beloved road:

ohmita:

Sometimes I wish there were a Christian political party that I could support, one that agrees with everything I agree with, and then I realise how terrible and non-representative that would be.

As of right now, the Christian community has not (and probably will not) reach a consensus on doctrine, which is superbly fundamental. We still debate interpretations of the bible, and we don’t agree on political issues, social or economic.

Some people see this as division, and sometimes it legitimately is, but I mostly see it as an expression of the diversity of God’s creation - that God does not require us all to agree on every issue in order to truly follow Him and be one body.

In fact, God doesn’t require that anyone follow Him, He wants everyone to follow Him but doesn’t require anyone to do so. That is why it baffles me slightly when Christians become obsessed with making sure their beliefs form the laws that everyone follows.

Yes, it is important that Christians stand up for their beliefs and share them with others, and I think that as citizens of the world we should be involved in the democratic process when given the opportunity, but I don’t think it warrants the level of importance that it has been given.

By having laws that match up with biblical principles, does your relationship with God improve? And isn’t that relationship the ultimate concern?

It is true virtue for a person to follow God and obey His commandments not because they are legally obliged but because they love the Lord.

So I don’t expect the laws of my country to match my beliefs, and I don’t expect my beliefs to be forced on those who don’t share them by using the law.

We should be less concerned about making the laws of our nation reflect the laws of the bible and more concerned about making our lives reflect the teachings of the bible.

Because the bottom line is, God is sovereign. He is sovereign whether the law agrees with Him, and He is sovereign whether people believe in Him.

adjustaccordingly:

Just a quick tidbit for anyone who is journaling and hasn’t found an organized way to do it. 

S.O.A.P is a good way to organize and keep consistency in your journaling endeavors.

The acronym is as follows

Scripture: Write down the scripture you read, be it solely the book, chapter and verse (i.e. Hebrews 13:1-19) or for if it’s short enough, write out the verse itself (i.e. Heb 13:1 “Keep on loving each other as brothers.”)

Observation: Write down what you think the verse is saying. Consider intuition as well as study notes that may be in your Bible.

Application: Think of ways that you can take what you read and use it to affect the daily actions of your life. 

Prayer: Jot down a quick prayer related to what you just read. Maybe you need more help understanding the scripture or you just want it to be more evident in your life. Write what’s on your heart.

Hope that helped. 

Happy Journaling!

jesseyonfong:

When I find myself complaining about something in life God always kicks me in the face. Earlier I was complaining about something and I remember that I have it a thousand times better than half of the world.

I encourage you to always remember your Creator. Always count your blessings, and write them down. God doesn’t like when we compalin, it doesn’t matter what it is, the Bible says to ask everything in supplication and prayer, not in whinning and complaining. Nothing is too small or impossible for God.

eahoward:

God is the ultimate healer.

I’m really trying to rest in that. 

I’m not going to go into a lot of details but prayer for that realization and a peace would be AMAZING.

And healing too.

Our frail and weak bodies were not made for this world.

Sometimes I like to think of my life as “on loan” from God… to do HIS purpose. 

Am I always successful in that? no.

Do I think I’ve done a really good job in doing God’s purpose? no.

But I’m trying to remind myself that God has still used me in my life. No matter how big or small I think it’s been.