The Power of Two

Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

           One of the biggest lies that Christians often times believe is that we can face anything on our own. When we sin, our first reaction is to try and cover it up and deal with it on our own. Even if we confess our sins to God, we are often tempted to still try and keep our sin covered from other people. But sin thrives in the dark. It can grow and make itself bigger and bigger in your life as long as you keep it in the dark. The best thing we can do is shed light on it, because darkness simply cannot exist where light is. 
           After confessing your sin and repenting to God, the best way to completely get over it to share it with someone else. Now obviously you do not want to go sharing this with just anyone, you want to make sure that it is with someone you can trust. For me it is my parents or my girlfriend. I know that they are trustworthy and that I can talk to them with out feeling judged, while at the same time I know they will challenge me to change. Before you do it, it can be very excruciating to even think of telling somebody else that you goofed up. After you do it however you will feel such freedom. 
        
      The power of two rule also applies to more then just confessing sin. When God created the world He made Eve from Adam he knew that people would need relationships not just with Himself, but with other human beings as well. One of the greatest blessings in my life right now is being able to do devotions with my girlfriend. I learn so much from her insight and hopefully she learns from me to. Doing devotions by yourself is important, but learning more about God with another person has a different element to it. like it says in Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." Because of this verse I know that when I do devotions with Hannah that God is there with us. I definitely feel like I learn more then. Nothing is better then getting close to God with somebody that I love. It is vital in your christian walk that you have somebody that you can spend time with God. There are many different forms to this whether it is a church service or a small group Bible study. Whatever the case may be it is important that you get plugged in with at least one other person to become a power of two. Because after all, the only true power of one is God. We cannot go through life on our own and expect to win. I tried that before and it doesnt work out good. 

God Bless,
David 

Thinking Back: A year in review

         August may seem like a peculiar time to look back at the past year, but as a sophomore in college this is a really good time for me to look back on this past year and reflect on the good and bad. I remember last summer absolutely dreading the start of school. But like every year, fall came. Starting college was a big step for me. Coming from a very small high-school I had no idea what to expect. It was interesting at first, but once I got in the swing of things I actually enjoyed going to school especially this last semester. Its crazy to think I already have one year of college over with. So while this past year has had some good times, it has had some rough times to.

        As some of you probably know, my great-grandpa died this past May. Its been difficult. He lived next to me and this has been the first summer where I have not seen him almost every day, and I'm still not used to it. There are just so many little things that remind me of him. Thankfully I know that i will see him again, as he was definitely a strong Christian. Having someone close to me die this past year has taught me a few things however. I've looked at my life ahead of me. My great-grandpa has made me think about how I want people to remember me. I want to live a life that counts. We are only a vapor and then just like that we are gone. For me it is easy to get tied down to things that really dont matter. While nice cars and houses are nice, they really do not mean much at the end of our lives. What matters is our relationship with God, and how we lived out that relationship here on earth. My dad always says that we have an opportunity to do something here on earth that we can not do in heaven, and that is boldly live for Christ in the presence of unbelievers. I want to live my life in a way that would make my great-grandpa proud. I want to be able to proudly tell him of what I did with my time here on earth. And that starts with putting God first. 

        While it has been rough losing someone close to me, this past year I have also gained people in my life. I'm excited for Cru to start back up again this fall. The past few months or so I have enjoyed spending time with my girlfriend, Hannah. She pushes me to be the best I can, and I hope i do the same for her. We are living examples of how people need to put God first. With God at the center of a relationship only good things can happen. After all, I can not truly love some one if I do not love God first. Hannah has easily been one of the biggest blessings in my life this past year, and I'm so grateful God put her in my life. I'm exited to see what the future holds for both of us. 

        This past year has definitely had its ups and downs, but thankfully God has been with me through all of it. This next year I will continue to put God at the front of my life and see what He has in plan for me. 

God Bless,

David

Valentines Day Thoughts

So it is probably no secret that today kinda sucks for single people. As a single person myself, I feel the pain! It is difficult to watch people all around you in relationships and having seemingly all this fun. It is easy to just get down and be sad the whole day. Here is some good news though, chances are you will not be single the rest of your life! So do not think just because you are single today that you are going to be single for every single valentine from here on out. The truth of the matter is I've been single now so that I can have time to focus on college and work. I also want to make sure that when I do get into a relationship, whether that is tomorrow, next year, or 5 years from now, that I'm getting into it for the right reasons. At the same time, if I am expecting to get into a relationship with a Godly girl, I had better make sure that I am a Godly man! After all, if two people really put God first in their lives, good things will follow. So yeah, being single sucks there is no denying that. But keep your eyes on the prize. Be diligent to yourself and don't settle.
God Bless,
David