There was a visiting speaker at church today by the name of Jim Knakal. He is raising funds to become a missionary in Germany, but that was not my main interest like some might assume. The message that he presented to the congregation was something that I really needed to hear and it helped me realize that I needed to change my ways.
The focus of his sermon was on Romans 12:1, which states, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Mr. Knakal spoke about what a sacrifice means in biblical terms, which boils down to being an atonement for sins to God or an offering of thankfulness. The emphasis was on the fact that any sacrifice should be done willingly and wholeheartedly, with no strings attached. He presented us with a hypothetical situation involving a man living in Old Testament times bringing a lamb for sacrifice to the rabbi, but determining for the rabbi how the sacrifice should be utilized. Mr. Knakal stated that, in essence, this was what we sometimes do when we approach God with our issues. We want God's guidance, but we lay out the guidelines. This is no way to be a living sacrifice to the Holy God. This is self-absorbed control over all life matters, and then we wonder why we fail or "plans" don't work out.
Mr. Knakal instead said that we should be more like the Prodigal Son. Once he had blown all of his funds on foolish worldly desires, the Prodigal Son realized what he had done and rather going to his father for more money, he went seeking to be his father's servant because he felt unworthy to be deemed his son. This is a demonstration of being living sacrifice, and something we should all strive to model in our interactions with God the Father. We need to understand and realize that He is the provider of bread and water and that we must submit and serve Him to fulfill our purpose.
What I really needed to hear, though, was when Jim Knakal said, "You just don't bargain with God if you're going to offer yourself as a sacrifice." He was speaking in terms of how those who feel called by God to become missionaries might respond. Some might be like, "God I really want to serve you, but I don't want to go to this or that region of the world, and I really don't want to have to deal with rats or snakes or spiders."
That's when it hit me. We need to remember that God chooses how to use us and that we can't choose our own purpose from God. In a sense, this is how I approached my job application process. I've been praying for a full time position within exercise physiology, but I've been narrowing the criteria for God by picking and choosing locations to apply. I've stayed along the east coast because I don't feel like moving across the country, completely uprooting my life and starting over. At least that's what I did up until today. Today I began broadening my search and applying to any full time position within my field no matter what the location was. I applied in Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Idaho, some of which are states that I didn't really want to apply to, but felt that I had to stop bargaining with God.
A few weeks back, I was visiting Saucon Community Church and a woman there said something to me that really struck me. She said that she felt that God must have a very specific job in mind for me since I'm struggling so much to locate a job in a field that supposedly has plenty of jobs available. That comment combined with today's message makes me feel like I've been limiting where God can potentially place me for His purpose. It's practically urging me to throw myself into the unknown, trusting that God will utilize me as He sees fit. So here's to no longer bargaining with the Almighty God.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Submission
I think most people cringe at the word submission. It's a word that potentially detracts from their pride or supposed authority in this world. Merriam-Webster even defines the word as: "an act of submitting to the authority or control of another." What many may not realize is that submission is key to their Christian faith and relationship with Jesus.
We are taught to worship God and to give Him all praise. This in itself is submission. We must humble ourselves to approach the Cross of Christ, realizing that we are broken humans in need of a Savior. Without submission, there is no way to accept Christ into our hearts. Those who can't submit choose to covet material objects and seek pleasure to fill the void that only submission to Christ can begin to fill.
Some might be afraid to submit because it means a loss of control. What we need to all realize, though, is that we aren't in control in the first place. God created each and every one of us for a special purpose. Without making the decision to follow the ways of Jesus, we are left to aimlessly wander through existence on Earth. I'm not saying that once you become a Christian life will make sense. But the beginning of a true relationship with Christ involves submission and turning over control to Jesus.
What I came to realize today was that submitting is actually a form of worship. Submitting to Jesus is only the beginning, though. Being Christians means that we are servants to the Lord and that we are called to serve those around us. This is sometimes difficult because our pride tells us that we are better than other people and we subconsciously refuse to help in certain situations because we just don't feel like doing nice things for particular individuals. Selfishness plagues us and hinders our ability to submit and serve others. I'm slowly teaching myself to rid my life of this selfishness in order to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Thankfully, Ephesians 5:21 has assisted in changing my perspective. This verse states, "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." In my personal opinion, this verse indicates that when we submit and serve other people, we are actually worshipping Jesus and giving Him glory. Worldly individuals are not likely to freely help others that they are friends with, let alone complete strangers or people that they don't care for. They choose to assist in situations where they will get something in return. As Christians, if we choose to serve others out of love even if we aren't fans of them, we shine a light into the darkness demonstrating that Jesus has control of our lives. This gives God the glory He deserves and helps us keep our eyes on Him instead of ourselves.
