Ignorance is Bliss?
You agree with this when in a sense, you don't do anything to make this world a better place.
When you turn the other way when somebody steals something.
When you throw away your food knowing that there are people all around the world who do not have food.
You agree when you don't think of anybody but yourself.
You agree when you spend your money on the latest trend, although it was not necessary.
You agree when you take an hour in the shower when in reality, there are people around the world who have to walk miles in order get a sip of water.
How about when you see somebody suffering and you don't tell them about God? When you have the answer?
I ask you, what have you done to make this world a better place?
and if we are not fixing a problem are we part of the problem?
I don't want to be just another young person who is simply wasting their youth. We have one life, and our youth only comes around once. We are only this strong, this willing, this ready to serve, NOW.
Psalms 143:10
"Come, tell me your trouble
I'm not your answer
But I'm a listening ear
Reality has left you reeling
All facts and no feeling
No faith and all fear
I don't know why a good man will fall
While a wicked one stands
And our lives blow about
Like flags on the land
Who's at fault is not important
Good intentions lie dormant
And we're all to blame
While apathy acts like an ally
My enemy and I are one and the same
I don't know why the innocents fall
While the monsters still stand
And our lives blow about
Like flags on the land
I don't know why our words are so proud
Yet their promise soothing
And our lives blow about
Like flags in the wind
Oh oh oh oh
You who mourn will be comforted
You who hunger will hunger no more
All the last shall be first
Of this I am sure
You who weep now will laugh again
All you lonely be lonely no more
Yes, the last will be first
Of this I'm sure
I don't know why the innocents fall
While the monsters stand
I don't know why the little ones thirst
But I know the last shall be first
I know the last shall be first
I know the last shall be first"
To hear this song, click here
Religion Vs. a Relationship With God
Sometimes the conversation gets carried further and they go into what I can and "can't do", which is when I interject and say I don't like the word "Can't" because I choose to live how I live.
- Religion is when you are a different person outside of church than what you are in church. It is also when you do things "just because".
- A relationship with God is when you want to please him at all times.
In the word of God, we see a couple of examples of what Religion could be categorized as.
Idolatry
This is one of the clearest post marks that signal religion, and it is mentioned several times in the bible.
Leviticus 19:4
"Thou shall have not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath , or that is in water under earth"
Exodus 20:4
Respecting the house of God
When the house of the Lord begins to get treated like a regular house, this spells trouble.
In John 2:12-16, Jesus went down to Jerusalem and found that the temple had been turned into a marketplace were Oxen, sheep doves and all kind of stuff was being sold. Let's just say God was not pleased and drove everybody out of that place. Jesus then said:
John 2:16
Following traditions that a "church" has even though they are not in the bible.
I have to admit there are some religions that I understand why they are confused. Not that they are right, but I can see why they would get confused because they might have overlooked some scriptures or misinterpret scriptures.
The bible says that in the latter times "Some shall depart for the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils"
Religions or "doctrines of devils" that are "Speaking in lies in hypocrisy"
Well what do these religions in the latter times include? Let's see:
"Forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." 1Timothy 4:1-3
Who are we to accept Christ?
There are some religions that say that you are saved when you "accept" Christ.
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" John 15:16
How to know if you are in a religion, or if you have a relationship with God.
If you are in a religion you experience some, if not all of these:
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings and such like: of they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God"
Galatians 5:19-21
If you have a relationship with God you will experience thse:
"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law:
Galatians 3:22-24
Iff you find your self experiencing some of the symptoms in the first category, then my friend, you are in a religion. Don't think that if you have a "mixture" of symptoms you can be in the middle.
Matthew 12:33
Like I said before, even if you are in a one-God-tongue-speaking church, you can still drift away from your relationship with God and find yourself in a place were everything turns into a religion.
Okay Goodnight!
Happy Birthday Hanna!
Happy Birthday
Hanna!
Happy birthday to one of my dearest friends, Hanna! Love you so so so so so so much. I thank God for friends like you. You have been an example in the past (and continue to be), and you are a great study buddy...Unless you can't stop talking...Oh wait, never mind, that's usually me. haha
Everybody wish her Happy Birthday!
Okay here is a little story.....
THE END
:)
The Benefits of Having a Perfect Heart
We all should be familiar with Job 1:1 where it is stated that Job was a perfect, upright man who feared God and "eschewed" evil (avoided evil). The scripture does not just say he had a perfect heart and was a perfect man, it goes on and elaborates on other traits that Job possessed. Therefore, a perfect heart is a heart (or person) that serves and loves God to the best of their human ability.
Let's see what the bible says about Daniel, and he will be our example.
Great right? but so what?
Well, having a perfect heart had benefits!
"Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him: and the king thought to set him over the whole realm" -Daniel 6:3
- As we can see in the scripture above, Daniel had an excellent/perfect spirit which pleased the king.
- Even when the other presidents and princes wanted to find a fault in him they could not!
"Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, expect we find it against him concerning the law of his God" Daniel 6:5
The interesting part is that they knew that God was directly linked in his righteousness.
- God was with Daniel at all times, to protect and defend him; he showed his love for Daniel in the den of lions.
Daniel said unto the king "My God hath sent his angel, and hath hut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: foresomuch as before him indecency was found in me; and also before thee,O king, have I done no hurt" Daniel 6:22
- Others around David knew what kind of man he really was, and were able to defend his good name.
We can even look into the life of David when Saul was after him. At one occurrence, Jonathan asked his father Saul
"Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done? 1Samuel 20:32
In verse 33 we see Saul get angry because he could not answer the question, Daniel was innocent. He was so angry he through a javelin at him.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture right? Basically "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God" Romans 8:28. If we work on achieving that perfect heart God wants, everything will work out. Hard work is not taken lightly, our actions are not in vain. God knows our individual strengths' and weaknesses, and most importantly, if we have a perfect heart nothing can get in between our God and us. Remember, sin is like a wall between you and God; "a right heart makes right decisions" (this was a title of a message Bro. Etheridge preached once)
Seattle!
I know I am a bit late on putting these pictures up, but I have been BUSY. Church, school, activities, family from Mexico, Volunteering and blah, blah, blah.
But here are the pictures from my trip to Seattle. I went on my spring break for those that don't know, with the lovely Carisa!
The clouds looked so cool from the airplane! I felt like we were Mario Bro's and were bouncing on clouds! haha
On the air plane! The famous gum wall!
Some cool wall at Pike place market.
Tourist ;)She was like "What is this?"
I was like"Woooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!".. lol
Space needle
At one of the many caffes we went to. She was reading while I was studying.
Downtown
A really pretty park. Japanese garden area? I think?
Mama bear and Poppa bear lol
hehe...Potties at the end of the underground tour.
At the underground tour!
This is pretty cool. We are underground, and we could see to the street above us through those little glass things.
This is a cool picture Carisa accidentaly took while we were in some little shop at the waterfront!
Pretty pretty pretty
First Starbucks EVER!
Pike Place Market
One thing I noticed about Seattle is that dogs are EVERYWHERE. They were either laying in the middle of a store (like this one),or on display window! lol
I found Elvis
The encyclopedia of immaturity, everything makes sense now!