But I'm too....

5.14.12

Romans 3:23 NIV

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Have you every felt like there was something God was calling you to do, but YOU were just getting in the way of yourself and what He wants you to do?  I'm not talking about a busy schedule or procrastination.  I'm talking about the times that you know that you have been gifted a certain way but you convince yourself that you're not good enough to serve God.  I'm talking about the times when you tell yourself that you know everyone has "stuff" but your "stuff" is dirtier, so your better off not trying.

Have you ever caught yourself saying something like "I'm so glad that they don't know about when I did...."?  I believe that we let our sin keep us from truly serving God the way that He needs us to serve.  We get wrapped up in the idea that we're too dirty or we're not good enough for God.  Well the reality is that our sin does separate us from God, but the Romans 3:23 doesn't end with that thought.  In verse 24 the thought goes on with this phrase..."and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." The thought goes on to tell us that we are forgiven because of what Jesus did for us.

There is something to be said that Paul writes and let us know that we're all sinner, but that we're all also cleansed of that sin by Christ's love.  That no sinner is different than any other sinner, because while we all sinned Christ still died.  Paul is writing this to say that your "stuff" is no different than someone else's stuff and the only one that is telling you that you are "too dirty" to serve Jesus is you.  Christ redeemed you and your testimony of how Jesus loves you could be the story that has an eternal impact on someone else's testimony.

I think that one of the biggest tricks the devil plays on us is to convince us that our sin is too big and too powerful in our lives to be worthy of doing God's work.  Satan wants us to stay rooted in our guilt and shame because it will keep us from being God's tools in advancing the work of Jesus' kingdom.  You can have confidence that when you follow Christ that NO sin can cover grace.  You have been justified from the sin and penalty of sin.  Now it's time for you to realize that God can use you as a tool to further HIs kingdom.

If you are following Christ and you are letting your sin and shame keep you from serving him than it's time for you to know that the grace that Jesus offers, far out weighs the weight that we put on our own shoulders.  Jesus loves you and it's time that you start to see yourself as Jesus sees you, a redeemed child and a powerful tool in the fight for the growth of His kingdom.  It's time to serve God with the confidence that comes from the power of the cross.  It's time break away from the guilt of our past.

This doesn't mean we continue to sin and not care, it means that when we do slip and fall that we can remember that there is grace.  Get in the fight to reach folks far from Christ.  Let God use the gifts and talents, that He has equipped you with, to be a warrior for the kingdom.

Thought question:  What sins in your past/present are you gripping too tightly too?  How is this preventing you from being used by God to further His kingdom?

Boating with the Father...

4.19.12

Mark 5:40 NLT

"The he asked them, 'Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

If you read chapter 5 of the book of Mark in the New Testament than you'll find that Jesus is asking the question above after he has just calmed a storm. Now what we may not take the time to realize is that the storm that he calmed was not just a little rain shower. He and his disciples were out in the middle of a lake and the wind and the waves were so bad that the disciples were afraid that the boat was going to be sunk and they would all drown.

While this huge storm was overtaking the boat the story says that Jesus slept in the bottom of the boat. The disciples run up to Jesus freaking out that they're going to die and they don't know what to do. I would have loved to have been there to see Jesus' face when they woke him up. (I don't wake well when I've been asleep so I would have liked to have seen how Jesus handled that)

Jesus gets up and calms the storm with one simple sentence "SILENCE, BE STILL!!!!" After that he turns to his disciples and asks the question in verse 40 of chapter 5. He is basically asking them do you guys not get who you are with right now? That a simple storm is not going to keep me from fulfilling my Father's plan. He is reminding them that no storm is more powerful than the power of God.

The disciples needed to be reminded that when they decided to follow Jesus that they are walking with someone who says that nothing and no one is going to stand against them. I believe when he said to the wind and waves "SILENCE, BE STILL!!" he was saying that to the disciples at the same time. He wanted their hearts to find comfort and peace in the fact that they were on the boat with their protector and their shield.

In the book of Psalms in the 46th chapter, tenth verse it says "Be still and know that I am God..." How often do we fear what is going to happen us? How often do we try to figure out the future before we even realize that when we decided to follow Jesus that we decided to get on the boat with our protector and our shield. How often do we let the wind and the waves of what is happening around us distract us from the fact that Jesus is with us? How often do the winds and waves keep us from being still and know he is GOD???

Jesus wants us to realize that he is for us and with us. He wants us to have faith that he is for us and not against us. He doesn't want the winds and waves of life to distract us from him. He wants to draw us closer and closer to him.

This doesn't mean that if you follow Jesus that your life is going to be perfect and never experience winds and waves again, but it does mean that when the winds and waves of our lives hit the decks of our boats we shouldn't be distracted because Jesus is along for the ride. We follow a God that is not just for us, but that is with us. He calms storms because he is our shield and our protector.

