more than God? It is important to keep God in the higest regard. We do this by reminding ourselves constantly about Him. Reading the Bible is the best way we can increase the size of God in our little universe. The Bible is constantly talking about God...what better way is there to learn about God? The more we read the Bible, the bigger God gets... The bigger God gets, the more we fear Him. It is gravely important to remind ourselves about who God is.
Prayer is a big part of devoting ourselves to Him. The almighty creator of all things is ALWAYS ready to listen to you! It blows my mind to think about how I can talk to GOD whenever and however long I want! What more can we ask for? Dont blow off prayer as something unimportant. IT IS SOOO IMPORTANT! Its' something that we should do every day.
We want to grow in Him, but this depends o
n how important God is to you. Is He important enough to devote yourself to with 100% of your heart and soul? I hope He is.
Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beggining of Wisdom..."
Leave a comment. Tell me what you think of my new website! (The comment button is at the top of the page.)
Fearing God means having reverential awe for Him. To put it into an easier grabbed concept , it means: respectful amazement. Are we really amazed by God anymore? Or better yet, do we even think about him anymore?? It doesn't seem that way. We are slowly drifting away, forgetting about what really matters the most. Even with Christians, it seems like they hardly ever give any thought to God. This is a bigger problem than one would think. Forget the secular non-Christians out there....Christianity is getting watered down!
Our minds need to be centralized around God. What kind of things do you think about during the day? Are they all about yourself?..... What am I going to do today? what am I goning to wear today? Who am I goning to hang out with today? etc..... Im not trying to point fingers at others, because I am guilty of the same selfish thoughts on a regular basis. He should be on our minds all the time. Only He is worth thinking about and devoting our time to. We are not put on this earth to better ourselves... we are here to serve God.
Our attitude towards God will effect the way we serve Him. So again, it comes down to, do I respect God? Can I honeslty say that I hold Him in the highest regard? You would if you loved him with all your heart. We know that if we want to walk in His ways, we are to fear Him.... but do we? In Deutoronomy 10:12 it says:And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul...God tells us to fear Him, follow Him, love Him, and to serve Him. This verse puts all four of these things on a parallel. If we love God, we fear Him. If we serve God, we follow Him. We do all of it or nothing. Many Christians claim to love God, yet they dont want to do what he says. This is SO wrong!
How big is God in your world? Is there anything that you devote your time to more than God? It is important to keep God in the higest regard. We do this by reminding ourselves constantly about Him. Reading the Bible is the best way we can increase the size of God in our little universe. The Bible is constantly talking about God...what better way is there to learn about God? The more we read the Bible, the bigger God gets... The bigger God gets, the more we fear Him. It is gravely important to remind ourselves about who God is.
Prayer is a big part of devoting ourselves to Him. The almighty creator of all things is ALWAYS ready to listen to you! It blows my mind to think about how I can talk to GOD whenever and however long I want! What more can we ask for? Dont blow off prayer as something unimportant. IT IS SOOO IMPORTANT! Its' something that we should do every day.
We want to grow in Him, but this depends o
n how important God is to you. Is He important enough to devote yourself to with 100% of your heart and soul? I hope He is.
Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beggining of Wisdom..."
Leave a comment. Tell me what you think of my new website! (The comment button is at the top of the page.)
