Soda Pop!

  

"Hey, let me borrow that dollar. I promise I'll pay you back." "I sure hope you do."

   Say someone asked you for money like above. Let me borrow it, I promise I'll pay you back.    Well, the first thing that goes on in my mind is yeah, right, you aren't gonna pay me back. And excuse me, that wasn't a very nice way to ask. So, why should I loan you this dollar that I was gonna use to buy a soda? Gosh, man. get your own money. But if your a good friend, you'll loan your friend the dollar and hope he will pay you back.


Ahh, here comes some scripture..(:




Here is Hope;


2 Peter 3:9
   The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.


Here is a Promise;


1 Peter 1:6-7
   So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.


And Here is a Command.


Mark 8:34
   Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.




  Each of these verses I first read at complete different times of my life. And looking at them now, its so cool how they all fit together perfectly. I thought I'd let you know, God does some great things!


God gives us a promise, he gives us hope, and he gives us commands. 
   God gave us hope by sending his followers into the world so we ourselves can become his followers and be saved through Jesus Christ. 
  God gave us a promise that there will be joy beyond all the trials and hardships we face when we trust in him. He said there would be a greater day waiting where we would have no worry or fear, or hurt or pain or even suffering. He promised that each right thing we did when we faced a trial or hardship in our lives, he would recognize it with a reward.
   God also gave us commands. He gave us commands to obey, such as the ten commandments, and then he gave several others too. Not to stress us out or to think that all he wants to do is spoil our good times. Every command he gave us was purposeful. One command was to follow him into the world. Once we found Jesus, he wanted us to step outside our comfort zones and do what he had called each of us to do. 


  So what does this have to do with loaning my friend a dollar, you ask? 


    Well. First, your friend gave you a command. There was a purpose behind it. Your friend just didn't want to take your dollar to say "I took your dollar." No, your friend probably wanted to have it to get something simple like a soda. Of course, I sure hope your friend would've asked you nicely, (I just wanted to get right across the command part). But God tells us what to do. We don't necessarily have to listen, but we should obey him. After all, he did send us here for a reason.
 Second, your friend made you a promise to give you a dollar in return. Well, when we live our lives to the fullest in Christ, he makes us a promise to pay us back with a reward in Heaven. He promised there would be a life full of joy, freedom, and love. There would be no pain or suffering. 
   Finally, you gave that dollar away because you sure hope that friend will pay you back. We have hope in God. God gives us hope to stand for him. God gives us hope to be saved. He gives us hope that one day we will have a greater reward in Heaven.


  Another thing I want to add, that dollar and friend. Well, compare that dollar to our lives, and that friend of ours is God. This life is worth something, but this Earth truly isnt, so we are just a dollar. Not a penny, not a billion trillion dollars, but just a buck. Eternity is a billion dollars, and this life we live is only a dollar compared to it. So, why can't we just loan a dollar to the one who loaned us his dollar? Meaning, lets give our lives to the one who gave his for us, Jesus. 
   Once we give our lives to Christ, we will be repaid with a great reward in Heaven. Loan a dollar to a billion trillion heir, because you will inherit his riches if you do. You yourself will enter the Kingdom of God when you give your life to Christ.


  Yeah, that soda pop we gave up, this earth and our flesh desires, they will all be destroyed. That soda pop won't last you forever, but when you loan a dollar, your good deed remains in your friend's heart forever. God accepts your surrender to Jesus and will remember this on the day of judgement. There is no better time then now to loan a dollar to Christ. 

Servant

   What if you were a King or a Queen? What kind of King or Queen would you be? Think about it.. You can have anything you want.. set any kind of laws you want.. Wow! I don't know about you, but I'd be setting a National Kelsey is Cool day and have all this fun stuff going on in the villages of my little country. Wow. Being royal would be so cool, I mean, legit. Lets discover a country now!

John 13:1-17

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

 ¹ Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.^{[a] 2} It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas,^[b] son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. ⁴ So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, ⁵ and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. ⁶ When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
 ⁷ Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
 ⁸ “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”
   Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
 ⁹ Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”
 ¹⁰ Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet,^[c] to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” ¹¹ For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
 ¹² After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? ¹³ You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. ¹⁴ And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. ¹⁵ I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. ¹⁶ I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

Footnotes:

1. John 13:1 Or he showed them the full extent of his love.
2. John 13:2 Or the devil had already intended for Judas.
3. John 13:10 Some manuscripts do not include except for the feet.

