"Will You teach us how to love?
See the things You see?
Walk the road that You walk?
Feel the pain that you feel?
At Your feet I kneel...
I want to see You shine...
See Your light, not mine...
Cause light gives heat."
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Please appease
Some time ago this little sentence got stuck in my head from out of the blue: You can't appease God, but you can please Him.
What it means is this. You can't "get right" with God, or to be precise, you can't be righteous, by doing things. When you try, that's called legalism, and it's bad. Now most churches that I know are very messed up when it comes to this subject. They say they're trying to avoid legalism, so they act exactly like the world does. I guess in their minds, if you do anything "good" to improve your relationship with God then you're legalistic. (And of course at the same time they do things to make themselves feel like "good Christians" such as go to church every sunday...)
The place they mess up on this subject is that they seem to forget that God is a conscious entity that is constantly here and wants to see us do His will. True, doing your best to keep the ten commandments won't get you to Heaven - but if you try, with a pure heart, it will surely improve your relationship with God.
So don't do something thinking that it will make you any better - it won't. Hope this doesn't offend anyone, but everyone thinks that Mother Teresa was one of the greatest people ever to live...when really, all those good works she did would have gotten her nothing but Hell. Absolutely no work you do on this earth will get you to Heaven. It's your relationship to Jesus only. But again, just because those works did nothing as far as getting to Heaven, that doesn't mean those works didn't please God.
You can't appease God - but you can please Him.
What it means is this. You can't "get right" with God, or to be precise, you can't be righteous, by doing things. When you try, that's called legalism, and it's bad. Now most churches that I know are very messed up when it comes to this subject. They say they're trying to avoid legalism, so they act exactly like the world does. I guess in their minds, if you do anything "good" to improve your relationship with God then you're legalistic. (And of course at the same time they do things to make themselves feel like "good Christians" such as go to church every sunday...)
The place they mess up on this subject is that they seem to forget that God is a conscious entity that is constantly here and wants to see us do His will. True, doing your best to keep the ten commandments won't get you to Heaven - but if you try, with a pure heart, it will surely improve your relationship with God.
So don't do something thinking that it will make you any better - it won't. Hope this doesn't offend anyone, but everyone thinks that Mother Teresa was one of the greatest people ever to live...when really, all those good works she did would have gotten her nothing but Hell. Absolutely no work you do on this earth will get you to Heaven. It's your relationship to Jesus only. But again, just because those works did nothing as far as getting to Heaven, that doesn't mean those works didn't please God.
You can't appease God - but you can please Him.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Semi-Follow Up
When I wrote that last post "A Guy's Perspective" I felt like there were other things I could have said in addition, but I guess this deserves a different post.
This is just a short message to girls:
Don't you know that the single biggest thing that goes through a guy's head is you? Trust me - I'm a guy, and every single day, usually without even realizing it, I think about girls. Sometimes it's about a particular girl, sometimes it's just girls in general...but girls are something that I think about more than almost anything.
You(meaning girls) really have to be careful with what you say and do around guys. We're already obsessed with you, so we don't need any help. Even simple actions such as brushing your hair can make a guy pay extra attention to you. I won't go into detail for this blog cause I can't really think of any good examples, but just know this: You're girls, and we're guys. Guys like girls. Guys don't need help in liking girls.
Whether you know it or not, whether you believe it or not, you hold great power over a boy's mind. Please be responsible with that power.
This is just a short message to girls:
Don't you know that the single biggest thing that goes through a guy's head is you? Trust me - I'm a guy, and every single day, usually without even realizing it, I think about girls. Sometimes it's about a particular girl, sometimes it's just girls in general...but girls are something that I think about more than almost anything.
You(meaning girls) really have to be careful with what you say and do around guys. We're already obsessed with you, so we don't need any help. Even simple actions such as brushing your hair can make a guy pay extra attention to you. I won't go into detail for this blog cause I can't really think of any good examples, but just know this: You're girls, and we're guys. Guys like girls. Guys don't need help in liking girls.
Whether you know it or not, whether you believe it or not, you hold great power over a boy's mind. Please be responsible with that power.
A Guy's Perspective
This is for the girls out there.
I've talked with several girls about clothing - and how it affects a guy's mind. There are two options: a girl understands how what they wear affects guys, or they don't understand. Sounds obvious right? Not really. Because if a girl understands how what they wear affects guys, then they either do one of two things: keep wearing the same type of clothes in order to have guys look at them, or change the type of clothes they wear so that guys don't look at them. Unless a girl truly understands it, then she won't do either.
Now you may be asking why I'm saying this, or if you know why, you're probably thinking it doesn't apply to you. The thing is, a teenage boy's mind(not meaning his spirit - I mean his flesh, lower nature) is CONSTANTLY looking for something related to sex. Once we become born again, we want what God wants. And we'll begin to fight this urge.(If we don't, then we're probably not born again) From my own experience, at first it was terrible. I couldn't control myself almost at all. But then once I became born again, God stepped in and helped. Now I'm to the point where I win most of the battles - however, that doesn't mean there aren't battles, and it definitely doesn't mean the battles aren't TOUGH.
And get this - when you girls wear things that even show a tiny little bit, which you might say "Oh well it's not actually showing anything!" it just adds to the enemy's forces in the battle. True, when you show more it's more of a battle. But that doesn't mean that showing a little is ok. Look at these verses:
1 Corinthians 6:19- Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
(Valerie's add on- remember our body also belongs to our husband girls: 1 Corinthians 7:4)
Romans 14:13- Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this— not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.
Luke 17:1- He said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come!"
You girls have no idea how often you are stumbling blocks. I have one awesome friend(a girl, of course) who takes these verses very seriously - she does what she can to avoid being a stumbling block to guys. But there are still times where the simple fact that she's a girl, and has what girls have, where it trips me up. Now the last verse is pretty clear - it's Jesus saying, "Too bad for you if you take part in causing somebody to mess up!" He isn't being specific about this, but He is saying that in ANY way you cause somebody to trip, it's not good.
Now you might be wondering what I (being a guy) think is "showing too much". Here's my advice...in the winter it doesn't matter too much. I mean unless you want to freeze, you're gonna dress appropriately. Summer is so much different though. There's a saying in Pennsylvania: "There are two seasons, winter and road construction." I would put it this way: "There are two seasons, winter and not enough clothes."
Here's my own, personal opinions. Remember, I'm not all guys. Everyone is different, so don't think ALL guys are gonna believe these same things. Tank tops, your favorite thing to wear in summer, show too much.(At least most, I guess there are some with a higher neckline) Shorts should shouldn't go up past your knee very much. A pretty easy way to remember it: if it gives a chance to see your bra/underwear then it's too much. Also for swimsuits, please explain to me how a bikini is not the same thing as being in public wearing your bra and panties? I know what some girls that actually care do is wear a swimsuit, but then also wear a shirt and shorts. Please do so :)
OK now I know it might seem drastic, especially in summer when it's so hot. But you know how it was in Bible times? Women were only allowed to show 3 things - their feet, their hands, and their heads. And in some societies, not even their heads! Now yes, that was pretty extreme. But wouldn't you say that now we're on the other side of the extreme? Modesty anymore is not walking around in public wearing only your underwear(although with the way it's going, soon it will be ok to do that) Women's clothes should be based on one main thing. How much it can cause a man to stumble. In the old days they took it too seriously, today we don't take it seriously at all.
Too long didn't read version:
Please girls, don't show anything off.
----
Nate
I've talked with several girls about clothing - and how it affects a guy's mind. There are two options: a girl understands how what they wear affects guys, or they don't understand. Sounds obvious right? Not really. Because if a girl understands how what they wear affects guys, then they either do one of two things: keep wearing the same type of clothes in order to have guys look at them, or change the type of clothes they wear so that guys don't look at them. Unless a girl truly understands it, then she won't do either.
Now you may be asking why I'm saying this, or if you know why, you're probably thinking it doesn't apply to you. The thing is, a teenage boy's mind(not meaning his spirit - I mean his flesh, lower nature) is CONSTANTLY looking for something related to sex. Once we become born again, we want what God wants. And we'll begin to fight this urge.(If we don't, then we're probably not born again) From my own experience, at first it was terrible. I couldn't control myself almost at all. But then once I became born again, God stepped in and helped. Now I'm to the point where I win most of the battles - however, that doesn't mean there aren't battles, and it definitely doesn't mean the battles aren't TOUGH.
And get this - when you girls wear things that even show a tiny little bit, which you might say "Oh well it's not actually showing anything!" it just adds to the enemy's forces in the battle. True, when you show more it's more of a battle. But that doesn't mean that showing a little is ok. Look at these verses:
1 Corinthians 6:19- Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
(Valerie's add on- remember our body also belongs to our husband girls: 1 Corinthians 7:4)
Romans 14:13- Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this— not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.
Luke 17:1- He said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come!"
You girls have no idea how often you are stumbling blocks. I have one awesome friend(a girl, of course) who takes these verses very seriously - she does what she can to avoid being a stumbling block to guys. But there are still times where the simple fact that she's a girl, and has what girls have, where it trips me up. Now the last verse is pretty clear - it's Jesus saying, "Too bad for you if you take part in causing somebody to mess up!" He isn't being specific about this, but He is saying that in ANY way you cause somebody to trip, it's not good.
Now you might be wondering what I (being a guy) think is "showing too much". Here's my advice...in the winter it doesn't matter too much. I mean unless you want to freeze, you're gonna dress appropriately. Summer is so much different though. There's a saying in Pennsylvania: "There are two seasons, winter and road construction." I would put it this way: "There are two seasons, winter and not enough clothes."
Here's my own, personal opinions. Remember, I'm not all guys. Everyone is different, so don't think ALL guys are gonna believe these same things. Tank tops, your favorite thing to wear in summer, show too much.(At least most, I guess there are some with a higher neckline) Shorts should shouldn't go up past your knee very much. A pretty easy way to remember it: if it gives a chance to see your bra/underwear then it's too much. Also for swimsuits, please explain to me how a bikini is not the same thing as being in public wearing your bra and panties? I know what some girls that actually care do is wear a swimsuit, but then also wear a shirt and shorts. Please do so :)
OK now I know it might seem drastic, especially in summer when it's so hot. But you know how it was in Bible times? Women were only allowed to show 3 things - their feet, their hands, and their heads. And in some societies, not even their heads! Now yes, that was pretty extreme. But wouldn't you say that now we're on the other side of the extreme? Modesty anymore is not walking around in public wearing only your underwear(although with the way it's going, soon it will be ok to do that) Women's clothes should be based on one main thing. How much it can cause a man to stumble. In the old days they took it too seriously, today we don't take it seriously at all.
Too long didn't read version:
Please girls, don't show anything off.
----
Nate
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
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