"Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"
-Mark 4:41b
Mark 4:35-41 is the famous bible story of Jesus calming the storm. As Jesus and His disciples are crossing some body of water (it's called the sea in the NASB), a fierce storm erupts. Jesus doesn't seemed to bothered at all, because He is sleeping on the boat, most likely exhausted from all His preaching and healing. The disciples are frantic, and they woke Jesus up and said "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing"? Jesus then rebukes the storm, and the wind and waves were stilled.
There are many things that I see in this passage. Even though Jesus rebukes the disciples for having no faith, they still understood one thing; Jesus could do something about the storm. The disciples witnessed Jesus' power and authority through His miracles and preaching. It seems like the disciples knew Jesus could calm the storm, but they don't know if He will, based on their question. There is a lesson in here; when times are tough, we can turn to Jesus and He can and will do something.
The thing I want to focus on in this post is Jesus' words. His words are not ordinary, but have great power and authority. What determines if words have power or not? The person who says the words is generally the biggest factor. If I say to someone, "be quiet", they will probably just think I am rude. If a parent says to a child "be quiet", the child usually will listen because he or she knows that the parent has the power to do something if he or she disobeys. The child understands that the parent has power and authority.
While people with authority certainly get things to happen with their words, their words alone have no power. If a police officer tells someone to put their hands up, that person still has a choice of whether to do it or not, because the words alone have no power. The person will only oblige if they understand that a police officer has been given power and authority.
In Matthew 28:18 Jesus says "All authority has been given Me in heaven and on earth". Jesus has all authority on earth, therefore His words have ultimate power. Other than people however, I believe Jesus' words do carry power in themselves. When Jesus gives a command, His words are immediately carried out. When God spoke in Genesis 3 saying "Let there be light", there was light. When Jesus is on the boat and says "Quiet! Be still!", the wind and the waves immediately obeyed.
Here we learn that Jesus' words have power, but how is that practical? We have to do our best to obey His words. But wait, didn't I just say His words have ultimate power and authority? Doesn't that mean if He says something to us we automatically do it? Theoretically yes, but Jesus gave us something called choice (which I blogged about earlier). We can choose whether to obey Him or not to. If we do choose to obey Him, great things can happen in our lives. I don't want to make this post ridiculously long, so I can't share what happens if we obey Him now. When Jesus tells the wind to be still, when it "obeys", it saves the lives of Jesus and the disciples and also shows them Jesus' great power. How do we obey? The easiest way to know how to obey Jesus' commands is to follow His example. Before He calms the waves, He was sleeping. He was still. He tells the waves to be still, or follow my example. We also have to follow the example of Christ.
-Smart
Rights
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast."
-Ephesians 2:8-9
The 2012 presidential election is coming up, and I've been thinking about it more than I do most elections. One thing that came to mind was these things called rights. According to our constitution, all men have the right to vote. We also have many other rights, such as the right to bear arms, life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Today I want to really explore what rights are and what rights we have.
Rights according to dictionary.com are claims or entitlements, based on legal or moral principles. The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are all based on moral principles. The right to bear arms and the freedom of press are more based on legal principles. What does this really mean though? What do legal and moral principles even mean? I believe that the reason we can claim these "rights" are because we believe that we somehow deserve them based on what we believe. If we can be honest, moral and legal principles are both based on what we believe to be true and just. This brings up an interesting question, how can we all agree on rights if we believe in different things? I discuss this in another post on morals (http://aforbes.blogspot.com/2012/04/morals.html).
If we claim to have certain rights, then we also claim to deserve certain entitlements. We are saying that we are worthy of something. For someone to deserve something, they have to have done something that makes them worthy of it. A person deserves to go to prison because they have committed a crime. But what have we done to deserve our rights? Nothing at all, except exist. We don't deserve rights, they are given to us. However, if we don't deserve them, than they are no longer rights, but privileges. Some people may argue that they have done good things and therefore deserve rights. According to Romans 3:23, all have sinned, and according to Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death. The only "right" that we have is death, because we all deserve it.
I can't end this post on a bad note, and thanks to God, I don't have to. When I said that we don't have any rights, I meant that we have done nothing to deserve them. If we look only at ourselves, we truly only have the right to die. If we look at the cross, we have the right to eternal life. When Jesus died on the cross, He gave us the right to be in His family. How? I said earlier that rights have to be given because we don't deserve them. Jesus took the punishment for our sin, and in turn justified us. What does that mean? We now deserve life because Jesus made us worthy. We are no longer considered sinners, but God's children. He has made us new, and we have rights that can never be taken from us.
