A few thoughts on some recent bible studies, sermons, etc...
"clasping hands with pagans" (Isaiah 2:6, NIV)
You have abandoned your people,
the house of Jacob.
They are full of superstitions from the East;
they practice divination like the Philistines
and clasp hands with pagans.
A harsh rebuke by Isaiah the prophet on the negligence of the people of Israel towards God's commands and incorporating pagan rituals and values into their own lives. It seems to me that instead of being a 'light to the world' to positively influence the people surrounding them, the Israelites are being influenced by them, not by God.
"drunk with wine" Ephesians 5:18-20
18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
the phrase "be filled" is an imperative to be continuously filled by the Holy Spirit, which in itself is full of Good things (Gal. 5:22-23). Just like drinking wine and being full of it induces certain behaviors, so does being filled with the Spirit.
...
How do these two relate? Well, I struggle a lot with making good judgment calls when it comes to the people I hang out with, especially since I am very easily influenced by my environment. The passage from Isaiah hits me pretty deep, as I am often picking up various habits from those around me. But on the other hand, I'm supposed to be the salt and light of the world (Matt 5:13-16). I can't stay locked up in my Christian bubble forever; that's just selfish and distrustful of others..
In this sense, I see why we're told to "be filled in the Spirit." We are always being influenced by our surroundings, thus the writer is saying, "Of all the things that can fill you up - such as wine, work, friends, achievements, money - choose the Spirit, because by intaking the Spirit you can output God's grace, mercy, love, patience, peace...and this allows you to be the salt and light. But if the Spirit isn't what fills you, then you're taking in things that make you "lose your saltiness."
So now, the challenge is to identify my intakes (internet, facebook, gmail/gchat, work, radio, online comics, dramas..among other things) and change my lifestyle to reflect a life filled with the Spirit.
In other words, take the non-Spirit sources and turn them into "resources"...in that they do not mindlessly feed into me, but I pull from them what I need from time to time in order to serve those around me.
Monday, August 16, 2010
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."
1 Samuel 8:19-20
As Samuel grows old with no one to succeed him, the Israelites ask for a king who will represent them, lead them, protect them and fight for them.
Israel was meant to be set apart from the world - to be the antithesis of the worldly mentality and show that there IS a God worth worshiping.
They forgot that it is God who leads, protects and fights our battles. It is in Him whom we find and validate our identity. Not a man.
This is the tragedy of our human state: we eagerly listen to and believe the empty, unreliable, hopeless, doesn't-feel-quite-right-but-it's-all-i-can-do-i-guess claims of security and identity the world has to offer instead of the voice of the only one who can ACTUALLY live up to and exceed our highest expectations...because we can.
1 Samuel 8:19-20
As Samuel grows old with no one to succeed him, the Israelites ask for a king who will represent them, lead them, protect them and fight for them.
Israel was meant to be set apart from the world - to be the antithesis of the worldly mentality and show that there IS a God worth worshiping.
They forgot that it is God who leads, protects and fights our battles. It is in Him whom we find and validate our identity. Not a man.
This is the tragedy of our human state: we eagerly listen to and believe the empty, unreliable, hopeless, doesn't-feel-quite-right-but-it's-all-i-can-do-i-guess claims of security and identity the world has to offer instead of the voice of the only one who can ACTUALLY live up to and exceed our highest expectations...because we can.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
Deut 8:10-18
Deut 8:10-18
Sunday, July 19, 2009
I'd Need a Savior
Heard this song on the radio today on the way back from church. Thought I'd share =]
I'd Need a Savior by Among the Thirsty
with lyrics
I'd Need a Savior by Among the Thirsty
with lyrics
Wednesday July 15, 2009
A thought that came to me sometime last week:
So last Wednesday, after putting out the recycling, I decided to take out the bike and hit up the nearest farmer's market (located in the Whole Food's parking lot) for some groceries. Lo and behold, they weren't there that day. So, I take a gander inside Whole Foods - since the last time I was in one was by accident sophomore year - and saw there was some lemonade on sale. During checkout, the lady at the register asks what type of bag I want and I reply, "No thanks, I've got my own." I saved 5 cents on my groceries and I happily got back on my bike and headed home.
On the way, I stopped by Eastside Marketplace - a local grocery store - and picked up some fruits, which I had failed to acquire earlier. While browsing the dry foods aisle, a lady compliments my shirt, which read "What the world needs now is Love." 1.4 awkward seconds later, she quickly adds, "I went to Woodstock." "Cool," I reply. Again, at the checkout, I politely refuse both paper and plastic and save another 3 cents.
As I walk out with groceries in my backpack, a shirt that reminded someone of Woodstock on my back and some worn out sandles on my feet, it suddenly hit me: After 4 years at Brown, I've become a hippie. And suddenly, I felt as if I needed to jump in my car, blast some alternative rock, drive aggressively and recklessly, and kick some fuzzy animals along the way.
I shared this with Hope during bible study later that evening and she had a good laugh about it. Apparently, it's going on her blog. Maybe one day I will serendipitously find it and laugh at my silliness.
So last Wednesday, after putting out the recycling, I decided to take out the bike and hit up the nearest farmer's market (located in the Whole Food's parking lot) for some groceries. Lo and behold, they weren't there that day. So, I take a gander inside Whole Foods - since the last time I was in one was by accident sophomore year - and saw there was some lemonade on sale. During checkout, the lady at the register asks what type of bag I want and I reply, "No thanks, I've got my own." I saved 5 cents on my groceries and I happily got back on my bike and headed home.
On the way, I stopped by Eastside Marketplace - a local grocery store - and picked up some fruits, which I had failed to acquire earlier. While browsing the dry foods aisle, a lady compliments my shirt, which read "What the world needs now is Love." 1.4 awkward seconds later, she quickly adds, "I went to Woodstock." "Cool," I reply. Again, at the checkout, I politely refuse both paper and plastic and save another 3 cents.
As I walk out with groceries in my backpack, a shirt that reminded someone of Woodstock on my back and some worn out sandles on my feet, it suddenly hit me: After 4 years at Brown, I've become a hippie. And suddenly, I felt as if I needed to jump in my car, blast some alternative rock, drive aggressively and recklessly, and kick some fuzzy animals along the way.
I shared this with Hope during bible study later that evening and she had a good laugh about it. Apparently, it's going on her blog. Maybe one day I will serendipitously find it and laugh at my silliness.
mission statement
I'll be honest with you, I am horrible at keeping journals, blogs or anything. It's not so much that I lack the skill or the material, but I just can't seem to keep it in my daily routine of things. This may be because I lack routines, but that is besides the point.
So, now that I'm done rambling, I present to you the purpose of this blog. As it often seems to be the case in my life, my reason for doing things stem from a multitude of conditions that all converge onto a single need. This need, based on my judgment at the time, could be solvable by creating a blog. However, in order to keep the blog relevant and purposeful to my original needs - therefore maintaining its fidelity to its purpose - I've listed those conditions below, in part for any reader to know what to expect on here, but also in part for me to remember why I had the ridiculous thought of keeping a blog. So without further delay, the conditions:
1) To pose questions or observations I have not been able to understand at the moment in hopes that an older, wiser and more mature self will be able to figure it out later. Therefore, keeping clear and detailed records with the mindset that I will revisit these questions years later.
2) To digest, process, better understand or figure out these questions from previous posts (it'd be silly to just ask questions, no?).
3) To chronicle my journeys from the moments before, during and after graduate studies.
4) To record random epiphanies or radical realizations as to not forget what they were.
5) To reflect on my walk with God and the challenges, struggles, growth and changes I encounter during it.
6) When I write in a journal, I've realized, it is both enjoyable and therapeutic for me, but it kills my fingers after about an hour of it. Typing seems easier and faster, though I enjoy the feel of a pen on paper over the keys on a keyboard. I will write concurrently in journals, but a blog will centralize everything and keep things neat. Plus, a search feature helps recall past thoughts. Plus I'm a geek, and you can't be a geek without a computer.
So, now that I'm done rambling, I present to you the purpose of this blog. As it often seems to be the case in my life, my reason for doing things stem from a multitude of conditions that all converge onto a single need. This need, based on my judgment at the time, could be solvable by creating a blog. However, in order to keep the blog relevant and purposeful to my original needs - therefore maintaining its fidelity to its purpose - I've listed those conditions below, in part for any reader to know what to expect on here, but also in part for me to remember why I had the ridiculous thought of keeping a blog. So without further delay, the conditions:
1) To pose questions or observations I have not been able to understand at the moment in hopes that an older, wiser and more mature self will be able to figure it out later. Therefore, keeping clear and detailed records with the mindset that I will revisit these questions years later.
2) To digest, process, better understand or figure out these questions from previous posts (it'd be silly to just ask questions, no?).
3) To chronicle my journeys from the moments before, during and after graduate studies.
4) To record random epiphanies or radical realizations as to not forget what they were.
5) To reflect on my walk with God and the challenges, struggles, growth and changes I encounter during it.
6) When I write in a journal, I've realized, it is both enjoyable and therapeutic for me, but it kills my fingers after about an hour of it. Typing seems easier and faster, though I enjoy the feel of a pen on paper over the keys on a keyboard. I will write concurrently in journals, but a blog will centralize everything and keep things neat. Plus, a search feature helps recall past thoughts. Plus I'm a geek, and you can't be a geek without a computer.
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