To Give Or Not To Give

Proverbs 11:24

Once man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

This is something, I think, we all need to remember.  The society we find ourselves in today tells us the exact opposite of this verse.  We’re told that we need to get all we can get and hold onto that for dear life, only letting go if we’ll get more out of it.  And now we’ve embraced that whole heartedly.  It has been part of human nature since the beginning in the Garden of Eden, but only recently has it become the social norm.  It has become a rarity for someone to for another person without any ulterior motives and only for the satisfaction of helping another in need. 

Which is the exact opposite of how it should be.  We should be out there helping each other whenever the opportunity arises, just because we can.  It doesn’t even have to be anything huge.  We don’t know what is going on in the lives of the people around us.  Someone could be dealing with depression, and a friendly hello could be all it takes to keep them from taking their own life.  A smile, a wave, holding the door open, the smallest of things can have the biggest of impacts.  Sometimes that’s all a person needs to get them through another day. 

If you see an opportunity to help someone, do it.  I mean come on, what’s the worst that could happen?  They refuse your help and you walk away.  That’s not going to do anything.  But if you don’t offer that help at all, you could be missing the chance to make a huge impact in someone’s life.  Because people don’t care about God until we show them that there is something to care about.  They don’t want to hear us talking about Jesus and how awesome he is until they know that we believe it with everything we do. 

People want to see God, not hear about Him.  It’s up to us to live our lives so that anyone watching sees God through us. 

So give freely and you’ll be amazed at what happens.  

Can I Truly Be Forgiven?

Romans 5: 6,8

When we were unable to help ourselves, at the moment of our need, Christ died for us, although we were living against God….God shows His great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

Let me ask you something.  Do you think God loves you?  Honestly now, do you think He really loves you?  Or do you think that he can’t love you after what you’ve done?  I mean, after all the terrible things you’ve done, and may be doing, God can’t possibly still love you, right? 

In this case I think you’ll be happy to know that you’re wrong.  Completely wrong, without a question or doubt about it.  Because unless you make it your life’s purpose to hate on God and do everything you can to tear Him and His followers down, then there’s nothing He can’t forgive.  The thing is, He can always forgive you, no matter what at any point or time.  You could have lived a terrible life full of violence, drugs, and sex, but if you go to God and ask for repentance, He’s going to give it to you.  His love is unconditional. 

Go back and read those verses at the beginning again.

“While we were still sinners.”

I want you to focus on that part.  Because that is the crux of the matter.  That is how you know God will always forgive and His love will never fail. 

The world was in shambles, sin was rampart, the people were blatantly living against God. Yet he sent His son, Jesus, down to them.  When they were neck deep in sin, that’s when God sent His son.  Not when things were going good.  Not when everyone was being faithful.  Not in the beginning when He saw that all was good.  Nope, He sent His lil’ boy down when the world was a mess.  Why?  So He could fix it.  That’s what God does, He fixes us.  There is no select Christian order that you have to be perfect in order to join.  There is no level of goodness you have to reach before God will love you.  There is nothing but His love for you.  Right now and forever.

You may be broken and feel defeated.  You may think that nothing can save you from the rocky bottom you’ve sunk to.  But if you let Him, God can.  Don’t think by that I’m saying it will be easy.  That God will come in and all your problems will be solved.  I’m not saying that at all.  Just the opposite, in fact.  It will be a long, hard road.  There will be obstacles, hardships and trials, but in the end, the reward makes it all seem like nothing.  And God will be there with you every step of the way.  He will never leave your side and He will always be a strong tower for you to find refugee in. 

Trust in Him, and He will lead you.

Dear Lord, thank you.  Thank you for saving me, my soul.  I once was lost, but now I’m found, blind but now I see.  Your grace is beyond amazing, without it I would lost forever.  I ask, for those still wandering, you reach them and show them your great love, and let them see that you want to forgive them, of whatever it may be.  Show them that they need only ask.

Amen.

Spit It Out!

