i really have to apologize for the scarcity of posts, if you were waiting for them. and if you were waiting for them, maybe you should be the one up here writing. also, to all other contributors, don't think you have to go in order. if you don't get anything out of a chapter, don't exactly feel obligated to write about it. maybe just move on, if you want to keep doing a chapter a day. or, what the heck, break the structure altogether. if you like James or Hebrews or 1 Peter or Daniel, write about that if you want to. just don't make something up. it's not homework. talk about what you know if you write up here, and talk about it with passion, which is something i don't exactly do either.
paul keeps going with this analogy of the body as a temple of God. He says that, if God is actually living in us, then we are held up to all of these new kinds of standards. like we should watch what we say and what we do. but paul goes farther with it - he says that not only is God living in us, he says that we were made for Him...we were made for Him to live in us. so that when we get disconnected from God, when we are defiling His temple, we are in the process destroying our identities. we are substituting our own ideas of purpose and life for what our true meanings are.
"do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot?" that's what happens with sex. two become one. you once held the purity, the beauty of Christ, but now will you compromise that with something else, someone else, just because it feels good? we have higher standards. and it's not necessarily talking about sex, but that's what i read literally. i think it could be extended to point towards questions like where else in your life do you find yourself compromising God with the world?
and i say this to my own disgust, because you don't even want to know what kind of thoughts i think, what kind of things i have done when nobody has been looking. and i say that to God's disgust as well, because He knows how far i have fallen, He knows my direct disobedience, my failure, the way my eyes have turned off of Him onto myself and onto other things of the flesh. and paul must have gone through this too, or at least he sees it in the Corinthians, because he tries to get us to turn our eyes off of ourselves and onto God.
for one, he says to flee sexual immorality. sexual immorality seems to always root from pride - a desire for intimacy, to feel loved, to feel good. part of it could be burning off stress, but it's called lust for a reason - it says that something is wrong, and it's not looking to God to solve it. so we try an alternative from God, and it might work for a while, but it will keep us coming back - it will make us dependent on it, so that we can't live without it.
and then it eventually occurs that whatever we are investing ourselves in that isn't God or of God turns out not to solve our problems. in fact, it only deepens them. after a bad game or a bad test, people will go out to get drunk. it'll make them feel better, but it won't stop the problem. next bad test, they'll be back to dependence on alcohol. it won't help them with their grades, but grades aren't even the problem. they need something that they can depend on to keep them from feeling the hurt of a bad grade in the first place. alcohol is the solution to the problem after the fall, but God is the solution to problems so you don't have to fall. and alcohol won't always satisfy. and sometimes it will kill you. when you invest in God and God kills you... you're gonna have everything you ever wanted.
now the difference between sexual immorality and any other sin, paul says, is that "he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body." this makes me think that the sin is more of being inside of us than outside. it's like, if we tell a lie or something, we can try to set things straight. if we steal some money, we can do what we can to give back that money. i mean, the damage is done, but it can still be repaired. but he who commits sexual immorality... the two become one. there's a part of you that's always going to be someone else, and if that person wasn't of Christ or wasn't your spouse, then you're filling up your temple with things that you're not going to be able to get out, things that defile the temple, that go against God. if two become one, then you're joining the members of the temple with someone else's temple. and if it wasn't meant to be, then you're violating yourself.
but just because there is such a thing as sexual immorality doesn't mean that sex is bad. sex is supposed to be great, it's supposed to be unifying and amazing, and i am looking forward to it immensely. sex shouldn't be abandoned because there is such a thing as sexual immorality - sex should be redeemed. it was intended to be something that brought you closer to somebody, that showed you the relationship that God has to the church, but there's a reason you wait until marriage. how many times do you plan on getting divorced? probably 0. when you have sex, you are attaching or investing yourself into another person. if you have sex with whoever you want, you're probably gonna get hurt or confused or find things start to get pointless cause it's an endless cycle. but if you really just invest into one other person - your spouse, your one spouse - then the love should never die. not only is that redeeming sex, but it's redeeming marriage.
cause i know i struggle a lot with this whole sexual immorality thing, and it really is a defiling of the temple. it's taking a step away from God, which is never a good thing (never). so if you struggle too, we should take an oath. redeem sex. there's a website called xxxchurch.com, it's actually pretty good. there are bunches of testimonies about how God saves from addiction, how lust doesn't have to run our lives and how we can be set free so that we stop defiling our bodies, our temples of the Holy Spirit. if you're fed up with compromising with the world - realize that there's no shame in that and everyone faces this problem. but you also have to realize that the only way you're going to defeat this problem is by being delivered. gotta be God's strength. we're not good enough or big enough to face this by ourselves. we must, however, be willing. and ready to acknowledge that it's by God's strength that we overcome. God bless
Monday, October 8, 2007
Sunday, September 30, 2007
1 Corinthians 5
Writing these blogs cause me to remember how to spell Corinthians correctly.
1 Corinthians 5:1 - "It is actually reported that there there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentitles"
I think Paul just pretty much dissed the jews. they have immoralities, sexual immoralities that even the Gentitles don't even know about they haven't even heard of this. it's like that askaninja thing where it's like explaining the nerd ninja and he says you to "it's web...candle...plus a monkey" it's like they have a sin and when they explain it to the Gentitles and the Gentitles are like ...what are you talking about. where in that situation it's like explaining final fantasy VIII to a lemon. yes i was watching some of this askaninja stuff on youtube. but the main point i think is that Paul pretty much disses the jews.
i didn't get much from this chapter or i didn't get as much as i did in the other chapters but at the end of this chapter i think it says that Paul says to get away from these people cause if you were to get close with people you will surely fall. "put away from yourselves the evil person."
1 Corinthians 5:1 - "It is actually reported that there there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentitles"
I think Paul just pretty much dissed the jews. they have immoralities, sexual immoralities that even the Gentitles don't even know about they haven't even heard of this. it's like that askaninja thing where it's like explaining the nerd ninja and he says you to "it's web...candle...plus a monkey" it's like they have a sin and when they explain it to the Gentitles and the Gentitles are like ...what are you talking about. where in that situation it's like explaining final fantasy VIII to a lemon. yes i was watching some of this askaninja stuff on youtube. but the main point i think is that Paul pretty much disses the jews.
i didn't get much from this chapter or i didn't get as much as i did in the other chapters but at the end of this chapter i think it says that Paul says to get away from these people cause if you were to get close with people you will surely fall. "put away from yourselves the evil person."
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
people to eat with (d.chang ch. 5)
sorry it took so long for me to get this up here if you wanted it (also, if you are a contributor and not doing this daily, don't sweat it. it's more spontaneity than structure - it's just supposed to be a tool - and we can open this up. if you want to do just any chapter, feel free and go ahead and write about it if you want). Chapter 5 seemed a little uninteresting, but i read it again today eating dinner, and i actually got something out of it:
paul is writing to the Jews in Corinth, i think, and he starts off saying that there is "sexual immorality among you, and such...as is not even named among the Gentiles." the Jews are supposed to be kind of like God's chosen people, and when Jesus comes, i think He says that He's the King of the Jews. the Jews take pride in that they have Jewish blood, assuming that they are automatically better than everyone else because of their heritage. (Paul comes along and says that with God, there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, free nor slave, in the kingdom of God. everyone is equal.) Paul is making a point of saying that the Jews think they're so much better than the Gentiles, but here, they have such sin that doesn't even exist among the Gentiles. (it is also interesting because, in John, Jesus comes and the Gentiles don't even recognize Him as the Christ. they don't even want to claim Him as their King...i think they think He is insane and demon-possessed...a drunkard)
and paul says this is bad, but it gets worse because they "are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you." paul says that what is worse is that this body - the church in Corinth - has compromised. like they are aware of this sexual immorality and yet they tolerate it. which is wrong because the body of Christ shouldn't tolerate sin because, if one member of the body is not functioning with a heart for God, then it weighs everyone down and could easily cause others to stumble. so paul is saying that there shouldn't be any compromise with this sexual immorality, and i think he might be saying that they have compromised out of pride, out of being puffed up. the Jews find ways for excusing their behavior, maybe not even acknowledging it as wrong
he continues along this idea in verses 6-8, about how a sinner in the body of Christ can bring down the whole body. but instead of talking about things in terms of this, i think paul uses a metaphor. he chooses to talk about things in terms of lumps and leavens, and...i'm not sure why we would want to be a lump instead of a leaven, but i think the leaven is supposed to be sin - "the leaven of malice and wickedness" - and the lump means unleavened - the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." and we, as the body of Christ, were originally lumps, but then malice and wickedness got in the way, and so we were leavened... and even the smallest leaven leavens the whole thing. and then Christ was sacrificed so that we could become lumps again, so we could have sincerity and truth again.
