Wise?

Everyday I am faced with decisions and a good portion of the time I make good ones. Other times I make foolish ones and look back and question myself as to why I made that decision. I know people who make foolish decisions and I feel as though I make at least one everyday. My question is how can someone so smart or wise make a decision that is so foolish? I am not saying I am the wise or the smart one, I am just saying in general. Is it done out of personal gain? Is it simply that the foolish decision seems better at the time though the reward over time is a minimal gain? Every decision is different and has its own justification, I just thought it was something to be pondered. I was thinking tonight about following in Christ's footsteps and the commandments he gave us to follow. I thought about how easy it is to run away from sin if all we do is make an attempt to do so. I mean I can only speak for myself when I say that there are many times in which I do not make an attempt to get myself out of a situation I should be in because I just do not care for whatever reason. Granted, I have saved myself from what could have been some life altering decisions because by the hand of God and my own willpower, I was able to overcome. I still waste time during the day and know that I could be more productive but for I just cannot bring myself to be sometimes. I know that when I have spent time with God and done all my homework and the errands I have planned for the day, I have had a fulfilling day. Just spending time with God would be enough for a fulfilling day and when I go without a day in his word, I feel like I wasted my day because I could have learned so much from Him.

I think Proverbs is a great book that imparts wisdom and really helps people understand some complex things in a very simple manner. Proverbs 8:10-11 states, "Accept my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is better than precious stones, and nothing desirable can compare with it." Right here we learn that instruction in the Lord is better than pretty much anything on Earth, some people covet silver more than gold so you could say instruction is better than anything, others feel gold is more important and we are told that knowledge is better than that. If only our world could understand how rich the bible is, and how important it is to gain full understanding of the word, then we would see a movement like no other sweep across our planet. I make foolish decisions that leave me feeling empty and there is no going back and changing that. I can only show God love and know that he will have compassion on me as his child. Giving him everything I am and everything I am becoming. Only he can suffice for my needs and only he can save me from death for eternity. Proverbs 8:34-35 states, "Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. We reap what we sow and the foolish man sows to reap the sinful nature and reaps destruction, but the wise man sows to reap the Spirit and reaps eternal life (Galatians 6:8). I know that sometimes I let myself taper off and I forget what is important in life. I get sidetracked and get caught up in the world. An easy excuse would be to say that it is just so tough in a world that is so screwed up but that is not valid because I have been equipped with the tools since I was a kid and I know what it takes to overcome. It is called being smart but being foolish with the knowledge that I have. I know a few people like this but it is not my job to point out others flaws, my job is just to make sure that I live the best I know I can, and help people out along the way.

Some things to ponder from the devotional book, "1. How have you chosen wisdom in different situations? Foolishness?, 2. What do you consider to be authentic Godly wisdom? 3. How can you start living in the wisdom that comes from Christ?" All good questions and I think from here on out, I will be keeping a journal answering these questions and making sure that I am growing in that sense. soon enough I will break through this bubble I have been in and wise up, being everything that I can be.

I hope you all had a great day and I am sorry for the missed post yesterday, no excuses, just laziness and poor priorities. Look forward to hearing from you guys and I am praying for all of you!

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Contributing

I think from here on out I am going to just jump between books and just use which ever devotional book I feel is fit for the day. There will be no rhyme or reason but I just think it will be good to mix it up a bit and get a different perspective on topics as well as address new ones. I realized something about myself recently. I leave myself open and vulnerable in all aspects of life. Not just when it comes to temptation and sin but also when it comes to dealing with friends and just my everyday life. I tend to want to help out a lot and I get dragged into things that take a lot out of me. I do try to stay in the word but I think a majority of the time I am not replenishing everything and I am not giving God the credit for helping me pull people through tough times. I always get the thanks and I seem to be the one who takes the credit but most of the time it is not me, I just use what God has laid on my heart and that is what makes me a good friend (I do not mean to sound conceited there but people have told me that so I am just writing what I have heard). I know I have been through some things that will allow me to help others out but in the same regard, other people have had their experiences too and they can do just as much as I can. Every single one of us has special qualities and I know that mine is talking (yes I know) when I feel comfortable around people and telling them how I feel as well as being able to assist them in the ways that I know possible. I need to keep my focus on others but my primary focus needs to be on God and when I get people through something, it is not my doing but His. Just as I talked about God given authority yesterday, I am saying that we have God given talents and if we do not give him the praise He is due when we utilize those talents, then we (I) are (am) being selfish. I cannot go on trying to carry myself through life with the occasional sprinkle of God here and there. I am going to put myself down, step up next to God and walk with him because there is no other way.

