"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Sorry I'm posting this so close to the last post, I try not to post too often but I think this is a good topic to discuss. So Thanksgiving is today, and it got me thinking about what that means. Thanksgiving is comprised of two words; thanks and giving. If you flip the order, you get "giving thanks". Thanksgiving is a time for us to give thanks for the things we have. People always look at the things that they don't have, but this is a time where we can be thankful for the things we do have. Sometimes we focus way too much on the things that we don't have, when we actually have a lot. If you look at your life and what you have, you find that you have more than you first thought, especially compared to other people in the world. The fact that you have a computer and internet to be reading this is a pretty good indication that you are pretty well off. If you remember back to my previous posts, you may remember me saying that material things are meaningless. Right now it may sound as if I am contradicting myself, but I'm trying not too. Things eventually will fade away, so you might as well be thankful that you have them now. Material things can be taken away in a heartbeat, so it might be worthwhile appreciating things while you still have them. Also, Thanksgiving is not a time for getting more material things, but a time to give thanks for what you have. Be thankful for what you have. Thanksgiving goes beyond just material things, but other things you have in your life that you might not recognize. If you have someone special in your life, be thankful for that person. If you are healthy, be thankful for that. If you have a loving family, be thankful. If you have a job, be thankful. If you are going to a school, be thankful. Give thanks for the person that you are. Give thanks for the people in your life, and the relationships that you have. I am convinced that no matter your situation, there is something you can be thankful for, whether material things or not. Take some time today (and everyday) and just begin to give thanks for what you have in your life.
-Smart
Unity
"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ."
- 1 Corinthians 12:12
I recently attended a church rally, where the speaker talked about unity. This made me start thinking about why it seems so hard for people to be united. In the United States, we have this idea that "united we stand, divided we fall". I agree with this quote and believe that there is power in people who are united. However, even though we believe this, we still are not very united. People still put each other down, and people still don't work together. People always try to find differences and try to separate others, rather than find similarities and come together. In groups, people are always excluded, because they aren't "good" enough, or because they believe in something else, or because they are different in some way. Why do we do that? Why do we always try to separate others because they are different than us? We all seem to believe that unity is good, but we don't live out that belief. In the book of Corinthians, Paul uses a body as a metaphor for the church. The body is made of many parts, but the parts all make up one body. The key thing here is that there is one body, not many bodies. The parts of the body were made to work together, not against each other. If the parts were not working together, the body would not be as efficient as it is meant to be. This is how we are supposed to be. We cannot work against each other, or else we will not be able to do achieve as much as we could if we worked together. Paul continues and says that if one part suffers, the entire body suffers with it; if one part is honored, the entire body rejoices with it. If we exclude one part of the body, thinking it is not useful, we will suffer. A part of the body cannot ignore another just because it is different. Similarly, we cannot exclude people just because they are different than us. Different parts of the body have different functions, but they all work together to create something that would and could not be there before. Walking is not achieved by one part of the body; it is achieved by the parts working together. So why is unity so hard to attain? I think it is because we expect people to change to what we want them to be. However, we have to learn to accept people for who they are. We cannot expect people to become something they are not, we have to realize that they have a different function within the "body". Lastly, to become united, there has to be a common purpose. It is near impossible to become united when people have different purposes. There has to be a common purpose in order for people to work together. "United we stand, divided we fall."
-Smart
- 1 Corinthians 12:12
I recently attended a church rally, where the speaker talked about unity. This made me start thinking about why it seems so hard for people to be united. In the United States, we have this idea that "united we stand, divided we fall". I agree with this quote and believe that there is power in people who are united. However, even though we believe this, we still are not very united. People still put each other down, and people still don't work together. People always try to find differences and try to separate others, rather than find similarities and come together. In groups, people are always excluded, because they aren't "good" enough, or because they believe in something else, or because they are different in some way. Why do we do that? Why do we always try to separate others because they are different than us? We all seem to believe that unity is good, but we don't live out that belief. In the book of Corinthians, Paul uses a body as a metaphor for the church. The body is made of many parts, but the parts all make up one body. The key thing here is that there is one body, not many bodies. The parts of the body were made to work together, not against each other. If the parts were not working together, the body would not be as efficient as it is meant to be. This is how we are supposed to be. We cannot work against each other, or else we will not be able to do achieve as much as we could if we worked together. Paul continues and says that if one part suffers, the entire body suffers with it; if one part is honored, the entire body rejoices with it. If we exclude one part of the body, thinking it is not useful, we will suffer. A part of the body cannot ignore another just because it is different. Similarly, we cannot exclude people just because they are different than us. Different parts of the body have different functions, but they all work together to create something that would and could not be there before. Walking is not achieved by one part of the body; it is achieved by the parts working together. So why is unity so hard to attain? I think it is because we expect people to change to what we want them to be. However, we have to learn to accept people for who they are. We cannot expect people to become something they are not, we have to realize that they have a different function within the "body". Lastly, to become united, there has to be a common purpose. It is near impossible to become united when people have different purposes. There has to be a common purpose in order for people to work together. "United we stand, divided we fall."
