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7 - 18 - 00
Well, I read 1 Thessalonians 3 this morning. It was about how some disciples were
renewed and joyous merely for the fact that their mutual brother Timothy still was in
the faith and did not let temptation cause him to waiver. Verse 12 caught my
attention. It says, "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for
each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you." Now, these
disciples could have asked the Lord to bless him with prosperity, or food, or
livestock, or many other things. But they didnt. They asked the Lord to make
Timothy's love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else.
Why? Love is the greatest. In another part of the Bible, Jesus speaks about Love and
that it is the greatest thing an individual can have. Love the Lord your God with
all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Love your neighbor as you love
yourself.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. God has unfailing love
for us, in John 3:16 it says "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have
everlasting life." And this was done in love. What is love? In 1 Corinthians 13 an
excellent definition of love is told. here is the website if you wish to read it:
da passage yo!
Therefore, in all things, remember to show love.
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 19 - 00
Today I read 1 Peter 4. Its mainly about keeping the faith in the Lord amidst all
suffering. Two verses caught my eye, one of them backs up yesterday's scripture.
Here they are.
verse 8: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a
mulititude of sins."
verse 16: "However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but
praise God that you bear that name"
Suffering happens to everyone whether Christian or not, however as
Christians, we may be exposed to other suffering because we bear the name.
Jesus said that we would be persecuted as he was. People in general fear
the truth, when they see something different, they wish to react, and if that
something different is something they cannot understand yet see a light emitting
from it, they will either strive to learn of it, or reject it and persecute
those who have it. When suffering comes, rely on the Father and rejoice for you
are doing something right. What the world thinks cannot affect you for the
Father is Greater and everlasting. Rather, bear the name for when the time
comes, you will be in God's will and in His favor, a much better position than
not in His favor. Suffering also makes us stronger, teaches us how to react in
certain situations, humbles us, and allows us to grow wiser.
Alright, take care and I'll talk to you later.
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 20 - 00
Today I read Luke 13:1-9. It is about repentance. The gist is that
there is no division between a mild sinner and a severe sinner for we are all
sinners and unless we repent of that sin, we live only to perish. Jesus told a
parable near the end which I'd like to write here.
6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his
vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.
7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three
years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and
haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'
'Sir,' the man replired, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll
dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine!
If not, then cut it down.'"
Basiclly, this tree isn't producing fruit, and is just takin and takin
but not producin. This is similar to humans. Some of us just take and take,
eat and eat, become fat in the Word, but don't produce. Some do this for a long
time. Yet we are not cut down and given ample chance for God is a patient God.
Yet, as we can see, it is our duty to produce fruit. If we kept everything to
ourselves, how would others benefit? We have good news and should be excited to
share it, and it is awesome. This fruit is many things, the Fruit of the Spirit
is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control" (Galatians 5:22,23). Fruit is also us sharing the Good News to
all, planting seeds of growth in other people.
Well, week is almost at an end. Have a blessed day and remember to keep
God first in all things.
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 21 - 00
Today I read John 4:1-26. It was about Jesus talking to the Samaritan
woman. The verses catching my attention were many, but here are a couple,
13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the
water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal
life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't
get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."
The woman thought Jesus was talking about some physical water that would
make them never thirst and hence make her life easier by allowing the comfort of
not having to come to the well anymore to draw water. However, as she later
found out, Jesus was not talking about physical water. By adhering to the
teaching, learning, and applying it in our lives we gain this water Jesus
is talking about. People who havent been taught, thirst, they want something.
Those of us who have been taught, do not thirst, for we have found that
something and drank. Now that it is within us, it becomes like a spring
and wells up for we continue to examine the scriptures, the teachings, decipher
them, and spread and apply them. Not only that, we live by them. The most
important of all is the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. That is
the water that will never let us thirst again and will become a spring in us
welling up to eternal life.
