The Danger of Being an Intellectual Christian

Quote bordering ceiling of Jefferson Library of Congress

There is an unfortunate trend in society in which people feel that being well-versed in the Bible is enough to maintain their Christian faith. They can talk the talk, but miss the importance of walking the walk. Being a Christian is not just about having knowledge of faith, but also living out that faith. James 2:17 states, "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." Without demonstrating your faith to others on a daily basis and showing the world how Christ can change you from the inside out makes it very hard to convey to believers the beauty, joy, necessity, and purpose of being a Christian. This would be like having a running coach giving you lots of advice on how to run the best race and providing particular strategies, but the coach either not following his/her own strategies, or worse, not even being a runner. This would greatly hinder their credibility in the long run, which is why it is so important to do our best to live out our Christian faith instead of just talking about it. Unfortunately, after this past weekend's events, Harold Camping has made the credibility of true Christians go down the tubes with his radical teachings, making a mockery of the second coming of Christ.
I must say, as of late, I am quite guilty of being an intellectual Christian. For some reason, I have drifted into a realm where I can advise others on how to not allow the temptations of this generation get a grip on their souls, yet I myself struggle to stay afloat above the same tide of temptations and delusions Satan floods into society. I am daily trying to escape the resentment I hold against those who call themselves Christians, but don't appear to live out their faith, when in all honesty, I am no better. Also, I need to escape my apathy towards school and work. To do so, I must meditate on the words of Colossians 3:23 and 1 Peter 4:10, which state, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men," and "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.", respectively. Although it will be a process and will take time, my goal is to do my best to let my work reflect my faith.
My number one priority, though, is to live out the greatest commandment of love. I seem to have issues lately not remembering that people stumble, and not being able to accept them for their flaws and mistakes, which is totally ludicrous. We all experience pitfalls in the ebb and flow of life and I must keep this in mind and close to my heart. Sure our main focus should always be on Christ, but I must not become critical of myself or others when this doesn't happen. I must remain patient and not become anger because that allows Satan to get the upper hand. So in sticking with the theme of this entry, I plan on ditching the intellectual Christian route and will try my best to follow 1 John 3:18 ~ "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongues, but with actions and in truth."

Obstacle Conquered

For all of you who are wondering, yes I did finish my marathon today and I ran the entire way. It was by no means easy mentally or physically, but God definitely blessed me with some awesome friends to help me along the way.
 I hit the proverbial wall mad early, at approximately mile 12.5, which was really frustrating. The course was a loop, which meant that all of the hills that demoralized me on lap 1 were going to be that much more of a struggle on lap 2. Apparently I was turning green halfway through, but I regained my color after taking one of my accel-gels. All along the root I was trying to keep scripture in my head like Joshua 1:9, Philippians 4:13, Isaiah 40:31, and 1 Peter 5:7, all in an attempt to motivate myself and trust that God was there and supporting me. To be honest, I was on the verge of a panic attack and giving up around mile 16, which is where my mom jogged a portion with me. This helped slightly, but my hips were killing me, along with my quads, and I just couldn't imagine pushing through another 9 miles. What happened next was definitely a blessing from God. My friend Chrissy, who runs on and off recreationally, but never for long distances, ran with me from mile 17 until mile 25...in jeans. I was so utterly thankful because I was on the verge of throwing in the towel and her running with me gave me the motivation I needed to keep moving. She held my hand when I was really hurting and was a constant source of motivation. We actually got numerous comments from the crowd due to her shirt for "Team Kayla" that contained scripture and the fact that she was wearing jeans. I was most amazed by the fact that she ran 8 miles, which is the farthest she has ever run in my knowledge. That was truly God at work to watch over me in the physical realm while He watched over me in the spiritual realm. What was also a blessing was my roommate running the last obnoxiously steep hill from mile 25-25.5; I was extremely thankful for someone willing to gut that out with me. I finished in an unofficial time of 4hr and 36min. I was just hoping to finish, so I'm not at all concerned with the fact that my time was quite distant from my original goal. I am thoroughly blessed with some awesome friends, but I must go soak in an ice bath so that I am able to walk to class in the morning.

