-Psalm 34
I was talking with my buddies last night about Tim Tebow and the witness that he has. I was sharing with them about how I wonder if it is possible to be "over the top", or "too much" with your faith and sharing it. I know this sounds bad, but it was a question I wanted to seek answers to. Then today my friend Dave sent me a text about Psalm 34, specifically verses 1-3 and how they help answer this question. God shows us here that the answer is "no", you cannot witness too much, and you cannot be too over the top. David says in this passage that he "will praise the Lord at all times, I will constantly speak His praises". David also was known to have danced in the street for the Lord, and this is the man whom God referred to as a man after His own heart. It is clear that you cannot witness nor speak God's praises "too much", especially if dancing publicly in the streets is seen as righteous.
With this said, God has given us a brain so that we would use it. I don't believe that God's Word is telling us to go out and pester people. We are to "speak the truth in love". The Bible also says, "They will know you are Christians by your love". I believe part of witnessing is realizing that many situations and circumstances will be different, and we need to rely on God's wisdom and strength to know how to go about each of those various situations. At the same time, God calls us to be pumped and excited and never ashamed about what we share in our relationship with Him, and so we should be like David, and be constantly speaking His praises. We should be excited about Him at all times, and if this is truly the case, then we will be excited to tell others about Him and to share the good news of the gospel.
These are things that I must get better at. I must be more willing to publicly praise the Lord, and to be praising Him, both publicly and privately at all times. Although I must never seek to rub people the wrong way or annoy them, at the same time, I must not care what other people think. I must only ever care what the Lord thinks, and therefore, I must at all times be pumped and excited about Him, singing His praises and be proud about what I have with Him. I must be living in such a way whereby people will see the excitement I have in Jesus so that they too will realize how amazing a relationship with Him really is, and hopefully decide to begin one with Him themselves. I must never shy away from an opportunity to share Christ with others. I must make the most of every opportunity, for you never know how God may use your circumstances to draw someone to themselves and save them from eternal damnation in hell.
Too often in my life I have been worried about what other people think. I have been concerned that if I give all credit to God for the good things in my life, or draw attention to my relationship with Him, that I may rub people the wrong way. I need to stop this immediately! King David, and Jesus Christ Himself, Who's example I am to follow at all times, were always giving glory to God, speaking about Him plainly. Their relationship with God was the most important thing about them and because of it they were always speaking with others about Him. I need to be this way too. I know that I need to seek God's wisdom for if there are particular circumstances where it is wisest to go about things a certain way, but overall, I must not care what people think. I must only care what the Lord thinks. I am not ashamed of Him, and so the way I carry myself and the conversations I have with others, and my willingness to speak with others about Him, and my willingness to give Him all the glory, honour and praise for all good things in my life to Him, must not speak otherwise.
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Accepting Advice from Others When Pursuing Personal Goals
"Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ." (Colossians 2:8)
I have often struggled in the past with what advice to accept and what advice not to accept. I've always known that it is important to follow any advice that is in line with the Bible, but what about advice that seems to be good even though such teaching is hard to find in God's Word.
I believe the simple answer to be that advice is probably fine to listen to as long as it is not opposed to God's Word. This means that if it is in line with God's Word, it's good; if it opposses God's Word, run from it.
This sounds quite simple, and to be honest it is. I know that I myself have made my relationship with God so much more complicated than He intends it to be. Countless times I have wondered to myself, "That advice/instruction seems to make sense, but I don't see that topic anywhere in the Bible. I think it's fine for me to listen to, but I want to make sure that all of my decisions are in line with what is pleasing to God. Therefore, is it really okay for me to adopt this instruction?". I believe the answer to be yes, and the reason for this is because God calls us to do, and be, our best for Him at all times and in all things. We can learn from the experience of others in order to make ourselves better. This is wise, and God calls us to be wise. After all, God gave us a brain so that we would use it. Learning from other's experiences to enhance our own is wisdom. And to add to this, the book of Proverbs teaches multiple times about the fact that it is wise to accept advice. All of this can reveal that in reality, whenever I asked myself the questions above pertaining to whether it was right or wrong to listen to advice on topics that I do not necessarily see in scripture, the answer is it is right; and the reality is that it actually is obedient to God. Just because the topic itself is not found in the Bible, teaching on listening to advice is, so when I listen to advice, I am obeying God, as long as that advice is not contradictory to anything that God says.
