"A minister was one day moving his library upstairs. As he was going up with a load of books, his little boy came in and was very anxious to help his father. So his father just told him to go and get an armful, and bring them upstairs. When the father came back, he met the little fellow about half-way up, tugging away at the biggest book in the library. He couldn't manage to carry it up. It was too big. So he sat down and cried. His father found him, and just took him in his arms, book and all, and carried him upstairs. So Christ will carry you and all your burdens, if you will but let Him."-Moody
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Morning Prayer
After only a little more than a week and a half of waking up at 5:30 to read and pray I am more assured of God's magnificence and of the impossible idea of fully comprehending that magnificence than ever before. I do fully anticipate that with each moment of the day I will gain a new closeness to God and with each morning of prayer I will gain a new understanding and renewed direction from God. I am primed every morning with prayer. My morning prayer is radical because it is faith filled and full of anticipation for God's work. That same faith and anticipation set me ready and primed, sets on the edge of prayer, prepared to commune again and again.
Every morning when I rise I celebrate God. I begin the pray with earnest thanks and continued prayer for forgiveness for whatever sins I am not yet aware of and the ones which I fully recognize. Then I begin to pray for every need I can recall or have written down for both myself and others-this is when I feel the earth begin to move. It is not the same ground that I stand on or the ground my house is upon. No one is woken up in this quake, no one except me. Whatever mountain which has grown up in my heart since last I prayed is shoved into an ocean I'll never see. Every moment is precious and faith filled, not faith which I have grown but faith which God has planted in me.
Of course, with every moment of new growth a new mole hill (or perhaps even a mountain) rises again. This is of no concern, and the issue's size is of no consequence- my faith, and more than that, my God are not concerned with the size of the moutain- it will be moved. Every doubt which waves its ugly head is once again cast aside, for I know that "the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" (James 1:3).
Every morning when I rise I celebrate God. I begin the pray with earnest thanks and continued prayer for forgiveness for whatever sins I am not yet aware of and the ones which I fully recognize. Then I begin to pray for every need I can recall or have written down for both myself and others-this is when I feel the earth begin to move. It is not the same ground that I stand on or the ground my house is upon. No one is woken up in this quake, no one except me. Whatever mountain which has grown up in my heart since last I prayed is shoved into an ocean I'll never see. Every moment is precious and faith filled, not faith which I have grown but faith which God has planted in me.
Of course, with every moment of new growth a new mole hill (or perhaps even a mountain) rises again. This is of no concern, and the issue's size is of no consequence- my faith, and more than that, my God are not concerned with the size of the moutain- it will be moved. Every doubt which waves its ugly head is once again cast aside, for I know that "the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" (James 1:3).
Monday, August 2, 2010
Faith, hope and love...and sign seekers
Matthew 12:38-40
38Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you."
39He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Here he refers to the whole generation, and in my opinion, every generation that has followed. How often have I prayed, "God, break open the skies and make them see," but there would be no need of faith then. Faith is not our gift to God, it is God's gift to us. When we grow in intimacy we will, as a result, grow in faith. Here in we find the problem with sign seeking- it makes our faith the result of aesthetics. Sign seeking determines to see God's hand before serving His will. This would make our "obedience" into something different. It would become emotional and whimsical- propelled by awe and wonder. None of those things are bad in and of themselves, but they were never meant to be the goal or the starting line. Sure we must begin with our desire for love.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has set eternity in our hearts. I John 4:8 says that God is love. There is in our hearts eternity, like a scent in the nose of a hound we seek to find our source. An eternity is very large and enduring, it cannot be satisfied by temporal things. It is only by eternal things that we are given any sort of contentment, it is only by God.
