10 Confessions

1. I can easily down a gallon of diet coke, water, or orange juice.
2. "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls is my favorite song to listen to while I work out.
3. I don't really have a favorite color anymore.
4. When I cry, it's usually over something dumb.
5. If I wasn't a gamecock fan, I would probably be either an Alabama, Tennessee, or Clemson fan.
6. I have a strong urge to delete my facebook.
7. My feet are always cold.
8. I think pictures of the Grim Reaper are just about the creepiest thing ever.
9. No matter how hard I try, I will never understand calculus
10. I think floor length skirts are the worst clothing item.

Plan Accordingly

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." -Hebrews 11:1

Is it wrong to hope my plans are God's plans? Is it wrong to take a step down a path without knowing if it's exactly where I am supposed to be? These are the questions I have been asking myself recently. Am I going the right way? If I do not get a "no" from God, I take that as a "carry on." But all too often, I get a "no," and I am forced to change directions.

I have to be honest, I really hate making long term plans. I like making short term plans...like what I'm doing for the next couple weekends, or when I am going to sit down and write a paper; however, when it comes to trying to plan my life out, I would rather crawl under a rock. My reasons...because God almost always changes my plans.  I get my hopes up for something, I really really really start looking forward to something, and Jesus ruins it. Now don't get me wrong, He replaces them with something bigger and better in the long run, but is it bad that I think its better just to not make them at all? Or should I still make plans, but allow God to mold my plans (...aka throw them in the trash and start from scratch)? I have yet to find the answer to any of these questions, but here's what I do know...I can hope my plans are God's plans, but if He decides to trash mine, it is alright because I know He knows what He is doing.

Challenge (to you and myself)...trust God, He knows what He's doing.

*"For my ways are not your ways, nor are my thoughts your thoughts. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts" -Isaiah 55:8-9

More Than One Shot

"Wide-eyed, baptized, and still wanting to sin, but thank God we get more than just one shot." -Luke Bryan "We Rode in Trucks"

I am a failure. In fact, I'm probably the biggest one out there. I have to try and try before I get things right, I often wish I could take back words I have said, and I am forever longing to be better at almost everything. The more and more I pay attention to the world around me and the view of Christians in our society today, the more I understand why people are so turned off by Christianity. I myself have been called a hypocrite before, and here is the thing that a lot of people don't get about Christians...we are not perfect. We are still human, we still make mistakes, we still hurt people through our words and actions, and we are still failures by the world's standards.

Here's the hope for all of humanity though...we get more than one shot. It is not a walk-on-a-tightrope life, where if you have one slip, you're done for. It's not even a three-strike-and-you're-out sorta deal. It is forgiveness beyond all measure and unending grace overflowing from a loving God. Romans 3:23-24 reads, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came through Jesus Christ." We are not perfect, and we never will be, but for those of us who are real Christians (not those who call themselves Christians as a default religion), God's forgiveness covers anything and everything we could ever do. We just have to ask for forgiveness and accept it.

In addition, for those who are not yet Christians, you get more the just one shot as well. What you are accepting is a little different though. You are getting the opportunity to accept the loving, gracious, miraculous God into your life and in doing so, you give your life back to Him. Being a Christian is not easy, if anything it's harder than before, but the abundance of love that God offers you covers any sort of temptations that you may fall to or stumbling blocks that may arise. "Love covers a multitude of sins." -Peter 4:8b

Challenge:  Accept your imperfection, and thank God for a multitude of chances.

Trouble

"Jesus promised his disciples three things---that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble." -DC Talk "Jesus Freaks II" (The book, not the song)


I started reading the book "Jesus Freaks" as a part of a Bible study my freshman year of college. Little did I know that this Bible study would be far from a mainstream study. The whole book is filled with stories of martyrdom and selfless acts done by people who love God. 


The quote above stood out to me more than any other quote in the book. It is a simple message of what Jesus's disciples stood for and what modern disciples should strive to stand for. They were a symbol of strength and bravery. Being a disciple is far from easy. As disciples we put ourselves in the midst of persecution in the hope of reaching one lost soul. Now you may be asking, "If it's scary, how can disciples be fearless?" This question has a simple answer...they were loved. 1 John 4:28a reads, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment." God's love is what gets us through even the toughest of situations and allows our fear to be cast far from our bodies. We may have an earthly punishment, but the ultimate achievement is a reward, not a punishment.


The second part of this quote addresses the attitude of a disciple. Although disciples should be persistent and determined, they should also be happy. Matthew 5:10 says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Umm...hello! If that doesn't make you happy, I do not know what will! If you think persecution for God's sake is not worth it...think again! Our reward is eternal, so why not be happy about being a disciple of Jesus! James 1:2-3 reads, "Consider it pure joy my brothers when you face trials of many kinds for you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." Enjoy your struggles because they are temporary. Rejoice because He is eternal!


The final part of this quote again has to do with persecution. If you are suffering for your faith, good. Christianity is no longer mainstream. It is no longer accepted all over the U.S. "Jesus Freaks" can be a very appropriate title, hinting at the oddness of one expressing such a desire for their faith and for others to know the same joy. This upsets a lot of people and causes trouble. Now yes, we are called to be peacemakers, but being in trouble with people comes with the Christian territory. Now we are not going around stirring up trouble just for the heck of it, but we are following in the steps of Jesus. Jesus says in John 15:18 that "if the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first." There it is from the Lord Himself. We, as disciples, will be in trouble and be hated because He was hated and got into trouble with the people of His day. He told people that they were not perfect, He showed them the truth, and He uncovered the God-sized hole in their hearts. 


Challenge:  Be a real disciple. Be fearless, happy, and welcome trouble that comes with persecution .