Theology: Jesus is Lord

What an incredible night! I attended the Women’s bible study at my church for the first time. Everyone there was twice my age! I felt a little apprehensive at first, but before I knew it, I felt really comfortable. The sermon was spoken by a female pastor – how inspiring is that! It was about theology and how it matters. “There is right theology and there is bad theology, but there is no perfect theology.” God is so good. He always shows up and answers your prayers at the right time, and it’s usually at that moment when you are about to give up. Plus, I am realizing that you must meet him halfway – in order for Him to show up. How can He show up at your door, if you choose not to open it or if you have it on lockdown? How can He answer your prayers, if you choose to wear earplugs? Yea…so…this Christianity thing, (chuckle to self), is a personal intimate relationship with God. It’s such a cliche to say, “personal relationship with God”…I’ve heard a million times growing up in the church, but now…it actually makes sense. In conjunction with tonight’s message, I started writing in a daily journal (Rick Warren’s, A Purpose-Driven Life) and what I learned this week was that it all starts with God and it’s not all about me, that I am not an accident and that He created me for a purpose, and that living that purpose is the path to peace.

The pastor tonight talked about how worship is essential in our relationship with God – that worship “frees us from self” and that it is “the prescription for most of our problems.” She stated the passage in John 4:24, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” So how can one worship in spirit and in truth? Well, I know what truth is…God is truth…but I never really asked myself what is worship and how does it look like? Worship is to adore, revere, and honor something or someone. Human beings all worship something or someone – all the time. It is in our nature to worship. We were created to worship God, but since the fall of man – this “worship” became corrupted and now, instead of worshipping the Lord, we have replaced Him with idols. And ever since then, we have placed idols as our deity. Tim Keller states, “Idols cannot simply be removed. They must be replaced. If you only try to uproot them, they grow back; but they can be supplanted. By what? By God himself, of course. But by God we do not mean a general belief in his existence. Most people have that, yet their souls are riddled with idols. What we need is a living encounter with God.” So again, how can we worship in spirit and in truth? Right thinking (theology) sets us up for right worship. How we think, is how we live. My pastor stated Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” When I was a little girl, I used to think that this passage meant you had to have a perfect and clean body in order to be acceptable to God. For example, one has to be a virgin or one has to be clean in hygiene. I see this verse very differently now as an adult. In order to worship in Spirit, one has to sacrifice their bodies (surrender their whole self and their own will to the Father). The Holy Spirit is a helper and teacher, a gift that Jesus told us that He would leave behind after His death, so that we could be guided and directed in this life. To have a connection with the Holy Spirit, you have to surrender self.

Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

12 Six days before ithe Passover, jJesus therefore came to Bethany, kwhere Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. lMartha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 mMary therefore took a pound1 of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii2 and ngiven to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and nhaving charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it3 for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” (Copied and pasted from ESV bible)

Theology Matters: What was Mary’s theology? Mary understood. She was unconsciousness of her own self. Points mentioned tonight: 1) Theology matters (what is true of Jesus); 2) Theology is learned; 3) Theology leaks (it will leak out of you and it will show). Why does theology matter? What you believe, you will live out. You can argue this point, but nonbelievers and believers alike, will both agree that this statement is true. If you believe you are dumb, you will set yourself up for failure. If you believe you are smart, your actions will be an indication of that belief (honor-roll, college graduate, desire to read books and study, etc). Now for the tough questions, who is God to you? Who do you believe He is? Do you believe that He is a harsh God that punishes you with any chance He gets? If so, your actions will support that belief and way of thinking. You will feel shame and guilt and hide your sins from Him. You will put your walls up preventing Him from coming in so that He can help you. You will be rebellious and angry at Him. Now, do you believe that He is a loving God? “Not the puffed up lovey dovey guy who let’s you get away with sin without any accountability, but an all powerful and personal God – a God that cares for you. If so, your actions will back up this belief.