Unfortunately, a lot of the advice that I hear nowadays is all about human effort. It has no place for reliance on God. I find this unfortunate because God's ways are best and He is One Who wants to help us be the best we possibly can be. The biggest theme I continually witness is the one which states that we all must take control of our own destinies. People call us to pursue our dreams and to never allow anyone or anything to get in our way because with enough effort and will power, we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. I must admit, when I hear these dialogues I can get inspired. They sound good, they seem good, and at first thought it doesn't seem like there is anything wrong with them. There is however something wrong with them. As Christians, if we are buying into the idea that we can do whatever we want to, become whatever we want to, and accomplish anything we put our minds to, then we are running life's race on our own. We are not relying on God, Who's perfect strength and guidance is what we truly need to become the best person He created us to be. Proverbs 3:5,6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding, in all your ways aknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight". Proverbs 16:3 adds to this in saying, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed". It is very dangerous for Christians to buy into the mentality that they can accomplish anything they want to as long as they have enough will power. It's dangerous because it leads us out on our own, without God's guidance, without His strength. It leads us to rely on our own effort and "understanding".
I do not believe that it is wrong to have goals and dreams, nor do I think it is wrong to pursue goals and dreams. I do believe however that as a Christian, any time I pursue something, I need to make sure that I have sought God through His Word and prayer to ensure that my desires are righteous, and then as I pursue those things, I need to work hard as if the outcomes of my pursuits depend on me, but live recognizing that God is in complete control of all results. And I need to be okay with that. I may start pursuing a dream that God uses to take me down a completely different path then I anticipated. I need to be okay with this, I need to be surrendered to Him. After all, He is in complete control, He knows what's best for me, He wants what's best for me and He proved this when He sent Jesus to die for my sins so that I could have the opportunity to live with Him in Heaven someday. Why wouldn't I trust Him?
I also do not think it is wrong to be motivated to achieve great things, but this is another topic, and one which I address in another post pertaining to motivation.
It may seem like I've gone off on a tangent here, but these topics do relate, and here's how: As a Christian is it okay to accept advice from others even if those topics are not found anywhere in the Bible? Yes, as long as it does not contradict anything that the Bible teaches. And we need to be careful because there is a lot of teaching out there which seems good and righteous when in reality, it does contradict some of what the Bible teaches, and the one of the biggest teachings in this regard are the ones which try to inspire us to accomplish our goals and dreams by simply putting forth our own effort and will, and in doing, neglecting the guidance and strength that our Heavenly Father freely provides.
I have often struggled in the past with what advice to accept and what advice not to accept. I've always known that it is important to follow any advice that is in line with the Bible, but what about advice that seems to be good even though such teaching is hard to find in God's Word.
I believe the simple answer to be that advice is probably fine to listen to as long as it is not opposed to God's Word. This means that if it is in line with God's Word, it's good; if it opposses God's Word, run from it.
This sounds quite simple, and to be honest it is. I know that I myself have made my relationship with God so much more complicated than He intends it to be. Countless times I have wondered to myself, "That advice/instruction seems to make sense, but I don't see that topic anywhere in the Bible. I think it's fine for me to listen to, but I want to make sure that all of my decisions are in line with what is pleasing to God. Therefore, is it really okay for me to adopt this instruction?". I believe the answer to be yes, and the reason for this is because God calls us to do, and be, our best for Him at all times and in all things. We can learn from the experience of others in order to make ourselves better. This is wise, and God calls us to be wise. After all, God gave us a brain so that we would use it. Learning from other's experiences to enhance our own is wisdom. And to add to this, the book of Proverbs teaches multiple times about the fact that it is wise to accept advice. All of this can reveal that in reality, whenever I asked myself the questions above pertaining to whether it was right or wrong to listen to advice on topics that I do not necessarily see in scripture, the answer is it is right; and the reality is that it actually is obedient to God. Just because the topic itself is not found in the Bible, teaching on listening to advice is, so when I listen to advice, I am obeying God, as long as that advice is not contradictory to anything that God says.
