This was my first year as a blogger, and the start of this Christian themed blog, For Whosoever. While partnering my efforts with my musical blog Delayed Distortion, I saw For Whosoever reap the most results. Over the course of the year, the page view count has almost reached 1000, with multiple posts achieving close to 40 views. My most popular post was titled Homosexuality, which reached around 120 views alone.
I'm not only rating the success of this blog on numbers though. I found other areas to produce benefits as well. My opportunities for discussion of theological topics have greatly expanded to Christians and non-Christians alike. I've been able to broach religious topics with non-Christians more then ever before.
Personally, this blog has also helped me develop. I've found that just writing down my thoughts helps me organize what I believe, and what I need to research to find stronger answers. Throughout the year, I have solidified many areas of my religion so that I can give a clear answer as to what I believe regarding certain topics, and I've also identified weak spots that I myself need to work on, and the rest of Christians also need to work on. I've also strengthened my skills discussing religious topics with non-Christians, in order to effectively talk about subjects that are important, and sometimes controversial. At the start of the year, my methods were extremely weak, but at the end of the year, I feel more confident in being able to talk about subjects such as homosexuality in a way that doesn't ruin what Christians stand for, but also doesn't compromise what we believe. This year, this blog has also expanded my experiences, and given me valuable situations that I have muddled my way through, only to be able to more strongly get through in the future. Ultimately, this blog has been an extreme blessing to me, and for me.
For this upcoming year, I plan to stick to my original goal for the blog, but also try expanding a little. Currently, I have multiple series that I am working on. My ethical series, which includes my posts about homosexuality, will grow, with plans for posts on topics such as divorce, abortion, and war already in the workings. However, I am gearing towards making this series less confusing. Originally, many took offence at my first few ethical posts. The confusion arose from the purpose of my posts, which I tend to make much clearer in the next few posts. I am aiming to discuss the issues from a Christian worldview perspective, and while it is important to debate the results with non-Christians, my goal is to stick with simply summarizing what Christians do and should believe about the specific topics.
I am also working on my apologetic series, which began with the case for a God. This will be my main focus in the blog catering to non-Christians. I will be spending a lot of time with this series, finding facts and hard evidence to support the Christian case.
My recent synopsis or thoughts about each book of the Bible will continue, as I make my way through a YouVersion Bible Plan. After I finish each book, I post my thoughts on a couple of main themes that stuck out to me as I was reading. You can join me on the reading plan by searching JPRam1 on Bible.com.
Finally, I will continue to post about the various odds and ends of the Christian faith. This includes things we are currently succeeding at as the church, and also things that we need to work on.
Ultimately, all this falls under my new motto for the blog; Extensio animi ad mangna, which means Stretching the souls to great things. To follow along with this, I plan to add a few more dimensions to my posts.
I plan on posting more reviews of famous books, Christian movies, and sermons. I would also like to begin posting my own sermons, through video or audio format on the blog, as well as starting my own YouTube or SoundCloud site for that specific purpose. Finally, I also plan on expanding For Whosoever to include news postings about situations that influence or include the Christian audience.
2014 was an excellent start, and I can only pray that 2015 brings even greater results. Again, I plan on utilizing this blog to inform, inspire, and motivate others to achieve great things in God's name.
Monday, 29 December 2014
Friday, 19 December 2014
Reading Numbers
This past month, I was listening to a devotion where the speaker was stressing a specific theme. While he was talking about the book of First John, I think we can extend this theme to all the books of the Bible. If anything, it should help us to fully grasp what we are reading in these law books, such as Numbers.
The speaker who was leading this devotion was stressing the fact that the writers of these books in our Bible were real people, who really walked on this world, and breathed in the same air we breathe today. A lot of the time we read the Bible as if it was a fairytale, or a fictional storybook. The other extreme is sometimes we even read it as a non-fictional textbook. Either way, we never really think about what we are reading, or internalize it. It never seems real to us.
What this speaker was trying to title as important is that we see what we are reading as real words. The Bible isn't a fantasy, it is a reality.
Numbers is another one of those difficult books to read through. However, applying this reading method makes it a lot more interesting.
Just think! Thousands of years ago, someone, supposedly Moses, wrote these very words down on pieces of papyrus or stone. He, while actually living in the desert, resided in a tent, and spent a lot of time either writing himself, or dictating to a scribe. These words describe the very situation that the Israelites lived through, again thousands of years ago. The fact that we have those words still is amazing; picturing the people of God living by these words is astounding.
The thing with the Bible is we tend to make it distant. Sure we may have read the Bible from cover to cover, but we read many books from cover to cover. Something has to make the Bible different, aside from the fact that it is God-inspired. Realizing that these stories and words are very real is the beginning process. With that realization comes the eagerness to learn more, and to research. Eventually, there comes a point where you begin to apply the lessons learned to your life, and you begin to transform your thoughts and your soul. This is where the true transforming power of the Bible lies.
