Traveling

~ He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good… ~

“You have heard it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

— Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV) —

   God loves everyone. And he demands that those who profess to follow Him, to love their enemies. Those who choose to sin against me, should be blessed because God blesses both the good and the evil. Who am I to choose who to love and who to hate? Perfection is loving. Loving even the undeserving… Loving even your enemies. Because while we were still enemies of God, God came and died for our sins… so we could be redeemed and live…

Father forgive me for all those times where I hung on to other things and didn’t keep hanging onto you. Keep my eyes on You, Lord. Keep my grubby hands from grabbing onto my idea of love, my strengths, money and power. Let Your will be done in my life, Lord.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

~ Fools… ~

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
   the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

— 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (NIV) —

Intelligence cannot work against God. Neither can wisdom. The world cannot and will not prevail against God. Some times people demand a sign or a miracle from God or some sort of worldy wisdom from God in order to believe in Him. Instead, God brings salvation by the message of the cross: God comming down, becoming flesh, and dying for our sins. Even if God is being foolish, man’s wisdom cannot prevail. Even where God has weakness, man’s strength will not prevail. Where man and God conflict, God wins. Get it? ^_^

Signed,

Just some fool…

Thank you, God, for such foolishness… for in Your foolishness there is hope… even in man’s greatest wisdom… no hope can be found… In Jesus’ name, Amen.

~ The nation of ______ ~

Oh, that my head were a spring of water
   and my eyes a fountain of tears!
I would weep day and night
   for the slain of my people.
Oh, that I had in the desert
   a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
   and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,
   a crowd of unfaithful people.

“They make ready their tongue
   like a bow, to shoot lies;
it is not by truth
   that they truimph in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
   they do not acknowledge me,”

declares the LORD.

“Beware of your friends;
   do not trust your brothers.
For every brother is a deceiver,
   and every friend a slanderer.
Friend deceives friend,
   and no one speaks the truth.
They have taught their tongues to lie;
   they weary themselves with sinning.
You live in the midst of deception;
   in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”

declares the LORD.

— Jeremiah 9:1-6 (NIV) —

This is the world we live in. Deception and sin lies around every corner. These are the people God loves… these are the people that Jesus came to save. Perverse and always sinning… I see this quote being lived out… and also reflections of it in my own life… “they weary themselves with sinning.” We deny and deny and deny… The truth looks us in the face, but still we refuse to acknowledge it. A part of me wants to be away from this place… a part of me says, these are my people… this is where I came from…It is tiring to live here… All the more reason to rejoice when I find a taste of heaven… ^_^

Life Application: Depend upon God alone… your friends… your brother may leave you, but God is unchanging. What do you see?

== EDIT ==

A very nice post: God Party

     courtesy of axle

~ What’s it to you? ~

   Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who has leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
   Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
   This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
   Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

— John 21:20-25 (NIV) —

When things aren’t going our way… and God seems to be giving us a really hard life to live. (Jesus had just told Peter how he was going to die.) We tend to look to those around us and compare. Thinking about someway around… some technicality that will give us reason or excuse to disobey… why else would we look to something other than Christ?

Peter asked, “What about him?” You can almost imagine Peter pointing at the other disciple… asking Jesus what is going to happen to the other disciple… so Peter could argue… could have a point to argue with Jesus about. Instead Jesus says, “what is that to you? You must follow me.” Jesus pretty much rebukes Peter. Something like “None of your business… You’ve got your own things to take care of….”

People, of course, misunderstood and thought that this disciple wouldn’t die. How typical. Jesus was telling Peter to keep an eye upon his own life… look to your self before you turn a critical eye elsewhere (Plank in your own eye… – Matthew 7:3-5) Peter needed to take care to live his life in Jesus’ footsteps, after Peter had done so, then Peter could begin to look to others.

When you are trying to follow someone, in real life, regardless of whether you are walking, biking, driving, jogging, running, … etc. You need to focus on who you are following. You memorize something specific so that if you run into a crowd, you can still find the person you are following. (Knowing his voice… John 10:4) If you get distracted by something else, a pretty girl, an accident by the side of the road, … It is easy to forget about who you are following and when you look around, you will be disoriented while you try to find the person you were following again.

