Truth To Live By

The Christian faith is not about living on the basis of feelings, but on what we know to be true, because that is the only thing in our lives that will not change or fail us. But it is not enough to merely know the truth, but the truth that we know we also have to live. We are not called to hide the light we have in the darkness (Matt. 5:14-16), or bury the investment we have been given in fear of losing it (Matt. 25:14-30), but we have been called to let our faith shine hope in a hopeless world and invest what God has given us to multiply His blessings and establish His kingdom on this earth.
This is a song from one of my favorite bands, As I Lay Dying, which I thought portrayed this idea very well. And even if you don't like their music, I believe the truth they announce through their music is what really matters.

The Sound of Truth

We have all heard what we have wanted to hear
"truth" that sounds right to our ears.

But what wisdom is there within us
to live based on the feelings on our hearts?
How many times has instinct let us down?
Never to be thought through;
never to be questioned.
Say what you really mean
when your ambition calls you.
For what use is there in praying
if you will only hear what you want to hear?

We speak of fighting to resist this world,
but what about the battle within us?
If we have chosen to live against the grain,
then why are we all facing the same way?
There is no difference between us and them
if we all blindly seek truth from sentiments.

Longest Poker Game Ever!

I just got home from playing poker with some friends. We started at 8:00 last night, and we just finished at 2:00 this morning. It was a five dollar buy-in and it started out with 11 people. So whoever got in first place got the pot of 50 dollars, and second place person got their buy-in money back, and everyone else went home with five less dollars. I was one of the last three people in game until it ended when I lost having a flush to two higher flushes, which also put to second place person out of the game. I went home without my five dollars and it only wasted 1/4 of a day to do it! Despite my financial loss and excessive tiredness, I had a great time and hope there is another poker game soon that I can test my luck in!

Complacency vs. Faithfulness

Today I was reflecting on a conversation that I had with a very good friend of mine about living complacent lives. We talked about how we need to search for purpose and meaning in our lives that does not stagnate with being content and comfortable, but is full of adventure and uncertainty in where the future will lead us. I took a good look at my own life and saw how easily I fall into these patterns of finding what is easy for me and settling in that, because I have a fear that I might fail or not be ready for challenges. And then looking deeper into this attitude I fall into, it shows in myself, a lack of faith in the gifts that God has blessed me with, and also a lack of faith in God's ability to pull me through situations that seem too far beyond my own capabilities.
I know in my heart that I should be able to step out of my comfort zone and jump head-on into whatever is placed in front of me and trust that God's provision will not fail, but there is something that holds me back. I want to say that I can be joyful in having uncertainty in my future, and not being insured success in my work, but I fear that lack lack of knowledge and control that I have in my life.
With that fear, the only place I can turn to is God and know that despite what I don't not know or control, that he knows it all and will provide me with what is best to bring his kingdom here on earth. And even though I am uncertain with what I will have in this world, I know that I will have an eternal future, and that I need to live every day that I have left in this world seeking not a life of complacency, but of a life of fullness found faithfulness.

Fervent Reverence

May my heart search for your unfailing love
through times of despair and affliction
May my ears take heed to your call
and neither be stubborn or proud
May my mouth be an instrument of praise
rather than seeking destruction
May my hands do the labor of your will
and not be deterred or restrained
May my feet follow your established path
from which to neither wander or stray
May my eyes see your abundant wonders
and observe what is pure and holy

May my entire being be established in you
and proclaim my fervent reverence

What A Little Bee Taught Me

Sitting outside I saw a bee that was walking on the ground because it could not fly. And I started to think about how that bee could no longer perform what it was created to do. The sole purpose of that bee's existence was to gather honey and take it back to the hive. Now with its broken wing, the only thing that bee had to look forward to now is its life being taken from this world.

I started to think about how life for people can be very similar to this bee. I thought about how some people live their lives merely going through the motions and routines of life because that is all they know. They have been outlined a purpose by the world's standards and these people see that what the world has to offer has to be the best thing for them. But what these people don't see is that there is a whole other life they are missing out on which could give their life so much more significance.
That bee's sole purpose in a worldly perspective was to collect honey for the hive, just as people who define themselves to that worldly standard limit what they are by saying they have to have a three figure salary, or a nice house and car. But in a view were God defines our lives and what they are meant for, we have a purpose far beyond what this world could ever offer, just like that bee was meant for so much more, as he was placed in that moment of time; in that state of brokenness, so that I could discover who I am and what I have in God.
I am called to live a life that glorifies God, and in that call I am not held down by the limitations of this world. I have a hope of a life that will be far better than the life I am living on this earth, instead of seeing that my life in this moment is as good as it gets and is all I have to look forward to. I have a purpose that is surpasses any career or success in this world, which is to establish God's kingdom on earth.
That bee thought his role in life was over when he could no longer fly and do what he had always done, but little did he know that I was watching him and seeing that he was meant to teach me about who I am really meant to be and that I have a purpose defined by something greater than this world.