Suffering Multiplies

Hardship meets everyone sometime in their lives. Often called the “winter season” it is a time that feels barren and empty, like there is no life or growth at all. Like walking through a desert, it seems to drain everything, leaving us feeling dry with nothing left. While that is how it often “feels”, that is not how it actually is. Our feelings do not always accurately reflect the truth.

 

The Seeds We Grow

In a garden, field or any piece of ground, there are plants growing. Some of those plants were planted by someone, and some, what we call “volunteer”, planted themselves. Volunteer plants are not always bad, some are very good. Currently I have volunteer blackberry bushes growing in the woods next to my house and I look forward to a crop of berries later this summer! Other volunteer plants are bad, like thistles. Even though we didn’t plant them, they are still there and we can decide whether they stay there or not, but we have to actively do something about it. They won’t leave on their own, and left unchecked can take over, crowding out the good plants.

Maturity Doesn't Just Happen

Many believe that life is all chance, and usually leave everything in life up to chance. Rather than pursue something, or seek growth, they allow things to just happen as they happen, living aimlessly and without ambition in one or more areas of life. If they are to amount to something, it will just happen. Especially in the younger generations, many wander through life haphazardly, but is that the way we were meant to live? Can we really achieve growth and maturity by chance?

A New Direction: Growing in Godliness

Growing in godliness is something that I have always been passionate about. Even as a child, before I was saved, I wanted to be like God, as close to perfect as I could be. I'm not sure what my motive was back then, but now that desire is driven by an intense longing to honor God. He has made the ultimate sacrifice for me, so that He could have a relationship with me. Even though I did nothing to deserve it, He paid the penalty for what I have done. I owe Him all that I have, and it is my greatest desire to express that love and gratitude. That is centered around honoring Him. And as I said in my last post, the best way that we can honor God is by being like God. When we act like God, we prove that we are God's children, that we truly believe His Word, and that we value and respect Him. That in turn glorifies Him to those around us. Of course we will never reach perfection this side of heaven, but we are called to try. We are called to put off everything in ourselves that is not godly and seek what is. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says that in everything we do we should glorify God. That is our ultimate, created purpose on this earth. If we genuinely strive for that, everything else that we want (to be good parents, spouses, employees, etc) will follow suit.

Because it is something that I believe is vital for every follower of Christ, it is my goal to help and encourage my readers to do that as well. As a result, after some thought and prayer, I have decided to make a few changes to my blog. The first change is to my theme or focus. I will still share what I have learned, but with the purpose of helping others to grow in their faith and walk with God, to become more like God. I will also post more frequently. My main post will continue to be on Mondays, but effective next week I will also post short devotionals Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

In honor of this new change, next week I will start a series in my Monday posts about True Virtue. Virtue is not a popular subject in our society, and many of the virtues discussed in the Bible have been changed or warped by our culture (such as beauty and success.) But virtue is part of godliness. Each week I will discuss the biblical view of a different virtue in an effort to help us get closer to God's plan for us. I have already discussed three virtues at different times in the past; Motives, Freedom, and Peace.

Please know that in doing this I am not trying to put myself above anyone. I am no better or smarter than anyone else and what little knowledge and insight I have is a gift from God. I am merely trying to use what God has given me to help others. I hope that this new direction will be encouraging and beneficial to all.

Subscribe to my blog or follow me on facebook to receive my posts. Thank you for coming on this journey with me to seek God by becoming like Him!

Imperfect Progress

No one is perfect. One look at our world (and ourselves) is full proof of that. But the way people respond to that fact varies greatly. Some say that since we will never be perfect there is no need to try. Others make perfection their absolute, immovable standard and will not accept anyone who falls short. But what is right?

The Bible says:

Romans 3:23 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

But it also says:

Matthew 5:48 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

How do we reconcile these two ideas?

Grow Together

What I've Learned in Marriage-11

Matthew 19:4-6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”