Politics

I woke up this morning so mad that I could not go back to sleep even though I was very tired.  I was mad because of politics.  Yesterday I got to see a lot in people, in my government class and otherwise.  This made me look back at what I have been reading in my Bible.  God has revealed so much to me this year.  Right now I am reading in Leviticus, and I have already learned so much just from the first few chapters.  Some people may say my beliefs politically are harsh or close-minded, but I am basing my beliefs off of the Bible.  God has taught me many of these things this year.  I know why I believe what I believe.  It means so much to me knowing that.

I would probably say that my general view of the American public today is that they have fallen away from God and the Bible.  Yet still, so many Americans including our current president, Barack Obama, claim to be Christians.  I do not know how people can say they are Christians, which means "Christlike," and believe what they believe, do what they do, and say what they say.  I am not saying at all that I am perfect, or perfectly like Christ.  I am so far from being perfect, but I do think you can tell the difference between someone who actually follows Christ and someone who just says they do.  I absolutely hate it when I mess up, and I know that I mess up daily, but I still do my best to at least believe what I know is right in God's eyes.  So if people ask me why I believe what I believe, it is because the Bible.  I hope that God will give me the courage and words to talk to people and explain this to people.  I also hope that I will continue to learn, and God will continue to teach me my beliefs and why I believe them.

My last thing to say in this post is a challenge for everyone who reads this.  I challenge you to figure out why you believe what you believe.  Not only in politics, but in all things.  And to people who consider themselves Christians: I challenge you to look at what you believe and see what the Bible says about that.  If we are to live like Christ, we should believe what He believes, too.  Does God decide what is right or does society?  For me, I will let God determine what is right in my life.

You Are Worth The Wait

This weekend my church youth group is having Disciple Now, otherwise known as DNow, which is a camp-like event held over a weekend.  All the students are separated by grade, and we have Bible studies with our group over a specific theme.  This year's theme is "True Love Waits."  "True Love Waits" is a study written by Dr. Richard Ross about having a life of purity.  In this study he stresses the importance of sexual purity, hence the name "True Love Waits."  He is referring to waiting for marriage to have sex.  I have grown up in the church, and I have and always will believe that God wants all people to abstain from sex until marriage.  When I get married one day, I will be the happiest man in the world if I can tell my wife she is the first person I will have sex with and she can say the same to me.  God made sex a good thing, and man corrupted it.  It was made for reproduction so we could inhabit the Earth like God told us to.

Like I said, I have believed this my whole life; I have believed in the promise to stay sexually pure.  This promise was a promise to myself, my future spouse, and most importantly to God, so I had to be reminded daily.  My older brother had gone to a "purity" event when he was in our church's youth group kind of like the "True Love Waits" study, and he had gotten a purity ring.  A purity ring is a ring you wear on your wedding ring finger, and when you get married, you give the ring to your spouse.  It represents your promise to them, and that you have kept that promise for them.  Giving them the ring symbolizes giving them your purity when you're married.  My sophomore year I decided to get a purity ring to remind me.  The ring I ended up buying was online, and it says purity all around it.  One of my favorite things about it though, is what is on the inside of the band.  It is the biggest reminder to stay pure.  Written is, "You are worth the wait."  Every time I see that phrase, I am reminded that my future spouse is worth waiting for.

I also went through a study with some of my close friends called "Every Young Man's Battle" that year.  I cannot wait for this weekend now; to go through a study on purity.  Our church's pastor is leading my group.  I hope to enjoy this weekend, and then after, I plan to lead a study with "Every Young Man's Battle" myself with some guys in my youth group.  God works in great ways, and I know in the near future some great things will be happening!

Instruction and Knowledge

I named my blog "he who loves instruction, loves knowledge" on Christmas day this past year.  I was sitting in the living trying to come up with a name when I thought about my favorite Bible verse.  Proverbs 12:1 says, "A man who loves instruction, loves knowledge.  But a man who hates correction is stupid."  That is not only my favorite verse but also one of my life verses.  Many times in my life I have thought I had all the answers.  I don't know why I would think that, but everyone has weaknesses.  Thinking I know what's going on is one of my weaknesses.  I first read this verse my sophomore year of high school.  I was reading through the book of proverbs, and one day I came across this verse.  As soon as I read it, I heard God speaking to me.  I knew I had made a mistake, and this mistake could be a big problem in my present and future life if I didn't fix or try to fix it.  Since then I've tried my best to always look to God to know where I'm going and what's going to happen. I have to love instruction from God, and I have to love the corrections He gives me.  I do not know what is going to happen tonight, tomorrow, next week, or even ten years from now, but God does and He will take me there if I follow.  That is one of my biggest goals in my life.  To listen to, accept, and follow God's instruction and corrections in my life.