Proverbs 10:8
8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
I sure appreciated sharing my thoughts with you on Haiti last week. There's so much that is still going through my head so I'll probably lay some of that down on here every now and then. In the meantime, if you have questions, concerns, or comments about Haiti or anything relating to God, feel free to drop me an e-mail, I'll try my best to answer. Also, pray for the HOLD the children sponsorship program. It's great and I hope at least one of you will look into it or even pass it onto someone who might be interested. It's only $30 a month, and you can help so many! Visit http://www.holdthechildren.com/ for more information about this.
I shared a testimony Sunday in church about my trip to Haiti. It always feels good to let other people know my experiences or at least try to share them with others. Part of what I talked about was the responsibility that we have to bless others who are not as fortunate. I know I live in the United States, so I do my best to help others all around the country and, even, outside the country.
God calls for us to help others. What do you when you see the things that God asks of us though? Do you look away and say "Oh God, that's not for me"? Do you make excuses? Do you delegate those good deeds to others and tell God "Oh, somebody else will take care of that for me"? Or do you accept the command and take the deed as your responsibility? You should, as a Christian, obey God, and do as he asks of you. As the scripture says, a wise man will accept God's commands to be a blessing and a fool will avoid his commands.
I want you to think about this thought today on this last day of August: Who am I? Which type of person are you? A wise man or a foolish man? Say a prayer that God will show you how to be obedient and make you into the being who you are meant to be, according to HIM.
Here's the song "My Desire" by Jeremy Camp. The lyrics are on the right under the picture of the guy (click more info) if you want to sing along. Enjoy!
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Don't Let the Devil Steal You.
1 Timothy 1:18-19
18 Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.
I'm pretty sure I mentioned it earlier in the week, but we had to make ourselves extremely flexible on our mission trip. Rich, one of the leaders from HOLD the children, did a good deal of planning for us. However, the time in which we did everything was a little later that we expected. I respect the Haitians for that though because they're not in a rush, like we are. As Americans, it's just in our blood that we have to get from point a to point b in "x" amount of time. They certainly live in the now, and don't worry about the future so much.
During my time in Haiti, there were also so many God appointments, that is things that we didn't so much plan. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time, with the help of divine intervention. The big man upstairs had some completely different ideas that we had. It was interesting because there must have been nearly a dozen of these occurrences. This is how it would go: We would be driving on the road going into town. The men in the car would speak Creole so we had no idea what was going on because they didn't tell us. All of a sudden, we would turn on a side road and come up to some place like a church or a school and get out. Each time, my initial reactions weren't very good. I would think, "Oh no, we can't be going here. This doesn't look like a place worth spending my time." That turned out to be FALSE every time. I was amazed. Some of these stops included a church, a school, and the radio station (which I told you about the other day). I mean, the stories behind each were so incredible. We stopped at a church on the way to the Dominican. Some of our leaders prayed and said a few words and Pastor Basile translated for them. Our pastor even heard a testimony of a guy converting from Voodoo to Christianity. Isn't that great?!? This is what I mean. Each stop wasn't in our itinerary, but it was in God's itinerary THE WHOLE TIME. It was an unbelievable yet believable experience (you know what I mean?).
Meanwhile, I've been trying to upload my pictures of Haiti so all my friends can see them. I've been unsuccessful. I even tried doing it on three different computers! I can only tell you who I think is trying to stop me from putting those pictures up on facebook. I'm sure Satan has a big role in this. After all, I've never had trouble with facebook until this week.
Still I think those special appointments keep reminding and convincing me of God's presence and truth. You're going to have to fight to keep the devilish things from coming into your mind and dominating your life, convincing you that there's no God. Just realize that. Also, don't let him take away your sense of faith. He's not allowing me to upload my pictures. Either way, I'm not going to let him steal any part that makes up who I am. I pray that you will feel that way too.
Check out this song. I've never heard of this group until recently. It's called "The Words I Would Say" by Sidewalk Prophets.
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
18 Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.
I'm pretty sure I mentioned it earlier in the week, but we had to make ourselves extremely flexible on our mission trip. Rich, one of the leaders from HOLD the children, did a good deal of planning for us. However, the time in which we did everything was a little later that we expected. I respect the Haitians for that though because they're not in a rush, like we are. As Americans, it's just in our blood that we have to get from point a to point b in "x" amount of time. They certainly live in the now, and don't worry about the future so much.
During my time in Haiti, there were also so many God appointments, that is things that we didn't so much plan. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time, with the help of divine intervention. The big man upstairs had some completely different ideas that we had. It was interesting because there must have been nearly a dozen of these occurrences. This is how it would go: We would be driving on the road going into town. The men in the car would speak Creole so we had no idea what was going on because they didn't tell us. All of a sudden, we would turn on a side road and come up to some place like a church or a school and get out. Each time, my initial reactions weren't very good. I would think, "Oh no, we can't be going here. This doesn't look like a place worth spending my time." That turned out to be FALSE every time. I was amazed. Some of these stops included a church, a school, and the radio station (which I told you about the other day). I mean, the stories behind each were so incredible. We stopped at a church on the way to the Dominican. Some of our leaders prayed and said a few words and Pastor Basile translated for them. Our pastor even heard a testimony of a guy converting from Voodoo to Christianity. Isn't that great?!? This is what I mean. Each stop wasn't in our itinerary, but it was in God's itinerary THE WHOLE TIME. It was an unbelievable yet believable experience (you know what I mean?).
Meanwhile, I've been trying to upload my pictures of Haiti so all my friends can see them. I've been unsuccessful. I even tried doing it on three different computers! I can only tell you who I think is trying to stop me from putting those pictures up on facebook. I'm sure Satan has a big role in this. After all, I've never had trouble with facebook until this week.
Still I think those special appointments keep reminding and convincing me of God's presence and truth. You're going to have to fight to keep the devilish things from coming into your mind and dominating your life, convincing you that there's no God. Just realize that. Also, don't let him take away your sense of faith. He's not allowing me to upload my pictures. Either way, I'm not going to let him steal any part that makes up who I am. I pray that you will feel that way too.
Check out this song. I've never heard of this group until recently. It's called "The Words I Would Say" by Sidewalk Prophets.
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Jesus is Coming!
Revelation 1:8
I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is,
and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
The bottom line here is that Jesus was here and is going to come again. We often think about the past when scriptures tell us that Jesus died for our sins. He didn't want us to live the rest of our lives battling with our sins.
From this, I also gather that the Lord was, is, and always will be the one, true God. I find it interesting that it mentions here the Alpha and the Omega. I'm sure every denomination has a different take on it, but honestly I haven't studied too much in the book of Revelation before. I did notice that Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, while Omega is the last. I found that interesting simply because Jesus died for all our sins from alpha to omega, equivalent to our A to Z and he is the comforter through all our problems...through thick and thin...through our alpha and omega.
The Lord our God is "the Almighty." Dictionary.com defines almighty as "having unlimited power; omnipotent, as God and having very great power, influence, etc."
I find it interesting too that in Haiti I heard a lot about the Second coming of Jesus Christ. For whatever reason, they seem to recognize that more than I'm used to hearing. I suppose it's a good reminder for all of us that we never know when we're going to be on the forefront with God. The day of judgment will arrive and we will get to see for ourselves what God thinks about us.
The song "You Are My All in All" AKA "Jesus Lamb of God" was one of the songs that I recognized over in Haiti. Of course it was all in Creole, but I could still recognize the tune. What a God moment. I also realized that you don't have to speak the language to feel the presence of the spirit. It doesn't matter where we are, in fact there doesn't even have to be a roof over our heads! It's a slow song, but that shouldn't take away from the meaning. If anything, it should give you time to get into the spirit.
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is,
and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
The bottom line here is that Jesus was here and is going to come again. We often think about the past when scriptures tell us that Jesus died for our sins. He didn't want us to live the rest of our lives battling with our sins.