Numbers is no different then any of the other books of the Bible. It is as real as any other, and provides to God's Word in the same amount. We should not undervalue, or skip it merely because there are a lot of rules and numbers presented. Those rules and numbers serve a purpose, and have meaning. It is our job to see the purpose and meaning in the historical context, so we can realize what it meant to the people then, and what it can mean to us now.
The speaker who was leading this devotion was stressing the fact that the writers of these books in our Bible were real people, who really walked on this world, and breathed in the same air we breathe today. A lot of the time we read the Bible as if it was a fairytale, or a fictional storybook. The other extreme is sometimes we even read it as a non-fictional textbook. Either way, we never really think about what we are reading, or internalize it. It never seems real to us.
What this speaker was trying to title as important is that we see what we are reading as real words. The Bible isn't a fantasy, it is a reality.
Numbers is another one of those difficult books to read through. However, applying this reading method makes it a lot more interesting.
Just think! Thousands of years ago, someone, supposedly Moses, wrote these very words down on pieces of papyrus or stone. He, while actually living in the desert, resided in a tent, and spent a lot of time either writing himself, or dictating to a scribe. These words describe the very situation that the Israelites lived through, again thousands of years ago. The fact that we have those words still is amazing; picturing the people of God living by these words is astounding.
The thing with the Bible is we tend to make it distant. Sure we may have read the Bible from cover to cover, but we read many books from cover to cover. Something has to make the Bible different, aside from the fact that it is God-inspired. Realizing that these stories and words are very real is the beginning process. With that realization comes the eagerness to learn more, and to research. Eventually, there comes a point where you begin to apply the lessons learned to your life, and you begin to transform your thoughts and your soul. This is where the true transforming power of the Bible lies.
Numbers is no different then any of the other books of the Bible. It is as real as any other, and provides to God's Word in the same amount. We should not undervalue, or skip it merely because there are a lot of rules and numbers presented. Those rules and numbers serve a purpose, and have meaning. It is our job to see the purpose and meaning in the historical context, so we can realize what it meant to the people then, and what it can mean to us now.
Wednesday, 3 December 2014
Reading Leviticus
It's time to get down to the nitty gritty of the Bible. Leviticus along with Numbers, and partially Exodus and Deuteronomy are the most difficult books of the Bible to read through, based upon their listing of numbers and laws. Commonly, many will fall away from reading plans, or will be steered away from finishing the Bible because of the struggles of getting through these books.
As I suggested from the tail-end of Exodus, one way to get through these books is to hold onto one main theme, or a key idea that is present throughout the whole book. Sometimes you know what this main theme is going into the book, but other times, something sticks with you as you make your way through the book. The latter is what occurred to me as I spent the past few weeks reading through Leviticus.
As a side note, commonly because these law books are so difficult to read through, we refer to them in a derogatory manner. I feel like we should work on staying away from this trap. Every single book in the Bible has a purpose, one that God has specially chosen. Anything that God has had a hand in, we should automatically revere. Even if it is dry content, it is still the words of our Lord, and these books need to be treated as such.
Anyways, as I was reading through Leviticus, I noticed this key theme; "You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from the nations to be my own." This is repeated in one sense or another over and over again. It almost seems that after every chunk of law, God states this.
It got me thinking on a couple of levels. Obviously, the question is why include this statement so often? What's the purpose behind including this in a book of laws?
The amount of laws that God gave the Israelites is overwhelming, even just for the reader. Imagine how it must have been for the people actually living during that time. God definitely knew the weight of what He was demanding from His people. I think He ties in this statement for a few reasons.
When I think about a lot of the laws that we have today, we keep the ones that we understand the purpose behind, whereas the ones we don't understand we break. Using the examples of teens and taking away the extreme cases, the majority of youth today drink alcohol underage because they don't fully understand why they are being restricted from doing so (amongst other reasons). Whereas, the majority of teens won't go out and murder, because they understand why they are told not to.
I think that issue will remain no matter the age, no matter the time in history, no matter the situation. Having all these laws, the Israelites must have looked at them, and asked why they had to obey all these rules. God clearly states why; because you have to be holy like I am holy. The reasons for all these laws are to set apart God's people from the rest of the world. His goal was to have a godly nation modelled after Himself.
What does that then say about God's character? First, that He truly cares about His people. He was doing everything He could to build that relationship between His people and Himself. The purpose of these laws was to create a level with which the people could communicate with God, and live with Him. Secondly, it states just how holy God is. The amount of the laws, the extent of them, and everything that goes with that, such as punishments, shows that God is holier then anything we can even imagine. Because He is so holy, He can't dwell where there is sin. That's why He was trying to help these people become holy. That's why He sent Jesus to die for our sins, and pin them on Himself.
The whole issue that all these laws are dealing with isn't creating a perfect nation, or perfect people, or a better group. God was attempting to let His people have the chance to become set apart for Him, to live with Him in their midst, to have a relationship with the Israelites. When the people failed Him, God was extremely disappointed, but His plan continued on, and He kept offering more and more chances.
This applies to us today as well. We should be striving to be holy, as God is holy. We all remain set apart for Him, even though we may not all be Israelites. We are each set apart for a personal relationship with God, for a personal purpose, for a personal reason. While we know that we can't be holy without God, because Jesus came into the world and sacrificed Himself in order to rip down that divide, and granted us the gift of the Holy Spirit, we now have God in us. With God, we can be holy. But it doesn't just happen. It requires every ounce of human effort, and then the finishing miracle of God's hand.
As I suggested from the tail-end of Exodus, one way to get through these books is to hold onto one main theme, or a key idea that is present throughout the whole book. Sometimes you know what this main theme is going into the book, but other times, something sticks with you as you make your way through the book. The latter is what occurred to me as I spent the past few weeks reading through Leviticus.
As a side note, commonly because these law books are so difficult to read through, we refer to them in a derogatory manner. I feel like we should work on staying away from this trap. Every single book in the Bible has a purpose, one that God has specially chosen. Anything that God has had a hand in, we should automatically revere. Even if it is dry content, it is still the words of our Lord, and these books need to be treated as such.
Anyways, as I was reading through Leviticus, I noticed this key theme; "You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from the nations to be my own." This is repeated in one sense or another over and over again. It almost seems that after every chunk of law, God states this.
It got me thinking on a couple of levels. Obviously, the question is why include this statement so often? What's the purpose behind including this in a book of laws?
The amount of laws that God gave the Israelites is overwhelming, even just for the reader. Imagine how it must have been for the people actually living during that time. God definitely knew the weight of what He was demanding from His people. I think He ties in this statement for a few reasons.
When I think about a lot of the laws that we have today, we keep the ones that we understand the purpose behind, whereas the ones we don't understand we break. Using the examples of teens and taking away the extreme cases, the majority of youth today drink alcohol underage because they don't fully understand why they are being restricted from doing so (amongst other reasons). Whereas, the majority of teens won't go out and murder, because they understand why they are told not to.
I think that issue will remain no matter the age, no matter the time in history, no matter the situation. Having all these laws, the Israelites must have looked at them, and asked why they had to obey all these rules. God clearly states why; because you have to be holy like I am holy. The reasons for all these laws are to set apart God's people from the rest of the world. His goal was to have a godly nation modelled after Himself.
What does that then say about God's character? First, that He truly cares about His people. He was doing everything He could to build that relationship between His people and Himself. The purpose of these laws was to create a level with which the people could communicate with God, and live with Him. Secondly, it states just how holy God is. The amount of the laws, the extent of them, and everything that goes with that, such as punishments, shows that God is holier then anything we can even imagine. Because He is so holy, He can't dwell where there is sin. That's why He was trying to help these people become holy. That's why He sent Jesus to die for our sins, and pin them on Himself.
The whole issue that all these laws are dealing with isn't creating a perfect nation, or perfect people, or a better group. God was attempting to let His people have the chance to become set apart for Him, to live with Him in their midst, to have a relationship with the Israelites. When the people failed Him, God was extremely disappointed, but His plan continued on, and He kept offering more and more chances.
This applies to us today as well. We should be striving to be holy, as God is holy. We all remain set apart for Him, even though we may not all be Israelites. We are each set apart for a personal relationship with God, for a personal purpose, for a personal reason. While we know that we can't be holy without God, because Jesus came into the world and sacrificed Himself in order to rip down that divide, and granted us the gift of the Holy Spirit, we now have God in us. With God, we can be holy. But it doesn't just happen. It requires every ounce of human effort, and then the finishing miracle of God's hand.
Sunday, 16 November 2014
Reading Exodus
For the most part, when reading through the Bible, a lot of the content is enjoyable to read, especially the historical stories. However, there are areas that are difficult to get through. One of these would be the law portion of the Pentateuch, or the first five books of the Bible. Exodus continues the story from Genesis, and then marks the transition into the law of God for His people while they were in the wilderness.
Reading Exodus isn't necessarily as hard as Leviticus or Numbers, but the tail end of the book does provide some issues. However, with the narrative start, it makes those laws easier to read through, for a few reasons. While I was reading Exodus during my year reading plan, the reason that stuck out to me the most was regarding the character of Moses.
I'm not sure if the purpose of Exodus is necessarily to act as a chronicle of Moses' life, and I think it is geared more towards showing how God saved the Israelites, but I was hit with how God also saved Moses. Moses for many Jewish people is the central figure of their religion. He's the one that's their hero, the one that delivered their people, the one that is the greatest leader in their history. And there's no arguing he is definitely one of the greatest in history, but Exodus shows how he developed into that confident, fearless leader.
