Death and Suffering

Today I was informed about a young man’s death. I want us today to reflect on life, to reflect on living, and to reflect on suffering. For one, we all need to understand that we don’t have tomorrow. We cannot guarantee that we will be here tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year. Death can come at any moment for us or any of our loved ones. With this in mind, I want to encourage you all to stay close to the Lord and really continue to praise Him, because He is the only way in to Heaven.

Now moving in to the suffering part of things. In 2 Corinthians, we read 7:10

“10For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”

 

In this passage Paul is saying that there is suffering. There is suffering that can benefit us, and that’s the suffering the Lord wants us to experience. He wants us to grow and progress, get closer to salvation through sufferings. Let them bring us up, not down. Let them encourage us to be reverent and know how short our time really is, that it’s only a vapor in the wind, a speck  in the galaxy.

Let’s be encouraged by Ruben’s death. Let’s thank God we still have today. Let’s pray that if we get tomorrow, that we can use it for His glory. I want us to really pray that when struggle and suffering comes, that we can use those experiences to really get closer to God and to salvation as He wants us to! Also keep the Gagea’s family and friends in your  prayers, that they might be comforted by the Word of the Lord and be still praise Him in this time of suffering as I mentioned in yesterday’s post. 

God bless you and may today be used for His glory. Praise be to Him, the one who loves, cares, gives and takes away. He is the only one that can understand our emotions fully, so let’s express them to Him as best as we can. God help us!

Thank you for reading todays post. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just need someone to talk to, I am willing to listen. Email me at jasondumitru@gmail.com or call me or text me at 847 322 0518. Again, thanks and God bless!

Day 92

What To Do: Times of Dispair

Apologies for the late post. Today God put it on my heart to share Job 11:13-20

“13 If only you would prepare your heart and lift up your hands to him in prayer! 14Get rid of your sins, and leave all iniquity behind you. 15Then your face will brighten with innocence. You will be strong and free of fear. 16You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away. 17Your life will be brighter than the noonday. Even darkness will be as bright as morning. 18Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety. 19You will lie down unafraid, and many will look to you for help. 20But the wicked will be blinded. They will have no escape. Their only hope is death.”

 

With this passage in mind, I want us to think. We all face trials in life. We all face problems that we think we cannot handle or deal with. But let’s compare ourselves to Job. He lost EVERYTHING. His family, wealth, and health. Interesting enough, he also was very very frustrated and didn’t understand why God did what He did. He eventually kept complaining and crying out in dispair.

 

Zophar’s response to Job’s frustration and dispair was perfect and right on. He was basically telling Job “listen brother, if only you would lift your hands in prayer and ask for forgiveness, leave your iniquities behind you, then your life will improve, your happiness will be restored, your fear will be gone, your life will brighten up, you will have courage.” 

 

If only we would pay attention to these words, if only we applied these words to our troubles and miseries. Nobody can live a life without struggle and strife. We will all face trials, temptations, and tribulations at some point, but the point of them, is to test our faith. Through them we are supposed to be built in faith! They are supposed to make us stronger and more courageous. It sounds crazy maybe, that when we are facing the toughest struggle of our life, when we might lose a job, family member, friend, all three, or even something else, that we should praise God and give Him all the glory even in those times. 

 

Zophar tells us that if we do this, God will help us. If we have faith in God, if we repent, if we leave the past behind and focus on Him in the present, He will help us persevere. He will help us overcome! He will renew us.

Let’s pray that we can lift our hands in prayer and give God the glory even in our toughest and hardest times. Let’s pray that when times of struggle come, that we can truly be faithful servants.

Thank you for reading todays post. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just need someone to talk to, I am willing to listen. Email me at jasondumitru@gmail.com or call me or text me at 847 322 0518. Again, thanks and God bless!

Day 91

All Comes Back To Love

It all comes down to love whether we like it or not. All the times we sin against each other, against God, and do what we want. Romans 13:8-10

“8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.”

 

We see A LOT of good stuff in this passage! We see that everything has to do with love, it always comes back to love. We need to pay all our debts to each other, but we cannot finish paying our debt of love to each other. The truth and fact of the matter is, that if we love each other and love God, we will be more inclined to do His will and serve each other than to sin. If we truly love God, we will not sin because we love Him too much to hurt Him. There is a reason that all commandments are summed up in one commandment. Love does no wrong, that’s why!

