No Such Thing As Soul Mates

"In the beginning of creation God made them male and female, and because of this, man has to leave father and mother and be joined to this wife, and the two shall become one body. So they are no longer two but one body. Therefore let no one separate what God has joined." - Mark 10:6-9

I really hate it when people use the term "soul mate." To me, it means that two people match each other perfectly, never argue, and are always considerate and caring with each other. Unfortunately, this doesn't exist. Real love is about unconditional love that accepts the ugly as openly as it accepts the good. Soul mates don't exist because human beings have to put real effort into relationships, giving of ourselves completely in order to forget about self and attend to the needs of another. Many marriages fail because people become consumed with being happy and being understood by their partner, when Christ taught us that happiness comes from serving and understanding the other. Jesus is the perfect example of this type of love. He never asked if we loved Him in return, He never asked us to pay Him more attention, He never asked us to change anything or to do more for Him, instead, He gave up everything to the point of death, putting Himself last and the needs of His beloved first. Jesus showed His love with blood, sweat, and tears, not with I love you's and butterflies in His stomach. He was killed and He still loves us, He was betrayed and He still loves us. He gives and gives and gives and recieves very little back, but He still loves us and isn't going anywhere.

My parents have been married for 28 years. What I've learned from them is that a real relationship is a lot of work; it doesn't come easy at all. They didn't teach me this with words, but I've seen them as they sacrifice themselves for the other, going that extra mile after a long day, and forgiving and accepting the other through disagreements. Sometimes things don't get resolved, but they remain dedicated to the other. I believe that in order to do this, we must have Jesus in our lives to learn from Him about choosing forgiveness and mercy over what's in it for ourselves, and in this way, we can move from a selfish love to an unconditional, life-long love.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You showed us what it really means to love, to deny what we want in order to serve the one we love. Give me strength in order to see that the purest happiness is to see the one we love happy. Allow me to follow Your example always. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Need Your Help

"The upright will ask Him: 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food; thirsty and give you drink, or a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to see you?' The King will answer, 'Truly, I say to you: whenever you did this to one of the least, of these my brothers, you did it to me'" - Matthew 25:37-40

For a while now there's been a ministry I've wanted to start and I would like you to help me. Jesus calls us to be light and salt of the world - light which shines and let's people see our faith and salt that preserves the faith of His people. This blog, these messages are light because God speaks through this and builds our faith, but we're missing the salt. When Jesus asks me if I fed His people, gave drink to His people, clothed them, welcomed them, I can't say that I have, but I want to. That's where you come in… please join me to become salt. I would like to start a community of people that join together to identify needs and work together to provide for those needs. For example, if one of us knows someone who needs some money and doesn't have the resources, we join together to help. If one of us knows someone who is going on an interview and can't afford a formal outfit, we join together to help. Or even if we know someone who is older and just needs some company, we join together to help.

Even if you're someone who doesn't particularly like to go to church or pray often, for being a part of something like this, God will immensely bless you and give you much more than what you will be giving away.

Please pray about this and get back to me so we can build this for the sake of others. Jesus will be asking you…

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, by Your grace You have given me so much. I am Your hands and Your feet, use me to do Your work for Your people. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Coins in the Treasury Box

"Jesus sat down opposite the Temple treasury and watched the people dropping money into the treasury box; and many rich people put in large offerings. But a poor widow also came and dropped in two small coins. Then Jesus called His disciples and said to them, 'Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those who gave offerings. For all of them gave from their plenty, but she gave from her poverty and put in everything she had, her very living.'" - Mark 12:41-44

To me, this story isn't just about tithing, it's about how much each of us gives back to God. A rich person could give a lot of money to the church, just like some of us can afford to go to church once a week, but when looking at interior motives, what are we really giving to God? Are we just living up to our obligations, or are we really giving because we believe and know the importance of spending time in worshiping the Living God? Those rich people giving offerings were keeping up the appearance but their dedication wasn't true, yet the widow was humble and gave so much of herself so that her few coins meant so much more to Jesus than what the rich men put in. So must be our prayer life and dedication to God. If all you can spare in a day are 15 minutes of free time and you give it to the Lord, you will be blessed…but if you spend 15 praying and the rest of the day watching tv, chatting online, or playing video games, then don't expect the same blessings from God. He knows your heart and when you truly want to look for Him, not when you're just doing what you need to do to get by. Remember that as individuals Jesus has said that we will each be measured by the same ruler by which we measure.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I'm sorry for the times I've short changed You when I could have given so much more. You deserve so much more from me, please help me grow in dedication to You. In Your Name we pray, amen.