Suspense

   Picture you are watching a movie. Eerie music is playing and the person in the movie is walking toward a door. The person walks slower and slower. When she gets to the door she stops. You can see the fear on her face. Her hand reaches for the door handle but she pulls back. Finally, she works up the courage again and quickly grabs the handle and opens the door.
   How did you feel during that part of the movie? Did you find yourself yelling at the person to not open the door? The people who create movies know that people like suspense. We even start to tell the people to not do things, but the characters don't typically listen to us for some reason. Usually, movies all work out in the end and that's something we tend to rely on when the characters in the movie are at their lowest.
   What about our lives? Do our lives ever feel like a movie? I can picture God in heaven watching us make choices. He is hoping we will choose the right thing. Now, some of you may be saying, "doesn't God know what I will choose? Isn't he all knowing?" He is all knowing but he gives us free will. We get to choose what we will do each day. God doesn't force us to make choices. He knows what will happen based off of the choices we make.
   God walks with us and will help us if we ask him to. We can choose to walk with him and follow his word rather than following our own desires. In the end of our movie, if we follow God, we will have a happy ending. However, if we choose not to believe in God and not to walk with him then our ending won't be so happy.
   So, do you believe that God cares about you and walks with you? Will you choose to ask God for help when you need it? Are you going to have a happy ending?

   Proverbs 3:5-6 and 1 John 3:20

   Image from here.

You Don't Know What You Have Until You Lose It

   My sister had the experience that many of us have in our lifetimes: she got her wisdom teeth out. Over the course of the next week she lived on the supply of applesauce and pudding my mother got her. We would eat burgers and other solid food while she ate soft things. After about a week she was able to eat solid food, somewhat.
   During that week she would stare at what we were eating and her mouth would water. I finally said to her, "it kind of makes you appreciate what you have right?" She, of course, glared at me and we moved on. But it make you think: what do I have that I take for granted?
   Imagine if you had no teeth. Imagine if you only had a few pairs of clothes, or only one. Imagine if you didn't have a bible or the ability to read the word of God. We are blessed with so much. Sometimes I think we forget everything we have because it's always there.
   During the last week of the school year I like to give my students a challenge each day. Here is your challenge, should you choose to accept it: pick one day, you can do more if you want, and think about or write everything you have to be thankful for. You have blessings all around you if you just look. If you write down your blessings keep that list handy. In the future, when you have a bad day, get your list out and think of all the reasons you are still blessed. Then thank God for those blessings.

   James 1:17 and 2 Corinthians 9:8

   Image from here.

Satisfaction

   I enjoy musicals. That may surprise you a bit considering some people think musicals are strange. Why would people randomly sing about what is going on in their lives? I believe I know some reasons, but we won't go there today. Instead, I'd like to talk about a specific musical that has been popular recently: Hamilton.
   Hamilton is a show about Alexander Hamilton and his life. There is a song in the show which talks about Alexander, Angelica, Elizabeth, and their relationships. Angelica sings at the end: "And I know (Be satisfied, be satisfied, be satisfied),
She'll be happy as his bride (Be satisfied, be satisfied, be satisfied), And I know (Be satisfied, be satisfied, be satisfied), He will never be satisfied, I will never be satisfied." 
   Angelica is talking about Alexander and his ambition. She says that he will never be satisfied. 
   Let’s relate that to us. Is it wrong to go after what you want and desire? There is a fine line here. The answer is it depends on what your heart's desire is. 
   If you are going after what you want, or your personal heart's desire, then that is a problem. When you focus too much on yourself: getting what you want, earning more money, satisfying your fleshly desires, and so on your life is meaningless. 1 Timothy 6:9 says, "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." Reread that verse. If your heart's desire is to be rich, then you are headed for doom and destruction. It may not seem like you are headed for destruction on earth, but you cannot escape it after death. Luke 9:25 says "For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" If you follow your heart's desire and you are only thinking of yourself then you will miss out on the most important thing in life: a relationship with Christ. And you will spend eternity without Him.
   If your heart's desire is to follow God, then ambition can be good. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." We are to give our best in everything we do. Our ambition should be to follow the Lord and emulate Him to the best of our ability. As long as our hearts desire is for ourselves, we will not be satisfied. Craig Groeschel, who is a pastor and author, says "Anytime we allow our souls to be consumed with anything other than God, we will never be satisfied." The only way to be satisfied in this life and the next is to follow God and glorify Him in all we do.
   So, are you satisfied with your life right now? What is your heart's desire? How can you glorify God today? Image from here.

