Destiny

I appreciate, in some sense, what Joel Osteen is trying to do.  I just think he's got everything wrong.

If you watch Joel Osteen, you might think that God's Kingdom is about you being promoted and made prosperous in every sense of the word.  I'll be frank, I do believe people have destinies in God, but few people reach out and try to obtain their real destiny.  Most people settle for making more money, having a spouse and kids, and basically pursuing the American Dream.  I don't believe God is in that at all.

If God births in you a dream, expect to go the opposite way from which you think you should be headed if the dream is from God.  Joseph dreamed he would be the master and his brothers be his servants, and he was sold into slavery and later unjustly accused of a crime and sent to prison.  David was told he'd be king of Israel, but God didn't mention running around the wilderness hiding from a megalomaniac.  God doesn't like to use the direct route when sending someone to great destiny- he likes to take the long way.  Because to God, the perseverance that is created, the depths of character that are made, are what make the journey worthwhile.  God is into building character, not building worldly wealth.  Sure, to a precious few that might end in worldly wealth, but the people who go through this process develop a profound faith in God and a deep appreciation for God, which the wealth attained in the end pales in comparison towards.  If you have a real destiny in God, expect misery to come your way, followed swiftly by trials and tribulation.  Anyone who will be great in the kingdom of Heaven must first prove themselves through great difficulty and persevere through much pain.  God is into building DEEP people.  People who only want the money, will never see the true destiny that God would have for them.  If all you want is a quick fix, you completely misunderstand the nature of the kingdom of God, and will not see the kind of personal transformation that God would have for you.  For it is depth of character that God longs for, as well as deep faith.  You cannot acquire these things through shortcuts and quick fixes.  Either learn to persevere, or the dream you have is not from God.

Why I Think Overturning Roe V. Wade Might Be A Good Thing

 No, I have not become pro-life.  Please hear me out.

Our country is somewhat apathetic about politics.  When I read https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/16/opinions/roe-v-wade-overturn-conservatives-filipovic/index.html I realized something... we might be on the cusp of real change.  I think... if Roe V. Wade is overturned, many people- people who didn't care about politics, people who just assume government basically does the right thing all the time- will be INFURIATED.  I believe overturning Roe V. Wade could lead to an overhaul of congress, and ultimately an overhaul of the courts.  I think... pro-life people think that overturning Roe V. Wade will reduce the number of abortions, but in the long term it will lead to more democrats being elected and more just laws being enacted, which to me is worth the negative of Roe V. Wade being overturned.  So I say, if it will stir the American people to no longer tolerate a government that doesn't really well represent them, if it dramatically changes the political landscape of our country so that real change can be accomplished in congress, I say "go ahead conservative judges.  I dare you to overturn Roe V. Wade."  Seriously.  This could lead to the kind of revolution in governing that I've been yearning for, for some time.  Ironic that Mitch McConnell's dream could totally blow up in his face.  Ironic that pro-lifers imagine life being so much better if abortion was outlawed.  I think... I think overturning Roe V. Wade could DRAMATICALLY change the political landscape of our country.  And if I'm right, then conservative Supreme Court justices- BRING IT ON.

My word to people who are worried about this change- be energized by it.  Fight for a just government.  It is interesting that we live in a fairly apathetic country- people often don't really care about the laws that get enacted and the decisions that get made, just "assuming" that government has little to no impact in our day-to-day lives.  I'm telling you now that government can and should make a real difference in how lives go, but because of a VERY vocal minority, many good laws are held up in congress and never become law.  We need a real majority to accomplish what needs to be accomplished.  Only way to get that majority?  Getting people fired up enough to vote.  This could do it...  And I hope it does.

Kingdom Centered

A long time ago, someone told me I was going to be rich.  This was many years ago.  I don't know if that word is going to come true or not, but they said it.

My response was immediate:  "But I'm going to be rich towards God, right?"  My focus was on the wealth I would have in Heaven.  I honestly didn't care about having money in this life- what mattered to me was, was I going to be rich towards God?  That's what every believer's heart should be at.

I think, we need to be focused on advancing God's kingdom.  We need to be focused on bringing glory and honor to God, not our own personal advancement.  We need to do the right thing because it brings glory to God and because we'll have treasure in Heaven, not for personal advancement.  God may advance us- I believe God loves his people and desires that we have lives that bring glory to his kingdom, and I know our success tends to give more glory to God than our failures.  That does not mean that we are focused on our own story.  It also doesn't mean that if things aren't going well in your life that that is evidence that you aren't obeying God.  It COULD, but it doesn't have to, so it's shaky at best to look at your circumstances as a verdict on how you are living your life.

If we have sin in our lives, we need to deal with it.  Viewing ourselves as always the victim with no hand in the things that happen can lead to an unhealthy perspective.  I'm convicted as I say this, because it's often unclear to me what my mistake was in certain situations.  Regardless, I agree with the principle- you need to always be asking God for insight into your role in the tragedies that befall you.  If you messed up, you need to go back and apologize and try to make it right.  I don't believe asking God's forgiveness is enough- whenever you can, you need to go back to the person you sinned against and try to make it right.

Also I think it's important to be ever-focused on the real Whys of why you be righteous.  It's not for your personal prosperity.  Your number one reason for being righteous has ALWAYS got to be to bring glory to the Almighty.  Bringing glory to God has to be the focus.  You can't forget that in your midst.  If you need a selfish reason to be righteous, there is one- so that you might have treasure in Heaven.  My hope is that the first reason- bringing glory and honor to the Lord Almighty will be enough, as it should be enough.  I do think treasure in Heaven is real, and I do think some people will be richer than others in Heaven, and we should all aspire to being rich in Heaven.  I just hope my readers would aspire to more than personal advancement when they try to love their enemies and help the needy.  

May God teach my readers to think in Kingdom ways, and to try to be focused on having the right attitude in all situations, because we will be judged for how we conduct ourselves and whether we put God's kingdom first in all things.  To God be the glory!