Is the glass half full or half empty?

The other day after class (I go to Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and students there are pretty nice people usually), I was sitting under tree to keep out of the sun, which has been exceptionally hot as of lately, and this other student walked by. This student was probably 15 or 16, putting him in the early college program and he had a backpack full of books -- mind you it was about 92 degrees out.

Being in the South, many people ask a person under a tree, "Are you staying out of the heat?", just as this guy did. I replied, "Trying to, but it's hot out here.", to which he said. He quuckly respond with, "It depends on how you look at it." He smiled and continued walking by me.

That might just sound like a normal example of a friendly conversation, but there is a lot of wisdom in this guy's final comment. His comment reminded me that I wasn't being the optimist that I am; this guy had every right, according to most people, to complain and he didn't. 

As I mentioned, I'm an optimist and I have always been one. I don't know how I became an optimist originally, but now I'm optimistic because I know where I'm going after this life. The reason I know this is by knowing who I worship and the promises He has made and kept.

Below are some examples of the promises I'm talking about.

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17)

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:5)

“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’” (Exodus 6:6-8)

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23)

These verses remind me to stay optimistic and not to complain. Complaining never solves anything anyway, not even if it seems like it should. I like what Tony Dungy said about complaining: "When you're in a situation, you can complain about it, you can feel sorry for yourself, you can do a lot of things. But how are you gonna make the situation better?" So, when you (I'm talking to myself too) feel like complaining remember the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for you.

Christian Persecution

Christians have been persecuted in various ways since Jesus was crucified. I would like to bring awareness to Christian persecution today, as it is still around. Many countries have violent persecution towards Christians. Christians in America may face persecution, but it is usually non-violent persecution, thankfully.

According to http://www.worldwatchlist.us/, 50 countries worldwide persecute people if they are Christian. Now, 50 countries might not sound like many, but there are 196 countries in the world. North Korea is ranked number one on the World Watch List 2014; there are about 50,000-70,000 Christians in labor camps in N. Korea. 

"Religion is viewed as a means of foreign encroachment, and it is believed that it would inflict harm on North Korea's social disciplines. Consequently, in its social stratification system called Songbun, all Christians are classified as 'hostile' and even considered to be a separate 'subclass'. Christians whose faith is discovered are sent to political labour camps from which release is not possible." (from http://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/worldwatch/north_korea.php)

The only thing, aside from God, that prevents persecution on the same level as North Korea in America is the U.S. Constitution, specifically the First Amendment: 

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. "(http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html)

One could argue that there have been infringements on the First Amendment, nonetheless, we still have it. We take that amendment for granted many times, because there have been a few generations since the early Americans who had to fight for our religious rights. We should never take any rights for granted so we can preserve them for us and our future generations. Never forget, Edmund Burke's famous quote:

 "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." 

Many people ask: Why would someone suffer persecution for God? I look to the Bible for my answer:

"For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit."  1 Peter 3:17-19 

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me." John 15:18-21

"So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God." 2 Timothy 1:8

As these verses explain: Christians are persecuted because Christ was persecuted, not because of anything we did, except deciding to follow Jesus; and nothing can separate a Christian from God, not even death. In Jesus Christ's last hours (after he was nailed to the cross) he said:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 22:34

Just as Jesus forgave and asked God to forgive those who persecuted him, so should we (as Christians) forgive and ask God to forgive those who persecute us. As I stated earlier, Christians are only persecuted because of our King. Those who persecute Christians now are like Jesus' persecutors, they ultimately do not know what they are doing. 

Remember the Christians who are suffering internationally for Christ and pray for God to give them strength to persevere in the face of adversity. If you would like to learn more about persecution, here are some good websites: 
http://www.persecution.com/ (Voice of the Martyrs), https://www.opendoorsusa.org/persecution/, and http://www.persecution.org/ (International Christian Concern).

Humility

Let me start this post by saying, I appreciate all the compliments I have been receiving on my writing from my readers, but I must humbly give all credit to God. God gives all good things, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17) I do have to work continually to improve my writing, however, but it is God who provides me with the perseverance to do so. I am thankful for everyone's support, so I'm not writing this to downplay the compliments given to me. 

In light of the previous paragraph, this week's topic is humility. I like C.S. Lewis' definition of humility, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." Charles Spurgeon also had a good view of humility, "None are more unjust in their judgments of others than those who have a high opinion of themselves." Matthew 7:1-5 says, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 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."

Everyone has trouble with humility, it's so easy to become prideful and conceited because no human is perfect. Just because everyone has trouble with humility does not excuse it, nonetheless. Philippians 2:3-4 instructs us to be humble: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." We are instructed to put others before ourselves just as Christ displayed on the cross; He put every single one of us before Himself when He gave His life as reconciliation for our sins, the ultimate act of love and humility.

God rewards those individuals who emulate the humility of His son, Luke 14:11 says: "For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." That verse is also a warning for those who exalt themselves; God may allow arrogance temporarily, but those individuals will be humbled at some point. It is easier to swallow your pride quickly before it gets out of hand, just as Barney Fife always said, "Andy, you gotta nip it, nip it the bud!" 

If you humble yourself, then God will reward you either in this life or in the next life (you should not act humble just to get rewards though). 1 Peter 5:6 reiterates this idea, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." Humility also yields wisdom, Proverbs 11:2: "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." I've witnessed firsthand how wisdom comes from humility.

The example in my previous post on worry could also apply to this post, but I will supply you with another. By fourth grade, I began to have difficulty completing many physical tasks, I was almost confined to a wheelchair at that point. I originally had difficulty asking for help, the source some of that difficulty was me getting used to having help with everyday tasks, but the main source of that difficulty was pride. I realized over time that my pride was ridiculous as I had to have assistance to complete many tasks that required physical movement, it wasn't optional. 

I finally realized that needing help wasn't anything to be prideful about, every single person needs help with something in their life. It is foolish to think otherwise just as Proverbs 12:15 explains, "The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice." It is good when you finally come to grips with the fact that you don't know everything and you can't do everything by yourself, it is wise to listen to advice and ask for help when it's needed. Most humbling of all was when God led me to see that I needed a savior, that savior is Jesus Christ. 

Ephesians 2:1-10 is a great passage to explain the need for a savior, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared in advance for us to do." 

John 3:14-18 concurs with Ephesians, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." Many people think that it is a imprisoning thought to need a savior, but it is quite humbling and freeing to need a savior.

I know I used a couple larger passages than normal, but I felt that God was pushing me share the source of my hope. "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).