KEEP STRONG

1Co 9:22   to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. NKJV 1 Corinitos 9:22     Cuando estoy con gente debil conciencia, me hago como ellos tambien con el proposito de que crean. En otras palabras, trato de acomodarme a todas las personas a fin de salvar algunas de la manera que sea posible.                   What's wild about this verse is when it says "ALL things to ALL men". That means doing things like not eating meat to those who would be stumbled by you eating meat and witnessing to them. It means not listening to certain music around those who would find offence to you listening to that kind of music. That’s a big one for me. It also means not saying certain words to those who would be offened by those words. Laying every right and freedom in Christ to share the gospel because the gospel will always have a higher priority to those who don't know than me list

Joh 12:26   If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. NKJV Juan 12:26    El que quiera servirme, debe seguirme; y donde yo este, alli tambien estara el que me sirve. Al que me sirva mi padre lo honara.                   One of the parts I really took notice to in this verse is the part that says "and where I am, there my servant will be also." This is convicting to me, Jesus isn't saying be my servant and go where you want. He's saying be my servant and FOLLOW ME. He could send me to the worst places that I would NEVER go to on my own, but I haven't been called to have a life of my own. My life has been placed into the hands of Jesus, it is no longer my own. This means that when Jesus goes to the place I REALLY don't want to, that is what I'm called to go to. A couple of places comes up off the top of my head. And it's funny because Potter'

Rom 15:1   We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. NLT Romanos 15:1   Los que estamos plenamente convencidos de lo que hacemos, en vez de hacer solo lo que queremos, debemos ayudar a quienes son debiles. NBD                   The word "must" is the greek word " ὀφείλω , ὀφειλέω " which is best translated "obligated". We have an obligation to be considerate to those who are weak and sensitive in the faith. If a new believer has struggled with something even as simple as wasting time on video games, so he is setting his life aside from that. It would be a terrible sin to talk about them and play games in front of him. In no way is that building him up nor being edifying as a brother to him. In the Spanish translation it says " debemos ayudar a quienes son debiles." Which uses the word "ayudar". This speaks a lot to me because we'

Rom 15:1   We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. NLT Romanos 15:1   Los que estamos plenamente convencidos de lo que hacemos, en vez de hacer solo lo que queremos, debemos ayudar a quienes son debiles. NBD                   The word "must" is the greek word " ὀφείλω , ὀφειλέω " which is best translated "obligated". We have an obligation to be considerate to those who are weak and sensitive in the faith. If a new believer has struggled with something even as simple as wasting time on video games, so he is setting his life aside from that. It would be a terrible sin to talk about them and play games in front of him. In no way is that building him up nor being edifying as a brother to him. In the Spanish translation it says " debemos ayudar a quienes son debiles." Which uses the word "ayudar". This speaks a lot to me because we'

Gal 5:13   For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. NLT Galatas 5:13   Les hablo asi, Hermanos, porque ustedes fueron llamados a ser libres. Pero no usen esa libertad para dar rienda suelta a su pasiones. Mas bien sirvanse unos a otros con amor. NBD                   To me, I have a value for freedom that most people I know don't have. I've grown up in a place where the people live, breath and die American freedom. And honestly I would die for that American freedom without hesitation. So when I look at what God calls me to do with my freedom in Him really stretches and challenges me. When I think of having freedom in Christ it gets me really excited. Because it means that Jesus died to give me this freedom to use and it not be sin. But God also says that my freedoms DON'T come before his calling and my freedoms

1Co 9:22   to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. NKJV 1 Corinitos 9:22     Cuando estoy con gente debil conciencia, me hago como ellos tambien con el proposito de que crean. En otras palabras, trato de acomodarme a todas las personas a fin de salvar algunas de la manera que sea posible.                   What's wild about this verse is when it says "ALL things to ALL men". That means doing things like not eating meat to those who would be stumbled by you eating meat and witnessing to them. It means not listening to certain music around those who would find offence to you listening to that kind of music. That’s a big one for me. It also means not saying certain words to those who would be offened by those words. Laying every right and freedom in Christ to share the gospel because the gospel will always have a higher priority to those who don't know than me list

Eph 5:21   submitting to one another in the fear of God. NKJV                   This is a perfect picture of what the church is supposed to look like. Having the each member of the body serving each other and submitting to one another is exactly how Christ lived and is the ideal lifestyle of those who serve Christ. As for me, I would say it’s even harder to submit to other members of the body rather than to God himself. I can say, "They are sinners too, why do I have to submit to them? Why can't I just do whatever I want and listen to God alone?" But I don't find anywhere in the bible where Jesus says, "Why do I have to serve these sinners? I'm not going to submit to those who won't submit to me." But as to me, I struggle to submit to those even in the body of Christ, where we have all in common. But Jesus submitted to those who he knew they would reject him and would even physically nail him on a cross and kill Him but Jesus still submi

