Seasons Are Necessary

We'll build new traditions in place of the old

'cause life without revision will silence our souls

~Snow by Sleeping At Last

For many along the eastern seaboard, it may not be officially winter on the calendar, but it certainly feels like it. Although I'm not the biggest fan of the cold, I appreciate the crisp air wafting scents from wood stoves and fireplaces into my nostrils so that my olfactory senses can enjoy them. I learn to appreciate the little things in winter in order to remind myself that it's not all cold, darkness, and depression. But without these dormant periods in the environment, there wouldn't be any appreciation for the fresh, green grass, trees, and flowers come springtime.

Much like the seasons on a calendar, our lives cycle through seasons. Some seasons may include numerous trials, while others are full of joy. During some seasons we may be rather productive, while others have us desperately searching for meaning and significance. Without this ebb and flow, there is the potential for getting too comfortable, losing focus, and possibly drifting from God. Our faith may get stale and our effectiveness within ministry may diminish without down time that allows us to recuperate.

For a portion of the year, I volunteer for various disaster relief projects around the country. Most of the work is physically demanding, spiritually taxing, and emotionally exhausting, but I'm very aware that an impact is being made within the community. From clean yards, to mudded out homes, to tears of joy, there is typically a tangible representation for the work accomplished. The struggle for me during these times, though, is staying in the Word. Ironic how one can overtly be doing kingdom work, yet internally losing touch with God in the process. On the other hand, the season I find myself in at the moment is at the total other end of the spectrum. I'm currently doing data entry for a ministry project, but because the work is so monotonous, I have a minimal sense of accomplishment at the end of each day. The blessing in my work, though, is that I have more time to commune with God. In order to beat traffic, I leave early in the morning, which gives me extra time to read my daily devotional and some Scripture when I get to work. I also have the opportunity to listen to worship music as I type, and I'm able to get a better sense of who God is when I fully concentrate on the lyrics.

Change is necessary and inevitable in order to keep our souls from getting stagnant. No matter what season you find yourself in today, remember that your significance in life is wrapped up in God and that you're truly making a difference when He is glorified by your actions. As Colossians 3:17 reminds us, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

The Most Beautiful Thing

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfailing, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation to be revealed in the last time." ~1 Peter 1:3-5

I am very blessed to be chosen by God for salvation. I am thankful that He called out to me and that I heeded that call. To Him be the glory for the mercy that He has shown me because without Him, I would not be born again into the Holy Spirit.
Not only do I rejoice in my own salvation, but also in the salvation of others. I believe the most beautiful thing is bearing witness to someone's salvation and actually watching that transformation of the soul unfold. Most poignant in my mind is the salvation of one of the most resilient, if not the most resilient friends that I have. I have known her for the past five years, bearing witness to all of her struggles and taking note of her grittiness and refusal to give up, even when it seemed like life and everybody else gave up on her. During the past two years, I would intermittently share the Gospel with her and invite her to my Bible study. She came twice, but never really felt comfortable.
This past spring, though, she began attending a Bible study with some coworkers and in June I received a text that was the biggest blessing and gift. She texted me to tell me that she gave her life to the Lord and she was getting baptized that night! Needless to say, I was ecstatic, and to this day, I'm still thrilled that we're sisters in Christ and can "kick Satan's butt together." Each time I get a text from her reminding me to pray about an issue in my life, or to trust God, or that she has been praying for me, I get a big grin on my face and tears in my eyes because I'm just so thankful that she is saved and blessed to have been able to bear witness to her transition and progression from nonbeliever to follower of Jesus.
I think the reason this is so fresh in my mind is because I started Monday with a text from this friend. All it said was Colossians 3:15 ~ "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called to one body. And be thankful." It was just so refreshing not only to be encouraged by her, but to have that reminder from the Lord that anything is possible when we allow the peace of Christ to rule our hearts. Christ can calm the turmoil in anybody's life, and when the overwhelming tumults of life blow in, we must turn to Him and trust.
I definitely needed that reminder on Monday as I embarked on a 9 hour trek to North Carolina to visit friends and scope out the area for a possible move. I need to keep peace in my heart and let Christ rule it so that I can handle whatever situation life presents. Without that solid foundation of the Holy Spirit within me, God the Father above, and Jesus sitting at His right hand, I will flounder in the chaotic waves. But with Christ and the Holy Spirit in my heart, I can discern what is best when a decision has to be made. He will guide me through it all, for He took the time to knit me together in my mother's womb and share His grace and mercy so that I might enjoy eternal salvation once my job here on Earth is complete.

W.A.I.T. Part 2: Enduring the Life of an Outcast

In this day and age, the goal for many people is to be well liked by many. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, seem to promote this concept. Everybody desires to have the most "friends" in order to improve their status amongst their peers. Even a song from the Broadway musical, Wicked, promotes this idea. The song "Popular" has the following lines:
Please--it's all about popular!

It's not about aptitude

It's the way you're viewed

So it's very shrewd to be 

Very very popular.

What I find to be difficult is that, as a Christian, we are called to follow the unpopular path of Jesus. We all strive to feel included, but following Christ might, on the surface, make it appear that nobody cares. What we all must realize, though, is that the love of God is all encompassing and much more important than the love of man. When put in perspective, having the everlasting God on my side is much more important than gaining favor with fallen humanity. People are not dependable and their opinions are skewed, so being popular in their eyes is not a good goal to strive towards. Instead, it is important to focus on the words found in John 15:18-21, which say,  "'If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: "A servant is not greater than his master." If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.'"

Instead of walking around in a despondent fashion because the world does not seem to understand you, it is better to embrace the role of the outcast. If Christ was hated, then it makes perfect sense that you and I will be hated by the world for promoting the Good News. Life as an outcast can be quite frustrating, so it is again important to focus on Scripture in order to be reminded of the eternal goal you are working towards. Colossians 3:23-24 serves as a good remember because it states, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Our goal is to glorify God and do His will so that we receive our reward in heaven, which is priceless compared to any earthly reward. Matthew 5:11-12 also reminds us about our heavenly reward ~  "'Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." 

It is a blessing to be insulted for following the path of Christ and not something to be downtrodden over. We must remember that being a Christian puts us on the same plain as our Master, which puts us out of favor with society. This means that life as an outcast is inevitable, and should be embraced and accepted, even if you yearn for acceptance. By accepting Christ in your heart and having faith in the Gospel, you gain God's favor, which trumps the acceptance of any human being. No human can provide you a spot in heaven, along with everlasting life, but God can do all of this for you.

I will leave you all with one last thought. Being a Christian not only provides you the life of an outcast, but it also paves the road for enemies to come into your life to try and tear you down. Your response to those who persecute you can illuminate where you are in your walk with Christ. Instead of stooping to the level of your enemies and hating them as they hate you, meditate on this verse from Matthew 5:44-46 ~ "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?" Loving your enemies can help to further glorify God and could help turn some skeptics towards Him if they begin to wonder why a social outcast can be so accepting of both their role and those who persecute them.

Awareness to Avoid the Routine

I feel that many Christians fall into a bad habit. I believe that many focus so much on how to avoid falling into sin that they eventually turn into judgemental characters who try to point out sinners, and thus, constantly try to avoid and shun such characters. The problems with this philosophy include the following: we are all sinners and we are meant to bring the message of Christ to everybody. We must not fall into our Christian cliques and strive to constantly surround ourselves with those with whom we can share fellowship. We must do the uncomfortable and be like Jesus who chose to preach and make friends with the supposed outsiders. He would much rather have dinner with a prostitute than a Pharisee. So instead of placing judgement on others, which is not our job anyway, how about we start to share the Word of God with all who surround us, no matter what their background. In doing so, meditate on Colossians 4:3-6 ~ "And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

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."