 

    Okay, now that we read that, lets go back to talking about royalty. Let's talk about Jesus! Jesus is the Son of God. He is the way, he is the truth, he is the light. There is no other way to God, but through Jesus because he is the one who died to forgive our sins. We are all well aware of what Jesus did for us, and what he did was rather generous and just amazing. There are no words to describe a man dying for you so we can be saved when we don't deserve it. Jesus is high above all of us, am I right? Then why is this man, who is practically royalty, washing his disciples' feet? Jesus is high above them, he sits at the place of honor next to God on his throne in heaven and here he is on Earth washing these men's feet which one disciple, Judas, even ends up betraying Jesus and Jesus knows that he is going to. But Jesus still washes his feet. Why are you washing these people's feet, Jesus? You know you are practically royalty! They should be washing your feet!

    

   No. Jesus does this to show us that he is a servant of God too. He is here because God told him to come and die. Jesus is God's servant. He shows us he is by washing his disciples' feet. Not only that, it teaches us humility. Even though Jesus is going to be sent to the cross at this point and time in John any second now where he will definatley teach about humility, he still chooses to wash their feet. He is but a servant of God like us, but so much greater because he died for us and was sent from Heaven. He is the Royal Servant of the Kingdom of God. He himself is royal and a servant at the same time. 

   "Unless I wash you, you won't belong to me." Jesus told Peter this when he protested.Then Peter asks Jesus to give him a bath, and he says no because all of the disciples, but Judas, are already cleansed. Their feet just need washed. Jesus washed us all when we accepted him into our lives. He even washed us all the moment he died on the cross.

   Then Jesus says to all of the disciples that now the Lord has washed their feet, they should wash each others' feet, and take this as an example. 

   If you are following Jesus in your life, you should take this as an example too. All though Jesus now calls us friends, we are still servants to God on this Earth, just as Jesus was. We still have a calling and a plan to fulfill. Jesus fulfilled his to the fullest, and now he sits next to God in the place of honor, like a King. 

   Think about your kingdom if you were a King or Queen of a country. Would you want to rule the country with an iron fist and strike laws for the heck of it? Or would you be like God, and send your son to serve you in the greatest way, and make him forever famous?  Would you be fair and kind like God, or would you want to do what you wanted?

   As servants of God on this Earth, all we can do is what God tells us to do. We aren't Kings or Queens of a country. But what we can do is be a reflection of the Kingdom of God on this Earth. And that's all God wants, for us to glorify and spread the name of Jesus Christ as servants and friends of God.

This Is It

(I didn't take this, I was just too excited to post this so I didn't wait for the picture of me and Ramon, but this is in Arnold, PA and I think we actually passed this on the way on the other side. Its a bit of a depressed city, and we got to talk and interact with kids from bad parts of town, so it was truly a blessing to get to spread the word of Jesus to these truly incredible kids.)

   God is so great. He is so so great. Thats all. Just kidding, there's much much more to say.. But that is just something I really had to mention. God is so so great!

   I heard about this thing called Lazurs Tomb Coffee House outreach. My church was doing it, so I was all, great! awesome! lets go! I honestly didn't know anything about this. I had no clue what I was getting into, no clue where I was going, I'm just like, great! lets do this! There was just something God placed on my heart saying this is it. I was so excited for it, even though I had no clue what I was going to do.
   So what did I do next?
  Well I took the second to actually learn what I was going to do. I learned it was a little Christian coffee house in a depressed part of Pennsylvania called Arnold. I immediately thought of the show, Hey Arnold and their little city neighborhood. I had no clue why.. (it looked nothing like football head's neighborhood.) But anyways, I was thinking, there's no way my mom is going to let me go to this place! But she let me go. She's like, sure. Woah mom! Thanks! First obstacle, success. The rest is smoooooth sailing! Right?!

Wrong.