Verse 24 also caught me attention: "`God is spirit, and his worshipers must
worship in spirit and in truth'" This emphasizes the idea that we should not
live by the world. Once we are in God, we live according to a higher standard,
some people cannot even contemplate it it's so powerful. God is not of this
world so we cannot worship Him by worldly means. We worship in spirit and in
truth.
verse 25 & 26 also caught my attention: "The woman said, `I know that
Messiah' (called Christ) `is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything
to us.' Then Jesus declared, `I who speak to you am he.'"
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 24 - 00
Hey,
How was your weekend? Have fun? Mine was pretty good. It was more of a
college group weekend with college kids from the church. And, of course, there
was TONS of food!!! Heh heh, alright, today i read:
1 Timothy 1:1-11 It is a warning about false teachers and not to fall into
that category. verses 3 - 7:
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that
you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor
to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote
controversies rather than God's work -- which is by faith. The goal of this
command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a
sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless
talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they
are talking aobut or what they so confidently affirm.
The first sentence talks about myths and genealogies. Myths here can also be
understood as superstitions, traditions, etc. Paul goes on to explain what will
result, and that is controversies rather than God's work. In other words,
constant squabbling will arise slowing or ceasing the true work that is to be
done. Then Paul says "which is by faith". This sharply contrasts with the
scene he portrayed in the first sentence. See, those teaching false doctrines
do so because they concentrate on the things of the world, or let the things of
the world affect their thinking, and they rely on their on head knowledge. Paul
says it is by faith that God's work is to be done, not on your on strength or
head knowledge, but by faith. God moves and works according to each persons
faith. When Jesus walked the earth and healed people, he would say, "it is your
faith that has made you well". By faith, God's work is done. Paul also
continues and talks about love. Through love, genuine love as Paul describes
above, the truth comes out. Without it, the people have turned to meaningless
talk. We should be aware and watch out for those such as these and we should
also take care not to become like them. By keeping faith, moving by faith, and
keeping God's greatest command of Love, we can be sure not to fall into the trap
of the false teacher.
Alright, its time to work. Take care all and I'll talk to you later
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 25 - 00
Goooooooood MORNING!!!!
I hope everybody is havin one! Mine was pretty good. Although i only slept
about 5 hours, my aptmate and i still got up and hit the gym. Man, im pumped.
I love hittin the punching bag and speed bag. You listening to music to pump
you up and then your like WHAM, WHAM, WHAM, POOM, POOM,
WHAM, SMACK, WHAM, WHAM.
heh heh, then i jumped rope, practiced jiu jitsu, jumped rope some mo, did
abs. Wrist weights really make a difference too. I took them off for about a
minute to see what it felt like with out them, and i was moving so much faster.
It was tight. But then i put them back on to get the resistance in. Alright.
Today i read John 5:1-15. It was about Jesus going to the healing pool and
healing someone of a sickness he had for 38 years. Apparently, this pool, when
stirred, the first one to get in was healed. This stirring, according to the
little note in my Bible, was caused by an angel of the Lord who came down from
time to time to stir the water. So this guy was always beat to the pool so
thats why he was diseased for 38 years. Jesus comes around and asks him if he
wants to get well. And the guy told his story about always being beat to the
pool. Then Jesus told him to pick up his mat and walk and once, the man picked
up his mat and walked, healed of everything. What struck me was at the end
where vs 14: "Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are
well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you."
Some people may say, How could he say such a thing, i thought God was a
loving God. Yes, He is loving, and he is also absolute purity. There is no sin
in Him. God cannot be around sin thats why He will destroy it at the appointed
time He has set aside. So, coming back, why would Jesus say, "or something
worse will happen to you" First we need to look at the first half of the
quote, "Stop sinning". It's cause and effect. This, or else this will happen.
So it is not by God's hand that something worse will happen to you, it is by
that man's own deeds that something worse will happen to him. The lesson here
is to refrain from sin. Sinning more will only put distance between us and the
Father for He dislikes sin. By sinning more, we become closer with the world
which is ruled by the master of the system of things, Satan. Hence it is
inevitable that something worse will happen because we become closer with the
world than with God. However, sinning less brings us closer to the Father for
we are trying to live lives Holy and unblemished through Jesus Christ. Though
temptation is strong, God has given us something greater to battle the flesh,
and that is the Holy Spirit who abides in us to give us guidance and strength,
understanding and discernment, and more. We all know of things in our lives
which we can stop or reduce. Let's make an effort to do so, it will only bring
us closer to God, a far better thing than what the world has in store. Remain on
the path my brothers, and sistas, the straight and narrow road for at its end
there is life, love, peace.
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 26 - 00
Hey yo,
How are you doing this wednesday? It's the middle of the week, and some
people are stressing, for what? i dont know. But whenever the middle of the
week comes, somebody be stressin. Meanwhile, I be chillin by not lettin the
worries of this world bring me down. Today i read Proverbs 3:1-6:
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your
neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor
and a good name in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with
all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your
ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
First/Second verse: think back when we were under the reigns of our parents,
under their roof. Was it not to our benefit we not forget their teaching?
Instead of tension existing between Parent and child, there existed joy and
happiness, prosperity and a calmer peaceful life. How much more then will this
be if we not forget the teachings and commands of our Heavenly father. Here, he
promises longer life and prosperity.
Third/Fourth verse: By letting love and faithfulness never leave us, we see
the world through unique eyes. Our actions are a result of our emotions or
other state. If love and faithfulness are that state, pure and good things will
our actions be. Not only will this keep us in a good mood, it will affect
others in positive ways. They will see such an awesome demeanor in us that they
grow a new respect toward us. We win favor and a good name in the eyes of man.
More importantly, we win favor and a good name in the sight of God.
Fifth/Sixth verse: This is what i was hinting at in the beginning when i
said, "I be chillin". These verses remind us to Trust in the Lord in all things
and not to rely on our own understanding. There are so many things we cannot
even contemplate but God knows all. By relying on Him, we can be guided by His
limitless knowledge. as the verse says, He will make our paths straight.
However, if we rely on our limited knowledge, we may step into things that could
have totally been avoided, just like when our Moms told us "Son, do not play in
that bush, its poison ivy" (Man, i still remember going in and hiding in that
ivy bush, boy oh boy, i paid for that one, nature did a number on me) This also
results in that place i like to call, chillin. Things happen that can really
really turn us in a bad mood, however if we pause and remember who we have
upstairs to guide us, we enter the state of (heh heh) chill. Rely on the guy
that knows all and wants soo much to help us. All we have to do is believe and
have faith.
Alright, take care and remember, enter the chillin state.
(chillin aka hakuna matata)
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 27 - 00
Today i read Romans 14. Its a chapter about the weak and the strong.
Basically, it saying not to judge the weak, and not to judge the strong, and
just cause someone is weaker or stronger doesnt mean God is with them any
less or anymore. God is with both. So many verses caught my attention, its
just and awesome chapter. Yall should read it. But the verses that really
stood out were 13-18:
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead,
make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in
your brother's way. 14 As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am
fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone
regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15 If
your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no
longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your
brother for whom Christ died. 16 Do not allow what you consider
good to be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a
matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy
in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this
way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Ever hear the line, you are your brother's keeper? This passage is sort
of talking about that. It's saying help your brother to grow in the Lord, to
live according to the word. And it says to not put a stumbling block in his
way that he falls. This stumbling is symbolized as food in this passage.
