Task Complete

So I have finished another day of reading the Bible as part of the 90 day reading plan.  Today's reading ended with a mention of those who make covenants with death.  Now, today this may not speak well enough to us since we see ourselves as being invincible to the superstitions of the spiritual world.  Many of us may even say that things such as "la santa muerte" are just ridiculous images.
However, we still devote our lives to money.  Cars.  Jobs.  Jewels.  Apple products.  Materials.  Are these things living?  These may not be the same as death, our universal fate, but we can become dead by investing all of our intentions and our lives into inanimate things.  When we take a step back to look at what we are doing with our lives, do we see ourselves getting life in return?  Are we merely wasting away?

Upon reading the verse below, I wanted to think of the ways I can invest in life.  I can devote more time to God.  In fact, I can devote more time into reviving the kingdom of God, for that will bring me life.  Perhaps the best investment we should make is in our lives in God.  God promises us life, a feeling that everything is OK – nothing is a mystery.  When we consider our investments, we can see that the best market is the one in God.

Isaiah 28:15 NIV

You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”

Wow

Mike Huckabee Is Not a Fan of the DOMA Decision: 'Jesus Wept' http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/mike-huckabee-is-not-a-fan-of-the-doma-decision-jesus-wept-20130626

So this Christian decides to use a piece of text that was about a man incarnate on earth nearly 2000 years ago to describe something that doesn't reach out to his agenda.  I'm sorry, but I just can't let this fly.  God has done so many amazing things, and God let's us know when we do the right and wrong things.  It is not up for us humans to determine what the divine is doing.  All we have authority to do is to express love to one another.  We can demonstrate our own personal relationship (I prefer the Spanish "encuentro") with God by showing love and respect for one another.

Watertown, MA.

It was a place I called home for a year.  It had everything that attracted me: a community, new culture, lots of friends.  Now, I feel like I've been delivered, at least in a sense.  I used to live right where the shootout happened last night, which would have terrified me beyond my capacity.  The years before that were a drawn out conflict between my professors and some administrators that had already driven me away from them.  As much as I am unhappy with where I might be at the moment, I know that it has been for my own good.
There are times that things I might perceive as wrong or a let down are actually for my benefit.  It shows me that I should spend less time complaining and more time making the best of what I have.  I also should not be so engrossed with finding out the purpose, for that would just lead me to be confused for days, if not years.

Day 9: Tests

One of my favorite verses from the Bible is 1 Corinthians 10:13 that says that God will never put us in a test that's too hard for us.  He gives each and every one of us abilities to go through them.  However, God wishes for us to develop as stronger people as well.  He puts us in tests in order for us to look into ourselves and figure out what we can do to become better and stronger people.  Even Jesus warns us that we need to be prepared for the coming g of the Lord.  How do we prepare ourselves?
Think of it in this way.  We go to the gym to become physically fit.  We go to school to become mentally fit.  If we go to church and learn what we need to, we become spiritually fit.  If we let God control us and give us our own tests to push our limits, we will become the fittest and strongest people for God's kingdom.

Day 8: The First Week

Before I say anything, I'd just like to clarify that I didn't intend on making a daily post, though that is the ideal.

So today we start a new week in Lent as we get over the hump of this week in our year.  When thinking about this, I can't help but remember that we each are given gifts.  Now, sometimes we forget that the gifts we have may not be material at all.  In fact, I believe that most all of them are qualities, for even our material gifts can come many times from how we use our own gifts.  Just like it is stressed in the letters in the Bible, I think that each of us can use our gifts to make this world a better place.  Some of us have the ability to teach.  Others have the gifts to play music or sports.  Others have the abilities to design things, and others still have the gifts of leading.  The most important thing is that we remember to acknowledge each gift and accept it as it is.  Learn how somebody's gift can coincide with your own.  If we take care of each other in this way, we will make our own lives easier and better to live

Day 5: Sunday—Funday?

Alright! We have reached the first Sunday of many during this Lenten season.  How should we treat it?  Our churches do really well by keeping us posted on what Jesus had to do during this period of time we're remembering.  They also do well to show that we refrain from too many praise songs and prayers for the season.
How about ourselves?  Some people like to take Sunday as a free day during Lent: whatever happens on Sunday is forgivable.  However, is this what we want?  Did Jesus take a day to himself during this season?  He went through temptations and never gave into them.  On the other hand, we must remember what Paul says (for once, I agree with him): God does not give us a test that we can't complete (my own top of the head interpretation of 1 Corinthians 10:13).  In this case, our tradition can be a way of us being able to withstand our own tests and sacrifices for God. God gives us every tool we need to get through our times, and if Sundays are the tools you need, then use them, for God created them just for you.

Day 4: Saturday

It is now Saturday, a day I used to deem my fun day.  Now, it is normally my work day since I try to catch up on homework for the week to come.  Some people like to think of Saturday as the sabbath.  Others say it is Sunday.  Aside from that, we need to respect the command that we should keep the sabbath.  However, is it really at our inconvenience?
In the New Testament, Jesus preaches against the pharisees who condemn him for doing any work such as picking grains to eat on the sabbath.  But what did God intend for us?  I can't answer for God, but I can give my own opinion.  God knows what we need and God will help us to get it.  God knows that we get tired and stressed over the weeks, so God commanded us to take a day off.  We should respect it by using it.  Have you ever felt guilty for not using a gift you received on Christmas?  Have you ever felt annoyed that somebody never used that expensive gift you gave it on its birthday?  Imagine what good we can do in thanks to God for giving us a day for ourselves.  That isn't to say that we should force it on others.  God gives us our own work and God gives us our own rest.  If we take advantage of them and use them, we will respect God to the fullest with respect to this gift.