I think it's time for another poem on the blog, and since I have a few minutes, I'll take the time to create a blog-only poem... maybe I'll write it down later, we'll see. Usually my poems reflect how I'm feeling or what I'm thinking about at a given time, so this'll probably be one of those kind too.
My Enemy
You know me so well, you rule my mind,
You say you'll protect me, but you are unkind.
You hurt me and then... you hurt me again,
You get me so stressed out I need to unwind.
Your morals I question, I think they are lax,
It's so hard to fend off all of your attacks.
You treat me like dirt, and when I am hurt,
You won't let me go cuz you're there on my back.
My ego you boost, then rip it away,
I'm built up and torn down by all that you say.
You say I'm a star, that I will go far,
Then beat up on me like you did yesterday.
You take all the glory, you leave me the blame,
You think that this all is just some sort of game.
I try and I fail, and yet you prevail,
And leave me there sitting alone in my shame.
But now I will stop, and begin to see,
Just what is behind this, your identity.
I was such a fool, you made me your tool,
I should have known all along that you were me.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Be All That You Can Be - 2 Timothy 2:3-5
Finally, I'm catching up on my posts, this was yesterday's devo... it was shorter because we had a RISK game last night, and we also had to discuss some events which are coming up at the drop-in in the coming months... hopefully more about those later.
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (fear), but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." - 2 Timothy 1:7
(Read 2 Timothy 2:3-5)
Living for God is not a part-time thing, it's a lifestyle, it's who you are, like in sports, or the army:
Join the army... see the world... go to strange and exotic places... meet new and interesting people... and kill them.
Just kidding, I just thought that was a humorous take on an army slogan, but it is a commitment that you don't back out on, just like your Christian life has to be. Anything that pulls you away or holds you back and is counterproductive to your Christian life has to go. Concentrate on the things of God, focus on growing in your Christian walk, become all that you can. God wants to help you to reach your potential. He wants you to be all that you can be.
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (fear), but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." - 2 Timothy 1:7
(Read 2 Timothy 2:3-5)
Living for God is not a part-time thing, it's a lifestyle, it's who you are, like in sports, or the army:
Join the army... see the world... go to strange and exotic places... meet new and interesting people... and kill them.
Just kidding, I just thought that was a humorous take on an army slogan, but it is a commitment that you don't back out on, just like your Christian life has to be. Anything that pulls you away or holds you back and is counterproductive to your Christian life has to go. Concentrate on the things of God, focus on growing in your Christian walk, become all that you can. God wants to help you to reach your potential. He wants you to be all that you can be.
The Year of the Lord's Favour - Luke 4:14-21, Isaiah 61:1-3
- This story took place very shortly after Jesus received the Holy Spirit.
- One of the first things He does is announce Himself. This is probably one of the most blatant ways Jesus pointed to Himself being the Christ, the Jews listening understood the passage He read to be prophetic, about the Christ, and He claimed to fulfill it.
- When we receive the Holy Spirit from God, this becomes our mission, and our call. Whatever else we do, we have to:
Preach good news to the poor.
- show them the good news by taking care of them
Proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind.
- these go hand in hand, those who are prisoners to their flesh are often blind to the things of the Spirit
Release the oppressed.
- not only not oppressing others, but actively releasing them... whether the oppression be physical, mental, spiritual or whatever
Proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.
- when we live by the Spirit, we have the favour of God on our lives, He wants to show favour on everyone, and it's our job to let them know.
P.S. - Rick and I had a pretty good discussion going on after the devo about the continuation of the passage in Isaiah, about the "Day of Vengeance"...I encourage people to read the rest of the passage, and just want to say that for those of us who are Christians, the Day of Vengeance is not something to be afraid of... but it should spur us to action, to want to let friends, family and everyone know about Jesus while it's still the Year of Favour.
- One of the first things He does is announce Himself. This is probably one of the most blatant ways Jesus pointed to Himself being the Christ, the Jews listening understood the passage He read to be prophetic, about the Christ, and He claimed to fulfill it.
- When we receive the Holy Spirit from God, this becomes our mission, and our call. Whatever else we do, we have to:
Preach good news to the poor.
- show them the good news by taking care of them
Proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind.
- these go hand in hand, those who are prisoners to their flesh are often blind to the things of the Spirit
Release the oppressed.
- not only not oppressing others, but actively releasing them... whether the oppression be physical, mental, spiritual or whatever
Proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.
- when we live by the Spirit, we have the favour of God on our lives, He wants to show favour on everyone, and it's our job to let them know.
P.S. - Rick and I had a pretty good discussion going on after the devo about the continuation of the passage in Isaiah, about the "Day of Vengeance"...I encourage people to read the rest of the passage, and just want to say that for those of us who are Christians, the Day of Vengeance is not something to be afraid of... but it should spur us to action, to want to let friends, family and everyone know about Jesus while it's still the Year of Favour.
The Prayer of the Tax Collector - Luke 18:9-14
It's obvious that the Pharisee in this story was a "better person", but the tax collector was the one who was justified. Any idea what the difference was, what made God listen to the tax collector rather than the Pharisee? What did the tax collector do right?
1. The tax collector was humble.
- he knew that he wasn't so great, and God is
- he wouldn't even look up, he didn't feel worthy to look in God's direction
- he stood at a distance - this reflected how close he felt to God
2. The tax collector was sincere.
- he acknowledged his sin
- he spoke to God straight-up, no angles
- he asked for the mercy he knew he needed
What did the Pharisee do wrong?
1. The Pharisee was proud.
- he thought a lot of himself, forgot God's greatness
- he stood up close, not to be close to God, but to be the centre of attention
- he boasted about how much better he was than everyone else
*In the grand scheme of things, God doesn't measure us up against other people, but against perfection. None of us can stand up to that comparison, which is why we need His mercy and grace. Through Jesus, He makes us able to stand up to the measuring stick of perfection.
2. The Pharisee was insincere.
- he prayed so others would hear, he wasn't really interested in whether or not God heard
- he compared himself to the worst of humanity to make himself look better
- he didn't acknowledge his need for God's mercy, in fact, the only time he acknowledge God at all was as a name at the beginning of his prayer
*almost like putting "Once upon a time..." at the beginning of a fairy tale... it meant about as much to him
We need to be like the tax collector rather than the Pharisee in our dealings with God.
1. The tax collector was humble.
- he knew that he wasn't so great, and God is
- he wouldn't even look up, he didn't feel worthy to look in God's direction
- he stood at a distance - this reflected how close he felt to God
2. The tax collector was sincere.
- he acknowledged his sin
- he spoke to God straight-up, no angles
- he asked for the mercy he knew he needed
What did the Pharisee do wrong?
1. The Pharisee was proud.
- he thought a lot of himself, forgot God's greatness
- he stood up close, not to be close to God, but to be the centre of attention
- he boasted about how much better he was than everyone else
*In the grand scheme of things, God doesn't measure us up against other people, but against perfection. None of us can stand up to that comparison, which is why we need His mercy and grace. Through Jesus, He makes us able to stand up to the measuring stick of perfection.
2. The Pharisee was insincere.
- he prayed so others would hear, he wasn't really interested in whether or not God heard
- he compared himself to the worst of humanity to make himself look better
- he didn't acknowledge his need for God's mercy, in fact, the only time he acknowledge God at all was as a name at the beginning of his prayer
*almost like putting "Once upon a time..." at the beginning of a fairy tale... it meant about as much to him
We need to be like the tax collector rather than the Pharisee in our dealings with God.
Jesus and Peter Walk on Water - Matthew 14:22-33
Let's set the stage. We've got a group of guys here who have personally seen Jesus' miracles, and heard His teachings and believed in Him. In fact, they've just finished participating in a huge outdoor all-you-can-eat dinner, where Jesus provided food for likely close to 20,000 people (5000 men plus women and children, could've been more, could've been less). After seeing this miracle, Jesus sends them off so He can be by Himself. If I'm on that boat, I'm thinking, "Jesus knows what He's doing. We should be safe going where He told us to go, and doing what He told us to do." Then, all of a sudden, a wind comes up against the boat, and the waves start rocking it harder and harder, and it's all the disciples can do to make any headway at all.
- life can be pretty tough even when we're doing what God says
Imagine you're fighting the waves for control of the boat, when all of a sudden you look back and catch the moonlight reflecting off something on the water, and it looks like it's heading towards you. All the ghost and monster stories you heard as a kid come rushing back into your mind. You can make out the figure of a man. Someone whispers the word 'ghost' and slowly the other guys huddle towards the front. You quickly join them, abandoning the boat to the waves, a couple of the more superstitious guys let out muffled screams...
That's when you hear the most comforting thing you've ever heard. Jesus' voice booms out to you over the storm: "Hey guys! Don't be afraid, it's just me, Jesus! You've got nothing to worry about!"
- often we let our minds wander, we fear things we don't understand, we don't see the obvious because our circumstances cloud our judgement.
Now we get to where Peter walks on water... well, sort of. After all, he took His focus off Jesus and would have sunk if Jesus hadn't saved him. Sometimes we think that makes the other disciples look better, but where was their faith? Did any of them take even one step on the water? NO. Peter's decision to take a risk and step out was a good one, and one we need to follow. And the fact that he fell is an encouragement for us, when the inevitable fall comes, Jesus is faithful to pick us back up and keep us safe.
I'd like to focus on Jesus' words in verse 31, because I don't think it's quite the heavy rebuke we expect... I think it's a commendation, and a push to go farther:
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
In Luke 17:6, Jesus says, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."
I think Jesus is saying, "You were doing good, you had a little faith... why did you let doubt take that away from you?"
We need to have a little faith to begin with, and then let that grow.
- life can be pretty tough even when we're doing what God says
Imagine you're fighting the waves for control of the boat, when all of a sudden you look back and catch the moonlight reflecting off something on the water, and it looks like it's heading towards you. All the ghost and monster stories you heard as a kid come rushing back into your mind. You can make out the figure of a man. Someone whispers the word 'ghost' and slowly the other guys huddle towards the front. You quickly join them, abandoning the boat to the waves, a couple of the more superstitious guys let out muffled screams...
That's when you hear the most comforting thing you've ever heard. Jesus' voice booms out to you over the storm: "Hey guys! Don't be afraid, it's just me, Jesus! You've got nothing to worry about!"
- often we let our minds wander, we fear things we don't understand, we don't see the obvious because our circumstances cloud our judgement.
Now we get to where Peter walks on water... well, sort of. After all, he took His focus off Jesus and would have sunk if Jesus hadn't saved him. Sometimes we think that makes the other disciples look better, but where was their faith? Did any of them take even one step on the water? NO. Peter's decision to take a risk and step out was a good one, and one we need to follow. And the fact that he fell is an encouragement for us, when the inevitable fall comes, Jesus is faithful to pick us back up and keep us safe.
I'd like to focus on Jesus' words in verse 31, because I don't think it's quite the heavy rebuke we expect... I think it's a commendation, and a push to go farther:
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
In Luke 17:6, Jesus says, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."
I think Jesus is saying, "You were doing good, you had a little faith... why did you let doubt take that away from you?"
We need to have a little faith to begin with, and then let that grow.
Catholic vs. Protestant: Fighting the Wrong War - Romans 14, 1 Cor. 12
Hey everybody, I'm finally back and posting after a long dry spell (busy, oh so busy)... here's the first of a bunch of forthcoming:
Let me start by saying I happen to be a Pentecostal Protestant. The logistics of that is for another time, but suffice it to say that I have seen God's power at work in the Protestant churches I have been a part of, and I could probably find a bunch of Bible verses that I could use to support my position when in a conversation/discussion/debate/argument with a Catholic. BUT that's not what this is.
I've grown up all my life believing that anyone who believes in Jesus and accepts Him into their life will be saved, regardless of denomination. All Christians are brothers (and sisters). Though I am a Protestant, I do not exclude Catholics and from what I hear, the Catholic Church doesn't exclude other Christians either, but welcomes them as family. All the same, I've had some pretty heated discussions and, though some were helpful and informative, many degenerated into a Catholic- and Protestant-bashing session.
Let's look at a few verses of Scripture, and apply them to how we should really be treating each other as God's family:
(read Romans 14)
- We need to put ourselves in the shoes of both the weaker and stronger brothers. Sometimes our faith is strong in one area, while in others it's weak. In both cases, don't condemn or look down on other Christians. God will help them to stand, just as He helps you.
