"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." 1 Peter 3:15

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Love blind?

Is love blind? I don't know if i believe it is. Infatuation is blind, I am quite sure of that. Thats when everything that special someone does is beautiful and everything that person does can be justified in your mind. If I was fully infatuated with another person i could justify her slugging Santa Clause in the face for kicks and giggles and think "how cute." Well, maybe not, but it would take alot to make my eyes see the error of her ways. Infatuation is blind, but is love? I think we confuse infatuation with love a lot of the time. if we trully love someone, we would probably see the error of that persons ways, confront them about that error, and choose to love them despite it, whether they decide to turn from it or not. God has chosen to be "blind" of our sins if we have accepted Christ into our lives. I realize that I don't know if I fully understand what that means, but I know when God looks at me, he doesn't see a sinner, he sees his child, thanks to a Savior who loved me despite the "error of my ways".

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Successful obedience

What do we strive for in life? I asked myself that question the other day, as I examined myself. I came to the conclusion that what I've been striving for, what most people probably strive for, is success. What does success mean to a Christian? When I look at myself as a youth leader, I believe I have been striving for success in this area, but success is so hard to define. What is a successful youth ministry. Is it one that brings youth to Christ, one that sends them out into the world with a new mindset and focus on Christ so that they can make a difference? What role do I play in all of this? Can I change the mind of a youth? Can I make them accept Christ. Some times as youth leaders we try to kick the Holy Spirit out of the equation, and try to find our success in His work. We have no power over the hearts or minds of youth, only God can penetrate those areas. I don't want to strive for "success" any longer. I can not succeed in an area I have no power or control over. Striving for this success will lead me to a brick wall. Instead, we all must strive for obedience. When I die, let people not say that there was a successful man, no, I want them to say, "there was a man of obedience."