Moses' story starts in a time of trouble, with the Pharaoh demanding all young Hebrew males to be killed in order to keep the Israelites' population in check. However, God intervenes, and selects Moses right from birth. For some reason, I dwelt on that for a while in my reading time. Again, it shows how close God is, and how intertwined He is in our lives. He specifically chose Moses for the task of delivering His people, right from birth. He carefully guides the baby Moses in a basket through the rivers right to a specific saviour, Pharaoh's daughter. He specifically plants Moses within the palace to grow up, and develop as a man, and a person. Anyone can see that God is already clearly at work in this situation.
As a side note, one thing that really struck me as different was how Moses knew He wasn't an Egyptian, but rather a Hebrew. While a lot of cinematic and literature works play out the situation with the secret being revealed to him as an adult, which causes him to snap, and murder, the Bible doesn't necessarily state specifically how he knew. Could he have know this fact earlier in his life?
Anyways, the next few moments truly reveals how Moses really wasn't that great of a person early in His life. At least, it shows the internal struggle that was going on in his life. He goes out and murders an Egyptian, and then flees to save his own skin. Yes, God used a murderer, and a coward to save His people.
Perhaps my favourite part of Exodus is the burning bush. I heard an interpretation of the story by Rick Warren, and it really opened my eyes. God asks Moses what is in his hand, which of course was a staff. This staff represented Moses' income, his livelihood, his identity, his everything. God asked Moses to lay this all down at the feet of God, so he could turn it into something great. Still, Moses doubts, but God ensures Moses steps up and acts.
All of a sudden, with his return to Egypt, we see a courageous Moses willing to put his own life on the line to free his people. What a change!
The rest is history. Moses continues to be the vessel for God, leading His people to freedom in the wilderness, where he becomes the glorified religious leader that many know him by today.
This story really struck a chord with me. First, God can use anyone He wants to for His work. It doesn't matter what his current state is, what their job is, what their personality is like, anything and anyone can be used for God's work. Second, you don't have to be perfect to be a vessel for God. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone has doubts, but God overpowers all of that. Finally, God truly can change lives.
Reading Exodus isn't necessarily as hard as Leviticus or Numbers, but the tail end of the book does provide some issues. However, with the narrative start, it makes those laws easier to read through, for a few reasons. While I was reading Exodus during my year reading plan, the reason that stuck out to me the most was regarding the character of Moses.
I'm not sure if the purpose of Exodus is necessarily to act as a chronicle of Moses' life, and I think it is geared more towards showing how God saved the Israelites, but I was hit with how God also saved Moses. Moses for many Jewish people is the central figure of their religion. He's the one that's their hero, the one that delivered their people, the one that is the greatest leader in their history. And there's no arguing he is definitely one of the greatest in history, but Exodus shows how he developed into that confident, fearless leader.
Moses' story starts in a time of trouble, with the Pharaoh demanding all young Hebrew males to be killed in order to keep the Israelites' population in check. However, God intervenes, and selects Moses right from birth. For some reason, I dwelt on that for a while in my reading time. Again, it shows how close God is, and how intertwined He is in our lives. He specifically chose Moses for the task of delivering His people, right from birth. He carefully guides the baby Moses in a basket through the rivers right to a specific saviour, Pharaoh's daughter. He specifically plants Moses within the palace to grow up, and develop as a man, and a person. Anyone can see that God is already clearly at work in this situation.
As a side note, one thing that really struck me as different was how Moses knew He wasn't an Egyptian, but rather a Hebrew. While a lot of cinematic and literature works play out the situation with the secret being revealed to him as an adult, which causes him to snap, and murder, the Bible doesn't necessarily state specifically how he knew. Could he have know this fact earlier in his life?
Anyways, the next few moments truly reveals how Moses really wasn't that great of a person early in His life. At least, it shows the internal struggle that was going on in his life. He goes out and murders an Egyptian, and then flees to save his own skin. Yes, God used a murderer, and a coward to save His people.
Perhaps my favourite part of Exodus is the burning bush. I heard an interpretation of the story by Rick Warren, and it really opened my eyes. God asks Moses what is in his hand, which of course was a staff. This staff represented Moses' income, his livelihood, his identity, his everything. God asked Moses to lay this all down at the feet of God, so he could turn it into something great. Still, Moses doubts, but God ensures Moses steps up and acts.All of a sudden, with his return to Egypt, we see a courageous Moses willing to put his own life on the line to free his people. What a change!
The rest is history. Moses continues to be the vessel for God, leading His people to freedom in the wilderness, where he becomes the glorified religious leader that many know him by today.