What’s the point?
Hmm… This verse is telling me to stop comparing myself with others in my spiritual walk with God. Keep my focus upon Jesus and don’t focus too much on what God is going to do in someone else’s life. I think if my spiritual walk was strong, loving concern for others will come naturally.

Father, thank you for this wonderful spiritual food. It is better to have a taste of spiritual food than to stuff your face with physical food and just get hungry later… Keep me in your ways, Lord. Let me run this race and keep my eyes upon You and what You have told me. Forgive me for all those times I have sinned against you and help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me. Let Your light shine forth. Give me today my daily bread both spiritual as well as physical. I pray all this in the one name where there is HOPE, in Jesus name, Amen.

Do not boast about tomorrow,
   for you do not know what a day will bring forth.
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
   someone else, and not your own lips.
Stone is heavy and sand a burden,
   but provocation by a fool is heavier than both.
Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
   but who can stand before jealousy?
Better is open rebuke
   than hidden love.
Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
   but an enemy multiplies kisses.
He who is full loathes honey,
   but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.
Like a bired that strays from its nest
   is a man who strays from his home.
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
   and the pleasantness of one’s friend springs from his earnest counsel.
Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father,
   and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes you –
   better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

— Proverbs 27:1-10 (NIV) —

I keep hearing about all the “wise” stuff that can be found in the bible… even from those who aren’t even christian. And so… a taste of wisdom, courtesy of God.

Boasting about tomorrow… don’t be stupid, no one can tell what is going to happen tomorrow, horoscope reading, palm reading, the way I walk… the moles on my face… stop thinking you know what’s going to happen. Only one person knows… *points up*

Praise, self-praise is not worth the breath it uses. If there should be praise, let it come from another… Definitely these two verses will help in guiding the prideful from their high places…

Carrying stones and sand is better than dealing with the jeers of a fool. Why? Simply this, you can move stones and sand… it’s just a matter of time. With a fool, no matter what you do, it comes to nothing. Trying to educate a fool does nothing, trying to reply to the jeers only makes you sink down to the fool’s level.

jealousy? hmm…. no clue… anyone got any ideas on that one? ^.^;;

Rebuking is better than hiding your love. Yeah! A wise brother will speak out and show his love in rebuke rather than loving quietly and silently.

I know about wounds from a friend… they are trustworthy indeed… and enemies always tell you what you want to hear… Let me wound with truth rather than let someone slip and fall because I only told them what they wanted to hear…

Yeah… those who have so much, cannot appreciate what they have… and those who have nearly nothing appreciate every little thing they have no matter how little…

Is God telling me to stay home? hmm….

Yea… it’s awesome to have friends steer you the right way… don’t get mislead by your senses…

hmm… learning to trust friends who are close by… rather than going far, far away to stick with family…

Guess that’s all for now… Hope everyone is doing well spiritual, mentally, and physically. May God show Himself to each one of you this week. As He wills… In Jesus name, I pray, Amen. 

The LORD has risen… have you?

   After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the Mary went to look at the tomb.
   There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
   The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said,. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

— Matthew 28:1-7 —

A fearsome angel… the openning of the tomb, the fear and tembling of the guards… The messenger from God, saying: “he has risen”… Go check it out for yourself and then Go, seek out Jesus’ disciples and tell them the Good News. Death has no hold over this Lord. This Lord is too strong for even death…

=== Edit ===

This made me think hard… I’m not korean, but still it applies as I look into my own life and stare at all the other stuff I grab onto instead of holding firmly on Jesus…

The Disease of <<Insert Name here>> Materialism

Made me think about how blessed I am… and this guy is talking about Prada… 0_0 I just wanted a new car stereo….

~ Stumbling (aka Sinned) ~

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement!

— James 2:10-12 —

     I’ve just stumbled again. God is so patient (1 Cor 13:4)… I have no excuse, the power to resist was there (prayer / Holy Spirit) Did something stupid, forgot to pray, to place God’s word in my heart to keep in His ways. My heart, the evil thing it is, keeps pushing me to just do it. Sin! Just do IT! My logical side just gets beat down… the Fear of God makes me shake… 
     And I backslide… stumble from my walk down to a crawl… and once again, I’m down on my knees. Once again, learning to look up from where i have fallen, to look up and grasp onto the strength of God… to stop leaning upon my knowledge, my wisdom, my strength… to reach out my hand to God… like Peter sinking after a few steps upon the sea… reaching out to grab onto Jesus while the waves lap at my ankles. 
     Praying for God to forgive my sin. And understanding now why I should forgive people 7*70… or 7*7 for sinning against me… because God’s mercy is like that. I keep sinning in one way or another and God keeps forgiving me. I SUCK at obeying. God’s got work to do in this life yet, but He will finish the work He has started. One day at a time… breaking me down… refining me…this lawbreaker.

Thank You, God.

== DC Talk – What if I stumble ==

Is this one for the people?
Is this one for the Lord?
Or do I simply serenade for the things I must afford
You can jumble them together
my conflict still remains
Holiness is calling
in the mist of courting fame

(‘Cause I see the trust in their eyes)
Though the sky is falling
(They need your love in their lives)
Compromise is calling

What if I stumble?
What if I fall?
What if I lose my step and make fools of us all?
Will the love continue
when the walk becomes crawl?
What if I stumble?
And what if I fall?

(What if I stumble?
What if I fall?
You never turned the heat of it all
What if I stumble?
What if I fall fall fall…)

Father please forgive me
for I cannot compose
the fear that lives within me
or the rate at which it grows
If a struggle has a purpose
on a narrow road you’ve carved
why do I dread my trespasses
will leave a deadly scar?

(Do they see the fear in my eyes?)
Are they so revealing?
(This time I cannot disguise)
All the doubt I’m feeling

What if I stumble?
What if I fall?
What if I lose my step and make fools of us all?
Will the love continue
when the walk becomes crawl?
What if I stumble?
And what if I fall?

What if I stumble?

Everyone’s got to crawl
When you know that
you’re up against the wall
It’s about to fall
Everyone’s got to crawl
When you know that 

(Repeat)

(I hear you whispering my name)
You say
(My love for you will never change)
Never change

What if I stumble?
What if I fall?
What if I lose my step and make fools of us all?
Will the love continue
when the walk becomes crawl?
What if I stumble?
And what if I

(Repeat)

(What if I stumble?
What if I fall?
You never turned the heat of it all
What if I stumble?
What if I fall?
You are my comfort
and my God God God…)

Is this one for the people?
Is this one for the Lord..?

Vegito4 made a nice post…

Just wanted to share a pal’s POV.

And here’s my response:

*chuckles*

I understand your point of view. I’ve been there… People are not born Christian… I have Buddist/ Ancestral worship parents. I was trying to be “good.” But at the same time, I cannot believe that “everyone is right.” or “intention makes right.” That makes no sense to me… Does it really make logical sense to you? or are you just trying to be “nice” to everyone?

   I AM NOT and God-willing, WILL NOT try to convert you to my religion. May God forgive me, if I ever do that. The choice is not within my hands. I just speak what I see, what I experience, what I think… because that is what God tells me to do. I see so much truth in what the Bible says and I believe in God. So yes, my belief is based upon a book and my perception of my experiences. I am only called to share what I believe… NOT to force it on someone else. God never called me to bring people to Him by force, but just to proclaim what I see as the truth and to follow Jesus. Nothing more, nothing less.

Going to hell is truth as I see it, but you can have your opinions to validate the way you live your life. The purpose of God… that is quite high up… the God I believe in is too much for me to understand. I know He loves us, but what about a God who loves and demands justice?

lost authenticity – The Red Sea Scrolls. That’s all I’ve got to say about that. Believe as you will.

open-mindedness – I am open-minded, but I also believe in truth. I seek truth. I speak out about what I see and hear. I think I am open-minded, I speak truth no matter where I find it. But the more truth I find, the more I find reflections of what I read in the Bible… so many truths that I begin to wonder, if this book is right about so many different things, why do people not believe? Jesus said “one way” so once again, I say: If it was up to me, there would be more than one way… but Jesus said one way, one truth, one life. I cannot follow what I believe to be true and not speak up for Jesus.

If you truly seek to do good and not being selfish, you will find God. I believe that because doing seeking to do good has brought me to God. Talk to me about selfishness, greed, wrath, and death…. I will speak to you about justice, love, mercy, and holiness.

