Christmas - The day of the may miracles

Christmas is often remembered as the day of Jesus of Nazareth birth. Born of a virgin, which is often the miracle that is reflected upon. Though some think of this as allegory and also conclude that Jesus was just a good man who was wise, it is important to also understand the many miracles that were accomplished on that night, and also to reflect on the miracles that will continue.

The Lord makes some promises in the Old Testament, we call these covenants. The fact that the Lord deals with humans in such a way is a miracle in itself. One of these covenants is to David.

David was the king of Israel and was loved by the Lord. Because David loved the Lord and desired to love the Lords people, he found favor in the Lord’s sight. The Lord makes a covenant, promise, to David. This covenant entails that David will have a descendant that will rule forever.

“When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”
-1 Chronicles 17:11-14

David possibly not fully comprehending the words that come out of his mouth says, “Now, O Lord, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as You have spoken. 1 Chronicles 17:23”

Jesus, the Christ, birth is the fulfillment of this promise. Mary, his earthly mother, was in lineage of David and her giving birth to Jesus was the continuation of Davids heritage. What she may had not fully understood was that Jesus will establish his kingdom forever.

Jesus being born of a virgin, shows the power of God and gives proof to Jesus being God’s son (1 Chr. 17:13). Jesus dying on the cross fulfilled that God will not take his mercies from and Him being the son of God will grant Him the power to rule forever (1 Chr. 17:14).

This is the miracle! Our King rules forever, because of His death. We have been given a new promise, a promise of everlasting life. The Lord grants us the ability to be apart of this covenant.

"Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that you may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies shown to David."
-Isaiah 55:3

It is recorded by the Apostle John that the there are many other miracles that Jesus performed but that the ones that are recorded are done so, so that those who read it may have faith and believe in Jesus the Christ (John 20:30-31). The Lord holds to his promises as we have seen through the Davidic Covenant. If we believe in the promises of the Lord, and hold to what the Apostle John writes, we are affirmed and comforted in the fact that we are granted Salvation in believing in these miracles. For Paul assures us, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9”

The miracle that was given to the world, in which we celebrate every Christmas, is a continual gift. It is the greatest gift that we as humans could ever desire. But much like our western culture has done, the true meaning of Christmas is hidden behind flashy and expensive things that will give short momentary happiness. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2”

May this Christmas be a time of real reflection, may we follow conviction to share with our loved ones the true meaning of Christmas in hopes to share the greatest gift of all. Merry Christmas!

World vs. Bible - Dating

Does our view on dating impact our relationship with Christ?

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 
– Genesis 2:24

The Bible expresses the importance of dating as a way to become one with another. As quoted above in Genesis 2:24. Much like Christ is one with the Church and the Church is one with Him, those who marry will become one. This is not to say that you will feel as one but through the mystery which Marriage is, believers hold fast to the Word and the bond in which they have developed (Mark 10:9). My goal is to encourage believers to stop comparing their relationships to the world's standards and begin to find truth by reading the greatest love story, the Bible.

Commitment

One big thing that Christians who date struggle with is commitment. We as humans see from the media that it is good to keep our options open, "the grass is always greener." If we go back to Genesis 2:24 we see that we must commit. Society is making it OK to jump from one relationship to another or, if you are married, to divorce. Let us remember if we are dating we date to marry and if we are married we are of one flesh. This reveals the importance of building a strong foundation on friendship and developing it into a dating relationship. If our goal is marriage then we need to take the preceding steps of dating serious, and begin to build genuine friendships that are built on loving a sister or brother. Once we commit we need to roll through some hard times while dating, where the world wants you to give up and move on. The World's view wants to confuse commitment in relationships because it poisons what Godly/Christ like commitment should be, and so in convolutes our thoughts of what our relationship with Christ looks like.