-Smart
-Ephesians 2:8-9
The 2012 presidential election is coming up, and I've been thinking about it more than I do most elections. One thing that came to mind was these things called rights. According to our constitution, all men have the right to vote. We also have many other rights, such as the right to bear arms, life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Today I want to really explore what rights are and what rights we have.
Rights according to dictionary.com are claims or entitlements, based on legal or moral principles. The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are all based on moral principles. The right to bear arms and the freedom of press are more based on legal principles. What does this really mean though? What do legal and moral principles even mean? I believe that the reason we can claim these "rights" are because we believe that we somehow deserve them based on what we believe. If we can be honest, moral and legal principles are both based on what we believe to be true and just. This brings up an interesting question, how can we all agree on rights if we believe in different things? I discuss this in another post on morals (http://aforbes.blogspot.com/2012/04/morals.html).
If we claim to have certain rights, then we also claim to deserve certain entitlements. We are saying that we are worthy of something. For someone to deserve something, they have to have done something that makes them worthy of it. A person deserves to go to prison because they have committed a crime. But what have we done to deserve our rights? Nothing at all, except exist. We don't deserve rights, they are given to us. However, if we don't deserve them, than they are no longer rights, but privileges. Some people may argue that they have done good things and therefore deserve rights. According to Romans 3:23, all have sinned, and according to Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death. The only "right" that we have is death, because we all deserve it.
I can't end this post on a bad note, and thanks to God, I don't have to. When I said that we don't have any rights, I meant that we have done nothing to deserve them. If we look only at ourselves, we truly only have the right to die. If we look at the cross, we have the right to eternal life. When Jesus died on the cross, He gave us the right to be in His family. How? I said earlier that rights have to be given because we don't deserve them. Jesus took the punishment for our sin, and in turn justified us. What does that mean? We now deserve life because Jesus made us worthy. We are no longer considered sinners, but God's children. He has made us new, and we have rights that can never be taken from us.
-Smart
Where is God?
"He must become greater; I must become less."
-John 3:30
I am a pretty active Facebook user, and sometimes the things I see on it bother me. One thing that I see that seems to be a recurring theme is the question of God's existence. There are so many posts that give reasons that either God exists or He doesn't. Whenever someone posts something about God and that He exists, it's a guarantee that someone will actively attack that post. Whether a person is commenting on a post like this or someone is saying that God doesn't exist, the common thing I see is the question of God's existence. "If God exists, where is He?"
The first answer I want to give is the one I hear over and over again from people who think God is a myth, fake, lie, or whatever. They have the idea that God lives in the sky. Actually the phrase they use is "a big man in the sky" or something similar. If that doesn't bother you at all, well then you have the wrong idea of who God is. This idea implies that God is far away, and only lives in heaven. This idea reminds people of the view of an angry God who just imposes rules on people to follow. Most importantly, this idea suggests that people cannot see or experience God because He lives "in the sky".
The next answer I want to give comes from the bible. In Galatians 2:20 Paul says "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me". In John 3:30 John says "He must become greater, I must become less." Another great answer to this question is in the hymn "He Lives". The last line of the refrain is "You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart". The obvious thing that connects all of these answers is the God exists in our lives. Paul says that Christ lives in me. John says that God must become greater in his life, and John must become less in his life. The hymn proclaims that God lives in our hearts.
So if God lives in our lives, why do people think He lives in the sky? Unfortunately, the reason people think that is because God doesn't truly reign in us. Many people, including me, are guilty of thinking that God lives in them, but they still haven't given their entire life to God. How can I make such a big accusation? If you look at Paul or John, one thing that separates their lives from ours is that when other people interacted with them, they saw God. Why? Both Paul and John knew that in order for people to see Christ they had to rid themselves of any desire to glorify themselves. Paul says that He has been crucified with Christ. John says that he must become less.
God does not live in the sky, and we should not allow ourselves or other people to believe that. God is omnipresent. He lives everywhere, but the only way people will ever experience Him is if we exemplify Him in our lives. That means that when people see us, they don't really see us; they see Christ. "I want to live like that, and give it all I have, so that everything I say and do, points to You".
-Smart
-John 3:30
I am a pretty active Facebook user, and sometimes the things I see on it bother me. One thing that I see that seems to be a recurring theme is the question of God's existence. There are so many posts that give reasons that either God exists or He doesn't. Whenever someone posts something about God and that He exists, it's a guarantee that someone will actively attack that post. Whether a person is commenting on a post like this or someone is saying that God doesn't exist, the common thing I see is the question of God's existence. "If God exists, where is He?"
