Believe in Jesus Christ

I've been getting some visits from new people recently. My posts tend to focus on my daily activities instead of solely on the Savior and salvation so when I saw this blog post today, I thought it would be a perfect thing to post.

If you don't know Jesus Christ, seek Him. Ask me questions about Jesus. Read the Bible. Pray that God would reveal Himself to you. Knowing Christ is the very most important thing you can do during your life. Leaving this life without the knowledge of Christ is not something I want for anyone. Come to Christ while you have have a chance.

Identity

Who do you say that you are? When you're introduced or introducing someone, don't you start with externals such as work, family or the location you live? A person's identity is wrapped up in their hobbies, politics and much more. What defines you?

What matters most to you? What do you spend your time reading? Who do you find yourself listening to? What do you spend the majority of your time doing?

How is your self-esteem or self-confidence built up? How often do you let what others say about you shape how you see yourself?

Do you have a moral compass? Do you believe morals exist? If you do think that there are some things that are good and others that are bad, where did a common morality come from? How did humans get a sense of right and wrong?

Many people object to the possibility of God's existence because there is evil or suffering in the world. Often they have suffered in extreme ways and are sure that a good God would not allow things like that to happen. They decide that since evil exists, then God can't exist.

However, read what Ravi Zachararias states in the book I'm reading Jesus Among Other Gods on page 112.

"But here, Christianity provides a counterchallenge to remind them that they have not escaped the probelm of contradiction. If evil exists, then one must assume that good exists in order to know the difference. If good exists, one must assume that a moral law exists by which to measure good and evil. But if a moral law exists, must not one posit an ultimate source of moral law, or at least an objective basis for moral law? By an objective basis, I mean something that is transcendently true at all times regardless of whether I believe it or not. "

Ravi goes on to say that those who say God doesn't exists should consider how that is possible if good and evil exist. Some may say, Why can't evolution give us a moral sense? Why do we need God? So they try to argue that you don't need something to make something happen (the basis of evolution) and say that the universe just exists without a designer. So in the same way, they will say that we don't really need a moral law or a moral source and say why can't morality just be a practical reality? So, the same people who say that they want a cause for suffering and therefore God can't exists or He wouldn't allow suffering, say that they don't believe a cause for every effect - some things just exists.

"This attempt to deny God because of the presence of evil is so fraught with the illogical that one marvels at its acceptance. Not one proponent of evolutionary ethics has explained how an impersonal, amoral first cause through a nonmoral process has produced a moral basis of life, while at the same time denying any objective moral basis for good an evil. Does it not seem odd that of all the permutations and combinations that a random universe might afford we should end up with the notions of the true, the good, and the beautiful? In reality, why call anything good or evil? Why not call it orange or purple? That way we settle it as a different
preference.

The truth is that we cannot escape the existential rub by running from a moral law. Objective moral values exist only if God exists. Is it all right, for example to mutilate babies for entertainment? Every reasonable person will say no. We know that objective moral values do exists. Therefore God must exist. . . . The conclusion must be agreed upon that nothing can be intrinsically, prescriptively good unless there also exists a God who has fashioned the universe thus. But that is the very Being skeptics want to deny because of the existence of evil." [page
113]

Other explanations for good and evil exist. Some people say we're just obeying our DNA, others that we just have a virus that makes us think morality exists. If you don't believe in God, what is your explanation? An augment still might arise where someone says that if God really created us, why wouldn't he make us in such a way that we would always do good? The problem is that at that point, we become robots. When left without a choice, duty is all that is left. God has created us so that we can choose to love him and to love each other.

I do believe in the God of the Bible who sent his only son Jesus to earth in order to save us from our sins. All I have to do to be seen as righteous before God is to accept the free gift that he offers to me. There is no set of rules I must obey in order to be accepted. I didn't have to have a perfect life before Jesus accepted me. I am accepted just as I am. It is God who takes a sinner and gives them new desires. God has created you and I and has given us the Bible so that we may know Him. You can know God. God as the creator is the only one who is qualified to give you an identity.

As an engineer, when I design a new product or piece at work, it's my responsibility to give it a name. I made that new part number for a purpose. I design its individual specification. I chose the materials it is to be made from. I decide what kind of heat treating process or plating it will undergo. I never make a part just to have it. It is always made for a reason. That part I made is designed to go into one of our products. Without that part, the product may not work at all. It was made for a reason and so is special. I give the part its name, identity, and I dictate the stresses it will undergo in order to be made as I intended.

