Family.

Before I begin this post at all, I want to be very, very clear about one thing: I am NOT trying to take a potshot at anyone. I am not angry, upset, bitter, or trying to be ungrateful. I am not saying anyone failed, or trying to put anyone down at all. I'm just saying something that has been on my heart lately.

I don't live with my parents anymore, and have no blood relatives near me. I'm kinda, sorta, on my own, and that's not a complaint. Basically, it's like I have no close family here.

However, as the days go by, I've noticed that there are two families here that almost come off as parents to me, in a kind of goofy way. It's more like I'm an orphan child who is kinda raised by a few different people, yet belongs to none. (Even though I am NOT my own, because I am bought with a price, and belong to Christ.)

It's really nice to know that there are finally adult men, who are more than just males in a church, who I can talk to. I really enjoy seeing Christians, and being surrounded by Christians, and yeah.

I don't know how to say it, really, but still, I feel very content with where I am, but I still want to be grown in the image of Christ, and grown to glorify God more and more.

I don't know. I hope I didn't offend my mother, father, pastor Trimble, or anyone like that with this post. I'm grateful for them, but at the same time, I'm so amazed at how helpful it really is.

Blah. Don't get mad at me.

--Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.--

I Cor7-9

Chapter 7

7: 37 -Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.

The ability, or blessing, to be able to stay steadfast in my heart, as well as the Lord, is one of the things that I am strongly praying for. Paul says that we do well if we don't need. I might be incorrect here, but I think he's talking about need of a spouse/physical relation. I'm not totally sure. But either way, I would do well to stop saying I need this, or I need that, and to start controlling my will a little better.

Chapter 8

As a saved Christian, who is starting to mature in Christ, it it my job NOT to be a stumbling block to other, younger, less mature Christians. My job is not to cut them down, but to lift them up. And the things I should do, should a younger Christian see them, ought glorify God, and not cause a seed of confusion (as to what I'm doing) to be planted.

Chapter 9

There are people who are watching you at all times. Paul says that people were putting him through an exam. That he was constantly being watched and tested. And he was able to give them a good answer to their questions. Can I do the same? Do people who watch me [either as unsaved, or other Christians (ch 8)] have a reason to say I'm not as spiritual as I ought be?

--Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.--

Love.

I'm really tired, and don't have enough energy to write a full post. I'll just say something, and go to sleep.

I'm 19. It's like, oh, you're older than 18, but still a teenager. Anyway

I've been praying, lately, for my relationship with God a bit more than normal. I've been praying that I would start to love the Lord like He loves me more and more each day. I dunno if that's Biblical, or even possible, but I want to love Him like He loves me. I want to agape love Him.

And when He isn't sending showers of blessing, or when He is withholding the rain, I want to love Him as much as when I'm drenched in blessing, and flooded with rains.

If anyone could enlighten me al ittle more on this, please do, but for the time being, I want to love God like He loves me.

--Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.--

I Cor:4-6

Chapter 4
We see here, quite strongly, that Paul is warning that we are, at times, not going to look “cool” to the world. That we aren’t the friends of sin, and that bad things will happen to us. (But we know that we’re blessed when men revile us).

Chapter 5
We read that we have the power of Christ, and that even a little sin can ruin an entire work. Don’t let my love of self cause me to hinder world evangelism and Vision Baptist Church.

Chapter 6
Verse 3 says that we’ll judge angels. Hmm. Interesting. And it’s to our shame if we are not wise. Also, like in Ch. 5, by doing wrong I defraud my brethren. And besides, I don’t even belong to myself. I was bought with a price, and am commanded to glorify God.

--Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.--

The choice is yours.

I remember when I first surrendered to go as a missionary. I remember how everyone told me that something like 80% of all people who surrendered to be a missionary never actually made it to the field.

(I don’t know the exact statistic, but it was a shockingly high number)

At that time I was like, well, I’m not gonna be that kid. I’m gonna be the real deal. Right now, I’m on track to be a missionary, and live a life for God. A year ago, not so much. A year ago, I was a long haired, foolish college kid. (Now I’m a short haired fool. Ha) I was in love with my sin and my flesh, and walking away from God.

Anyway.

At that time, I thought that everyone made it to the mission field, and that the people at camp (because I surrendered at camp) were just saying that to scare me.

