Don't Settle For Less.

I put my hope in man and he let me down again… and again, and again, and again… I want something with substance; I want to place my concerns with someone that gives me hope. I’m tired of being let down, disappointment is becoming a habit. I’m tired of the predictability of man; in man alone all hope is lost.

The heart feeds the rest of the body. What we hear
is what we speak
is what we see
is what we do
is what we teach
is what we learn
is what is wrong with society.

Christ said “It's not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.” Mark 7:15

The contaminated heart can lead to an entire infected culture.

Check out the definition of the word CULTURE:

1. All the knowledge and values shared by a society.
2. The attitudes and behavior that are characteristic of a particular social group or organization.

When I thought of the word culture I thought of heritage, tradition, things which we would be proud to have our future generations carry on. I can’t say the same about this CULTURE. What exactly are your values, do you stand for any righteous principles. My brothers and sisters, it has to start somewhere with someone. We can’t keep declaring “Why should I care, nobody else does?” Most of the time people are looking for some sort of leadership, someone who has the strength to say “Not me, I refuse to live that way.”

Man is so simple, monkey see monkey do. No one thinks for themselves anymore. This present culture doesn’t have much to offer in support of us who search for an honorable way of living. The modern attitude is greedy and self centered, close minded, only seeking to satisfy the flesh. And please don’t be confused, THE FLESH means so much more than just things we desire sexually. Desires of the flesh is that car we think we need or that piece of jewelry we think we have to have or those shoes we must have before anyone else, not to mention our behavior while working towards these material “must-haves” as I like to call them. My people, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33

It’s like nothing matters any more, everything is ok to do, there are no restrictions, nothing is off limits, every thing is a joke and if it’s not funny to you then “lighten up, can’t you take a joke?” is what they tell me.

So because my sense of humor is not as repulsive or vile as the unbeliever, I must be the problem huh…? I do not think so.

On a daily basis I hear conversations going on in this tent, it’s not as if I have a choice, it’s an open tent with 13 Soldiers living in it, I am the one and only believer. I promise this one thing, out of every conversation these young men have, I say without a doubt at least 80% of the topics they speak of are about something immoral, sexual or demeaning, and this is their norm, their custom if you will. My ears suffer a sickening dose of this chatter night after night. I want to run from it all, just get away from the filth… but where can I go. I am a U.S. Army Soldier confined to a Camp. And when I think about it, this is my tent too so why should I have to be the one to leave. I have spoken to these young men about this issue before, they seemed concerned about my feelings… for about a day… then MAN has let me down again. My concerns are of little concern to them; I am the minority in a majority of unbelievers.

My brothers and sisters we must be the example to follow. All we do must represent Christ to the maximum. No one is perfect, God is aware of this, but that does not mean that we do not have a glorious STANDARD to shoot for… Christ Jesus is that standard; we must strive to be Christ–like every solitary day of our lives. Of course we will fail to achieve His perfection but God is not expecting us to be perfect, He is expecting us to obey Him and love Him, nothing any Father wouldn’t ask for.

With that said I would like to leave you with a quote from Christian author C.S. Lewis:

“It’s not a question of a good man who died two thousand years ago. It is a living Man, still as much a man as you, and still as much God as He was when He created the world, really coming and interfering with your very self; killing the old natural self in you and replacing it with the kind of self He has. At first, only for moments. Then for longer periods. Finally, if all goes well, turning you permanently into a different sort of thing; into a new little Christ, a being which, in its own small way, has the same kind of life as God; which shares in His power, joy, knowledge and eternity.”

You don’t have to believe me or C.S. Lewis, I pray you experience God all by yourself.

God Bless You,
Frank Aponte Jr