paul says not to keep company with sexually immoral people, but he makes a distinction. he says not to "keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral." he makes the distinction of this person as being someone named a brother - and this is like the Pharisee. someone who makes a show of being so holy and righteous and then holds things in secrets. and paul says that it's okay to keep company with people who are "sexually immoral people of this world" (v. 9). i think this is how Jesus would eat with sinners and tax collectors, who weren't puffed up, but He was less likely to eat with the Pharisees who would make everybody believe that they were representatives of God when they weren't at all.
this is good news for people who feel like they're not good enough for God, because Jesus would come and eat with them. this was bad news for people who felt like they were good enough, people who were puffed up, because Paul is saying that people who are really in the body of Christ shouldn't hang out with them and eat. and this would be terrible for me, because years ago and even now, i have called myself a Christian and have even done Christian things, but i did/do a lot of things in secret that would qualify as sexual immoral. and we aren't supposed to be like this, because even a little compromise between us and any kind of sin is like leaven that leavens us, which distances us from God. i was talking to daniel one time and he said that, we as Christians, should only be tempted. we shouldn't compromise at all, but there's nothing wrong with being tempted, because that's kind of a part of our flesh, but the point is that we shouldn't give into it at all.
paul is talking about sexual immorality and how we shouldn't compromise with that or any other kind of sin. we shouldn't be tolerated to compromise and still display ourselves as really strong Christians, and others shouldn't tolerate the sin in us.
paul is writing to the Jews in Corinth, i think, and he starts off saying that there is "sexual immorality among you, and such...as is not even named among the Gentiles." the Jews are supposed to be kind of like God's chosen people, and when Jesus comes, i think He says that He's the King of the Jews. the Jews take pride in that they have Jewish blood, assuming that they are automatically better than everyone else because of their heritage. (Paul comes along and says that with God, there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, free nor slave, in the kingdom of God. everyone is equal.) Paul is making a point of saying that the Jews think they're so much better than the Gentiles, but here, they have such sin that doesn't even exist among the Gentiles. (it is also interesting because, in John, Jesus comes and the Gentiles don't even recognize Him as the Christ. they don't even want to claim Him as their King...i think they think He is insane and demon-possessed...a drunkard)
and paul says this is bad, but it gets worse because they "are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you." paul says that what is worse is that this body - the church in Corinth - has compromised. like they are aware of this sexual immorality and yet they tolerate it. which is wrong because the body of Christ shouldn't tolerate sin because, if one member of the body is not functioning with a heart for God, then it weighs everyone down and could easily cause others to stumble. so paul is saying that there shouldn't be any compromise with this sexual immorality, and i think he might be saying that they have compromised out of pride, out of being puffed up. the Jews find ways for excusing their behavior, maybe not even acknowledging it as wrong
he continues along this idea in verses 6-8, about how a sinner in the body of Christ can bring down the whole body. but instead of talking about things in terms of this, i think paul uses a metaphor. he chooses to talk about things in terms of lumps and leavens, and...i'm not sure why we would want to be a lump instead of a leaven, but i think the leaven is supposed to be sin - "the leaven of malice and wickedness" - and the lump means unleavened - the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." and we, as the body of Christ, were originally lumps, but then malice and wickedness got in the way, and so we were leavened... and even the smallest leaven leavens the whole thing. and then Christ was sacrificed so that we could become lumps again, so we could have sincerity and truth again.
paul says not to keep company with sexually immoral people, but he makes a distinction. he says not to "keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral." he makes the distinction of this person as being someone named a brother - and this is like the Pharisee. someone who makes a show of being so holy and righteous and then holds things in secrets. and paul says that it's okay to keep company with people who are "sexually immoral people of this world" (v. 9). i think this is how Jesus would eat with sinners and tax collectors, who weren't puffed up, but He was less likely to eat with the Pharisees who would make everybody believe that they were representatives of God when they weren't at all.
this is good news for people who feel like they're not good enough for God, because Jesus would come and eat with them. this was bad news for people who felt like they were good enough, people who were puffed up, because Paul is saying that people who are really in the body of Christ shouldn't hang out with them and eat. and this would be terrible for me, because years ago and even now, i have called myself a Christian and have even done Christian things, but i did/do a lot of things in secret that would qualify as sexual immoral. and we aren't supposed to be like this, because even a little compromise between us and any kind of sin is like leaven that leavens us, which distances us from God. i was talking to daniel one time and he said that, we as Christians, should only be tempted. we shouldn't compromise at all, but there's nothing wrong with being tempted, because that's kind of a part of our flesh, but the point is that we shouldn't give into it at all.
paul is talking about sexual immorality and how we shouldn't compromise with that or any other kind of sin. we shouldn't be tolerated to compromise and still display ourselves as really strong Christians, and others shouldn't tolerate the sin in us.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
what we have received (d.chang ch. 4)
the first thing paul mentions is that we should be seen by man as "servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God," which i think is pretty funny because a steward is kind of like an employee who spreads something or is in charge of bringing something to someone, and it says that we should do this with the "mysteries of God," which is something that we can't even grasp. we are chosen to bring to people things that we ourselves don't even know. we know of God's power, but it's still a mystery. it's still fresh and exciting, and that's kind of the way it should be.
so paul says that men should see us as servants of Christ, but then he says that it's still a really small thing what men see, because what really matters is what God thinks. paul believes this so much that he doesn't even let himself judge or justify himself, which is pretty amazing. he doesn't even care what he thinks about himself, just what God cares. so if he is dying and God says "this is the closest you've been to me. i love who you are," paul would be ecstatic, even in his misery. it goes back to really seeing yourself the way God sees you, and not letting you give yourself identity.
this becomes more and more apparent, because lately, i have been getting down on myself because i think i screw up too much and i have all of these character flaws and i'm not good enough. but what God is really saying is that i'm okay. He just wants my heart, and all of the things that i do or don't do aren't nearly as important as my heart. what He really cares about is whether or not my eyes are fixed on Him. and He's the judge, not me. He has the right to tell me who i am and i don't.
paul then talks about how we shouldn't be puffed up. He asks "For who makes you differ from another?" who makes us different from each other? who created us different? "And what do you have that you did not receive?" i can't think of anything. really try to ask yourself this. "Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" if the things that you have were a gift, then why do you brag about them like they are your own?
i read this part multiple times, but it was like the third time before i realized that this was my problem. i have been going through this pride thing lately where i think i'm better than other people, but this passage (v. 7) pretty much nails it. everything i have, i have been blessed with. but it's a gift, and it doesn't make me any better than anyone else. it's just the way i've been made. i can be proud of what i have been given because these gifts are good, but i have no reason to boast or be puffed up. i didn't do anything to prompt these gifts. i have received them. everything i have i received. i was put in this spot and i was given the way i look and think and talk and move.
from verses 8 to 13, paul, i think, is talking to the church in corinth how they are rich and full and rulers, but the apostles are kind of hidden away. they are fools and weak and dishonored and homeless. and he says that he writes this not to make them feel bad, but to warn them (v. 14). i guess to warn them from getting puffed up, though this is really just speculation. he could be warning them from forgetting everything that God has done, because when you are homeless and dishonored, you are also humbled. so the apostles (paul and company) are going through a lot and so they are forced to keep their eyes on God for peace and to provide, but these in Corinth who are strong and distinguished are not going through things like this, so paul could be telling them not to get lazy or spiritually obese.
the last thing paul talks about is that the kingdom of God isn't in word, but in power (v. 20). i think this says it shouldn't be about talking the talk or being puffed up or thinking that you are so great, but it's about power and authority. and this power and authority lies within Christ. he then asks them if, when he comes, they want him to come with a rod or "in love and a spirit of gentleness?" i feel kind of stupid, because i don't know what the answer is. i would think the answer would be a rod, so that whatever needs to happen will simply happen. spare the words, just go to power. don't worry about feelings getting hurt, just do what needs to be done.
so paul says that men should see us as servants of Christ, but then he says that it's still a really small thing what men see, because what really matters is what God thinks. paul believes this so much that he doesn't even let himself judge or justify himself, which is pretty amazing. he doesn't even care what he thinks about himself, just what God cares. so if he is dying and God says "this is the closest you've been to me. i love who you are," paul would be ecstatic, even in his misery. it goes back to really seeing yourself the way God sees you, and not letting you give yourself identity.
this becomes more and more apparent, because lately, i have been getting down on myself because i think i screw up too much and i have all of these character flaws and i'm not good enough. but what God is really saying is that i'm okay. He just wants my heart, and all of the things that i do or don't do aren't nearly as important as my heart. what He really cares about is whether or not my eyes are fixed on Him. and He's the judge, not me. He has the right to tell me who i am and i don't.
paul then talks about how we shouldn't be puffed up. He asks "For who makes you differ from another?" who makes us different from each other? who created us different? "And what do you have that you did not receive?" i can't think of anything. really try to ask yourself this. "Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" if the things that you have were a gift, then why do you brag about them like they are your own?
