Self(less or ish)ness?

Last night I went to Tori Kelly's concert here in Austin. It was amazing (for the most part). What made it less amazing was the people. Ugh. People are so SELFISH. For example, there's was a group of 15ish people who cut in line before the concert. And there was a couple who tried to push their way in front of me. Then one of them had the audacity to ask me "Can you move bro?" No I can't move because you're trying to make my personal space your space.

How can people be so selfish? Why are people so selfish? Why don't people have any common courtesy? Then I had one of those Jimmy Neutron "brain blasts". I remembered everything God has been showing me the past few days.

Let me backtrack to a month or two ago. I bought this bracelet from myintent.org. Basically, it's a metal washer and some string. You engrave a word onto the washer and pay $15 for it. I know, some of you all think it's a waste of money. But that's not the point. The point is that I chose the word "SELFLESSNESS". And little did I know, this word would come to mean so much more to me now than it did back then.

I'm going to credit Isaac Lim (my bible study teacher), Christian Lee (a pastor at New Philly), and Judah Smith for the following insight.

The Essence of Sin is Selfishness
Adam and Eve disobeyed God because they believed that they could become like God. They were thinking about themselves. Look at the ten commandments. The first couple laws deal with loving God. The others talk about loving your neighbor. No where does it talk about YOURSELF.

God is the Essence of Selflessness
Let me explain. I think we can all agree that God is love. And according to 1 Corinthians 13:5, "[Love] does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered..." If God is love and love is selflessness, then God is selflessness.

Sin is the opposite of God. It's everything against God. Coincidentally, sin is selfishness which is the complete opposite of selflessness (which is God).

My Conclusion
I never thought about this word so intently when I first designed my bracelet. Originally, I just wanted to be reminded to be selfless and serve others. That's what Jesus did. And I wanted do what Christ did. 

Ironically, selflessness isn't just an action of God. It's the essence of God. To be more like Christ is to become more selfless. But it's our human nature to be selfish. We grow up learning to say "mine". We're taught to hate others for their well-being. Why is it that we wish misfortune on others when they are blessed? It's so weird how we automatically resort to selfish thoughts. But that's proof that we are born sinners.

But if we live with Christ in us, we can overcome our selfishness. Through Christ, we can serve others and be selfless. Christ came down to serve. Not to be served. 

And only he can do that because he is full in God. He is God. He doesn't need to be served because he is complete and fulfilled in God, who is the essence of selflessness.

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14

Hope you guys can be encouraged through this. Sorry if it was a bit longer than usual. But props if you made it to the end!

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Uncomfortable

I listen to hip-hop, believe it or not. I know I don't look like a guy who would listen to that kind of music. Justin's so boring. Justin's so serious. Justin only listens to jazz or classical music. SURPRISE!

Hip-hop is probably the last genre anyone choose to be "Christian". But I'm about to surprise you with an artist, who I think is pioneering into the hip-hop industry. ANDY MINEO: caucasian, italian rapper from NYC. I know what you're thinking. Christian rap? That must suck. "Christian" anything is mediocre, if not horrible.

Side rant: that's something that bothers me to this day. If we've been gifted and enter the fields where God wants us to be, then we should be excelling and representing the kingdom. We should be the best if God's on our side. I think there are Christians who are trying to bring the "Christian genre" into some aspects of life when they shouldn't be (because they're doing it poorly). But again, I digress.

Andy Mineo just recently came out with his second album. It's sick. I was listening to it all week while studying. But anyway, I was listening to his first song titled "Uncomfortable". And it spoke so much truth to me.

To put it in a nutshell, Mineo raps about one of America's biggest issues. We seek to live as comfortably as possible. And there's nothing wrong with relaxing and resting. But there's a time to work hard. And there's a time when we are blessed to rest in Christ.

I love the beginning of the song. It starts with these words.

Nobody told me you could die like this

Nobody told me you could die from bliss, yeah

As these lyrics go on you'll notice that the major chords change into an erie minor chord. Essentially, Mineo addresses the issue in America. We seek to gain comfort in worldly things and find bliss in them. However, we're actually dying by chasing the comforts of this world. We're losing sight of Christ, who is the true source of joy/bliss/happiness.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^a whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:2-4

I'll leave the lyrics here, and let you guys take a listen to it. The website has all his lyrics analyzed with biblical passages tied to some stanzas. Hope this song encourages you to fight the good fight and run the race!

