Devotional: Life's Intersections

“A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

“O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” – Jer. 10:23

“A man’s steps are of the LORD; How then can a man understand his own way?”
- Proverbs 20:24

I was driving down the road the other day and came to an intersection where I had to turn left. I was waiting behind several cars as I waited for my turn to make the left and noticed that the oncoming cars were very far off. As the cars were turning I noticed that, even though the oncoming cars were far off, each driver was hesitating and double-checking before turning. I started wondering, as I was eager to turn before the light changed, why the driver’s were double-checking and hesitating before they turned if the oncoming cars were so far away. Then God hit me with a realization.

He placed on my heart that we, people, often double-check and hesitate before going onto a path that God has made for us. God oftentimes opens a door for us, and we know that it is clear and open and from Him, yet for some reason, we hesitate and double-check to make sure it is clear to go. We second-guess His decision and the path He has set before us and we think, “Well, that looks clear, but I might have a better idea,” or, “Are you sure, God, I mean, everything looks clear, and You are in control, but what about (enter fear or question here)?” Sometimes He gives us a way that we faithfully go into but after time, we stray from it because we put our desires first, get tired of waiting on results, or we want things done quicker, we want shortcuts. We forget that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). We also forget that God knows “the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Sometimes we are waiting on the Lord but we grow impatient and forget that everything is done in God’s time, not ours, and that time is nothing to God. As I continued driving I saw an airplane rising above the rising sun and I was reminded of the verse: “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). If we wait on God, He will lift us up, He will give us the strength to endure the wait and the outcome will be greater than what we would have come up with ourselves.

Now, don’t get me wrong, we should always check an intersection (literal intersection) before crossing, but in the intersections of life we need to remember that God is the Crossing Guard and we are His. The Crossing Guard holds up the stop sign and the whistle to command attention. We are in the hands of an Awesome Creator who has an awesome plan for us. Yes, this plan may include being put through the fire and it may be scary but in the trials we face, we are being built up. The suffering we endure under Christ is not for no reason. In Christ it all has a purpose. I encourage you to fully put your trust in Him and instead of questioning God, when He leads you in a certain direction or down a certain path, I encourage and challenge you, and myself, to make the turns that God desires us to make, and to live the life He desires for you. There is nothing better than being in the will of God, and even though cars may be coming fast and hard from the other direction, God, our Crossing Guard, is in control.

Sometimes the paths we must go down are painful and sad, but God is with us every step of the way. Our foundation, the foundation of Jesus Christ is unshakeable, immovable. Psalm 9:10 says, “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.” God won’t leave us hanging in the middle of the intersection by ourselves especially when there’s oncoming traffic. He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

References: The Bible, NKJV; Biblegateway.com

Marriage Series:Part 1: "The Foundation"

My boyfriend and I recently finished attending marital classes that were offered by our church. I personally recommend taking marital classes to anyone who is looking to get married someday and even to those who are already married. These classes offered insight into what God says about marriage through His Word. Over the next several posts I’d like to share with you what I learned in these classes…

This post (Part 1) is about setting a firm foundation in your marriage. The foundation of your marriage should be God. If anyone would know anything about marriage, it would be the Creator of marriage, God. He made marriage perfect; however, we ourselves are not perfect. We are not perfect people and we will not always make the wisest decisions, but we have God and His Word to guide us into, and through, what each of our roles in marriage is (that’s a future post) and how we should live our lives.

If we keep God in the center of our marriage, He will bless it. In keeping God as the Rock in which we stand our marriage we will be following His Word and living according to His will for our lives; there is no better place to be than in the will of God. He is immovable by any storms that may pound against the walls of your marriage. Knowing that God made marriage perfect, and knowing the storms will come, what better place is there to be than in the hands of the Creator and steady, unbending foundation of Jesus Christ? In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus said, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

If we keep God in the center of our relationship, He will bless and honor the marriage because in keeping Him at the center of it we will be following His will and His Word. We will be submitting to God’s authority and the authority of the Bible. Keeping God as first priority in our relationships means following what He says even if we don’t understand or even if we don’t necessarily want to. We need to seek God and His will for our lives through prayer and through His Word. The Bible is very clear about how God wants us to live our lives and how we should treat each other. God has a plan for each of our lives that is better than anything we could ever come up with. In submitting our lives to Him, our lives will be blessed with peace, understanding, and love.

