Adopted Orphans

Ever heard of Mephibosheth? This guy didn't have it so good. For starters, both of his feet were crippled. His babysitter tried to save him from being killed when he was a kid, but dropped him in her haste, crippling him for life.


You see, he was the grandson of Saul, a disgraced and dethroned king, whom God rejected. Some overzealous followers of the new ruler, King David, thought they were doing the king a favor by killing Mephibosheth's uncle, causing all of Saul's relatives to panic.


And then, as if that isn't enough, after Mephibosheth grows up, King David suddenly and mysteriously orders him to appear before him. Doesn't sound like his life is going so well...


By the looks of things, Mephibosheth was already disgraced (because of his grandfather) and destitute (because he was lame), and now he seems to be doomed (because of the royal summons). But that was before he met the king.


What Mephibosheth didn't know, is that King David was actually best friends with Mephibosheth's father, Jonathan, son of the de-throned King Saul. Unfortunately, Jonathan had died in battle along with his father years ago, leaving Mephibosheth an orphan. But, before he died, he and David made a covenant that they wouldn't ever harm the other's descendants.


So, after David became king, he wanted to show kindness to Saul's family for Jonathan's sake. And Mephibosheth was the perfect candidate for a huge surprise.


David sent for the Mephibosheth. When he arrived, the scared man fell on his face before the king. Then, to Mephibosheth's amazement, David told him that all of the land that belonged to Saul (his grandfather) would be restored to him, and he would always eat at the king's table (an honor reserved for the king's sons).


It's almost like King David adopted Mephibosheth as his own son -- he certainly was treated like royalty. Despite Mephibosheth's disability, despite the fact that most people would view him as a pathetic outcast, the king suddenly changed his future and transformed his life.


Aren't each of us a little bit like Mephibosheth? Spiritually, we are disgraced (born as sinners serving Satan), destitute (incapable of saving ourselves from the mess we're in), and doomed (on our way to spend eternity in hell because we can't stand before a holy God). But remember, "when the King comes everything changes."


God came down to live among us and traded places with us, dying for our sins. Now He offers to transform our lives and forever change our eternal future. We just have to believe in Jesus and accept the free gift.


Does it make sense? No. We don't deserve it. We're pathetic, helpless, and incapable of doing anything good in and of ourselves. But don't question the King. It was His choice. Just don't throw away His selfless offer. He wants to adopt you as His own child. You don't need to be on your own any more.




"God looked through all the 'orphanage' and He choose me--the one orphan who was least deserving."


JPK

The Holy Spirit

Ephesians 5:18-20 (ESV)

^"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"


The Holy Spirit is God's own Spirit sent to help Christians in their walk with God.


Think about the ramifications of the above passage. We are to be so completely filled with God's Spirit that it controls us, almost like alcohol can influence a person's whole personalty. The difference is, the Holy Spirit has only positive influence on your life. And the more filled you are with God's Spirit, the better equipped you are to serve Him and witness to others.


The awesome thing is, "When the Holy Spirit fills you, it begins to spill out." What better way to have the power of God in your life?


So, how can you be filled with the Spirit? Well, at the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside you. Why then do so many Christians seem to not be filled very full?


The problem is, even as Christians, we can shut out the Spirit's influence over our lives. In essence, we're blocking His rightful control, keeping it for ourselves instead. It's like we take back these sections of our heart, cramping the Holy Spirit, until there's only a tiny little area where the He still has control and free reign.

Your heart fully surrendered to the Spirit's control

Your heart when you've taken back control

You can't afford to shut out this helper given to us by the Father Himself! Don't be fooled into thinking you can handle everything that comes your way. I need God soo very much. And so do you.

JPK

Plans

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

God has a plan for the life of every person on the earth. He knows what our future holds. But "if God told us the future, we wouldn't go." Let's face it, some of the things God has us go through in this life are just plain hard. We would freak out and be too scared to keep on living our lives if we knew what was coming next. 