Luke 9:23 states, "Then He said to them all, 'If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.' " I would say I have the daily devotion part down fairly well by now with the exception of a few days/weeks. I am right now utilizing free time instead of trying to squeeze God into my schedule later tonight. I will say this though, I struggle everyday with my previous addiction to pornography. With advertisements, the internet, TV, and magazines, I find myself constantly surrounded with temptation and I do a very good job at resisting. But, if I am to take up my cross and follow him, I am making a goal for myself to watch less stuff on TV that includes good looking girls, sex promotion,and pretty much anything that promotes little to no clothing. Also, I am striving to spend less time on the internet because it is when I get bored and am alone that temptation comes rearing its ugly head and I can get myself into trouble. In order for me to succeed, I need to make every effort to stay away from things that can hinder me and can tempt me. If I keep my mind pure and stay away from temptation when it is in my hands, then I can start making better decisions and not allowing myself to fall. When I stop being selfish and start to look to the desires that God has for my life and the desires of others, then I can fulfill what Luke 9:23 says and I can take up my cross and follow him. Pulling my own weight in the body is the only way to be effective and that it what I am going to start doing. I think I need to read these the day after I post and remind myself of my goals because that is one thing I have not been very good at. How can I ask you to read something that I do not even read myself? Sure they are my thoughts but they do apply to me as well. The point I am trying to make about contributions is that we need to help others and put others before us, but in order to do that, we need to be rooted in Christ and allowing him to replenish us in order for that to happen

God thought about us when he gave His only son to die for us and Jesus was unselfish when he followed the plan that God had for him and for us so that we could be saved. 3 questions to just think about and these are from my devotional book, I take no credit for them, "1. Are your contributions for your sake, or for Christ and His Body of believers? 2. When has another person put your needs before his or her own? How did you feel? 3. Are you on the side of the 'me' or of the 'we'? " Think about what others do for you and what you can do in return, they might not ask for anything because they care and they love you, but have you paid attention to them and how much they are hurting? Could you take more time to help them out? Someone may be calling out and you are too selfish to hear them. Do not waste an opportunity, because soon it will be gone.

I just remembered that i said I would address the quote from yesterday in the opening of today's post but I forgot and I do not want to go back up and act like I remembered so I am going to post it down here. the quote was, "God will never establish you as an authority until you have first learned to submit to authority."  I find this to be true because how can we lead people and tell them to follow and submit to what we say if we cannot be submissive to others and accept their thoughts (being that they are valid and scripture based)? I find that a bit arrogant and selfish because one would be saying that they are never wrong and they will not admit that they are wrong or that someone else's way is just as effective. God does not want these people working for his Kingdom and therefore would never appoint someone as an authority figure until they have shown these qualities. This does not mean that they cannot become corrupt however but initially they have shown these traits.

Hope you all are having an awesome day and I hope that you are continuing to read and be inspired by what God is doing.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Submission

Well, I have been to all my classes as of this afternoon and I feel that I am going to like this semester. It is going to be a challenge because I am going to have to learn and apply a lot of new stuff in a very short amount of time. I am okay with this though because I know that this is what I want to do and I am willing to put in the time and effort needed in order to succeed. I have met a few people and have classes with others that I know and I think that it will make the semester a little easier because I will actually have people I know to study with and I will be able to discuss things with people in class instead of trying to figuring out everything on my own. I know God has put me here for a reason and I know that he is going to continue to use me and I cannot wait to jump into the trainer's room and observe over the next few months. I was able to resist today and I am proud of that fact, I walked away from temptation and overcame. I know this seems miniscule but when one is growing, each step is vital to the process. 