Dad or dad

Another issue that many men face while dating Christian women is that when they date they feel as though they need to be a father figure. If guys are honest, this is something they look forward to, it shows their strength and makes them feel that they are wanted/loved, but this should be saved for actual children not for the girl that guys dates or marries. Women should not be looking for a guy to fill the dad hole in their heart. As Genesis 2:24 says, man and woman will become one. This means that before dating the man and women should be in a healthy pursuit of their Dad aka Heavenly Father. If the guy is doing this he will quickly be humbled in how powerful his Dad is and lives by His example, and if the woman is doing this then she will not be in a pursuit for someone to fill a hole that is unfillable by any man, but have comfort in who she is. The World wants you to find the man to be the ultimate father figure, and the woman to be searching for it, but the Bible is clear and shares that God is the only one that can fill that position, and gives urgency to men and women pursuing Him before anything else.

Final Thoughts

As believers in Christ there is an act of sacrifice in how we live our life. The way that we as Christians date should be different than the rest of the world, if others see Christians date and see no difference, how does that create change? When we choose to watch films and movies that condone sex before marriage, multiple sex partners and promiscuity all because it is funny, we are supporting it. I mention these things, commitment and Dad, because these are things that I noticed in my life and have allowed the Lord to change. We need to flee from temptation and if this means we stop watching television shows that supports impure thoughts of how the Lord designed relationships, then do it! The greatest story we can read to help us with dating is the Bible. There is no greater love story and no other book that can express what a pure relationship looks like. Jesus tells us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." we cannot put the extra stress on our relationships by using our relationships as idols, like the world wants us to. So stand firm on the Rock and don't allow the world to tell you what relationships look like.

Is Santa to blame?

Early in my childhood my mom shared with me that dad was the one that ate the cookies on Christmas Eve and put the presents under the Christmas tree. Now whether they told me this because they didn’t want to wait in line for Santa at the mall, or deal with the drama that comes with a kid that believes in Santa Claus, this I do not know. Due to this the rest of my childhood I spent trying to convince other kids that Santa wasn’t real, and used an elementary form of apologetics to explain. Some of you reading may think that this was a little harsh but I hope to use the next few paragraphs to comically explain, with a serious undertone, why Santa is the one to blame for people’s naivety towards one's faith. My goal here is not to diminish the innocence of being a child, but to express the importance of maturing, and how I feel we have begun to fall away from this.

I do not know if the idea Santa is more popular in other cultures, but it seems that Santa is more popular here than anywhere else in the world. Other cultures have some form of tradition, but I do not think it is as heavy as what Santa is in the United States. I would argue that Santa is more popular here partly because of the affluence that our country has, but is this a good thing?

Let us take a moment to think about how convincing a child that Santa is real leads to other problems. Some may ask, “what harm can come from telling our child about Santa?” If a child grows into believing that if one does right instead of wrong this produces a thought of self righteousness when they do things that are right. If a child does not live up to being a ‘good’ child and yet still receives all the gifts, then this child is fooled into thinking that he/she can get away with anything. A more sad thought would be that a parent would use Santa as an excuse for the reason why the child didn’t get what they asked for. Instead I would hope that christian based homes would reflect grace, and express this through the Christmas story and the giving of gifts.

As a Christian I wonder how my Christmas was different than others. Many people who rarely attend church would attend church, they also would open presents and eat too much. So how is the christians Christmas any different?

The thought, that I am trying to develop is that with Santa, is Christmas can be confusing for a child. If a child grows up with the Christmas Story, and learns how this applies to the Gospel, how does Santa fit in? Wouldn't we much rather share the Gospel message with our children, isn’t that story so much more profound?

My thought is that because so many children in the church grow up with this idea of Santa, they are more open for some flexibility with other aspects of the Gospel. If we are OK with this idea of taking away from the greatest story of anyone’s life and developing it into a story about works of how one can achieve gifts through how one behaves, there is something wrong! This can develop into the acceptance of false teaching, possibly because the child never fully grasped the concept of the Gospel because a guy with a red hat was mixed in somehow.

A conviction that has been weighing on me is that my generation has a poor understanding of the Gospel, due to the lack of teaching (i.e. the church, home, and lack of their own pursuit). I am not trying to bash anyone but as a Church we need to get together and encourage one another to be in the Word, challenging each other with tough questions and seeking truth, so that we will be able to share the Gospel no matter how difficult the situation. I hope that this has been a somewhat thoughtful presentation of my heart of the importance of knowing the Gospel and how our society diminishes its value.