-Smart
Righteousness
I was preparing stuff for a discussion I have to lead at one of my after school clubs, TLC, and I started thinking about righteousness. Righteousness is defined in the dictionary by the state of being right in a moral sense. I don't really like this definition, so I redefined it as being right with God. In the book of Philippians 3, Paul describes his previous life. He calls himself a Pharisee, or one who follows the religious law. He was found blameless when it came to following the law. However, later in the book he says that it was all a loss. I wondered why Paul thought that following the law was a loss, because the law is a very important part of righteousness, especially in his time. I heard a sermon on the radio that described this concept in a very good way. The speaker said that the law is necessary because it exposes wrong in our lives, which is true. Obeying the law seems a good way to "fix" our sin problem, but actually it is not. The problem with the law is that the whole concept of it is focus on human effort. The law is a way for people to create their own righteousness, which they cannot. Following the law will not make us righteous, because following the law is based on our works which cannot make us right with God. The law misses the whole point of what I am going to talk about next, grace. The key to becoming righteous is not to follow the law, but to have faith in Christ and his death and resurrection. Only by faith in Christ can we achieve righteousness, because faith is not based on our effort, but rather on grace. The grace of God gave us the chance to have a relationship with God through Jesus, and through this relationship we can become right with God. We cannot find righteousness in ourselves, but only in Christ Jesus. I want to conclude with this analogy. Imagine driving in an unfamiliar area, trying to reach a destination. You see a man walking to you, so you ask him for directions. He tells you how to get there, but it is very complicated. This is like the law. The law is a set of "directions" for how to reach a destination, with you driving your life. Back to the analogy; imagine instead of the man giving you directions, he offers to drive you to your destination. This is no problem for the man, because he knows the destination you need to get to, and how you will get there. This is like faith in Christ. He knows where you need to go, and how you will get there. Also, Christ is "driving" your life, rather than yourself. This is the difference between the law and faith. Stop trying to direct your life, let God get you to where He knows you need to go.
-Smart
-Smart
Who controls your life?
I started thinking about control. I realize more and more that I want to control my life as much as I can. But the more I try to control my life, the more I start to realize that I can't control it. When I try to do things that will make my life go a certain way, I realize that I can't control my destiny. I can't control the way my life ends, or the way my life will be. Of course I can control some things, like what I do with my time and money, but I can't control how my life will end. I can't control what others do to me, what happens in my life. People try to make their life go exactly as they want it, but in the end there are some things you just can't control. I'm starting to learn that. I want things in my life to be under my control, but that's impossible. I can't control how my life is going to turn out. I can affect how my life is, but I can't control it all. So why talk about this? Isn't it kind of depressing? Well, yes I know it is. But this brings up a great question which I thought about. What do we do knowing this? First of all, we have to recognize that we cannot control our life. This is a scary thought, but it's true is it not? Once you recognize that, you're life can become a little easier. You aren't trying to constantly control what happens in your life. People who are "control freaks" have pretty stressful lives. You don't want that. I know that I don't want that. So know that we know this, now what? Give control of your life to God. Give your trust to God. Realize that you are not in control, but God is. God is a sovereign god, and He does have total control of your life. Knowing that God is in control of your life is very difficult, because God cannot be seen. However, trusting in God with your life is a much better solution that trying to control your life. God is the only one that can direct your life in a good way. He has plans for you that will make your life so much better if you just trust Him. Don't try to take control of your life. Give control of your life to God. Trust in Him, and He will bless you more than you can imagine.
-Smart
-Smart
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