#dukedocuments

My prayers go out to the families and friends of those who were injured or killed in the senseless attack that took place in Brussels earlier this week.

As much as I worry about the current state of the world we inhabit, I’m mostly concerned about the current state of our minds. I read a post this morning that detailed the tragedy of the bombing and it ended by saying, “It’s time to get right with Christ”.

Let it be known, I encourage everybody to build a relationship with God. But let’s be very clear: If the reason for doing so is because you’re finally paying attention to signs of the end times, you’ve missed the entire point. Is God’s abundant love not ENOUGH of a reason? Is the fact that His Holy Son took human form to bear our sins not enough of a reason? Are the great faith stories of Abraham, Moses, and Joseph not enough?

Entertain me for a minute and just look around you. If you’re reading this post, it means that you are connected online… which probably means you ate a meal today, and it’s safe to assume you have a place to sleep tonight. But you still feel like you’re not blessed because you’re “broke” and can’t afford Chipotle but you went to a college where you paid $20,000 a year. Here’s a secret: If you’re not praising God in the situation you’re currently in, you haven’t learned to humble yourself and be thankful. Is it not enough? Or do you need a house on the hills to let you know that you’re blessed an highly favored.

Signs of the end times are clear and evident to anyone who is slowing down from the busyness of life and paying attention. Alongside tragedies, the Bible also says, “In the last days men will be lovers of their own self, unthankful, discontent, and lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:1)

God’s continuous grace should more than enough for reason for you to decide today to get right with Christ.

I used to have it bad for this beautiful brown skin queen I met in my college years. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve been tardy or skipped, but I was always early for that 8:30 class that the both of us were in. I don’t even like coffee but I asked her out for Starbucks one day because I would always catch her sniffing her stainless steel mug every morning before she would steal a sip. I kept it as cool and player as possible, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t do everything I could to try and grab her attention. Maybe she missed the signs. Anyway life went on, the class ended, and so did my fantasy about her. It’s too bad I never got her to see me the way I saw her.

Consider this: God wants our attention but we keep missing the signs. He allows difficult situations to happen in our life so we can learn to rely on Him. Once you start to see Him the way He sees you, everything will start to change. “I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” –Jeremiah 29:11  

Quick story: I have a friend who recently got engaged to a great woman and plans to spend the rest of his life happily married. Two days after they announced the news, I was catching up with some old friends who happened to catch wind of the story behind his proposal. The conversation went something like this…“His proposal was so basic!” Followed by the next comment, “If my future husband ever got me a ring like that, I wouldn’t even post it on Instagram”.

I wanted to share the golden rule for life and I can’t stress this point any more than what I’m about to say in the next few lines:

The biggest issue we face in this new age society is caring more about the appearance than the principle. Let me put it another way; We’ve conditioned ourselves to thinking that love is a feeling and not a promise. Why is it that we only pray to God when we need something? Every one of us can testify that we all have that one friend who only calls when they need a favor. How urgently are you willing to help someone who’s not a real friend? This is where it gets interesting. There will come a time in your personal relationships where the "feeling" isn't enough. For better or for worse. Mature love is when you can still trust and obey when God doesn't answer your prayer.

Here's the good news. Love only has one requirement: that you meet each other half way. It’s simply not enough to say “If you do this for me, then I’ll do this for you”. If you’re expecting an illustrious proposal on Main Street in Italy just to say “Look at what someone did for me” then you’re missing the point. If you’re expecting showers of blessings from Heaven, then you have to start being a blessing to others first. Go out of your way to do something for God and watch what doors He will start opening for you. Love is not expressed by what is being done for you, but by what you’re doing for others. Principle over appearance.

Food for thought.