Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Suffering

One of the biggest objections to the idea of a loving, good God is the amount of suffering in the world. People will ask how can God tolerate such pain and suffering if He is good? Now have you ever noticed that so often the people who raise this objection live relatively comfortable lives and the people who suffer are grounded so much more in their faith. One last thought, so often the pain we go through producess more character then the comfortable times. Perhaps the next time you are going through something you will remember to be grateful, and if you have the hope of eternal life living in you then even more so you will have more to be thankful.


Monday, November 29, 2010

'Tis the Season

It is that time of year again. Packed malls, screaming children, and bad cooking (just kidding). As we hear the cliche, the reason for the season, do we ever think more deeply then the nativity? Have you ever considered the fact that the same Jesus who hung on the cross once was a lovable infant. I look at my adorable three month old nephew and I start thinking about the fact that Jesus was once that small, that the little baby grew up to die so that you and I could spend eternity with Him. As you exchange gifts this year, think about the fact that Jesus exchanged his place in heaven to come down to suffer and die.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

The Id Strikes Again

We just finished studying nSigmund Freud's theory of the Id, ego, and superego. While a lot of what Freud says is well out there at best I wonder if maybe he was onto something.

It seems as though the recurring theme in my life this year is be careful what you pray for, because it seems I pray something then approximately 20 minutes later I am trying desperately to take it back.

I am not sure how much you know about the id, ego, and superego, but supposedly here is how it works. Your id works totally for gratifying whatever impulse happens to come. Your ego supposedly keeps that in check. On the off chance your ego lets its guard down the id may escape and you may accidentally say something totally inappropriate (or a Freudian Slip). The superego is you conscience.

Like most things in Christianity this is totally backwards of the world. If we have accepted the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ we know that the Holy Spirit lives within us. That is your spiritual id, your ego is where your social standing comes in and will "quench the spirit" if the ego is your selfish thoughts that keep you from doing some things, and your superego checks with the social norms to see if something is alright. I hypothesize that on those rare occasions when your spiritual ego and superego take a break, the Holy Spirit comes in and you find yourself praying the things that everyone told you not to pray (did that accidentally tonight, although I am unable to recall which taboo prayer I prayed). Ultimately I think we would live to our fullest potential if we just let the ego (self) die and allowed the Spirit to guide and change our lives.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Love-hate relationship

I have discovered that I have a love-hate relationship with the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the Spirit is awesome, and then there are times when I wish that the Spirit would just leave me alone, ha ha. Like tonight, I am reading and there is a cross reference to Psalm 42:1, which says, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." At first I simply thought that it was a pretty verse, but before long that still, small and painfully annoying voice said, "Do you really pant for God like that." Because the picture painted here is not of a deer gracefully drinking from water, but of a parched animal in the desert longing for water. Picture walking through the Las Vegas desert on a blistering July day where the temperatures are well over 110, you are not kind of thirsty, you are dying. To be honest I really do not think that I long for God like that. Do you?

Friday, November 12, 2010

Do you remember your first love?

After reading James 4:14, which speaks about our lives being a mist that appears for a little while then vanishing I started thinking about the past few months and the different things that have been happening in my life and in the lives of those around me. Why do we make every provision for a tomorrow that may not come, yet the ultimate end that awaits each and every human we shrug off and pretend it does not exist? Maybe we missed something. We do not have the excitement that we should. We do not act as people that have been radically transformed by God's grace. Just a reminder if in fact you do claim to be a Christian he has given you a life that does not compare to any dollar amount. Maybe we live in an age where we have become not only desensitized to the world, but desensitized also to the richness of God. Perhaps the time has come for us to examine our heart to see if we need to rediscover this God who saves us.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Extraordinary

Extraordinary is a book by John Bevere. I am working through this book with a friend of mine. Tonight we did our first study, here is a brief summary of chapter one.

We see ourselves as ordinary people. We are drawn to living extraordinary lives, but fell that is quite impossible and therefore we have stopped trying. We have somehow missed that we serve an extraordinary God and are made in His image. That goes for everyone, like the smelly person sitting next to you in church or the jerk who cut you off and every person in between. We are called to love each other and so much more with the realization that they too are made in His image.
We have a limited view of God and which has given us a limited view of our enemy which limits our ability to fight against him.
God doesn't call extraordinary people, he makes people extraordinary.
If we set our hearts and minds on God and seek after Him we will not only find Him, but He will also make us extraordinary.
Before God we were all ordinary after meeting Him, He gives us something extra and makes us extraordinary.