QT and Thoughts (May 25, 2008)

Today I went to Matt's church (ODPC). It was pretty interesting and pretty good. God definitely spoke to me there and made me think alot of what the Pastor talked about. Bottom line of the sermon: don't gossip and if you have a complaint/problem, pray first and let God convict you, goto the Bible and the Scripture, then go directly to the source/leader (not anyone else). Gossip or what they called it "Grumbling" can destroy a church and the body. The passage was Acts 6:1-7. This is pretty applicable in my life as I can see many instances where complaints and gossiping can potentially escalate and divide the body. As Christians, if we are not unified, then we are a sad representation of who Christ is and what He represents.

For my QTs today, I want to start Revelations. This is something that I think everyone should know. I actually have never fully and completely gone through Revelations, so this will be my first. Revelations is basically John's account when he was exiled to an island called Patmos. When he was on the island, he had accounts where he saw and heard Jesus. This is described in Revelation 1:9-20. Jesus basically told him what to do and he did it. What's extremely awesome is that he had a vision of Jesus. He is a man "clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, frefined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. (Rev 1:13-15)" This image of Jesus is magnificent because it describes everything about Him. But at the same time, it is frightening to know this mighty image of Him. John further describes Him as "In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength" (v.16). This is, again, a very serious and frightening image of Christ but this is who is He. I think Revelations gives us a great and serious understanding of how REAL and how URGENT the Bible and Jesus is. Judgment day will come. God has given us free will and Jesus has set us free from our sins. The question is what will you do now? Will you live for Him wholeheartedly or will you be lukewarm?

For me personally, my heart has battles sometimes. It's weird but sometimes I want to burn for him and sometimes my flesh and Satan just wants me to quit and be lazy. It is always a struggle, but in order to stay strong in Him, we must keep reading the Bible, keep praying and talking to Him, and keep accountable with each other. Spiritual growth can be measured on account of how well we do these. I would like to think I have grown alot since last year, but I'm not sure. I want to be able to fight my old habits and refrain from falling into laziness, habitual sin, and neglecting the Bible. Hopefully, this will encourage me to be more focused and read more. I encourage all of you guys to do so too!

I want to share a verse I've been meditating on alot these past weeks. It is Psalm 105:1-6.

1 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.

2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.

3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

4 Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.

5 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

6 O descendants of Abraham his servant,
O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

Anyways, hope everyone has a great summer!

One last thing. If you guys are reading this, I want you to STOP & THINK.
Guys, let's just STOP and THINK about life. STOP and THINK about God. How is everything in your life possible? How are our lives filled with such JOY and HAPPINESS?! Sometimes, life comes at us FAST. SO FAST that even now, we don't even know what's happening or how life has changed our hearts. God is always in our lives and if sometime, He's telling us to SLOW DOWN and LISTEN to Him. Listen for His voice, for His wonderful, beautiful words. I think I need to stop and think. I need to. I go through life wanting everything, rushing through things, going with the flow, but that's just Satan trying to make me forget about God. It isn't about the things I do for myself, but it is the things I do for God. My heart tells me that I need to serve Him wholeheartedly. But I can't if I'm not listening to Him. Sometimes, I can't listen to Him unless I stop and think. So, I encourage everyone to just SLOW DOWN and just STOP and THINK, even if it's only 5 minutes a day. Those 5 minutes may be the best 5 minutes you've ever SPENT!!!

http://www.juststopandthink.com/movieextras_movielg.php

If you haven't seen it, watch it now. My heart cries out everytime I watch it. It's an awesome video.

TAKE CARE!!