Reasons For Our Seasons

We are a people of abundance, who have a hunger for more like a vicious shark who has tasted blood. We have more than most people around the world, yet we desire the next latest and greatest of everything. We even celebrate sales non material things and feed our desiring filled hearts with material matter on the very day set aside to be thankful...just to save a few bucks. We waste time that could be spent doing God's work, and money that could have gone to someone who has much, MUCH, less than we do. Shame on us. Shame on us all.

We feed the selfish desires of our children every year at Christmas, giving them everything they want. And for what? To make them "content"? The more you feed greed, the more it will grow.
Now, I'm not saying buying gifts for your family and friends at Christmas is wrong. That's not my point. My point is that we barely stop and remember the whole reason Christians set that day aside to celebrate and remember. Do our children REALLY know, and understand, the reason we celebrate?

If you think back, even to when Jesus was on the earth, you will see greed. It has taken down cities, rulers and empires and has slowly begun to take down our own country right before our eyes.

See, when people begin to think more of themselves than of others, their hearts begin to harden. They forget about "helping their neighbor" and "loving one another".

Another result of greed is complacency (being lazy). When people spend all of their time "getting" things, and "planning" on buying things, they become lazy. They will find a way to get the things they want...for doing nothing. 

Like hatred, green takes over from the inside out. It's like a poison, and the more we give in to it the more it will become a part of our lives.

Why do you think people are so loving all of Obama's ideas? Because he gives and gives to people who don't want to work. Their greed has taken over their lives and they no longer have a desire to work for what they get. Mind you, there are plenty of people who strive for greatness and want to work hard for what they need. But many people just want something at no cost to them (labor or otherwise).

God has multiple verses in the bible about being slothful, lazy and greedy.

This year, let's all try to spend our time wisely, doing things that have meaning. Work for what we get, give to others who have less than we do, give our time more freely, and think of others more than ourselves and our wants and desires.

 There are so many opportunities to help other people. Do we ever stop and look at those hurting and needing love? They're all around us. Please, please, stop and find them. Give them as you would want to be given. Love them as you would want to be loved. 
 

Attitudes For Christ

"It is not our circumstances that need to change, it's us." -Tenth Avenue North

I don't know about you, but every time something comes up in my life that is hard to deal with, I moan and groan and complain, and ask God "why I had to go through it." I want every circumstance to be one that is in my favor.No difficult people, no drama, no tears, no worries, no rudeness, no fear, no arguments.

"If everyone else were like me, I wouldn't have to go through this" right? Have we not all thought this at one point in time? Well, it is the wrong thinking. If everyone were like me, I would be arguing all the time; same with you. We would be miserable. We are our worst enemies.

The thing is, our attitudes should not depend on our circumstances. They always do, but it doesn't mean it's the best thing. Our attitudes should always reflect Christ. No matter the situation. Even as I write this, it's very hard for even me to change my attitude for the situations around me. When people or things become negative, my first reaction is fear and "worst case scenario" thoughts flying through my head. My end result is always running from either the person or situation because that is my answer to the problem. But, running is tiring, and I am very worn out.

Running isn't ever the solution. It is an easier action, but a much harder thing to deal with in the long run. You become filled with regret and fear and aren't ever able to let things go. My life has been filled with this, and my answer is always to blame someone or something else for why I'm miserable.

I have been my own worst enemy for some time now. Causing fear that should not be there, doubt that has no ground, worry where there is nothing to worry about. In the end, all these things that happen, I make them worse to the extent of my misery.

I've learned that sometimes God cuts us so that He can heal us. He doesn't withhold good from us to send us bad. He does, however, allow us to go through hard times to grow us, strengthen us and build us up. God will never give us more than we can handle, but when we feel He has, it means we are not allowing Him to take charge and work through the problems in HIS way. You know that verse "His ways are higher than our ways"? Well, it's so true. They are! His reasons are so higher than we could ever understand. When one thing happens to us, no matter how good or bad they are, it's not just affecting us. It is affecting so many others around us; possibly people we don't even know.

"Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us." Hosea 6:1

Things don't always go the way we want, but that never means God isn't there or doesn't have a plan.

The Least

Two nights ago I had the opportunity to go to a Tenth Avenue North concert;  my first ever concert, actually. Though excited, I had this old feeling come back from years ago. The old judging heart was back. Even as I was walking into the building I was looking around at some of the teenagers thinking to myself "to these kids this is just like a Justin Bieber concert; just watch, they'll be screaming and treating them like some kind of movie star." As the night went on and I continued watching the people, I was smacked right in the face.

Not only was the crowd there specifically to worship God, but the band members were there to praise God and encourage those who came. I was moved to tears multiple times, and challenged even more.

One of the band members started telling us about a ministry (Compassion International) and one of the things he said was very thought provoking.

"When I learned that having food, clothes, a bed to sleep in and "extra" money to buy things that I want put me in the top 10 most wealthy people in the world, it made me mad. I shook my fist at God, asking Him why He didn't get off of His throne and come help these people who so obviously needed Him. You know what He said back? "I did. I came down to earth and was born to a carpenter. I walked the earth as a servant; walked among the needy, sick and hurt. I loved, then gave my life for those people, for YOU, so that this love could be given to all who needed it." "

Wow.

"I gave my life for you, so that you would have love and life more abundantly, overflowing, to give to those who need it."

God did His job. He DID come down to the earth. He did this so that we could have something to live for. I've heard people say it before, and have thought it a time or two myself; "why doesn't God help these starving, sick people? Is He just sitting in heaven watching them die?" The truth is, the world is filled to the brim with sin and it is not God's place to make everyone into a perfect little angel.

He came, lived a lowly life and died for US, the least, so that we could have life more abundantly; which means we have PLENTY to share with others. Holding it all to ourselves would be cruel, like keeping a cure for a deadly, spreading disease, all to ourselves. Those starving, hurting, sick people you and I want God to help? Those are "the lease of these" and it is OUR job to help them. We are to pour ourselves out to people even if we get nothing in return. 

"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' " -Matthew 25:41-45

"To the weary you have given no water to drink, and from the hungry you have withheld bread. But the earth belongs to the almighty man, and the honorable man dwells in it.You have sent widows away empty, and the  strength of the orphans has been crushed." -Job 22:7-9

Loving on other people really isn't that hard when you think about it. How? We have the perfect example of what it looks like. We shake our fists at, complain, and turn away from God, and He shows us nothing but love and mercy in return. We should be reminded of the state we were in before we came to know Christ. We were naked in our sins, we were destitute; on our way to hell. God covered our sins with His blood, redeeming us from the road we were on.

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." - 1 John 4:7-11

Loving people is a command by God, but it is also a choice; one WE must make for ourselves. The poor and needy NEED us to be there for them. They need our love and to be shown God's love. 

This is our calling.