COMMunity

I suppose that I could say that I've been aware of the fact my whole life, but in reality I don't think I really understood how important it is to the walk of a Christian. What I'm talking about is the importance of being in community with other believers. Most of us would consider this to be church, but it doesn't even need to be a spiritually related meeting. If you are truly in love with Christ you will find yourself talking about Him even when your just hanging out with your friends.

Community is so important, we need other believers around us to encourage, strengthen, minister, be accountable for us, pray for each other, and worship with. Today I was just thinking about how hard it would be for me to go out into the world and make a difference alone. Yes I do have the Holy Spirit living inside of me, but having others there alongside you with the same mindset and goals is really profitable. When your around people who don't have a relationship with Christ for an extended period of time its easy to become very tired spiritually. We really need our brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage and be there when we need someone to talk to.

They encourage us to keep on following, pressing hard to serve, love, and follow Christ.
They strengthen our walk with Christ by offering advise, sharing verses, and through encouragement.
They minister to us as pastors, by sharing sermons, verses, and allowing God to talk through them.
They can hold us accountable to our commitments to Christ.
They pray for us when we are in need of prayer.
They can be the ones who play and sing the songs that we worship God with.

Christian love is a reminder and display of the love that Christ has for us. The same love that we experience and develop around our brothers and sisters is the love that we are to show and give to others who don't know Christ's love yet.

Community with other believers is so important because if we aren't able to love our brothers and sisters like Christ loved us how do we expect to show it to our neighbors? Our brothers and sisters uphold and encourage us, pray for us, bless us through acts of service, and minister to us. This is our very act as missionaries; We encourage others through words, pray for them, bless them by doing things for them, and minister to nonbelievers through scripture and teachings. The importance of community with believers is that it profoundly helps us to be in community and witness to nonbelievers.

In the Middle of a Calm Storm

I was on a road unsure of where it led with three of my best friends walking and running through a constant wall of water. It was one of the craziest storms I have ever been in. Even now as I try and put the situation into words I'm unable to fully write a clear picture of it all. It was one of the best times of my life, but at the same exact moment one of the scariest times of my life.

In most situations I'm in control of the circumstances. Whenever I go to try a new trick on my snowboard I'm scared of the possible consequences, but throughout the whole time before I drop in to try the trick I have control over the situation. I can either go for it or decide that it may not be in my best interest. However, when I was on that road in the storm I realized how little control I had. Could I control the rain, could I control where the lightning would strike, could I be sure that we were going in the right direction?

Its in a moment like the storm I was in that you really realize how dependent we are on God's mercy. It is also in such a moment that you can be reminded of God's faithfulness and love. What God has been teaching me and reminding me of lately is His faithfulness to His children.

We were all aware that we did not have the wisdom and power to get us out of possible harm, but we knew that even in the middle of a storm, especially in the middle of a storm, God is still King. God is still the one controlling all things, he has wisdom and power over all things in the universe. The truth of the matter is that until we find ourselves unable be lord of our own life, Jesus can't become Lord of our life and show us His amazing love, grace, and faithfulness.

God is faithful to protect and help those that are His own. Yes, bad things to happen to us, but He is still faithful and true to love us even though we may not see it at the moment. We can be angry and curse God for the storm that He has placed us in the middle of or we can be thankful that God has chosen this storm for us, for this moment, to show us something about Him.

God was the one comforting us, strengthening us, and protecting us in the storm. He was the one who gave direction, lead us back to the car, and calmed the storm. After it all I realize that was the most beautiful storm I have ever been in. God showed Himself, His love, control, and faithfulness to us in that storm. The profound reality is that a storm becomes calm when you are aware of God's faithfulness, love, and care for His saints. God is the one who calms the storm. The worry and strife will turn to rejoicing when you put your trust in Him and reach the end.

Deuteronomy 7:9 
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

Temporary Satisfaction Vs. Unending Fulfillment

Since graduating I have been thinking more about what my future may look like. The more I look at what I see possibly happening in the future the more I realize that my life won't be easy. See, ever since I decided that I'm going to die to myself to live for Christ I have submitted myself to His will. If you look at Paul in the Bible his life wasn't some joyride. Yes, he was constantly renewed in spirit buy the power of the Holy Spirit and encouraged by the growth of the church. However, he went through some really difficult trails for the sake of Christ.

If you didn't know I'm going into missions for a year at the end of August. As I said earlier about my life, its not going to be easy. There will be lots of things I won't want to or won't feel comfortable doing when in missions. However, I know that through it all Christ will always be there to help me and give me strength. The whole point here isn't that I should be unhappy with the trials I have in this life, but be waiting in anticipation of the life and joy I will be given in heaven.

The big question is; Are you going to await the pleasures of the heaven, be willing to sacrifice your earthly pleasures, and follow the Lord's will?

In this day in age everything is so immediate and if its not immediate is it worth the trouble? The quicker we can get somewhere the better, the faster the internet the better - "Oh, what would we do without fast internet?" Its not quick enough to have something tomorrow, but we are of that mindset that we need things now. We need our pleasure now, the quicker we can get our emotional happiness the better. However, as those who have decided to put away the things of the world and follow Christ we should be willing to forgo the pleasures of this world to later receive real treasure that is not temporary.

Now, I'm not saying that as Christians we are not allowed to have fun or enjoy the things we have been blessed by God with. I'm saying that we should be willing to be content with leaving our earthly enjoyment to follow the leading and will of Christ in our lives. 

As I start to move on with the rest of my life I pray that I will develop the endurance to give up pleasure and the things I desire and instead live out the desires of Christ for my life. What is your decision, will you live temporarily or profoundly choose to endure with the help of Christ with eyes looking at eternity in heaven?

Fakin' Maturity

In recent times I have been thinking about my personal maturity. I have been asking myself questions about whether or not I'm mature enough for certain things in life. I've wondered if I'm a mature man that is ready to move out west and get my own living. I've wondered if I'm ready to start dating. I've wondered if I am ready to support a wife or family, can I really see myself being able to do that in the future?

I have started thinking that I should soon be ready for these things, but instead I have realized that being eighteen doesn't make you a mature adult, it doesn't make you ready for certain things in life. I have realized that I may be fakin' the maturity of an adult. Am I really ready for the things that I say  or think I am ready for?

I think our culture has developed a false idea of maturity. See its not that people who turn eighteen are then able to handle smoking, voting, tobacco, or porn. The truth is that your not mature because you can do these things, but that by the time your eighteen you should have learned to be mature. Mature enough in your thinking and decision making to make the right decisions about these things in life.

Society seams to have created this identity where your fakin' your maturity. When we have started to put the measure of maturity into thing such as guns, big muscles, women, and money we are fakin' maturity. It is the respect and correct use of such things to benefit people and fulfill God's will that is maturity, not the possession of such things.

So, what is real maturity? I would say that real maturity is when you live out of a love for God and a desire to glorify Him. Maturity is when you live in concordance with the Word of God and let your life be a fulfillment of His will.

The profound reality isn't that maturity is something you acquire. Maturity is a result of experiences changing and giving wisdom to your way of thinking and living. Maturity is best strengthened when your realize that; Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. - Matthew 10:39