It has been far too long since I have posted here. The extreme busyness of the fall semester (interviewing at med schools, traveling, classes, etc.) has gotten the best of me I am afraid. Now is the time to refocus my efforts on getting my thoughts onto a public forum.
I admit to being in a very awkward part of life at the moment. It is hard to imagine that soon I will be leaving USF and venturing to med school "X", at the same time I find myself longing to hold on to the lifestyle that many of my freshmen live (I'm a RA in the res hall). Kind of a weird mix at times...forced with the fact that I need to "grow up", while fighting the Peter Pan within. Also, I realize that there are several important decisions that will need to be made sooner rather than later. Decisions that will affect the rest of my life. Why is it so hard for me to make such decisions.
As I ponder on it, I really believe it is the lack of identity I have in God. The past couple of years has really wrecked my faith...not necessarily for the worse. I write "wrecked" and I feel bad, but this is what I feel has happened, the faith that I grew up with and believed...just 'cuz no longer cuts it. The time has come for me to consider what my faith means to me and what that means for my life ahead. So when I say "wrecked" I refer to the fact that my faith has been and is still needs to be put back together.
The big thing I fight in this battle is the "been there done that" feeling. I have read the Bible so much and been to so many "christian events" that it almost has become stale. Woe to me! I am thankful for my realization of this, because for the Bible to grow stale means for life in Christ to lose its zeal. I'm a product of a system (American faith) that freely offers "cheap grace"...if the grace of the Bible isn't your cup of tea, let me offer you the next big thing. We (including me) settle so often!
You see, I am very often willingly disobedient. It is sooo easy to justify my sins. What always suprises me though is the Holy Spirit's stubborn pull on my heart. I know when I do wrong, no matter how hard I try to justify it in my mind, I feel plagued with a nagging guilt. Thanks be to God for this! I read the Bible and come to the words of Christ....he couldn't really mean everything literally could he? What if Jesus meant what He said? All of his teachings suddenly weren't the product of his time, but instead instructions for everyday life. I wonder how much different our world would look if this were the case....hey, I wonder how different my life would look if this were the case! So many of us Christians hide behind the guise of misunderstanding when it comes to the Scriptures....we understand it perfectly well, we just don't like what it means to the comforts we are accustomed to! So we settle, we become willingly disobedient.
The challenge is then set before me. Perhaps the challenge I have had in finding my new identity in Christ arises from my inability to fully submit to God and be obedient. I must fight the mainstream media, enemies, my own sinful desire, and even friends and family at times to fully submit my life to God, answering his call on my life, wherever that leads me....I must become willingly disobedient to the status quo.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Wandering
I attended Lifelight this weekend. I love it there....so many people united for the sole purpose of lifting up the name of Jesus. Kutless was probably my favorite show. The lead singer touched on a couple issues that I found to be near to my heart.
Perhaps my favorite was his discussion of how easy it is to feel distant from God. I must confess that there have been times the past couple of years that I have felt distant from God. Times where I feel so confused. I know that I am a believer, I know what God has done in my life, but I still feel lost and like I lack direction.
He spoke something to the effect of that its never God leaving us...it is us leaving Him. I was really struck by how true that is in my life. My pastor preached a sermon last weekend in which he talked about grieving the Holy Spirit. I think that there are definitely times where I fall short and do things that grieve the Holy Spirit. Times where anger takes over....times where bitterness settles in, times where I become self centered.
The question is why do I do these things. There has never been a better part of my life than when I felt near to God. For one...my sinful nature runs amok in my life. I feel like Paul...I do what I don't want to do and don't do what I want to do. Sometimes I don't let go of past hurts and sin thrives. Revenge is such a nasty thing.
So as I heard this singer talk about this...I thought of a battle plan. How can I (and we as Christians) avoid wandering from God? I believe it takes a constant effort from us. Prayer is huge. Most complications in relationships arise from lack of communication. I don't think it is any different for our relationship with God. The Word of God is also important. It provides the blueprint for how to navigate through dark times.
It is my prayer that this year, I would not only be able to minister to the men on my floor in Burgess Hall, but that I would once again find that hope in Christ. That He would be my everything. All praise to Him!
Perhaps my favorite was his discussion of how easy it is to feel distant from God. I must confess that there have been times the past couple of years that I have felt distant from God. Times where I feel so confused. I know that I am a believer, I know what God has done in my life, but I still feel lost and like I lack direction.