It won't always be easy, but over time, serving will become easier as it becomes a part of daily life. I plan on repeating Ephesians 5:21 to myself frequently in the future to remind myself that submitting to other people reveres Jesus. It will be the only way to keep selfishness from my heart and considerate to others in the future even if I find it difficult to interact with them. I must remember that everybody is a child of God and worth helping. Serving them all the best I can will help me stay grounded in my faith and the reality that God is in control and knows what is right for my life.
We are taught to worship God and to give Him all praise. This in itself is submission. We must humble ourselves to approach the Cross of Christ, realizing that we are broken humans in need of a Savior. Without submission, there is no way to accept Christ into our hearts. Those who can't submit choose to covet material objects and seek pleasure to fill the void that only submission to Christ can begin to fill.
Some might be afraid to submit because it means a loss of control. What we need to all realize, though, is that we aren't in control in the first place. God created each and every one of us for a special purpose. Without making the decision to follow the ways of Jesus, we are left to aimlessly wander through existence on Earth. I'm not saying that once you become a Christian life will make sense. But the beginning of a true relationship with Christ involves submission and turning over control to Jesus.
What I came to realize today was that submitting is actually a form of worship. Submitting to Jesus is only the beginning, though. Being Christians means that we are servants to the Lord and that we are called to serve those around us. This is sometimes difficult because our pride tells us that we are better than other people and we subconsciously refuse to help in certain situations because we just don't feel like doing nice things for particular individuals. Selfishness plagues us and hinders our ability to submit and serve others. I'm slowly teaching myself to rid my life of this selfishness in order to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Thankfully, Ephesians 5:21 has assisted in changing my perspective. This verse states, "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." In my personal opinion, this verse indicates that when we submit and serve other people, we are actually worshipping Jesus and giving Him glory. Worldly individuals are not likely to freely help others that they are friends with, let alone complete strangers or people that they don't care for. They choose to assist in situations where they will get something in return. As Christians, if we choose to serve others out of love even if we aren't fans of them, we shine a light into the darkness demonstrating that Jesus has control of our lives. This gives God the glory He deserves and helps us keep our eyes on Him instead of ourselves.
It won't always be easy, but over time, serving will become easier as it becomes a part of daily life. I plan on repeating Ephesians 5:21 to myself frequently in the future to remind myself that submitting to other people reveres Jesus. It will be the only way to keep selfishness from my heart and considerate to others in the future even if I find it difficult to interact with them. I must remember that everybody is a child of God and worth helping. Serving them all the best I can will help me stay grounded in my faith and the reality that God is in control and knows what is right for my life.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Trusting God
As I reached the top of the last particularly long hill on a scenic dirt road, I took in the beauty of the changing leaves. I was thrilled to be able to see God's work on my run, which was enough of a motivator to keep getting me up on each subsequent morning of my new found unemployment. I figured it would be nice to get in a routine to keep me from pitying myself for not having a job at the moment. I took my time on the slight downhill until the road leveled out a bit along the orchard owned by a family friend. I was enjoying the rhythm of my run even though I'm a bit out of practice since I had only started running consistently the week before in the hopes of running the 5K in Bethlehem as a part of the Runner's World festival in a couple weeks.
Once I began the steep downgrade after the orchard, I noticed that my ankle felt a little tight. I assumed it was because I wasn't accustomed to the impact of my stride or the uneven terrain. I made the unfortunate mistake of continuing down the hill, and two steps later, my right ankle gave out, I heard a distinct "snap" and I found myself sprawled in the dirt and rocks on the hill. Given my runner's instinct, my first reaction was to stop my watch at 18 minutes and 15 seconds because, gee, I was no longer running. I then sat up thinking, "Did that really just happen?" It wasn't until I glanced at my ankle that I began to have a sinking feeling. It had already swelled up like a balloon within 30 seconds of the incident, which couldn't possibly be a good sign. I got up and attempted to hop on one foot, but the hill was too steep, so I did what the exercise physiologist in me knew was foolish, but what I knew was my last mobility resort, and began to slowly walk on my injured ankle to a neighbor's house. Thankfully he was home and could drive me home because it would have taken me at least an hour to make it the last mile or so to my house. I called my mom, who kindly left work to take me to the ER.
