Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

"I know he awaits at the threshold, don't let him in, no, don't let him in. Though he is dressed like the rest of us, he has the Jackal's eyes, the Jackal's eyes!" -The Un-Manifest by Haste the Day

I'd like you to read the following Bible passage, but first I want to set a tone. The Bible is a beautifully written Book. The analogies and parables contained insided are not rivaled by any mere man-made work. Read this passage, and focus. Focus on the beauty of the content.

[7] So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. [8] All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. [9] I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. [10] The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. [11] I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. [12] He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. [13] He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. [14] I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, [15] just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. [16] And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. (John 10:7-16 ESV)

We are the Sheep. Jesus is the Shepherd. Look at the italics and see just how much beauty Jesus creates to draw a comparison for the love He has for His sheep.

Shepherds were shepherds from birth. In biblical times, they lived and breathed sheep. I'm sure as a young man growing up with a particular flock of sheep would merit the same emotional connection as a child growing up with a puppy. The love a shepherd had for his sheep went several layers deep. The sheep were the shepherd's livlihood, and he would do anything to protect them from wolves and other threats such as thieves and murderers. A constant watch had to be kept in order to ensure the flock's safety. If one went missing, a good shepherd would go off to fetch it after making sure the other sheep were safe in their pen. Just as a sword is an extension of a Samurai's self, the flock was an extension of the shepherd, going where he commands, and guided with skill and precision. He takes the sheep where the grazing is good. He doesn't deliberately lead them off cliffs or through thickets, but sometimes the sheep wandered. After all, sheep are stupid. If a sheep is leading the flock, and it jumps over a stick, the following flock will proceed to jump over the stick even if the stick is removed.

The point is sheep need a Shepherd to survive well. Sheep are defenseless. We are defenseless. Ever felt that way? Re-read the passage and double check me on this: Jesus will do anything for His sheep. He will do anything for us. Just as a good shepherd loves his sheep, so Jesus love His children. Jesus even mentions that there are some of His sheep not in the fold. Does this refer to those that currently don't believe in Jesus' sacrifice that will within their lifetime? Some will also say this is Christ referring to the liberation of the Gentiles through His death on the cross. However you want to look at it, if you're unsaved, Jesus has His eyes on you too. Eyes of love. Eyes screaming repentance to bring you into a love of Jesus rather than a fear or anxiety of Him.

I guess the bottom line is for us all to wake up to the struggles that are in the world. The wolves are coming to try to steal from the fold. Don't let them in, no don't let them in. Rather look to the Good Shepherd for protection, and He will give it to you without hesitation.

Now, Redeemed, arise! Stand up! Take your place with Jesus and the beauty He has bestowed on His followers!

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War

What if we could take up arms in a war that's not politically-charged and media-hyped? What if we could put our energy into something useful? Something of value? What if we could carry weapons not to kill, but to change and love and correct? What if we could soldier in a conflict that made use of our generation's creativity and talent with no holds barred?
The problem isn't that we're trying to fight the war and losing. Oh, no, this war is already won. We know the future on this one. It's just a matter of time.
No, the problem is that we're not fighting. We are too complacent to care. We just want to go to work and come home and chill. Play some games, eat some food, and then hit the sack to prepare to do it again in the morning. This is wrong. This is sin. This needs help. We need help. You and I need help.
We're Americans, we're practically born into complacency. Doesn't matter if our parents are Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, or Methodist, American Christians are neutered Christians, ashamed of Jesus to the point of not talking about Him outside of the "safe zone": Church. If we do talk about Jesus outside of church, we're so out of practice that it sounds fake; it's like we're just nuts talking about aliens. No one listens. Why? Because we don't live like Christ even existed.

See, Truth is, we are in a war. We're in many wars. I'm not talking about politics or government. I'm talking about the "real" world: our lives. Because in the end, even if our American freedoms are taken away from us, even if we lose to terrorist groups overseas or even in our homeland, the war that occurs in real life still exists and is being waged up until the day we die. We either follow Christ or we don't. People try to over-complicate this concept. I won't. It's a do or die type scenario. One that we can't afford to die on.
Listen, we don't want God to spit us out of His mouth for being lukewarm.

Christ should excite us, not just at concerts or revivals. "You were made to burn, and let the whole world see" -For Today-Breaker-Seraphim

Fight the Good Fight. Give God the Glory.

"If God is for us, than who can stand against us?"-Romans 8:31

We are in a war that is already won. Lets start fighting like Christ's sacrifice is real.

To the Enslaved [And The Free...?]

