Missing by a Mile

I've recently got into archery as a hobby. I really want to get outdoors more especially since work and school are sucking my life away, which is frustrating. I don't want to spend my extra curricular time hiding away in my bedroom watching Netflix or whatnot. Well, this particular bow is meant for bowfishing, a sport where you spear the fishing with an arrow attached to a string. There is no catch and release. You shoot to kill. It is legal in most states and people go bowfishing for carp and gar most of the time. I know down in the flats of Florida and other saltwater states, they go for stingray, flatfish, and other fish. Enough of that boring explanation.

This particular bow is a recurve bow. I have not shot a lot of bows in my life much less a recurve but it was inexpensive ($140 with all the fishing gear included, which is extremely cheap for a bow) and I wanted to try my hand at it. Well, after I bought it at Cabela's I went to the River Raisin at some small park called West County Park close to Dundee. Well, I went fly fishing there a few weeks earlier for carp and knew that this was the end of the season for them. I wanted to get in a few catches before the season for carp in the area was over. Well, when I got to the park, I set the bow up and walked to the spot where I was last time. I saw carp and was thrilled! First shot into the water broke the string attached to the arrow and the arrow smashed into a fallen log in the water. The carp, immune to falling branches and such, were probably laughing at me. I literally NEVER shot a bow until that day! So, I had to retrieve the arrow, which was the worst part (maybe best for some of you). I stripped down to my boxers and t-shirt and went in almost chest deep water to retrieve the arrow. *sigh* After that, I practiced a couple of times shooting into the water and into a tree to see the flight path of the arrow. Needless to say, I lost that same arrow and had to go back into the water to find it searching blindly in my underwear. That was loads of fun. *sarcastic*

People who profess Christ as Lord may not be Christians. They are not hitting the mark just as I did with the bow and arrow. They try and try and try but fail every time. These people may be Catholics, Presbyterians, Baptists, or some other religious group. They may call themselves religious and not claim to be a denomination. They all claim to be children of God but may not be saved. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus talks about these people who missed the mark by a mile. He says, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'" Scary...Depart from Me...I never knew you. You can do as many good works as you want yet be so far from Christ's salvation because you think you can get to heaven by doing good works. Nope, that's not how it works. Titus 3:5 states "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit...." This act of thinking you can get to heaven by works is a sin. Why? Because anything that is not following God's will is a sin. This also goes for anyone who IS a Christian but does not obey God. They keep trying it their way and fail and fail and fail. They are rebelling against God. In your life, are you hitting the target? Are you able to safely say that I am a child of God? If so, are you doing what God has commanded and following Him? Or are you "missing the mark?"

Make Me a Sandwich!

You've seen it on people's statuses on Facebook, on funny pictures on the internet, or even people will say the phrase but by now you've at least heard someone say jokingly about a female, "go to the kitchen and make me a sandwich" or "my wife/girlfriend/significant other needs to stay in the kitchen so she can cook for me all day. She belongs there." Yes, it's funny, but it's kinda rude once you think about it. I know for a fact that girls don't like to be treated like dirt. I know that's a bit harsh on guys but I am one and I know I wouldn't want to be treated like dirt!

I guess my point is all about submission in a relationship. A weird topic because usually submission happens in marriage. Well, I heard a message this morning about wives submitting to their husbands. My pastor took verses from Ephesians 5:22-24 and Colossians 3:18-19. Ephesians 5:22-24 says, "Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything." Colossians 3:18-19 says, "Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them."

It says in Ephesians 5:24 that how the church submits to Christ so should the wife submit to their husbands. Now, let's look at the underlying message there. We are not REQUIRED to submit to Christ as a church. I can be saved and be living in sin and not submit. I submit to Christ because I love Him. With this being said, the next part of the verse clearly states the answer to how a wife should submit. If the wife loves the Lord, she will submit to her husband. I need to rant for a second. Sometimes, I really hate the English language. For instance, I really have a problem using the word "submit" because we have given it such a bad definition i.e. you must do everything that your husband says you must do. We have such a narrow definition of the word submit when it has  End of rant. Going back to what I was saying, this is a very touchy subject. People in the churches these days take the verse the wrong way and want their wives to literally obey them as if they were slaves, which is wrong. I will say this though, which is very difficult to those of you who are married and have husbands who are unsaved. In 1 Peter 3:1-5, Paul says that a wife should be submissive to her husband even if he is an unbeliever so that her actions will speak louder than words to bring him to Christ. Wow! Now that is tough! Paul continues to say that you should not make yourself beautiful just on the outside but on the inside as well. Verses 3 and 4 says, "Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God." Paul nails it when he writes these two verses. So, you should not only dress well as to avoid unwanted attention from other men except for your husbands but also be kind and affectionate and godly, being Christ-like to show your unsaved husband that Christ does in fact live in you! 

