Thursday, January 19th, 2006
Sin is like Coffee. ( I have a little too much spare time during work, so my mind wanders or i try to keep myself up thinking about absolutely anything )
Sort of ironic, cause I’m drinking coffee right now, but anyways. Before i start on my weird analogy, please you have to drink coffee to relate to some of the stuff.
Coffee. Is highly addictive.
Even though I might not admit that i’m addicted to coffee, i think my body is subliminally telling me to buy a large double double at noon or in the mornings. It’s actually quite sad. But back to the point. Coffee is alot like sin, because it disguises itself.
It starts of black, same colour of sin – well at least the colour we associate it with, then you add some milk and suddenly it’s not so evil looking. Infact, it looks very nice. golden creamy colour, you sorta just wanna drink it because it resembles milk chocolate. And likewise, Sin never appears to be taboo. I mean when we sin, it’s rare that we think about it for hours before doing the deed. We just sorta do it unconsiously and then before you realize what you’ve done – it’s already too late. You kno sin never looks ‘bad’
Next we add sugar to our coffees, to sweeten it up. Make it less bitter. That way we don’t have some nasty after taste after every gulp. Same thing with sin, it’s always sugar coated with benefits, and it looks so much better than it really is, that way you don’t feel so guilty after you commit a sin. Sorta like how when you steal something, the upside is that now – you’ve actually got something… Guilt plays a small part in sin when it comes with all these little gifts that keep you happy and occupied.
Of course, if you’re one of those ppl that just take their coffee black, that part doesn’t apply to you… You big oaf, think your so cool. “Yes, I’d like a coffee, BLACK.” then you grin and walk away pretending your some hardcore coffee drinker.. *glare* then i’d just catagorize you with those people that love to embrace sin with it’s raw nature. Lol
Next, we get to the temping nature of coffee. On a cold winter day you look into Tim Hortons and you just think. Hot Chocolate, wait no… A large double double is calling my name. “dddrriiink me mike…” then you run in and treat yourself to a nice hot cup of coffee because it has cleverly tempted you into drinking it with all the commercial and ads that you see everyday. And sin, oh man is it ever tempting. I mean, you’d have to be ignorant to ignore sin calling your name around every corner. It’s everywhere. Just like all these stinking ads. And given the right circumstances, sin will tempt you in ways that no normal human can resist. Think of the devil as the one brewing the coffee and offering it to you. And it’d be impolite to say no, when offered free coffee.
Coffee is also highly addictive, like i mentioned earlier. Once you break into the habit of drinking coffee, (which is like a cup a day – 3 days in a row) it’s over. Life as you kno it, will slowly start to revolve around coffee. Why else do you think there’s a Tim Hortons at every major intersection. It’s not cuz they think it’d be cool, but it’s becuase everryybody demands COFFEE. I mean, seriously, on your way to school or work count how many Timmmy’s you see before you reach your destination. I would’nt go as far to say that Tim Horton’s is like the devil, but you can’t really deny either that they rn’t everywhere… Even on campus. They’re just a few minutes away. And on my way to work, i pass 3 or 4. so anyways, coffee. Once your addicted, you’ll start to notice that you drink a cup a day, then as stress level goes up — you drink something like 2-3 cups a day. And when you miss a cup of coffee, either your awfully tired, or your get a stupid headache or something becasue your so dependant on your regular dose of caffine. And thats just what sin is like too. You start off small, you know. You stay in the bright, lighted up area that represents goodness and God inside your heart. But you get curious about the ‘other side’, and youre tempted to step over that moral boundary – the line – you just step over that line you draw for yourself just once. And then after you do it once, you sorta get a rush for not being caught or something. Then you decide to step over that line again. and again. and again. Until you deep into uncharted regions of your moral boundary. Then when you realize where you are and what you’ve done.. You try to go back, but it’s too hard – so you draw a new line somewhere in the dark, because you can no longer see where the light is, or that you see it but it’s too far away.. So in hopes of getting closer to where you were you draw that new line, in the dark. It’s almost as if you’re desensitized. That sinning isn’t so bad anymore. And when you don’t sin, it’s like missing a day of coffee, you just go nutz. Or you just run to the nearest ‘coffee shop’ and order a fresh cup of sin with 2 sugars and 2 creams.