Prayer: Lord there is no greater story that impacts our life. Thank you for your grace and patience with us and revealing us our trespasses. Lord my prayer is that the church becomes more in love with you and remembers your story forever and always. Our life eternal began when we recognized Your son as Lord and accepted His message. May this message, the Gospel message, be sealed upon our heart so that we are bold when we share it with friends, strangers, family and children. Amen.

Can Eschatology change your life?

In the month of September I spent time studying Eschatology. Eschatology is the study of end times. This all came about when I had finished reading Revelation and found myself wondering what all it meant. This was about the third time that I can remember reading through Revelation and in times past I would read through just to read it as a part of a reading plan and never put much thought into it but for some reason this time I desired to know more. I am thankful that the Lord put this on my heart and has allowed me to receive resources to look further into the end times.

The two books that I worked through were chapters in Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem and Basic Theology by Charles Ryrie. Both these men are very well known for their intellect and hold some different views when it comes to doctrine. The reason why I chose these two books is because I felt that it would give me a broad view of everything and not focus in on just one main point during the end times.  

I am not going to discuss what exactly my stance is on Eschatology because I am still thinking over much of it, but what I would like to write about is how the study of end times has developed and increased my faith. Now we all know that if one pursues the Lord the more the Lord will reveal to them. I have experienced this in the time of studying this topic and I am so thankful that the Lord is patient and is revealing these things at this time. In this blog I want to discuss how having a view on end times propels ones faith, and why it is important to have a stance.

A View of End Times

We all come to know Christ differently and this is because Christ meets us where we are at, we do not need to be where he is to be saved. As a person comes to the knowledge of Christ and allows their heart to be overrun by Christ it begins a sanctification process. This process, like ones acknowledgement, develops differently and God uses it to impact others and bring more to the saving knowledge of Christ. This being said there is a day that every person, saved and unsaved, will die. Death is something that is inevitable and something I realized is that the saved and unsaved person has very similar views of what the afterlife looks like. If the unsaved person doesn’t believe in a God, but believes in heaven, they view heaven as a place where everyone sits on white clouds and plays the harp. Sadly this is how many Christians view heaven as well. So what is setting apart the Christian from the unsaved? This is where I bring to the point that it is vital to have an understanding of the end times. Some people would argue that it is difficult to know what the Bible really says about these things, so they don’t try. I would rebuttal this with the fact that the Bible talks about it and so we should have a stance on it, we cannot be fooled into thinking that there is no info (buy the two books that I bought if you want). The information is out there, and though some people will disagree on some points, all biblical scholars will express that there is a clear distinction of heaven and hell.

Have a stance

This brings me to my next point of the importance of having a stance. Not everyone agrees with each other – even the people in the church (I know - surprising!). What I have learned is that understanding Eschatology will help with evangelism and soften hearts even more to share with those who do not know the Lord. When learning about the afterlife, and what happens to yourself or another, the relationship changes with the Lord, it becomes more personal.  Also, striving to learn more about the Lord in anyway can increase faith and the relationship with Him. Another thing that really stood out to me while studying was the importance that we inherit in the kingdom and in spreading the word. The Bible uses images like,

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” Matthew 5:14

“and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Romans 8:17

These two pieces of scripture stand out to me because it brings attention to the power/responsibility in which the Lord has given us. Though we use Matthew 5:14 to encourage one another, it ties directly into the circumstances of Romans 8:17. What we begin to see is that a change happens in our life, this change happens so that we desire to be closer to our Father. When we are the light in a dark place, we will shine and there will come persecution. Be encouraged though, when we read Revelation 21 and 22 we see that we are light because He is light and that we will one day reign with Him in Paradise!

Final Thoughts

- What does heaven look like? Does this match up to what the Bible says?
- Does thinking about Heaven and Hell change the way you view life?
- Do you know what Pre-Tribulation, Post-Tribulation, Pre-Millennial, and Post-Millennial means?
- Is Universalism Biblical?