  Oh when that day came for my first outreach, Satan was all over me. This was a complete obstacle course. First of all, I woke up with the worst feeling of sickness I could possibly get. I felt it for the longest time, even to when I was getting ready for the outreach. I'm thinking, sick or not, I'm going. God wants me here and I know this because there was that little something in my mind saying, this is it.
   Second, let me start of saying I really don't like chaos. Chaos drives me up all wall, across the ceiling, out the door, and down the street to frustration ville. Arguing and yelling in my house hold just drives me nuts! And there was so much chaos and anger in my house, I locked myself in a bathroom in the dark and cried a little because I was so confused and frustrated about how all of this even got started! I'm like, God, don't let me do anything stupid to upset my family to keep me from going to this outreach. And I knew he would take care of it, because there was that little thought in my head saying this is it.
   The third thing is kinda dumb in my mind. So I will just mention this briefly. My contact kept bugging me so much. I just kept blinking and it kept fogging and I'm like beautiful! And after every time I tried to fix it it didn't work! But that's okay because it finally settled in my eye when we left. (:
    The fourth thing is I got this nervous feeling in my stomach while I was driving to the church. I was so terrified that none of the kids would like me, and all of my friends would be bonding with a kid and I would just stand there and watch like a fool and all that fun stuff. Well, I immediately knew all of those thoughts were Satan, so I ignored them and kept on trucking. After all, there was that little thing in my head saying this is it.

   Now we are driving to Lazurs! Yahoo!! Oh man. It was a fun drive. All the people I asked said they've never been here before, so the only thing I knew is what I read on my buddy's blog! (Thanks Gianna!) It was something to get an idea of the whole thing, but everyone else didn't really have much of a clue! Well, we pull up the the little place and the first thing that comes into my head, this place is so hackin cute!!!! Oh my goodness gracious it was the sweetest little coffee shop on the face of the Earth!! It was a really friendly and homey environment in there so I was a pretty comfortable in there then how it was on the street. I'd go back in a heart beat if I could!
   Then the kids finally started showing up! AHH! This is so GREAT!! Me and Christina were the first two over to great them. Their names her Jayla and Mya. (Not sure thats how you spell it, but they were cute as could be!) We talked with them for awhile, and they were rather shy. But that was okay! Then more kids came, then more, and then the van came with even more kids! I'd say about 20 kids showed up, and it was super nice! I remember greeting a boy, a girl, and their mom. The boy was Christopher, and he was 8. The girl was Ariel, and she was two. She was so stinking precious!! We didn't connect much because she was so shy. But we tried!
   By the time everyone sat down so we could start, the stuff Satan stuck in my head was true. I was the one stuck without a kid to talk to or play with and just stood there like a fool. We were just starting when in walked three kids. Aliyah, Arnel,  and my little Ramon! At first I didn't think much of it, but when they sat down and I came to say hello, they lit up so much! First I said hi to little Aliyah. First thing she said to me "I have a secret... I really like Justin Bieber... He's my boyfriend... I have posters of him on my wall... one with is shirt off..." I'm so hackin in love with that girl. Ah! Then I met Arnel, Aliyah's brother. He didn't say much, but what he did say was always something sweet! Finally, I met my loud, crazy, one of a kind kid, Ramon. Holy goodness gracious this kid was nuts. He was quite the jokester. "Mmmm! Bloooood! HAHAHAHA GOT YOU!! Its really ketchup! I got you good didn't I? Didn't I?!" Yes Ramon (; "Can we have as much water as we want?" Yes Ramon. "WOW! I'm gonna have a THOUSAND glasses!" He had three (; This kid wouldn't let go of my hand, and he was quite the firecracker.
   I talked to them so much while they were eating after the word. They are some pretty incredible kids, and boy I can't wait to see what God does in their lives. Arnel and Ramon want to be Pastors! I'm like, man! Thats so great! Ramon told me about his brother. He said "he actually steals stuff even though he goes to church". Luckily he hasn't been influenced into anything yet. I'll be praying for him every second!
   Aliyah means God's Gift. And that little girl truly is, you can just tell by looking at her and talking with her for a few minutes. She was rocking a chair back and forth that we shared, then we pretended like it was a roller coaster! we went up hill and down hill with our hands high and screaming and laughing. She has so much going for her, and I love her deeply! Arnel was so sweet and funny! They were all energetic and quite the lively bunch after getting to know them!
   Of all the kids I met, (which I love equally!) I will never ever forget my Ramon. It felt like we were just getting to really connect when we heard, "If you live in the apartments, your leaving in one minute!"

       My heart tore right there.
 
