Those are questions I've been asking myself a lot lately. The reason why I do this is simple. Paul says: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). So even blogging, twitting and facebooking can be done in such a way that it's glorifying God. For several times I've been told that people were encouraged by what I wrote and therefore I see it as something worth of doing. As other things, even this has a downside - pride. It's really easy to slip and make these "holy tweets and posts" just another way how to boast. It's easy to publish something so that people would think how "smart and holy" I am. That is a great danger of this blog, Twitter and Facebook. As anything else, even this can miss the point it was created for - to glorify God (as Paul says "For by him all things were created...all things were created through him and for him" - Colossians 1:16).
Another question I've been asked is why I blog and tweet in English. The reason is simple: vast majority of people that read this blog speak English, but very few speak Slovak. Thus, by having this blog in English I am able to reach more people than in Slovak. But there are few changes:
1) Slovak version of my blog was launched: http://www.tomasovicsk-sk.blogspot.com. My friend Maťa has undertaken to translate it. The plan is that it will be a mirror version of English blog (although not always).
2) From now on I've decided to tweet and facebook only in Slovak. Why? Because things have changed and now I believe I can reach more people if I do it in Slovak than in English.
And so what do you find on my blog and twitter? I will post articles on my blog to let you know about my life. What I'm learning about God and what is He teaching me. Where He's leading me and what's going on here in Trnava. On Twitter (and Facebook - they are linked) I publish things that I found interesting to share. It comes from my devotions, books I'm reading or just thoughts that were in my mind.
Feel free to comment on anything. Blog posts, statuses, whatever... Also, please hold me accountable if you start sensing a prideful attitude behing my "online work".
For His glory,
Marek
28 marca, 2010
The Story of Zac Smith
This I do know: If God chooses to heal me, then God is God and God is good. If God chooses not to heal me and allows me to die, God is still God and God is still good. To God be the glory!
~Zac Smith
~Zac Smith
19 marca, 2010
By Your Side
In Psalm 139 David prays:
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
Psalm 139:7-12
Surely, there's no place where you would go and God would not be right there BY YOUR SIDE.
Tenth Avenue North - By Your Side
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
Psalm 139:7-12
Surely, there's no place where you would go and God would not be right there BY YOUR SIDE.
Tenth Avenue North - By Your Side
14 marca, 2010
The Last Saved Generation in Slovakia
After watching people in Slovakia, various generations and their relationship with God, I came to a conclusion that right now there’s the “last saved generation”. What I mean by that is this:
The last generation is the oldest people in my culture. People that are really old and are about to die quite soon. People, that are 70 and above. Yes, I know there is no entire generation that was ever saved, but what I mean by that is that the last generation that consists of saved people, is about to die out. They are too old and there’s no other generation that would succeed them in their faith. Now, the fact is that about 99% of those people are Roman Catholics, but in spite of that I believe, that there are many (can’t even compare to any other living generation) that are going meet the Lord in heaven (and that very soon). Are you asking how can they be saved if they’re from the Roman Catholic Church (RCC)? The answer is simple – by God’s grace and through Christ’s blood! In spite all of the wrong doctrines and teachings that the RCC holds and teaches (which make the RCC practically a false church), they are saved even through the confusion of their hearts that came on them in the RCC. I believe, that when God will look upon them when they stand before Him the day they die, He will justify them because Jesus died for them. He will look into their hearts and He will find an honest, true and real desire to find Him and surrender their lives to Him. Unfortunately, under the influence of the RCC their view of God and Christianity has been distorted. But their hearts were not – they remained honestly seeking God.
Now don’t get me wrong – this cannot happen without God’s grace and Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Also, I don’t mean to imply that all those 70+ yrs old people are going to heaven. What I mean by that is that there are many that will go. Many, that we could say of: Oh well, if they would have just heard the real Gospel that man is justified by faith alone through grace apart from the works, they could have been saved. But the reality is that many of them have not heard that! And that’s, I believe, where God steps in with His grace and justifies them on the basis of His unconditional grace.
---------------------------
I want to tell you my story, because just now I realize how this hits close to home:
For a long time I have thought I’m the only believing Christian in my entire family. Knowing that I felt alone and alienated from all those people. Of course they are my family, but none of them was a part of God’s family. But I forgot about my great grandma. She’s 86 and she’ll soon die. About a month ago she was taken to a hospital in the town and some people thought she wouldn’t make it. For over 30 years she was taking medicine and her body is now weak and old. That made me ask this question: where is she going to go after she breathes her last? As I recalled old memories and heard people talking about her I was pleased to find out that I will get to see her in heaven.
She got better and after three weeks spent in hospital they sent her back home. She is still weak and has pains but is alive. My family went to see her today. The last time I saw her was about 6 years ago. I feel really bad for not seeing her for such a long time. But on one hand I was afraid. After I became a Christian she heard I joined this Protestant church and I heard she was scared. She said she was afraid for me and that she’s praying for me. That’s why I was afraid. I didn’t want this thing to come up cause she was feeling bad already and there’s no point in talking to 86 yrs old woman that it’s not a sect.
So we went there today. My mom, sister and I were all in her small room. I could have seen she was glad to see me. When I looked around I saw these pictures of Jesus hanging on the wall. Beside her bad was a book called “Prayers for seriously sick”. I let my mom and sister leave the room and I was left there alone with her. I was on my knees right beside her bed looking into her old eyes. She said how much I’ve grown up and that she’s always thinking about me. One thing she told me and that was: THE MAIN THING - BELIEVE IN JESUS. To witch I replied: I do believe! Suddenly I saw tears in her eyes and I felt some arising in mine. Then it hit me: I am not alone; I’m not the only one! I am not the only Christian in the family! I felt this close and deep connection between us - I felt Christ uniting us. I can't really describe what I felt. It was this new feeling of somebody who is God's child and your family. Something I'm longing for ever since I believed...
Then we moved into kitchen and sometimes I saw her eyes filled with tears. As our eyes met across the room I saw her lips moving and quietly whispering: I love you. You know, she’s going to die soon. It hurts to imagine, but that’s how the things are. God showed us tremendous grace that He still keeps her here. But eventually, He will call her back home to Himself. And when I’ll go to the funeral – in weeks, months, or if God wills even years – I will probably be the only one, who will mourn with hope knowing that it’s just a matter of time till I’ll see her again.
But I am more than happy to know, that when she’ll be gone, believers won’t vanish from the family line. And I am also happy to know, that even though I thought I was the only one, I wasn’t.
Marek
The last generation is the oldest people in my culture. People that are really old and are about to die quite soon. People, that are 70 and above. Yes, I know there is no entire generation that was ever saved, but what I mean by that is that the last generation that consists of saved people, is about to die out. They are too old and there’s no other generation that would succeed them in their faith. Now, the fact is that about 99% of those people are Roman Catholics, but in spite of that I believe, that there are many (can’t even compare to any other living generation) that are going meet the Lord in heaven (and that very soon). Are you asking how can they be saved if they’re from the Roman Catholic Church (RCC)? The answer is simple – by God’s grace and through Christ’s blood! In spite all of the wrong doctrines and teachings that the RCC holds and teaches (which make the RCC practically a false church), they are saved even through the confusion of their hearts that came on them in the RCC. I believe, that when God will look upon them when they stand before Him the day they die, He will justify them because Jesus died for them. He will look into their hearts and He will find an honest, true and real desire to find Him and surrender their lives to Him. Unfortunately, under the influence of the RCC their view of God and Christianity has been distorted. But their hearts were not – they remained honestly seeking God.
Now don’t get me wrong – this cannot happen without God’s grace and Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Also, I don’t mean to imply that all those 70+ yrs old people are going to heaven. What I mean by that is that there are many that will go. Many, that we could say of: Oh well, if they would have just heard the real Gospel that man is justified by faith alone through grace apart from the works, they could have been saved. But the reality is that many of them have not heard that! And that’s, I believe, where God steps in with His grace and justifies them on the basis of His unconditional grace.
---------------------------
I want to tell you my story, because just now I realize how this hits close to home:
For a long time I have thought I’m the only believing Christian in my entire family. Knowing that I felt alone and alienated from all those people. Of course they are my family, but none of them was a part of God’s family. But I forgot about my great grandma. She’s 86 and she’ll soon die. About a month ago she was taken to a hospital in the town and some people thought she wouldn’t make it. For over 30 years she was taking medicine and her body is now weak and old. That made me ask this question: where is she going to go after she breathes her last? As I recalled old memories and heard people talking about her I was pleased to find out that I will get to see her in heaven.
She got better and after three weeks spent in hospital they sent her back home. She is still weak and has pains but is alive. My family went to see her today. The last time I saw her was about 6 years ago. I feel really bad for not seeing her for such a long time. But on one hand I was afraid. After I became a Christian she heard I joined this Protestant church and I heard she was scared. She said she was afraid for me and that she’s praying for me. That’s why I was afraid. I didn’t want this thing to come up cause she was feeling bad already and there’s no point in talking to 86 yrs old woman that it’s not a sect.
So we went there today. My mom, sister and I were all in her small room. I could have seen she was glad to see me. When I looked around I saw these pictures of Jesus hanging on the wall. Beside her bad was a book called “Prayers for seriously sick”. I let my mom and sister leave the room and I was left there alone with her. I was on my knees right beside her bed looking into her old eyes. She said how much I’ve grown up and that she’s always thinking about me. One thing she told me and that was: THE MAIN THING - BELIEVE IN JESUS. To witch I replied: I do believe! Suddenly I saw tears in her eyes and I felt some arising in mine. Then it hit me: I am not alone; I’m not the only one! I am not the only Christian in the family! I felt this close and deep connection between us - I felt Christ uniting us. I can't really describe what I felt. It was this new feeling of somebody who is God's child and your family. Something I'm longing for ever since I believed...
Then we moved into kitchen and sometimes I saw her eyes filled with tears. As our eyes met across the room I saw her lips moving and quietly whispering: I love you. You know, she’s going to die soon. It hurts to imagine, but that’s how the things are. God showed us tremendous grace that He still keeps her here. But eventually, He will call her back home to Himself. And when I’ll go to the funeral – in weeks, months, or if God wills even years – I will probably be the only one, who will mourn with hope knowing that it’s just a matter of time till I’ll see her again.
But I am more than happy to know, that when she’ll be gone, believers won’t vanish from the family line. And I am also happy to know, that even though I thought I was the only one, I wasn’t.
Marek
05 marca, 2010
How great is God's grace toward us?
I started reading book by Timothy Keller called The Prodigal God where he's giving a new way of looking at the parable Jesus said in Luke 15 - Prodigal son. Keller says that the name of the parable is not the best and he suggests it should be rather called The Two Lost Sons - because it's a story of both, the younger and the elder brother.
This is one of the things that I read today and would like to share:
God's love and forgiveness can pardon and restore any and every kind of sin or wrongdoing. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. It doesn't matter if you're deliberately oppressed or even murdered people, or how much you're abused yourself. The younger brother knew that in his father's house there was abundant "food to spare," but he also discovered that there was grace to spare. There is no evil that the father's love cannot pardon or cover, there is no sin that is a match for his grace.
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