I'm gonna make it after all

What purpose do we have for this life, if not but to serve God and serve others? I believe the latter is more important the former, since we shall also serve God for eternity.

Today at work, as my thoughts focused again on all the hurt and pain inflicted on me in past and recent times by those who are closest to me, I was reminded of the pain Jesus must have endured throughout His life. Not the physical pain of the crucifixion, but emotional pain as the ones He loved the most turned their backs on Him. He was not always well respected. And I'd wager that even some of those He helped eventually shunned Him. Yet He did not respond with indignation. He did not feel sorry for himself, nor pull Himself away emotionally to keep from being hurt again. He continued to love the people who spat on his face, who treated Him with contempt, or who were just too self-absorbed to realized what was needed of them. And He never demanded what was needed. His love and affection was never conditional. It was always about the other man, never about Him. And in that regard, I still have a long way to go.

Judas is always looked upon as the villain. But really, he was just a man who had a moment of weakness, and put himself before others. Before the Lord. We do that every day. Judas' real fault was that he didn't know how to make things right within himself again. To ask for forgiveness and change for the better. Instead he just gave up, and never made things right. Sadly, many of us do that far too often, too. I hope that I never become one of those people.

J O Y

Philemon 8-9 - Because of the faith of Philemon, Paul knew that, although he had the authority to tell Philemon what he should do, he did not have to, because Philemon was already sound enough to do what was right.

Do I take the initiative to do the right thing because of my faith and love for God, or do I wait until God puts me in a situation where I have my hand placed for me, where the only way to get out if it would be to completely disobey? I should not wait until I have no choice but to do good. I should offer myself when the situation is available, before anyone is given the chance to ask.

Matthew 25:33-46 - Sheep and goats

We are commanded to help others, and help each other. Especially each other, our brothers and sisters. We should not have to wait for God to always say "go." Anytime we see someone with a need, we should do what we can to help. This also includes spiritual needs. "If a brother is caught in sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently." Most people will not ask for help until there are no other options. We can not allow our family to get to that place, especially in regard to their relationship with God. In order to be proactive in helping others, we must always be aware of what is going on in their lives. If we focus everything on ourselves, we can not look outward at others. We may not always be able to help, but we must always be prepared and ready to help, or use our resources to find help. it is our responsibility to look out for others, and in turn, they should look out for us. This is not to say that we do nothing to take care of ourselves. But our needs are secondary if they prevent us from serving others. "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor." (Romans 12:10). "Carry each other's burdens and, in this way, you fulfill the Law of Christ."

Let's be alone together

"It is not good for a man to be alone..."

God is to be first in our life. Always. But from the beginning, it was never meant for God to be the only One in our life. God designed it that we would need each other, especially those in the church. We can worship God anywhere. So our physical place in life really only affects others. It decides who we can impact, and who impacts us. So when we reach a point where we are not making a difference where we are, should we remain there, or is it necessary to leave? Should we focus so much on our relationship with others, or is it an unnecessary distraction?

Notes from Tuesday study

"Each branch in Me that does not bear fruit, he takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." - John 15:2

Loving each other is a way we can bear fruit. 

Other ideas about fruit: Galatians 5 - Fruit of the Spirit; Matthew 7:16-23 - known by our fruit; Colossians 1:10 - good works are fruit.

If we are producing bad fruit, then part of us is not connected to the vine. We need to correct our problem with the source, and the behavioural problems will fall into line. We can not produce good fruit unless we abide in Jesus.

Sometimes it is necessary for God to take us back to a place we once were, so that we are not hanging on to dead "branches." 

Hebrews 12:10-12 - We will always go through times of testing, but afterward, we are able to produce more fruit.

How are my hobbies, interests and relationships fruitful?

Inspired by the Conestoga Valley CoC service

"Treat others in the same way you want them to treat you." - Luke 6:31

Christianity is pro-active. We are not called to just refrain from doing bad things, but we are to make a point to do good things.

When people treat us poorly, we can ignore them and not retaliate in a negative way. But that is not enough. We must go out of our way to do good even to those people. We must treat them in the same manner that we treat those who do good to us.

Inspired by Chaz's sermon

"But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world." - 1 Peter 5:9

When we think about the sufferings of others, we usually think physical things or spiritual persecution. But rarely do we think about struggles with our faith. We often believe that our faltering is an uncommon struggle with those who are strong in their faith. But in actuality, it is usually the most common struggle we go through. None of us are strong enough on our own, yet our pride always fools us into believing it, even if for a little while. We must remember that doubt is not a weakness, but a time for renewal. Because in our questioning we find answers, if we are willing to search for them.

Let my pride fall down

I have many non-Christian friends. I have many lukewarm Christian friends. Yet I have never been zealous in sharing the gospel with them. I pray generally for them, and that I may be a light to them, but there are so many opportunities that I let pass by. Does this make me lukewarm, too? I don't hesitate to recommend music or books or movies to a friend, but when it comes to speaking to them about eternity, I put it off. Maybe it's not apathy on my part. Maybe it's pride. I am afraid they will reject me. yet, is it more important that I keep my good name, or that I risk it all to help one? I'm not a perfect Christian, and many have seen that. But instead of letting that be a hinderance, perhaps it can be a help. People will see my imperfection and realize that we all have faults. I don't like that I am so comfortable. Then I am willing to step out of my comfort zone to do what needs to be done. It is my prayer that I learn to sacrifice my comfort for the sake of others, that I lead others to Christ, not for selfish gain, but because I love them, and I love Him.