Ok... So this is actually a blog I posted last year. BUUUUUT... it's the only blog I've ever posted.. AAAAND.. it was my first blog.. AAAND since I'm kicking off my new blog site (which will be updated on a regular basis) I thought why not just repost this one to get the ball rollin?!.. plus it's full of Biblical truths.. which don't change.. so the date it was originally created is irrelevant. As it says in 2 Tim 3:16- "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR CHECKING OUT MY BLOG!.. happy readings!
A sandwich probably... Ham, cheese (American at that), miracle whip (mayo's way cooler cousin) and finally spicy nacho doritos to give it some of that kick!...but Like a good friendly kick, ya know... non-offensive and what not!
Believe it or not, there is a purpose to this blog!
So lately I've been studying (I know it's hard to believe but it's true) and observing (who?.. you?... me?... Peter Frampton?) and thinking (it's dangerous!) I was having a very intriguing conversation with my two Y-named friends, Youngblood and Yoshi, and we were just coversing about whatever topic developed from the last. Very fun, interesting,...and INCREDIBLY sharpening! But there was a point where something was said along the lines of "...you come to TBI (texas bible institute for those who might not know) to learn more about God and to prepare for your future. At that moment a thought crossed my mind that would ammend such a purpose of attending Bible school. Although one might come to learn more about God and prepare for their purposed future, I believe we come and learn more about God, more about, people, and more about ourselves....maybe not as much of a "BAM" to you as it was to me. We learn more about God and the way he acts and reacts with people. We learn more about people and how they act and react with God. But I think mostly we learn more about ourselves and how we act and react with God and People.
I realized somthing the other day... WE.. ARE.. HUMANS! Deep I know! Which creates and immediate challenge to all Christians. Because what is a Christian?... without getting in to all sorts of deep theological debates about what makes one truly a Christian or not... Last time I checked I believe the term "christian" simply meant something like "Christ like."
So here we are christians... Ones who are llke Christ... 2 Cor. 5:20 tells us that we are God's ambassador's, that God is making his appeal through us, and that we actually speak for Christ. We carry representation on the present earth for Jesus Christ, the HUMAN presentation of God's heart.
Galatians 5:17 says,
"For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want."
So we Christians are humans who have a "sin nature" AND have the spirit of Christ Jesus within us. They are constantly at war! We as christian human beings are not entirely Godly nor entirely flesh.
So we have this not so "petite" assignment of REPRESENTING Almighty God and his heart on the earth, yet we are flawed humans. Emphasis on the word "representing" b/c this is the catch that helps us humans out!
John 1:1 in the NLT says, "In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and He was God. The "He" referred to in this verse is Jesus. Then verse 14 says, "So the Word became HUMAN and lived here on EARTH among us." SOOOO... Jesus came to earth as a PRESENTATION of God in human form. Notice Jesus came as the ultimate PREsentation of God. We are to be the REpresentation of God. As flawed humans with a sin nature we are incapable of flawlessly representing God to the world. That is why God came to the earth in Human form as Jesus to PREsent himself to us. Now we know that Jesus, the human form of God was on the earth for 33 years and then he ascended into heaven which it talks about in the last chapters of Mark and Luke. After Jesus presented God's heart in the ULTIMATE display of love, he then went to heaven and left us with the assignment of REpresntation.
Jesus presented.... we represent or re-present.
The more I study Jesus, the more I realize I only need to be completely selfless!...ONLY.. :) I believe in every story and every account of Jesus' life, he only did what was the least selfish thing to do. He was selfless. Now in John chapter 11 we read about Jesus weaping and mourning the loss of Lazerous. In Mark chapter 11 we can read about Jesus cursing the fig tree because he was hungry and it had no fruit for him...(another whole can of worms). So we see in John chapter 11 that jesus dealt with emotions just like we do and in Mark chapter 11 we see that he dealt with physical human harships just like we do...yet he never sinned.
Why do humans sin?... because we're doing what pleases us. We're doing what WE want... Selfishness!... Think about it.. would any sin take place if there were no such thing as selfishness and every person only did things with others in mind and we were allll completely selfless?
*in a british accent*
I think not!
*back to American*
You see when Adam sinned he stepped into the sin nature that we've all known. He then passed it on to his children...then their children...and their children... ALL THE WAY TO US! Yet if Jesus was born a human through labor why is it that he was not born with the sin nature?... I believe it's because he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and not a man (Matt. 2:18.) As it says in John 3:6- Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. He was the Son of God not of Adam, therefore having God's devine nature not Adam's sinful nature.
So that is why we must be born again!!! Wooo-hooo for christian cliche's that can lose the depth of their meaning when said so much and not explained! =D Romans 8:9 says, "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." When we become born again we are then born of God and receive his nature! Pretty amazing when you just sit there and think about that alone for any amount of time lastiing more than 10 seconds.
So it's the spirit of God within us that should be leading our desires... not our fleshly selfishness.
I have found a new question to ask myself continually throughout the day that has helped me in so many ways.... it goes like this... *clears throat*.... "Stephen (that's me) what is the LEAST selfish way to handle this situation?"... I've found that asking myself that and then following it up with the actions of "least selfishness" is always the best and the right thing to do.
I'm hungry... So I'm going to go have a meeting with that sandwich now!
So the war wages on....
I love you, Stephen
very well written. very well explained. and funny too. :) go you!
ReplyDelete