Blog by Steven Furtick that really hit home for me...
Well, what if?
I was swimming with Elijah this past summer and he started getting really brave and jumping off the ledge of the pool. To make it safe, I would stand in the pool and catch him.
But then he got real cocky and started jumping before I was looking. There was no danger. I was right there to pick him up, which is why he was doing it in the first place. But still, it was the principle.
So I warned him, “Elijah, you’ve got to stop that. What if you fall in the water and daddy didn’t tell you to jump yet?” He looked straight at me and said, “well, what if?”
He had me. The truth is I wasn’t going to let him drown, and he knew it. His faith in my love and my ability to save him compelled him to be bold and take a risk. He wasn’t testing my willingness or power to save him. He was jumping because he knew they were already there.
This is the essence of childlike faith. It sets you free to risk, to say well, what if. Even to the point of coming off as cocky in your faith. You’re not testing God or trying to prove His power or love towards you. You’re taking bold steps because His power and love have already been proven.
Peter had well, what if faith.
What if you sink into the water when you try to walk on it? Well, what if? Jesus is there.
Peter’s faith wasn’t that he could walk on water. It was that Jesus could catch him if he fell. And so he became one of two men in history to walk on water. The other was God in the flesh. Not bad company.
Paul had well, what if faith.
What if you’re beaten and tortured for your faith? Well, what if? I consider that my present sufferings aren’t worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in me.
What if they kill you? Well what if? To die is gain.
What if they let you live and put you in prison? Well, what if? To live is Christ. I’ll convert the guards.
See why he turned the world upside down?
There is always going to be a what if standing in the way of your dream or your desire to radically obey God. Resolve yourself to respond with a well, what if of your own.
What if you’re wrong and you’re not supposed to take that risk for Christ? Well, what if? I think God would rather me take a sincere risk for Him and be wrong than sit safely in the comfort of my own complacency.
What if you fail? Well, what if? As others have said before, I’m much more afraid of succeeding at something that really doesn’t matter.
What if you ruin your life? Well, what if I waste it?
What if… Well, what if?
Monday, December 13, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Who We Really Are and Our Hunger For More
We are enemies of God and objects of his wrath. We have this thought in our minds that we can change our statuses before God...No sinner can choose good and no dead person can come to life on their own. The Gospel confronts us with the hopelessness of our sin conditions. We take a step back from the Bible because we don't like the way that it addresses our sin. We live in a land of self-improvement and that there are steps to making ourselves better...so we modify what the gospel says about us. There are 2 types of gospels now a days. The modern-day gospel says, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Therefore, follow these steps, and you can be saved." The biblical gospel says, "You are an enemy of God, dead in your sin, and in your present state of rebellion, you are not even able to see that you need life, much less to cause yourself to come to life. Therefore, you are radically dependent on God to do something in your life that you could never do." The gospel reveals the depth of our need for him. He shows us that there's ABSOLUTELY NOTHING we can do to come to him. We can't manufacture salvation, program it, produce it, and can't even initiate it. God has to open our eyes, set us free, overcome our evil, and appease his wrath. He has to come to us!!!!
The gospel demands and enables us to turn from our sin, to take up our cross, to die to ourselves, and to follow Jesus. Salvation now consists of a deep wrestling in our souls with the sinfulness of our hearts, the depth of our depravity, and the desperation of our need for his grace. Jesus is no longer one to be accepted or invited in but one who is infinitely worthy of our [immediate and total surrender.] God's gift of grace=a new heart, new desires, and new longings..We should want God, need God, and have a love for him like no other because when we seek after him, we will find him and discover that he is indeed the great reward of our salvation. We aren't saved to be forgiven of our sin or to be assured of our eternity, but to KNOW God. When we know him, it leaves us no choice but to yearn for Him!! We should want Him so much that we abandon everything else just to experience him. That is the only response to the revelation of God. I know that for myself, I am hungry for something more. I want more God! We need to refuse to gorge our spiritual stomachs on the pleasures of this world because we are choosing to find our satisfaction in eternal treasures of His Word.
Be prayerful of an awakening in your heart and a deep and abiding passion for the gospel as the grand revelation of God! Don't settle for anything less than a God-centered, Christ-exalting, self-denying gospel.