Prayer

Lord my hope is that this has encouraged the reader to look deeper into the study of end times (Eschatology) and begin a new venture with the You. I ask that you direct their souls to proper material that will reveal more of You to them and that they seek you first through the Bible and then from supporting material. Lord you are the Word and the Word in truth, so may they dwell in truth daily. Amen.

Not a Fairy Tale

Every little girl dreams of having a knight in shining armor sweep her off her feet and ride away into the sun set. Every little boy dreams of slaying dragons and fighting bad guys – and if there is a princess then that would be cool too. Growing up is a wonderful time of imagination, and yet though these things may sound imaginative I would argue that this is exactly what we as men and women need to be striving for.

Paul tells us to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:11). Obviously these things are not physical things that we can put on but people can still see them. Let us first focus on men become the knight that slays dragons and defeats his foes. If you read through Ephesians 6 it gives us some qualities in what this armor looks like. Here are some questions to ask yourself, are you firm in your belief, do you pursue righteousness, do you know when to fight or be gentle, are you consistent in prayer (strengthing your faith), and are you a proclaimer of God's word? Read over Ephesians 6:10-20 and see what armor that you may be missing, pray for the Lord to reveal these things.

Now ladies, you are the princess waiting for the knight in this armor. You need to look for these qualities in men. You don’t want a guy that is pursuing you that doesn’t have armor, because then he can’t protect you. You want a man that can protect and lead you, if he has a hard time putting on his armor then he will have a hard time protecting you. Don’t settle!

Though the armor may be a more masculine thing, you women also need to be putting on your armor, because one day you will need to fight alongside your knight. Ladies don’t settle for a guy who can’t put on his armor, know and pray that the Lord is teaching your future knight how to put on his armor. Men don’t rush, there will be battles that go on before you meet your princess but remember that, once you have her, the battle doesn’t stop.

The reason why we like fairy tales as children is because it creates a bigger and better world that we would like to live in. One day we will live in that bigger better world, we will live in Heaven. Dear Christian Men and Women I challenge you as you read this to continue living, striving for the greater good, training yourself in righteousness putting on your armor daily.

John 14:5 - “... so how can we know the way?”

Sometime we don’t realize that we ask ourselves this question. As Jesus is about to go and hang on a cross He is affirming that his disciples have been trained properly and they are prepared, but Thomas ask the question, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Christ responds in a manner of, if you know me you know the Father. So how do we know Christ? Well verse 15 Christ says, “if you love me, keep my commands.” Where else do we see Christ ask if you love me? He also says this to Peter three times after his death. He ask Peter if he loves him, and then responds for Peter to go out and share the Gospel. I believe that these two things go hand and hand. Our command was to go and make disciples of all nations, are we doing this? In verse 19 Christ says that, “Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”

So how can we know the way? We must love Jesus Christ - we do this by understanding and knowing what his commands were and are, and this is done by reading the Word. When we feel distant from the Lord we can turn to the Word and begin to learn about God. Challenge yourself to read the Bible everyday, do it for the sake of your relationship with the Lord. Each time you open it up you get to learn about God, and the more you learn the more you draw close, and the
more your life reflects Christ.

Luke 7:43 - “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

The more we reflect on what God has given us and forgiven us of, the more we begin to realize how blessed we truly are. When you read over the passage of Luke 7:43 Simon answer seems like it maybe the easier one to say but how often are we ready for the opportunity to present this forgiveness. Many times we see someone who is in need and we ask ourselves, ‘how did this person get here?’ Maybe from poor decisions or maybe just a bad upbringing but when we truly think about it they have more to be thankful for if they have the opportunity to accept Christ. When we see someone and begin to see our hearts turn towards judgement, let us ask ourselves, ‘how thankful will this person be when they learn that it is all forgiven?’ Let us also take time today to think about how much we have been forgiven and spend time giving thanks for what the Lord has done and will do in our lives.

John 13:5 - and began to wash his disciples’ feet...

Right before the Lord goes and washes the disciples feet the gospel of John says something that stands out and puts what Christ is doing into perspective, ‘Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God. (John 12:3)’ From there Christ goes to wash his disciples feet (v. 5). To think that such humility comes from such a powerful God. Christ showed what it meant to share the gospel, he taught the disciples how to go out and proclaim salvation, and he also taught humility. Part of sharing God’s word is being willing to get on your knees to wash people's feet. Those of us who believe in Christ, we have been given the Holy Spirit - meaning that God dwells in us. We have a great power within us but with this power comes humility and sacrifice. Christ showed how to make disciples. We are all called in the great commission to go and make disciples. If you are discipling others, remember it is not just about giving wise advice, but it is also about serving them and humbling yourself.

Luke 12:20 - But God said to him, ‘You fool!’

America in one of the richest nations, and it is among the largest as well. As Americans we pride ourselves in being an American, having big cars, a nice house, and food on the table – but is this really what we should strive for? To be honest man has not changed much, the Lord is still dealing with what man struggled with in the time of the Bible, we struggle with lust, greed, anger, and many other things. Money or greed can be perceived in many ways, but in this passage of Luke 12 I believe it is clear on how the Lord views it. If you store things up for your own good and self-righteousness it is evil – PERIOD! This does not mean that you can’t supply for your family, or for those in need because this would be unselfish, but if it is solely for you and you alone this is wrong. You see in the story the man decided that he was going to retire and live off what he had stored up, this implies that the man never gave to others to help them in need, nor did he care for he was retiring. The Lord desires us to live as a Church, and we see that early on they helped one another financially and many other ways. The Lord may bless people with much, but he also knows that they are capable of giving much. Are we striving to store up our riches here or on earth or living as though our riches are in Heaven?

Luke 12:45 - ‘My master is taking a long time in coming’

Oh how I am concerned for the people of this world. This saying rings truer today than it has ever before. In this parable the servant that says this ends up beating and mistreating the other servants along with getting drunk and being foolish. The servant knows that his master will come someday but because it is taking longer than he desires he decides to do as he pleases. This is a scary thing, someone who knows of the master, understands what his master is capable of and how powerful He is and yet decides to live a life that is of his own accord – does this sound like anyone, does it sound like you? The Lord is not naïve He knows how you are treating your fellow brothers and He is aware of your heart’s desire. Always be on guard ready to serve the Lord. Another thing to point out is that this servant was put in charge of things, this wasn’t a servant that was a nobody, it was someone who was given responsibility. We all have a responsibility to our Lord and that is to Love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind. When you begin to reflect on what they truly looks like your life will be transformed. Do not be the servant that knows the Master yet does not love the Master. There will be a day when Christ comes again, will we be ready?

Mark 10:9 - Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.

When I first read this it reminded me of the verse in Ecclesiastes, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (4:12).” This passage is pulled from the text in which Christ is talking about marriage. They tried to use Old Testament law that applied to divorce, but Christ knowing the heart of wicked man tells them that it was because of their hearts that Divorce was in the law. So back to Ecclesiastes, what does three cords have to do with marriage. Many people who are married today are a chord of two strands, because they are not God fearing. When a man and women who are both God fearing and get married this is a chord that has three strands, and it will not be easily broken – if broken at all. Marriage is meant for man, woman and Spirit (the one chord that is unbreakable). I have not been married but, reading the scriptures the Lord hates divorce and if a marriage is stranded together with the Spirit than this chord may tear in some areas but this one cord will keep the marriage together - my hope is in this and look forward to one day sharing this three corded rope that will be unbreakable!

Mark 9:24 - “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Oh often I have prayed this prayer! In this passage we read that a man is asking for his son to be healed and he asked the Lord if he ‘can’. The Lord tells the father, that anything is possible for those who believe. This man had the Lord Jesus Christ standing before him, he knew of the power that Jesus Christ had and yet he still asked the Lord to help him with his unbelief. As I read over this passage I recall some of the times I asked the Lord (for it has been too many times to remember them all). The Lord has always helped me with my unbelief, but it usually has come through prayer and listening. This man in the story wanted healing for his son, we all need healing and the belief in Christ is the only way we will be healed from our sickness. Seek the Lord and He will give you more faith and heal you. For what we need to be healed from is not of the physical world but of the spiritual.

Luke 21:19 - Stand firm, and you will win life.

When I had first read this I was so encouraged. Our Lord Jesus Christ is telling us to stand firm and we will win life - eternal life! Quickly I was saddened by what it means to stand firm, and questioned if I or others really know what this means. If we are to call ourselves christians and yet not know what we stand firm in how can we stand firm? If we are followers of Christ and yet we don’t know Christ how can we stand firm? The Lord has given us the Bible as a resource to be able to stand firm in Him, and so that we may win life. Think about what it looks like to stand firm. Jesus is getting to the end of his life and as he talks about the days to come and he tells his disciples to stand firm. Peter ‘the rock’ even rolled a little bit but then the Spirit filled him and he was the rock the that the Lord planned him to be. Fellow brothers and sisters, prepare yourself to stand firm, prepare yourself for the moments that God will use you to share the Gospel. Most of all prepare yourself to win life, or as Paul would say, ‘to run the race for the prize.(Philippians 3:14)’

Preaching Repentance

Mark 6:12 - They went out and preached that people should repent.


We understand the importance of sharing the gospel, but do we go and preach that people should repent? Some may say, “well I am not a preacher so it is not my duty to go out and tell people they need to repent.” In the context of where this passage is taken these are men that were followers of Christ, people who believed in Jesus and knew of his power, these are the people who are preaching repentance. These men weren’t preachers, they were believers! Are we preaching repentance? I feel like we have a hard time preaching repentance because we have a hard time repenting. To repent is to turn away from one's own sin. We are promised forgiveness; it is not how we ask the Lord that we receive forgiveness but only through Christ Jesus; true repentance comes from believing in Christ and Him changing you. The old is wiped away and we are made new in Him! May we become like the original disciples, calling people to repentance and to a richer life with Christ.

Existentialism and Salvation

Søren Kierkegaard has been brought to my attention over the last 6 months or so. Søren was a Danish Philosopher who has been acknowledged as being the father of Existentialism. As I sit here wondering where to start I know that the direction, I desire, leads you the reader to understanding that through existentialism we can find truth (Christ) and Salvation.

The world views existentialism in this manner:

“A philosophical theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will…”

Being a part of a world that has many seekers of truth, we have to pose the question - what is truth? And through posing this question we ask, what is the meaning of life? I do not think that we can have these as two separate entities, for once someone finds truth they understand the purpose of one’s life.

Existentialism may be a new term to many but, if we look at many other religions in the world we can find that all of them seek to find some sort of enlightenment in the world/ themselves. The problem that is posed when this happens is - what is true enlightenment? One man may feel enlightened to take over the world, or to do something harmful, but we would automatically assume that this person is evil. So let’s take the person who tries to find it through something less harmful, knowledge. If someone were to pursue enlightenment with knowledge, what do they gain after their death, or what if they get Alzheimer? So we cannot say that finding ones existence is based in knowledge, or in their own physical action. So where do we go from here?

Some turn to religion, but how would we say which religion is fulfilling to one’s own path? Some will opt in saying that it depends where you are born, or maybe what your parents believed, but even here we can find flaws. Some religions still rely on head knowledge from a man or many men, or some believe that through action you receive a purpose for existence, and then others believe in a continual cycle until you can get it right. The problem with all of these is that there is a continual reliance on the individual to fulfill some kind of act. There are even some who take the easy road of believing that there is something bigger and in control and they will live their life and see what happens.

What saddens me in all of this is that each person who falls down this path lives a life that is searching for existence in themselves, and yet they can’t find purpose. If we live a life that solely is based on the years we live here and then nothing occurs afterwards, human kind would had been demolished by itself a long time ago. And yet this is what we today call existentialism. Søren Kierkegaard actually viewed it this way,

“What I really lack is to be clear in my mind what I am to do, not what I am to know, except in so far as certain knowledge must precede every action. The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wishes me to do: the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live and die. ... I certainly do not deny that I still recognize an imperative of knowledge and that through it one can work upon men, but it must be taken up into my life, and that is what I now recognize as the most important thing.”