I know this is not everything. I could go very in depth on this subject but I do not have time nor am I a Biblical scholar enough to write extensively on the subject. If you are in the mood or in need of more light on the subject, go here to obtain a more in-depth view on the entire chapter of Ephesians 5. 

Also, the reason why I was thinking about all of this even before my pastor spoke on this is because, Lord willing, I will be engaged soon to my girlfriend of 2 years, Lauren. I ask that you would pray for me as well as for her as we both strive to please Him but also struggle with pure thoughts even now. Pray that the Lord would help us be victorious in the battles ahead. We appreciate any prayer that you pray for us. I will keep you  all posted on the engagement. : ) God bless. 

Why Do We Go to Church?

Since all great ideas form in the shower, I was thinking this evening before work about why I go to church. As a 22 year-old guy, my parents feel as if I am not under their rule per se all that much. Now, granted, I am living at home and they EXPECT of me to do certain things, i.e. get up at a reasonable hour, don't run around the house naked, invite hippie freak girls over the house without their permission, you know, the little things.

As I started to think more and more about this idea, I realized that, sometimes, I go to church for the wrong reasons. Sometimes I don't feel like going to church to get a fulfillment from God but to have a good time with my friends. Sometimes I go to church to please my parents or to please God, which is foolish since God knows my thoughts. It then struck me that it has been a tradition of ours to go to church whenever the doors have been open. I know it is bold to say "tradition," but just think about it. I mean really, when your boss says, "Hey, what are you doing on Sunday?" Most of the time, you say, "Oh, I am going to church." Its' not, "I'm gonna sleep in, get up, mess around for a couple of hours until the football game, have some friends over for steaks and then go to bed." No, USUALLY, in a Christian home, the whole family goes to church.

What does the Bible say about going to church? If you are part of a church that you go to faithfully, even if you are not a member, like me, you are still part of the body of believers! Hebrews 10:25 says, "Not forsaking our own assemblies, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day draw near." The Bible says to be in a relationship with other believers to be encouraged and also to encourage as the last days draw near. What else does the Bible say? In Romans 12:5, we belong to each other. "So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." This is great since we need to grow in the faith, practice forgiveness, and learn how to serve others. Another great point that the Bible makes is in Ephesians 4:2. "With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another, in love." If we didn't fellowship with other believers, we wouldn't grow as we ought. We learn gentleness, humility, and patience, developing a Christ-like spirit as we fellowship in the body of Christ. There are many more points to look at but I believe that this is the greatest. If we are to be like Christ, we should do what He did when He walked this earth. He went to church, too. Luke 4:16 states it clearly: "And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read." People, this was Jesus's CUSTOM - a normal practice of His - to go to church! I am very sure that if Jesus met with fellow believers to encourage and to also be encouraged, shouldn't we do the same, for the right reasons?

Do Right Till the Stars Fall

So, Blogger won't allow me to edit or even create a post so I have to revert to e-mail, which I just discovered... : ( So, until that gets fixed....well, I guess I'll just write them via e-mail, which really doesn't effect very much.

So, this evening, I had to go to work. I am at work currently but sitting with a patient but I will get to that part. So, I was wandering the house working on cleaning up the computer room, ordering books for my classes, doing everything BUT sleeping! All the while, I was devising a scheme to get out of working. The problem with this was everything that I was thinking of was a lie, which was wrong, obviously. So, I laid down and slept for a bit tossing and turning, thinking still about what I could do or say to work so I could call off. Eventually, I got up and I was talking to a friend on Skype. I was complaining saying that I *really* didn't want to go to work...He told me to call off but then said that he never did. It was a good work ethic to not do that. Well, let me tell you. I am very glad I didn't call off. It would have been wrong and I would have lied not only to the people at work but to everyone else including my parents. I got to work and a few hours later, I was called to sit in the ICU. Nothing major but I honestly believe the Lord blessed me because I did right.

It's hard to do the right thing especially when you don't feel like it. I look back at Daniel 1-3 where the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is told. Pretty amazing once you think about it. I know we have all heard the story before but it truly is amazing! Not only were they captured and sent to a strange land, they kept obeying God even when the consequences were death. They never ate of the king's meat nor did they bow down to the false gods. When they were thrown into the furnace, which was so hot that the men who opened the furnace were consumed by fire, God put His loving arms around them.