And when we try to quit sinning. It takes too much effort – so most of us quit, and even if we do quit.. Over time we just fall back into the trap. Soo there is my coffee story. I couldn’t think of anything better to write, and it was about time i blogged.
It was an interesting post it i must say so myself. I’ve never has so much fun talking about coffee before.
Oh yah.. And you know that last gulp – it’s always so salty… And it just makes you want to have another cup.. It’s alway so hard to resist
Btw i hear they make it salty on the bottom on purpose. Like they add salt to the bottom or something, to make you drink more. But don’t qoute me on it. I heard it from a friend
later.
Sunday, January 15th, 2006
for-give. i wonder how the word came to be in the english language.
it’s something we all have to go through, and every situation is different. but i know that it is one of the hardest lessons we as humans must go through.
why?
because we’re full of pride. we’ve got this image to keep. a reputation. something to protect.
yesterday, i was thinking about all the different experiences i’ve gone through, and i realized why there are so many broken friendships, and marriages. (or so i think…)
anyways, let me set up a scenario,
your friend, a close friend, has done something behind your back. deliberately against something you told them not to do. you know to name a few, go out with my girlfriend or steal my prized possesions.. you know things that would have serious consequences. something that you would get very heated over. and that friend avoids your calls, and avoids you at school or whatnot.
but over time, you come to forgive him inside your heart, but i think the hardest things for us humans to do is to face one another and say it to their face.
in this scenario, it would not be your responsiblity to say sorrry. your thinking, if he comes to me and initiates an apology, i will forgive him. i’m sure thats happened countless times, but how rare is it for the victim of the whole ordeal to just say to his ‘enemy’, “it’s ok, i forgive you.” i would be shocked if someone i wronged came up to me and said that. it would make it so much easier to brake down the barriers. the barriers of pride, and shame, and fear. and then the healing process can begin, and things could go back to the way it was
and that is what i was thinking about, God doesn’t want us to wait for the person that wronged us to come up and ask for forgiveness. we are suppose to give forgiveness. like Jesus did. He said. if somebody wronged you, turn around and treat them like friends, welcome them and forgive them.
because, who else will go and reach out to those that have fallen. if it is not you, then who? will they get a chance to come to heaven? and hear the gospel. even God said, if you neglet to forgive, then he will not forgive you either. and i think this is one of the hardest lessons we have to learn.. and if you think it’s not hard, just put yourself in a situation – and you can imagine.
But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. – matthew 6:15
Tuesday, January 10th, 2006
Its a little cliché to write about love, but this isn’t what it looks or sounds like.
Love in itself is a very beautiful thing. Something that can make people feel secure, and safe.
God is Love.
And something that God tells us to do is love at all times. “Love your neighbours as yourselves” Even though is something easier said than done, if you do not attempt to love others, you will never experience a full relationship with God. If God is love and you cannot even learn to love others, how can God possibly live inside of you? If you start to love others, then God will come and live inside you. And in the end you will be so full of love that it just spills out of you.
That is why I think marriage is so sacred. Because it is the ultimate form of love. Love sealed in Holy matrimony. Love that continues to grow together and the more you learn from your spouse through love, the closer you can get to God. It’s beautiful isn’t it? But of course, I wouldn’t know at this point in life. It just makes alot of sense, doesn’t it?
Hopefully, sometime soon God will lead me to the person who He prepared for me.
There are times in my life where I just want to date for the sake of being loved, but your timing isn’t God’s timing. And your purpose isn’t always the right one. Just learn to let go, and trust Him.
My favourite verse as a kid.. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall make your paths straight.”
So simple. Yet I think it is something that kids can only accomplish. Putting their full faith in Jesus, and nothing else.
Tuesday, January 10th, 2006
If pictures are worth a thousand words. Then how much more are actions worth?
People today always say what the believe in, say what they want others to do. You’ve heard the typical stuff like, ‘go and share the gospel with friends and family’ but if you don’t do it, what good is it to yourself? Your just pretending to be someone that your not!
Pretending is never a good sign, because it just feels like your living a lie. What’s the good of listening to you when they see that you never follow up on any of the advice you give. The best way is to teach is to be a role model. Kids learn best from role models. And as spiritual babies (as my pastor would say), Jesus Himself came down to earth to be our role model.
Belief without actions are useless. Likewise, it not only makes you feel bad but on top of that you are being a bad witness to others around you. When your friends find out your a Christian and you never act like one, what will they think. Especially in this present day society, stereotypes start to form.
I’ve got too much on my mind right now. I think I should think straight before finishing this post.
Monday, January 9th, 2006
Sometime ago my friend val posted about Humans never being able to fully understand God. Yesterday at church my pastor gave a really interesting Bible Study on the Doctrine of Revelations thats related in alot of ways.
The doctrine of revelation is the fundamental doctrine that all other doctrines refer to. Why? Because the doctrine of revelations justifies the word of God, aka the Bible, and all of the other doctrines are derived from the word of God. Ok so this might be a bit over your head so lets just start from the beginning.
We know that God is an infinite being. A being with no limits to anything. He is the Alpha and Omega. It would be weird asking ‘who created God?’ because in my mind that would be as weird as asking ‘Who’s the bachealor’s wife’.. You know what i mean. He’s in His own league, beyong our understanding.
And we, humans, are finite beings. Finite being limited. We cannot grasp the infinite. There is no way we can understand something that is above us, unless of course. He chooses to reveal something to us. Isn’t that interesting. So thats the doctrine of revelation, what God chooses to reveal to us.
We as a humans think we are the top of the top. There are no other creatures smarter and greater than ourselves. So when we introduce the idea of a God to them (or rather us) questions such as ‘prove it’ often arise. And, you know what – even though we know it in our hearts that the Lord exists, I don’t really think there is a rational or scientific way to prove that God exists (cause that’s what people want). Heh, thats why it’s called faith – you kno believing in something you can’t really prove. But anyways, there was a better point. I mean, we believe in lots of things that are not rational or scientific but we KNOW for a fact that it’s there.
Love, for example, it is a true emotion, but it is not rational. What i mean is, people actually feel it. I’m sure many people have been in love but yet cannot prove it scientifically. Nether can beauty. Or Light. Light cannot be proved scientifically, and yet we all believe light and by light see all things. There are plenty of things that are true that don’t make any sense.
Whenever I get asked that question i’m always in a squeeze because .. He will make no more sense to me than I will make sense to an ant. It’s just that big of a difference, you kno.. How can you compare finite to infinite. Just doesn’t happen, and since i’m in engineering i guess it’s time to crack out the cheesy analogies. How can you solve anything when it approaches infinite? You can’t approximate God can you? Heh ok no more calculus…
So back to revelations.. God reveals things to humans in two ways. And they are classified as General revelations and Specific Revelations.
First the general revelations. (since this is as far as the Sunday school went) General revalation points to the fact that, He reveals things to everybody without being very exclusive. It’s for everybody.
God reveals Himself to us in a few different ways… Lets see if i remember them all without looking at my notes..
1. Nature. This is classified under general revelations because it is revealed to us everyday. The sun, the earth. His creation. Everything is so perfectly knit together that the denial of a maker would seem to be silly. How could everything be so perfect?
Even by scientific terms, there had to be a maker because as a fact… (or something close to this, cuz some1 told me and i don’t really wanna qoute it improperly) if the earth’s ozone layer were to be 22km lower than where it is right now, life on earth would cease to exist. If earth were to move 22km closer to the sun, it would be too hot for human existence. If earth were to move 22km away from the sun, it would be too cold to endure.
If you think this is just all a big coincidence then explain the human body. It’s fragile, yet ever so complicated. Even if you date the earth back some 60 million years ago. Our bodies would’ve never been able to evolve to where it is today. It takes thousands of years for something minor to change. For us to develope so many complex glands, and body parts… I doubt that it happened through chance and evolution. Sure, we may have evolved a bit since God made us, but still… What makes you think that there isn’t a creator after looking at ourselves?
Romans 1:20 – “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
Isn’t it obvious? That God has proved His existence to us since the creation of this world. Anyways… Work is gonna catch up with me soon..
Blogging at work isn’t such a good idea, gotta jet for now.
ps. btw there is more, i just can’t remember them off the top of my head.
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