Becoming a Jedi Knight Christian (Part 1)....Radical Christianity

A Jedi Knight Christian Focuses on the Present

You must live in the present, launch on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.  Henry David Thoreau

More than ever I live one day at a time.  I believe in living like Jesus is coming back today, but plan for the future like he is never coming back.  As a Christian, one thing that has irked me is when Christians focus too much on heaven.  Why can’t Christians just enjoy the here and now and not talk so much about heaven?

Like Yoda poked Luke Skywalker with his cane, I want to poke those Christians with a cane or beat them over the head with the cane, and say, “A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon.  Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless.”

The abundant life is in us.   The kingdom of heaven is within us.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall They say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20-21

I want to see Jesus and my deceased loved ones including my husband.   I want to go to heaven because of them, not as a cop-out that I can’t face life’s difficulties or enjoy my life on earth.  I plan to be victorious over everything that happens in my life.

I sort of like that song …it is talking about love, but it relates to the possible worst case scenario that has happened in my life:  Come on (Come on), come on (Come on), come on (Come on), shoot it, baby,  (Shoot your best shot)....Worst-case scenario is a situation where everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong…..Murphy’s Law…sh_t happens”

Satan has hit me with his best shot...three close relatives that lost their life to cancer and a husband with a sudden heart attack and I'm still moving forward.

I've taken over the business of making fun soup in life.

Smell the roses, take walks and hikes, enjoy the flowers, look at the caterpillars…..enjoying nature….enjoying the little things…don’t put off the dream vacation for tomorrow, because  tomorrow may not come.  

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'  Luke 12:18-20

A Jedi Christian Makes Fun Soup

This is not in the Star Wars script, but I believe a Jedi makes fun soup. 

Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.  Psalm 34:12 and 1 Peter 3:10

I grew up with a story of making stone soup which is a person contributed a stone, and then each person in the community brought vegetables around town, and they made a great pot of soup.  It’s because each person was contributing to the soup.  The stone really had nothing to do with the flavor of the soup. 

Recently, they came out with a version of the story for those of us who had a great loss in life which the highest loss is usually a child or a spouse.  Loving friends come over to our house and help us make tear soup.  (Tear Soup by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen)

It’s because in grief you cry a lot especially during anniversaries and holidays.  I consider that my calling in life is not stone soup, tear soup, but to make fun soup.  It's been the same calling since I was four or five years old.  I tried to squeeze every bit of fun out of life, and did not like my mother calling me in to come eat dinner or lunch.  What I believe the “message” is here is that we can accomplish a whole lot more in making soup with the help of others than being lone ranger Christians.  

My husband was a great manufacturer of making fun in life, and I’ve taken over his business of making fun.  He passed his mantel on to me.  He had chronic asthma and knew his life could be short from harsh inhalers, and he was correct.  I was just listening to a message on television today at lunch about believing God for healing from allergies, asthma and eye problems.  Not just “putting up” with aches and pains as Christians.  

I agree that our sickness and diseases were laid on Jesus and by his physical stripes on his body we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).  There is no condemnation in having a health problem, I just want to be more dependent on God as a little child in faith rather than doctors for taking care of those health problems so I give those to Jesus.  “God, please help my unbelief with any health problems.”   I don’t want health problems hold me back from having fun in life or taking my life early like the king below:

In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his fathers.   2 Chronicles 16:12

My husband was reckless like Luke Skywalker in that he would go full throttle ahead which is take the boat and jet skis out without making sure they would start, the drain plugs were in them, and the wheels on the trailer were greased and the back wheels of the SUV were greased each year in backing into water on a regular basis so I’ve spent much time in what I would call fixing/repairing some of his having fun mistakes.  I also consider that as a preventive that I pray before every trip knowing that a sock or rock can get sucked up into the wave runner.

When I broke my ankle last September it slowed me down from boating and dancing, and the Lord spoke to my heart that although I had presented my body as a living sacrifice and given God all the toys of the senses in my life, I had not committed fun to him.…I just never thought about committing fun to Him so I said okay, I commit my love for ballroom dancing and boating to you.  That is all God wanted me to do…he wanted me to commit having fun to him.   There are a number of ways I like to have fun … I like go-karting with my kids,  playing board games, riding horses, watching sports, etc.  

