Eternal influences

When I was a kid, the excuse "so-and-so told me to do it" didn't hold much weight with my mom. She'd usually reply with "if so-and-so told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?" Sadly today, we are almost completely driven to act and live the same as everyone around us. If we had to give honest excuses for wrong-doings in our lives, then surely more often than not, our excuse will be that we were influenced by other people.

With that introduction, here are some questions I want you to ask yourself. By what standards do you compare yourself? What determines if you're good or bad?, wise or unwise?, cool or un-cool?, good looking or ugly, etc?

I'm sure most people will answer, that society determines these things. Every day the world force-feeds us what we are to believe to be good, wise, cool, good looking, etc, and if we don't buy into the world-view, then we're classed as weird or abnormal.

Now some people who've read thus far might be fine with this, and actually agree, that people who don't agree (or even oppose) the world-view are weird or abnormal. Thus I come to an assumption that our lives and actions are very much governed by the world. We want to fit in, and do not want to be classified as weird and abnormal. We've bought into the idea, that if we love the world, it will love us.

Let me define the "world" or "world-view" quickly. The world is just about everything you see in the media. The media is the world's voice. This would include movies, soaps, sitcoms, news, music, fashion, talk-shows, radio, newspapers, sport... and the list goes on. Everything that makes itself heard, has a message. Every movie has a message, a view that it imposes on the watcher. Every song's lyrics has a message. Every talk-show has a message. Every message has moral stand points. It is these messages that the world imposes on us, and if we're not in-line with it, then we're weird or abnormal. I'll give an example. In just about every movie or TV show it is portrayed that it is fine to sleep with a woman, even though you're not married to her. The Bible clearly contradicts this, but because of the world-view, people who believe and follow the Bible rather than the world-view are weird and abnormal.

Now here's a few more questions just to make you think. This world that governs our actions and lives... to whom is the world-view accountable to? What I mean is, a world-view can be good or evil, who keeps it accountable, to be good, and for the good of those that listen to, and follow it? Surely, we want the things that govern our lives and decision making to be good and for our good? Who is in control of what the world says? If the world-view is so important that we'll change the way we act and live to fit in with it, can it give any clear answers about death, and possibly life after death?

I'll provide some answers from the Bible (Word of God).

Scripture says: "Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out." (John 12:31). This was Jesus talking about Satan whom He called "the prince of this world". Three times in the New Testament Satan is referred to in those terms. Now if Satan is the "prince of this world", does that mean the he could quite possibly control it? These world-views, which we try so hard to fit into, and change our actions and lives for, could it possibly be governed by the source of all lies? Could these world-views possibly not be to our benefit, but actually to our detriment? Could following these world-views jeopardize our eternal destinies? Eternity is a long time. This lifetime is shorter than a split second compared to eternity. Do we really want to waste this precious time because we want to fit in and be cool?

I have to finish off with what scripture says about the world. I love it, because as follower of Christ I am free from the world. I don't care if I'm weird or abnormal. The world wants to enslave you. Christ wants to free you. Who will you follow?

"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight." (1 Cor 3:19)

"Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?" (Isaiah 2:22)

"for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." (1 John 5:4)

"We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one." (1 John 5:19)

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)

One day the whole world will bow down to the true King. Check these scriptures!

"All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him." (Psalm 72:11)

"He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth." (Psalm 76:12)

"The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath." (Psalm 110:5)

"It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man." (Psalm 118:8)

May you be blessed and find peace for your soul.

Fear and hope

Yesterday, I read somebody's blog about the problems they have with Christianity. About so-called contradictions and mistakes in the Bible.

I went to the site they got their info from... and this site is absolutely dedicated to smearing the Bible and Christianity. The Internet has lots of these sites. I think a lot of people have had bad experiences with Christians, or don't like and understand the message of the Bible.

Anyway, I went through the list of "contradictions", and found what I expected to find, that every scripture was taken literally and mostly out of context, and that way seemed to be contradicting. Anyway, my views that the Bible is the absolute perfect Word of God, still stands unwavering.

This lead me to think... this person who has created this site, who I believe has absolutely convinced himself that the Bible has no message for his life. What does he do now? What does he live for? Why does he live? What about death? Surely if you know death is waiting for you, and you don't want to die, you'll seek something or someone to save you. Who or what is his saviour?

As I was driving home yesterday, I thought back on my BC (before Christ) days, and what the idea of death and after death made me feel. I remember clearly, that it always put a feeling of fear and emptiness in me. Usually when the thought came to me, I would quickly suppress it, and choose ignorance on the subject. I didn't like that feeling at all!

But now that I have a saviour, a King, a purpose, a hope, I welcome the thoughts of death, and life after death. I have HOPE. Nothing is absolutely clear. It's not like I've seen Jesus in the flesh, and He told me to follow Him. I still have to apply faith. Paul put it like this:

Heb 11:1
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

My faith is not blind though, even though it is a child like faith (Mark 10:15). I have experienced God. I have seen miracles. He has changed me. I don't live in fear anymore.

Rom 8:15
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

God has adopted me as His son. Can you even imagine it? It's too great for my puny brain to comprehend.

Millions of people object to this, and display anger and hatred towards this message, that God wants to have a relationship with them. I am compelled though, to share this Gospel. It's such good news!

Anyway, if you're reading this, and you still live in fear. Fear of death, and what happens after you die. It's not too late. God is desiring to have a relationship with YOU, and to spend eternity with YOU!

Contact me if you want to know more.

May you have peace.

Genesis

This is it! My first attempt at writing a blog.

I’m just a guy who has been saved by the grace of God. I am no more than any of my fellow human beings.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.(Ephesians 2:8,9)

It saddens me to see a world, so desperately in need of God, so desperately in need of truth, not taking the time or effort to search. Do not just accept everything the world tells you! Start giving thought to your ways, and your life. Do not be content! Life is too short to waste it!
Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”(Haggai 1:5, 6)

It saddens me that so many people take the words of other men, as truth and fact, without looking into it for themselves.
Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? (Isaiah 2:22)

We are all guilty. Even though the lines of morality have been blurred, and moved… deep down, every man knows he is guilty of sin.
…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)

And because we are guilty, we are all condemned to death, for the penalty for sin, has always been death.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— (Romans 5:12)

Sounds harsh, but that shows you how much we have become accustomed to sin.
Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are proved right when You speak and justified when You judge. (Psalm 51:4)

We have been created with a purpose. We were created for God.
“Among the famous sayings of the Church fathers none is better known than Augustine's 'Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.' The great saint states here in few words the origin and interior history of the human race. God made us for Himself: that is the only explanation that satisfies the heart of a thinking man, whatever his wild reason may say. Should faulty education and perverse reasoning lead a man to conclude otherwise, there is little that any Christian can do for him. For such a man I have no message” (A.W. Tozer: Pursuit of God).

There is only one way to get back to God, and that is through Jesus. He died for our sins, and thus took away the barrier of sin that separates man from God.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

I believe this gospel with all my heart, because I have experienced it first-hand. No human being convinced me of this. I was convinced by God Himself, and my life has been changed. I have a hope and a Spirit inside me that nobody can ever take away. I have a relationship with the Living God that surpasses all the riches of this world.

I hope this blog blesses someone. This just a little bit of where I come from. I am a thinking man. I love philosophy and theology. I don't have academic knowledge on the topics, but I ponder life. Every human being who reflects, and thinks about life and their existence could be classified as a philosopher to some degree. In my blog I will ask questions, and I will write about experiences. Even if nobody reads this, I'll enjoy writing it.

Peace