As you probably already know I'm really into snowboarding. A few weeks ago was I started to care a lot about what I could do and what I needed to work on to achieve my goals. I wanted to get better at snowboarding. I wanted to get more famous. But, however much I tried to get better at snowboarding and land tricks I just couldn't do it.
Through that inability God showed me that He is the one who made me. He is the one who gave me the skills to snowboard. He is the one who allows me to be able to land tricks. He is the one who gave me the passion to snowboard and get better at it.
However, then when I would finally land a trick or do something right I would think I was pretty good at snowboarding. I began to worship an idol. The idol of my own abilities. I should instead worship God who gave me those abilities.
1 Corinthians 4:7
For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
This is your life, but God is the one who gave it to you. Will we use our lives for him? Will I use my snowboarding abilities for God or my own selfish gain? Is there anything in your life that you boast over when it is God who gave you that very thing?
We should profoundly realize that what we do is not by our own doing, but by what God does through us. What we accomplish is not a result of anything we can do on our own, but what we can do with God's help and guiding. God deserves all credit, honor, and worship not us.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Objects of Use? - Collaboration with Love Of Mine
A good friend of mine, who has a similar type of blog, and I decided it would be a good idea to collaborate on a blog post. We then decided the issue of objectification of women would be a great subject to both write a blog post about. That way readers could read about the subject from both a women's point of view and from a man's point of view. To read about the issue of objectification from a women's point of view go and read What Do We Believe is Beautiful? - Collab with Profoundnessity from her blog Love Of Mine.
As you know our world and society today is pretty messed up. Its not that these problems are anything new though, they started when sin entered the world. One of the problems I have thought about lately is how much men and society objectifies women in such a manner that they are more for pleasure and sexual desires than children of God.
I have recently realized how objectifying it is when guys talk about "getting girls." That really makes it seem like girls are just something to be acquired. In addition, what you are around all day, every day doesn't help that mindset to diminish. Tv shows show you that the epitome of a relationship is some physical contact. Music talks about the glamor and pleasures of a relationship with someone special. These are only two contributing examples, but they are partially what cause society to develop a mindset of objectification.
Do we blame the women for how they act and dress? Is what they are doing making us objectify them? The answer is usually yes, but should really be no.
116 Clique - Temptation
Sex is a gift from God but we've taken it and made it idolatry
We've taken it and put it in the place of God
And we worship it and so it comes out in all kinds of profane ways
And so we blame the women for what they're wearing
And we blame the media for what they're producing
But we never blame ourselves For how we've twisted God's gift to glorify us
Don't you think its pretty hypocritical of us men to be the ones pushing women to wear less clothing and act in sexual manners, but then we blame them for the problem we are encouraging to develop. Women wouldn't be wearing less and less clothing if us men didn't say we like it and give them attention for it. So we unknowingly pressure women to put themselves out there for us to "view" and therefore have caused the act of objectifying women.
Understand that it is not the world that is causing these problems and objectification. We are the ones who live on this earth, influence culture, and shape society. We are the ones who have warped the views and ideas built around sexuality and what it should be. Will we work on fixing the problems of objectifying women, or will we just point our fingers at everyone else, saying they are the ones who objectify?
When we as men objectify women we view them as an object, an object of use for pleasure and excitement. Women are not food. We don't use them to fulfill our hunger and then discard of them as if they have become waste. Women are made in God's image, they are made in the likeness of God. Women were made not to glorify and please us, but women are made to glorify God, the one who deserves all glory and honor.
As men we should stand against the warped ideas, practices, and views of women. When we look at women just to look at their beauty we are not loving them, but degrading them. Women are not objects of use, but God's daughters. We should profoundly treat them as daughters of God, with respect and Christ like love, not as objects for us to use.
As you know our world and society today is pretty messed up. Its not that these problems are anything new though, they started when sin entered the world. One of the problems I have thought about lately is how much men and society objectifies women in such a manner that they are more for pleasure and sexual desires than children of God.
I have recently realized how objectifying it is when guys talk about "getting girls." That really makes it seem like girls are just something to be acquired. In addition, what you are around all day, every day doesn't help that mindset to diminish. Tv shows show you that the epitome of a relationship is some physical contact. Music talks about the glamor and pleasures of a relationship with someone special. These are only two contributing examples, but they are partially what cause society to develop a mindset of objectification.
Do we blame the women for how they act and dress? Is what they are doing making us objectify them? The answer is usually yes, but should really be no.
116 Clique - Temptation
Sex is a gift from God but we've taken it and made it idolatry
We've taken it and put it in the place of God
And we worship it and so it comes out in all kinds of profane ways
And so we blame the women for what they're wearing
And we blame the media for what they're producing
But we never blame ourselves For how we've twisted God's gift to glorify us
Don't you think its pretty hypocritical of us men to be the ones pushing women to wear less clothing and act in sexual manners, but then we blame them for the problem we are encouraging to develop. Women wouldn't be wearing less and less clothing if us men didn't say we like it and give them attention for it. So we unknowingly pressure women to put themselves out there for us to "view" and therefore have caused the act of objectifying women.
Understand that it is not the world that is causing these problems and objectification. We are the ones who live on this earth, influence culture, and shape society. We are the ones who have warped the views and ideas built around sexuality and what it should be. Will we work on fixing the problems of objectifying women, or will we just point our fingers at everyone else, saying they are the ones who objectify?
When we as men objectify women we view them as an object, an object of use for pleasure and excitement. Women are not food. We don't use them to fulfill our hunger and then discard of them as if they have become waste. Women are made in God's image, they are made in the likeness of God. Women were made not to glorify and please us, but women are made to glorify God, the one who deserves all glory and honor.
As men we should stand against the warped ideas, practices, and views of women. When we look at women just to look at their beauty we are not loving them, but degrading them. Women are not objects of use, but God's daughters. We should profoundly treat them as daughters of God, with respect and Christ like love, not as objects for us to use.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Speaking Truth
For as long as I can remember I have always held telling the truth very high. I don't care if its a "white lie", cheating on a test, or bending the truth its still a lie.
James 5:12
Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
There are times when I have overheard my friends talking about something. Due to the seriousness of what they said or were agreeing to, they had to swear by something for the other to believe the earnestness of the other person's words.
Whenever a friend of mine has asked me if I swear I'm telling the truth I have always have been hesitant or disagreed to. Since I have always tried to tell the truth I never understood why they would need extra confirmation. I think that is in a way what James is talking about. If we always try as best as we can to speak truth all the time we will never have to swear by anything to express our sincereness.
If we say that we speak truth, but indeed do not we are essentially taking away the validity of what we say is true. If our truth is not true how do know what is right and true? Our yes should mean yes and when we say no should mean no.
Not only is lying a sin, but when what you say isn't truth, how can anyone ever believe you? See lying is a big deal. "It doesn't matter if its just a "white lie" or bending of the truth" is a lie itself. It is important that others can trust what we say. If what we say isn't always true, why would others believe us when we say that Jesus died for them? We should strive to always be profoundly truthful so that we do not have to swear by anything to express our answers.
James 5:12
Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
There are times when I have overheard my friends talking about something. Due to the seriousness of what they said or were agreeing to, they had to swear by something for the other to believe the earnestness of the other person's words.
Whenever a friend of mine has asked me if I swear I'm telling the truth I have always have been hesitant or disagreed to. Since I have always tried to tell the truth I never understood why they would need extra confirmation. I think that is in a way what James is talking about. If we always try as best as we can to speak truth all the time we will never have to swear by anything to express our sincereness.
If we say that we speak truth, but indeed do not we are essentially taking away the validity of what we say is true. If our truth is not true how do know what is right and true? Our yes should mean yes and when we say no should mean no.
Not only is lying a sin, but when what you say isn't truth, how can anyone ever believe you? See lying is a big deal. "It doesn't matter if its just a "white lie" or bending of the truth" is a lie itself. It is important that others can trust what we say. If what we say isn't always true, why would others believe us when we say that Jesus died for them? We should strive to always be profoundly truthful so that we do not have to swear by anything to express our answers.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Beauty That Glorifies {Pt. II}
So one night I was out snowboarding down our road. I was out there in the dark, in the cold, in the wind, the snow was blowing and it was bouncing off my face. It was amazing. When I looked around me I saw so much beauty.
Being in the middle of a winter storm has a way of making you feel really small. So I then started to contemplate how big the world is. To answer that question, it is big. I stood there in the middle of the storm and thought I'm really small. I am a small creature on this earth!
We don't think like that. We are always thinking we are the greatest because we have been able to make this, figure this out, and cure this or whatever. We made machines that transport us to other places easily and we have put a man on the moon, but when it comes down to it we aren't that great. Yes, we are made in God's image, but we messed up, we brought sin into the world. By our own work we haven't done anything of value, its only because of God's help that we can do anything.
We shouldn't be afraid to go out there and put ourselves into positions where we must trust in God's love and care. I'm not saying that we should go do something stupid, but instead learn to trust God in times of trouble when we can't do anything by ourselves.
Being in the middle of the storm reminds me of how big the world we live on is and how much bigger is the God that created it all. Even though God is so big and much greater than us He still sacrificed Himself for us because of love. When we are in the middle of a storm (trouble) and see that we have no control over it, God still does. If we then decide to trust Him in that storm, He is the one who gets the glory when the storm is calmed. The profound beauty of storms or troubles is that they Glorify God because of the work He does in and with them.
Being in the middle of a winter storm has a way of making you feel really small. So I then started to contemplate how big the world is. To answer that question, it is big. I stood there in the middle of the storm and thought I'm really small. I am a small creature on this earth!
We don't think like that. We are always thinking we are the greatest because we have been able to make this, figure this out, and cure this or whatever. We made machines that transport us to other places easily and we have put a man on the moon, but when it comes down to it we aren't that great. Yes, we are made in God's image, but we messed up, we brought sin into the world. By our own work we haven't done anything of value, its only because of God's help that we can do anything.
We shouldn't be afraid to go out there and put ourselves into positions where we must trust in God's love and care. I'm not saying that we should go do something stupid, but instead learn to trust God in times of trouble when we can't do anything by ourselves.
Being in the middle of the storm reminds me of how big the world we live on is and how much bigger is the God that created it all. Even though God is so big and much greater than us He still sacrificed Himself for us because of love. When we are in the middle of a storm (trouble) and see that we have no control over it, God still does. If we then decide to trust Him in that storm, He is the one who gets the glory when the storm is calmed. The profound beauty of storms or troubles is that they Glorify God because of the work He does in and with them.
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