i read this part multiple times, but it was like the third time before i realized that this was my problem. i have been going through this pride thing lately where i think i'm better than other people, but this passage (v. 7) pretty much nails it. everything i have, i have been blessed with. but it's a gift, and it doesn't make me any better than anyone else. it's just the way i've been made. i can be proud of what i have been given because these gifts are good, but i have no reason to boast or be puffed up. i didn't do anything to prompt these gifts. i have received them. everything i have i received. i was put in this spot and i was given the way i look and think and talk and move.
from verses 8 to 13, paul, i think, is talking to the church in corinth how they are rich and full and rulers, but the apostles are kind of hidden away. they are fools and weak and dishonored and homeless. and he says that he writes this not to make them feel bad, but to warn them (v. 14). i guess to warn them from getting puffed up, though this is really just speculation. he could be warning them from forgetting everything that God has done, because when you are homeless and dishonored, you are also humbled. so the apostles (paul and company) are going through a lot and so they are forced to keep their eyes on God for peace and to provide, but these in Corinth who are strong and distinguished are not going through things like this, so paul could be telling them not to get lazy or spiritually obese.
the last thing paul talks about is that the kingdom of God isn't in word, but in power (v. 20). i think this says it shouldn't be about talking the talk or being puffed up or thinking that you are so great, but it's about power and authority. and this power and authority lies within Christ. he then asks them if, when he comes, they want him to come with a rod or "in love and a spirit of gentleness?" i feel kind of stupid, because i don't know what the answer is. i would think the answer would be a rod, so that whatever needs to happen will simply happen. spare the words, just go to power. don't worry about feelings getting hurt, just do what needs to be done.
1 Corinthians 4
We may be forced to be silenced, but on the inside we can shout for the Lord as loud as we want.
1 Corinthians 4:4(last part) - He who judges me is the Lord
This verse says that the only one who can judge people is the Lord. I mean think about it we are created by God and came from Adam and Eve, so we are brothers and sisters through Christ. and stuff like that we are close and familiy. so when this verse say "He" that means the only one.
1 Corinthians 4:7 - "For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?"
I like this verse cause I think it kind of shows my feelings about the world and people I know. (not pointing at fingers) that last part gets to me kind of. "Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" whatever you get from God you don't have to brag about it. Or anything you get that people envys you for it, don't brag about it. that's pride and that's kind of bad guys. when you boast about something that should be boasted you fall into sin. So what if you got first place on a tournament and the other person didn't, you don't have to rub it in their face. Matter of fact you don't get up on their grill or get in their face about it. it's kind of like sportsmanship i guess. if you won something you just say "hey you did a good job out there. how about next year or a next time?" you don't have to get all mean about it and say something like "sucker you lost, i won. what you going to do now, go home and cry to your momma" No that's not what you do to people they are the same as you, you guys are brothers or sisters. you don't do that. Now those are just simple examples this verse is talking about something bigger than that.
1 Corinthians 4:10 - "We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!"
This verse i thought was kind of humorous. it kind of makes me think of that one verse that says those who risk to save their life will lose it, and those who risk to save my life will find it. There is a verse somewhere in the bible that says that.
Lord i pray that we get some rest cause it is very important. If we are created in your image, just an image and you rested on the last day then how important is it for us to get some rest and relax. I pray that we relax at least for a day and that it doesn't have to be a full 24 hour long relaxation, no break sort of thing. I pray that we get at least 24 hour relaxing time during the week just anytime, 24 hours total in one week. I pray that we all get that cause i can see that many of us need it. Lord i know you can do anything you want in anyway. We may not see you making room for us to get some rest, but it doesn't matter cause we still are going to praise you no matter what. you Lord will never stop getting praise from your children. Amen.
1 Corinthians 4:4(last part) - He who judges me is the Lord
This verse says that the only one who can judge people is the Lord. I mean think about it we are created by God and came from Adam and Eve, so we are brothers and sisters through Christ. and stuff like that we are close and familiy. so when this verse say "He" that means the only one.
1 Corinthians 4:7 - "For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?"
I like this verse cause I think it kind of shows my feelings about the world and people I know. (not pointing at fingers) that last part gets to me kind of. "Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" whatever you get from God you don't have to brag about it. Or anything you get that people envys you for it, don't brag about it. that's pride and that's kind of bad guys. when you boast about something that should be boasted you fall into sin. So what if you got first place on a tournament and the other person didn't, you don't have to rub it in their face. Matter of fact you don't get up on their grill or get in their face about it. it's kind of like sportsmanship i guess. if you won something you just say "hey you did a good job out there. how about next year or a next time?" you don't have to get all mean about it and say something like "sucker you lost, i won. what you going to do now, go home and cry to your momma" No that's not what you do to people they are the same as you, you guys are brothers or sisters. you don't do that. Now those are just simple examples this verse is talking about something bigger than that.
1 Corinthians 4:10 - "We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!"
This verse i thought was kind of humorous. it kind of makes me think of that one verse that says those who risk to save their life will lose it, and those who risk to save my life will find it. There is a verse somewhere in the bible that says that.
Lord i pray that we get some rest cause it is very important. If we are created in your image, just an image and you rested on the last day then how important is it for us to get some rest and relax. I pray that we relax at least for a day and that it doesn't have to be a full 24 hour long relaxation, no break sort of thing. I pray that we get at least 24 hour relaxing time during the week just anytime, 24 hours total in one week. I pray that we all get that cause i can see that many of us need it. Lord i know you can do anything you want in anyway. We may not see you making room for us to get some rest, but it doesn't matter cause we still are going to praise you no matter what. you Lord will never stop getting praise from your children. Amen.
1 Corinthians 4
v. 3 - "I care very little if I am judged by you or any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me."
Paul brings up the concept of absolute justification - it's not our conscience that justifies us, or what we do or don't do. The state of one's soul is not relative to what they're thinking or feeling...
"...'Do not go beyond what is written'...for who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?" (v. 6-7)
So...onto a large tangent: Being content - living every second knowing that God delights in us - that's enough to get us through any obstacle and out of apathy. I don't need to strive for skills that make me useful in society or cool to others.
It's a paradox - only after I have accepted the truth of God's unconditional love will I bear much fruit, not the other way around (I think God deals with me very specifically on this). Only after I understand that His approval of me cannot be won or gained, but that I already have it, will I have the freedom to powerfully advance the kingdom and the grace to be completely faithful with what He's given to me. For those who have read The Final Quest, I'm thinking of the image of the soldiers who have swords but don't use them, so are taken captive...but that's another tangent.
Also, that deep relationship with God, knowing Him, is what gets us through v. 9-13 - "...God has put us apostles on display...We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ...We have become the scum of the earth..." ...I think fools for Christ are people so consumed by God, and so lost in God, that they don't care about what goes on around them as long as they're in His will. People able to bear reproach because they have their eyes set on God alone and not themselves or peripheral action.
Paul brings up the concept of absolute justification - it's not our conscience that justifies us, or what we do or don't do. The state of one's soul is not relative to what they're thinking or feeling...
"...'Do not go beyond what is written'...for who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?" (v. 6-7)
So...onto a large tangent: Being content - living every second knowing that God delights in us - that's enough to get us through any obstacle and out of apathy. I don't need to strive for skills that make me useful in society or cool to others.
It's a paradox - only after I have accepted the truth of God's unconditional love will I bear much fruit, not the other way around (I think God deals with me very specifically on this). Only after I understand that His approval of me cannot be won or gained, but that I already have it, will I have the freedom to powerfully advance the kingdom and the grace to be completely faithful with what He's given to me. For those who have read The Final Quest, I'm thinking of the image of the soldiers who have swords but don't use them, so are taken captive...but that's another tangent.
Also, that deep relationship with God, knowing Him, is what gets us through v. 9-13 - "...God has put us apostles on display...We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ...We have become the scum of the earth..." ...I think fools for Christ are people so consumed by God, and so lost in God, that they don't care about what goes on around them as long as they're in His will. People able to bear reproach because they have their eyes set on God alone and not themselves or peripheral action.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
1 Corinthians chapter 3
Carnal, that's a new word that i learned during this chapter. This chapter amazes me for no reason at all or there might be a reason but I'm too blind to see it. i don't know.
1 Corinthians 3:2 - "I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;"
This verse makes a lot of sense to me that we are like babies where we don't know anything and that our parents seem to know an unlimited amount of things. we look up to our parents as a baby and when they feed us mushy baby food or whatever we trust them and eat it. God doesn't give us something that we are not ready for. When God gives you something trust him and "eat it." There are some things that we will never be ready for and that's okay. we're just not ready for it and never will cause it's not for you. Everyone has something to contribute to Gods plan and if we never receive it it's not always going to be your fault that you chose not to receive it. It might not be on your road to pick up.
