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9 - 1 - 00
WAazzuuUUUUuUuUUUuP!!!!
How are you doing? It's been awhile I know, i apologize. Rush is
over... finally. It was pretty cool, except of course the severe LACK of
sleep that we get. I never knew Rush was so intricate. We got a good class i
think, 8 pledges. We are still waitin on one of the guys so it may be 9 (like
we want). They each of their own character and they will add to the culture
of the house. What was more exciting to find out was that one of the pledges
is a Christian. I didnt know this until a day after he pledged. As far as
me, i'm chillin now. Sleep is back to normal, and we are now in the middle
of Christian Rush. We are trying to get as many Christians as we find plugged
into some fellowship. As far as the house, i dont know if i told you already,
but I was elected House Manager. I make sure the house doesnt fall apart and
such. It's also an exec comm position. aight, on to scripture.
John 6:16-21
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got
into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark,
and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the
waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed three or three and a half miles,
they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were
terrified. 20 But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." 21 Then they
were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the
shore where they were heading.
This passage is about a miracle where Jesus walked on water. In the other
Gospels, there is more detail. But let's look at this record. The disciples
had set off. They were going somewhere. Everyday, we go somewhere, we set
some path, and walk. "A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough."
As we go our ways, we come across struggles. Strong winds blow, sometimes we
sway. The waters grow rough, times just get rocky. Sometimes we feel we
cannot bear it any longer. This could be married life, school, social life,
job, relationships, and many more. But then, the disciples saw Jesus, some
figure walking on water, and they were terrified. Walking on water,
BAAAAAAAAAM!!!! Isnt that something? And they were terrified. Of course,
they did not know for certain if it was Jesus, they just saw some kat chillin,
walkin on the water, w/o a worry in the world. Strong winds are blowin, and
the waters are rough, yet this figure walks unwavering. They saw something
with authority, something that was greater than them, or had more power, and
hence were terrified. What was this thing coming their way. Then Jesus said,
"It is I; don't be afraid." At this, they realized, this figure walking
towards them, that terrified them with its mere presence, was none other than
their Lord whose cup overfloweth with Love. This power coming toward them,
was their friend, striking terror it may seem, they need not fear for He is
with them. The demons however, see and tremble. Jesus is great. More
importantly, "It is I; don't be afraid." See, when the winds are strong, and
the waters are rough, look to God, and don't be afraid. He is there, and will
never leave you, nor forsake you. Our Lord, having such greatness, is with us.
"It is I; don't be afraid"
Well, I'm glad im back on again. School starts next week, and the
challenges will begin. It's all good, i like a good challenge. Alrighty
then, take care and i hope classes go well for you, and those of you with
jobs, i hope it goes well too.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 4 - 00
Hey Hey Hey,
How's it going? Chillin over here. I just bought four new Christian
CD's. They are pretty good. Titles are: Cross Movement - House of
Representatives, Knowdaverb - the action figure, Stacie Orrico - genuine,
aaaand Party Mix 2. I'm listening to Knowdaverb right now. Anywho, classes
start wednesday. It's unbelievable how many meetings i have in the next
couple days!!. Ah well, gotta do what i gotta do. On to Scripture.
Today, i read Psalm 34. Here are verses 1 - 5:
1 I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my
lips. 2 My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and
rejoice. 3 Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my
fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never
covered with shame.
Verses 1 - 3 remind us of an awesome experience... Worship. You may have
noticed the power of music. Music puts people in a different kind of mood. It
is as if music speaks to the soul. As we sing songs of praise and worship to
the Lord, we enter into a whole other level. I mean, when I singing to my
God, I am joyous. I sing for Him, i sing with mind and spirit. The psalmist
here says that praise will be on his lips always. What better way to allow
the body and soul to remain in constant chill? Awesome ain't it? Then the
pslamist goes to the next level talking about exalting His name together!!
Now some of you have been to a concert, and you know how crazy it gets. Songs
of praise to the Lord edify us as well as give Glory to the Father. So check
this, imagine you in your singing mood. now imagine two people joining you in
song. now imagine 5 more coming. The genuine atmosphere is most awesome.
One can feel the presence of God there!! All glory is given to the one above,
and each person is experiencing satisfaction, joy, growth in both body and
soul. Try it sometime.
Verses 4 - 5 talk about seeking the Lord. If we seek, we will find. The
Lord will answer and He will deliver us from all fears. Once we realize how
awesome He is, our position as his children, we become delivered from our
fears for we have nothing to fear: The Creator is with us. So we who look to
him are radiant. Shame should we have? No way. We have something Great,
something on the next level that the world, lest they seek, cannot understand.
Our news is so good, we share it with them so they too may know and gain this
great thing. After all, everyone has access to it, they only need reach out
and accept it. Shame, not me. I have nothing to be shameful for. In God, my
life is awesome. Fears, relatively few. Problems, yeah they come, but then
they go. My demeanor during times of trouble, relaxed, in the state of chill
for i have God and he watcheth over me. What is there to be ashamed about?
Nothing.
Aight, well, i have to head to a meeting. I hope everyone is doing aight.
Hit me back sometime with how yall are doing. Check you later.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 5 - 00
Hey,
Goooooood Morning! Today is Tuesday Sept. 5th, the day before classes
start. hmmmm, wonder how this day is going to go. I have an advisor meeting
to register for my classes at 11am. This will be the first time i meet this
advisor so hopefully all goes well. Other than that, i've been up since 8
handlin random business, mostly house business. Meetings galore have i today.
At 5:30 i have a meeting with my fellowship, at 8pm i have an exec comm
meeting at the house, and at 9 we have a house meeting (which probably wont
end till 12pm). It's all good though, Fred and I are going to try and get a
work out in between 12 and 5:30, sometime around there. And i also got to hit
the Home Depot to pick up some supplies for the house. Another fun filled
day of adventure. I'm serious, get to bump into new people throughout the
day. Aight, on to Scripture.
Today I read Proverbs 15. I didn't read all of it because there is just soo
much good stuff in each verse. We'll go through the first 6 verses:
1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Checkit, when was the last time you got in an argument? Now think about the
cause of the argument... Now, think as to why the situation erupted into an
altercation... More than likely a situation came about and rather than
levelheaded, one of the party members involved blew up. In other words, no
gentle answer came from their lips. From everyday experience we all know that
we would sooner aid someone who spoke with a gentle demeanor than someone who
was harsh and crude. The basic human reaction to harsh words is, as the verse
says, anger. Anger in itself is not bad, it is the actions that follow that
may lead to something undesirable, for instance, a huge billowing argument
over the fact that the desk chair was turned east instead of west. Remember
to act in love, and from love comes gentleness (among other things).
Gentleness leads to a gentle answer which then turns away wrath. I can
remember a time when i was really angry and confronted someone. I wanted to
hear what he was going to say, and then explode. He replied in a gentle
answer. The result, my anger subsided.
2 The tongue that of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of
fool gushes folly.
Here its talking about the wise and the fool. The tongue of the wise
commend knowledge. But the mouth of the fool speaks all kinds of nonsense.
Their thoughts may be incoherent. Their words sooooooo farfetched. Yet, they
do not realize it. Message here is to be like the wise, be wise. Don't act
the fool. Speak truth and knowledge, not folly.
3 The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and
the good.
I was listening to TD Jakes of The Potter's House church in Texas.
Something he said reminds me of this verse. We know that the Lord's eyes are
everywhere, watching over us, good and bad. But do we believe it? Bishop
Jakes was saying that the root of all evil is unbelief. Now if we think about
it a lil more, we can see why. If we really trully believed that Jesus was
right there with us, i mean sittin next to you right now (cuz he is, maybe not
sittin but he is there), would we do the things we know not too? If we truly
truly believed he was right there, looking at what we are looking at, would we
be lookin? If we truly truly believed he was right there while we speak with
our friends, would we have used foul language? would we have spewed a dirty
joke or two? would we have said a "white" lie? Come to think of it, if we
truly truly believed, many of the things we do now, or in "secret", we would
not do. I mean, da MAN is right there with us!! know what im sayin? heh heh.
And it's awesome, not only can we rest secure in the knowledge that he is
there with us, we can also have personal communion with Him, we can chill with
Him, He wont leave or forsake us, He will be there to pick us up, and MORE!!
So believe it truly my bruthaz and sistaz, He is there with us, always as our
Lord, Comforter, King, and Brother.
Hmmm, i was going to write about the next 3 verses, but i'll save them for
tomorrow. This is good stuff. Some people think everything is all about the
New Testament, but the Old and New Testament go hand in hand. By examining
them together, we gain more insight into the Mysteries of God. I hope you
have an excellent day, dont forget to chill and fun. Take care and I'll talk
to you later.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 6 - 00
Hey,
Well today was the first day of classes. They seem aiiiight thus far.
One of them is maaaad boring though so I'm going to have to switch
recitations. Havent had japanese yet, that will be tomorrow. I'm excited
about this year though. On to scripture.
Proverbs 4 - 6.
4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful
tongue crushes the spirit.
The Word speaks in many places about the tongue. Our ability to speak is
powerful. The things we say can do much good, or much damamge. Here, in the
Old Testament, the Word tells us about the power of the tongue. The tongue
that brings healing. This means a multitude of things. Healing includes
uplifting someone, congratulating people, speaking words of comfort, speaking
gently, speaking truth, greeting someone, and more. When we uplift someone
with our words, their day becomes better, they may rise from a sad mood to a
joyous one, from death to life: a tree of life. It is the same when we speak
the truth to others, we become as a tree of life for we bring healing. In His
word, God calls those whose tongue brings healing a tree of life!! That's
such a great honor. But the tongue that is deceitful crushes the spirit. We
all know this and have probably felt the effects of this. Some talking down
to you, all the time, trying to make you inferior, sometimes that person
succeeds and crushes the other persons spirit. Thats when emotional or
nervous breakdowns occur among a myriad of other things. Satan's deceitful
tongue is all about crushing the spirit for those who fall prey share his
fate. Thats why we must use our tongue to bring healing and become that tree
of life.
5 A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction
shows prudence.
Again, qualities of the wise, and qualities of the unwise. Those who heed
correction end up better themselves as well as those around them. What person
would want to go on doing things incorrectly? It's one thing if we dont know
we are doing something incorrectly, but another if we do know. Discipline is
something to be done in love. Granted, there are those in the world who have
a sick definition of discipline. The discipline this verse is talking about
is the discipline coming with love, the one that our parents gave us so that
we would be raised with high morals, the one that we give to our younger
brothers or sisters, the one we will give to our future sons and daughters.
There is also the discipline we give to our fellow brothers and sisters in
Christ. The fool is the one who heeds not this discpline. It goes in one ear
and out the other. What he/she doesnt realize is that this discipline is not
for the dealers benefit, but his or her own. We discipline so that we grow
spiritually, emotionally, physically. So that we grow in character and in
morality. The one who spurns discipline loses all this, and for what? As my
brothers in Delta Kappa Epsilon say, "Don't be that guy". Show prudence
instead =|;?)
6 The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income
the wicked brings them trouble.
Being a good steward of our income. We should watch the things we purchase
cuz they can either uplift us, or bring us down. Some things we buy can even
tempt us to do things we know we should not. Hence the proverb, the income
of the wicked brings them trouble. No need to mention certain leaders whose
income brought them trouble, i'm sure you all know. But there are also the
many other instances that we dont here about that are occuring all around us.
Maybe even our closest friends. Things they buy causing them to have an
internal struggle with themselves. Inner turmoil. There are some things that
hurt worse but inner turmoil is definitely a big one. Be good stewards with
our cash flow so that our house, meaning house that we live in and the house
that our soul lives in (our bodies), contain great treasure. Treasure is
better than trouble, most def.
Yo, Proverbs is a PHAT book!!! There is sooo much good advice in there
pertinent to our everyday lives. I've written many of them on my webpage back
in january. chickittycheckit out, and better still, open up to Proverbs and
take a look. me webpage, if you not know, is thus: (heh heh)
web.mit.edu/dranem05/www
click on the advice link, and you are there.
Aight, peace out my brethren and sistaz. much love.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 7 - 00
Konban wa!!
Heh heh, that means good evening in Japanese. Yup, i had my first
japanese class today. After all administrata, we began class..... and we were
not allowed to speak englis, period. The FIRST DAY!!! But it was all good.
We got pronunciation down and such. Everybody is started to get settled in,
problem sets are already being assigned, and the whole shebang. I'm glad the
weekend is coming up though, a lil time to relax before the storm. Well, on
to scripture.
Today I read Matthew 19:1-12. It's kinda funny that, while continuing
Bible roulette (as I always do), i opened up to this specific passage. You
see, its about Marriage, more importantly, divorce. Chickitycheckthis out:
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for
a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" 4 "Haven't you
read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male
and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father
and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one
flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has
joined together, let man not separate."
Before I go on, let's stop here and take a look at what's happening. The
Pharisees are a religious group tryin to find any conceivable wrong that Jesus
could do, and snatch him. Here, they try to test him. And they asked the
divorce question. Jesus, being all calm and collected faith, the state of chill =|;?) > ,
answered them with references from Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Now
let's understand these words, for this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be united with his wife. What reason? the reason of marriage.
Looka here, dis brutha meets dis sista and the click. They be chillin, seein
each other, doing things that are wholesome and Godly. Sometime passes and
they believe they have found their mate. So they decide to get wed. So for
this reason, a man will leave his father and mother....... here comes the
important part ....... and be UNITED with his wife. Today, many people don't
really know what marriage really is, they dont understand what getting married
really means. Society has desensitized the concept of marriage and people just
dont understand. Marriage isnt some transitory contract and when one gets
tired of it, its okay to break it. Its marriage is where a man and a woman
become UNITED. Jesus goes on, "and the two will become one flesh". What does
united mean? Coming together to form one. Once someone gets married, the
true meaning is that he is no longer john smith and she is no longer shirley
temple (heh heh heh), they, instead, are some new entity, a union of a man and
a woman, one flesh. It's something very special and unique. The world is
trying to make people forget about that important part, hence the marriages
seen today are frankly pitiful, it's sad. The people just dont know the true
depth of marriage. And here it is, all along, in the very first book of the
Bible (Genesis 2:24 for the curios). Once people again realize the true
meaning, they will ponder the decision in another light and with more
seriousness. And when marriage occurs it will be as God created it, something
special, unique, celestial, beyond words. Let's continue:
7 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a
certificate of divorce and send her away?" 8 Jesus replied, "Moses
permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But
it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who
divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries
another woman commits adultery."
The grounds for divorce? What are they? Jesus states in verse nine, marital
unfaithfulness. What is marital unfaithfulness? Adultery. What is adultery?
Marital unfaithfulness. In lay mans terms, having an affair. Why this? Why
should marital unfaithfulness be the grounds for divorce and not anything
else? Remember the UNITED bit Jesus spoke about earlier? Remember the one
flesh deal? Having an affair entails sexual relations with someone who is not
your wife, or your husband. What happens to that unity then? What happens to
that one flesh? What happens that that special unique thing that husband and
wife had? It is broken. It is tainted. This leads to another injustice
society is placing on itself. It is teaching that sexual relations before
marriage.... is okay. Yet. what the world does not realize is that sexual
relations is one doorway to unity of a man and woman. The unity that should
not be broken with anyone else hence the command in the Bible that sexual
relations happen in marriage and only in marriage. It's not for His own
benefit God gave this command, but for us. So that we maintain our integrity
and experience that special union He created for us. We share more than just
bodily fluids, there is trust, heart, love, soul, character, and more in the
act said above. Let's keep it sacred. Allow it to be more than what the
world has downgraded it to. Remember how deep the true meaning of marriage
is. And when that day does come, you will have what many do not, something
special, something unique, something on another level. In fact, it will be
something not of this world.
Aight my bruthaz and sistaz, i gots ta jet. keep it real and i'll talk to
you later.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 12 - 00
Konniti wa!!
Yeah yeah, i've gotta practice my japanese so here and again, i'll blurt
some of it out. Hai. So how are you doing? I'm feeling a lil tired today.
Soooo, i didnt get up and run this morning. That makes two mornings in a row
that i missed my run and ab work. First day because i forgot my class was at
9, not 10. So far this doesnt bode well. I should be back on track though,
i'll let you know tomorrow. Classes are going aight. My first pset is due
tonight at midnight. Just one more q, and then, dekimasita (done, complete).
I am also very excited about tonight's Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship campus
meeting. Many of my friends should be coming, from my frat and from frats
across the river. It's a very exciting time as God continues to move and
work. Faith. On to Scripture.
Today I read Revelation 22:1-6:
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear
as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down
the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the
river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yield-
ing its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the
healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The
throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants
will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on
their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not
need the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.
And they will reign for ever and ever. 6 The angel said to me,
"These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the
spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the
things that must soon take place."
Many of you may know, Revelation is the book of future prophecy. It is very,
very esoteric. There is so much imagery and other styles of writing that make
it even that much harder to understand. And this of course is for a reason.
A lot of Revelations spells doom and harsh times. It speaks about the end of
this system of things and the coming of a new system. This block of
scripture, Rev 22:1-6, is one of those blocks speaking of the new system to
come. It is a light at the end of a tunnel. It's probably no coincidence
that this passage is in the final chapter of Revelation, acting as a light at
the end of a long dangerous tunnel. It is a light. The river of life will
flow from the very throne of God and of the Lamb, down the middle of the great
street of this new city. It will not only flow, but be as clear as crystal,
clearer than anything we have ever seen, pure. Its name is the water of life.
What could that mean? Could it mean the very basic fact that we all know,
that water is necessary for life? Or could it mean that this is the water
that all those who came to Christ, walked the walk, talked the talk, all those
who gained salvation, that this water is for those lives, for they have gained
life? Hence it is the water of life? Or is it something else? Whatever it
is, it is as clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God, down the middle
of great street, of the new city.... how awesome is that!! And then, on each
side of this river stood the tree of life. It doesnt say trees of life, it
says the tree of life. How massive must this tree be? It is to be on each
side of this great river, yet be one single tree? Can you contemplate it?
And then, it bears twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month....
did you hear that? Twelve crops of fruit...... every month.... Every month.
This tree will never cease to bear fruit, unlike the vegetation of today that
has to go through a period where it does not bear fruit. And it is the tree
of LIFE? What does this mean? The number twelve also has some significance.
I am guessing it may symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel. But who knows for
certain? Can you contemplate this? And its leaves, its leaves will heal the
nations. How can a leaf heal nations? Are we talking real bonafide leaves
here? or do the leaves symbolize those whom God will "knight" to go and heal?
Can you contemplate this? No longer will there be any curse, the throne of
God and of the lamb will be in the city. God will be in our midst, face to
face. We will see his face, and his name will be on our foreheads. Just as i
speak to some of you in person, we will speak with God. I mean, He will be
right there visible to our very eyes. Checkit, we can chiiiiiiiill with da
MAN, da King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, just chillin. Not only that, we
will know his very name. Right now, all we know is that he said, "I am that I
am". He is the "I am". But in that glorious day, we will know his name and
it will be written on our foreheads. No nighttime, no need for a lamp, or the
light of the sun. God will give us light. What kind of light can this be?
Can you imagine? If its not the light of the sun, nor the light of a lamp,
then what, electricity? What does God have in store? Can you imagine? Then
the angel said, these words are trustworthy and true and God sent his angel to
show his servants the things that must soon take place. This light at the end
of the tunnel, its a promise. God cannot lie. The things in this passage
will take place when we are with Him. Life, with the Father. Isnt this such
an awesome thing? Now look back and see where i kept asking the question,
"can you contemplate/imagine it?" The wonders and mysteries of God are
endless. That which he has in store for us, we cannot even come to realize
how, what, why, who and all those other questions and methods engineers use to
discover things. These are the things of God.
I also want to bring up something else. This is such an awesome promise...
but how many will share in it? Will our close friends be there? Will our
parents be there? Will our siblings? our cousins? our pen pal? our boss? our
babysitter? our colleagues?
...........
"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age"
- Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20)
Aight bruthaz and sistaz, its that time again. Got ta hit da books.... with
a vengeance heh heh. Remember love your neighbor as you love yourself. From
love, many things flow. Sayonara!!!
God bless,
- patrick
ps - hit me back with the 411 (information) on how yall are doing. Peace
9 - 13 - 00
Ohayoo!!
Hello peeps. How is it goin? Me? I'm doing aight. I didnt run this
morning and all that good stuff cuz i got to bed to late last night. Its no
excuse, heh heh, i got caught up in playing Street Fighter Alpha 3. I was
playin on difficulty level 4 and didnt have to continue once..... untill i got
to Bison. He tore me up. Yo, when i tell you computers can cheat, i aint
lyin. On a certain difficulty level, the game engine allows the artificially
intelligent computer controlled enemies to neglect "charge" time. See, some
moves you have to charge for 2 to 4 seconds before you can pull it off. Not
Bison, im tellin you the computer be cheatiiiiiin. But anway, i finally beat
him after so many continues (i was playin with Charlie) and I must say i
enjoyed the ending. It was longer and more involved than the endings you get
for beating it on levels 1 through 3. Turbo on speed 4 didnt make it any
easier either. Let's see, it was about 3:30am, heh heh. As far as today, i
lost my chill for about 2 hours. Somehow, all my notes that i took for all my
classes dissappeared...AND my problem set that was due at 4pm but i had to
turn in at 3 cuz i had a class from 3-4 dissappeared too. At 2:00pm is when i
realized this. I was lookin and lookin, not finding not finding, meanwhile i
had to deal with the smoke detector people who were because it's part of my
job as House Manager, I about exploded. I wont lie to you, i was pissed. And
i lost my chill, and it didnt feel to good. I just kept gettin more and more
enraged, however i refrained from hittin or breakin anything or anybody. I
had to rewrite my whole pset, turn it in, arrive late to my class, and
meanwhile the thoughts continue to go through my head, and im not chillin.
Class ended and i went to 10-250, the only possible room i thought i could
have lost the notes in, and there it was. I instantly became happy again and
gained back my sense of chill. After re-entering the state of chill, i
realized things that i had done while not in the state of chill and asked for
forgiveness. Man, the state of chill is soooo awesome, you're at a whole
other level. Aight, on to
Scripture:
Kyoo (today), i read Philippians 3:12-14 :
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances
you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all
together in perfect unity.
This passage speaks of virtues that we should portray in our lives. When
people see us, they should see compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience. Even if one is not Christian, these virtues are excellent to have.
But many do not. As Christians we strive to own these virtues, to be set
apart from the world, and to act as alight. We cant have these virtues if we
hold grudges with each other though. What happens when you hold a grudge?
You continue to think about it, you disposition becomes more bitter, you might
moan, you devise scheming plans to get back at whoever, you become nasty to
the people around you, soon you become volatile, and more. And this is a
process, the longer we hold a grudge, the further along the path of hatred we
crawl... did i say crawl? i meant run. Let's not hold grudges, its better not
only for the person ivolved, but even for our own very health and growth. And
then, holding the virtues of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience, and soon owning them, will come much easier, no? The most important
verse here i think is verse 14. Over all of theses virtues, verse 14 says put
on love. And then it says love is what binds them all together. And not just
binds them, but binds them together in p e r f e c t unity. Love is the
greatest command. Ponder on love, true love, not the messed up world's
definition of love, but love as told and lived by Jesus, as defined in the
Word. And then think on what will flow from one who acts in love.
Aight, today was a quickie, i realized i started getting long and i also
realize that people dont have that much time. So, im headin back to my roots,
like i did way back in the beginning of summer, writin a lil somethin somethin
with meaning. Aight, peace out, sayonarra.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 14 - 00
Konniti wa,
Hmm, today is gonna be a busy day. very busy. How about you? It's also
nearing the end of the first full week of school for us here at MIT. For
some, its already been difficult. But its all good. The passage I read today
speaks about difficult times somewhat. Today I read:
Matthew 11: 25 - 30. Here are verses 28-30:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls 30 For my yoke is easy and
my burden is light.
First, as we can see, Jesus shows no discrimination. He says "kimasu, all you
who are weary and burdened" (kimasu means come, but in this context, since
Jesus is talking, it means come to me) Notice he says ALL. It's an open
invitation, all we need to do is accept. Accept and ikimasu (go). For he
will give us reast, not only physically but spiritually, emotionally, and any
other -allies you can think of. Mind, body, and spirit. How can he do this?
For he is gentle and humble. there are plenty of other reasons, but he gives
these two. Gentle and humble. Society is not gentle, nor humble. Granted,
there are the exceptions but they are relatively few. You look at the
business world, and its cut throat: companies buying up small companies,
bigger companies driving their prices low than the little man (some small time
competitor) so that the little man is driven out of business by the rules of
economics, blackmail, covet operations, stress, pressure, and the list goes
on. The yoke of the world is hard, and its burden is heavy. Jesus invites us
to come tohim, to take his yoke, for his yoke is easy, and his burden is
light. For us who are in college, we are probably already feeling the effects
of pressure, grades, problem sets, social life, and more; for those in the
work place, you may be at crunch time, tempers rising, emotions raging, or
simply have become a mechanical "human"; Why wage this battle alone? Let's
remember that God is there with us, always. He has given the invitation, we
need only accept, his yoke is easy, and his burden is light.
Aight, time to rip through my last two remaining psets, check you later.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 18 - 00
Konnitiwa,
Totemo ii desu ka (is everything all good)? Ii desu yo (im aight). Kyoo
(today) was a nice day up here in MA. I was actually up since 7am. I had to
learn how to write some japanese characters, 12 of 'em. Is all good. My
first class was at 9, artificial intelligence. It's such and awesome class.
It's gettin harder though, quick. Besides that, not to much has been going
on... except some stuff i've been observing in some of my friends. It's not a
bad thing, but its kinda funny. Many of my friends are all of a sudden gettin
girlfriends or have had them for awhile now. But, as time progresses, they
are becoming more and more, what do you call it, whupped. heh heh. What the
lady says they do.... w/o hesitation (okay, maybe a lil but it doesnt last).
And, heh heh, a couple of these guys, at the beginning of the term, said they
wanted to work out with me so they can get stronger. They like my workouts
cuz they are hard and they work. But the woman came along, aaaaand it aint
happenin. Even my Jiu Jitsu partner. We had a plan to be like Ken and Ryu (2
characters in Street Fighter who were childhood training partners and even
now, awesome awesome fighters). To train and reach optimal fighting potential
and conditioning edge. It aint happenin. heh heh. it's all good though, i'm
used to training on my own, the lone warrior. I'll just have to become like
Drizzt, a character from the Dark Elf Trilogy and one who rejected the way of
his people (dark elves were an evil race) and sought the ways of justice and
good. He also happened to be the apex of weapons masters in this society all
through training. After he escaped his heritage, he survived in the "wild"
known as the underdark where he had to hone his skills to utmost perfection in
order to survive. He finally got to the surface and lived to protect, a lone
warrior.
On to scripture.
Kyoo I read Matthew 7:7-8
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and
the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he
who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
We all have questions, we all have things we wish to find. Here, Jesus says
to ask, and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock, and the door will
open. In the next verse, he sort of repeats what he said, except he emphasize
who is doing the asking. He says for EVERYONE who asks, who seeks, and who
knocks. See, there is a distinct difference, we can ask, but if we dont
expect and answer, will we get one? If you ask, and not believe, what does
that show? It shows a doubt, a little lack of faith. If you seek, and not
truly seek, will you find? Nope. When was the last time you sought for
something that had meaning. Did you do it half-heartedly? Probably not,
especially if it was important to you. Awhile ago i spoke about a verse that
said something about earnestly seeking. Those who seek, not just seek but
earnestly seek, will find. Why? Because they truly wish to find, they truly
wish to realize the truth, their heart is in it, their soul even, they
earnestly and genuinely want to know. To those who seek in this manner, they
will find, its a promise Jesus gave. After asking, and after seeking, knock.
Finish the job, push thru to the end, never let up, never go down, knock and
the door will be opened. This passage is used a lot in speaking to
non-believers, or people on the verge of believing. And it seems that it is
most important that they know this, that if they do ask, earnestly seek, and
knock, they will receive an answer, find, and the door will be opened. Jesus
welcomes all, he only waits for you to knock and he will open the door with
open arms. It's a powerful passage. But it also has significance in the
lives of those who are already believers. It is a reassurance that He is
there, always. We need only ask, seek, and knock. As we continue to examine
the scriptures and encounter real life situations, we will most definitely
have questions to ask, things to seek, and doors to knock on. And if we
believe and do not doubt, we will be answered, we will find, and the door will
be opened.
I hope the rest of your day goes well. I'm a be chillin for a lil bit,
then i have to do a massive amount of work. I want to make today as productive
as possible. Check you later.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 19 - 00
Konnitiwa!!
Kyoo omosirokatta desu ka? (Was today interesting or fun?) Kyoo tottemo
omosirokatta desu yo. (My day was very interesting). I was operating on 4
hours sleep (actually, a tad less) and i went to japanese class. Had a quiz,
i beat it like a red-headed step child, then we spoke japanese the rest of the
period. Well, my mind couldnt really function and i was messing up as far as
the tiny important details are concerned when speaking, such as ka and yo. You
say ka at the end of asking a question, and yo if you are supplying new
information. There isn't supposed to be a pause between blahblabh and yo or
blahblah and ka. Yeah, you guessed it, i kept pausing, and other such stuff.
Then we move along to 6.002 (circuits and electronics). I love this class cuz
the lecturer is maaad tight. At first, the whole staff came in, they were all
black suits and shades. Then, at the end of class, the lecturer said they had
a lil demonstration to give. They walk out, and the music starts. MIB was
being blasted from the speakers in the lecture hall (Men In Black). And the
staff scattered around the room stood up, lookin all stiff, Men in Black.
Then 3 of them enter the room at the front - the lecturer and two other guys -
shades and everything. Movin to the music, they were also carryin chain saws.
Then they did some more crazy stuff, and the main lecturer attempted to saw
through some electronics - a laptop. It was pretty funny, the whole thing
seeing grown guys just chillin and havin fun with what they were doin. On to
Scripture.
Kyoo, I read Matthew 21:14-16
The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.
15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the
wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area,
"Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. 16 "Do you hear
what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied
Jesus, "have you never read,
"'From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise'?"
Today I'm taking a lil twist from the previous emails. This one is about the
person of Jesus. Verse 14 and the beginning of 15 sets us up showing the great
things Jesus is doing. It talks about healing and compassion, joy and
peace... except for the chief priests and teachers of the law. They saw this
and were indignant. Probably very pissed off. If you notice it says teachers
of the Law. So these guys know the law. And they asked Jesus, do you hear
what they are saying. What were the children in fact saying? They were saying
Hosanna to the Son of David. Seems pretty innocent right. If you look even
deeper, they are actually praising Jesus. And even deeper, they are praising
and Worshipping this Son of David. And Jesus did not rebuke them. The
teachers of the Law, at this point, are shocked beyond belief. How is this
man accepting praise from men? If this man were truly a man of God, he would
rebuke them.... for the law says "Thou shalt not have any other gods besides
me", we are to "worship the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and
strength". So these teachers were pissed. They come up to da man and say,
"who do you think your are G? You think your da bomb or somethin!? All
accepting "PRAISE" and such?" If Jesus was not God, these children would be
breaking God's command, Jesus would be breaking God's command. Yet, the Bible
teaches that Jesus was without sin, else he would not have been a worthy
sacrifice. Since the Bible says he was a worthy sacrifice and he was and
still is w/o sin, then his accepting of praise and worship from the children
was not sin. Follow me closely now, here comes the clincher. Now if the law
says not to have any other gods besides me (me being God, the One and Only,
the I AM that I AM), and Jesus came to fulfill the law not abolish it, what
does that say about the person of Jesus? Who was he? He was without sin, so
this situation did not result in Him sinning. He was accepting praise, and
only God the One and Only can accept praise. Who is this "man" that accepts
praise and yet does not break the law but fulfills it when he does accept
praise? Who else can it be, but God. Ponder this intently, its one of many
major proofs in the Bible of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Over the Summer i
was doing a study on the Person of Jesus and God, and the Holy Spirit, Jesus,
and God. I found some totemo omosiroi desu (very interesting) stuff. This
passage is just one of many.
Aiiiiiight, time to bounce. Peace be to all my peeps, especially my family
and friends in Florida where that severe storm was passin through. God is
with you always. take care.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 20 - 00
Konban wa!!
Yup, new greeting. You know why? Cuz its 10pm. It means good evening.
So how has you day been? its almost over. And tomorrow starts a new day.
aaaaaand a major japanese quiz for me. Sooo, i have a request. Can yall pray
that i gain a better understanding of the language as i study tonight please?
Totemo arigatoo gozaimasu!! (Thank you veeery much). On to Scripture
Today i read Acts 10:24-48. It was a about Peter, a jew, going over to
Cornelius' House, a gentile. Peter went to his crib cuz Cornelius servents
went to Peter's crib asking him to come over. Apparently, an angel appeared
to Cornelius as he was praying and told him to send for one named Simon who is
called Peter. So Peter goes to this place, enter's and says although it is
against the law of the jews to associate with gentiles, he came for God has
shown him he should not call any man impure or unclean. Here is the part I
wanna concentrate on:
34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God
does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who
fear him and do what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to
the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus
Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout
Judea ...."
This is a big big big event in this time period for Jews did not associate
with Gentiles, and Gentiles were not people who knew God. Yet here is this
Gentile (non-Jew) who knew the true God. What's going on? Something awesome,
something big, the very news Jesus was spreading: God is there for all, no
matter what race, color, stature, status, past, etc. He came for Jew, and for
Gentile, all creation. Peter is now realizing how true this is and its going
to cuz a huge commotion in that time period. And it is still true even
today!!! Poor, rich, happy, sad, crippled, healthy, young, old, it doesnt
matter, God loves and cherishes all and waits with open arms for you to come.
All can have that peace, the good news of peace through Jesus Christ.
tighter than tight huh!!!! And it's so simple.
Aight, be chill my people, be chill. Aint no thang but a chicken wang.
And remember this:
"Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs."
- Proverbs 10:12
Peace, Love, and Honor
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 21 - 00
Waassuuuuuuuuuuuuuuupi!!
Believe it or not, that's japanese. It's actually a japanese hot sauce,
very hot stuff i hear. But anyway, as far as my quiz today, yokatta desu yo
(I did well). Thanks for the prayers. 2 down, 1 more to go. My last quiz in
japanese... for this week ...is asita (tomorrow). I just have to learn about
15-20 more japanese words. Other than that, i have two psets due tomorrow
that i need to crack down on. And then, im hoooome free, for a day or so. On
to Scripture.
Today I read Ezekiel 18:30-32. In this passage, Israel was being told
about how they will be judged as declared by the Sovereign Lord, and other
such things. Verse 32 especially caught my attention:
"32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the
Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!"
Some people have a misconception about who God is, what He does, how He deals
out punishment. Some people see Him as some domineering being that is going
to kill you if you dont do this this this and that. Some people think He is
some dictator bearing down on us with eyes like steel, cold and lifeless. So,
inevitably, some people do not wish to come to know who He is because they
have this misconception. I mean, all they need is some other being ordering
them around. It's too bad, cuz its a false misconception leading people
astray. Verse 32 says a lot. It says that God takes no pleasure in the death
of anyone... anyone. After all, we are His creation, His son's and
daughter's. If you had a son or daughter, this being came from a you and your
spouse, grew inside the momma for 9 months, and enters the world. This is
your offspring. Would you take plesure in his or her death? Would you take
pleasure in the death of you niece or nephew? your cousin? grandma? Maybe you
might be mad at one of them and be like, "yeah!", but it all honesty, if it
did actually happen, grief would come. It's the same way with God, he created
us and doesnt want to see one of us perish. So he tells us how not to perish.
He tells us to repent, cast off our old dark ways and turn toward the light,
and live. Repent, and life shall come our way, eternal life. He wants us to
live. One reason why people believe the misconception above is because when
we dont repent, whose side are we on? There is no middle road, its either one
or the other. Those who do not repent voluntarily move farther from God. And
what can God do? He isnt going to force you to come to him, his offer is on
the table, and we just need to take it. But if we voluntarily walk away, we
walk towards the world. Towards the master of this system of things. The
lies, the immorality, and the hatred that characterizes Satan. So in effect,
the misconception that God is this cold being is in fact our own fault. God
is loving and waiting, we walk away and enter Satan's realm. So death, we
bring it upon ourselves. By walking away, we walk toward's things unGodly, by
walking towards (repenting) we come closer to God and the things that are
Godly and the promises He has for us.
Its that time again, gotta wreak havoc on the psets. Peace out, Sayonarra!!
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 22 - 00
HEY HEY HEY!!!
DA week is finally OVER!!!! WOOOHOOOOO. Breath of relief believe you
me. Now i get to relax, and chill out for the rest of today (ive resigned to
doing absolutely no work on fridays after my last class). This reminds me of
a song that used to be sung at my old high school, it goes a lil somethin like
this:
Friday... OOOOOhh friiiiiday. Friday is my faaavorite daaaay. Monday is a
bummer, but tuesday's okay. Wednesday is here and thursday is on its way but
Friday... oooooOoOoOoohh friIIIIday.. Friday is my favorite, friday is my
favorite, friday is my faaaavoriiiiiiiiiiiite daaaaaaaaaaay!!!!
It was pretty kool, the whole school knew that song and when friday came, one
of the funniest guys in the senior class (this is when i was a freshmen) sang
it on the morning announcements. ahhhhh, the memories, heh heh. Okay, on to
Scripture.
Today I read 2 Kings 4:42-44. An interesting story, tell me if your
recognize it from somewhere else:
42 A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loves
of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads
of new grain. "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha said. 43 "How
can I set this before a hundred men?" his servant asked. But Elisha
answered, "Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord
says: 'They will eat and have some left over.'" 44 Then he set it before
them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of
the Lord.
Familiar eh? Jesus miraculously fed 5000 men at one point during his ministry
sometime between 30 and 33 AD. Now this book, 2 Kings, was waaaaaaaay back in
the day. I mean, this is the time of the prophet Elisha. I wish I had a date
so that we could see just how far back we are talking about. But Checkit, 2
Kings is the 12 book in the Bible, there are 66 and for the most part in
Chronological order. What does this go to show? That the God who was back
then is the same even now. He is what he was back then and as he was in the
middle even today and in the future. One and the same, the I AM. Back to the
story, Elisha was a prophet of God, one of his right hand men. Its like he
was God's special agent on earth with that people at this time. Imagine,
being God's special agent. That would be awesome. Anyway, Elisha told this
cat to give these twenty loves of bread to these hundred hungry people. The
guy was like, "saaaaay WHAT!?!? Elisha, have you been smokin crack dawg!?
There is a hundred people here. How do you expect 20 measly loves to feed
them? And if they are anything like Patrick who is alive in September 22,
2000 (heh heh) 20 loaes aint gonna cut it for even one man." See, what this
man did not know was what Elisha knew, and what Elisha knew is this: "Nothing
is impossible with God." Elisha told his servent, "man, be chill, God is da
man and he isnt going to let his people go hunngry. 20 loaves, one loaf,
whatever, if da MAN says its going to feed 100, its going to feed 100. In fact,
da MAN SAYS THIS 'Its going to feed the 100, AND there will be some left over'"
You see what im seein my bruthaz and sistaz? Are you reading the same thing I'm
reading. Not only will 20 feed 100, but there is going to be some left over!!!
And so the Lord said, and so it was. Nothing is impossible with God my friends.
absolutely nooothing (heh, from the song, "WAR, ha, hoo, what is it good for,
absolutely noooothing"). Just remember that as life progresses, nothing is
impossible with Him whom we believe in, and that is God, the I AM, the Almighty,
the Creator, the Alpha and Omega. What a Mighty God we serve.
Aight, its time for me to get ta chillin, if ya know what i mean. Peace out.
Sayonarra (yeah i had to get some japanese in there somewhere =|;?)
God bless,
- patrick
ps - hit me back with the 411
9 - 26 - 00
Konniti wa!!
Ii desu ka? (are things aight?) Ii desu yo. (i'm chillin). Kyoo, it has
been raining consistently. But, tukurimasu (makes it) cool outside and
inside. Work is inevitable as always. The day off kinoo desita (yesterday
was) pretty good but, work still had to be dekimasita (completed). Aight,
Scripture desu time. (It's Scripture)
Kyoo I read Isaiah 40. Totemo omosirokatta desu (it was very interesting).
However, one such verse that popped out was 11:
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have
young.
The whole of Chapter 40 is about God and his awesomeness. This stuck out like
gold because amongst everything else that depicted God as awesome,
indestructible, unmatched in power, the most Holy and Glorious being, etc,
this verse depicted him as humble, compassionate, caring. Some may say, like
a big teddy bear. Yes, he far surpasses what our minds can contemplate, yet,
he is gentle and compassionate. He tends His flock. In other words, He
watches over us every minute of everyday, grooming us, feeding us, cleaning
us. He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart. Not
one is left on his/her own. All are gathered and all are held close to his
heart showing his love equal to us all. No favoritism is shown for we all are
his creation and he cares for everyone. And then, he gently leads those that
have young. Young can be defined in the literal sense as well as in the
figurative sense. In the literal, it could mean those who have children -
sons and daughters. God leads the parents so that they can train the child in
the way that he or she should go. Figuratively, it can mean the person you
are investing quality time with, sharing the Word of God to, leading him or
her to the truth. In the figurative sense, this person is your young. You
care for him or her, nourish him or her, and try to raise them up by investing
time and friendship. God gently leads you so that the young can be raised in
the way that he or she should go, towards the Lord and his promises.
Well, that was an uplifting passage. Just knowing that He holds us close
to His heart, each and every one, you and I.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 27 - 00
Hey
How's it going? Pretty good over here. I gotta apologize. Yesterday,
about 11:22pm (after i got back from jiu-jitsu), i started writin up that
Scripture email for wednesday. Well, it was two verses, but there was soo
much info about them. I typed it up all good and such, and then i hit
send..... Therein lay my error. I didnt put any addresses in the to: and cc:
In other words, it got sent to no one. MAAAAAAn, it was tight to. I give
you all a lil recap about it later. But i do wanna mention that this weekend
I'll be going on a Chi Alpha retreat (Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship), in
Connecticut. It should be fun and relaxing (compared to the nonstop work im
doing now). It'll be a blast, especially if everybody goes .... Jessie and
Stacia ...ahem... heh heh. Hmmm, let me know if im wrong, but i guess i
should have told my parents about it already huh? Man, the things i do...
tsk tsk. Aight, check you all later. God bless,
- patrick
9 - 28 - 00
Konban wa (good evening),
Weeeell, its been a loooooooong day... and its still not over, not by a
long shot. It's about 10:30 right now, i got back from the 6.002 lab at about
9:30. 6.002 is circuits and electronics... methinks... But anyway, that lab
took a good 6 hours to do. Learned a lot, but still thats a massive chunk of
time, especially cuz i still have two more psets to do and study for a
japanese characters test (hiragana). Well, let me get to the Word.
The recap: The email i sent out yesterday to nobody on accident was on the
passage of Scripture in 1 Corinthians 15:33,34:
33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." 34 Come
back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are
some who are ignorant of God -- I say this to your shame.
Paul is talking to the Corinthians. He applauds some of the things they do,
and others he frowns on. This is one of the latter. First he says, do not be
misled because bad company DOES corrupt good character. Sometimes people tend
to think that they wont change period, no matter the company around them.
Paul knows this and warns not to be misled by this false sense of security.
Check it, say you have some friends. Now say these friends recently learned
how to cuss and are experimenting. Now say that they begin to speak and cuss,
not a lot but they do. Now they've done it soo much that every sentence that
comes out of their mouths is joined with some cuss word. Now these are your
friends with whom you chill with 24/7. You've been around them so long that
their cussing doesnt bother you as much as it did in the beginning. And then,
its around you all the time that it doesnt even phase you anymore. And then,
a cuss word slips into your everday speech, rarely so, but it does. Here is
the kicker, you dont even realize you said a cuss word. It just came out, and
it seemed natural. Hence, good character was corrupted. It's very subtle and
it happens ev e r s o s l o w l y
that you dont even notice it. This is what Paul is warning about, dont be
misled, the evil is smart, he can be subtle, or he can be loud. He then
shifts and talks about something different (not that different cuz the two
verses are related). And Paul says, come back to your senses. What sense
does it make not to be in one's own senses? It doesnt make sense to be
senseless. Its complete nonsense. Come back to your senses. It makes sense
no? Common sense..... sense. So you come back, in otherwords, realize whats
going on around you. screeeeeaaaaaach!!!! hold up, back up a lil bit. I
wanna mention somethin else about the first verse. Didnt Jesus hang around
bad company? Most def, he hung around maaaad bad company: false teachers,
hypocrites, liars, idolaters, prostitutes, thieves, tax collectors,
demon-possessed, murderers, lawyers... (heh heh heh, jk about the lawyer bit,
heh heh). He was around them alot, but doing what? He was bringing them the
Word, he was teaching them the way to Life. And after he did that, he spent
time with his 12, the disciples. He lived with them, ate with them, and more.
He taught them and had relationship, close relationship and he helped them to
grow in their faith and knowledge of the Lord. See the big difference? He
spent time with the bad company to show them the light, but then he also spent
QT (quality time) with his 12. See, this 12 was practically a fellowship.
They were important. In Jesus' case, mainly the disciples did the growing and
Jesus the teaching. But in our case, a fellowship is a well from which we
draw energy after engaging in full fledged combat with the world victorious.
We re-energize, and then head out to the next chivalrous battle. See, a
fellowship is there to keep us on our feet, to bring comfort and affirmation.
After doing battle, you need something to re-vitalize you. And that, my
friends, is the fellowship. Together, you and them both grow in knowledge,
faith, and strength. Plus it keeps the good character within you gushing
forever more. Aight, back to verse 34. So he says come back to your senses
and realize these subtle things around you. "and stop sinning; for there are
some who are ignorant of God -- I say this to your shame." Here is how 33 and
34 relate. The Corinthians were allowing the bad company to corrupt the good
character. In other words, instead of impacting the bad company, they allowed
the bad company to influence them. Instead of making God's Word known, and
bringing truth, they allowed the bad company to turn them around and move away
from God. How does this relate to us? Well, we can learn from the
Corinthians' mistake. When we are around bad company, remain strong in the
faith, uphold the Word. Remember, as believers, we hold ourselves to a higher
standard. Instead, bring them the Word. Some of them may be ignorant of who
God is. You are there to show them. In essence, "corrupt" them, instead of
being corrupted. See, the "corruption" you bring is eternal Life through
Jesus Christ. and after doing battle in the world, seek your fellowship, share
the news, and grow in the Lord... re-energize baby. Be like the energizer
bunny... he keeps going and going. heh heh, .
Aight, peace my brothers and sistas. Time to .... not go to sleep tonight
whoooooohooooo. Tomorrow should be fun though, and the next day, and the next.
God bless,
- Patrick
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