Christianity Not Perfection

We were never meant to be perfect.

Only God is perfect. In the Bible it says that God made Adam in His image. Adam was a shadow, a reflection of God here on Earth. We've all looked in the mirror and we know that even though it's a pretty good representation,  it is not us. No matter what Mulan thinks! ( If you got that reference I am so proud of you! ) We were meant to be close to perfection,  we are called to be a light on the world. Salt of the earth,  representing God. I know that not all of my readers are Christian but I hope you still get something out of this post. We're not perfect, so how are we supposed to represent our Father?

1 Timothy 4:12

"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith in purity."

We are examples of Christ so, even though I've beaten this idea over the head with an ugly stick. God tests us a lot and these tests are to make sure that we can show up and show out as Christians even when nothing seems to be going our way. Last night, I was at a conference. It was a pretty fun conference but as a volunteer I know that nothing was seeming to go as planned. People were late, people were getting lost and we were all pretty worried about attendance BUT God made a way. We started almost an hour late than scheduled but somehow managed to end on time even though we went through the schedule in its entirety. It's like when God made time stop in the Old Testament. That's how it felt. And we could have yelled, gotten frustrated or even left but we didn't. We all stayed and got to know someone knew and fellowship and worship in a way that would have been different if there were hundreds of people like there were last year. Through that stress and headache we all wore smiles and people's hearts were touched by the power of Jesus Christ. We were an example to those around us. We had the faith to keep going.

I know that's not a great example but still. Real life happens to everybody. Young, old, beautiful, ugly, perky or rude. We all come across situations that we can't handle but we have to stand up tall. And like the verse says, it doesn't matter if we're young. We are the light of this world, so shine like the tub after using Ajax!

You can be a good person without being a Christian.

Every one has the potential to be a good person. But as a Christian, it is our job to represent God's unconditional love by being kind, gentle, loving and understanding. Why? Because that is what God would want us to do. This ties into my post about being a witness. We are living, and while we are living we should the living for Christ. We should show the world that Christianity doesn't mean perfection. We still are tempted, sometimes we fall, sometimes it seems like nothing is ever going to change. Sidebar: Christianity does NOT mean the end of your problems. In fact, your problems will most likely get a whole lot worse because the enemy wants to wear you down, but we can't be defeated. We walk in the authority. I have some other things to do, but I suggest listening to some songs such as Never Quit by Benjah and Young by Andy Mineo.

Here's another by Dee-1 I'm Not Perfect

Be A Witness

We are not called to witness. We are called to be witnesses.

We are living epistles read of all men. We are both the light and the salt on the earth. And we will always have people watching us hoping to criticize us for that one mistake. It is all a part of being a Christian. That;s not the issue, the issue comes in when we claim to be followers of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, but we don't live like him at all. That's just plain hypocritical ad we all know how much Jesus disliked the actions of the hypocritical Pharisees (throwing tables and all that).

What makes a witness? It isn't as hard as one may think. We have to help people and even if we never go out and evangelize all over the globe, there are people we can minister in our own towns. Not everybody has been given the gift of being a people person, trust me. God did NOT give me that gift. However, I can still show people the glory of God without taking the fist step and walking up to a stranger like, "Do you know my Lord, Jesus Christ?". For those of you who are like me we must make sure that people see God's glory through us. We are His temple are we not?

As tough as it is we have to try and inspire people to get to know God through our lifestyle. That doesn't mean we have to be perfect but it does mean that we pray, read His Word, love our neighbors and show mercy to our enemies. I know it's hard. I was so angry at a coworker this past Friday that it made me physically sick and I had to leave. Luckily, I didn't punch her in the face like I wanted to. Sometimes we have to walk away when it gets tough so that we don't make the wrong decision. I learned recently though that I should never let someone else have that much control over my emotions so I am still working on that. Anyway, back to witnessing. Everyone loves a friend but how many people can show the same affection for an enemy? It gets easier and when we start doing that people are going to notice the change and get a little curious. 

Once this happens don't be all extra-Christian. We are trying to win people to the kingdom, not creep them out. Talk to them about God and if you need to read up on apologetics. People usually ask why there is evil in the world. My answer to this question is free will. There would be no such thing as evil if God hadn't given us the choice and if Adam and Eve had never chosen to eat the apple but they did.