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I'm A Sinnah

I know I've already made a post like this a while back. But I always have to remind myself that I'm a sinner. I'm not perfect. I make mistakes. I need a savior. Thankfully, all of my flaws and failures have been accounted for. And I've received a grace that no words can possibly explain.

This past weekend was a strange experience for me. I felt empty, tired, burnt out, and lifeless. I felt extremely tired throughout the day. I'll admit it. I fell asleep during today's sermon. PC, if you're reading this. I'm very sorry... Haha. HOWEVER, during the small instances I was awake, God was gracious enough to let me hear words that have encouraged me.

We all want joy. And that joy is found in Christ and Christ alone. If we don't find any joy, then something's wrong on our part. Let's be honest. We're the ones who screw up. God's always constant and never changing, thankfully.

It's our sinful nature, unfaithful habits, and lack of eternal/Godly perspective that cause us to stray away from the joy found in Christ (shoutout to PC for these words of encouragement). But it made me think. What happens when we screw up? Now what? Guilt sets in. I don't feel like I can go back.

I was reminded of an analogy that Judah Smith provided in one of his books. It provides some insight on the concept of God's grace. Let's say you were married to a significant other. And let's say that the other promised to never leave you no matter what you do to him/her. Of course, that should technically happen in a real marriage. But aside from that, what would you do?

Would you purposely, knowing that you'll be forgiven, go out and abuse that grace? Would you go out and start sleeping with everyone? Would you go out and do that nasty habit of yours, whatever it may be? I highly doubt you would do that to the one you love. I highly doubt you'd do that once you've truly experienced grace. That's God's grace.

When people start talking about the idea of "All I have to do is say a prayer and I get into heaven?", it frustrates me and saddens me. Those people haven't truly experienced the grace of God. And when they do, they will no longer want to abuse this scandalous, unexplainable, ridiculous, illogical grace that we receive every day.

But I'm still a sinner. That fact doesn't change. But knowing that I'm forgiven no matter what, I can live differently. I can live by grace every day. Not in an abusive way, but in a joyful way.

'Cause I am a sinner
If it's not one thing it's another
Caught up in words
Tangled in lies
But You are a Savior
And You take brokenness aside
And make it beautiful
Beautiful

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What Makes a Good Leader?

Earlier today in one of my management classes, we discussed the attributes of a good leader. We spent a good portion of the class listening to Simon Sinek, who is a great speaker and very knowledgable. He gave a TED talk that revolved around a single question. What makes a good leader? Or what are good attributes of a leader?

According to Sinek, humans have developed the concept of community. From a scientific standpoint, danger has always existed in the world. And it was more apparent back in the "caveman" days. There were dangerous things all around us. For example, there are bears, lions, tigers, and dragons (maybe) out there to kill us. In order to avoid this danger, humans developed community. A community allows a group of humans to trust one another and create an environment of safety in the midst of the "dangerous" world.

So let's go back to the main question. What makes a good leader?

To put it in a nutshell, a good leader can foster an environment where an organization/group is built on trust. Trust allows people to feel safety, which is what we (scientifically) desire in a dangerous world. For example, if we were out in the wilderness, I want to trust that you can keep watch at night while I sleep.

But Sinek goes on to explain that trust cannot be forced. An authoritative leader can't command you to trust someone. It's just not possible. Trust is something that is abstract. It's somehow developed. It's different. It's complex. It must come from within.

But it got me thinking about how Sinek's research relates with the church. A church is considered a community/organization. And we, as the church, have a leader. Our leader is God. So Sinek's research can apply to the church.

Recall, Sinek stated that trust cannot be forced. Trust is something that cannot quite be explained. Trust is just... trust. There are many parts of scripture where God tells us to trust in Him. I don't know about you, but I still struggle in trusting God. So how can we trust in God if His command doesn't make us do it? It's the same issue with other organizations in the world today. How do we develop trust? What makes trust?

I believe that our faith develops our trust. The only way we can trust in God is by having faith in Him. But that goes on to another question. How do we get faith in order to develop our trust?

"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." - Hebrews 12:2 

If you haven't guessed already, the answers always Jesus. Like seriously.

1. Jesus is the perfecter of our faith. 
2. That means Jesus is the perfecter of our trust in God. 
3. As a result, our trust in God provides us complete satisfaction/peace/safety in life.

