Religion or Relationship

The one thing I have noticed today, is that Churches are afraid to call sin sin. People look at the homosexual community and say they are sinning, however in that same breath they are cursing or taking the name of the Lord in vain. Isn't that a sin too? That is the most incredible thing. It is easy to look at a community that waves a flag and say they are sinning because of their choices, but how are we? Are we  judging them, are we sinning just how arrogant we are being? We are supposed to be humble and pray. Not to stand on the corner preaching, but be loving. Jesus went to the sinners, He ate with them, however for some reason we believe that we are better and can curse them, tell them they are going to hell, or is it we all are? 

We need to start living as Jesus and stop living for ourselves. We are just as bad as the others around us that don't know God. We are sinning, just by saying we are better. But the truth of the matter is, are we stuck on Religion or stuck on God. Let our light shine before men, so that they know the good work God has done in us. Is my light shining, can people see that I am different by my actions, by my words? That is the real question, what kind of witness am I, if I do the same things as the world, if I act the same way as everyone else, because I go to Church on Sunday, because I attend a community group, does that make me different? No, it doesn't, they could attend meetings, where they speak only about good things, where they talk about what is happening in the world, that doesn't make them any different then me attending Church, unless it is not just Religion, but a relationship. 

What is a relationship, it is me not just speaking, but being spoken too. It is sharing in the good and bad, it is drawing closer to the other person in the relationship, because I am willing to just be silent. I don't have to justify my existence, because the person loves me for me. Are we trying so hard to be something that we are not, because in that very step, we are stating the person that God made me is not good enough, because I want to be something that I am not. Did that make sense? How many times are we comparing ourselves to someone else? How they look, what they dress like, etc... and we try to emulate the very person, however we can't do that, because God created me just the way He did. It is the imperfections in the world that has me what I am today, it isn't God's fault, it is my own fault for seeking, for trying to be like others, instead of excepting who God has made me be. 

We have choices, we have difference, but if we do not except the very choices that we have and state that others made me this way, we never take the responsibility on ourselves. We never see who is truly to blame for where we are. That is the key to this whole thing, religion or relationship. I am who I am, because of what God has done in me, however when I allow the world to control my thoughts to control who I am, because I don't like what God has done, I am making a choice. That choice will either send me to hell or to heaven. It is that very thing, that defines who I am. 

People today are lost because they do not know who they are, they are lost because they do not compare to anyone else. They see themselves as broken, instead of seeing the true person that God has made. They can't except the love of Jesus, because they have made a choice to say I am not lovable, I am not capable of giving love, because of who I am. But if they stop comparing, if they stop searching for an answer and see the truth right in front of them, they will see what they are looking for. But people don't want to make the choice, they want to blame everyone else. If you look into each community you will notice blame and more blame, but the people that are free from it, stop blaming others and start excepting fault, excepting brokenness, start seeing the truth behind all they have and all they are. It is only than, that people are free to be whom God calls them to be. 

What does God call you to be? Stop looking to blame others and start making the choices your own. Start saying I chose because God made me. Start taking the ownership of who you are, because God created you. 

Hared choices require hard decisions which require total surrender from what I want to who God is creating me.

Molding Clay

I took a class to make a bowl out of clay. I thought it would be great, however I didn't realize the lessons it would teach me.

God is the master clay worker, He forms us and shapes us. Just like I was trying to shape this clay, but there is so much that goes into forming clay and making clay. If you don't know, watch a video of it. A piece of clay is thrown into a center wheel, that clay is just still a clump of clay, with no true bearings of anything, just a round clump of clay. If the clay has air bubbles in it, that will come out in the forming of the portion you want to make, so the clay must be clear from all the bubbles. 

First you need to kneed the clay, work it, shape it like you would do with bread dough. You have to make sure that it is ready to be made into a vessel of some kind. Do you think God does that with us? Does he kneed us, does He perform things in our lives that make it key to who He wants us to be? 

Second, you have to get the wheel ready to receive the clay, is it wet and ready to receive the clay? 

Third, the clay is placed in the center of the wheel. Not just placed but thrown there so it sticks. It has to stick, otherwise it will slide all over. God wants us to stick to His words, time to see what God is doing in you. Time for a change, to for God.

People

I find it fascinating how people are, they complain about others, but will not look at themselves. However, they are so caught up in themselves, they can't think of others. They see others with problems, but have no time to help out, because they are too busy with themselves. They are so self focused that they continue to miss the truth. 

They are so distracted, they can't see the issue is themselves. They want to blame others for their own issues. They will not look inward to see what they are portraying to other, they continue to blame blame and blame. 

I have said it many times before, but if you have a problem with someone, you have to look within, because more then likely, the problem you have with them, is because that same thing lives within you. 

If we think of ourselves as a ripple, we affect so many others with just how we are. The light we shine on others, is directly impacted by how we are. We have to be able to work on ourselves, changing ourselves affect the people around us. Why is it so hard to look within? Why can't we see the issue isn't the one closes to us, it is ourselves. Stop blaming and start changing. If we were quick to say what can I do, instead of what can they do, it would change the world. 

Can you imagine how others would be if they started saying, I am the issue, I don't need to feed off of someone else, I need to look within. We start changing ourselves, we start being the example. How many issues will take care of themselves. Stop blaming and start changing. Be the change you want to see in the world, be the person that God calls you to be. It doesn't matter what others are doing, God will judge you, it doesn't matter how they are being, what matters is how you are. 

The lesson we must learn, is how are my actions affecting others, how is my voice, how am I and what am I doing that needs to change. You can't look at how it will effect others, you have to look at what God wants. It doesn't matter what others say, it is what God says to you.

Next time you run across a problem with someone else, ask yourself, am I being the same way? Do I do this to other people? 10x's out of 10, the answer will be yes. Ask yourself what you can do to change you. Maybe nothing will change in the other person, but you will be able to understand why their actions affect you so much. Keep your eyes on Jesus.