The first answer I want to give is the one I hear over and over again from people who think God is a myth, fake, lie, or whatever. They have the idea that God lives in the sky. Actually the phrase they use is "a big man in the sky" or something similar. If that doesn't bother you at all, well then you have the wrong idea of who God is. This idea implies that God is far away, and only lives in heaven. This idea reminds people of the view of an angry God who just imposes rules on people to follow. Most importantly, this idea suggests that people cannot see or experience God because He lives "in the sky".
The next answer I want to give comes from the bible. In Galatians 2:20 Paul says "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me". In John 3:30 John says "He must become greater, I must become less." Another great answer to this question is in the hymn "He Lives". The last line of the refrain is "You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart". The obvious thing that connects all of these answers is the God exists in our lives. Paul says that Christ lives in me. John says that God must become greater in his life, and John must become less in his life. The hymn proclaims that God lives in our hearts.
So if God lives in our lives, why do people think He lives in the sky? Unfortunately, the reason people think that is because God doesn't truly reign in us. Many people, including me, are guilty of thinking that God lives in them, but they still haven't given their entire life to God. How can I make such a big accusation? If you look at Paul or John, one thing that separates their lives from ours is that when other people interacted with them, they saw God. Why? Both Paul and John knew that in order for people to see Christ they had to rid themselves of any desire to glorify themselves. Paul says that He has been crucified with Christ. John says that he must become less.
God does not live in the sky, and we should not allow ourselves or other people to believe that. God is omnipresent. He lives everywhere, but the only way people will ever experience Him is if we exemplify Him in our lives. That means that when people see us, they don't really see us; they see Christ. "I want to live like that, and give it all I have, so that everything I say and do, points to You".
-Smart
Stress
I've been wanting to do discuss this topic for a while now but I've been busy with other things. The topic is stress and I also want to address priorities along with it. The obvious first question to address is what is stress? Stress according to the dictionary a mental, physical, or emotional strain or tension. From my experience, and I'm sure it's true, stress is usually caused by an event or by tasks. In other words, something has to cause stress.
Generally the people who have the most stress in their lives are people who are busy. These people have stressful jobs, people, or schoolwork in their lives. They seem to always be burdened by something in their lives, and sometimes I wonder if they ever relax (which is very important). Also, these people seem to always be doing something, and if they aren't, they are worrying about something that needs to be done. Sometimes this is caused by an overload of work in their lives, but I don' think that is the only reason they are stressed.
What I didn't mention before is that stress has another meaning, which is to emphasize or accentuate. While these definitions may have not been meant to be linked, I think they are. When people stress (emphasize) the things they have to do, the feel stressed (tension). If you are overly concerned about doing work or doing well in what you are doing, you will start to feel stress. By the way, stress is not very good for you.
Why does this matter? I believe that we stress things in life that, to be frank, don't really matter. You may argue that your job gets you money and school will get you a job, but you know what you are saying? You are saying that you are okay placing a great amount of stress and emphasis on living a comfortable life. Living a comfortable life is a very high priority in your life if you get overly stressed about school, work or whatever. If becoming a "successful" person is your top priority, well then maybe you shouldn't be reading this post. No one can help you get less stressed unless you decide to change your priorities.
Honestly, changing priorities in life is not easy at all. I have wanted to change my priorities for a very long time, and I still struggle to prioritizing my life. I usually try not to get too stressed over the "busyness" of my life, but things still consume my time, effort, thoughts, and attention. Why do I feel like schoolwork or jobs should not be a top priority in life? These things eventually will become what you place your hope in, whether you like it or not. I don't want to place my hope in something that cannot last. I don't want to place my hope in something that cannot save me. That is why I want to change the priorities in my life. I want to place stress on something that I know will not fail my desires and hopes. What will you make your top priority?
-Smart
Generally the people who have the most stress in their lives are people who are busy. These people have stressful jobs, people, or schoolwork in their lives. They seem to always be burdened by something in their lives, and sometimes I wonder if they ever relax (which is very important). Also, these people seem to always be doing something, and if they aren't, they are worrying about something that needs to be done. Sometimes this is caused by an overload of work in their lives, but I don' think that is the only reason they are stressed.
What I didn't mention before is that stress has another meaning, which is to emphasize or accentuate. While these definitions may have not been meant to be linked, I think they are. When people stress (emphasize) the things they have to do, the feel stressed (tension). If you are overly concerned about doing work or doing well in what you are doing, you will start to feel stress. By the way, stress is not very good for you.
Why does this matter? I believe that we stress things in life that, to be frank, don't really matter. You may argue that your job gets you money and school will get you a job, but you know what you are saying? You are saying that you are okay placing a great amount of stress and emphasis on living a comfortable life. Living a comfortable life is a very high priority in your life if you get overly stressed about school, work or whatever. If becoming a "successful" person is your top priority, well then maybe you shouldn't be reading this post. No one can help you get less stressed unless you decide to change your priorities.
