Youth

As I was sitting in my room today thinking about God and letting him speak to me, I realized something that quite possibly be a great help to me in standing strong in him. Usually when I find myself caught in sin, it is because I have let my mind wander away from him and I let it get out of control. This applies in many different areas as we can do something stupid when we are not thinking clearly or when we let the good judgement we have in us pass. We tend to wonder what if or what would this be like and that is when we find ourselves in the most trouble usually. If we learn to control our thinking and let God consume our thoughts then we can rest assured that he is always with us and sin will not even seem like a possibility. We do have to be careful though to think that we are invincible to temptation and sin but we can overcome sin as long as we are not letting curiosity take over and lead us down a road that we would have been better off leaving alone. I know that every once in a while I let myself see how far I can let my mind wander without screwing up. This is definitely not a good idea and it is something that I am working on because more often than not, I end up doing something that I wished that I had not. I literally want to kick myself because I know I could have avoided it but I walked myself into the bear trap even though there was a huge sign above it warning me about it. As I have stated before, we make decisions everyday that have a great effect on our lives, who we choose to be today and what we choose to be remembered for will stay with us for the rest of our lives. This is why we are given great advice and which is why we have the Bible to assist us with those decisions so that we can live a life that is rewarding and not full of regret.

In Ecclesiastes 11:7, we are told, "Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is meaningless. Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you judgement. So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless." The title of this section is called, "Remember your Creator while young" and I believe it is telling us that there will be many days in which are tough because that is just how life is but with Christ we can be happy and filled with joy because of the promises we have received in him. If we follow our hearts to God and follow what our eyes see when we recognize the work he is doing in our lives, then we have nothing to worry about and we can live a life free of worry and know that when we returns or when we die, we will be right alongside of him. If we choose the other route,  times will be perilous and things might seem like they never go our way but that is because our outlook and focus is only on the worldly things and not on the promise and grace of God. We are told that things will get worse before they get better and it seems as though our world is headed for that time. Israel is small in numbers but they have more power than many care to know or could even imagine. If an attack on the Israeli population in order to destroy it is imminent, then I would caution us everyday to be ready and the world should definitely be on the brink of rewriting every history book to date. We are told to enjoy our youth but understand that judgement will be placed by God (not by man) on all our actions. Do not wait until you are old to make the commitment to Christ because you do not know when the day will come in which it will be over for you and you do not know where you will be down the road if you wait.

The pressures of being a middle school - college age student in this world have never been greater. With sin knocking on the doorstep at campuses, parties, computers, houses, and on the streets, there is always temptation lurking. We cannot do it on our own and that is why I believe this passage is so pertinent when the title is "Remember your Creator while young."

I hope you all have a great saturday and if you are with your family you enjoy it. I am stuck in the dorm by myself but I have God with me so it should still be a good day. I always tend to think that I am bored but really God is with me and with him there should never be a dull moment. I am going to try and remember that as I live each day. I am praying for you and for this blog still, please keep me in your prayers as well.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson