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Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Your past doesn't define you, Jesus does
Just because you can't unreap what you've already sown doesn't mean you can't start sowing something new today.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Friday, March 10, 2017
People pleasing
After years of struggling with this myself and God releasing me from this chain, I feel compeled to write about this. I have found that a major problem for many people is their fear of other people. So many people fail to make decisions or take action, because they are overly concerned about what family, friends, workmates or peers might think about them. Essentially, in such moments they are more concerned about what people think than what God thinks.
We cannot be people pleasers and simultaneously be God pleasers. In order to be obedient to God, we have to be okay with disappointing some people or making decisions that they do not understand. Our fear of God must become bigger than our fear of man.
And no amount of temporal satisfaction or approval from others is worth compromising the destiny for which we have been created.
Until we choose to be God pleasers above man pleasers, we will not walk in the fullness of the purpose and destiny that Jesus Christ has for our lives.
We cannot be people pleasers and simultaneously be God pleasers. In order to be obedient to God, we have to be okay with disappointing some people or making decisions that they do not understand. Our fear of God must become bigger than our fear of man.
And no amount of temporal satisfaction or approval from others is worth compromising the destiny for which we have been created.
Until we choose to be God pleasers above man pleasers, we will not walk in the fullness of the purpose and destiny that Jesus Christ has for our lives.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Valentine's Day
A bouquet of roses. A box of assorted chocolates. A handwritten card. A necklace, a bracelet, a pair of earrings. A dinner by candlelight.
I love all of these romantic acts!
What I don't love, though, is how easily we buy into the delusion that acts of romance can form the foundation for a good marriage.
Romance results from a healthy relationship, but a healthy relationship does not grow in the soil of romance.
Rather, the Bible teaches that a marriage of unity, understanding and love is rooted in worship.
This link https://www.paultripp.com/what-did-you-expect will take you to some marriage material by Paul David Tripp. Our church family went through this study not too long ago and the Lord really used it as a tool to strengthen our marriage. I pray it does the same for you.
Enjoy your Valentine's Day this year. Go all out with romance. But don't fool yourself or your spouse into thinking that one romantic evening will pave the way for a beautiful marriage.
Friday, February 3, 2017
MARRIAGE: Keeping an eternal perspective
Ask yourself: in my marriage, how often do I get trapped into fighting over things that, in the end, don’t really matter? How many marital problems would be solved if couples would simply read the Sermon on the Mount once a month together?
Jonathan Edwards wrote like a poet: “Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean.”
All of this means we have to work at keeping our focus, our magnificent obsession; otherwise, we might put all our focus on lesser things-trying to improve our communication, get our finances in order, keep our romance fresh and fun, and so on.
We have to remember that these are not the stuff of life and they are not the end goal. After all, as Edwards reminds us, “
If our lives be not a journey towards heaven, they will be a journey to hell.”
If you truly desire to live this out, talk with your spouse. Ask one another: “How is the hope of heaven influencing the way we love one another, the way we raise our kids, the way we spend our money, and the way we focus our time?”
How are you and your spouse daily living out your hope of heaven? If you were able to keep an eternal mindset, how would this affect your day-to-day life?
Monday, January 23, 2017
Who are you?
"Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion." -Brennan Manning
How do you identify yourself when someone asks who you are? Do you pull out a list of titles? Do you start describing the work you do or the people you are responsible for?
More importantly, how do you identify yourself deep in your soul?
Most importantly, how do you really believe that God identifies you?
When we miss who we are in God’s eyes, we churn up all kinds of trouble. We become people who care more about how we look, what people think of us, who we know, what we do. It can lead to fear, doubt, lack of compassion, loss of joy, confusion, hopelessness.
Most frightening is that when we lose sight of our true identity, we stop depending on the One who knows us best and loves us most.
We become dependent on our skills, possessions, and the people we know. Titles and success become who we are. Even the good work of ministry is tainted when we find our identity in what we do instead of in who we are to God.
So who are we really?
Think about all the titles you carry (spouse, parent, sibling…) which title means the most to you? Why? Now consider yourself as one beloved by God. How does identifying yourself in that way change how you depend on Jesus?
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Responsibility as a believing parent
Let no Christian parents fall into the delusion that Sunday School is intended to ease them of their personal duties. The first and most natural condition of things is for Christian parents to train up their own children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Being freed from needing worldly success
It is a quest we've all pursued at one time or another, and some are still pursuing it. We all want to feel good about ourselves. We all want to think that we are okay. This is a fearful and anxious quest that only God's grace can free you from.