It seems like most of these devotions follow a similar topic for a few days and then move on and today is titled "Walking in Agreement and Submission" the text is Ephesians 6:5-7 which states, "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like Slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men." I believe I have used these verses before for a devotion but it is a good set of verses. Pretty much what the author of the devotional is trying to say is that we need to be submissive to our leaders and those we are working under because they have God appointed power. He then goes on to state that most people say they are submissive to God  yet they to not submit to their leaders who have God given authority and therefore they cannot be fully submissive to God. I know I struggle with this sometimes and I do not want to always do as I am asked. Usually I am more than willing to help but there are times in which I feel that i am better suited doing something my own way and ignoring what I have been told.  We might feel that we are always submissive because we always agree with our parents when they tell us something or when our boss tells us we need to do something and it always sounds okay, but we do not know submission until we do something that we disagree with, especially when it comes from God given authority. See when we do something we do not agree with because we do not like the idea, we are being submissive.  It should also be noted that it is not right to follow commands that violate scripture because then you are not following God given authority because someone is abusing the power they are being given.  Stand firm and follow God's plan for you and those he has appointed to take care of you and things will run smoothly. There will be bumps in the road but for the most part, things will be fine and we will have nothing to complain about. 

If possible, Meditate on Romans 13:1-2 which states, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for their is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves."  What a powerful scripture. I think this is trying to tell us that if we do not fully submit to our leaders, we are going to have to answer to that action in heaven. It's all about the walk and how we conduct ourselves in our relationship. Sounds weird but since it is God give authority, we must respect him and as our creator, we must submit to that, if we do not then we will be headed for some trouble.  In closing, the author of the devotional believes that "God will never establish you as an authority until you have first learned to submit to authority." I would believe this to be true but I am not exactly sure how to take it at this time so I will think about it and address it tomorrow. It has a good message behind it but I am just not sure how to apply it.

I hope you all have a great day and I am still praying for all of you.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Likeminded

I am not liking my schedule this week in which I have so much free time. It gives me to much time to self destruct instead of being productive and getting things done. I know this should not be the case but it is hard to have so much free time in which one does not know what to do with their-self. I kinda got sucked in today unintentionally and by the time I had gotten myself out I was already guilty and had to ask forgiveness because I knew that I had let myself trip. I had God pick me back up and I immediately went to the word and I found a verse that will help me in tough times. I made it my verse to memorize for today and it is Mark 14:38 and Jesus says to Peter and the others who were sleeping in the garden, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak." I thought about this verse and then realized this is me on any given day. I have the willing spirit and most of the time I am okay but when I let my guard down, my weak body allows me to crumble and I am unable to resist. I know that remembering this verse will help me through the times in which I feel like I am backed into a corner by temptation and I know that God will pull me through the time. The strength of the Lord is beginning to rise and I am going to push through anything I face. I can make it through and I feel I am proving that I can overcome.

"Understanding the Leader's Thoughts" is the title for today's devotion that I read. The scripture is found in Philippians 2:2 and states, "Then make my love complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in Spirit and purpose." Some background on the verse is that if we have encouragement from being with Christ and fellowship with the Spirit, then we need to do this in order to fulfill the joy of the Lord.  I think context has a lot to do with how one applies a verse I am not to keen on how the author of the devotional only uses one verse when he applies a topic and so I open up and look at context and then relate it in a similar manner. Pretty much what the author is saying here is that we should be like-minded with our leaders in how we approach things kind of just referring to being on the same page when it comes to putting ideas together and working collectively for the common good of the group. The author is trying to convey that we have a choice to be like-minded with our ministry leaders or we can be ignorant and just think they are doing things the wrong way. If God has imparted wisdom on these people, then their vision should hopefully become our vision in one way or another.  Another verse used is 2nd Corinthians 13:11 which states, "Finally brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Paul is writing to those at Corinth telling them that they should strive to be perfect and let God take control and use them. It seems like a recurring them throughout the Bible especially Paul's letters.  The next verse is 1st Peter 3:8, and Peter writes, "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Peter is telling us to be as one and love each other compassionately as if we were all family; he also tells us to be humble meaning we should accept that we are not always the best and we can be just like everyone else. We do not have to be on the pedestal all the time even though sometimes we believe we do. Being like-minded with someone is not a bad thing. Sure you probably want to get credit for something but why not share that enjoyment with someone instead of being conceited? Just imagine if you were on par with Einstein or someone who had a multi-million dollar idea, you would probably like that idea or you could get greedy and wish that they did not do it with you so that you could have all the glory. Being humble is a positive thing and will make like much more fulfilling than if you feel like you always have to be on top.