From this, I also gather that the Lord was, is, and always will be the one, true God. I find it interesting that it mentions here the Alpha and the Omega. I'm sure every denomination has a different take on it, but honestly I haven't studied too much in the book of Revelation before. I did notice that Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, while Omega is the last. I found that interesting simply because Jesus died for all our sins from alpha to omega, equivalent to our A to Z and he is the comforter through all our problems...through thick and thin...through our alpha and omega.
The Lord our God is "the Almighty." Dictionary.com defines almighty as "having unlimited power; omnipotent, as God and having very great power, influence, etc."
I find it interesting too that in Haiti I heard a lot about the Second coming of Jesus Christ. For whatever reason, they seem to recognize that more than I'm used to hearing. I suppose it's a good reminder for all of us that we never know when we're going to be on the forefront with God. The day of judgment will arrive and we will get to see for ourselves what God thinks about us.
The song "You Are My All in All" AKA "Jesus Lamb of God" was one of the songs that I recognized over in Haiti. Of course it was all in Creole, but I could still recognize the tune. What a God moment. I also realized that you don't have to speak the language to feel the presence of the spirit. It doesn't matter where we are, in fact there doesn't even have to be a roof over our heads! It's a slow song, but that shouldn't take away from the meaning. If anything, it should give you time to get into the spirit.
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Commit Yourself to the Lord.
2 Chronicles 16:9
9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."
God sees YOU as a unique individual. What do you think he sees you as through his eyes? Are you "fully committed to him"?
Whatever you truly desire in your hearts is what you'll have. It's not about what we want. There's a stark contrast between the two.
God is on the lookout for those who are committed and loyal to him. He wants to be a stronghold in our lives. Are you completely desiring the Lord or are things disrupting you from that full desire?
While in Haiti, we visited a radio station, 4VEH. It's an evangelical radio station that spreads the gospel. It was amazing to see their dedication and commitment to the Lord from all aspects. Perhaps the most incredible thing was that over the years, the station has handed out 200,000 radios just on their frequency to communities all around Haiti. Still, numerous people hover over these radios and listen. What's on it you ask? The radio station spreads God's word and gospel. It's their way of giving back to the community in such a way that others can benefit by receiving the word and truth. What a blessing!
So work on being loyal with all your heart and mind.
9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."
God sees YOU as a unique individual. What do you think he sees you as through his eyes? Are you "fully committed to him"?
Whatever you truly desire in your hearts is what you'll have. It's not about what we want. There's a stark contrast between the two.
God is on the lookout for those who are committed and loyal to him. He wants to be a stronghold in our lives. Are you completely desiring the Lord or are things disrupting you from that full desire?
While in Haiti, we visited a radio station, 4VEH. It's an evangelical radio station that spreads the gospel. It was amazing to see their dedication and commitment to the Lord from all aspects. Perhaps the most incredible thing was that over the years, the station has handed out 200,000 radios just on their frequency to communities all around Haiti. Still, numerous people hover over these radios and listen. What's on it you ask? The radio station spreads God's word and gospel. It's their way of giving back to the community in such a way that others can benefit by receiving the word and truth. What a blessing!
So work on being loyal with all your heart and mind.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
God Lays Out the Boundaries.
Acts 17:24-28
24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
It's interesting what God says to you while on you're on these mission trips. Don Schreier and Rich Rohde were the leaders that went with us on the trip. They are in charge of the child sponsorship program, HOLD the children. They do great work as they get more kids sponsored and constantly pray about their organization.
Don read the scripture that you see above. It all makes sense now. Remember, God created us. He has the hands that make us. He decided where we would be born and when. Have you ever wondered why God made you live in the 20th and 21st centuries?
It flat out tells us in the scriptures that he made things that way. For those of us that live in more fortunate countries like the U.S., it is our responsibility to make a difference somewhere else in some manner. It doesn't have to involve going on a mission trip. It should be something that God has laid on your heart, which may include giving or praying. Do everything in your power to make a difference everyday. Carry your blessings over to someone else.
Those in poor countries can have something no matter how difficult the times become. They can always have God. I've noticed in the poorer parts of the world that people are more willing to come to God and be dedicated and completely devoted. They don't know any better and that's a good thing. Still, for you and me, "he's not far from each one of us."
Speaking of dedicated people, I certainly met some over in Haiti. Those who do exactly what God wants them to do: make a difference! One woman, named Florsie, helps the elderly and feeds little children. She definitely has a good spirit as she helps the children get an education too. Then there's Denita who moved away from home in 1999 at the age of 19, two months after being in Haiti, to start an orphanage. She started with a mere $5,000. That wasn't enough money obviously. She let God work it out though and every time she ran out of money, she soon picked up loyal donors. Eventually she built a church and most recently a school. Soon there will be a hospital right on campus. She'll have nearly 500 kids enrolled in school this year. Obviously these two are both women of God.
24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
It's interesting what God says to you while on you're on these mission trips. Don Schreier and Rich Rohde were the leaders that went with us on the trip. They are in charge of the child sponsorship program, HOLD the children. They do great work as they get more kids sponsored and constantly pray about their organization.
Don read the scripture that you see above. It all makes sense now. Remember, God created us. He has the hands that make us. He decided where we would be born and when. Have you ever wondered why God made you live in the 20th and 21st centuries?
It flat out tells us in the scriptures that he made things that way. For those of us that live in more fortunate countries like the U.S., it is our responsibility to make a difference somewhere else in some manner. It doesn't have to involve going on a mission trip. It should be something that God has laid on your heart, which may include giving or praying. Do everything in your power to make a difference everyday. Carry your blessings over to someone else.
Those in poor countries can have something no matter how difficult the times become. They can always have God. I've noticed in the poorer parts of the world that people are more willing to come to God and be dedicated and completely devoted. They don't know any better and that's a good thing. Still, for you and me, "he's not far from each one of us."
Speaking of dedicated people, I certainly met some over in Haiti. Those who do exactly what God wants them to do: make a difference! One woman, named Florsie, helps the elderly and feeds little children. She definitely has a good spirit as she helps the children get an education too. Then there's Denita who moved away from home in 1999 at the age of 19, two months after being in Haiti, to start an orphanage. She started with a mere $5,000. That wasn't enough money obviously. She let God work it out though and every time she ran out of money, she soon picked up loyal donors. Eventually she built a church and most recently a school. Soon there will be a hospital right on campus. She'll have nearly 500 kids enrolled in school this year. Obviously these two are both women of God.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Humbly Coming Before the Lord.
Philippians 2:1-11
1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
I'll tell you one thing I learned while in Haiti is that we often have greater joy when we recognize, acknowledge, and thank God for the blessings that he provides for us. (Of course, in Haiti I had a whole bunch of emotions). This was clear as I talked to some of the kids through an interpreter in Haiti. It's not always an easy thing to remember these blessings, when we're self-centered. We forget the end result of being in a relationship with Christ and the blessings that come along the way. I heard someone say once that "we're here to serve, not to be served." That's such a good thing to live by, because it reminds you of the blessings you should pass on to others. If you don't have time to serve then you certainly won't have time to appreciate God's blessings that he gave to you either.
Someone also said something recently like don't go for the higher ranking. The center of attention usually calls our name. Still, you don't want to avoid things completely or go into isolation. Don't avoid things that make you become a good leader and responsible person. Ultimately, we should be overjoyed that we have the opportunity to glorify God. To do this properly, don't do what you want to do all the time. Instead, do what God wants you to do. That includes, serving others to satisfy their needs.
We've talked about obeying God before. Give any pride and disobedience you may have to him. You will be joyful when you walk with Christ. Paul's joy is what kept him going in the scripture above.
There is a place that we will be forever find peace and come to find complete joy. It is a one, true promise. Some will bend the knee before Christ and see that they refused to serve others and live for the Lord, thus going their own ways. A big price is then paid.