Culmination of Preparation

Well, tomorrow is the big day that I have been looking forward to and dreading all at once: marathon day. Everybody says that I should be excited, and I'm sure deep down I am. The surface is swirling with apprehension, though. Sure I have put in the necessary training, but the past two weeks have not been steady, and my longest run was only 18 miles, which is the exact distance where I smashed into the wall in Harrisburg. I'm lucky that my friend is napping while I type this because I'm sure she would slap me in the face for housing such doubts. I really need to focus on building confidence for the race in the morning, (which ought to be interesting since they are calling for thunderstorms...dodging lightning bolts anyone?) and the perfect bit of scripture for that is housed within 1 Peter. The verse I'm thinking of is 1 Peter 5:7, which commands, "Cast your anxiety on him because he cares for you." So instead of worrying about how I might do, I plan on focusing on the fact that God will be watching over me and caring about each and every step I take. Knowing this, I truly believe that I can gut it out to the very end of the marathon and triumph in under 4 hours. I will also cloak myself in the words of 2 Timothy 2:1 ~ "You then, my son, be strong in grace that is in Christ Jesus." With His grace, all things are possible and I will find the strength to succeed in order to glorify His name with each stride I take along the streets of Wilmington, Delaware, tomorrow morning. I would say wish me luck, but luck is not what is needed. Prayer is much more suitable. So if you desire to do so, please pray for me as I begin my race at 7am EST, and I will update you all on what I accomplished once I have the energy to do that.

Sanctification is Perpetual and Demands Perseverance

Some of you might be new to reading the Bible, while others may have been doing it for years. Still others may have drifted from the Word, but are grasping at footholds to find their way back to Christ. Regardless of where you are in your journey, you are bound to come across John 17:17, 19, which say, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” If any of you are like me, you probably pondered what is meant by the phrase ‘truly sanctified’. As defined by The Westminster Shorter Catechism, sanctification means: “The work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.” I prefer the definition offered by my NIV Life Application Study Bible, which defines sanctification as, “The change God makes in our lives as we grow in faith. Becoming more and more like Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.”

For some, this is a lot to fathom and digest. It is hard to imagine living like Christ because He was the only perfect being. We are not called to be perfect, though. We are called to live out Christ’s character to the best of our abilities. This does not mean that we won’t screw up because, believe me, you will. To serve as a reminder, refer to Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. On Earth, we are constantly at war internally against our sinful nature, and unfortunately, it occasionally wins.

I feel like I haven’t put much effort into defending myself against my sinful nature. Recently, I have drifted into a realm of self-righteousness where I feel I have become way too critical of others and am only concerned with my own wellbeing. This is definitely not a healthy place to be in. My wakeup call came when a close friend, and fellow Christian, rebuked me for my actions and felt it best I take some time to re-evaluate what is important to me before we speak in person again. As hurt as I was when this first came to light, I am now extremely thankful for her courage. I desperately needed to come to my senses and remember that it is necessary to always be on guard against sin, in spite of knowing I am saved through Christ. Another passage from Romans makes this clearer. Romans 6:1-2, states, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” The essence of this scripture is that, even though we are saved by grace, does not mean we should abuse that privilege. If you find yourself slipping into this unfortunate pattern, though, be thankful for sanctification.

Sanctification is a continual growing process. Our faith does not become as strong as iron overnight. Instead, it is a lifelong process. To better understand the roots of sanctification, read Titus 3:4-6, which states, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior”. The beauty of this is that no matter how often we screw up and lose our footing in faith, God has mercy on those who truly believe in Jesus as their Savior and repent for their sins. Again, we don’t have a ‘license to sin’, but we have a Redeemer offering His saving grace when we humble ourselves before Him.

Since it is inevitable that you will stumble in the process of sanctification, it is vital to develop a strong desire to persevere. The following three verses are critical in understanding the need for perseverance:

Romans 5:3-5 ~ “Not only so, but we^[c^] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

James 1:2-4 ~ “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a^] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

1 Peter 1:6-7 ~ “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

These three verses are strikingly similar, yet inherently different. All of these verses mention that we will endure trials or suffering. The key is that none of the verses say ‘if’, but ‘when’. We should always remember this key concept when enduring tough times because God reiterated the fact that we will face hardship due to our alliance with Christ at least three different times in the New Testament. So instead of grumbling or throwing a pity-party while being dragged through the proverbial mud, remember that all Christians must endure such situations in order to develop perseverance.

The inherent differences that we must grasp from these verses are the specific reasons for perseverance.

Romans 5:3-5 ~ Hope doesn’t disappoint because of God’s love poured into the Holy Spirit within us.

James 1:2-4 ~ The work of perseverance makes one strong and complete.