This story really struck a chord with me. First, God can use anyone He wants to for His work. It doesn't matter what his current state is, what their job is, what their personality is like, anything and anyone can be used for God's work. Second, you don't have to be perfect to be a vessel for God. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone has doubts, but God overpowers all of that. Finally, God truly can change lives.
Wednesday, 5 November 2014
Reading Genesis
My focus over the past few weeks has been reading my Bible. At the youth group I help out at, the challenge was put forth to these young teens to read the entire Bible from cover to cover by the end of the year. I love this challenge, and so I have joined the youth, and I am attempting to complete the task as well.
Currently, I am done Genesis. Now I have already read Genesis multiple times, and the whole Bible at least twice. One thing I love about this book though is that it never gets old. There are a few books that you read once, and then you never pick them up again. But I find myself drawn to continue to read the Bible over and over again simply because each time something new draws my attention.
This time, I've been drawn to the fact that God always knew what was going to happen, yet He let the characters in His story choose what they wanted to do. That may seem like a confusing statement, but breaking it down makes it much clearer.
I believe Genesis is a testament to the fact that God had, and still has, a plan for each individual, and a plan for the world as a group. Reading through each story, and how they tie in together reveals exactly how God wanted for each situation to occur, and it always happened in that way. Well, perhaps not always how He wished, but how He knew it was going to occur.
At the same time, He lets the characters in His story form their own lives. He lets them make the decisions, and He just acts as a guider, counsellor, judge, provider, and guardian. Every single major character in Genesis talked to God, found out the possibilities of either choice they would make, and then made a choice whether it be bad or good.
The reason why I think God still knew what was going to happen even if He let His creation have free will is that fact that He knew His creation so well. He knew Adam and Eve to their last bone, he knew Noah, Abraham, and Joseph down to every single hair, every single thought, every single tendency. In fact, He knew them better then they knew themselves. Because of this, He knew what they were going to choose.
Although this is a "historical" book, the lessons that can be applied in our lives today are tenfold. First, we can feel confident that everything happens to us for a reason. Everything good, and everything bad, God uses for a certain purpose. Just like how Joseph was able to say that God intended to use harm for good in his situation, we should be able to view trials and persecution in the same way. Secondly, we should feel confident in the fact that God is ultimately in control. The world is definitely a messed up place, and it is progressively getting worse, but we as Christians should be able to take solace in the fact that God has the master plan, and the final result is in His hands. Finally, we should be able to learn from the mistakes of the forefathers of our faith. Unity is key, being patient is important, and many other lessons along those lines should be understood from the stories contained in Genesis.
Currently, I am done Genesis. Now I have already read Genesis multiple times, and the whole Bible at least twice. One thing I love about this book though is that it never gets old. There are a few books that you read once, and then you never pick them up again. But I find myself drawn to continue to read the Bible over and over again simply because each time something new draws my attention.
This time, I've been drawn to the fact that God always knew what was going to happen, yet He let the characters in His story choose what they wanted to do. That may seem like a confusing statement, but breaking it down makes it much clearer.
I believe Genesis is a testament to the fact that God had, and still has, a plan for each individual, and a plan for the world as a group. Reading through each story, and how they tie in together reveals exactly how God wanted for each situation to occur, and it always happened in that way. Well, perhaps not always how He wished, but how He knew it was going to occur.
At the same time, He lets the characters in His story form their own lives. He lets them make the decisions, and He just acts as a guider, counsellor, judge, provider, and guardian. Every single major character in Genesis talked to God, found out the possibilities of either choice they would make, and then made a choice whether it be bad or good.
The reason why I think God still knew what was going to happen even if He let His creation have free will is that fact that He knew His creation so well. He knew Adam and Eve to their last bone, he knew Noah, Abraham, and Joseph down to every single hair, every single thought, every single tendency. In fact, He knew them better then they knew themselves. Because of this, He knew what they were going to choose.
Although this is a "historical" book, the lessons that can be applied in our lives today are tenfold. First, we can feel confident that everything happens to us for a reason. Everything good, and everything bad, God uses for a certain purpose. Just like how Joseph was able to say that God intended to use harm for good in his situation, we should be able to view trials and persecution in the same way. Secondly, we should feel confident in the fact that God is ultimately in control. The world is definitely a messed up place, and it is progressively getting worse, but we as Christians should be able to take solace in the fact that God has the master plan, and the final result is in His hands. Finally, we should be able to learn from the mistakes of the forefathers of our faith. Unity is key, being patient is important, and many other lessons along those lines should be understood from the stories contained in Genesis.
Sunday, 21 September 2014
The Biggest Issue in Society
Perhaps my biggest pet peeve is the lack of passion from Christians and non-Christians alike in today's society. I believe that many of our issues hinge on this lack of motivation, and inspiration. In fact, during my Ministry University course, when we were asked to sum up our purpose in ministry, I stated that I intended to re-kindle an undying passion for Christ within people's heart that left them inspired and motivated just as the early church had been, and resulted in great victories for Christ's kingdom.
