Something Worth Pondering Over >>> (Reblogged Post)

Hi people! How are you? There's this awesome, mega sweet post i read awhile ago on this blog >>> http://michaeljpittman.wordpress.com/
and i thought it was absolutely BRILLIANT! So, as expected,i'm going to share it with you all. :)
I know it probably seems that i'm being kind of lazy considering i haven't necessarily taken time to type out a lengthy post, but i figure, truth is truth, useful for edification, uplifting, correction, rebuke, healing, etc, irresepctive of the mouth from which it's coming (or in this case, the fingers. #wink). Plus, Jesus is THE truth and considering i won't necessarily be sharing doctrine or revelation that isn't or wasn't inspired by Him, i think we'll be safe saying whether the post originated from my Christ renewed mind or the Christ renewed mind of another person, bottom line is that the focus is still Christ. See?
Okay, enough with my rambling. I'm just going to share the post already....

Why I Don’t Love My Fiance

In 130 days I’m getting married, and a friend recently asked me why I love my fiancé. I wanted to share a deeper perspective on Amanda and I’s relationship, so before I answered why I love her, I had to first explain to him the reasons I don’t love my future bride to be.

I came to two conclusions:
First is, I don’t love Amanda for what’s on the outside. I know. It sounds cheesy, it sounds sappy. This perspective is not a novel idea by any means. How many times have you heard someone say, “I don’t love you for what’s on the outside. I love you for what’s on the inside.” But that brings me to my second conclusion.

I don’t love Amanda for what’s on the inside either.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are many things on the inside and outside that I love aboutAmanda. Here’s a short list.

1. On the outside, she’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.
2. She has soft, almond shaped brown eyes.
3. She has gorgeous, versatile hair that can be really curly sometimes and smooth and straight other times.
4. She’s a beast at make up. She does it in a way that enhances the beautiful qualities that she already has, without being too overbearing.
5. She has a smile that can light up a room and brighten anyone’s day.
6. She values health and fitness and this shows through her wonderful figure and physique.

Guys are visual creatures, and it’s refreshing to know that I have an incredibly beautiful woman that will be my wife one day.

But it doesn’t stop there because on the inside, she’s exponentially more valuable.
7. She loves God more than anything else, and her relationship with Him is what she values most.
8.She is always looking for opportunities to serve others. Last week, I had a long week at school, and when I walked into my room, she had straightened up, she was making my bed, and she greeted me with a really big hug. It doesn’t get better than that.
9. She values the importance of a positive mindset, which encourages myself and others around her during times of trials and difficulties.
10. She is someone with purpose in mind. She doesn’t want to live an ordinary life. She wants to live a life of significance, not for her own recognition but to truly spread the love of Christ and the gospel.

Amanda is awesome. Seriously. I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate.

I love these things about her, but this is not why I love her. As I said before, I neither love her for what’s on the outside, nor do I love her for what’s on the inside.

I love her because I choose to.

In 130 short days, I will be Amanda’s husband. And at that moment, I will have a big responsibility on my shoulders — to love my wife as Christ loves his church.

Ephesians 5:25 – Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. 

So I thought about the love Christ has for me and the rest of His church. It’s unconditional on what I have done and it’s unconditional on what I do in the future. When I accept Christ, I’m in his family. Romans 8:38 tells me that nothing can ever separate me from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate me from God’s love.

So just as Christ loves the church unconditionally, I as a husband will have to love my wive the same.

And let’s be honest. Christ doesn’t love me for what’s on the outside and he doesn’t love me for what’s on the inside either.

Honestly I’m not good enough.

In fact, no one is good. In Luke 18:19, A ruler questioned Jesus, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”

And so if God doesn’t love me for what’s on the outside, and if I’m no good on the inside, then why does He love me?

Because He chooses to.

It’s not sexy. It’s not flashy. It’s countercultural. But God’s always choosing people. Whether it be Old Testament or New Testament, the Bible is jam packed of people that were chosen by God.

In Isaiah 43, God says “You are my witnesses,…,and my servant whom I have chosen”

In Ephesians 1, I learned He chose me “in Him before the foundation of the world.”