My goal in the ER was to be as cheerful as possible. Yes, I had a bum ankle, but that didn't mean I needed to bring everybody else down. And the truth of the matter was, even though it was severely swollen and I couldn't put much pressure on it, my ankle didn't really hurt. My high tolerance of pain was on my side yesterday and I had lovely chats with each hospital staff member I encountered. Following x-rays, it was determined that my ankle wasn't broken, but I did have ligament damage. I texted my former college roommate who has a degree in athletic training and is well versed in my running stride, and she determined that I snapped my ATF (no, not the Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms) ligament, due to an inversion ankle sprain. When I heard that, it all made sense. I am the queen of inversion in my running mechanics, which I'll admit are awful. I land on the outside of my foot and roll in on my ankle, which is the perfect environment for the injury I wound up with yesterday.
Needless to say, I'm now on crutches for the next 2-4 weeks depending on how I heal, if I was employed, I wouldn't be allowed to work for the next 8 days, and I'll need to regain range of motion and hopefully reteach myself how to run once I'm healed completely.
When I look back on the situation, the timing is perfect because I'm unemployed to begin with. Also, on my run, I had prayed and hoped to be more joyful during this unemployment phase. I know it sounds weird, but I'm actually not all that bummed to be on crutches. I think this will teach me to overcome obstacles that might blindside me down the road. Another thing, I would much rather the physical pain of this year as opposed to the emotional pain I was dealing with in October 2011. Physical pain is much more concrete and easier to accept, even though I'm not totally sure why God chose yesterday as the day I injure myself and can't run for real, as opposed to my own personal excuses. Regardless of the reason, I am determined to trust God's will and purpose for my life and continue to move forward in a direction that I hope He approves of for my future.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Response to News About Jesus Supposedly Having a Wife
To say the public enjoys a good scandal is an understatement. I'd say at least the American public thrives on scandals, especially those involving relationships. Which is why I wasn't surprised that CNN had a news story about an ancient scroll claiming that Jesus had a wife. The article states that no clear conclusions can be made from the piece of papyrus, only that it says, "Jesus said to them, 'My wife...'" I consider this more a stirring-the-pot moment than a clear archeological sign that could possibly impact Christian theology.
For starters, we must consider the source of this archaeological finding. The person who made this discovery was Karen King, who is associated with the Harvard School of Divinity. To get a better idea of her work, I went to Amazon.com to gather information about the content of her books. The first is entitled The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Disciple. Within the description of the book, it states, "This brief narrative presents a radical interpretation of Jesus' teachings as a path to inner spiritual knowledge. It rejects his suffering and death as a path to eternal life..." Interesting that this woman would disregard the Bible's teaching for a text that was rejected as part of the canon and deemed gnostic. Another book is entitled The Secret Revelation of John, which has the following description: "Her work helps the modern reader through many intriguing--but confusing--ideas in the text: for example, that the creator god of Genesis, a self-described jealous and exclusive god, is not the true Deity but a kind of fallen angel; or, in an overt critique of patriarchy unique in ancient literature, the declaration that the subordination of woman to man was an ignorant act in direct violation of the 'holy height.'" Again, I find it interesting that the only reason that Jesus has become newsworthy isn't because He is our Savior, but because a woman who has no respect for the Bible or what it contains has presented the world with the radical scandal of Jesus possibly having a wife.
I have had a couple of days to mull over what I think about this whole concept. It was first presented to me at work because a coworker commented on the news story, and my only response was, "That can't be true." Now that I have thought about it some more, I believe a better response would entail pointing those with questions to specific passages within the Bible. For starters, one could turn to Ephesians 5:25, which says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." This verse symbolically demonstrates how Christ is the husband and the church is His wife. Another verse that people could refer to is Revelation 21:9, which states, "Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, 'Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.'" This again talks of Jesus symbolically having a wife, not literally. Those who are not well versed in the Bible might not get the connection between Jesus and the lamb, so it would be beneficial to also provide probing individuals with John 1:29 because it contains the following information from John the Baptist's sighting: "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'"
By combining the information from all three of the verses provided in the above paragraph, a Christian will be able to minister to those questioning this new finding by Karen King. It is important to defend the Gospel from such unfounded claims using the Word of God because He knows all and is the only one who can provide the answers to difficult questions.
