Awake At 30

Identity (Psalm 1) How much does the dumbbell in the middle of the picture weigh? How do we know? About the only way to identify the weight without a label assigned to it is by deduction. We look at the weights around it, notice their label, and we can assume that the one in question is one like those. We would, correctly, assume that the weight in the middle is the same as the one next to it. Why? Because next to it is one with an identifying mark that resembles the weight in question. However, the best way to identify this weight is to compare it to a standard; pick up the weight on either side of it and compare with the one in question. Seems simple enough in this context, doesn't it?  Let's turn the analogy to ourselves spiritually and consider the similarities.  What do people see when they look at us? What sort of people do we surround ourselves with? What identifying characteristics do we have? Are the differences clearly delineated? Are we Christ's or satan's? W...

Honor vs Ego "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." ~I Peter 2:11-12 NKJV Honor (n) - honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions I wonder if honor has died in our day and time. How often in business does man lie in order to escape some sort of punitive action (whether real or perceived)? How often do we believe a lie rather than find out the truth for ourselves? Amazing how we can tend to absorb whatever we read, are told, or watch isn't it? Do we ever stop ourselves for a second to check out what has been presented for us to believe, to find out whether it is true? How often do we spread a lie, rather than have the good judgment to fact-check it first? Think for a moment about the things we share onl...

In Remembrance I don't want the world to remember me. My thoughts and actions used to be that I wanted the world to remember me for something great. I wanted to leave my mark on this world for generations to come. I wanted people, when they heard my name, to think "Wow, now that was a great man! Do you know what he did?!" and then they'd go on to tell stories from my life. However, I've come to realize that I have had the wrong approach. I've realized that this approach to life is selfish, it's shortsighted, it's missing the point to life as a whole. It's dismissing my call as a disciple of Christ (Matt.5:13-16). Escaping the trappings of sins that used to own us can give us a clarity of mind like we've never known before. Certain sins used to rule my life, they used to destroy me daily, they'd keep me chained down and enslaved. I was held captive in a prison of my own making until one day I hit bottom, I had nowhere to look but arou...