I'm going to tackle what I label as the biggest issue in society from two perspectives. First, from the non-Christian aspect, and then the Christian aspect. I believe each are equally important!
Starting with the non-Christian aspect, I feel that many of our problems in society are due to lack of passion. Obviously the issue is different with non-Christians in the fact that they can't fuel their passion from the same thing. Each person has to search for a different motivator, or source. This in itself is a huge issue, but right now, I believe the biggest issue is that no one is even bothering to find a source for themselves! No one cares anymore about anything! It is extremely rare to find a person who feels so strongly about something that it consumes every part of their soul.
I recently did a youth devotion on the topic of passion, and while researching for the talk, I discovered this definition of passion from the Merriam-Webster dictionary, passion is "a strong feeling that causes you to act in a dangerous way." I love this! You see, the issue isn't that we don't care for certain things, the issue is that we don't care enough. We are not willing to put our necks on the line for something we supposedly "care" about. The issue is that society is filled of people with dead dreams, goals, and loves. We claim to be passionate about our lives, but do our actions truly reveal that passion?
Using an example of someone I know, this person really wants to make it in the sports world. They feel so passionately about the sport, that they practice everyday for hours and hours. They're willing to sacrifice what normal people their age get to experience, just to pursue this passion. They are acting dangerously.
What the world has to offer is endless! Find something you feel you could care for passionately, and do it! Don't be afraid, don't be lazy, but do something with your life!
This is just the start. As Christians, we know that what the world has to offer is great, but at the same time is not entirely self-satisfying. The only passion that is actually meaningful at the end of the day is passion for God.
Again, that same definition of acting dangerously applies to our relationship with Christ. We should care so strongly for Him that it consumes every aspect of our lives. This doesn't mean that we pull Him out of the closet on Sunday mornings, and then put Him away for the rest of the week. Instead, He is involved in every minute of our live, every action that we commit, every thought that passes through our mind. When we talk to our friends, our passion is shown through the fact that we can't wait to share Christ with them. When we have free time, instead of letting our lives be sucked away by technology, we put forth the effort to become more Christ-like and to draw deeper in our relationship with God.
We have a common source: God. He sent His Son to die for us on the cross, because He loved us so much. He could not bear to watch us suffer, so He committed a dangerous act, an act that hurt Him deeply. But Jesus also loved us, and stepped up to the plate, willing again to act dangerously in order to show His passion for us. The only response to this would be to accept that love, and to offer it back. Perhaps not in the same way, but by offering our complete lives back to Him to use for His will.
That's what passion is. That's what our changed lives should look like. Just imagine a world of people so committed to what they love that they lay everything down just to see it through. The potential for great things to happen is astounding.
I'm going to tackle what I label as the biggest issue in society from two perspectives. First, from the non-Christian aspect, and then the Christian aspect. I believe each are equally important!
Starting with the non-Christian aspect, I feel that many of our problems in society are due to lack of passion. Obviously the issue is different with non-Christians in the fact that they can't fuel their passion from the same thing. Each person has to search for a different motivator, or source. This in itself is a huge issue, but right now, I believe the biggest issue is that no one is even bothering to find a source for themselves! No one cares anymore about anything! It is extremely rare to find a person who feels so strongly about something that it consumes every part of their soul.
I recently did a youth devotion on the topic of passion, and while researching for the talk, I discovered this definition of passion from the Merriam-Webster dictionary, passion is "a strong feeling that causes you to act in a dangerous way." I love this! You see, the issue isn't that we don't care for certain things, the issue is that we don't care enough. We are not willing to put our necks on the line for something we supposedly "care" about. The issue is that society is filled of people with dead dreams, goals, and loves. We claim to be passionate about our lives, but do our actions truly reveal that passion?
Using an example of someone I know, this person really wants to make it in the sports world. They feel so passionately about the sport, that they practice everyday for hours and hours. They're willing to sacrifice what normal people their age get to experience, just to pursue this passion. They are acting dangerously.
What the world has to offer is endless! Find something you feel you could care for passionately, and do it! Don't be afraid, don't be lazy, but do something with your life!
This is just the start. As Christians, we know that what the world has to offer is great, but at the same time is not entirely self-satisfying. The only passion that is actually meaningful at the end of the day is passion for God.
Again, that same definition of acting dangerously applies to our relationship with Christ. We should care so strongly for Him that it consumes every aspect of our lives. This doesn't mean that we pull Him out of the closet on Sunday mornings, and then put Him away for the rest of the week. Instead, He is involved in every minute of our live, every action that we commit, every thought that passes through our mind. When we talk to our friends, our passion is shown through the fact that we can't wait to share Christ with them. When we have free time, instead of letting our lives be sucked away by technology, we put forth the effort to become more Christ-like and to draw deeper in our relationship with God.
We have a common source: God. He sent His Son to die for us on the cross, because He loved us so much. He could not bear to watch us suffer, so He committed a dangerous act, an act that hurt Him deeply. But Jesus also loved us, and stepped up to the plate, willing again to act dangerously in order to show His passion for us. The only response to this would be to accept that love, and to offer it back. Perhaps not in the same way, but by offering our complete lives back to Him to use for His will.
That's what passion is. That's what our changed lives should look like. Just imagine a world of people so committed to what they love that they lay everything down just to see it through. The potential for great things to happen is astounding.
Thursday, 4 September 2014
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis Book Synopsis
Rating: 9.1/10
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis is a must own for all Christians, whether new to the faith, or far a long in the walk. The book is very characteristic of Lewis' writing style, with much explanation given to all subjects, and easy to understand analogies always present. Mere Christianity delves into exactly what our faith stands for; including a Christian perspective and an Atheist perspective. With a foundation laid from the beginnings of an argument for religion to the description of proper Christian behaviour, Mere Christianity is exactly as it's title implies; a talk about what Christianity is all about.
The book begins by creating an argument for a more detailed meaning of the universe, pinpointing the use of right and wrong as key to the discussion. Everything in society (no matter the century) revolves around right and wrong. While what is labelled right or wrong is not always set in stone, we each have our opinions; no one can say that they don't hold some things as right or wrong. And while we have this idea of what is right and wrong, most times we do not act or behave in the right way. This idea is further developed by examining what lies behind this Moral Law of Human Nature. C.S. Lewis, again showing his genius mind, goes on to show that the only way we can prove that something does indeed exist outside of this universe that has a purpose is through the universe that has been made and the Moral Law that has been put in our minds. However we have angered this God that has proved Himself to love goodness through this law by the way that we have disobeyed and continually have followed wrong ways. Christianity expands and helps to explain this Moral Law in a more holistic perspective.
C.S. Lewis then changes tact and moves into a description of what Christians believe, starting off with how the religion is different then other ones. Surprisingly, he states that when it comes to other religions, Christians can even accept certain areas! Realistically, everyone believes in a God, but each has different ideas about who this God is, or what He does. That is the key difference.
Christians have a certain belief set about God, that includes what is right and wrong, and they even have their own ideas about how evil entered the world. In fact, the key moment of evil was when the self was put first. That was the original sin of Satan, and the original sin of Adam and Eve, and continues to be the major sin in society today.
The story continues until it comes to a climax with Jesus, the son of God who stepped in to save the people from their sin. However, action is still required from us, the undeniably difficult task of repentance. This repentance isn't an one time occurrence, but rather occurs very frequently, as the Christian struggles to get better and better with Christ helping them along.
After this brief discussion of the faith, Lewis begins to break down what the Christian behaviour should look like. First, a discussion on morality or ethics is held, with three key conclusions made regarding human morality; harmony between individuals, harmony inside of the individual and purpose of human life as a whole. The argument is that there has to have been a higher power who put this need for harmony within individuals, the need for morality and ethics.
Lewis continues to list out what a Christian's ethics are, by using virtues. Prudence, Temperance, Justice and Fortitude compromise what is titled as the Cardinal Virtues. Lewis also points out the Christian's need for social morality. Using all these virtues, Lewis paints the picture of a perfect Christian society; surprisingly it is similar to what society says they strive to be like today! Sexual morality is also a topic that Lewis discusses, a topic that he decides comes down to the fact if we really want to avoid it or not. If we want to stay away from it, we will stay away from it. But if it is a half-hearted attempt, then the results will reflect the effort.
Aspects of the Christian life are also touched upon, such as the seriousness of marriage. Forgiveness is also highlighted as a key characteristic of a Christian. Pride is highlighted as the most serious downfall a Christian can find themselves with. Charity is labelled as a step to overcome pride. Hope and Faith round up the positive characteristics that Christians should strive to obtain.
After this discussion, Lewis lists out some more difficult doctrines of the faith about God, such as the Three-Personal God, the matter of time, and what makes Jesus different. This difference is what Christians strive to achieve, the characteristic that sets them apart from the world, and truly makes them children of God.
Quotes
"Progress means not just changing, but changing for the better."
"God is the only comfort, He is also the supreme terror: the thing we most need and the thing we most want to hide from. He is our only possible ally, and we have made ourselves His enemies."
"Goodness is either the great safety or the great danger - according to the way you react to it."
"If you are a Christian you do not have to believe that all the other religions are simply wrong all through...there is only one right answer to a sum, and all the other answers are wrong; but some of the wrong answers are much nearer being right than others."
"If a thing is free to be good it is also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having."
"We do know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know Him can be saved through Him."