For starters, we must consider the source of this archaeological finding. The person who made this discovery was Karen King, who is associated with the Harvard School of Divinity. To get a better idea of her work, I went to Amazon.com to gather information about the content of her books. The first is entitled The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Disciple. Within the description of the book, it states, "This brief narrative presents a radical interpretation of Jesus' teachings as a path to inner spiritual knowledge. It rejects his suffering and death as a path to eternal life..." Interesting that this woman would disregard the Bible's teaching for a text that was rejected as part of the canon and deemed gnostic. Another book is entitled The Secret Revelation of John, which has the following description: "Her work helps the modern reader through many intriguing--but confusing--ideas in the text: for example, that the creator god of Genesis, a self-described jealous and exclusive god, is not the true Deity but a kind of fallen angel; or, in an overt critique of patriarchy unique in ancient literature, the declaration that the subordination of woman to man was an ignorant act in direct violation of the 'holy height.'" Again, I find it interesting that the only reason that Jesus has become newsworthy isn't because He is our Savior, but because a woman who has no respect for the Bible or what it contains has presented the world with the radical scandal of Jesus possibly having a wife.
I have had a couple of days to mull over what I think about this whole concept. It was first presented to me at work because a coworker commented on the news story, and my only response was, "That can't be true." Now that I have thought about it some more, I believe a better response would entail pointing those with questions to specific passages within the Bible. For starters, one could turn to Ephesians 5:25, which says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." This verse symbolically demonstrates how Christ is the husband and the church is His wife. Another verse that people could refer to is Revelation 21:9, which states, "Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, 'Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.'" This again talks of Jesus symbolically having a wife, not literally. Those who are not well versed in the Bible might not get the connection between Jesus and the lamb, so it would be beneficial to also provide probing individuals with John 1:29 because it contains the following information from John the Baptist's sighting: "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'"
By combining the information from all three of the verses provided in the above paragraph, a Christian will be able to minister to those questioning this new finding by Karen King. It is important to defend the Gospel from such unfounded claims using the Word of God because He knows all and is the only one who can provide the answers to difficult questions.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Obscurity
Living in the middle of nowhere in Wayne County, PA, has created a sense of isolationism reminiscent of Franklin Roosevelt's policy, though no war is imminent in my quaint village. Rather, I feel like I'm isolating myself from the reality that the majority of the people I graduated with last year either have started their careers or are furthering their education. All the while, I'm nestled in a small town continuing a seasonal position I have held the past couple of summers that has absolutely nothing to do with what I went to school for.
Living hours away from most of my friends and mainly interacting with my parents, coworkers, and customers, I feel as if I'm living in obscurity. In order to escape this feeling, I have been reading a lot because it allows for an escape from my current reality. What helped to lift my spirits a bit was my daily devotional from PrayFit on Tuesday. It discussed how an obscure donkey was chosen for the purpose of carrying Jesus on Palm Sunday into Jerusalem. It made me realize that even if I, along with others, feel like I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere at a dead end job that will be gone come October, that God has a plan for my life and this is part of it.
Last night I came across the following verse: Proverbs 16:3 ~ "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." It was a good reminder that He is in charge and I am to live for God because my life is a blessing from Him. There are situations that occur with my work that I would never encounter elsewhere, and that is all apart of His great plan for my life. For example, I guided a trip on Sunday for a bunch of women straight from Russia. Another situation is the possible job I'll have tomorrow, weather permitting. I'm supposed to be a guide in a raft for some friends of my boss so that they feel safe and don't have to over exert themselves. "Ironically" the man has a heart condition and I just so happen to have a Master's degree that focuses on cardiac rehabilitation. As far away as my current job is from anything in exercise physiology, I sense that God has me just where He wants me at the moment.
Living hours away from most of my friends and mainly interacting with my parents, coworkers, and customers, I feel as if I'm living in obscurity. In order to escape this feeling, I have been reading a lot because it allows for an escape from my current reality. What helped to lift my spirits a bit was my daily devotional from PrayFit on Tuesday. It discussed how an obscure donkey was chosen for the purpose of carrying Jesus on Palm Sunday into Jerusalem. It made me realize that even if I, along with others, feel like I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere at a dead end job that will be gone come October, that God has a plan for my life and this is part of it.
Last night I came across the following verse: Proverbs 16:3 ~ "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." It was a good reminder that He is in charge and I am to live for God because my life is a blessing from Him. There are situations that occur with my work that I would never encounter elsewhere, and that is all apart of His great plan for my life. For example, I guided a trip on Sunday for a bunch of women straight from Russia. Another situation is the possible job I'll have tomorrow, weather permitting. I'm supposed to be a guide in a raft for some friends of my boss so that they feel safe and don't have to over exert themselves. "Ironically" the man has a heart condition and I just so happen to have a Master's degree that focuses on cardiac rehabilitation. As far away as my current job is from anything in exercise physiology, I sense that God has me just where He wants me at the moment.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The Prevailing Age of Skepticism and Moral Degradation
"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." ~2 Timothy 4:3-4
Doubt seems to saturate modern American culture, permeating across all walks of life. I believe this mostly stems from moral corruption and the inability to accept the truth in terms of black and white. Instead, gray is the color that prevails. No longer will somebody "take your word for it." Everybody now insists on proof, like the Pharisees from Jesus' time, or just believe they know best as to what is right and wrong.
I had proof of this today at work. A group needed to travel to the campground that is five miles north from the one where I'm located. Instead of trusting the turn by turn directions that employees hand out to lost patrons, this man insisted on having the address to plug into his GPS so that he could find his way. Rather than following the black and white directions in front of him, he wanted to put his faith into an electronic device that hadn't brought him to the correct location in the first place.
This is just one example of the skepticism that appears to be running rampant in this generation. No longer does the majority accept Jesus' words from John 14:6, when he told Thomas, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." This completely goes against the relativist belief that truth is unique as perceived by the individual, as opposed to there being a singular, unconditional basis for truth. Erwin W. Lutzer touched on this disintegration and disappearance of truth in his book, Oprah, Miracles, and the New Earth, where he wrote, "Delusions are substituted for reality and the truth is set aside for a lie. And the consequences go on for all eternity." Many would prefer to doubt and be skeptical of others in order to preserve their own self-centered "happiness," rather than accept the Truth, which clearly outlines right and wrong, good and evil. But in this day and age, those lines are severely blurred due to the rejection of God and truth. As Lutzer said in his book, When a Nation Forgets God, "Without belief in God, nothing is unconditionally wrong."
When the majority of people do not believe that there are unconditional wrongs that bear consequences, anything goes so to speak, and morals fly out the window. This is extremely prevalent in news headlines and stories that promote gay marriage, premarital sex, political slander, and 50 Shades of Grey. Instead of the era of Lucy and Ricky sleeping in separate beds, television now promotes alcoholism, polygamy, and teen pregnancy. What's worse is that any Christian courageous enough to speak out and stand up for God's truth gets labeled a hate monger or accused of bigotry. Just this week, the owner of Chick-Fil-A commented on how he doesn't agree with gay marriage and he has endured lots of backlash over his comments. Apparently nobody wants to remember the First Amendment, or obey the truth within the Bible. They would prefer to insult those who do.
Christians must avoid getting sucked into this secular melee of corruption. The truth of the Gospel must be defended at all costs. Doing what is right in His eyes should always trump the fear of what the world might think of you. We must remember the words of Erwin W. Lutzer: "As Americans, we must keep in mind that the First Amendment was not intended to mean that atheists and agnostics have veto power over all those who believe in God." In order to win the battle against skeptics and degrading morals, we must speak the truth in love and live our lives for God's glory.
Doubt seems to saturate modern American culture, permeating across all walks of life. I believe this mostly stems from moral corruption and the inability to accept the truth in terms of black and white. Instead, gray is the color that prevails. No longer will somebody "take your word for it." Everybody now insists on proof, like the Pharisees from Jesus' time, or just believe they know best as to what is right and wrong.
I had proof of this today at work. A group needed to travel to the campground that is five miles north from the one where I'm located. Instead of trusting the turn by turn directions that employees hand out to lost patrons, this man insisted on having the address to plug into his GPS so that he could find his way. Rather than following the black and white directions in front of him, he wanted to put his faith into an electronic device that hadn't brought him to the correct location in the first place.
