Bad things happen. It's a simple fact of life. Things go wrong. This world we live in isn't perfect. But here's a quick question: why does God get the blame? After all, God created the world, and when He did it was perfect. Don't believe me? Read the first few chapters of Genesis. God saw that everything He created was good. God created a perfect world and then man, with free will, came along and messed everything up. That's right, folks. It's not God's fault that you suffer. Adam and Ever ate that fruit, introduced sin to the world, and Satan got free reign over the earth. So next time you're stumbling into the bathroom in the morning and you stub your toe, remember that pain only exists because YOUR ANCESTOR disobeyed God. That's right pain, suffering, death, chaos, sin, evil, perversity, and all those other generally nasty things exist only because Adam and Eve ate that stupid fruit.





Ha! Thought I was finished, didn't you? I've got another thing I'm wondering about. Why is it that when we suffer, we accuse God of abandoning us? Suffering is a part of life. SUCK IT UP!!! Look closely and you will realize that when you are suffering and crying out to God - that's when He's closest to you. Think about it from a human perspective for a moment. When a father sees his son suffering, does he abandon him? I don't think so. He doesn't always make the suffering go away, but he's there to encourage his son. He'll do what he can, morally and physically, to help his son. Now, I say morally because sometimes the son suffers due to his own stupid mistake. In this case, just up and fixing the problem is bad parenting. The son needs to learn how to fix his own mistakes so he won't make the same ones repeatedly. The father may, however give the son advice and hope he follows it. God is the same way with us. He won't always just fix your problems for you - you can't grow that way. He has given you an entire book full of advice, and is always right next to you to comfort, strengthen, advise, and love you as much as you will let Him.


Hang loose,
Moses

So, here's an interesting question: why do you follow Christ? Have you ever thought about it before? I would venture to say that if you haven't wrestled with this question, you're still a baby. This kind of wrestling with God is required for maturity in Christ. How can you grow without struggling? Isn't there always some kind of pain involved in growth? If you aren't questioning your faith, how much faith do you have? I challenge you to ask yourself one simple question: "Why?" Struggle with it. Wrestle with God. And, for the sake of Christ, THINK! You're not being a "bad Christian" by asking questions. Jesus wants you to think. How are you going to be ready to tell others why THEY should believe when you don't know why YOU believe? Work out your faith with fear and trembling. Let yourself be tried by fire. It's going to hurt, I won't lie. I can't imaging what it must have been like for Jacob when the Angel of the Lord pulled his hip out of socket. But what did Jacob do? He grit his teeth, fought through the pain and won the match. His name was changed and he went from being "that kid who stole his big brother's birthright" to the forefather of God's chosen people. He knew he had destiny and refused to be denied what was his. Be willing to fight God for your destiny. Don't settle for being a sheep when you have the potential to be a shepherd. Remember this: After wrestling with God, Israel limped for the rest of his life. If you accept my challenge - if you wrestle with God - you will NEVER be the same.

Hang Loose,

Moses

Attention all Christians!!!
Stop following Christianity! That's right, you saw it correctly. I'll even repeat it - stop following Christianity; stop taking your Pastor's interpretation of the Bible as truth*, stop striving for Heaven through your good works, stop pretending to be "just fine" because you're a Christian. Instead of following Christianity (a religion), try following Christ. Not sure how you go about that? Well, there's this book that tells you how. It's really great, it's been published all over the world in tons of languages. It's called the Bible. As you read it, you learn more about how to follow Christ. Also, in the first four books of the New Testament (commonly, the books are referred to as gospels), you'll find out that Jesus pretty much despised religion. The only people He ever publicly yelled at were religious leaders. Not once did Jesus call people to follow Judaism. He called them to "follow me". Therefore, I issue this challenge: stop following Christianity and pursue Christ with everything you have. He is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." He's the only way to Heaven. Love Him, let Him love you, and let Him love through you. When you do this, you'll suddenly understand the real reason for doing good and avoiding bad. It's not for fear of Hell (at least, it shouldn't be), it's because we love Jesus and want to please Him.

Don't fall into religion when you can have a relationship with the living breathing God of the universe. Religion is Man's feeble attempt to reach out and touch God. Newsflash: God has already reached down and touched man through Jesus. Psalm 46:10 says "Cease striving and know that I am God." (NASB) I translate that to "let go and let God." When you strive you're getting in God's way. Just stop working, start loving, and let God love through you. Instead of being a Christian be a Christ-follower.

*When I said "stop taking your pastor's interpretation of the Bible as truth" what I meant is that you should examine what they say for yourself. Take notes when they preach, and check them against what the Bible says. If something doesn't add up, ask them about it. God doesn't want robots. He gave us brains and free-will. USE THEM!!!

Hang Loose,
Moses