Faith and hope are temporal things which touch the eternal, but love is as eternal as God and it reaches into the temporal. Faith and hope are temporal because they will, inevitably, be fulfilled or exhausted. There will come a time when faith is no longer necessary and hope is no longer useful, a time when God and His Glory are set immediately before us. As if to say that we are at Point A and our hope is to arrive at Point B. We also have faith that our means of travel will bring us to that location successfully. When we arrive at Point B our hope is fulfilled and our faith is complete. Christian faith and hope touch the eternal because they reach to and are not satisfied until we make heaven.
Love works in the opposite direction. It begins in heaven, with God, and comes (or came, rather) to us.
I John 4:7,8
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
Love, unlike faith and hope, is not fulfilled, but rather it is fulfilling. It's where the eternity of our hears finds its connection. Like two magnets grasping at one another, God extends to us that which our heart is drawn to. That is why when "these three remain: faith, hope and love...the greatest of these is love."(I Corinthians 13:13) Faith and hope will cease to be necessary, but love-love was, long before we were and it will remain as long as God is. This is why love is so powerful and so necessary, it is the underlying commonality of all men, that they, even if unknowingly, desire God, for God is love.
If this and every generation desires a sign, then give them a sign. Give them a sign as Christ gave a sign.
"For Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
"Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you." (Matthew 5:43-45)
"'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: ''Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."(Matthew 22:34-40)
"By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another."(John 13:35)
Do not pray that God break open the sky. We must pray that God break open us and pour himself in. What more miraculous sign is there than this: to love, to be loved, to have love and to have a foremost desire for God's loves. There is not a more awe inspiring wonder.
"To address men well they must be loved much, whatever they may be , be they ever so guilty, or indifferent, or ungrateful, or however deeply sunk in crimes, before all and above all , they must be loved. Love is the sap of the Gospel, the secret of lively and effectual preaching the magic power of eloquence. The end of preaching is to reclaim the hearts of men to God, and nothing but love can find out the mysterious avenues which lead to the heart. If you do not feel a fervent love and profound pity for humanity, be assured that the gift of Christian eloquence has been denied you. You will not win souls, neither will you acquire that most excellent of earthly sovereignties - sovereignty over human hearts... love is irresistible." -D. L. Moody
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Standard
"We must never make our moments of inspiration our standard."~Oswald Chambers
The two men on their way to Emmaus didn't recognize Jesus Christ while they were walking with him. It wasn't until God revealed his identity to them that they truelly knew Him - and in that same moment He was gone. These men were friends to Christ even before they knew He was Himself. They served Him though they knew not who He was and in their persistence they were blessed by God.
Let me explain "in their persistence." in Luke 24:28-29, they decided to serve. Christ acted as if he were continuing on His way, but these men insisted that He stay with them. Had they not urged Him, had they not desired to serve they would have never seen Christ the way they did.
Have we ever quit our service to God early because we forgot why we serve in the first place? Have we ever stopped urging Christ to stay with us?
These men did not know they were with God on that road, they served Him as a friend yet a stranger. Their standard was their duty - then they were blessed with inspiration.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
The two men on their way to Emmaus didn't recognize Jesus Christ while they were walking with him. It wasn't until God revealed his identity to them that they truelly knew Him - and in that same moment He was gone. These men were friends to Christ even before they knew He was Himself. They served Him though they knew not who He was and in their persistence they were blessed by God.
Let me explain "in their persistence." in Luke 24:28-29, they decided to serve. Christ acted as if he were continuing on His way, but these men insisted that He stay with them. Had they not urged Him, had they not desired to serve they would have never seen Christ the way they did.
Have we ever quit our service to God early because we forgot why we serve in the first place? Have we ever stopped urging Christ to stay with us?
These men did not know they were with God on that road, they served Him as a friend yet a stranger. Their standard was their duty - then they were blessed with inspiration.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Fellowship with God
This was originally a sermon from Oct. 09, I preached it again last night. I also incorporated another sermon at the end last night that I will post at a later date.