Preach the Word

4 hI charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, iwho is to judge the living and the dead, and byjhis appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; kreprove, rebuke, and lexhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 mFor the time is coming when people will not endure nsound1 teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and owill turn away from listening to the truth and pwander off into myths. 5 As for you,qalways be sober-minded, rendure suffering, do the work of san evangelist, tfulfill your ministry. (Copied and pasted from ESV bible)

Theology is Learned: In the story of Martha and Mary in the book of Luke, Jesus comes to visit their home. Martha is busy in the kitchen preparing food for Jesus and Mary decides to sit and hang out  Jesus as she learns from Him. Martha gets upset that Mary is not helping her in the kitchen, but God says she is doing what is right. Jesus teaches her that if she sees Him, she sees the Father for Him and the Father are One. Mary is learning theology from Jesus – that Jesus is Lord.

Theology Leaks: If we believe our God is a God of grace and truth, are actions will show that. We will have grace and be honest with others and ourselves. What we believe, will eventually leak out and it will show. Other ways to see this is: A liar will always be found out. Someone can tell you that he or she is this kind of person, but their actions will always be the indicator if what they are saying about themselves is true.

6 Things To Help You in Your Walk with God:

1. Study the bible: find truth in it.

2. Ask questions and listen. Many times, your doubts leads you to finding truth. Listen to how God is speaking to others, for you can learn from them and they from you.

3. Read good books.

4. Be teachable and humble. Always be learning.

5. Lead others.

6. Share your faith.

This time with my sisters in Christ was so uplifting and encouraging. I really needed and wanted this. I felt like my battery was recharged. And…I realized, God answered my prayer. I was wrestling with theology after coming back to the Lord this past May, and because it gave me a headache, I chose to put the subject matter away for a while. I still had the gnawing feeling that I did want to tackle it and come to peace with it one day. And well…this helped. Always in His timing – is always the perfect timing. I wasn’t ready then, but I am now. This Fall, my church is going to provide the members with an inductive bible study intensive class. It’s something that I want to do. Luke 10:27 states to, ”‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” I feel my heart knew of God since 6th grade, but my mind was still on jet-lag. In this season, my mind is catching up to my heart. Once those two elements meet, I will be worshipping in Spirit and truth. And the strength, well – with God, anything is possible. And when I fall, – in my weakness, He is strong. One day at a time.

Following God’s Voice

So, I finally chose the church I want to call home. I truly believe God is leading me here and you know what I find a little strange. I had other Christian friends discouraging me from going there, but I KNOW I heard God’s voice. A lesson to learn from, never ever let others impose their will on you, force you to do something you don’t want to do, make you believe the way they believe, make you think the way they think…such ways are narrow-minded. I’ve also learned to not be so open with everyone, even though I am normally a very open person…but there are a lot of wolves out there. Sad but true. Does that make me sad? Nope! Not at all. It makes me that much closer to the real thing, God! I also learned that with God there is no fear. Perfect love casts out fear. Fear of man, gone! I struggled with that a lot in the past – wanting to be accepted by others, finding worth in other people’s acceptance of me, etc. Not sure where this fear came from but it was definitely there. As God was leading me to this church, that fear began to dissipate. I am becoming more bold for Christ and also bold in who I am. It’s been an incredibly tough 2 years. Where do I began?! I won’t…here, online where all the world can see haha, I’ll leave it for my loved ones and those whom I’ve built trust. Hmm…what else I’ve learned. Respect is earned. Real friends rejoice when good things happen to you. Christians are just people. I’m not perfect and I’m okay with that. Don’t take what people say for face value…words are cheap anyway lol. God’s word is precious and carries weight. Ahhhh! I’m writing!!!!! I’m writing again!!! This is good. I trust God and I know He has a plan for me and it is goooooooood!

