Do You See God In This?

This simply is a compilation of some of the cool pictures I have found recently - not only that, but too do they speak "God" in the aspect of our dark world.

Sunrise over the African Plain

Puerto Williams, Chile - Southernmost City of the World

The Center of the Whirlpool Galaxy in Blue Coloring - I see Jesus!

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

"To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about (to) himself: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."" - Luke 18:9-14.

As usual, I'll sometimes find a verse in the Bible that ends up rocking my world for some time. This verse - from the Book of Luke - has done that. To me, this verse confused me in a way that I actually thought it might be wrong. I'll explain: I believe - personally - that prayers should be out of honest and heartfelt justice that one should pray his every thought. God sees everything anyways - our struggles, addictions, aspirations and wishes - so why not pray what is on your mind, whether it be anger or complete joy? Plus, He sees all of that anyway; so it struck me when it says to "pray humbly."

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But after a few days of figuring it out, I found that this not only can it be applied to our prayers, but too our walk with Christ and our everyday lives, because if we can live humbly and justified, there will be a reward and a fulfillment - and an exaltation. We need to be justified before the Lord by not [just] praying our thoughts and wishes onto Him, but too our burdens and need for forgiveness. I noticed that just this morning I hadn't prayed "Forgive me Lord" in such a long time, and so I did... And it happened to be the most weighted object off of my shoulders. I don't even think we as people realize how much of a burden it is to carry around the fact that we have been unforgiven. So all I'll say is this; it was just this morning that I applied what the Bible said in this verse. I tried praying my thoughts and requests for others and myself, but too did I humbly admit my wrongs, and it had never felt so good!

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Later today, I also went for my sunset run - as usual - and had experienced God's presence like I haven't usually. With an exceptionally beautiful sunset over the crest of the farmland mountain, it seemed as though I were set free from society. And for some odd reason, my mind felt clear, my heart felt clean, and my overall being felt good. So maybe, it doesn't hurt to be forgiven. Maybe it doesn't hurt to take just a little [honest] time to be justified before the Lord. Maybe the inner relief of forgiveness can truly set us free...

Prayer Request of the Month - February 09

This month's prayer request goes out to one of my friends whom I have known quite well for a while. After further discussing with him his struggles, I have discovered that although he is a strong follower of Christ, he is in desperate need of prayer in his addictions and problems which he aspires to overcome. I know he can do this as he struggles with what most teenage guys do, so in this, can we all be open and pray for him and have him on our hearts - although anonymously? I know that with many prayers, I have felt the veil of burdens lifted from my own life; let us do the same for him.

A Love For Others

Since it is Valentine's Day, I'll make tribute to those who I love. In a sense, that is literally everybody whom I know and don't know. Not trying to sound like a hippie, but there has been a verse recently that has captured my heart, in which it speaks of the love we must have for each other.

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins." - 1 Peter 4:8. It makes a good point that we all need to love each other no matter what. To have the love of God conquers many sins such as: jealousy, lust, hatred, inner incompatibility, etc. And I don't think the verse's objective is for us to conquer sin, yet rather love each other no matter what. In this, all the sins listed above are conquered. Yet this can only happen if our love for each other comes from ourselves [individually] first.

Also, last night my dad and I pulled off another movie night together in which we watched the gut-wrenching and moving Black Hawk Down. There was a line at the end of the movie that caught my attention and talked a lot about the love soldiers' have for each other. The character was talking about how many people do not understand why so many lay down their lives for one another, here is how he responds: "They won't understand that it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is."

[All] that matters are the people next to you. The ones you love. And the ones you should love.

Verse of the Month - February 09

"Hearken unto this," we are challenged, "stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God." - Job 37:14.

Transforming "The" and "A" Into "Many"

Just the other day at Track practice, I was asked by a fellow teammate: "What do you think the meaning of life is?" It was funny because I had a definite and direct answer. It was: "I don't know."

Truly, I feel that with all of the Theories and Laws of this world, the idea of there being [a] meaning of life has been falsely perceived into something that needs a definite answer. Which it doesn't. Will non-believers ever disprove God? Will believers ever prove God? Will 50% of Americans ever figure out that Africa isn't a country? Probably not. In this same way, maybe to believe that there is [a] meaning of life is simply to possess faith - that there is one.

In my personal opinion of researching and discovering God more and more, it is clear - and proven - to me that God exists. I have felt His work on my life, I have seen my prayers take action through His works, I have had spiritual highs, doubts, curiosity and learning experiences in which all of them have been used for a purpose. Such purposes include discussions with non-believers and providing accountability to believers. Can anyone claim this testimony false? Certainly not.

So in this, I have seen, felt and heard God's work and [calling] in my life. Which has led me to believe that there is not [a meaning] of life, but rather [many meanings.] Someone's calling for Christ may be different than mine simply because of cultural differences or the way they feel His calling on their lives. Wouldn't we then have seperate opinions? Of course.

So all in all, don't worry about discovering [the] or [a] meaning of life, because there is none, it is simply [your] meaning that you form through your knowledge and state-of-mind. And too don't worry about trying to prove or disprove something that cannot be proven neither disproven. I mean it is not bad to discuss philosophy, creation, evolution and other theories, but it is the fact that the Theory of Gravity applies to us all - we must all follow it. It is proven. But what about your own theories? What about God's work one your life? Can we prove it? With exceptions, no. But it should be our mission to discover who God is, because although He will not [prove] himself to the world, it is obvious that God exists because of the [many] that have felt His work. If you want to see God's work or want to have evidence of His existence, I cannot provide a 1-800 number that can help explain, but this verse comes from the Bible - which explains it all.

"...and those who seek me find me." - Proverbs 8:17.

Book Update - February

It seems strange to say this in my book update, but truly my book will be coming to a close because I feel God has called me to do so. Looking back, yes I had a lot of good things to write about - including many people complementing me on how "awesome" it was - but I feel that it was written more for the glory of myself rather than God. That is why I have chosen to discontinue it and if I do write a book, I want it to be for the glory of the Lord instead of me.

I hadn't really noticed it was out of selfishness until this past weekend, in which I truly learned why "actions really do speak louder than words." And this Bible verse also made me think about the aspect of doing things [for] the Lord that actually aren't [for] Him.

"'Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" - Matthew 7:21-23.

So maybe in the end, we have to be more careful about what we do, how we do it, and who it is supposed to glorify in the end.