Unfortunately, a lot of the advice that I hear nowadays is all about human effort. It has no place for reliance on God. I find this unfortunate because God's ways are best and He is One Who wants to help us be the best we possibly can be. The biggest theme I continually witness is the one which states that we all must take control of our own destinies. People call us to pursue our dreams and to never allow anyone or anything to get in our way because with enough effort and will power, we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. I must admit, when I hear these dialogues I can get inspired. They sound good, they seem good, and at first thought it doesn't seem like there is anything wrong with them. There is however something wrong with them. As Christians, if we are buying into the idea that we can do whatever we want to, become whatever we want to, and accomplish anything we put our minds to, then we are running life's race on our own. We are not relying on God, Who's perfect strength and guidance is what we truly need to become the best person He created us to be. Proverbs 3:5,6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding, in all your ways aknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight". Proverbs 16:3 adds to this in saying, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed". It is very dangerous for Christians to buy into the mentality that they can accomplish anything they want to as long as they have enough will power. It's dangerous because it leads us out on our own, without God's guidance, without His strength. It leads us to rely on our own effort and "understanding".
I do not believe that it is wrong to have goals and dreams, nor do I think it is wrong to pursue goals and dreams. I do believe however that as a Christian, any time I pursue something, I need to make sure that I have sought God through His Word and prayer to ensure that my desires are righteous, and then as I pursue those things, I need to work hard as if the outcomes of my pursuits depend on me, but live recognizing that God is in complete control of all results. And I need to be okay with that. I may start pursuing a dream that God uses to take me down a completely different path then I anticipated. I need to be okay with this, I need to be surrendered to Him. After all, He is in complete control, He knows what's best for me, He wants what's best for me and He proved this when He sent Jesus to die for my sins so that I could have the opportunity to live with Him in Heaven someday. Why wouldn't I trust Him?
I also do not think it is wrong to be motivated to achieve great things, but this is another topic, and one which I address in another post pertaining to motivation.
It may seem like I've gone off on a tangent here, but these topics do relate, and here's how: As a Christian is it okay to accept advice from others even if those topics are not found anywhere in the Bible? Yes, as long as it does not contradict anything that the Bible teaches. And we need to be careful because there is a lot of teaching out there which seems good and righteous when in reality, it does contradict some of what the Bible teaches, and the one of the biggest teachings in this regard are the ones which try to inspire us to accomplish our goals and dreams by simply putting forth our own effort and will, and in doing, neglecting the guidance and strength that our Heavenly Father freely provides.
Friday, 9 December 2011
Taking Control of My Thoughts
In sports, they say that in order to perform to the best of your ability, you need to ensure that you are thinking the right things in the right ways. In order to do this, one must control their thoughts; they must block out all bad/harmful things, and replace them with good/helpful thoughts. When we do this, we go from having our minds full of that which will lead to failure, to that which will lead to success.
It is the same in my walk with Christ. I must make sure that I rely on God's strength at all times to think only on those things which are good, righteous and pure. I must ignore every thought which is not of God. For when I allow myself to dwell on those things which are unrighteous, it will, just like sport, lead to harm, failure and sin. When I keep my thoughts pure, it will lead to righteous success. After all, the things which we think about will permeate all other areas of our lives. So as I invest in myself, I desire to esnure that I am thinking only of those things which will help me become more like Jesus, for He has proven to me over and over again that this is true success.
It is the same in my walk with Christ. I must make sure that I rely on God's strength at all times to think only on those things which are good, righteous and pure. I must ignore every thought which is not of God. For when I allow myself to dwell on those things which are unrighteous, it will, just like sport, lead to harm, failure and sin. When I keep my thoughts pure, it will lead to righteous success. After all, the things which we think about will permeate all other areas of our lives. So as I invest in myself, I desire to esnure that I am thinking only of those things which will help me become more like Jesus, for He has proven to me over and over again that this is true success.
Thursday, 8 December 2011
The Power of the Holy Spirit
John 16:33
Jesus says in this passage that we will have a lot of trials in this world, but not to worry because He” has overcome the world”. This is very good news! I can have complete confidence knowing that even though I have deal with the trials of this world, I have the Holy Spirit and His power living inside me to help me live for Christ and deal with those trials as He would have me to, which is the best way that they can possibly be dealt with.
I see people around me who struggle in this life. They go for counseling because they don’t feel like they can deal with the trials of this world. I agree with them, they can’t. I can’t either. I am definitely not against counseling, in fact I am completely for it because the Bible says very clearly that, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another”. We should receive counseling from each other, for it is wise, and it is a way that God can speak to us. However, as I see these people around me who are stressed and struggling, I realize that things would be so much better for them if they simply had Jesus. He is the ultimate counselor. No human can live this life to the most successful extent without Jesus. Everyone is better off for having Him, and as I see people around me struggling, and looking for answers in counselors, or negative things like alcohol and drugs, it makes me very sad that they don’t have the key to successfully dealing with their situations. They don’t have Jesus, the ultimate Counselor who has sent His Holy Spirit to live within those who invite Him in. With the Holy Spirit comes the strength that has already overcome the world. I need that strength, as do we all.
Monday, 5 December 2011
Never Shy Away from Living for Christ – Never Care What Others Think
John 15:18-27
People are going to hate me because of the fact that I love Jesus. It is an unfortunate fact, but one that I must accept and embrace. They hated Him when He was here on earth, so much so that they crucified Him brutally. I am ashamed to say that too often I am concerned about what others think. I have always been this way, even since I was a kid. I praise God that He has helped me to get better, but I need to continue to improve. I must never shy away from being the brightest light I can be for Jesus. I do not believe this means “thumping people with my Bible” or “preaching at all times”, I think it just means joyfully living my life for Jesus at all times, standing up for what is right, and being pumped and unashamed in any way while doing it. I am always foolishly, and sinfully, concerned about what other people are going to think. I get concerned about upsetting someone, or rubbing them the wrong way. I get concerned about myself feeling awkward. THIS NEEDS TO STOP! I am here on earth for a purpose, and that purpose is to live for Christ. It is shameful to ever even slightly hesitate to stand up for Christ. I need to take advantage of every opportunity to be a light for Him, and to do so confidently in the way that He calls me to. Each situation will be different, but I need to rely on Him and His guidance through His Word, to do so.
The world will hate me for loving Jesus, but I do not believe this means that I should go out, looking to be hated. For instance, I do not believe it is right to go and be preaching at people and being in their faces, because I don’t believe this will turn many to Jesus, but rather, most people will be turned off. After all, Jesus gave me a head to use it. However; with this said, I must never turn away from standing up for Jesus, the One who died for me, or from living my life for Him every moment of every day. My heart and mind must be completely surrendered to Him at all times. And so while I should not go out and look to be hated, I need to understand that it will in fact happen as I live as Christ does in fact call me to live in each and every moment.
Jesus died a brutal death for me. He has blessed me in countless ways. Why would I ever even hesitate to live for Him. He is my life and I need to at all times be completely surrendered and pumped and excited to be a light for Him. I must stop this foolishness which sees me be hesitant to stand up for Him. I am called to be of Christ, not of this world, and so that means being different than the people I am surrounded by. Will I upset people around me? Yes. Will people around me hate me? Yes. But what a privilege it is to be able to be identified with Christ. Who cares what the world thinks about me, all that matters is what Christ thinks of me.
Live for Christ every moment as He calls me to, stick up for Him, be completely surrendered to Him and be a light for Him. Never shy away from any of this. This world will at times hate me, but what a privilege it is to “share in Christ’s sufferings”.
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