The Bible is very clear that we should not be with an unbeliever in marriage.
2 Corinthians 6:11-15 says, “O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections. Now in return for the same (I speak as to children), you also be open. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?” In the old days, farmers would place a yoke on oxen or other animals in order to plow the land. Imagine placing and ox and a donkey in the same yoke together. The donkey and the ox are physically and temperamentally different, they wouldn’t work well together. I can tell you from personal experience that being with someone who hasn’t given their life to the Lord is really heart breaking and frustrating. Being with someone who doesn’t believe what you do can leave you lacking and can even bring you down spiritually, not to mention, you are more prone to fall away from your relationship with God because that person does not believe what you do or is not as stronger, or stronger, than you in your faith. It can also become a flirt to convert mission, or missionary dating, if you will. God doesn’t tell us not to do things in order to restrict us; He tells us these things because He loves us and wants what is best for us.

Having Jesus at the center of your relationship with benefit your relationship tremendously. Forgiveness is a big part of life, especially in marriages. In giving your life to Christ you are acknowledging that you are a sinner. Remembering that Jesus died for you and your spouse gives a whole new perspective to the marriage. We all have to remember that when we get married, we are marrying a sinner, just as we are a sinner.

When we get married, we are leaving our separate homes with our families to start a new one. The Bible says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Having a home built on the love, understanding, and peace of Christ is completely different than building a home tumbling under the weight of the world that is falling apart all around us. The world offers us temporary escapes from the pressures we feel in everyday life. Through the world we may seek a peace that we hope will remove the uneasiness we feel in everyday life, but the uneasiness will still be there when we finish the bottle of wine or the television show. God offers a peace that will “guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). God gives a peace that the world cannot give us; He gives us peace in the midst of trials so that we might endure and be built up.

Now, some couples may be in the situation where one is a believer and the other is not. Because of this, some spouses ask, should I divorce my spouse? God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16).
The only reason for divorce to be permitted is if adultery is committed (Matthew 5:32). God tells us in His Word, “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear” (1 Peter 3:1-2). We are to honor and respect each other and ultimately serve God. Wives, God calls us to respect and submit (we’ll get into that in a future post) to our husbands; live a life that honors God and your husband will see that change and Christ’s love in you. Husbands, the Word of God says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Christ loved the church with a sacrificial and unconditional love.

1 Peter 2:4-7 says, “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.’ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone…’” God wants what is best for us and He already has plans for us more awesome than we could ever come up with ourselves. So I urge you to seek Him in your marriage and place Him as the foundation and cornerstone of your relationship. In doing this, your marriage and lives will be blessed and honored and will be better and stronger than you could have imagined.

Consider this: "Marriage is not science or mathematics. It is a partnership, a ministry, and a sacred relationship ordained by God. Marriage takes work and work means that one will practice at their marriage. How many people do you think are still practicing at their marriage?"

Note: I have added my thoughts to the notes taken in class therefore the post may not directly resemble or reflect the curriculum in my church's marital class.

References: The Bible, NKJV; Calvary Chapel Kendall Marital Classes Notes

The Romans' Road

I’d like to take you for a walk through “The Romans’ Road.” It is a simple walk through a series of verses that portray a picture of the Gospel in a nutshell. These verses explain the state of man and the Atonement of Christ.

Let’s start at Romans 3:10: “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one;’” This verse explains that no one is good. Everyone is a sinner and is fallible. We have all done something wrong at one time or another.

The next stop is Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” We often compare ourselves to each other when the One we should be comparing ourselves to is God. Because He is sinless and perfect we will always fall short of His glory. So one may ask, “If we always fall short of God then what’s the point in trying to be like Him? How could we have a relationship with Him?” God created us to have fellowship with Him and to worship Him. He didn’t want a bunch of robots going around repeating “I love you” to Him. He wanted real love, a love that comes from the heart with sincerity. He already knows that we fail and fall; He knew you before you were born (Psalm 139:16). Because God is holy, perfect, and just, our sin separates us from Him. That’s why He sent His only Son to die for each of us, to pay the price for our sins, so that we could have a way to Him, and everlasting life (John 3:16).