Expanding Your Horizons

   There are many movies out there that get a bad reputation by Christians. Most of those movies have to deal with sins that we think are too far gone from God. I'm not saying that there aren't some bad movies out there; what I am saying is that we can still look for the good messages in those movies. Last year the movie Dr. Strange came out. While the movie does deal with death, corruption, and magic there are some really profound quotes and messages in the movie.

   1. The Ancient One: [to Dr Strange] "You're a man looking at the world through a keyhole. You've spent your life trying to widen it. Your work saved the lives of thousands. What if I told you that reality is one of many?"
   Sometimes we fall into the trap Strange fell into. He thought he knew everything. He thought he was the best at everything. Yet, he also kept searching for new knowledge. He was hungry for new knowledge and truth. Yet when some knowledge came along that seemed too fantastic, or like a fantasy, he refused to believe it.
   It seems crazy to think that God would care so much for us that he would send his son to become a human and die on the cross. It also seems crazy to think that all we have to do is go to Jesus, believe in him, ask him to take our sins, then we are washed white as snow. But, it is true.
   2. Dr. Stephen Strange: [on magic] "I control it by surrendering control? That doesn't make any sense."
   The Ancient One: "Not everything does. Not everything has to."
   Humans like to be in control. We like to have a plan, security, and know what we are doing. If we want to follow God we must submit to him. That means we must give up control. We must trust in his plan and do what we are called to do. If Strange can learn this lesson then why can't we?
   3. The Ancient One: "We never lose our demons, Mordo. We only learn to live above them."
   Along with control, sometimes we have sins that we hold onto. We think that this sin is not going to control us, or it's not that bad. But, to God, sin is sin. If you continually lie it is the same as if you get drunk every night to God. We must give our sins to God and ask him to help us overcome those sins. Only then will we "live above our demons."
   4. Dr. Stephen Strange: "I'm not ready."
   The Ancient One: "No one ever is. We don't get to choose our time. Death is what gives life meaning. To know your days are numbered. Your time is short. You'd think after all this time, I'd be ready. But look at me. Stretching one moment out into a thousand... just so that I can watch the snow."
   We only have one life to live. God created us for a reason. We all have a call and a job to do while on earth. We must choose if we will follow that call that God has given us or not.
   5. The Ancient One: "Arrogance and fear still keep you from learning the simplest and most significant lesson of all."
   Dr. Stephen Strange: "Which is?"
   The Ancient One: "It's not about you."
   This is probably the most profound quote in the movie. Many people walk through this life filled with pride thinking that they are the greatest and it is all about them. That is until they reach the end of their lives and they are all alone. That's not to say we should care about others just so we aren't alone. We should care about others because that is what we are called to do. God said we should love him, then love others, and finally ourselves. If our priorities are not in that order then we are not following God.
   As you can see, this movie opens up into many spiritual aspects. When the writers wrote the story they probably were not thinking that this could relate to Christianity, but that doesn't change the messages we can get out to others because of this movie.
   So, will you choose to expand your horizon? Will you give control of your life over to God? How will you show you love God and love others today?

   Proverbs 19:21, Jeremiah 29:11, John 13:34

   Image found here. 

Would You Have Been in the Bible?

   There are many great people who are mentioned in the Bible. In the Hall of Faith, we find many people who accomplished a lot for the Lord. These are people "who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection (Heb.11.33-35)." They accomplished many amazing things, and they are forever remembered as having great faith.

