Imitation

I found this in my Notes on my phone. I thought I'd share it. I don't think I've shared it and I cannot remember where I read this, but I wanted to share it with you. This is something I think about, especially since I work with or am around many kids. My two nephews, my two second cousins, and the kids in the day Christian school I volunteer at. Here it is:

Be Worthy of Imitation

The Thessalonians were converted to Christ not only because of the words of Paul and his men but also because of the example of their lives.

It is important to remember that the world is watching us as followers of Christ. We have been called to be the salt and light of the earth.

Jesus admonished us to let our lights shine brightly before men so that they may praise God for our good works. God's intention is not to give you fame that brings no glory to His name.

A life worthy of imitation is one that is surrendered to be used as a tool in the hands of God, to display His awesome power and glory.

What do people see when they see you?If someone walked in your shoes for 24 hours, what would they learn about Christ?

Living a life worthy of imitation is to be mindful that you are representatives of Christ to those around you. You can only reflect what or who you are facing. You must focus your attention on Christ and imitate Him. Let your words, actions and behavior emulate the One who calls you His ambassador.

Your footprints on the moon should lead the world to your source, your focus and your example; Jesus Christ.

Turning point

I've been miserable. Depressed.

It's because it's been busy at work. And I've been lonely at home. 

Work is mundane. I have a whole three bedroom house to myself.

Mundane makes me irritable. Having no company makes me think no one cares.

Irritability just makes me have a bad attitude about work. And being home alone.

I bring it home and sulk alone in my house, all night, til I'm tired enough to sleep.

I then sleep all day. I've missed a lot of the summer and I'm missing the wonderful weather now. I've also wasted a lot of hours that could have been spent productively (and there's plenty to do!!) or visiting family.

Time to change things up. And get accountability.

Instead of sulking at home, I've decided to USE that time, rather than waste it watching Netflix or eating junk. I've already been going to the gym, but it isn't everyday that I go. So other things have to fill in that time. I've decided to start reading the Bible or related devotional material. I've decided to just talk to God. I've decided to rebuild my relationship with Him.

I read something in an issue of Our Daily Bread.

If being "religious" means following a set of rules so we can look good---instead of enjoying a relationship with the Savior---Jesus isn't interested.

Granted, He isn't. Nope.

He said, taken from Our Daily Bread as well, "outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside [they] are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" of the Pharisees in Matt. 23:28. They didn't have the love of God in their hearts (John 5:42). Jesus wanted a relationship with them, but they were "not willing to come to [Him]" (v. 40)

True religion is to know

The love that Christ imparts;

True religion is to show

This love to burdened hearts. 

-D. DeHaan

These things being said, and I'm saying all these things to myself, that I forget to take the time to have a relationship with Jesus. I may do many good things and I may refrain from doing bad things, but all that effort does nothing. I remind myself of the grace imparted to me from God and it is only that, that keeps us in our salvation. So I'm getting back on track. Funny that we keep falling off, but granted, we have SO MANY things that distract us. Do you text and drive? I do. I know, I know, it's dangerous. But yeah, I cross the line, I drift into the shoulder and hit the "BbBbBbBbBbBbBbBbBbBbBbBb" of the rumble strip. Yeah, but my "safety net" is that I usually text when traffic is clear. So, that's going off the track because of my distraction with the phone. I think that most of you know what I mean. Modern day is so full of them. The devil loves to use them against me and I give in. A lot. And waste a lot of time.

So, in changing it up or reaching a turning point, I'm starting new and doing what I mentioned above. Also I'm starting to...blog! Yes. I like it. It's ok. Maybe I'll be a grain of salt to someone. A beacon of light. Encouragement. I dunno. We'll see.

Also, I'm learning something new too. Something productive. It doesn't hurt to at least learn about it, if not be a part of it. Forex trading. More on this later. But it's interesting! I like numbers anyway. And jargon.

Right now, I'm at work and this blogging IS the distraction from my job. Oops. Oh, well. We've been SO busy, we lab techs deserve a little bit of slow times before it gets busy again.

I want this t-shirt.

I want this too. The adrenaline rush of speed gets beat by nothing. At least for me.

Good night, ya all. 

Stanley Jr.

You need to lose your life!!

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. (Mark 8:34, 35 NLT)

If you want to follow Jesus, you must lose your life. Not physically, no. But the life you've made for yourself. That life does not matter. It will most likely not be fulfilling, or joyful. Only that joy will come from losing your life you've made for yourself and picking up the cross and following Jesus. He will tell you what your life is and what you will do in it. He will form your complete identity which is totally different from the identity we mold for ourselves through the life we make for ourselves. Yes, we have our personalities and an unique makeup that make us who we are but it is not our complete identity. Our identity is complete only in Jesus and the life we make by following His commands. Guess what? The life we make for ourselves ends. Ends at physical death, so we have really lived for nothing and for eternity in hell. If we live in Jesus and have our complete identity in Him, our life begins anew when we die to the world and it's offerings and that life continues for eternity in heaven after physical death. We will have then lived for everything!! Totally different packages. Both expensive. One requires you to pay the price upfront, the other doesn't require payment until later. Pick the right one. You will know if you picked the right one because you will not be sorry and it will never be "It was a mistake." ~SLashleyJr

We must decrease ourselves in order to have Jesus to increase in us.

I posted this from my phone. It is short and sweet. A reminder to myself and to all who read this. Also a message to those who need it and want something more in their lives. Enjoy.

Been busy...

To those who enjoy reading my blog,

Sorry for not posting in a while. I having done most of my blogging while at work when things were slow or in bits of free time that I get.

New processes have been developed and new chemicals are being made. More samples have been coming to the lab and it gets busier. Problems arise with new processes and chemicals, so problems are not few. When I'm alone in the lab, this is difficult and busier.

So, I hope to be blogging again soon on a regular basis. I would love to get a new laptop someday soon so I can blog while at home. I have tried blogging on my iPad, but many things and functions on Blogger app are askew, so I can't. And my iPhone, obviously, is way too small to blog a long post.

Bear with me and pray for me!! I have been asking for grace and patience at work, so pray that I have both of these!

Love you all.

Stanley

The Passionate Christian

What Makes A Passionate Christian?

An excellent sermon read by Stanley Lashley Jr and is mostly for his application to his life. You may do likewise. Only if you are willing to be on fire for God. The sermon isn't word for word, but a rewriting with additions.

Taken from Philippians 1:21-30

Apostle Paul says "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." These are words to literally live and die by. It is a personal expression, a very vulnerable expression of the heart of Paul as he spent his time in prison. While living his lowliest life, he was most passionate.

In effect, he was saying "My life only has meaning in that I am in Christ Jesus!"

The very essence of EXISTENCE itself is Jesus Christ. It is not a concept. It is not a doctrine. It is not a philosophical axiom. It is but a person.

This is what it truly means to live a passionate Christian life, completely defined by Christ to the point that even death becomes a means of greater intimacy with the One who loved us and gave himself up for us. The passionate Christian life is a life lived with a holy obsession with Jesus Christ.

The Wesleyan doctrine. This is the doctrine of my church--the holiness, conservative church. We base our beliefs on many writings and sermons of John Wesley and we live by them. From them come standards and rules that we live by in the name of conservatism. While there isn't anything wrong with being conservative, we must remember that it is not what makes one a Christian. This does not give an excuse, though, to live loosely, on the edge, playing with the fires of hell. What I'm saying here is that we should not live for a doctrine, but rather Jesus and Jesus only. No one person or one written doctrine can save us, only Jesus. We give ourselves up to Him and the Holy Spirit and let Him guide our lives. It is the only way we exist and we only exist to die so that we may gain--intimacy with Jesus and a home in Heaven! 

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

As much as I believe in and love the Wesleyan doctrine and other writings that expose the truth of the Word, I would not die for a doctrine. I would not die for a concept. But I would die for the person who gave up his life for me and loves me so much that I can be free from sin, past, present, and future.

The Western culture's Christians, by a large number, do not experience the Christian life as a passion, but rather a life not defined by passion. It is a myriad of competing appetites, desires, and drives.

People are floating in a miscellany of different desires and drives to amass wealth or material goods, to experience some titillating excitement, or indulge in some fleeting pleasure. They float in a stew of stresses, anxieties, and demands: work, family life, health issues, so that when it becomes unbearable, God becomes the last resort to be used for help with problems.  

Many people attend the local church, but do not join it because they have no passion for Jesus Christ.

People have a passion for "tomorrow." They worry or have a drive for what will happen in the future, when the kids are grown and gone, when they graduate, when they retire, where they will build dream homes. These are fantasies promulgated by Satan to distract us from the present moment which is all we are truly given. Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow, but today.  

A reason many people do not join the local church is their passion for material possessions. Nothing wrong with these possessions, but when the passion or drive to accumulate them is greater than the passion to live for Christ, something is wrong. They know they have to commit to the church and they have to invest their money and time. They just don't want to give and instead want to have the benefits of being in the body of Christ, but don't have to invest in it--live the Christian life on someone else's quarter. My note: tithing is great, but I believe we need to do A LOT more. Give until it hurts. If it hurts to not drive a vehicle with chrome wheels, to not carry a Coach purse, to indulge in eating out, to have collection to show off, then so be it. Let it hurt and get rid of those things if you feel convicted to do so. If a base model vehicle can get you from here to there the same as a top of the line model, then go for the base model. If a plastic bag can carry your necessities as a Coach can, then get a plastic bag. Women, just kidding. You know what I mean, though. I own a Coach portfolio bag (the only one, rather than a collection of empty bags as some do) with a retail price of $498, but paid only $119 for it and have used it well for four years. But now it is just sitting empty. I should probably get rid of it in the garage sale and give that money to the church.

For what reason would we be Christians if we do not want to be passionate Christians? What's the point? I've mentioned several times before the lukewarmness of many Christians, including myself, today. The passionate Christian life is an adventure!! Daring and risky! We have the means to get around and cover a lot of ground with the Bible in our hands and speaking the Gospel to those who need it. The marginal Christian life is a pile of embers. Here are the words of Teddy Roosevelt:

The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the devotions, and spends himself or herself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and at the worst, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his or her place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat. 

Presented in the passage above, the passionate Christian life is known by obvious characteristics.