1Ti 6:6   But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1Ti 6:7   For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 1Ti 6:8   And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.   KJV         What's interesting to me is the godliness isn't the contentment. We can be "godly" but that does not mean being content. I acted godly before I started following Christ. Putting on a mask at church and at home but the whole time I HATED God. Hated him a lot, but knew that if I straight said that I would get in a boat load of trouble and it would be really awkward at church… As followers of Christ we are called to be like God, which is godliness. But the text doesn't say that being godly is contentment, it says godliness AND contentment is great gain. What is contentment then? It's what David describes in psalms 23. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." That’s contentment. When we realize that God

Luk 3:14   "What should we do?" asked some soldiers. John replied, "Don't extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay." NLT                   John said this to the tax collectors. The tax collectors could basically ask for however much money they wanted because at the end of each day the Roman guards would ask how many people came by and they would ask for a specific amount per person, so the tax collector would just ask for a WHOLE LOT more than what is needed for the Romans. They would lie to the Romans about how many came by so they would take many times more than what they were supposed to be paid. So this must sting to the tax collectors to be told to be content. I've stolen a lot in my life. I would steal at almost every store I was ever in. and a lot of more things. It says a lot to me to be content with my pay. I'm tempted to steal every time I'm presented with the opportunity. It's really convicting

Heb 5:8   Even though Jesus was God's Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered. NLT                   Jesus learned? What does that mean? How does an all knowing God learn anything? Well, this verse just really hit me. Again I'm reminded that Jesus is 100% man. I'm reminded of the verse in Hebrews chapter 4.   Heb_4:15   For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.               This is where he learned obedience. Yes, there are examples of physical suffering that we can look to see where Jesus learned obedience. But I think of the millions of more examples of when Jesus would have been tempted but remained faithful and obedient. I can think of all the millions of times that I have failed when the time of temptation came and I fell into it. Yet after being tempted over and over again, Probably dealing with more temptation than any other man has ever go

Luk 21:19   Stand firm, and you will win life. NIV                   Standing firm… What does standing firm look like? I think looking to an example of someone standing firm would be the best way to picture in my mind what this verse mean. Jesus stood firm. He stood firm his entire life, Whilst living the most difficult life a man has ever lived. I look to Jesus' passion as the greatest moment that someone "stood firm" Just hours before Christ was arrested, He was put under EXTREME stress to the point that He was sweating blood. He stood firm and asked for God's will. It was for Jesus to die on the cross so Jesus obeyed even though the hardest task anyone has ever done on this earth. And in His standing firm, we can now say that we have life! Eternal life was won for us and now we live in the victory of Christ. We live in Jesus' standing firm. When I first read this verse I was so lost. I had no idea what I was going to write or what it even meant. Aft

Rev 1:9   I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God's Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. NLT           Whats crazy is that God calls us to have patient endurance WHEN we suffer. It's hard going through hard times, no duh. But whats EVEN harder is having patient endurance whilst we are going through those times. It means when the temptations are even stronger than before, I need to stay right by Jesus' side. It means that I'm even more prone to wander but that just means I have to depend more on God and never leave him. John went through an enormous amount of suffering according to church tradition, But he persevered. He had patient endurance in which Jesus called him to and because of that God wasn't done with John and kept him alive through all the persecution and now he's writing to us, after going

Col 1:11   Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; KJV                   I've been running with Julio and when I read this verse my mind went right to that example. The word "longsuffering" pops out to me. When I go 8 laps with Julio it is a LONG time of constant suffering. Longsuffering is constant enduring. When I run so long my body starts to run out of energy and results in eating the sugar and fats in my body in order to keep going. It's the same thing that happens spiritually. When we are going through any time it's going to need longsuffering. When I have long suffering spiritually God starts to take away the junk in my life as I ask him to. And If I don’t that I have more weight attached to me as I run. Making it even harder to suffer long. So when I'm persevering in the spirit, I'm being cleansed from the inside just like what happens physically when I run. But

1Ti 6:6   But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1Ti 6:7   For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 1Ti 6:8   And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.   KJV         What's interesting to me is the godliness isn't the contentment. We can be "godly" but that does not mean being content. I acted godly before I started following Christ. Putting on a mask at church and at home but the whole time I HATED God. Hated him a lot, but knew that if I straight said that I would get in a boat load of trouble and it would be really awkward at church… As followers of Christ we are called to be like God, which is godliness. But the text doesn't say that being godly is contentment, it says godliness AND contentment is great gain. What is contentment then? It's what David describes in psalms 23. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." That’s contentment. When we realize that God