We’ve Got a Job to Do!

Today, I got to go to a Jr High grad. In Mexico, we have three years of Jr. High and three of High School. A bit more balanced! :) Ha, anyways, there were so many kids there! Each one in their own world with their own thoughts. It boggles my mind how many are living lives away and apart from Christ! The glorious wonders they miss out in living apart from God! It breaks me heart, yet challenges me as well. All of these need Christ. And so many more! What is a life if it is not devoted to bringing more souls to know this grand and magnificent One I call Lord and Savior!! I’d rather die a million deaths than live without HIM as KING of me.

What It’s All About

Today, I had to answer the question in class, “What is Christian Ethics?” It ended up being an enlightening time of typing for me!

~How are we to live our lives? How are we to know what to do or not do? What is Christian ethics?…..

It revolves around who we are in Christ.  “In Christ.”  Not next to Him, behind Him or before Him. IN HIM. Our whole life should be a development of that relation. When we believe that Christ can meet God’s requirements for us and we can be IN him before God, we are seen as Him. God no longer looks at a failed human being who failed to meet His “do’s” and “don’ts.” He sees Christ alone. If we are in Him, there is no better place to be!

When we place our faith in Him to bridge the gap between us a God, we begin a relationship. Rather, in many ways, we repair one. Ever since Adam sinned (breaking the glorious relationship he had with God), God has been offering a way to repair that. He offered the law, an impossible means of reparation. (As mentioned in the videos, Christian ethics is impossible!) Yet, this was followed by the sacrifice of Christ, a possible means to reparation of that relationship. The basis of our daily lives no longer has to be based on attempts to follow laws, or a set of ethical expectations, but it is based on that relationship. Many times, we liken the life of a Christian to a plant which needs to be nurtured and feed to grow. It is through the growth of this relationship with Christ that we know how to live. His living Spirit is what guides us!

Over the years, my mom mentions how she and my dad become more like each other each day. They adopt each others habits, or mannerisms, actions, or perspectives. Everyday they are becoming more into ONE person. I think I finally understand why Jesus calls the church of believers His Bride. Like a wife becomes more like her husband, He wants us to become more like Him. To be really IN Him. So much, that one day, we will not be able to find where Christ begins in our lives or where He ends. A seamless garment before God.

When you are in something, you are surrounded. Our lives need to be surrounded by Christ. Every moment, every breath should be IN Him. We are not our own, nor should we live that way.
In striving for this daily non-separation from Christ is where we find our identity in Him. When we give up our lives to Him, the process begins. There is no more Elise Reyes. I gave myself up to be absorbed by Christ. In Him, I should “live, breath, and have my being” as the Bible says.  It’s such an exciting and beautiful thing, it makes me want to shout for joy and cry at the same time.

Purple and Lime Green!

My favorite colors are lime green and purple. It’s funny how  I can see my personality in those two colors…

Purple: pessimistic at times, moody, artsy, questioning, curious

Lime green: hyper, love of nature and the unexpected, somewhat spontaneous, non-c0nformist

I wonder if color can express your person more than you think? Are people that love red fiery? Are blue lovers dependable? What to do colors mean to you? What do they make you think of?

Remember the personality color tests on Facebook? For the most part, its all fun and games. But I wonder if certain personalities are drawn to certain colors…

Whatever it is, I’m sure glad Jesus gave us variety in color and personality!!

Connection Break

Today, as I tried and failed to revive a dying Facebook chat session, I was reminded of another kind of break in connections. A friendship connection.

I have made so many friends over the years. Illinois, Pennsylvania, California, and Mexico for the most part are sprinkled with friends, family, and acquaintances.  I want to be on a close friend basis with every single one of them…to be there for them and to know what they are going through.

But I can’t. I rely on broken and repaired connections to get me along the social calendar of life.

I hope heaven is like being best friends with everyone. Knowing everything that is going on in their lives and living alongside like that… No, I don’t think so.

I’ll bet it’s better!!

Cleaning Up

Today, I took apart the family PC keyboard. It was filthy; I can’t remember the last time we cleaned it out.

Dirty, dusty, and just plain old nasty.

Makes me think of lives. My life, your life, and ours. How much hidden dirt and grime do we have hidden in our hearts? We try to function and move on with it, but it only hinders. Like the sticky keys which keep the words from being typed out clean and easy, the secret sins of our lives keep us from living clean and joyful lives. What will it take for you to allow your Maker to enter the recesses of your heart and mind to clear out the darkness which hinders your walk?

Are there people you have not forgiven? Habits you cling to which are stunting to your growth? Sins are sometimes as blatant as the sun in the sky, but other times only the Son of God can uncover them to the Light.

Boiling the Frog

It’s something you’ve heard since you were a kid.

Bad company corrupts good morals. Don’t let your friends influence you for the worse.Yeah, it’s what mother’s been telling you since you heard Johnny in the sandbox say a four-letter expletive.  And you know she’s right.  Even more, you agree. You’ve seen it happen before and you try to stay away from those druggies and women of bad repute. Try to.

But then there are those other friends. The ones who aren’t selling drugs or swearing every five minutes. They are believers and profess to follow the Lord. They talk the talk. They lift their hands in worship. You even find yourself admiring them.  But then…well, there is that other side of their lives.

• They watch movies filled with swearing, but then they post those Hillsong praise music videos.
• Their conversation can get crass, but then they praise the Lord for providing for their college tuition.
• They worry about getting married, but then they “know” the Lord will provide for that missions trip to Mexico.
• They cuss out the security guard for booting their car, yet give testimony of the Lord’s goodness in front of the congregation.

Does the godly act justify the ungodly act? Do you praise the Lord with the same mouth you damn mankind? It just doesn’t make sense. It would seem the whole concept of “being in the world, but not of it” has been taken and used as an excuse to fill one’s life with that which doesn’t glorify the One the claim to serve.  I’m pretty sure Jesus was the best example of being in the world and not of it. He ate with the Pharisees, yet did not participate in their lifestyle of good works as a way to heaven. He ate with the tax collectors and prostitutes yet steered away from living like they did.

“Shall we continue in sin, so that grace abound?, By no means!!” One of the most famous servants of God said those words. And he was right. “Everything is permitted, yet not everything is beneficial.” The same dude, Paul, again.  Just because it’s not a sin specified in the Bible, doesn’t mean it is not bad for you.

Watching R rated movies which are filled with the misuse of the name of the One you claim to serve doesn’t add up.

How can you benefit from watching people have sex? Would you watch the Smiths next door have sex? No, but it’s ok to watch Jolie and Pitt do it.

How can a logical Christian man justify this?  A non Christian man cannot.

One of my friends is dating a non-Christian. He tells her there is no difference between “you and me”. And maybe he is right. Is there a difference between you, a believer, and a man who is not? How can you serve two masters? How can the light abide with the darkness and be at peace? One will surely over take the other.

It reminds me of the frog in water example. Drop a frog in boiling water and he will flee. Drop him in cold water and slowly raise the temperature. He will die before he realizes. If you are thrust into sin, you might flee. But slowly desensitize yourself to that which is not of Christ, and soon your communion with God and sense of morality will be as dead as the frog in the water.

Yeah, so those friends? Maybe they’re better off being just acquaintances.