   But I knew that my kids would be okay, even in the dangerous side of town they live. They are all in God's hands and I'm praying for them each and everyday until I see them again, and I will continue on after that.
   "Can you come home with us?" No bud, I'm sorry! "But we have food and clothes and lots more kids at home! You can stay!" No bud, I'm sorry! I got to leave. "Will I see you next time? I'll miss you! You don't have to go.." Ramon you are the cutest little sweetheart ever.

   God showed me so much about love and faith and trusting in what he says that day. He showed be to be patient, to be persistent, to show love everywhere at anytime. You never know who may need a little love in their lives, so if God gives you a command to love another, listen. If God tells you to do something, go after with no hesitations. He might tell you, this is your chance to glorify me. Are you gonna do it? Or stand there?
   The main thing I learned was don't wait! If you walk by faith, God truly will be there. No ifs or ands and buts about it, he is there guiding you as you do his work.
   Go for it, because when you have that this is it moment, you just can't shy away. When God says, this is it, he means this is the start of the rest of your life serving and glorifying me.

 

I Challenge You to Love.

   We all have a best friend. (If not, I'll be yours!) And thats great! That means there is someone you get along with that you trust. We all love our best friends and wish that they'll be around us for a long time. But how would you feel about saying adios to your best friend in school or a good co-worker for just one week and spend time with someone you feel uncomfortable being around? Go hang out with that new kid that's two times your size, or the little shy kid that everyone talks about being disgusting or a lame-o. Would you do it?


http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+37&version=NLT
Above is a link to Psalm 37. Now its a pretty big chapter, and you don't have to read it if you don't want to. But I'm going to be referring to it a lot. Especially this verse;

   "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand." Psalm 37:23-24

   I really do like that verse. Now Psalm 37 explains how the godly will be rewarded, and the wicked will be put to death. Verse 22 says "The Lord blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die." That sums everything up in this chapter. God says the wicked will be put to death. There is no doubt that they won't.
   As for all the godly people, he will give us the land.Verse 18 says that we will "receive an inheritance that lasts forever." Then verse 20 says, "But the wicked will die. The Lord's enemies are flowers in a field - they will disappear like smoke."

   Why does God say all of this to us? He repeats the same thing in Psalm 37 over and over. But verse 8-9 says something different, and this is directed to the godly, "Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper - it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land."
   Then, verse 12-14 say, "The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming. The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right. But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken."

   All of us have a sinful nature. Godly or wicked, we are born with a sinful nature. Maybe that's why we chose best friends, because we chose "favorites." There is nothing wrong with having a best friend, but maybe sometimes, we treat people better than others, and we are being unjust. Maybe you cut in line to be with a friend, maybe you cheat on your friend's homework to get a good grade. Anything like that is being unjust. But God is just. If Jesus were in class with us, everyone would be his best friend. I'm not saying everyone would be his best friend back, but he would love everybody just the same, even the people that would prosecute him. He loved the people that hung him on the cross. He loved the people that threw him into jail. He loved his disciples and his believers. But you know what is so awesome about Jesus?  

He loved them all the same.  

   God tells us to get rid of our anger and rage against the wicked and ungodly and to love our enemies. It also simply means, don't get mad or dislike someone because of gossip you've heard or because of their appearance. We are to love everybody the same. If we love everybody the same, then we are being fair and just like God. That is what God wants from us. And don't you worry about approaching someone your uncomfortable with. Remember the verse above? God will catch you if you stumble because He is right there at every moment holding your hand! And if someone tries to put you down for your love and passion for God, pray for their poor soul, because God promised revenge against them. The wicked people of this Earth are guaranteed punishment, but because of Jesus, they have a chance to be saved. 

           As for the title, its plain and simple,

I challenge you to love.   

   I challenge you to love everyone. I'm not perfect, I haven't loved everyone equal. But I'm going to challenge myself too. So challenge yourself to love everyone the same. Everyone of different cultures, of different backgrounds, of different personalities. Be an example for God. Whats the worst that could happen? But don't look at it with that question, look at it as, What's the best that could happen? Well, you can find yourself closer to God, you can interact and get to know people you never thought you would, and you'll find yourself and others closer to the kingdom of God. 

                                                                       Show some love, show what Jesus died for.

  

Getting Dirty Hands Clean

   If you play basketball, soccer, baseball, or any other sport, what kind of teams do you play against? Say your a wrestler. I know not a lot of you are.. I don't know who reads these. But your a wrestler today. Imagine your in the rink, waiting for your opponent. You don't know who your fighting, and then you see your opponent coming.

