Waking Up

There comes a point when you know that the sin in your life is not just your sin but you cause other people to sin. Whether it is a sin you commit with another person or your sin influences someone else to sin, you find yourself struggling to find a way out so that the decisions you make can help other people out rather than hurt them. You can hurt a Christian by causing them to stumble but you can pick them up too if you know how to fix things between you and God and look out for them the next time around. It is one thing to make decisions that affect yourself but its a whole different feeling when you make decisions that affect other people. Being that I want to go into the business world and more specifically the sport world, the decisions that I make everyday will not only affect me but they will affect my co-workers, the players, the fans, other teams, and many more. If you find yourself having influence on people in a poor way (it may be unintended), you need to seek God and make things right because you are heading down a path that you do not want to go and you might ruin someone's life in the process. Sure they can make their own decisions, but if you know they struggle with something and you are facilitating that, you have to put the breaks on or caution them somehow. In Galatians it talks about "restoring others gently if your brother is caught in a sin but you who are spiritual should be careful or you also may be tempted." This is a very true statement because usually we go along for the ride when someone is having fun or making a destructive decision, it is human nature! We need to be careful though because not only will you be responsible for what you did, you are somewhat responsible for the action of the other(s). Eve convinced Adam that eating the apple was the best choice and he did not bother to ask any questions because he had no reason to doubt Eve. In the same way, we meet people and sometimes they think they can trust us but in the end it just leads to destruction and hurt.

I would like to say that the Bible just ends in Galatians with the verse about restoring your brothers gently but that is not the case. Mark 9:42 states, "And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone around his neck." Harsh words for our generation to hear but it is most definitely a warning to watch out for your brothers and sisters in Christ. Ephesians 4:29 is about speech and building up other Christians but I think our speech and our attitudes ultimately reflect our actions and so we need to be careful of how we talk to our fellow believers. I wish I could say I was immune to all this but occasionally I find myself in a situation in which I have to make a decision or watch my speech when it comes to fellow believers. I want to be okay and I want to stay out of situations that are potentially harmful but in order to do that, I need to be more connected with God. Finding out a balance of things every semester is one of the toughest things to do and when you unexpectedly throw in some new responsibilities and other new situations, you tend to get a little jammed and you make sacrifices in some areas that end up hurting you until you can find a more perfect balance for things. I must say that when I write on here I feel like this weight is lifted off me. I wish I burned with the passion that I once did and I know that I still can but I need to find it again, it might take some time. It is all about priorities and making smart decisions and as soon as I figure it out I know I will be happier than I have ever been. God is great and is looking out for me everyday and I am thankful for that. Just remember to look out for your brother's and sisters in Christ.

Please continue to pray for me as I have more stuff to deal with now than I had a few weeks ago. I will continue to pray for all of you and hopefully I will post a little more regularly. Lots of attacks right now but God will pull me through. Hope you all have a good night.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Friend

The best part about being at a school like NCU is that no matter who you are or what you do, at the end of the day you are just another face in the crowd. Athletics does not make you a national star or get you on ESPN, its just a part of who you are and what you do to become a better person. Its not just about building character or revealing character, its learning what it is like to fight through the hard times, to resolve conflict, to enjoy the victory, to know that you played with respect for your opponents no matter how good or bad they are. I still think it is cool how our athletes can go from competition on the road during the day to worshiping God in PG on a Wednesday night. Its not just about worship but interceding for your fellow students and student-athletes. Finding that one person you can talk to about anything and letting it all go because you know they will listen and pray for you. Our community is about more than just friends, it is support in all areas no matter what you have done. If people judge you then that is their problem but know that those who truly care about your well-being are not going to judge you, they are going to pick you up and help you when you need it most. A place like this makes it tough when people leave because those who had the most impact on you might not be there anymore when you need them most. The only thing you can do in that situation is find someone else who can fill the role and from the looks of it, there should be plenty of people. I'm sorry, I forgot I was still talking about NCU... In life, there are rough times that come your way and you are not defined by your job (hopefully) but you can be in the battlefield at work everyday and at night be worshiping God and interceding for your co-workers and family. When you need someone to talk to, you know of that one person who will just let you open up your heart to them because they can help and they will listen. Unfortunately these people move on and you are left to wonder what you are going to do but if you trust those around you, you can most definitely find someone else to step in and take the role. It is a weird feeling but something powerful is going on and you cannot let anything stop it from continuing. The pursuit of happiness is not relegated to the good times, it carries on in the rough times when you are looking for the escape.