The gospel demands and enables us to turn from our sin, to take up our cross, to die to ourselves, and to follow Jesus. Salvation now consists of a deep wrestling in our souls with the sinfulness of our hearts, the depth of our depravity, and the desperation of our need for his grace. Jesus is no longer one to be accepted or invited in but one who is infinitely worthy of our [immediate and total surrender.] God's gift of grace=a new heart, new desires, and new longings..We should want God, need God, and have a love for him like no other because when we seek after him, we will find him and discover that he is indeed the great reward of our salvation. We aren't saved to be forgiven of our sin or to be assured of our eternity, but to KNOW God. When we know him, it leaves us no choice but to yearn for Him!! We should want Him so much that we abandon everything else just to experience him. That is the only response to the revelation of God. I know that for myself, I am hungry for something more. I want more God! We need to refuse to gorge our spiritual stomachs on the pleasures of this world because we are choosing to find our satisfaction in eternal treasures of His Word.
Be prayerful of an awakening in your heart and a deep and abiding passion for the gospel as the grand revelation of God! Don't settle for anything less than a God-centered, Christ-exalting, self-denying gospel.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Radical
I have recently started reading the book Radical by David Platt and I definitely recommend it to anyone! As I was reading I kept thinking about these 3 passages that stood out in my mind, so I decided to share what God has revealed to me by reading them.
Passages from Radical by David Platt
A)
I remember sitting outside a Buddhist temple in Indonesia. Men and women filled the elaborate, colorful temple grounds, where they daily performed their religious rituals. Meanwhile, I was engaged in a conversation with a Buddhist leader and a Muslim leader in this particular community. They were discussing how all religions are fundamentally the same and only superficially different. "We may have different views about small issues," one of them said, "but when it comes down to essential issues, each of our religions is the same."
I listened for a while, and then they asked me what I thought. I said, "It sounds as though you both picture God (or whatever you call god) at the top of a mountain. It seems as if you believe that we are all at the bottom of a mountain, and I may take one route up the mountain, you may take another, and in the end we will all end up in the same place."
They smiled as I spoke. Happily they replied, "Exactly! You understand!"
Then I leaned in and said, "Now let me ask you a question. What would you think if I told you that the God at the top of the mountain actually came down to where we are? What would you think if I told you that God doesn't wait for people to find their way to him, but instead he comes to us?"
They thought for a moment and then responded, "That would be great."
I replied, "Let me introduce you to Jesus."
This is the gospel. As long as you and I understand salvation as checking off a box to get to God, we will find ourselves in the meaningless sea of world religions that actually condemn the human race by exalting our supposed ability to get to God. On the other hand, when you and I realize that we are morally evil, dead in sin, and deserving of God's wrath with no way out on our own, we begin to discover our desperate need for Christ.
B)
Picture Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. As he kneels before his Father, drops of sweat and blood fall together from his head. Why is he in such agony and pain? The answer is not because he is afraid of crucifixion. He is not trembling because of what the Roman soldiers are about to do to him.
Since that day countless men and women in the history of Christianity have died for their faith. Some of them were not just hung on crosses; they were burned there. Many of them went to their crosses singing.
One Christian in India, while being skinned alive, looked at his persecutors and said, "I thank you for this. Tear off my old garment, for I will soon put on Christ's garment of righteousness."
As he prepared to head to his execution, Christopher Love wrote a note to his wife, saying, "Today they will sever me from my physical head, but they cannot sever me from my spiritual head, Christ." As he walked to his death, his wife applauded while he sang of glory.
Did these men and women in Christian history have more courage than Christ himself? Why was he trembling in that garden, weeping and full of anguish? We can rest assured that he was not a coward about to face Roman soldiers. Instead he was a Savior about to endure divine wrath.
Listen to his words: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." The "cup" is not a reference to a wooden cross; it is a reference to divine judgement. It is the cup of God's wrath.
This is what Jesus is recoiling from in the garden. All God's holy wrath and hatred toward sin and sinners, stored up since the beginning of the world, is about to be poured out on him, and he is sweating blood at the thought of it.
What happened at the Cross was not primarily about nails being thrust into Jesus' hands and feet but about the wrath due your sin and my sin being thrust upon his soul. In that holy moment, all the righteous wrath and justice of God due us came rushing down like a torrent on Christ himself. Some say, "God looked down and could not bear to see the suffering that the soldiers were inflicting on Jesus, so he turned away." But this is not true. God turned away because he could not bear to see your sin and my sin on his Son.
.......
This is the gospel. The just and loving Creator of the universe has looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent his Son, God in the flesh, to bear his wrath against sin on the cross and to show his power over sin in the Resurrection so that all who trust in him will be reconciled to God forever.
C)
So how do we respond to this gospel? Suddenly contemporary Christianity sales pitches don't seem adequate anymore. Ask Jesus to come into your heart. Invite Jesus to come into your life. Pray this prayer, sign this card, walk down this aisle, and accept Jesus as your personal Savior. Our attempt that persuades someone to say or pray the right things back to us no longer seems appropriate.
That is why none of these man-made catch phrases are in the Bible. You will not find a verse in Scripture where people are told to "bow your heads, close your eyes, and repeat after me." You will not find a place where a superstitious sinner's prayer is even mentioned. And you will not find an emphasis on accepting Jesus. We have taken the infinitely glorious Son of God, who endured the infinitely terrible wrath of God and who now reigns as the infinitely worthy Lord of all, and we have reduced him to a poor, puny Savior who is just begging for us to accept him.
Accept him? Do we really think Jesus needs our acceptance? Don't we need him?
Passages from Radical by David Platt
A)
I remember sitting outside a Buddhist temple in Indonesia. Men and women filled the elaborate, colorful temple grounds, where they daily performed their religious rituals. Meanwhile, I was engaged in a conversation with a Buddhist leader and a Muslim leader in this particular community. They were discussing how all religions are fundamentally the same and only superficially different. "We may have different views about small issues," one of them said, "but when it comes down to essential issues, each of our religions is the same."
I listened for a while, and then they asked me what I thought. I said, "It sounds as though you both picture God (or whatever you call god) at the top of a mountain. It seems as if you believe that we are all at the bottom of a mountain, and I may take one route up the mountain, you may take another, and in the end we will all end up in the same place."
They smiled as I spoke. Happily they replied, "Exactly! You understand!"
Then I leaned in and said, "Now let me ask you a question. What would you think if I told you that the God at the top of the mountain actually came down to where we are? What would you think if I told you that God doesn't wait for people to find their way to him, but instead he comes to us?"
They thought for a moment and then responded, "That would be great."
I replied, "Let me introduce you to Jesus."
This is the gospel. As long as you and I understand salvation as checking off a box to get to God, we will find ourselves in the meaningless sea of world religions that actually condemn the human race by exalting our supposed ability to get to God. On the other hand, when you and I realize that we are morally evil, dead in sin, and deserving of God's wrath with no way out on our own, we begin to discover our desperate need for Christ.
B)
Picture Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. As he kneels before his Father, drops of sweat and blood fall together from his head. Why is he in such agony and pain? The answer is not because he is afraid of crucifixion. He is not trembling because of what the Roman soldiers are about to do to him.
Since that day countless men and women in the history of Christianity have died for their faith. Some of them were not just hung on crosses; they were burned there. Many of them went to their crosses singing.
One Christian in India, while being skinned alive, looked at his persecutors and said, "I thank you for this. Tear off my old garment, for I will soon put on Christ's garment of righteousness."
As he prepared to head to his execution, Christopher Love wrote a note to his wife, saying, "Today they will sever me from my physical head, but they cannot sever me from my spiritual head, Christ." As he walked to his death, his wife applauded while he sang of glory.
Did these men and women in Christian history have more courage than Christ himself? Why was he trembling in that garden, weeping and full of anguish? We can rest assured that he was not a coward about to face Roman soldiers. Instead he was a Savior about to endure divine wrath.
Listen to his words: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." The "cup" is not a reference to a wooden cross; it is a reference to divine judgement. It is the cup of God's wrath.
This is what Jesus is recoiling from in the garden. All God's holy wrath and hatred toward sin and sinners, stored up since the beginning of the world, is about to be poured out on him, and he is sweating blood at the thought of it.
What happened at the Cross was not primarily about nails being thrust into Jesus' hands and feet but about the wrath due your sin and my sin being thrust upon his soul. In that holy moment, all the righteous wrath and justice of God due us came rushing down like a torrent on Christ himself. Some say, "God looked down and could not bear to see the suffering that the soldiers were inflicting on Jesus, so he turned away." But this is not true. God turned away because he could not bear to see your sin and my sin on his Son.
