Not By Bread Alone

In Matthew 4, Satan tempts Jesus. Notice that Satan doesn't attempt to tempt Jesus...but he actually tempts Him. Isn't that interesting? I find it fascinating because Jesus is sinless yet he was tempted, or had a desire, to sin.

Jesus had a desire to...SIN?!!?!?!!!!?!? Am I reading into this right???? I don't even know honestly, but that's what I'm getting here, so correct me if I'm wrong.

So, I guess we can conclude that being tempted itself is not a sin. After all, we live in a world full of temptation, and there's no way to avoid it. I believe that the world we live in today tempts us to act on things that distract us. Don't believe me? Well, let's see what we've got here:

1.  Social Media
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Snapchat
• Pinterest
• Tumblr
• Texting
• Instagram
• You get the idea.
2. Television
3. Magazines
4. Buzzfeed quizzes
5. Shopping
6. Ads
7. Commercials
8. Music (yes, I said it, even though it was hard too...)
9. Food
10. Movies
11. Friends
12. Politics
13. Boyfriends
14. Girlfriends
15. Family
16. Sports
17. Clothing
18. Art
19. Etc.
20. Etc.
21. Fill in the blank. What distracts you?

Now are all of these things I just listed necessarily "bad?" No. These things are only Satan's devices, or tools, that he is able to use to distract us or tempt us. And so while we watch commercials or movies or read magazines, we need to do so with the utmost of CAUTION. Even the littlest thought that runs through our heads while scrolling on Facebook or reading a magazine can be extremely harmful to us, because one thought becomes another, and then another, and they just keep building up.

So how is distraction related to temptation? Well, Satan's main goal is to use whatever he can to distract us from God. In other words, his goal is to make us believe that we need to rely on other things to satisfy us besides Jesus.

Again, we see in Matthew 4 Jesus was hungry from fasting for 40 days and Satan told him that he could just turn a bunch of stones into bread, but he refused and said that "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

Well what the heck does this Jesus language mean. 

When Jesus said that "man shall not live by bread alone," he's saying that we shouldn't rely on or live off of the things that we think we need. Whether it be bread, Twitter, or even music (yes, I said it again...). If we live off of these things, Satan is succeeding in distracting us from the one true thing we need, which is Jesus. 

He then says that we should live "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Woah. Coolio. This means that we should live off of Jesus; He should be our one and only source of fuel. He's the only one who can fully satisfy and bring us the most joy unlike anything else this world offers.

So is it wrong to scroll through Facebook or read into politics or hang out with your boyfriend or girlfriend? NO! Not at all. To sum it all up, Jesus just warns us that Satan uses these things to tempt us into thinking harmful thoughts or doing bad things. He also says that we need to first find our full satisfaction in Jesus before turning to these other things to fuel us or bring us happiness.

DARE: Think about what distracts you from God the most. The first thing that pops into your head...STOP. Okay, now take that thing, whatever it may be, and give it up for a day. Just one day (or more, depending on how enthusiastic you are). 

God uses the time we give to Him. When we don't have all those distractions surrounding us, we are finally able to hear God speaking to us more clearly. You're probably thinking, "well I'd like to hear God actually shout something in my ear, that'd be pretty cool." Hate to bust your bubble but that's not really the way it works. God speaks to us when we pray and when we study His Word. So use your extra time away from your distraction to do so, and you might find out something super cool that God has been trying to tell ya.

Alright, well creds to Jack Rymer for your latest blog post and for inspiring me to write this one. Peace 'n blessin's to ya.

'Tis So Sweet

THE PROBLEM
You're a senior in high school and it's already almost March. You have no idea what you're doing with the rest of your life. You don't even know where you'll be at school next year, you haven't even had a boyfriend yet, you overthink literally everything, you take naps when you should be doing something productive, you won't ever have enough money to pay for college, you know that scholarships just aren't going to come through, you have to put up with everyone telling you to do different things, you watch all your friends get accepted to their dream schools, and you watch all of them fall in love and actually celebrate Valentine's Day while you sit in your room finding the derivative of an absolute value function.

THE (temporary) PEACE
Movies, music, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, ice cream, friends, family, TV, shopping, money, magazines, books, art, guitar, exercise, texting, knitting, etc. etc. etc.

THE (everlasting) PEACE
Movies, music, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, ice cream, friends, family, TV, shopping, money, magazines, books, art, guitar, exercise, texting, knitting, etc. etc. etc.

Jesus.

When I start to worry, the first place my mind goes to is not always Jesus. Why would it be, anyway? He's not really going to come through anyway... how can He help me when He's not here to actually apply for scholarships for me and write that essay that I've been holding off for a couple weeks now?

Well I don't know about you, but that'd be pretty cool if Jesus could do all of those things for me. He'd REALLY be my Savior then. I feel like I'm in this all alone, trying to figure out this whole life deal all by myself. Maybe I should just forget about this whole Jesus thing. I'd rather listen to music or go shopping, trusting in God is too hard. I mean, I believe in Him, but I don't actually believe in Him...

