Tuesday, January 13, 2009

This one's preachy...preachy keen. :)

I'm going to attempt to do this blog in 1 minute.
It's following a writing prompt from The One Minute Writer. (http://oneminutewriter.blogspot.com/2009/01/todays-writing-prompt-teach.html)
Starting...NOW!!!


"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."
-Philippians 4:8

2 Cor 10:5 talks about taking every thought captive to the authority of Jesus Christ. I think that if we were all able to learn that principle-and not just learn it, but really capture it-this world would be a far better place. And we have the authority to do it too. In Jesus' mighty and holy name. I think it boils down to will power, choices, and truly grasping how much God loves us.

Bah! My time ran out. Anyway, if I could teach others one thing, that'd be it. (About God's love, the importance of taking every thought captive...and maybe even how to do it.) I challenged the kids in my children's church class to pray every morning this week that God would help them to take every thought captive and help them live the way He wants them to. lol, I used a rock to represent the thought (it's the only thing I had) and explained to them how, kinda like the cartoons, the enemy sometimes whispers things to us. And how we need to take our thoughts captive, because if we don't, pretty soon our thoughts take us captive. And in reality, just like there are two paths to choose in life (God's or Satan's), there are two categories of thought: God's or Satan's. So much time and energy is spent in/by the world to convince us that things aren't black and white. That some areas are gray. That things don't always have to be either/or...they can be both/and. Oh man...I might get a lot of flack for this...but here's an example: The Bible is clear on God's view of homosexuality. It's unholy, unrighteous, and sinful. People who live in that lifestyle will find themselves in Hell unless they repent and change; because, according to the Bible, you can't be both homosexual and Christian. You're either homosexual or Christian.* According to Revelation, we must be either hot or cold; because if we're both hot and cold, we're lukewarm...and God will vomit those who are lukewarm out of His mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16) While I'm on the subject of both/and vs either/or: One concept floating around out there that really gets me is: "Both God (Yah-weh) and (insert name of false god/prophet here. i.e. Buddha, Allah, Satan, etc.) are right. There is more than one way to obtain eternal bliss. Everyone can have their own truth. Both your truth is right and my truth is right. The truth is what you make it." While that may be true for some politicians and various others in this world, the Truth for eternity was, is, and always will be the same.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
-Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
-Romans 6:23
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
-John 14:16
"But God commendeth [demonstrated] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
-Romans 5:8
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
-John 3:16
In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock", He's knocking on your heart-loving you with all of His...are you going to answer that?

If you want more information, reading all of Romans 3 is a good idea. Actually, read all of Romans. And while you're reading that letter of Paul's...read all of Paul's writings. His relationship with Jesus was like ours should be, and quite different from the relationship the disciples-who knew Him in the physical world-had. Jesus was able to reveal himself to Paul in a way that the disciples never knew...because when Paul met Him on the road to Damascus, Jesus had been returned to His full glory. Read and you'll understand.


much love.
P.S. I also highly recommend you read Frank Peretti's novel Nightmare Academy (The Veritas Project). The reading is rather easy, but the concept and message is very potent at any age.
*Note: I don't hate people who practice homosexuality. I don't treat them differently IRL or on the internet. But most, if not all, of the people I know who are homosexual know what I believe about that issue. I believe what the Bible says. And that's all I'm trying to say in that section of this blog. Both/and can't exist. It's impossible. There are certainties. Things are real. The Truth is real. Right and wrong exist; just as much as any tangible-or at least commonly accepted-opposite (i.e. hot and cold, up and down, left and right, in and out, over and under, night and day, light and dark, etc.).