I know my situation was not deadly but I could have been fired for falsifying information. It was a good reminder for me to keep doing right even when it is hard. You never know who is watching. As I write this, I think of Daniel himself as he prayed three times a day with his windows open never keeping his talks with the Lord a secret. He did right and was thrown into the lion's den for doing right! Once again, God protected His children. I think about the Patch the Pirate song, Do Right. Here are some of the lyrics:

From the very start, have purpose in your heart
To do what's right, and never question why
Never count the cost though everything seems lost
The price for doing right is sometimes very high

Right is always right and wrong is always wrong
And we must learn to seperate the two.
If you love the right, the Lord will give you light;
So seek the right in everything you do!

I really like the words, "If you love the right, the Lord will give you light; So seek the right in everything you do!" This world is corrupt and the pressure to sin is all around us. Keep on seeking His face through constant prayer and scripture reading. When those temptations arise to do wrong, look on those verses you read or learned and ask God to give you that strength to overcome those obstacles in your life. Seek the right in everything you do!

Blessings Undeserved

So, I have been working for the past two nights and I was a bit sad that I was foolish enough to schedule myself to work this evening. I put my name in our on call book at work in hopes of being able to be called off of work but in case they needed me, I would be called back in. Well, as God would have it, I was called off! I was so happy! I spoke to my parents a bit about what happened. They just came back from their 30th wedding anniversary trip so we were chatting about how it was nice to get away once in a while and what a blessing it was to be together for so long. They also told me about the new vehicle they bought, which was a huge blessing in and of itself. You see, for the past 6 or 7 years, we have had a 2002 Ford Windstar to tow us around in. It was about to pass away and it was beginning to get a bit rough on the road in the winter. My parents have been looking at the Ford Expedition for some time now and my Grandpa called my Dad to tell him that there was a 2004 Expedition on sale for an extremely reasonable price. Well, the Lord allowed my parents to get the vehicle for a bit less than the asking price even after tax. What a blessing! We even got money back! We both praised the Lord for our individual blessings.

I took a shower, got dressed, packed my things for work in case I got called in, and took off for evening church at one of the church member's houses. We had some fellowship time before we gathered for a devotional and prayer time. One of the deacons spoke on Psalm 119:41-48. He talked about how we are free in Christ because of His mercy and grace. It was a great little discussion but what was the biggest blessing was the praises. There were numerous praises regarding people being lead to Christ or having opportunities to lead people to Christ by planting seeds. I told my brothers and sisters in Christ about the vehicle and how God allowed me to be called off of work this evening. It was so great to share the blessings and hear other blessings tonight. We went to prayer and once again, I was blessed by the requests that were brought before the Lord. It is great to pray with others to really talk to God with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

The night wore on and I took my leave. I got home and, after talking to my parents, we both went to bed. I ended up getting called in around 10:30 this evening but the point is I was able to go to church! Even through all of this, the Lord blessed my wishes and answered my prayer! I was talking to a nurse this morning saying, "I hope I get called off so I can go to church this evening!" It really is so cool how the Lord blesses His children. Whether good or bad, the Lord is good, all the time.

Has there been a time in your life that you have been blessed unexpectedly in the good times and bad? Please, I encourage you to share those happenings in the comments below.

Let's Talk About Jesus

I apologize for the lack of posting. I have been very busy. Work and vacation sucked my time up. : (

I went to church today when I honestly did not want to. I came back from a bachelor party after my friends and I got rained out. Yes, we were stupid and were fishing in a thunderstorm where the lightning lit up the sky red. It was scary. All in all, it was a memory I will never forget. As we were sitting there fishing for the big catfish that lay in the shallows of good old Lake Erie, I was zoning in and out about my spiritual walk. I kept asking myself, "Does my life reflect Christ?" I was asking myself this because I honestly have been really struggling walking with the Lord. I feel that I do not talk about God all that often. This is not to say that this will get me to Heaven or get me anywhere as far as spiritually goes but it is good to talk about God with others and I have missed that very much. You know, having a heart-to-heart talk with your best friend about God. I know when I talk about God and talk to the Lord that definitely helps me in  my spiritual life. It really gives me something to think about. What's better than talking about God? : )

I went to church this morning, like I said, not wanting to go. As awful as this sounds, I was even scheming ways I could get out of going or just go somewhere for a while so my Dad wouldn't know that I didn't go to church. Well, after much debating with myself, I went. It was raining and I really couldn't focus all that well since it was raining quite hard. I didn't want to focus on God. I turned off my music so I could just focus on driving. I got to church a bit late and went to Sunday School. Bam! First blessing. We talked about evangelism. What a blessing! I was beginning to cheer up because this is what I wanted to talk about, what I wanted and needed to hear. Talk of God and even better leading people to Christ! There were several questions that were asked that were quite challenging and yet the teacher answered them quite well. This encouraged me greatly  to know that, even though he was not the pastor, he knew exactly what to say and when to say it. Everything about the message or lesson really hit home. It really began to get
 me back on track.