1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
I'll tell you one thing I learned while in Haiti is that we often have greater joy when we recognize, acknowledge, and thank God for the blessings that he provides for us. (Of course, in Haiti I had a whole bunch of emotions). This was clear as I talked to some of the kids through an interpreter in Haiti. It's not always an easy thing to remember these blessings, when we're self-centered. We forget the end result of being in a relationship with Christ and the blessings that come along the way. I heard someone say once that "we're here to serve, not to be served." That's such a good thing to live by, because it reminds you of the blessings you should pass on to others. If you don't have time to serve then you certainly won't have time to appreciate God's blessings that he gave to you either.
Someone also said something recently like don't go for the higher ranking. The center of attention usually calls our name. Still, you don't want to avoid things completely or go into isolation. Don't avoid things that make you become a good leader and responsible person. Ultimately, we should be overjoyed that we have the opportunity to glorify God. To do this properly, don't do what you want to do all the time. Instead, do what God wants you to do. That includes, serving others to satisfy their needs.
We've talked about obeying God before. Give any pride and disobedience you may have to him. You will be joyful when you walk with Christ. Paul's joy is what kept him going in the scripture above.
There is a place that we will be forever find peace and come to find complete joy. It is a one, true promise. Some will bend the knee before Christ and see that they refused to serve others and live for the Lord, thus going their own ways. A big price is then paid.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Back From Haiti.
Mark 1:14-17; 41-42
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18At once they left their nets and followed him.
41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
Hey blog reader, I hope you had a fabulous week. I returned Friday night from Haiti. It was a great experience of course and I was with an amazing team of eight people, six from our church and two from the HOLD the Children child sponsorship program (HOLD is a branch of Mission Discovery). God taught me a lot this past week. (You should hear more about these stories in the posts to come). Just before we were planning to leave we were skeptical because a tropical storm was supposed to hit Haiti and we didn't want to be in harm's way. We felt God calling us to go though and we went seeing that it appeared to be getting weaker the morning we left. When we finally got over there last Monday night, we checked the storm and saw that the storm had dissipated. It went poof! Obviously, God had good intentions of us going. In fact, we only got a few sprinkles the first and the last day.
This passage was mentioned the day before we went. Mission Discovery considers it their two hands ministry. You can see from the scriptures, one hand says come, be a follower of Christ. The other hand says to be filled with compassion as Jesus is.
I was thinking about this all week. I made it my goal to show others that I'm a follower of Christ and to show compassion to those who I ran into in Haiti.
Jesus could have done a lot of things instead of heal the man. He could have just healed him without the compassion. However, being who he was, Jesus showed compassion and healed the man. He touched the man, showing that he cared about him, and shouted "I am willing." He stepped forward and then healed the leper. He didn't stay in the back and heal him. That's the key. Jesus thought the man needed more - and again that's compassion.
Similarly in Haiti, we could have stood back and just give gifts to the kids. Instead, we got to know the kids, stepped up to the kids, and gave them a gift showing compassion just as Jesus would.
These kids deserve a lot of compassion. They belong to the same loving God as we do.
The song "If You Say Go" by Vineyard is all about listening to God's call. Have a listen.
P.S. As of last week I've officially been writing this blog for a year now. Thank you God!
&
If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18At once they left their nets and followed him.
41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
Hey blog reader, I hope you had a fabulous week. I returned Friday night from Haiti. It was a great experience of course and I was with an amazing team of eight people, six from our church and two from the HOLD the Children child sponsorship program (HOLD is a branch of Mission Discovery). God taught me a lot this past week. (You should hear more about these stories in the posts to come). Just before we were planning to leave we were skeptical because a tropical storm was supposed to hit Haiti and we didn't want to be in harm's way. We felt God calling us to go though and we went seeing that it appeared to be getting weaker the morning we left. When we finally got over there last Monday night, we checked the storm and saw that the storm had dissipated. It went poof! Obviously, God had good intentions of us going. In fact, we only got a few sprinkles the first and the last day.
This passage was mentioned the day before we went. Mission Discovery considers it their two hands ministry. You can see from the scriptures, one hand says come, be a follower of Christ. The other hand says to be filled with compassion as Jesus is.
I was thinking about this all week. I made it my goal to show others that I'm a follower of Christ and to show compassion to those who I ran into in Haiti.
Jesus could have done a lot of things instead of heal the man. He could have just healed him without the compassion. However, being who he was, Jesus showed compassion and healed the man. He touched the man, showing that he cared about him, and shouted "I am willing." He stepped forward and then healed the leper. He didn't stay in the back and heal him. That's the key. Jesus thought the man needed more - and again that's compassion.
Similarly in Haiti, we could have stood back and just give gifts to the kids. Instead, we got to know the kids, stepped up to the kids, and gave them a gift showing compassion just as Jesus would.
These kids deserve a lot of compassion. They belong to the same loving God as we do.
The song "If You Say Go" by Vineyard is all about listening to God's call. Have a listen.
P.S. As of last week I've officially been writing this blog for a year now. Thank you God!
&
If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Peace in Christ.
John 16:33
33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
I saw this as a daily verse on a website. I thought it was absolutely perfect after what we talked about this week about being offered salvation and how we know that we've been granted salvation.
Thanks to Jesus Christ and the fact that he accepted God's calling, he conquered sin and death. He brings light to our lives. We can have eternal life in heaven because of him. In the middle of our pain and difficulties we can be offered a great deal of peace. It's all preparation for the one day when we will win an eternal victory in heaven.
Don't think of peace as having a lack of suffering. Instead, think of peace in Jesus and his promise he has especially for you! If you think of it in any other way then you're never going to understand what it means to be truly at peace with the Lord. It's going to be another daily struggle and you don't want that.
Think about what peace in Christ means. I pray that you now think of the word peace in a different context. You're not free from the pain of the world, but you're free from dealing with the pain of the world on your own. Jesus has overcome and defeated earth so that you can see the light shine through everything else. For his light is brighter than all the light you have seen. His light is brighter than the sun. It will always show you the way.
“If the blind put their hand in God's they find their way more surely than those who see but have not faith or purpose.” ~Helen Keller
P.S. I'm going on a mission trip to Haiti; I'm leaving on Monday morning. Please be in prayer that as a team we stay safe and healthy while serving the Lord in that country. Hopefully I'll have time to write devotions for next week before I leave. Check back and see. Remember, I don't write one on Sundays. God Bless!
EDIT on 8/16-- I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO WRITE ANY MORE POSTS BEFORE LEAVING. I WILL CONTINUE NEXT WEEK WHEN I GET BACK!
33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
I saw this as a daily verse on a website. I thought it was absolutely perfect after what we talked about this week about being offered salvation and how we know that we've been granted salvation.
Thanks to Jesus Christ and the fact that he accepted God's calling, he conquered sin and death. He brings light to our lives. We can have eternal life in heaven because of him. In the middle of our pain and difficulties we can be offered a great deal of peace. It's all preparation for the one day when we will win an eternal victory in heaven.
Don't think of peace as having a lack of suffering. Instead, think of peace in Jesus and his promise he has especially for you! If you think of it in any other way then you're never going to understand what it means to be truly at peace with the Lord. It's going to be another daily struggle and you don't want that.
Think about what peace in Christ means. I pray that you now think of the word peace in a different context. You're not free from the pain of the world, but you're free from dealing with the pain of the world on your own. Jesus has overcome and defeated earth so that you can see the light shine through everything else. For his light is brighter than all the light you have seen. His light is brighter than the sun. It will always show you the way.
“If the blind put their hand in God's they find their way more surely than those who see but have not faith or purpose.” ~Helen Keller
P.S. I'm going on a mission trip to Haiti; I'm leaving on Monday morning. Please be in prayer that as a team we stay safe and healthy while serving the Lord in that country. Hopefully I'll have time to write devotions for next week before I leave. Check back and see. Remember, I don't write one on Sundays. God Bless!
