In Debt to God (Vacation to Eternal Life)

I'm just going to start this off with a warning, this is what God has laid on my heart lately. This may not be what he is laying on your heart, but He's been pretty heavy on this with me.

It all started ready Crazy Love by Francis Chan, he made the argument, why is it that we're more willing to go into debt to go on a vacation, but not for God? All my college career I've said that I would give to God (financially) when I got out of debt, paid off student loans, my car, etc. I'm starting to see things differently now. If I don't instill good habits now, they may never happen. In the recent messages I've seen at Elevation Church, and talking to fellow Christians at work, I'm starting to see that it doesn't matter what a person makes, they never give enough. Not even the ten percent Tithe that they are supposed to.

So this is the series that events that happened to me: God started speaking to me, telling me "Trust Me, and I'll provide for you." I said back, "No, God, I'm just not ready yet." This continued for a couple weeks, until God showed me that I could trust him. And what it really boils down to is that if we can't trust God when we only have a little, how can He trust us to be given more? Well, He ended up putting me in a position, where I have no other choice but to trust Him. He has never failed me. I continue to fail him, but He continues to ensure that I have all I need, and sometimes more.

Now, back to the Vacation subject, Isn't heaven the ultimate destination? So consider this next time you stop tithing to save for a vacation, is it really worth giving up tithing for? You're talking about $300 tithe versus a $3,000 trip? So what, it takes you a couple more weeks to save up for it. Is it worth holding out on your Father to fulfill a selfish desire to go on vacation? Or maybe it's not absolutely necessary to go on that extravagant of a vacation. Growing up, most of the vacation spots my dad took my sister and I too weren't that far away, and we typically went camping. It's funny now, talking to my sister who says "Remember when we went to ______, I just drove by there, it's not even an hour away!"

My best friend made the argument, "But I really can't give financially right now, but I can give 10% or more of my time, and my gifts and talents." And it's really up to the relationship between you and God, and what God is asking of you.

My dad told me a pretty bad joke one time, but I can use it to emphasize my point right now:

Three men died in a car accident and met Jesus himself at the Pearly Gates. The Lord spoke unto them saying, "I will ask you each a simple question. If you tell the truth I will allow you into heaven, but if you lie....Hell is waiting for you.

To the first man the Lord asked, "How many times did you cheat on your wife?" The first man replied, "Lord, I was a good husband. I never cheated on my wife." The Lord replied, "Very good! Not only will I allow you in, but for being faithful to your wife I will give you a huge mansion and a limo for your transportation.

To the second man the Lord asked, "How many times did you cheat on your wife?" The second man replied, "Lord, I cheated on my wife twice." The Lord replied, "I will allow you to come in, but for your unfaithfulness, you will get a four- bedroom house and a BMW.

To the third man the Lord asked, "So, how many times did you cheat on your wife?" The third man replied, "Lord, I cheated on my wife about 8 times." The Lord replied, "I will allow you to come in, but for your unfaithfulness, you will get a one-room apartment, and a Yugo for your transportation.

A couple hours later the second and third men saw the first man crying his eyes out. "Why are you crying?" the two men asked. "You got the mansion and limo!" The first man replied, "I'm crying because I saw my wife a little while ago, and she was riding a skateboard!"

Thanks to http://www.ahajokes.com/hea05.html so I didn't have to type that up!

Point being: What if our experiences in Heaven are based on our goodness on Earth? I know that's not very biblical, but just something to think about. Are you really giving God all that you can? Are you truly serving God, or are you just a bench warmer in church on Sunday Mornings. I visited a church last week, and on the back of the exit sign, leaving the parking lot it said "Welcome to your mission field".

Welcome to your mission field. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Forgiveness for Sale

Lately, I've been contemplating forgiveness. I wondered is it something that should be freely given, or should it be given when requested. I received a few answers that cleared up some confusion.

First off, forgiveness is just as much for the forgiver as the forgivee. When someone truly wholeheartedly forgives another, it relieves the burden of any sort of grudge, anger, and harsh feelings. My favorite verse to describe this is Colossians 1:22 "Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault." NLT. When we truly, lovingly forgive someone, through God, within us, should see others this way. Not only are we giving the "Okay," and undeserved and unconditional love, but it as much helps the forgiver continue to grow and love.

Second, is forgiveness supposed to be earned? I know a lot of people who think respect needs to be earned, but does someone have to earn forgiveness. Does a petitioning forgivee have to correct their mistakes or compensate the forgiver to earn forgiveness. In my opinion, and what God has laid on me, is that the word is not "forearness", rather "forgiveness". Wikipedia defines forgiveness as "the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution." Thus, by definition, forgiving someone requires the exclusion of any requests of repayment or punishment. In other words, forgiveness is not earned. That is not to say that someone asking forgiveness should not be willing to compensate or pay a price, but it should an offering, not a request.

Third, for a while I thought, "Well, I don't have to forgive so-and-so, he never asked me to forgive him." I realized that forgiveness isn't something we pay forward. It is already there, before the event even happened. It just exists. It's kind of like love, there is no past tense of love, it either is or isn't. You either love someone forever, or you never did in the first place. Forgiveness is not kind of like love. Forgiveness is love. I heard a pastor once say that he was talking with someone about God, and the person said, I'm paraphrasing this "I know He'll forgive me for my sins in the past, but what about the sins that may happen in the future," and the pastor said "when Jesus died for your sins, none of them were in the past. Jesus paid the price for all our sins before they ever happened. They were all in the future." To be more like Christ, is it possible to have existing forgiveness, that it is already there before anything happens, and it exists in abundance. Matthew 18:22 tells us to forgive 70, 77, and 7 x 70 times, depending on which version you prefer to read. Regardless, it is abundant.

And just remember when you think you cannot forgive someone, through God, anything is possible. It may take time, patience, strength, and love, but God always provides.