For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Friday, January 17, 2014

Why faith should NOT be a private matter.

First of all, as someone who is eternally grateful that Jesus rescued me from the pit of hell, how can I not exude this gratefulness and shout it from the rooftops? Just had to get that out of the way right up front.

I have heard it said many times that faith should be a private matter. I find this to be even more evidence that man does not want God's moral standards imposed on him.

Let's think about this:

If I found out I was dying with Stage IV cancer and there was nothing they could do to save me...
I was dying...
I had had all the advanced treatment they could give me...
I was dying...
I was saying my good-byes to my family and friends...
Looking at my children, knowing they would be without their mama...
Looking at my husband who would be without his partner in crime, his best friend.....(ok, we really don't commit crimes together for all my fellow literal friends.)

When something amazing happened! I was given a cure and just in time! Who would scoff at the cure in this situation? Who would say, "Oh, I'm too smart for that. That won't really work. That's a fairytale." Who would refuse this life-saving cure? Hmmm...not me! I mean, I was dying. It was INEVITABLE. I was going to DIE. Leave my family and friends and be separated from them. FOR.EV.ER.  (Does anyone else think of the Sandlot when they say that?)

Ok, seriously. That is life, folks. We are ALL lost without Him...Him being The Lord Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh who came down to save us from our sins so we could be with Him forever!

Keep your faith to yourself...
Why are you shoving that down my throat....

Excuse me, can I please shove the cure for cancer down your throat that you might HAVE LIFE?

I cannot keep my faith to myself. EVERY born again believer who has been rescued from the pit of Hell should exude JESUS in such a way that there is no doubt what we believe and to Whom we belong. But that doesn't mean just living life, my friends. True, it should be evident by our lives that we serve the risen King of Kings but no...that's not all.

We MUST repent of our fear of man. As long as we fear the opinion of man, we will not be salty, we will be hiding our light and we will be of little use to the Kingdom. Oh sure, our Mighty God can still use us...I believe that. But think of our witness when we shake off our fear of man and instead start fearing God, the One who loved us to come die for us so we could be with Him forever.

God haters will always have special words for those who live out their faith lovingly and with boldness rather than "keeping it to themselves." 

Arrogant....
Religious nut....
Fruit loop...
Idiot...

Don't let this deter you. Live for Him, tell others about this Cure, the ONLY cure for DEATH, my friends. If you would be shouting off the rooftops when you found the cure for terminal cancer yet remain silent about your faith, what does this imply? If we fear men, why would we be Christians?

Galatians 1:10
 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Proverbs 29:25 says,
"The fear of man brings a snare,
But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe."

The fear of man certainly does bring a snare. The fear of man keeps us quiet. The fear of man forces us to keep our faith a private matter. In essence, it forces us to stop being salty, to hide our light under a bowl. To hide.
To be ashamed of Jesus.

Loving the praise of man isn't a new thing.
John 12:42-43
 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

You are a new creation in Christ. The old you, the one who is afraid of what people think, has died. You know the Cure, the life-saving Cure. If we really believe it, there is no way we can keep our faith a private matter.  Not when we know the reality that awaits those who don't have the Cure. There is just no way. 

For His glory alone,
genesis

Friday, January 3, 2014

What did I learn in 2013?

I am not one to make New Year's Resolutions however I do like to look back on my year to reflect on what I've learned. I can then pray about those things and ask the Lord to help me in those areas.

*I learned that I'm still too trusting and naive. I am thirty-six years old yet I still believe that people who are supposed to be trustworthy and keep things confidential, whether it's because their job title requires them to or because you think they're that close of a friend, still fail. This is not a "poor me" statement. Yes, I've been hurt and betrayed. As sad and disappointed as I was by this, I saw a silver lining in that, I am at a better place in my walk with the Lord. That's not to say I've arrived, not  by any means. There is still much work to be done in me and I know the Lord is faithfully pruning what needs to be pruned in me. But there was a time when I'd be so angry by betrayals of this sort. Now, I feel sorry for this person. Genuinely, not in a sarcastic way. I feel sad that this person should know not to gossip and should know to keep things confidential but this person cannot do so. I know to pray for this person. I look at this person as someone who falls short and needs grace. That is a huge thing! We all need grace! I am actually thankful for this experience and for the way that the Lord is teaching me to have more grace for people. Sure, it hurts, but the lesson must be learned. If I want people to show me grace, I must learn to extend grace to others. That can only happen by them failing me or hurting me in some way. There would be no other way for people to NEED grace so the hurt must occur first.

How will I fix this flaw in myself, this flaw of being too trusting? I don't know. I can't fix me. I will have to keep praying, studying God's Word, and trusting that the Lord is doing a great work in me over time. I wish there was an easy fix, that I could just do x,y, and z and suddenly be very wise and know who to trust but that's not realistic. For now, I know I will be very guarded. Even among people who are supposed to be the most trustworthy. Especially people who are supposed to be most trustworthy. I will keep sharing things with the Lord. He is the only one who will never let us down.

*I learned that I am not the things I was told I am. The Lord is faithfully and patiently working to show me this because when you hear things often, you wonder if there is truth to them. I am an only child. I've heard the, "You're a spoiled only child. You only care about yourself." thing quite a few times in my life. Quite a few times. I've heard some manipulative things from people who acted like my whole existence was due to them and I should bow and worship them forever, no matter what evil things they did to me in return, because I owed them everything. Through personal events, the Lord is showing me that I am not selfish. He's showing me that I absolutely care more about others than myself and that I put others above me, "considering them better than me", if you will.  He is showing me those people lied, they are liars and manipulators. Their words do not define me. Their words do not even come close to describing me. Who knows me better, inside and out, than the Lord? My Lord, who has seen everything I've ever done, every thought I've ever thought and died for me? And loves me? No, I am not defined by what people think. Thank You, Lord, for teaching me THAT. 

*I have learned that God can make an unbearable situation bearable if we trust Him and lean on Him like crazy! No other details about this, but I can't wait to come back in a year and read this to re-evaluate. My God is so faithful!

There are many things I learned this past year and I decided to write about just these few. I am thankful to the Lord for getting me through the year, for never letting me down, for never turning His back on me, for being the One I can count on ALWAYS. I can't imagine how I'd get though life without Him. This new year will bring some changes, it will bring a new season in my life, but I don't have to fear because my God already has things under control and will never leave me. I am His ever grateful servant! <3 

May your 2014 be full of good health, spiritual growth,and blessings in whatever form they may come. Just remember...sometimes they don't look like blessings at first. Trust and have faith.

For His glory alone,
genesis