The Giver of Life

At night I try to strain my eyes to see exactly what's going on. The darkness clouds my vision blurs. But I’m still amazed at how God can bless a sinner like me… you see the thing that shrouds my sight, is the sin I commit outwardly and inside. The guilt sets in and blocks my heart it stops and threatens my life as part of just retribution. I breathe, I gasp for air’s not there. My lungs collapse, I think, I track my past for facts. This cold it rushes flushes my every limb. The facts set in; I could’ve fought my sin. Alas the past has passed this fate on my plate, nothing left but to accept and wait ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Warmth invades my chest as I rest and wait, is it not too late? I squint I try to focus my eyes, a hand, a face the blur remains. A scar, a hole, could it be, the warmth enters my veins, the spread relieves the pain. The blur subsides, the darkness hides, and my eyes lay hold of the Giver of Life. I sit and stare as light illuminates as far as I can see. As I rise to my feet, the Giver of Life smiles as he looks at me. But NO…my fate was transferred away from me, I stare, I look, I gasp as the Giver of Life shuts His eyes. His breath ceases to be, the life I received, I know now was not free. The tears they pour, I can't take no more. My feet ache and begin to run. Life I try to understand why the Giver of Life gave his life for me. I run and run as far as I can see! STOP!!! Wait…could it be? The Giver of Life is standing in front of me. But I saw, I heard, I witnessed his end. But truly the Giver of if here with me. I sense, I feel a LOVE unreal. This is it, now I know; the Giver gave His Life so I could see. That He loves and cares and wanted to see me free. His life for mine, my life is His. The Giver of Life, Jesus Christ, my freedom paid, now I to live my LIFE!

WHY

In a time when it seems that the world outside of Christianity has more to offer then the one inside of the walls of a Holy covenant with the Creator. Why do we continue in this strenuous battle to be saved, to save others and to daily but our best foot forward in an attempt to live close to the Word of our father as we can. What is it that makes us wake up day after day and not throw in the towel?
If we were to be honest with ourselves, then we would see that we can be a selfish, greedy, prideful people. We drive in our 2005 Toyota Corollas and covet the Jaguar that just drove by us. We walk around Malls and city streets with our iPhones and Blackberry's and lust after the person’s phone that is walking in front of us, because it is “the newest model”. And we are driven to make the next agenda on our list to quench that burning desire inside of us. Yet we gather together in our churches and small group and say we are willing to give everything up for the name of Christ. So again I ask, why do we really continue in this world of Christianity? What makes us wake up day after day and not throw in the towel?
We see people living without the Creator and it seems that they are prosperous and that they are “living the life”. It would appear that they have no issues, no problems. They have money, family, social status, health. All the things that most humans desire, and to add insult to injury, THEY DID IT ALL WITH OUT THE CREATOR. And still there are those that follow the Creator, that devote their lives to His teaching and His commands, that drive vehicles that are literally falling apart, barely have enough money to buy a burger off the dollar menu at McDonald's, whose family is in turmoil and whose health is deteriorating. Yet if you ask them to give up the life they have in exchange for money, fame, health and an “easier” life, they would look you in the eyes and sincerely and wholeheartedly refuse.
We look in the Bible and we find reports of all those who where beating and murdered for following the Creator and spreading His teaching. We read their stories of how badly and horrendously they were tortured, beat and ridiculed. How some were forced to watch as their family members were murdered one by one in front of them. And how when it came time for them to stand before their murders, after watching the ones they loved brutally killed, they would choose to die over giving up their love for the Creator. What is it that allows Christians to choose their love for the Creator, even when face to face with the people that are about to end the very life that they have lived for Him?
I have been in many conversations that end up with the parties involved asking this very question. WHY? Why do we keep doing what we are doing? Why do we keep believing what we are believing? In those moments when I’ve been in the presence of those questions or even when I have asked myself the same questions in a more solitary environment, I think of one thing. JESUS.
Every time I here the name Jesus, and read of what he did. I ask myself, WHY, why did he come to this planet? Why did he live a life as a mere man? He was there in the beginning, when there was nothing, and there at the end of the seven days when there was everything. He was in a place that we as humans can only begin to imagine, a place where he was worshiped continually. Yet he gave it all up, he left it all behind to come to a place where he would be ridiculed, beaten, his skin ripped from his body, a place where he would be murdered. Why would he leave Heaven and its entire splendor, to come to the dirty, filthy, greedy, selfish, petty, prideful realm of mankind?
Why would Jesus do this……because we NEEDED him to. We were on a road that lead to destruction, the bridge was out and we couldn’t stop the train in time. The Creator knew that we were unable to save ourselves, so he sent his only son to come and save us. Jesus came to mankind, died and resurrected and in doing so created a new bridge for us to pass over. You see we were all heading for hell, for we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That is why Jesus came and died for us, He loved us to much to sit there and do nothing.
So why do we wake up every day and not throw in the towel? Why have saints since the beginning of the church given their lives to follow and spread the teaching of the Creator? Because those that are still on a train to hell NEED us to. We love them to much to sit back and do NOTHING!