1 Corinthians 3:8 (last part of it) - "each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor."
This part kind of makes me think that i have to help others no matter what, cause you know, reward is good. (to the world's view) each one will get according to his works. I believe this to be true, that whatever we do on earth will be recorded and looked upon when judgement comes. ... a part of me wants to say "it's kind of like getting your pay check" and the other part of me wants me not to say that cause money is pointless. I'm going to just let you ponder on that.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 - "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation wit gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
Jesus is the foundation (which I bet people hears a lot) and whatever we use to build on it will be obvious. "Day" is capitalized and i think it's because that means the Day as in judgement. These verses (I think) is a huge metaphor. The test of fire well see what kind of reward you will receive. if your work or "house of whatever you used to build" burns down it's okay cause you just have to "build a better one", but you will be changed and be saved. (I was talking metaphorically)
1 Corinthians 3:18 (last part of it) - "let him become a fool that in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise."
I thought this was funny. My grandpa used to say this some times, like to Phong where whatever troubles he gets into he'll learn from it and not do it again. (like car crashes *cough cough*) but seriously this might be a cliche that's just hiding under fancy old language. this basically means learn from your mistakes.
So today at school in my Chem class we had a talk about Catholics and Lutherans and Baptists. We just talked about the book of Revelations and how the world is going to end. My friend says that there's going to be an epic battle where good vs. evil and the evil turns into animals. So I didn't say much about it cause I was pretty much observing and I stepped in only about once saying that that probably doesn't mean that they will turn into animals and that their behavior be animals'? I told him that Revelations might be speaking in metaphors so don't get too confused, but I feel weird talking about this stuff at school. I guess i'm not used to it cause i'm used to Religion excluded from school. I pray that in school that we will have more of these conversations and that I can help a friend out from school. Cause school is just a powerful black hole where it just brainwashes you. I pray that we have some free time and talk about this stuff again and not even in Chem class in any classes, especially in APUSH cause would like to hear what my teacher says about this cause he's baptist. I pray that everyone will get much from this and that they will have the courage to correct each other. I pray that we will have some constructive criticism up in here. Amen.
1 Corinthians 3:2 - "I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;"
This verse makes a lot of sense to me that we are like babies where we don't know anything and that our parents seem to know an unlimited amount of things. we look up to our parents as a baby and when they feed us mushy baby food or whatever we trust them and eat it. God doesn't give us something that we are not ready for. When God gives you something trust him and "eat it." There are some things that we will never be ready for and that's okay. we're just not ready for it and never will cause it's not for you. Everyone has something to contribute to Gods plan and if we never receive it it's not always going to be your fault that you chose not to receive it. It might not be on your road to pick up.
1 Corinthians 3:8 (last part of it) - "each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor."
This part kind of makes me think that i have to help others no matter what, cause you know, reward is good. (to the world's view) each one will get according to his works. I believe this to be true, that whatever we do on earth will be recorded and looked upon when judgement comes. ... a part of me wants to say "it's kind of like getting your pay check" and the other part of me wants me not to say that cause money is pointless. I'm going to just let you ponder on that.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 - "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation wit gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
Jesus is the foundation (which I bet people hears a lot) and whatever we use to build on it will be obvious. "Day" is capitalized and i think it's because that means the Day as in judgement. These verses (I think) is a huge metaphor. The test of fire well see what kind of reward you will receive. if your work or "house of whatever you used to build" burns down it's okay cause you just have to "build a better one", but you will be changed and be saved. (I was talking metaphorically)
1 Corinthians 3:18 (last part of it) - "let him become a fool that in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise."
I thought this was funny. My grandpa used to say this some times, like to Phong where whatever troubles he gets into he'll learn from it and not do it again. (like car crashes *cough cough*) but seriously this might be a cliche that's just hiding under fancy old language. this basically means learn from your mistakes.
So today at school in my Chem class we had a talk about Catholics and Lutherans and Baptists. We just talked about the book of Revelations and how the world is going to end. My friend says that there's going to be an epic battle where good vs. evil and the evil turns into animals. So I didn't say much about it cause I was pretty much observing and I stepped in only about once saying that that probably doesn't mean that they will turn into animals and that their behavior be animals'? I told him that Revelations might be speaking in metaphors so don't get too confused, but I feel weird talking about this stuff at school. I guess i'm not used to it cause i'm used to Religion excluded from school. I pray that in school that we will have more of these conversations and that I can help a friend out from school. Cause school is just a powerful black hole where it just brainwashes you. I pray that we have some free time and talk about this stuff again and not even in Chem class in any classes, especially in APUSH cause would like to hear what my teacher says about this cause he's baptist. I pray that everyone will get much from this and that they will have the courage to correct each other. I pray that we will have some constructive criticism up in here. Amen.
Like mere men (D. Chang ch. 3)
we don't understand. it's not about us. it's about God and what He's done for us. and what He's done for us is something that can't be taken away. and it's not about people seeing us and it's not about us doing anything. it's about us being with God and simply taking in His gifts, His Spirit, His love. that's it. that's sorta what it's all about, but even then, there is something missing, something bigger than we can say. we can feel it, we can feel that we are futile, that we are broken and weak, and that we will fall. and the thing is that God is. He just is. what does this mean? it means that if you are with Him, you will be too. so the question is how you can be with God? i don't know. you just be. it's got nothing to do with doing.
and we don't understand this. we don't understand God. some people have ideas. some people give their lives to God and they come away really blessed. they know things that even the angels want to know. this is what paul is talking about in chapter three. he says we're still "mere men," we're carnally minded. And he can see that in us because there is envy, strife, and division among us. and it makes sense to me that envy would be something carnally minded and division would probably occur because people don't agree about something and don't love each other enough to care that they are divided. what sticks out to me is strife...dictionary.com defines that as conflict or struggle. we weren't made to be mere men.
"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"
but when we struggle, we are being mortal. we weren't created for that. when we don't understand who God is, when we don't care about God or others, we're being mortal again. when we do things for ourselves, when we have our eyes focused on ourselves. we're missing it. we're missing out.
it goes on to say: "If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy.."
and if you're thinking what i'm thinking, this is impossible. we can't help but defile the temple of God, we already have. we struggle and we turn away and we sin. we are deserving of God's wrath. we're deserving of being destroyed, of being abandoned and forsaken and crushed.
then it goes on to say this: "Let no one deceive himself." because we have deceived ourselves. this whole idea of self righteousness or pride finds itself in practically everything we do. sometimes we even feel like we are so low that God can't reach down to save us, that we can't understand God. but this is wrong.
we can understand God. we can do it. i know i seem to be contradicting myself, because i was talking about in the opening paragraphs how we really don't understand God at all, but we can. we were made to know God, we were made to love, and we were made to worship. God made us so we could know Him and He could know us and enjoy us. we can know. we can love God and give Him everything. our bodies are like temples of God and they can really be holy. they shouldn't be defiled, but more than that - they can be. we can be holy. because of God.
the last couple verses read, a little out of nowhere (this kind of seems to show up out of nowhere): "For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come - all are yours. And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's" (v. 22-23). and that word "death" comes a little out of nowhere too. i don't know what that's doing in there. maybe it says that you can have whatever you want. you get to choose what to put in your life and what you love. but you are always Christ's, and Christ is always in you, no matter what. even if you tell Him to get out, He's still sustaining you. your body is always going to be a temple of God. it's whether you defile it or keep it holy.
and we don't understand this. we don't understand God. some people have ideas. some people give their lives to God and they come away really blessed. they know things that even the angels want to know. this is what paul is talking about in chapter three. he says we're still "mere men," we're carnally minded. And he can see that in us because there is envy, strife, and division among us. and it makes sense to me that envy would be something carnally minded and division would probably occur because people don't agree about something and don't love each other enough to care that they are divided. what sticks out to me is strife...dictionary.com defines that as conflict or struggle. we weren't made to be mere men.
"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"
but when we struggle, we are being mortal. we weren't created for that. when we don't understand who God is, when we don't care about God or others, we're being mortal again. when we do things for ourselves, when we have our eyes focused on ourselves. we're missing it. we're missing out.
it goes on to say: "If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy.."
and if you're thinking what i'm thinking, this is impossible. we can't help but defile the temple of God, we already have. we struggle and we turn away and we sin. we are deserving of God's wrath. we're deserving of being destroyed, of being abandoned and forsaken and crushed.
then it goes on to say this: "Let no one deceive himself." because we have deceived ourselves. this whole idea of self righteousness or pride finds itself in practically everything we do. sometimes we even feel like we are so low that God can't reach down to save us, that we can't understand God. but this is wrong.
we can understand God. we can do it. i know i seem to be contradicting myself, because i was talking about in the opening paragraphs how we really don't understand God at all, but we can. we were made to know God, we were made to love, and we were made to worship. God made us so we could know Him and He could know us and enjoy us. we can know. we can love God and give Him everything. our bodies are like temples of God and they can really be holy. they shouldn't be defiled, but more than that - they can be. we can be holy. because of God.
the last couple verses read, a little out of nowhere (this kind of seems to show up out of nowhere): "For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come - all are yours. And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's" (v. 22-23). and that word "death" comes a little out of nowhere too. i don't know what that's doing in there. maybe it says that you can have whatever you want. you get to choose what to put in your life and what you love. but you are always Christ's, and Christ is always in you, no matter what. even if you tell Him to get out, He's still sustaining you. your body is always going to be a temple of God. it's whether you defile it or keep it holy.