   Who do you picture your opponent as?
   Is it someone big and strong with an angry face staring back at you? Is it a weak and small person with high hopes and a scared face looking back at you? Or is it someone your size and your thinking it will be a fair match?

I have an entire chapter down here. Acts 10. (from Biblegateway.com!) I know its a lot, but its worth reading!

Acts 10

Cornelius Calls for Peter

 ¹ In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer^[a] named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. ² He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. ³ One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said.
 ⁴ Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.
   And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! ⁵ Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. ⁶ He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.”
 ⁷ As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. ⁸ He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.

Peter Visits Cornelius

 ⁹ The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, ¹⁰ and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. ¹¹ He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. ¹² In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. ¹³ Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”
 ¹⁴ “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.^[b]”
 ¹⁵ But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” ¹⁶ The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.
 ¹⁷ Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate, ¹⁸ they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there.
 ¹⁹ Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you. ²⁰ Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.”
 ²¹ So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?”
 ²² They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.” ²³ So Peter invited the men to stay for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.
 ²⁴ They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!” ²⁷ So they talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled.
 ²⁸ Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. ²⁹ So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”
 ³⁰ Cornelius replied, “Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me. ³¹ He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God! ³² Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.’ ³³ So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.”

The Gentiles Hear the Good News

 ³⁴ Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. ³⁵ In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. ³⁶³⁷ You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. ³⁸ And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
 ³⁹ “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross,^{[c] 40} but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, ⁴¹ not to the general public,^[d] but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. ⁴³ He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”

The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

 ⁴⁴ Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. ⁴⁵ The Jewish believers^[e] who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
   Then Peter asked, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” ⁴⁸ So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days.


   Thank you Jesus for dying for us! If Jesus did not die for us, Jews would not teach the Gentiles, because Gentiles were not to be taught because they were impure and unclean. But when Jesus died for us, no one was unclean, because he cleaned us of our sins.
   This basically sums up Peter's vision he had on the roof while he was praying. God cleaned all people when He sent his son to die for us. But that did not make us holy. When Cornelius was told to summon Peter, he obeyed God and sent his servants and a solider to Peter. Before they arrived, the Holy Spirit told Peter that he was to go with these people, and it would be okay because He sent them. And Peter obeyed God. There, Peter taught Cornelius and other Gentiles the good news of Jesus Christ. And there, Gentiles spoke Tongues and praised the Lord, and there were new believers.

   Peter is our wrestler. He was told to get in the rink and get ready to fight. He didn't know who his opponent was, but he trusted in God. Cornelius and the other Gentiles is our unknown opponent. As God's disciples, we never know who God may have us teach His word to. The main part of following God is obeying Him, like Peter and Cornelius obeyed Him in Acts 10.
   When you have been called into the rink to fight, you don't have a choice on who your opponent will be. You fight whoever your coach tells you to fight. Its the same way here. If you are going to follow God and spread His word, you have to obey who He wants you to teach. After all, God chose you to spread His word. If He has you teach a child, obey and do so. If He has you teach a criminal, obey and do so. Peter obeyed when He was told to teach the good news to Cornelius and the Gentiles.
   Even though I compare all of this to wrestling, don't look at this as a fight between who you are told to teach. Look at it as a mission to clean their hands to help make them new. In order to clean their hands, you have to get your hands dirty by venturing into places you don't know. Jesus never stayed in his comfort zone. Nails in His wrists were not comfortable. So be obedient. But never stray from God when doing this. Dig in deep into the scripture and pray to God for those who you teach. Reach out! Reach out with clean hands into the rink, and prepare to get dirty to help save the lives of others.

Having Childlike Faith

  
     Curiosity and Innocence is such a precious thing that children have. Yesterday, I was giving a brother and a sister a horseback riding lesson. No big deal, I do it all the time. And they were scared to walk by themselves on their horses on our "mini trail ride" around the outdoor arena. And at the stables, its a Bible Chapel and they have a ride called Pilgrim's Progress, based off the book and the movie. So on one bend, there is a big sign that says "Salvation" across it. So I'm walking the two horses with the kids, one horse was too slow and the other was fast, so my arms were struggling to keep one back and bring another forward. And I'm really tired at that point and I have blisters from my boots and the little girl points at the sign and says, "What's that word?"
     And of course I say to her, "That's Salvation." Then they both ask me, "Whats Salvation?" So of course I answer them and say, "Salvation is when you find God."