I Thessalonians 4:1-10
1Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
9Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
Fellowship with God goes beyond privilege (though certainly it is true that we are so privileged that we may know God), fellowship is a necessity for our "walk" with Christ. We can live without privileges in themselves, but those things that are necessary cannot be forsaken. The necessity of fellowship isnt that we be comfortable, though it produces comfort, the importance of this is subjection. Subjection is recognizing that God is above us in moral standing, and living "upward" that we progress in a holy way of life.
Verse 2 says that these men do what they do "by the authority of the Lord Jesus". First remember this as a warning of claiming the unclaimable for self. We can do nothing of ourselves, the only power of any significance is that of Christ, therefore we must have that same Christ in us before we can commit ourselves to lives dealing in significance. One of my earliest lessons on this topic was with my dad, years ago. He being an former biology major and an astounding student of the Bible, when we were discussing health he pointed out to me a thing which has stuck: the importance of blood. Blood carries everthing that is necessary for proper function (oxygen, nutrients, etc). It also carries that which can destroy us, the things which are harmful often take the bloodstream to be the quickest means of travel. Good blood perpetuates good health. Bad blood hinders growth. And of course if you run out of blood all together you die. We, as Christians, believe, we know that there is power in the blood of Christ. We also know that it is Christ which liveth in us that we have that same life he "liveth".
God's authority is in all He does. What is of God has God's authority. So we must be filled with the things of God, then in turn we receive His authority. We have no means of our own by which we overcome the flesh, no means of our own by which we battle demons or raise the dead. NO! It is by Christ that lives in us that we have authority, that we have strength which is not of ourselves that we combat the things which are not of God's Spirit. If we have not the things of God and Christ in us then how then can we say that we are of God?
Verse 3 is one of my favorite verses, because of the first half. "It is God's will that you should be sanctified." Here I'll take a moment to distinguish between specific will and general will. Specific will is the individual direction God gives you, specific to your life. General will is the direction all have been given, through the Word of God. Having spent a large portion of my life doing things simply because I was instructed to do so, these 9 words made "purpose" make sense. Even if we do not have a specific instruction, these verses show how we are to live. It also proves to us something very available: 1) Salvation and 2) Sanctification.
If I take a specific road it will lead me to a specific place. I can take Highway 35-South it will lead me all the way to Corpus Christi, (which is quite literally the end of the road and a pleasant ending at that). Apply this to what we know of God. He has willed things for our life, but if we are not on His path, His will, then we never arrive at these specific destinations He has put ahead for us. That may seem like a tangent or a misplaced thought but now I go back to the topics of salvation and sanctification. Salvation is not to be earned, it is to be accepted. God has willed that we be sanctified, before we are sanctifide we must accept salvation. DONT WAIT FOR SALVATION! This miracle has already happened, now it must be realized, recognized and lived by. Living by it is living the sanctified life, that is, to live holy lives. Holiness is just as available to someone who has been a Christian for 5 minutes as it is for someone who has been a Christian for 60 years. To live holy is to live according to the knowledge which we have. The new Christian is responsible (and accountable) to that which he knows, what understanding that has been given to him he must live by; and what knowledge there remains to be gained he must seek out and pray for understanding. The "mature" Christian is responsible to that much more. He is accountable to all his understanding. He is also responsible for the teaching of that which he has gained, that the younger may benefit from his gaining as well.
7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
Verse 7 furthers the fact that we are called to be holy people. The things which are of God are holy things, therefore put in the things of God and we learn of sanctification. In giving this sermon I used Garfield's example of osmosis, whereby he lay his head on a book and was 'learning by osmosis'. When we seek God, then we must put in the things of God, we must bring ourselves in contact with all sorts of holy things. The Bible gives testimony of God, it is a manifestation of His truth. When we read the word of God and put its truth into us we are putting in knowledge of God.
Where there is love there can be no malice and where there is malice there can be no love. So in putting in what is pure, holy and loving (that which is of God), that which is impure and selfish must be removed.