1 Corinthians 1 (Lydia)
Yay, I've been wanting to study Corinthians for awhile... off to a late start, but here's what got my attention:
1:7-9 - "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end...God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
I often think upon reading this, "what does Paul mean that we don't lack any spiritual gift?", because, I admit, feeling lacking is one of my bigger weaknesses (it doesn't mesh with grace). I'm reminded of God's sovereignty, that His timing in giving spiritual gifts is very intentional...and that He's given us enough to see Him, wherever we are in our walk with Him. It's not a kingdom of haves and have-nots. In fact, the focus of that statement is off - who cares about having or not having when we know that He's with us? God has faith in us... He sets out our limits on purpose, so that we'll rely on Him. The hardest part is just to trust...that God is who he says he is.
And again, I'm reminded that Jesus chose us. He knows what He's doing, and determined not to let us wander.
"Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
Paul repeats how God is sovereign - salvation doesn't occur because of witnessing a miracle, it comes from God working inside people and from Him drawing people to Him. We underestimate the power of the cross and resurrection... sorry, I'm rushed at the moment, but will post more later.
1:7-9 - "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end...God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
I often think upon reading this, "what does Paul mean that we don't lack any spiritual gift?", because, I admit, feeling lacking is one of my bigger weaknesses (it doesn't mesh with grace). I'm reminded of God's sovereignty, that His timing in giving spiritual gifts is very intentional...and that He's given us enough to see Him, wherever we are in our walk with Him. It's not a kingdom of haves and have-nots. In fact, the focus of that statement is off - who cares about having or not having when we know that He's with us? God has faith in us... He sets out our limits on purpose, so that we'll rely on Him. The hardest part is just to trust...that God is who he says he is.
And again, I'm reminded that Jesus chose us. He knows what He's doing, and determined not to let us wander.
"Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
Paul repeats how God is sovereign - salvation doesn't occur because of witnessing a miracle, it comes from God working inside people and from Him drawing people to Him. We underestimate the power of the cross and resurrection... sorry, I'm rushed at the moment, but will post more later.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
determined to not know anything (d.chang ch. 2)
[v. 9 is the opening lyrics to Beautiful One...yes, that is a song]
i'm sorry guys, i'm kind of falling asleep as i write this.
paul is humble. he lets himself be humbled or God has humbled him or both. being who he used to be as a tax collector, a really strong Pharisee, chances are he wasn't born this way. something had to happen for him to get to this point, for him to really follow Jesus, for him to actually be able to write what he says in the first few lines of this second chapter.
he says that when he arrived to them, he didn't have anything. he wasn't strategizing and studying and figuring out how he himself could make a good impression on the Corinthians and maybe save some people. it goes farther than that. he wasn't even paying attention to himself. he was going completely against pride - he completely abandoned even thinking he had much to do with it, except that he was the empty vessel God was filling and using to demonstrate His power and grace. so when paul went to Corinth, it wasn't with "excellence of speech or of wisdom" (v. 1) - all he knew or wanted to know was "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" and nothing else (v. 2). and out of paul's weakness, God was strong. so the work that paul was able to do in corinth was not out of his own power, and wasn't a display of what can happen with the proper preaching and speech and human wisdom. paul attributes all of it to God. the power of God. says that he had nothing to do with it.
later in the letter to the Corinthians, paul starts to talk about the things of God and how the things that are in store for the followers of Christ are like a mystery, something that the rulers of our age couldn't see or understand. but we are supposed to be able to understand what we receive as gifts from the Lord because we have been given the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, to show us everything that has been freely given to us. i guess this goes back to the idea of following God not being a blind faith at all. no one else will really understand if we start talking about the things that we receive from God, and so we might appear as fools or lunatics, but we can understand and know for ourselves what is going on because we have been given the Holy Spirit.
and then it goes on to say that we really don't know what we've been given. we are hinted towards how great it will be, but it says that nobody knows how great are "the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." which is pretty cool. if we are blown away by things of our own creation and our own ability, then what God has will be unbelievable. maybe something as commonly talked about as salvation. or grace. or peace. or love.
i'm sorry guys, i'm kind of falling asleep as i write this.
paul is humble. he lets himself be humbled or God has humbled him or both. being who he used to be as a tax collector, a really strong Pharisee, chances are he wasn't born this way. something had to happen for him to get to this point, for him to really follow Jesus, for him to actually be able to write what he says in the first few lines of this second chapter.
he says that when he arrived to them, he didn't have anything. he wasn't strategizing and studying and figuring out how he himself could make a good impression on the Corinthians and maybe save some people. it goes farther than that. he wasn't even paying attention to himself. he was going completely against pride - he completely abandoned even thinking he had much to do with it, except that he was the empty vessel God was filling and using to demonstrate His power and grace. so when paul went to Corinth, it wasn't with "excellence of speech or of wisdom" (v. 1) - all he knew or wanted to know was "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" and nothing else (v. 2). and out of paul's weakness, God was strong. so the work that paul was able to do in corinth was not out of his own power, and wasn't a display of what can happen with the proper preaching and speech and human wisdom. paul attributes all of it to God. the power of God. says that he had nothing to do with it.
later in the letter to the Corinthians, paul starts to talk about the things of God and how the things that are in store for the followers of Christ are like a mystery, something that the rulers of our age couldn't see or understand. but we are supposed to be able to understand what we receive as gifts from the Lord because we have been given the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, to show us everything that has been freely given to us. i guess this goes back to the idea of following God not being a blind faith at all. no one else will really understand if we start talking about the things that we receive from God, and so we might appear as fools or lunatics, but we can understand and know for ourselves what is going on because we have been given the Holy Spirit.
and then it goes on to say that we really don't know what we've been given. we are hinted towards how great it will be, but it says that nobody knows how great are "the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." which is pretty cool. if we are blown away by things of our own creation and our own ability, then what God has will be unbelievable. maybe something as commonly talked about as salvation. or grace. or peace. or love.
Chapter 2
Ok so chapter two...day two.. so i don't know what to write today for some reason.. I'm just going to type in what verses stood out to me and go from there.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 - "And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."
so i guess it's saying that every time Paul makes a speech or is preaching the words he use are good, like he has excellent word choice and says it in a charismatic voice, but it's not from him. It's from the Lord, the LORD gave him these words and the charisma. The only way Paul could have done it was by the power of God. If Paul were to say these things by himself, with his own power and ways, then your faith shouldn't be there cause it's not from the Lord, it's from the wisdom of men. Paul, who is a man, said those things from his wisdom (a man) if he were to use his own words and power to make a speech or preach. that is not good listen to God not men.
1 Corinthians 2:7-8 - "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."
"we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery" I think this means when we do have God speak through us then it's ok to not understand cause the wisdom of God is a mystery. God is a mystery which is good cause he's unpredictable and that's fun cause you never know what God's going to do (unless he tells you) and it's never the same. So when something happens and you do something to get there, don't expect just because you do the same thing the same result is going to happen cause God's not like that he's not predictable. If God was predictable then it wouldn't be fun cause every time God does something cool like a miracle then we wouldn't be shouting in joy and leaping cause some person just got save. We would be something like "oh wow he got save, I did not see that coming (out of sarcasm). it's ok Mark is going to be saved next week" or something along those lines. Life just wouldn't be fun if God was like that.
1 Corinthians 2:9 (just part of it) - "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard"
this is part of a song i think.
1 Corinthians 2:13 - "These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual."
I think the point of this verse is that compare spiritual things with spiritual. kind of like that one phrase "fight fire with fire". not sure but that's what i think it means. When you are teaching someone God's words don't yourself get in the way of it and let the Holy Spirit guide you. It's God's words not your words. and trinity Holy Spirit is God. So let the Holy Spirit teach not you. You know if i were to teach it would definitely not go so well. it would be disastrous if i were to teach.
Today was good i was asking people how their day was and i found that one of my close friends was have a very very good day. that person was very cheerful and happy, and the day before i mean that person was really grumpy and i talked to that person and i guess i kind of left the person without saying good bye or anything and that person got really mad like instant anger. and now today it was crazy happiness. That happiness was overwhelming joy and i pray that everyone has that joy. That every one's joy would be restored and renewed to a new joy, that our joy would set a whole new level of "joyness". Even to our enemies i pray that we would not reject them and/or discriminate them, but to let them in and love them. I pray that when we worship, we are actually worshiping and not faking it, I read earlier today someone's comment on their favorite artist that 50 cent is better than Kanye cause 50 cent is not faking he's real, the point is that we keep it real. I just pray that we keep it real. Amen.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 - "And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."
so i guess it's saying that every time Paul makes a speech or is preaching the words he use are good, like he has excellent word choice and says it in a charismatic voice, but it's not from him. It's from the Lord, the LORD gave him these words and the charisma. The only way Paul could have done it was by the power of God. If Paul were to say these things by himself, with his own power and ways, then your faith shouldn't be there cause it's not from the Lord, it's from the wisdom of men. Paul, who is a man, said those things from his wisdom (a man) if he were to use his own words and power to make a speech or preach. that is not good listen to God not men.
