Friday, October 13, 2006

A Series of Conscious Decisions

This blog was inspired by Gretchen Reads 24/7 in which she blogged: An Series of Unfortunate Events. Which I hope everything went well and the whole event was a huge success! Can I say that about an unfortunate event? Hold on, my head is starting to spin...I have to stop thinking about it. Anyway...

A Series of Conscious Decisions - In other words, I do what I do, because I want what I want. And more often than I would like to admit...A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Sometimes bad things happen to good people...but most times I bring bad things on myself. Besides...Good People, in them selves, don't even exist (myself included) Rom. 3:10 -12 as it is written, "There is none righteous, not even on; There is none who understand, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, Together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one." and Isaiah 64:6 states that All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away (my comment: Isaiah passage is especially good to use when your evangelising during Fall)

My decisions come from my heart...

Matthew 15:18-19 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

Luke 6:44-46 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?

When I do or think things that are displeasing to God and outside of His will for my life, I miss out of the blessing in which my Heavenly Father wishes to give to me. The above is a stark contrast to what is here below. Thru God's gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit. I don't have to be so much like the guy above. Though, for me, it's often still a struggle. I want a life of conscious decisions glorifying God. I want to be known as a man of love.

1 Corinthians 13:3-13 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

4 comments:

Gretchen said...

Smoothie King,

Thanks for the shout out my blog . . . that was cool of you.

Wow. I was TOTALLY convicted just sitting here and reading all those verses in a row like that. I do what I do because I want what I want. And what I want is for people to make much of me, not Christ. How horrible!

I am thinking of one particular unfortunate event last night at my Evening of Unfortunate Events (which was overall, quite fortunate, thanks!). I bit the head off of a couple teenagers who had showed up just to sort of hang out and get in the way, sort of mocking everything, and not wanting to participate (BTW, I know these kids from past events -- they go to another church in town and it is sort of their deal to lurk about poking fun to try to look cool). So I told them off, humbled them. And really it was me who needed to be humbled!

Sigh. Time to go pray. Thanks for posting this, Jason.

Anonymous said...

Jason,
I posted

Anonymous said...

the song

Anonymous said...

I want to hear about your toe. New post, please.