.......
This is the gospel. The just and loving Creator of the universe has looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent his Son, God in the flesh, to bear his wrath against sin on the cross and to show his power over sin in the Resurrection so that all who trust in him will be reconciled to God forever.
C)
So how do we respond to this gospel? Suddenly contemporary Christianity sales pitches don't seem adequate anymore. Ask Jesus to come into your heart. Invite Jesus to come into your life. Pray this prayer, sign this card, walk down this aisle, and accept Jesus as your personal Savior. Our attempt that persuades someone to say or pray the right things back to us no longer seems appropriate.
That is why none of these man-made catch phrases are in the Bible. You will not find a verse in Scripture where people are told to "bow your heads, close your eyes, and repeat after me." You will not find a place where a superstitious sinner's prayer is even mentioned. And you will not find an emphasis on accepting Jesus. We have taken the infinitely glorious Son of God, who endured the infinitely terrible wrath of God and who now reigns as the infinitely worthy Lord of all, and we have reduced him to a poor, puny Savior who is just begging for us to accept him.
Accept him? Do we really think Jesus needs our acceptance? Don't we need him?
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Extraordinary
I liked this quote so I figured I would post it on here for you to see as well!
We are ordinary people doing ordinary things with an extraordinary passion for the glory of God.
No act of service is insignificant when done for the most significant purpose in the universe: proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. When you see yourself as a connector to the current of the power of Christ, everything you do takes on meaning. You're not just a normal Christian who is just a volunteer. You're not just a church member or just an employee. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, you're a connector to the current of the power of Christ. You are a servant of the Most High God.
-Steven Furtick
We are ordinary people doing ordinary things with an extraordinary passion for the glory of God.
No act of service is insignificant when done for the most significant purpose in the universe: proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. When you see yourself as a connector to the current of the power of Christ, everything you do takes on meaning. You're not just a normal Christian who is just a volunteer. You're not just a church member or just an employee. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, you're a connector to the current of the power of Christ. You are a servant of the Most High God.
-Steven Furtick
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
WOW Moment
wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow!!!!! I'm astounded at how great of a God I serve!
Lord, You are!
Elohim: God as Creator
El Shaddai: God All Sufficient
Adonai: "Master" or "Lord"
Jehovah Jireh: The Lord will Provide
Shaphat: Judge
Palet: Deliverer
Yeshua: Savior
Gaol: Redeemer
Magan: Shield
Eyaluth: Strength
El-olam: Everlasting God
Tsur: Mighty God
Lord, You are! I'm at a loss for words for your love. Your Word repeats I AM many, many times! "Before Abraham was, You were" John 8:58. "You are the Light of the world," "the bread of life," living water," "the Resurrection and the Life," "the Way, Truth and the Life" in John.
When I think about God as something holy, and perfect...I can't help but to think about how much I am not. We always want to say "I'm good." I'm a good person." But, are you creator, provider, judge, deliverer, savior, redeemer? NO. We fail at all of that. We aren't created to do that because God chose to do it His way. He had no other choice but to send His Son to die because of our selfishness. The result of Him dying a shameful death is us being created in His image. We are to die to ourselves so that He may live through us. Jesus is who we are supposed to strive to be like. 1 Corinthians 4:16 says "Therefore, I urge you to imitate me." Not only does God call us to be like Him...He demands us to do it with an urgency!
Think about the actual definition of urge.
Urge: to impel, constrain, or move to some action
That's deep. Isn't it awesome though to know that we have something to strive to be like..that we don't just live day to day with no purpose?! I started off by saying how great of a God we serve! I will end with this...God, the provider,redeemer,our strength, all knowing,all powerful,everlasting, and is King of Kings is URGING us to be an imitator of Himself every second of the day! Are you going to just throw that away and forget about it..or do something with is and remember that the big God that you serve is calling you to go out and imitate Him just as He sent His Son to do..Jesus came and lived unashamed and unhindered and stood boldly in times when we all would never be able to stand...but He did it all for the sake of imitating His Father and to share as we are being called to do!
Lord, You are!
Elohim: God as Creator
El Shaddai: God All Sufficient
Adonai: "Master" or "Lord"
Jehovah Jireh: The Lord will Provide
Shaphat: Judge
Palet: Deliverer
Yeshua: Savior
Gaol: Redeemer
Magan: Shield
Eyaluth: Strength
El-olam: Everlasting God
Tsur: Mighty God
Lord, You are! I'm at a loss for words for your love. Your Word repeats I AM many, many times! "Before Abraham was, You were" John 8:58. "You are the Light of the world," "the bread of life," living water," "the Resurrection and the Life," "the Way, Truth and the Life" in John.
When I think about God as something holy, and perfect...I can't help but to think about how much I am not. We always want to say "I'm good." I'm a good person." But, are you creator, provider, judge, deliverer, savior, redeemer? NO. We fail at all of that. We aren't created to do that because God chose to do it His way. He had no other choice but to send His Son to die because of our selfishness. The result of Him dying a shameful death is us being created in His image. We are to die to ourselves so that He may live through us. Jesus is who we are supposed to strive to be like. 1 Corinthians 4:16 says "Therefore, I urge you to imitate me." Not only does God call us to be like Him...He demands us to do it with an urgency!
Think about the actual definition of urge.
Urge: to impel, constrain, or move to some action
That's deep. Isn't it awesome though to know that we have something to strive to be like..that we don't just live day to day with no purpose?! I started off by saying how great of a God we serve! I will end with this...God, the provider,redeemer,our strength, all knowing,all powerful,everlasting, and is King of Kings is URGING us to be an imitator of Himself every second of the day! Are you going to just throw that away and forget about it..or do something with is and remember that the big God that you serve is calling you to go out and imitate Him just as He sent His Son to do..Jesus came and lived unashamed and unhindered and stood boldly in times when we all would never be able to stand...but He did it all for the sake of imitating His Father and to share as we are being called to do!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Ridiculous Sinners
Oh my soul, oh my Jesus
Judas sold you for thirty, I'd have done it for less
Oh my soul, oh my Savior
Peter denied you three times, I have denied you more
As the nails went in, I was standing right there
As you breathed your last, I shook my head and I cried
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
And the blood ran down, I was standing right there
And the water pored, I shook my head and I cried
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
As the nails went in, I was standing right there
As you breathed your last, I shook my head and I cried
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
I thought about how many different ways that I could have started this new blog out..and yet every thought led me right back to this song. It's so powerful! How can someone sing this and not realize what we put God through. Jesus did not deserve to be on that cross but we, as the selfish people that we are, we put Him there and now say man, I sure am glad that wasn't me that had to go through the stuff He went through..well you know what?!? WE DESERVE EVERY BIT OF IT! I'm so tired of a mediocre life. Get over yourselves and do something for the God that DIED for you! How many people can say that their best friend lived a perfect life, died, rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven and is going to return again? Exactly. No one can say that. So why do we decide to devote so much time to that friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, phone, internet, sport. Because we are ridiculously selfish and 100% sinners. We are born sinners.The image of God has been distorted, not destroyed. We act the way we do because we have ruined something that was beautiful when created, because it was created in God's image, and that's life. When the lyrics say Judas sold you for thirty, I'd have done it for less, that's how our minds work. We are naturally sinners and that's how bad of them we are.It says Peter denied you three times, I have denied you more, think about this for a minute: How many times has God called you to do something and you said this back to Him, "No, God!" Psalm 53:1 says
The fool says in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.
Take out "There is" and read it again.
David tells us right then and there that we are sinners and fools because we say no to God. The One who created you, loves you, died for you, reigns for you, has and will always be on your side, and we tell Him no! I don't understand it. Once again, selfish and ridiculous sinners but God, He is so good and just that He forgives us faithfully even when we fail Him over and over and over and over again. We can do no good in this world. It's not about a pat on the back saying I'm so good..It's about turning the praise around and giving it all right back to the provider of it.
