There is a common misconception that Christians don't know how to have fun. Society's view of us is that we are constantly secluded away from the world, stuck in our own small groups, trying to avoid contact with anything material. While that may be the extreme view, in a way it is true. Many see Christians as those who don't know what the meaning of the word fun is! All we do practically is study, pray, and help the needy.
There is so much more to life than that though. I know the above statements are completely false because almost every Christian I have met enjoys life way more than most secular people. And we know how to properly enjoy life!
First, enjoying life should not be wasting the moments that you are given. When I talk about properly enjoying life, I mean fully appreciating what situations you are in, the creation that you are surrounded with, savouring every moment of every day. When opportunities arise, seize them. One thing that God has really been trying to drive into me over the past few years is that by stepping beyond fears or doubts and taking the chance, not only do you enjoy yourself 9 times out of 10, but you also are prepared for the next situation, and develop your own personal character every time.
Not only should you enjoy the moments that are thrown at you, but you should also go out seeking the different exciting aspects of life. Enjoy all of God's creation, enjoy different cultures, enjoy different people's stories! Remember, when God first created the world, He filled it to the brim with good things. He wants us to enjoy those good things!
"There is nothing better for a person that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God." Ecclesiastes 2:24 ESV
Monday, 23 January 2017
Saturday, 21 January 2017
American Poltics
The most talked about news item of today is still the American election or perhaps the victory of Trump. Now, I think a lot of us are discussing perhaps the wrong things about the election, the antics of the two candidates, especially the winner. Instead, we should be focusing on the platforms of each, and again especially what Trump's platform means for the States, and the world. However, with that said, I do think this is one election that more people are actually focusing on the politics. Still, we could be doing it even more, and for good reason. Especially living in Canada, we will still be effected by Trump taking power in the States.
I think one of the biggest questions on our minds, especially as Christians, should be; what's the line between obeying authorities and compromising God? Of course, there's a big aspect of politics too where we need to connect who we side with, and specifically their promises, with what the Bible says, or what we believe Jesus would like to see happening in the world.
Tackling the first issue, the balance or the passing point between obeying the authorities and compromising God.
1 Peter 2:13-14 "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right."
Titus 3:1 "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed."
Now, taking these verses just as they are, two things jump out. First, notice how we are commanded to be obedient, or to follow every human leader. And secondly, we are only to follow every human ruler who does good things, and punishes evil things. Now, that's an interesting distinction. We are to only follow the human rulers that do the right things. Adding to this however, first of all, we need to note that the "right thing" is really only the things that are 100% morally correct or incorrect. There are certain grey areas over morals in the Bible, certain topics that are undecided, they're not clear. We see that through the fact that Christians themselves fight over certain issues (homosexuality). Because of that, I don't believe we can completely judge a leader based upon their stance on those certain issues. A good leader, a right leader, cannot be solely decided based upon their beliefs on those grey areas.
I also think there is a right way to deal with a bad leader. Take all our Christian principles, and even when we're dealing with a problem, we have to use them to make sure our behaviour and attitude isn't off. We don't just go storming the gates with terribly worded signs, we don't use violence, we don't stubbornly attack the character of a person.
The second issue is what should we look for in political authorities or other positions of leadership. The reason why I think this is important is that we have to expect certain things, and realize that we can't demand other things. Because not everyone subscribes to our belief system of morals, we can't expect everyone to follow along with that system. Something like abortion; while it might be ideal to have someone in a leadership position that agrees with the Christian system, we can't make it the final deciding factor. Instead, we need to focus on the bigger picture, who is going to be healthier for all people. Our deciding factor in our decision of putting people in leadership position should be what are they going to do for all people. Not just us, not just the rich, not just the middle class, but ALL people. Who is going to be better at helping every single person in the country?
And above all, pray, pray, pray.
1 Timothy 2:1-3 MSG "The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Saviour God wants us to live."
I think one of the biggest questions on our minds, especially as Christians, should be; what's the line between obeying authorities and compromising God? Of course, there's a big aspect of politics too where we need to connect who we side with, and specifically their promises, with what the Bible says, or what we believe Jesus would like to see happening in the world.