Proverbs 15:28

The heart of the righteous weighs it answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

Proverbs 16:24

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 16:32

Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.

Proverbs 17:14

Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

Proverbs 21:23

Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.

Is it just me, or is there a pattern here?  It would seem that we are being warned against the hasty use of our vocal abilities.  Our words, if you will.  Because those seemingly insignificant things are the most deadly weapon mankind possesses. 

Yes, the old saying is “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words may never harm me”, but never has an old saying been more wrong.  Words can destroy so much more effectively than any material weapon.  Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time can ruin friendships far easier than a blow can. 

Yet we use this inherent power so flippantly.  We tear down others in order to make ourselves look better in the moment.  You know what I’m talking about.  That time when you’re talking with your group of friends and Joey says something that sets up a beautiful comeback that you know will make everyone laugh, even though it is hurtful to Joey.  But what does it matter?  It’s just words, just a joke.  He’ll understand and get over it.  And that might true.  He could take the joke and laugh with everyone else, even though it hurts.  Because it will hurt.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a joke.  It doesn’t matter if he knows it’s a joke.  No matter which way you cut it, you thought that of Joey, and you said it, and it’s going to hurt.

No biggy, though, right? Just a little laugh at Joey’s expense that you’ll all forget tomorrow.  Except not.  It’s just the beginning.  Now, with the success from last time, when the opportunity arises again, you don’t hesitate to let that snappy remark fly.  Pretty soon it becomes habit and you don’t even think about it anymore.  The only thing you think about is how to produce even more clever remarks, no matter how hurtful they might be. 

And that is the desensitized state of our society.  It’s second nature now, for everyone.  When that opportunity knocks, when that awesome comeback flashes in our minds, we don’t stop to consider the consequences.  Nope, we just blurt it out.  People laugh, we feel good.  Except for that little twinge for the person we used.  Even that disappears soon. 

That’s exactly what we do not want to be.  What I do not want to be.  It’s yet another thing I struggle with daily.  Because we’re always around people, whether it be family or friends, and I can guarantee that the urge to be the funny guy at the expense of others is gonna be there.  I feel it all the time, and I see it in others even more often.  I’ve seen how it hurts people, even when they try to make it seem like it doesn’t.  So I try my hardest to never give into the urge to blurt those things out when it comes to me.  Yeah, it may make me seem like the quiet dude who never really says anything.  Sure, I might seem like the socially awkward homeschooler.  But let me ask you a question.

Which is more important:  Your social standing, or another person’s feelings?

Dear Lord, I ask that You open my eyes and ears and close my mouth.  I want to listen and consider before answering with something that I will regret.  I thank You for the guidance You have given me through Your word and ask that You move in both mine and the reader’s life through it.  Amen.

Each To His Own

Romans 14: 5-6

One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike.  Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.  Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord.  Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

(I only put a few verses here, so I would suggest going to Romans and reading the whole chapter)

There’s a lot of division in the church, isn’t there?  So many different denominations with so many different beliefs.  There is only one Bible, yet each denomination has its own view of what’s important and/or pertinent.  According to human logic, only one of them can be correct.  Yet, that’s not how it works.  For so long as we are fully convinced that what we are doing and how we are doing is good and right by the Lord, then that is what we should do.  It doesn’t matter if a fellow Christian does it differently.  As long as that person is fully convinced in their own mind, their way is the correct one.  For them.  And what’s right for one person is wrong for another.

Now I’m not saying that anyone who is fully convinced about something is right.  There are a lot of people out there fully convinced about stuff and are completely wrong about it.  But so long as you take the Bible, read it, and base your beliefs solidly in the Word, then you’re fine.  Because the Bible is God’s word for us.  We disobey that, obviously we’re wrong.  So if we base a belief off of something in the Bible, it should be correct. 

I say “should” because it is possible, as it is with anything, to take the Bible out of context.  It is something that is done far too often.  It is a very large book, and it covers a very long period of time.  No one part of the Bible can stand alone.  Each book, each verse, is affected by the others.  They all combine to create God’s plan for us.  So to be able to fully grasp what He wants us to learn, we have to take everything we read in context.  When the rules are set down in the Old Testament, we have to be aware of how those are affected in the New.  When we see a verse that seems contrary to something, we have to read the surrounding verses in order to understand. 

That said, let me reiterate.  As long as you are fully convinced in what you believe, based firmly on the Bible as a whole, then don’t worry about what other people are doing.  Whether they are right or wrong is no concern of yours (of course there are exceptions, but I’m not going to get into those).

Dear Lord, convict us.  Show us the truth of Your word.  Let us be able to distinguish between what is Your will and what is the way of the world. 

Amen.

1 Timothy 1:13-14

Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.  The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Now if you don't know who is writing this segment, it’s a man named Paul, who is a great man of God.  He established many churches, brought countless people to Christ, and wrote a large portion of the New Testament.  But he wasn't always like that.  As a young man, his name was Saul, not Paul, and his goal in life was to find and kill any proclaiming to be Christians.  It was only after a direct confrontation with God that he saw his error and repented, becoming Paul.  You can find the full story in Acts, starting in chapter 7. 

Now Saul wasn't beating around the bush at all.  He was out there imprisoning and killing Christians left and right as fast and efficiently as he could.  And all the while he was blaspheming God.  Yet, even after all of that, God took that man, turned him around, and made him into one of the great men of the Bible.  This is a murderer we're talking about here.  A man who blatantly disrespecting God.  But even with all of that, God still forgave him and washed him clean. 

I know that sometimes when we look at our sins and the evil we've done, it doesn't seem possible that God could ever forgive us.  But to God it doesn't matter.  He loves you, now and forever.  No matter what you do, He will always love you.  If you love Him back and want to live for Him, He’s not going to reject you.  There is no possible way that God is going to say “No, you have too much sin on you, I can't forgive you”.  Not single way in the universe that He would ever say that.  If you ask, He will wash you clean of your sins and give you a fresh start.  Now and forever.  Over and over.  Because no one is perfect and sin doesn't just leave.  Even after you accept Jesus, you will be tempted and you will fall.  The trick is learning to pick yourself back up, and to learn on the Lord, for He will always be there to brush you off and strengthen you when you need it most. 

Something I am eternally grateful for, because I am by no means a perfect Christian.  Pretty much everything I post here are things I struggle with personally all the time.  It took me a long time to truly accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior because I believed that my sins were too much for Him to forgive.  Even now those thoughts come to me when I sin.  How can God keep forgiving me as I sin over and over?  At times it seems like I let Him down too much to bear.  Yet bear it He does, for His love is never ending, and as long as I remember that, I am safe in Him.

Dear Lord, I thank You for Your everlasting grace.  Without it I would be lost.  Amen.

Romans 6:11

…Count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

When we accept God into our lives as our Lord and Savior and promise to live for Him, we die.  Not literally, of course.  People don’t drop dead when they accept Christ.  It is figurative that we die and are “born again”, to signify that we are no longer held captive by sin.  Thus, count yourself dead to sin.  It sounds simply, right?  Of course it does.  The hardest things often times sound the simplest.  You may be dead to sin after accepting Christ, but that doesn’t mean sin isn’t going to come around and try to resurrect you.  It will, over and over, and the mistake many people make is that it is a natural process that we give in to sin every once in a while.  God’s always ready to forgive us, so it’s all good, right?  Wrong.  Not that God is always ready to forgive us.  He is.  But that doesn’t mean it’s all good.  Just because you know God will forgive you for sinning doesn’t give you the go ahead to sin.  In fact, if that thought occurs to you, it means you know what you’re doing is a sin and you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place. 

Know that God will not send anything at us that we cannot stand against (1 Corinthians 10:13).  So we can stand against any temptation that comes our way.  If we don’t, if we give into that sin, it’s not God’s fault, it’s not Satan’s fault, it’s our fault.  We failed to stand strong in our faith and thus fell prey to sin. 

