One of the verses that has truly been stuck in me has been Matthew 18:3. NASB version states it as "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." When you see a child, what do you notice? Dependency on their parents, humbleness towards all actions and thoughts, joy in their eyes, and the will to open up to even the most random people! Lately I've been thinking a lot about what a believer looks, but most importantly, acts like. Just like children, I need to be dependent on only God who is our only Father and Friend. He has all the sources I need, for He knows them all. Matthew 6:31-32 mentions how we shouldn't question about what we will eat tomorrow, or worry about the necessities of life, because God our Father knows these things, and will provide. Just like children, I need to be humble about the actions that the Lord invites me to be part of, and not show any pride because they will get me nowhere. I've realized how many times I will do things because it will please others, yet forget the reason as to why I am doing them. Just like children, God wants me to be joyful no matter the situation! For the past week or so, God has been telling me that I shouldn't frustrate myself over what I can do for Him, because there is nothing in this world that I can do for Him. Yes, I will accomplish many things but because He invites me to take part of His work, which will ultimately bring glory to Him and my better understanding about who Father is. Because of this revelation, I now feel FREEDOM to LOVE Him and cherish spending quality time with Jesus through His word and my relationships with others. I feel my relationship with Him strengthening, that I know it will soon lead into an intimate love relationship with Father. Finally, just like children, I need to stand firm into what I believe in and share it with that same passion God has placed inside of me to others. I realize now that God is all love, and He wants nothing more but to have a love relationship with us to the point where He knows we will trust Him into whatever He puts us through, knowing that at the end we will grow closer to Him and glorify Him! I pray that as we take on this journey to understand who Jesus really was, and the bond that he had with his Father, we will want to be just like His Son. That we will love Him to the point of death.

I love you all,

seaweed =]

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the invisible part that looks like a bunch of spacing...

"The shortcomings of my father seem to become more apparent in my own character the older I grow, as more responsibility is added on to my shoulders. As I fail I often feel doomed to repeat a broken cycle. Jesus is the light at the end of the tunnel." - boca

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"Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are."
-St. Augustine

agreed.

"The shortcomings of my father seem to become more apparent in my own character the older I grow, as more responsibility is added on to my shoulders. As I fail I often feel doomed to repeat a broken cycle. Jesus is the light at the end of the tunnel." - boca

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Unfortunately, for all of us sons, the cliche statement "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" is for the most part, painfully true and we are a lot more like our fathers than we ever may want to be.  My dad used to always say to me that he "never wanted to be like his father," yet with his actions he would do just as his father did to him, to me.  Discouragement and a spirit of criticism prevailed all throughout my childhood years, through high school, and even up to about a year ago and placed in me a severe lack of confidence and a problem with performance.  It wasn't until my father was diagnosed with cancer (summer before my JA semester) that he began to see areas of his own brokenness and lack of forgiveness toward his earthy father that he began to realize his need for Jesus to let God become a father to him so that he could ask God to restore my relationship with him (my dad-- sorry that part got a bit wordy).  

Jesus is more than willing to reconcile us to God, and more than willing to reconcile us to broken relationships if we just ask him and see at our own numerous "shortcomings."  I'm so thankful that we have a Father in heaven who, no matter what our earthy father may be like, is always able to show us His love and provide for us the comfort and confidence we need through His son and I'm so thankful that we have a Savior that has already done more than enough to make us perfect in the sight of God.

Thanks for sharing boca, I love your writing!   

 

-burton

p.s. AP i love you too! haha. but i know i'll talk to you soon in ap sesh about what you wrote. :p
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"Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are."
-St. Augustine

AGO Blog

Matthew 10:
I think we as an American Church have gotten way too comfortable with Jesus' words. How do we respond to the lesson Jesus teaches in Matthew 10? He says in verse 34,  "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn
       " 'a man against his father,
       a daughter against her mother,
       a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—     ³⁶ your enemies will be the members of your own household.' 
    ³⁷ "Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. (TNIV)


After reading through just 10 chapters of Matthew I have been challenged in so many ways. I think I have made God into what I want him to be to make me happy, rather than see him as he truly is and serve him. I will be struggling with "shedding off the ornaments" (as our guest speaker said on Monday) from the Jesus I made up and try to see the real Jesus, no matter what the cost.



YBIC,
Libero 284E

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right on

thats sweet.  i support it

Speedo

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Dysfunctional Family

Matthew Chapter1:
Matthew's Gospel is characterized as an account of Jesus's life in the context of affirming him as Israel's Messiah. Vital to this claim is the genealogy presented in chapter one to prove Jesus was of the line of King David (a necessary fullfilment of hebrew prophecy). However one look at this list of the generations that preceded Jesus seems to betray any attempt to characterize Jesus as a Nobel Heir. Prostitutes, murderers, adulterers, pagan outcasts.. this is the bloodline of our Savior.. A stumbling block to pharasees and Jewish citizens looking for a figurehead of wordly power for their salvation, Jesus is the perfect figure of hope for those who are honest about their broken nature. My family is a source of constant discouragement for me. I grew up with both my parents living under the same roof but I have lived most my life without a real model of Christian man. The shortcomings of my father seem to become more apparent in my own character the older I grow, as more responsibility is added on to my shoulders. As I fail I often feel doomed to repeat a broken cycle. Jesus is the light at the end of the tunnel. His perfection the result of so much failure.. The perfect example of beauty from brokeness. -Boca