Tackling the first issue, the balance or the passing point between obeying the authorities and compromising God.
1 Peter 2:13-14 "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right."
Titus 3:1 "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed."
Now, taking these verses just as they are, two things jump out. First, notice how we are commanded to be obedient, or to follow every human leader. And secondly, we are only to follow every human ruler who does good things, and punishes evil things. Now, that's an interesting distinction. We are to only follow the human rulers that do the right things. Adding to this however, first of all, we need to note that the "right thing" is really only the things that are 100% morally correct or incorrect. There are certain grey areas over morals in the Bible, certain topics that are undecided, they're not clear. We see that through the fact that Christians themselves fight over certain issues (homosexuality). Because of that, I don't believe we can completely judge a leader based upon their stance on those certain issues. A good leader, a right leader, cannot be solely decided based upon their beliefs on those grey areas.
I also think there is a right way to deal with a bad leader. Take all our Christian principles, and even when we're dealing with a problem, we have to use them to make sure our behaviour and attitude isn't off. We don't just go storming the gates with terribly worded signs, we don't use violence, we don't stubbornly attack the character of a person.
The second issue is what should we look for in political authorities or other positions of leadership. The reason why I think this is important is that we have to expect certain things, and realize that we can't demand other things. Because not everyone subscribes to our belief system of morals, we can't expect everyone to follow along with that system. Something like abortion; while it might be ideal to have someone in a leadership position that agrees with the Christian system, we can't make it the final deciding factor. Instead, we need to focus on the bigger picture, who is going to be healthier for all people. Our deciding factor in our decision of putting people in leadership position should be what are they going to do for all people. Not just us, not just the rich, not just the middle class, but ALL people. Who is going to be better at helping every single person in the country?
And above all, pray, pray, pray.
1 Timothy 2:1-3 MSG "The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Saviour God wants us to live."
Monday, 2 January 2017
Answering Prayer
Right off the bat; I still do not have a clear answer in regards to this topic. In fact, this is probably the foremost struggle on my mind right now, in multiple ways. My query is how does God answer prayer, or perhaps the more difficult question, how can we know when and how God will answer our prayers, if ever?
This presents itself in the greatest capacity when we ask God for something. For me personally, I've been urging God to give me (I don't really like that phrase, but it's the best one I can think of at the moment) something I desperately want. And I mean, I'm practically begging God for this one thing to happen like I want it to.
Unfortunately, I've ran into a few stumbling blocks. The first is; should I be asking God for this thing, or instead asking Him if it's the right thing to do? Second is; how will I know if this is indeed what God wants me to try and do?
Interestingly, throughout my Bible reading plans, I've ran into a few verses the past couple of days that I think speak directly to the situation, but unfortunately, to both sides of the argument. There's so many verses that speak about being courageous, and just going for something to obtain it (Matthew 7:7-8; ask and you will receive), but also tons of verses that speak about not testing God, or trying to stay with His will (Luke 4:12). Really, it seems like the Bible, which is supposed to be extremely helpful, isn't being too helpful in this case. It's providing an argument for either side.
Here is what I've discerned so far, which again, is by no means my final answer, or entirely what I think God wants us to believe in regards to the issue. In regards to should we ask God for things, my belief is that we should ask God for anything we want. I know some people who believe that we should only ever ask God for things that go along with His will, or for things that are only important enough that He would actually care. I believe God cares about everything happening in your life, and I mean absolutely everything. Why shouldn't we be able to carry everything to Him? Now, to be clear here, by asking Him for absolutely everything, I'm not saying that He will give you absolutely everything, He won't. But I think there's a certain degree of calmness, or even answers that come simply from asking God for certain things, sometimes even revealing to you exactly what you are looking for isn't what you think it is.
My second question has more to do with callings, or actions, than actual gifts from God. Really, it speaks to the confidence of hearing an answer from God, and truly believing that it is an answer from God. This goes back to my original thoughts on how does God answer prayer. How do you know when you are praying for discernment if you have your answer, if God is telling you to specifically do something or not, if God is trying to get you to say something specific or not? There are multiple theories here ranging from a literal word you hear from God, to just a feeling that you get. This is perhaps the area that I struggle with most. The thing with just a feeling is that sometimes you're just not sure, or sometimes you ignore the feeling because it's not the answer you want. I guess the same could be said with a literal word from God, although that does seem to me to be more concrete. I really can't find an answer for this, or at least one that applies to each person.