And that leads us to our next stop: Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God knew that man would fall. If He would’ve tried to stop Adam and Eve then they wouldn’t have had free will. Imagine someone loving you so much that they would give their life for you. God’s sacrificial love is what this verse is showing us. God came in the flesh, endured the same temptations we do, lived a holy and sinless life, and then suffered the most horrible death ever imaginable, all because of His love for you. Christ knew that many would reject Him, but He still died for them. My pastor often says, “It wasn’t nails that held up Jesus on the cross, it was His love for us.”

The next stop on The Romans’ Road is Romans 5:12: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned…” This verse alludes to the fall of man, when Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God. Because men pass on the seed that brings offspring, and because Adam had fallen into sin, he passed the fall (sinful nature) on to his offspring, and because of procreation, sin has been passed on to all of man.

Romans 6:23 states: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin leads to separation from a holy God and leads to spiritual death. If you die separated from God this will lead to destruction and death for all eternity. Because God does not want anyone to be separated from Him (2 Peter 3:9), He sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the ultimate sacrifice and to give life to anyone who believes and trusts in Him (John 3:16).

God has given us all a choice. We can choose to accept His free gift of Salvation or not. Romans 10:9 says: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” The word “saved” that this verse is mentioning means being saved from eternal separation from God; it is also about being saved from eternity in Hell. Hell is real: Matthew 10:28 says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” God gave us a way so that we would never be separated from Him, through believing (trusting) in His Son, Jesus Christ, as our only hope of salvation.

Jesus is the only way into heaven; Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters” (Luke 11:23). And He also said, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6).

The final stop on The Romans’ Road is Romans 10:13: “for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Salvation is offered to everyone. It doesn’t matter your past or what you’ve done. God is ready to forgive and give life to those who believe. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God knows your past and He has a great future planned for you. All you have to do is believe in Him, take Him at His word.

We are all sinners in need of a Savior. Some of you may be thinking, “I’m not a sinner! I’ve never murdered anyone or stolen anything!” Have you ever lied, cheated, done wrong to someone? If you have you’re a sinner. Sin separates us from God. In the Old Testament, sacrifices had to be made to cover over sins, but when Jesus came and died on the cross, He became the ultimate and perfect sacrifice. He paid the debt we couldn’t pay so that we wouldn’t have to. When has someone ever loved you that much? Jesus could have called the whole thing off, could have given in, but He didn’t. He endured the cross because of His love for you. If you think being a follower of Christ is about rules and regulations you’ve got it all wrong. God gave us the Bible so that we can know His will for our lives, and that we may live an abundant life (John 10:10). He wants only the best for us (Jeremiah 29:11). He also gave us the Bible so that we can understand His character, attributes, and His love for us. He died in your place; you were worth that much to Him.

References: Gideon's//Three Hundred//Tactical Guide; the Bible, New International Version (NIV)

Walking Away

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
– 1 Peter 1:13-19


Many times we find ourselves in places we don’t want to be in or with people we don’t need to be hanging out with. In those times we know we need to walk away but it can be hard. I recently went to the movies with my boyfriend and a group of friends to see the movie Watchmen. We discussed the movie afterwards and decided that we had just wasted three hours of our lives. The movie was blasphemous as it attempted to portray an image of God that was wrong and deceitful. It had nudity and detailed sex scenes. After the movie we each talked about how we wanted to get up but for some reason we never did. I felt uncomfortable throughout the whole movie and wanted to leave but the thoughts of how much the tickets cost, and the snacks, and what the others would think all popped into my mind. When we discussed how we felt after the movie we pointed out how we needed to be stronger as Christians. We are supposed to be in the world but not of the world (John 17:16).The discomfort we felt throughout the movie was the Holy Spirit telling us to get up and leave.

You may think that watching movies you shouldn’t be watching or listening to jokes you shouldn’t be listening to is not going to do anything to you, but it does. When you open your mind to these things you give the Devil a foot into the door of your mind. You can usually tell when you are doing something you’re not supposed to be doing if you start trying to reason with the Spirit. For example, you feel inside that something is wrong and you shouldn’t be listening to it or watching it. Then you start trying to reason, trying to justify your actions. You can also tell if what you’re doing is wrong when you read God’s Word, the Bible. The Bible is a blueprint of how God wants us to live our lives. He tells us things we shouldn’t do because He loves us and wants what’s best for us. God’s will for our lives is in His Word. He wants us to live righteously. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

God wants us to have pure minds and hearts. If you find yourself doing something that would not please God, ask yourself, is it worth disappointing God? Ask yourself, what’s the least I can do to honor what Jesus did for me? And, yes, there are temptations out there, and, yes, we will fall. This doesn’t give us a right to sin. Jesus reminded the disciples in Matthew 26:41 that “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us that when we are tempted, God will always give us a way out. It’s hard to stand up to friends, or family who will make fun of us because we choose to honor God instead of pleasing the flesh, but it’s a comforting reminder to remember that God became a man and endured all the temptations that we have. Jesus Christ understands what we are going through and how hard it is to walk away from something that seems good but isn’t. He was tempted and endured and came out blameless (Hebrews 4:15). Through Christ we can do anything (Philippians 4:13), we can even get the strength to walk away from something we shouldn’t be around.

We should live to honor God. God has a plan for us better than anything we could ever come up with. Stick to His perfect will, seek Him in everything, read His Word, and talk to Him. He knows your heart and He will love you no matter what. Let’s not only honor and proclaim our love for Him with our mouths, but with our actions as well.


Read John 17

References: The Bible, NKJV

Draw Near to God

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…”

- James 4:8

The Bible tells us that God will draw near to us if we draw near to Him (James 4:8) and it’s true. I have recently begun to understand the meaning of drawing near to God. When I was upset or frustrated, instead of turning on the T.V. or radio, I opened the Bible and sought after God. I wanted to know what God wanted me to do when something was going a certain way, I wanted Him to guide me and take control of the situation. God spoke to me through His Word. His Word truly is living and breathing. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” God speaks to us through His Word and not only does His Word challenge us and give us knowledge but it gives us insight into who God is and how He works.

When you don’t feel like getting into God’s word is when you need to do it the most. When you are abstaining from something and are tempted to stray off that road you need to open the Word. His Word is His light for our paths (PSALM 119:105). It is “Salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). God gave us direction and guidance in His Word. In the Bible we may also learn about His saving grace, through His Son, Jesus Christ. We can learn about the character of God. He is awesome and great and He loved you so much that He sent His only Son to die for you. God is big and powerful, but He does care about the things going on in your life, however insignificant you think they may be.

Prayer is another way we can draw nearer to God. Communication is a key factor for a relationship to be successful. Talking to God keeps the line of communication open and keeps your relationship with Him strong. You don’t have to use big words or “thee’s” and “thou’s” to talk to Him. God already knows your heart and He’s ready to listen to you anytime of day and no matter where you are. You can talk to God while your driving (eyes open, of course) or even while you’re standing in line to get food. I encourage you to keep your eyes on Him and your mind set on His will and purpose for your life, and you can do that through prayer and reading His Word. God is the Creator of the universe but He is also your friend and He loves you. If you read Psalms you can see how David talked to God. David was open and honest with God, he cried out to Him and longed for God to guide and speak to him. David would even pretty much tell God what he wanted Him to do but one thing David always did was acknowledge who God is.

Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek God first and then all the things we worry about will be added to you (according to God’s perfect will). I challenge you, whenever you get frustrated or have time to spare, open God’s Word and breathe in what He breathed out. God will see that you are seeking Him and He will honor that. Take the time to go into His Word. Draw near to Him. Seek Him with all your heart and He will draw near to you.

References: The Bible, NKJV

To the Daughters of The Most High God

Women of God,

I have been through numerous relationships where I thought I could finally feel complete. I thought some guy could make me feel like I was loved, important, beautiful, all that good stuff. But what I forgot was that I deserved something special. And so do you. You’re not just any girl looking for any type of guy. You are a beautiful daughter of God. Don’t you think your Daddy in heaven is looking out for you? Not with a shot gun and a “Don’t touch my daughter” look for all those guys that come knocking on your door. But instead, He has an “I love you so much that I gave up My life for you. Trust Me! It’s all in My time. I know what you need and deserve.” He created and molded you. Girls…listen! You are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). He knows you better than anyone.

My mom used to tell me that God had someone special for me and if it was taking long it’s because He was building him into the man He wanted him to be. I would settle for guys that knew God but only so much that it became a flirt to convert mission. Several months ago I came to a realization and I finally came to a point where I had had enough. I told God that from that point on I would leave it in His hands; no more trying to do things my way. I knew that God wanted me to be with someone who feared Him, who lived in a way that honored Him. I realized that in order for God to bless me with the man of God I knew I deserved and that He wanted for me I had to be the woman of God that God wanted me to be. I had to strive to be that woman that God wanted me to be and that that man of God He had for me would need me to be. I knew that I couldn't do it alone though. I asked God for help. I asked for Him to help me heal from the brokenness from my past relationships and I asked Him to break me and mold me into what He saw I could be. I prayed that he would make me into a vessel for Him. I no longer wanted to be what I thought I should be, but instead I prayed that God would reshape me into what He wanted me to be.

God has only the best thoughts towards you (Psalm 139:17-18). A friend reminded me that God doesn’t always give you what you want, but He gives you what you need, and sometimes He gives you both what you want and what you need. God has reminded me of His faithfulness with this new relationship He has blessed me with. I never thought I could be with this awesome man of God, but God knew. A relationship with Christ at its core will be fruitful, blessed, and strong. So I urge you, Women of God, take hold of the One Who loves you most, Who has never failed you and never will. He knows what He’s doing, even if we don’t understand. It’s all in His time.

Read Psalm 139:1-18

Bible Prophecy: Jesus, the Messiah

There are many religious books out there, but the Bible is the only one that contains prophecy that has been fulfilled. The Bible was inspired by God. As seen in the last post, these writers knew things that no man could possibly know unless they were informed by the Creator of the universe. If you read Psalm 22, verses 11-18, it is a detailed description about the crucifixion 1,000 years before Jesus was even born (read also Isaiah 53 and John 19). The Old Testament also says where the Messiah, Jesus, was going to be born (Micah 5:2 and read Matthew 2:1). In the Bible, one of the other prophecies is that the Messiah would be born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18-25) and be rejected by His own people (Isaiah 53:3).

The probability that 1 man would fulfill even 8 of the prophecies for the Messiah would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. That would be like taking 10^17 silver dollars and laying them face up in Texas. That would cover the entire state two feet deep. Now mark one of the silver dollars and mix it in with the rest thoroughly and all over the state. Blindfold a person and tell him travel as far as he wants but he has to pick a silver dollar and say it is the one that has been marked. The chance that he has in getting it right is the same chance the prophets had in writing eight of the prophecies and having one man make them come true. For one man to have fulfilled 48 of the prophecies would be 1 in 10^157 or 1 in (I'm not going to write that many 0's). Consider this: the estimated number of electrons in the universe is 10^79 (Peter Stoner). Jesus fulfilled every prophecy (all except for His second coming, which only the Father knows when it will be-Matthew 24:36)! The Bible is inspired by God. There is no way anyone could have fulfilled all the prophecies. God made sure that the time was right for His Son to be born and He made sure that everything was in order. If one thing went wrong, the whole thing would have failed because Jesus, the Messiah, had to fulfill every prophecy '"to the t" and He did.


References: Gideon's Three Hundred//Tactical Guide; Biblegateway.com; Science Speaks by Peter Stoner; The Bible, NIV.

Devotional

"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."

-Ephesians 5:1-2

Have you ever been late to class, like, really late? It's really embarrassing to walk into the class late and all of a sudden, you become the center of attention and all eyes are on you...especially the teacher. The teacher stares you down as you walk into the classroom. You can feel their eyes boring into the back of your head as you walk as quickly as you possibly can to the closest available seat. The worst is when that first available seat happens to be on the other side of the classroom and you have to walk across the professor in order to get to it; or maybe you have not been able to find a seat right away and end up standing at the door for what seems like forever and people are staring you down thinking that you standing there is distracting and incredibly annoying. Or maybe what happened to you is what happened to me today. I walked to class and was almost 30 minutes late. When I got to the door, guess what? It was locked. And I decided that I wasn't going to knock on the door like the doofus I felt like at the moment.

I've felt convicted lately about being late to class or talking to classmates while the professor is lecturing. Sure, the teacher may be boring but I came to school to learn. It must be really hard for teachers to get up in front of other students and to lecture about something, and at the same time try to make it interesting. It doesn't help them when students like me show them that what they say doesn't interest me or isn't worth listening to.

We are called to exemplify the love of Christ everywhere we go, even in the classroom. We are called to be a light that stands out in darkness. That means honoring God in all that we do, even if it is something we don't like doing, like school or work. People are watching you live your life. They see the choices you make. Are we living our lives in a way that others will want to know Jesus? Or are we living our lives in a way that others won't want to know the hope they can have in Christ?

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,"

-Colossians 3:23

Read also: Ephesians 5:3-21

References: The Bible, NKJV; Biblegateway.com

Is the Bible Reliable? (Part 2)

In the 5th century B.C., a mathematician by the name if Pythagoras discovered that the earth was round and not flat, that the earth did not have edges. Explorers set out in the 15th century to prove this theory. However, the Bible discusses the earth and its shape before Pythagoras or these explorers ever figured it out. The book of Job is considered to be the oldest book in the Bible. Job writes in chapter 26, verse 7, “He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.” In this verse, Job is talking about how God has positioned the earth and what the earth sits on (nothing; Space). Isaiah, a prophet of God wrote around 700 B.C., “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in” (Isaiah 26:7). We are seen here as tiny compared to everything outside of our planet. And isn’t that what we are? How often do you sit outside and realize how big the universe is and how tiny we are? The verse also points to the fact that God has placed a “curtain” around our planet. There is a canopy embracing our planet, “like a tent to dwell in.” This canopy protects us against the sun and the elements of space. Isaiah also writes that “God sits above the circle of the earth.” There was no way for people to possibly know that the earth was a circle, and there was no way anyone could know that we were so tiny compared to the big universe out there, unless God let them in on what He had done in His creation.

The writer of Hebrews writes in chapter 11, verse 3, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” The book of Hebrews was written in approximately 60 A.D. The writer (no one knows who exactly wrote the book of Hebrews, though people have guesses) describes God creating the world here; and not only does the author discuss one world, but “worlds,” a universe/planets. The author also talks about “the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” The author was recognizing the particles and atoms that make up matter, not only within the universe but in them and the objects around them. The author was recognizing the complexity of everything that God created. How can someone, who has no telescope (because the telescope had yet to be invented), possibly know about the existence of a universe or other planets? And how would they know that particles and atoms, things invisible to the eye at that time, made up things?


References: Gideon’s Three Hundred//Tactical Guide; The Bible, NKJV

Devotional

1 Peter 3:15: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…"

When we are living our lives or answering questions about our faith, we should always remember to do it “with gentleness and respect,” demonstrating the love of Christ. We must also “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you” about what you believe. This means to study up! Read the Word of God. It is one of His ways of talking to us. And in reading it, we can better understand and learn about the One Who loved us so much that He would die in our place.

Is the Bible Reliable (Part 1)?

Many people think that the Bible is fallible because it has many translations and it was written by men. It is true. There have been many translations of the Bible and the Bible was written by men, Godly men. We don’t have the original manuscripts of the New Testament. However, about 5,600 completed manuscript copies exist, some that were copied less than 100 years after the original. Compared to other historical documents, this is outstanding! People think Plato’s work is reliable, yet we only have 7 copies of his work, the earliest being copied over 1,200 years after the original. Homer’s Iliad has 500 years between its original and its copy; it has 643 copies.

How do you view the Bible? Has your opinion of the Bible changed?

Resources: Gideon’s Three Hundred//Tactical Guide, The Bible, New King James Version