Honestly, changing priorities in life is not easy at all. I have wanted to change my priorities for a very long time, and I still struggle to prioritizing my life. I usually try not to get too stressed over the "busyness" of my life, but things still consume my time, effort, thoughts, and attention. Why do I feel like schoolwork or jobs should not be a top priority in life? These things eventually will become what you place your hope in, whether you like it or not. I don't want to place my hope in something that cannot last. I don't want to place my hope in something that cannot save me. That is why I want to change the priorities in my life. I want to place stress on something that I know will not fail my desires and hopes. What will you make your top priority?
-Smart
Niceness
Recently I had a conversation with one of my friends and we talked about nice people. During this conversation, I thought of a question that seems to have an obvious answer; why do people like nice people? It seems like that's a simple question to answer, but that's because it is so natural for us to like nice people. I never thought too much about why I personally like nice people or why others like nice people until I had this conversation. Hopefully I can shed some light on the answer to this question and make some comments on it.
First, I think it's important that I define "nice people". To me personally, a nice person is someone who compliments other people and is overall a positive person. A person who is not nice is someone who tends to put others down and is overall a negative person. A nice person is generally creates a pleasant atmosphere and points out the good in other people. As I said before, most if not all people would rather be with a nice person than a disrespectful or mean person.
So why do we like people that are nice to us? I believe that we like being around nice people because they point out our positive qualities rather than our bad. A very nice person may even exaggerate a quality to make us feel better. I think people try to be nice so that other people feel better about themselves. As humans, we all have things about us that we don't like because no one is perfect. We don't like it when someone exposes our weaknesses. We don't like being reminded of our shortcomings and failures. What we do want is to feel some sense of worth, or acceptance. When people point out what is good about us, we feel like we are accepted and we are worth something. I believe that we all are trying to find nice people to surround ourselves with to make us feel like we are something more than we are.
While I have nothing against nice people (actually I think being nice is great), they can't make us worth something more than what we are. They certainly can make us feel that way, but they don't have the ability to make us better people. Also, no one can truly accept us, because even the nicest people judge other people. No one can accept all of who we are, because everyone has some quality that no one can accept. I'm not talking bad breath or bad hair, but something deeper that is in our hearts. What makes us incapable of being worth something great or completely accepted is that we all have sinned and fall short.
My previous statements were not completely true. There is someone who can make us worth something and accept all of us. That person died on the cross so that we could be accepted and valuable. Jesus took our punishment for our sin and made us righteous and He accepted us into His family. The sad thing is that many people try to replace Jesus with "nice" people. Nice people can certainly make us feel better about ourselves and accepted, but they cannot make us better people and accept us. Only Jesus has the power to become that person we long for in our hearts, and Jesus is that person.
-Smart
First, I think it's important that I define "nice people". To me personally, a nice person is someone who compliments other people and is overall a positive person. A person who is not nice is someone who tends to put others down and is overall a negative person. A nice person is generally creates a pleasant atmosphere and points out the good in other people. As I said before, most if not all people would rather be with a nice person than a disrespectful or mean person.
So why do we like people that are nice to us? I believe that we like being around nice people because they point out our positive qualities rather than our bad. A very nice person may even exaggerate a quality to make us feel better. I think people try to be nice so that other people feel better about themselves. As humans, we all have things about us that we don't like because no one is perfect. We don't like it when someone exposes our weaknesses. We don't like being reminded of our shortcomings and failures. What we do want is to feel some sense of worth, or acceptance. When people point out what is good about us, we feel like we are accepted and we are worth something. I believe that we all are trying to find nice people to surround ourselves with to make us feel like we are something more than we are.
While I have nothing against nice people (actually I think being nice is great), they can't make us worth something more than what we are. They certainly can make us feel that way, but they don't have the ability to make us better people. Also, no one can truly accept us, because even the nicest people judge other people. No one can accept all of who we are, because everyone has some quality that no one can accept. I'm not talking bad breath or bad hair, but something deeper that is in our hearts. What makes us incapable of being worth something great or completely accepted is that we all have sinned and fall short.
My previous statements were not completely true. There is someone who can make us worth something and accept all of us. That person died on the cross so that we could be accepted and valuable. Jesus took our punishment for our sin and made us righteous and He accepted us into His family. The sad thing is that many people try to replace Jesus with "nice" people. Nice people can certainly make us feel better about ourselves and accepted, but they cannot make us better people and accept us. Only Jesus has the power to become that person we long for in our hearts, and Jesus is that person.
-Smart
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