God did the same for us. He gives us our identity and uses stresses in our lives to make us who he intends us to be. He has a purpose for each of us. Often we may not see the purpose, but God does. Our identity doesn't come from what we do, but the God who created us. If you want to know who you are, read his word and find out from Him who you are. I posted this a few months ago, but am going to post what follows again as a reminder of who we are in Christ.

I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)
I am united with the Lord(1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price(1 Cor. 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt.5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ(1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil.3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31-34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God(2 Cor.5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God(Rom.8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor.1:21-22)
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8: 28)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship(Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected (Phil 1: 6)
I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col. 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child(Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
who you are!?

Thanksgiving

Elijah sent me a link to this video. It's a great reminder to me of how much we have to be thankful for! I often forget about that amazing things that God gives us every day. Every good gift does come from God - both large and small!

The Grass is Always Greener

Whatever your state, it is easy to fall into the mentality that "The grass is always greener on the other side." I tend to focus at times on the negative aspects of being single instead of remembering the good aspects. Loneliness and a lack of focus can tend to get me down at times. I was thinking the other morning of advantages and goals that I as a single girl should be more focused on and striving toward. This is not a list that is all-inclusive or absolutely applied to everyone, but something that I was thinking about and decided to get on paper.

1. Serve God. 1 Corinthians 7:34 says ". . . An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. . . " I don't know if Paul thought so highly of Christian singles that he couldn't imagine an unmarried person in any other state, but notice that this verse doesn't say that she "should be concerned about the Lord's affairs" but that she "is". There are doubtless many things that the single people can do in the church to build up the church or to simply take a task that would otherwise of necessity be done by someone who needs to spend time with their children or spouse. Wisdom should still be exercised in choosing what to get involved in and boundaries must exist in a person's life so they can say no to things that they should not get involved in. But a focus on devotion to God in what they do should be a big part of a Christian single person's life.

2. "Train yourself to be godly 1 Tim 4:7b." While there is a danger in a person making the Christian life into rules rather than relationship, that doesn't mean that a person should not strive to grow more Christlike. In order to become something that your not, there are steps that are taken. If you want to become an engineer (like I did), while in high school, you must do that math lesson regularly, then you must go to a college and study being faithful in the little things such as homework, then you must get a job. These are actual steps that take you from being a kid in school to an engineer. Similarly, to become more like Christ, there are steps a person can take which will get them in a position to change. These steps are not just for the single person, but due to the fewer demands on a single they are much more easily implemented when a person has time to spare. I also think that many of these things are habits that will be easier to do if a person is married if the person has already taken the time and effort to make these things a habit. There are many things that can train you to be godly, but I want to highlight just a few of them: read and study the Bible, memorize and meditate on scripture, and pray. These things take time and are more useful in a person's life if they are done consistently. Doing these things doesn't make God approve of or love you more. He sees you through the lens of what Christ has already done. But, these things will help you change. Our desire should be to change and grow more like Christ. Reading and studying the Bible will make you understand God's character and his desires better. Memorizing and meditating on scripture will help you to dwell on things that are good, right and true. Your mind will be so full of that stuff that when you fall asleep or wake up you will be thinking about Bible verses or aspects of God's character. Praying can be come a habitual response to anything that goes on in your life, and turning things over to God is the best first response to events.

3. Give money away. A single person will likely be able to live less expensively than those who are married with kids. We can live with family or have roommates to offset costs or simply live in a small apartment since we don't need extra space. Though saving money is also a good thing, I have found it fun to give. Giving is another way that you can serve your church or missionaries.

4. Save money. If you're single, now is the time to save before all the expenses of a family are upon you, or if that never happens, save now so that you will have the ability to get through tough times if you loose a job or have health problems. Saving a little for a long time will be much easier than trying to save a lot later on. Compound interest is amazing on paper and as I'm saving, I'm seeing that it works in real life too. We don't know what the future holds and should not get our focus off of God's provision and think that we can handle things ourselves. But if God has given you a good job, don't spend everything now. Read proverbs and other biblical passages about money and you'll see that saving money is definitely not against Bible principals.

5. Exercise. 1 Timothy 4:8 says "For physical training is of some value but godliness has value for all things. . . " So although godliness has value for all things, this verse does show that physical training is of some value. Our bodies are temples of the holy spirit and should not be mistreated. Beyond that there are other reasons to keep physically fit that range from the fun (being able to participate fully on outdoor games and sports) to the spiritual (being able to be a part of a mission trip to a hard area of the world). We don't know what our future holds. Taking 30 to 45 minutes each day to keep our bodies active will keep us from limiting our future based on things we can't physically do.