- We need to do our best not to cause others to stumble... for example, you may think a certain movie is OK but your friend thinks it's wrong... DON'T go see it with them (or describe it to them in detail afterwards). It's not as important whether you eat, drink, watch or do whatever you want to, as it is to care about about someone's spiritual health. This applies, for example, if a non-Catholic Christian goes to a Catholic church and they feel it's OK for them to take the Eucharist (Communion), but the Catholics there would be distressed and see something wrong with it... don't do it. Whatever your personal convictions, you're not acting in love if you do.
(read 1 Cor. 12:12-27)
- Protestants and Catholics alike are members of the Body of Christ. Just because we play different parts in the body doesn't mean we aren't both necessary. Let's use an example:
Say you're a nose. Just a regular, ordinary nose, going about its business. Oh yeah, and you're on the face of a guy with glasses. One day, you get tired of holding up the glasses, doing all the work just so your weaker brothers, the eyes, can have an easier time of it. Somehow you throw off the glasses, and you feel pretty good, thinking, "Now those stupid eyes will have to do their share of the work!" What happens next? While the eyes are straining to adjust, the guy walks right into a brick wall... NOSE FIRST! What seemed like a burden was really working for your protection.
Though we don't understand all the parts in play, God does. If we're united in Him, we'll stand, regardless of denomination... if not, we'll all fall.
P.S. - Greg, if you'd like to post your thoughts from a Catholic perspective, that would be great. I appreciated you coming to the drop-in to help with this one so it didn't become an anti-Catholic slugfest.
Let me start by saying I happen to be a Pentecostal Protestant. The logistics of that is for another time, but suffice it to say that I have seen God's power at work in the Protestant churches I have been a part of, and I could probably find a bunch of Bible verses that I could use to support my position when in a conversation/discussion/debate/argument with a Catholic. BUT that's not what this is.
I've grown up all my life believing that anyone who believes in Jesus and accepts Him into their life will be saved, regardless of denomination. All Christians are brothers (and sisters). Though I am a Protestant, I do not exclude Catholics and from what I hear, the Catholic Church doesn't exclude other Christians either, but welcomes them as family. All the same, I've had some pretty heated discussions and, though some were helpful and informative, many degenerated into a Catholic- and Protestant-bashing session.
Let's look at a few verses of Scripture, and apply them to how we should really be treating each other as God's family:
(read Romans 14)
- We need to put ourselves in the shoes of both the weaker and stronger brothers. Sometimes our faith is strong in one area, while in others it's weak. In both cases, don't condemn or look down on other Christians. God will help them to stand, just as He helps you.
- We need to do our best not to cause others to stumble... for example, you may think a certain movie is OK but your friend thinks it's wrong... DON'T go see it with them (or describe it to them in detail afterwards). It's not as important whether you eat, drink, watch or do whatever you want to, as it is to care about about someone's spiritual health. This applies, for example, if a non-Catholic Christian goes to a Catholic church and they feel it's OK for them to take the Eucharist (Communion), but the Catholics there would be distressed and see something wrong with it... don't do it. Whatever your personal convictions, you're not acting in love if you do.
(read 1 Cor. 12:12-27)
- Protestants and Catholics alike are members of the Body of Christ. Just because we play different parts in the body doesn't mean we aren't both necessary. Let's use an example:
Say you're a nose. Just a regular, ordinary nose, going about its business. Oh yeah, and you're on the face of a guy with glasses. One day, you get tired of holding up the glasses, doing all the work just so your weaker brothers, the eyes, can have an easier time of it. Somehow you throw off the glasses, and you feel pretty good, thinking, "Now those stupid eyes will have to do their share of the work!" What happens next? While the eyes are straining to adjust, the guy walks right into a brick wall... NOSE FIRST! What seemed like a burden was really working for your protection.
Though we don't understand all the parts in play, God does. If we're united in Him, we'll stand, regardless of denomination... if not, we'll all fall.
P.S. - Greg, if you'd like to post your thoughts from a Catholic perspective, that would be great. I appreciated you coming to the drop-in to help with this one so it didn't become an anti-Catholic slugfest.
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