He spoke something to the effect of that its never God leaving us...it is us leaving Him. I was really struck by how true that is in my life. My pastor preached a sermon last weekend in which he talked about grieving the Holy Spirit. I think that there are definitely times where I fall short and do things that grieve the Holy Spirit. Times where anger takes over....times where bitterness settles in, times where I become self centered.
The question is why do I do these things. There has never been a better part of my life than when I felt near to God. For one...my sinful nature runs amok in my life. I feel like Paul...I do what I don't want to do and don't do what I want to do. Sometimes I don't let go of past hurts and sin thrives. Revenge is such a nasty thing.
So as I heard this singer talk about this...I thought of a battle plan. How can I (and we as Christians) avoid wandering from God? I believe it takes a constant effort from us. Prayer is huge. Most complications in relationships arise from lack of communication. I don't think it is any different for our relationship with God. The Word of God is also important. It provides the blueprint for how to navigate through dark times.
It is my prayer that this year, I would not only be able to minister to the men on my floor in Burgess Hall, but that I would once again find that hope in Christ. That He would be my everything. All praise to Him!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Patience...or lack thereof.
Came across this little gem tonight in my reading.
9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
Patience....It is something I severely lack at times. We live in such a fast paced society. If my Internet browser takes longer than 3 seconds to load I am giving my index finger a major workout by clicking that left mouse button repeatedly. Remember the days of AOL?? The crazy sounds the computer would make as your dial up (remember that?!?) modem got fired up....seems so slow now to us. At the time however, being able to connect to the world in 5 minutes was amazing!
I bring up this example to show how incredible relative our understanding of time and speed is. What seems fast today will seem slow tomorrow. This relativity we give to "slowness" leads me to believe that we don't know a hill of beans about keeping time.
You see the people in Peter's day expected Jesus coming back pronto....that was 2000+ years ago! Jesus's return seemed overly slow to them. It can be easy for us to say the same thing with each passing day....what is taking Him so long? Why is this process so slow?
Peter tells us that God is being patient (something that I and many if not all of my human brothers and sisters know very little about). Why? To summarize...He love us fallen sinners! Let's face it...if Christ came back today...how many would He take with Him? Probably not as many as we think. This should cause us to tremble a little bit...are we truly living lives that are bringing glory to the Creator?
Check out the next verse
10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
2 Peter 3:10.
We don't know when Jesus is returning...but we do know that it will come swiftly without much warning...like a thief! May this be an ever present reminder that our lives must be living testaments to how much we lover our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
PS
A side note....www.factcheck.org...check it out. With all of the media coverage of politics today (esp. bashing every known policy of Pres. Obama) I suggest everyone take time to get the facts before believing what the newspeople say. This site is unbiased (trust me...they've thrown the BS flag on Obama as well) and will allow us to become better informed people.
PPS
And finally (longest blog entry yet?!) a quote from John Wesley...I will elaborate more on it next entry. This quote reflects on what I believe is the current struggle conservative and liberal christians find themselves in.
"Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may. Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these smaller differences"
9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
Patience....It is something I severely lack at times. We live in such a fast paced society. If my Internet browser takes longer than 3 seconds to load I am giving my index finger a major workout by clicking that left mouse button repeatedly. Remember the days of AOL?? The crazy sounds the computer would make as your dial up (remember that?!?) modem got fired up....seems so slow now to us. At the time however, being able to connect to the world in 5 minutes was amazing!
I bring up this example to show how incredible relative our understanding of time and speed is. What seems fast today will seem slow tomorrow. This relativity we give to "slowness" leads me to believe that we don't know a hill of beans about keeping time.
You see the people in Peter's day expected Jesus coming back pronto....that was 2000+ years ago! Jesus's return seemed overly slow to them. It can be easy for us to say the same thing with each passing day....what is taking Him so long? Why is this process so slow?
Peter tells us that God is being patient (something that I and many if not all of my human brothers and sisters know very little about). Why? To summarize...He love us fallen sinners! Let's face it...if Christ came back today...how many would He take with Him? Probably not as many as we think. This should cause us to tremble a little bit...are we truly living lives that are bringing glory to the Creator?
Check out the next verse
10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
2 Peter 3:10.
We don't know when Jesus is returning...but we do know that it will come swiftly without much warning...like a thief! May this be an ever present reminder that our lives must be living testaments to how much we lover our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
PS
A side note....www.factcheck.org...check it out. With all of the media coverage of politics today (esp. bashing every known policy of Pres. Obama) I suggest everyone take time to get the facts before believing what the newspeople say. This site is unbiased (trust me...they've thrown the BS flag on Obama as well) and will allow us to become better informed people.
PPS
And finally (longest blog entry yet?!) a quote from John Wesley...I will elaborate more on it next entry. This quote reflects on what I believe is the current struggle conservative and liberal christians find themselves in.
"Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may. Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these smaller differences"
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Tragedy
Tragedy....first of all...summer is only a month longer...major tragedy. It has been a fun one but one that has gone by far too fast. Hard to believe the final year of college is going to be starting in a month!
I have continued to read this book called Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White. I don't agree with everything in the book but I do find some of his thoughts dead on. One of these ideas is his opinions on tragedy.
Ever heard someone say "It happened for a reason" after something terrible happened? I'm not sure I buy that anymore. The example he gave was his youth pastor and friend. They were driving along until a downed power line came into contact with them. Both were killed. Both had young kids who would no longer have a father. Several people told the author that they believed God took them so that someone could come to know Him at the funeral or later.
Is this really how God works?? Does he need to take people from Earth to bring others to Him? Couldn't so many more people have been impacted by these men if they were still alive today? I don't think God works this way. His friends were killed because there was a freak accident that they happened to be a part of. Don't get me wrong I believe God knows about it, but I don't think He causes it to happen "for a reason". We live in a fallen world. Sometimes bad things will happen to good people just because bad things happen. Tragedy is not discriminatory.
My own personal faith life has its challenges. How I long to just get "back in line". Why is this so difficult? Probably due to the stress in my life...the lack of effort on my part...my stubborn insistence to do things on my own. Life is hard....following God in life is harder. May I continue to strive to make things better. To Him be the Glory!
I have continued to read this book called Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White. I don't agree with everything in the book but I do find some of his thoughts dead on. One of these ideas is his opinions on tragedy.
Ever heard someone say "It happened for a reason" after something terrible happened? I'm not sure I buy that anymore. The example he gave was his youth pastor and friend. They were driving along until a downed power line came into contact with them. Both were killed. Both had young kids who would no longer have a father. Several people told the author that they believed God took them so that someone could come to know Him at the funeral or later.
Is this really how God works?? Does he need to take people from Earth to bring others to Him? Couldn't so many more people have been impacted by these men if they were still alive today? I don't think God works this way. His friends were killed because there was a freak accident that they happened to be a part of. Don't get me wrong I believe God knows about it, but I don't think He causes it to happen "for a reason". We live in a fallen world. Sometimes bad things will happen to good people just because bad things happen. Tragedy is not discriminatory.
My own personal faith life has its challenges. How I long to just get "back in line". Why is this so difficult? Probably due to the stress in my life...the lack of effort on my part...my stubborn insistence to do things on my own. Life is hard....following God in life is harder. May I continue to strive to make things better. To Him be the Glory!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Summer!
Heyo, it is has been quite a long time since I last posted.
Summer has been magnificent. Working at the USF chemistry lab doing some research on polymers and such...not too challenging. Continuing my quest for medical school...got a 29S on the MCAT...pretty good...we will see how God works it all out. Golfing, hanging out with friends...living the dream.
One reflection I have about summer is how incredibly easy it can be to become distracted from God. Isn't it funny how during the year we make the excuse we are too busy to be with God, but when all of the homework and tests are done...we make new excuses. Bottom line...it is hard in our world to stay focused on having a relationship with Jesus. However, I am trying to make it a goal to commit my mind and heart to scripture meditation each and every day. Some days I am better about it than others but I continue forth no matter what.
I am astonished at how out of character I get when I don't spend time with God. Angry temper outbursts come out more often when I am lackadasial in my approach to Jesus. It really should go to show me the power of having God close. It is my hope that as I grow closer to him, He will give me greater self control over the negative feelings I can have from time to time.
More continuing amazement at the incredible ignorance of some people to politics and faith. "Good Christians are Conservative Republicans", says a guy (who we will call Percy)....how ridiculous...I could write a whole entry about my feelings about such statements, but will save it for another time (lunch break is only for a bit ya know?).
