Why is it we as people live our lives as if we're entitled to something? Why is it we think we deserve things such as physical or financial security, happiness, respect, or even marriage? I'm sorry, last time I checked we deserved death.
I'm tired of seeing others or even myself living life as if these things should be given to us and then asking God to oversee our lives. No. It doesn't work like that. Our lives are meant to be LIVING SACRIFICES to the Lord of our lives and more often than not this does not include several of those "rights" we have. If we truly dedicate our lives to Christ then we need to do just that. Not ONE day is about us. Every single day is meant for the Lord and an opportunity for us to serve Him and glorify Him with EVERYTHING we are. Not ONE day is meant for us to be glorified--not graduation, the birth of a child, weddings, or even funerals. God wants it all. He is a jealous God and One who is adamant about justice and maintaining glory for where it is due--on Himself.
What would our lives look like if we lived as if God was the center instead of ourselves? What would it look like if we realized that we are nothing more than sinners who, at no help of our own, were given an amazing love that saved us from the very depths of the consequences of our own humanity? What if, instead, we lived our lives in such a way that we can't do anything but fall on our faces in the awe of the very God who came to this earth to suffer the worst of all deaths so that we may live? Where is our fear placed? Is it in God or the world?
It's time to stop living lives of entitlement and to start living lives of dedication. It's time to bow down and fall face first at the feet of the Living God Who was, Who is, and Who is yet to come. It's time to realize that God comes before EVERYTHING else, including ourselves and those "needs," and to live a life in accordance to "Lord, where can I go for you?" rather than "Lord, could you..."
We are not entitled to marriage, to kids, to a nice house. If we receive those things, great, but it's still ALL about God. If you find yourself seeking these things then you have a motive issue. If you find yourself consumed in these things then you have a motive issue. You just found yourself seeking desires to satisfy the flesh rather than to serve God. It's just as easy to be caught in this trap before, during, and after these types of relationships and situations. Is it bad to have these desires? No, not necessarily, but they definitely can become distractions to our true purpose in life--to glorify God. Seeing a trend here?
It's about God. It's about God. It's about God. Check your motives. Is what you're doing truly for God or does it have those pesky underlying selfish motives and ambitions that instead are allowing you to satisfy yourself? Please, for the love of God, ask yourself, HONESTLY ask yourself, for what or whom do you live? Analyze your daily decisions, your thoughts, your TRUE motives for your actions and look at the root of it all. If it isn't God, it isn't living and it sure isn't of Him.
May 16, 2011
April 28, 2011
Die. Resurrect. Live. Repeat.
Easter was just a few days ago and what's often overlooked each year? Christ set the example for us to follow. We're supposed to follow in His footsteps right?
He died. He was buried. He was resurrected and raised from the dead. Now He is alive at the right hand of the Father.
Now wait a minute. I'm not talking about following exactly Christ's example of physical death, I'm talking about dying to ourselves, burying our flesh, being raised up by the Father, and walking in the Spirit. Repeat. Every. Single. Day.
Sounds a bit morbid? I think the opposite is a much worse scene. I don't know about you but when I dedicated my life to Christ, I dedicated my life to Christ--I no longer own it. I told Him He could have me, do what He wanted with me, and use me for His glory.
Since when did the Christian life become about living to get married, having a comfortable job, having a few good kids, and growing old, drawing from your retirement fund? We crucify Christ daily unless we pick up our cross and bear the weight of it. We crucify Christ daily when we look Him the eyes and walk the other way. We crucify Christ daily when we ask Him where to go or what to do with secret intentions that He'll gratify our desires.
God is not a god of comfort. God is not a god of safety. God is not a god of gratifying the flesh.
No friends. God, my God, our God has the ability to love people so much they die to evil desires. Our God has the ability to raise up those same people into newly created beings. Our God has the ability to enter into those newly created beings and speak to them on a consistent and daily basis. When we refuse to die to ourselves we refuse to resurrect Christ in us.
One of the best quotes I know that sums it all up:
"I would like to suggest that the Church become a place of terror again; a place where God continually has to tell us, 'Fear not;' a place where our relationship with God is not a simple belief or a doctrine or theology, it is God's burning presence in our lives. I am suggesting that the tame God of relevance be replaced by the God whose very presence shatters our egos into dust, burns our sin into ashes, and strips us naked to reveal the real person within. The Church needs to become a gloriously dangerous place where nothing is safe in God's presence except us. Nothing--including our plans, our agendas, our priorities, our politics, our money, our security, our comfort, our possessions, our needs. Our world is... longing to see people whose God is big and holy and frightening and gentle and tender... and ours; a God whose love frightens us into His strong and powerful arms where He longs to whisper those terrifying words, 'I love you.'"- Mike Yaconelli
Trust the One who raised our Savior to also raise you. Resurrection is defined as this, "restore a dead person to life; bring new vigor to." In what areas does God need to resurrect you? Is it your actual faith?
He died. He was buried. He was resurrected and raised from the dead. Now He is alive at the right hand of the Father.
Now wait a minute. I'm not talking about following exactly Christ's example of physical death, I'm talking about dying to ourselves, burying our flesh, being raised up by the Father, and walking in the Spirit. Repeat. Every. Single. Day.
Sounds a bit morbid? I think the opposite is a much worse scene. I don't know about you but when I dedicated my life to Christ, I dedicated my life to Christ--I no longer own it. I told Him He could have me, do what He wanted with me, and use me for His glory.
Since when did the Christian life become about living to get married, having a comfortable job, having a few good kids, and growing old, drawing from your retirement fund? We crucify Christ daily unless we pick up our cross and bear the weight of it. We crucify Christ daily when we look Him the eyes and walk the other way. We crucify Christ daily when we ask Him where to go or what to do with secret intentions that He'll gratify our desires.
God is not a god of comfort. God is not a god of safety. God is not a god of gratifying the flesh.
No friends. God, my God, our God has the ability to love people so much they die to evil desires. Our God has the ability to raise up those same people into newly created beings. Our God has the ability to enter into those newly created beings and speak to them on a consistent and daily basis. When we refuse to die to ourselves we refuse to resurrect Christ in us.
One of the best quotes I know that sums it all up:
"I would like to suggest that the Church become a place of terror again; a place where God continually has to tell us, 'Fear not;' a place where our relationship with God is not a simple belief or a doctrine or theology, it is God's burning presence in our lives. I am suggesting that the tame God of relevance be replaced by the God whose very presence shatters our egos into dust, burns our sin into ashes, and strips us naked to reveal the real person within. The Church needs to become a gloriously dangerous place where nothing is safe in God's presence except us. Nothing--including our plans, our agendas, our priorities, our politics, our money, our security, our comfort, our possessions, our needs. Our world is... longing to see people whose God is big and holy and frightening and gentle and tender... and ours; a God whose love frightens us into His strong and powerful arms where He longs to whisper those terrifying words, 'I love you.'"- Mike Yaconelli
Trust the One who raised our Savior to also raise you. Resurrection is defined as this, "restore a dead person to life; bring new vigor to." In what areas does God need to resurrect you? Is it your actual faith?
September 19, 2010
He Placed Man in the Garden to Care for It
"Whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father." --Colossians 3:17
Why would God have Paul write that or even "whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God" in 1 Corinthians 10:37 in the Bible? How would that even be possible to constantly have on your mind and try to carry out? Does He really expect us to brush our teeth and glorify Him while doing it?
Listening to a top climatologist who was a lead author for the 2001 and 2007 IPCC Scientific Assessment on Climate Change Friday, I began to realize just how much our "little" daily decisions make an impact on the "big" picture. Climate change due to anthropogenic, or human, causes is greatly affected by our very actions. Increased use of fossil fuels for vehicles, factories, and energy plants are a tip of the iceberg in how much we impact the earth's climate system.
The epic population on this earth is so great that our demand of the earth system is exhausting the very resources given to us. We have a higher need for energy to sustain our 21-century lifestyle, which exhausts our oil reserves. We have a higher need for food and shelter, which exhausts our crops and provides less and less area to harvest that food.
As we continue to use massive amounts of fossil fuels by burning them, we are changing the composition of the atmosphere. Adding CO2 into the atmosphere creates a stronger greenhouse effect which will lead to an increase of the average global temperature. Now, when talking about global warming and an increase in temperature, we're talking about the large-scale (global) and not necessarily local scale. Some areas are going to get colder while others will get warmer because of the wind and ocean circulations. Taking the average global temperature will show that the earth is in fact warming. Yes, part of this warming is due to natural variations that are currently taking place, but I think it is rather obvious that looking at the facts will show that we as people are increasing this rate of warming.
Carbon dioxide has a residence time (how long it stays in the atmosphere) of 30 years for the first 50% added, a few centuries for the next 30%, and many thousands of years for the rest. This means that each CO2 molecule emitted into the atmosphere will stay there for a total of at least 30 years for half of them added and centuries to thousands of years longer for the other half emitted. This is just one extra emission added to the atmosphere. Methane is another that is greatly enhanced by agriculture. It is a strong greenhouse gas and greatly enhances temperature. Don't get me wrong, there are many greenhouse gases naturally in our atmosphere and are vital to our sustainability of life on earth. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and CFC's are all examples of greenhouse gases. Without them, our average global temperature would be significantly colder. Anthropogenic reasonings are just increasing the concentrations of them in our atmosphere.
Not to mention that our oceans are also paying a high consquence of the added CO2 in the atmosphere. The oceans are a large sink, or absorbers, of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and by increasing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere automatically increases the amount the oceans take in. This will, and already is, greatly increasing the acidity of the oceans in some areas. Research recently done on the western coast of North America showed significant changes in pH levels in the Pacific ocean along the coast of California. This is already showing signs of breaking down the calcium carbonate structures that make up shells for organisms in the oceans.
Even as we are only barely seeing some effects of global warming now, as you can see, there is a MUCH greater risk for the future generations. We are investing in global warming by increasing the rate of this warming exponentially. Not recycling, continuously using gasoline, leaving lights on, throwing away unnecessary things are all examples of increasing the demand on our system that then decreases the demand of our resources.
We must make a change for our future generations and for the organisms that inhabit this earth. At the current rate, we are killing ourselves or at least our grandchildren by the very actions we are doing today. Change needs to happen in order to protect our earth.
One example of direct effects is the transfer of climate patterns across the globe. Some places that have perfect average temperatures, seasons, and precipitation in areas where the soil is perfectly matched to produce a specific crop will lose those climate conditions to other areas. These climate patterns will shift farther north in the Northern Hemisphere to areas that do not have the soil to meet the needs of the crop. What about non-industrialized countries or countries that do not have a strong economy? What will happen to those citizens and those people who solely rely on their harvest each year? Wait, are they even contributing to the enhancement of global warming? Why are they paying the highest consequences for the actions of those responsible? The ones in poverty are the ones contributing the least if at all and they are the ones who will suffer the highest consequences.
It is time to live up to our duties as humans on this earth and to stand up for the health of our world to protect all those that inhabit it. As Michael Jackson once said, "Make that change!"
Why would God have Paul write that or even "whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God" in 1 Corinthians 10:37 in the Bible? How would that even be possible to constantly have on your mind and try to carry out? Does He really expect us to brush our teeth and glorify Him while doing it?
Listening to a top climatologist who was a lead author for the 2001 and 2007 IPCC Scientific Assessment on Climate Change Friday, I began to realize just how much our "little" daily decisions make an impact on the "big" picture. Climate change due to anthropogenic, or human, causes is greatly affected by our very actions. Increased use of fossil fuels for vehicles, factories, and energy plants are a tip of the iceberg in how much we impact the earth's climate system.
The epic population on this earth is so great that our demand of the earth system is exhausting the very resources given to us. We have a higher need for energy to sustain our 21-century lifestyle, which exhausts our oil reserves. We have a higher need for food and shelter, which exhausts our crops and provides less and less area to harvest that food.
As we continue to use massive amounts of fossil fuels by burning them, we are changing the composition of the atmosphere. Adding CO2 into the atmosphere creates a stronger greenhouse effect which will lead to an increase of the average global temperature. Now, when talking about global warming and an increase in temperature, we're talking about the large-scale (global) and not necessarily local scale. Some areas are going to get colder while others will get warmer because of the wind and ocean circulations. Taking the average global temperature will show that the earth is in fact warming. Yes, part of this warming is due to natural variations that are currently taking place, but I think it is rather obvious that looking at the facts will show that we as people are increasing this rate of warming.
Carbon dioxide has a residence time (how long it stays in the atmosphere) of 30 years for the first 50% added, a few centuries for the next 30%, and many thousands of years for the rest. This means that each CO2 molecule emitted into the atmosphere will stay there for a total of at least 30 years for half of them added and centuries to thousands of years longer for the other half emitted. This is just one extra emission added to the atmosphere. Methane is another that is greatly enhanced by agriculture. It is a strong greenhouse gas and greatly enhances temperature. Don't get me wrong, there are many greenhouse gases naturally in our atmosphere and are vital to our sustainability of life on earth. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and CFC's are all examples of greenhouse gases. Without them, our average global temperature would be significantly colder. Anthropogenic reasonings are just increasing the concentrations of them in our atmosphere.
Not to mention that our oceans are also paying a high consquence of the added CO2 in the atmosphere. The oceans are a large sink, or absorbers, of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and by increasing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere automatically increases the amount the oceans take in. This will, and already is, greatly increasing the acidity of the oceans in some areas. Research recently done on the western coast of North America showed significant changes in pH levels in the Pacific ocean along the coast of California. This is already showing signs of breaking down the calcium carbonate structures that make up shells for organisms in the oceans.
Even as we are only barely seeing some effects of global warming now, as you can see, there is a MUCH greater risk for the future generations. We are investing in global warming by increasing the rate of this warming exponentially. Not recycling, continuously using gasoline, leaving lights on, throwing away unnecessary things are all examples of increasing the demand on our system that then decreases the demand of our resources.
We must make a change for our future generations and for the organisms that inhabit this earth. At the current rate, we are killing ourselves or at least our grandchildren by the very actions we are doing today. Change needs to happen in order to protect our earth.
One example of direct effects is the transfer of climate patterns across the globe. Some places that have perfect average temperatures, seasons, and precipitation in areas where the soil is perfectly matched to produce a specific crop will lose those climate conditions to other areas. These climate patterns will shift farther north in the Northern Hemisphere to areas that do not have the soil to meet the needs of the crop. What about non-industrialized countries or countries that do not have a strong economy? What will happen to those citizens and those people who solely rely on their harvest each year? Wait, are they even contributing to the enhancement of global warming? Why are they paying the highest consequences for the actions of those responsible? The ones in poverty are the ones contributing the least if at all and they are the ones who will suffer the highest consequences.
It is time to live up to our duties as humans on this earth and to stand up for the health of our world to protect all those that inhabit it. As Michael Jackson once said, "Make that change!"
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