Dead End

"When we must always have control over every aspect of our lives, we are telling God that we know how to get where we are supposed to be better then he does. When in reality we are like mice trapped in a maze attempting to reach a piece of cheese. No matter how many turns we take, there is always a wall there to meet us at the end. All the while God (who is greater then we) is standing there looking down at us saying...."I see and know the way you need to go, let me lead you"....the question is, will we set aside our pride and follow God, or will we let our selfishness lead us on a perpetual journey of dead ends?"

The Family...pt 1.

I drive around in the endless sea of boredom. Roaming from here to there as sanity strives to keep its grip on the frail world that it reluctantly claims residency in. Pondering how to purge this world, which holds my service in it’s twisted hands, from the stench of the action less beasts that wander in stagnancy and pollute the air of those who dream and desire the ambitions of a world more active and fruitful. I see the faces of those that would dare to aspire for a greatness alien to this world that keeps them captive. I see their noses cringe and the countenance disintegrate as the beasts of this world intoxicate them with their stench of indolence in successful efforts to murder any spark of motivation in the hearts of those that would rise up and topple the current regime’s power and authority. Day after Day, my mind battles and wars with ways of breaking the bondages that the foul beasts have places on the people of this world that I grant my service to. Day after Day I see dreams torn apart and desire burned away by the acidic poison that corrupts that air that is inhaled by its inhabitants. I fear that one man is not capable of overthrowing the power of this world’s lord. So as I drive from here to there I am ever vigilant, training my eyes to spot those that I may introduce to The Family. Secretly hoping that one day, as The Family grows, our unity will bring relief from the grasps of sub-mediocrity that we all now face.

Who are we as Christians supposed to be?

Who are we as Christians supposed to be? Were we saved to sit walk around and paint a beautiful picture of life with no worries, no cares, and perfect family and social relationships? Is that what Jesus came, died and resurrected for? I mean I hear and see bible preachers get in front of their perspective congregations and tell them that if they give their live to Jesus, He take care of everything for them. It’s like one lady right after President Obama got elected, she said; “I’m so happy, now I don’t have to worry about putting gas in my car or paying my mortgage.” As if President Obama himself was going to personally pay for everything in her life. Is that the picture that we as Christians are expected to paint to those that we are speaking to about what we believe? “Just come to Christ and He will pay all your bills and take care of your children, they will never get into any trouble and grow up to be lawyers, doctors, and possibly the next president.” “If you give your heart to God then he make sure that your never feel pain anymore and you will never have a challenging moment or time of struggle every again in your life.”
If that is what is required from this generation of Christian, then I will never be able to measure up to those “difficult” requirements. Mainly because of what I read in the Bible, perhaps those preachers that preach “happy-go-lucky” sermons don’t read everything in their Bibles, or maybe its just that they are people pleasers and they don’t want to offend anyone, or maybe they are all about the size of their congregation and they feel like light, easy sermons will bring more people through the building doors. But the bible I read has numerous accounts of Christians going through hard and strenuous times.
2 Corinthians 1:8 (ESV)
8For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers,[a] of(A) the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.
2 Corinthians 6:3-10 (ESV)
3We(A) put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4but(B) as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way:(C) by great endurance,(D) in afflictions,(E) hardships, calamities, 5(F) beatings, imprisonments,(G) riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6(H) by purity,(I) knowledge, patience, kindness,(J) the Holy Spirit,(K) genuine love; 7by(L) truthful speech, and(M) the power of God; with(N) the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8through honor and dishonor,(O) through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and(P) yet well known;(Q) as dying, and behold, we live;(R) as punished, and yet not killed; 10(S) as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;(T) as poor, yet making many rich;(U) as having nothing,(V) yet possessing everything.
Just in these two passages we see that the biblical Christians knew what suffering and hardship was. So if they suffered for the name of Jesus, and faced hardship some to the point of “despairing of life itself”, who do we think we are?! Do we seriously think that becoming a Christian will magically transform our future from pain and struggle to meadows of daisies and fresh air? No, rather Jesus inside of us gives strength and endurance to make it through the hard times. When struggles and pain come, Jesus whispers in our hearts; “keep moving forward, I know it’s hard now and it hurts, but I KNOW how you feel. I’ve been there too, and I will help you get through this.” Jesus doesn’t magically take us and move us AROUND the difficult times; he walks with us THROUGH them and sees us to the other side. And once we get there he looks at us and says, “See I told you that you were stronger then you thought you were.”
So if there requirement for Christianity is to paint a easy care-free life, then I’m never going to be able to be a Christian in that sense. Rather I will preach and teach that hard time will come, but that Jesus, our savor and our King, will help us through and see us to he other side.