6. Develop friendships. Learning from books is good, but learning from and being able to talk to a friend about a specific situation is invaluable. If there are people whose lives you admire or wish to be more like, get to know them. Their wisdom will be important especially if they are a little older than you. Observe people around you and their families. You can learn a lot just by watching how people interact.

7. Live close to your family. This is not a necessity, but it sure helps. It's nice to be able to drop in and see them once a week. It's much easier to be somewhat caught up on their lives if you live nearby. Another nice thing about living near your family is that if you have car problems or need someone to pick you up from an airport, they are usually more than happy to help. You will also save money because you won't have to travel a long distance to visit them on holidays.

These are things that I need to at times remind myself of and I'm sure there are many more that could be added. None of these things is terribly exciting or revolutionary, but it seems like the boring daily choices are the ones that really make the difference in the end.

Interpretation of Events

When I pray for something specifically and then something in the realm of my prayer occurs, I take note. Sometimes the event that occured should not be taken as an answer to prayer but may indeed be a temptation or just an event to remember and look back upon.

Let me give an example. Over a year ago, while walking one morning I was praying and asking God if He could and would provide me with a husband. I knew that God can do all things, I just wasn't sure that he would or if that was something that he was concerned about for me personally.

Well fast forward about two days. I was at work and a friendly guy, who I didn't really know more than surface work stuff about, asked me if I would go out with him. I completely didn't see that one coming, and was quite rude by responding with the first thing that came to mind which went something like "aren't you a lot older than me?". The rest of the conversation was awkward as I told him no.

Now, as humans it would be easy to take the two events which happened in close proximaty to one another and interpret them into divine guidance that this is the man that I am to marry. It's tempting to do so and so easy in many areas to misinterpret God's will. In the case of being asked out by that guy it wasn't really hard to decide. Although he was nice and friendly, he was older than I, he alreay had children (whether from previous marriage or girlfriends I don't know), I don't know if he's a Christian, and our standards are different. He was not really the kind of guy I want to marry.

My non-inspired interpretation of that event is that God wanted to show me that he can indeed act at any time and in unexpected ways, that he does care for me personally, and that he is not bound by the circumstances of my life. It's almost more that he was reaching down and showing me that he can give me what I ask for, but it's probably not really what I wanted. (I need to be more specific in my prayers I guess!)

But in other situations, other prayers and other times the same question arrises. How is one to know the proper interpretation of what occurs in areas where you pray and something unexpected happens. When a circumstance occurs that answers a prayer in a way that you either want or that doesn't contradict biblical standards, how much should one attribute that circumstance to being an answer straight from God? Am I so warrry of turning a circumstance that God intended to test me or to show me his presence into an absolute guidance by God's hand that I miss his direction? There is a feeling a peace that He gives when one makes a decision that makes you think that it is of God. I wish (like many others I'm sure) that God did audibly speak or write us personalized emails when we pray to tell us what he plans or if a situation is an answer to a prayer. In fact, the emails would be best because then you could print them out and have them for a reference! However, for the time being, I must just trust God's character, rest in confidence of His direction and continue to pray for His guidance and thank God for his providence.

(Side note on providence as defined in Westminster Shorter Catechism Question #11: What are God's works of providence? God's works of providence are his most holy, wise and powerful preserving and governing of all his creatures and all their actions.)

All Things for Good

I'm thankful that God can use all things for good to those that love Him and have been called according to His purpose. Sometimes, when faced with one of those decisions that can make your life change in a big way based on what you choose, I tend to freeze. You know, just not make the decision at all. Of course, often not making the decision one way or another really is making the decision not to do what you were considering (at least not at that time). And "freezing" is a good way to waste a lot of time that could be better spent on other activities. Other times, I make a decision and later still think about the "what if's" - how life could have maybe been if I had gone the other direction. Dwelling too much on changes we might have made in past decisions is not very healthy. Some reflection is good, but it is better to be so filled with gladness of heart from God that you seldom dwell on the past.

I used to get real down on myself when I felt I had made a bad decision, but have come to realize that God created me as I am. Being a mistake-prone human who is not yet perfect is what God created. So, a mistake is something that I not only have made in the past, but will definitely make in the future. God doesn't condemn us for mistakes. In fact he looks at us through the lens of Christ and what Christ does and forgives our sins and failings when we confess them to him.

And. . . somehow he can use our decisions and actions that are often reached through strange logic or poor impulse for His good and glory. It's hard to see it at the time, but easier to see from the past. Based on past events in our lives and the lives of those we read about or see around us we can trust God in the present.

I'm trusting God for the future as He not only knows it, but cares about me and will give me strength to face it.