Good thoughts today and I have my first baseball practice in about an hour. Pray for me for that and hope that things go smoothly. Hope you all had a good day.

God Bless

Joseph Robinson

Getting Along

I had a pretty god day today, I had thoughts of things I could fill my time with but I stayed occupied with things that would not cause me to fall and I was able to have some fun and stand firm. I went over and talked with a friend about what has been going on over break and some of the problems my friends are facing. We are going to meet on Fridays this semester and hopefully we will find something to go through and discuss as we both push forward and grow in God. Tomorrow it is back to school but I know that God is there and will help me do well and stay strong. I am excited to see where this semester leads me and I hope that academically I am able to strive to keep doing well. It feels as if I am growing distant from some friends and I am not too sure what the reason is, I guess part of it is my fault but it seems that when I make an effort to stay close they just are not very welcoming and they do not return the effort so it can get discouraging at times. I know that God is always with me though and he will continue to lead me to those who will have the greatest impact on my life so I am not too worried.

Respect, Acceptance, & Tolerance is the title for the day's devotion from the book. The verse that it pertains to is Hebrews 13:17 and it says, "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you." I like this verse because it orders us to follow those who command us and to give them everything. We are supposed to enjoy the work of our leaders because we all work towards a common goal even if we do not always agree with the way they go about things. If you work under someone and are ordered to do something, you should want to do it with a good heart and understand that you are to submit and show respect by doing as you are told. If all one does is argue about how to get things done, then there is never any progress made and the partnership should most likely be dissolved. Now of course no two people agree on everything, but there will be common ground and as long as one is not dragging the other one down, there will be mutual respect and tolerance between the two. We are put here for one main reason, and that is to bring souls to Christ. Do we honestly strive to do that everyday or are we just trying to socialize and maybe bring a few into the Kingdom of God. I know that sometimes I just need to cover my back as far as being saved and then I am good and have done my job. This is just the beginning and then finding a leader who I can agree with and strive to bring souls to Christ is key for me to moving on and taking the next step in being an armorbearer in Christ.

Some good tips for us as armorbearers as stated by Terry Nance are: has God called me to serve this leader?, What is this leader's goal? and is it the same as mine?, If we have a common goal, how do our methods for achievement differ?, Are the leader's methods in line with God's word?, Have I prayed for my leader to be led by the Spirit? What is my attitude toward my leader and their way of doing things?, Where does my attitude need adjustment? And am I willing to adopt my leader's methods? If not, why? What the message is trying to convey here is that it is okay to question your leaders in fact it is encouraged to make sure they are in line with the Spirit but if you do not agree or you find fault with them in the Spirit then you probably should not be working under them. I think the same goes for pastors who have leaders working under them. If their leaders are not working towards the same goal or have fallen out of line with the Spirit's guidance then they should probably not have those people as leaders. It is important to have everyone working together so that the body can be fully functional and God has called us to be a part of the body so I'm thinking we should try to make things work if possible.

Do not lose hope, when hope is lost, everything is lost. People search everyday with the hope of finding something and when they lose hope, they have nothing left. Keep clinging to the little hope that you have and do not let anything hinder you. God will provide and allow you to stand strong.  I hope you all had a great day and for those of you that had today off, good luck tomorrow with class.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

What is an Armor Bearer?

As I prayed today, I did something I had not done since the first few weeks of the blog which was that I asked God to just guide me and show me where to go with what I was going to post on. The devotional is great and I am still using the book for today's post but I am not doing one of the day's out of the book.  Instead I decided to explain what being an armor bearer means and kind of elaborate on what Terry Nance, the author had to say about being an armor bearer in today's society. I think a lot of the time we get caught up in just being Christians and going through trying to set an example and be "good." Now that is just the first step in being a Christian (that and working at your personal relationship with Christ) but then we need to further ourselves and our walk by getting involved with a ministry and being committed to the church or a bible study group. I have been thinking lately about how people tell me I have leadership qualities yet I do not really see it in myself and I have come to the conclusion that it is just me not wanting to accept it for some reason. I know that I do and I try to exhibit the qualities but honestly I usually just try to be myself and be who God has created me to be. I do not want to sound conceited or boastful but if I am not mistaken, that is was people call raw or natural ability that can be built up into something much greater and I have a feeling that is what God has planned for my life and I am excited to see where he takes me. As I said the other night, my Freshman year is not the end of the beginning, its just where all the fun starts and I finish the molding for what will lead me through the rest of my life. 

Terry Nance said, "What does an armorbearer do? In Old Testament days, he had the awesome responsibility of carrying his master's shield into battle and keeping him safe. Today, God's armorbearers are God-called ministers, chosen and sent by the Spirit of God to assist leadership with the vision He has placed within them. These ministers may include those who are part of the paid staff of churches and ministries as well as those who believers who volunteer in the ministry of helps for their local church. These armorbearers take the load off leadership and help to impart the leader's vision to the people. They are intensely loyal, faithful, and service-motivated people whose duties may include serving as a bodyguard, friend, companion, confidant, and spiritual warrior, as well as an interminable list of other services. The position of the armorbearer is one that requires love, honor tolerance, and watchfulness. But being an armorbearer is not just an office, but is also the attitude and the heart of a servant. The greatest in God's Kingdom will be the servant of all. " I do not know about all of you, but this is the person that I want to be in Christ. I want to be remembered as the one who gave everything he could for the betterment of different departments in the church whether as a sunday school teacher or as a youth leader, or putting on a special event for the seniors in the church. Being able to display love, honor, tolerance, and watchfulness is something that might be hard for some of us to do. I know that I struggle with my tolerance for people. I feel that if people who are dumb in my eyes would just get out of my way, then I would be much better off and I would not have to worry. But if I were able to tolerate these people and try to build them up then I would not have such a problem and I would be displaying love, watchfulness (by recognizing a problem), and honor (by doing what I have been called to do by pushing people to the next level). See, helping out with a group or in a church seems like a daunting task but how tough do you think it would be for the leaders to carry a church week in and week out with no help from others? 

Terry later goes on to talk about how we need to be sure we are assisting those who are doing the work of God and are not just abusing their power. This is detrimental to us and hurts our walk if we do so. He says how God will not call us to work under one who is not doing His work but if we are unsure we should seek guidance from others as well as God to ensure we are following what God wants for us or if we just got sidetracked by someone who is not following the principles of what they have "devoted" their life to upholding and following. The last major point Terry addresses in the introduction is the idea that we need more armorbearers. It is his belief that too many ministries are focused around one person and if that person is out of town or is unable to fulfill their duties then there is nothing that can be done in that ministry because there is no one that is able to take charge and successfully continue on the work of the ministry. With an armorbearer or several armorbearers in place then the ministry can flourish no matter what is going on. Pretty much it is saying the Pastor or leader needs to be able to ensure that the sheep can function while he is gone and they can continue to grow. It is Terry's belief that people are focused on the leader more than they are on God and if the leader is gone than they are lost during that time and have no idea what to do. I believe that if God were the focus and people are available who can display leadership qualities, there can be as much growth as there would be if the leader or pastor were there. It goes back to attitude and how we approach situations when we are faced with adversity. Will we just roll over and die or will we press on toward the goal for which Christ has called us heavenward? I do not want this to be a generalization because I do not have statistics but Terry said that he asks pastors when he speaks with them, "if you were taken off the scene tomorrow, where would your ministry be?" He said that most believe their ministry would suffer as a result.  I talked with a friend about my post yesterday and we agreed that it is the congregation and the leaders "armorbearers" who can convey the more in depth message to the people because we tend to have more interaction in the pews and in class (for us college students) and we have the edge. The pastor can only do so much for the people and occasionally meet with people to discuss topics in the church. I have seen first hand what happens when some pastors go out of town or when people are unavailable and sometimes a whole ministry can shut down. God has so many people who can take charge and I believe that sometimes we feel that there is only one way to do things and we are not open to new ideas. 

I now understand what my role is and where I need to go from here on out. I can definitely say I need to be an armorbearer and that my calling as a youth pastor has a direct relation to it but who says I cannot start now? It is my choice and I want to answer the call. 

I hope you all had a great sunday and for those who have tomorrow off, stay safe and have fun and look forward to a short week with another weekend not too far ahead. Feel free to contact me and ask for prayer and I will make sure to do so for you. Have a great night.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson