Tag Archives: motivation

Christian Soapbox, Nathan Dooley

YOU SHALL LOVE…

Leave a comment

I recently read a rule on writing: write the way you speak. And so this is me trying to write how I speak, only…I don’t—actually—know that I would’ve started off so eloquently as I have. It might’ve started something more like me interrupting your peaceful train of thought on something much more…stupid— “so yo I read this rule about writing the way you speak,” as you roll your eyes to look at me with annoyance for interrupting a perfectly awesome daydream about things I would not care at all about other than, of course, the fact you cared enough to depart your attention from the society I so happen to inhabit. Which is unacceptable. I can’t have that.

Anyway. The point is, I need your attention. “Why” might be your urge that boils from within to a steam for my ears to hear, but let me save you that frustration by demanding you obey these two commandments before you burn…me (haha—did you like that pause, cause I did).

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”—Matthew 22:36-40 (NASB)

See, now, doesn’t that make you feel all better…

If you’re of the literal type, you might be driven to brink of insanity when stuck on whether your author is being humorous or narcissistic—or possibly both. And so let me save you the suspense by affirming that I look at myself in the mirror when singing, also after taking a selfie, which causes me to start singing again. So basically I’m singing as I look at myself in the reflection of my computer screen:

OUR GOOOOOD…IS AN AWWESOMMEE GOD
HE REIGNS…FROM HEAVEN ABOVE
WITH WIIIISDOM, POWER, AND LOVE—

Because after all, our God is an awesome God for making someone like me— am I right!? And if you haven’t laughed at all by anything I’ve written thus far…welp, congratulations, you interpret everything from an extreme literal perspective. Which is perfectly fine, you just…might, well…need a moment, or two, to breathe, but regardless; my sense of humor is outstanding— am I right!?—(last one—that was the last one).

So now that you’ve loved me this far into your reading, lets talk about how God loves you.

YOU SHALL LOVE

I don’t think Jesus—the proclaimed Son of Man—would’ve said what He didn’t learn from His Father—the proclaimed God—without you—the proclaimed reader—in mind when He said: You shall love… .

Is it wrong of me to believe that Jesus knew the conditions for such a—an axiomatic—statement yet to be proven on the terms of human nature?

I guess what I mean by that is…because Jesus knew that mine and your condition of sin (as equivalent to those questioning) blinds us from seeing the truth of such love accomplished in Him; how could there be any other way for us to see that eternal meaning of Love that God is, than for Jesus to die without tasting sin—although tempted to the point of sweating blood in resistance as you might recall “yet not as I [Jesus] will, but as You [Father] will“? The discipline of God’s Just wrath due our sin could only be quenched by the blood and water of the innocent Lamb of God—Jesus our Christ. And that, by what Jesus did on the cross, gives us a new way of seeing.

Whatever the hurt, pain, or suffering you’re experiencing; you might be on trail for your faith. And I encourage you by calling to mind where Jesus is, your Intercessor of the faith in which you hold so dear. Keep holding, hold on, don’t let go. God knows the truth of your condition so intimately that He gave His only Son as that Lamb for the sake of you. He loves you.

Don’t get me wrong, I write this in “confidence” while yet experiencing my own set of trials tempting my carnal intellect for all kinds of ghastly evil; a 3 or 4 letter word at my fingertips all too simple to type with a swift motion of my pinky—*enter*—is all it takes. Then down the rabbit hole I go with all reputation to proceed me, and that might be you at this very moment or possibly even the next. Is it? Will it be?

If it is; if it will be; be encouraged! There will be a necessary discipline, two world’s divided before you; one world will hate you, and the other will identify you as a hypocrite, but live in the former and not the latter even when you might visit the latter for a time (Don’t stay there!) Keep the faith!

Jesus showed us how we shall love, I pray we are doing so in this Christmas season, and even to death.