Here's what happens to us all-we seek horizontally(from other people) for the personal rest that we can only find vertically(from God) and so it never works.
Looking to other people for your inner sense of well-being is pointless. First, you will never be good enough to get the regular praise of others that you are seeking. You're going to mess up. You're going to disappoint. You will have a bad day. You'll lose your way. At some point, you'll say or do things you shouldn't. Add to this the fact that the people around you aren't typically interested in taking on the burden of being your personal Messiah. They don't want to live with the responsibility of having your identity in their hands. So looking to people for your inner self worth never works....
Now let's talk about success in the world. The peace that success gives is unreliable as well. Since you are less than perfect, whatever success you are able to achieve will soon be followed by failure of some kind. Then there is the fact that the buzz of success is short-lived. It isn't long before you're searching for the next "success" to keep you going.
That is why the reality that Jesus has become your righteousness is so precious. His grace has forever freed us from needing to prove our righteousness and our worth.
So we have to remind ourselves daily not to search horizontally for what we've already been given vertically.
"And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever." (Isaiah 32:17)
That righteousness is found in Christ alone.
Here's what happens to us all-we seek horizontally(from other people) for the personal rest that we can only find vertically(from God) and so it never works.
Looking to other people for your inner sense of well-being is pointless. First, you will never be good enough to get the regular praise of others that you are seeking. You're going to mess up. You're going to disappoint. You will have a bad day. You'll lose your way. At some point, you'll say or do things you shouldn't. Add to this the fact that the people around you aren't typically interested in taking on the burden of being your personal Messiah. They don't want to live with the responsibility of having your identity in their hands. So looking to people for your inner self worth never works....
Now let's talk about success in the world. The peace that success gives is unreliable as well. Since you are less than perfect, whatever success you are able to achieve will soon be followed by failure of some kind. Then there is the fact that the buzz of success is short-lived. It isn't long before you're searching for the next "success" to keep you going.
That is why the reality that Jesus has become your righteousness is so precious. His grace has forever freed us from needing to prove our righteousness and our worth.
So we have to remind ourselves daily not to search horizontally for what we've already been given vertically.
"And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever." (Isaiah 32:17)
That righteousness is found in Christ alone.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
2017
We find ourselves in a new year and I find myself feeling like nothing is new. I still struggle with sin, this world is still broken, I still feel like an alien in this world longing to go home to be with the Lord, I still feel attacked by the devil daily, my body still feels weak....
But as we start this new year of 2017, really it's OK that nothing is new because:
GOD is still the same King who rules and reigns
GOD is still the same Savior pouring out grace
We are still touched by his nearness, still moved by his promises, still strengthened by fresh mercies,
GOD still has forgiving grace
GOD still has transforming power
GOD still has tender love.....
A new year, but not new, that's ok, still Christ in me, still hope for glory. Do you have that hope?
But as we start this new year of 2017, really it's OK that nothing is new because:
GOD is still the same King who rules and reigns
GOD is still the same Savior pouring out grace
We are still touched by his nearness, still moved by his promises, still strengthened by fresh mercies,
GOD still has forgiving grace
GOD still has transforming power
GOD still has tender love.....
A new year, but not new, that's ok, still Christ in me, still hope for glory. Do you have that hope?
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Are you in need of help?
It's hard to admit your need for help. It's hard to admit that there are things you don’t know and don’t understand. It's hard to admit that there are things that you can’t do. It's hard to reach out and cry out for help.
It's hard to confess to weakness and ignorance. It's hard to have to depend on another for what you think you should be able to supply for yourself. It's hard to talk about what you don’t know and what you can’t do. It's hard to admit to poor judgment and wrong responses. It's hard to receive correction and to confess to sin.
Why are these things so hard?
Because we all like to buy into two very seductive lies. These lies argue against any need to be dependent.
The first lie is the lie of AUTONOMY. Autonomy tells me that I ‘m an independent being, with the right to do what I want to do, when, where, and how I want to do it.
Now you may be saying to yourself "I don't believe that!" Yet every time you defend yourself against the correction of another or tell someone not to tell you what to do, you buy into this lie.
The second lie is the lie of SELF-SUFFICIENCY. This lie tells me I have everything within myself to be what I’m supposed to be and to do what I’m supposed to do.
