Acceptance and Faith

Suilaid!

So I've recently gotten into a few discussions concerning several different theological points. I hold a few...unpopular views, mostly revolving around the "sin nature" (which I believe we don't have), etc. (Of course, I also hold unpopular political views, but that's an entirely different subject.)

Inevitably, every discussion concerning these points comes down to this line, quoted in various different ways by nearly every person- "Well, there are just some things we have to accept on faith because we can't understand them, so we just shouldn't worry about them."

...........

o.0

So...um...I guess since I can't understand God, I should just not think about it, right?

Whatever logic that is.

I think God intended for us to exercise and brains and try to understand things. Why else did He give us the Bible? So we could just blindly stumble through life, trying not to think about things?

Maybe it's just me. I am of such a temperament that I want to try to understand stuff. Including the Bible. That doesn't make me less of a Christian, or less faithful. I exercise my faith by trying to understand. Without faith, I couldn't make sense of half of what I read in the Bible.

There are many things God tells us in the Bible. For instance, He tells us about salvation. Salvation is beyond man's superficial comprehension. Yet men have, for centuries, turned their minds to the questions of sin, salvation, and sanctification. Why? Because they wanted to truly understand. Yes, salvation still in a way transcends our efforts to understand. But does the fact that some of it we do not yet understand mean we should stop trying? That we should simply stop in our tracks, go no further, and simply accept "by faith" whatever we are spoon-fed from the pulpit?

You never see that in the Bible. I don't think Paul stopped thinking about things because he didn't understand them. No. He kept on trucking, and he was one of the greatest Christians ever. All throughout history, man's understanding of the Bible has increased because there were a few who didn't stop at accepted doctrine and teachings, and instead plowed ahead and actually thought about things, letting it all soak into their minds and trying to make some sort of sense of the puzzle pieces they had been given.

Neither do I see in the Bible the commandment to merely sit back, doze off, and let everything difficult to understand float around in the ether somewhere. I do see commandments to meditate and a commandment to study, commandments to think, and commandments to read. God does tell us to accept certain things on faith- but always in the context of salvation, etc. Never in the context of learning more about Him, the Word, and the world around us.

Just because there are some things that are beyond our mortal comprehension (or supposedly beyond that comprehension) doesn't mean we should stop thinking about those things. Only through applying our minds and meditating and studying those things can we truly grow and get to know God.

Namárië and 爱於耶穌
~Liberty
(Also posted on Teenage Musings)

it'll be awesome...

It's my blog party! There's going to be giveaways, fun activities, challenges, and MUCH, MUCH more! :) can't wait to see you there!!

This is SO cool!

Okay, so me and my sister know these girls Becca, Krista, Kaylee, and Whitney. Well, on tuesday night we were at their house and Becca was looking at this magazine and she go "COOL! guys, look at this." and this is what it said:

Nothing is Impossible

I'm possible

(i'm possible - impossible)

Isn't that just really cool!? I really makes you think!!!

Being accepted

Hey girls! I make a magazine for my friends, it's called 'Daughter Of Christ' and the May/June issue is all about accepted... I've already started working on it so, I thought I'd post the 2 things I've written!

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Accepted by Others

By: Megan Kristine Madison

Every girl wants to be accepted by others. They try to act the way others do to fit in, but they never let their true colors show. Less then 1 year ago, this was me. I was a girl trying to fit in and be accepted by everyone else. I had been keeping everything I felt and who I really was shut up inside myself. I didn’t did really have very many friends. Most of them were just people who I’d know for only a few years before we had moved into another state, and I only really knew them from writing letters. I only had 3 really ‘good’ friends and I only saw them once a year! When I did see them I would walk around with them just doing whatever they did, and I’m sorry to say, but they don’t really know the true me. I’m the kind of person that likes to always have a smile on her face, a girl who loves reading and writing, loves doing art work and crafts, who’s cray dream is to have a town where only her and her friends lived, and tries to follow God’s plan for her. Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever let any of this show. My 3 friends only knew part of my true self, because I was afraid to show them the whole me. I was afraid of being weird. Everyone is afraid of being weird. But the truth is, you have to accept your self for who you are before anyone else can and before you can let people know you for who you are. The only people that I could truly show my true self to was my family. I could show my true colors around them because I knew they would always accept me for who I am. But whenever I was around my friends all my thoughts, feelings, and everything I was got shut up inside me and I became a totally different person. I wasn’t that girl who was always laughing, or that girl who would talk to you about totally random stuff. I wasn’t my true self. I changed so I would fit in, but be ACCEPTED. All this time while I was keeping my true self away from my friends, I’d never realized that if I’d just let my friends know the true me we’d have been better friends from the start. But, then me and my family moved to Iowa and I met some really awesome girls. In the process of becoming friends with them, it suddenly struck me: What really is normal? What really is ‘fitting in’?  I can tell you this, It’s now keeping yourself kept inside for the rest of your life! The problem is, everyone always thinks ‘normal’ is doing whatever everyone else does. Well, It’s not! Every person has their own NORMAL and that’s the true you! Everyone is always afraid of being weird, but the truth is, by trying to fit in with everyone else, you ARE being weird! If you’re afraid of losing your friends if you just be you, are they really worth it? Do you really want to keep yourself shut up for the rest of your life? I’ll tell you what, I know I don’t! And if it wasn’t for my awesome new friends here in Iowa, I’d still be that girl that wasn’t my true self. My new friends helped me to realize that people will accept me for who I am! And I’ll tell you this, once you let your true self show, you’ll never have better friends! These girls are the best friends I’ve ever had and I’ve know them for only 1 year! And it’s because I know their true self and they know mine! It’s great you know, having friends like this, you should try it sometime...