Psalm 42:9

Dear Lord,

“Why go I mourning?” says the psalmist. A four letter bible verse. Simple yet so profound…a predicament we all find ourselves in from time to time. I am in that predicament right now. It’s been two whole years since I started this journey back to You and I’ve been mourning. I noticed that I keep on mourning and…I don’t stop. I’ve laid in bed for the past two days and a few days before that I laid in bed for the past three days…again mourning. Mourning the loss of what? My life before I met You? Why am I like the Israelites in the desert in that I believe that what they had before was much better than what was to come? My scope is so limited that I am looking forward to the promise land as if it’s a reward in this life, which I’m sure my peak will come shortly after this valley is dealt with gracefully, but I think you want me to have more of an eternal perspective. Not about what riches and blessings I can obtain here, but more so, the riches and blessings I can receive in heaven when I am with You. Lord, thank you Jesus that you have washed me white as snow, that to you I don’t have even one blemish, but instead I am perfect in your eyes. Forgive me Lord of my unfaithfulness. Help me to trust in you. Help me to have faith in you especially when times are difficult. Help me to live with an eternal perspective because that is reality. That is all I have to say to you tonight…as you know, I’ve been having a hard time expressing what is on my mind and heart lately. I’m not angry with you and by the way, I don’t blame you for any of my circumstances. You are good. No matter what, you are good to me. Another request, please heal my neck and back. It’s been stiff ever since the car accident and because I’ve been sleeping on an uncomfortable couch. Do the miracle in Jesus’ name! Heal my cousin Nazzi from his cancer in Jesus’ name! I have faith you will provide. Goodnight. I love you.

Your daughter,

Stephanie

God Delivers

“The Birth of Samuel” – 1 Samuel 1:1-20

Hannah is barren. She cannot conceive children. Her rival, Peninnah, Elkanah’s second wife has children. Hannah is found to be distraught and in much sorrow because of her position and Peninnah makes matters worse by tormenting Hannah as she goes to the House of the Lord to pray as often as she could. Don’t we find ourselves in either one of these two women’s position in our lives? I see this, especially in women. We are interesting creatures who often struggle with jealousy, envy, coveting, and self-esteem. I guess things haven’t changed much since the bible days, but I think this story of Hannah and Peninnah as well as Hagar and Sarah in the book of Genesis is of great significance and if continued to be ignored, it can be peril for the women of God. One of the admiring characteristics I find in Hannah is her commitment to the Lord despite her bleak situation. She is honest and her emotions are raw as she cries out to God in prayer. She “wept bitterly” the bible says. The story continues on with Hannah requesting that God give her a son and in return she would dedicate his life to Him. Her prayer literally sounds like she is bargaining or pleading with God:

“And she vowed a vow and said, O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” – 1 Samuel 1:11

How many times have I pleaded and bargained with God? I could laugh at myself! But what I get from this passage is that even when we beg, God understands are pain and graciously works for the good of his people. God does grant Hannah a son and Hannah in return keeps her word and gives her son up to the Lord. She names him, Samuel.

On a side note, I really enjoyed the part when Ellkanah tries to console Hannah but it is obvious he does not fully understand her pain. The Lord does though. This is a great passage where one can see boundaries taking place, where husband and wife, although deeply in love with one another, has limitations in their marriage, where God does not. God ultimately is and should be our number one man! So godly women out there, let’s stop focusing on the limitations of others and ourselves, and start focusing on God’s limitless power and promises. Let’s let God do His will, in “due time” as He did with Hannah and let us be ever so thankful no matter what God chooses to do with our lives because we should love the Giver, not what we are given.

Lord, I love you because you have first loved me.
I trust in you and in your perfect timing,
in all the facets of my life.
Help me to grow in my faith everyday.
That I may do what is asked of me,
which is to honor and love you all the days of my life.
Amen.

The Tigers and the Strawberry: a chinese parable

About the story:

“Another open ended story. This one is a well known Zen story. For those reading an open ended story here for the first time, the introductory comments are attached:

An open-ended story is an invitation to see your own situation from a fresh perspective. Unlike conventional stories, there is no specific point or moral or lesson to take away. It can be enjoyed for itself, or converted figuratively to help interpret an actual situation in a new way. In this sense, it is not an intellectual exercise, rather just an opportunity to see if any ideas resonate.

It can be interpreted in an individual way. Further, as time and conditions change, an individual may see a different aspect from one reading to the next. And if this type of thing doesn’t interest you or nothing resonates, just pass on by.”

The parable:

“There was a man walking across an open field, when suddenly a tiger appeared and began to give chase. The man began to run, but the tiger was closing in. As he approached a cliff at the edge of the field, the man grabbed a vine and jumped over the cliff. Holding on as tight as he could, he looked up and saw the angry tiger prowling out of range ten feet above him. He looked down. In the gully below, there were two tigers also angry and prowling. He had to wait it out. He looked up again and saw that two mice, one white, the other black, had come out of the bushes and had begun gnawing on the vine, his lifeline. As they chewed the vine thinner and thinner, he knew that he could break at any time. Then, he saw a single strawberry growing just an arms length away. Holding the vine with one hand, he reached out, picked the strawberry, and put it in his mouth. It was delicious.”

My older brother sent me this parable via text yesterday after venting to him about life. Such a good, loving, and wise brother to not agree with me or feed into my negativity, to not shove his advice or opinions down my throat, or tell me something that I want to hear in the expense of the truth. He simply texted, “The parable of the strawberry and the tiger. Chinese parable.” After reading this insightful and interpretative story, it helped me deal with some nasty emotions and I was able to come back to reality again – with a fresh and thankful perspective. Again…to my foundation in Christ. Everyday, is a choice to pick up my cross and walk with the Lord and I plan to depend on God all the days of my life. I know I’ll mess up, make mistakes, say stupid things, and maybe make a fool out of my myself. I’m not perfect but I am very happy I don’t have that expectation on myself. At least, now I don’t. God did the hard work and the only thing that I am responsible for in this lifetime – is simply to have and grow in my faith in Him. Thank you Jesus for being my lifeline, my vine. Thank you vine because you provide me with delicious fruit to satisfy my hunger. Thank you fruit because without you I would still be focusing on those darn tigers and mice. Thank you tigers and mice because without you I wouldn’t have savored that strawberry. Thank you Jesus for you are every breath I take, my provider, my shelter, my all in all. Thank you for loving me. I love you.

How Should We Question Faith?

What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Okay, so, let’s begin with the statement, faith is believing and a belief is a conviction. Webster’s dictionary defines faith as “a firmly held belief or opinion.” Therefore, according to this definition, faith is not merely fact because it can be an opinion. It is factual to the person who has faith in a paradigm, an idea, a thing, or a person he/she has faith in. Faith is a deep penetrating word, now often used as a loose term, among many other words in the human vocabulary such as love, integrity, humility, honor, respect, friend, and marriage, but it is a term worth investigating because it has a huge role in our lives. I stumbled upon the question, “How should we question faith?” as I was reading Matthew 17:14-20. The context of this scripture consists of a man kneeling before Jesus and asking him to have mercy on his epileptic son and how this man could not be helped by the disciples, as they could not drive out the demon. “And Jesus answered, ‘O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.’ And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:17-20. How should we question faith? I think often times than not, we as fallible and imperfect people, tend to question faith in light of how it can benefit ourselves, such as, “How does faith work?”, “Where does faith come from?”, and “Who is responsible for the outcome?”

Have you ever asked these questions before? I have. Is faith initiated by me in order for me to come to belief of what God has done for me on the cross? Or, did God give me the faith to believe in Him? God honors those who have great faith, but what if I struggle in my faith? And, do you sometimes attribute your faith to the outcomes you face in life? If worded differently, it is a theological question. If we had to categorize and label what it is for necessary explanation on our part, it would be a Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate. At one point or another, whether one has even thought about Calvinism vs. Arminianism or for those who have absolutely no idea who John Calvin or Jacobus Arminius is, it is a question I am sure every Christian has faced. More so, it is a question that is confronted constantly and daily in our walks. Many stories in the bible, specifically in Matthew (since that is the book I am currently reading), illustrates faith in such a way that the answers to these questions cannot be pinpointed in black and white, rather, it leaves the reader in suspense to probe and pick the bible apart in pursue of their search – isn’t God clever? In the healing of two blind men in Chapter 9, Jesus, “…touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith be it done to you.’” And in the healing of a woman’s sick daughter, Jesus, “…seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’” And yet in the disciples’ case of their failed attempt in healing the paralytic son, Jesus rebukes them of their little faith. I hope we can come to an agreement that God honors our faith in Him, but I think the question we must really ask is whom does the glory go to? The disciples took Jesus aside and asked him why they couldn’t drive out the demon; they were more concerned with their performance, their effort, their works, rather than whom they were doing it for. Jesus called us a “twisted and faithless generation” because we distort the truth. We fail to call things by their right names: I am God, God is my servant, I get the glory, God get’s the crumbs, I am righteous and I obtained my righteousness on my own. I think sometimes we see faith as a carrot on a donkey that we are striving to obtain more of, when in actuality, it isn’t how big our faith is, it is how big the God of our faith is. If we have big faith in ourselves apart from God, we cannot drive out our demons or help others to do the same. If we have even the smallest faith, like a mustard seed, in the big God that we have, we can do the impossible and move mountains. I still don’t have the answers to how faith works but I do believe in this, that the more you learn about who God is, you begin to love Him, you begin to give Him his place as the King over your life, and that personally helps me grow in my faith in Him.

Questions to really ask: Who is your God? Who gets the glory?

The Whale Rider

During this week, I had the privilege to see one of the best movies I have seen in my lifetime thus far. Personally, it is extremely hard to find movies or music that just tug at my heart, my spirit, and that also awakens all my five senses. Boy, did this movie do just that! The Whale Rider,a foreign film by Niki Caro is about a small Maori Polynesian village located in a remote town in New Zealand that faces a crisis when the heir to the leadership of the Ngati Konohi tribe dies at birth. The savior to this crisis, is surprisingly, the one and the only twin sister of her deceased brother, named Pai who is automatically shunned by her stubborn grandfather and the other people of the village because she is a girl. In their culture, the leader had to be male. As the culture and the customs of these people begin to strip away, acculturalism and complacency also begin to foster within this tribe that once held true to their roots.  Modernism began to take precedence in how they socialized and the strong ties that once glued these people together through their values and beliefs began to diminish rapidly. This movie, if explained in short is a story about historical mysticism in that it elaborates on the maori legend of the prophet that came back on a whale and led the people out of the darkness of the sea to the land. It also touches on the very fine points we all scrutinize in our own daily lives: life, purpose, death, fear, love, hope, and faith. Yet it illustrates these important themes through magical scope lenses. The girl, unbeknownst of her calling by the village people, finds her inner strength and courage to go against all opposition and fulfills her destiny.

Without giving away the story, I do want to share one poignant part in the movie, in which the grandfather witnesses whales washed out onto the shore. The whales are dehydrated and helpless. As the people of the village all gather together for the very first time in a long time to aid in these whales back into the ocean, they turn around to go back to their homes to rest before they make another attempt as this required a lot of energy. They were downtroddened and was losing hope. At this moment, Pai, walks toward her grandfather resting his head on a whale as he wept and pleaded with the gods for mercy. The grandfather snaps at Pai and tells her, “Go away, you have done enough!” He believed that her birth was a curse and the reason for all the mishappenings in the village. As the grandfather started to walk into the village, Pai walked toward the whale, touched it, caressed it…climbed on top of it and gave it a good kick. The whale’s tail made a big thump onto the sand which catapulted it’s body into a swimming motion into the sea. At that instant, the villagers realized Pai could not be found. They called out for her in fright…the girl they once rejected. As the grandfather turns his head in the direction of the waters, he sees a little girl riding on the whale of his ancestors. Pai says, “It’s ok, Paka.” Then the whale descends into the water. She holds on tight to the callous on the back of the whale as the whale increases it’s speed. At that very moment, she says in her mind, “I was not afraid to die.”

The grandfather watches as Pai disappears into the waters. His countenance shows shock, sadness, humbleness, and hope all combined in one small smile.

Two questions come into mind after watching such a film. One, did you reject someone or something that you later realized you needed…or better yet, wanted? Second, can tradition inhibit a people to thrive in an ever-changing society? (Side note: the maori people soon intermingled with the Europeans and died off in numbers even though they did not want to conform. They were actually known to dislike outsiders).

This was an excellent film and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

I Want to Hold Your Hand

How many of us allow God to have the position of leadership in our lives? As I spent time in prayer this morning, God said, “Hold my hand, and I will lead.” Wow…wow…wow! I asked a 57 year-old woman, my mother, if she knew what her tomorrow was and she replied, “I know as much as you do.” Faith is huge. We can read the bible from front to back, read every literature in all the public libraries throughout the United States, store up knowledge in the areas of science and philosophy, and so on, but the knowledge of God is beyond us. At a certain point, we would have to surrender and admit that we don’t know all things and that we need His help. Although there is limited knowledge on our part, we can still put trust in God and for anyone who has and is following Christ can attest that He is trustworthy – at least in my life, He has won my trust through the outcome of life experiences. Within these past 5 months, God has done miracles and I give all the glory to Him.

Job Chapter 1

There are two things that stand out to me in this chapter: why God gave his servant Job to Satan to test his faith and why Job still worshiped the Lord despite the ill news of the death of his flock and children. Job 1:20-21:

“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshipped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.”

From what is described, one can see that Job grieved. He was only human. He had emotions and limitations. Although he was said to be blameless and upright, he was very distraught as he “tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshipped.” Blameless and upright doesn’t always mean you are walking on air without an ounce of effort. That is what Satan wanted to test. “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” – Job 1:9-11. Satan wanted to prove that if everything important to Job that he possessed were taken away from him, he would deny God.

Why do we love the Lord? Simple question, but the answers are endless. Is it because you are blessed and your life is easy – at the moment? What if those precious things in your life were taken away? Would you still love the Lord? I believe having a firm foundation in Christ allows you to sustain the love you have for him, ultimately because He loved you first. If Christ is your everything, your foundation, your identity – He is all you need. Now, conflict arises is when we shift the focus on what we want. Alignment is crucial to your walk with God. How do you align your desires to God’s desire, your will to God’s will, your thoughts and emotions to God’s thoughts and emotions? Job says something very interesting to me, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return.” He knew in the inner depths of his being that he came into the world with nothing and that is exactly how he will return, but…he knew who was responsible for this circumstance, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” How was Job able to praise and worship a God that allowed these circumstances to happen even though we don’t know exactly how it happened and who it was to blame for the events – Satan, Job, God? The fact of the matter is, to make things simple, Job did. Job worshipped God. Job recognized God’s sovereignty. Job, although in so much grief and turmoil, in weakness, on his knees, decided that worshipping God was what he needed and wanted to do. How do you align your wants with God’s wants? I’m hoping I will find out as I continue to read the book of Job.

God is sovereign. A factual statement that is very hard for me to swallow. At times, when I go through bad circumstances, that very statement is somewhat harsh. Why does God allow suffering? Especially to those who are faithful to him. But are we faithful? How do we test the faith of those around us – our spouse, our friends, our parents, our siblings? We test. There is absolutely no other way around it as we all have learned throughout life’s experiences that giving trust to just about anyone right away isn’t wise. We test others if we can trust them. In this text, God already knew that Job could be trusted. “And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?’”

My study continues.

A New Creation

Thank you Lord! Today, my brother was baptized. I was baptized too. In all honesty though, my brother’s baptism meant more to me than my own today. Although yes my baptism is important, by all means, it’s very important but I guess what I want to express here is that I love my brother very much and knowing that he is a child of God now and will be in heaven when he leaves this earth makes me very happy. Also, this was more of a rededication for me to Christ. For my brother, it was his first step into God’s arms. All the glory to God! Only he can make miracles happen. These past few months have been amazing – a period of really bad times and really good times. Like they say, “The sweet isnt as sweet without the sour.” – Brian in Vanilla Sky. Man, I can’t even explain to you in words everything that I’ve experienced during this time in the desert. I feel like I’m just now tasting the water. I’m still trying to find some clarity from it all, but I trust God will reveal those things to me in time. I’ve really put an end – or for now until I screw up again lol – of trying to make sense out of everything and just letting go…letting God do what He does best…be in control, and the best part is, I want that. I love you brother! I love my family! And Lord…I love you most of all.