Here's what I mean by that. I think God uses different situations, and different methods, to speak to different people in different ways. Your answer for your prayers are not going to be the same as mine. God knows each and every person, and knows what they'll respond to the best, and uses that to speak to them. So really, there isn't just one answer in regards to hearing an answer from God; there's multiple ones.
That's the interesting thing with prayer; there's really no clear answers in regards to any aspect of it. It's one of those mysteries of the faith. Each person is going to be impacted by it slightly differently, making it not only a mystery, but also a miracle.
This presents itself in the greatest capacity when we ask God for something. For me personally, I've been urging God to give me (I don't really like that phrase, but it's the best one I can think of at the moment) something I desperately want. And I mean, I'm practically begging God for this one thing to happen like I want it to.
Unfortunately, I've ran into a few stumbling blocks. The first is; should I be asking God for this thing, or instead asking Him if it's the right thing to do? Second is; how will I know if this is indeed what God wants me to try and do?
Interestingly, throughout my Bible reading plans, I've ran into a few verses the past couple of days that I think speak directly to the situation, but unfortunately, to both sides of the argument. There's so many verses that speak about being courageous, and just going for something to obtain it (Matthew 7:7-8; ask and you will receive), but also tons of verses that speak about not testing God, or trying to stay with His will (Luke 4:12). Really, it seems like the Bible, which is supposed to be extremely helpful, isn't being too helpful in this case. It's providing an argument for either side.
Here is what I've discerned so far, which again, is by no means my final answer, or entirely what I think God wants us to believe in regards to the issue. In regards to should we ask God for things, my belief is that we should ask God for anything we want. I know some people who believe that we should only ever ask God for things that go along with His will, or for things that are only important enough that He would actually care. I believe God cares about everything happening in your life, and I mean absolutely everything. Why shouldn't we be able to carry everything to Him? Now, to be clear here, by asking Him for absolutely everything, I'm not saying that He will give you absolutely everything, He won't. But I think there's a certain degree of calmness, or even answers that come simply from asking God for certain things, sometimes even revealing to you exactly what you are looking for isn't what you think it is.
My second question has more to do with callings, or actions, than actual gifts from God. Really, it speaks to the confidence of hearing an answer from God, and truly believing that it is an answer from God. This goes back to my original thoughts on how does God answer prayer. How do you know when you are praying for discernment if you have your answer, if God is telling you to specifically do something or not, if God is trying to get you to say something specific or not? There are multiple theories here ranging from a literal word you hear from God, to just a feeling that you get. This is perhaps the area that I struggle with most. The thing with just a feeling is that sometimes you're just not sure, or sometimes you ignore the feeling because it's not the answer you want. I guess the same could be said with a literal word from God, although that does seem to me to be more concrete. I really can't find an answer for this, or at least one that applies to each person.
Here's what I mean by that. I think God uses different situations, and different methods, to speak to different people in different ways. Your answer for your prayers are not going to be the same as mine. God knows each and every person, and knows what they'll respond to the best, and uses that to speak to them. So really, there isn't just one answer in regards to hearing an answer from God; there's multiple ones.
That's the interesting thing with prayer; there's really no clear answers in regards to any aspect of it. It's one of those mysteries of the faith. Each person is going to be impacted by it slightly differently, making it not only a mystery, but also a miracle.
Tuesday, 27 December 2016
Year Review/Preview
And so ends the year that was 2016. Wow, what an absolutely crazy, busy, exciting year. Maybe not so much in regards to this blog, but more so in regards to my life. I had a few huge career moves, an actual move across the country, and some pretty big transitions. Even through it all, I held a pretty good pace putting new material up on this blog, finishing some tricky projects and posts. I finished the year with 37 new posts, a total of 3708 page views, and an average of around 20 views per posts.
Looking back over the year, I conquered getting through the whole Bible, around April, and really only started then to shift focus to reviews and a collection of thoughts. The issue is that my time to work on the blog is very slowly diminishing. Priority is starting to be placed on other areas, and because of that, the amount of free time I have to put into writing posts is fading away. However, I do still heavily enjoy the product of the blog, and therefore will still continue to put in the odd review and thoughts into words. My focus will mainly be on devotional thoughts here and there, with an emphasis on current affairs and Biblical basis.
I've really enjoyed the results of this blog that I see as an interesting style of ministry, and I'm excited to see what 2017 holds for me personally, and for For Whosoever. Hopefully you all tag along side me for the journey!
Looking back over the year, I conquered getting through the whole Bible, around April, and really only started then to shift focus to reviews and a collection of thoughts. The issue is that my time to work on the blog is very slowly diminishing. Priority is starting to be placed on other areas, and because of that, the amount of free time I have to put into writing posts is fading away. However, I do still heavily enjoy the product of the blog, and therefore will still continue to put in the odd review and thoughts into words. My focus will mainly be on devotional thoughts here and there, with an emphasis on current affairs and Biblical basis.
I've really enjoyed the results of this blog that I see as an interesting style of ministry, and I'm excited to see what 2017 holds for me personally, and for For Whosoever. Hopefully you all tag along side me for the journey!
Friday, 23 December 2016
The Meaning of Advent
Right now we're in the midst of this thing called the Advent season. For Christians this is a very important time of the year. Many non-believers know the term, but have no clue what it means. They simply see this time as the holiday season or as Christmas. But, for Christians, the term Advent season adds a little extra weight to our holiday celebrations.
The Advent Season actually begins before Christmas. It's a time of usually three to four Sundays before Christmas, with different strands of Christians celebrating in different ways. Most times the Advent season is counted down through a lighting of a candle each Sunday, or through a countdown of each day. However, the Advent season is much more than just a countdown. It points to something much larger, it points to the bigger picture of the original Christmas Nativity story.
The word Advent actually comes from the Latin phrase adventus which means coming. It points to someone or something special coming or arriving soon. Originally, the term was first used to describe a period of preparation. This period of preparation was for the baptism of New Christians at the feast or festival of Epiphany in January celebrated throughout the 4th and 5th Century. Essentially, these New Christians spent 40 days praying and fasting for this celebration. Really, there wasn't actually any connection between adventus and Christmas - our Advent season. In the 6th century, the Romans were the first to put the two together, however for a very important reason that I'll point later. It was during the Middle Ages that people actually started to see the Advent season as the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Now, that special reason that the Romans put the adventus season into December, and the celebration of Christmas wasn't actually the first coming of Jesus. It was the second coming of Jesus, as described by Christ Himself, and in detail in Revelation. This changes our whole perspective on the Christmas season. All of a sudden, instead of just worshipping the coming of Jesus as a baby, as the Saviour, as the Messiah, we need to start worshipping, and preparing for the coming of Jesus as the King, Ruler, Judge, and Lord of All. It adds a whole new dimension to the holiday.
All of a sudden, our perspective shifts from what has happened in the past (which is vitally important), to what will happen. The Advent season is a reminder that the work of God, the work of Christ, is by no means completed as of yet. There is still wondrous things to come. We can fully expect for Jesus to return, and do even more than He did during His first time on Earth.
So this Christmas, when you see the Nativity Scene, or as you stand singing Christmas carols, or even as you read through the Christmas story, remember that this is just another chapter of the story. This is a time to remember what God has done, and to remember His promises of what is to come.
The Advent Season actually begins before Christmas. It's a time of usually three to four Sundays before Christmas, with different strands of Christians celebrating in different ways. Most times the Advent season is counted down through a lighting of a candle each Sunday, or through a countdown of each day. However, the Advent season is much more than just a countdown. It points to something much larger, it points to the bigger picture of the original Christmas Nativity story.
