Mi Amore

On very rare occasions you find two people that are inseparable from very first time they meet.

From an early age Adam and Jessica were two people that you knew were always meant to be together. From the first time they met in the second grade everyone could tell they were going to be "boyfriend and girlfriend" some day. As predicated, once they grew older they began dating in junior high school. Rarely did you ever see them apart.

Later, after Adam and Jessica graduated from high school they went on to college and dated all four years of college. It was not long after graduation that Adam proposed and they were married.

Adam and Jessica had a very special relationship. When people saw them together they would say (or think)... "That's the type of relationship that I want."

One evening they were driving home from a New Years Eve party and were hit by a drunk driver. Instantly Adam became a quadriplegic from the impact of the crash.

Jessica was only twenty-five years old at the time and no one would have blamed her if she decided to put Adam in a nursing home to handle the demanding need of a quadriplegic. Sadly, there was nothing anyone could do for Adam. He would most likely remain paralyzed for the rest of his life. However, for Jessica, she had her entire life in front of her...with hopes and dreams that she still wanted to accomplish.

Jessica went to church and prayed for guidance on what to do. It was an extremely burdensome decision for a twenty-five year old. But Jessica had loved Adam from the first moment they met. After praying, she made the decision to put her faith in God and to not only be Adam's caretaker, but to remain his wife. At the young age of twenty-five she was the wife of a man who would never be able to move his arms or legs again.

Friends, family and others who became familiar with the situation could not believe the decision she made. However, it wasn't long before everyone began to understand how deep and loyal Jessica's love for Adam was. Through Adam and Jessica's trials, other people began see the true meaning of love. Through Jesscia's example of selfless love, others began to see how much they took their existing relationships for granted. Others began to pray and thank God for the wonderful gifts in their lives. Others began to pray asking to be blessed with the same depth of love that Jessica showed for Adam. Through Jessica's trials others began to turn toward God.

Out of tragedy, the glorification of God was mobilized through thousands of people as they heard this story of true love. Through Jessica's faith and obedience to God, I wonder how many souls were saved because of her decision?

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

God bless you. And this if for His Glory!

Beyond the goal

Tim was a very gifted athlete. He was a high school standout in baseball, football, and track. Tim had been offered over 10 different scholarships from various universities (in both baseball and football) and when it finally came time for him to decide which sport he wanted to play, he choose to go the baseball route.

While playing college baseball, Tim worked extremely hard each and every day to get stronger, faster, and more fundamentally sound in his game. During that time, he had dedicated his life to achieving one goal - get drafted to play in the Major Leagues.

After a successful collegiate career, Tim was drafted 15th overall in the Major League Baseball draft. Along with being picked so high, he also received a $3 million signing bonus and a 4 year contract worth $7 million a year ($28 million over 4 years).

But, a funny thing happened after Tim reached the Major Leagues...

He somehow lost his drive. He still loved the game, but somehow he fell into a comfort zone (or false sense of security) and stopped training as hard as he once had. Tim was living a very comfortable lifestyle and had it in his mind that he could retire after re-signing for another 4 years. Tim had it all planned out. He would play 8 years in the major leagues and retire at the age of 30. By then he would have enough money to take care of any "troubles" for the rest of his life. He could relax on the beach, go jet skiing, go fishing, surf...do just about anything he wanted to do.

However, during the 3rd year into Tim's contract he suffered a shoulder injury. The team trainer told him that he needed to work hard to rehabilitate his shoulder in order to avoid re-injury. Unfortunately, Tim was never able to fully rehab his shoulder and ended up getting released from the team prior to starting his 4th season.

Tim never played professional baseball again.

* * *

In the story above it's obvious that Tim had a singular goal in mind - to play professional baseball. He prepared himself physically, mentally, fundamentally, and worked day and night to reach his goal. However, what happened after he got there?

Tim fell into a comfortable state of mind where he was living the glamorous life of a professional athlete. He had money and popularity...and most importantly...he had achieved his goal. For him, that was satisfying enough. However, Tim also had a choice. He had a choice to either continue to work hard or slack off. He had a choice to possibly put himself in a position where he could play the sport for many more years to come. He had a choice to adhere to the same level of standards and rigor that he had practiced during his high school and collegiate career.

Many of of us are in a similar situation...we have a great passion and desire to get "drafted" into God's kingdom. But, just as the Major League draft, it doesn't matter if you're drafted 1st or 100th. It only matters that you are picked and given an opportunity. (or "chosen" as it relates to scripture)

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Colossians 3:12

For professional athletes there is not a set of "black and white" criteria that must be met in order to play professionally. Professional athletes come in all shapes and sizes; however, one thing is certain - each had a desire to make it to the next level. We too, should live daily with a desire and passion to meet the criteria set out by God. Unlike professional sports, Christians have a criteria to adhere to. It's called The Word of God...the Bible, which tells us how we must to act. There is no question that it's the truth, because in many passages we hear things that directly go against modern culture...and for many people the commands are difficult to hear, (but not impossible to obey).