"You cannot make men good by law; and without good men you cannot have a good society."
"Human beings judge one another by their external actions. God judges them by their moral choices."
"And that, by the way, is perhaps the most important difference between Christianity and all other religions: that in Christianity God is not a static thing - not even a person - but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost a kind of drama."
"God is easy to please, but hard to satisfy."
Buy Text: Indigo Chapters Canada
Buy E-Copy: Kobo Canada
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis is a must own for all Christians, whether new to the faith, or far a long in the walk. The book is very characteristic of Lewis' writing style, with much explanation given to all subjects, and easy to understand analogies always present. Mere Christianity delves into exactly what our faith stands for; including a Christian perspective and an Atheist perspective. With a foundation laid from the beginnings of an argument for religion to the description of proper Christian behaviour, Mere Christianity is exactly as it's title implies; a talk about what Christianity is all about.
The book begins by creating an argument for a more detailed meaning of the universe, pinpointing the use of right and wrong as key to the discussion. Everything in society (no matter the century) revolves around right and wrong. While what is labelled right or wrong is not always set in stone, we each have our opinions; no one can say that they don't hold some things as right or wrong. And while we have this idea of what is right and wrong, most times we do not act or behave in the right way. This idea is further developed by examining what lies behind this Moral Law of Human Nature. C.S. Lewis, again showing his genius mind, goes on to show that the only way we can prove that something does indeed exist outside of this universe that has a purpose is through the universe that has been made and the Moral Law that has been put in our minds. However we have angered this God that has proved Himself to love goodness through this law by the way that we have disobeyed and continually have followed wrong ways. Christianity expands and helps to explain this Moral Law in a more holistic perspective.
C.S. Lewis then changes tact and moves into a description of what Christians believe, starting off with how the religion is different then other ones. Surprisingly, he states that when it comes to other religions, Christians can even accept certain areas! Realistically, everyone believes in a God, but each has different ideas about who this God is, or what He does. That is the key difference.
Christians have a certain belief set about God, that includes what is right and wrong, and they even have their own ideas about how evil entered the world. In fact, the key moment of evil was when the self was put first. That was the original sin of Satan, and the original sin of Adam and Eve, and continues to be the major sin in society today.
The story continues until it comes to a climax with Jesus, the son of God who stepped in to save the people from their sin. However, action is still required from us, the undeniably difficult task of repentance. This repentance isn't an one time occurrence, but rather occurs very frequently, as the Christian struggles to get better and better with Christ helping them along.
After this brief discussion of the faith, Lewis begins to break down what the Christian behaviour should look like. First, a discussion on morality or ethics is held, with three key conclusions made regarding human morality; harmony between individuals, harmony inside of the individual and purpose of human life as a whole. The argument is that there has to have been a higher power who put this need for harmony within individuals, the need for morality and ethics.
Lewis continues to list out what a Christian's ethics are, by using virtues. Prudence, Temperance, Justice and Fortitude compromise what is titled as the Cardinal Virtues. Lewis also points out the Christian's need for social morality. Using all these virtues, Lewis paints the picture of a perfect Christian society; surprisingly it is similar to what society says they strive to be like today! Sexual morality is also a topic that Lewis discusses, a topic that he decides comes down to the fact if we really want to avoid it or not. If we want to stay away from it, we will stay away from it. But if it is a half-hearted attempt, then the results will reflect the effort.
Aspects of the Christian life are also touched upon, such as the seriousness of marriage. Forgiveness is also highlighted as a key characteristic of a Christian. Pride is highlighted as the most serious downfall a Christian can find themselves with. Charity is labelled as a step to overcome pride. Hope and Faith round up the positive characteristics that Christians should strive to obtain.
After this discussion, Lewis lists out some more difficult doctrines of the faith about God, such as the Three-Personal God, the matter of time, and what makes Jesus different. This difference is what Christians strive to achieve, the characteristic that sets them apart from the world, and truly makes them children of God.
Quotes
"Progress means not just changing, but changing for the better."
"God is the only comfort, He is also the supreme terror: the thing we most need and the thing we most want to hide from. He is our only possible ally, and we have made ourselves His enemies."
"Goodness is either the great safety or the great danger - according to the way you react to it."
"If you are a Christian you do not have to believe that all the other religions are simply wrong all through...there is only one right answer to a sum, and all the other answers are wrong; but some of the wrong answers are much nearer being right than others."
"If a thing is free to be good it is also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having."
"We do know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know Him can be saved through Him."
"You cannot make men good by law; and without good men you cannot have a good society."
"Human beings judge one another by their external actions. God judges them by their moral choices."
"And that, by the way, is perhaps the most important difference between Christianity and all other religions: that in Christianity God is not a static thing - not even a person - but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost a kind of drama."
"God is easy to please, but hard to satisfy."
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