Churches are full on Sunday mornings! So many people go to sunday school and service on Sunday mornings and Sunday nights and on Wednesday nights and walk out the door and get in their cars, and start Monday morning or the following weekend not remembering what the preacher preached on. Have we merely forgotten that's not why we go to church. We don't go for entertainment or production purposes. We go so that we can worship God with other believers. But obviously people aren't worshipping outside of church because that effects what our corporate worship looks like.And it looks pitiful. Why do we settle for less when God is so ready to pour so many greater things into our lives. WHY WHY WHY? Is it worth risking eternity for a few "fun weekends" or "It's just this once, I promise." How about this one, "I can do the Christian thing later on in my life because right now, I just want to have fun my senior year and live it up in college." Is that worth eternity? This world is due for a reality check. I, by no means have it all together and I admit that with sincerity. But, I do want to encourage you to examine your hearts and determine now that you will not live a mediocre life for Christ. Remind yourself daily that God calls us to be broken for Him. He wants to use you to build His Kingdom! Are you going to allow that and be a difference maker, or are you going to just sit back and enjoy the "ride of life" like the rest of the world. A.W. Tozer says "Either I want it all or I do not want any." Is this going to be your attitude everyday? I choose now to go. I am choosing now to say God, here I am, take all of me to be so consumed with you to where I have absolutely nothing left to hold on to. Let God rock your world!
Judas sold you for thirty, I'd have done it for less
Oh my soul, oh my Savior
Peter denied you three times, I have denied you more
As the nails went in, I was standing right there
As you breathed your last, I shook my head and I cried
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
And the blood ran down, I was standing right there
And the water pored, I shook my head and I cried
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
As the nails went in, I was standing right there
As you breathed your last, I shook my head and I cried
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
I thought about how many different ways that I could have started this new blog out..and yet every thought led me right back to this song. It's so powerful! How can someone sing this and not realize what we put God through. Jesus did not deserve to be on that cross but we, as the selfish people that we are, we put Him there and now say man, I sure am glad that wasn't me that had to go through the stuff He went through..well you know what?!? WE DESERVE EVERY BIT OF IT! I'm so tired of a mediocre life. Get over yourselves and do something for the God that DIED for you! How many people can say that their best friend lived a perfect life, died, rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven and is going to return again? Exactly. No one can say that. So why do we decide to devote so much time to that friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, phone, internet, sport. Because we are ridiculously selfish and 100% sinners. We are born sinners.The image of God has been distorted, not destroyed. We act the way we do because we have ruined something that was beautiful when created, because it was created in God's image, and that's life. When the lyrics say Judas sold you for thirty, I'd have done it for less, that's how our minds work. We are naturally sinners and that's how bad of them we are.It says Peter denied you three times, I have denied you more, think about this for a minute: How many times has God called you to do something and you said this back to Him, "No, God!" Psalm 53:1 says
The fool says in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.
Take out "There is" and read it again.
David tells us right then and there that we are sinners and fools because we say no to God. The One who created you, loves you, died for you, reigns for you, has and will always be on your side, and we tell Him no! I don't understand it. Once again, selfish and ridiculous sinners but God, He is so good and just that He forgives us faithfully even when we fail Him over and over and over and over again. We can do no good in this world. It's not about a pat on the back saying I'm so good..It's about turning the praise around and giving it all right back to the provider of it.
Churches are full on Sunday mornings! So many people go to sunday school and service on Sunday mornings and Sunday nights and on Wednesday nights and walk out the door and get in their cars, and start Monday morning or the following weekend not remembering what the preacher preached on. Have we merely forgotten that's not why we go to church. We don't go for entertainment or production purposes. We go so that we can worship God with other believers. But obviously people aren't worshipping outside of church because that effects what our corporate worship looks like.And it looks pitiful. Why do we settle for less when God is so ready to pour so many greater things into our lives. WHY WHY WHY? Is it worth risking eternity for a few "fun weekends" or "It's just this once, I promise." How about this one, "I can do the Christian thing later on in my life because right now, I just want to have fun my senior year and live it up in college." Is that worth eternity? This world is due for a reality check. I, by no means have it all together and I admit that with sincerity. But, I do want to encourage you to examine your hearts and determine now that you will not live a mediocre life for Christ. Remind yourself daily that God calls us to be broken for Him. He wants to use you to build His Kingdom! Are you going to allow that and be a difference maker, or are you going to just sit back and enjoy the "ride of life" like the rest of the world. A.W. Tozer says "Either I want it all or I do not want any." Is this going to be your attitude everyday? I choose now to go. I am choosing now to say God, here I am, take all of me to be so consumed with you to where I have absolutely nothing left to hold on to. Let God rock your world!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Kairos
So there it was, 11:30 on Saturday night and I had yet to pack for my 7am departure to PANAMA CITY BEACH! As I was packing, I couldn't help but to not be a little excited about FUGE! I was trying to reason with myself about the things that could come out of this week and I just couldn't get past all of the junk that satan had clouded my head with in all the negative that could be there also..
I made it through the night with a few hours of sleep. It was finally 6:45 and I had just arrived to the church to see tons of youth everywhere and boom it clicked....12 HOURS OF RESTLESS TEENAGERS SURROUNDING ME! yay for the loads of excitement to come on the van. I can honestly say that once the trip had begun, the fun started as well. Between Reed hollering at the ones who were sleeping on the van, running to other vans and beating on windows at red lights, to hitting road cones and just talking for hours at a time, that this would be a long week.
The first night that we were there we didn't have worship and stuff because we were the only ones there for that night. I decided at that moment that I would put all of my negative thoughts behind me and just be happy for the things to come that week. The best was yet to come! I ended up with the most incredible bible study leader..Caroline was completely amazing! Bible study every morning was so much fun but, at the same time, it was a time where I absorbed so much from it. We were giving a piece of tin foil at one point and were asked to make or write one thing that we desire the most out for our lives..I was speechless for about 5 minutes. At this point in my life, I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I DESIRE THE MOST!!! While I was sitting in silence, I could feel the presence of God sitting this peace over me. It was unexplainable almost..but the thought that was in my mind was: God, You have given me soooo sooo much and yet I can't answer one simple question of what I desire the most out of my life. What a failure I am. I kept thinking and figured out what I would write. These simple yet difficult words have made such an impact in my life and here they are: an ABANDONED HEART.
So you read this and you think, "What?! That can't be that difficult..and what kind of answer is that to what do I desire most of out my life?" Some wrote a family and some wrote missionaries. There was no specific answer to this. I chose this simply because my God has called me to fully surrender! And in order for me to do that, I must have an abandoned heart. I must leave every one of my desires and my hopes and dreams at the foot of the cross. I choose NOW! I choose to let Him tear down these walls and barriers and rebuild something in me that only His desires fill, and only His hopes and dreams take over that void. I am choosing to allow a God size thing to happen in my life! How can we genuinely say that we are living for Christ and still live in a place in our own selfish, and self pleasing desires?! It's not possible. That is exactly why He tells us to surrender all! Let go of your fears, failures, and your dreams! Is it worth letting something like this pass you by? I was asked another question this week and I can't get it off of my mind.."How much are you willing to sacrifice for God?" This is deep. Real deep. God was willing to sacrifice His ONLY SON!!!!! He poured out His grace, and His forgiveness on the cross. We are so selfish! We can't even trust God with our lives and He created them! What does this TRUE SACRIFICE look like in our lives.. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship."-Romans 12:1 But that's not all..Verse 2 is incredible! Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.-Romans 12:2 I don't understand why we refuse to trade in our JUNK for something as great as God's promise. God calls us to be the light of the world. When a light is not very bright, there is a lot of darkness. There are a lot of places to hide something without it being discovered. But as the light becomes brighter and brighter, darkness disappears. This is why He says we must walk out of darkness and into the light so that we will shine! We can't clearly see our sin until we have been fully exposed into a relationship with Christ! What will your defining moment be? Will it be getting really serious and getting down on your knees before the Master; because that's the only way you'll get on your feet.-James 4:7 I choose NOW! This is my KAIROS MOMENT. I chose to let my greatest desire be God and in that, I get an abandoned heart because the more I seek His will, the more my own desires fade away!
I made it through the night with a few hours of sleep. It was finally 6:45 and I had just arrived to the church to see tons of youth everywhere and boom it clicked....12 HOURS OF RESTLESS TEENAGERS SURROUNDING ME! yay for the loads of excitement to come on the van. I can honestly say that once the trip had begun, the fun started as well. Between Reed hollering at the ones who were sleeping on the van, running to other vans and beating on windows at red lights, to hitting road cones and just talking for hours at a time, that this would be a long week.
The first night that we were there we didn't have worship and stuff because we were the only ones there for that night. I decided at that moment that I would put all of my negative thoughts behind me and just be happy for the things to come that week. The best was yet to come! I ended up with the most incredible bible study leader..Caroline was completely amazing! Bible study every morning was so much fun but, at the same time, it was a time where I absorbed so much from it. We were giving a piece of tin foil at one point and were asked to make or write one thing that we desire the most out for our lives..I was speechless for about 5 minutes. At this point in my life, I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I DESIRE THE MOST!!! While I was sitting in silence, I could feel the presence of God sitting this peace over me. It was unexplainable almost..but the thought that was in my mind was: God, You have given me soooo sooo much and yet I can't answer one simple question of what I desire the most out of my life. What a failure I am. I kept thinking and figured out what I would write. These simple yet difficult words have made such an impact in my life and here they are: an ABANDONED HEART.
So you read this and you think, "What?! That can't be that difficult..and what kind of answer is that to what do I desire most of out my life?" Some wrote a family and some wrote missionaries. There was no specific answer to this. I chose this simply because my God has called me to fully surrender! And in order for me to do that, I must have an abandoned heart. I must leave every one of my desires and my hopes and dreams at the foot of the cross. I choose NOW! I choose to let Him tear down these walls and barriers and rebuild something in me that only His desires fill, and only His hopes and dreams take over that void. I am choosing to allow a God size thing to happen in my life! How can we genuinely say that we are living for Christ and still live in a place in our own selfish, and self pleasing desires?! It's not possible. That is exactly why He tells us to surrender all! Let go of your fears, failures, and your dreams! Is it worth letting something like this pass you by? I was asked another question this week and I can't get it off of my mind.."How much are you willing to sacrifice for God?" This is deep. Real deep. God was willing to sacrifice His ONLY SON!!!!! He poured out His grace, and His forgiveness on the cross. We are so selfish! We can't even trust God with our lives and He created them! What does this TRUE SACRIFICE look like in our lives.. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship."-Romans 12:1 But that's not all..Verse 2 is incredible! Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.-Romans 12:2 I don't understand why we refuse to trade in our JUNK for something as great as God's promise. God calls us to be the light of the world. When a light is not very bright, there is a lot of darkness. There are a lot of places to hide something without it being discovered. But as the light becomes brighter and brighter, darkness disappears. This is why He says we must walk out of darkness and into the light so that we will shine! We can't clearly see our sin until we have been fully exposed into a relationship with Christ! What will your defining moment be? Will it be getting really serious and getting down on your knees before the Master; because that's the only way you'll get on your feet.-James 4:7 I choose NOW! This is my KAIROS MOMENT. I chose to let my greatest desire be God and in that, I get an abandoned heart because the more I seek His will, the more my own desires fade away!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Follow
Salvation sounds good. We give up our sins and Jesus gives us His righteousness. But Jesus didn't just call us to believe; He called us to follow Him. To be obedient. To live like He did. My point is to say that if Jesus calls us to seek Him out, why aren't we? Is it easier to follow the ways of the world. Why yes it is sometimes. You don't have to say no and feel ashamed. You think it's fun then, but the next morning you're sick and don't remember a thing. Is this following the God who died for you? Absolutely not!! When you follow Christ you can proudly say no to whatever it is. You don't feel ashamed or embarrassed because Jesus also said no. He was tempted.The Bible says "The spirit led Jesus into the desert where the devil tempted Jesus for forty days" (Luke 4:1-2) Have you ever thought about all the evil things that were done to Christ? Couldn't Jesus just have given up?? No, he kept pressing on. We all know what it's like to endure temptation. Maybe just for a moment or an hour, or maybe a day. But what about forty days? Jesus was tested non-stop. Was Jesus impacted by the devil? I believe he was. Luke doesn't say that Satan "tried" to tempt Jesus. It says "the devil tempted Jesus." Since he was tempted, he could have quit the race. But he didn't. He kept on running. John 8:12 says "When Jesus spoke to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." What are you following in life. "God is light" (1 John 1:5) Pick up the cross and follow God! If Jesus can endure temptation, then you can surely be just like Jesus while being tempted. Stay focused on light of the world.
"He would find...the secrets of his heart revealed; and...would fall down on his face and worship God, declaring that God is indeed among you." -1 Corinthians 14:24-
"He would find...the secrets of his heart revealed; and...would fall down on his face and worship God, declaring that God is indeed among you." -1 Corinthians 14:24-
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)