So often we make plans that aren't in line with God's plans. We think we know what's best. But then it all comes crashing down and we realize that we don't have it all figured out. We get scared at our helplessness. But we're not alone.


Honestly, I'm at a place where I'm unsure what to do. I had different plans and dreams, and, so far, none of them are working out. Life Action didn't happen. There's other stuff I've tried that just haven't panned out yet. I'm not sure what I "should" do with my life. I don't know what to pursue right now.


But maybe that's ok. Maybe God wants me to be where I am right now so I'll be open to His perfect plan. In the meantime, giving up on trying will get me nowhere. I know I need to keep trying doors and looking for opportunities. I can't expect that God will just drop something in my lap -- even though He is totally capable of doing that!

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Do you trust Him with all your heart? Do I?

"We can't be trusted, but God can."  If anything good is to come out of our lives, it will be all God. We can't do good in and of ourselves. It's impossible. But with God, all things are possible. Trust Him to work everything out for good.

Romans 8:28 (ESV) "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

JPK

P.S. Don't forget to keep the people of Aurora Colorado in your prayers.

No worries

You know what I've noticed? A blog's pageviews happen to have a rapid decline when posts stop being written! How interesting...


So, I'm here to tell you that I am still alive and well. I've just been traveling recently and didn't have much time or opportunity to blog.

Me in the Dunker Church at Antietam National Battlefield

See, I'm still around... You couldn't get rid of me even if you wanted to. :P ...Wow! I really haven't blogged in half of forever. July 9th was over a week ago. But maybe nobody even noticed...


You may have noticed by now that I don't have anything particularly amazing to say, which is kind-of true. Maybe I'll get some more inspiration tomorrow. But, for now, let me just say... Ice cream. Is. Delicious. Period. ...Ummm... Where did that one come from? I don't know. Don't ask. I guess because I had a lot of ice cream recently. Like, for supper once. But, no worries... There were some pretzels too... :) Plus, a lot of it was homemade, so it actually was pretty good for me. As if I worry too much about that...


One more thing I learned... or re-learned on my trip. Subways are very cool. Go ride on one. They're fun. Just don't get stuck in the doors... ;P


Well, I guess that's about it for now except for one question... Was anybody worried when I disappeared?


...silence... Uh-huh. Figures.


JPK

Something More

Something More - Nick Vujicic

What are you living for? Life is so empty when you're living for yourself and your own pleasure. Do you ever feel like there's got to be something more to this life that you've missed? Do you want to waste your life constantly chasing after things that won't count?


It's not like God expects us to live boring lives with no fun. It's not like we can never do anything that would be considered "unspiritual." But are you living for yourself or for others? Do you live for this life or for eternity?  Is God the One Who you are existing to please or has some impostor taken over the throne of your life? Do you truly have a desire to please your Creator or do you not really care?


Nick is a guy that has a "right" to be bitter if anyone does. He could just stay at home and mope around, feeling sorry for himself. Instead, he's living life to the fullest, doing stuff like scuba diving and surfing that I've never even tried. And more importantly, he's sharing a message of hope to the world.


I may post some of Nick Vujicic's messages later on, but, if you're interested, you can always check him out on youtube.


"If you don't get a miracle... become one."


JPK

Freedom

Stories of Freedom

Never take your freedom for granted. Countless men and women have died to make America what it is today. Let's remember and honor them, and then celebrate what God has so generously given to us.




And if you get the chance, go see some fireworks. Because they are fun. ;)

Can anybody tell that I kind-of like fireworks? :) I took those pics btw...


JPK

Awesome God

I Stand in Awe of You

We often take God for granted. We aren't awed by Who He is. We only ask for His help and thank Him when we realize how sunk we'd be without Him. We don't take the time to stop and think how amazing He really is.


He breathed out the stars. He created life. Made us in His image. Designed an incredible world for us to live in. Gave us everything. ...Then, when we rebelled, He didn't give up on us; He gave up His Son for us. He can't be explained, comprehended, or described. He is so far beyond and above us. And He can't be praised enough.


Take some time today to praise God just for Who He is. Because He is awesome!




JPK