In one of our classes at school recently we were posed with a question: Why did God chose this world to perserve freedom and defeat evil?
This got me thinking a little bit about my hometown. There has been around a dozen people in the past two years whom I either grew up with, knew their children, or by way of my parents-- who has recently left this earth unexpectedly. Many people in this small tight-knit community are saddened by this fact and it leaves us wondering the age old question, why does God let bad things happen to good people? Why does God let anything bad happen? How can a God who is all about love, allow a world to have evil or sorrow in it?
Which gets me back to the original question which our class was challenged to answer. Because God does love us, He has given us a free will. We can either choose Him and be a part of His family, or we can choose to live a part from Him. We know that being 'in sin' is living apart from God. If we want to live in the mainstream pop culture and "fit in" with what the world says is cool, then are we really living according to God's will for our lives?
God calls us to be a holy people. This is only done out of our love for Him, living in constant fellowship with Him, and allowing His power, given to us by His Holy Spirit, to choose what is right and true. I used to live to do what pleased Misty. I chose to make bad choices and turn away from the Lord's light and path for me. But I think everyone comes to a crossroads at some point in their life where they have to decide: Will I choose life or do I choose "self-pleasing", the world, and ultimately death? It may not be that clear to everyone, but it really is our own individual decision. I praise the Lord for my 'opportunity' at a young age (25) to come to the crossroads and see clearly the path of destruction versus the path to His Kingdom.
Jesus said in John 15:9, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, as I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (NIV) So living a Christian life may be hard. We will suffer here. There will exist for a time, pain, sorrows, grieving, and hurt. All this has its place as God gives us freedom to make choices and ultimately, should we choose His way, we will no longer have pain and sorrow in heaven with Him.
So why here why now is our freedom preserved and evil allowed? This may not be the best possible situation, but it is the best way to the best world. If God is to both preserve freedom and defeat evil, then he has to ensure that each person is given the chance to make his own free choice to determine his destiny. Evil is overcome in that, once those who reject God are separated from the others, the decisions of all are made permanent. Sin will cease to exist. The ultimate goal for God's perfect world after judgment with free humans will have been achieved, but He can only do it by casting out those who abuse their freedom.
"I have told you these things, so that in me, you can have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." --Jesus, (John 16:33 NIV)
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
I will Sing!
"Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name, proclaim His salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples, For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;" Psalm 96:1-4
Growing up in a musical family, I loved to play piano, guitar, sing, dance, and do anything involving making music. My brothers and I would harmonize and sing until the late hours of the morning if we could talk our mother into it. She didn't always like us staying up late, but I suspect her own love for music convinced her on occasion.
When I became lost in the downward spiral of addiction I stopped singing. My depression and despair became so great that I lost my voice. Looking back, it was probably that singing gives me great joy. It is something I believe God gives us as a gift, which is to be used to worship Him and exalt Him. Because I was not in His will, I had no use for making a 'new song'. My joy did not exist-only a false shell of worldly possessions, overrated hypes and highs, and long periods of loneliness.
After I came back to the Lord, I wanted to sing. And sing, and sing, and sing. He has saved me and set me free and I will praise Him with my voice wholeheartedly. What a blessing it is to know that my children are also a part of this musical ministry that has been growing inside my soul. Pray for my kids, if you will, that they never have to lose the song in their heart.
Growing up in a musical family, I loved to play piano, guitar, sing, dance, and do anything involving making music. My brothers and I would harmonize and sing until the late hours of the morning if we could talk our mother into it. She didn't always like us staying up late, but I suspect her own love for music convinced her on occasion.
When I became lost in the downward spiral of addiction I stopped singing. My depression and despair became so great that I lost my voice. Looking back, it was probably that singing gives me great joy. It is something I believe God gives us as a gift, which is to be used to worship Him and exalt Him. Because I was not in His will, I had no use for making a 'new song'. My joy did not exist-only a false shell of worldly possessions, overrated hypes and highs, and long periods of loneliness.
After I came back to the Lord, I wanted to sing. And sing, and sing, and sing. He has saved me and set me free and I will praise Him with my voice wholeheartedly. What a blessing it is to know that my children are also a part of this musical ministry that has been growing inside my soul. Pray for my kids, if you will, that they never have to lose the song in their heart.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
All Your Anxieties
Whew! Another Christmas season in the past and the new year is upon us. What a fantastic ride it has been so far. I was blessed to be able to spend some much needed quality time with my family in Big Bear, CA and we had a wonderful white Christmas with sledding, snow ball fights, and snowmen.
A few nights ago I was able to spend some good quality time with my youngest Jayna. We giggled and talked and the time was very special for both of us. I shared with her how she was my little miracle baby as she came at just the right time in my life to save me from a depression that had been creeping up on me before she was born. In the next couple months, there will be several different trips where I will have to be away from my children so I love how the Lord provides these unique little moments for me to bond with my kids. Before Jayna and I knew it, it was too late and Daddy came in to tell us it was bedtime.
