Break Down the Wall

   Have you ever been hurt by someone? I'm sure that we all have. When we get hurt we have a choice. Let me tell you a story that way you can see the choices.

   Once upon a time there was a fairy named Maleficent. She fell in love with a human. The human loved her for a while but one day he was told that anyone who killed this fairy would be king. He went to her and gave her a drink that made her fall asleep. He decided not to kill her but take her wings instead.
   The fairy became queen of the forest. She put up a thorny wall all around the forest because she did not want any human to ever get in the forest again.
   When we are hurt, we have a choice.  One choice we can make is to put walls up. If we put a wall around out heart then we will never be hurt again. It would be nice to never have hurt enter our hearts but there's a problem with this. If we have a wall hurt can't get in, but love also can't get out.
   We are called to love others and be a light to the world. If we have a wall up that means we will not get to know others. We will not spread God's love to others. He lets us be a part of his story by spreading the news of the Gospel. We cannot do that if we don't get to know others, care for them, and show God's love to them.
   The story doesn't end there. In time, the king had a child. The queen of the forest came to the kingdom to interrupt the celebration of the child's birth. She put a curse on the child. The child would prick her finger on a spinning wheel on her 16th birthday and fall into a deep sleep, until true loves kiss woke her. The child was taken to the wild so that she would never see a spinning wheel.
   The fairy watched over the child to make sure that her curse would come to pass. But, as the fairy watched the child she began to love the child. She even took the child to the forest. The fairy broke her walls down to let the child in. 

   The story continues but I don't want to spoil the ending. If you didn't guess by now that is the story of Maleficent. Maleficent went from having walls up to tearing them down. She could have gotten hurt again by this child. But, it did not matter because she loved and cared for this child.
   We can choose, when we get hurt, to put walls up or to love others no matter what happens to us. We could possibly get hurt by that person again; but if we put walls up then we are not showing God's love to the world.
   Jesus never put walls up. He was hurt by many but he still showed love to those people. He died for the people who loved him AND for the people that hurt him. If we call ourselves Christians then we must follow Christ's example. We must show love to all, even to those who hurt us. Will it be easy? No. Will it be worth it? Maybe not in this lifetime; but in heaven it will be.
   So, what will you do when you get hurt? Will you choose to put walls up or to love others no matter what?

   Psalm 149:14-16, Philippians 2:4, 1 John 3:17-18
   Image found here.

I'm Fine

   When I was younger I fell into a trap. People would ask me, "how are you?" I would reply with, "I'm fine." It didn't matter if I had a fantastic day or if I had a horrible day. I always said, "I'm fine."

   When I was in college I met a friend who helped me change this answer. She asked me, "how are you?" I answered, "I'm fine." She could tell I wasn't fine and said, "you know what fine stands for? Freaked out, insecure, neurotic, and emotional." I had never heard that before. She told me it was from a movie. It got me thinking about how many people actually feel that way when they say, "I'm fine."

   More than likely you don't always feel this way when you say, "I'm fine." But, many times, people are not honest with others about how they are feeling. I think we do this for a few reasons. 1. When most people ask "How are you doing?" People don't really care, they just know it is polite to ask. 2. We don't want to bring anyone down, seem like we are complaining, we cannot tell people how we are really feeling, or we don't trust that person. You may be asking, "why does it matter when I ask this question, or how I answer it?" Please stay with me.

   When we ask: "how are you doing?" We should care about the person enough to expect them to give an honest answer. Philippians 2:4 says: "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." We are to care about people. Over and over in the Bible we are told to love others. We can love others by caring about them enough to ask "how are you?" And actually expect an honest answer. We also have to actively listen to the answer then, if the person wants it, give advice. We must remember that if we give advice we cannot expect the person to take it. We must care about people enough to love and listen.

   When we respond to: "how are you doing?" We must remember to be real with others. Hebrews 10:23-25 says: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." It is important for us to encourage one another. How can we do that if we are not real with others? I'm not saying that every time someone asks, "how are you doing?" We should say mean things about others and go on and on about all of our woes. I've said it before and I'll say it again: there is a difference between venting and complaining. Venting is healthy because you are sharing with someone who can encourage you. Complaining is when you are trying to make someone look bad by saying horrible things about them to everyone, in essence you are gossiping even if what you are saying is true.

