.....::::: DON'T MISS THE SUBWAY! :::::.....

Hey everyone! Whether some people who visit this blog know it or not, we at Spread4Christ live in Canada. I am originally from the States and the other members from other parts of the world but that is another story. But what is there to say that is good about Canada? Plenty! But one of the things I enjoy to be honest is it’s effort towards public transportation. I know what you are going to say…”how is this relevant to God in any shape or form?” Well let me explain…

I was taking the subway the other day (I forgot where I was headed) and it hit me...what if this subway represented or could be compared to when Jesus makes His glorious return? What do I mean? The subway comes and stays at a station for only 30-45 seconds right? And sadly, it does not necessarily wait on anyone (see Matthew 25:1-13)…depending on who the conductor is. But in the Bible, in Revelation 16:15, it says:

“Behold I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”

What that means is that Christ’s return will be unexpected. And by unexpected, it will be swift and come quickly! We must be ready when He returns! We can prepare by standing firm in temptation and being committed to God’s moral standards.

But then again, you ask how is this relevant to the subway?

Every time I take the subway in the morning, it is jam packed! There are people already in it: those who stay and those who are getting off. (Let’s ignore the ones getting off and look at the people in the station.) What if there are 3 types of people at the subway station?

1) The ones standing at the station waiting for the subway.

2) The ones who are running to catch the subway.

3) And lastly, the people who are walking and taking their precious time to get on it.

What if...? (This is where everything I said becomes relevant). Where do you find yourself amongst the 3 types of people? The ones who are already there (firm believers in Christ and His return who are patiently waiting)? The ones who are running to get there (those who will try to become believers at the last minute but were doing something else (living a certain way) just before) or those who are walking and taking their precious time (those who believe they have all the time in the world to come to Jesus or they just don't really care)? Forgive me for asking... Think about it as you continue your faithful walk with Christ!

- Spread4Christ -

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: GOD IS IN CONTROL :::::.....

Have you ever been in a situation where all seemed lost? Where it felt like God was not there? Or that He stood on stand by as you suffered? This happens to us a lot and it is not for the reasons that we may think, as we are filled with emotions. Our emotions can cause us to believe that He is not there or that He is watching but doing nothing. But in reality, this is FALSE!

Want proof?

In the book of Job, God teaches us that He is in charge, in control, what He says goes and that what He does is done for a reason, we have no right to question Him, and no power to stop Him. I know what you are thinking…sounds dictating right? It might but it isn’t that. The concept of God being in control is called the “sovereignty” of God. His sovereignty is His complete, total, and independent control over every creature, event, and circumstance since the beginning of time. God is influenced by none. If this were the case, that would not make Him God. But since He is absolutely independent, God does as He pleases, what He pleases and always as He pleases. He controls every moment in the universe, and everything that happens is either caused by or allowed by Him for His purposes, all the way down to moving molecules.

Now back to Job…

God bet with Satan that Job was the godliest man on Earth and that he would never curse God. God basically got Satan to bet something that God knew He would win. He knew Job. He was the One who created and forged Job, so it is only normal that He have confidence in His creation. God allows Satan to take away Job’s possessions, all the way down to his children. But even through that, Job refused to curse God. God rubs this fact in Satan’s face, causing Satan to raise the stakes. God allows Satan to torture Job’s body with all sorts of anomalies but did not give him the right to kill Job. In the end, God comes to Job in a storm. He answers and then questions Job. He explains that He is the one who created everything that exists, existed, that will exist, and that He does not abide by the rules because He is the one who created the them. Control.

Moving on…

Let’s fast forward a bit shall we? Jesus, being the teacher that He was (amongst other things), was teaching near the Sea of Galilee. He wanted a short period of rest from the crowds so He decided to take a boat and go to the other side of shore where no large towns could be found. Not long after they started sailing, Jesus fell asleep and a storm appeared (Mark 4:35-36, Luke 8:23).

