Strength

Today I am thankful not only for the strengths that God has given me but also for him pointing out that my weakness is His strength.

Some of us (I'm not always included... Depends in the mood really!) work towards developing our strengths. Strengths including but not limited to physical, intellectual, emotional, support systems, etc. But what about working on our "weaknesses"? Not so much in terms of working on strengthening them but in terms of asking God to be present in them so He can work through us in them.

Today I am thankful for the opportunity to strengthen myself physically.

Transparency

I was reading earlier a short sermon (http://kevinmartineau.ca/sermon-synopsis-916-being-transparent/) about transparency.

It made me realize how there are aspects of my life that I am very transparent about and a few that I try to hide and guard. What's funny though, is that not only do I fail miserably at hiding it from other people, but I also seem to think God doesn't know about it. I use quite a few defense mechanisms to protect MYSELF and MY feelings and MY image that I don't realize: not only am I not fooling anyone but I'm actually making it HARDER for God to work in my life and through my life.

Today I am thankful for taking a step towards being more transparent.

Being able to worship freely

Today I am grateful because I am able to worship freely; without concern of persecution or hostility. Thank you Lord for blessing us with the opportunity that so many others do not have.

Thankful

Note: this post was intended for Thursday.

We have reasons to be thankful everyday. And here we are living in a free country, where we can do pretty much as we please, with plenty of resources that are readily available; yet we are demanding more as if we were entitled to it.

We wonder why God "doesn't answer our prayers" because God is "good" and "loving". These concepts of God aren't wrong but they're also incomplete. We have so much and cannot find it in our hearts to be thankful for what our all powerful and just God has given his spoiled children that do not merit anything but death.

When we learn to be grateful, we will be one step closer to learning to be the children God wants us to be; children that are humble, loving, kind, courteous, honest, just, honorable, etc.

Since this post was intended for Thursday the titles of the pictures should read:

Be thankful for family.
Be thankful for hole-in-the-wall Chinese places.
Be thankful for enjoying breakfast instead of rushing through it.

Take this as a formal apology...

Greetings!

This post will be rather brief but to me it has a significant meaning... mainly because I do not formally admit that I am wrong... ever. Those of you that know me well, know just how true that can be. It has been pointed out to me that I am wrong in my view of love. Some have pointed it out in a gentle fashion (thanks guys!) and others (mainly the Bible) in a not so gentle fashion (more like a slap, really). It has been brought to my attention that though I know love, I do not love as God has loved me. I know that I've heard this before in my 26 years of attending church... but really... think about it... How have we shown that we love?

John 13:34-35 ESV A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (35) By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

Um... how many times have we reprimanded someone (whether verbally or not) because of their actions? How many times have we done this at church!? How many times have I done this at church? How can I say that I am loving to others when I'm judging a teenager for trying to fit in... even when it is in the wrong way? 

John 15:12-14 ESV “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (13) Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. (14) You are my friends if you do what I command you. 

How can I say that I would lay down my life for my friends, when I find myself resistant to talk to them about something that makes me uncomfortable?  More importantly, why am I not addressing the things that make me uncomfortable with the perfect example of a friend: Christ?! How can I say that I'm willing to lay down my life for my friends if I still resent them for something that was said to me that hurt me... and sometimes I even think about it before I talk to them making my interaction with them sour?

1 John 4:16-19 ESV So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (17) By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. (18) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (19) We love because he first loved us. 

Could it be that the root of my fears lie in the fact that I have not been perfected in love? And could it be that the root of my not being perfected in love lie in the fact that I have not shown others the amazing love that Christ has shown me? 

1 John 4:19-21 ESV We love because he first loved us. (20) If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (21) And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 

OUCH! (this is the slap in the face I was talking about earlier) If I only know of God from what I've seen around me but never "seen" him... but I know my brother and have seen my brother and hate my brother... how can I love God? The Lord made my brother. The Lord loves my brother. Why can't I love my brother? The real reason that I can't love my brother maybe many... but the fact of the matter is, I was called to love him. What's more... I can't say that I love God if I don't love my brother... Sounds easy enough, but is it really? Who is my brother? The people I like in church? The people that are nice to me? What about the crazy old man that goes to my church? What about the guy I work with? What about the crazy old lady that lives with me? What about kids that are so bruised and broken from such a perverse society that the only way that they can deal is by being hurtful and cruel? What about the people that are not easy to love... yet God called us to love them anyway? Not only that, He says that we are LIARS (one of the 10 commandments, folks!) if we say we love God and not the brother we know and have seen....

