Today I want to write about three stories in the Bible and connect them all together. I was having trouble thinking of a new topic to write about, when I heard one of these stories on Sunday during church. Story number one comes from Numbers 21. The Israelites are traveling following Moses' lead, and they became impatient. The people then began to complain and blame Moses and God for their suffering. God heard these complaints and He sent snakes that bit the people and poisoned them.
Anyone who was bitten by one of these snakes would die. The Israelites realized their mistake and repented and asked God to forgive them. Interestingly, God did not simply remove or kill the snakes, but commanded Moses to make a bronze snake and place it on a staff. Anyone who looked at this bronze snake would not die of the snake bites, and anyone who did not look would die.
The second story comes from Matthew 14. Jesus is teaching people near a lake, and commands the disciples to leave by boat. The disciples are now far from Jesus, because the winds are strong and the waves carry them far out in the water. Then they see a man walking on the water towards them. They do not know who it is, and even think it is a ghost. Jesus assures them that He is the one coming towards them, to which Peter replies "if it is you, command me to come to You on the water". Jesus tells Peter to come, and Peter is able to walk on the water towards Jesus, but then Peter sinks. Jesus catches Peter and prevents him from drowning.
The final story is one I have told before, but will tell again. Jesus leaves Bethany and becomes hungry. He goes to a fig tree, but sees that it has no fruit. Jesus then curses the fig tree, and the next day it is dead and withered. The disciples see this miracle and are amazed at what Jesus has done. Jesus then proceeds to tell them that anyone who has faith and no doubt will be able to cast a mountain into the sea. He then tells them that anything they pray for with faith will be granted.
So what do these stories all have in common? One thing I noticed is that they all talk about looking at something. What does that mean? It means the people involved in the stories had a choice. The choice was whether to look at the snakes that are biting you or the bronze snake on the staff. The choice was whether to look at the wind and the crashing waves or to look at Jesus. The choice was whether to look at the mountain or to look at God's power.
These stories are very applicable to us even today. They challenge us to not look at the worries of this world, but to look at Jesus. In the first story, the people were being bitten by venomous snakes. Obviously their first worry were these snakes that were attacking them. However, all they had to do was stop looking at the snakes and look at the bronze snake on the staff, and they would not have to worry about the venomous snakes anymore. When Peter is walking on water, had he been focusing on Jesus rather than the raging sea, Peter would not have to worry about drowning. In the last story, Jesus is telling us that we cannot look at how big the mountain is, but how powerful our God is.
God does not want us to be concerned with the problems we have or to worry about our lives. He wants us to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2)".
-Smart
Unchangeable
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
-Hebrews 13:8
Before the school year ended I was reading a comic called "The Walking Dead". The comic book is about a zombie apocalypse and a group of survivors. The main character's name is Rick Grimes, a cop who wakes up from a coma in the middle of the apocalypse. As the story progresses, Rick finds his family and joins a group of survivors, and they move from place to place to survive in the harsh world. Throughout the series people change drastically because they are haunted by the horrors of the apocalypse.
So what does this have to do with the title of this post? In the comic, as people in the group and changing and becoming more unstable, they all look for someone who will lead them with a steady hand. They all turn to Rick, probably because he was a cop and they expect that he will be a good leader. However, even Rick begins to change and go crazy a bit, to which his wife tells him that he needs to be strong for the group. I found this to be very interesting because it shows how people act in times of distress, and when things begin to change.
In any group, people generally will look for someone to become a leader. Whether they agree on a leader vocally or not, a person will usually step up and lead the group. Leaders usually have something that separate them from the rest of the group, whether it be age, gender, height, or charm. Today I want to talk about a characteristic that a leader (or anyone) should strive to have. This trait is consistency, or being unchangeable. I've written about this before, but today I want to focus on one example, Jesus.