1 Corinthians 2:7-8 - "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."
"we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery" I think this means when we do have God speak through us then it's ok to not understand cause the wisdom of God is a mystery. God is a mystery which is good cause he's unpredictable and that's fun cause you never know what God's going to do (unless he tells you) and it's never the same. So when something happens and you do something to get there, don't expect just because you do the same thing the same result is going to happen cause God's not like that he's not predictable. If God was predictable then it wouldn't be fun cause every time God does something cool like a miracle then we wouldn't be shouting in joy and leaping cause some person just got save. We would be something like "oh wow he got save, I did not see that coming (out of sarcasm). it's ok Mark is going to be saved next week" or something along those lines. Life just wouldn't be fun if God was like that.
1 Corinthians 2:9 (just part of it) - "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard"
this is part of a song i think.
1 Corinthians 2:13 - "These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual."
I think the point of this verse is that compare spiritual things with spiritual. kind of like that one phrase "fight fire with fire". not sure but that's what i think it means. When you are teaching someone God's words don't yourself get in the way of it and let the Holy Spirit guide you. It's God's words not your words. and trinity Holy Spirit is God. So let the Holy Spirit teach not you. You know if i were to teach it would definitely not go so well. it would be disastrous if i were to teach.
Today was good i was asking people how their day was and i found that one of my close friends was have a very very good day. that person was very cheerful and happy, and the day before i mean that person was really grumpy and i talked to that person and i guess i kind of left the person without saying good bye or anything and that person got really mad like instant anger. and now today it was crazy happiness. That happiness was overwhelming joy and i pray that everyone has that joy. That every one's joy would be restored and renewed to a new joy, that our joy would set a whole new level of "joyness". Even to our enemies i pray that we would not reject them and/or discriminate them, but to let them in and love them. I pray that when we worship, we are actually worshiping and not faking it, I read earlier today someone's comment on their favorite artist that 50 cent is better than Kanye cause 50 cent is not faking he's real, the point is that we keep it real. I just pray that we keep it real. Amen.
Greatness of God (Jeff's 1 Corinthians 1)
hahahahaha. i just woke up from a nice four hour nap. anyways, i read through the first chapter of 1 Corinthians last night and i found a lot of stuff that pertained to me.
Ao I decided to look a bit into Corinth itself. Wikipedia!! The Isthmus of Corinth is a narrow stretch of land that joins Peloponessus and mainland Greece. its so skinny that it is only like 48 miles across and surrounded on both sides by seas (the Adriatic and the Aegean). this made Corinth a prosperous port city that reaped the benefits of sea trade and business. and like all port cities at the time, Corinth was extremely focused on the material wealth that they could obtain and immoral acts such as heaving drinking, prostitution, etc. were extremely common. so Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians is pretty much informing them of what they're doing wrong and even though it was addressed to a specific city-state, i think it is relevant to us today as well.
the first thing i notice is that Paul starts off with his greetings to the church of God at Corinth (not the church of Corinth itself, cause im guessing that most of it was pretty corrupt like it it nowadays). his first criticism of Corinth is that it is divided among itself, even the Christians. Paul emphasizes that unity in Christ is so important and there is actually a chapter later in this book that talks about the single body of Christ (Chapter 12).
in vs. 17, Paul says, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with the wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect." as Mike would say, "can anyone explain to me how to fall in love?" if you could explain to someone the process of falling in love, would it really be that special? in the same way, there is no way of explaining Christ's love for you. there is no sign or wisdom of words that can make you believe in the love of Jesus (vs. 22). if i could explain the power and love of God, wouldnt that limit God to something earthly? something mortal? but God is not limited by the words of man. God is so great that nothing i can say could ever come close to describing how awesome he is. if the wisdom of man could explain God, then why believe in Him? Paul says that even the foolishness of God is wiser than the smartest and wisest men. we cannot explain God because God is not limited to the foolish wisdom of men. God is not limited to anything we can think or reason. often times, i try to turn God into a "concept" that can be explained. i try to "logic" myself into believing something about God that i cant explain. i try to turn God into a math problem where i can reason my way to the solution. but if i can explain the power of God in my own words, if i can understand God with the wisdom of men, if i can be connected to God through my own power, then what is the point of the cross? why did Jesus even need to die for me? it would completely take away the point of having a relationship with Christ. how can you have a relationship with something that is so mechanical and methodical? you cant. period.
God also says that he would use the foolish things of the world to put down the wisdom of man (vs 26-27). because compared to God, the wisdom of man is nothing. and so the first shall be the last and the last shall be the first (Matthew 20:16). pretty much the wisdom and knowledge that we value, the material wealth that the world emphasizes all mean nothing to God. God has chosen the weakest and least of men to serve him and do his works. He says that there is no work you can do yourself, no amount of anything you can ever acquire that will give you favor in His eyes. it is not your actions, but your faith in Christ that justifies yourself in the eyes of the Lord.
in summary, we are not saved because we can explain with our wisdom all the details of the nature of God. we are saved because of our relationship with God and nothing else. God is so great that no person can explain him to a degree of satisfaction. he is not limited by time, space, or anything else we can even imagine and the materialistic crap that our society values means nothing to him.
the weakest of God is greater than the strongest of man. it would be like me and david in a race. david would do more than just run circles around me. i would be dominated like so badly that david could probably take out a protractor, measure 90 degree angles, and then run sqaures around me. without even trying.
so thats what i got out of chapter 1. i dont know if that made any sense at all...
Ao I decided to look a bit into Corinth itself. Wikipedia!! The Isthmus of Corinth is a narrow stretch of land that joins Peloponessus and mainland Greece. its so skinny that it is only like 48 miles across and surrounded on both sides by seas (the Adriatic and the Aegean). this made Corinth a prosperous port city that reaped the benefits of sea trade and business. and like all port cities at the time, Corinth was extremely focused on the material wealth that they could obtain and immoral acts such as heaving drinking, prostitution, etc. were extremely common. so Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians is pretty much informing them of what they're doing wrong and even though it was addressed to a specific city-state, i think it is relevant to us today as well.
the first thing i notice is that Paul starts off with his greetings to the church of God at Corinth (not the church of Corinth itself, cause im guessing that most of it was pretty corrupt like it it nowadays). his first criticism of Corinth is that it is divided among itself, even the Christians. Paul emphasizes that unity in Christ is so important and there is actually a chapter later in this book that talks about the single body of Christ (Chapter 12).
in vs. 17, Paul says, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with the wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect." as Mike would say, "can anyone explain to me how to fall in love?" if you could explain to someone the process of falling in love, would it really be that special? in the same way, there is no way of explaining Christ's love for you. there is no sign or wisdom of words that can make you believe in the love of Jesus (vs. 22). if i could explain the power and love of God, wouldnt that limit God to something earthly? something mortal? but God is not limited by the words of man. God is so great that nothing i can say could ever come close to describing how awesome he is. if the wisdom of man could explain God, then why believe in Him? Paul says that even the foolishness of God is wiser than the smartest and wisest men. we cannot explain God because God is not limited to the foolish wisdom of men. God is not limited to anything we can think or reason. often times, i try to turn God into a "concept" that can be explained. i try to "logic" myself into believing something about God that i cant explain. i try to turn God into a math problem where i can reason my way to the solution. but if i can explain the power of God in my own words, if i can understand God with the wisdom of men, if i can be connected to God through my own power, then what is the point of the cross? why did Jesus even need to die for me? it would completely take away the point of having a relationship with Christ. how can you have a relationship with something that is so mechanical and methodical? you cant. period.
God also says that he would use the foolish things of the world to put down the wisdom of man (vs 26-27). because compared to God, the wisdom of man is nothing. and so the first shall be the last and the last shall be the first (Matthew 20:16). pretty much the wisdom and knowledge that we value, the material wealth that the world emphasizes all mean nothing to God. God has chosen the weakest and least of men to serve him and do his works. He says that there is no work you can do yourself, no amount of anything you can ever acquire that will give you favor in His eyes. it is not your actions, but your faith in Christ that justifies yourself in the eyes of the Lord.
in summary, we are not saved because we can explain with our wisdom all the details of the nature of God. we are saved because of our relationship with God and nothing else. God is so great that no person can explain him to a degree of satisfaction. he is not limited by time, space, or anything else we can even imagine and the materialistic crap that our society values means nothing to him.
the weakest of God is greater than the strongest of man. it would be like me and david in a race. david would do more than just run circles around me. i would be dominated like so badly that david could probably take out a protractor, measure 90 degree angles, and then run sqaures around me. without even trying.
so thats what i got out of chapter 1. i dont know if that made any sense at all...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
A Quick Scan... 1 Cor. 1
I started reading the first chapter in Corinthians of the New King James Version... and I'll try my best to post what I'd think of it... Comment if you have thoughts about it.