EDIT on 8/16-- I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO WRITE ANY MORE POSTS BEFORE LEAVING. I WILL CONTINUE NEXT WEEK WHEN I GET BACK!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Salvation is Offered Only Through Christ.
Romans 8:1-5, 26-27
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
(Read all of Romans 8. You may recognize the end of this chapter because we talked about it last week).
Christ is the only one who can offer us salvation - through his unconditional love and grace. No one, anywhere, can live up to this promise. This is probably one of the most obvious points made this week, but it is very important to remember.
The Holy Trinity - God, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit - are a perfect combination to offer you such love and comfort. It's not going to get rid of all your problems though. I think that's where many people go wrong. They want to get saved by Jesus just so that they don't have any problems in their life. That's not the case or the way to go. Christians still have the same problems that everyone else has in the world. The only difference is that we have Jesus Christ as our loving Lord and Savior. He's who we can seek when we are weak. The spirit has been called the "Helper" and "Comforter." Those adjectives to me sound like there will sure be problems, but God can handle what we can't possibly take care of. His work is almighty and all powerful!
If you just stick with God and accept his way then all the suffering will become belittled by the rewards that you will receive. As a Christian, you will encounter difficulties, but beauty beyond all glory will be waiting for you down the road!
So even though Christ can only offer you true salvation, that doesn't mean you're saved from pain. However, you are saved from having to deal with situations on your own and that's why Christ is the one and only loving and forgiving Savior. Just knowing that you're an individual that can be granted salvation will make it so much easier to survive in all walks of life!
We learned this week that knowing you're a candidate for salvation involves a few steps that all interconnect: You have to trust the Lord, have faith, obey him, believe in and live according to his Word, and know that Christ is the one true provider of salvation.
To end this discussion about salvation, I want you to hear the song "Find Me Tonight" by Everyday Sunday. Prayer: Lord, now that I know how to be sure of salvation come find me and let me know that you are always there in my life! Let me be more faithful, trusting, and obedient toward you and your Word. Amen.
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
(Read all of Romans 8. You may recognize the end of this chapter because we talked about it last week).
Christ is the only one who can offer us salvation - through his unconditional love and grace. No one, anywhere, can live up to this promise. This is probably one of the most obvious points made this week, but it is very important to remember.
The Holy Trinity - God, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit - are a perfect combination to offer you such love and comfort. It's not going to get rid of all your problems though. I think that's where many people go wrong. They want to get saved by Jesus just so that they don't have any problems in their life. That's not the case or the way to go. Christians still have the same problems that everyone else has in the world. The only difference is that we have Jesus Christ as our loving Lord and Savior. He's who we can seek when we are weak. The spirit has been called the "Helper" and "Comforter." Those adjectives to me sound like there will sure be problems, but God can handle what we can't possibly take care of. His work is almighty and all powerful!
If you just stick with God and accept his way then all the suffering will become belittled by the rewards that you will receive. As a Christian, you will encounter difficulties, but beauty beyond all glory will be waiting for you down the road!
So even though Christ can only offer you true salvation, that doesn't mean you're saved from pain. However, you are saved from having to deal with situations on your own and that's why Christ is the one and only loving and forgiving Savior. Just knowing that you're an individual that can be granted salvation will make it so much easier to survive in all walks of life!
We learned this week that knowing you're a candidate for salvation involves a few steps that all interconnect: You have to trust the Lord, have faith, obey him, believe in and live according to his Word, and know that Christ is the one true provider of salvation.
To end this discussion about salvation, I want you to hear the song "Find Me Tonight" by Everyday Sunday. Prayer: Lord, now that I know how to be sure of salvation come find me and let me know that you are always there in my life! Let me be more faithful, trusting, and obedient toward you and your Word. Amen.
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Believing in God's Word.
1 John 5:9-13
9 We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
We're definitely starting to cross reference to other posts since the last few days, but I thought each passage was important to read and understand, plus a few extra points were worth mentioning in each post. Today we're talking about how believing in the Word of God can help declare your salvation.
I've said it before...if you lie to somebody, you're also lying to God. That probably makes you less inclined or less willing to lie. We still do it anyway because we're not perfect and me make the wrong choices. We make the wrong choices and lie because we don't see the whole big picture. We don't realize that Christ DIED on the cross for us and that we're FORGIVEN. We're forgiven all the time. Instead, we lie because we're worried about what others think. We say "Oh I don't want him or her to know that I went out today." So I'm going to say "No I didn't do that" if they ask me.
If you believe in God then you should believe in the Son of God who died for us and gave us the Word. You then should also believe that God has authority and power. He has more than anybody on this planet (and as far as I know, in heaven too)! As the scripture says above, if you have the Son then you have life. It's not that hard of a concept.
Trust the Lord like we talked about on Monday. Don't just think about believing the Word, act like you believe in the Word of God.
"Just don't talk about it. Be about it." ~Busta Rhymes (Yes, he is a rapper. That is a good quote to live by though!)
9 We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
We're definitely starting to cross reference to other posts since the last few days, but I thought each passage was important to read and understand, plus a few extra points were worth mentioning in each post. Today we're talking about how believing in the Word of God can help declare your salvation.
I've said it before...if you lie to somebody, you're also lying to God. That probably makes you less inclined or less willing to lie. We still do it anyway because we're not perfect and me make the wrong choices. We make the wrong choices and lie because we don't see the whole big picture. We don't realize that Christ DIED on the cross for us and that we're FORGIVEN. We're forgiven all the time. Instead, we lie because we're worried about what others think. We say "Oh I don't want him or her to know that I went out today." So I'm going to say "No I didn't do that" if they ask me.
If you believe in God then you should believe in the Son of God who died for us and gave us the Word. You then should also believe that God has authority and power. He has more than anybody on this planet (and as far as I know, in heaven too)! As the scripture says above, if you have the Son then you have life. It's not that hard of a concept.
Trust the Lord like we talked about on Monday. Don't just think about believing the Word, act like you believe in the Word of God.
"Just don't talk about it. Be about it." ~Busta Rhymes (Yes, he is a rapper. That is a good quote to live by though!)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Come to be Obedient to God.
1 John 3:7-11, 21-24
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. 11 This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
In a way, I gave you a sneak preview about today's part of this week's discussion on Monday when I said to be righteous. We're talking about how you can feel confident that you will be saved by Christ. So far we've talked about this process involving trust toward the Lord and faith. Today I might mention that you must obey God.
God didn't give his commandments for nothing. He didn't create them for his own health. Instead it was intended for YOUR spiritual health so to speak. We are told that we should always "love one another." That's the greatest commandment that he tells us. If we do as God tells us to do and we are going down the right path, you will be rewarded. If you spend time with God a little each day you have more reason to follow his guidelines and they don't seem so difficult after a while.
Think of an owner walking his or her dog on a leash. A dog can either obey or disobey the owner. Typically if the dog is obedient, he will be rewarded with a treat. Any other behavior and the dog will surely have to face the consequences.
If you really love the Lord you will respect him to the fullest and follow the righteous path. When you do respect God you will see wonders. God will enclose his love around you and store it in you. He will free you from your sins when you obey him. Most of all, you will soon become more like Christ!
Being an obedient follower of the Lord is another step toward confirming your salvation.
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. 11 This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
In a way, I gave you a sneak preview about today's part of this week's discussion on Monday when I said to be righteous. We're talking about how you can feel confident that you will be saved by Christ. So far we've talked about this process involving trust toward the Lord and faith. Today I might mention that you must obey God.
God didn't give his commandments for nothing. He didn't create them for his own health. Instead it was intended for YOUR spiritual health so to speak. We are told that we should always "love one another." That's the greatest commandment that he tells us. If we do as God tells us to do and we are going down the right path, you will be rewarded. If you spend time with God a little each day you have more reason to follow his guidelines and they don't seem so difficult after a while.
Think of an owner walking his or her dog on a leash. A dog can either obey or disobey the owner. Typically if the dog is obedient, he will be rewarded with a treat. Any other behavior and the dog will surely have to face the consequences.
If you really love the Lord you will respect him to the fullest and follow the righteous path. When you do respect God you will see wonders. God will enclose his love around you and store it in you. He will free you from your sins when you obey him. Most of all, you will soon become more like Christ!
Being an obedient follower of the Lord is another step toward confirming your salvation.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Assurance of Salvation Through Faith.
2 Timothy 1:8-12
8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
Yesterday we talked about how you can be assured you'll be saved by Christ, just by trusting the Lord. Today, I want to point out that you have to be faithful too. You can't tell God that you trust him, yet you don't even follow him 100 percent. A few definitions of faith include: confidence or trust in a person or thing; belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion; the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.
"Don't be ashamed" as it states at the very beginning of today's passage. God wants you to share your spiritual experience with others. It's also called a testimony. In church and in public places, don't be silent about the Lord.
My church likes to call those who just sit in service every Sunday and do nothing more with their faith "pew-warmers." For whatever reason, some new and old members don't act like they are faithful. We don't point out specific people and make them feel bad. Often though you'll see people who speak now and admit that they were "pew-warmers" ten years ago. You don't have to wait so long as to speak your faith. Why would you want to wait? Why wouldn't you want your friends to believe in the same as you do? Why would you want them to miss out on being saved by Jesus Christ? I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad here. However, you should try and stand up for your faith. Of course God won't make you do it the same way as other people. He will lead you to another way, if you really put your heart into it.
Speak now or forever hold your peace!
So to couple what we learned yesterday and what we have to learn today...Trust the Lord always and believe and speak of his doctrine faithfully. For this is the beginning part of confirming your salvation..
Tomorrow we'll be talking about obeying God through this whole process.
8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
Yesterday we talked about how you can be assured you'll be saved by Christ, just by trusting the Lord. Today, I want to point out that you have to be faithful too. You can't tell God that you trust him, yet you don't even follow him 100 percent. A few definitions of faith include: confidence or trust in a person or thing; belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion; the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.
"Don't be ashamed" as it states at the very beginning of today's passage. God wants you to share your spiritual experience with others. It's also called a testimony. In church and in public places, don't be silent about the Lord.
My church likes to call those who just sit in service every Sunday and do nothing more with their faith "pew-warmers." For whatever reason, some new and old members don't act like they are faithful. We don't point out specific people and make them feel bad. Often though you'll see people who speak now and admit that they were "pew-warmers" ten years ago. You don't have to wait so long as to speak your faith. Why would you want to wait? Why wouldn't you want your friends to believe in the same as you do? Why would you want them to miss out on being saved by Jesus Christ? I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad here. However, you should try and stand up for your faith. Of course God won't make you do it the same way as other people. He will lead you to another way, if you really put your heart into it.
Speak now or forever hold your peace!
So to couple what we learned yesterday and what we have to learn today...Trust the Lord always and believe and speak of his doctrine faithfully. For this is the beginning part of confirming your salvation..
Tomorrow we'll be talking about obeying God through this whole process.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Trust the Lord to Not Abandon You.
Psalm 37:3-6,39-40
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
For the next few days I'll be talking about how you know if you're assured salvation; in other words, how certain are you that you have God's forgiveness and love for the rest of your life? The first step I believe in the assurance process involves trust. As a child, you have to trust your parents that they will raise you in a safe and protective shelter and that they will give you the necessities like food, water, and clothes in order to survive each day.
In the same way, you certainly have to trust the Lord. You have to trust that he will wrap his arms around you with his love and grace for the rest of your life. This Psalm asks that you do a little more too. You also have to be righteous and "delight yourself into the Lord and commit your way to the Lord." So it comes with some work. It's not just you tell God that you trust him and that's it. You have to acknowledge him day after day and make the right decisions as he would do. If you do this, you will grow to be prosperous.
I promise you (and certainly God promises you too) that life is filled with huge obstacles and times of stress. To make this fact better, if you're righteous God WILL NOT leave you. He will throw blessings into your life in the middle of chaos. He will also give you everything you need to survive. I read somewhere that "Generosity can never make anyone go bankrupt."
So I tell you, you are saved if you follow the righteous path. Trust the lord. Remember that he is our "stronghold" whenever life just isn't easy.
Tomorrow we'll talk about this assurance of salvation provided you are faithful.
Over the weekend I heard a song for the first time called "God Of This City" by Chris Tomlin. The whole trust factor is associated in this song because we believe "greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city." That's what you have to look forward to if you've yet to be saved by Christ or if you are unsure what salvation is all about. You will be forever changed if you accept Christ and do righteous things in his name!
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
For the next few days I'll be talking about how you know if you're assured salvation; in other words, how certain are you that you have God's forgiveness and love for the rest of your life? The first step I believe in the assurance process involves trust. As a child, you have to trust your parents that they will raise you in a safe and protective shelter and that they will give you the necessities like food, water, and clothes in order to survive each day.
In the same way, you certainly have to trust the Lord. You have to trust that he will wrap his arms around you with his love and grace for the rest of your life. This Psalm asks that you do a little more too. You also have to be righteous and "delight yourself into the Lord and commit your way to the Lord." So it comes with some work. It's not just you tell God that you trust him and that's it. You have to acknowledge him day after day and make the right decisions as he would do. If you do this, you will grow to be prosperous.
I promise you (and certainly God promises you too) that life is filled with huge obstacles and times of stress. To make this fact better, if you're righteous God WILL NOT leave you. He will throw blessings into your life in the middle of chaos. He will also give you everything you need to survive. I read somewhere that "Generosity can never make anyone go bankrupt."
So I tell you, you are saved if you follow the righteous path. Trust the lord. Remember that he is our "stronghold" whenever life just isn't easy.
Tomorrow we'll talk about this assurance of salvation provided you are faithful.
Over the weekend I heard a song for the first time called "God Of This City" by Chris Tomlin. The whole trust factor is associated in this song because we believe "greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city." That's what you have to look forward to if you've yet to be saved by Christ or if you are unsure what salvation is all about. You will be forever changed if you accept Christ and do righteous things in his name!
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Spiritual Warfare Part II
Romans 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The items I bring up today are once again derived from Matt's message at Grace Family last Sunday night. It's not really the second part. I just split it up into two days so it made more sense as I relay all this to you in the best way I can.
How many times have you heard me say to do everything you do so that it will glorify God? Probably at least a few. Matt literally played devil's advocate and asked something like, "Sometimes we glorify God, but don't we also glorify the devil (instead of God) when we give into fleshly things? We think about the things in the flesh and not in the spirit." He also gave us an example and said "that guy that you ran into yesterday may have been a complete jerk, but instead look at the situation from a spiritual standpoint. That calls for looking at the challenges this individual is facing in their life."
That led Matt to tell us to pray for those suffering and struggling to get through anything. If you see someone encountering such pain, go up to them and ask "Can I pray for you?" They'll probably say yes. It will be very likely to make a difference and I'm sure they will find peace in their lives. The person might be baffled as to why you would do such an unworldly thing, but I challenge you to do it anyway. We all need to take a step out of our comfort zones. In fact, it's much easier to glorify God that way than worrying about if the things we do everyday glorify him. If we step out of our normal realm and do something that is good, and it comes from the heart, surely it must make God happy. Remember, what part of the scripture reading said yesterday..."Keep praying for the saints."
Matt said an amazing quote at the end of his message and it went like this... "Are we asked to represent God? Yes, but we also need to RE - PRESENT God in a loving way to others!" Isn't that great? I love it!
The world is a dark place. Those in the dark don't know the truth about God's love and authority (like we talked about yesterday). The devil hates God and can easily steal you from receiving any Godly love. Live for God all the time as you show it to others.
However, I tell you don't let anything get between you and God, including you-know-who. Give everything to God and let him "Take It All" so that you can live for him and be the truth that everyone else needs to see. "Take It All" is the song we sang by Hillsong United at the youth group Sunday night. I hadn't heard that song in years, but I do love it. Take a listen!
