I asked myself what was Faith, the Christian life to me in high school and in my past. I had to be honest with myself and i realized that my Faith was dead for the most part, i did things for the kingdom of God but i did not fully understand what it meant to be a Christian besides "sharing the faith" but when i came to Union and found friends and went to Romania did i really see what Belief in motion really is. I was like wow this what my Faith is about, about sacrificing things for Christ, not only for the people and their situations but for the GLORY OF GOD!!!! i have been reading john piper's book "let the nations be glad!" and i realize that it is not just about feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless- it is about WORSHIP about BRINGING GOD the GLORY- in all the nations John Piper says this in his book let the nations be glad=> "Where passion for God is weak, zeal for missions will be weak. Churches that are not centered on th exaltation of the majesty and beauty of God will scarcely kindle a fervent desire to "declare HIS glory among the nations" (ps. 96:3)" I like this statement because it is so pertinent to me my faith and our christian faith it just changes everything...If i dont have a fervent desire to declare His glory among the nations then what do i have? what is my faith? is my faith meaningful? i think not, if i dont have the desire to declare His glory, what do i have? i guess maybe a Christian t shirt, perhaps a christian emblem on my car--" Jesus Loves You"? it is nothing... As Christians we should have a faith like what john piper has stated here...to have the "fervent desire" to declare his Glory among the nations! We can not simply be stagnant christians, the one's who go to church on sundays and wednesdays, who believe life is peachy and this Christian faith is for us.... our faith is hardly about us, it is all about HIM and the Glory He brings to Himself........
Sacrificing work, money, friendships, everything in life. The bible says that if you do not hate your on parents or your on self, then you can not follow Jesus (john 14). I saw poverty and the need for Jesus in romania more than i have in my past and it has changed me immensely. Faith is real to me now, no more going to church "singing praises, praying, and all the "church"stuff"... Now church is totally different than i thought it was. I have the deisre to be the Church instead attend it like most christians tend to from time to time. We get our hour on sundays and hour on wednesdays and we have our coffee shop talks, and all the other things we try to do to be the "church"...
My faith has changed also because my knowledge has increased...Ecclesiastes 1:18- "For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowlede, the more grief."
think about that for a second..................................................................................................................
i read this the other day and was like wow, this is so true. My knowledge has increased in ways that i would have never known if GOD hadn't brought me to Romania two years ago. I have witnessed things that still i can not get my american mind around... God increased my knowledge so that i can grieve, (this grief causes me to be angry righteously angry and to be compelled to bring glory to him)and be forever changed by what i have seen. I have see children who are not loved by anyone, shunned by society, beaten, raped, told that they are worthless, thrown to the streets to call it there home.... this is a horrible thing, i would have never seen this had i not left america and traveled to Romania (yes i know you see things on tv but it wasnt real to me until i saw it firsthand and saw the pain in their eyes i saw their hopelessness). I long to know more so that i would be grieved and would be compelled by the love of our heavenly father to make his Name known, among the nations, to bring all the nations together to sing of HIS GLORY, and for them to be glad. The more i learn about Christ and the bible and the things "under the sun" i realize how far the world is from Christ the atrocities, the wars, the famines, and this knowledge grieves me... I pray that i would have the desire to make his name known because of the knowledge that i have that this World is LOST and Dieing of the need of a SAVIOR, to be Christ to the world!
I learned the definitions of knowledge and wisdom a long time ago but it was told to me like this. Knowledge is knowing ABOUT things and ideas; and wisdom is knowing WHAT TO DO with knowledge and HOW to use it. So our prayer should be not just to obtain knowledge but to obtain wisdom so we know what to do with this knowledge we have been given. If we have knowledge of "everything under the sun" like what i have seen in romania and hear around the world just like these, i should be inclined to ask and seek for wisdom so that i would know what to do with the things that i have been shown..... I think that as we learn more in general and things about God and his plan, GOD will grant us wisdom so that we can know what to do with the knowledge he has given us. Anyways just a thought, i am not sure if any of this knowledge and wisdom talk makes sense to you but it is real to me lol.... not saying much but hey! well i guess i will blog some more later!
I don't know if any of my blabbering makes sense but i hope GOD will use it to speak to you!....
Let the Glory be His,
Chao, Ceau, Ciao Chow!
Praise and honor be to him!
Ceau! i will blog later.... Thanks for reading.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!!!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment