Challenge Accepted (Part 3)

QUESTION 3 (An Unbeatable Challenge)

"...If you'll remember from Genesis 22, God tested Abraham's faith by commanding him to take his baby son Isaac and bring him up to the top of the mountain to sacrifice him to the Lord. Abraham agreed and was about to do it when the Lord stopped him just in time and said that he had passed the test and proven himself to be faithful. Now, here's the question and challenge to all you fundamentalists.
IF you lived in the time of Abraham, and God had asked you to take your newborn child up to the mountain, and slay him with a knife or something, would you have done that? ...

Answer YES or NO!  Do not deviate or change the subject, just answer YES or NO, that's all I want to hear."
Please check out my last two posts (Part 1) and (Part 2) for the context of this challenge.  First off let's get some facts straight.  According to Genesis chapter 21, Isaac has been born and weaned which means Isaac was definitely more than a baby.  At the end of the chapter it states, "And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days." (Genesis 21:34)  I could be wrong but I am pretty sure Sarah and Isaac were with him.  This would mean that Isaac has grown a bit.  According to chapter 22, Isaac went with his father Abraham.  One of them carried wood, so that implies that he was not carried as a newborn.  There are several mentions of Isaac as a lad which would indicate that he was a young boy possible a teenager.  As they walk on their long at least three day journey, Isaac starts to think about the sacrifice and questions his father in verse 7, "And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" This stands to reason that Isaac is definitely not a newborn baby.  He is of an age where he can think and reason.  Another thing to make note of was Abraham never doubted God's promise. Yes, the request sounds outrageous.  But for a guy who just up and left his hometown not even knowing where he was going except for the fact God said go, this was just another mountain to climb, literally.  Abraham's faith is seen in verse 5, "And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you."  Abraham knew God would provide a way, whether or not he would actually kill his son or not.  God made a promise to Abraham, and Abraham knew God would never break it and that it would be fulfilled through Isaac.

So with all of that being said, and I imagine myself in the time of and situation of Abraham, my answer is YES.  There would be no other choice because my relationship with God is strong, I look back and realize God hasn't failed me yet nor broken any promises.  I am sure there would be questions at first, but the peace of God would override the fear of killing my child.  God's plan is the best plan.

This statement "So if you answer YES that you would slay your own child in cold blood, then you would appear to be the most indecent person in human society.  What kind of a person would want to make himself appear that way?" only takes into account people.  God gave up His Son, Jesus Christ to be crucified on a rugged cross in order to pay the payment for the world's sins, the atrocities of innocent babies lives included.  God the Father killed His Son, Jesus so that we could live eternally with Him if we choose to do so.  Does that make Him indecent or gracious?  I serve a loving, merciful, and just God. I have enjoyed this challenge, and I hold to my answers.  I will always defend my faith at every opportunity.

 For the Glory of God,

"Be ye transformed..."

Have you ever had a light bulb moment where something finally clicked and made sense for the very first time?
I have.  This particular moment occurred during a message at church over Ephesians 2:1-3.  This passage speaks of how a Christian is made alive in the spirit when he accepts Christ as his Savior.  My wheels get to turning as man is described as body, soul, and spirit.  Pictures start flooding my mind and I start writing down what I see.  The end result looks similar to the diagram above for a non-Christian.  A non-Christian's body and soul are alive while the spirit is not, yet the spirit still has needs that need to be met.  Those needs are filled by the body or the soul.  When a non-Christian becomes a Christian, the spirit is "quickened" or made alive, and can now its needed can be properly fulfilled (see diagram below).  The problem is that because the spirit's needs were improperly fulfilled, the improper patterns and beliefs are set in place.  It will take a lot of trust, and effort to reprogram or "renew" the mind to reset the patterns originally created.  Salvation is an immediate and free gift, but renewal of the mind is a constant process.  God gave us His Son as payment for our sins, but the consequences of our sin are ours to bear.  We must seek to know God each day, and ask God to reveal the "stinkin' thinkin'" that we learned before Christ in order to be transformed.  Transformation speaks of change.  Change is never easy, but it is inevitable.  God also promises to be with us through every up and down that we face.   Let's hold on tight and trust the process of God's transforming grace (Romans 12:1-2).

      For the Glory of God,

Never Say Never...Again

I never in a million years thought I would be a "product pusher" for any of the trendy health or beauty products out there.  Guess what? I'm still not.  I am an Herbalife Distributor (soon to be Supervisor/World Team Member...dream big, right?).  I help others achieve their health (or wealth) dreams turning their goals into accomplishments.  Herbalife gets results, builds relationships, and rewires your thinking.
I have been hanging around my Herbalife Crew since December at FREE Fit Camps, who says no to FREE, right?  I was skeptical at first, not too sure about everything.  I tried my first shake, Cinnamon Roll, and tea, and was in love with the taste and energy I recieved.  The Fit Camps are awesome because I can't afford a gym.  After hanging out at Fit Camps, I started making friends even though I am not good at it.  In January, I joined and COMPLETED the Fit Challenge (6am, bright and early), and lost inches and got results on my mile and sit-ups.
Products aside, I gained a bunch of new friends, a positive environment to accomplish goals, a growth mindset, and positive energy.  Everyone wants to help each other.  I am excited and looking forward to getting my own results and sharing my story with everyone I know and don't know.  I am official now, and I am ready to rock my two week Spring Break and beyond.
The thing I love most about Herbalife is their emphasis on "Personal Development".  As a teacher, I have heard of "Professional Development" (which is usually followed by a groan of obligation).  "Personal Development" was a new concept to me about listening to successful people helping others become successful.  The awesome part is that most of what they say applies to life across the board and not just in business. You can learn the easy way or the hard way. Work smarter not harder.
As a Christian, "Personal Development" and "Discipleship" are nearly interchangeable.  The sad fact of the matter is that Herbalife invests more time into developing and training leaders than most churches do in training Christians to go out and reach others for Christ.
One of my goals is to use this "Personal Development" concept as a motivator to get others excited and motivated to bring the Good News of Christ to the world.  I want to reach the world for Jesus, and if Herbalife can be my tool, so be it.

Why? 

For the Glory of God,