1 Cor. 1:1-2...
So, what I'm getting is that Paul the apostle, was introduce to the Church at Corinth.
1 Cor. 1:3-9...
This is actually talking about the grace of God. Just think, God's gift is all you need. God will always be with you to keep you steady and being on track. He will never forget about you no matter what. So just have faith in God.
1 Cor. 1:10-13...
There is serious concerns that had been brought up. Its saying to get a long with each other, learning to be considerate to each other, and thinking a like. It goes on saying more disturbing reports about fighting with themselves, choosing sides and saying "I'm by Paul", "I'm by Apollos", I'm by Cephas", or "I'm by Christ."
1 Cor. 1:14-17...
It says here that Paul wasn't sent by God to baptized, but to preach. and He didn't send him to do it with a bunch of fancy rhetoric of his own, otherwise Christ of Cross is useless.
1 Cor. 1:18-25...
The message pointing to Chris on the Cross is like silliness for those who are perishing, however for those who is saved the message is really making sense and is most powerful. It is written. "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Where is the truly wise, educated, and intelligent now? Since the world has like no clue when it comes to know God, God preaches all things bring those who trusts or believes in Him.
1 Cor. 1:26-31...
So, you see now that its obvious that God deliberately chose men and woman that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses. Its clear that everything we have comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.
1 Cor. 1:1-2...
So, what I'm getting is that Paul the apostle, was introduce to the Church at Corinth.
1 Cor. 1:3-9...
This is actually talking about the grace of God. Just think, God's gift is all you need. God will always be with you to keep you steady and being on track. He will never forget about you no matter what. So just have faith in God.
1 Cor. 1:10-13...
There is serious concerns that had been brought up. Its saying to get a long with each other, learning to be considerate to each other, and thinking a like. It goes on saying more disturbing reports about fighting with themselves, choosing sides and saying "I'm by Paul", "I'm by Apollos", I'm by Cephas", or "I'm by Christ."
1 Cor. 1:14-17...
It says here that Paul wasn't sent by God to baptized, but to preach. and He didn't send him to do it with a bunch of fancy rhetoric of his own, otherwise Christ of Cross is useless.
1 Cor. 1:18-25...
The message pointing to Chris on the Cross is like silliness for those who are perishing, however for those who is saved the message is really making sense and is most powerful. It is written. "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Where is the truly wise, educated, and intelligent now? Since the world has like no clue when it comes to know God, God preaches all things bring those who trusts or believes in Him.
1 Cor. 1:26-31...
So, you see now that its obvious that God deliberately chose men and woman that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses. Its clear that everything we have comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.
things which are despised (d.chang chap 1)
paul starts off greeting the church in the Corinth, saying that he thanks God because he can tell that these people have been blessed, and that it is apparent that God has changed them and made them and called them as His own. he says that Christ has been confirmed in them (they are evidence that God really works), that they "come short in no gift" (v. 7), and that they are "eagerly waiting for the revelation of of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 7). i like the phrasing of that last part, about waiting for a revelation of God. i think this is really the only thing that it would take for people to believe or for people to really want to go farther in relationship with God - seeing who God is.
paul mentions that he had not been sent by God to baptize, but to preach the gospel, and not preach the gospel out of the wisdom of his own words. if he had been preaching out of his own wisdom, then the cross would have been made of no effect. essentially, if he had been able to preach out of his own strength, then he wouldn't have needed God. and he goes on to say that when God died, He was changing the way the world works.
He was saying that He was going to "destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." it goes on to say that people stopped turning to God because they started relying on their own strength, their own wisdom of the world. and to be able to believe in God, you have to turn from the wisdom of the world, because if you believe in God, you are believing in something that doesn't make sense. something that is foolish, irrational.
paul keeps going, saying that not many people who are mighty and wise are called by God. and how God has chosen the smallest things, the foolish things, in the world to build His kingdom. He picks the nobodies and uses them to overcome the "somebodies" in the world. the ones that nobodies pays attention to, the ones that nobody wants to befriend. these are the ones who will be made into someones. the first will be made last. the last will be made first. God is changing the way the world works.
what is so scary to me is that paul says that God will put to shame the ones who are wise and mighty. more than that, paul says God will use the weak and foolish to do so. now, i think this would be very comforting to people who are miserable and looked down upon and not valued, but to most people who are trying to be somebodies, it's really scary. the people that you feel you are better than will put you to shame.
it's a little like that movie that the youth group is apparently going to watch on Friday night, called Facing the Giants. a football team of nobodies finds themself in a championship game that they weren't supposed to be in, against a menacing, proud and arrogant, strong football team that cannot be beaten. and the team of nobodies comes through. not out of their own strength. out of miracle. God calls the nobodies, God has chosen the things that are despised in this world. He used Gideon, the lowest member of the lowest family in the clan to bring the Israelites out of a seven year bondage. not because Gideon was good enough or had strength - he didn't. because Gideon had faith.
i don't think it is necessarily talking about anybody who is wise or mighty being brought down by God and put to shame. i think it is talking about people who place a lot of stock and confidence in their wisdom and might. this is why it is important that paul says earlier that he is preaching the gospel not out of the wisdom of his own words. because he doesn't place a lot of value in what he knows - he places a lot of value in knowing the value of the cross and what it means that Christ has died for him.
if God has chosen the weak and the foolish... as weird as it might sound, it kind of makes me want to be weak and foolish. and i think this is done easily enough by simply not living the way the world wants to live. not giving in to the way the world operates (the world puts a lot of pride and confidence in being able to say that you are stronger, smarter, better than someone else, but paul is saying that God will totally reverse this hierarchy in the end). i think if you try to go against the world, it will give you a headache and make you feel really miserable... but i think it'll bring you closer to God. if you go against the world for Christ's sake - then this is faith. it says in 1 John that this is the only thing that can overcome the world.
so i guess the application is... if you God instead of the world, the outcome might be a lot of pain, a lot of hurt. but if you are truly seeking God, then things are going to be okay. if you let yourself be a fool for God's sake (while being humble at the same time, not putting on a show), then you will be God's chosen.
and i guess the question is... how do i stand before God? what kind of messages do i send to God? do i tell Him that i am mighty and wise and that this is what makes me better than others, or might i say that i am so desperate for God that i don't care what other people think or say about me, just as long as i really get to God? and would you go through that humiliation just to be chosen by God? it really is a test of faith.
paul mentions that he had not been sent by God to baptize, but to preach the gospel, and not preach the gospel out of the wisdom of his own words. if he had been preaching out of his own wisdom, then the cross would have been made of no effect. essentially, if he had been able to preach out of his own strength, then he wouldn't have needed God. and he goes on to say that when God died, He was changing the way the world works.
He was saying that He was going to "destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." it goes on to say that people stopped turning to God because they started relying on their own strength, their own wisdom of the world. and to be able to believe in God, you have to turn from the wisdom of the world, because if you believe in God, you are believing in something that doesn't make sense. something that is foolish, irrational.
paul keeps going, saying that not many people who are mighty and wise are called by God. and how God has chosen the smallest things, the foolish things, in the world to build His kingdom. He picks the nobodies and uses them to overcome the "somebodies" in the world. the ones that nobodies pays attention to, the ones that nobody wants to befriend. these are the ones who will be made into someones. the first will be made last. the last will be made first. God is changing the way the world works.
what is so scary to me is that paul says that God will put to shame the ones who are wise and mighty. more than that, paul says God will use the weak and foolish to do so. now, i think this would be very comforting to people who are miserable and looked down upon and not valued, but to most people who are trying to be somebodies, it's really scary. the people that you feel you are better than will put you to shame.
it's a little like that movie that the youth group is apparently going to watch on Friday night, called Facing the Giants. a football team of nobodies finds themself in a championship game that they weren't supposed to be in, against a menacing, proud and arrogant, strong football team that cannot be beaten. and the team of nobodies comes through. not out of their own strength. out of miracle. God calls the nobodies, God has chosen the things that are despised in this world. He used Gideon, the lowest member of the lowest family in the clan to bring the Israelites out of a seven year bondage. not because Gideon was good enough or had strength - he didn't. because Gideon had faith.
i don't think it is necessarily talking about anybody who is wise or mighty being brought down by God and put to shame. i think it is talking about people who place a lot of stock and confidence in their wisdom and might. this is why it is important that paul says earlier that he is preaching the gospel not out of the wisdom of his own words. because he doesn't place a lot of value in what he knows - he places a lot of value in knowing the value of the cross and what it means that Christ has died for him.
if God has chosen the weak and the foolish... as weird as it might sound, it kind of makes me want to be weak and foolish. and i think this is done easily enough by simply not living the way the world wants to live. not giving in to the way the world operates (the world puts a lot of pride and confidence in being able to say that you are stronger, smarter, better than someone else, but paul is saying that God will totally reverse this hierarchy in the end). i think if you try to go against the world, it will give you a headache and make you feel really miserable... but i think it'll bring you closer to God. if you go against the world for Christ's sake - then this is faith. it says in 1 John that this is the only thing that can overcome the world.
so i guess the application is... if you God instead of the world, the outcome might be a lot of pain, a lot of hurt. but if you are truly seeking God, then things are going to be okay. if you let yourself be a fool for God's sake (while being humble at the same time, not putting on a show), then you will be God's chosen.
and i guess the question is... how do i stand before God? what kind of messages do i send to God? do i tell Him that i am mighty and wise and that this is what makes me better than others, or might i say that i am so desperate for God that i don't care what other people think or say about me, just as long as i really get to God? and would you go through that humiliation just to be chosen by God? it really is a test of faith.
