The Greatest Commandment

Henry David Thoreau once said, "No lapse of time or distance of place can lessen the friendship of those who are truly persuaded of each other's worth." This may be a bit extreme, but have you ever thought about what would people say about you if you were gone? If you died today, would people come to your funeral to honor your life, or would it just be that another one bites the dust? Now, I do know that the end-all is not what man thinks about us but what God knows about us, but I believe whole-heartedly it should still be a big part of who we are. If you disagree, think about it this way. The Old testament is full of commandments and rituals that the Old Testament Christians had to fulfill in order to effectively worship God, but in the New Testament, there is the "Greatest Commandment". Throughout the entire New Testament, the one commandment that Jesus gave was to "love your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself". Did you catch that second part? By loving God, you are loving others! So if you were to step in-front of a mirror today and rate yourself on a scale from 1-10, where would you rate? Is it a strong desire of yours to serve others, or do you believe everyone on this earth exists to serve you? I have seen tremendous examples of what would seem to be both types of people.

As I partook in this challenge myself, I began to realize all of the ways in which I do get it wrong and how I do believe that people are here in this life to serve me. It is a strong desire of mine to serve God and serve people but many, many times I get it very wrong. It is our human nature to be selfish and to serve ourselves, but it is God's desire for our lives that we truly serve others with the time we spend on this earth. How do I as a sinner change into the person that God has called me to be? If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit has certainly brought to your mind some facets of yourself that you need to change.

Over the last couple of weeks, Brentwood Church, in Lynchburg Virginia, has been going through a series titled "Grow Up". The theme of the series is "There are things in life we need to give up in order to grow up". What are the things in your life that you need to give up in order for you to grow up and love God and people more effectively. I have begun to go through the evaluation process myself, and I have found a number of things I need to give up in order for me to be able to grow up into the man God wants me to be. This situation reminds me a lot of a math equation. If you multiple 5 x 5, you are going to get 25. You can multiple these numbers today, tomorrow, or even five years from now, but guess what, you are always going to get 25. Until you change the numbers, you will always get the same result. So what obstacles or hindrances in your life do you always seem to run into? If there is a reoccurring event or sequence of events that won't go away then there is something(s) in your life that needs to change. If you you'd like to multiple to get 30, you probably shouldn't keep multiplying 5 x 5- change it up!.

Mark 1 is a great example of how Jesus' disciples dropped everything, their families, jobs, everything to go follow Him. It may not be as extreme for you, but what do you need to drop in your life in order to follow God's calling on your life more effectively? You can run, but you cannot hide. Just stop trying to run! Save your energy and time and see what in your life God wants you to change. In Philippians, Paul said, "Not that I have already obtained all of this or have been made perfect, but I press on toward the goal to win the prize." It is a process, and if you haven't started your process yet, now is as good a time as any. For a long time, I kept getting the same result in my life. I have made the decision to change some of the variables in the equation of my life, so that I can start getting a different result. Psalm 16:11 states, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." In Him, there is newness of life...

I am praying for you guys and girls out there in the world that are doing big things! "Not all who wander are lost." Have a blast!!

Thankful

At this point, I do not have anything extraordinary or exciting to post, and there is no particular reason for this post being named as it is. I just wanted to take a few moments and really thank God for what He is doing in my life. I really just want to thank Him for the little things in my life: family, friendships, learning and growing experiences. At this point in my life, a lot of things are changing, but one thing always remains the same, God is here and will continue to lead me. It seems like everyone else lives are changing, but mine is staying exactly the same. I'm living in the same town, doing the same exact things. To a certain extent, that is true, but to an even greater extent it is not, I have the greatest friends anyone could ask for! We are all roommates and get to have a blast every day! I'm so thankful that God brought them into my life and has allowed me to still be a part of their lives! Am I doing a lot of the same things? Yes, but God has allowed to be in the situation I am in, currently, to set up my future!

With this post, I really just want to thank God for everything that He has done for me in the past and for the things He will do in my future. I have no clue what will happen next week or next month, but as I look out over the skyline here in Ocean City, I can feel God's leading and his direction in my life. I am so thankful for it! There are so many question marks in my life right now, but as my one friend and coworker says, "God, I just wanna say, thanks". It doesn't need to be anything extraordinary or earth-shattering, it can be just a simple "thank you". Thank you for saving, delivering, sustaining, leading, guiding, providing, showing, promising, guaranteeing and blessing me!

Continuing to follow His lead...