| Life Notes |
| Humility Many people who reject Christianity do so with either a lack of information or false information. Many people who reject Christianity cannot understand how an omnipotent yet good god would allow the existence of pain and suffering. God has provided us with free will and the ability to choose. With this ability, we have made bad choices in life; in effect we set ourselves up for pain and suffering. Pain and suffering in the world give us a reason to go to God for help. In third world countries and other areas, ill-fated individuals show much more faith in God than we ever have. Many of us (in America) do not give up our earnings for the benefit of others; people in poorer areas give up their meals so that children can eat. Here in America, when disaster strikes, we give up our time and energy to help others get back on their feet. The existence of pain and suffering in the world give us only more reason to practice humility. The Secret When someone tells you something that could be harmful to themselves or others you do not keep it a secret. When you know something even more important (something that could influence where they will spend eternity), why would we keep it a secret? It�s infinitely more important than any other secret and yet you feel inclined to not tell anyone. This is something like warning a person before they step in a ditch but not warning them when before they step off a cliff. The difference is that while the person may see the ditch coming, they cannot see the cliff. We must warn them because while we may see it plain as day they cannot. It�s somewhat like telling a child not to step in puddles but not stopping them from stepping into the ocean. The Wall When people of other faiths are brought to the Christian faith, their faith is much stronger than that of those who are subjected to Christianity constantly. It�s as though people have grown immune to Christianity. They give up and rather than letting such things affect them, they act as though they understand even when they do not. When we are in conversations on the phone or otherwise, we often get into a habit of saying �uh-huh� or �yeah� over and over. We feel we should say something to show we have been listening; even if we have not been. But when a conversation goes on we begin tend to become distracted and lose track of what the person is saying though we continue saying �uh-huh� or something of the sort. Words pass in one ear and out the other. But when people accuse us of not listening, we may sometimes act defensive. It�s somewhat like talking to a wall and the only way to get through to them is to break down the wall. The walls are of varying thickness; it�s easy to get through to some, but harder to get through to others. Silence There are others who suffer much more than we do. Though they may not show it, their hearts are yearning for the truth as ours once were, before knowing Christ. We need to remember that we were once no different. They may not say it or show it directly, but if you look closely, their despair is blinding. While we cannot open their eyes to the truth, can�t the holy spirit work through us? When we show them the same comfort, forgiveness, compassion and love that Christ has shown us, we express that they are not a lost cause and that we really do care for them. When we help others find the truth, we begin to understand it better ourselves. The more we humble ourselves the stronger we grow and the more capable we are to serve the Lord. Sometimes, when helping others with their problems, we gain new insight into our own. We need to accept that we may never get a second chance to help them find the truth. You may become tired of waiting days, months or even years for some sign that what you say and do is getting through to someone. How many days, months or years did it take you to find the truth? How long did Jesus wait for you? Weren�t we all once a lost cause too? Breathe We are in a sea. We are drowning. Wave after wave is splashing over our head. We can hardly breathe. The current threatens to pull us under. We can hardly swim let alone fight the storms. Every now and then, we have the strength to rise to the surface and things seem to calm down for a little while, but once we feel secure, more waves wash over us. But Jesus can be our life preserver. He can hold us up out of the waters of the past, breaking the hold the have on us. Though waves may still push us under, with him we can rise up out of the waters. Unless we can rise out of the water we cannot see where we are. The current pulls us away from where we once were, we must fight the current. In life if we just go with the flow, the movement of society, we will end up where we do not want to be. The ways of society are not God�s ways. If we move with the current, things are easy. We can handle it. When we turn around and swim against the current, we suffer. We are in a river. A waterfall lies ahead. If we just relax and go with the current we will regret it. We will soon hit rapids. We must turn around and swim upstream. The longer we wait the rougher the waters will become. We are on a mountain. If we let go we will drop farther down the mountain. Sometimes, the foot holds come loose, but we must keep going. I Believe I believe I am here to find the truth, to apply it to my life with the hope of gaining understanding along the way. I believe this truth is centered on Jesus Christ as the Son of God and receiving forgiveness of sin through him. I believe that if there were infinite ways to reach salvation, the Earth would not be my home, instead I would already be in heaven. I believe that I am not here with the sole purpose of learning things because I could learn infinitely more in Heaven. I believe that I am here to practice humility and open my heart to God. I have lived my life looking for the path that will raise me up onto a pedestal, when in fact, this leads me to the path of pride, greed and other deadly sins. I believe that the only way to truly find the truth is to give up my selfish pursuits and admit that I need help and that I am not of greater value than everyone else. In doing so I allow myself to take a step back to gain perspective. Needs and Wants Needs and wants are very different. If I do something simply for the cause of fulfilling my needs I will not be able to grow. I must find my priorities. If I do things my heart is not in, I am likely to do them ineffectively. I may end up having to begin again leaving my prior attempt as a waste. Doing something I do not like to do because it must be done, is a start. It may lead into more willful attempts, but you must also be realistic. If something is very difficult I may be walking down a dead-end path. Of course the only way to grow is to try things that are hard, but if my heart is not in these things, they may be of greater harm than help. Life of Value What is life? It depends upon the life you are speaking of. For many of us, life is not very lively. We live it as though there is no rush, as though we will always have a second chance. So we have two choices, either a life that is lively, in which you grow daily, or a life that is dreary, in which you have no direction. If you take life for granted, you will never reach your goals. If you go without living your life, you may lose your chance to do so. We never know just how long our lives will last. We need to stop passing things up, expecting them to come our way again in the future. If you live a life of meaning, you will find peace of mind. But if you live a life of hopelessness, you may never find anything of value. If you never grow, never set goals for yourself, you will never provide any reason for your ever existing at all. In order for life to be worth while you need to live it. What are our true intentions in life? Do we do things because we want to or because we need to? If we do things simply because we want to, we will never find peace. If we do things because we need to, we will make things much easier for ourselves. |
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