My daughter had a prophesy when she was 12 years old that God wanted to play with her and have fun with her.  God goes where I go so He is with me in having fun.  I also get a lot of joy in bringing fun to single parent children in boating who have gone through a divorce since there is a lot of strife in their lives.   I like to dance before the Lord, and enjoy my worship time with him. Satan caused me to break my ankle as far as my perception that I was at the bottom of my house stairs when I was not in the evening, but when I slowed down because of having my foot in a cast, the Lord spoke to me to give my fun over to him so it would not be an idol in my life.  God wants me to love him more than fun.

Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 2 Timothy 3:4

I sing a song on my guitar and it goes, "The greatest thing in all my life, is loving you."  Talking about loving Jesus.

Ministers and Christians can get over balanced and all they do is wake up and preach the gospel and go to bed preaching the gospel…when I leave this planet I want to be preaching the gospel, but I do believe in having a hobby…sport….having other things in life that are a way to unwind from the world.  Besides I find rubbing elbows out boating with people is a good way to fellowship, and a lot of people end up preaching during their golf games.  Hosting single events has given many singles a chance to do something with believers and have fun…..I never got those boy/girl parties since my brother ruined it for me as a teenager with a wild party, and so now I’ve had many good hospitality events at my home.

Jesus was able to share about eternal life in his everyday life which included going through Samaria rather than avoiding it like most Jews did and asking a woman to get him some water.  It was a woman who had five husbands and the current person she was living with was not her husband.   He told the woman that out heavenly Father seeks people to worship Him.  

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth. John 4:23-24

The main thing is that everyone has to live according to their own conscience and be fully convinced that what they do is what God has called them to do.

One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. Romans 14:5

 

God understands our weaknesses.  I believe that many Christians think to admit that they made a mistake or have weaknesses, it is a negative confession rather than humbling themselves before God. I’ve not met a perfect person that walks the face of the earth yet except Jesus Christ or a perfect Christian.  We need to get our eyes off of people. Jesus recognized that we have weaknesses, we need to be more longsuffering with the weaknesses/faults of others.

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Romans 15:1

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Matthew 26:41

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Cor. 12:9

A Jedi Controls His Tongue

Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil anyour lips from speaking lies.  Psalm 34:12 and 1 Peter 3:10

I’m watching the words that come out of my mouth.  I was at a woman’s scrap book party and a woman made a comment that every time she gets pregnant, her husband loses his job.  She better start preparing for it, because she is believing for it, and Jesus said if you “say to a mountain be cast into the sea and believe it will happen, it will be done for you.”   People buy lottery tickets, believing they will win the lottery.   If you never buy a lottery ticket, than you can’t be exercising any faith to win, because you did not buy one!  I’ve never bought a lottery ticket in my life and I’ve never won the lottery….LOL

"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.  Mark 11:23
Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.  Matthew 18:19

If I guard my tongue, I have less attacks on my life.  I don’t want to commit suicide with my tongue.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.  James 3:9-10
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21
When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. Proverbs 10:19He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin. Proverbs 13:3

Part of controlling the tongue is that have you noticed that people don’t go around and say Damn Satan?   Everyone either uses God’s name or Jesus name in vain when they Damn.  Why do we curse God rather than Satan who is causing our problems?  Why do we say God’s name in vain and blame God for our problems?  Why don’t people say Damn Buddah or Mohammad?

Actually, it would not be a good idea to say Damn Satan either, I believe it’s best to rebuke Satan in the name of Jesus and quote the Bible in your life.

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" Jude 1:9

Why did Job’s wife tell him to curse God and die?  Why did Job’s wife believe that God was her problem.  God is not our problem.  God is our solution.  His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" Job 2:9

All through the Old Testament, it says that God will proclaim his name in all the earth so Satan was trying to get Job to curse God’s name.   Just like he has many people do now when they get angry in their life.

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.  Exodus 20:7 & Duet. 5:11
My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 1:11
I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. Exodus 6:3
Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" Exodus 3:13-14

I would not particularly care to have people going around saying Mary damn, Damn Mary…in life…Would you want people to misuse your name that way? God does not like it either.  

The Name of Jesus is powerful in our lives and many people say Jesus Christ name in vain:  

Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.  2 Thess. 1:12
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, Philip 2:9
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. John 14:13
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; Philip 2:10

Jesus gave us an example of how powerful words can be.  God has called us to speak blessings on people. I believe that would be a good thing to not curse (talk against) your ex-husband, ex-wife, or if a road rage person cuts you off…say “God bless them.”

Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. Luke 6:28

In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.  When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.  And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”  Matthew 21:18-22