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
GOD BLESS YOU MATT!!! I'm so glad I was able to get so much from your message. Keep up the good work :)
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The items I bring up today are once again derived from Matt's message at Grace Family last Sunday night. It's not really the second part. I just split it up into two days so it made more sense as I relay all this to you in the best way I can.
How many times have you heard me say to do everything you do so that it will glorify God? Probably at least a few. Matt literally played devil's advocate and asked something like, "Sometimes we glorify God, but don't we also glorify the devil (instead of God) when we give into fleshly things? We think about the things in the flesh and not in the spirit." He also gave us an example and said "that guy that you ran into yesterday may have been a complete jerk, but instead look at the situation from a spiritual standpoint. That calls for looking at the challenges this individual is facing in their life."
That led Matt to tell us to pray for those suffering and struggling to get through anything. If you see someone encountering such pain, go up to them and ask "Can I pray for you?" They'll probably say yes. It will be very likely to make a difference and I'm sure they will find peace in their lives. The person might be baffled as to why you would do such an unworldly thing, but I challenge you to do it anyway. We all need to take a step out of our comfort zones. In fact, it's much easier to glorify God that way than worrying about if the things we do everyday glorify him. If we step out of our normal realm and do something that is good, and it comes from the heart, surely it must make God happy. Remember, what part of the scripture reading said yesterday..."Keep praying for the saints."
Matt said an amazing quote at the end of his message and it went like this... "Are we asked to represent God? Yes, but we also need to RE - PRESENT God in a loving way to others!" Isn't that great? I love it!
The world is a dark place. Those in the dark don't know the truth about God's love and authority (like we talked about yesterday). The devil hates God and can easily steal you from receiving any Godly love. Live for God all the time as you show it to others.
However, I tell you don't let anything get between you and God, including you-know-who. Give everything to God and let him "Take It All" so that you can live for him and be the truth that everyone else needs to see. "Take It All" is the song we sang by Hillsong United at the youth group Sunday night. I hadn't heard that song in years, but I do love it. Take a listen!
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
GOD BLESS YOU MATT!!! I'm so glad I was able to get so much from your message. Keep up the good work :)
Friday, August 7, 2009
Spiritual Warfare Part I
Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
This may be an overwhelming amount of scripture to read at one time. Perhaps, bookmark it in your Bible. Read it everyday for a while if you have to do so. In fact, a little portion of this you should read everyday and say it as a prayer to God (I'll talk more about that at the end of this post).
I heard this scripture in a little bit of an unusual environment. Last Sunday night I went to a different youth group (Grace Family) with a friend because there wasn't any scheduled youth that night at my church. I headed there with no expectations. To say the least, I was amazed at the whole experience - worship and message. It was a God send as I prepare myself spiritually for Haiti!
There was a very inspirational speaker there, named Matt, and as far as I know he had some relations to the youth pastor there somehow. I am going to do my best at bringing up some key points that he mentioned Sunday night in today and tomorrow's posts.
He said that if we put on the Armor of God each day before going about our business it makes all the difference. It gets you in the right mindset. If we put on that armor we have the power to anything. Therefore, go and use it.
One thing I certainly understood from Matt's talk (whether directly or indirectly, I don't remember) was that one needs to stay active in the Word. We need to listen to God's call and what he lays on our heart. He told us the story of a man in Redding, California who believed in God's power (and nonetheless his power to heal). He deemed the city, cancer free. Incredibly, just like that, cancer cases in the city declined drapidly. It was to a point where you could literally see God working. Why can't we all do that as Christians? Why do we have such a hard time grasping a hold of God's power and walking with it every single day? God doesn't just do wonders for those in Redding. He can do wonders no matter where you're reading this from. Ask him into your heart and walk by faith everyday; that's a start!
Matt said that we can be defensive or offensive when it comes to wearing God's armor. There was a real world illustration of this shown in a skit...A girl was dressed in the "armor" of God. She was reading the Bible when three people came out of the dark (with devilish actions and his lies). They approached her and started slamming her with pillows. She fought with them in the sense of continuing to stay in God's word and truth. She kept reading. Eventually the devil(s) had no choice but to give up. That was the defensive side. Meanwhile, a short time later there was another skit where it started off the same way. The girl was reading the Bible. They approached her and slammed her with pillows. The girl, taking the offensive perspective, barged out of the devil's arms surrounding her and ran to make a score and receive God's almighty power and truth. That's more than a touchdown...I'd say that score is a million and one to zero! The devil lost that battle for sure. You see, this girl not only fought, but she was capable of using God's power to escape the devil's wrath. The idea is to know that God gives us the power and authority to spread and to deliver (God's love and Word) to others. As the song "My Savior My God" says by Aaron Shust, "I take Him at His word and deed.
Christ died to save me; this I read"
It's not going to be easy to fight the Devil. He absolutely does NOT like God one bit. Remember to "stand firm" in your faith as the scripture says. Say a prayer each morning when you wake up that goes something like this: Dear God, help me keep in line with YOUR plan. Please let me keep a listening ear to your spirit as I wear the armor of God, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shield of faith all day long. In your name, Amen.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
This may be an overwhelming amount of scripture to read at one time. Perhaps, bookmark it in your Bible. Read it everyday for a while if you have to do so. In fact, a little portion of this you should read everyday and say it as a prayer to God (I'll talk more about that at the end of this post).
I heard this scripture in a little bit of an unusual environment. Last Sunday night I went to a different youth group (Grace Family) with a friend because there wasn't any scheduled youth that night at my church. I headed there with no expectations. To say the least, I was amazed at the whole experience - worship and message. It was a God send as I prepare myself spiritually for Haiti!
There was a very inspirational speaker there, named Matt, and as far as I know he had some relations to the youth pastor there somehow. I am going to do my best at bringing up some key points that he mentioned Sunday night in today and tomorrow's posts.
He said that if we put on the Armor of God each day before going about our business it makes all the difference. It gets you in the right mindset. If we put on that armor we have the power to anything. Therefore, go and use it.
One thing I certainly understood from Matt's talk (whether directly or indirectly, I don't remember) was that one needs to stay active in the Word. We need to listen to God's call and what he lays on our heart. He told us the story of a man in Redding, California who believed in God's power (and nonetheless his power to heal). He deemed the city, cancer free. Incredibly, just like that, cancer cases in the city declined drapidly. It was to a point where you could literally see God working. Why can't we all do that as Christians? Why do we have such a hard time grasping a hold of God's power and walking with it every single day? God doesn't just do wonders for those in Redding. He can do wonders no matter where you're reading this from. Ask him into your heart and walk by faith everyday; that's a start!
Matt said that we can be defensive or offensive when it comes to wearing God's armor. There was a real world illustration of this shown in a skit...A girl was dressed in the "armor" of God. She was reading the Bible when three people came out of the dark (with devilish actions and his lies). They approached her and started slamming her with pillows. She fought with them in the sense of continuing to stay in God's word and truth. She kept reading. Eventually the devil(s) had no choice but to give up. That was the defensive side. Meanwhile, a short time later there was another skit where it started off the same way. The girl was reading the Bible. They approached her and slammed her with pillows. The girl, taking the offensive perspective, barged out of the devil's arms surrounding her and ran to make a score and receive God's almighty power and truth. That's more than a touchdown...I'd say that score is a million and one to zero! The devil lost that battle for sure. You see, this girl not only fought, but she was capable of using God's power to escape the devil's wrath. The idea is to know that God gives us the power and authority to spread and to deliver (God's love and Word) to others. As the song "My Savior My God" says by Aaron Shust, "I take Him at His word and deed.