I just realized that there is some interesting "dialectic thinking" in the New Testament. Jesus says that He came to set those who believe in Him free from their sin [John 8:36]...yet Paul says in Romans [and elsewhere] that we are slaves to God [Rom. 6:22]. So which is it?? Well obviously, it has to be both!

As soon as we are born, we are born bad, not good [the human condition]. There is nothing good we can do that has eternal value while we are under this state [Rom. 3:23]. This poses a problem. Heaven as we all know it, is perfect, and we can't go bringing our crap-lives into it and still call it perfect. That's when Jesus steps in, takes our place [dies for us], and resurrects [leaving sin in the tomb]. Thus opening the gateway for all who believe in Him to get to be where He resides forever: Heaven. Therefore He has set us free from the bondage of sin [wrongdoing. That thing that we could do nothing but until Jesus stepped in....]. We [saved Christians] have been freed from the grip of sin, and now have the freedom to choose to do good. This is new. Before we could only do evil, and now we have the choice to do good. So we're free right?? Sounds like it until we hit something like Romans 6:22 which says: But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God...

Paul's point: We're always slaves to something. Well, actually, we're always slaves to one of two things: 1. Jesus 2. Ourselves [sin]. Conversely, if we are slaves to one of those two things, we are free from the other [that's where we see phrases like "free from sin" and phrases like "free from righteousness-Rom. 6:20]. Paul continues to extrapolate in Romans 6, saying the consequences of our voluntary slavery ["you present yourselves...as obedient slaves" Rom. 6:16].
The consequence are this if we choose ourselves :
But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
(Romans 6:21)

The consequence of choosing obedient slavery to Jesus is this:
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to *sanctification and its end, eternal life.
(Romans 6:22 )

*Sanctification is the process whereby we are continually growing more like Jesus*
Thanks for reading, and be sure to hit me up on Facebook for questions, comments, or stuff I need to clarify more. My Facebook badge is on the right if you need my profile.

To All Who Exist- The Brink

I was on my way to transfer a patient out of ICU when I heard a Code Blue [Adult Medical Emergency]...on ICU. I proceeded to get my equipment, hoping that the code was not the patient I needed to transfer. Fortunately it was not. It was one room over. As I introduced myself to my patient, we struck up casual conversation between him, his family, and myself. We talked about the Eagles, his condition, and so on. Even when I was just one thin wall away from a coding patient, I still didn't realize that we are all on the Brink.

The Brink is the line between life and death that no one can control.

We all forget about the Brink. It's not until a loved one is injured or dies that we think of it, or when the consequences are forced upon us by some thriller/action movie. But the Brink is more real than a movie, and more widespread than just our families...the Brink is upon us all.

We, as humans, have a fear of the unknown. Some try to hide it, but we all know it's there. If it weren't we wouldn't be...human. We all fear the Brink. The Brink is unknown.

When we turn to face the Brink, we have two decisions. Humanity is boiled down into two options: Purpose, or No Purpose? "There are two kinds of people in this world. Those that see signs, and those that see coincidence. The question is, which one are you?"-Mel Gibson, Signs.

If there is no purpose, we should all just kill ourselves now and end this game. However, if things happen for a reason, then we have something to search for; we have a reason to live. Many people have different ideas as to what purpose we're all living for. Those ideas are called religion. Religion is mankind striving for answers. For some, science is religion, for others it could be Buddhism, Catholicism, or Islam.

Mine is Christianity how the Bible describes it: Your soul belongs to Jesus or Hell. Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven, and one must accept the miraculous life, death, and burial of Jesus in order to receive his gift: answers.

Facebook message me [click on the badge on the left to go to my profile] to contact me with deeper questions and answers.

Remember, you exist in the Brink. Welcome to Security. Welcome to Jesus.

Three Steps: From Wrong to Right

We all, as humans, have those moments when we say something that completely devastates our best friend. It really doesn’t matter if we “meant it” or not; we still let it slip. I really do not think that there is such an instance when someone “didn’t mean” what they said. Every word we say is for a reason, and what we do has a motive behind it. But what can we do? We’ve just said something detrimental to our friend, on a personal level that we know we should not have said. Even if it was the truth, there were better ways to share it than the way we just chose. There is a quote from the movie The Village that I think could help speak into these situations: “The world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe.” Love will be the mediator that will come between us and our friend to try to mend the broken relationship. There are three ways to put a patch on what we’ve just said to our friend: realize, react, and restore.