You see Søren saw the value in life and how it was based on the foundation in/on God. Søren Kierkegaard was under the understanding that life had more meaning and wanted to seek out what the Lord had planned for him. Søren’s battle was against the church, and its conformity of religion and how it was resorting back to its Catholic methodology instead of following the reformed movement in which it came from.

I say all this to encourage any person who is trying to find reasoning in their life. I ask kindly and with a loving heart for you to turn to prayer and ask for the Lord to reveal himself (and when I say ask, I mean in a verbal manner – and in the way a child would beg its mother for attention). Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

When looking for your existence in this life there are many option but we often tend to be distracted by things that seem nice or exciting and yet we often end up empty. My heart for writing this is that I want people to know that they are not the only ones who have struggled and are searching for something. People everyday turn to things to either distract them from the pain that they have or to seek something to fill a hole in their heart. I ask that you call to the Lord and seek Him and see what happens.

We are given this promise in John 6:40, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” This is what I desire for you. When I speak of the Lord I speak of the Lord that is talked about in the Holy Bible (no other book/books) – I speak of Jesus Christ who lived and walked this planet, died and was raised on the third day and ascended to God the Father – I speak of the God that grants everlasting life for believing in Him and what His son accomplished.

Prayer:

Lord I call to you, I verbally call to you! I plead with you to show yourself in my life, that whatever doubt that may come from the enemy will be gone, whatever past regret that makes me feel like I am not good enough is a lie and I know now that you love me that you take me as I am. I cry out as David did in Psalm 40,

1)    I waited patiently for the LORD;

  he turned to me and heard my cry.

2)  He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

  out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

  and gave me a firm place to stand.

AMEN.

The Shadow of Death: Poetry of Life

The Valley of the Shadow of Death, is a place that many people often times refer to as a hard time in their life, but is this really what it means.

I was reading A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller and he talks about how life is poetry in Gods sight, and this thought is compelling. When we look at the Psalms this is what we see, we see people pouring their hearts out in poetry in how God is revealing himself in ones life, or how God is being called out to for help.

When we see the sunrise this is poetry in vision. Poetry doesn’t have to be about words, but action and the beauty that surrounds you. As we look at Psalms, I want to point out Psalm 23:4,

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
   I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff,
   they comfort me.”

What is the valley of the shadow of death? I would argue that it is the world. First I want to say that I am not someone who thinks that if you are happy you are sinning (there are people like this), but I would say that as long as we live on this sinful earth we can never truly ever be out of the valley of death. Those who live in the world never see the darkness that they live in, the walls of sin and death are as high as the skyscrapers that we build, we can drown in our own sin and wouldn’t even know it.

The good news is, the Gospel is alive! Look at what Luke writes,

“to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
            to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:79

Jesus is the light that shines through the valley and allows us to feel the warmth of him, not matter how high the valley may be this light is strong enough – bright enough to reach us in the valley of death.

Christ came so that we may one day be out of the valley. I don’t not think that we are instantly pulled out of the valley, if we were we would instantly be perfect and we wouldn’t sin anymore. The valley is a place where promises are broken (Psalm 107:14), jackals surround us (Psalm 44:19) and where we are prisoners of affliction (Psalm 107:10). This is where we live today, a place that has sin and evil surrounding us.

We must continue to walk through this valley and hold fast to the Lord, this is our journey in the desert until we meet our Lord face to Face! I feel that often times we look at accepting Christ as something where all bad is taken away and we are finally through the hard part, but this is a lie! Satan wants us to think this so that when we do struggle, when that valley is dry and difficult, we will turn back to our old ways because we feel lonely. Let us remember that the Light of the Lord will shine down into any depth to care for a loved one. Hold onto the promise in Job, “He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light.” (Job 12:22)

Prayer:

Lord thank you for you light! Thank you for allowing it to shine down upon us and give us comfort in our lives, and to be there as a reminder at all times. Let us not forget what your son has done for us. Lord we cannot shine unless you shine upon us, please shine on us so that we can care for others. Give us a heart to reach out to those in the deepest of the deep in the valley – let the light that directs us help them find the light. Amen.