Therefore let us pursue things which make for peace...

From November 7, 2008

"Receive one who is weak in faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.

For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.

Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.

He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord, and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.

For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.

For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

By why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

For it is written:

'As I live, says the Lord
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.'

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way."

Romans 14:13


Given the recent dissension amongst Christians in lieu of the result of the most recent elections, I had a note prepared, delving deeper into a case I had already made, hoping to make a point. It was calmly written - it was a passionate note, but it was not an angry or accusatory one, but definitely one meant to prove a point.

I posted this note, let it settle for awhile, but in the midst of my procrastinations and distractions, I somehow returned to the note. The in that moment, a strong feeling arose in my gut. Immediately, I knew what the feeling meant - take down that note.

Immediately, I was reluctant and determined to ignore it. Yet as I moved to X-out of the page, the feeling remained, and I knew it would be a blatant disregard to God's will if I left it up. Against better judgment, my reaction still was along the lines of "Well, He'll get over it. Tomorrow, it won't matter."

But then God brought this verse to my heart, a verse I had came across earlier that day. Romans 14:19 - "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification."

And then He spoke to me (and I loosely quote):

"Chanelle, take down the note. You're not wrong, but it won't bring the Christian people together. Take it down."

So I did.

And it's true. It doesn't matter what I intended on fighting or how eloquently and nicely I put it. It doesn't matter how right I believe I am, or how good my intentions were in posting it, because it would've naturally caused disagreement. And though arguing has its fruits, when it gets to the point where it's pitting Christian against Christian - not just over any subject, but over God's Word, Will, and Intent - then we're teetering into something dangerous.

There's nothing wrong with a calm discussion, exploring different sides of an issues, and trying to mutually discover and derive a true meaning, whilst respecting and giving merit to each other's viewpoints. But there's a pretense set to these sort of discussions usually, and the intent is to discover as opposed to convincing.

But I had seen how other arguments on this particular subject developed - it was border-lining malicious with no sort of conceding and barely any respect. Given the subject of my note, there was a high chance that this comment section would've turned into a battlefield. As Christians, that is not what God wants from us - to be pitted against one another over a discord in beliefs, when at the heart of it, we believe in the exact same thing - the love of Jesus Christ.

Both sides were advocating for the same Lord, deriving their reasoning from the same Word, and ultimately came to a conclusion that they felt succeeded in glorifying the Kingdom. Perhaps we need to be focusing on that, because in this world, the last thing we need is a thick, black line separating the Christian community. We can argue over other things as much as we want, but I am quite certain that at least that is not God's Will for us as a body.

I am still highly bothered by some of the things expressed in recent days, but I just have to let it go. That is why I will argue no more, for the stability of our body is more important than defending my viewpoint and what it says about my relationship with God when I am quite confident in it already.

So we shouldn't judge or fight against each other - don't worry about what the other person says about a particular issue in regards to their faith in Christ and if it makes them more or less of a Christian, because the definition of a Christian is not up to us, and if a person's heart really belongs to Christ, despite his opinion on a matter - may it be wrong or right -"God is able to make him stand."

I guess it's less about making sure our specific beliefs align, but realizing that a person can, for example, believe that it is God's will that everyone has a choice (even if it is a choice that we vehemently disagree with), and still most definitely be a serious Christian, just as much as someone who dons the complete opposite standpoint, for "God has received" both. It is not that which defines our faith, but our love for the Lord and our love for others, and what we strive to do to promote both.

And if what we're doing is not out of love, then we have an issue. And I realize that the kind of arguing that I was participating in and potentially promoting was not creating an environment of love, but encouraging a divide. And that does not lead to either peace or mutual edification of the Christian body.

So I apologize for arguing. I stand by what I believe, but fact of the matter is, we've all given up our lives for the same Savior and are all trying to live according to the same purpose - His purpose, and derive our convictions, beliefs, and actions for the same Word. And that's all that matters. So instead of bickering amongst ourselves, instead "let us each be fully convinced in our own mind[s]", let's turn our focus and energy outwards in order to have a truly positive effect on this world by living our lives the right way.

He shall overcome.

From February 6, 2009

John 16:33

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Interesting how I came across this verse earlier tonight, already highlighted, during Bible study when we were looking at a different, unrelated passaged in John. Interesting because later that night, this was the verse that framed my exact mindset, because I have no doubt in my mind that the words of that verse is absolutely true, but it is so frustrating to know that people who hold my same beliefs, own the same Word, overlook this in favor of saturating in the pains and trials of this world. Frustrating because more than anything, I just want people to have the same peace of mind that I have, and it's so close within their reach, but it's denied.

It was all these thoughts going through my head as I sat on the phone with my mom, in the midst of recession talk and stories of the distress of her clients, when I recalled that perfect verse I had encountered hours before. And John 16:33 holds so many wonders, from the words Jesus spoke, to the fact that that verse was so meticulously and purposely reappeared in my life at the exact moment I needed it to be. The fact that it was previously highlighted, thus ensuring that it would catch my attention. How the way it was highlighted lets me know that it was from a church service rather than my own studies, meaning it wasn't even necessarily something that personally struck me at the moment, but rather something I was instructed to read. The timing and the fit were perfect - that is God for you.

And I don't care if I sound foolish. These moments happen to frequently for me to be able to possibly dismiss them as mere coincidence or chance. I took statistics - the odds aren't that good. And maybe more so foolish by definition of others than believing that God's careful hands guided everything in a planned and flawless way up to the exact moment that a verse came to my attention is that I have a total peace of mind. Every thing that is going wrong is flying into my face from multiple directions, and I find myself not flinching, but smiling and living, and most importantly, believing, because this strength definitely does not come from myself, but rather from Jesus, because I have faith in every single promise He has laid out for me in His Word, and in the face of recession, divorce, housing crisis, and whatever else may be flawed, my life is perfect solely because of His love for me and what that results in.

Don't you see what He's telling us? Be of good cheer. He's not just telling us to believe - He's telling us to keep our spirits high. It's a habit to believe that everything will work out for the good, but to do so in depression and apathy - drudging through days with heads down waiting sadly for the moment when it call gets better. But if we know it will get better, then why wade in the depths? Let us laugh and sing - look these things that plague us straight in the eye and smile widely, because we know that there is something greater that we have. Greater than the world and all its troubles.

What I love is that Jesus does not skirt around the truth. He straight up tells us - the world will have tribulations. Not might. Not possibly. Will. There's never a guarantee that life in this world will be flawless - in fact, there's a guarantee that it will be quite the opposite. But what's amazing is that we're offered peace through Him. And I think Christians have a habit of getting so bogged down in our lives that we forget that. And it's truly tragic, because Jesus offers such an amazing thing to us, and we ignore it. We could have peace, but instead we let these tribulations attack our spirits.

So the walls are closing all around me. But I ignore it. I've found myself far away from the trivial problems that use to plague me in high school, because know I'm in the midst of serious problems - greater than I've ever known - and I don't know how they will affect my family and I. But in these moments when everything could easily fall apart - not just externally, but inside of me - I have chosen to graciously accept Jesus' offer of peace. And I have the upmost confidence that He will see me through. And believe me, I'm looking forward to see how He helps us overcome these hurdles, because by my limited understanding, I see no way, but I know that with Him, there is always a way.

And I don't know if you can comprehend (or maybe you can) how amazingly sound I feel right now, having that confidence in my Lord. I respect the tribulations at hand, I don't underestimate them, but I know my Lord, and I know that things will be taken care of. I don't know how or when, but they will. And that is good enough for me.

So I am going to be in good cheer, because Jesus says I can. I will go through my life, not letting these tribulations touch my mood or spirit. I will smile and laugh. I will dance and love. I will hold on with every fiber of my being to the power of my Lord, because that's all that will get me through. And I encourage every believer who hasn't already to let go to the burdens and do the same. Because you know what?

Jesus has overcome the world!