praying for rebuke

In this passage, the apostles are jailed and heavily prosecuted for preaching God's word after having crucified Jesus. Right before the Sanhedrin, the elders of Israel, kill the apostles, a Pharisee named Gamaliel comes to their defense. He basically says, if you try to kill these men, you're just going to end up in a war against God- and you don't wanna do that. So the apostles just end up getting flogged instead of killed, and are set free.

"The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." - Acts 5:42

The apostles' attitude is teaching me something important here. Of course, the things in my life are nothing compared to what these people had to face, but it's a great example. They took all that shame without complaint. They were humiliated, beaten, ridiculed all for the name of God. Something happens to me that would try to test my faith, and i just complaaaaaaaain..when i should really be rejoicing because God's trying to teach me something.

I guess the "learning the lesson" part is sort of being rebuked..when you read the scripture and meditate on God's words, and that itself is like rebuke. So like when "bad" things happen to you..unfortunate incidents or just simply hard times you can look at it with the same mindset. Of course it's sin that causes us to suffer because God does not cause bad things to happen to us. it's in our own sin that we are facing unfortunate circumstances. So personal example- my financial aid isn't going through as smoothly because i didn't do what i was supposed to immediately. lesson learned: DON'T PROCRASTINATE.

ok God..i think i learned my lesson now..

c.s. lewis song

If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy
I can only conclude that I was not made for here
If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary
Then of course I'll feel nude when to where
I'm destined I'm compared

Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan
As I wait for hope to come for me

Am I lost or just less found?
On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
Is this a soul that stirs in me
Is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
'Cause my comfort would prefer for me to be numb
And avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become

For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it
And I was made to live
I was made to love, I was made to know you
Hope is coming for me
Hope, He's coming

the Kingdom.

so im watching the Kingdom, and one of the first scenes if that of a man blowing himself up in a crowd of hundreds of people..and before he does it, he says "all glory to Allah."

i don't know much about Islam religion so i won't make any assumptions, but i can't understand the terrorists' mindset. how does it make sense that blowing up random people is glorifying to a god?

all of that just makes me even more thankful that our Christian God is the God He is. if i start listing all the prayers and complaints He answered, despite my foolishness, i'm sure my list will be pretttty long. the fact that He's not tyrannical and makes outrageous demands out of us is even more reason to want to love and follow Him. you know like how when some people of different religions get this fear in their eyes when they talk about their God..well it's not like that with us. well at least for me.

it's like in C.S. Lewis' the Witch, Lion, and the Wardrobe..when the Pevensies first hear Aslan's name from the beavers, you can just see peace all over their faces even though they've never met Aslan. the same with God. i mean yeah, God is to be feared and revered, but all the same, He calls the scared and weak to Him because He tells us that He's a gentle and kind God.

i think i'm done rambling and i wanna watch the movie :P so i'll leave you with this verse.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

John 14:27

like mary, like martha.

38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

one of my favorite stories of the bible. the classic tale of the two sisters...kekkeke.. there's Martha, who in today's terms is the ideal host: preparing teas and cakes for the special guest. on the other hand you have her sister Mary, who can't take her ears off of Jesus' words. i love this story not only because Jesus tells us how we should turn our focus towards Him, but rather because we're shown 2 different ways to love and serve God.

yeah, Jesus comforts the upset Martha and tells her that Mary's chosen the better, but at the same time Martha's heart and desire to put on the best for Jesus is touching. i mean, i'll be honest- it's what i'd do. right away, i can tell that i'm more like Martha..all my attention focused on preparations and how to put on the best.

especially bcus of the world that we live in these days. we're so pressured to always put on and show and give the best, but scripture seems to tell us otherwise. sometimes, it's just best to forget about the nitty gritty details, and just listen. open heart, open ears, open mind. forget about the stupid things, they're not important. teas and cakes and refreshments are nothing worth compared to the presence of Jesus. i can't even imagine what that would be like..to be in direct presence of Jesus.