In the Bible, Jesus was always the same no matter the situation. I believe this is part of why people were able to follow Him and believe in His words. People are drawn to others who are consistent and proven to be unchangeable. It's very hard to follow someone that changes from day to day and doesn't seem to be reliable. Jesus always spoke the truth, and He always loved others. Even when Satan tempted Him, others mocked Him and beat Him, and when people crucified Him, He did not waiver in His character. Even while hanging on the cross to His death, He said "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). He loved even those who tortured and killed Him, and He loves us as well.
People look for consistency in others all the time. A child looks to their parents, a worker to their boss or coworker, a church member to their pastor, or a player to their coach. People want to know that they can trust someone who will never fail. However, people always will fall short, because no one is perfect. Therefore we should look to Christ for comfort, security, and love. He is the only one who is truly unchangeable, never failing. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)".
-Smart
-Hebrews 13:8
Before the school year ended I was reading a comic called "The Walking Dead". The comic book is about a zombie apocalypse and a group of survivors. The main character's name is Rick Grimes, a cop who wakes up from a coma in the middle of the apocalypse. As the story progresses, Rick finds his family and joins a group of survivors, and they move from place to place to survive in the harsh world. Throughout the series people change drastically because they are haunted by the horrors of the apocalypse.
So what does this have to do with the title of this post? In the comic, as people in the group and changing and becoming more unstable, they all look for someone who will lead them with a steady hand. They all turn to Rick, probably because he was a cop and they expect that he will be a good leader. However, even Rick begins to change and go crazy a bit, to which his wife tells him that he needs to be strong for the group. I found this to be very interesting because it shows how people act in times of distress, and when things begin to change.
In any group, people generally will look for someone to become a leader. Whether they agree on a leader vocally or not, a person will usually step up and lead the group. Leaders usually have something that separate them from the rest of the group, whether it be age, gender, height, or charm. Today I want to talk about a characteristic that a leader (or anyone) should strive to have. This trait is consistency, or being unchangeable. I've written about this before, but today I want to focus on one example, Jesus.
In the Bible, Jesus was always the same no matter the situation. I believe this is part of why people were able to follow Him and believe in His words. People are drawn to others who are consistent and proven to be unchangeable. It's very hard to follow someone that changes from day to day and doesn't seem to be reliable. Jesus always spoke the truth, and He always loved others. Even when Satan tempted Him, others mocked Him and beat Him, and when people crucified Him, He did not waiver in His character. Even while hanging on the cross to His death, He said "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). He loved even those who tortured and killed Him, and He loves us as well.
People look for consistency in others all the time. A child looks to their parents, a worker to their boss or coworker, a church member to their pastor, or a player to their coach. People want to know that they can trust someone who will never fail. However, people always will fall short, because no one is perfect. Therefore we should look to Christ for comfort, security, and love. He is the only one who is truly unchangeable, never failing. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)".
-Smart
Effort
"Continuous effort- not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking your potential."
-Winston Churchill
Effort is the exertion of physical or mental power. Most people find it very hard to put effort into many things because it tires them out. People would much rather have other people do things for them or just not do anything at all. However, without effort, nothing will get done. I notice that people often place half-hearted effort into things that require much more effort to work. For example, in sports (yes, again) I see this a lot.
I love playing basketball, and as I often say, it frustrates me to see people not play it well. Watching people not play basketball well is like a great artist watching someone draw a terrible painting, or a great writer reading a book that has grammar errors. A while ago I wrote a post about doing the little things. If you thought about it at all, you should have realized that all it requires it effort. In basketball, playing good defense and getting rebounds are all about effort and commitment. If you don't put effort into these things, you will be a terrible defender and rebounder.
There's a great saying that "defense wins championships". What this is saying is that the team that puts more effort into the game is going to win. Even the greatest athletes can play poorly if they don't put effort into the game. Effort is what shows how well you can play. The greatest athletes are not only recognized for their athleticism but also for their effort and commitment to their sport. A common thing in great athletes is that they play hard every game and practice constantly.
How does this apply to our everyday life? Many things, if not everything, requires effort. School requires effort in order to do well, sports requires effort, work, chores, going on a diet, etc. The more effort you put into these things the better you will do. Again, you will never know your potential unless you put maximum effort into things in your life.
Lastly, you need to put effort into living a life for Christ. You might say that the Bible (and I) claims that you are saved by faith alone, so you shouldn't have to do anything to be saved. To address this, I want to quote a great leader in Christianity, Martin Luther. He said that "we are saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone." The book of James tells us that faith must be combined with works. The works don't save you, but are still necessary to living a life for Christ. These works take effort; loving others, praying, reading the Bible, going church, and preaching the gospel. If you put your effort into these things I know God will bless your life.
-Smart
-Winston Churchill
Effort is the exertion of physical or mental power. Most people find it very hard to put effort into many things because it tires them out. People would much rather have other people do things for them or just not do anything at all. However, without effort, nothing will get done. I notice that people often place half-hearted effort into things that require much more effort to work. For example, in sports (yes, again) I see this a lot.
I love playing basketball, and as I often say, it frustrates me to see people not play it well. Watching people not play basketball well is like a great artist watching someone draw a terrible painting, or a great writer reading a book that has grammar errors. A while ago I wrote a post about doing the little things. If you thought about it at all, you should have realized that all it requires it effort. In basketball, playing good defense and getting rebounds are all about effort and commitment. If you don't put effort into these things, you will be a terrible defender and rebounder.
There's a great saying that "defense wins championships". What this is saying is that the team that puts more effort into the game is going to win. Even the greatest athletes can play poorly if they don't put effort into the game. Effort is what shows how well you can play. The greatest athletes are not only recognized for their athleticism but also for their effort and commitment to their sport. A common thing in great athletes is that they play hard every game and practice constantly.
How does this apply to our everyday life? Many things, if not everything, requires effort. School requires effort in order to do well, sports requires effort, work, chores, going on a diet, etc. The more effort you put into these things the better you will do. Again, you will never know your potential unless you put maximum effort into things in your life.
Lastly, you need to put effort into living a life for Christ. You might say that the Bible (and I) claims that you are saved by faith alone, so you shouldn't have to do anything to be saved. To address this, I want to quote a great leader in Christianity, Martin Luther. He said that "we are saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone." The book of James tells us that faith must be combined with works. The works don't save you, but are still necessary to living a life for Christ. These works take effort; loving others, praying, reading the Bible, going church, and preaching the gospel. If you put your effort into these things I know God will bless your life.
-Smart
Patience (2)
"A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense."
-Proverbs 19:11
Last post I talked about things that cause me to be impatient. Recently I have been thinking about why these things bother me so much, and I find that it doesn't really make sense. Most of the issues I have with other people is when they can't do something or they don't put effort into something. While it may seem justifiable to be frustrated when people don't place effort into something, most of the time this bothers me when I am playing sports. If you think about it, sports are supposed to be fun, and a person can put as much effort as they want because they just want to have fun. For me personally, I can't really enjoy myself unless I push myself every game, but other people might have more fun not pushing themselves so much.
As I reflected on these things, it was almost as if I was rebuking myself, or the Holy Spirit rebuking me. I can't let my goals and my desires allow me to get frustrated at other people. At a YDJ (my church college group) meeting, we were talking about how to pray, and we talked about the Lord's prayer. I was reminded of the powerful part of that prayer which reads "Your will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven". Romans 8:28 tells us that "we know that God causes all things to work together for good". Even when my will is not being done, I can't get impatient because I know God is working for my good.
Being patient is not an easy task. This is especially true for me because I like to plan things and be in control of things. I'm reminded of a post I wrote very early in my blog, titled "Who control's your life?". In this post I wrote about how no matter how hard we try we cannot control the way our life goes. If we try to hold on to our lives and direct how it goes, we will be extremely disappointed. When I want or need something, I'll try to do whatever I can to get it myself. Only when I realize I cannot do something myself do I turn to prayer. After I pray I expect that God will answer my prayers according to my time, but that is not how God works.
Ecclesiastes 3 says that "there is an appointed time for everything". Not everything I want will happen when I want it to, because it is not the right time. While Jesus was on this Earth, He often told His disciples that it was not His time. Jesus surrendered his plans to God, and knew that God had the best plans for Him. Trusting in God and being patient is a recipe for a fulfilling life. We can't demand that things go our way or happen in our timing because "For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so (God's) ways higher than your ways, and (His) thoughts higher than your thoughts". God has a time for everything, and we have to surrender to His will and trust Him. This certainly is not easy, but if we take time to understand who God is, it will be easier to trust Him.
-Smart
-Proverbs 19:11
Last post I talked about things that cause me to be impatient. Recently I have been thinking about why these things bother me so much, and I find that it doesn't really make sense. Most of the issues I have with other people is when they can't do something or they don't put effort into something. While it may seem justifiable to be frustrated when people don't place effort into something, most of the time this bothers me when I am playing sports. If you think about it, sports are supposed to be fun, and a person can put as much effort as they want because they just want to have fun. For me personally, I can't really enjoy myself unless I push myself every game, but other people might have more fun not pushing themselves so much.
As I reflected on these things, it was almost as if I was rebuking myself, or the Holy Spirit rebuking me. I can't let my goals and my desires allow me to get frustrated at other people. At a YDJ (my church college group) meeting, we were talking about how to pray, and we talked about the Lord's prayer. I was reminded of the powerful part of that prayer which reads "Your will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven". Romans 8:28 tells us that "we know that God causes all things to work together for good". Even when my will is not being done, I can't get impatient because I know God is working for my good.
Being patient is not an easy task. This is especially true for me because I like to plan things and be in control of things. I'm reminded of a post I wrote very early in my blog, titled "Who control's your life?". In this post I wrote about how no matter how hard we try we cannot control the way our life goes. If we try to hold on to our lives and direct how it goes, we will be extremely disappointed. When I want or need something, I'll try to do whatever I can to get it myself. Only when I realize I cannot do something myself do I turn to prayer. After I pray I expect that God will answer my prayers according to my time, but that is not how God works.
Ecclesiastes 3 says that "there is an appointed time for everything". Not everything I want will happen when I want it to, because it is not the right time. While Jesus was on this Earth, He often told His disciples that it was not His time. Jesus surrendered his plans to God, and knew that God had the best plans for Him. Trusting in God and being patient is a recipe for a fulfilling life. We can't demand that things go our way or happen in our timing because "For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so (God's) ways higher than your ways, and (His) thoughts higher than your thoughts". God has a time for everything, and we have to surrender to His will and trust Him. This certainly is not easy, but if we take time to understand who God is, it will be easier to trust Him.
-Smart
Patience (1)
"Love is patient..."
-1 Corinthians 13:4
I know that I have been talking about sports frequently, but I learn so much about myself through them. I once heard a saying that your character does not show in the good times but the bad. Anyone can be nice when they are going through a good time, but not everyone can be like that when adversity comes. I find that sports is a place I tend to find adversity and difficulty, which is odd because sports are supposed to be fun. While I do enjoy playing sports a lot, I am very competitive and I don't like to lose. I especially do not like to lose when I see that my team is not playing to their full potential.
If you've ever heard my life testimony, you know that in the past I have struggled a lot with anger and impatience. Little things would cause me to get visibly angry and frustrated, and I would often take out my anger on other people or things. However, I thank God that He has helped me become more patient and cool-tempered. Even though I do a much better job with my anger and frustration, especially when it comes to expressing it, I still can become frustrated in difficult times.
