Sunday, March 23, 2014

From Frankenstein Love to Perfect Love


The Frankenstein monster as we are familiar with was created by various pieces of different men (theory), however the original book makes no reference of so. Viktor Frankenstein, the creator of the monster, grew obsessed with creating the creature. The Frankenstein monster was very in tune with the Bible and acknowledged that while Adam was made by the perfect Creator, Satan was the cause of his existence, through obsession and greed. This led me to recall my very own Frankenstein monster that I created without fear of consequences: Love.

Picture 1
Much like Viktor Frankenstein, I was obsessed with creating something that I, unaware, believed would be perfect. As if I could manipulate my brain into believing that it will be okay, driven by misled determination and seeing with scaled eyes, I was unaware of my true motives. Much like the assumed notion that Frankenstein was the product of various men, I too was trying to produce a perfect love with various men. For example, if I found myself attracted to one guy for his humor, then I will only reach out to him for a laugh and a good time. If there was another guy, that paid me many flattering comments, then I will purposefully dress to impress him to feed my ego and if two guys happened to have met my needs sexually but in different manners, then…well ya know. Whereas most people do this in a manner of dating “Who can I see myself falling in love with and standing to be around with longer,” I did it all at once. As you may look at this objectively and think “Sounds like you were a slut and a gold digger” well, objectively, you are right. However, while I was orchestrating this ten-man charade, my thought processes were more along the lines of “It isn't my fault I like them for different reasons.” No justification for my actions and how I used these guys, but the ultimate goal, as it may be with so many of you, was love and feel desired.

Picture 2
Jesus showed me how Love really looks. Love is not characteristics that formulate a person such as humor, wits, and good looks, etc. but instead Love is who someone is. That someone is God (1 John 4:8, NKJV) and He walked this earth through Jesus and He died on the cross. Love died on a cross so that it [blood] can pour over all of us who are ready to receive this Love as it was intended. The more I read my bible and the more I pursued Christ, the more I realized how jaded I was by love on human terms. Was it my fault that I believed that love was to be found in humans? No. We grow up listening to it everywhere, in songs of how other people “complete” them and in movies where they will declare people as their “everything.” We may fall victim to these voices of the world however we are to still hold ourselves accountable for our actions, words and behaviors. As Apostle Paul described himself as the “chief” of all sinners (1 Timothy 1:15, NKJV), he owned up to his blind actions of his past and even current shortcomings of his present. 

Love is not what you can find in others that will help you tolerate them, but it is a choice.(Romans 5:8, NKJV). There is only One Love to aim for with everyone and that is unconditional because that is how Christ Jesus Loved us and has called us to Love others (John 13:34-35, NKJV).What makes God’s Love perfect is not that He sees the good in us and therefore keeps hope alive, like we are fooled into believing regarding our love for others, but that He chooses to Love us with our flaws unconditionally. Love that we are to look forward to choose to do daily and doesn't carry fear in any manner [even a fear of losing it] (1 John 4:18, NKJV). We as humans are incapable of Loving like this on our own strength, which is why we have the Holy Spirit (the same Holy Spirit that lived in Jesus and raised Him from the dead) dwelling within us, so it can Love, as intended, through us. Take a moment and step out of your body and reflect on your life objectively, and see if you have embraced Love in this way or if you are still seeking love in others (your friends, boyfriend/girlfriend, spouse, children and family).  If God has it in my future for me to have a husband, there is no other Love I would rather Love him with than the Love of God and I pray this for you as well. A precious, cherished, different Love than what we are use to. Frankenstein Love is just a poor imitation of misconceived perfection of a perfect Love that truly does exist but can only be found in and through Love Himself. It is time for us as women [and men] to stop pursuing and settling with bits and pieces of love and embrace LOVE Himself to His entirety. Say “goodbye” to Frankenstein Love and say “hello” to God. 


“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be Strengthened with Might through HIS Spirit in the Inner Man, that Christ may Dwell in Your Hearts through Faith; That You, being Rooted and Grounded in Love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the Width and Length and Depth and Height-- to know the Love of CHRIST which passes knowledge; that you may be Filled with the Fullness of GOD." 
- Ephesians 3:16-19, NKJV


References

  • Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. New York: Oxford UP, 1994.
  • NKJV, New King James Version Bible

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Friday, March 14, 2014

Animals vs. Wisdom

When God created the heavens and the earth, He created animals and humans. With this creation, He declared humans to have dominion over the animals (Genesis 1:26, NKJV). Animals are instinctive and act based on what they are naturally inclined to do. Humans however were blessed with a conscience which defined by Oxford Dictionary as “An inner feeling or voice viewed as acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness of one’s behavior.” We can raise an animal from birth but nothing is stopping them from attacking on instinct at any second. They are not right nor wrong but instinctive. They cannot feel guilt only survival. Animals are trained to identify with certain behaviors through positive and negative reinforcement. God has given us dominion over the animals because of so. Due to our conscience, God gave us the ability to rationalize and make wise decisions. In Proverbs 14, it is stated that one who is “impulsive” (NKJV) which can be translated as “short of spirit” exalts folly. We have the gift of free-will and choice in oppose to being limited only to instinct and acting irrational. We are to not allow our every emotion and action to be known (Proverbs 14:33, NKJV). Therefore, when we do act impulsively we are degrading ourselves to that with which we were meant to have authority over. When we conform to anger, lust, and all things separate from the fruit of the Spirit, we are showing that we have no self-control. Discipline is a fruit of the Spirit, along with “joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness” (Galatians 5:22-23, NKJV). We are called to be disciplined creatures not trained creatures. It is not our instinctive actions that will preserve us but our discretion (Proverbs 2:11, NKJV). So before you “go off” on your co-worker who has been talking about you behind your back or that person that skipped you in line or took the parking space that you have been waiting for; before you say yes to the craving of another drink although you know you have already had one too many. And before you succumb to the fleshly desires of sex with someone not your spouse, remind yourself, “I am not an animal, God has granted me authority over animals.” Like Jesus, we are to walk according to The Spirit, not our flesh (Romans 8:1, NKJV) because to walk according to the flesh will cause us to “die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13, NKJV). 

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Monday, March 3, 2014

"Who do You say Jesus is?" (derived from Mark 8:27-29)

“Now Jesus and HIS disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road HE asked HIS disciples, saying to them, ‘Who do men say that I am?’ So they answered, ‘John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.’ HE said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered and said to HIM, ‘You are the Christ.’”
                                                                     -Mark 8:27-29, NKJV

Reading this scripture defines the difference between religion and relationship. Jesus asked HIS disciples who others say that He is and then who do they say He is. This is important to understanding part of the coming of Christ. Previously in chapter 7 verses 3-9, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their emphasis on acts and works in order to inherit the Kingdom of GOD. Jesus tells them “All too well you reject the commandment of GOD, that you may keep your tradition. (v.9).”  The Pharisees are so consumed with maintaining their religion, “A particular system of faith and worship” (Oxford, 2014), that they are consequently placing all their specific procedures and practices above the overall commandment of GOD. Jesus shuts the Pharisees down by explaining how their ways are against GOD’s word which pinpoints their hypocrisy.

Many people today fall victim to the system of religion by basing their salvation on their works and deeds. As if they have a check list of Christian “to-dos” such as going to church, attending bible study and giving the homeless man on the corner a dollar or two. I have heard it as attaining “Jesus points”. Jesus came to put a stop to all this measuring and weighing of deeds. It is not uncommon for humans to weigh their deeds because we have grown so accustomed to weighing our sins and scripture does not mention anything about the weighing of sin. There isn’t anything regarding which sin is greater than another, other than unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32, NKJV). We have been programmed by our families, society and media to act as if our deeds will save us a spot in heaven and Jesus informs us that such acts are considered “in vain” (v.7) because they are from a heart of emptiness. The root of our actions should not be to gain “Jesus points” or to even get into heaven but from a root of love, thanksgiving and gratitude (motive check!). In order to stem forth acts from these three seeds, it goes back to who do YOU say Jesus is?

We tend to build our perception of Jesus based on what we hear and see about HIM from others. However, that is not what HE wants from us. The Pharisees and High Priests served as middlemen and Jesus came to eliminate the middleman. “For such a High Priest was fitting for us who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for HIS own sins and then for the people’s, for this HE did once for all when HE offered up HIMSELF.” (Hebrews 7:26-27, NKJV) Jesus doesn’t want us to gain our full perception of Him from others but instead from Him. When Jesus asked His disciples “But who do you say that I am?” there is emphasis on the word “you”, implying that all that matters is who do they say He is. The only way this can be answered is through a relationship with Jesus. A relationship such as spending time with Him, reading and studying His word, praising Him, and growing familiar with His voice so that we can recognize and take heed when we hear it. If we want to know who Jesus is, we have to seek Him and pursue Him wholeheartedly and not just on Sundays, Wednesdays and when times are rough. We are to not only praise Him when times are good either, but always. This is the only way we are to know, personally, who Jesus is. While reading the Word (scripture), we are to take it ALL as truth because He is truth (John 14:6, NKJV) and He is the Word (John 1:1-5, NKJV). As we develop a relationship with Jesus, like a shepherd with his sheep, He will guide us along the path of His plan; then, following is the matter of obedience (acts/works). We are to be transformed through obedience by His voice and not that of all the voices around us who is saying who they believe Jesus is. The only one in your life who Jesus is concerned about knowing who He is, is You.
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