Since When Did I Become God?

Why is it that it's so much easier to point the finger at someone else other than myself?

Why is it so much easier to blame someone else for their wrongdoing than it is to see myself for what I've done wrong?

Why is it so much more evident to see the faults and shortcomings of someone else than it is to see my own?

Since when did I turn into God- where I judge the other for his faults, wrongdoings and shortcomings yet without even being aware of this huge plank within my own eye as I try to pluck that speck out of my brothers. I can probably be labeled as the biggest hypocrite alive. All those complaints and bad-mouthing you've heard from non-christians about how Christians are the biggest hypocrites judging the most, you bet that I fit right into that slot of judgmental, Pharisaical, hypocrite of a Christian- being more conscious of cleaning the outside of the cup when the inside of the cup needs the most cleaning.

From where and since when did I start riding up my high horse and start putting on my "I'm so righteous and holy" gear that has somehow morphed me as blameless? When I'm obviously so unbelievably so far from. I'm just as wretched as the next sinner in God's eyes. And I'm just as poor and needy as the next beggar, in desperate need of a Messiah. A Savior. A Lord. A perfect, sinless Christ, to save me from my sin. I need Jesus today and every single day as if it's the first time I've encountered him. In lyrical terms, I can equate today in this, "In the economy of mercy, I am a poor and begging man.." -Switchfoot.

"You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7:5

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean." Matthew 23:25, 26

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” John 1:29-31

-Live Productively

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another”

John 13: 34, 35

In You

In You

I find my rest

In You

I find my death

In You

I find my all and my emptiness

Somehow it all makes sense

‎"Only when you know yourself as unconditionally loved-

that is, fully received by God,

can you give gratuitously.

Giving without wanting anything in return

is trusting that all your needs

will be provided for by the One

who loves you unconditionally."

-Henri Nouwen

-Live Productively

A spiritual discipline is necessary in order to move slowly

from an absurd to an obedient life,

from a life filled with noisy worries

to a life in which there is some free inner space

where we can listen to our God

and follow his guidance.

- Henri Nouwen

A Wise & Valuable Lesson

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

²³ “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. ²⁵ Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

²⁶ “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

²⁸ “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

²⁹ “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

³⁰ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹ When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

³² “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

³⁵ “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

“Finally, all of you,

live in harmony with one another;

be sympathetic,

love as brothers,

be compassionate and humble”

I Peter 3: 8

People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. A soul mates purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so out of control that you have to transform your life…

-Elizabeth Gilbert

The hardest part about growing up is letting go with what you have been accustomed to and moving on with something that you haven’t experienced yet.

I can definitely relate.

-Live Productively

You can be happy tomorrow. You can be happy when you get through your list of things to do. You can be happy when you meet the one. You can be happy when you get the right job. You can be happy when you get that raise. You can be happy when you stop buying the things you need and start buying the things you want. You can be happy when you retire. You can be happy when the weather suits you. You can be happy on a plane. You can be happy in the rain. Or you can stop reading this, take a deep breath, and be happy right now.

haha, word! :)

-Live Productively

"There is an inner beauty about a woman who believes in herself, who knows she is capable of anything that she puts her mind to. There is a beauty in the strength and determination of a woman who follows her own path, who is not thrown off by obstacles along the way. There is a beauty about a woman whose confidence comes from experiences. Who knows she can fall, pick herself up, and move on."

..for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.
-Proverbs 24:16

-Live Productively

must put into practice more, WAY more

People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.
Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and Him.

It was never between you and them anyway.

--Mother Teresa

Retaliation

This reminds me of the old story—supposedly true—about some soldiers who were living off base during the Korean War. They hired a local houseboy to do cooking and cleaning and other odd jobs for them, but they also took delight in playing tricks on him—just for meanness.

One morning when the boy got up and put on his slippers, he awkwardly fell forward to the ground—his shoes had been nailed to the floor. One night when he crawled into bed, he found shaving cream under his pillow. But no matter what pranks the soldiers pulled—whether short-sheeting his bed or setting buckets of water over his door—he always appeared to respond without much visible anger. "That's okay," he would say.

Finally, the young men realized they'd been inhumane in their treatment of the boy. They went to him and apologized. "We're sorry for what we've been doing to you. It won't happen again."

"You no more nail shoes to the floor?" No.

"You no more short-sheet bed? No more shave cream under pillow?" That's right.

A little smile crept across the boy's lips. Then he said,

"Okay. Then me no more spit in soup."

Not returning evil for evil

or insult for insult,

but giving a blessing instead;

for you were called for the very purpose

that you might inherit a blessing.

1 PETER 3:9

-Live Productively