There are many instances of people not using their fame in the and they just blend in with the crowd. Being humble is one of the most key characteristics of being a Christian. Jesus could have said that because he was the son of God, he was entitled to such and such a thing here on earth and no one could take it from him because God would strike them down. This is very well a true statement but Jesus knew that in order for everything to make some sense to the people, he had to fit in with them and just be a normal person. He used his knowledge and great spirit so that he could influence those who would listen and ultimately get them to follow him. When he felt alone, he knew that God was always there to hear his cry and get him through the tough times. Feeling like an outcast is not something that Jesus does not know about. He did not chase every women on the street and vie for their attention. Jesus tried to draw little attention to who he was because he knew how much of a controversy it would be. He wanted people to come to him and he would meet them when he knew what they were looking for. Just to be able to physically walk with Jesus and sit down with him would have been an amazing experience. To meet the one who died for me so that I could have life would be the greatest honor ever. To actually sit and discuss scripture with him and listen to how smart he was would have been so amazing. We still have the opportunity today, not so much on a physical level but spiritually we can connect and hear his still small voice. We need to eliminate the noises in our life and lend a careful ear to him and he will guide us through anything we could ever face.

I am praying for those of you that read this, if you do read it I would like to know so I can specifically pray for you especially if I know you are going through something. Continue to pray for me as my everyday struggle continues but as he continues to give me strength everyday, I can feel the tide turning.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

I got this...

Have you ever had a moment in which you did not know what to do? Someone is counting on you to come through for them and you have no idea where to start? I believe we are placed in situations like these so that we can look to the Spirit for guidance and understand how to lead someone in a time of need. Our lives are defined by what we make of the moments that we are given, its not the moments that are great but it is the people who make the moments great. Old friends, new friends, future friends, enemies, family, it does not matter what you are presented with, these people might need your help at some point in your life and there is a high probability that you will have been placed there for a purpose. We back ourselves into our own corners and have to dig ourselves out and it is hard to help people when you are buried up to your head. Never let an opportunity pass you by because you never know when it might change you. I have struggled and struggled to do the right thing countless times and I fail quite a bit. I do not consider myself a hypocrite because I am honest when it comes to telling people the way I am living. If you say that you are not doing anything wrong and then just trying to go about your business as usual, then you are crossing the line of being one of those, "do as I say, not as I do, synagogue rulers." I have been trying to connect with new people lately and reconnect with old friends and I was a little skeptical about it at first but then I figured that I might be able to help someone who is struggling or maybe they just need someone to talk to. It is sad to be lonely when everyone thinks you have it made. In my opinion, it is worse to not have anyone when people think you have everyone because they feel as though you do not need any help or that you do not need someone to talk to but really you are screaming inside for somebody to listen. Sometimes I wish someone would take the time to listen or ask me how I am really doing but I have come to the realization that most people do not care or they are not considerate enough to take time for me and that is fine because I would rather someone not try, then try because they feel like they should be nice.

Noah felt a little like an outcast when he built the ark and when he needed people the most, they just turned away from him and called him crazy. I definitely know what that feeling is like and it makes you feel useless, like you cannot make a difference. The truth is that people will see that God is doing stuff in you and in due time they will realize the mistake they have made. They will come running to you asking for help but unfortunately there will only be so much you can do at once. Some will stick around and others will leave because they do not have the time to wait or they simply feel like there are more important things than waiting to hear what is going on. Those who hear the gospel message and disregard it are ignorant because they do not understand they are passing up. Of course that is easy for a Christian to say but if someone told you that they could save you for eternity and all you had to do was have a relationship with someone you cannot even see, why would you pass up the opportunity of having an "imaginary freind?" Most of us had imaginary friends who we could talk to whenever we wanted and God is a lot like that except for he is real, he listens, and he responds! It only takes the effort of reading AND obeying his guidelines for life and talking to him everyday. Seems pretty harmless to me if you have 20 open minutes a day to devote to saving yourself and hopefully saving others along the way. Like I said last week, it is not enough to just be in it for yourself, you are in it because he is the Christ (Reggie Dabbs sermon), or you are in it because it is all about you and you are being selfish. Give time to God, work on bringing people into his kingdom, and you will have a foundation of what it is to be a Christian. Amos 5:14-15 states, "Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph." Overall, do what you need to do, reach out and take ahold of whatever is clean and close by. When they storms come, we need to know where each other are and who can help when things are falling apart (literally).