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ESV If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (2) And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (3) If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 

This is another one... I can know everything (and I'm BIG on education and knowledge) but if I don't have love I am nothing... Think about that... You know EVERYTHING... But you don't love the way God calls us to love and we ARE NOTHING. Everything you know is meaningless because the true value of the person is not in their heads but in their hearts.... 

So this was a lot longer than I thought... but I think it's well worth it... 

In short: to all that I interact with on a daily basis, take this post as a formal apology because there is huge possibility that I have not loved you as God has called me to love you. I would like to start over and show you the love that God has shown me. 

Can you see the common thread?

Picture yourself in a town that's dirty, unsafe, but mostly unholy. No one around here is thinking about their fellow man and much less God. You are consistently fearing for your safety due to the incredible amount of violent crimes. Then God tells your relative that the planet is going to have water falling on it for 40 days (serious waterfall that you've never heard of, much less seen).


Now picture yourself years after that as a different character. Hearing the story of your family. How they survived a flood when before that there was never even rain (which now happens more often). How they were told to spread around the earth and populate the planet. Thing is everyone is scared and they'd rather just stay together, so they start building a HUGE tower to be able to find each other if they end up getting lost. God is, to say the very least not very happy with that idea.


I think you guys get where I'm going. Slaves for the Egyptians and the thousands of miracles detailed there to save His people, the handing down of the 10 commandments, etc. The list goes on and on. What is the common thread you see?

God has always been there. He has put all plans into motion. He has seen it all, He has done it all... and somehow I seem to think that I have a better grip on things than He does. Next time you think that you know how to handle things and you've got it all in control: think of the one who's been there from the beginning. The one that has done everything, that sacrificed everything and created everything; and then ask yourself, "Who really knows better?"

Faith exercise...

Greetings!

I would like you to do an exercise. Ready? Get out of your chair.
Seriously... Get out of your chair.

Now hover over it, but don't sit on it. DON'T SIT IN THE CHAIR!

What makes you think it can hold you? After what you've been having for dinner lately, it might break.

But you want to be comfortable at your desk as you read the blog that made you question the integrity of your chair, so you should hover over it... it's the sensible thing to do.

Silly? Of course it is. (I really don't think your chair is going to break so you can sit down now... seriously, they've got engineers and designers that factored the brownie you had last night into the structure and composition of the chair... and the sundae the night before... and the cheesecake before that... please... have a seat.)

Funny thing is: sometimes (or lots of times) our faith in God is like hovering over that chair... we don't rely on the chair for silly nonsensical reasons. God has demonstrated to us in countless ways on countless occasions that we REALLY don't have any control; He does. He's asked us to sit in the chair.

Natalie, please sit down, you're gonna get yourself hurt.  
No, I know, I'm ok I don't need to sit, you don't get it, I really shouldn't sit, I'm just going to get your nice leather seats dirty.
Don't worry about the seats, I got it... I'm GOD... Seriously, sit down... I've got it under control...
I know you're God, but do you really think it's a good idea to go that way? What about going somewhere else?
Natalie...
Sorry, I know... I'd just rather hover, and possibly (or probably) topple over, thanks...

As much as I have control issues, God keeps showing me that He is the one that is in control, and I really need to let go and let God...



Father thank you for tolerating my nonsensical reasoning and faulty logic. Thank you for always bringing me closer to you and making me realize that you are the only one I need to trust. 

Thankful for:

11. Progress in cleaning and purging my environment.

12. Great friends, and great times... because these moments are precious, unique, and there's no getting a do- over. 

13. Movies that make you feel... both good and bad.

14. My dog that insists on stalking me through out my house, because I know one day she won't be able to anymore.

15. Knowing that just because I'm furious, doesn't change how much I love you. (Stolen from movie: One Day) 

Blessings!