Now that we are back to the grind of school and homework, I felt myself become very inundated with the hectic schedule of reading and writing. At my discipleship group yesterday I shared with my sisters in Christ how overwhelmed by the amount of reading and things to do we had and wondered if I would get out of this rut I seemed to be in this week. A wise woman told me that we only can tackle the tasks at hand one day at a time. Even now, this is true. We can plan for the future so it doesn't creep up and suprise us, but for now, worry about today.
When I told my youngest that she saved me, she summed up my New Year's motto. "I didn't save you Momma, God did." How true this is! No matter what anxieties we have and what life brings us, God will see us through it and it is become of Him that we are able to accomplish anything.
"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9
A few nights ago I was able to spend some good quality time with my youngest Jayna. We giggled and talked and the time was very special for both of us. I shared with her how she was my little miracle baby as she came at just the right time in my life to save me from a depression that had been creeping up on me before she was born. In the next couple months, there will be several different trips where I will have to be away from my children so I love how the Lord provides these unique little moments for me to bond with my kids. Before Jayna and I knew it, it was too late and Daddy came in to tell us it was bedtime.
Now that we are back to the grind of school and homework, I felt myself become very inundated with the hectic schedule of reading and writing. At my discipleship group yesterday I shared with my sisters in Christ how overwhelmed by the amount of reading and things to do we had and wondered if I would get out of this rut I seemed to be in this week. A wise woman told me that we only can tackle the tasks at hand one day at a time. Even now, this is true. We can plan for the future so it doesn't creep up and suprise us, but for now, worry about today.
When I told my youngest that she saved me, she summed up my New Year's motto. "I didn't save you Momma, God did." How true this is! No matter what anxieties we have and what life brings us, God will see us through it and it is become of Him that we are able to accomplish anything.
"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9
Monday, December 27, 2010
A Foggy Lens
Last night, sitting in a rented cabin with my children on Christmas vacation, my son began to complain that his eyes were burning. I realized that smoke was pouring in from the fireplace and soon my eyes stung while the thick, dark smoke began to fill the room. We eventually got the flew open wider and a gust of cold winter wind helped clear the room once the window was opened, but for a brief second we couldn't see very well and felt the pain of the smoke in our eyes.
Like the smoke burning our eyes so that we could not see, so it is with our earthly journey while we continue to walk in sin. The song "Amazing Grace" talks of this metaphor of being blind. . . "I once was blind, but now I see. . ." In describing my conversion experience to a friend last summer, I, too, spoke of how my period of falling away from God's grace was like stumbling around in darkness, unsure of myself, my life or purpose, and everything in the world was askewed in my mind because of seeing through a foggy lens. Once Jesus came into my heart, I was guided by the light of the Holy Spirit and it was as though the "foggy lens" was removed from my eyes and I could see what was right, true, and what God's ultimate plan was for me--to love and worship Him unselfishly. While we may fall if trying to walk around in darkness, or be stung by smoke in our eyes, we will utimately perish if we continue in this life without the light of God. Without Him, we are all blind and dead in our transgressions.
Isaiah 42:16, "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These things I will do; I will not forsake them."
Praise to the Lord for He allowed us to 'rise above the smoke. . .or fog, or darkness'. He sent the Light of the World, Jesus His Son to be born amongst us. How AWESOME is that? The Creator of the Universe came to become human, and then suffered and died to take on the sins of mankind! All so we can walk with Him, by His light. So accept this invitation today. Choose to no longer stumble around in darkness and pain without a Savior who can show you the way.
Jesus said in John 12:46, "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should abide in darkness." Let it be so!
Like the smoke burning our eyes so that we could not see, so it is with our earthly journey while we continue to walk in sin. The song "Amazing Grace" talks of this metaphor of being blind. . . "I once was blind, but now I see. . ." In describing my conversion experience to a friend last summer, I, too, spoke of how my period of falling away from God's grace was like stumbling around in darkness, unsure of myself, my life or purpose, and everything in the world was askewed in my mind because of seeing through a foggy lens. Once Jesus came into my heart, I was guided by the light of the Holy Spirit and it was as though the "foggy lens" was removed from my eyes and I could see what was right, true, and what God's ultimate plan was for me--to love and worship Him unselfishly. While we may fall if trying to walk around in darkness, or be stung by smoke in our eyes, we will utimately perish if we continue in this life without the light of God. Without Him, we are all blind and dead in our transgressions.
Isaiah 42:16, "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These things I will do; I will not forsake them."
Praise to the Lord for He allowed us to 'rise above the smoke. . .or fog, or darkness'. He sent the Light of the World, Jesus His Son to be born amongst us. How AWESOME is that? The Creator of the Universe came to become human, and then suffered and died to take on the sins of mankind! All so we can walk with Him, by His light. So accept this invitation today. Choose to no longer stumble around in darkness and pain without a Savior who can show you the way.
Jesus said in John 12:46, "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should abide in darkness." Let it be so!
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