So since I haven't written a post since last October, I figured it was about time that I started being a little more consistent. The last few months have been a whirlwind for me. I'm a paramedic student, so I end up doing a lot of traveling. This has resulted in a lot of different learning opportunities spiritually for me that I would have never known before. Here are just a couple of the highlights:
1. Preaching the gospel can be spoken in truth and love: Too often, I would err on the side of being honest, without showing the compassion and love that Christ showed to everyone while He was on earth. I was listening to this sermon series on Mark 8 the other day while traveling, and I was really convicted (especially in parts 3&4) in how I sometimes don't show compassion to the people I see on the ambulance everyday. The demonstration of Christ's love, patience, and compassion for everyone He interacted with is the greatest example of how we as Christians are supposed to act.
2. We can end up loving a doctrine about Christ more than we love Christ Himself: When I was emailing friends or talking with them in a restaurant, I realized something: Too often, I was more concerned about my need to be right, rather than my need to be Christ-like.
Obviously, doctrine is crucial to our understanding of Scripture and to how we follow Christ (1 Timothy 6:3-10). However, there is also the need to be loving and understanding to those in different areas of their spiritual walk (1 Corinthians 8). This doesn't mean that you don't stand up for the truth shown in the Bible, but it does mean that you do so in love like Ephesians 4 tells us to do.
3.The need to understand that God is in charge: One of my biggest struggles that I've had is the realization that I can't control everything. My mindset before, although not a conscious one, was that I could "make things happen" if I tried hard enough or said the right things. Whether this meant convincing somebody of my opinion or trying to make things go my way, I found that this was a constant problem in my life.
Then, as I was struggling with this, I remembered a sermon I had listened to as a new believer last year called "Making the Hard Decisions Easy." The synopsis of the sermon was this: The key to any decision, choice, or situation is to simply seek God, to know His will, and to grow closer to Him. In doing so, you will find that the choices you make start to automatically align with what God wants for your life. It's all about applying the attitude that Christ had in the Garden of Gethsemane, of "not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42) to our relationship with God.
That's it.
I was reminded of Proverbs 3:5-6, which says
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight"
Since this realization, I've now developed a whole new appreciation for things like prayer. Who knows any situation better than God Himself? No matter what the situation is, whether it's losing your car keys or making major life decisions...God should be the one whom we turn to. In the end, our lives are totally owed to Christ and His death on the Cross, so having them reflect that should be our number one priority.