Confidence. Remember Paul wrote while in prison. There was prospect of death by execution. Death was a reality, but he faced the moment of death with confidence because to die was to fulfill his greatest pleasure and passion:

"I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far..." Philippians 1:23

Purpose. TO LIVE IS CHRIST. Jesus is the only thing that gives real purpose. The Book of Ecclesiastes is a wonderful one because it reveals the futility of life without Christ at is center. The book reflects the life of King Solomon and reveals the logical end of so many of the things that people are heedlessly pursuing. In Solomon's words, the following will show you what it is like without Christ at the center:

I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good. " But that also proved to be meaningless. "Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?" I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly--my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for me to do under heaven during the few days of their lives. I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well--the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

 Service. Paul says:

If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith. Philippians 1:22-25.

 A passionate Christian knows well that a life lived is a life lived for the benefit of others! The greatest desire of a passionate Christian is to be in the presence of the Lord, but he is willing to deny himself that because of a motivation to serve. (I have at times wished that I could just go home to Heaven and get out of this chaotic and sinful world, but I know I have a purpose to fulfill...and so I must, willingly.) Service to the world is not drudgery, it is sheer joy! Christians work together so that we can reach the community with the Gospel. The fact that service is joy leads to...

Joy. "If you have no joy in your religion, you have a leak in your Christianity somewhere." ~Billy Sunday

Note how many times Paul mentions joy in this passage and in a prison cell, no less! He was facing execution and he is still joyful!

Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me. Philippians 1:25-26.

E. Stanley Jones said: "The Stoic bears, the Epicurean seeks to enjoy, the Buddhist and Hindu stand apart disillusioned, the Muslim submits, but only the Christian exults."

Holiness. Paul says, "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." The reason so many fall into sin is because at that moment, some other desire that taken precedence of our desire for God. Soren Kirkegaard said it best: "Purity of heart is to WILL ONE THING!"

Suffering."For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him" Philippians 1:29 The world will not admire you for your passionate Christian living and the conflict this creates will be the source of your suffering. We all suffer. It is much more bearable if it is for a great cause...more than that, though, God uses our brokenness to create beautiful lives!

In conclusion, there's a short story.

The most magnificent diamond was discovered in an African mine. Presented to the king of England, it was determined that it will shine in his crown. The king sent it to Amsterdam into the hands of an expert lapidary. The lapidary cut a notch in the gem and struck a violent blow with his instrument and--lo!--the superb jewel lay in his hand cleft in two. This was not done out of recklessness and carelessness. He spent days and weeks examining the gem looking for quality, defects, lines of cleavage with minutest care. Was the blow a mistake? No! It was the ultimatum of the lapidary's skill and he brought the gem to its most perfect radiance, shapeliness, and jeweled splendor. The blow was perfect redemption when it seemed to ruin the gem, from which two perfect gems was cleft. The eyes of the lapidary saw these two perfect gems in the rough, uncut stone as it came from the mine. 

The Hope Diamond

So, sometimes God lets a stinging blow fall upon our lives. The blood spurts; the nerves wince. It hurts and the soul cries in agony. It seems to be an appalling mistake, but it is not. You are the most precious jewel in the world to God and He is the most skilled lapidary in the universe. Live your life like the most precious jewel that you are to God. Nobody wants a marred jewel. Be a PASSIONATE CHRISTIAN!!

Passion. Are you and I passionate?

A few weeks ago we celebrated Passion Week, or the passion of Christ when He gave His life for us. We celebrate the pain and blood of Jesus and we thank Him for saving us from sin. We thank God for the relationship we now can have with Him through His Son. United.

Passion of the Christ

Now, what about your passion? My passion? Our passion? Do we have passion to live for Jesus? Do we have passion to give love to others? Do we have passion to serve others? Do we have passion to care for others? Do we have passion to pray for ourselves? For our sanctification? For others? For the saving of precious souls? Do we have the passion for commitment to the life Jesus asks us to live? To fulfill our purpose? To spread God's love to others? How can we revive or get the passion we need? 

There are people GOING TO HELL. DAMNATION is going to happen. There is no gray area about this. We need revival of souls and we have a harvest of souls to reap. We are we doing about it? 

Are we still sitting in apathy? Are we getting up from our butts? Are we going out about our daily errands and routines and showing or telling others of God's love for them? Still don't understand what passion is or what a passionate person would do?

pas·sion [pash-uhn], noun

1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.

2. strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.

This kid is sure to show the world what he is passionate about. In his
imagination, he saves the world!

This is passion for pleasure-seeking thrills of homosexuality

This is passion for convenient murder of fetuses

This is passion for PETA (save the animals but kill babies??)

This is passion for our freedoms. Sadly, many may not recognize
 the main character in this picture.

So, you've seen examples of passion for causes and there are many more. The world has a passion for indulgences in sin. We must have a passion for the opposite. We must have a passion to be HOT, to be ON FIRE for God. Remember, in a previous post, I mentioned that Jesus will spit out the LUKEWARM. He wants nothing to do with you if you are lukewarm.

I don't want to be spat out. I want to be on fire for God. I want to show people God's love. I'm struggling with this. One reason is that I'm a little shy about approaching strangers in public. I talk to people behind counters and at cash registers only about the customer service. I have trouble sometimes having people understand me because of my slight or not so slight speech impediment, thus I keep silent unless I absolutely have to speak. Sometimes I just get enough courage to just speak to someone and it fails and I feel stupid and just quietly leave. It would be nice to have some tracts I can personally give to people. I want to set up a Prayer Station. My church, Bluffton Wesleyan Chapel, has a kit and we have used it a few times, but I have not done it with them yet.

I want passion. To be passionate. I need to ask the Lord to spark the desire for passion of reaping a ripe harvest of sinners. To reach out to others with the Gospel. To get my hands dirty helping others in need. To be exhausted because I cared for someone. I want to not be lukewarm. I want more humility.

Lukewarm doesn't do anything. Lukewarmness doesn't enhance, detract, or change. Lukewarm water doesn't refresh and lukewarm food isn't appetizing. Lukewarm lovers don't last in a relationship.

We would still be stuck in sin and tiring practices of sacrifices if God wasn't passionate in His love for us. He repeatedly answered Israel's cry and saved them from His enemies although Israel also repeatedly disobeyed God's admonition to obey His commandments. This admonition is mentioned at least 69 times in the Old and New Testaments. Obey His commandments! God sacrificially gave His Son to die on a tree for our sin. Imagine sacrificing your child. Would you do it? Would you have a passion enough for a cause to sacrifice your own child?

You see, we must be passionate as God is passionate. Think about it while I work on another post. What is it to be a passionate Christian? Only if you want to be a passionate Christian, you may look forward to and  return to read the next post.

Sorry if this post is a little jumbled. This is me jotting my thoughts down...I don't write in a book before posting. I don't like to write. I like to type, so, basically, you're reading my journal. Just not the very personal stuff. You want to know? No? I didn't think so. Til next post, very soon...

My next greatest de-stressor

You want to know what my greatest de-stressor (outside of letting God have all your problems and your whole life) is? It's no secret.

Kids. Yup. I spent five hours with these kids. They are adorable. They are playful. They climb on me. They punch me. They demand attention. They pull me in all directions. They want their turn. They cry in front of me. They want my affection. I try to help with their hurts. I don't know what they see in me, but they love me and I LOVE them. They get downright dirty. They spend hours outside. No video games. No movies. Just nature. They have goats. They have rabbits. They have cows. They have dirt in their fingernails and toenails. They take care of themselves. They use their imagination. They entertain themselves. They have wonderful parents who love them to no end.

 

Five kids or I should say, monkeys, on a trampoline

Excuse the video changing from landscape to portrait, one of the kids videoed us. If kids mean a lot to you, you wouldn't mind putting a crick in your neck to view this video.

 
These kids from the Reinhard family are in addition to other kids I enjoy having around. My nephews, my little cousins, and the students from school I volunteer at. Ever since vacation Bible school in Lesoto, Africa and my pastor shoved me out of my comfort zone, I've spent time with kids and I've learned that I can work and play with them well. Communication is hard sometimes, but the kids don't care. I have one student that will write to me so I can understand him.

I cannot help but be thankful that none of these kids I've played and worked with were not aborted. If they had been, they would never have been a part of my life and they are a HUGE part of my life. I would not have had a chance to love them. I would not have had a chance to de-stress with them, to re-prioritize, and to see life from their perspective. Their perspective is simple and honest and they have the simple faith that we so much desire as adults.

Vincent and Uncle Stanley in Gulf Shores, AL.

Easter 2012

They aren't haunted by the grim reality we adults face or the extensive knowledge that we amass in our minds. You tell children about Jesus and they simply believe. They don't question Him. They just believe and they are awed by the miracles that He did. They are easily influenced or easily forced into reality all too soon, unfortunately, in some cases. I hate that. I want to keep their minds free to imagine and free to learn at their own pace. Who cares if they can add when they are four and can do cursive when they are five? Let them be creative and imagine all they want. They'll come to you with questions, indeed, and you should always think a little bit before answering them. What they are asking may be completely opposite of what you think they are asking.

Raise them to be good men and good women. Teach them about God. Teach them the stories of the Bible. They love stories! Talk to them about everything they are doing and seeing and put God into the equation. Surely they will bind everything about their necks that you teach them about God's Word and His creation. What you teach them, they will always remember and always go by it or apply it. Let's just pray that they, when they become teenagers and then young adults, they will choose God. Let them choose. We cannot do that for them. They must do it themselves. Also, we can pray that we are doing our best. We are just mere mortals and we think we know best for them, but God is the only one. But, remember, God entrusted us with the duty of teaching our children the way they should go. We will make mistakes, we will fail them, but the children forgive. They are so forgiving. It doesn't stop there though; we must go to them and fix whatever hurt we've caused them or let them know that we have failed them at one time or another. They must know that we didn't mean to hurt them or fail them. They must know that they will someday have the same duty of teaching their children and will go through the same thing we went through raising them up. They MUST know about humility and generosity. These two are the basics of living for others and living simply and for God.

This is what I said to the kids' mother in the first photo. "I can't wait to have eight children!" She exclaimed, "Eight?!"

What? She's short only one. Surely one more couldn't be much worse.

Well, well, we'll just see about that. This mother had just been trying to create order in her seven children and trying to get them in the vehicle to make an errand and it took five minutes to do that. Such the life. But it's so rewarding. Am I willing to wear myself out raising my children or spending time with children who always need attention and to be taught? Yes.

Ok. I've said enough now. I'm ready to see some kiddos, but I will need some sleep first when I get home from work. I'm anxious to see my nephews later today.

Look for the next post. We speak of the Passion of the Christ during Passion Week, but what about the passion of the Christian? The Muslims are passionate about killing anyone who is not a Christian. Are we passionate about showing our love to others, winning souls to Christ, and being persecuted for His sake?

A Prayer for Humility

Jesus, I need you. I need you to help me to give more of myself to you. I cannot hold to anything of this world; it is all worthless. I want to build treasures in Heaven and to spend eternity with you and I ask that you transform me to be more like you! Help me and encourage me on this: My time here on earth is just a passing; I am here only to serve my purpose you have for me. What greater reward is there than to spend eternity with you? Thank you for what you have done for me though I deserve none of it. Amen.

 This is my prayer from an older post: Transformation. I wanted to write about what Jesus has done for me and through me. I wanted to write about He has done WITH me. He is constantly working with me, molding me, and working in the the intricate details like the potter with clay. Also in the post was this passage of C.S. Lewis' about transformation, the process of killing the old man:

The real Son of God is at your side. He is beginning to turn you into the same kind of thing as Himself. He is beginning...to turn the tin soldier into a live man. The part of you that does not like it is the part that is still tin...Put it right out of your head the idea that these are only fancy ways of saying that Christians are to read what Christ said and try to carry it out - as a man may read what Plato or Marx said and try to carry it out. They mean something much more than that. They mean that a real Person, Christ, here and now, in that very room where you are saying your prayers, is doing things to you...It is a living Man, still as much a man as you, and still as much God as He was when he created the world, really coming and interfering with your very self; killing the old natural self in you and replacing it with the kind of self He has.

 After reading this in a friend's post and praying the above mentioned prayer, I waited on Jesus to start this work in me. I came to realize that He had already been at work on me; it's just that I've been unyielding, just like bad clay that needs to be thrown away. But, instead of throwing the bad clay out, Jesus adds water and starts to work on it again. The water of the Word starts to soften me and I become yielding, yielding to the hands of Jesus. There is significant importance of reading His Word and it isn't just memorization, but the actual sitting down and concentrating on each word.

Before, when I would read the Bible, I would read it at random and hope that something would help. It didn't always help and the verses I read weren't of any significance to the day or circumstances at hand. No matter, it was still important to read it when I did. It was just me sitting on the fence of lukewarmness. I wanted to be a slave of God, but I didn't want to let go of the world and it's pleasures. So, I just straddled the barbed wire fence and it hurt me more than anything else, in fact, Jesus had the pleasure of spitting me out for I was worth nothing to Him. But, thank God! He still loves me despite that and He gives me a chance to yield to Him. I finally have stopped looking for myself or trying to define who I am with the things or my status in this world. I am already defined by God and there is a real name waiting for me in Heaven that defines exactly who I am. The only status God requires of me in this world is that of a lowly servant filled with humility. Even then, if I were to become a ruler of some sort, either President of the U.S. or a large company, I am still required to put on the humility of a lowly servant; it would not have been I myself, but God, that exalted me, either here on earth by status or in heaven, in my humility. The greatest (and upright) leaders are also humble servants.

But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12 NLT)

But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God opposes the proud but favors the humble." (James 4:6 NLT)

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. (James 4:10 NLT)

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. (1 Peter 5:6 NLT)

Through my transformation, I ask the Lord daily to walk with me and to remind me each time I need to check myself and my reaction to circumstances and see that it is pride in play. By no means is my pride gone, nope. Not close. I still carry a bit of weight around, but it is less than when I was not in walking communion with God. I ask in my daily walk that I exercise more humility! I ask the Lord to humble me because I have exalted myself, made myself a little higher or a lot higher than others around me.

Sometimes when I think of doing good deeds or helping others in time of need or support, thoughts flash across my mind. These thoughts are sometimes of myself being exalted through my own eyes and through the eyes of others because I do these good deeds. It must not be so. Some people, including myself, are at fault for going and looking for good deeds to do so they may be exalted in the eyes of others. This is not the purpose of practicing humility, neither is it humility! It could be martyr's syndrome. I won't go into detail on that, though. The Scriptures above say to humble yourselves first, and you will be exalted. God will bring others to me and to you, He will bring opportunities to you, the Holy Spirit will nudge you to take action and help someone in need, Jesus will speak through you. Only God can and will exalt a humble man and though your exaltation may not be a rank of higher position in an earthly job, but you will be exalted to a very high position in God's eyes and in heaven. That matters more than anything else on earth and you will have respect as a humble man here on earth. I want that. I don't want a high rank at my job because I fought my way there or I thought I was better at some tasks than others. I just want to serve the company and give them what they want provided it isn't contrary to any of God's laws. If I am projected to a higher rank, so be it. I shall serve in my position with humility and serve my boss and co-workers and God will take care of the rest.

Let God deal with you. He only asks you to be humble. A question: How am I to conquer this pride? The answer is simple. Two things. Do what God says is your work: Humble yourself. Trust Him to do what He says is His work: He will exalt you. You can read the excerpt to this question by clicking the link above.

Appreciate a little humor.

So, yes, Jesus has been working with me, on me, and through me. I am a different person today and I continue to let Jesus do His work. It is taking time. I have to consciously think about God and about doing His will. I must obey Him, even when someone would ask me to do something that is against His will. It may cost. Loss or life. I know I'm for God and I will always have Him or be with Him. I have not really run into a situation like that as of yet, but I may. I know the choice I will make. I fear no loss or death. This kind of thinking needs to become a part of life, a good habit. I mustn't let negative thoughts take a dominant place in my mind. The devil loves to throw thoughts like that into my mind and I must battle them, push them aside. Sometimes I can get selfish and I feel like I just want to go Home and be done with the chaos on earth. But God put me here to finish a job, just as He did Jesus. Even Jesus wanted the cup of suffering to be taken away, but He only asked that God's will be done. God's will in Jesus' life had the higher priority.

Pride is the easiest way for the devil to tempt people and it rears an ugly face. I must keep going forward in humility, die to self and live. I am asking God to show me anything that I need to fix, any restitutions, and any walls I need to break down. I want it all fixed now, but it can't be. It takes time. I place my trust in God and continue to walk with Him.

Lord, I ask you to walk with me today and to show me where I need to go and what to do. Thy will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. Only your will matters and the only requirement you have of me is to be a humble servant, filled with humility. Please continue to give me power with Jesus' blood to have victory over struggles and pride. Amen.

Four songs.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand!

My sins are all covered by the blood!

I'm too far from where I started and too close to where I'm going!

In Christ alone my hope is found!

These four phrases, among others, are playing over and over and over in my head. I can't get them out. Not that I want to, but it can be distracting sometimes! Especially at work while I'm doing step by step methods. There are times I wish I could sing! Haha. No one would want to hear me sing. I'm fine singing with the congregation at church, that's it. I listen to Pandora on my iPhone while at work. I have stations based on some artists: Chris Tomlin, DC Talk, Toby Mac, Newsboys, and Andrea Bocelli. Though I may not know or hear the words to the songs, I know I'm listening to some inspiring lyrics. My favorite stations are Toby Mac and Christ Tomlin. Toby Mac produces quite a few beats that I just have to have and Tomlin is more mellow but still with a bit of beat that seems more entertaining than the droning of Southern Gospel. Lyrics are great, but I can't stand the seeming monotony of vocals. I can't hear like you guys. 

Well, I just wanted to get this outta my system. These are the songs going through my head at the moment. Hope you can get them going through your head too and know the meaning of these lyrics as you go through each day. Each day. No dwelling on yesterday. No worrying about tomorrow. Only one day at a time. Jesus said so. He means it. He's very authoritative, you know that? Nobody else's commands matter. Only His. There's no arguing with Him. He knows best and cares about you. YOU.

Have a good day! Ta da. I'm bowing out.

Sanctification

I just had to write something about a moving sermon my pastor preached on Sunday night, March 25th. I have a copy of his notes and I've studied and highlighted it. I'll post a few Scriptures about sanctification before expanding on it.

19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. Romans 6:19, 22 NLT

1 Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God. 2 Corinthians 7:1 NLT

24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God -- truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:24 NLT

13 May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 NLT

 7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 NLT

10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they know how. But God's discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in holiness. 14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Hebrews 12:10, 14 NLT

     The above Scripture teaches us that the standard of life for the believer in Christ is holiness. Holiness by sanctification is the second work of grace where the first is when we believe on Jesus Christ and we are saved by grace through faith. The second work of grace is implied; it isn't listed as "second work of grace" anywhere in Scripture. We can also prove that it is the second work of grace because those who experience it, know it. It makes a difference to be sanctified.

It does. I know it. I know it makes a difference. I see things from a different light, through the eyes of God. The world is a nasty place. My own body is nasty. I am also but still a nasty, filthy rag in the eyes of a perfect God, but I am made perfect through the cleansing of the blood of Christ. God looks upon me through the filter of Jesus Christ and sees a perfect heart. And I relinquish control of myself to God. I don't want my own body or desires anymore. My struggles, my past, my future is all under the blood of Christ.

     Some say it isn't required to be sanctified to get to heaven. Being saved is enough. Perhaps that may be so when one is on the death bed or breathes a last breath of prayer of confession and asking forgiveness. Even the thief next to Jesus made it home to heaven with no chance of living a sanctified life. He simply believed on Jesus and who He was.

     It isn't about what is required to get to heaven, but rather about the will of God and what He calls us to do. That is what is required for us to get to heaven. When we are saved and before we are sanctified, we are to do the will of God and being sanctified, or separated from the world, is the will of God. It is the will of God for one to be saved AND sanctified. There is no getting around it, no compromise. One does not compromise with God. We may bargain with God, but we cannot compromise.

One doesn't compromise with God.

     If you have seen the sanctified life in someone else, don't you want it for yourself too? I get so tired of battling the desires of the world and the lusts of the flesh. It just wears me out. Feeling saved one day and feeling fallen the next day. Feelings are so fickle. Being saved puts you on a roller coaster. The devil plays so many tricks on you, discouraging you and pulling you in all directions, until you reach despair at times. The Holy Spirit does dwell in you, but you haven't given full control to Him. The worldly desires are still there. The lusts are still there. It's a battle after battle. At least it was for me. I wanted complete VICTORY!