Simon Says…

I traveled back in time and met a man name Simon Says. Simon Says said that he was the one that invented, conjured up, made that global children’s fun time activity. Simon Says do this but don’t do that, it was simply harmless and entertaining. I asked him if he wanted to go to the future to see how his game impacted the world a large. Simon said “Take me please”… (Traveling through time)…As we entered into the future Simon was appalled at what he saw. He saw nations of people standing around like zombies doing nothing but waiting. He turned to me and asked “what is this? What is going on?” “Shhh…watch and see” then suddenly and all at once screens all over every city turned on and a figure appeared on them and said “Simon Says turn around and walk” immediately the masses turned and began to walk. Simon asked me where they were going. I replied, “I don’t know, and neither do they. They hear the figure that calls himself “SIMON” give orders and they obey. We then saw thousands walk into the sea…”What are they doing! They will die if they don’t stop!” “You know that Simon and I know that, but they do not. They think that if “SIMON” says it, it must be right and good for them. What ever “SIMON” says is truth and should be followed.” “Why are they so blind, why can they not see that they are being lead to their deaths?” You see Simon they have become so accustomed to blindly following orders that they have put reason aside and are now letting even their own lives to be dictated and determined for them. They stand around and with for the figure to come one every day and tell them what to do and decide who will live and who will die. Your innocent children’s activity that was all so entertaining back in your day, has turned out to be exactly what the world has become. Peoples with no capacity to think or act for themselves, they stand and wait for someone else to tell them what to do and how to live.

Mental Rampage........

(I don't know why, but I just had to write, and this is what came from that urge.)

"My mind tells me that I'll never win, that's it just quit. History show us the frailty of humanity. Yes, many are chosen and few are called, but even the called, fail and run into a wall. Your destined to fail, your destined to ruin the lives of all those around you, all those that come in contact with you. Can't you see the end?!!! Can't you see that I AM RIGHT!!!!! The proof is in the past, look at your family, you think that your friends are ACTUALLY your friends. Those people you see with careers and money, and a happy family. Yeah, you will never have that!! So stop trying, give up, it's over, YOU NEVER HAD A CHANCE. Listen to me, I know what I am talking about. Don't make a fool of yourself!"

(At the same time I felt like God was saying this)

"My child, listen, come walk with ME. Let me speak into your heart. I created you, I know you better then you know yourself. I have a plan and purpose for your life, I believe in you and I Love you. See how much I love you, I sent my son to right your wrongs and take the punishment for your crimes against me. You are important to me. IF you feel like no one else is there, remember, my Love covers the earth. Do not listen to those foolish thoughts, I am here with you, I will help you through all the tough times and all the easy times. Come, Come walk with me, I will show you the potential I have bestow to you. Remember I believe in YOU, so believe in YOURSELF. I am here with you."