 

The truth is, that if we truly love God, we will put our pride aside and stop caring about the way we look or dress. If we love God, we will put our selfishness aside and stop fulfilling our selfish desires of lust, jealousy, envy, and so on. If we love God, we will stop caring about our wants and only focus on Him and His wants for our lives. After all is He not the one who created us. After all don’t you think that the one who made you would know who is best for you to marry, what the best school or job is for you, what your life requires to be happy? So why do we fight so often with Him and put ourselves before others and Him? Because we are prideful and sinful humans. That’s why we constantly are in need of repentance and need to beg for forgiveness. That’s why we need to pray to be more humble and pray that we can love more and more each day. Because as I have said in the past; if we are not growing as Christians and lovers of Jesus, than what’s the point?

 

I hope that this devotion spoke to you and really touched something somewhere. I pray that you may open your life to God’s power and might so that He may change you and form you into the human being and creation He wants you to be.

 

Thank you for reading todays post. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just need someone to talk to, I am willing to listen. Email me at jasondumitru@gmail.com or call me or text me at 847 322 0518. Again, thanks and God bless!

Day 90

Worries

Today I felt really inclined to talk about one of my favorite passages once again. Matthew 6:25-34. 

“25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

The reason this was put on my heart, is because my life is facing some crazy changes once again. I am barely just about to finish my first semester at WIU and I have been feeling called to come back home. It was hard for me at first to fully comprehend this and grasp that because God called me here to WIU and He confirmed this. I started to worry again about whats going to happen.

I am glad to say that the Bible is good! It opened my eyes to see that regardless of what I fear, I will be taken care of the way God wants. I realized that I was called to WIU for this semester for a reason. God used people and situations to work in my heart and strengthen me as a person and really build up my character. Not only that, but He did use me, a nobody, to work in other people’s lives as well and that’s enough for me, knowing that God used me for His plan.

Now I want to encourage you. I want you to be in prayer about your life  decisions that you might find yourselves worrying about. Worry not, for it is in God’s hands. Don’t let thoughts about God being unfaithful, non-providing, non-listening, and non-caring. Believe that God is working and you will see your life changing and and turning into His direction, into His plan.

God bless you brothers and sisters! Be strong today and pick up your cross once again!

Thank you for reading todays post. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just need someone to talk to, I am willing to listen. Email me at jasondumitru@gmail.com or call me or text me at 847 322 0518. Again, thanks and God bless!

Day 89

Getting Picked Up

It’s interesting that all humans have highs and lows. It’s interesting that every human tries to find something to pick them back up when they’ve fallen and can’t seem to find any happiness, joy, renewal, etc. It’s interesting how the Bible has the answer to most life problems. It’s interesting to see your life change before your very eyes. I cannot and will not ever understand the fullness of the way in which God works. However I want to teach you this today; that when you are rolling around on the ground, broken, discouraged, fallen, only the Word of God, His presence, and His grace will lift you back up! In Psalm 119:25 David says

“I lie in the dust, completely discouraged;

       revive me by your word.”

Although David was on the ground, in the dirt, completely discouraged, he knew where to look and who to call upon. God! David knew that although he’s broken and discouraged, the Lord is the ONLY answer and in Him he can find hope, renewal, salvation.

Let’s be like David and call upon the Lord in our times of frustration, brokenness, and discourage. Let’s look to the only hope for us and hear and listen to His Word! Call upon God in your brokenness! HE IS THE ANSWER! The Bible tells us to believe and not doubt, so when we call upon the Lord, believe and not doubt we shall!

God bless you loved one. May the Lord strengthen you in today and may you really find yourself so lost in Him, that you’ll trip over His love into His plan for your life!

Thank you for reading todays post. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or just need someone to talk to, I am willing to listen. Email me at jasondumitru@gmail.com or call me or text me at 847 322 0518. Again, thanks and God bless!

Day 88

Happiness

Where do I find happiness? That’s the question we all want answered. Here’s the good news. There is an amazing solution to your questions about life and happiness. Although they may not be what you expect at first, you will learn to love and eventually obsess with this truth. If you are truly open and willing to find this “happiness” you search for and are willing to try what I’m about to share, I have no doubt that God will work in your heart.

In the Bible, there are many verses that talk about finding joy and happiness, but today I want to share King Davids’ perspective. So many times we find ourselves in a ditch and ask, “How did I get here?”. We all want a solution to our problem. Well David tells us this in Psalm 119

“1Joyful are people of integrity,

who follow the instructions of the Lord.

2Joyful are those who obey his laws

and search for him with all their hearts.

3They do not compromise with evil,

and they walk only in his paths.”

If we read these verses, we see that our happiness is found in the obedience of the Lords’ laws. Our happiness is found when we obey the commands and decrees of the Lord. Our happiness is found when we search for God with all of our heart. We find our happiness because we stop compromising with evil and walk only in His paths. That’s how we can find our happiness!

 

Today I challenge you. If you haven’t found the “meaning” of your life, if you haven’t found “peace with your inner self”, if you are constantly trying to fill a dark, deep, black hole in your heart, that seems to always be there, even after you’ve had some great sex, gotten drunk out of your mind, and done who knows what else to try to find pleasure and happiness, then I beg you. Please stop trying to fill your emptiness with evil things like sex outside of the way God intended it to be, getting drunk, drugging yourself, stealing, fighting, or anything else that you might do to bring yourself happiness. Try God. Try opening the Bible up and reading about His love for us, start reading the New Testament to understand what Jesus did for us all. Try to pray to God for at least a week, ask Him for help. But at the same time however, meet Him half way. Don’t expect Him to turn your life around and make everything perfect without wanting to change from your ways. Ask God to come into your life and change what needs to be changed. Ask Him to bring you to your knees and help you understand His will. Ask Him for His helping hand and surely He will give it. He gave it to me. He gave it to my loved ones. He’ll give it to you. Ask and you shall receive, but don’t fool yourself and ask without being open to His change for you. And know this! YOU HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING THAT HE WILL NOT FORGIVE! NOTHING YOU DID COULD EVER BE GREATER THAN HIS SACRIFICE FOR YOU…HIS OWN LIFE!

 

To those of us who have already accepted Christ, I challenge you as I am challenging myself. I challenge us to really dig more into the word. Really dig more into God’s will for our lives. Really dig into God’s own heart and ask Him to CHANGE, RESHAPE, and REMOLD us into who and what He wants us to be. Only then will we find our permanent joy. Only then will that dark hole that even Christians have will be filled.

And so you know that I’m not full of crap, I want you ALL to know that more recently I have been struggling with my emotions for a girl. It’s become clear to me that I clearly liked her way too much because she clearly has no feelings for me. Even though she is a church girl, and a girl who loves Jesus very much, she really seems to have nothing for me. I kept putting her in my mind and my thoughts. I kept thinking about how happy I’d be with her, how easy it would be for me to stop lusting after all these other girls around me, how she would be “the answer to MY black hole”. In reality though she was never and will never be that answer. I asked God to help me stay focused on Him. I asked God to show me His way for me more clearly. I asked God to help me get over my emotions and focus on Him more. Guess what? I am writing here before you with joy! Joy because Christ helped me out with these feelings and emotions that I was dealing with. Joy because Christ really is the ONLY answer to our “where do I find happiness?” question. Personally I thought this girl would be the answer for me. I really thought she would keep me from sinning and lusting. In reality though, Christ should be the only reason you stop sinning, stop, lusting, stop smoking, stop drinking, stop sleeping around, stop watching porn, stop lying, stop cheating, stop stealing, stop hurting others, stop using horrible language, stop doing evil things! Not some girl, not some guy, not some job or career, not something or someone, but Christ alone, He is the answer to our emptiness and He is the real deal. He changed my life and continues to change it and shape it as He sees fit and I thank Him for that. I thank Him because I am becoming the man that He wants me to be for myself, but more importantly for others, for my family, friends, brothers, sisters, girlfriend/fiancee/wife, YOU.

 

Thank you for visiting my blog today! Thank you for taking 10 minutes out of your day to read a nobody’s post. Thank you, thank you, thank you. God bless you and I truly hope that these speak to you! Have a great and blessed day!

 

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, or just want someone to hear you out and talk to, please email me or call me. My email is jasondumitru@gmail.com and my phone number is 847 322 0518. 

 

Day 87

Young & Pure & Happy

It’s interesting to see our society nowadays. Teenagers and young adults are really losing sight of life and what it means to live a good life. We are taught as young boys, by society, that the more girls we get and sleep with, the cooler, more manly, and respectable we are. For young girls, they are taught to dunk their faces into make-up, they are taught that they will live a “happily-ever-after” life, they are taught that as long as a boy “loves” them, they can sleep with him. Our society has turned us away from the good, pure, and correct things we should do. I am going to say that even I wasn’t an angel, but God turned me around. He reshaped me, and is continuing to shape me. In Psalm 119:9 it says

“How can a young person stay pure?

          By obeying your word and following its rules.”

So among all the wrong we are taught now in this world, there is hope the Bible says. David is saying that we can stay pure by doing what? OBEYING GOD’S WORD AND FOLLOWING ITS RULES. It’s plain and simple, black and white. We stay pure by obeying His word and following its rules! How beautiful is that? An answer to the most beautiful thing we can have as children of God, purity! Not only in e sexual way, although that is SO important as well, but in every aspect of life to be pure of heart. Pure at work, school, in our actions, thoughts, words, and everything in between. We need to open this Holy Bible and really get to know it! This is our best friend here on earth, and as long as this Book stays closed in your life, so does the wonderful life God has planned for you. Don’t you want to have the life He wants for you? Don’t you want to experience the fullness of the life He has planned for you?

Let’s be open to God’s word and laws. Let’s strive to keep His commands and get to know the Bible as best as we can! Purity is important to Christ, so let’s keep it. Let’s not lie, cheat, steal, and do anything else that may stain our hearts. Get to know the Bible. Get to know the Bible. Get to know the Bible. Get to know the Bible. I CANNOT stress that enough. If you aren’t in LOVE with the Bible, then you are really really missing out!

Thank you for reading todays post. God bless you and Have a great rest of the day! It’s beautiful go enjoy it!

If you have questions, comments, concerns, or just need someone to talk to or listen to you, email me at jasondumitru@gmail.com

Day 86

Encouragement For The Spirit

Hello brothers and sisters! Today is such a good day because Christ has given it! I want to share something that can encourage us all to live as we should! The passage is found in Ephesians 5:15-21.

“15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

With this passage in mind, I want us to focus on a few things:

1. We need to really check ourselves and make sure we look carefully at how we walk as verse 15 tells us. We don’t know who is watching or what our actions can lead to. Therefore, let’s only do things that can encourage, benefit, and do good for Christ, anything else is worthless.
2. Also we should pray for understanding of God’s will as verse 17 tells us. We should really try to be wise and understanding.
3. In verse 18 and 19, we are told to not get drunk, but to be filled with the spirit and sing and praise. With these two verses in mind, let’s make sure we are always being filled with the Spirit. Let’s make sure we are always encouraging one another and singing and praising the Lord with our hearts, externally as well as internally!
4. Finally, let’s always be thankful and praising to the Lord for everything. Let’s be submissive to each other and to Christ, even if we may be right, or the other person is asking too much, or whatever the case may be, let’s be submissive, because that’s what the Bible is teaching us.

I want to thank you for taking time to read this post today. May God bless you and encourage you, give you wisdom and understanding, and may your heart be open to the change He has awaiting you. God bless and thanks once again!

If you have any questions, concerns, comments, or just need someone to talk to or listen to you, you can contact me at jasondumitru@gmail.com

Day 85

Come Before the Lord

Ephesians 3:12 says

“Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come fearlessly into God’s presence, assured of His glad welcome.”

With this in mind, I want to encourage you to not hide from God when you fall, when you sin, when you have pushed Him away. Come back to Him and know 100% that He loves and cares for you! He welcomes us back infinitely and loves us no matter what while we are still breathing and have the option to choose Him!

We should know that we can come before God anytime, anywhere, anyhow. We should know that because of Jesus’ death on the cross, we now have direct access to God the father. Take advantage of His listening ear and welcoming arms!

Thank you for visiting today! May God continue to bless you and work in your heart! I pray that you may be strengthened and bold to come before God when you feel like you cannot or when you feel like you have nothing left. Know you’re loved!

Day 84

What We Are

Recently I’ve been really inclined in finding out what the Bible says about our image, our self-image, and what we think of ourselves. As I was reading the book of Ephesians once again, I came across a verse that stuck out to me for that purpose. It says in Ephesians 2:10,

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

I don’t know how you feel about this verse, but personally I grow this HUGE smile knowing that I, Jason Dumitru, am 1 of like 7 billion people and I am still unique and God’s masterpiece. How do you feel knowing you are God’s masterpiece? He has created us new in Christ!

With this in mind, I want to let you all know that God really does think you are a perfect child to Him. God really does love you with all His heart and there is nothing that can change that. No matter how little value anyone on earth gives you, whether it’s your parents that don’t care about you, your (ex)boyfriend, (ex)girlfriend, friend, siblings, or anyone else, God still really loves you for what you are. Don’t put yourself down about your looks or about your life situation. Leave it in God’s hands and watch where He takes you.

Let’s pray that we can reevaluate our lives, our image, and our heart. If any of these three are not where we want them to be, let’s pray to the Lord to help us be more content with it. Not only that, but let’s pray that He can give us the strength to change, whether it be physically, emotionally, or spiritually. We are His masterpiece, so lets start treating ourselves and acting like it. He finds favor in us being His creation, why wouldn’t we?

Thank you so much for reading today’s post! God Bless you and have a GREAT day wonderful masterpiece! 🙂

Day 84