     Alas! I have found the victory! I relinquish complete control to the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, and God. It makes a difference! My walk with Jesus is that much easier. I'm no longer riding a roller coaster. There are a few bumps here and there and a few ups and downs, of course, but the spiritual life is more stable. The desires have changed and I want nothing of this world and more of the next. I want nothing more than to see more people won to Jesus. I want nothing more than to grow closer to God and to do the will of God. I want to be in His will. I realize that I have more work to do and I am determined to spend time in prayer and reading the Bible. I have this thing called pride. I feel that I still have it lurking around in me and it is preventing me from complete humility. I need to go to people and ask forgiveness, make amends, apologize, whatever it is that the Spirit nudges me to do but I am balking a little. Well, maybe not a little. It depends on who I have to go to. Some people, I could probably just walk up to them and just get it over with and be in the clear in my conscious, and others, it's not so easy. Why? I don't know. Pride prevents it. It's gonna need to be taken care of...I don't want to straddle my precious balls on the wire fence as shown below. It isn't without pain and Jesus Himself will spit out the lukewarm. That's painful. So, I gotta pick a side. Guess which one I pick.

    
     So it's all for God or not at all. It's either play with the fire of lukewarmness and get yourself hurt or use the fire in a good way and purify your life. Burn your desires for the world and what it offers. Fuel your desires for ministry and humble service for God.

I elect Jesus as Lord of me. I will answer to Him.

    

 *I understand that I may stumble, but God will be there to pick me up.

*I understand that I may find myself in a tempting situation, but I shall be strong.

If I do fail to be strong and I give in, I humbly ask God to forgive me and any hurting parties.

*I understand that grace flows freely, but it does not give me any excuse to sin.

*I understand that I am free from sin, not in sin. I am also free from the law.

*I understand that I am not my own, but God's. 

*I understand that He gave His creation to me and I will take care of it.

*I understand that there are many who need Him and it is my job to bring them to Him.

That, on my part, will take courage and humility. Like Jeremiah and Moses, I pray

God will work through me and speak through me. Plant the seeds.

*I understand that I am in a binding contract to fulfill my purpose here on earth and 

that His will be done here as it is in Heaven, my future home. 

*I understand that I would never have written these things a year ago and if I did, it

would have been all hot air from stifling embers.

*I understand that I am now accountable. I understand that anyone can read this

and that it is possible that I will see these people face to face. I do not want 

to fail to be an example or to fail, but it's possible. It's what grace is for

and that's where humility comes in. If I have failed, I shall ask for 

forgiveness and take hold of God's hand again. It's always there, outstretched.

*I understand that I must put in my effort to keep the fire blazing hot for God.

I DO NOT want to be spat out. 

Now, I understand that I need to close for now and go. I have had this open as a draft for a week. It's time to wrap it up!

Praise the Lord! Just in time for Easter! I can now truly, truly understand what God has done for me and what His Son gave Himself for. Me. All for me! 

Oh, and for YOU too. Isn't that wonderful? 

Come to Him.

Love you all.

Stanley

Justice Ride, Part II

     Continuing from Part I, we are in the van and on the way to University of Florida. I was so looking forward to this day. Our second day of outreach and I was excited about the opportunities that the day might offer me and the rest of us. These are the lives of the unborn we are fighting for. This is a big cause. It is a worthy cause.

The church across from the greens at UF

It was a cool morning. The sun still low and tall trees all around us so we were in the shade as we sorted through our material, supplies, and posters. Before setting it all up, we would gather as a group in a circle and Mark, our director or someone would read Scripture. He would give a refresher to our day reminding us what we were doing and that we should be doing it for the glory of God and with compassion, lovingkindness, and concern. Short devotions and prayer before our day began was always a great help and God was with us. After prayer, we decided where to place the posters and which would alternate showing abortion and pre-born photos. The team took their places around the area, ready to start. Brochures in hand, we were ready to stand for the unborn. At least, I was. I am talking to a teammate, Summer, in the photo below.The teammates usually would share their experiences daily and help each other out by giving different perspectives or new ideas of how to thwart any arguments or comparisons in support of the "choice."

 I was nervous again. Of course. Even the best speakers are nervous before they speak. I said a quick prayer asking the Lord to work through me and to speak through me. I was His and all I do is for His glory. The students start to pour out of the building and walk past us every hour when the students go from one class to the next or to break or lunch. While at Florida State, I stood behind the posters. This time, I stood in front of them or by them. I stood on the edge of the sidewalk and started thrusting the brochures to students and some staff asking, "What do you think about abortion?" Students would walk by and not even glance in my direction or at the brochure I was holding. Some students would glance, catch my eye, but I could tell they were not interested or in a hurry. I would respond, "Have a good morning!" Some smile. That is good, isn't it? At least they are being polite. Some would slow down and ask quickly, "Who are you guys?" Some would just say, "What?" absentmindedly and I'd repeat, "What do you think about abortion? We're pro-life." A couple of students responded with crude expletives and walked away quickly. A few did stop and stand for a second before responding with an answer and a conversation would begin. I did have a good conversations with a few today and the next day. We were at University of Florida for two days.

This young woman was pro-choice, though she wouldn't do it herself. I tried all I could to convince her on the spot, but I wasn't successful. I do believe, though, that I did plant a seed and that she may have checked out the information on the brochure. I shall pray for this young woman.

 Some of them were pro-life all the way, especially the young men. Almost every woman I got into a conversation with were "pro-life except when...". In other words, pro-choice. But I find it weird to use "pro-choice". I am pro-choice as well. I support ourselves making our own choices. We all make choices everyday. "Pro-abortion" is what I'd prefer to use. The pro-abortion advocates are using "pro-choice" in the name of women's rights and allowing women to make a choice for their child's life. It is not theirs to make but the child's. Just look up Tim TeBow and Andrea Bocelli. Their mothers refused to abort them. Look at their lives now and how they've impacted people in one way or another. The 56 million babies aborted since 1973 could have been special people!!

I had a rather pleasant conversation with this student. He is pro-life and I asked him if he would be able to tell someone else why he is. He said he really couldn't. I explained to him how he could support his beliefs as a pro-lifer. Equal rights. Human beings. Life at conception. Ways to help troubled women. Ways to help post-abortive women. How to produce good arguments (hey, I was still learning and he did help me with a few pointers he brought up himself). I hope he can join the fight and fight effectively!

Some students were very pleasant to speak to. They listened intently. I asked them questions and they answered. They questioned me and I tried my best to answer them. One man, perhaps a staff of the college, came to me and said that he is going to make a statement. His statement was, "If abortion was made illegal, the rich women can travel to another country and abort their child. The poor women couldn't do that and thus have to carry child to term." He wanted me to tell him how much I agreed with that statement. I said that I agreed with it strongly. It is possible that the wealthy women can just hop on a plane and travel to another country where it's legal or not an issue and have the "surgery." The poor women couldn't do that and so we will, by all means possible, help them with their pregnancies, aid them with finances, and guide them in readying for the raising of their child or if they chose not to, to help them consider adoption. It is also possible, though I hate to say that I know it is certain, that some women here in the U.S. will have abortions illegally. This man then asked me why I cared. He went on to explain that he only cared for himself above all. Then his family almost as much as himself. Then others, like me. Then these babies on the posters. Then the animals. He gestured with his hand a tier of how much he cared for each of these from most to least. He asked me why I cared so much about these babies. I said it's because they deserve to live and that they were equal with us in value. They are HUMAN and have as much value as a human that has lived a full life to old age. I told him that I cared about him too. He was a bit surprised. "Really?" he said. I replied, "Yes." He admitted to being selfish and complimented my selflessness. I had to tell him that I once was pretty selfish myself, though I cared about others more than this man did. I was selfish in pleasurable and worldly pursuits and didn't consider the consequences of my actions upon others. I said that I now have a good relationship with Jesus and relying on the Holy Spirit in my Christian walk to be more and more selfless and to rid myself of pride. After a few more minutes of explaining how I care about people, even people I do not see, people in other countries, suffering, people who need to hear the Gospel, and even the unborn, this man told that that I was a rare case. He said that he hasn't met someone so caring of others as I was and that I had given him something to think about about his own soul. He left. I prayed that I had planted a seed and that he would seek Jesus as his personal Savior. What joy. Simple joy. I ended my days at UF with peace in my heart.

After standing in the hot sun for four hours, I was still waiting for more opportunities to expose abortion. But it was time to pack up and go. I can't deny I was looking forward to returning to the Redmonds and to a filling supper. I loved that family and loved their hospitality. The late afternoon and evening was relaxing and some of the guys played with frisbees and played frisbee football. I was so out of breath and told myself that I should really get back in shape. Ha! Here are a couple of pictures of the Redmond's property.

 It was spacious and as I've mentioned in last post, there are other homes on the same acerage and several of Mr. & Mrs. Redmond's children's families live in these homes.

The front yard where the guys played frisbee. Spanish moss hanging from the trees was beautiful.

Once again the Redmonds outdid themselves and we all appreciated their hospitality. Mrs. Redmond offered to do our laundry and I was thankful! I don't like stuffing dirty clothes back into my bag. I slept great and a breeze came in the window all night. We prepared sack lunches in the morning and headed off to UF for another day of outreach. The description above applies to both days of outreach at UF. I can't remember what day each of the conversations were, but this is my experience at UF and I was even more encouraged and ready as we headed towards Orlando, FL where we would have outreach at University of Central Florida. We left UF at around 3:30 pm and headed to the Schrimsers, a family who offered to feed us a wonderful chili supper and their home for fellowship & relaxation. Their homes (Mr. Schrimser's father's [who was in assisted living and who's wife had died 2 years earlier] home was next door, but it was empty and the guys and Mr. & Mrs. Raker stayed there) were on a beautiful lake that offered  wonderful views of the sunset. The lush grass felt good to my feet and I spared no time to hop on a swing and have fun. Mr. Schrimser cleaned out the pool at his father's house and we guys pulled on our trunks and jumped in the...ah! it was chilly!...pool. It felt good though. The women and the Drayers left for The House of Hope and stayed there overnight.

 Mr. Schrimser's father's home with pool. A chilly dip.

 Our area of relaxation, the Schrimser's back porch

 First thing we did upon arriving, dip our feet in the lake!

 The view of both houses and the lush yard.

Both of our nights at the Schrimser's were peaceful

Well, this is the end of Part II. I didn't know that there would be a Part III, but there will be one. I didn't want to make this too long. So, I'll wrap things up in the next post and I will have several more coming. I already have drafts waiting to be edited and posted, but I'll wait til after Justice Ride, Part III is published.

By now, God is nudging me constantly and a woman who volunteered to bring us lunch on campus the second day of outreach at UF told me, within five minutes of getting to know her, that I should be a preacher. What? I don't think I could do that, but I remind myself of Moses and Jeremiah. They also doubted fulfilling God's calling or command, but they did it. God was with them. He is faithful. I believe that. I know He will be with me and I know He will never fail me. So I am ready.

Until next post. God bless.