Read list:
Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White by Adam Hamilton
(a must read for any Christian who considers themselves politically minded...or wants to chime in intelligently on a political issue. I don't agree with everything he says in the book, but he lays both sides of hot button issues, allowing us to use the mind God gave us to draw our own conclusions...talk about it civilly, and come together as one united church in the end...great stuff).
Allies and Enemies by can't remember
A cold war novel about Lex Luthor teaming with Russians and Batman and Superman coming together to save the day...how sweet is that??
Summer has been magnificent. Working at the USF chemistry lab doing some research on polymers and such...not too challenging. Continuing my quest for medical school...got a 29S on the MCAT...pretty good...we will see how God works it all out. Golfing, hanging out with friends...living the dream.
One reflection I have about summer is how incredibly easy it can be to become distracted from God. Isn't it funny how during the year we make the excuse we are too busy to be with God, but when all of the homework and tests are done...we make new excuses. Bottom line...it is hard in our world to stay focused on having a relationship with Jesus. However, I am trying to make it a goal to commit my mind and heart to scripture meditation each and every day. Some days I am better about it than others but I continue forth no matter what.
I am astonished at how out of character I get when I don't spend time with God. Angry temper outbursts come out more often when I am lackadasial in my approach to Jesus. It really should go to show me the power of having God close. It is my hope that as I grow closer to him, He will give me greater self control over the negative feelings I can have from time to time.
More continuing amazement at the incredible ignorance of some people to politics and faith. "Good Christians are Conservative Republicans", says a guy (who we will call Percy)....how ridiculous...I could write a whole entry about my feelings about such statements, but will save it for another time (lunch break is only for a bit ya know?).
Read list:
Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White by Adam Hamilton
(a must read for any Christian who considers themselves politically minded...or wants to chime in intelligently on a political issue. I don't agree with everything he says in the book, but he lays both sides of hot button issues, allowing us to use the mind God gave us to draw our own conclusions...talk about it civilly, and come together as one united church in the end...great stuff).
Allies and Enemies by can't remember
A cold war novel about Lex Luthor teaming with Russians and Batman and Superman coming together to save the day...how sweet is that??
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Not the one I want!!
So, It's been awhile since I blogged on here. To be honest, school has been roasting me lately. I'm doing alright but I seem to have a mongo test every other day. Officially...I am burnt out. At least there are only like 2 and half weeks left to go. Here's hoping they go well and quickly!!
I decided to start reading some Old Testament lately. I was doing some thinking and realized that most of my devotion time is always spent in the New Testament. I think it is soo good to read about Christ and how He kicked it with his disciples. Solid stuff. However, I think it is dangerous to forget there is another part of the Bible. So...I decided to randomly pick a book and I picked Jeremiah.
I am on chapter nine right now, but a couple of my favorite parts to date. I love the first chapter. God gives Jeremiah encouragement and lays the call on his life. "Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms" ...Jeremiah 1:10. What a daunting calling. Yet, it is my belief that this is our calling as Christians. Now, I don't think this means everyone is meant to go overseas, stage a coup and reak havoc....haha...I think it means that we are supposed to take on everything in our world to bring it closer to God. May every knee bow before him. In order for this to happen, we need people who are willing to stand up to nations and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. The way I see it (got this from John Piper's book)...you are either a goer...a sender...or you are just disobedient.
Perhaps the heaviest hiting passage I've read so far...(there are plenty...apparently Israel had some issues with following God :P ) comes in Jeremiah 6: 16-17. Here God calls Israel back to the godly path. He goes so far as to say..."you will find rest for your souls". Israel's response..."No!, that's not the road I want!". Think about this....the creator of the universe is offering peace and comfort for your soul if you follow him and you say no, not for me. Seems silly when you sit back and think about it.
However, how often do I do that myself?? Almost daily! Often I find it easy to ignore God and try to do things MY way. His way is not the one I want some days. How foolish of me! His way leads to true comfort, mine usually leads to frustration and dissapointment. Lately, I've really been praying that God give me the desire and the humbleness to trust Him at all times. With all the nervousness I have regarding what will happen with medical school, it is vital that I put all my trust in Him. Here's hoping it goes well!
Yeah, I officially enjoy watching the hypocrisy of the media. I watched a special last night where they completely ravaged President Obama's speaking ability...their argument...they showed bloopers he has had in press conferences. President Bush was so often ridiculed for his speeches. Fox News finds this ridiculous...Obama is worse than Bush and yet no one makes fun of him.