Even if there are those who never outright ask you about your faith, they are watching everything you do and they should be able to tell if you are a Christian. If someone asks why you are dressed up on a Sunday and you respond that it's because of church you should get offended if they say, "I didn't know you were a Christian". I mean, how can we be an example like in 1 Timothy 4:12 if we are out here doing the exact same thing the world is doing. Think about it ans share your comments below. If you have any examples about being a witness or ways people can witness in their everyday life I would love to know. Post it below.

And since we are called to act Christ-like, here is a little song for inspiration.

Witness by God's Servant

Paying Sallie Mae

Student Loans Are Ridiculous

School is just getting more and more expensive by the year, but scholarships aren't getting raised any. People are out here doing crazy stuff just to go to college and better themselves in the long run. Some girls are working as exotic dancers, some guys are doing illegal things. This is outrageous. And it seems like they never actually give scholarships to the ones who need it the most. Here I am, working two jobs and this guy just bought two more cares (in addition to the three he already had) with his left over scholarship money. Really? Really?! Well, mama always told me that life wasn't fair and I've known it for a while. But, even in high school I worked hard for college scholarships. I started looking at scholarships my freshman year of high school. I can't even begin tell you how many I applied to through Cappex, Unigo, Fastweb and more. I never got one of them. All of my scholarship money came from the university I attend and it's not that much.

People are working so hard to try and go to school but so many drop out because it is jsut too expensive. There are those that think a lot of us don't go to college because we are lazy, but that couldn't be further from the truth. We can't afford it! We have to take care of our families and provide for ourselves so a job just seems like the best option, at least at the moment. Nobody I know just has $30-$60,000 they can just hand to the bursar. Do you? Probably not. And getting scholarships is a lot harder for some people, there are some requirements that don't make sense. Most scholarships now are for legacies, you have to know somebody to get anywhere or you have to promise to join a certain organization or be in that organization for a certain amount of time. It's really not fair, but that is not the point of this post.

But We Made It Anyhow!

This post is to congratulate everyone who is in school or has graduated. You made it and here are two songs to congratulate you on your accomplishment. You could've been doing something else, anything really but you chose college. I'm proud of you and I hope you are proud of yourself. And you know what, although it's disheartening at the moment, one day you will be able to pay off those loans you had to take out, interest included. And these are two songs that I hope you listen to and put in your playlist. You made it and one day Sallie Mae is going to stop calling you asking for her money.

Momma We Made It by Corey Paul

Sallie Mae Back by Dee-1

Leaving Friends

When You Have to Leave People Behind

Sometimes we have to leave the people we once called friends goodbye. When there are people that are going in a different direction than you and all you want to do is help them out...sometimes you can't. People see you changing and when it's for the better you realize that you don't have as many friends as you thought you did. There are the people who want to use you, those who don't want to see you grow and those that like staying where they are and when you grow they lash out. Either way it goes, these are the types of people who you thought were like family back when you were in your mess but now they want to act like they don't know you or try and keep you from your growth. Have you ever had to deal with these types of people? I know I have but the good thing is that once you start keeping your distance, you will gain closer friends who are going on the same path you are and can help you along. I'm not saying to cut off all communication with your old clique (even though you have to sometimes) but I am saying that sometimes it's a lot easier to love somebody from a distance.

When you have been there for somebody for thick and thin sometimes you don't want to let go. Sometimes you think that because you have been there for so long that you have to keep being there for that person. That's a bold faced lie from the very pits of hell and now that I got that out of my mind, I just you to remember that you should never feel obligated to do anything. God gave us free will and if you ever feel obligated to talk to someone or do something for somebody then, chances are, you probably should NOT do it. Stop doing it, those so called friends aren't going to be as nice to you as they used to be. They'll talk about how you're never there for them and about how you aren't the same anymore when really the only thing that changes is that you have stopped being their benefactor. Ain't that about a nothing?

Then there are those friends who like being rock bottom. Lyfe Jennings has a song called "Greedy" and there's a line in it that says, "she got comfortable at the bottom and wanted to stay there". We have all had friends like that, and you may think I'm generalizing but trust me, once you live long enough you'll understand. There are people who will moan, groan, whine and complain about where they are in life but don't actually want to change. They like being where they are or are afraid of change and because they are afraid they hate it. So when you start moving on up like George, Wheezy and Florence, they start acting a little shady. They start talking about how you're acting different. How you think you are better than them and how you are forgetting where you come from. No you haven't forgotten anything, you just used your past to move forward while they used their pasts to keep them in their own little pity parties. But I rebuke that in the name of Jesus. Nobody has time to be feeling sorry for themselves, there is way too much to do and not enough time to do it. Don't let those people keep you from living out your dreams or moving up in your life. These are people you have to let go slowly. It will be hard, they will talk about you behind your back and shun you to your face but when you out there doing it big and living how you have tried to live for years, who is going to be the one smiling? You are. That's the important thing.

There will always be friends you have to let go and at times it feels like you are so low on friends that all you have is enemies but that's not true. You can't really be true friends with two completely different types of people so God is not going to place a whole lot of people into your life until you start cutting off those people who are bad for you. I speak from experience, I don't even talk to my friends from when I started college, unless it's in passing, but I have never gone out of my way to make conversation and I have obviously grown since I stopped talking to them. And now I have a great circle of people who appreciate me for me, not for what I do. These people want to see me grow and are trying to grow themselves so I know that I won't be ostracized for trying to live out my dreams and that's an amazing feeling.

Don't get mad or upset when you cut people off. Don't feel bad. It'll help you be a better you in the long run. Be Me by Tedashii

Don't Forget: The Crown Was Made Of Thorns

 

People always want to wear a crown but they never seem to remember that the only crown Jesus wore down on Earth was made of thorns. It wasn't silver and gold and precious jewels. It was painfully and forcefully shoved onto His head before his crucifixion. People say that, "The War is Won" and that is most definitely true. Those who live in Christ are victorious but never forget that there are still battles going on every single day. They may seem small to you, but to someone going through the exact same thing it may seem like life or death. We have to be mindful of other people's positions in this. We cannot make light of another person's plight. If someone comes to you with a problem, listen to them. Don't talk about yourself or tell them it isn't that bad. You have no idea what that person is thinking of doing next. You may just save a life if you choose to listen wholeheartedly and show someone the love of God without being sarcastic, pretentious or snarky.

Anyway, back to the crown of Jesus. According to John:

The Crown of Thorns

      1Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. 2And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; 3and they began to come up to Him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face. 4Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” 5Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!” 6So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” 7The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.”

Wearing that crown wasn't a status symbol! It was a mockery of the one, true King! It was the way the enemy wanted to mark his victory, little did he know that Jesus had come to die, in order to give His people power over sin. Today this crown is a reminder of the sacrifice we didn't deserve, correct? It is meant to remind the believers of what we do deserve: a gruesome death. So why are we acting all high and mighty?Yes, we are called to walk in the authority that is bestowed on us through the Holy Spirit but that does not make us better than anyone else. We were all sinners until we turned back to Christ. Don't be so heavenly bound that you're no earthly good.

If you want to wear a crown so bad, wear a crown of thorns and live like Jesus asked us to: loving those who hate us, giving back to those who are poor. Making sacrifices and being holy. We are kings and queens in God but we are called to be SERVANT OF ALL! It is the least we can do to represent God's grace, mercy forgiveness and love. Sometimes we are the only God people see and that is a fact but we do not always act like Him and that has got to change.

Here are two songs that talk about it a little more:

Crown of Thorns by God's Servant and Crowns & Thorns by KB

Love Never

Fails

What is the greatest love you've ever known? Come on, it's Valentine's day. You should definitely have an answer. Or maybe I am just bias. For those of us who are celebrating Singleness Awareness Day instead, I feel like the answer is a little clearer to see because we aren't wearing rose colored goggles. The greatest love I have ever known is that of the Triune God. 

I say Triune because Trinity implies three separate people. And God is three in one. The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit who contrary to common knowledge is in fact a person. And this post actually goes out to the three of them. Love never fails. It is impossible and God cannot fail. We are loved by Him are we not? His love cannot fail. Plain, simple, done.

Leaves

God said that He would never forsake us. Aside from the fact that He is unstoppable He also promises to be by our side forever. Now that's some unconditional love. And the truth is, I know that I probably couldn't love like that. You only have a certain amount of times to hurt me until I have to start loving you from a distance. Are you like that?

God won't turn His back or get ashamed of us when we do something extra stupid like break out into song in the middle of a Wal-Mart, which we have all done, right? He will just break into song with us and care for us during our troubles, even when we act like complete brats. Why? Because of His love for us. Isn't that amazing?

Quits

You cannot give up when you are in love. God does not give up on us so we cannot give up on those He loves. Even when someone does back flips on your last little nerve, you must not give up. Just pray, and like I said before you may have to start loving that person from a distance. If they hurt you, forgive them and pray for them to learn to be more responsible and respectable. If all you want to do is punch that person in the throat.....don't. Yes, that's the correct advice to give you, even though sometimes....man, sometimes. However, if you do feel like that just don't contact them for a while. Maybe a week or two, say hi and bi and then if God leads you to it go for a whole week more and pray that God gives you a heart big enough to love even the most obnoxious people you come in contact with.

This song by S.O talks about God's love and how His Son is the way, tell 'em all. Tell Em All by S.O.

Chasing Fool's Goals

Only Gives You Fool's Gold

I know I heard these words in a song. Don't ask me which one because I have no idea. However, it got me to thinking about what I had been making a priority in my life. And honestly my list of priorities has changed a lot. Even though we aren't supposed to talk about religion in class, one of my professors talks about his all the time and he made us write down the three most important things in our lives. I bet that those lists were different for every single person in that classroom. And I am quite sure that some people only put God, religion or faith as their number one because they felt obligated to. You all know by know what I think about obligation. Well anyway, I think that we all have been chasing a little bit of fool's gold. I go to a youth group and the pastor preached on making God our one goal. And that hit me but I will come back to that a little bit later. Fool's gold looks like the real thing and feel like the real thing but, in the end, is completely worthless. I have been chasing a few goals that I shouldn't and the strange this is that when I thought about it I never thought about these things until AFTER I gave my life back to God. So I have a little list for you:

1.) Recognition
2.) Acceptance
3.) Popularity

Those are my three fool's goals. Things that I really should not be focusing on whatsoever because they aren't going to help me do anything in the long run except maybe stress out a little. And I already have too much stress in my life (all thanks can go to college for that). We all have different goals and you don't have to be Christian to read this blog so your goals are probably a lot different from mine. My goal is to be Christ-like and I can't reach my main goal if I am paying more attention to these stupid little things that don't mean anything. Before, I could be completely ignored by everyone in existence and I wouldn't mind at all and now I get mad if I am not among the first a friend talks to when he or she walks into the room. I mean, what's with that? It makes absolutely no sense! I walk around saying that I want to be Christ-like but when did Jesus ever care how popular He was? He didn't and if He did I am quite sure that He either would have never gone to the cross or would have gotten down off of it because He's boss. He told people the truth about themselves even though He knew that they would hate Him for it. He was ostracized and hated by His own people and I am over here like "Does she think my twist out is on point today?". No. I rebuke that in the name of Jesus because I feel like anything that keeps your eyes off of your main goal is straight from the very pits of hell and I may be alone in that but I'm going to make my views known.



Don't get me wrong, everyone should have tons of goals. I do. I want to go to graduate school, get a job as an editor, get married, have a lot of kids and have a dog with an African name. But notice how these goals are completely different than that other list. Me going to grad school does not take away from my walk with my Father at all, it actually gives me an opportunity to share my walk with other people. Kind of like how I am sharing it with you. The great thing about this is though that I don't have to try and catch up with anybody else in my walk because it is my walk and I am different from any other believer. If I have get to the finish line in a rolling office chair, I'm still going to finish it and that doesn't make me lesser than those running like gazelles or more than those that have to crawl there. I have my goals. Make some of your own (if you don't have many) but don't let those smaller goals get in the way of the one thing you want to do with your life. I did and I am definitely battling with it and I want you to learn from my many, many mistakes.

And if you can find out what song it was that I mentioned at the beginning please let me know!

Fool's Gold by Andy Mineo