Next, was the service itself. It started out with singing about God and then we had communion. Awesome! : ) Another thing to help me focus on the Lord! Then the speaker came up and talked about Jesus and how we follow Him day by day and how we should put our complete trust in Him. At the end of the service, I was very happy. Why? Because we were talking about God.

We as children of God should be talking about Jesus with each other. It encourages us and helps us to understand Him better because we communicate our own ideas with each other which then allows us to get a better understanding of how we think individually. Hey, it helped me get through the Lord's day with a great attitude! : ) It's so cool how just talking about God makes you filled with the goodness of Him to reflect His love and light. I find I am a happier person when I talk about God with someone else because, as I said before, I see their ideas about Him, how they worship Him in their own way, and we can share the more intimate moments that we had with God with each other. It really is an uplifting time for all.

Lost and Found

This past Sunday, I got out of work, put my book bag, lunch box, and phone on my trunk. I proceeded to unlock my car to get in and go home to sleep because exams were this past Tuesday. I got past Flower Hospital and onto the main road when I realized I didn't have my phone! I turned around and looked and looked. When I couldn't find it, I went home and remotely installed several tracking programs (technology is pretty amazing, isn't it?) Well, to make a long story short, a good Samaritan found my phone, texted me his number (I called and texted my phone with my Mom's phone and the gentleman texted me his number. That's how I was able to reach him.) and I went and met him at a local diner. He refused any reward which was honestly very kind of him but also humble.

This entire fiasco made me think: I lost my phone, yes, and I was frantic to find it but I am never like that with anything spiritual. My thoughts immediately went to Luke 15 when Jesus tells the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. I imagine everyone knows about these parables especially if we grew up in a church where they told Bible stories to the kids. I find it interesting that the first two stories are not about humans but tie back to a heavenly perspective in that Jesus then states while these people are rejoicing over material things, I rejoice the same about a soul being saved. 

I feel like the Pharisees that Jesus describes in Luke 15:4 saying, What man among you (talking about the Pharisees here), if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 

My Mom and I were talking about this because the entire time I lost my phone, I was panicking. I praise the Lord that my initial reaction was "it is in the Lord's hands and if I lose it, it's His phone anyways so who cares" but as soon as I got home, I panicked and went into berserk mode. I told my Mom how I felt about being a hypocrite for being so zealous to quickly find my phone but a lost soul? Oh, I'm sorry not for me. 

I feel so ashamed because I sadly feel and KNOW for a fact that my focus is not on others, not on their souls but on my own soul. On me! I care more about my things than anything. Why? Because I bought them or made them. I worked hard to get those items and if they break or lose them, I will do anything in my power to fix them or find them. How is this different than a soul? Someone who is not a follower of Christ? It is no different. I am not standing on my soapbox here to say, "You must go soul winning X amount of times per week." I am saying that it is good to witness everywhere you go. Don't be some overzealous Baptist Pharisee wannabe (I can say that because I grew up Baptist lol). Preach Christ humbly and in a kind manner but not subtly either! If you have an opportunity to bring someone to the Lord, then seize that moment! If they get offended, it's their problem! You have planted a seed and you have tried. At the same time though, you can be in their face but in a kind manner while preaching Christ! You can quote scripture which is your best offense and defense, bring them to scripture and show them the truth FROM GOD'S WORD and still be humble! It is not your words. It is God's words who you are saying. Sorry for the little rant on soul winning there and how to say things. A bit of Baptist came out again. ; )

I ask this of you now: what are your priorities in your life. Is it the material things of this world? Or is it the people of this world and their souls? Do you care more about the latest technology, golf equipment, basketball game on a Sunday night? Or do you care about how to better prepare yourself for the time ahead and how you can be a better witness to those who are so lost and are drowning in sin? Let us work together to tell others about our wonderful, amazing, marvelous Savior. We as Christians all play a very important part great and small in being vessels, tools that God can use to win the lost. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.