Perhaps you're thinking, "Okay, I do occasionally buy into my autonomy, but I definitely don't think I'm self-sufficient!" Yet each time you resist reaching out for help or each time you act as if you're okay when, in fact, you're not, you’ve bought into this lie.
Why are these two lies so wrong and so dangerous? Because the Bible clearly tells us that we’re people who have been made for COMMUNITY. We were designed to live in worshipful community with God and humble community with people.
We were never constructed to live all by ourselves. Even Adam and Eve needed God and one another. Think about this. They were perfect people, living in a perfect world, yet they were still needy because they were not created to live life on their own.
Remember, there are few people more influential in your life than you are because no one talks to you more than you do. You spend each day in constant conversation with you! And the things that you tell yourself shape what you do and say each day. Do you constantly remind yourself of your need of God and others? Do you tell yourself that it’s good to admit weakness and to reach out for help? If you do, it’s not a sign that something’s wrong. No, by God's definition, that kind of self-talk is a sign that something‘s very right.
How about beginning to pray these three prayers every morning:
"Lord, I‘m a person in desperate need of help today."
"Lord, won't you, in your grace, send your helpers my way."
"And please give me the humility to receive the help when it comes."
Are you intimidated by your weaknesses? Are you afraid to bare your needs to God and others? Jesus is the Prince of Peace, he came so that we’d be able to experience both peace with God and with others. He came so that we’d no longer have to seduce ourselves with the delusions of autonomy and self-sufficiency. He came so that we could be the kind of people we were created to be, living in humble worship of Him and humble dependency on others, right here, right now.
It's hard to confess to weakness and ignorance. It's hard to have to depend on another for what you think you should be able to supply for yourself. It's hard to talk about what you don’t know and what you can’t do. It's hard to admit to poor judgment and wrong responses. It's hard to receive correction and to confess to sin.
Why are these things so hard?
Because we all like to buy into two very seductive lies. These lies argue against any need to be dependent.
The first lie is the lie of AUTONOMY. Autonomy tells me that I ‘m an independent being, with the right to do what I want to do, when, where, and how I want to do it.
Now you may be saying to yourself "I don't believe that!" Yet every time you defend yourself against the correction of another or tell someone not to tell you what to do, you buy into this lie.
The second lie is the lie of SELF-SUFFICIENCY. This lie tells me I have everything within myself to be what I’m supposed to be and to do what I’m supposed to do.
Perhaps you're thinking, "Okay, I do occasionally buy into my autonomy, but I definitely don't think I'm self-sufficient!" Yet each time you resist reaching out for help or each time you act as if you're okay when, in fact, you're not, you’ve bought into this lie.
Why are these two lies so wrong and so dangerous? Because the Bible clearly tells us that we’re people who have been made for COMMUNITY. We were designed to live in worshipful community with God and humble community with people.
We were never constructed to live all by ourselves. Even Adam and Eve needed God and one another. Think about this. They were perfect people, living in a perfect world, yet they were still needy because they were not created to live life on their own.
Remember, there are few people more influential in your life than you are because no one talks to you more than you do. You spend each day in constant conversation with you! And the things that you tell yourself shape what you do and say each day. Do you constantly remind yourself of your need of God and others? Do you tell yourself that it’s good to admit weakness and to reach out for help? If you do, it’s not a sign that something’s wrong. No, by God's definition, that kind of self-talk is a sign that something‘s very right.
How about beginning to pray these three prayers every morning:
"Lord, I‘m a person in desperate need of help today."
"Lord, won't you, in your grace, send your helpers my way."
"And please give me the humility to receive the help when it comes."
Are you intimidated by your weaknesses? Are you afraid to bare your needs to God and others? Jesus is the Prince of Peace, he came so that we’d be able to experience both peace with God and with others. He came so that we’d no longer have to seduce ourselves with the delusions of autonomy and self-sufficiency. He came so that we could be the kind of people we were created to be, living in humble worship of Him and humble dependency on others, right here, right now.
Monday, December 19, 2016
Rejoicing and joy
Suffering because of fear.....we've all endured it. In one way or the other, even tho it looks different for each person, we've all experienced it.
Maybe you have fear today, maybe your heart quakes a bit inside. The news headlines, fear that your close loved ones you know could be taken at any moment. Do you realize that we will all lose every single person we love? There is never another way. Think about that for too long and you find it hard to breathe.
