Mother’s Day

A mother is patient, a mother is kind, a mother is thoughtful, just like mine.

A mother can be silly, is always in control, she can make you feel happy, and never alone.

A mother is God-given, she knows your heart, a mother is loving, of me she’s a part.

A mother is human, she still makes mistakes, she isn’t always perfect, doesn’t live in a flawless state.

Some do not have her, some do not love her, some think her weak, that her work is obsolete.

For some she goes away, she wasn’t able to stay, for others she works long hours, yet her children’s love sours.

All I know is this, that I am very blessed, to have such a great mother, who never lets her love rest.

Let us thank her today, in very special way, for all she does and did, that pain for us she tried to rid.

She didn’t always win, didn’t always understand, but she was always there, always there to care.

Thank you mom for all you do, for everything you are, I hope one day to be, half as good as you.

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If We Just Loved

 

    We live in a world where peace does not go out to all people of the earth, and neither does love. We get caught up in the things like gender, sex, appearance, fame, money and status to name a few. People ask questions like, “Where do we come from?”, “Where are we going when we die?”, “What is the purpose of life?” and “Who am I?”.  Still others ask more questions like, “What is that person’s gender?”, “Is that person female or male?”, “Who do they love?”. We humans put such weight on these things, but I think we are all missing the point completely.

    Can you just imagine for a moment a world where no one judges, or hates? What would be the result of a world where that happens? There would be no war, no bullies and no need for us to have jails or hand out penalties. You may be thinking, “Well, that’s great, but it’s not the reality.” No, it’s not, and that’s sad. But we can go with what we have. What do we have? We have the ability to control our own actions and to make our own decisions. We cannot control the actions of others, what they say and do. However, what someone else does can’t control what we do. If others are making fun of the LGBTQ community, discriminating against other races or cultures, or putting anyone down in any kind of way, does that mean we should join them in their taunts? I would go as far as to say that we should not just hold back from joining in, but also defend those who are being made the objects of this unwarranted judgement.

According To His Will

A few days ago I posted about prayer and how God wants us to be in constant conversation with Him. I thought I should clarify something here and dig a bit deeper on a particular topic. 1 John 5:14 says,

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

Some people take this the wrong way. ‘If I ask Him for anything, He will hear me?’. Well, no. But if it’s according to His will, yes! But how are we supposed to know if what we’re asking is according to His will? That’s where I’m going here.

Remember that whole relationship with God thing? Well guess what? If we are in a close relationship with God, we will want whatever He wants for us. It’s according to HIS will, not OUR will. We need to surrender ourselves to God and say, ‘Lord, let your will be done in my life.’ Not our will, but His. So how do we know if what we are asking is according to His will? Well, first of all, if we really want what He wants, we won’t be asking for certain things. Things like, ‘God please hurt that person that I’m mad at.’ or ‘God please don’t let anyone find out about this sinful thing I’ve been doing.’ Second, even if we ask something like, ‘Heal this person please.’ or ‘Please provide this for us.’ we will know if it isn’t God’s will because….wait for it….it won’t come! Sometimes God says yes, other times He says no, and still other times He says wait, it’s not time yet.

For someone to except the last two answers that God may give us, you must be in a close relationship with Him and surrender your will for His will. God knows best. He sees everything and knows everything. His timing is so much better than ours and His purpose is so much higher. And though we may not get what we think we need at the time, God is still with us to guide us in truth.

Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

So if we know that He is in control, that His will is the best and have a relationship with Him, why should we worry or be afraid? I see no reason.

              “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” -Romans 12:12

The Power Of Prayer

Some people only ever pray when they want something or when they are about to eat. No, it’s not wrong to do this, but the Bible talks about prayer as being a more personal and important conversation that Christians have with God. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says,

“Rejoice always,  pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

Motivation

Why do people waste so much time and energy on things that have no benefit? That produce no crop? Why do they do things that only hamper their ability to be productive? Everything I do has some value to it. Some meaning behind it. I call this motivation. The motivation to complete a goal. An end. For what is a beginning and a journey without an end? The end gives the beginning it’s significance and the journey it’s purpose. Without an end there is no motivation. Without an end there is no reason to be productive. No goal. No prize to run for.

Breaking Through

    If you took history in school, and I’m assuming you did or possibly still are, than you probably learned about the rights for woman suffrage movement across the world. Woman struggled for independence and equality in their everyday lives as well as their professional lives. They wanted fair wages and the ability to choose for themselves what they wanted to do.  Since then advances have been made in that area to include more rights and freedoms in the lives of women. Things such as equal dressing rights, like the ability to wear the same clothes as men in their work environment and freedom from the ‘necessity’ of dresses. Yet after all this time of making these changes in society, stereotypes and expectations still linger. Women are still expected to shave their legs, have longer hair and wear more revealing clothing. No, they no longer have to do so, but it is expected.

The Christian Faith:No Stopping

By the year 54 A.D. Christianity was growing quickly. All throughout Rome, there began a strong Christian presence. The growth of Christianity however, did not occur because of a time of peace and tranquility.

It was the year 54 A.D. that Nero, emperor of Rome, came into power. Ten years later, as he visited his favorite vacation spot in Antium, which was located thirty five miles from Rome, a fire started and continued for six days. It destroyed about seventy percent of Rome and left countless people homeless. Rather than showing concern for his empire and also facing blame for the mass fire, Nero instead pointed his finger at the Christian population. He did this with no evidence whatsoever, but being emperor, he had the power to take out punishment on the innocent.

Some would think that this severely hurt the Christian population and slowed the movement, but it did just the opposite. God proved that He is more powerful than any human endeavors. Although Nero hunted the Christians down to be killed, they found methods of hiding from his soldiers. Not only that, but they spread the good news of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection.

Why does this happen? Why does Christianity seem to grow and thrive more when there is trail? James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

When trials come, it gives the Church the opportunity to trust God, and when we trust God, He will work miracles and wonders in our lives. The early Christians displayed their faith in God through to their deaths, allowing for others to see their steadfastness. This testified to the fact that there must be something behind their faith other than empty blindness, causing more to believe and the Church to grow.

Eventually Christianity was accepted as a valid religion in the Roman Empire. Constantine, the emperor from 324-337 A.D. is considered the first Christian emperor of Rome. He was the one who made Christianity a legitimate religion, also helping to solve disputes in the Church. After his death in 337 A.D. the Empire began to decline until it fell in 476 A.D.

This however did not mark the end of Christianity. The good news of Jesus’ resurrection continued to spread across the world and still does. The New Testament alone being translated into about one thousand four hundred and forty two languages, making it the most translated historical document in existence.

Even through the burning of the Bible, persecution of Christians and all of Satan’s endeavors to stop it’s growth, the good news has traveled around the globe and even made it’s way through early Rome. Nero could not stop it, Satan can not stop it, and nothing ever will until Jesus returns.

His will shall be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

To Love Our Enemies

    A few weeks ago I wrote about hate and where it comes from. I also talked about love and what it really is. Now I’d like to elaborate on love. The hardest kind of love. The action of love towards your enemies.

    You might be thinking, “Enemies? Isn’t that a bit dramatic?”. Well, when I say enemy, I mean a person, or a group of people, that you have a strong dislike for. It’s one thing to love those who love you and are nice people, but it’s a whole other story to love someone who is mean to you or who has nothing in common with you. Trust me, I know. I’ve had my struggles and still do. But the thing to remember is that they are human beings and are entitled to the same treatment that you are.