Friday, September 30, 2011

Are you worthy?



“As a prisoner for the Lord, then I urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received”
Ephesians 4:1

            Have you ever met someone that had a deep appreciation for life? This person lives life to the fullest, not for sensual pleasures, but because they realize they might not be here forever. They might spend time loving on their family or taking care of others. In many cases, these people just had a second chance in life. They could have been a cancer patient or just released from prison. These people that I am speaking of, know don’t want to waste away and, they make every breathe they have count for the rest of their lives. Does anyone you know live like this?
            The people that fall into this category for me, that truly inspire me, are those that are persecuted for their faith in Christ. In this chapter from Ephesians, Paul speaks about living in Christ. How you need to be humble, gentle, kind, loving, etc. This first part of the first verse really hit home in my heart because he called himself a prisoner, and indeed he has spent a lot of time in jail for his faith in Christ. The persecuted Church has always had this kind of place in my heart. They live their all for God. Every breath, every move, even every fabric of their existence is to live for Him.
            The second part of the verse hits even a bigger cord in my heart: “... then I urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received.” I am ashamed to say this; I do not live worthy of the calling. I do not live like I have the spirit of Christ in me. I take for granted every day the breath I breathe and the gift of salvation that I have. I have seen God; he has touched my life and continuously does it. I have seen God take the scariest looking people and make them sob like babies. I have seen him move in others. I have seen selfishness turn to selflessness, pride into humility, bitterness into forgiveness, etc. I do not live my life worthy of this. The persecuted churches live for God and realize what they have every day. They are beaten, killed, jailed, and starved for it. I on the other hand, at times, is forgetful.
            The point of this devo is not to just hate on me. I challenge you, if you are a Christian, are you living your life worthy of Jesus? The gift and presence that you have inside you, that new life, are you living for it, or are you like me just passing through life? For the person who does not believe in God, do you live life with the appreciation of every breath you breathe? Just some food for thought.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

What if you were God?

Some people argue that God is unjust and violent. He is a being that is egotistical and wrathful; he is fast to anger and ruthless with punishing. Looking at certain texts of the Bible, I can understand this viewpoint; however, I started to think, what would I be like if I was God? If I was the creator of the universe, what would I do with all that power. Would I be a God that people would want to follow or would I be a God that people are terrified of?

I look at the behavior of certain people, and am glad that they are not God. My sister is one that I would be terrified of. She once had this cat that peed everywhere. It would pee on pillows and the bed. I don't know if you realize, cat pee smells horrible. I am a janitor and few smells are worse then the strong sour smell of cat urine. When this cat peed, my sister would yell and throw things at it. She would get so mad, that her wrath would be terrible. If she was God, I would of been thrown out or smited a long time ago =)

If I was God, I would probally be no better. When I get extremely angry (not to often mind you), I tend to shut down and give up. I might even lash out. Would you want a God that just shut down and ignored you if you messed up? If I created the human race and the majority abandoned me (like they have and do many times even today), honestly,  I would of eventually abandoned them long ago and allow them to destroy each other. People can get on my nerves. You would not want me as a God would you?

The western society hates people that have absolute authority. We don't like tyrants and want to spread out the power among many. This idea is the very building block or America's constitution. History shows that when man gets to much power, they become currupt. We have Hitler, Stalin, Napolean, and the numerous kings, emperors, and czars to refrence to. Power can curropt even the most noble. Now imagine the power of God.

So my question is, What if you were God? What would you do and how would you rule?

To be honest, I think the God I serve is doing a better job then anyone I can possible imagine.