The economy is a mess, things break down in your home, some people have medical problems personally or a family member that put you into debt.
Some days for all of us, as fallen humans, it's hard not to panic. You can feel it, we are all driven by fear of failure. For all our frenzied running around, could it be that we are actually fleeing--trying to escape all our fears? All this pain? All this "failure?" Do you live a life of quiet terror? Of soundless, hidden grief? Do you sometimes just want to weep for all that isn't and all that you aren't?
Well I have found in my own life personally that rejoicing in the Lord happens while we still struggle in the now. Struggling and rejoicing aren't 2 chronological steps, one following the other, but they are 2 concurrent movements, one with the other. :) As the cold can move you deeper towards the fire, struggling can move you deeper towards God, who warms you with joy. Struggling can deepen joy.
Even tho your life doesn't look like you thought it would, even though you may spend this Christmas without a special loved one, even though you don't remember the last time you had a struggle free day, whether it's because you have many small children, a troubled marriage, a job you despise, constant body aches, sleep deprivation, the list could go on and the reality is, some of you have more than 1 of these combined plus others I didn't list. But even tho we fail, even tho so much in this world fails, even NOW we can rejoice in the Lord! Even now we can be joyful in the God of our salvation.
The secret of joy is always a matter of focus: a resolute focusing on the Father, not on our fears. All fear is but the notion that Gods love ends. When does he ever end? When you can't touch bottom is when you touch the depths of God.
The solution to fear is focusing on the gift of salvation. The gift God sent us that first Christmas morning. Romans 8:32 in the Bible says this: " “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
If he gave you his son to save you, will he not give anything? Hasn't he already earned trust? You can take your hands off your life--you don't have to try to save yourself. Behold him everywhere, and be held.
Count your blessings each day, count and recount. Our worlds can be overwhelming and depressing unless we remember this secret of rejoicing and having joy. A song of thanks steadies everything.
Behold the goodness of the God of your salvation everywhere, and be held.
Maybe you have fear today, maybe your heart quakes a bit inside. The news headlines, fear that your close loved ones you know could be taken at any moment. Do you realize that we will all lose every single person we love? There is never another way. Think about that for too long and you find it hard to breathe.
The economy is a mess, things break down in your home, some people have medical problems personally or a family member that put you into debt.
Some days for all of us, as fallen humans, it's hard not to panic. You can feel it, we are all driven by fear of failure. For all our frenzied running around, could it be that we are actually fleeing--trying to escape all our fears? All this pain? All this "failure?" Do you live a life of quiet terror? Of soundless, hidden grief? Do you sometimes just want to weep for all that isn't and all that you aren't?
Well I have found in my own life personally that rejoicing in the Lord happens while we still struggle in the now. Struggling and rejoicing aren't 2 chronological steps, one following the other, but they are 2 concurrent movements, one with the other. :) As the cold can move you deeper towards the fire, struggling can move you deeper towards God, who warms you with joy. Struggling can deepen joy.
Even tho your life doesn't look like you thought it would, even though you may spend this Christmas without a special loved one, even though you don't remember the last time you had a struggle free day, whether it's because you have many small children, a troubled marriage, a job you despise, constant body aches, sleep deprivation, the list could go on and the reality is, some of you have more than 1 of these combined plus others I didn't list. But even tho we fail, even tho so much in this world fails, even NOW we can rejoice in the Lord! Even now we can be joyful in the God of our salvation.
The secret of joy is always a matter of focus: a resolute focusing on the Father, not on our fears. All fear is but the notion that Gods love ends. When does he ever end? When you can't touch bottom is when you touch the depths of God.
The solution to fear is focusing on the gift of salvation. The gift God sent us that first Christmas morning. Romans 8:32 in the Bible says this: " “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
If he gave you his son to save you, will he not give anything? Hasn't he already earned trust? You can take your hands off your life--you don't have to try to save yourself. Behold him everywhere, and be held.
Count your blessings each day, count and recount. Our worlds can be overwhelming and depressing unless we remember this secret of rejoicing and having joy. A song of thanks steadies everything.
Behold the goodness of the God of your salvation everywhere, and be held.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Heart
This is my first post actually sharing anything personal. Up until now I've just shared what's on my heart in devotion form, and what God has shown me through reading a devotion, or hearing a song, or just something he's placed on my heart from something I've seen.
