2|22|08

Its been longer than I've ever expected myself to go on without posting anything. Thanks to Mr. Mathews' human geo blog I was reminded of the goals and hopes I had with me writing in here every once in a while. This past year- 2008- has been such a blessing in countless ways- so many new beginnings.

It feels almost as though God has started to create me again from scratch.

on January 18-20 my church participated in a huge retreat out in Trinity Pines where the power and love of God was clearly surrounding us daily. I don't know whether it was the isolation, the fellowship, or the words spoken by so many amazing men and women of God- but I thank the Lord every day for giving me the opportunity to go there and to learn so much.

Transformation. That was the theme of the conference- not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. What a concept! To think that like a crab or a snake we can shed this skin and grow into something so much more suitable for us- the skin that God has set aside for us.

Corinthians 15: 42-50

42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"^[e]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we^[f] bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Its quite amazing to see that though we are born into this earthly body- into this sinful mind- we are not meant to stay this way. We were not meant to be like the First Adam (of Eden) to have such strife remain clung to our hearts but to be TRANSFORMED- to become imperishable (eternal) because of the Second Adam (Christ) for although we are men of flesh and bone- we have become changed through the Body of Christ- his blood has sewn in us a new life- the only life worthy to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
A child cannot pass the 1st grade if he cannot write his own name, if he does not know basic colors, if he cannot read the Cat in the Hat- we as children of God cannot enter the kingdom of heaven if we do not know his Son. Its simple. Many Christians believe that its not our place to say who will and who will not enter heaven- as though its a taboo topic- the Truth is we were put on this Earth in ORDER to bring others to Christ. Because a man who believes in A god, because a man is good and does things according to worldly law- does not mean he is saved

Luke 13:22-30

22Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"

He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'

26"Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'

27"But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'

28"There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."

So there you Go. Its simply stated- we are put here- we have been transformed by his grace- so that we may show others this narrow path. When someone is lost by the side of the road- when he is stranded- we do not pass him by- we do not honk and revel in his misfortune- no. We stop, we help, we show the way back to safety. That is our job as Christians in this world. Prayer is wonderful, worship is amazing, studying and growing is praised but how many of us want to Go to heaven and realize that all the people we love aren't going to even make it past those pearly gates?

We have an obligation- let our very lives be a testimony.
God Bless :]