There are numerous citations written that prove that the bar is set really high to enter Heaven. The passage from Revelation 21 helps to re-emphasize this point very clearly...

Nothing impure will ever enter it (Heaven), nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Revelation 21:27

Let us never get too comfortable in our daily relationship with God, because Satan is always waiting for an opportunity to strike. If Tim's story tells us anything, its that we should never take our blessings for granted. So take some time and think about what you are going to do (next) once you reach a goal in your life...think about what you are going to do beyond the goal.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

10th Commandment

You decide to take a leisurely drive one evening. You feel adventurous and you go out to drive through a few towns that you've never really been to before. You enter into a nice neighborhood that slowly winds back further away from the heart of the town. It's not long before you start passing some very nice homes. Now these aren't your typical 3 bedroom, 2 story homes. You pass some lots that are a solid 2 acres deep with driveways anywhere from 50 to 150 yards long. The homes are just magnificent. Most of them are 7,000 plus square foot with at least 1 swimming pool and 4-5 car garages.

You can't help but to feel that little tug on your conscience. It's saying..."These are nice, I'd like to have one of these." In fact, the longer you drive down the road, the more you begin to do a self-evaluation. You begin to think about why you don't have the luck, brains, fame, or money to have something like this.

All of your inner thoughts are swirling because you are totally entranced by the enormity and beauty of these small mansions. You begin to think, "Wow, these people are really lucky, I wish that I could have something like this."

After you turn back toward home, you generally might have one of three reactions.

1) You are upset or depressed because you feel that you've been slighted
2) You feel thankful for the things that you have
3) It motivates you to work harder

For the purposes of this posting I'm going to focus on Option 1, as it correlates directly back to the 10th Commandment:

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. Exodus20:17

The word "covet" means - "to wish" or "to desire"

In a nutshell it is Envy.

The 10th commandment is arguably one of the most difficult to follow in the times we live in. Our entire world revolves around money and materialistic things. Somehow it's gotten to be the "in thing" to have nice cars, a big home, fancy clothes, or the newest tech gadget. All of these things might be nice in the eyes of men, but I'd ask how are they used to give glory to God?

I'm not saying that having any of these things is a bad thing. But, it's something that we must carefully manage so these things do not consume our lives and become our priority. There is not a single item that a person has that God doesn't allow them to possess. All of our possessions are 'on loan'. We don't own them, God does. And in the blink of an eye and by His Will, He can take them away or multiply them tenfold.

Let's try to remember to give thanks everyday for the things that God has blessed us with. I promise you there are so many people in a far worse situations.

To put things into perspective:

Approx 3-5 % of the worlds population have internet access. And only about 25% of the worlds population sleep in their own bed at night and only about 30% of the worlds population are rich enough to have a bank account.

Final Thoughts

In retrospect, the 10th Commandment is really the first stop on the "sin express". By the word "express" I mean that it will take you down quickly...and once you hop on board, don't expect to get off anytime soon. Envy will lead to greed. Greed could lead to lying, selfishness, or theft...and these could lead to far worse things.

The next time you are in a situation where you start to feel envious, stop for a moment to tell God about the top 2 or 3 things that you are most thankful for.

Let's remember to have patience and enjoy the gifts that God has given us. We never know how long He's going to allow us to keep these gifts, or when He will ultimately call us home to final judgment.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Did God Create Evil?

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis1:1

Even those who have never read a single verse from the bible have (most likely) heard the first verse from the book of Genesis. However, God did not create man to act like robots. He did not create us to be pre-programmed to do His will or obey Him. God granted us with individual minds, feelings, and a free will to choose.

Without blinking an eye, we make thousands of unconscious decisions each day. However, God chose to give us the breath of life. God chose to put us on this earth and God chose for us to live in order to glorify His name. Obviously, we also have a choice to follow Him.

I will proclaim the name of the LORD.
Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
Deuteronomy 32:3

With that being said, one question still remains...

If God created everything...Did God create Evil?

The following dialogue was provided by a new friend of mine (thank you Jan!) and with her permission I am posting it here. After you read this, it will make you think about things differently.

The Debate

At a certain college there was a professor with a reputation for being tough on Christians. At the first class, every semester, he asked if anyone was a Christian and proceeded to degrade them and to mock their statement of faith. One semester, he asked the question and a young man raised his hand.

The professor asked, "Did God make everything young man?" He replied "Yes sir he did!" The professor responded, "IF God made everything, then he made evil."

The student didn't have a response and the professor was happy to once again prove the Christian faith to be a myth.

Then another man raised his hand and asked, "May I ask you something,sir?" "Yes, you may," responded the professor.

The young man stood up and said, "Sir, is there such a thing as cold?" Of course there is, what kind of a question is that? Haven't you ever been cold?"

The young man replied, "Actually, sir, cold doesn't exist. What we consider to be cold, is really an absence of heat. Absolute zero is when there is absolutely no heat, but cold does not really exist. We have only created that term to describe how we feel when heat is not there."

The young man continued, Sir, is there such a thing as dark?" Once again the professor responded, "Of course there is."And once again, the student replied, "Actually, sir, darkness does not exist. Darkness is really only the absence of light. Darkness is only a term developed to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally, the young man asked, "Sir, is there such a thing as evil?" The professor responded, "Of course, we have rapes, murders and violence everywhere in the world, Those things are evil."

The student replied, "Actually, sir, evil does not exist. Evil is simply the absence of God. Evil is a term developed to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. It isn't like truth, or love which exist as virtues like heat or light. Evil is simply the state where God is not present, like cold without heat, or darkness without light."

The professor had nothing to say...

Be full of Christ today, there is no room for anything else.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Sin and Free Will

Sin –

Sin, or Evil, is a violation of God’s law. Transgression, or sin, is violating the will of God.
How did people begin to sin, and who was the first to violate the will of God?

Before the creation of the visible world and man, God created angels. Angels are bodiless spirits, invisible and immortal. All the angels were created good and God gave them complete freedom to love God or not, and to live with God or without God.

One of the most radiant and powerful angels did not wish to love God, to depend on Him, and fulfill the will of God, but desired to become like God Himself, to live independently. This angel ceased to obey God and began to resist God in everything. Thus he became the enemy of God, and many other angels went with him.

For such a rebellion against God these angels were all deprived of the light and blessedness that had been given to them, and they became evil, dark spirits.

All these dark, evil spirits are now called demons or devils. The main devil who was once the most radiant of the angels is called Satan, the enemy of God.

The Devil inspires people not to obey God, but to sin. The Devil deceives. By cleverness and deceit he taught the first people created by God, Adam and Eve, to violate the will of God.

All people come from Adam and Eve, who first fell into sin, and therefore we are born with an inclination to sin. Being constantly committed from generation to generation, sin has taken power over all men and has submitted everyone to itself. All men — to a greater or lesser degree — are sinners.

It is sin that constantly separates man from God and leads to suffering, illness, and death — temporal and eternal. It is for this reason that mankind began to suffer and die. Men alone, by their own efforts, could not overcome the evil that had spread throughout the world, or destroy death. God in His compassion gave help to men, sending to earth His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The above passage was taken from http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/LGOT/sin.shtml and I thank them for a very touching summary of the Lord's compassion toward man.

My comments on this passage –

One of the main points the summary above makes is the fact that all of God’s creations (including angels) were given a power called “Free Will”. I call it a power because a single decision can change the course of your life, your family’s life, or someone else’s life forever. Free will is the ability to make a choice. As human beings we make thousands of choices every single day. Most are minor such as what color socks or belt to wear. Others examples might be…do I sleep in for another 15 minutes and skip breakfast or get up and eat? Do I get gas before or after going to work, etc. You get the picture.

The struggle for most human beings surrounds the reality of free will. I heard self-help guru Anthony Robbins once say that people do things for either one of two reasons: Either for Pain or Pleasure. In other words – if a certain action will give them more pain than pleasure, they likely will resist doing it. This can be something as trivial as taking out the garbage or mowing the lawn. Ultimately, human beings resist pain and struggle…it’s just inherent in our nature. Is it a survival mechanism? Or simply laziness? (Sloth – one of the 7 deadly sins). However, one thing we should keep in mind is the word “Selfless”, which is synonymous to unselfishness. This is the act of giving of yourself for the good of others. It’s the act of putting other people first. In recent history, the first person that comes to mind when I think of the world selfless is the late Mother Theresa. She devoted her life to helping and caring for the poor in a 3rd world country.

My personal belief is that God did not intend to create robots. He blessed, yes blessed man with free will. What would humanity be like if we were simply a predictable, robotic, God loving race? I don’t believe that this was His intent. His intent was belief through FAITH. What is faith? Quite simply, faith is the ability to believe (both in your mind and heart) that God exists without being an eye-witness. Remember the story of Thomas? What if I asked - do you remember the story of ‘doubting’ Thomas? Would that ring a bell? Thomas, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles chose not to believe that the Lord had risen from the dead without seeing it for himself.

From the Gospel of John –

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the LORD. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

27 Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.

“Blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe.”

In Conclusion –

Each and every one of us has the power of free will. How we chose to use it – is up to us. I plan to apply my power of free will to glorify God each and every day. I have faith that through the Lord’s blessings that he will teach me the lessons that I need to learn to lead my family down the right path with the ultimate goal of getting through the Gates of Heaven. I sincerely hope you can do the same.

God bless you and remember…God will never abandon you. Have FAITH and you will be rewarded. Amen.