JoJo's Chapter 1
So 1 Corinthians 1:4 it says that the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus. does that mean that the grace of God is always give by Christ Jesus? Does Jesus give people grace?
1 Corinthians 1:12-13 - Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
This says that there is only one God and that's our Holy Father in Heaven. Those people like Paul who does miracles that's not of them that comes from God. I think this verse says that there are a lot of people out there that will and are believing that people like Paul are a God or Saint and I don't think that is a right thing to say cause they are not God there is only One God.
1 Corinthians 1:17 - "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect."
I really like this verse it stood out to me and I look at this verse and it show that the things we do today might not be the reason why Christ sent us on earth to do. I do stuff like mess around, have irrelevant parties, go someplace and do nothing but talk about how the teachers are messed up and how mistakes i do in school are counted against you in a grade point of view. God didn't give us a life to do this stuff. I mean school is good, i mean it's good to have an education, but spending how much of your life to school is good? Don't make school a top priority.
1 Corinthians 1:25 - "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."
This is also a good verse I liked this verse cause it show how much God is better than us and how we don't deserve God yet God wants to be with us. This verse also makes me think; is God foolish? Does God have a weakness? it shows that the foolishness of God is wiser than men. by men I think any man, male or female, that just a little bit of foolishness of God... is wiser than the wisest of wise men. and God's weakness....is stronger than men. even the world's strongest man alive or ever doesn't even compare to a speck of God's weakness.
This is how like no one even compares to me and Jeff's chugging skills. Some call us the titans of chugging. it's like that times infinity.
This is the start of a new beginning I believe. I think the youth group just got into a whole new level that we have not even heard of. and i pray that we are ready for this level. i pray that we know how to respond to situations that comes in our way. i pray that the grace of God pours down on us and that so much of it comes that we drown in it and that it's overwhelming. I pray that we help each other along the way and leave no one behind. i know that it gets hard sometimes to even notice that people are gasping for breath from behind because we get all caught up with this worldly ambitions. i pray that do overcome this and that we definitly do not panic to the point that we lose faith in you Lord. I pray that you watch over us even though some of us is no together in one building, but is around the state. pray that you give healing to anyone who is in need of it Lord. I pray all of this in Jesus name. Amen.
1 Corinthians 1:12-13 - Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
This says that there is only one God and that's our Holy Father in Heaven. Those people like Paul who does miracles that's not of them that comes from God. I think this verse says that there are a lot of people out there that will and are believing that people like Paul are a God or Saint and I don't think that is a right thing to say cause they are not God there is only One God.
1 Corinthians 1:17 - "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect."
I really like this verse it stood out to me and I look at this verse and it show that the things we do today might not be the reason why Christ sent us on earth to do. I do stuff like mess around, have irrelevant parties, go someplace and do nothing but talk about how the teachers are messed up and how mistakes i do in school are counted against you in a grade point of view. God didn't give us a life to do this stuff. I mean school is good, i mean it's good to have an education, but spending how much of your life to school is good? Don't make school a top priority.
1 Corinthians 1:25 - "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."
This is also a good verse I liked this verse cause it show how much God is better than us and how we don't deserve God yet God wants to be with us. This verse also makes me think; is God foolish? Does God have a weakness? it shows that the foolishness of God is wiser than men. by men I think any man, male or female, that just a little bit of foolishness of God... is wiser than the wisest of wise men. and God's weakness....is stronger than men. even the world's strongest man alive or ever doesn't even compare to a speck of God's weakness.
This is how like no one even compares to me and Jeff's chugging skills. Some call us the titans of chugging. it's like that times infinity.
This is the start of a new beginning I believe. I think the youth group just got into a whole new level that we have not even heard of. and i pray that we are ready for this level. i pray that we know how to respond to situations that comes in our way. i pray that the grace of God pours down on us and that so much of it comes that we drown in it and that it's overwhelming. I pray that we help each other along the way and leave no one behind. i know that it gets hard sometimes to even notice that people are gasping for breath from behind because we get all caught up with this worldly ambitions. i pray that do overcome this and that we definitly do not panic to the point that we lose faith in you Lord. I pray that you watch over us even though some of us is no together in one building, but is around the state. pray that you give healing to anyone who is in need of it Lord. I pray all of this in Jesus name. Amen.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Bible Devotional
I think that this idea would be pretty helpful... I know I haven't been reading the bible much. And also there is a lot of changes thats been going around. I know that things might get a little different, but hopefully they all will work out according to God's plan.
I haven't really started 1 & 2 Corinthians yet.. I'll try to read through that soon and post what I'll think of it. I know that I won't get the whole thing, but I'll see what I'll get out of it. Please comment if you like. I'm sure I can learn a lot more by just reading what you guys think of it.
I guess I've been just been praying a lot lately about things will work out especially for the youth. Hopefully our time with God will still be here. I know whats it like being lost. We're doing all this for a reason right. Remember why we go to Friday nights and On Sunday morning rather than just stay home and sleep or do homework? There are tons of way on getting close to God and... hopefully this will help a lot. I'll try my best and see what God will have plan.
I know its really hard going through all this while you have school, work, homework, etc... to deal with. This have just started and we'll all just have to fight together to get through. I'm sure there is a way.. and once your finally there.. You will feel awesome! You'll be glad that you actually choose to fight...
I haven't really started 1 & 2 Corinthians yet.. I'll try to read through that soon and post what I'll think of it. I know that I won't get the whole thing, but I'll see what I'll get out of it. Please comment if you like. I'm sure I can learn a lot more by just reading what you guys think of it.
I guess I've been just been praying a lot lately about things will work out especially for the youth. Hopefully our time with God will still be here. I know whats it like being lost. We're doing all this for a reason right. Remember why we go to Friday nights and On Sunday morning rather than just stay home and sleep or do homework? There are tons of way on getting close to God and... hopefully this will help a lot. I'll try my best and see what God will have plan.
I know its really hard going through all this while you have school, work, homework, etc... to deal with. This have just started and we'll all just have to fight together to get through. I'm sure there is a way.. and once your finally there.. You will feel awesome! You'll be glad that you actually choose to fight...
what's going down
i've been thinking about a devotional. just pretty much going through a book of the Bible, a chapter of the day, and then writing about the chapter that night so that people could just follow along. so pretty much i would write the devotional the day before everybody else would read it. for example, i am thinking about starting Tuesday, so that anyone interested in reading could read the first day or chapter on Wednesday.
anyways, yes. the plan is a chapter a day, and i had been thinking Hebrews, because it is pretty rich in material and is pretty good sized, but i am thinking about changing to 1 and 2 Corinthians. if anybody would like to do this with me and write about it, just pretty spontaneously (it wouldn't have to be every day), that would be great. this is a team blog, so multiple authors can contribute and just share what they've been getting from the Scripture.
so that's the plan. if you would like to contribute, please leave a comment on this post or drop me an e-mail at david.w.chang-1@ou.edu . i think i will try to read the first chapter of 1 Corinthians tuesday morning, and then write about it that night so that people could read it on Wednesday. wednesday morning i would read the second chapter and write about it that night, and people could read it on Thursday. there you have it.
also be aware and sensitive. if this is just a terrible idea or God stops being central to the idea, we should stop. it's a waste of time and will kind of screw things up if we are doing it for the wrong reasons. thanks
anyways, yes. the plan is a chapter a day, and i had been thinking Hebrews, because it is pretty rich in material and is pretty good sized, but i am thinking about changing to 1 and 2 Corinthians. if anybody would like to do this with me and write about it, just pretty spontaneously (it wouldn't have to be every day), that would be great. this is a team blog, so multiple authors can contribute and just share what they've been getting from the Scripture.
so that's the plan. if you would like to contribute, please leave a comment on this post or drop me an e-mail at david.w.chang-1@ou.edu . i think i will try to read the first chapter of 1 Corinthians tuesday morning, and then write about it that night so that people could read it on Wednesday. wednesday morning i would read the second chapter and write about it that night, and people could read it on Thursday. there you have it.
also be aware and sensitive. if this is just a terrible idea or God stops being central to the idea, we should stop. it's a waste of time and will kind of screw things up if we are doing it for the wrong reasons. thanks
how do you do this???
is this working.... testing... testing... umm jeffery is my son but he disobeys me all the time i have to lecture him about proper son-ship and give him time out because we are in america right now....ok
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