Pride vs. Love

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud." Proverbs 16:18-19


It's amazing how true this verse is...well..not really considering it's the BIBLE. What I mean is that it's amazing how a word as simple as pride can mean so much and ruin everything. It's what keeps broken relationships from being mended, and also what breaks them in the first place. I'll be the first to admit, I'm guilty of it; but at least it's within my power to fight against it with everything I have.  Unfortunately that's not the case with other's.  I have to just sit and watch as someone begins to break up a family due to their stupid, selfish, pride. I hate it. I hate it so much. I wish everyone could see how evil their own ego's are. If everyone would just prefer others over themselves, there would be a whole lot less hurt in this world. That's what true Christianity is all about--loving others as yourself in addition to loving God because He first loved us. It's that simple. You can discuss your theology all you want, but mending brokenness is what really matters. Saving lives from hell--and I'm not talking about the traditional fire and brimstone stuff; I'm talking about hell on earth--the hell that results from selfishness, pride, envy, hate, etc.
You can say you don't believe in Christ's love, but if we don't have that hope, then what do we have? Even if everything about Jesus were a bunch of B.S., I'd rather stake my life on the power of His name, rather than dwell in the hopeless misery that this world has to offer.  And the best part is, He's NOT B.S. He's as real as anything. He's Truth itself. He IS.

So although the sin of man and the work of the enemy can cause a mess and get me a bit discouraged at times, I am reminded that my God is bigger than all this. My God is the one who made everything, and He is in control no matter what. God is the Creator. All the devil can do is try to mess with God's creation. I know the end of the story, so why do I fear the suspense in between?

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" 1 Corinthians 13:4-7


It sure talks a lot about what love is not, right? Funny thing about that, all those things it says that love is not are precisely the things that tear our world apart. But of course this is true because as John said,


"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1John 4:8


It's those who do not know God who are tearing the world apart--even those who claim to know Him, if they are not loving, they don't really know Him.



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Faith is a gift, not a responsibility.

Among Christian circles, I often hear people saying that we need to "have more faith", which is a very true conclusion.  However, I think all too often we take it upon ourselves to somehow imagine that we believe something that we really don't. The truth is, faith is just one more thing, like everything else, that we can't do on our own.  It says in Hebrews that, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (NASB)

That assurance is not something we can obtain by our own strength. God really showed me during my time in Thailand that faith is a gift. At the beginning of the month, I asked Him for more faith although I was quite unsure what His answer to that would look/feel like. But as always, He was so faithful. I found myself having that assurance for things--that complete conviction of things I can't see. The gift of faith makes trusting so much easier.  Trusting God is so much simpler when I am convinced of things outside of my 5 senses--things I only can know by the Spirit. 

So I challenge you to ask big. Ask God for faith like you've never had before and just see what He will do. 

If home is where the heart is...

If “home is where the heart is” then I have many "homes" around the world–California, Michigan, Thailand, wherever World Race V-Squad is...
So I decided to start this blog in order to share some of my heart with those I miss...or I guess more realistically those who miss me. =)


More coming soon...