“We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when it is dormant, confirm it when it is wavering, strengthen it when it is weak, and raise it up when it is overthrown.” “We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when it is dormant, confirm it when it is wavering, strengthen it when it is weak, and raise it up when it is overthrown.” ~ John Calvin
Talk is cheap. Doing, not as much.
Today I’m thankful for beds. Quite nice and soft, they are quite wonderf….. zzzzz…. 😉
Is your faith strong? When times get rough, do you turn to God? When the times are good, do you praise Him? The faith of many today is weak. I always find that my faith tends to hurt when I put something before God. Whether it be video games, tv, work, or play, when other things come to mind before God my faith suffers. Idols are never good and break down our relationship with God. He commanded us to not put other gods before him. Let us strive to tear down the idols in our lives.
“Expect nothing and you’ll always be surprised” ~ Daniel Defoe
Loving others oftentimes can mean giving up what you desire while putting another’s needs above your own.
Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. ~ Psalm 106:1
We’ve gone street preaching a couple times lately. It’s been a good time and a growing time for me.
I think the thing that excited me the most is that I really have to test my fundamental beliefs. I can sit around with my friends and talk about the little tiny issues all day long. But can I really answer the statements like, prove to me that God exists? How about the man who is a consistent agnostic and believes raping a two year old is okay? Your grasp of doctrine is really questioned and you can’t sit on your bed of roses/ignorance.
I also kept asking myself if I really loved these people. Could I love the homeless man who I’m talking to? Can I love this agnostic who is angry at a God who doesn’t exist? Ultimately, people’s souls are on the line. But then I remind myself that the message of Christ and his resurrection is Good news and people need to hear it.
It’s still hard for me to get out of my shell though.. <_<
Life isn’t about death and destruction for the Christian. Life is about living and enjoying the smell of the trees and the beauty of the snow. It’s about being faithful, loving others, loving God, and obeying His commandments. Sometimes I feel people focus too much on the fact that life is horrible. No, life is great. With Christ that is. When you’re always focused on evil and how it’s “winning” then you’re going to live your life in a discouraged manner. If your belief is that Christ won on the cross and rose again from the dead, than we have no reason to be down. The short term may look horrible, but if you look up and see the risen Lord reigning than you have no reason to be focused on how horrid life is around you. If you can look up from your foxhole and see that Christ has promised you everlasting life and a seat at his table, you will be more hopeful and cheerful. Eschatology is important and can have much impact on the way you live your life from day to day. (depending on how consistent you are…)
Life isn’t really about death and destruction. Life is about living and enjoying the smell of the trees and the beauty of the snow. It’s about being faithful, loving others, loving God, and obeying His commandments. Sometimes I feel people focus too much on the fact that life is horrible. No, life is great. With Christ that is. When you’re always focused on evil and how it’s “winning” then you’re going to live your life in a discouraged manner. If your belief is that Christ won on the cross and rose again from the dead, than we have no reason to be down. The short term may look horrible, but if you look up and see the risen Lord reigning than you have no reason to be focused on how horrid life is around you. If you can look up from your foxhole and see that Christ has promised you everlasting life and a seat at his table, you will be more hopeful and cheerful. Eschatology is important and can have much impact on the way you live your life from day to day. (depending on how consistent you are…)