Today I need to tell you that in my past I was very much about appearances. I was very much caught up in the world and how the world looks for beauty on the outside rather than on the heart.
In the story of David in being chosen by God as king in the Bible(you can read this story in 1 Samuel 16), he had seven brothers who were way more stout, taller and masculine then he, but God did not choose them to be king, he did not look at the outside appearance, he rather looked at the heart and he chose David.
At Christmas time it's hard not to look at the outward appearance of things: the lights, the sparkles, the cute little Christmas cards, the bow ties, the cookies, etc.
But what if we stop looking at the beauty in appearances and rather the beauty in HIS APPEARING!
God showed me a few years ago that I was only going to be able to change my life to live for him, if I began to change the way I saw things. God doesn't care what I look like, he cares about my heart.
The world lives fixated on facades, blinded to the realist real. This shiny shell of things can bind you and blind you.
Its a temporal world that elevates the foil, the plastic, the status, the skills, the physical, and the tangible. But it is God who elevates the heart, the interior, the soul.
Humanity obsesses with vapors not eternity.( “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”James 4:14)
The reality was for me that I had lost my joy because I was caught up in the world. I was caught up in the bombardment I was being faced with of ads and gloss and Photoshop, it schooled me to have eyes for everything unimportant and unreal. From Hollywood to Pinterest, the media of this world aggressively schools your soul to see the exact opposite of the way God sees.(I plan on writing another blog sometime in future, as the Lord leads, sharing why we don't watch prime time tv, have Netflix, cable, etc.)
People aren't bodies they are hearts.
God has helped me train my eyes to turn everything inside out, and he can do that for you too. You can close your eyes and ask it, see it:
"is my life about the heart of things?" "is my Christmas?" "Am I deeply absorbed in him and the heart of things?" "Or is my life a shallow absorption with surfaces?"
It can affect us in all areas of life, and if it's the surfaces that absorb us, then we're mostly superficial.
God showed me that my priorities were not right because they were focused on things seen. He has now showed me that my priorities should rather be on things unseen, and it's only then that my life began to have substance and weight.
Only God can give us eyes to really see. To see past surfaces, to the heart of things, all the way down to the love.
I am praying now for all reading this. God bless you, and have a great day.
Today I need to tell you that in my past I was very much about appearances. I was very much caught up in the world and how the world looks for beauty on the outside rather than on the heart.
In the story of David in being chosen by God as king in the Bible(you can read this story in 1 Samuel 16), he had seven brothers who were way more stout, taller and masculine then he, but God did not choose them to be king, he did not look at the outside appearance, he rather looked at the heart and he chose David.
At Christmas time it's hard not to look at the outward appearance of things: the lights, the sparkles, the cute little Christmas cards, the bow ties, the cookies, etc.
But what if we stop looking at the beauty in appearances and rather the beauty in HIS APPEARING!
God showed me a few years ago that I was only going to be able to change my life to live for him, if I began to change the way I saw things. God doesn't care what I look like, he cares about my heart.
The world lives fixated on facades, blinded to the realist real. This shiny shell of things can bind you and blind you.
Its a temporal world that elevates the foil, the plastic, the status, the skills, the physical, and the tangible. But it is God who elevates the heart, the interior, the soul.
Humanity obsesses with vapors not eternity.( “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”James 4:14)
The reality was for me that I had lost my joy because I was caught up in the world. I was caught up in the bombardment I was being faced with of ads and gloss and Photoshop, it schooled me to have eyes for everything unimportant and unreal. From Hollywood to Pinterest, the media of this world aggressively schools your soul to see the exact opposite of the way God sees.(I plan on writing another blog sometime in future, as the Lord leads, sharing why we don't watch prime time tv, have Netflix, cable, etc.)
People aren't bodies they are hearts.
God has helped me train my eyes to turn everything inside out, and he can do that for you too. You can close your eyes and ask it, see it:
"is my life about the heart of things?" "is my Christmas?" "Am I deeply absorbed in him and the heart of things?" "Or is my life a shallow absorption with surfaces?"
It can affect us in all areas of life, and if it's the surfaces that absorb us, then we're mostly superficial.
God showed me that my priorities were not right because they were focused on things seen. He has now showed me that my priorities should rather be on things unseen, and it's only then that my life began to have substance and weight.
Only God can give us eyes to really see. To see past surfaces, to the heart of things, all the way down to the love.
I am praying now for all reading this. God bless you, and have a great day.
Monday, December 12, 2016
Real
Everyone reading this blog is someone that knows me personally, at least I think so, because I've only given out the link to people who I know. although I don't know if other people can read this because honestly even though I did graduate with a bachelors degree in business I have no idea how to set up a simple blog lol..... which could also be because I am not able to devote the time to doing computer things like I did in college, so anyway, I'm thankful I figured it out and am able to write.
Anyway, with that said most of you know me enough to know that I'm a very real person and I think sometimes actually it has caused me, and others a lot of heart ache because I have been too real with untrustworthy people and I have been too real with people who weren't ready and I'm not good with discerning that, I'm getting better, but when the Lord saved me and he took me and he rescued me out of the depths of my darkness I wanted to shout it from the mountains! and I think sometimes maybe I don't do that the best and maybe that I don't speak the truth in love the way I should, and be more sensitive.
I said all of that to say this: I would like to share some things that God has done in my life personally and in our marriage in the next few blogs. it's going to be very hard for me but I want to write this post first because I want to make sure that everyone reading this knows that I do not claim to be perfect by any means and I am not calling out anyone and that every single person that I gave this link I love you very much and I pray for you and I'm thankful that God is using this. a lot of you have told me and expressed that so thank you for the encouragement, but remember, it is not about me it is about HIM and what he can do with ashes...he can take ashes and turn them into something beautiful....he can take dry bones and make them come alive and that is exactly what he has done in my life. Have a good day everyone!
Anyway, with that said most of you know me enough to know that I'm a very real person and I think sometimes actually it has caused me, and others a lot of heart ache because I have been too real with untrustworthy people and I have been too real with people who weren't ready and I'm not good with discerning that, I'm getting better, but when the Lord saved me and he took me and he rescued me out of the depths of my darkness I wanted to shout it from the mountains! and I think sometimes maybe I don't do that the best and maybe that I don't speak the truth in love the way I should, and be more sensitive.
I said all of that to say this: I would like to share some things that God has done in my life personally and in our marriage in the next few blogs. it's going to be very hard for me but I want to write this post first because I want to make sure that everyone reading this knows that I do not claim to be perfect by any means and I am not calling out anyone and that every single person that I gave this link I love you very much and I pray for you and I'm thankful that God is using this. a lot of you have told me and expressed that so thank you for the encouragement, but remember, it is not about me it is about HIM and what he can do with ashes...he can take ashes and turn them into something beautiful....he can take dry bones and make them come alive and that is exactly what he has done in my life. Have a good day everyone!
Thursday, December 8, 2016
LADDERS
JACOBS DREAM(from Genesis 28:10-16 in the Bible):
“Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway. At the top of the stairway stood the LORD, and he said, “I am the LORD, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!””
You can feel it in your bones- sometimes when you stop for a moment, it's like life is the stairway that you just never stop climbing, this ladder that goes on forever without end.
You have this list of failures that stretch from earth up to heaven and they are like the rungs on a ladder, it's like all your rest just feels like lying down on one unforgiving stone.
Sometimes you're just the most tired of trying to be strong.
You have these Jacob dreams, and you dream of what might be.
But the most amazing dream that is reality and not a dream at all is that there are no ladders to climb up because Christ came down one to get you.
Jesus Christ himself interprets the dream: "I tell you the truth, you will see all heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth."(John 1:51)
Jesus doesn't show you the steps to get to heaven- Jesus IS the steps to heaven.
Jesus doesn't merely come down to show you the way up-Jesus comes down to make Himself into the Way to carry you up.
Jesus doesn't ultimately give you a how-to, because Christianity is not about that- it's not about How, it is about WHO.
Every religion, every program, every self-help book, is about steps you have to take. Jesus is the only one who becomes the step TO TAKE YOU.
To take us- The Jacobs, The tired, The debtors, and the desperate. To take US, who are the lost and a long way from arriving, US, who are the bone weary of all the trying and the striving.
Christ becomes the one step that we can never take-and takes us. He comes to us like he comes to Jacob-he comes to us not in spite of our failings, but Because of them. He is the God who is drawn to those who feel down. He is the God who is attracted to those who feel abandoned. He is the God who is bound to those who feel broken.
Everywhere there are stairways for the sinners, everywhere- ladders for the lost, and everywhere-gateways to God.
This is Grace. This is the reason to slow down, this is not to be missed.
