Lately I've been hearing the phrase, "You're only as old as you feel." Not said towards me, but hearing others say it to each other.
I don't understand this saying. Sometimes, I honestly feel like I'm 65. Does this mean I am 65? I thought this saying was to make you feel better about yourself in a younger sense? I find it confusing. Just thought I'd blurb.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
What does it really mean to "love" God?
"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." - Jesus (John 14:15)
Many people have been telling me lately, "I am a Christian. I love God, but I drink excessively/go to clubs/smoke marijuana/live with my boyfriend, _________ (fill in the blank with questionable activity)."
Okay. I have a problem with this. And I don't think it's just me, I believe GOD has a problem with this. He said so Himself. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." The same is true for anything in your life that takes place ahead of God. You can't have two masters. You either serve one or the other. This is the case when it comes to true Christianity. For those who say statements like the one quoted above - something isn't right. I don't think those two sentences can co-exist. You either have a conviction in your life of the sin and are dealing with, realizing it, repenting of it, and therefore truly love the Lord. OR your love towards God is not genuine, and therefore you do as you please, without remorse. In this situation, something's gotta give.
Christianity is based on relationship with God. So let's make an earthly representation of this relationship, i.e. a marriage. It's like saying, "I love my husband, but I cheat on him." Or, "I love my wife, but I am physically abusive to her." ...It doesn't even have to be that extreme, as people sometimes say, "My sin isn't really that bad, I'm still a 'good' person." Okay, "I love my husband, but I yell at him a lot and call him names." Or, "I love my wife, but I watch a little pornography here and there." Are not all these things harmful to the relationship? If you really, truly love someone, don't you want to do all you can to please them and bring you closer? The same attitude and lifestyle should be for those who really love Jesus.
Paul tells us, "Everything is permissible—but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible—but not everything is constructive." (1 Cor. 10:23) This should be our mind-set.
I think it becomes worse when people say, "Well I am not convicted of getting drunk/sleeping with my boyfriend/smoking cigarettes/cussing/ __________ (fill in the blank)." Well, of course you're not. If you don't WANT to be convicted of something--you won't be. Simple as that. It's not hard to ignore the conviction of the Spirit. People do it all the time. God will never force you to obey Him. He is seeking true worshipers. (John 4) Those who truly love God, and therefore are desiring a closer relationship with Him, should then think, "Here I am, Lord. Use me as You want. I am a willing vessel. Show me how to become more like You, convicting me in the areas of my life that need to change or become better. Mold me, make me, renew me, restore me." As the Psalmist says, "See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139)
Our focus should be on how far from sin we can go = how close to God we can get. Not how much we can get away with, or how close to the line we can go. That's not true love. No one would want a relationship like that. He is our Creator, and as Christians - the most important relationship in our lives. It should be treated as such - with sincerity, integrity, honesty, and truth.
Christianity is not about what's in it for us, but about what we can give. Jesus showed us this in His time here on earth. And it's not just our own lives that are affected by obedience, but those around us. Paul warns us not be stumbling block to others. (Romans 14) True love involves sacrifice. We shouldn't mind the sacrifices we make for our weaker brothers and sisters. We're all growing.
Loving God is when we can genuinely say, "Lord, I am Yours. What you want of me, I will give. I will serve you. I want to be like you. Change my heart, transform my mind, whatever it takes - because this is worth it to me. I want to obey You, not out of convenience, but out of true love."
Many people have been telling me lately, "I am a Christian. I love God, but I drink excessively/go to clubs/smoke marijuana/live with my boyfriend, _________ (fill in the blank with questionable activity)."
Okay. I have a problem with this. And I don't think it's just me, I believe GOD has a problem with this. He said so Himself. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." The same is true for anything in your life that takes place ahead of God. You can't have two masters. You either serve one or the other. This is the case when it comes to true Christianity. For those who say statements like the one quoted above - something isn't right. I don't think those two sentences can co-exist. You either have a conviction in your life of the sin and are dealing with, realizing it, repenting of it, and therefore truly love the Lord. OR your love towards God is not genuine, and therefore you do as you please, without remorse. In this situation, something's gotta give.
Christianity is based on relationship with God. So let's make an earthly representation of this relationship, i.e. a marriage. It's like saying, "I love my husband, but I cheat on him." Or, "I love my wife, but I am physically abusive to her." ...It doesn't even have to be that extreme, as people sometimes say, "My sin isn't really that bad, I'm still a 'good' person." Okay, "I love my husband, but I yell at him a lot and call him names." Or, "I love my wife, but I watch a little pornography here and there." Are not all these things harmful to the relationship? If you really, truly love someone, don't you want to do all you can to please them and bring you closer? The same attitude and lifestyle should be for those who really love Jesus.
Paul tells us, "Everything is permissible—but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible—but not everything is constructive." (1 Cor. 10:23) This should be our mind-set.
I think it becomes worse when people say, "Well I am not convicted of getting drunk/sleeping with my boyfriend/smoking cigarettes/cussing/ __________ (fill in the blank)." Well, of course you're not. If you don't WANT to be convicted of something--you won't be. Simple as that. It's not hard to ignore the conviction of the Spirit. People do it all the time. God will never force you to obey Him. He is seeking true worshipers. (John 4) Those who truly love God, and therefore are desiring a closer relationship with Him, should then think, "Here I am, Lord. Use me as You want. I am a willing vessel. Show me how to become more like You, convicting me in the areas of my life that need to change or become better. Mold me, make me, renew me, restore me." As the Psalmist says, "See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139)
Our focus should be on how far from sin we can go = how close to God we can get. Not how much we can get away with, or how close to the line we can go. That's not true love. No one would want a relationship like that. He is our Creator, and as Christians - the most important relationship in our lives. It should be treated as such - with sincerity, integrity, honesty, and truth.
Christianity is not about what's in it for us, but about what we can give. Jesus showed us this in His time here on earth. And it's not just our own lives that are affected by obedience, but those around us. Paul warns us not be stumbling block to others. (Romans 14) True love involves sacrifice. We shouldn't mind the sacrifices we make for our weaker brothers and sisters. We're all growing.
Loving God is when we can genuinely say, "Lord, I am Yours. What you want of me, I will give. I will serve you. I want to be like you. Change my heart, transform my mind, whatever it takes - because this is worth it to me. I want to obey You, not out of convenience, but out of true love."
cake.
Our wedding cake is phenomenal. We picked it out last night. It's made totally, 100% from scratch with real, whole ingredients. We're attempting to feed over 700 people with a 3-tier and 12 sheet cakes. We have banana, strawberry, marble, red velvet, white, german chocolate, and this flavor called "lady baltimore" - cherries, nuts, and coconut filling. It's going to be intense. Those of you on a diet should probably avoid our reception. ;-)
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