Unconditional Love, Who is this God person?!

There's just so much to say, it's nearly impossible to address every issue at a time.

"Pick one!" you would say.

"I'd love to," I'd reply ,"but everything I speak about intertwines with everything else."

Ah, how I wish my thoughts would arrange themselves on paper on it's own accord.

Now, I've had people ask me before, "Can you hear God?"

I've learned not to start laughing like a madman before replying, so here's my answer.

"Being Christian gives us a direct phone line to God Himself. Even Jesus had that, why wouldn't we?"

Now, with that settled; onwards!

Unconditional Love

People in this day and age have forgotten what family is.
Family isn't about taking your children out to lunch or dinner.
It isn't about meeting each other for the sake of it.
It's not about favors, it's not about dependency.

A family, is a force.
It is something that binds people together.
A true family shares with each other, understands each other, and chooses to overlook, not ignore; each others weaknesses.
A family stands together only when each member of the family chooses, consciously, to stand for each other, no matter what happens.

That, is an example of  unconditional love.

That love is only achieved by one method.

Growing close to God.
By understanding how much He loves you, in spite of your weaknesses, in spite of you screwing up, your embarrassment, your weaknesses!

I've had people say, "But God hates sin!"

"Very true!" I'd exclaim, "But you are not a sin. You're a human person, are you not?"

Let me make it clear once again:
God hates SIN.
But you are NOT sin.
You are his beloved son (or daughter). He loves you unconditionally.
Without condition. Regardless of your state.


You feel weak, you feel useless.
You feel that nobody cares for you.
You even feel that there's no God there.
You feel that your life is empty, and you're waiting for something to fill that emptiness.
You're hoping to find something, someone to love.

There's hope for you, friend.
God cares, He loves you, He -is- there.
Yes, all the situations in your life are telling you that He doesn't exist at all.
Yes, your anger and frustration is telling you that it's impossible.
Yes, you feel weak, you feel useless! Broken! Pathetic!

But listen well!

He is there. He is listening to your cry, He is aiding you.
If you really want proof, I ask you now, find the time, when you are alone, I don't care where, and I'm sure as God is real that -He- doesn't care where you do it.

Get down on your knees, lie down, or bury your face in your pillow; but cry out to Him.

If you want proof, ASK Him for the proof.
Ask him to SHOW you the proof.
Ask him to let you SEE the proof.

But be aware, friends; when you pray like that, and when proof is shown, no matter how "insignificant" it seems. Do not disregard it. He will be faithful, for the children he loves.


"Aren't -you- supposed to be the one convincing us that God is real?" you might say.

No, I'm sure that He's real enough to answer you Himself, if you ask.      : )

Bite sized - Marriage

I've had many people ask me if I've had a girlfriend yet, and almost always, I reply with these exact words,
"I'm not looking for a woman in my life just yet, if I'm unstable, I cannot support her. I must stabilize myself, first, before I choose to find my future partner, who is for life."

Getting a girlfriend is -not- status and it is -not- maturity.

Choosing the right one, and knowing when you are ready for a relationship is the true mark of maturity.

We must remember, that breaking hearts, isn't as easy as forgive and forget.

Oh, it looks so nice in the movies, but that's where movies and reality come apart.

Heartbreak rarely heals on it's own. Something happens that reminds someone of that special somebody some time ago, brings back painful memories that they'd thought gone. It's there, like a wound that's hidden beneath the gauze, ignored, not forgotten.

The relationship between a man and a woman, how ready both parties are and how willing both parties are to support and aid each other decides the next step in their relationship.

Many times people rush headlong into relationship with the simple mentality of "it feels good when we touch" or "she must be the one" or "there was instant chemistry".

Those things are fleeting, and will not last. I do not denounce that two people cant end up loving each other since they first met, but it is rarely the case.

Anyone can marry anyone. But it's whether both parties would, in love; stand for each other that decides how far their relationship will go.

A husband and a wife are a pair, who chose to come together, to support each other, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health.

So how come the divorce rates are so high?

Simple.

Most people weren't ready for that level.


In a game, you can't play level 100 if you don't play level 1 - 99. The same goes for relationships.

-IF- you cant handle your emotions, how can you expect to deal with another person's?

If you cant even stand fast for your principles, how can you expect to defend your partner's principles?

If you cant be responsible for yourself, how then, are you going to support your partner?

Love, isn't just the warm feeling you get.

Love is also the joy of sharing each others' presence.
The joy of sharing life together, the joy of sharing time with each other.

For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer.