Not so much. They were right. I can name, personally, several men, who, at one point, were men of God, loved their wives, loved the Lord, and all the right things. In fact, I can name more men who walked away from God than who still follow Him.

Now, I can name men (the same men) who left their wives, left the Lord, left the church, and joined the world. Not that they lost their salvation, assuming they ever had it, but they are heading away from the field instead of to it.

I wonder where these men went wrong. I wonder why they’ve turned and walked away. I compare these men to men who actually have made it to the field, or who have made it as a missionary. And when I say made it, I don’t mean done nothing for the Lord. I mean men who have shook the foundation of the earth, and made a difference for Christ’s kingdom.

In the end, it really comes down to one thing that separates the two: love of God more than love of self.

I noticed that the men who have walked away all walked off because they found another woman, or because they got caught up in drugs, or some sort of sin that is pleasing to the flesh, and not something the Holy Spirit approves of.

Keep in mind, I’m talking about men, not teens. Men who were married. Men who have kids. Men who have gone through, and graduated college. Men, not boys. (Rather, I should say adult males, because a man doesn’t turn from God.)

The men who have done, and are still doing something for God, have put the Lord above all, including their own desires, and are so in love with Christ that they don’t want to do anything that He wouldn’t approve of.

Those who walked away? They did what the flesh said felt good, or what the flesh wanted to do.
I don’t think I have any application or anything like that, but I can say this: following your flesh will lead you away from God. To go from a man who loves the Lord to a man who loves drugs, alcohol, other women, and all kinds of sin.

I guess, to boil this whole post into one idea, or a thesis statement, it would be this:
On the road of life, there are two choices: Good or evil, life or death, God or Sin.

And right now, and prayerfully, for the rest of my life, I want to be a man who follows good, life, and God above all other things. Above my sin, my desires, and all the things of the flesh.

--Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionaries and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.--

I Cor 1-3

I did my morning Bible study in Spanish today, and because my Spanish is not as good as it should be, I read a slower pace than had I read in English.

Anyway.

Chapter 1:

Paul writes about divisions here, and basically says that they're childish, because we all serve the same God.

He also wrote about how he didn't baptize many people: a family and two other people. The reason for this, I think, is that he was too busy spreading the Word of God to stop and baptize (vs 17).

This just shows that Paul was a man of action, and that's something I strive to be.

He also mentions that small things will confound big things, and the foolish will confound the wise. Much like God choosing, at least through the world's eyes, less than average men and women to carry the Gospel. If you look at some of the most powerful people for God, you would be suprised at how "normal" they were before God got a hold of them. Just like Paul.

Chapter 2:

Paul starts off this chapter talking about how his words aren't very powerful, and Paul's preaching isn't very good. Then he says that the words the Lord speaks through him are powerful, and the message God preaches through Paul is an amazing message.

(This and Nem 8:8 are two passages I really like. I always worry about not having a "good" sermon when I preach/teach, but all I really have to do is teach the Book. I Cor 2:4: "My speech was not with enticing words...but in demonstration of the Spirit's power.)

Chapter 3:

Paul talks about another thing I often worry about. I've presented the Gospel to quite a few people, and, to be totally honest, most of them either rejected it, or laughed at me and told me to shut up.

I often put myself under immense pressure to lead people to the Lord, yet I am not told to save them. I am told to tell them, and let God grow the increase.

This was something I learned at the missions conference, but still struggle with. I'm really scared, sometimes, that I'll get to Spain, and the people there are just going to ignore me, my message, and I'll have a low number of converts. While this may happen, I still did my thing, be it watering or planting, and God loves me just as much then as He did when He died on the cross for me.

No hay nada.

I don't have much to write about today. I mean, I learned a lot at church, and God used Pastor Gardener to answer some things I had on my heart, but still, no amazing miracles happened.

It's one of those days where nothing amazing happens, but I'm still going to be dilligent, both in season, and out of season.

Also, I'm going to start blogging every day, so yeah. Not that you care.

I'm studying in I Corinthians for my devotions. I think I might start putting them up in the morning, and just something else up at night.

I dunno.

But I'm gonna have a super cool blog tomorrow.

My birthday is Saturday.