But it could also mean a multitude of things ie lifestyle, pleasures,
drinking, etc etc. If our brother or sister grew up in an atmosphere where
eating say pork was bad, so by tradition he/she continues not to eat pork,
don't eat pork in front of them. If they careless, then its no problem, but
if our eating of pork in front of them causes them to stumble (ie rage with
anger, curse, cause them to fall away from the faith) then dont do it. For,
as the passage says, we would no longer be acting in love if we went ahead
and ate knowing that it would cause our fellow man/woman to stumble. So here
again looms the word LOVE. Love is key, done in love, true love, many things
do not go awry. So, he who serves Christ is pleasing to God, what does it
matter if he/she doesnt eat pork, it is a minimal thing therefore do not
cause one to stumble over such a matter. Now this can relate to many other
things in our lives. We must keep our eyes and hearts open to the things we
do and becareful that what we do in the presence of brethren does not cause
them to stumble, and what we do privately does not cause us to stumble.
verses 19-21 sums it up:
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to
mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake
of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat
anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not
to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause
your brother to fall.
Have a blessed day and take care. And remember... chiiiiiiill heh heh.
God bless,
- patrick.
7 - 31 - 00
Good Morning All,
Today is yet another Monday. First day of work and other stuff. We made
it to the gym this morining, but TI was hiring more people soo i couldnt get
my boxing on. I had to settle for the beginner's punching bag in the aerobics
room (there were a couple times where i thought i actually broke the thing).
Besides that, the weekend was pretty good chillin with the college folk and
havin a blast.
Well, today i read something from the Old Testament, the time before
Jesus came to earth. It was 2 Kings 6:8-23. At this time Israel was moving
along and such, they had a king and of course a prophet, Elisha, who is the
one that brings God's words to the people for God spoke through the prophets.
Now there was this other group of people trying to do battle with Israel but
coming to no avail. See, God made known to Elisha the enemy's tactics and
plans of ambush and Elisha warned Israel hence foiling the Arameans every
attempt. The King of Aram sort of got ticked off thinking he had a betrayer
amidst his group. But then he was told that it was the prophet Elisha who
somehow knows the kings every plan. The King sent someone to find Elisha,
then sent an army to surrond the place Elisha was at and capture him. Here
comes the awesome part:
15 When the servent of the man of God got up and went out early the
next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the
city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. 16 "Don't
be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more
than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open
his eyes so he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes and
he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all
around Elisha.
Remember when i wrote to you earlier about the state of chill? To trust
in the Lord under all circumstances and worry not? What do you think Elisha
was doing? Was he worried at all? No way. He was chillin. His servant
however was afraid, and asked the question. Here is the next awesome part,
Elisha asked God to open the servants eyes so that he may see. Low and
behold, Elisha was surrounded by a spiritual army, God's army, clad in
chariots of fire!! No one could see this things, only Elisha saw this and
now the servant. The Aramean army had no idea. From this, we can see that
those who serve God, have faith, and pray, God will protect. Now this
spiritual force could easily have wiped out the Aramean army, after all, they
were coming after a prophet, someone whom God spoke to via visions, riddles,
and any means He saw fit. Did they? Nope, Elisha asked that they be blinded,
then Elisha led them to Samaria where Israel was. Then Elisha prayed that
their eyes would once again be opened, and God took away their blindness. The
King of Israel asked Elisha, should i kill them. And Elisha answered no, feed
them and send them on their way. 23 ..."So the bands from Aram stopped raiding
Israel's territory". God showed them mercy, these Arameans deserved to be
destroyed yet God allowed them to continue living. In this, we can see the
grace of God whom He gives freely. Elisha, a prophet of God, also showed
mercy. He could easily have said to the King of Israel, yeah go ahead and
kill him. But he did not, rather he said feed them and send them on their
way. Those who follow the ways God also share in His value system: love.
This is such an awesome event, God's power is unimaginable, yet He shows
mercy, and those who follow Him, need not worry for He will never leave us
nor forsake us. Though we cannot see, God see's and knows all. Rely on Him
and not on our own understanding.
Well, i hope this finds you all well. Have a great day and remember to
look to God in all you do. PEACE, im out.
God bless,
- patrick
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