Have you ever felt like this? I feel like as Christians we have a tendency to over-complicate things that are, in reality, quite simple. Why the heck do we do this? It just gives us more unneeded stress. I could really draw out this blog post, but I don't feel like I need to because the idea that I'm trying to get across is so simple.

Trust in Jesus.

There's no point in trusting temporary things because they will go. Everything will go. Everything will disappoint you, except the God who created your life, the same God that has a plan for your life if You just trust in Him.

So I dare you to stop looking for temporary peace, and start seeking the God that will provide you with everlasting peace. You may be thinking that this is such a weird idea...trusting in something that you can't see, hear, feel, touch, etc.

It is.

That's why most people just don't even give Him a chance, because the idea of a God who loves YOU - a small raindrop in this ocean of people, a speck of dust in a mansion full of beautiful things - is so extremely abstract and not even understandable.

But it's the most beautiful thing you can ever do- to put your trust in something rare and beautiful and foreign in this superficial culture we are surrounded by each and every day.

And I'll leave it at that. Peace 'n blessins.

What Happens When Christians DON'T Drink Coffee

Christians: You are a (modern day) Christian if...

you listen to Hillsong United.

you drink coffee.

you own at least one beanie.

your bible has at least ten pages completely FULL of notes/highlights/circles.

you blog (lol).

you've been to bible camp.

you have at least one verse written on paper hanging up in your room somewhere.

you own 38472938 journals.

you have (or plan to get) a tattoo of something to do with your faith.

you are "intentional."

you want to get married young.

you want to have at least three kids.

you own a pair of Toms.

you're ultimate goal is to get a picture with little black kids from a third world country.

Boom. There it is. This is what being a Christian is like today. If you fit all of these descriptions, you're on your way to heaven - no doubt. Oh, but if you fit less than, like, fourteen, uhmm...sorry, this is awkward, and there's no other way to put it, but I guess I'll just say it...

you don't belong with us.

World: Wait a second. HOLD UP. Since when did Christianity become a club? I'm so confused, and I'm lost...I need Jesus, I know I do, but I'm not a hipster or a coffee drinker or a Toms-wearer. What should I do?

Christians: We told you already! We can't help you. We only want to help those who are starving and thirsty in third world countries... like the little black children? Come on, you know this. They deserve Jesus more than you do. And you listen to...Rihanna? Seriously? Oh, and you over there...you have green hair? Oh, and you, what is that in your hands? A book on evolution? Lies. I can't deal with this.

World: Wait, don't leave! I know it may not seem like we want your help, and I can't believe we're actually admitting this...but we need you! I know we may come off as intimidating or different, but we are looking for love...will you help us? 

Christians: I'm too busy tonight, I have to plan my mission trip to Africa, go to a bible study, and I just HAVE to fill another ten pages of my bible with notes and doodles. Sorry. God bless! xoxo

What. In. The. World. Are. We. Doing.

Lately, I've been trying to find the reason why the world looks at Christians like we're completely whacked up...and I think I might have found it. 

We don't have enough of the one thing we need more than anything else...more than Toms, more than coffee, more than theology, more than Rend Collective, and even more than C.S. Lewis quotes.

We don't have enough of the real Jesus.

The fake Jesus tells us to invite our best friends over for dinner for a bible study/gossip session.

The real Jesus tells us to take that girl or boy that no one talks to at school out to dinner.

The fake Jesus tells us it's okay to look down upon everyone else who isn't saved, just because they're not saved.

The real Jesus tells us to humble ourselves, and to not judge one another.

The fake Jesus tells us to seclude ourselves from the world. After all, it's poison.

The real Jesus tells us to be in the world, sharing the good news to the people that are the hardest to share it to.

No wonder the world is so confused with how we act. The one thing that we as Christians say we follow is the real Jesus...but they see us following this fake Jesus. 

And who the heck wants a fake Jesus when you can have the real One?

Following the real Jesus is not a competition between your Christian friends of who's bible looks most distressed or a race to see who will change their profile picture to a picture of themselves surrounded by little black kids in Africa first.

Following the real Jesus is a lot more simpler. This is what it looks like:

You are a Christian if...

you believe that Jesus Christ was God in human flesh, and that He came to this earth so that we might be saved through His death on the cross. 

you have a relationship with the Lord, and you pursue Him each and every day.

Boom. There it is. Simple.

And as far as I'm concerned, you can have green hair, gauges, tattoos of mermaids on your arm, AND have a relationship with the Lord God Almighty. 

Christianity is NOT a club, and we need to stop acting like it is. Don't get me wrong - it's okay to be a Christian and like coffee and own at least one beanie. But it's not okay to seclude others who need to know the Lord who are completely different than this stereotype. We need to reach out to people...and maybe for you that means going to Africa, or maybe it means (doing the even scarier thing than going to Africa and) talking to that girl or boy who sits next to you in class with the gauges.

Whatever it may be, listen to what the real Jesus is calling you to do. Ditch the fake Jesus. 

Tell the world that they belong with us.