Tuesday, December 25, 2012

How to make yourself mad - Numero Uno.

So...  The title begs for an explanation.  :D  And I'll tell you the first way to make yourself mad - just think about something that bugs you.  It's really that simple...  Once it bugs you, if you start thinking about it - it'll make you mad eventually.  But it's what we do with that anger that determines what type of person we are.  ;)  Going about fixing things takes guts...  Yep, the things in your inmost body that are the difference between really caring or just wanting to help.  If you really care about something - you try with your whole brain/body to perfect it (sometimes this requires a lot of fixing up - sometimes it just takes a little tweaks).

And that goes right into what I was going to talk about - politics.  Yep!  You correctly guessed about 1 second ago that politics make me mad!!!!!!!!!  So...  How do you fix it?  I mean, a lot of us get really caught up in trying to change it and it pains us to the core to think about where we are headed, but why don't our political efforts change anything?  And how can we make society realize the need for a savior?


Here are my thoughts...  And this is what made me mad, and what I drew from my thoughts.


So.  The point arises, should we try and change the politics of our nation and take back the law?  Or should we try and change our society and culture and hope the politics will follow?

There are three things that I am going to try and talk about...  Politics, Culture, and Society.  I will define them in my own words so that you can figure out what I'm talking about when I say it (I know, I know, it's not the best idea to make your own definitions for things, but I'm sticking to what they really are - just in my own words to make it concise).  So...

Politics - The Laws.
Culture - The Things.
Society - The People.

The laws affect you, the things influence you, the people live with you.  


Bear with me as I try and follow the logical path of these three areas.  I'll assume, for the sake of the argument, that you'll be working to fix the other areas as well, but will be focusing on that one area.


Fix Politics:  The political system gets a total overhaul - young leaders come into power from the homeschool movement.  They shake things up and make Godlier laws than even the founding fathers had.  Good!  But...  There are still books out their that teach falsehoods and music that still defies God and art forms that degrade human beings (culture), and there are people who are made to live with these laws, but they really don't like them, they're just forced to follow them, and there are some who actively try to put them down (society).  In the end, once the lawmakers die off, and their children take their stead - well, their children were raised in the society and around the culture that their parents didn't care to fix (just regulate).  So they probably make good politicians, but even they start to lose a little ground...


Fix Culture:  Take over the arts!!!!!!!!  I mean, if people are only listening to Christian music all the time, and they never see a bad photograph - they'll grow up and change things for better, right?  Nope...  Those kids are still evil at heart.  There will be some rebels (granted) who will just go against anything that you try to change, but for the most part, these kids will still have terrible leaders in office, and they will just see that a certain group of people are just trying really hard to influence people in a certain area (and succeeding, perhaps).  But they won't have anything to do with it.  This will hardly fix any problem at all and won't last as long as even fixing our political woes.


(Now, just to be honest here, I'll lay out my bias on the table - you can debate it all you want, but it's what I believe, and what I say will follow my knowledge...  But.  I believe that "fixing" society is the right way to have an impact on our generation [and any generation] - so my analysis of what will happen is sorta biased, but tell me if I err in any of it!  ...I might not recant, but I am not so close-minded that I am not open to looking at what others have to say.  ;D)


Fix Society:  Fix the people!  Spend time developing relationships with the terrible people of the world, spend time with the unwanted, and spend time with your responsibilities (Fathers - that means your wives and children.  Pastors - that means your flock as well).  Let people see Christ in you.  Be a good example for others to see!  Those people who you lived your life for, they will change and come to Christ as He draws them to Himself.  He never says that your life will be wasted here on earth, so know that you weren't made just to save yourself - you're a lifeline for others!  God is the one ultimately tugging them in, but He uses us, the outcasts of the world, to reach them.  These people will get to know God and they'll teach their children if they truly believe.  And God blesses the people who love him and keep his commandments.  (You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. ~ Exodus 20:5,6).  See...  Jesus said to His disciples that "IF you love Me, you will follow my commandments" (John 14:15) - Because if you TRULY believe in Christ and love Him, then you will naturally want to do all in your power to follow Him and keep His commands...  And that means that you'll follow His commands for politics and culture.

Yes.  Take it in - if you change someone, they will WANT to do the right things.  You can force it on them all you want!  It doesn't matter, if their heart is not changed, then their hearts will still be in the same depraved place that they started out in, cursing God!

But seriously, we can change the place we live in, it just takes faith in a just God, perseverance against the Devil, Truth on your side, and setting an example.


I have been talking with a man who's not a Christian recently (through my work), and I just recently started to talk about theology, worldviews and politics with him, and it's sad to see where he's at right now - but I wish more Christians would see everything the way he sees it.  And I seriously mean that.  He told me that the reason he doesn't go to church (among multiple other reasons - which I agreed with him on all of them), is because the churchgoers live a different life on Sunday than they do the rest of the week.  Now tell me, if you (not personally, but we - the Church) want soooooooooooo desperately to get non-believers to come to church to listen to what you have to say, then tell me - were you being a good example for this man?  I don't think any of us can say that we live perfect lives, but you don't have to go to church on Sunday to be spiritual - it's living it out in front of everyone all the time!  It's taking the time to talk with these guys to help them, it's walking what you talk on Sundays, it's influencing the people around you that God has placed in your life to be a LIGHT to!  This man only saw a bunch of flickering candles and didn't want anything to do with something that's failing!


In conclusion, (and if you can't tell, this is something that I am really passionate about) - to change the "system", you have to change hearts - YOU can't change hearts, God does it, but He chooses us as His method to reach others.  You can't be used if you're trying to fix something else on your own, it's like proverbially trying to fix the symptoms but not the cause of the disease.  I think God uses us as examples for others.  We need to step up to the plate and allow the Holy Spirit to guide our actions day in and day out.  We'll fail on our own.  But with Him, all things are possible!  People can be changed.  You can be used.


Will you live a life full of yourself?  Don't live for politics, art, science, work, don't be a family man if all that means is that you don't have an impact on anyone else, but you do it for yourself.  Instead, deny all else and take up your cross daily!  Be a light to a dark world - raise up a family dedicated to being a force out there and keeping the fire aflame.  Be a child of God.


I seriously just wrote this post up as it came to me (which meant many interruptions, seeing as it's Christmas day here already), so after a long day, I have finally let all my steam out.  And I'm better now.  :)  I think I'll title the next post on how to make yourself happy.  ;)


I hope that if you've read this far, you either have some 1. Correction for me - whatever you disagree with me on, I'm open for discussion.  Or  2. Encouragement for me - because I truly do enjoy seeing that there are people out there who make my rants their rants.


:D


MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!!  :D  :D  :D


I hope you have a wonderful day!

~Jay

P.S.  In Ephesians after it tells us to put on the whole armor of God, it then says that we should pray for all the saints.  I'll be praying for you, and I would ask you to pray for me as well (especially as I try and be an example not only to the guy I know from work, but to everyone else as well).  :)


P.P.S.  Here's Psalm 112 for you.  You wish this to be you (if you're a man seeking to follow the Lord), but do you wish this to be others as well?  I hope that I'll meet many men who are like this because God used me to get to their hearts.  :)  And another note - doesn't it look a lot like this man has influence?  He's a GREAT example to others!


Praise the Lord!

How blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
Light arises in the darkness for the upright;
He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.
It is well with the man who is gracious and lends;
He will maintain his cause in judgment.
For he will never be shaken;
The righteous will be remembered forever.
He will not fear evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
His heart is upheld, he will not fear,
Until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.
He has given freely to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever;
His horn will be exalted in honor.
10 The wicked will see it and be vexed,
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked will perish.