   With those people in mind, I have to wonder if there are people who God called that chose not to obey. Did God promise to bless someone other than Abraham? Did God want to use someone else to save the spies in Jericho other than Rahab? Before you start to think I'm a heretic for asking these questions stop and remember that the Lord gives us free will. The Lord can call people to do things, but it is up to those people to choose to obey God or not. That's how much God loves us. He gives us a choice. But that's a blog for another time.
   Other people could have been called by God to do amazing things in Bible times. But, if those people chose not to obey God they were forgotten. I'm not saying that people in the Bible obeyed God because they wanted to be immortalized. They were probably just choosing the Lord because they knew he was the best option and that he loved them. What I am saying is the people who are remembered in the Bible show us faith, love, God's power, joy, loyalty, and so much more. 
   That leads me to a question for you: if the Bible was to be written today, would you be in it? Are you doing your best to follow the Lord? Do you continually choose to show love to others? Are you trying to grow in God each day? Are you "sold out" for the Lord? Only you can answer these questions, but I would like to point out that if you don't like your answers to these questions, you still have time. You can choose to be revitalized in the Lord. But remember, who you are doing these things for. You are not doing it for your legacy. You are doing it to reflect God's glory. That's why the people who are in the Bible are in it. They chose to follow the Lord for His glory, not their own.

   Image from here.

The Character of God

   We all have them: problems. Maybe someone you knew for a long time betrayed you. Maybe there was a mix up with important papers at work or in your life. Maybe you lost a source of income. There are many problems that we have and will have in our lives. Typically, when we have problems, we focus on ourselves. We focus on our feelings, what we need, what we want, and so on. Is that really what we should be focusing on?
   The problems that we have may seem big, but we have a bigger God. With that in mind, when we have problems, we should focus God's power and character. Let me show you what I mean. Let's say you just lost your job. You are probably feeling worried, hurt, betrayed, etc. What can God's character do to help you with that? We know that God is good, thus He works all things for our good (Rom.8.28). We know that God supplies our every need and that he cares for us, therefore we do not need to worry (1 Pet.5.7). We know the Lord loves us and nothing on this earth can take that away (Rom.8.35-39).
   Will the problem still hurt even if we focus on God's character? It may, but instead of focusing on us and what we can do we are focused on the Lord and what He can do. If you have trouble remembering God's character traits a good part of the Bible to memorize is Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." You may be thinking that those are things we are to have in the spirit. That is true, but if God wants us to have it, he already has it as a character trait. This one verse tells us 9 traits that God has. Focusing on these traits of the Lord can help us see that God can handle any problem that comes our way. The Lord can help us through our problems. We just need to be willing to ask for His help and trust in Him.
   So, will you choose to trust in the Lord and his character when you face trials? Will you ask God to help you with your problems?
   Image from here.

You Know Better Than I

   Have you ever gone through a situation that you didn't understand why it was happening? I am sure you have. You know, those times when you question God. "God why is this happening?" "I tried to follow your lead, and this still happened." "Lord, where are you in this?"
   Many people in the Bible have gone through a time like this as well. Joseph is one example that comes to mind. Joseph did his best to obey his parents and follow the Lord. He did not make the sinful choices his brothers did. Did Joseph have a bit of a pride problem? Maybe, but he still loved his brothers and parents. Did he deserve to be sold into slavery, falsely accused, and thrown in prison? No, by all accounts he did his best to follow after the Lord. Why did all those bad things happen to Joseph then?
   DreamWorks Studios came out with a movie called Joseph King of Dreams many years ago. There is a song in that movie called You Know Better Than I. It is a great song that emphasizes what Joseph may have been thinking about while in prison. He talks about how he thought he did what was right. He told God how to help him through his problems. And that if this is a test, he cannot see the reason for it. 
   It sounds familiar to me and maybe to you. We as Christians know we are not perfect. We make mistakes but many times we do our best to follow after God and grow in him. Yet, bad things happen, problems come, and we do not understand why. That is probably because we are in the middle of the problem. We do not know the future. Only God knows the future and he has plans for each of us.
   The end of the song says, "You know better than I, you know the way, I've let go the need to know why, I'll take what answers You supply, For You know better than I." Joseph had a lot of time to think in prison. He probably was unhappy with how he was treated. But rather than pouting about it, he chose to bring glory to God where he was at. Joseph chose to trust that God had a plan for his life. He took the answers that the Lord gave him. Then he trusted in God. He is such a good example for us when we are walking through problems and we do not understand why they are happening.
   So, when you go through problems do you choose to trust in the Lord? How can you remember to trust in God each day?
   Image from here.