Society says as young people we are lazy, naive, rebellious, and followers not leaders. The world does not expect much from us as young people and that has transferred over to the church. We are told we need to follow other's examples not be the examples. The bible has very different things to say, and I'm hoping as a young christian myself at 22 years old I can help other young Christians strive to be leaders not followers, to be servants not those who are served, to find worth in God's eyes not the world's eyes. 1 Timothy 4: 12 says, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
About me: My name is Caleb I am 22 years old and I recently graduated from Pepperdine University. I am not a young person who has been rejected by society so I am lashing out, quite the opposite. I found myself in college to be a part of the world, I drank, I partied, I went on spring break trips to Mexico, I was in a fraternity, I even modeled professionally in LA for a while. What I realized is that some where along the way I had succumbed to the World's expectations of what a college student should be and put God on the back burner. My mind set was that I had time to be a good Christian and an example when I was older, I realize now that there's no better time to serve God and be an example then the now. I have rededicated my life to Christ and helping young people do the same. I am a pseudo college intern at my church and can't wait to see the way God will challenge me.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings.
We are meant to only be the slave to one, and that is God, to serve him and him alone. That is why so many of the apostles in the bible and other followers of God like Paul refer to themselves as “Doulos” meaning slave or servant of the Lord. That is why I choose to bare the name “Doulos” because I want to be a slave to only the Lord and not of human beings. Look at your life, who are you a slave to? If you looked at your life objectively would you honestly say you are slave to God, more likely you would say the world. Looking at my life I can say I am still a slave of the world, but I am trying to be a slave to God and his commandments, and I hope you guys continue to try too.
You commit the same sins all the time when you know better? You try but fall victim to things you are better than? Man, that is a frustrating feeling. I know what I shouldn’t do and the life I want to live, but yet find myself making the same mistakes. I think Paul here is going through the same internal, spiritual battle.
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging waragainst the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
A while ago someone told me I should make a video blog post, and it had been on my mind for quite sometime. So I am excited to say a video is in the works, but it’s not exactly a video blog. Basically my college minister and I are working on hopefully a series of short videos designed for people who can’t make it to small group or church. The one we are working on right now is about half way done, as soon as it is finished I will post it on here. Please pray for this project it is one that will hopefully be able to help many people reach God.
A number of you who I have been talking to lately have been having trouble with feeling close with God. To me it all starts with getting to know him and his commandments better by diving it to the word. So I want to do a challenge for 30 days to take the first 30 minutes of your day to read your bible and pray. I hope you guys can join me on this challenge, I’d love to hear about your transformation after you’ve completed this!
Something we read and talked about tonight in college class…
Before we get into the specifics of what’s right to wear, what’s wrong to wear, what looks modest, what looks immodest, we need to lay a foundation. I’ll tell you the starting place for all of us has to be answering this question: “Why do I live”?
What is my purpose in life? You know the answer: to glorify God. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” That’s a foundational principle in life and we should come to the place where we can say, “My purpose in life is to please God rather than to please others.”
We have to come to the place where we recognize that our ultimate purpose, our supreme primary purpose for living is to make God happy.
[And] that affects everything about our lives, including this matter of clothing. It affects our motives. Why am I wearing this? Why do I like this outfit? Why do I like this look? Is it because I want to fit in? Is it because I want to be accepted; I want to be cool; I want to be popular?
You see, if I determine to live my life for the glory of God—that will affect why I wear what I wear. It will make me think about what I wear, not just go to the store and pick up whatever is the current style.
You know what it means when we say that Jesus is Lord. It means that God has the right to regulate every area of our lives, including what we wear.
So I want to ask you, “Who runs your life? Who’s your Lord?” Most of us would say, “Jesus is my Lord.” But when it comes down to what you wear, who’s your Lord?
Are you governed by fashion? Are you governed by the culture? Are you governed by your friends’ opinions or are you governed by Christ and His Word? Who is your Lord? You see, you and I are not to be enslaved to anything or anyone other than Jesus—to have any Lord other than Him is to be a slave.
The men and women who have adopted the world’s philosophy of fashion and clothing are not free. You’ll never be truly free until you’re free to do what God wants you to do regardless of what anything or anyone else dictates to you.
If my God is with me, whom then shall I fear?
I have been teaching Luke every Sunday now for I think 14 weeks. If any of you have taught a class consecutively for this long or near it, you know how monotonous it can get especially when most people in Sunday morning class aren’t paying attention. But while doing my studying like I always do the night before my class, I started reading Luke 12, which is the chapter I am on, and it just hit me hard. This chapter has so many valuable teachings, teachings that are so relevant to a time that is consumed by things of this earth and material possessions. This part of the chapter really sums it up, keep it mind that Jesus is speaking to a crowd of thousands here. It is funny to me how he is addressing the same problems to people then as we are dealing with now.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[b]? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
There are three pivotal points to Jesus’ time here on earth, his life, his death, and his resurrection. For the most part it seems we remember him for his life and death and tend to forget about the third part, his resurrection, that is until this day. Why is Jesus’ resurrection important? I once had a Christian political theory class in college and the discussion was on Jesus’ resurrection and whether or not it was literal. To me if Jesus’ resurrection was not literal and did not physical happen, this faith is pointless. There would be no proof that Jesus was a deity, or fulfilled the prophecies of being the savior. I could not wrap my head around how someone could say he was not resurrected or reject the importance of this event. To me the resurrection is the part that should stand out the most to us, it is how Jesus conquered this world and Satan, it is how he proved to man that he was the one and only savior, that he fulfilled the thousand of years of prophecies, that everything in Jewish Law and history pointed to him.
1 Corinthians 15:14 “ And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”
So I challenge you all to remind yourself daily of the importance of not solely Jesus’ life and death, but of his resurrection too and what that meant to us. It is easy to be a Christian on Easter and remember Jesus’ resurrection then, but as Christians this is something that we are called to do daily even hourly!
I recently had a talk with my dad about this slum I have been going through lately, I was trying to figure out what my deal was. I just have felt like I have been bombarded with temptation lately, more so than usual and I feel weaker than normal when facing it. He brought up the passage in Matthew 12, which reads,
“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
You may be wondering what does this have to do with my situation, well I will tell you. It is simply not good enough as a Christian to abstain from evil and sinful things. If you are not filling your life with positive and spiritually uplifting things it is like an unoccupied house inviting sin into it because there is nothing positive there. I wondered why i was suffering more than usual or giving into temptation more, well now i can tell you. It was because I had been slacking on my blogging, slacking on my nightly readings, and slacking on me fellowshipping with believers. All these things helped fill my “house” so there was no room for sinful things. When we are active in God’s word and in activities that bring glory to God we don’t have time or room for sin. We are strong against temptation! So remember fill your lives with spiritually uplifting activities and keep your “house” full with Godly things.
So I feel like I’ve been slackin lately on here and I apologize for it. I’m not going to lie this last month I feel like I have been going through some intense spiritual battles, and I feel very physically and spiritually tired. I feel like God placed starting this tumblr on my mind for a reason and I want to please him by reaching out to you guys and strengthening you on your walks! I want to start strong again SO…
Tell me a praise, give me a prayer request, or perhaps you have a question I can answer or a topic I can address.
-Caleb
