ponderUpon...

You are standing on an open plain. To your left is a castle, a refuge, a safe place. Now you look to your right and you see something advancing. Whatever it is it doesn't look friendly. It's coming closer, your fear starts to build and you know you can run and take refuge in the castle but something holds you back. This is completely illogical, why aren't you running as fast as you can to where you know you will be safe, away from this advancing force of darkness. The choice is clear and obvious isn't it? This is the analogy of temptation. This is what I wish people would picture every time they're tempted. In the physical world we make smart choices (most of the time) when it comes to danger. We're not going to walk out in front of a passing bus or walk off a cliff. That would be completely illogical and idiotic. So why don't we think of temptation that way? Sometimes we do but what I'm say is why not think of it in this way all the time. If there was a...

I want to let all you in on a little secret. It's a secret I hope all of you know but it's something we all forget...almost everyday it seems sadly. God is stronger than whatever temptation we have. I recently watched a video where the author of "The Story of God, the Story of Us", Sean Gladding, talked about a man who just accepted Jesus as his savior. Well this man calls Sean up on the phone and says he's really struggling with a temptation...and the temptation is really strong! I thought to myself, "hey I've had that feeling before." Where (fill in the blank) temptation is so strong and you can't help but to give in. The other day this thought occurred to me. You feel like this temptation is really strong, it consumes your thoughts, and you know you'll give in...but...our God is bigger. Our God is stronger, our God is more consuming than any temptation that seizes us. How easy it is to overcome if we just turn the temptation over to Him, t...

There is a person suspended sideways holding onto two chains each having a handle. One chain goes downwards and is connected to a shadowed world. The other chain leads upwards extending into the light. It is a struggle holding onto both worlds but this person knows that if he drops the world extending below then it'll be easier to hold onto the world above. So the person drops the world below and it slowly slowly falls as if it is falling through space. The sad thing is, that world below is still within grasp and the temptation to grasp it back is too great. So it is grasped and the struggle remains. The person in the story is all of us. See, we all would like to completely let go of that world for good and never reach for it again but there's that humanity within us that won't let us. This isn't a story without hope though. The following are my thoughts from the other day which help explain the transition of letting the world below go: The wages of sin is death. So we ...

There is the earth. Now there is a single beam of light coming straight down onto the earth. This beam of light is all good and purity that God created. This and nothing more. There is something outside the beam of light. It is the abstract of all of God's good...the opposite. See there is nothing newly created from the beginning of the beam of light. Everything abstract from the beam of light was taken from the light then turned backwards. This abstractness is the perversion called sin. It is the opposite of the beam of light...a sick reversed copy if you will. Nothing can invade the beam of light or stand against it because it is an ever binding pure solid truth that cannot be challenged. So the abstract of light fills the left and right and the beam of light stays in the middle. There is one example that corresponds to this tale that comes to my mind, homosexuality, which has always been an issue in this world remember Ecclesiastes 1:9. God created marriage, it is a holy, pure, ...

A convenience store is a place we go to find things we need -or want- at a time when it's good for us. Do we treat God like a convenience store? Do we only go to Him when we want something, the key word here is only. Or do we go to Him just when it's good for us and we think we need something -which is really just a want-. The Father knows our needs and will provide for them but He won't always provide for our wants, which is just and fair. God isn't a convenience store...at all. Don't get me wrong, God wants us to bring our problems to Him. But we're undeserving of His help if we don't a have a servant's heart and praise, thank, and worship Him in return. I want you to think about these words and challenge yourself to ponder if you only seek God's help when it's convenient to you. I know we are all guilty of it but that doesn't mean we should make it a habit whatsoever. If we are faithful and come to Him humbly He will help us. Keep on your ...

It has been quite a while since I've written anything and I apologize for that. School has kept me very busy so  it is the main factor why I haven't posted as of recent but school is about over now. This leads me to what I'm going to discuss today. Everyone can have a busy life at times (this is understandable and normal) but this busyness shouldn't consume us to the point where God filters to the background and work, school, sports, (fill in the blank) becomes a priority on our minds above God. I think it's human for this to happen but this doesn't make it an excuse. Our minds become focused on what's going on in our lives and since these things are visible to us we can fall into thinking about them more than thinking about God. This really becomes a problem because handling stress becomes worse, our relationships with people can lessen to what they shouldn't be, and our emotions can run high and unchecked. When we keep God at the center of our lives He...

Jesus watched rich people put their money into what we would call the offering. He also watched a poor widow put money into the offering as well. I want to point out two things. Even though the rich people's money was worth more it was worthless to them thus having no meaning. The widow merely put in about a penny, whose worth is less than the rich people's yet more. It meant something great to her because it represented her livelihood here on earth. The rich people's donations were meaningless to them because they had it in abundance so it was no real sacrifice. The widow's heart was in the place where it should be, in a humble state. She knew it wouldn't garner any attention from the people but she didn't give offering for attention because then it's not really giving. It's expecting to receive (attention). The fascinating thing is Jesus (the most important out of all) noticed & discussed what she did with the disciples & told them there is a l...