As I mentioned previously, sports is a time I get frustrated very easily. This normally happens when I play with people I know, because I expect more from them. I'm the kind of person who gives 100% (or at least 90%) effort every single game, whether it's a pick up game or a tournament. I just like to play hard because doing well is satisfying. During a game, we normally assign people we are supposed to defend. Everyone is responsible for defending one person, and if everyone does their part the team should do pretty well. However, many times I see at least one person not defending their man or not doing their part on the team.
If I see someone on the other team score because they are undefended, normally I am okay with it because I understand that people are not perfect. However, when that same person is undefended many times, that is when I get impatient and sometimes yell at the person responsible. It is very frustrating when I am trying my best to play defense on my assigned person and I see that another person is wide open over and over again. Understandably, people can get angry at me for being so mean to that person, but it is so difficult for me to simply be okay with bad effort.
This is just one example of how things can make me impatient. There are many other things in sports that bother me as well, but now I want to talk about a completely new thing that tests my patience; praise team. As I mentioned in my posts on worship, I can get impatient with others in the praise team. Obviously this is a problem, because you would think I could (and should) control myself when it comes to church matters. As I said before though, I like to do things well, not half-hearted. While this sounds like a good thing, sometimes it causes me to get frustrated at little things that shouldn't bother me so much.
I have been playing instruments for a long time, and not everyone on praise team has had the same experiences with music that I have. Consequently, I notice musical problems that other members don't catch all the time, and I sometimes get irritated and rudely point out mistakes. I find it amazing that nobody really ever yelled back at me, because in hindsight that's probably what I would have done if someone were yelling at me for not doing something I don't even know how to do.
-Smart
-1 Corinthians 13:4
I know that I have been talking about sports frequently, but I learn so much about myself through them. I once heard a saying that your character does not show in the good times but the bad. Anyone can be nice when they are going through a good time, but not everyone can be like that when adversity comes. I find that sports is a place I tend to find adversity and difficulty, which is odd because sports are supposed to be fun. While I do enjoy playing sports a lot, I am very competitive and I don't like to lose. I especially do not like to lose when I see that my team is not playing to their full potential.
If you've ever heard my life testimony, you know that in the past I have struggled a lot with anger and impatience. Little things would cause me to get visibly angry and frustrated, and I would often take out my anger on other people or things. However, I thank God that He has helped me become more patient and cool-tempered. Even though I do a much better job with my anger and frustration, especially when it comes to expressing it, I still can become frustrated in difficult times.
As I mentioned previously, sports is a time I get frustrated very easily. This normally happens when I play with people I know, because I expect more from them. I'm the kind of person who gives 100% (or at least 90%) effort every single game, whether it's a pick up game or a tournament. I just like to play hard because doing well is satisfying. During a game, we normally assign people we are supposed to defend. Everyone is responsible for defending one person, and if everyone does their part the team should do pretty well. However, many times I see at least one person not defending their man or not doing their part on the team.
If I see someone on the other team score because they are undefended, normally I am okay with it because I understand that people are not perfect. However, when that same person is undefended many times, that is when I get impatient and sometimes yell at the person responsible. It is very frustrating when I am trying my best to play defense on my assigned person and I see that another person is wide open over and over again. Understandably, people can get angry at me for being so mean to that person, but it is so difficult for me to simply be okay with bad effort.
This is just one example of how things can make me impatient. There are many other things in sports that bother me as well, but now I want to talk about a completely new thing that tests my patience; praise team. As I mentioned in my posts on worship, I can get impatient with others in the praise team. Obviously this is a problem, because you would think I could (and should) control myself when it comes to church matters. As I said before though, I like to do things well, not half-hearted. While this sounds like a good thing, sometimes it causes me to get frustrated at little things that shouldn't bother me so much.
I have been playing instruments for a long time, and not everyone on praise team has had the same experiences with music that I have. Consequently, I notice musical problems that other members don't catch all the time, and I sometimes get irritated and rudely point out mistakes. I find it amazing that nobody really ever yelled back at me, because in hindsight that's probably what I would have done if someone were yelling at me for not doing something I don't even know how to do.
-Smart
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