How sad to make this Christmas time and his coming profane, to make it about fleshly performances, frantic running around and rushing, preoccupations, etc.
Profanity, writes Elisabeth Elliot, is "treating as meaningless that which is freighted with meaning. Treating as common that which is hallowed. Regarding as a mere triviality what is really a divine design. Profanity is failure to see the inner mystery."
You know we could slow and cease this profanity and see the inner mystery here. We could begin the "slow Christmas." We could set aside the to do lists that profane the inner mysteries and slow to see the weight of glory in the moment- The divine design of a day that unfolds with a Grace that is not to be missed.
The hallowed here.
Because being hurried always empties our souls.....
God doesn't want to number your failures or count your accomplishments as much as he wants you to have an encounter with him.
The only ladder over you is Love-and Love came down.
If, just for a moment, if you stand in the doorway-linger a bit in front of the tree- it's strange how you can see it--how every Christmas tree is a ladder, and Jesus is your ladder who hung on that tree.....so you can have the gift of rest.
When you are wrung out, that is the sign you've been reaching for rungs.
The work at the very heart of salvation, is the work of the very heart of Christmas: simply rest.
This rest, this stopping, this being in the here and now- is holy.
The wonder of all this is that God looks at you at your lowest and loves you all the way up to the sky. Grace carries you all the way home.
“Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway. At the top of the stairway stood the LORD, and he said, “I am the LORD, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!””
You can feel it in your bones- sometimes when you stop for a moment, it's like life is the stairway that you just never stop climbing, this ladder that goes on forever without end.
You have this list of failures that stretch from earth up to heaven and they are like the rungs on a ladder, it's like all your rest just feels like lying down on one unforgiving stone.
Sometimes you're just the most tired of trying to be strong.
You have these Jacob dreams, and you dream of what might be.
But the most amazing dream that is reality and not a dream at all is that there are no ladders to climb up because Christ came down one to get you.
Jesus Christ himself interprets the dream: "I tell you the truth, you will see all heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth."(John 1:51)
Jesus doesn't show you the steps to get to heaven- Jesus IS the steps to heaven.
Jesus doesn't merely come down to show you the way up-Jesus comes down to make Himself into the Way to carry you up.
Jesus doesn't ultimately give you a how-to, because Christianity is not about that- it's not about How, it is about WHO.
Every religion, every program, every self-help book, is about steps you have to take. Jesus is the only one who becomes the step TO TAKE YOU.
To take us- The Jacobs, The tired, The debtors, and the desperate. To take US, who are the lost and a long way from arriving, US, who are the bone weary of all the trying and the striving.
Christ becomes the one step that we can never take-and takes us. He comes to us like he comes to Jacob-he comes to us not in spite of our failings, but Because of them. He is the God who is drawn to those who feel down. He is the God who is attracted to those who feel abandoned. He is the God who is bound to those who feel broken.
Everywhere there are stairways for the sinners, everywhere- ladders for the lost, and everywhere-gateways to God.
This is Grace. This is the reason to slow down, this is not to be missed.
How sad to make this Christmas time and his coming profane, to make it about fleshly performances, frantic running around and rushing, preoccupations, etc.
Profanity, writes Elisabeth Elliot, is "treating as meaningless that which is freighted with meaning. Treating as common that which is hallowed. Regarding as a mere triviality what is really a divine design. Profanity is failure to see the inner mystery."
You know we could slow and cease this profanity and see the inner mystery here. We could begin the "slow Christmas." We could set aside the to do lists that profane the inner mysteries and slow to see the weight of glory in the moment- The divine design of a day that unfolds with a Grace that is not to be missed.
The hallowed here.
Because being hurried always empties our souls.....
God doesn't want to number your failures or count your accomplishments as much as he wants you to have an encounter with him.
The only ladder over you is Love-and Love came down.
If, just for a moment, if you stand in the doorway-linger a bit in front of the tree- it's strange how you can see it--how every Christmas tree is a ladder, and Jesus is your ladder who hung on that tree.....so you can have the gift of rest.
When you are wrung out, that is the sign you've been reaching for rungs.
The work at the very heart of salvation, is the work of the very heart of Christmas: simply rest.
This rest, this stopping, this being in the here and now- is holy.
The wonder of all this is that God looks at you at your lowest and loves you all the way up to the sky. Grace carries you all the way home.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Live free and serve God
You can't live to meet all your needs and live to serve Christ at the same time. Live as his disciple; he's got your true needs covered.
We place many things in our "I just can't live without" category, but the reality is that many of them are not things we actually require for life. These things may be wonderful to enjoy and blessings from God, but they are not needs and must not be named as so. When we call them needs, we tell ourselves that we have to have them, that we cannot live without them, and that we have a right to demand them. So we end up evaluating the love of God on the basis of how many of the things that we think are needs have been delivered to us. As we do this, our lives get shaped by a needs focus, and we spend so much time thinking about and working toward acquiring our needs, that we have little personal time left for the larger pursuits of the kingdom of God.
Paul writes this to the church at Philippi: "I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. yes it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus The gifts you sent, A fragrant offering, A sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and father be glory forever and ever. Amen."
(Philippians 4:10-20)
So, you quit worrying about your catalog of "I must haves" and are free to give yourself to the work of God's kingdom when:
*1- you are convinced that God will give you the strength you need to face whatever he has ordained you to face(" I can do all things through him who strengthens me") and
*2-you really do believe that God is actively committed to meeting everyone of your true needs("and my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus")
When Grace causes your heart to rest in these truths, you no longer live a need obsessed life and are free to give yourself to the worship and service of God. ❤️
We place many things in our "I just can't live without" category, but the reality is that many of them are not things we actually require for life. These things may be wonderful to enjoy and blessings from God, but they are not needs and must not be named as so. When we call them needs, we tell ourselves that we have to have them, that we cannot live without them, and that we have a right to demand them. So we end up evaluating the love of God on the basis of how many of the things that we think are needs have been delivered to us. As we do this, our lives get shaped by a needs focus, and we spend so much time thinking about and working toward acquiring our needs, that we have little personal time left for the larger pursuits of the kingdom of God.
Paul writes this to the church at Philippi: "I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. yes it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus The gifts you sent, A fragrant offering, A sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and father be glory forever and ever. Amen."
(Philippians 4:10-20)
So, you quit worrying about your catalog of "I must haves" and are free to give yourself to the work of God's kingdom when:
*1- you are convinced that God will give you the strength you need to face whatever he has ordained you to face(" I can do all things through him who strengthens me") and
*2-you really do believe that God is actively committed to meeting everyone of your true needs("and my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus")
When Grace causes your heart to rest in these truths, you no longer live a need obsessed life and are free to give yourself to the worship and service of God. ❤️
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Ask pastor John(copy and paste link into your browser to listen)
https://m.soundcloud.com/askpastorjohn/should-we-encourage-interracial-marriage-episode-966
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
NONE ARE RIGHTEOUS
The indictment of Romans 3 puts us all in the same boat:
It says "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3:9-18
Yes we are all sinners. we are all in the same desperate condition. none of us is better off than any other. none of us is more righteous. none of us is more deserving. none of us have anything to point to that would commend us to God. we are all in need to be rescued from the dark rebellion of our own hearts. there is only one hope for us all: the amazing, forgiving, rescuing, transforming, and delivering Grace of Jesus.
The problem is we often don't see it that way, part of the blindness of sin is our tendency to be more irritated by and more concerned about the sin of the people next to us. because we are blind to our own sin and our eyes are open to theirs , we tend to see our neighbors as bigger sinners than we are, and when you fall into comparing yourself to another person you almost always conclude that you were more righteous than he is and when you conclude that you are more righteous than he is, you begin to minimize your own need for Grace. in this way false spiritual comparisons put you in spiritual danger they make you think you're better off than you are and weaken your resolve to seek and celebrate redeeming grace. we must cry out for Grace to deliver us from this tendency! yes we all stand before God deserving of his anger! how grateful we are to be that Christ bore our penalty so that we could bask in Gods Grace!
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
AWE
Awe:(noun) "a feeling of reverential respect, mixed with fear or wonder."
It is a daily battle......
one that is free of physical weapons,
political parties,
and national boundaries....
It is a battle that has been raging since the garden and will not stop until the war is finally won.
This battle is not fought between people, it is fought WITHIN people.
It is a much greater danger to each of us than war between nations will ever be.
It is a battle of awe.....
We were created to live in a real heart gripping, agenda setting, behavior forming awe of God. But other awes kidnap our hearts. Awe of creation, awe of other people, and awe of ourselves, shove the awe of God out of our hearts.
So we need grace to see again, to tremble again, and to bow down again at the feet of the ONE who deserves our awe.
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