So, if you were to ask, where does God fit in all this?




I can tell you, for sure; without a doubt, that He needs to be present in -every- area, and in -every- moment.

No marriage is perfect, and your life will -NOT- be all shiny and happy for all eternity.

If you are going to get married for that reason, stop right now. That's not the way.

There will be storms, the boat will be tossed around.

It is up to both parties to hold the fort. Both parties to stand strong together, in love and in faith.

In joy, in sorrow

In sickness, in health

In chaos, in peace

In love, remember

You are not alone.

Faith

We as humans, have faith.

All of us have faith.

It is where we place that faith that truly matters.

Think about the sunrise, when we sleep at night, we have faith that it will rise.
We have faith that seasons will come and go.
We have faith, that when rain falls, the temperature will drop.
We even have faith, that when we press the power button on our computers, that it would start.
Believe it or not, opening this web page is also an act of faith.
You believe that the page will load, and that there is something here for you to read.

If you didn't have that faith, you wouldn't have loaded the page in the first place, you would have been worried whenever the rain came, you would have been anxious about pressing the power button on your computer.

Faith in God, is something that we have lost.
Faith, in everything else, we can do without a second thought. In fact, without even a thought.

But when it comes to giving up our lives to God, who loves us, Jesus, who cares for us; that is when we balk.
That is when we start to shiver and be afraid and have a thousand and one thoughts.

Why are we afraid of the Creator who loves us? What is it about Him that makes things so... fearful?

Perhaps it is because we believe that God is someone that takes away everything dear to us.
Or perhaps we simply "lost faith" because of something that happened some time ago.

Where we place our faith, truly, is where it matters.

Some people say that they've lost faith in God.
I ask them, truly, where did they put their faith in, during those times of so-called trust?

In my experience, whenever I say "I have faith that God will do -this-"
I end up forcing my way into a situation, trying to force God to do something, going
"You're not fast enough!"
or maybe
"I want it done -THIS WAY- not -YOUR WAY-"
(Because obviously, we know the best way to handle every situation, right? Wrong.)

That, is faith in the self. That, is faith in the small scope of things that -I- see.
Not faith in my Father-God. The one who sees wider and much farther than I can EVER see.

So today, ask yourself, in your situation right now, in your sickness, in your stress, in your loneliness, in your anger, in your frustration, in your emptiness, in your longing...

With whom or what, are you putting your faith in?

Who is God? - The Choice

There are so many aspects of God that are nearly impossible to cover no matter how long you try. Or how hard you try. Today, I'll start with:

God is love

First and foremost. He sent His only son, Jesus, to die for us. But what does it really mean?

Let me ask you, as a parent, would you ever send your son or daughter to die for a people that could -choose- not to change?

Would you, send that brother, that sister, that wife of yours that you treasure so much, to die for a people who could -choose- not to believe?

Would you sacrifice everything that you have, on a maybe?

That's just a fragment of God's love for us. He KNEW we won't be able to change on our own, so He sent His son to die for us, so that we wouldn't have to pay for our mistakes, for an eternity.

Even then! He GAVE us the freedom to choose whether we wanted to be saved or not.
The door is open, but it is our choices that makes the difference.

Now, remember this, He doesn't actually NEED us!
Even then, He chose to save us human beings. He chose to trust us. He chose to believe in us.

It is difficult, of course; in this day and age. To understand and to know about a true father's true love.
Many of us today don't have fathers. Or mothers.

They may be there physically, but spiritually, emotionally and mentally, there's a father/mother shaped hole, waiting to be filled. Some didn't even have parents physically!

But is all lost?
Have we come so far in life that we've lost the only chances to fill that emptiness?
Some of us are old enough to be fathers of our own!

But no, it is never too late. Ask God, make the time, get down on your knees and cry out to Him.
He hears. He will answer. He knows that you are in need.

He's just waiting for you to choose.

Being Human

Let us, for a moment, step back from talking about being Christ-like.

The very basis, the fundamental, the foundation of being Christian, is by being a human person.

Let us be very honest with ourselves.

People in this era, -most- who are non-Christians, are more Christian than those of us who claim to follow Jesus!

Before we should even consider ourselves followers of Christ (which, by far, is a higher calling), we should start on the basic -human- level.

Charity, generosity, goodwill, joy - these are but a few of the things that we were created with.

Note that I said "with".

All these things that are good, were created with us. In us. It is we ourselves who forgo these things and gladly surrender them to the enemy! The cause of which, is the entrance of things like anger, rage, hatred, desolation, loneliness, emptiness into our lives.