Amen

Christian Soapbox, Journal, Nathan Dooley

BEFORE BUILDING ON THE NEW FOUNDATION

Leave a comment

You know, it’s easy to walk on the earth as our foundation, it’s a human experience. Yet the problem is that this foundation is becoming obsolete, growing old, and about to disappear. About to disappear is very important to emphasize, that biblical reference indicates that no matter how I build on this obsolete foundation—such as a new house or vehicle, etc.—the foundation is compromised, and so everything built thereupon will also be compromised… growing old… to disappear.

Don’t let that discourage you. After all, everything that came from the dust of the ground on which we walk will return to the dust of the ground; that is, until, God provided mankind with the new foundation!

But see, I know a guy, and gal, personally, that do not believe in the preaching of this “new foundation” let-alone to build upon it. So before I proceed to build on this new foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the new foundation must first be laid. This is where the apostle Paul comes in, because by the grace of God given him as a wise master builder, he laid the foundation we gentiles are building upon.

Check it out!

“According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each person must be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”—1 Corinthians 3:10-11

Now, I imagine the foundation that the apostle Paul mentioned to have laid, is in reference to where the Holy Spirit had sent him to lay that foundation of Jesus Christ. Why do I think that? Because the apostle Paul is an apostle sent to the gentiles!

Check it out!

“But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Therefore insofar as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry if somehow I may move my own people to jealousy and save some of them. For if their rejection proves to be the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?”—Romans 11:13-15

However, there were certain places where the apostle Paul was not permitted to lay that new foundation; They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, after being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; and passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas—Acts 16:6-8.

So there is an immediate question that prompts “Why?” In my mind.

And whether this answer is of the Holy Spirit, I’m not sure, but in my experience of evangelism there are times when I desire to share the gospel, yet my tongue remains in the language of the world; the tongue is silenced to the gospel even though the desire to share remains; yet also, at the same time, the tongue moves with grace about politics, entertainment, and the like. This, I believe, is an evidence to the governance of God that is way above the human—including the apostles’—pay grade. That is especially encouraging to know when feeling some form of guilt for thinking not to have the courage to share, which…that may or may not be true; only the Holy Spirit can help us discern those circumstances in relation to the spiritual condition of ourselves.

In light of what we’ve discovered thus far, I’m encouraged to press on in attempt to share the Word…while attentive to the Holy Spirit’s movement. If I detect that the Spirit of Jesus does not allow me to share the Word, then there must be a reason beyond my understanding that I have to trust and live with, and that’s okay.

Christian Soapbox, Journal, Nathan Dooley

NOTE: HEBREWS 11:1 & PSALM 90:17

Leave a comment

This will always be a good place for me to refer back to when at an impasse on a project. These verses are awesome; on one hand to remind me of where my hope is – as my other hand holds the knife to sacrifice the most precious value that would separate me from God. So as I climb the mountain of literature to offer nothing but faith in the nature of God’s good power to judge my providence, I hope for …a ram caught in the thicket by his horns… while simultaneously prepared to sacrifice what I love most dear … because I trust in Jesus Christ.

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

From what I think I can tell by my experience of faith, is that it’s an action of spiritual transaction between me and the God of all creation; that transaction being conducted at the cross of Christ as a perpetual justification by conversion from enemy to reconciliation through Jesus—the Son of God. So now—after a 2000 year history of Christianity’s development—at this juncture—of those of us alive today—in the new covenant I have with God, the work of my hands are of a different nature and equipped to serve the KING of KINGS during my stay on earth.

So, of course, writing, on a public platform, is one of many mediums I hope to bridge between the old foundation of self that abides under wrath to the new foundation of self that escapes wrath for salvation in Jesus Christ.

My job, then, is to lay the new foundation which has already been laid at the cross of Jesus Christ for the unconverted to witness as their means to call on the name of Jesus Christ so as to be saved. Even if not a single person calls on the name of Jesus Christ by this work, my responsibility is to have fought the good fight, finish the course, and kept the faith! So here we go! Lets go Nathan! Remember this! Refer back to this post and keep going, keep pressing on with those who are of a faith as the same kind as the saints of old!