Timeout! Don’t you think it is ironic that Jesus would give orders to take a boat to the other side and that a storm came? Control. He knew the storm was coming. Throughout life, there may be storms. The Lord never said that storms wouldn’t come but He did however say that He would never leave us and that with perseverance, we will overcome. (Deuteronomy 31:8 and James 1:12). The amazing thing is that while His disciples struggled, He was PEACEFULLY sleeping. This confirms Proverbs 3:24 and Psalm 4:8. How? It is said that the sleep of a believer will be sweet and peaceful because the believer knows that the Lord is with Him. So after rebuking the disciples lack of faith, with one quick word, Jesus calmed the storm. This is proof that faith in Christ is never misplaced and that He can and will calm the storms of our lives! Control.

Believe me yet? Let’s try one more example…

Does the name Lazarus ring any bells? He was Jesus’ friend and brother of Mary and Martha. His brief sickness proved stronger than any medicine available. Jesus knew that Lazarus would die but chose to stay where He was and delayed. Jesus' disciples were afraid to go back to Judea, but Jesus had other plans. He commanded them to go with Him, stating: “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.” By the time Jesus go to Bethany, Lazarus was dead for four days. Woah…FOUR DAYS?! I know what you are going to say…did this guy even care? FOR SURE! Yes, He did weep with the sisters but Jesus also showed us that regardless of the situation at hand, He is in control and that He has the last word. Always.

Jesus called to Lazarus after praying to God and Lazarus came out, his hands and feet were wrapped with strings of linen.

Now what about you? Are you going through something that may seem catastrophic at the moment and seems like God is no where to be found? Do you feel persecuted by life or the enemy, like Job and are questioning why God is letting this happen to you? Are you stuck at sea in a proverbial storm and feel that God is resting while you are panicking? Or do you feel that all hope is lost and that God will fail to arrive on time to save your situation from utter destruction? Rest assured that God IS there! God is not a man for Him to lie to us (Numbers 23:19). But there is one thing though…How can we trust someone we do not try to get to know? Can you trust someone that you have never spent time with? No. There is one way to know God though and that is through His Word. Scripture is not magical but it makes the impossible possible with a small dose of faith! Trusting in God is not a over night process. It takes time. And that is understandable. He knows this and that is why things happen in our lives (all situations that He controls). They happen so that our faith and trust in Him grow. Life is a journey with many lessons to teach; one of them being that we should intimately and completely trust God; who controls all this for His perfect purpose. Stay blessed and in faith!

Spread4Christ

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: TELL ME WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE... :::::.....

A friend is someone who acts as a supporter of a cause. A person who is not an enemy or who is on the same side. A person whom one knows and with whom has a bond of mutual affection. But most of all, a friend is someone who listens, helps, encourages in making the right decisions and gives. But sadly, this isn’t always the case. We tend to be influenced by the “wolves in sheep’s clothing”, also known as fake friends. People tend to become like those with whom they spend a lot of time. Even the negative characteristics and habits sometimes rub off. The Bible exhorts us to be cautious in our choice of companions. Choose people with qualities you would like to develop in your own life.

A person that you call friend should have most, if not all of the following qualities:

1. The person should not be judgmental. Regardless of what you do, he or she will not think any less of you. You can turn to this person with anything because they understand that at your core you are a good person.

2. They have to have good morals. ( 1 Corinthians 15:33)

3. They are modest. (1 Timothy 2:9)

4. They abstain from living life like they did in the past before coming to Christ. (1 Peter 4:3)

5. They control their tongues. (James 1:26)

6. They are honest. (Luke 8:15)

7. They are law-abiding. (Romans 13:1-7)

The friends we surround ourselves with determine who we become. Whether that be positive or negative. They either support us in making wise decisions, or lead us down a path of bad choices. I pray that you choose to surround yourself with friends who make wise choices. Find a friend like Jonathan was to David, one who encourages you to seek God's wisdom.

The decisions we make define the person we become. So in our day-to-day moments, we must constantly look to God. He gives us His wisdom for a purpose--so that we may live the life He intended for us.

We must pray and remain connected with Him so that when it comes time to decide, we choose the right path. And in choosing the right path, we choose to be defined by God's wisdom. That means that in everything we do, even in choosing friendships, God must be our reference.

In the end, it is good to have friends. But it is better to have one friend who will help us stay on the right path with God, rather than many would could cause us to lose our souls. A friend who respects God and everything that is spiritual is highly recommended. This does not mean that you cannot befriend someone who doesn’t follow these qualities. Jesus hung out with the worst of the worst, by societies standards but He was not influenced. He was the one doing the influencing. Keep that in mind and have a marvelous day! Stay blessed and in faith! If you are looking for a friend with these qualities, I know a guy named Jesus that really lives up to these standards without a hick!

Proverbs 22:24-25 "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared."

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: DO YOU KNOW HOW TO LOVE? :::::.....

Hey everyone!!! Hope all is well with you! A couple of months ago, we at Spread4Christ posted a blog entry called: “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” It explaining what love is as written in 1 Corinthians 13 and why it is important. The crazy thing is that we sometimes treat love as if it was this new thing that just randomly showed up. But it was always here! What we aim to do in this post is show you “how” to channel this love and how if demonstrated properly, it can change someone’s day and even their life.

Being a avid social networker, it allows me to truly see what people think sometimes. If you haven’t noticed, there are those certain people that post everything they are going through on social media. (I am guilty of it…sometimes…okay…often). Where am I going with this? I have had the chance to see many posts about love; from tumblrs, tweets, statuses on Facebook and even Instagram pictures. Some people, because they have been hurt or betrayed or disappointed by love, they bad-mouth it. You know those posts that I am talking about. The ones that say “I’m doing me” or even the anti-love posts. But there is something wrong with that. How can love be bad if God is love? What the person probably experienced was “immature love”. Not that it was bad but it just wasn’t the right time. A friend of mine once used this parable to explain mature love.

“Have you ever eaten a fruit that isn’t ripe? Love is the same way. Anyone can say, “I love you”, but if the love isn’t mature, it doesn’t taste good. For a fruit to be ripe, it has to spend time in the sun. For our love to be mature, it has to spend time in The Son.”

Deep right? Well in 1 Corinthians 13, it clearly states what love is supposed to be. But what if the person isn’t receptive to that kind of love? What if you are doing it wrong? What if the way the world loves is not the way we should ACTUALLY be loving one another? But how do we love one another though? Love is more than a simple warm feeling. It is a call to action. It is an attitude that reveals itself in action. But how can we REALLY love others as Jesus loves us? Well, have you ever tried to show someone love and they were completely unreceptive? Jesus loves us regardless. Nothing we do can make Him love us less (do not take it for granted) so since He forgives all and loves all, we should do the same. Loving another the way Jesus loves us is to let bygones be bygones and move forward together in peace and love.

Loving someone the way that Jesus loves us is;

...helping someone when it is not convenient. There may be that one person that no matter how many times you see them, they may annoy you or even make you uncomfortable but if that person needs you or even if they don’t come out and say that they do, love and help them anyway!

…giving when it hurts. Yeah…this one right? It is easier to say than do, right? But that still does not make it any less important. Above, I spoke about when the person you are helping or showing love to is not receptive, do not take your love away. Nor should you suffocate them with love. I know a few people who have gone through relationships where all the other person did was take, take and take but never gave. And eventually the other person ended up cheating or leaving. I know it sounds crazy and I know it may sound like something impossible, but trust me, loving someone that does not necessarily love you back is one of the best feelings in the world. Why? Well, Jesus goes through it everyday with us in my opinion. In the Bible it says that if we love God, we will obey. No one is perfect and we mess up sometimes so obey on a 24 hour basis is hard. But Jesus still loves us even if we do the things that hurt Him. What fun is it to love the ones that everyone else already loves? You accomplish so much more by loving the people that love you back and even the ones that don’t.

…by devoting energy to others’ welfare rather than your own, by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. Basically, when showing love, you must forget yourself and put others before you. This kind of loving is extremely hard to do but it is not impossible.

What makes loving like Jesus so amazing is that when you do it, people do notice. People never understood why and how Jesus was able to love and approach the people He did even today. How come? Because, to love others the way Christ loved other was and still is revolutionary! Love keeps believers in Christ strong and united in this world that is hostile to God. And you never know how you can impact and change someone’s life with love. Let’s change the world! Reach out and love someone today!

John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

(Devotions/ Devotionals)