No Joke

Today I read all of 1st Timothy during lunch and out of the 6 chapters, verse 8 from chapter 5 stuck out as if it was written in font 72. Here's what it says:

But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Talk about being straightforward? Though in this first section of the chapter Paul talks about widows, I am positive that this verse applies to all of us who have some sort of relation to a personal household. No, it does not apply only to the parents or grandparents of a household, but to anyone who lives within. We all have the responsibility of taking care of those with whom we live. This verse is a grave warning of what one can be considered if he does not take care of his household. Not only has the person denied their faith but they are worse than an unbeliever. That, my friends, is some serious, potent talk. No joke.

I'm in Love!

... kidding, I was just trying to get your attention. Or maybe I'm not kidding, but we won't discuss that here. :) As odd as it sounds, it is something I wish to write about in this post. Never thought you'd see me write anything on this topic, huh? Observing a few young couples in our church and at work, I've been trying to understand how/if it would be possible to learn off of their actions in order to build a strong, God-fearing family. Though my years are young, I believe it is imperative to start praying and taking some sort of action within yourself even from an early age.

As much (or as little) as I comprehend the concept of marriage, it is a commitment in which you are willing to go through any fire with the one you love and still come out alive. Most young couples would probably feel worried before making such a vow. Commitment is a matter of promise. Once you're in, there is no turning back (except for in the case of Matthew 19:9). But there is more to commitment than simply tying yourself to someone even if you two absolutely despise one another. A couple committing themselves to one another must first and foremost commit to the Biblical standards (1 Corinthians 7, Ephesians 5, etc). Remember that marriage between a man and a woman is symbolic of Christ and the church. It is critical to keep this fact in mind at all times.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Ephesians 5:22-33

Once these Biblical standards are met within the family, it will truly be a blessed marriage. It is when we lose sight of our spiritual beacon that we begin to drift away. In your prayers for your future (or current) spouse, pray that God gives you the strength and desire to commit yourself primarily to His living Word. It will help guide you through all of your questions and confusion concerning any of life's most difficult decisions. As it often happens, you might think, "easier said than done". This is actually where my role as a potential future husband comes into play. If I put all of my strength into building a spiritually-healthy family, with the help of the Lord, it will be done. I am challenging myself to give what it takes in order to watch, listen, learn, and then fulfill.

Oh so needy!

A recent event in my life made me realize a few things:

1. You don't always get what you want.
   
2. You don't always need what you want.
   
3. You don't always want what you get.
   

There's a thing about human nature where we always long for something. If you haven't noticed that, just take a couple minutes to think about it. How many desires fill our hearts on a daily basis? It all ranges from wanting a coffee in the morning, to buying a luxurious item (computer, car, etc), and even to wanting someone special to be next to you. But most of our desires are driven by our fleshly mind, which continuously seeks to fill a gap which doesn't always necessarily exist. It makes us think that we need something when we really don't.

There's a verse in Proverbs that says "The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give." (Proverbs 30:15a). Though, interestingly the word 'horseleach' is used in KJV (leech in NKJV), the Russian version uses the word "ненасытимость" which simply means: incompleteness, need, void, etc. As mentioned earlier, when we feel a void in our life, we try to fill it with something just for the sake of filling it. But where do we get these feelings that something is constantly missing? And I'm not talking about the coffee here. I'm talking about things we really don't need in order to survive. Okay, sometimes I need coffee to survive, but I'm referring to spiritual possessions.

"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:4

My opinion is that a person who lives a Christ-filled life will always be in abundance of everything. He will not have a constant need. And the only time a person should truly need is when Christ is missing from their life. When He is in our life, then we will have the right desires, the right needs, and we will be ready to receive anything that is given to us. Consider this thought. Blessings!

Love Endures

Oh bad, bad, very bad; little sleep is bad for you… and me too of course. That’s why y’all should be patient while reading this post. The 20 oz. coffee did not help and neither did that gigantic, sugary donut. Though, I cannot refute that the marvelous savor of the combination helped me sit through my first meeting. Oops, I’m blogging on serious topics here… alright, listen up everyone!

This is meant to be a small analysis of the image below. At first glance, I accepted it as just another image with no real point but to draw giggles and grins. And though it is very amusing, I would like to take from it a very important lesson.
 In life, we all meet people who differ from us so much that at first glance, we automatically reject putting their names into our white book of acquaintances. This unfortunately spreads not only to people who differ from us oh so drastically but also unto those with whom we might have the slightest of disagreements. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not condemning those who make wise choices as far as who to make friends with. Since the Bible clearly instructs us that the light has no relation with the darkness, so do I accept the fact that we must not tie ourselves to people who rebuke or blaspheme the word of God. But this does not indicate that we have no reason to spread the truth of God’s word even unto them.

My main focus, though, was intended to be on those around us in church, work, or even in our family. Analyzing the image above, I think that it draws a very critical double-edged sword. Most would show this image to the person who “criticizes” someone with a different opinion, intentionally hinting at the fact that they are not acting as they should. But I think it has a lesson to teach both parties. The turtle, for the sake of peace and love, altered itself to make the porcupine happy. It was willing to take that extra step. And the porcupine, accepts even the not-so-subtle of alterations which the turtle has made to itself. It’s a matter of compromise. Though not mentioned on the picture, the verse at the bottom caries a deep meaning; it actually goes as so: “[love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:7

May we all love one another with the love which bears, endures, believes, and hopes all things. Easy to say – hard to do. But with God, anything is possible!