   Are we to use discretion when we answer, "how are you doing?" Yes, we should not tell a random stranger how we are doing and we should not tell someone who is directly involved with the situation. But, we can at least answer the person honestly. If we are not doing that we'll we say, "I'm struggling." And leave it at that. If we are doing great just say, "I'm feeling great." Then maybe you can share why you are feel great to glorify God.

   So, when you ask someone "how are you doing?" Will you care about their answer? When someone asks you that question will you be real with them? Will you encourage others by helping them feel better and telling them things in your life that glorify God?

   Image from here.

God of Wrath and Love

   I have learned a lot over my lifetime. I have learned that it is not a good idea to put your hand on the stove when it's hot, learned that one the hard way. I have learned that adulting is hard; enjoy childhood while you can, children/college students. I have also learned that I don't know everything, especially when it comes to God.
   I have asked a lot of questions about God. Some I have learned the answers to, others I have not. One question I have asked is: why does God seem different in the Old Testament? He is about love in the New Testament and death in the Old, why is that? Believe it or not, after struggling with that, and after study at LBC, I have an answer.
   It is important to note before we go on that many people ask this question because of the fact that the Bible says that God doesn't change (Heb.13.8). If God doesn't change then why is Jesus all about love and acceptance?
   I'm glad you asked ;) It is true that God does not change, no matter how different he seems in the Old Testament as compared to the New Testament. However, God does change the way he deals with us. That may seem close to changing, but God's personality is still the same.
   Think of it this way: at the beginning of the world, God gave Adam and Eve one commandment. They were not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If they ate, the consequence would be death (Gen.2.16-17). You know the rest of the story: Adam and Eve ate of the tree and they died immediately, right? Wrong! God could have killed Adam and Eve right away because they disobeyed. Not only that, but sin entered the world then. God cannot look upon sin; therefore, God could no longer walk with Adam and Eve. God showed love to Adam and Eve by not killing them immediately.
   One part of God that I think we don't emphasize enough is that God is a God of wrath. He cannot be with anything unholy. When sin entered the world, God could have left us all alone to die; but, because of his love, he did not. He had a chosen people who were to be a light to the world: the Israelites.
   The Israelites did an amazing job at spreading the good news and everyone was saved. Ha, just making sure you are still paying attention. The Israelites were given commandments. In the end, they did not follow those commandments, continued to sin, and fell away from God. But, before that happened, they had strong Godly leaders, like Moses and Joshua, that led them in God's ways. During that time, God told Joshua every time the Israelites defeated a city that everything was to be destroyed. That meant that the gold, animals, men, women, and children were to be killed. Hold up, isn't God a loving God? Why would he make the Israelites kill everything?
   God knew that if the Israelites would keep those people alive the Israelites would fall into sin. That's great that God is taking care of His people, but why doesn't he care about those other people, the ones who were killed? God did care about those people. Israel's job was to be a light to the world. Do you think that the people in the towns the Israelites destroyed never heard of the miracles and victories the Israelites had? They did, in fact many times the cities joined with other cities to defeat the Israelites; but they were no match for God. These people in these cities were sinners, could they have repented? Would God have accepted them?
   The Bible gives us a few examples of people who joined the Israelites because they repented. In Joshua 2, we read the story about how Rahab helped the spies. After she helped them, she asked to join them because she heard of the miracles that occurred and knew God was with them. Rahab did something that the other people in Jericho did not do: she repented. She did not run from God, but ran to him and, because of that, she and her family joined the Israelites. I could go on with examples of people like Samson who turned from God but at the end turned back, Ruth who stayed with Naomi though it meant hardship, and even the whole city of Nineveh who turned from their evil ways. All of them repented and followed God. God accepted them because he is a God of love and he doesn't want any to perish. But, God cannot look on sin which is why he is also a God of wrath.
   Now you may be saying, "didn't the Israelites sin too? How could God look upon them?" The Israelites presented sacrifices to God. The only way that God could be with them is by a sacrifice of atonement that happened once each year (Lev.16 [specifically verse 34 if you don't want to read about how the sacrifice was made]). The reason why the sacrifice had to be made is because God sacrificed a lamb to make clothes for Adam and Eve. The blood of the lamb covered their sin. Sound familiar? It should because, I don't know about you but, I am so thankful that I don't have to sacrifice animals today because Jesus died for my sins. The Old Testament pointed to Jesus. The law was made to prove that we cannot make it to heaven on our own. We need Jesus to take our sin away. That's why Jesus came in and talked about love; because that's what Jesus came to share: God's love.
   So, do you realize that God is a God of love and wrath? Do you see that God has never changed? Do you believe that Jesus died as atonement for your sins?

   For more information on God being a God of wrath and love check out this blog.

   Image from here.

Holding Grudges

   Have you ever made a promise you didn't keep? Did anyone ever break a promise to you? It doesn't matter if it is a small promise or a big one, when a promise is broken so is trust. Many times people remember when someone does not keep a promise. But as Christians what are we called to do?

   We are called to forgive those who wrong us. But many times we have a grudge against the person who broke the promise. Sometimes we try to forget those broken promises but we keep it in the back of our mind what that person did.
   When we hold grudges like that it is like a filing cabinet. Way back, at my church, a little skit was put on. An old lady came walking down the aisle with a huge filing cabinet. She interacted with the pastor and we found out that this lady had kept a record of everyone who ever wronged her. She kept holding grudges against those people because she didn't want to get burned.
   Imagine if you were to keep a record of all the wrongs anyone has committed against you. How big would your filing cabinet be? I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to carry that cabinet around. In fact, carrying that around doesn't do any good. It doesn't keep those who wronged us in chains, it just keeps us in chains. We are the one who carries around the anger, resentment, and hate. Meanwhile that person who wronged us may not even know what he did.
   Instead of having a huge filing cabinet what we need to have just one page in a file folder that says: Jesus' love paid it all. And has the words of Ephesians 4:31-31.
   So do you carry around a filing cabinet? What can you do to get rid of those grudges? Will you choose to remember that all is forgiven in Jesus?

   Mark 11:25, Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 18:21-22
   Image from here. 

Through Heaven's Eyes

   Have you ever wondered if everything you do is worth it? I know I have, because I do a lot for others and I enjoy doing it. However, it is sometimes hard to keep helping others when you feel like it doesn't make a difference.
   When I start to feel this way I think of a song from The Prince of Egypt called "Through Heaven's Eyes." Some lyrics are, "A single thread in a tapestry, though its color brightly shines, can never see its purpose, in the pattern of the grand design." Our story isn't a whole tapestry. Our story is only one part of the tapestry. We are part of His story. While we are here we have a choice: do we want to be part of God's story and shine brightly for him, or do we want to try to do things for ourselves?
   The song goes on to say: "So how do you measure the worth of a man, in wealth or strength or size, in how much he gained or how much he gave, the answer will come to him who tries, to look at his life through heaven's eyes." Many people try to measure their worth through possessions or success. However, those things are only temporary. We do not take any possessions with us after we die. Many times people compromise to gain success. That is not what we are called to do. We are called to love others and reflect God's glory.
   Finally, the song says: "No life can escape being blown about, by the winds of change and chance, and though you never know all the steps, you must learn to join the dance." This life is not going to go the way we planned. God has got better plans for us. We can step back from our lives and not do what God calls us to do. We can kick and scream all we want but God's plan comes about (Jonah). Or, we can walk with God and join the dance of our lives. We don't know what steps God will call us to do, but if he is with us guiding our steps we cannot lose.
   We are not on this earth for a very long time. It may seem like forever when we are here but it is only a short time. We can choose to live this life for ourselves and then rot in eternity. Or, we can choose to follow God and make a difference in the lives of others.
   So, do you believe that your life is part of His story? Will you live your life to reflect his glory? How can you take steps to follow God and help others today?