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Free to Be Me

By: Megan Kristine Madison

Once there was a girl. 

Wanting to be accepted. 

She wasn’t sure she could be herself. 

She tried to change her ways, 

she tried to fit in. 

But it just didn’t seem right.

She wanted to be accepted for who she was, 

because her friends didn’t know who she truly was.

Then she met some awesome girls, 

she know she could trust them. 

So she set herself free from holding herself in.

 She had finally been accepted for who she really was. 

She was free.

Then she realized she 

had been accepted by someone all along. 

God accepted her for who she was.

 All she had to do was to let herself free.

This girl is Me.

Now I’m free to be Me.

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I'd love to know what you think so drop me a comment!

Btw, I have a violin festival tomorrow, so please pray that it goes well! 

Thanks,

Megan :)

Abiding In Him

Suilaid!

"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."
John 15:7

What does this verse mean?

The most accepted interpretation is that we have to read our Bible everyday and memorize it and meditate in it because if we don't, we'll all go to hell.

Hm.

However, reading it everyday for half an hour isn't really "abiding" in anything. If you stayed in your house for only a couple minutes each day- or hey, even an hour or two- you wouldn't be abiding there. You'd be dropping in for a visit every now and again. "Abiding" is defined as "unceasing, unrelenting." To abide somewhere is not a transitory, once-a-day ritual: to abide in something is to have a constant reminder of that thing, to be in it each and every moment.

Now I don't know about you, but I'm not able to read my Bible nonstop. I confess I often spend more time reading other books and blogging/Facebooking than I do reading my Bible. So can it be said that I'm not "abiding" in my Bible?

According to the narrow definition normally imposed, yes. I am not properly abiding in my Bible. But I would argue that "abiding" is much more than mere reading.

Yes, reading and memorization is good. It helps us to know what God wants for us. But a mere head knowledge of something is not actual understanding. For instance, we can know that a hot stovetop will burn us and it will hurt. But unless we have actual understanding of that principle, we cannot understand why we should pull our hands back from the metal surface. Just like that, unless we also have a good understanding of what we read, our reading accomplishes nothing.

It comes down to, not just reading, but instead a moment-by-moment application of what we have read. That is true "abiding"- letting God's Word fill us and direct our actions. We do this by giving earnest thought to what we have read.

Too often it seems, we read a passage than skip on our merry ways, not paying any further attention to what we've read. Sure, we recognize a couple verses- Pastor might have preached on one of them last week- and we think we can pick out a rough meaning. But we don't truly understand it because we haven't actually applied our minds to the task.

Next time you read your Bible, make an earnest effort to try to ferret out the meaning behind the words. What is God telling you? What do you think God's purpose in telling you this is? If it helps, jot it down. But whatever you do, make sure you are applying what God tells you. Only then will you truly "abide" in His Word.

Namárië and 爱於耶穌
~Liberty

Zambia Missions' Trip

Suilaid!

On June 1, 2010, I will be departing from my hometown on a jet plane. Ultimate destination- Lusaka, Zambia. We will be assisting Curtis and Juliana Johnson, two missionaries, with building, evangelism, and Vacation Bible Schools!! It is going to be an amazing trip.

Some things I need you all to pray for- firstly, for my funds. I still lack about $360 total- that's for my food and all that. So just pray that I'll be able to get enough babysitting and other side jobs done to pay for that (and to have some spending money, too!)

I'd also ask you all to pray as I prepare spiritually- I'm currently taking teaching Children Effectively Level 1 (with CEF) so I can be ready to teach some Vacation Bible Schools while there. Pray that I will be able to learn well enough that I can be effective while there.

Thanks much! I will probably be posting on this subject again, but for now-

Namárië and 爱於耶穌
~Liberty