Day to day faith

So I read an interesting work by Kierkegaard and he talked about Abraham's faith. In the Bible it says how is faith was great, but Kierkegaard takes it a step higher and explains what kind of faith Abraham had. His faith was a day to day faith. Anyone can have faith in future things, its called hope, but to rely on God for our day to day needs is what Abraham had faith in.
When Abraham was going to take his son to be offered as a sacrifice to the LORD, Abraham went through it without hesitation. He knew that even if Isaac was sacrificed God would provide in another way, either the promise was supposed to be through his first son Ishmael or Sarah was going to have another son. Either way, Abraham had faith in future things, but Abraham did not sacrifice his son. What exactly was going through Isaac's mind at the time? After this incident, what kind of faith did Abraham have? He had to cut himself off emotionally from everything because what he was doing was morally wrong, but to even go through what he had to go through is something no one else can even comprehend. Abraham had faith in the future, but God was teaching him day to day faith.
Sometimes I wonder why I go through the things I do. I have faith in my future, I know that God has plans for me and its going to be wonderful, but as a college student, I hope I don't take the wrong step in the wrong direction. I need to have faith that God will guide me there. Yeah I have done a lot of mistakes and if I told people they would shun me out as a sinner (which everyone is), but through those things God helped me have faith, even when I think I take the wrong steps, it is a step closer to his ultimate plan.
Side note - read Kierkegaard's "Fear and Trembling" really good!
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Question

So I'm a bit confused about something and I was hoping that you might be able to help me figure this out. I have heard that no man can do good apart from God, which I can see why some people would say that because we all have selfish desires; however, those same people say that God is in control of everything, meaning we are all (believers and non believers) living life how God planned it to be. So my question is, if we cannot do good apart from God, but everything we do is in His plans, hence glorifying Him, then doesn't it mean that we are in some way doing good by being in His will? Maybe this is a very simple question, but I'm just still a bit confused and I was wondering if someone can clarify for me. Thanks!
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Christ against culture?

So I'm presently reading a book called Christ and Culture, and there are a lot of different views on our relationship with the world and what the Bible says about humans and culture. It's really quite interesting. Anyway, one of the viewpoints is Christ against Culture. One of the examples used in this viewpoint is Tolstoy, a famous Russian writer from the 19th century. Tolstoy believed that the Church was a creation of the devil. It was an interesting take on the church that I have never heard and it made me think. Why did Tolstoy hate the church? Some people can see why he would say that, like the church should be growing and take on the culture so the church can be better used for the people, but there is a line that could be crossed that can make the church evil. Take for example the move of individuals who wanted to live a life of solitude when Christianity became tolerated. Why would they do such a thing? There are some good reasons why, but didn't Christ say before he left this earth to go into all the world and proclaim his name?
I'm not sure where I'm going with all this, but I think its interesting to think about these things and wonder why. Wonder why people did the things they did. I'm not an advocate of Christ against culture, I really believe that we can be set apart from the world, but still be a part of it, but I like to wonder. Any thoughts?
I'm outs.

Never cease

So I'm reading this book called The Life of a Slave Girl. In the very beginning there is the title and two quotes underneath it. One of the quotes goes like this "Northerners know nothing at all about slavery. They think it is perpetual bondage only. They have no conception of the depth of degradation involved in that word, SLAVERY; if they had; they would never cease their efforts until so horrible a system was overthrown." This blog is not about slavery, but that last part of the quote really got to me as a Christian. In the Bible it talks about being a slave to sin and also about being a bond-servant of Christ. As a Christian, I was a slave to sin, every Christian was a slave to sin, but because of God's love and grace, He brought us out of it. When Christ told his disciples to go into all the world and tell everyone about Him, I don't think He even had to say anything because as a Christian we should want to tell everyone we know about Christ and what He has done. However, looking at the people around me I kind of see why Jesus had to say something; living in this life of ease can make us forget what we're supposed to do. We as a people can forget what it meant to be a slave of sin because if we really understood, then we would never cease our efforts of telling people; we would keep on talking until our last breath.
I encourage you to remember what it was like. Love those around you, and never stop.
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My thoughts behind service

Service has a lot of different meanings. It could mean a work service where you get paid for something you do, like a career. Service could mean helping a neighbor, a friend, family, whoever you desire to serve. Yet what is the motivation behind an act of service. In the case of a career, the person is being paid for something they can do that the person paying for the service cannot do. If you're helping out a neighbor, it seems logical to help those around you, you would want them to do the same for you. In the case of family and friends, you can't help but serve your family (they are blood, though there are exceptions); and you can't help but serve your friends, you wouldn't be friends with them if you didn't like them :P. So what is the true motivation behind service? Yeah we all help serve our community in some way, we all have our place, but what keeps us going? We all have this call to do something.
I would like to consider mine administration (that's what I'm good at). But I was thinking over this and what is my motivation behind serving. First my motivations were clearly to be seen by people, but I wasn't having any fun and I wasn't really helping anyone because I didn't make it relational, I made it purely "business". However, a turning point came into my life where I finally understood 1 Corinthians 13, to do everything out of love. For example, when I cook for people. I love to cook and I enjoy people saying how good my food is, but I enjoy more the fact that they don't have to cook their food and I love the conversations we have at the table, especially with my roommates, though random as they are. I don't get mad anymore that I'm doing all the work and they (not my roommates, but general public) don't do anything. My motivation behind service (after years of failure) is love, its building relationships. Of course, I probably don't understand the true meaning of love, but just remembering the cross and eventually being in heaven, will definitely show what love looks like, what God looks like. I just enjoy helping people, it gives me purpose, it gives me meaning. Yes I'll never see the lady that asked for food ever again, yes I'll sometimes be the only person in the "relationship" giving it my all, but when God receives me and tells me I'm His, it'll all be worth the money and time I used serving those around me.

Also, in one of my classes we were discussing the Trinity. What is the meaning behind "Let Us make man in Our image." Does it mean physically looking like him, mentally, emotionally? Or does it mean to have a relationship? God had a relationship within Himself, you can clearly see that He wanted a relationship with man and for man to have relationship with man. Is this what God desired? For us to only have relationships? Should this be our motivation behind service? For us to have a relationship with other people? Any thoughts?
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Extremist

Oh and I realized I had a quote that I wanted to leave with you until I write again. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, "So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?"

Any thoughts? I'm outs

Finals next week

I haven't been able to write. Everything I want to write about is way too close to the heart. I have a million things going on in my head right at this moment. I shouldn't be distracted. I have freaking finals next week and its pretty much the farthest thing from the forefront of my mind. Please pray that I can focus. I'm outs.