1 Peter 1:6-7 ~ Trials are endured to prove our faith is genuine.

In essence, we endure trials and should persevere in our sufferings in order to mature in our faith to prove it is genuine, and to gain hope through God’s love, which is present in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. Remember, in the race of life, you are never alone while enduring trials and hardships. So clothe yourself with the Holy Spirit and consider the words in Philippians 3:13-14: “…But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” See you at the finish line.

Oh Hail

Ever have a storm come out of nowhere in your life? The storm can be of the literal or figurative sense. Today, I experienced this in the literal sense. I was out for a walk with my brothers on a beautiful sunny day. We were enjoying catching up on the past couple months because we have not all been together since Christmas. As we laughed and joked, I took note of the storm cloud that was looming. It seemed best to turn around and head back to beat the impending rain, though none of us felt it was anything serious. Oh how wrong we were. A drizzle began, which was refreshing at first, but soon the skies opened up and all three of us were drenched in a cold rain. This caused me to shiver to my core, but it still didn't seem terrible. Then, all of a sudden, there was a bright flash of lightning and a loud thunderclap just as we reached the end of the driveway. At this, we were prompted to run, which was a good decision considering the torrent of rain morphed into pelting hail. Once we reached the shelter of the front porch, we chuckled in amusement at how, what started out as a perfectly sunny walk took a drastic turn as we outsprinted pounding hail.
This experience had me thinking about the disciples as they were on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had asked them to get into a boat and row across the sea. As Jesus slept, a storm came upon them and frightened them. This is outlined in Matthew 8:24, which states, "Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping." I find it fascinating that as the disciples are terrified, Jesus is so calm that he slumbers in the stern. What we should take away from this, though, is that we have no reason to fear the sudden turbulence of life because our Lord in heaven is calm and resolved and in control of everything.
In the realm of running, changes in weather can occur, but an internal storm can also begin brewing during a race. Runners who experience a depletion in fuel tend to hit the proverbial wall. Some panic in such situations because the wall can sneak up on a runner, much like the hail storm I encountered earlier this afternoon. Instead of panicking, though, we must have faith and call on Christ. Jesus is always in control, even if He appears to be sleeping, like in the story of the disciples in Matthew and Mark. Jesus rebuked the disciples in Mark 4:40: "He said to his disciples, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?'" We need to constantly build our faith by putting more trust in the Lord, because He has complete control over our entire lives. It is a blessing to know I have nothing to fear with Christ in my corner and a faith that gains strength slwoly and surely everyday.

Life: The Continual Journey

"Life is a journey, not a destination." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

It’s that time of year again: finals week in college, and my last finals week ever. One would think that I might have an overwhelming sense of accomplishment now that I am so close to acquiring my Master of Science degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology. Unfortunately, in my mind, that piece of paper seems moot. Many people in society believe that once they go through college that they will automatically discover what it is they want to do the rest of their lives. They act like graduation day is this epitome of self-discovery, instead of realizing that there is no distinct end point in life; only numerous transitions.

One will never fully understand their purpose in life, and that was the point that Jesus was trying to get across to His disciples in Acts 1:7, which says, “He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.’” The disciples wanted to know when they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit, but Jesus was pointing out that it was better that they not know in order to build faith. The unknown always helps to build faith because one must put their trust, not in himself, but in God. He is the only One who knows where we are heading in the journey of life.

Another important point to make is that we cannot live out someone else’s dreams. We must focus on our own goals and make decisions based on our evaluation of situations. It is silly for me to think that I can be an Olympic weightlifter when I have a petite frame that is built for running. It is just as foolish for somebody else to choose a profession or move to another part of the world based on some other person’s life dream. One must remember that people are fallible and by no means reliable, so why base important, life-changing decisions off of them? In the words of Emerson, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

One should always turn to the Lord when life is turbulent and unknown. He knows your heart and can provide necessary guidance. With His help, I have already come a long way. I am a far cry from who I was only months ago: an angry, shy, discontented follower, and former runner. Now, I am being blessed with opportunities to lead and help others bolster their faith, and I finally have a sense of contentment. Along with that, I am now less than two weeks away from running my second marathon and have applied to be a temporary professor. This is proof that God uses everybody in a particular way and that life is a continuous journey of change and re-invention. Don't be fooled, though. This does not mean that I have everything figured out. I have come to the conclusion that I still really have no idea about where I am heading or what I plan on doing for the rest of my life. Most people might panic in such a situation, but that’s not the case with me. Instead, I trust the Lord to slowly steer me in the right direction and provide me with opportunities that He sees fit. This does not mean that I don’t have some ideas or plans in the back of my mind. I have plenty of travel plans and potential career avenues, but I will focus on the words in Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”