Allow me to paraphrase a comment made at my house church:
If you are punishing yourself for the wrong you committed, you are not trusting Christ's work on the cross, cheapening his grace.
I do that a lot. I brood in my failings for a while til I get pretty raw and unnerved by my depravity. When I can't stand it anymore, or feel the strong pull of the Spirit, then I'll make the Prodigal's walk home.
We threw away our "Bondage Sin" on Sunday. There was a big trash can and everything. I wrote down Fear of Intimacy on a piece of orange construction paper, crumpled it up and threw it in the bin.
It didn't do much for me.
Here's why: I knew my bondage to this particular sin wasn't going to go away until I presented it to the Body of Christ, openly and vulnerable. No one knew of my fear, so it was free to still haunt me. There is power in open confession. The Catholics have that going for them. That why I stayed behind at house church tonight and shared my problem with my pastor. It got a little awkward and uncomfortable, mainly because I was so exposed... the very thing I fear. What if my pastor responded with a "ahhh, wow! I don't know what to say about that. That's pretty pathetic, what's wrong with you?" Now I know he would never have responded that way, but there is an irrational way about sin to skew one's perspective.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." - Ephesians 6:12
What are the schemes of the Enemy? I know someone who's parents are... well, not. He desperately wants a normal family experience, the thing most of us take for granted or even complain about. One morning this week he said he didn't believe in God anymore because how could God hold out on him like He has. The truth of that situation is he was in too much emotional pain to recognize all God has done and is doing in his life. Because it wasn't an exact answer to prayer according to his design, God holds out on him. "Where's God in keeping you in the same shitty condition month after month?" whispers the appointed demon to this guy I know. "You are just too draining, Michael, it's not worth the effort to try with you" snides my Wormwood.
It's hard to continue not knowing God's doing what's needing to be done. I see a need to just be the child of God that I am (or at least trying to figure out who I am), but there is also this need to act, to step in faith, to expose myself to others and trust I'll be received warmly because God's Body does not disappoint.
And so I say things are not as they seem. I present self-sufficient but I'm in need of fellowship. There are forces at work that seldom go noticed for what they really are: lies from the Enemy. My self-inflicted atempts to punish myself accomplish nothing but a temporary illusion of self-redemption.
Thank you Jesus for your reach. No pit spans too deep that you can't pull me out when I reach too.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Monday, January 07, 2008
Fear and Trembling
I had a conversation with a friend about the issue of salvation: who's got it, can you lose it, is there a "once saved, always saved" security we can lean heavily on? Or is praying the prayer once not quite finding the narrow road?
In that same conversation, the topic took a turn to how well this friend knew me. I thought I was pretty well known. That wasn't the case. I've been accused before of being mysterious, even cryptic. That comment refueled this old thought that perhaps I don't open up as much as I think. Or maybe I live too much in my own head and it results in this perception that I'm sharing a lot more than I am. Regardless, the fact remains that I'm not well experienced by others. Sort of sounds like my dad. I am my father's son.
All that to say I want to be known. I want to be approachable, want others to experience the person who is me. I think it is hard for others to do that because I can appear self-sufficient, not needing the inclusion of others. That's just not the case. I feel like I don't have the permission to demand others' attention. I feel I'm a nuisance.
Funny how cruel one's insecurities can be to oneself.
Fear and Trembling... How one should work out one's salvation. I just finished Bell's Velvet Elvis and he had a thought about how the christian life shouldn't be a pusuit to make life easier. Christian living is usually more difficult than not caring about morality. I think I fall victim of the desire to stop and have a break from the struggle. I start seeking things that I feel could assuage my personal struggles (mainly loneliness).
You know it's a funny balance between seeking the Lord and seeking deeper relationships. I convinced myself my infatuation with a young woman friend was healthy, well timed, righteous even. The problem is when it becomes too important, my pursual of the God relationship suffers. I was humbly reminded of that fact when I started to brood over that conversation's outcome. I was not in a good place. Making things work out with this girl had somehow become more important than my relationship with God. I want to believe she knew that on some level and responded the way she did because of that. A double-edged sword if that's the case (that she wouldn't want my walk with God to suffer on account of her) because I'd like her all the more for being that way, a way that prevents us from getting closer but fuels my desire to. Did I mention I analyze quite a bit?
It's in moments of humility like this that I can't help but turn to God and thank Him for grace. I'm pretty screwed up, yet I know in my heart that doesn't discourage my Father in Heaven from loving me madly. When my Heavenly Daddy sees me, it's like he sees Christ. There's no disappointment. I just got a picture of Dori the fish from Finding Nemo. She started afresh a moment after an event, unaffected by the past. Like if I spit in my God's face, a second after repentance I'm embraced as his beloved.
Love without a grudge.
I'd like to think I'm working out my salvation with fear a trembling. I was wrecked when I realized what I was doing with my friend. I was wrecked when I realized the old man was coming out in me to try and secure that deeper relationship. I was that way in my first romantic relationship... there's no pretty way of saying it. I become manipulative. I phrase things a certain way. I have a personal agenda. It's not the love I desire to give to my friend. It isn't kind but self-seeking. Please forgive me.
I think I'll wrap up this confession with the Word of God in I Corinthians 13, which speaks of love and sets my heart ablaze in the joy of God's higher ways...
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
In that same conversation, the topic took a turn to how well this friend knew me. I thought I was pretty well known. That wasn't the case. I've been accused before of being mysterious, even cryptic. That comment refueled this old thought that perhaps I don't open up as much as I think. Or maybe I live too much in my own head and it results in this perception that I'm sharing a lot more than I am. Regardless, the fact remains that I'm not well experienced by others. Sort of sounds like my dad. I am my father's son.
All that to say I want to be known. I want to be approachable, want others to experience the person who is me. I think it is hard for others to do that because I can appear self-sufficient, not needing the inclusion of others. That's just not the case. I feel like I don't have the permission to demand others' attention. I feel I'm a nuisance.
Funny how cruel one's insecurities can be to oneself.
Fear and Trembling... How one should work out one's salvation. I just finished Bell's Velvet Elvis and he had a thought about how the christian life shouldn't be a pusuit to make life easier. Christian living is usually more difficult than not caring about morality. I think I fall victim of the desire to stop and have a break from the struggle. I start seeking things that I feel could assuage my personal struggles (mainly loneliness).
You know it's a funny balance between seeking the Lord and seeking deeper relationships. I convinced myself my infatuation with a young woman friend was healthy, well timed, righteous even. The problem is when it becomes too important, my pursual of the God relationship suffers. I was humbly reminded of that fact when I started to brood over that conversation's outcome. I was not in a good place. Making things work out with this girl had somehow become more important than my relationship with God. I want to believe she knew that on some level and responded the way she did because of that. A double-edged sword if that's the case (that she wouldn't want my walk with God to suffer on account of her) because I'd like her all the more for being that way, a way that prevents us from getting closer but fuels my desire to. Did I mention I analyze quite a bit?
It's in moments of humility like this that I can't help but turn to God and thank Him for grace. I'm pretty screwed up, yet I know in my heart that doesn't discourage my Father in Heaven from loving me madly. When my Heavenly Daddy sees me, it's like he sees Christ. There's no disappointment. I just got a picture of Dori the fish from Finding Nemo. She started afresh a moment after an event, unaffected by the past. Like if I spit in my God's face, a second after repentance I'm embraced as his beloved.
Love without a grudge.
I'd like to think I'm working out my salvation with fear a trembling. I was wrecked when I realized what I was doing with my friend. I was wrecked when I realized the old man was coming out in me to try and secure that deeper relationship. I was that way in my first romantic relationship... there's no pretty way of saying it. I become manipulative. I phrase things a certain way. I have a personal agenda. It's not the love I desire to give to my friend. It isn't kind but self-seeking. Please forgive me.
I think I'll wrap up this confession with the Word of God in I Corinthians 13, which speaks of love and sets my heart ablaze in the joy of God's higher ways...
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Dragon Scales
"And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight..."
- Acts 9:18
- Acts 9:18
I've had the thought this week that I share the problem with Adam and Eve . What was their problem, what did they do wrong? They listened and believed a lizard over the living God, the one that walked with them in the garden. First of all, how cool would it be to walk alongside God? I digress. I have this image that when Humanity's pioneers bought the deception, the spirit of the serpent (the Dragon), slithered into their eyes, forever changing their perception, our perception. Well not forever...
I had a bad weekend. I went to church, made an origami dragon, went on a bike ride, and checked my email, but the rest is a bit blurry. I wasted a lot of time watching TV and movies. I spent a lot of time hiding from God. I think I was reminded of my insecurities, freaked out and hid behind the bush, hoping God wouldn't find me, and see that I was ashamed of my state. I realized I was naked. I bought the lie.
I'm in need of an origami lamb. I want to balance out with truth my spiritual dilemma. I'm convinced when you give the enemy a foothold, he'll pry himself in. I believed I was not worth the trouble. The dragon ran with it. Where is the Lamb to say otherwise?
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
Who understands this scripture? Has anyone in the twenty first century felt like a new creature? I want desperately to get this. I've felt glimpses of it, an unsettling shimmer of glory rise in me... Am I so quick to fall "out" of Christ (you know, no longer "in Christ")? Or am I just taking it all too literally. "Yes, you are a new creature, but you'll still have the sinful nature..." I don't want to buy that. I need to believe there is serious transformation, the kind that produces miracles and prophecies and healings... like in the first days of the church, when Jesus said we "would do greater things than these" (John 14:12) and they did.
I guess this is my next big step. I want to get this. I need to. I refuse to be complacent in my faith. I want the Abundant Life promised. I want to see things as they really are. I want to see the scales fall from my eyes and dismiss once for all the lies that I'm not worth it, that I need to take care of myself, that it is better being my own God.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Encounters With God
Joshua approached the walled city of Jericho, eager to survey the land and develop a plan to take the city for the people of Israel. With a steady gaze, he assumes a fighting stance, at the sight of a warrior with sword drawn. What possessed Joshua to then fall to his face in reverence? The mighty general of the Hebrew Army came face to face with the Captain of the host of the Lord; he is better known as Jesus. Of course there is debate whether this man was an angel or a preincarnate form of Christ, the one and only Son of God. But my heart and Joshua's humility confirms it well enough for me.
Do you have encounters with God? Would you even have the eyes or ears to receive Him if you did?
I recently heard a story of a follower of Christ that heard from God. The message: Do a hand-stand. She was in a 7-11. Well, she obeyed and shocked the clerk. After inquiring why she did that, he disclosed his prayer to God that he was planning to kill himself if God didn't send someone into the store to do a hand-stand.
Do you doubt God's ever-present work in our lives? Are you willing to obey what He says if or when you hear Him?
I recently was going through a devotional called Experiencing God and was about to summarize my thoughts at the end of that day's message when my pen froze up. I scribbled for about 2 minutes, got up and pulled a new one from the package. Well, it too did not write, so a glanced down at the page and saw "I challenge you to review what you sense God has been saying to you on a regular basis. If God speaks and you hear but do not respond, a time could come when you will not hear His voice. Disobedience can lead to a 'famine of hearing the words of the Lord' (Amos 8:11-12)." I figured the Lord didn't want me to wrap up my spiritual time without "reviewing what [I] sense God has been saying to [me]..." I recalled the message to Ephesus in Revelation. "Return to your first Love... Repent and do the deeds you did at first..." Well my first-love deeds involve singing atop a chair, unashamed and focused solely on God and his Glory. That was back at the end of the eighth grade. That very moment, I got back on top of furniture and worshipped God like at first. Afterwards the pen worked fine.
My fear for followers of Christ, and for the world who needs to see and hear God, is that they see and hear Him all the time and don't recognize Him. I fear there is evidence upon evidence given that points to God's grace and activity, but humanity dismisses it as coincidence or psychic interpersonal connection or (fill in the blank). I am learning through Scripture that those who hear God most, who encounter God most are those who obey. I am guilty of hearing from God and blowing it off, only to wonder why my life has become so drab and mundane. I get it. I really do. Life is difficult enough to try to get by without relying on this idea of a Heavenly Creator who desires a relationship with you that will be void of any tangible interaction. "Why should I trust a God I can't see, touch, hear?"
You shouldn't.
Here's the deal. At least it's mine; I'm choosing it. Ask God to reveal Himself to you. You know what? He promises to give you all things that align with his Will. I'm pretty certain you knowing Him and trusting Him and relying on Him is in the scope of His Will. Anyways, ask. Ask and wait and be open to new encounters. I cannot guarantee Christ himself appearing in front of you with a sword commanding you to take off your shoes due to it being holy ground, but some stranger fulfilling a request in the form of a handstand... maybe. Or perhaps someone will tell you to read a scripture verse and it will open directly to it upon opening the Bible and the verse discribes what you're going through to the "T". That one happened to me.
You shouldn't trust some God that doesn't interact with you. But give Him a chance, and He will. You'll learn to hear His voice. My deepest prayer is that when you do begin to hear Him, you learn in the fullness of your heart and soul that you are loved. That you are no longer a sinner, eternally bound to continue to mess up things. But I hope you learn you are a Child of God, an heir to His Kingdom. That when you accept the covering of Christ's blood on your life, you are seen as blameless. Pure as snow. And I believe with all my heart that Jesus didn't lie when he said "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Do you want to see Him? I do, and I am beginning to. And it takes me face-down in reverence... like Joshua.
Michael
Do you have encounters with God? Would you even have the eyes or ears to receive Him if you did?
I recently heard a story of a follower of Christ that heard from God. The message: Do a hand-stand. She was in a 7-11. Well, she obeyed and shocked the clerk. After inquiring why she did that, he disclosed his prayer to God that he was planning to kill himself if God didn't send someone into the store to do a hand-stand.
Do you doubt God's ever-present work in our lives? Are you willing to obey what He says if or when you hear Him?
I recently was going through a devotional called Experiencing God and was about to summarize my thoughts at the end of that day's message when my pen froze up. I scribbled for about 2 minutes, got up and pulled a new one from the package. Well, it too did not write, so a glanced down at the page and saw "I challenge you to review what you sense God has been saying to you on a regular basis. If God speaks and you hear but do not respond, a time could come when you will not hear His voice. Disobedience can lead to a 'famine of hearing the words of the Lord' (Amos 8:11-12)." I figured the Lord didn't want me to wrap up my spiritual time without "reviewing what [I] sense God has been saying to [me]..." I recalled the message to Ephesus in Revelation. "Return to your first Love... Repent and do the deeds you did at first..." Well my first-love deeds involve singing atop a chair, unashamed and focused solely on God and his Glory. That was back at the end of the eighth grade. That very moment, I got back on top of furniture and worshipped God like at first. Afterwards the pen worked fine.
My fear for followers of Christ, and for the world who needs to see and hear God, is that they see and hear Him all the time and don't recognize Him. I fear there is evidence upon evidence given that points to God's grace and activity, but humanity dismisses it as coincidence or psychic interpersonal connection or (fill in the blank). I am learning through Scripture that those who hear God most, who encounter God most are those who obey. I am guilty of hearing from God and blowing it off, only to wonder why my life has become so drab and mundane. I get it. I really do. Life is difficult enough to try to get by without relying on this idea of a Heavenly Creator who desires a relationship with you that will be void of any tangible interaction. "Why should I trust a God I can't see, touch, hear?"
You shouldn't.
Here's the deal. At least it's mine; I'm choosing it. Ask God to reveal Himself to you. You know what? He promises to give you all things that align with his Will. I'm pretty certain you knowing Him and trusting Him and relying on Him is in the scope of His Will. Anyways, ask. Ask and wait and be open to new encounters. I cannot guarantee Christ himself appearing in front of you with a sword commanding you to take off your shoes due to it being holy ground, but some stranger fulfilling a request in the form of a handstand... maybe. Or perhaps someone will tell you to read a scripture verse and it will open directly to it upon opening the Bible and the verse discribes what you're going through to the "T". That one happened to me.
You shouldn't trust some God that doesn't interact with you. But give Him a chance, and He will. You'll learn to hear His voice. My deepest prayer is that when you do begin to hear Him, you learn in the fullness of your heart and soul that you are loved. That you are no longer a sinner, eternally bound to continue to mess up things. But I hope you learn you are a Child of God, an heir to His Kingdom. That when you accept the covering of Christ's blood on your life, you are seen as blameless. Pure as snow. And I believe with all my heart that Jesus didn't lie when he said "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Do you want to see Him? I do, and I am beginning to. And it takes me face-down in reverence... like Joshua.
Michael
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Another Graveyard, spooky ghosts and all!
Yeah, I'm doing another graveyard shift at work. The door down the hall has been creeking all night. I'm ready for bed, but got a couple more hours left. Trying to stay busy to not fall asleep. A little paranoid some boys are trying to do something behind my back.
An update, I'm a counselor now, have been one for quite a while. Keeping up with paperwork and trying to find time to meet with clients is hard. But I'm holding the line more, sticking to the rules. The kids don't like it.
I'm leading a trip to Nicaragua in a couple weeks. Not even! We leave in ten days. Wow. Okay, not ready, but that's alright.
Be right back, gotta check rooms real quick... Back.
Life is going by fast. It's mid-March. I haven't taken the GRE yet. I need to to see which colleges to apply for grad school.
But I feel I need to slow down too. It's weird. I'm doing what I need to do, but right now, I feel a little panicked. That I'm not getting things done. That I'm forgetting stuff, missing stuff.
Better go finish laundry.
Until May (most likely).
An update, I'm a counselor now, have been one for quite a while. Keeping up with paperwork and trying to find time to meet with clients is hard. But I'm holding the line more, sticking to the rules. The kids don't like it.
I'm leading a trip to Nicaragua in a couple weeks. Not even! We leave in ten days. Wow. Okay, not ready, but that's alright.
Be right back, gotta check rooms real quick... Back.
Life is going by fast. It's mid-March. I haven't taken the GRE yet. I need to to see which colleges to apply for grad school.
But I feel I need to slow down too. It's weird. I'm doing what I need to do, but right now, I feel a little panicked. That I'm not getting things done. That I'm forgetting stuff, missing stuff.
Better go finish laundry.
Until May (most likely).
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
The working life
I have been at my new job for nearly two months now and just now am getting around to writing about it. I work at a boys residential treatment center in the mountains of Colorado. Technically, I'm a Child Care Worker as of now, but will eventually have clients to counsel, so then I will be a Milieu Counselor. I work four days a week, ten hours a day. Right now, I'm working overtime pulling a graveyard shift. We all get a couple of those a month so that someone can watch over the boys, since they need constant supervision. Most of the boys here are court appointed, either for drug/alcohol abuse or sexual offense.
It is the hardest thing I've ever done...
Within the first few weeks, I had already experienced my first fight break out. I was put in charge of watching twelve boys in a narrow kitchen for about an hour as the other staff and upper level (more responsible/reliable) boys calmed down and de-escalated the ones fighting.
Apparently I handled myself pretty well... if they say so.
A lot of the time I feel like I will never figure this job out, at other times the sense of dread subsides and it can be fun hanging out with the kids.
The first couple weeks were hard. I didn't know any of the rules, didn't know the kids and their personalities, tendencies... didn't have their respect and were constantly tested and manipulated. I still am sometimes, but it isn't as bad.
I had a review around day forty, and was told I need to discipline the boys more... to show I can manage the floor more assertively. I was screwed up the rest of the day emotionally. Call it insecurity. It was the first time in my life I wasn't above average at, except for minor league baseball... but who cares if you can't throw from first to third?...
The big thing in this field, in this setting, is the commitment. They want a year commitment. They give you three months to decide if it is a good fit for you. The boys doubt at first if someone is going to bail out on them... it really affects the boys the most, whether someone sticks around. They don't always have a lot of people in their lives who care enough to help them change. That part of the job excites me. The process is dirty, but the goal is noble. It's hard to keep that perspective each hour of each day...
It is the hardest thing I've ever done...
Within the first few weeks, I had already experienced my first fight break out. I was put in charge of watching twelve boys in a narrow kitchen for about an hour as the other staff and upper level (more responsible/reliable) boys calmed down and de-escalated the ones fighting.
Apparently I handled myself pretty well... if they say so.
A lot of the time I feel like I will never figure this job out, at other times the sense of dread subsides and it can be fun hanging out with the kids.
The first couple weeks were hard. I didn't know any of the rules, didn't know the kids and their personalities, tendencies... didn't have their respect and were constantly tested and manipulated. I still am sometimes, but it isn't as bad.
I had a review around day forty, and was told I need to discipline the boys more... to show I can manage the floor more assertively. I was screwed up the rest of the day emotionally. Call it insecurity. It was the first time in my life I wasn't above average at, except for minor league baseball... but who cares if you can't throw from first to third?...
The big thing in this field, in this setting, is the commitment. They want a year commitment. They give you three months to decide if it is a good fit for you. The boys doubt at first if someone is going to bail out on them... it really affects the boys the most, whether someone sticks around. They don't always have a lot of people in their lives who care enough to help them change. That part of the job excites me. The process is dirty, but the goal is noble. It's hard to keep that perspective each hour of each day...
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Awake?
There are references in Scripture to a call or command for sleepers to awake from slumber. I can't help but wonder if that's not what's wrong with the world, both for followers and others. I don't know where the last two weeks have gone. Do you ever feel like you lost days/weeks/months/years? For me, I feel more alive when I'm close to God and I'm pursuing that relationship. The last few weeks, I haven't done that at all. It resulted in that sleepy feeling, like I lost that time to lethargy. I'm not advocating becoming an insomniac. I merely want to reflect on the need for intentionality. What drives us? Are we doing the things that are important to us? Or do we go with the flow, allowing the current to dictate our every move? I believe (no, I want to believe more strongly) the scripture that says to seek first the Kingdom of God and everything else will be given to you.
So my greatest concern right now is to get a good job, one that will work well with my desired career path, aka not Starbucks. I went into my move back to Denver wanting to trust fully in God, seeking him first, and trusting He would open doors for a truly amazing opportunity. Let's just say I'm not very good at fully trusting God. My question: what does it mean to abide in Christ, to be one with him, to draw our strength and abilities from the Vine (John 15)? How?
So my greatest concern right now is to get a good job, one that will work well with my desired career path, aka not Starbucks. I went into my move back to Denver wanting to trust fully in God, seeking him first, and trusting He would open doors for a truly amazing opportunity. Let's just say I'm not very good at fully trusting God. My question: what does it mean to abide in Christ, to be one with him, to draw our strength and abilities from the Vine (John 15)? How?
Friday, September 29, 2006
Okay, it's about time
So I moved to Colorado. It's as nice as I remember. Moving is hard though... I'm thinking specifically about furniture issues. I finally got my kitchen table that I bought like a week and a half ago. Got one the first time and it had screws sticking through the top of the table. Tried to pick up a new one and it hadn't come in yet (despite them telling me it was minutes before leaving to go get it). I finally got it, but I realized I wasn't having a good attitude about it. Well, my attitude was horrible with the customer service reps I talked to. Granted, our society entitles a customer to be treated well and taken care of well if they are wronged. But I was mean on the phone and gave people a hard time when they didn't deserve it.
It got me thinking. How much more enticed will reps be to help me with my table problems if I treated them with patience, tolerance, and kindness? I lost an opportunity to share Christ's love by acting like He would had. Instead, I made her day that much more unpleasant.
What would the world look like if Christians acted like Christ? What would the world look like if the Kingdom of God reigned over all?
We have a map of the World on our wall in the apartment. I thought how different it would look if humanity had never fallen... if God the Creator and the Lord Jesus directly interacted with us, and we were as we were intended...
I don't think there would be any borders. There may be to section off names of places, but there would be no division, no hostility, no war. There would by no means be government. Can you imagine a world where every leader was under the authority of a loving God?
Anyways, those are a few thoughts I've had lately.
It got me thinking. How much more enticed will reps be to help me with my table problems if I treated them with patience, tolerance, and kindness? I lost an opportunity to share Christ's love by acting like He would had. Instead, I made her day that much more unpleasant.
What would the world look like if Christians acted like Christ? What would the world look like if the Kingdom of God reigned over all?
We have a map of the World on our wall in the apartment. I thought how different it would look if humanity had never fallen... if God the Creator and the Lord Jesus directly interacted with us, and we were as we were intended...
I don't think there would be any borders. There may be to section off names of places, but there would be no division, no hostility, no war. There would by no means be government. Can you imagine a world where every leader was under the authority of a loving God?
Anyways, those are a few thoughts I've had lately.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)