A little update for you on what God doing in my life. Walking the Christian path can be a very unclear walk at times but I can truly say it’s worth every step. When I came back from my tour in Iraq I was lost. I did not know if I was coming or going in life. I actually forgot all the basics that I learned about living as a Christian. I remember telling myself if God knows me as good as He says he does, then why did he send me so far away and allow me to witness all that pain and loss that I had to go through. People can say that God was in control and that he will not allow things to happen that I couldn’t handle and that I should be glad that I came home because He kept me safe. All this is true however when I was going through it I can honestly say that I lost my faith. I remember that all that ran through my head was that God had set me up to fail. Now, being here in Revolution Hawaii I have come to realize that God needed to wake me up. I was too complacent and ignorant. I had everything right in front of me and I didn’t take advantage of it. I even had a relative taking the time to teach me what I needed to know about God, but all I could think of was I wanted to go and play or even party. I had friends in school and co-workers offering to take me to their church to get introduced to God’s love, but I denied every offer. When I graduated from Basic Training I was led to the Salvation Army and had the chance to build that strong unshaken relationship with God that I need through discipleship, Bible reading, and helping around the church, but I didn’t take things seriously and slacked off. See, I have no excuses; I had all the opportunities. God was trying to speak to me, teach me, and train me right but I was being stubborn (must be the Irvine in me). So God took extreme action and sent me away in order to show me some TOUGH LOVE (A Christian Style basic training). I not only learned about God’s tough love I also learned the meaning of the Bible verse that my best friend wanted me to memorize and hide in my heart. You can find it in the book of James verses 2-5 which says, 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. This shows how important it is to memorize God’s word. If I had realized this before, I would have had a better time dealing with the whole Iraq experience. However I like to say its better to learn it now than not to learn it at all.
Which lead me to the next point on how God is moving in my life. One thing we do here in Revolution Hawaii is memorizing chapters in the Bible. The first chapter we had to memorize talked about love. When I heard this I felt really convicted because all I could think of is, “How am I supposed to do this?” I really didn’t want to reflect on love at that moment because I lost what I consider my love in an incident in Iraq. Even though it was over a year ago I felt it was too early to think about love. Then I remembered what happened to me when I didn’t do what God wanted me to do the first time. I just manned up and did it (I didn’t want to go through another of the Lord’s tough love lessons). To my surprise the chapter had a lot of great lessons in it. The writer shows what love really is. It is easy to see that people often misuse it, including me. You can find it in 1st Corinthians Chapter 13th that says, 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. By memorizing this chapter I figured out what I had to work on and what I missed all these years. Verse 3(If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing) helps me out when I go out to do our Saturday Service Program in China Town. Verses 4 and 5 tell me that I need to be PATIENT and KIND. I can’t be PROUD, RUDE or SELF-SEEKING. I can’t ENVY or BOAST. But what really hit home for me when I read this and what I need to really work on is the part that said that I can’t be EASILY ANGERED and I have to KEEP NO RECORD OF WRONG. Which makes sense because how can I say that I love someone if I always get mad and always hold on to what they did to me or if I am not kind or patient. I also remember how God’s love never fails. God Is Good All The Time!!!