The word Advent actually comes from the Latin phrase adventus which means coming. It points to someone or something special coming or arriving soon. Originally, the term was first used to describe a period of preparation. This period of preparation was for the baptism of New Christians at the feast or festival of Epiphany in January celebrated throughout the 4th and 5th Century. Essentially, these New Christians spent 40 days praying and fasting for this celebration. Really, there wasn't actually any connection between adventus and Christmas - our Advent season. In the 6th century, the Romans were the first to put the two together, however for a very important reason that I'll point later. It was during the Middle Ages that people actually started to see the Advent season as the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Now, that special reason that the Romans put the adventus season into December, and the celebration of Christmas wasn't actually the first coming of Jesus. It was the second coming of Jesus, as described by Christ Himself, and in detail in Revelation. This changes our whole perspective on the Christmas season. All of a sudden, instead of just worshipping the coming of Jesus as a baby, as the Saviour, as the Messiah, we need to start worshipping, and preparing for the coming of Jesus as the King, Ruler, Judge, and Lord of All. It adds a whole new dimension to the holiday.
All of a sudden, our perspective shifts from what has happened in the past (which is vitally important), to what will happen. The Advent season is a reminder that the work of God, the work of Christ, is by no means completed as of yet. There is still wondrous things to come. We can fully expect for Jesus to return, and do even more than He did during His first time on Earth.
So this Christmas, when you see the Nativity Scene, or as you stand singing Christmas carols, or even as you read through the Christmas story, remember that this is just another chapter of the story. This is a time to remember what God has done, and to remember His promises of what is to come.
Thursday, 1 December 2016
Chasing God Moments
Perhaps the greatest thing to treasure in our lifetimes are so called "God Moments." These are the times in your life that you feel the closest to God. It's actually incredibly difficult to put into words exactly how that feels, or even the experiences that come from those moments. But whatever the situation, you come away feeling invigorated, motivated, passionate. For a lot of people, this may be a certain song that suddenly stirs something within their soul, or a certain piece of art that resonates with them, or perhaps the most popular, a ministry/mission event that completely changes their perspective. I know for myself personally, especially at the end of a weekend retreat spent solely surrounded by friends and fellow believers dedicated to learning more and more about God, you always come away feeling different.
The interesting thing about these God Moments is that sure they may get you off your feet and ready to go for the Lord, but that rarely lasts. It's almost like the fire burns out, the light vanishes. Until, another God Moment arrives, and all of a sudden, your energy reappears.
Really, our lives should not be like this at all. We should have that fire that continually burns, that passion for the Lord that drives us forward each and every day. There realistically shouldn't be a single moment in our lives from the moment we accept Jesus as our personal Saviour to the moment we join God in heaven where we are not passionately pursuing His mission, in whatever capacity that may look like for each different individual. But, the reality is, it isn't like that. Again, like so many other things in life, the problem is the curse of sin, the curse of our human nature.
We really don't understand the extent of the results of the curse of sin. Humankind has been drastically impacted by the curse, to the point where certain things are unavoidable, even though we claim that we can change things. WE CAN'T! I know it's cliche, but it's true, only God can. This rollercoaster of energy or focus, this wave of passion stems from the issue that it's within our nature to be distracted, to easily forget, to fall away from God. It's not like as soon as you accept Jesus into your heart, that your whole nature is completely fixed. It's not like that at all. Being a Christian takes work, real, hard, effort. We have to put all our focus on drawing closer to God. We have to understand that falling away from God is the easy path; we have to remember to continue to pursue what we've been called to.
On a related topic, Remembering the Gospel, Beau Hughes from the Village Church stated that there are a few ways we can tackle this problem. One is by putting constant reminders all around us. Whether it be sticky notes of Bible verses, or pictures of stunning creations, or quotes focused on the heart of the mission, really anything to remind us of our God Moments, and to keep the spark ignited. A second thing to do is to continue to chase God Moments. Search for times and places to draw closer to God, and continually revisit them. Don't limit yourself to simply having these times twice a year on your weekend retreats. Find ways and times to embrace these moments every week, even every day!
The interesting thing about these God Moments is that sure they may get you off your feet and ready to go for the Lord, but that rarely lasts. It's almost like the fire burns out, the light vanishes. Until, another God Moment arrives, and all of a sudden, your energy reappears.
