Wisdom, Solomon, what this life means

June 15, 2009 at 8:06 am (Uncategorized)
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‘Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,

for this is the whole duty of man.

For God will bring every deed into judgement,

including every hidden thing.

whether it is good or evil.”

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

 

The book of Ecclesiastes cannot be interpreted correctly without reading these final verses. No matter what the mysteries and apparent contradictions of life are, we must work toward the single purpose of knowing God.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon shows us that we should enjoy life, but this does not exempt us from obeying God’s commandments. We should search for purpose and meaning in this life, but they cannot be found in human endeavors. We should acknowledge the evil, foolishness, and injustice in life, yet maintain a positive attitude and strong faith in God.
All people will have to stand before God and be judged for what they did in this life. We will not be able to use life’s inconsistencies as an excuse for failing to live properly. To live properly, we need to:
(1) recognize that human effort apart from God is futile.
(2) put God first- now
(3) receive everything good as a gift from God
(4) realize that God will judge both good and evil
(5) know that God will judge the quality of every person’s life.
How strange that people sepnd their lives striving for the very enjoyment that God gives freely.

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What is love?

May 16, 2009 at 5:37 pm (Uncategorized)
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Suppose I speak in the languages of human beings and of angels. If I don’t have love, I am only a loud gong or a noisy cymbal.
Suppose I have the gift of prophecy. Suppose I can understand all the secret things of God and know everything about him. And suppose I have enough faith to move mountains. If I don’t have love, I am nothing at all.

 Suppose I give everything I have to poor people. And suppose I give my body to be burned. If I don’t have love, I get nothing at all.

Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not want what belongs to others. It does not brag. It is not proud. It is not rude. It does not look out for its own interests. It does not easily become angry. It does not keep track of other people’s wrongs.

Love is not happy with evil. But it is full of joy when the truth is spoken. It always protects. It always trusts. It always hopes. It never gives up.
Love never fails. But prophecy will pass away. Speaking in languages that had not been known before will end. And knowledge will pass away.

What we know now is not complete. What we prophesy now is not perfect.  But when what is perfect comes, the things that are not perfect will pass away.

When I was a child, I talked like a child. I thought like a child. I had the understanding of a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

Now we see only a dim likeness of things. It is as if we were seeing them in a mirror. But someday we will see clearly. We will see face to face. What I know now is not complete. But someday I will know completely, just as God knows me completely.
The three most important things to have are faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love.
 –1 Corinthians 13
I have been famililar with this passage as long as I have been a Christian. And, I know it is referring to Christ’s love, which is perfect. No human can be perfectly humble or kind or selfless, and I’m thankful for Christ loving me just as I am, with all of my imperfections
But, lately I’ve been thinking of this passage on a human level. One of the girls I used to work with just got engaged. She’s 22. I found it a little strange that she was planning to get married so young- her fiancee is 21! But then I thought, ‘If they are truly in love, then they really should get married!’ This brought some opposition from my co-workers, who told me how marriage was overrated, and so was love,
However, this situation made me really question and seek after this ultimate question I’ve been dancing around- What on earth is Love in this life? We see movies, read books, and day-dream about being ‘in love’ but what is that really referring to? We love our true friends, despite their downfalls, their wrongdoings, and how they may hurt us. But, does the same apply with a significant other? Where is that line between accepting one’s faults and counting your losses and tossing them aside? When I think about it, I can’t think about truly loving someone because Christ’s death on the cross for me triumphs over any time of human love. The selfless love of His dying so silly creatures like us could spend eternity with Him is…obviously not human.
But, we were created for community. God explained that it was “not good for man to be alone” and so he made woman also.  But, loving a significant other can be quite different than loving a friend.  What does it mean to “love” another? I’ve been told it is mostly a choice-  one must really choose to love another, despite the baggage, imperfections, idiosynchrocies, etc, that he or she has.  To look beyond all of those things that he or she has, and see the soul beyond. When your clothes and friends and makeup and material things are stripped away, who are you? What are you living for? These are things one falls in love with..
To love in this life is, I suppose, a human representation of Christ’s love for us.
  • Love is PATIENT and KIND-  We are not to grow anxious with another if he or she does things in a way we are not used to, or in timing that is not ideal to our own. In such a way, we must also be kind and compassionate to them, without any type of sarcasm or malice.
  • Love does NOT boast or brag- We are to be humble! Yes, humble. In our achievements, in our manners. If we truly believe we are the greatest, does that not mean that in your love, you will believe the other inferior to you, and therefore unworthy of you? That being said, swallow some pride and take a dose of humility.
  • Love DOES NOT look out for its own interests- This is where being selfless is so important. I’ve been told that one Always is looking out for oneself- that, to an extent, humans are always looking our for their own interests. Here is a place where we need to seek to become more Christlike. Being truly in love with a person means sometimes doing things that will not benefit you At All, but will help out the other person. Going out of your way in order to solely serve someone else, without dwelling on the fact that you are being inconvenienced, is one of the most selfless ways to love, I think
  • Love DOES NOT keep a record of other people’s wrongs- Forgive and forget, right? Maybe not. This truly mirrors Christ because, when we sin and ask God forgiveness, He completely blots out our wrongs and makes the slate clean like we haven’t sinned. But, as humans, it is almost impossible to forget someone wronging you. However, real love means being able to forgive the other for whatever he or she has done (in your heart, as well as verbally), and not holding it against them again. That does not give the other person liberty to continue the action, however.

This passage just speaks to me in a way that others do not. Love being the greatest of all things and everything else passing away truly shows how FLEETING this world is. How Christ’s love for us is the ONLY thing that remains, and so, we must respond to this love by giving Him OUR LIVES. It’s similar to hollowing ourselves out and filling with Christ. To say “Use me God, in whatever way you choose, and teach me to LOVE like You love.”

 

I suppose this post was more revealing than I could have  hoped.
What is love? Taking a human that is clearly an imperfect being that will never be able to fully 100% satisfy you [although Christ can], and trying to be like Christ in your actions. As Christians, we are told to love All. In a mate, to love them despite their imperfections is truly key- to learn to love the things that make he or she unique, and press and urge to mend the parts of his or her life that can use some shaping up- not for yourself, but for his or herself. 

 

When will I know if I’m in love? I’m always in love with my Jesus. and those I know. But when will I know if I am in “love” as the world describes ? When does “in like” become “in Love” ???  

I could hardly know..but until We begin looking at Love through Christ’s eyes, I know we will be missing the boat.

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starfish

May 16, 2009 at 4:44 pm (Uncategorized)
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“I was thinking about that the other day…how every time you get close to someone, you give a little piece of your heart away. I’ve been wondering if that’s entirely true. I mean, maybe our hearts are like starfish- When a piece breaks off, your heart grows back. And maybe the bits of our heart that break off, they grow into new hearts. And the people you give it to carry your heart with them for the rest of their lives. I don’t think it’s possible for someone to truly forget another person, especially someone they’ve had an intimate connection with. It’s like how ex-alcoholics live- their livers repair and re-mend, despite all of the damage that’s been done to them. And regardless, life goes on.”

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Trustworthy

April 4, 2009 at 4:36 am (Uncategorized)
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But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.

Titus 3:4-8

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notw

March 22, 2009 at 5:22 pm (Uncategorized)
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“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

–Mere Christianity

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alone with Him

March 9, 2009 at 8:26 am (Uncategorized)

‘But if once you have begun to see that Christianity is probable you will know in your heart that this is only evading the issue. What can you ever really know of other people’s souls–of their temptations, their opportunities, their struggles? One soul in the whole creation you do know and it is the only one whose fate is placed in your hands. If there is a God, you are, in a sense, alone with Him. You cannot put Him off with speculations..What will all the hearsay count when the fog which we call ‘nature’ or ‘the real world’ fades away and the Presence in which you have always stood becomes palpable, immediate, and unavoidable?

-Mere Christianity

I really liked this passage. The other night, Alex explained to me, frustrated, how he doubts Christian genuity- that half of the people in church are simply going through the motions [among other things..]. And I had to say, he’s probably sadly true. We will Never Truly Know the heart of others, and what they think, how they feel, what makes them tick…..but there’s one who we know. And that is ourselves. While we can never know the inner workings of others, we know the inner workings of ourselves. And God knows all we know, plus an infinitude more. I may be indecisive, silly, misunderstood, and the like, but I am seeking and striving toward God’s heart. I want to be a little Christ, and every day I want to get closer. And I sometimes doubt, everyone doubts from time to time, but I know my heart, and it stands in Christ.

But, I confuse myself.
Christ brings clarity.

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Honey, it’s been a long time coming

March 1, 2009 at 7:51 am (Uncategorized)
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“The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self- all your wishes and precautions- to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is to remain what we call ‘ourselves’, to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time be ‘good’. We are all trying to let our mind and heart go their own way- centered on money or pleasure or ambition- and hoping, in spite of this, to behave honestly and chastley and humbly. And that is what Christ warned us you could not do. As He said, a thistle cannot produce figs. If I am in a field that contains nothing but gras-seed, I cannot produce wheat. Cutting the grass down may keep it short: but I shall still produce grass and no wheat. If I want to produce wheat, the change must go deeper than the surface. I must be ploughed up and re-sown.

That is why the real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists of simply shoving them all back; in listening to that Other Voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other Larger, Stronger, Quieter life come flowing in. And so on, all day. Standing back from all your natural fussings and frettings coming in and out of the wind.

We can only do it for moments at first. But from those moments the new sort of life will be Spreading through our systems: because now we are letting Him work at the right part of us. It is the difference between paint, which is merely laid on the surface, and a dye or stain which soaks right through.

What we have been told is how we men can be drawn into Christ- caan become part of that wonderful present which the young Prince of the universe wants to offer to His father- that present which is Himself and therefore Us IN Him. It is the only thing we were made for. And there are strange, exciting hints in the Bible that when we are drawn in, a great Many things in nature will begin to Come Right.”

Lewis

Lately, I have been struggling in giving God my whole heart. It is so difficult sometimes to completely die to myself and simply put my full trust in Christ. I know His will is perfect [His weakness is stronger than our strongest times, etc] but sometimes it is difficult to come to grips with the fact that I am so insignificant. I have been praying for wisdom in situations, and right now don’t know 100% where to go. But who would I be if I knew the right thing to do on my own? My desire is to follow Christ, to be more Christ-like, to share Christ with the world. The other night, Alex asked me, what would I do if I could do anything with my life? Where would I go…What would my profession be? I’ve been asked the question numerous times- too many to even count. But in my heart, my truest passion that is held dear to my heart is serving others. It’s being the one to go out of her way to make the lives of others easier. It’s putting myself down to a servant level in order to bring others up. And, in my heart, I feel led to Africa or India. And, I think it must be God because I don’t know how I would go about getting there, yet my heart still pulls me there a bit. To become a doctor is enough of a lofty goal, but to go to a foreign country to be a practicing doctor while spreading the Gospel? This is clearly something that can only be accomplished with God’s help. And, if it is His will, I have no doubts that He will make a way for it to happen. But what I do find myself doubting is WHAT the heck I am meant to do…And I suppose I will continue to be in the dark until I start putting all of my trust in God’s plan. In the short term, wisdom is also needed in other areas…lately I’ve been feeling things that I never have before. And honestly, that’s terrifying. I wonder what God’s purpose is in putting certain people in our lives. I’m sure they are there for a reason…and for us to learn something. And grow closer to Him in the process. And to not give up. And to pray without ceasing! The power of prayer is….incredible. My 4 that I have been praying for, I am seeing God working when I spend time praying for them! And that is so refreshing. I am so overjoyed and cannot help but smile when I see Him blessing them.
God, you are faithful. Help me to be faithful to Your ways.

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give me All

February 17, 2009 at 9:31 am (Uncategorized)
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Christ says, “Give me ALL. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want YOU. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked- the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.”

-Lewis

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February 14, 2009 at 6:41 pm (Uncategorized)
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“For we speak as messengers from God, trusted by him to tell the truth; we change his message not one bit to suit the taste of those who hear it; for we serve God alone, who examines our hearts’ deepest thoughts. Never once did we try to win you over with flattery, as you very well know, and God dknows we were not just pretending to be your friends…And we wil lnever stop thanking God for this: that when we preached to you, you didn’t think of the words we spoke as being just our own, but you accepted what we said as the very Word of God- which, of course, it was- and it changed your lives when you believed it.”
1 Thessalonians 2:4-13

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Surrender

February 9, 2009 at 6:26 pm (Uncategorized)
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“The greatest hinderance to God’s blessing in your life is not others, it is yourself- your self-will, stubborn pride, and personal ambition. You cannot fulfill God’s purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans.”
-The Purpose Driven Life

“Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.” Psalm 37:7

It’s important to note that surrender is best demonstrated through obedience. One often confuses the word obedience as something taught to dogs to help them obey their masters. Often, we fail to realize that We are the ones that need to learn to obey. We’re taught obedience throughout our lives, although mostly as children- being obedient to our parents and elders. However, in the same way, we must be obedient to God and all He holds us to. Being obedient to God also entails listening to commands He tells us, as well as being obedient to wait upon him.

A dog does not instantly understand the command “Stay.” I can recall many failed attempts at teaching Autumn commands as a puppy. The command “stay” may be the most important command- It teaches the dog to not run toward the owner or towards another stimulus, and instead, remain motionless in its current location. I can imagine how frightening it must be for a dog to hear its master say “STAY” and then proceed to walk away! However, how long does the owner stay away for? I have never seen an owner command “STAY” to his or her dog, and then never return. The command is temporary, and the dog is often rewarded with a treat.

In the same way, we are the dog and God is the master. How many times does God command us to WAIT or STAY or SURRENDER to Him? We often fear this step of obedience- whether it remains waiting out a situation, or staying in a place of possibly confusion or unclarity. BUT GOD AND HIS CLARITY ARE NEVER FAR AWAY. If we are obedient to His commands, He will proceed in blessing us for our obedience to Him! Just as no good master leaves his dog waiting, our God is the best master that doesn’t leave his children alone.

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