- It makes me translucent. I want share my life, but total transparency may be a bit more than any of us really wants.
- It makes me accountable. The weekly post about my devotional life helps keep me going, even when I don't feel like it.
- It makes me think. If you're not learning, you're not growing, and I want to keep growing.
- It gives us opportunity to interact. As you post your comments, we're sharing life.
Dec 31, 2009
Back to Blogging
On September 14, 2009, I put my blog on hiatus. I wasn't sure I would ever return to it. But, I've decided to start it up again. Why? Here are a few reasons:
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5 comments:
Welcome back to the Blogging world.
I look forward to your offerings. :)
Hey PJ,
Glad your back.
Charlie
PJ,
I was sharing John 8 with the residents at Orrstown Personal Care on Monday. I had flashbacks to your sermon on Sunday when you spoke of our choice, today, to believe in Christ, who He says He is, or to walk away believing scripture to be nothing other than the writings of men. The nonbeliever gathers all he has seen, heard, and experienced and with human reasoning and logic, determines his beliefs, his truth. In John 8, I see the Pharisees and Jewish people as they physically stand face-to-face with Christ and have to make that exact decision. I can hear the echoes of disbelief then as I hear the voices of disbelief today. I search for and listen for and ask God for the evidence, the undeniable proof that will convince the agnostics of today, some our parents, our children, our brothers and sisters, to believe and accept what Jesus said to the Pharisees and Jews He walked and talked with, "...I know where I come from and where I am going. ... I am not alone, I stand with the Father who sent me...You do not know me or my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also." (John 8:14-19) In my human walk I ask for proof for others who cannot yet believe. I listen for that evidence in sermons, in life, and in prayer. At Orrstown, I look into the faces of the elderly, the wisdom of many years of living. I experience in the presence of some, a peace, an aura of Christ in them, now of them. I continue reading scripture to them, "If God were your father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say...He who belongs to God, hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is because you do not belong to God." (John 8:42-47) I then hear the Jewish people's reply, "The only Father we have is God Himself." (John 8...41) I ask, will there always be those who will not choose to believe Jesus? I know the answer, but what importance does it have in my life? Do I love more or less? Do I judge? Do I see all as worthy,or selfishly share my walk of faith with a select few? Do I share in love or fear? Is the weakness or strength of a friend's disbelief not of my concern? As for me, I choose to believe that God is God, Jesus is God who walked here on earth, and that when he joined his Father in Heaven, he left with me, the Holy Spirit, His Spirit as guide and counselor, the One who can illuminate the truth of who Jesus is through my life. Humanly, I can prove nothing, but when Truth is illuminated, ALL may believe and walk with Him, in His kingdom here on Earth, as well as one day, in Heaven. Count it all JOY!
Peace with God, isn't that what we really want! I found peace with God when I accepted Christ as my Savior. I had the peace of knowing I would not go to hell when died. Christ took away the fear of death and replaced it with the hope of heaven. As I grow in my faith and understanding, I look forward to heaven with anticipation. My prayer for the elderly is that they still have the hope of heaven too. I pray that they look forward to a new life with Christ and their family and friends, that they feel the presence of God in their lives regardless of their state of mind, and that they still have absolute concidence in God's Word. BP
Indeed, COUNT IT ALL JOY!
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