All things

Romans 8:28 says, 

 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, 

to those who are the called according to His purpose."

That's a promise.

But, we all face situations in life where we think, "Surely, this can NOT be good!"

Well, that may be true. But read the verse again - slowly. Does is promise that every single thing that happens will be good? No, it says that everything will work together for good. What's the difference?

Let me explain. 

Suppose you came to my house around supper time one evening, completely famished. "Christy, I am starving, can I have something to eat?" you say. 

I reply, "Sure! I'll get you a cup of flour." 

"Umm... eww?! That doesn't sound very good."

"No? How about a teaspoon of salt - that has more flavor."

"No, that wouldn't be any better?"

"What about some baking soda? That will really wake you up!"

*Blank stare*

"Oh, and then we'll wash it down with a big cup of Crisco oil... mmm. Finally, you can drink some buttermilk."

"Christy, all those things sound absolutely disgusting! Why in the world would anyone want to eat them?!"

"Well, how about if we mix them all together and make biscuits?"

"Ohhhh...."

You see, when you look at your life, you may see a bunch of bland-tasting flour, sickening oil, and bitter baking soda. You may wonder, how is God going to use all this for good? But God has the recipe; you don't. Lately I've been challenged to just trust that He's going to use every single thing to make something amazing out of my life. Even when I can't see, by faith I will believe that all things work together for good to those who love God.

Lessons from LOTR

Hey! I haven't posted in a while because there hasn't been much to tell about. We have mostly done lots of chores for the past week.

Two nights ago I watched "Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring", and last night I watched "Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers". I absolutely LOVE the LOTR movies. I also gained a lot spiritually from it. Tolkien (The writer of the LOTR books) didn't intend for it to be allegorical, but I found it to be in some ways. Some of the things that really struck me are:
-The hearts of men are so easily corrupted and deceived.
-Frodo has to carry the ring, which is evil, with him, even though he doesn't want to. In the same way, we have the burden of a sin nature that we have to take with us, even though we don't want it.
-Frodo never HAS to put on the ring, but he does several times when he wants the easy way out of situations. If we have been saved by Jesus Christ, we never HAVE to sin, but we do so many times when we are tempted.
-Then there's Gollum: he started out as a normal, hobbit-like creature, but he allowed the ring, and what seemed like pleasure, to poison his mind. He became a hideous, worthless, disgusting creature. Likewise, as Christians, we don't have to be hideous creatures, but if let we the temporary pleasures of sin poison our minds, we will be.
-Gollum meets Frodo, and realizes that he doesn't have to be Gollum. He can be Smeagol, which is who he would be if he wasn't under the control of the ring. He realizes that he doesn't have to be a slave to its power. He wrestles with this for some time. He is torn between his addiction to the ring, and his desire to be free. By the end of the series, he has completely given himself over to the ring's power, and his greed for the ring brings him to his death. We also don't have to be ugly creatures. We don't have to give ourselves over to sin. If we are born again believers in Jesus Christ, we have the power to fight the temptation to sin. We can be made new in Christ. We DO have sin natures with us though, and if we don't continue to wrestle against them, we will give in. Sin has the power to tempt us still, and if we don't fight it, we'll give in, and sin always leads to ruin.
-Gollum struggles constantly with his own self. One side of him tells him that he NEEDS the ring, and that Frodo, who helps him and understands him, is a thief, while his other side tells him the truth. We, as Christians, often struggle with listening to lies that Satan puts in our minds, instead of the Truth from Christ. If we listen to the lies, we will give in to sin, and it will destroy us.

All of that goes to say that you can learn SO much from so many things, if you think about it! Instead of just watching a movie, I try to pick it apart and see what the worldview is, and what there is to be learned. I hope that all makes sense. That's all for now. God bless! :)