Throughout my life I have always tried to make myself available to people; for help or advice or just a shoulder to lean on. But lately I’ve been getting really frustrated with trying to help people who refuse to help themselves. I’ve been coming across a lot of people who choose to sit around and feel sorry for themselves. If you come to me and expect me to sit there and just sympathize you but not expect you to ever learn anything or grow from your problems, then you came to the wrong person. I won’t sit there and baby anyone who wants to change but isn’t willing to actually take action. Everytime someone gives you advice or help, they are pouring a little bit of themselves into you. So everytime you go to them for the SAME problem or issue, and they pour the same advice into you; they keep pouring and eventually they’re gonna go dry; so you’re still in the same position because you won’t learn, yet they’re all dried up from trying to pour into you and help you. That’s unfair to the person who is actually trying to show you that you can make changes in your lives. The person who actually sees your potential and keeps challenging you, hoping that you will reach it. But instead you choose to continue in your sorrow because deep down you don’t actually want help; maybe you just want a little bit of attention because you’re not getting it elsewhere. I don’t know; but I really am tired of sounding like a broken record to people. Real friends hold their friends accountable and challenge them to grow up and learn. Bad friends sit there and tell their friends what they want to hear to make them feel better about the bad choices they make. I know this cause I have been there, I’ve found myself sitting in that hole and wanting to stay there; complaining about my circumstances but not willing to actually do anything to make it better. Then I realized how ridiculous that was. It really is ridiculous to think our problems are so big, especially too big for God to handle. I mean, God only made the Universe and everything in it; but for some reason He can’t help me with my little problem. He can’t give me the strength to get myself out of a bad relationship, or help me feel good about myself. I will tell you that He can, and as long as you make choices that God calls you to make; regardless of how seemingly difficult they are, He will protect you. So stop sitting around and feeling sorry for yourself, because the God of the Universe wants a relationship with you; that’s where you need to find your worth. Not in anything else.
John 17:23
28 SepI haven’t been spending much time in the New Testament lately. Growing up that was mainly all I read, because it seemed more understandable to me than the Old Testament. But lately I’ve been reading a lot of the Old Testament, which has really been fascinating me. But anyway, in BSF we are studying John this year so I’m back in the New Testament. We had to read the entire book for our homework last week. Of course all of Jesus’ teachings are great, but there was one verse in particular that stuck out to me. It was John 17:23 (In case you didn’t already pick up from the title) which says
23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (NIV)
Jesus was praying for His disciples and followers, that they may be protected and encouraged after He is crucified and resurrected. He prays earlier on “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name, now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.” (NLT)
Jesus wasn’t praying for everyone in the world, He was praying for only His followers, that they may be equipped to spread out and preach the truth. He was praying that they will be protected, and most importantly He used the U word a couple of times: unity. He prayed that we may be UNITED. Not just a little bit, but he prays for COMPLETE unity. I find this interesting, because when I look at the Church today, I don’t see complete unity among Christians. In fact, all I see is really division. I see churches divide themselves by denomination, by their “style”, by belief systems, etc. I understand that every church can’t be the exact same…but do we really come together and stand united for Christ? Do we come together, not as Episcopalians…or Lutherans…or Baptists…or Non-denominational…but as CHRISTIANS. Because isn’t that what we all are? Aren’t we united in our belief in Jesus and His power and love? Our belief in the Holy Bible being the word of God? Shouldn’t we all have the same vision…to go out and make disciples of ALL nations (Matt. 28:19).
It feels like we just kind of stick to our own denominations…or our own friend churches. That’s why we have made absolutely no progress making a true difference in our country. Could you imagine what America would be like if every single Christian church came together and stood for the same thing? I heard a sermon once on the Gay movement. Whatever opinions you have on homosexuality, you have to admit that they have come a LONG way over the last decade. They had a goal, stuck together, and were loud and proud about it. They don’t apologize for who they are, and they have slowly become more and more accepted in parts of the U.S. They can even get married in a few places now. You know why? They came together and all had the same vision. They all wanted to accomplish the same thing, and look where it got them. Now this blog is NOT about homosexuality so I don’t want to start getting feedback on it, the sermon was comparing the ambition and unity of homosexuals to Christians in America.
As Christians, we don’t all have the same vision. We don’t even seem to have the same views on things. We have continuously divided more and more. Don’t like traditional hymnals? No problem, come to this church we have a band! Don’t like loud music? Come to this church we have a choir! (Which to be honest, this is completely ridiculous. Worshiping God is about praising God, if you are concerned with the kind of music being played then you aren’t praising God. Daniel Doss Band says it perfectly in their song: “It’s not the melody that brings me to you, It’s not even the words that burn in my heart, It’s not the wonderful sounds that cause me to sing: It is knowing you and what you’ve done in me!”)
So many churches have been altered to fit any kind of person’s preference. And we separate ourselves as well. Don’t go to that church, our church is better! When someone we know switches to another church, we get kind of upset and take it personal. We’re not supposed to be in competition with each other. We are supposed to be working together to fight for the same thing. So what’s happened? Why are we not fulfilling Jesus’s prayer? What can we do about it? Are we even going to? America is drifting further and further away from God. They are losing hope on religion because as Christians we haven’t been displaying the love of God.
35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
If we don’t love each other, but spend too much time separating ourselves and fighting each other. What does that tell the world? It tells them we are not of God. It turns them away from God because they don’t want to be part of that family. Let’s not separate ourselves and just work together to make God’s name known, to make His love felt throughout this nation. Even if we don’t have a leadership under the influence of God, then we need to step up and do something about it ourselves. Let’s stop complaining about our country, but instead start working to shift our nation in the direction God wants it to go. We can’t just run out and start telling people how to live, we have to love them first. They won’t respect or listen to us until they know we genuinely care about them. Let’s start showing our country and the world what it means to be a Christian. The way Jesus intended for us to do.
<3 B
