Jean-Luc's Thoughts...: May 2005

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Sacrifice? or Gain?

First of all..

I just thought it was an honour to be able to help out with this for a worthy cause.

Lately, I have been thinking quite a bit about what being a Christian means to me. There are those that would say being a Christian would mean going to Church, saying prayers to God, don't drink, don't go clubbing, surround yourself with Christian people 24/7, do all these Christian activities, etc... If that was true, I'd be believing in a religion, where I would believe that by doing good works I can earn myself heaven/nirvana etc...

Now, there are a lot of things that go on in a club, for example ... If you were a male, for example, you could get drunk, start dancing with some random girls and next thing you know, spending the night with them. I don't believe that is the right way to act... that is against what God has created me to be... Would this be something your future wife, the one you share an intimate relationship with, would that be something you would like her to know about?

I have a passion for music... and I enjoy most forms of music, because it is the only form of language that we can all universally understand despite skin, race, colour, culture, and language. I would personally rather lose my sense of vision over my sense of hearing... There is just something about music that I love so much... Now one genre I started to enjoy in the past several years is EDM (electronic dance music) and mostly the non-mainstream type. I have discovered so much variety and flavour in this type of music: from groovy latenight house, to blood pumping breakbeats, from chill latenight house to psychadelic goa, from emotional uplifting trance to percussion driven techno. I have been a top-40s radio fan before... but after listening to EDM, I cannot say I can find anything in top-40's as enjoyable to listen to...

Now, what do most EDM listeners do?? Clubbing! Partying! I must say, I do enjoy listening and dancing to some loud exciting beats on incredible sound systems... U love just moving and spending my energy on music that I love.. But I do know there are morales that I need to keep. I would be lying if I could say I could go to a club without seeing a girl dressing seductively...

We each have our own personal struggles that we sometimes need to surrender... For me, it is lazyness... Overcoming my lack of desire to be productive... For others it may be television, for some it may be their boyfriend/girlfriend, and yet for others it may be clubbing...

Nowhere in the Bible does it say "thou shalt not club" so does that mean we shouldn't club at all? No. Does that mean we should club all the time? No. Does that mean we should only club sometimes? No. God has things in each of your lives that he may want you to surrender. Often, these things are the hardest things that you would want to give up. But trust me, God will fill your life with so much more if you only allow yourselves to keep things that are taking up room in your heart that could otherwise be filled by God's love.

For me, what does that mean?
I will only go to clubs and parties that God has allowed me permission. If God speaks to me and tells me I shouldn't go to a club or party that night, then I shouldn't go. As hard it may be, it really all depends on if I am willing to sacrifice a night of dancing and music to be filled by God's love.

There has been many things I've given up in my life, and as restricting as it may seem, it has enabled me to fill those areas in my life with God and instead of being restricted by "JL shouln't do this" it has been replaced by "JL doesn't desire to do this anymore because God fills that empty gap". Many times I have had to give up something in my life, but everytime I have, God has blessed me many times more. Maybe this would take control of my life and I would need to give up clubbing one day... If anything is taking a hold of you, I suggest you let it go...

What I've found, is that by "giving up" certain things, I've actually not lost something but gained the fulfillment that God brings into my life.

Are you ready to trade in that something that is holding you back, for that something better?

This isn't some hokey religious stuff I am talking about... This is the truth... God is the truth...

You can either believe me to be saying absolute crap and that I am crazy, or just maybe, what I am saying is true. But personally, I know without a doubt, that God exists, and He is real... Trust me... he has helped me pass my Solids course from a 30% to a 57% which has basically been a miracle... He saved my life and my sister's life in a car accident once...

So... is JL full of crap, or is there maybe truth in what he says??

Think about it... =)