   1 Corinthians 10:31, 1 John 2:15-17, Proverbs 3:5-6

   Image from here.

Does Revenge Really Make You Feel Better?

   There is a new TV series that has come out based off of the movie Big Hero 6. In the movie a boy, named Hiro, gets together a team to try to unmask a man who started a fire that killed Hiro's brother. In one scene, the man who killed Hiro's brother is unmasked. In a fit of rage, Hiro orders Baymax, a robot built to help people, to destroy the man who killed his brother. The man escapes, and Hiro is so upset. He wanted revenge on this man. Then he realizes that killing this man will not make him happy. Baymax was built to help people and Hiro wants to help others too. Killing someone would not be helpful.
   In another story, there was a man who owned a small portion of land. Another man wanted to buy that small piece of land because he was going to build a hotel on the next lot. The man who owned the small piece of land refused. So the other man built his hotel anyhow.
   The man who owned the small area of land was so upset that he decided to build a house on the small area of land to block the view of this hotel. The man tried to rent out the house to some tenants but very few people could fit in the house. It had the smallest appliances and only one person could be in the hall or go up the stairs at a time. The man who built the house ended up living in that home with his wife because he ran out of money. His attempt at getting revenge just ruined him.
   Finally, in a story you probably know well, two brothers were making a sacrifice to God. The older brother, named Cain, gave some of his harvest. The younger brother, Abel, gave the first born of his flock. God accepted Abel's sacrifice, but not Cain's. Cain was so upset that he killed his brother Abel. It did not make Cain feel any better; in fact it made him feel worse! He had to leave his family and live on his own.
   In all of these cases, revenge destroyed, or could've destroyed, these people. Revenge does us no good. God is the only one who can judge us. It is not our job to judge others. It is our job to forgive them.
   Think about a person who may have wronged you. Did you forgive that person? If you didn't and you still harbor a grudge and want revenge, then you are the one in chains, not that person. You are the one who will be destroyed, not that person. We need to forgive those who wrong us, otherwise we will not be of use to God. We will not be following God's example and will not fulfill his plan for us.
   Romans 12:19, Matthew 5:38-39, Mark 11:25
  Image from here.

The Train of Choices

   Imagine you are walking down the street. Suddenly you look over and see a train blowing its whistle. Down the tracks you see a car that has crashed on the tracks. The family in the car seems to be safe but they cannot get out because the doors are jammed.
   You look over at a different set of tracks and see a construction worker working on the track. Then you turn your head and see a track switch. If you do not pull the lever then the family will be killed. But, if you do pull the lever, the construction worker will be killed.
   A millions thoughts rush through your mind. You try to yell to the construction worker but he doesn't hear you. You think, "is it God's will that the family dies? Should I just step back? Or, should I save the family and let the one construction worker die?" In a split second you pull the switch.
You continue to yell, but the worker doesn't hear you. The train is closer now and it is just about to pass you. Suddenly you realize that the worker is someone close to you (friend, family member, etc.). You frantically look at the switch. You still have time to pull it and save your loved one, but then the family would die. What do you do?
   I first heard about this story in my philosophy class. My professor posed these questions to us. Obviously this exact situation may not happen in real life, but what if something like it happened? What if a new family came to church and then a terrorist group came in. Then they gave you the option of choosing between your family member's death or that new family. You have no idea if that family is saved. Hopefully you know if your family member is saved. What would you do?
   Here's the moral of the story. Talk with your family to make sure you know they are saved. Even if you know they are saved, talk about what you would do if something like this would happen (maybe not with little kids). It will be a difficult conversation but we have a calling. Once we became Christians we were called to follow the Great Commission. We know where our family members are going but we do not know for sure where others are going. It is our job to make sure that everyone knows the word of the Gospel. That way, if this situation ever does happen, we can say with confidence I know where I am going and where my family is going. Then we will be with God in Heaven.
   So what would you have done if you were in that situation? Will you take it upon yourself to talk with your family about what you would do in this situation? Will you follow the Great Commission and spread the good news so that none will perish?

   Matthew 28:16-20, John 14:6, Proverbs 3:5
   Image from here.