Not my words...

While studying and researching for a lesson/discussion for next Sunday I came across this awesome chunk of the Bible in Ephesians.  I'd rather not mess it up for you by giving you all of my thoughts about it, just take it in, more than once.

Here it is, Ephesians 3:14-21...

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth

 ¹⁴ When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, ¹⁵ the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. ¹⁶ I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. ¹⁸ And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. ¹⁹ May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. ²⁰ Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. ²¹ Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Conflict can be awesome!

Some people shy away from it, others embrace it, and all are effected by it, I'm talking about conflict.  I do not have a screw loose.  I am not on some weird philosophical kick.  When I say conflict can be awesome, there is a reason why.  Think about any story, is it not true that the more drastic the conflict is the more epic the climax and ending become?  Say I bust my butt on a patch of ice and am sore the next day, but somehow I find a way to gut it out and make it through...no one on this planet would pay money to see that movie.  Compare that to any Bourne movie, where Matt Damon has to overcome an identity crisis while also flee the feds constantly and it is no contest.

The late John Wooden said something to the extent of sport not developing character but revealing it.  This happens because as an athlete conflict is inevitable because at the very least there is always an opposing team suiting up to take you down.  Tests, trials, and various conflicts are actually necessary for a person to grow.  Muscles do not grow without facing some serious resistance, instead they actually weaken over time if they are not challenged.  This is true for many parts of life.  The fact remains that a person has to learn to handle conflict in order to be the best it can be.  

Check out what Paul says here in Romans 5:

     Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

     We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

This track is part of a whole album that's perfect to get some work in at the gym! K-Drama's, "Get Your Weight Up" really speaks to overcoming struggles to get to where you want to be...Peace!