Really, our lives should not be like this at all. We should have that fire that continually burns, that passion for the Lord that drives us forward each and every day. There realistically shouldn't be a single moment in our lives from the moment we accept Jesus as our personal Saviour to the moment we join God in heaven where we are not passionately pursuing His mission, in whatever capacity that may look like for each different individual. But, the reality is, it isn't like that. Again, like so many other things in life, the problem is the curse of sin, the curse of our human nature.
We really don't understand the extent of the results of the curse of sin. Humankind has been drastically impacted by the curse, to the point where certain things are unavoidable, even though we claim that we can change things. WE CAN'T! I know it's cliche, but it's true, only God can. This rollercoaster of energy or focus, this wave of passion stems from the issue that it's within our nature to be distracted, to easily forget, to fall away from God. It's not like as soon as you accept Jesus into your heart, that your whole nature is completely fixed. It's not like that at all. Being a Christian takes work, real, hard, effort. We have to put all our focus on drawing closer to God. We have to understand that falling away from God is the easy path; we have to remember to continue to pursue what we've been called to.
On a related topic, Remembering the Gospel, Beau Hughes from the Village Church stated that there are a few ways we can tackle this problem. One is by putting constant reminders all around us. Whether it be sticky notes of Bible verses, or pictures of stunning creations, or quotes focused on the heart of the mission, really anything to remind us of our God Moments, and to keep the spark ignited. A second thing to do is to continue to chase God Moments. Search for times and places to draw closer to God, and continually revisit them. Don't limit yourself to simply having these times twice a year on your weekend retreats. Find ways and times to embrace these moments every week, even every day!
Tuesday, 6 September 2016
Posting on Social Media
I want to implore everyone on social media, before your next post, read what you're about to share. Seriously, take a look at what you're about to spread all over the web. Only post something if you understand what you are saying, if you actually believe what you are saying, if you are ready to stand by what you are saying. That means there has to be facts behind your opinions. You can't just state whatever pops into your head, just because it sounds good, or it's going to get you the most views.
Our society is all about popularity. Social media only drives that urge forward. Today, it's all about sharing that picture that will get the most likes, or the quippy tweet that will get the most favourites, or the opinion that will get the most shares. It's gotten to the point where really all common sense has flown out the window. Instead of actually caring about what is going out to the whole world, people are just posting whatever they can to drive their popularity forward.
This can be really damaging. One of the biggest problems in society today is information. If you don't pay attention, or put forth an effort, you are only fed certain perspectives of information. A lot of times, these perspectives are geared toward getting a certain response. For some reason, it really seems to be working. People are just buying in to what this "information" says and wholeheartedly believing everything that is put out there. I love debates, but you can't have a good debate when you don't know what you are saying, or know every side of the argument. When you do just buy in to this one side of information, most times because it's the popular view, and you start spreading your uneducated opinions on the world wide web, you're only adding to the problem.
This includes politics, religion, personal information, pretty much everything! Spend some time researching your own opinions, your own beliefs. Putting in the work beforehand will make such a difference. Actually care about what you believe, and why you believe it. It will truly change your life.
Our society is all about popularity. Social media only drives that urge forward. Today, it's all about sharing that picture that will get the most likes, or the quippy tweet that will get the most favourites, or the opinion that will get the most shares. It's gotten to the point where really all common sense has flown out the window. Instead of actually caring about what is going out to the whole world, people are just posting whatever they can to drive their popularity forward.
This can be really damaging. One of the biggest problems in society today is information. If you don't pay attention, or put forth an effort, you are only fed certain perspectives of information. A lot of times, these perspectives are geared toward getting a certain response. For some reason, it really seems to be working. People are just buying in to what this "information" says and wholeheartedly believing everything that is put out there. I love debates, but you can't have a good debate when you don't know what you are saying, or know every side of the argument. When you do just buy in to this one side of information, most times because it's the popular view, and you start spreading your uneducated opinions on the world wide web, you're only adding to the problem.
This includes politics, religion, personal information, pretty much everything! Spend some time researching your own opinions, your own beliefs. Putting in the work beforehand will make such a difference. Actually care about what you believe, and why you believe it. It will truly change your life.
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