This is just one example of the skepticism that appears to be running rampant in this generation. No longer does the majority accept Jesus' words from John 14:6, when he told Thomas, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." This completely goes against the relativist belief that truth is unique as perceived by the individual, as opposed to there being a singular, unconditional basis for truth. Erwin W. Lutzer touched on this disintegration and disappearance of truth in his book, Oprah, Miracles, and the New Earth, where he wrote, "Delusions are substituted for reality and the truth is set aside for a lie. And the consequences go on for all eternity." Many would prefer to doubt and be skeptical of others in order to preserve their own self-centered "happiness," rather than accept the Truth, which clearly outlines right and wrong, good and evil. But in this day and age, those lines are severely blurred due to the rejection of God and truth. As Lutzer said in his book, When a Nation Forgets God, "Without belief in God, nothing is unconditionally wrong."
When the majority of people do not believe that there are unconditional wrongs that bear consequences, anything goes so to speak, and morals fly out the window. This is extremely prevalent in news headlines and stories that promote gay marriage, premarital sex, political slander, and 50 Shades of Grey. Instead of the era of Lucy and Ricky sleeping in separate beds, television now promotes alcoholism, polygamy, and teen pregnancy. What's worse is that any Christian courageous enough to speak out and stand up for God's truth gets labeled a hate monger or accused of bigotry. Just this week, the owner of Chick-Fil-A commented on how he doesn't agree with gay marriage and he has endured lots of backlash over his comments. Apparently nobody wants to remember the First Amendment, or obey the truth within the Bible. They would prefer to insult those who do.
Christians must avoid getting sucked into this secular melee of corruption. The truth of the Gospel must be defended at all costs. Doing what is right in His eyes should always trump the fear of what the world might think of you. We must remember the words of Erwin W. Lutzer: "As Americans, we must keep in mind that the First Amendment was not intended to mean that atheists and agnostics have veto power over all those who believe in God." In order to win the battle against skeptics and degrading morals, we must speak the truth in love and live our lives for God's glory.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
A Lesson From Job
"And he said...'The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'" ~Job 1:21c,d
In my struggles to find a full time job, I have had a number of people tell me to read the Book of Job because Job was prone to struggle in his life. What strikes me, though, is that I don't feel like many people want to actually focus on the entirety of Job's situation. Most want to zoom in on the fact that his wealth was restored; not many want to contemplate the complete 180 his life took when Satan decided to mess with him and God allowed it.
The "prosperity" Gospel seems to have ruined a percentage of modern day Christians. They view Christianity as some sort of get rich quick scheme or the easy way through life. They choose to focus on what they want from the Bible, mainly phrases like, "The Lord gave," as opposed to, "and the Lord has taken away." When things get taken away from us, some feel as if God has turned against them and no longer have faith in His sovereignty. This is definitely not what has happened. The truth of the matter is that God knows what is best for our lives and He removes particular jobs, people, etc., from our lives because they are not beneficial and don't radiate glory for God. Instead of acting like spoiled two year olds, privy to everything that we desire, why not analyze the purpose behind God's decisions and evaluate how to better glorify God? Coupled with this, Christians need to stop assuming that they know everything and accept the fact that God is Supreme and the in charge of not just our lives, but the entire world. Why else would it be written in 1 Corinthians 1:25, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men," if not for the fact that God knows and can conquer all?
Aside from my job search, something else that has alluded me in the past year has been my motivation to run. Ever since last May, I've had little desire to get up and out the door to enjoy this blessing. Instead, I've run for like a week and then taken months off at a time. I believe that this is because I need to remember the difficulty of starting to run again in order to sympathize with other beginning runners. Also, I think God wants me to remember that He is the reason I am able to run and I forget that fact when I'm in a routine. Too easily I might believe that I can run because of my own abilities, and not because of the abilities He has granted.
Recently, though, I have started running again. I know that God is providing the motivation because I have no desire to roll out of bed in the morning and put on my running shoes, but I have anyway. I figure if I'm not completely awake when I get on the road, my body won't totally understand what is happening until I'm too far into the run to turn back. This morning was the first time in a long while that I actually felt my normal stride come back, and I attribute that to God helping me get out of bed today, thanks to my cat. She insists on drinking from the faucet every morning at around 5am, give or take 30 minutes, and I finally determined that taking advantage of the cool weather might be beneficial. I'm so glad I had the opportunity because I got to see a beautiful sunrise and finally enjoy the sport that has been apart of my life for the past 16 years. Though the Lord had originally taken away my motivation, now He has returned it to me.
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