In John 15, Jesus says “You did not choose Me but I chose you.” 

So what my love boils down to is not Amanda’s beautiful brown eyes, Amanda’s positive mindset, or the fact that she is incredibly good looking. My love boils down to a choice to pursue a covenant relationship with her and only her. By choosing Amanda, and saying “yes” to her, I’m also saying “no” to everyone else.

My marriage vows won’t say “I’ll love you through sickness and health…as long you keep working out, and stay below this weight….and  keep your hair long….and remain gentle and genuine.”  In 30 years, Amanda and I will look different, act different, and be different than we are now at the age of 21 and 20 years old.

Things change. But my marriage vows won’t. They’re modeled after the love of Christ, and His love is unconditional.

But Michael, what if she goes crazy? 

What if she cuts off all her hair?

What if her heart of gold turns into a heart of stone?

Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter. I gotta love through it. When I commit to a covenant relationship in 130 days, I’m committing myself to a choice to love without conditions.

That’s how Jesus loves me.

And if you don’t know Christ, I encourage you to explore what it means to have a relationship with Him. He is the truest example of love that we have.

I love you guys, and I’ll talk to you soon.

There's hardly anything to add. Hopes this helps to inspire those of us who need to rethink some relationships, cut some off, better prioritize things and just generally get it all into focus and develop the RIGHT perspective --- God's Perspective.

I pray God preserve the unity and love these two share. And anyone of you who might be in the same shoes. ;)

God bless you all...and no, i won't give the 'expected' greeting commonly expressed on today's date, but the reason will have to be in another day's post...so i can go into detail. Hehe.. ;)

xxx, Kwiksie.

He's On The Way

Hi people!

Good morning to you. This is a quick one, there's this track i very recently recorded with my big brother (to be honest it's my first recording EVER! // ^_^). So, anyway, i'm going to put the link up here for those of you who haven't gotten access to it yet. I hope it blesses you and please, do share it with someone ==> ==> ==> https://soundcloud.com/kwiksie/hes-on-the-way.

When another one gets done, by God's grace, you'll know. ;)
Have an amazing day!

xxx, Kwiksie~

Take My Son

Hi all! Happy not-so-new-month of February. I hope the month's been going real smooth for you, and if it hasn't...hang in there.

On this post i just want to pass across a very important message (many of you might have heard it before--but i know there are tons who are yet to.) ^_^

To be very honest, i wish i could say i came up with this story illustration---but i absolutely did not. :D I happened to be privileged enough to stumble across it a number of years ago and decided to share it. But then, i digress....;) Look, all i can tell you is it's beautiful (at least to me) and the ending is so very unexpected...

Take my Son

 

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war.  He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door.  A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.

He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life.  He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art."  The young man held out this package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man.  He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me.  It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle.  Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings.  Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel.  "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"

 

There was silence.

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting. Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"

Another voice angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"

But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.

They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."

 

"What about the paintings?"

"I am sorry.  When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will.  I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned  Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.

The man who took the son gets everything!"

God gave His son over 2,000 years ago to die on the cross.  Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 

"The son, the son, who'll take the son?"

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son...gets everything.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE (John 3:16)...that's love.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You know what's so striking about the truth? The fact that it IS truth!!!

Too often we find ourselves trying so hard to 'get in' on all the amazing, desirable, 'good stuff' God has made available to us on earth; yet,we try even harder to skip out or avoid the things that please Him the most. Our selfishness makes it easy for us to make zero effort at valuing that which our generous and extra loving father holds dear to His heart; all too many of us are interested in is 'getting' and the only things some of us give a second glance at are the flashy, mega-flambuoyant and impressive trimmings of things that often lack any real substance.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Please, think on it. In the end, our individual relationships with Christ is all that really matters. Plus, the only way we're going to gain access to everything that's worth anything, is through Him.

It's pretty short and simple story. Hope you enjoyed it and kindly SHARE IT WITH SOMEONE (PLEASE)!

You never know just who might need to hear these words----right about now. :)

God bless.

xxx, Kwiksie~