Christ died to save me; this I read"
It's not going to be easy to fight the Devil. He absolutely does NOT like God one bit. Remember to "stand firm" in your faith as the scripture says. Say a prayer each morning when you wake up that goes something like this: Dear God, help me keep in line with YOUR plan. Please let me keep a listening ear to your spirit as I wear the armor of God, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shield of faith all day long. In your name, Amen.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Phasing into a Christian Lifestyle.
Romans 12:2
2 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.
Every time I return home from a mission trip I find it so difficult not to fall "to the pattern of this world." After all, it is all around us...all the time. Now that I look at it though, it's not so unreasonable to be a failure sometimes because on these mission trips we're blocking out the world, leaving everything behind, as we help other communities around the nation and around the world. On the contrary, the reality smacks us in the face when we have all our distractions and "reasons" to do as the world does when we come home.
Ever since that Friday nearly two weeks ago we've been free. Free is defined as "not physically restrained, obstructed or fixed; unimpeded. Able or permitted to take a specific action." We were free to venture back into the world. Just like any freedom, that comes with a risk though and it could very well intervene with a working or even strong relationship with Christ.
I often ask myself why can't I just take everything I learned on this mission trip, bottle it up, and pull it out as soon as I get home? The only solution that I've found successful is to stay active in the Word. You can't be passive and expect to continue to grow when you come back. Therefore, stay active in your relationship with Christ (it's never too late to start now!) and keep loving those all around you. That's how we can live up to what we're being asked to do today.
I pray that you don't even have to go on a mission trip to learn that serving God is important. Go to him BEFORE anything else. Lord, show everyone how much you love them so that they can be FREE to love others, just as you have shown us.
This is a perfect song to end my discussions about my mission trip to Alabama. It is called "I Will Go" by Starfield. I remind you don't need to go very far to go "to the world, the lost, to the poor and hungry."
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
2 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.
Every time I return home from a mission trip I find it so difficult not to fall "to the pattern of this world." After all, it is all around us...all the time. Now that I look at it though, it's not so unreasonable to be a failure sometimes because on these mission trips we're blocking out the world, leaving everything behind, as we help other communities around the nation and around the world. On the contrary, the reality smacks us in the face when we have all our distractions and "reasons" to do as the world does when we come home.
Ever since that Friday nearly two weeks ago we've been free. Free is defined as "not physically restrained, obstructed or fixed; unimpeded. Able or permitted to take a specific action." We were free to venture back into the world. Just like any freedom, that comes with a risk though and it could very well intervene with a working or even strong relationship with Christ.
I often ask myself why can't I just take everything I learned on this mission trip, bottle it up, and pull it out as soon as I get home? The only solution that I've found successful is to stay active in the Word. You can't be passive and expect to continue to grow when you come back. Therefore, stay active in your relationship with Christ (it's never too late to start now!) and keep loving those all around you. That's how we can live up to what we're being asked to do today.
I pray that you don't even have to go on a mission trip to learn that serving God is important. Go to him BEFORE anything else. Lord, show everyone how much you love them so that they can be FREE to love others, just as you have shown us.
This is a perfect song to end my discussions about my mission trip to Alabama. It is called "I Will Go" by Starfield. I remind you don't need to go very far to go "to the world, the lost, to the poor and hungry."
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
A Complete Revolution.
Daniel 3:17-18
17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
The devotion book for the week of the mission trip has been found! It was in the place where I thought it was but I just didn't look hard enough. Thanks Mom! There are few more things that I wanted to pull from that book.
On the fourth day we were told that were "free to be REVOLUTIONARY." If we're free from everything that keeps us from sincerely loving God and other people, as mentioned last week, then this freedom is "revolutionary." It's a completely different way of living!
Revolution is defined as "a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving. A sudden or momentous change in a situation."
I challenge you to read a little bit more than what I provided you with today in Daniel (go to the end of the chapter/verse 30). By doing this, you can see that these three men were able to sacrifice their lives to indicate just how much they loved God.
King Nebuchadnezzar (don't ask me how to pronounce that!) created a golden statue and commanded everyone to worship it. If they refused to follow his orders, they would be thrown into a furnace. The three men in this story, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego believed in the one true God, and would NOT worship anything else. And yes, this was even the case if they had to die. The King was very angry with their response (which you can find in the verses I provided above).
Talk about infuriated, the King demanded that the fire was heated seven times hotter than usual, tied the men together, and threw them into the blazing conditions. If you do read on, you will notice that the fire did not leave its mark on the men. They were unscathed by the intended harm because God is good!
After witnessing that, I would be changed, wouldn't you? That was definitely the case for King Nebuchadnezzar. He transformed into a follower of God and soon enforced that everyone in his land should honor God.
Just as the three men let "God use their faith to change the heart of a king" don't be afraid to do the same. Just don't think you have to do exactly what they did. Don't find a fiery furnace to jump into. Follow their example as a whole by pushing back everything that prevents you from truly loving God. Don't worship anything else but God, even those golden statues.
I just hope and pray that you can bring a "revolutionary change" to others by loving and serving others through your faith knowing that Jesus is the greatest revolutionary out there!
17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
The devotion book for the week of the mission trip has been found! It was in the place where I thought it was but I just didn't look hard enough. Thanks Mom! There are few more things that I wanted to pull from that book.
On the fourth day we were told that were "free to be REVOLUTIONARY." If we're free from everything that keeps us from sincerely loving God and other people, as mentioned last week, then this freedom is "revolutionary." It's a completely different way of living!
Revolution is defined as "a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving. A sudden or momentous change in a situation."
I challenge you to read a little bit more than what I provided you with today in Daniel (go to the end of the chapter/verse 30). By doing this, you can see that these three men were able to sacrifice their lives to indicate just how much they loved God.
King Nebuchadnezzar (don't ask me how to pronounce that!) created a golden statue and commanded everyone to worship it. If they refused to follow his orders, they would be thrown into a furnace. The three men in this story, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego believed in the one true God, and would NOT worship anything else. And yes, this was even the case if they had to die. The King was very angry with their response (which you can find in the verses I provided above).
Talk about infuriated, the King demanded that the fire was heated seven times hotter than usual, tied the men together, and threw them into the blazing conditions. If you do read on, you will notice that the fire did not leave its mark on the men. They were unscathed by the intended harm because God is good!
After witnessing that, I would be changed, wouldn't you? That was definitely the case for King Nebuchadnezzar. He transformed into a follower of God and soon enforced that everyone in his land should honor God.
Just as the three men let "God use their faith to change the heart of a king" don't be afraid to do the same. Just don't think you have to do exactly what they did. Don't find a fiery furnace to jump into. Follow their example as a whole by pushing back everything that prevents you from truly loving God. Don't worship anything else but God, even those golden statues.
I just hope and pray that you can bring a "revolutionary change" to others by loving and serving others through your faith knowing that Jesus is the greatest revolutionary out there!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Act of Spiritual Cleansing
John 13:12-17
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
It's amazing to read this story. I heard it just the other week in Alabama. The last night our leader, Pam, washed our feet. It was a very emotional service as we realized what it meant - our sins are washed away!
Jesus washed the feet of all his disciples. He was very meticulous too. It's humility at its best. I think I've mentioned it before during Lent but Peter did not want anything to do with his feet being washed. Soon enough, it was his turn.
He was the only disciple to question the master, God, on what he was doing. It took a while before the disciples understood the significance of this highly symbolic Passover event. The ceremony is a symbol of the humble act of service that Christians are asked to give to God and mankind unconditionally - without putting emphasis our own conditions.
Jesus tells the disciples in an earlier verse that if they do not take part in this event they will have "no part in me." In other words, it was a spiritual cleanse rather than an ordinary act of personal hygiene. This cleansing happened through his bloodshed and death because of man's sin.
The lesson here is that if Christ was humbly able to serve his followers in something that is thought to be a lowly human task, then his disciples and followers, like us, should be determined to do some not so pleasant things if it means glorifying God and serving others.
Ask God to help you understand the concept of foot washing and to provide you with the humility that accompanies it. Also, don't make excuses and come up with reasons why others should serve you, but find ways to serve them instead!