     Their minds were blown. They asked five billion questions about God.

"Where is God?"

"Who is God?"

"Is God invisible?"

"Where does He live?"

"What is Heaven like?"

"Are there horses in Heaven?"

     I was astounded by their curiosity and interest in God. They asked all kinds of questions that just made me smile. I told them all I knew, and they were satisfied with that.

Matthew 19:13-14 says this;

Jesus Blesses the Children

 ¹³ One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.  ¹⁴ But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”


    Jesus said above, "For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." Now I don't know anything about these children that the parents brought to Jesus. But the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like them. Jesus said so.
     But children are curious and innocent. They want to know stuff. They want to learn, and their minds have room to create memories and dreams and thoughts that will develop into something huge as they grow. What kids learn when they are young stick with them, good or bad.
     In my opinion, we need to be are seeking and curious as children are, and speak up for Christ Jesus. Children aren't afraid to speak their minds. Why can't we be the same way about God? Children aren't afraid to ask anything. Why can't we ask questions about God?
     Jesus wants us to have childlike faith. But we aren't to be childish. We are to ask questions and know no boundaries. We are to listen to what we learn about God, and fully believe in it. And we are to share it.

   Luke 18:17
     " 'I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't recieve the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.' "
  
   2 Timothy 4:5
     "But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling other the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you."

   2 John 1:4
     "How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded."

   Luke 7:31-35
     ³¹ “To what can I compare the people of this generation?” Jesus asked. “How can I describe them? ³² They are like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,
   ‘We played wedding songs,
      and you didn’t dance,
   so we played funeral songs,
      and you didn’t weep.’
 ³³ For John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ ³⁵ But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.”

     Jesus wants us to have childlike faith, but He doesn't want us to be childish. Be curious, ask questions, talk to God and get to know Him! Be like the kids that I was blessed to meet. Even though I was weary, tired, and hurting, my day was brightened by the two kids God gave to me that day that weren't afraid to ask.

Rules, Rules, Rules!

    "Lock the doors! Don't let anyone in! Call me during my break! Don't use the oven! Stay inside! Don't invite anyone over!"

Sigh. Rules, Rules, Rules! I'm tired of these rules. I know these rules already. Gosh.

"Don't swim in shark infested waters! Don't jump off a cliff! Don't drink poison!"

... No duh.

Exodus 20:1-20

 ¹ Then God gave the people all these instructions^[a]:
 ² “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
 ³ “You must not have any other god but me.
 ⁴ “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. ⁵ You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. ⁶ But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those^[b] who love me and obey my commands.
 ⁷ “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
 ⁸ “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ You have six days each week for your ordinary work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
 ¹² “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
 ¹³ “You must not murder.
 ¹⁴ “You must not commit adultery.
 ¹⁵ “You must not steal.
 ¹⁶ “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
 ¹⁷ “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
 ¹⁸ When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.
 ¹⁹ And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!”
 ²⁰ “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”


Ever get a list from Mom about what not and what to do? You just look at the note and say, duh. I know this. Compare it to the other list. Do not jump off a cliff, do not drink poison, do not swim in shark infested waters. Well me oh my who would ever do something like that?! Well. You didn't know any of this until you learned it was dangerous.
 
  Do not lie, do not steal, do not murder, do not testify falsely against your neighbor.
All of the above are the Ten Commandments. Which you know! We're all cool with the Ten Commandments. But there is so much more to these commandments. These are just the minimums. God gave 624 specific commands. But these ten are instructions to guide us to know who God is.
  These commandments tell us who God is. And more importantly, it tells us what he values, and what he is like.
For example, when he says, "Thou shall not lie." He tells us not to lie because our God is an honest God. And God is the truth. He values honesty.
When God says "Thou shall not murder." He doesn't want us to kill anyone! Mercy is right and cruelty is wrong because God is merciful.

Each commandment tells us more about who God is.
  God is Love
  God is Truth
  God is Honest
  God is Merciful
  God is Pure
                            And so so much more!
 Why do we hate rules, when rules get us closer to God? Obedience is key to becoming more and more like God. Obey these minimums, know these minimums. Because when it all comes down to it, these minimums lead us to the truth. They lead us to God. So take the time to learn these. Follow them as strictly as you would follow "Don't jump off a cliff."
But get to know them a little bit more (: