Are you familiar with the quote, "God helps those who help themselves"? I've heard that over and over again for years and I've always accepted it as truth....until now. Do you know what part of the Bible that quote comes out of? Well, that was a trick question because contrary to popular belief, Benjamin Franklin said that at some point during his life. It is not found in the Scriptures. So, I feel compelled to write about it. I really get excited about learning new things about Scripture, so I'd like to share my excitement with you.
It kind of makes sense though, right? I mean, if we don't at least take a step in the right direction, then how can God help us do whatever it is that we're trying to accomplish? Well, my answer to that is this. God has made many promises to us, but what Ben Franklin said was not one of them. God promises us that He will be with us (Matthew 28:20) and also that He will give us what we need (Matthew 6:33). Note that the word is "need", not "want". But the thing is, there's something we have to do first. In Matthew 6:33 it says, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need (NLT)". But, our friend Ben said that we get help if we help ourselves. Did you catch the difference here? Ben is telling us that our own efforts will gain the attention of God. That couldn't be further from the truth. The truth is that we tend to help ourselves to sinful behavior. But, what God wants from us is that we seek Him first and live our lives according to the way He has commanded us because our lives are not about us, believe it or not. They're about Him. Now, when we do what He tells us and live how He wants us to, it's never a bad or dull thing because He blesses us immensley! I hear all the time about things people don't want to give up to be a Christian. I've been there too. But when we live according to His will, our lives change for the better! God really does want the very best for us because we are his children. Wouldn't you want only the best for your child? He is the same way! Though, as loving and compassionate as He is, He is also very jealous (Exodus 34:14). He wants our full devotion and attention. He doesn't want to share our affection with the temporary pleasures of this world. We've all been hearing about how the world is to end this year. Some believe it and some don't, which is fine. But Jesus says in Matthew 24:36 that no one knows when the end of time will happen. Not even He knows! Only the Father knows when, but the thing is, it WILL happen. And when it does, all that will be left will be us and Him. Our possessions, our hobbies, our jobs, and everything else will be left behind. So, what do you think will be worth it in the end? Living how you want temporarily and losing your soul? (Matthew 16:26) Or making sacrifices to live according to the will of God? Because only one will have eternal rewards and I think you know which one that is.
So, instead of relying on the words of Benjamin Franklin, let's place our trust in the Word of God, shall we? I'm about 1000% sure that God knows and loves us more than Mr. Franklen does. So, I think I'll dare to change his quote on him. "God helps those who trust in Him." Yes, that sounds much better.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Easter is a Pagan Holiday....What???
A year ago today, I was getting ready to move home from my college town. Before I made the official move, I came down to spend Easter with my family and home church that I missed so much. At the time, I was busy with my own life and wasn't involved in the church like I am now. I remember hearing the familiar things about Jesus rising from the dead and everything, but also things about "no Easter egg hunts" and whatnot. I was kind of confused because that seemed like a fun activity we could do to get the kids involved, but Northside had a rule I wasn't aware of; no Easter egg hunts. Ever. I supposed it made sense because, I mean, what do colored eggs have to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ anyway? It's something I've always wondered, but I accepted it regardless. Well, this year, I got the answer. Now I know why we have that rule and I totally understand completely! It's so exciting to learn new things about things I thought I've always known! I'm itching to share it with you!
Before we get into Easter, we have to know a bit about Jewish history. When the Israelites (Decendents of Abraham and God's chosen people) were being brought out slavery in Egypt, there were the ten plagues on Egypt, right? The final one was the death of every first born child and livestock animal in Egypt. To protect the Israelites from this plague, God told them to sacrifice a lamb and spread its blood on the doorposts. That way, the angel of death would pass over their houses and spare their first borns. This was the first Passover. A year after this happened, God told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover every year during the month of Abib (which was in early spring. March or April, depending on the phases of the moon. That's why Easter isn't the same date each year. (Exodus 13:4). So, jump ahead to the time of Jesus during the month of Abib. The Jews at the time would be preparing for the Passover feast. But this Jesus fellow was causing a scene and riding into town on a donkey. The people of Jerusalem were happy because they thought they were getting a king to deliver them from the Romans. This was Palm Sunday. Also known as Lamb Selection Day to the Jews. They had to select a perfect lamb with no defects. (Notice a connection there? Not yet? Keep reading.) Now, the gentiles (non Jews) at this time were worshipping many pagan or false gods. Know of Appollo? Zeus? Aphrodite? Those are pagan gods. How about Eastre? Know about her? Eastre (one of the many different ways of spelling her name) was the goddess of fertility. Funny how it looks like Easter....Well, the pagans celebrated the Spring Equinox at the same time as the Jews were celebrating the Passover. So, for their goddess, Eastre, they would make sacrifices and they had many symbols for fertility; rabbits and eggs were symbols of life and fertility, and easter lillys were a phallic symbol for fertility. Dyed eggs were hung in Egyptian temples for their goddess. So, both of these celebrations were happening at the same time, and in an attempt to not offend anyone (over years of time), the celebrations were combined to create our familiar Easter holiday. Do you think that the word "Easter" is in the Bible? If you said, "yes", then you're right. If you said, "no", then you're also right. Easter is mentioned ONLY one time in ONLY the King James Version. In every other translation, the word is "Passover". Why would KJV be different? Because when it was written, they didn't want to offend people! Have I offended you? If I did, sorry, that's the way it is. But honestly, I don't believe that people today celebrate Easter with eggs and bunnies because they want to honor Eastre, the fertility goddess. It is enlightening to know where all of the nonsense comes from though, right? All of the uncertainty with colored eggs and Jesus can be subsided now that you know the truth. Speaking of the truth, remember what I said about Lamb Selection Day being the same day that Jesus rode into town? That was symbolic for Jesus being THE selected Lamb. Then, on Friday, when the Jews would sacrifice their lambs in rememberance of the Passover, Jesus was sacrificed as the pure and blameless Lamb for all of our sins. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:7, "Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us." Now, the difference between the lambs sacrificed by the Jews and our perfect, blameless Lamb named Jesus is that on Sunday, Jesus did something that no other lamb had ever done: He rose from the dead! If that isn't an act of God, I don't know what is. The 20th chapter of the gospel of John tells exactly what happened here. I'll let you read that on your own, so you can make your own discoveries about a story you thought you've always known. This is the reason Christians exist. The miraculous event of Christ rising from the dead proves that He was and is the Son of God. That He died to take all of our sins away so that we can have everlasting life with Him when we die (John 3:16). That is the Good News of the Gospel. Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Before we get into Easter, we have to know a bit about Jewish history. When the Israelites (Decendents of Abraham and God's chosen people) were being brought out slavery in Egypt, there were the ten plagues on Egypt, right? The final one was the death of every first born child and livestock animal in Egypt. To protect the Israelites from this plague, God told them to sacrifice a lamb and spread its blood on the doorposts. That way, the angel of death would pass over their houses and spare their first borns. This was the first Passover. A year after this happened, God told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover every year during the month of Abib (which was in early spring. March or April, depending on the phases of the moon. That's why Easter isn't the same date each year. (Exodus 13:4). So, jump ahead to the time of Jesus during the month of Abib. The Jews at the time would be preparing for the Passover feast. But this Jesus fellow was causing a scene and riding into town on a donkey. The people of Jerusalem were happy because they thought they were getting a king to deliver them from the Romans. This was Palm Sunday. Also known as Lamb Selection Day to the Jews. They had to select a perfect lamb with no defects. (Notice a connection there? Not yet? Keep reading.) Now, the gentiles (non Jews) at this time were worshipping many pagan or false gods. Know of Appollo? Zeus? Aphrodite? Those are pagan gods. How about Eastre? Know about her? Eastre (one of the many different ways of spelling her name) was the goddess of fertility. Funny how it looks like Easter....Well, the pagans celebrated the Spring Equinox at the same time as the Jews were celebrating the Passover. So, for their goddess, Eastre, they would make sacrifices and they had many symbols for fertility; rabbits and eggs were symbols of life and fertility, and easter lillys were a phallic symbol for fertility. Dyed eggs were hung in Egyptian temples for their goddess. So, both of these celebrations were happening at the same time, and in an attempt to not offend anyone (over years of time), the celebrations were combined to create our familiar Easter holiday. Do you think that the word "Easter" is in the Bible? If you said, "yes", then you're right. If you said, "no", then you're also right. Easter is mentioned ONLY one time in ONLY the King James Version. In every other translation, the word is "Passover". Why would KJV be different? Because when it was written, they didn't want to offend people! Have I offended you? If I did, sorry, that's the way it is. But honestly, I don't believe that people today celebrate Easter with eggs and bunnies because they want to honor Eastre, the fertility goddess. It is enlightening to know where all of the nonsense comes from though, right? All of the uncertainty with colored eggs and Jesus can be subsided now that you know the truth. Speaking of the truth, remember what I said about Lamb Selection Day being the same day that Jesus rode into town? That was symbolic for Jesus being THE selected Lamb. Then, on Friday, when the Jews would sacrifice their lambs in rememberance of the Passover, Jesus was sacrificed as the pure and blameless Lamb for all of our sins. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:7, "Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us." Now, the difference between the lambs sacrificed by the Jews and our perfect, blameless Lamb named Jesus is that on Sunday, Jesus did something that no other lamb had ever done: He rose from the dead! If that isn't an act of God, I don't know what is. The 20th chapter of the gospel of John tells exactly what happened here. I'll let you read that on your own, so you can make your own discoveries about a story you thought you've always known. This is the reason Christians exist. The miraculous event of Christ rising from the dead proves that He was and is the Son of God. That He died to take all of our sins away so that we can have everlasting life with Him when we die (John 3:16). That is the Good News of the Gospel. Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Silver Ring Thing
Since the weather has gotten nice, we've been taking advantage and having class outside. It's been great. Some of us have also been going to the YMCA on Monday evenings to workout on machines and do Zumba. The biggest news recently with the youth group though, is absolutely our trip to the Silver Ring Thing event. Silver Ring Thing is a high energy event put on by a group of people who travel around the country promoting sexual abstinence. The event was full of fun music and lights, great speakers, and an impacting message of God's expectations of our behavior when it comes to sex. It was presented in a way that really moved those there. Two students who went with other groups accepted Jesus that night and nearly all of my teenagers left with a ring and a new promise to God that they will wait until marriage for sexual intimacy. I also got a ring. Not only for my own sexual purity, but to remember to pray for my teenagers and their purity journey also. Our society is so filled with pressure to engage in sex as soon and as often as possible because "it feels good", "it makes us cool", and "it means that we're loved". So ultimately, many people (it's probably safe to say that most people) give into the pressure. Well, this event was for all of us who fit under that category too because our God is a God of second chances. The angels rejoice in Heaven when someone repents of their sins and turns to God. We all make mistakes in our lives and do the opposite of what God wants from us. I do too. But the good news is that Jesus took away all of those sins when He died on the cross. All we have to do is accept His grace and we are forgiven. Simple as that. I don't care what you've done; premarital sex, theft, perpetual lying, excessive drinking, adultry, or even murder. God is big enough to wash away ANY sin and make you new again. All He wants is you. All of you. Because He loves you and wants only the best for you. For real.
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