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
It's amazing to read this story. I heard it just the other week in Alabama. The last night our leader, Pam, washed our feet. It was a very emotional service as we realized what it meant - our sins are washed away!
Jesus washed the feet of all his disciples. He was very meticulous too. It's humility at its best. I think I've mentioned it before during Lent but Peter did not want anything to do with his feet being washed. Soon enough, it was his turn.
He was the only disciple to question the master, God, on what he was doing. It took a while before the disciples understood the significance of this highly symbolic Passover event. The ceremony is a symbol of the humble act of service that Christians are asked to give to God and mankind unconditionally - without putting emphasis our own conditions.
Jesus tells the disciples in an earlier verse that if they do not take part in this event they will have "no part in me." In other words, it was a spiritual cleanse rather than an ordinary act of personal hygiene. This cleansing happened through his bloodshed and death because of man's sin.
The lesson here is that if Christ was humbly able to serve his followers in something that is thought to be a lowly human task, then his disciples and followers, like us, should be determined to do some not so pleasant things if it means glorifying God and serving others.
Ask God to help you understand the concept of foot washing and to provide you with the humility that accompanies it. Also, don't make excuses and come up with reasons why others should serve you, but find ways to serve them instead!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Light of the World.
Matthew 5:14-16
14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
By the way, happy August...now that we're three days into the new month! Where did July go anyway? August is the transition month for me as summer starts to end and the inevitability of school starting soon is all too real.
I'm a little bit beside myself as I write this post. I went to Tallahassee to visit FSU on Thursday and Friday. That part was great, however I took my mission trip devotion book up with me so I could base my posts on key points from that. Somehow I misplaced the book and so I'm stuck without telling you those last two. I don't remember the scripture or anything. I don't think it could have wandered off too far, but I still can't tell you some of the good things that were left to be mentioned from that book. Nonetheless, there is still more to be said about the mission trip experience and I can fill you in on that (maybe that's better).
You may remember from history class that today's scripture is the foundation and model that John Winthrop uses in his sermon in the 1600's...
While in Alabama I spent time with kids that I had never met before and bonded with them for a few hours. The same thing occurred in the nursing home. I talked to one woman for about an hour before leaving. It was hard to leave the kids and the elderly. After all, I just got to know some of them and I had to say goodbye and not only that but I will never see them again. It was impossible to leave them without shedding a few tears and sobbing in my heart. Once again I realized just how lucky I am to be in the conditions that I've been given.
As easy as it was to get to know these kids and adults, that's what God wants me (and you) to do all the time. It is always going to be easier in some cases more than others. The bottom line is that God still wants our light to be shining through people and in everything we do. Don't hide it! I love the metaphor of putting the lamp underneath the bowl. It's the truth. We hide our light way too often. If we just let it shine through us, many times we can see the light carry over to someone else. You may never know the full impact of your good needs. Just let your God-given light be shown to others!
"For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken... we shall be make a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God... We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us til we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a-going." ~John Winthrop's dream that the New England community is turned into a "city upon a hill" that is watched by the world -- from his sermon entitled: "A Model of Christian Charity."
Although "This Little Light of Mine" may be a bit of a kid song, it's still something that all of us, no matter how old we are, should remember!
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
By the way, happy August...now that we're three days into the new month! Where did July go anyway? August is the transition month for me as summer starts to end and the inevitability of school starting soon is all too real.
I'm a little bit beside myself as I write this post. I went to Tallahassee to visit FSU on Thursday and Friday. That part was great, however I took my mission trip devotion book up with me so I could base my posts on key points from that. Somehow I misplaced the book and so I'm stuck without telling you those last two. I don't remember the scripture or anything. I don't think it could have wandered off too far, but I still can't tell you some of the good things that were left to be mentioned from that book. Nonetheless, there is still more to be said about the mission trip experience and I can fill you in on that (maybe that's better).
You may remember from history class that today's scripture is the foundation and model that John Winthrop uses in his sermon in the 1600's...
While in Alabama I spent time with kids that I had never met before and bonded with them for a few hours. The same thing occurred in the nursing home. I talked to one woman for about an hour before leaving. It was hard to leave the kids and the elderly. After all, I just got to know some of them and I had to say goodbye and not only that but I will never see them again. It was impossible to leave them without shedding a few tears and sobbing in my heart. Once again I realized just how lucky I am to be in the conditions that I've been given.
As easy as it was to get to know these kids and adults, that's what God wants me (and you) to do all the time. It is always going to be easier in some cases more than others. The bottom line is that God still wants our light to be shining through people and in everything we do. Don't hide it! I love the metaphor of putting the lamp underneath the bowl. It's the truth. We hide our light way too often. If we just let it shine through us, many times we can see the light carry over to someone else. You may never know the full impact of your good needs. Just let your God-given light be shown to others!
"For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken... we shall be make a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God... We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us til we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a-going." ~John Winthrop's dream that the New England community is turned into a "city upon a hill" that is watched by the world -- from his sermon entitled: "A Model of Christian Charity."
Although "This Little Light of Mine" may be a bit of a kid song, it's still something that all of us, no matter how old we are, should remember!
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Give God Your Junk.
2 Corinthians 5:21
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
We went to a church in Mobile last week, called Mobile Christian Center. There were about 70 teenagers there, the 55 that were with the mission organization plus the 15 or so from their youth group. It was very inspiring to see the youth playing in the band and then the youth pastor, who I didn’t know at the time, singing.
Then the youth pastor had a fabulous message. He talked about how he was depressed in his childhood. He didn’t have it easy. I can’t even tell you the story in the way he told us. He said he had it rough in school. He mentioned that he was a Bible geek when he was very young and then his dreams were busted because his dad pulled him from the church because of some problems. One day he was on the edge and was about ready to take his life. I forget exactly what happened but he heard a call from God. From there it was all uphill!
He mentioned it took years to get past his sin and problems. Later, he had us write down on a piece of paper everything that was holding us back from getting closer to God. Then, we could burn it in a fire when we were ready to give all our problems to God. He used such a beautiful analogy. He said our paper is filled with sin, while Jesus’ is sin-free. When we give our junk to God, we exchange our paper with Jesus’ paper. That's way better than ours. That sets us free from sin and its all thanks to God’s grace and forgiveness.
Again, I know Youth Pastor Josh had so much to say. I’ll just say that I learned so much from him and I’m sure I’ll remember a lot of it as I progress through life. There was also a skit which I'll do my best to discuss next week.
Visit the church's website: http://www.mobilechristiancenter.com/
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
We went to a church in Mobile last week, called Mobile Christian Center. There were about 70 teenagers there, the 55 that were with the mission organization plus the 15 or so from their youth group. It was very inspiring to see the youth playing in the band and then the youth pastor, who I didn’t know at the time, singing.
Then the youth pastor had a fabulous message. He talked about how he was depressed in his childhood. He didn’t have it easy. I can’t even tell you the story in the way he told us. He said he had it rough in school. He mentioned that he was a Bible geek when he was very young and then his dreams were busted because his dad pulled him from the church because of some problems. One day he was on the edge and was about ready to take his life. I forget exactly what happened but he heard a call from God. From there it was all uphill!
He mentioned it took years to get past his sin and problems. Later, he had us write down on a piece of paper everything that was holding us back from getting closer to God. Then, we could burn it in a fire when we were ready to give all our problems to God. He used such a beautiful analogy. He said our paper is filled with sin, while Jesus’ is sin-free. When we give our junk to God, we exchange our paper with Jesus’ paper. That's way better than ours. That sets us free from sin and its all thanks to God’s grace and forgiveness.
Again, I know Youth Pastor Josh had so much to say. I’ll just say that I learned so much from him and I’m sure I’ll remember a lot of it as I progress through life. There was also a skit which I'll do my best to discuss next week.
Visit the church's website: http://www.mobilechristiancenter.com/
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