At this point, we must forget about running around declaring "I will serve the Lord 100%!!!!!!!!"

If we do not have the basics of being a good human person, the rest is useless. When the foundation of a building is placed on sand, an ever shifting medium, how can the building stand strong in times of trouble? In fact, if the building were to collapse, what a danger it would be to other dwellers!

Why "be human?" you ask. The word is clear on that matter for "The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son. "-John 1:14 (italicize and bold added)

First and foremost, Jesus came to us as a human being.
Let that sink in, He didn't come as God.
He didn't come on a thundering chariot of lightning and thunder.
He was born in a manger as a human being.

If we claim to follow Jesus, we -must-, without a doubt, start where he started.
By being human.

Being Christian

In this day and age, the term "Christian" brings about many negative emotions and thoughts.

Christians are generally viewed as "overzealous religious nuts" who look down on others because they think they are better than others.

But can we blame them?

The only reason why we are getting such negative responses is because of our own fault. Our own false witnessing, our own holier-than-thou attitudes have gotten ourselves into this mess.

Do not blame the media, do not blame the people. They are as human as you or I are. And some, even more so.

As true Christians, ask yourselves, "Have I done anything that is right in the eyes of God? Have I done right as a witness, as a follower of Christ?"

Or even, "Have I done right, even as a human person?"

I tell you, Jesus Christ did not come down to be tortured, beaten and crucified just so WE can stand on our brother's and sister's heads.

He did not come to die for us, just so that we can demean and mock the non-believers.

Mar 2:17 "Jesus heard them and answered, "People who are well do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick. I have not come to call respectable people, but outcasts." (GNB version, italics and bold added.)

If we are to call ourselves Christians (Christ-Like) we must start -not- by changing the world around us, but by changing ourselves.

In some ways, in many ways, we are the ones who need to receive salvation once again. Only when we have received the full understanding of what it means to be saved, can we witness to the others, only when we ourselves have become truly Christian can we be Christ-like.

Forgiveness

There are many times in one's life, where we fail to act, fail to take the right step.
There are often times where we regret decisions we have made, and actions that were taken.
Many a time, we hang on to that thread of blame. We carry that burden around with us, gladly carrying the guilt wherever it wishes to go.

When those times come, would we be strong enough to forgive ourselves?
Would we forgive those who hurt us?
Should we forgive ourselves for mistakes made?

If you should ask, "Why must I forgive others? Why must I forgive myself?"

The simple truth is, we must forgive ourselves to forgive others.
In the same way, we forgive others to forgive ourselves.
Because once we are forgiven, we can start anew. A new page in our chapter of life.

Forgiveness is not purposefully ignoring. That, is ignorance.
Forgiveness is saying: "I know you screwed up, but it's okay, I still care, let's get through this."

As Jesus says in Mark 11:25:

"...And when you stand and pray, forgive anything you may have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive the wrongs you have done."

 As much as we need to forgive others. We must also learn to forgive ourselves, only then can we move on in life. Guilt and shame are anchors that chain us to the spot, barring us from moving forward. Refuse to hang on to them, because I tell you, it is not the Guilt or Shame that hold on to you. It is you who hold on to them. It is a choice that only you can make and no one else.

Receiving

Sometimes we ask ourselves, does God really answer our prayers? Does He really hear us? Does He care?
Or sometimes, we say "I've prayed and prayed for the last 10 years and nothing has happened!"

But the truth is, He does answer your prayers. The key factor here is our position before Him.
Our position before Him affects how fast we receive the blessing, the fruit of that prayer. And in some cases, whether we receive the blessings at all!

I tell you truthfully, the Father does answer our prayers. But the question we should ask ourselves is this,

"What have I done to activate the blessing of that prayer?"
"Have I placed myself in a position to receive?"
"Have I obeyed Him?"

Positioning, it is important in every factor, in every kind of game. The principle applies in the Father's kingdom as well.

Think about baseball, there's the batter and the pitcher. If the batter is out of position, would he be able to "receive" the ball? Of course not!

But how would you know how to position yourself to receive His blessings for you?

Cry out to Him, ask him to teach you, to show you.
Above all, be honest with Him. Believe me when I say, He knows when you cannot do something. He knows when you're frustrated, He knows when you're in despair. He wants you to take His hand and arise above these things. But to do that, you must learn to obey Him.

Position yourself to receive and you -will- receive, because:

"...Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For those who ask will receive, and those who seek will find, and the door will be opened to anyone who knocks."
Luke 11:9-10