What is “truth” for me right now? People will choose to live the way they want to and then justify it later. I find myself doing this all the time. But I can’t keep on living this way. I have to follow the right way and Jesus says “Follow me.” So until I find something that is a lie in the Bible… I will keep following. So do me a favor, find me a lie in the Bible. It would save me a lot of time and effort and you can check it off as your “good deed” of the day, because being a Christian is a hard way to live. Then I can go back to following “do good the way you want to do good.” 

()

() <>< () Good Eats () ><> ()

   When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
   “Yes, Lord” he said, “you know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
   Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?
   He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
   The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
   Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

— John 21:15-19 —

   The scene above is Jesus talking to Peter… after Peter’s denial, after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus asks Peter about love… Do you love me? Imagine one of your closest friends talking to you after he/she has betrayed you. The tension in the air, the mistrust, the guilt… Thick enough to cut with a knife… And Jesus, ever the strange one asks, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” What would you be thinking?
   Peter answered truthfully (remember this is God, Peter is talking to… ) “Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus makes an important point here, remember the betrayal… Peter’s denial spoke volumes about what Peter believed. Peter wanted to do things his way, but Jesus commanded Peter: “Feed my lambs.”
 (in other words, do it MY way… not YOUR way.) Affirm your words with action. Stop trying to do things your way and obey your Lord.
   The betrayal in the courtyard (Matthew 26:69-75) affected Peter deeply. It showed Peter that Jesus knew the future and knew what was going to happen and to think that you can overcome just by your own will alone is stupidity. Peter learns what it means to be human and comes to acknowledge God.
   But how should you acknowledge God? Jesus answers this neatly. He says you need to feed the flock, specifically, God’s flock from the smallest lamb to the big grown sheep. Jesus then proceeds to prophesy about how Peter would live the rest of his life. But about feeding sheep… are we talking about Mickey D’s? I think not… I think Jesus is talking about spiritual food. The stuff that really fills a person up…

“… I am the living bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

— John 6:48-51 —

   You want to follow Jesus? Better learn how to feed people properly… and before you can feed people properly… gotta learn to feed yourself… So first, learn to discern between what is good (spiritual) food and what is bad for you (spiritually) from there, you can feed people properly… I’m still learning how to feed myself… too baka… keep spiritually starving myself.

Father, keep this stupid lamb from starving himself. Teach me to love properly, to feed lambs and sheep alike with the bread of life. Teach me to do things Your way, not my way… Give me the wisdom to discern what is healthy and what is junk. Give me the courage to show the way, even through my fears and my doubts… each day, one day at a time, my Lord. I ask all this in Jesus name, Amen.

P.S. Random easter thought…. I was thinking of the difference between good spiritual food… and all the other crap we fill ourselves with (romance, sex, power, money, fame…) and how it reminds me of those milk chocolate Easter bunnies… they look good, but when you bite into one… You find it’s hollow! (WHAT A TEASE! )… I’d want a chocolate caramel cadbury egg any day… gimme something real, with substance.  ok, enough random thoughts for today… God bless!

~ Your tongue is a deadly weapon… ~

   If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

— James 1:26-27 (NIV) —

You have to Talk the talk, and Walk the walk. First, your speaking. Does it honor God? When you speak, your words have the power to heal, rebuke, and guide. They also have the power to wound, belittle, and destroy. It is always easier to break something than it is to fix it… That’s what I think James means by speaking of “keep a tight rein on his tongue” If you cannot control your tongue, no one can accept your perspective, “religion”, as true and honorable … instead, in the eyes of your peers, your perspective becomes worthless … no matter who or what you believe in … regardless of whether this belief is true or not … James ends by talking about what a true “religion” (read: perspective) should do in your life. It’s actions are listed… raising up the helpless and poor, and keeping yourself from worldly things.

Thanks for the nice study, Lord. Forgive me for all those times where I’ve failed. Keep me in Your ways. One day at a time… My sister, blaq is considering baptism. Bring her close to You. Make sure she knows what the act of baptism means and what she is doing. Let her consider carefully before acknowledging before God and men, Who is Lord in her life… If this is Your time, Your choosing, Your will, let it be so. I ask all this in our Savior’s name, Jesus. Amen.