I hope that all of you have had a good day, God is doing amazing things and he is going to continue to work in the lives everyone and I pray that you continue to seek him and obey whim no matter what is going on, he will always pull you through. Please continue to pray for me. I will pray for all of you as well, even if you did not ask for it... you deserve it because of you are in going through something and I will continue to trust God's provision for you.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Watch

I am just about all settled into my apartment for the year and I think I am ready for the school year to get underway. I struggled most of the summer to live consistently for Christ because as I have stated before, it is tough to be alone if you are not firmly planted in Christ. This summer was definitely a growing experience spiritually for me and I could not be more happy with the way it is ending up. God has placed me right where I need to be for the next nine months and I know that his plans are going to significantly affect who I am and what I do. I wish I could be months and months removed from certain things I have done in the past but it is going to take time to achieve that and if I can stay away from those sinful things then I know it will be rewarding in the end. I want to stay focused on the prize because perseverance makes everything sweeter in the end. I used to say that no one said its supposed to be easy but they promised it would be worth it. I think I would like to change it and say that life is not going to be easy but if you persevere, your reward will be great. We have so much waiting for us on the other side of the cross and we can only take hold of it if we continue to seek it out and embrace what God puts in front of us. The promises of God are only accessible for those who hold up their end of the bargain and grab hold of the promises. We complain that it was not what we expected when we receive certain things but a lot of the time it is because we ruined it along the way and fail to see how we altered the greatness of the promise or the gift. I could say that I have messed up my life pretty well but then I would know that I am letting the evil one win. Satan wants me to feel defeated and think that God's promises are no longer beneficial to me because of the mistakes that I have made. I am here to say that I am better than that and though I have altered some of the promises that God had for me, he still has great things in store and he wants me to continue to head toward them and make the best of it all.

When we have great victory in an area, we tend to hold it in because we do not want people to know our past and where we came from. Victory means that you have overcome the past and that you need to use it to convey the message of the power of Christ. I understand that people need time to get over things and that some topics are hard to discuss but I also know that God uses our former pain to help people who struggle with the same things. By no means am I saying that you have to tell the world what you have been through but when an opportunity arises, do not shy away from letting someone know exactly what you have struggled with. We would like to think that people judge us a lot but in reality they tend to be more accepting of our past than most people would perceive. Psalm 66: 16-20 states, "Come and listen all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished my sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld is love from me!" The compassion that our maker has on us is so great. We get the picture of God always being spiteful or angry at the things we have done but as long as we have repented and we are seeking him, he lets go of the past transgressions. I have been down in the gutter and been beat up and I am not afraid to tell people when I feel they need to know where I have been and what I have done. I want people to understand that I am a sinner because if you think I am perfect then you are going to think that I do not know what it is like to be you and if you think I am a hypocrite for being a sinner and telling you how to live, then you are misguided in that you think I need to be perfect when in reality nobody is perfect. I wish I could make amends for all the hurt I have experienced and for all the hurt that I have pushed on others but I am going to make a difference and I am not going to let anyone stop me.

I hope you all had a good day. I am continuing to pray for all of you and I hope that you do the same for me. If you have a request please let me know and if you have any comments then I would love to hear them. Continue to chase after him and let him transform your mind.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Consider...

I have been thinking the past week about what this year is going to mean to me. What am I going to do to make this year memorable? I do not want to just be defined by my baseball career. Everyone knows and hears about me as the great shortstop. I am not that great of a ball player, at least not great enough to be known only for my playing ability. I want to make a difference on campus and I want people to know that I am reaching out to them to make their experience better. It is only within my power to do certain things but whatever I can do to help is more than enough. I do not want to be defined by a relationship or the people I know, I want to impact people all over campus in a way in which I never thought I could. I am still trying to figure out how to do that but I know I will find some way. If I am not leaving a lasting impact on most of the people I meet in life, I apparently am unable to reflect Christ in my life effectively. If only for a moment I could experience what Paul, David, Moses, Abraham, etc... did, then I would be able to have a grasp of what it is like to do something truly great. The accolades mean nothing if you spend your whole life focused on them and forget about everything else. Your accolades can be a platform but they should not be the focal point in fact they should not even be brought up unless someone asks. We push and push to be the greatest at everything we do but I cannot honestly think of many people who aspire to be a great christian or the greatest person who helps those in need. Sure people do stuff from time to time but sometimes it is for the spotlight and only because they feel obligated to. If I cannot stand up and make changes in life to respect Christ and those that followed him, then I am failing at what it means to be a follower of Christ. How can one go their whole life trying to sneak by with little sin or a sin here and there and then on the day of judgement say, that they love God and would do anything for him? I get that we make mistakes but some people just try to sneak by and hope nobody is paying attention because it is a lot easier that way.