We know from verse 8 that sound instruction based on scripture is to be lived by. All instruction that is of God, that is scriptural, that is good, is endowed with His authority. There is no authority by which man can live, truly live except the authority of God, and His authority is in these instructions. This means that when we do not submit to Biblical instruction we are not merely rejecting thought, but God. To defy God's law is to defy God.
9Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
These men did't need to be told to love each other. Many times parents remind their children to love each other (as brotherly love isnt always prevelant between brothers), but these men knew God and so they knew love. God was in them, His love was overflowing out of them and they were pouring into one another. Fellowship with God produces this fruit, this love. The more they knew God the more they loved one another. A great privilege of this fruit is the sharing of it. We have opportunity to give testimony, to share our fruit, to tell people of the goodness of our God and His works in our life. Then we have the opportunity to encourage others to cultivate their relationship with God that they too know this love.
Choosing to do what God has willed isnt about prayer or sacrifice, its about obedience. When we obey there is within us produced a desire to do God's will, which means we desire to put the things of God in us that we better serve Him and do His will. Prayer, sacrifice, discipline, testimony: these are fruit which continue to nourish us that we be furthered in a life of obedience.
We need fellowship with God, if we dont spend anytime with God we will never get to know Him, and never have holy things in us. We must put in Holy things, that Holy fruit come out. Then we must testify about it.
God has called us to holy lives. Remember, always remember that in this life of servitude there is a life more free than the life of any earthly king. Living holy is not living with chains to restrict you, it is to live with love to uplift you.
I Thessalonians 4:1-10
1Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
9Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
Fellowship with God goes beyond privilege (though certainly it is true that we are so privileged that we may know God), fellowship is a necessity for our "walk" with Christ. We can live without privileges in themselves, but those things that are necessary cannot be forsaken. The necessity of fellowship isnt that we be comfortable, though it produces comfort, the importance of this is subjection. Subjection is recognizing that God is above us in moral standing, and living "upward" that we progress in a holy way of life.
Verse 2 says that these men do what they do "by the authority of the Lord Jesus". First remember this as a warning of claiming the unclaimable for self. We can do nothing of ourselves, the only power of any significance is that of Christ, therefore we must have that same Christ in us before we can commit ourselves to lives dealing in significance. One of my earliest lessons on this topic was with my dad, years ago. He being an former biology major and an astounding student of the Bible, when we were discussing health he pointed out to me a thing which has stuck: the importance of blood. Blood carries everthing that is necessary for proper function (oxygen, nutrients, etc). It also carries that which can destroy us, the things which are harmful often take the bloodstream to be the quickest means of travel. Good blood perpetuates good health. Bad blood hinders growth. And of course if you run out of blood all together you die. We, as Christians, believe, we know that there is power in the blood of Christ. We also know that it is Christ which liveth in us that we have that same life he "liveth".
God's authority is in all He does. What is of God has God's authority. So we must be filled with the things of God, then in turn we receive His authority. We have no means of our own by which we overcome the flesh, no means of our own by which we battle demons or raise the dead. NO! It is by Christ that lives in us that we have authority, that we have strength which is not of ourselves that we combat the things which are not of God's Spirit. If we have not the things of God and Christ in us then how then can we say that we are of God?
Verse 3 is one of my favorite verses, because of the first half. "It is God's will that you should be sanctified." Here I'll take a moment to distinguish between specific will and general will. Specific will is the individual direction God gives you, specific to your life. General will is the direction all have been given, through the Word of God. Having spent a large portion of my life doing things simply because I was instructed to do so, these 9 words made "purpose" make sense. Even if we do not have a specific instruction, these verses show how we are to live. It also proves to us something very available: 1) Salvation and 2) Sanctification.
If I take a specific road it will lead me to a specific place. I can take Highway 35-South it will lead me all the way to Corpus Christi, (which is quite literally the end of the road and a pleasant ending at that). Apply this to what we know of God. He has willed things for our life, but if we are not on His path, His will, then we never arrive at these specific destinations He has put ahead for us. That may seem like a tangent or a misplaced thought but now I go back to the topics of salvation and sanctification. Salvation is not to be earned, it is to be accepted. God has willed that we be sanctified, before we are sanctifide we must accept salvation. DONT WAIT FOR SALVATION! This miracle has already happened, now it must be realized, recognized and lived by. Living by it is living the sanctified life, that is, to live holy lives. Holiness is just as available to someone who has been a Christian for 5 minutes as it is for someone who has been a Christian for 60 years. To live holy is to live according to the knowledge which we have. The new Christian is responsible (and accountable) to that which he knows, what understanding that has been given to him he must live by; and what knowledge there remains to be gained he must seek out and pray for understanding. The "mature" Christian is responsible to that much more. He is accountable to all his understanding. He is also responsible for the teaching of that which he has gained, that the younger may benefit from his gaining as well.
7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
Verse 7 furthers the fact that we are called to be holy people. The things which are of God are holy things, therefore put in the things of God and we learn of sanctification. In giving this sermon I used Garfield's example of osmosis, whereby he lay his head on a book and was 'learning by osmosis'. When we seek God, then we must put in the things of God, we must bring ourselves in contact with all sorts of holy things. The Bible gives testimony of God, it is a manifestation of His truth. When we read the word of God and put its truth into us we are putting in knowledge of God.
Where there is love there can be no malice and where there is malice there can be no love. So in putting in what is pure, holy and loving (that which is of God), that which is impure and selfish must be removed.
We know from verse 8 that sound instruction based on scripture is to be lived by. All instruction that is of God, that is scriptural, that is good, is endowed with His authority. There is no authority by which man can live, truly live except the authority of God, and His authority is in these instructions. This means that when we do not submit to Biblical instruction we are not merely rejecting thought, but God. To defy God's law is to defy God.
9Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
These men did't need to be told to love each other. Many times parents remind their children to love each other (as brotherly love isnt always prevelant between brothers), but these men knew God and so they knew love. God was in them, His love was overflowing out of them and they were pouring into one another. Fellowship with God produces this fruit, this love. The more they knew God the more they loved one another. A great privilege of this fruit is the sharing of it. We have opportunity to give testimony, to share our fruit, to tell people of the goodness of our God and His works in our life. Then we have the opportunity to encourage others to cultivate their relationship with God that they too know this love.
Choosing to do what God has willed isnt about prayer or sacrifice, its about obedience. When we obey there is within us produced a desire to do God's will, which means we desire to put the things of God in us that we better serve Him and do His will. Prayer, sacrifice, discipline, testimony: these are fruit which continue to nourish us that we be furthered in a life of obedience.
We need fellowship with God, if we dont spend anytime with God we will never get to know Him, and never have holy things in us. We must put in Holy things, that Holy fruit come out. Then we must testify about it.
God has called us to holy lives. Remember, always remember that in this life of servitude there is a life more free than the life of any earthly king. Living holy is not living with chains to restrict you, it is to live with love to uplift you.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Love for a bride-groom
Matthew 7:21-23
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
In marriage, a woman may take on her husband's name, but this does not prove her love for him. This only says, "I want the world to see that I am a bride. I wear my ring, I have his name."
A name does not prove a love. Love must be sincere, cultivated both inside and out. This is the importance of relationship, it is the cultivation of this love.
Shall we then say this: religion is the outward, corporate gathering as a community inspired by inward, personal cultivation.
Cultivate your life with Christ as an individual, share that life as a community.
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
In marriage, a woman may take on her husband's name, but this does not prove her love for him. This only says, "I want the world to see that I am a bride. I wear my ring, I have his name."
A name does not prove a love. Love must be sincere, cultivated both inside and out. This is the importance of relationship, it is the cultivation of this love.
Shall we then say this: religion is the outward, corporate gathering as a community inspired by inward, personal cultivation.
Cultivate your life with Christ as an individual, share that life as a community.
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