Here's what makes me smile. Back when everyone was making fun of Bush....conservatives cried out against the liberals making fun of his speech. Now that the tables are turned they are doing the same things! Don't get me wrong both sides are ridiculously hypocritical in the media, but this made me smile.
For the record...if I had to give a speech everyday of my life I probably would sound like a doofus too!
Take care friends!
I decided to start reading some Old Testament lately. I was doing some thinking and realized that most of my devotion time is always spent in the New Testament. I think it is soo good to read about Christ and how He kicked it with his disciples. Solid stuff. However, I think it is dangerous to forget there is another part of the Bible. So...I decided to randomly pick a book and I picked Jeremiah.
I am on chapter nine right now, but a couple of my favorite parts to date. I love the first chapter. God gives Jeremiah encouragement and lays the call on his life. "Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms" ...Jeremiah 1:10. What a daunting calling. Yet, it is my belief that this is our calling as Christians. Now, I don't think this means everyone is meant to go overseas, stage a coup and reak havoc....haha...I think it means that we are supposed to take on everything in our world to bring it closer to God. May every knee bow before him. In order for this to happen, we need people who are willing to stand up to nations and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. The way I see it (got this from John Piper's book)...you are either a goer...a sender...or you are just disobedient.
Perhaps the heaviest hiting passage I've read so far...(there are plenty...apparently Israel had some issues with following God :P ) comes in Jeremiah 6: 16-17. Here God calls Israel back to the godly path. He goes so far as to say..."you will find rest for your souls". Israel's response..."No!, that's not the road I want!". Think about this....the creator of the universe is offering peace and comfort for your soul if you follow him and you say no, not for me. Seems silly when you sit back and think about it.
However, how often do I do that myself?? Almost daily! Often I find it easy to ignore God and try to do things MY way. His way is not the one I want some days. How foolish of me! His way leads to true comfort, mine usually leads to frustration and dissapointment. Lately, I've really been praying that God give me the desire and the humbleness to trust Him at all times. With all the nervousness I have regarding what will happen with medical school, it is vital that I put all my trust in Him. Here's hoping it goes well!
Yeah, I officially enjoy watching the hypocrisy of the media. I watched a special last night where they completely ravaged President Obama's speaking ability...their argument...they showed bloopers he has had in press conferences. President Bush was so often ridiculed for his speeches. Fox News finds this ridiculous...Obama is worse than Bush and yet no one makes fun of him.
Here's what makes me smile. Back when everyone was making fun of Bush....conservatives cried out against the liberals making fun of his speech. Now that the tables are turned they are doing the same things! Don't get me wrong both sides are ridiculously hypocritical in the media, but this made me smile.
For the record...if I had to give a speech everyday of my life I probably would sound like a doofus too!
Take care friends!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
On Faith and Service...
I sit here tonight with a mongo Organic Chemistry test tomorrow and the MCAT looming for Saturday, but I really feel like writing some of my thoughts down tonight.
I was reading in Luke 17 today. Christ offers some instructive words for his disciples about forgiveness and faith. I love how Jesus doesn't hold restraint when he talks. There is no sugar coating his message. How terrible life will be for those who tempt others to sin and fall away from God. He says that if a believer sins, make sure to rebuke him and if he repents, FORGIVE him. I struggle mightily with this. It can be so easy for me to hold onto grudges. It is something I pray frequently about. This passage really tells me the importance of forgiveness.
I love how the disciples ask Christ questions...I can picture in my mind the slight smile he would get across his face as they asked him questions such as "We need more faith; how do we get more of it?" These men were his best friends, what a great feeling it must have been for him to see their desire to learn more about what he was teaching. Here, Christ's answer says much about the power of faith. Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. Think about that...the power that lies in faith in Jesus. While I have never moved mountains, I have seen Christ work miracles in people around me as well as in my own life. Praise Him!
The last part of the first section of chapter 17 is my favorite. Christ talks about being a servant. How often do we do good things for people without thanks. Doesn't it bother you? Sometimes it really ticks me off that people don't acknowledge all of the work and sacrifice I've made to help them out. Christ uses the example of a servant preparing a meal for his master, he does it everyday without thanks. He is not thanked because he is doing what he is supposed to be doing. Christ then ends this section with this, "In the same way, when you obey me you should say, "We are not worthy of praise. We are servants who have simply done our duty." I think this is the attitude we need to adopt as Christians. Thanked or not, we must serve others (as Christ himself commands us to) and most of all praise and glorify Christ's cross. It is what we were made for, it is what we as believers and followers of Jesus are "supposed" to do.
The rest of the chapter accounts Christ healing some lepers and talking about the Kingdom of God...great stuff...check it out in Luke 17 :)
Today around our wonderful nation many people held Boston Tea Party-like demonstrations. While I totally respect their right to assemble, I find their cause somewhat silly. Don't get me wrong, I find it of the utmost importance to promote wise spending. However, I am not sure I understand the purpose of protesting taxes. First, who likes taxes?? Nobody, but we realize that for our government to run and provide assistance and services to us we need money. It has got to come from somewhere. Now, I'm sure some people could completely grill me on this, but I believe that is silly. Oh, and I read in the paper that our economy is starting to show some signs of life...housing markets are picking up in major cities (ex: Minneapolis), unemployment rates are going down...maybe the evil atrocities (*rolls eyes*) our President is committing by pledging our tax money to stimulus packages is actually working? Whoa! Anyways...if you did go to the Tea Party, I have no qualms with you, in fact, I support your desire to become involved in what is going on in our nation. All I ask is that you bring me your unwanted tea bag...I love tea :)
Anyways, enough politics...I hope the words of Christ resonate above any political rhetoric. It is He, that we can find life in. Praise Him!
I was reading in Luke 17 today. Christ offers some instructive words for his disciples about forgiveness and faith. I love how Jesus doesn't hold restraint when he talks. There is no sugar coating his message. How terrible life will be for those who tempt others to sin and fall away from God. He says that if a believer sins, make sure to rebuke him and if he repents, FORGIVE him. I struggle mightily with this. It can be so easy for me to hold onto grudges. It is something I pray frequently about. This passage really tells me the importance of forgiveness.
I love how the disciples ask Christ questions...I can picture in my mind the slight smile he would get across his face as they asked him questions such as "We need more faith; how do we get more of it?" These men were his best friends, what a great feeling it must have been for him to see their desire to learn more about what he was teaching. Here, Christ's answer says much about the power of faith. Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. Think about that...the power that lies in faith in Jesus. While I have never moved mountains, I have seen Christ work miracles in people around me as well as in my own life. Praise Him!
The last part of the first section of chapter 17 is my favorite. Christ talks about being a servant. How often do we do good things for people without thanks. Doesn't it bother you? Sometimes it really ticks me off that people don't acknowledge all of the work and sacrifice I've made to help them out. Christ uses the example of a servant preparing a meal for his master, he does it everyday without thanks. He is not thanked because he is doing what he is supposed to be doing. Christ then ends this section with this, "In the same way, when you obey me you should say, "We are not worthy of praise. We are servants who have simply done our duty." I think this is the attitude we need to adopt as Christians. Thanked or not, we must serve others (as Christ himself commands us to) and most of all praise and glorify Christ's cross. It is what we were made for, it is what we as believers and followers of Jesus are "supposed" to do.
The rest of the chapter accounts Christ healing some lepers and talking about the Kingdom of God...great stuff...check it out in Luke 17 :)
Today around our wonderful nation many people held Boston Tea Party-like demonstrations. While I totally respect their right to assemble, I find their cause somewhat silly. Don't get me wrong, I find it of the utmost importance to promote wise spending. However, I am not sure I understand the purpose of protesting taxes. First, who likes taxes?? Nobody, but we realize that for our government to run and provide assistance and services to us we need money. It has got to come from somewhere. Now, I'm sure some people could completely grill me on this, but I believe that is silly. Oh, and I read in the paper that our economy is starting to show some signs of life...housing markets are picking up in major cities (ex: Minneapolis), unemployment rates are going down...maybe the evil atrocities (*rolls eyes*) our President is committing by pledging our tax money to stimulus packages is actually working? Whoa! Anyways...if you did go to the Tea Party, I have no qualms with you, in fact, I support your desire to become involved in what is going on in our nation. All I ask is that you bring me your unwanted tea bag...I love tea :)
Anyways, enough politics...I hope the words of Christ resonate above any political rhetoric. It is He, that we can find life in. Praise Him!
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