Light in the Depths

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Having an understanding of Christ is more important than anything else in this life. In the word Christ states how if you've seen Him you've seen the father, so by discovering who Christ is we can discover who God is, and better understand both His character and His plan for our lives. By understanding God we can come to know all things about this world and how we are supposed to live in this world. And a lot of the time, the way in which God wants us to live isn't the way we are really living. There are things in our life that are holding us back from Him and distort what His true character really is. God designed us to live in joyous friendship with him, and if we have things in our life that are getting in the way of our friendshi...

“Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?” ‭Amos‬ ‭3:3 ‭ESV‬ All of class fourteen was called to Montana by God to become a part of his purpose. None of us knew why we were called or how God was going to use us but we all answered his call. We all left behind our lives back home, just like the disciples did when Jesus called them. They knew who Jesus was, but they didn't have a clue of where he wanted to take their lives, and neither do I. However, just like the disciples we were not called to this venture alone. God gave us each other to follow him and get through this time together. Before coming here I only knew one person that would be in this place. Everyone else I didn't know in any way, shape, or form. The only thing that I knew I would have in common with my classmates is that we are followers of Christ. And getting here that's all I felt I had in common with these people  I felt so awkward, insecure, and just weird trying to interact with everyone f...

“"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Sometimes the hardest thing to do in life is to confront someone about a problem you have with them. Nobody likes to admit that they are wrong. It's hard enough to go up to somebody when you are in the wrong and sinned against your brother. Our pride tells us that we don't have to apologize and to try to just push it aside. But it's when we push that apology off that we allow the problem to become worse. Because then we stay ashamed of what we've done and every time we see the person we sinned against we feel that guilt from what we've done to them and the longer we wait to apologize the further we feel distanced from that person. Now for the more difficult dilemma, when you have to go tell someone that what they did was wrong or that it at least offended you. Now personally speaking I do ha...

“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭13:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬ In every way that God works at transforming our hearts, including when he breaks us, God is attempting to build us up. We may not always see it as that way but in everything he does, he is continuing the process of our sanctification and seeking to bring us to the point of glorification, at which point we are brought to his completion through Christ Jesus. Therefore, when we interact with our fellow man, especially our fellow believers, we should seek to look at each other in the same way. We should seek to better each other and always attempt to strengthen one another in the faith. We should always be pushing each other towards Jesus and looking to love our brethren as Christ loved us. The word tells us to never be bitter or angry with our brothers and sisters, so before attempti...

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Every person on this Earth was uniquely created by God to serve a specific purpose that is a part of His plan to redeem this Earth of all of its sin. Ephesians 2:10 ESV “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Now we all have different purposes to fulfill in our lifetime, and because of that we all have been given different gifts and talents to be able to succeed in those predestined works that God has prepared for us. Unfortunately for us, we don't know how God is going to use our gifts to have us serve. Although we may know our spiritual gifts and maybe even know how we are meant to use those gifts, we don't know what setting we are meant to use those gifts in and how we will work with others using those gifts. Sure, for example, when it come...

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:5-7‬ ‭ESV‬‬ All people sin in different ways. Although all of us suffer from all types of sin, we all have our different weaknesses with sin. We could go on for hours about how all of us sin in our own unique ways; however, that doesn't matter, all that matters is that sin separates us from one another and causes us to not trust one another. Sin doesn't just individually lead us to death, but it also kills our relationships with one another and causes us to never be able to come close with those around us. Fortunately though for us, every person on this Earth has something in common that is greater t...

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” ‭‭John‬ ‭15:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬ John 15:13 ESV “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus showed the ultimate example of love when he died on the cross for our sins. He literally laid down his life for all of us, so that we may one day come to be with God in Heaven. And not only did he lay down his life in death, but throughout his time of ministry he laid down his life for others by using his life to serve those who needed to be served and put the needs of others above his wants and desires. And this is exactly what Christ calls us to do. He calls us to serve others and, like him, set aside our wants and desires to minister to those who need to be ministered to. There is no hidden meaning to this message. There is no other secret that Christ wants us to fi...

“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20:26-28‬ ‭ESV‬‬ So many times in my life I wish I could be a leader when I can't be. Constantly throughout my life I've wanted to be in charge of those around me, and felt that I could've done a pretty good job as the leader. It's honestly kind of funny, aside from maybe in sports or doing projects with people I've never truly been a leader before. Even with those few instances I've never had a complete position of authority over someone and if put in a leadership role I honestly don't know how I'd do, even if I think I'd do well. Being that I've never truly lead anyone how could I know without having any personal experience right? For example, I had played soccer all my life un...

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at table'? Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”‭ Luke‬ ‭17:7-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬ So often in life we look for rewards for the ways in which we serve. We look to get paid, to be commended, we tend to just want something. We often don't want to perform a task if there aren't any benefits for us at the end of it all. We feel that if we are serving we deserve something for our service. But that isn't true service. True service is serving even when there is no self-gain in what you are doing. It is where you are laying your wants...

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” ‭‭John‬ ‭12:26‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Matthew‬ ‭11:27‬ ‭ESV‬‬ “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Jesus is our only gateway of coming to know God. It is through his life that we are able to understand what God's character is truly like and it is by following his example that we can come to know how God truly wants us to act. Without understanding how and why Jesus acted the way he did, out of love, we can never understand how God wants us to live this life. Personally I've found it very difficult throughout my time here to truly examine and ask myself if the way I've served has been a way in which the Lord would want me to serve. I honestly find it hard to determine whether or not my heart is in t...

“For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:14-15‬ ‭ESV‬‬ There are many times throughout my walk where I've wished I had abilities that I don't have. There are so many things I wish I was better at, but unfortunately that's just not how God created me. Lately, the hardest thing that I've been facing is that I wish I had more courage. That I wouldn't be so afraid of this life that God has for created for me. That I didn't have to be so terrified of this world. I know that having a fear of God is different than Earthly fear but I wish I could be more afraid of God and less afraid of this world. I mean I have the faith in everything that God is doing in my life, but even while having that faith, I'm always filled with such a fear. Whether it's fear of the unknown, fear of the w...

“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Everyone has their weaknesses in life. I know what mine are and because I know what mine are it humbles me in the sense that I can relate to people when they are too weak to go through something, to weak to be around certain things, or just need help getting through certain situations. Weakness comes in many forms and is something that all believers have to deal with while traveling through life. However, there are definitely believers that are stronger than others. Whether they are just stronger because they have been walking with the Lord longer, they haven't had to deal with certain issues in their lifetime, or they've just overcome most of their weaknesses already in their life. The stronger one is the more they tend to not be stumbled by the same weaknesses that the weak are stumbled by. They are able to be around all different types of thin...

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:13‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Every day, no matter where we are in our walks or what season of life we are in, we can always fall into a dark place. Whether that place is sin, anger, depression, whatever place it may be it is a place that we don't want to be in. We all have rough moments, rough days, and rough patches of life. Coming home yesterday I was in one of those rough moments. I don't even know how I got myself in it, but I felt like I was back down in the pit, lost to my thoughts and not knowing how to overcome feelings that I thought I had already overcome in my past. I thought I was past this. Why am I so upset right now? I can't even really explain why I'm so frustrated. Do you see me God? What do I do about this? How do I get past this? What am I supposed to do right now? I'm so done with this Lord. What do you w...

“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭9:22‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Throughout this section of scripture Paul talks about how he always adapts his lifestyle to fit the people group in which he is attempting to preach to. Not everyone you preach the gospel to is going to have the same opinion about certain scriptural issues, and this is even more profound of a truth when you are dealing with groups of people and not just individuals. So when you are bringing the gospel to someone or a group of people that haven't experienced the truth of the gospel before, they are going to start to understand and experience it in a way that was completely different than the way that you experienced it. They may not see the importance of certain Christian values that you hold in high esteem and they might see Christian values that you hold at a low esteem with a much greater importance. Just look at t...

“submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:21‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Being that I'm working on this IBS immediately after our men's study I have this verse in my head from our study together. Philippians 2:4 ESV “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Something that Austin pointed out from this verse is that this verse doesn't say “don't look to his own interests” but rather “not only to his own interests”. How often does Christ want us to focus on ourselves so that we can build up our relationship with him? This isn't because he just wants us to be better people for our sakes, but so that we can be better servants in his kingdom. That by bettering our walks with him first, we will later be able to better people in their walks. So that means there are times in our lives when we will have to have the discernment to determine when we need to focus on our interests or rather the interests of others. D...