None of this is to say that it’s easy.  None of it is to say that if you sin you’re weak and pathetic.  I can’t hold that I don’t sin on a daily basis, because I do.  Big or small, it is a daily presence in my life.  I have to fight every day to even recognize it.  Human nature is sinful, and that makes it very hard to be able to see my sins.  It could just be an angry word, but that is still sin, for God tells us to control our anger.  Anger is one of the parts of my old self.  A part I said I would leave behind when I accepted Christ. Before, I didn’t even realize it was there.  Now I have to fight against it daily, and let me tell you, it ain’t easy.  Not by a long shot.  But through God’s grace, I am improving. 

Never underestimate the power of prayer.  When that temptation hits you, just pray.  About anything.  Give thanks for your life, your family, and your friends.  Pray for those you know are in need.  Pray about anything in your life, and that temptation will fade away, I guarantee, because you can’t maintain sinful thoughts when you’re talking with God.  It has helped me time and time again and it can help you too. 

The end result is, as always, pursue God will everything you have and He will take care of you.  Sin cannot stand against Him, and if you are strong  in Him, it cannot stand against you either.

Die so that you may live.

Dear Lord, I thank You for the many blessings You have given me.  I ask for Your help each and every day as I try to draw nearer to You.  All that is good and beautiful in this life comes from You, and that is all I want.  I thank You for this reader and ask that You enter their life and show them Your will and help them stand strong when sin comes knocking. 

A New Beginning

Hey guys.  Owen Tucker.  And today I’m going to be introducing something new.  For those of you who don’t know, I am a Christian.  Christ is my savior and Lord of my life.  I will follow where He leads me and I believe that he has lead me to use this blog.  So now, instead of blurps from my life, I will be posting verse from the Bible and discussing them.  It will simply be what I think about what the Bible is trying to say to me (and sometimes John).  Something that I hope others might benefit by.  I am not trying to tell anyone how to live their lives, or what they should take away from scripture.  These are simply my observations concerning the Word.  Take from that what you will.

(As a side, all the verses I use will be taken from an NIV Bible)

Romans 5: 3-4

…But we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Glory in suffering.  This is a theme found throughout the Bible over and over.  It is one we as Christians are thoroughly familiar with.  Yet it is one of the hardest to see in our everyday lives.  Who stubs a toe and thinks “Glory to God!”?  Most think of a choice word instead.  But even with something small and insignificant seeming as stubbing a toe, we can and should see glory.  Because in that instance, it is offering the chance to control anger.  For when we take suffering and accept it, in whatever form it may come in, we strengthen our faith.  We build ourselves in God.  We produce perseverance.  And with perseverance comes character.  A character built in faith.  Strong with God.  When we take suffering happily, seeing the glory, no matter how small, we persevere in our faith and come closer to our Lord.  With that strengthened relationship comes the hope. When we are strong with God, when we know He is our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer, how can we not have hope?  That is the very essence of hope.  All we await is His return to fulfill that hope.

How can you apply this to your own life?  I know I can apply it each and every day in my life.  Everything I said in the previous paragraph sounds wonderful, but it’s a different story trying to put it into practice.  Above is what we should do, and why we should do it.  Enter the human element.  Our innate, sinful desires that always push us away from what is best.  The part that tells me to say that choice word when I stub my toe instead of seeing and accepting the chance to persevere.  That is what makes doing the above so difficult.  It is a constant battle each day to be able to hold to the Lord and follow his commands.  A battle I am determined to win.  When the opportunity arises, I will strive to see it in the light of God’s glory and act accordingly.  Will you?

If so, or even if not, you might consider a short prayer right now.  Because we can and should always talk to God.  About everything.

Dear Lord, I ask for Your wisdom to come upon me.  Allow me to see these things as they appear to me, and let me act in a way according to Your Word, so that I may not stumble.  I thank You for those reading this and ask that it might help them in some way.  Amen.