Moses faced a time of uncertainty in his life as he grew up and when he came face to face with God at the burning bush. If you look at Hebrews 11:24-27 it says, "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of the Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the other people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." Moses stepped out and desired to be remembered for what he did for God instead of being remembered for his status in the palace. It says that the pleasures of sin for a short time did not appeal to him because he had his eyes fixed on Christ and what was going to be his reward in the end if he continued to battle through. Unfortunately in our society we are consumed with technology, sports, relationships, work, etc... and we do not even have a glimpse of what heaven is going to be like for us. We claim that some experiences give us a glimpse of heaven but then we go back and continue to live the same way we did before. If you had a glimpse of heaven why would you not continue to pursue what the future holds? Is a glimpse enough for now or do you want a picture? How about pursuing it to have a smell of heaven or a taste of heaven? Moses saw him who is invisible and I believe that is still possible today. We say we want to see Christ or God but I think we have a mental block of skepticism in our head that it can really happen. I think God tries to meet with us face to face sometimes and we walk right by him because we are not looking for the invisible, we want the visible and tangible and we want it now!

For those that I have come against in my life who said I would never achieve certain things and that I will be like everyone else, I know that Christ has my day coming. It is not to rub your nose in it, but it is because God has a great plan and it will be revealed so that everyone can see his power and stand in awe of the way he moves. I know it is coming because I feel like I am finally applying some knowledge to my life and my heart is changing each and every day. I wish I could say I was walking straight everyday but I know that he is carrying me when I start to get sidetracked a little. He is not going to allow me to drift away as far as I have been before because he knows he almost has me where he wants me and I know that now more than ever, I am closer to where I have always wanted to be.

If you have any questions or comments or just want to talk, my phone and my comment/message section are always open. May God continue to guide you and lead you into his arms each and everyday. Please continue to pray for me.

God bless,

Joseph Robinson

Remember

I spent the first half of my summer moving on from a past relationship and as much as it hurt, I found out that it was possible and that I was better off in the end. I hurt myself so much over the last few years and tore down some of the structures that had been put into place for my protection and enjoyment. I wish that I had been more obedient and not made such a fool of myself but we make mistakes and we move on. As much as I try to beat myself into the ground because of it, God has placed people in my life to tell me that it will be okay and that I have left scars but those who love you will see the scars and feel remorse rather than condemn. Life is a lot easier when you follow the rules even though it seems easier to break them. I find so much joy in worshipping God outside of church and I wish I could let him use me every second of everyday but I still have not found it in myself to give him that type of authority in my life. The sooner I do it, the more likely I will be to succeed in all areas and I will make life easier for myself as well as those that I come into contact with. I am tired of feeling like everything I do leads to problems for myself and those around me. I know I am not a failure and I know that I do not cause problems but when you are constantly screwing up, it seems like you have no other option but to believe that. It is amazing how long it can take to change when you know something to be true. Why would you know the truth and believe it but not let it make a difference in who you are and what you do? You can sit on the most precious gift of all and look for joy in other places because you are too afraid to open what you have an see what it can do for you. Listening to your heart is the best thing you can do but the toughest part is finding a way to hear it because your brain likes to mix the signals and tell you other stuff. This leads to going down the wrong road because you cannot find what you truly desire. I believe that most people who do not know Christ only go down the wrong road because they do not know what they truly desire, they have an idea but what their brain tells them is not the truth they are looking for.