I'm beginning to see God's truth in every aspect of life. Even the "secular" research of Simon Sinek points back to Christ.

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Grace Runs Deeper.

I want to share a short story about this past Friday. I attended one of our ministries called "East Austin". Let me explain it in a nutshell, even though I've only been once. Basically, a handful of our college members head over to an after school program for elementary kids. We play with the kids, worship with them, and read bible stories with them.

Honestly, I only went to take pictures. And that's what I did after I built some cool lego cars with some kids #bestchildhoodmemories. But afterwards, God reminded me of a passage from Matthew 18. This is Jesus speaking. 

"And he said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'" - Matthew 18:3

Sounds kind of weird right? Why would God want kids? Sure, they can be cute most of the time. But they also throw tantrums, scream, cry, etc. But I highly doubt that's what Jesus is talking about.

I don't know everyone's childhood experience. But I can briefly share mine. I remember being carefree and happy. Why did I feel that way? Well, some of it was because my attention was easily occupied at the most random things. I could imagine a set of car keys as an airplane. But I'm digressing.

I was without worry, fear, anxiety, or stress because I trusted my parents. My parents were always around to reassure me that they love me. My parents put me first: they made sure I was fed, warm, clean, healthy, etc. And I think that's what God wants from us. He wants us to trust Him completely without worry.

I think about the moments when my dad threw me in the air. Did I ever think that he was going to drop me? Did I ever doubt his strength to catch me safely? Of course not. In the same way, I believe God wants us to trust Him with that mentality. I'm not saying it's easy to let go, but we should be confident that He can handle it. He did say it himself. It is finished.

Side note: Just wanted to share this song we played today at service. The bridge really spoke truth to me today.

Where there was sin your love rushed in
Where sin runs deep your grace runs deeper
For all enslaved the ransom paid
Light of the world, yours is the power

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"You Ain't Gotta Do This..."

Random story for the day:

I was walking to meet a friend for coffee. On the way, I pass by a moving truck and thought nothing of it. That is, until I heard, "Aye! Yo! Smile man! You ain't gotta do this s***." I looked over confused at who this African American guy is talking to. He was talking to me.

I was still processing the fact that he was talking to me. So I looked at him for a solid 10 seconds, dumbfounded. I don't remember what he said afterwards. But I remember him mumbling something about kids these days not enjoying life, loving life, etc. In my head I was thinking, "You right brutha. 'ppreciate you speakin' the truth to me today."

I apologize for my terrible attempt to type out my "hood-like" thinking. But you know, we gotta immerse ourselves in the culture to understand and love people.

Personal lesson for the day:

Be thankful. Life's not easy, and we have to work hard sometimes. BUT the hardest work has been done. We don't need to work our way to God. He came down to meet us where we're at.

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36

I heard a sermon on this verse not too long ago from a pastor at the Austin Stone.  There are no conditions on this verse. It doesn't say "... the Son sets you free IF you do better, work harder, act holier, etc." Nope. Jesus has set us free. So we're free. Done. Finished. Close the books.

That should give us relief. That should change the way we live life. We can work, play, live with the knowledge that we're free! This truth should empower you and me to live life in a completely different way.

So I hope we can all be encouraged by my brutha, "We ain't gotta do this...". Because God's already done it.

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Need vs. Want

I was reading Psalm 50 this morning, and it got me thinking about my needs versus wants. This is a pretty big idea, if you think about it. Your needs and wants can be applied to almost every part of life. Initially, everyone thinks about your material needs/wants.

Do you need that extra money to get that extra thing? Do you actually NEED that upgraded computer/car/phone/etc? Or do you WANT all those things? I'm not trying to call anyone out or make anyone feel guilty. I have a lot of "wants" too, and I think it's something that we've been conditioned to do.

But this chapter got me thinking. What do we actually NEED in life? And what do we WANT in life? Aside from basic survival needs, I think we only need one other thing. We NEED God, but many of us don't WANT Him. Ironically, God doesn't NEED us. But He WANTS us.

God always wants to be with us. He cares for us. He "SO LOVED the world" (John 3:16). But He doesn't need us. He doesn't need our money. He can make anything without it. He doesn't need our "talents". They're not that useful compared to what He can do. He doesn't need anything from us. He just wants us. That's it.

It's amazing when you realize that He wants you. He wants your heart. He doesn't care about what you have to offer Him (it's of no use to Him anyway). He just wants you, in your brokenness and flaws.

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