The first thing that must happen to fix the relationship is to humble ourselves and take responsibility for the wrong we’ve done. How many times a day do we hurt people without even realizing it? We do wrong things all the time without turning around and making it right. The lies we tell our parents, children, and spouses often go unnoticed or justified in our minds. There’s no need to own our wrong if they deserve it. That way of thinking is completely motivated by self, not love. Remember that love is what will motivate us to fix the relationship. One of the writers of the Bible, Paul, says this in his letter called First Corinthians: “[If I] understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”

Realizing is not where we stop “righting our wrong”. In order to truly own our wrongdoing, we need to act on what we’ve just realized. Responding is the next step to a renewed relationship. A humble apology is in order. We need to take responsibility for what we’ve done by walking up to our friend and saying, “I really screwed up. What I said earlier was way out of line, and I meant it for harm, not for good. Please forgive me for saying those things to you, and consequently hurting our friendship.” [emphasis mine]. Sometimes “sorry” doesn’t heal the harm. I know I have hurt friends even more by just saying “sorry”. Sometimes we owe our friends more than that. By asking for their forgiveness, it shows them that we mean it. Forgiveness goes much deeper than a “Whoops, I’m sorry”. Forgiveness doesn’t hide. It shows that we know what we did wrong It shows that we understand that we mean what we said. We need to be on the same page about the hurtful things we’ve communicated. Once we’ve called our wrong for the ugliness it really is, it is time to change.

Restoring the relationship is often a hard, ugly process not devoid of hurt and sorrow. Some people never find restoration from the people they’ve wronged, and rightfully so. If someone drives drunk and kills a family member, we may be able to forgive them, but we’re probably not going to act as if it never happened. There are consequences that forgiveness may not be able to remove in every case. If the friend we transgressed is not willing to make an immediate restoration, than we need to be humble and accept that. We deserve what we’re getting; we’re the transgressors. We messed up and deserve some kind of consequence for what we’ve done. Sometimes restoration isn’t available right away, but once we change our actions, it may become available after our friend realizes that we’re serious about changing. Our love for our friend needs to help us persevere through this stage. As I said, it can hurt, but if/once restoration is made, it is cause to rejoice! We need to randomly throw an invite out to lunch to give an appropriate reaction to our renewed relationship! Restoration should always be the goal when we’ve hurt one of our loved ones. If it isn’t, then we probably have selfish intents. Selfishness, not hate, is the opposite of love. Love is all about the other person. It cares about others more than ourselves.

Restoration is supreme once it occurs, and only love can motivate us to get there. It will take a lot of personal sacrifice, and possibly tears, but it is always worth it. Our friendships should not be sacrificed because we aren’t willing to realize, react, and restore. The Village also says, “One love [the love of self] to sacrifice another love is not right!” Selfishness will always bring us down to destruction very quickly. I hope we all can realize that our friends are worth more than what we give them on a day to day basis; they are invaluable.

[This was an essay I wrote for my English Comp 1 Class at Camden County College]

To Those Wondering About Judging and Matt. 7

[7:1] “Judge not, that you be not judged. [2] For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
(Matthew 7:1-2 ESV)

This is the famous passage that every0ne says "Do not judge anyone." I disagree. I think that we need to read verse 2 along with verse one. By doing that I think we reach a more full picture of what the text is saying.

Verse 2 says: ] For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

I think that this combined with the first verse means that one should not judge by our own standards. Verse 2 warns that what we use to judge other people, is what other people use to judge us. Therefore anyone saved by Jesus NEEDS TO USE SCRIPTURE AS THEIR MEASURING ROD. Any Christian should not object to having their life compared to Scripture at any time. Therefore it should be imperative that Christians use Scripture to judge other Christians, as well as use Scripture to determine what is and is not biblically ethical among our culture as well. If we remain complacent and judge no one, then sin will run rampant in our churches and in our culture.

That said, it is still necessary to introspect before we determine how others compare to Scripture as stated in vs 3-5:

[3] Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [4] Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? [5] You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
(Matthew 7:3-5 ESV)

Facebook Message me, or throw your thoughts on my wall if anyone wants to.

My [new] Official Position on "She Said" Jokes

Some recent events have got me thinking about "She said" jokes.

(Pro 6:12) A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech,

Pretty clear huh? I now think so.

There are no redeeming qualities to those jokes. Sexual innuendo and foolishness are the only products of such behavior.

Therefore I will treat these jokes as sinful, both in my life, and in the lives of others. The world will continue to turn [if the Lord wills] without saying "she said" jokes.

Please forgive me for my sinful foolishness. I will now repent, and turn from that kind of behavior

(Pro 16:21) The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

May my words be wise and persuasive, winning people for Christ, and purposefully not identifying myself with the world in this manner.

I give Christ the glory for this victory.