Romans 13 talks about loving for the end is near and how we need to be prepared for the times ahead because it is uncertain how much time is really left for us all around here. Nobody knows what tomorrow brings and too many times we dwell on what we expect to come rather than where we are now. Chapter 13 verse 11 picks up saying, "And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed The night is nearly over, the day is almost here. So let us push aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Now is not the time to sleepwalk for Christ and think about yourself as I said last night, we must be actively seeking His kingdom and seek to increase the numbers in His kingdom. The last verse really resonates with me in that it says do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Too many times i try to figure out how to get away with sin or I just think that I am good because I have not sinned in awhile and grace can increase for me. The opposite is true, the bible asks if we should continue to sin so that grace may increase and the answer is, "absolutely not!" I wish I were perfect but all I can do is continue to work at being the best I can so that I can continue to help those that I come into contact with. I cannot live a completely blameless life but I can do my best to follow everything that God has commanded me. If I am able to do all those things, then I will know that I have lived life to the fullest and that I have no regrets to fall back on. I sit here and think about where I have been and where I am going and all I can do is remember what Christ did for me and try to think of what I have done for him lately.

I hope you all have a good rest of the weekend. I am continuing to pray for all of you and I will do my best to keep posting daily because I really am encouraged by this blog and I hope that you are too. Please leave a comment or question if you have one because I really would like some feedback and be able to talk to people about this.

God bless,

Joseph Robinson

Ending

Well, it has been a long summer but it seems like it flew by. God has revealed things to me this summer and I am trying to work at them each and every day. He has taught me to be patient and that even when things seem like the end of the world, you will get through them on the right side of the equation. I have seen the path I have chosen based on my decisions and I know that it is going to be a real tough one. Then again, I have always chosen the tough road. I transfered after my Sophomore year in high school to make a better opportunity for myself, I moved out of state for college when I could have saved money by staying in state, I transfered after my freshman year to chase someone and to play a sport even though I found that it did not make me as happy as I thought, I made poor decisions for about 9 months from last July until April of this spring, and I spent the summer away from anyone and everyone that I knew pretty much. If I can say one thing, it is that I like to test myself and see where it leads me. I spent much of my summer busy and filling the rest of my time with pointless games and trips to six flags but I also met people who have impacted me and made me want to further myself with Christ because they see something more inside of me than I already am. I think I have said this before but the impact you have on people's life means a lot more than what you do for yourself no matter how great you think you are. In our walk with Christ, we focus too much on ourselves and saving ourselves that we leave others out in the cold. I watch To Save A Life a couple times in the past week and in the movie one of the characters named Jake asks in reference to God and church, "What is the point of all of this if you are not going to let it change you." Do we just go to church to say that we have done our good deed for the week or are we letting it transform us and are we letting our personal time with God transform us. Are the people we are closest to dying in front of our very eyes while we are caught up in ourselves and whether we are okay? I wish I could say that I am always reaching out to those around me and my friends who are dying because I care but in reality I feel like I am too big of a screw up to help them. It is not my job to help them, it is my job to point them to the answers so they can figure it out for themselves. I have to tell them that I am not perfect and that I struggle just as they do but I am willing to try and cast that aside and let Christ pick me up because of the price that he paid for me. I said today, progress is not perfection, it is working toward being the best that I could ever be."

Romans 10:14-15 states, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!' " God understands everything that we face and he wants to help us move past being all about ourselves so he provides a way for us to share his word with people. He knows people are going to view us as hypocrites but that is because they are too ignorant to understand what it means to be a Christian. In Titus 2:7-8 we are told, "In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." We have to believe the things we tell people otherwise they are going to think we are crazy to expect them to follow it. We all make mistakes and I do not believe that people should only listen if you "practice what you preach" especially when it comes to the bible because it is not you telling them to do something because you set the rules, it is you informing them of the rules that God has set forth and just because you do not follow them does not mean that nobody does. Once again if you are actively pursuing what God has and you are moving away from a certain lifestyle that is one thing but if you are complacent with living in sin and still try to preach against it, then you are in the wrong and you need to find yourself on one side of the argument quickly. It is not all about reputation so to speak, its about doing what is good for others and reaching out to those in need. If there is one thing I have learned this summer, it is that I need to continue working at things myself but I need to be reaching out to those who might not be as fortunate as me or might need someone to just care about them. I will not be perfect at this but I want to improve and I am going to be working at it this year because I feel that reputation is too much of a cop out for people just because they want to be perceived as "normal" or the best.

I am going to try and stay up to date with the blog but as you all see I am more sporadic than I used to be. I need to make this more of my regular routine with Christ and praying before and after I post. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them. Pray for me as I am praying for those of you whom I know read this. May God continue to lead you and bless you everyday.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson