Thursday 25 July 2013

Is God's Voice Drowned Out by a Monotonous World?

What should a Christian's objective in life be? Many Christians would say: "to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ." That sounds pleasant and rather trendy, but do the people who say that even know what it means? There is actually Biblical evidence that supports that there were people who, while still loving Christ, lived their life in a way that wasn't an exact reproduction of the life of Christ.

But is there Biblical evidence to support that Christians have a personal calling? A calling that is not purely constructed by friends, family, personal taste, or money, but with an unexplained fringe to it: the voice of God. Fringe may not be an apt word to use there, for humans are the fringe and God is the center.

Many times I speak my mind without a Biblical base, but I have seen answers regarding what I write this evening. I have a lot of questions, but not as many answers as I desire. Taking personal opinions, which lack a Biblical base, and saying they're from God is piss poor if you ask me. I'm guilty of that too though. I will not pretend that I haven't done that, and I hope to see the blood on my own two hands. I wish to see the blood so that I can walk towards the water, the living water. Sure, you can have questions, but to simply make a prognosis and say that it comes from the Creator seems precarious to me.

“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

I find it so interesting that Jesus consumed alcohol, and John did not. Just because something is alright for someone else, doesn't mean that it's right for you; after all, we are to be the body of Christ. There is a personal calling to each soul.

For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Saturday 20 July 2013

Mourning for Beauty

Angels cast in stone
they hold the flowers tightly
Mourning for beauty
while the rain seeks not to fall


Tears don't fall from the sky
but they fall from their eyes


Angels cast away
the shadows shade them lightly
Resting in darkness
while God waits for them to call

A life spent in lies
avoiding their own void

Tears don't fall from the sky
they only fall from their eyes

The angel lays in flowers
that hands couldn't hold

Tuesday 9 July 2013

Every Day is Exactly the Same

To Hell with putting words in God's mouth. A lot of Christians (if not all of them) draw so many conclusions that aren't necessarily Biblical. They stand on their soapboxes with pride and assurance, when in fact their foundation is fairly weak. Make no mistake though, I also do the same. I am a hypocrite who attempts to point to the liberator. It's so easy to find our inner weakness. It exists inside loneliness, interaction among others, the book you're reading, the questions in the back of your mind, the questions that others ask. If I could leave you with one thought: don't trust what I say, but trust what God says. What's the point of putting hope into something so inconsistent like humanity? It's shaking, it's cold, it's in the dark, it's looking for light. It often appears that people make guesses about who God is, or what his thoughts are; this is based on my own experience, and also my study of other individuals. I think that people need to stop debating in order to obtain answers which stem from ideas that are merely human, and seek to find answers which come from God. But no, people run to "reasonable resources" and find the same answers, and the same opposition follows, and then there are people like me who don't know what to think, and ... aah, it's so cliche! To quote Trent Reznor: "every day is exactly the same."

Sunday 7 July 2013

Runaway

I waste so much time just staring at screens. Do I love it, yet not like it, often times? I know that I use my computer, cell phone, and iPod too much. Are electronics my idol? Sometimes I just need to go for a walk outside. I really do like going for walks, especially during the late hours of evening. It's so difficult to satisfy me though, so walks are sometimes boring. That's one reason why I shouldn't put faith in humanity: it's awfully inconsistent. 

No matter where I am, my insecurities seem to circle around me when I'm alone. When I walk by myself, I fear what other people could do to me. I mean, realistically speaking, there are a lot of possibilities. What if somebody has a gun? What if somebody has a knife? What if people use their fists to beat me up over a trivial matter, such as the clothes on my body? There are no guarantees. Humans are very irresponsible, especially with life-threatening objects.

How many people really need to own a gun or a knife? Now, I don't think that either are wrong in and of themselves, but I think that they are commonly used for vain purposes. I believe that pride is easy to access when it comes to knives and guns, and I don't think many take that into consideration. With a knife or a gun in hand, you're just a stab / shot away from ending a life. There is a lot of responsibility to that.

When I'm alone I think too often about the wrong things, and when I'm with people I don't think enough about the right things. Watch out for mania, because it can bite you! Alone, with people, alone, with people, alone, with people. Where do I belong? 

Tonight I just had to stare at the ceiling and talk to God. There was peace in that, I now realize. But talking, and praying, it's painful for me! When you get headaches everyday, you don't always enjoy using your mind. The brain, the body ... the body needs rest, so the brain must too, right? I should give my brain a rest more often. My mind is tired.


Tuesday 2 July 2013

His Spirit

I believe that writing is one of the ways that God connects me to His Spirit. Thanks for giving me hands to write. Although my mind is chaotic, I can usually make sense of some of the thoughts circulating throughout my brain, when I sit down and write. Thank you that I have a computer. God and Satan can both work through seemingly minuscule scenarios; be careful about what is happening. Thanks that I have family and friends who care about me. 

Here's a quote from the film Waking Life: "Seems like everyone's sleep-walking through their waking state, or wake-walking through their dreams. Either way, they're not going to get much out of it." 

Thank God for the details. When you're in the storm, recognize that there's more than yourself in this world. There's more than the people, more than the sounds, more than the visuals. Don't take people out of the world, but take the world out of people. Thank God during times of disaster. Thank God for joy. Thank God for Heaven. Thank God for what you physically have, because there is no guarantee that you will have it tomorrow. You don't even know that tomorrow will come for you. 

You don't have be thankful for everything that happens to you; you don't have to find satisfaction in every situation. But, followers of Christ are called to be thankful to God in all circumstances. I'll be honest, I'm in a rough season of life. But, things could be far worse than they are. When I am anxious, depressed, in distress, I am clearly not happy.

But it's not about happiness, it's about joy. I'm joyful that God offers Heaven as a promise to those who follow him. I'm joyful that I can be friends with Jesus. I'm joyful that I am seen by God. I'm joyful that forgiveness is continually offered. It's a privilege that there are ancient documents left for us to study. It's a privilege that I have a brain, eyes, ears, feet, legs, head, arms, hands. But, these can be used for disastrous purposes, so I've got to be careful with how I use them.

The past three years have been the most challenging years of my life. I am still struggling. I haven't been pleased with everything that has happened to me in and of itself, but I am thankful for what these trials have done, and what they may have the opportunity to do. There is unity to be found through pain, and I think that people need to discuss upon struggles more often (especially those who seek to follow God). Look at Paul for example, I mean, he struggled a lot (Romans 7:21-25). No, not every day is a terrible day, but pain is intrinsic to human beings. This isn't about forming a happy religion, this is about seeking reality (which I believe is found through God, and God only). You might really do something for someone else when you open up about yourself. I can personally testify that Christ has worked through me to encourage others through the pain that I've experienced. I'm not just assuming that, as people have directly told me. The more I live, the more misunderstood I seem to become; I don't even understand who I am. It's easy to idolize our own personalities, or the personalities of others. Seek The Giver, not the gifts.

We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.