“For no other foundation can anyone lay 

than that which is laid, 

which is Jesus Christ. 

Now if anyone builds on this foundation 

with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 

each one’s work will become clear; 

for the Day will declare it, 

because it will be revealed by fire; 

and the fire will test each one’s work, 

of what sort it is.”

my twocents…

can you imagine if there was a literal fire that burned away everything in your life? everything in your material world, up in flames, and nearly all of what you know disintegrating before your very eyes. we can’t deny that we do become attached to material things in this life. even those of us who strive to detach from ‘secular’ things and embrace relationships, we still have ‘things’ that we cherish, whether it’s our grandpa’s classic car in the garage or a sentimental teddy bear that has been around since our first memories. or maybe it’s the bank account that has been diligently invested in over years, or the home that has gone under multiple renovations to make it exactly perfect. we invest in a lot of things in our worldly lives to make our surroundings comfortable, to nurture our families, and to simply experience ‘life to the fullest’. but imagine everything up in flames. God’s Word says that the Day will come and fire will reveal. fire will separate the wheat from the chaff and all that is not built on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ will turn into ash. it sounds intense and a little scary, but those of us who have built on the foundation of the Lord, will truly prevail and not only survive but proceed into an eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

what do you feel you lean into too much in this material world? how can we build on our solid foundation, brick by brick? how do we plant seeds or water plants and grow fruit of the Spirit? invest in relationships. invest in spiritual growth by reading the Word. pray and praise to the Lord. invest in the Church body and spread the gospel by loving others. there is only one way. it is a narrow path and a narrow gate and that one way is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

11/7/23

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

my twocents…

reflecting on the culture of our generation, we can see how widely influenced we are in cultivating a mentality that ‘the world is at our fingertips’ and ‘we can reach any goals we strive for’. everywhere we turn, there is an over-abundance of ‘stuff’. everywhere we turn are promises of pleasure. it makes us want to grow up too fast, to take part in ‘adult’ activities- not just meaning sexual immorality, but even things like buying cars, taking trips, dining out, shopping, watching anything we want on tv, and exercising independence as if the ultimate goal is to be: independent, attractive and successful. to not need our friends and family. the lessons of obeying our parents and respecting authority are not encouraged, and more often, rejected. the world wants children to rebel early and to be lead by their own desires. and the effect worsens when their parents fall for the same narrative and neglect the ‘rod of discipline’ and put their own desires ahead of the Lord's will. satan wants to pull us away from the light as quickly as he possibly can, and continue to manipulate us and gain control over us. 

childish adults roam the world aimlessly. diving head first into the adult world is not all that was promised. indulging in anything at anytime does not mold us into admirable, righteous, loving human beings. instead, it creates hedonists and gluttons that live only for themselves. our idols rule us and we have no boundaries or limits in this worldly realm. the concept that everything is at our fingertips does not allow for self-control and discipline. the idea of ‘no authority’ is what we seek, and we become our own rulers, we become our own false gods, and we resist the one true God. it is so true how boundaries, discipline and constant direction and love from the Lord is vital...

“not everything is helpful” and so, with the suffocation of abundance, we lose our freedom and we can start to sense it. we rebel and fight for control, we fight for breathing room. we want to define our own boundaries, to sort through the rubble that has been dumped on us, and to build our own structure. but what do we know about construction? God is the one and only expert in this. so as we find ourselves in this delusion, we lose our power and feel infinitely insatiable. we have been brought under the power of these ‘things', and become slaves to the world. until we fall on our knees at the mercy of the Lord, the only one who can show us the way, the walls, the path, we cannot find enough strength in ourselves alone and we the lack stamina to continue further. He is the only one that can break our chains.

this is why the Lord is so amazing, this is why He is our Savior. He is the only one that could create the wonders of this earth with His Words, and the only one who can bring us into His Eternal Kingdom. we need Him every single day, because every single day we are tempted and torn between the flesh and the Spirit. not all things are beneficial, and these things will steal our freedom and power. we have power through the Holy Spirit, and it is more than enough to allow for joy, peace and love that lasts an eternity. 

1/20/23

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, 

but one receives the prize? 

Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 

And everyone who competes for the prize 

is temperate in all things. 

Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, 

but we for an imperishable crown. 

Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. 

Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 

But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, 

lest, when I have preached to others, 

I myself should become disqualified.”

my twocents…

oh how important this mindset is to strive for! ever since we’ve accepted Christ as our Savior, we have accepted a reality, and with it, a responsibility. as we remain in our fleshy bodies, we still have this circumstance. on one side, we get to spend this short time being on ground level, taking it in with all senses. we do not want to take our breath for granted, nor do we wish to spend our time unwisely. we desire to maintain our relationships and hold close to those we love. on the other hand, we have become aware of the spiritual warfare that surrounds us. our eyes for one another have become sympathetic, as we see our brothers and sisters struggling, and as we still struggle ourselves. and with this new awareness, we are on a mission. now, with God on our side, we can’t fail. but there are many things that will make our ventures more or less difficult.

paul’s analogy to running a race is perfectly relevant. we can’t run a race with our heads turned backward! nor can we move swiftly in this life as we are dwelling and meditating on the past. what does it do for us to recount our failures, to judge our past actions with what limited knowledge we have, and to condemn ourselves for things we can’t change? in addition, we know in our hearts that God works all things for the good of those who love Him. He’s taken our mistakes and already turned them into something beautiful. so don’t look back! let us keep our eyes on the prize. this takes training and discipline. and yes, we may get distracted from time to time by the squirrel running across the road or the guy next to us who tripped, but we are running for the Lord. we are running for Him and we are running with Him. He is encouraging us along the way, He is giving us pointers and reinforcing us with strength and love. through our suffering, we gain endurance. we can revel in every moment, being present, and we can realize that we are doing today what we once thought was impossible! truly, this race is above and beyond what any national olympic athletes are competing for! 

3/20/23

“For though we walk in the flesh, 

we do not war according to the flesh. 

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal 

but mighty in God 

for pulling down strongholds, 

casting down arguments 

and every high thing that exalts itself 

against the knowledge of God, 

bringing every thought 

into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

my twocents…

you know how adam and eve chose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? well, i was thinking about how crazy this adventure has been ever since i was filled with the Holy Spirit. as much as i have had experiences of more peace, joy and love than i have ever known before, i have also started experiencing the contrast that this good light makes to the darkness. when we accept Christ, we finally start seeing our reality- the reality that the first man and woman chose for us to live. the reality that most of us would have chosen out of mere curiosity- to know good and evil. 

when we are born and as children, we learn the ways of the world. we learn how to live in the world, in the flesh. it seems sad and wrong from this perspective, but we were all children that had to see darkness and learn it how to navigate through it. then, hopefully, we come to a day where we surrender to Christ and accept Him as our Savior. it’s a wild concept, thinking about this whole path, but God knows best and His ways are the only good and right ways. 

so, as i was saying, we get to this point of living with the Spirit and now we know goodness. and as good as it is, we are still at ground zero amidst darkness. but we’ve chosen our side, we’ve chosen the light. and even though we grew up learning how to use weapons like our fists and our curses, we must put those away and pick up the new weapons. the one we use now is the Word of God. we can use His Word in so many ways. we can confront a friend and help steer them back to the right path. we can ‘bring our thoughts captive’ by comparing them to His Truth. are our thoughts damaging lies, or are they in agreement with truth? we can remember His promises in times where we feel alone or defeated. by navigating life with God within us, we are trampling over strongholds and walls that we once saw as impossible. 

as much as it can be very intense to know what we know about good and evil, about the huge spiritual war that is surrounding us, we know that we are safe in the Lord’s arms. we are aware of this knowledge, but we also know God- and that means most. He will never leave us nor forsake us, and we will win the prize of eternal life in His glory. 

3/26/23