Thought question: What distracts you from the fact that Jesus has your back? When is the last time you felt Jesus saying to you "Silence, be still and know that I am God"?

It hurts so good....

4.16.12

Jeremiah 4:19 NLT

"My heart, my heart-- I writhe in pain! My heart pounds within me! I cannot be still."

When I get away and spend time with God I always like to dive into scripture as well as pray. When I am reading I usually choose a book to focus on and read through. Over the last couple of weeks I have been digging into the book of Jeremiah. It always amazes me what I can learn about a person in the scriptures in just the first few chapters of a book.

When God calls Jeremiah to be a prophet, his first response is to say "No way, I'm too young". God's response is to tell him to relax and remember that I'm going with you. After Jeremiah comes to his senses and agrees God explains to him that the people of Israel and Judah have turned their backs on Him. He describes in detail how they have given up and began to worship fake idols and false gods. God equates their lack of faith, to adultery towards Him. He wants so desperately for Jeremiah to reach the people with the power of salvation in the one true God.

As God describes to Jeremiah all that is happening, he can't help but respond back. In chapter four of the book of Jeremiah we read that Jeremiah is responding to God and his first sentiment, through tears, is that he is writhing in pain knowing that the people of God have turned their backs on the Lord. He says he is WRITHING in pain knowing this fact. So much so that he can't even sit still it is hurting him so bad.

God instilled, in Jeremiah, a heart that yearns for his countrymen to come back to God, to stop turning their backs on the one true God that offers salvation. His heart isn't just aware of the fact that God's people are rejecting Him, the scripture says he is in tremendous pain knowing it. He wants desperately for them to know the salvation that only God offers. With love in his heart he wants the people of Israel and Judah to know the truth.

I believe that the book of Jeremiah is a good charge for those of us who are walking in a relationship with Jesus Christ. This book paints a picture of how God wants us to yearn for those around us to know about and walk in a relationship with Jesus. We should not be able to sit still knowing that there are people in our everyday life far from the Lord.

I want to encourage you all to think about who you can be praying for and inviting to church. Who is it in your life that is far from the Lord? Who is it that your heart is writhing for? When you think about where you work, your neighborhood or maybe even in your own family, who is it that God has called you to tell about Him?

We don't have to win the argument about who Jesus Christ is and what He's done. He did the work, He's proven who He is, but we should have a heart to share it with people. This can be done by the way pray with each other, care for each other and love those who matter to God, which is every single person that has ever lived. Our burden should be the same burden that God has, and that is for those who are far from Him to come closer and closer to a Father whose arms are always open ready to love His children.

Do we spend more time asking God what He can do for us or more time asking what we can do for Him?

Thought question: What weighs the heaviest on your heart? Do you ever pray that God would help you realize who you need to reach with love?

Just one text...

4.05.12

Hebrews 10:24

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,"

I have never been one to text. I'll be quite honest I used to avoid texting at all costs. I would much rather call someone or go see them. I am finding more and more though that it is almost impossible to avoid texting in today's day and age. With the growth of the "smart phone" in the world, texting has become common place. It has replaced the hand written love note between students on the bus on the way home from school. We all remember that note, "Do you like me? Check Yes, No or Maybe. Now it's "Do you like me? Text 1-for Yes 2- for No or 3- for you'll know by my Facebook status later".

All that said I am beginning to embrace texting. That isn't to say I still don't prefer a nice phone call or the occasional unannounced drop by visit, but I am have begun to text more and more. I've come to realize that a well placed text in the middle of the day can be exactly what they need. It doesn't have to say much, but it can be the difference between someone having a horrible day and an amazing day. Sometimes it is exactly the kind of encouragement that someone needs. Just a one line "Hey thinking about you" or "Praying for you" can absolutely change someone's perspective on their day. For someone it may be as simple as "Hey I would love to have you come to church with me this Sunday" or "Hey when are we doing lunch?"

Everyone wants to know that they are being thought of and everyone wants to be told they are thought of and cared for. I believe it is our job, as we walk with Christ, that we spur one another on toward love and good deeds. What I am being reminded of is that God can use something as simple as a text message to bring joy into someone's day. It could be one simple message that can be what spurs them on that particular day. My encouragement to everyone today is to be the one today to spur someone else on toward love and good deeds. Be the light in a dark day. Be bold enough to send that little text message that might spur someone on. You never know you may be exactly what God will use to help them press on. I believe that is what it means to consider "how" to spur one another on. Due whatever it takes to encourage someone, and realize that it may be as simple as a short text message.

Technology is replacing a lot of what "used to be", but that doesn't mean that God can't still use these things for HIS advantage.

Thought question: Is there someone that you know that could use a great encouragement today? Is there someone out there waiting for YOUR text that invites them to something? How can you spur someone on today with something as simple as a text message?

Tangled...

2.09.12

Exodus 3:13-14

"Moses said to, 'Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, What is his name? Then what shall I tell them ?' God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you."

This is such a cool story of real humanity being met by the power of a very powerful God. This is when God is telling Moses that he is going to free the Israelites. God is going to send Moses into Egypt to face Pharaoh and demand that he let the Israelite slaves go free. God is calling Moses to something so powerful and so amazing and Moses is response is "But what if...."

Moses is wrestling with so much. He is faced with having to lead people out of bondage and slavery as well as facing someone that once viewed him as a brother and now will see him as an enemy to the entire nation of Egypt. He is also struggling with his own inadequacies to lead. There is a lot going on in Moses' head. He is wants to please God and serve Him but his fear keeps him from diving head first into his calling.

I can only imagine that Moses felt, for lack of a better word, tangled. Everything in his mind and in his life was just tangled together. His heart was overrun with everything in one moment and I can only imagine it was hard to make sense of it all, but then.....

God looks at him and gives him an answer to the questions that consumed his thoughts. God untangles everything going on inside him with one thought. "I AM WHO I AM". God brings peace to a tangled emotional state by reminding Moses that God is who He claims to be. He reminds Moses that when the God of creation, the God of the universe is on your side that tangled becomes untangled very quickly. The details aren't what matter when I AM has your back.

Sometimes we can feel very "tangled" because of all of the circumstances of our lives. All the emotions and feelings that come along with family, work and life can make our hearts feel like we are tangled with no end in sight, but the hope that comes from the Lord is that He is a God of the details. He takes care of things in ways that we never see coming. Our hope is that the same God that told Moses to go into Egypt with confidence is the same God that we follow and serve today.

Imagine how God is going to use you when you let Him untangle the details, when you let Him untangle all the things that weigh on your heart.

Thought questions:

What is weighing you down and making you feel tangled? What are you struggling to trust God to untangle in your own life?

Carried to the table...

11.23.11

"I'm carried to the table of the Lord."

Leeland "Carried to the Table"

My family, much like a lot of families, has there traditions at holidays. During the Thanksgiving holiday there is one tradition that always has and always will hold true in our household. This tradition is something that we can always count on. In fact I bet a lot of you will relate to this tradition. In our house there is always two tables when we eat. There is the grown-up table and the little kids table. The grown-up table is pretty self-explanatory. The kiddy table was something that you wanted to get away from because it meant you were separated away from the people you knew the best, your parents. We always wanted to get off the kiddy table and onto the grown-up table.

If you are under the age of about twelve, in our family you will eat at the little kids table during the Thanksgiving meal. You can cry, yell, kick and scream all you want but if you are under twelve than you stay at that little kids' table. I remember when I was old enough to finally sit at the table with the grownups. My parents came to me and gave me permission to get my plate and move up to the big leagues with them. In fact there was even a name tag on my spot. I don't think I could have been any more happy and thankful for anything else in the world. This was it, everything I had wanted. I was so absolutely grateful to be sitting there with the adults.

The one thing I didn't realize as a pre-teen sitting at the table with all of the adults is that I still didn't belong. What I mean is that I didn't understand most of the conversation and all of the jokes went right over my head, but something made it all better. My seat at the table was right next to my dad. I got to sit in the one spot that made me feel comfortable. No matter what was said that I may have missed out on, it was ok because my dad made me feel safe and like I belonged. That is a Thanksgiving memory that I will always remember and be thankful for in my life.

Our position with our Heavenly Father is a lot like the tradition of the "grown-up" table on Thanksgiving. The reality is we don't belong at the table with our Father. We don't deserve to be in the presence of God. We are sinners, separated from God.

Our blessing, our gift is that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and destruction of death means that we don't have to EARN a seat at God's table, we are invited to a seat right next to our Father. Not only are we seated next to Him, but we can sit there blameless in the His sight. Jesus took the blame on Himself. We don't deserve grace, it's not something we can earn, but Christ offers us grace because of how much He is so in love with us as His children. He doesn't want His children, NOT ONE, separated from Him away from His table. He offers us all a seat at the table of the Lord, blameless.

I hope that this Thanksgiving you will know that you have a Father who wants you to sit right next to Him at His table. He wants to celebrate with you forever. I hope that you can be thankful for the grace you don't deserve, you haven't earned but that is freely given because of a savior who is madly and passionately in love with His children.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

Thought question: What are you TRULY thankful for this Thanksgiving? Have you found your seat at your Father's table? He wants you to sit right next to Him.

Head on the pillow...

10.19.11

Hebrews 4:9-11

"So then, there remains a Sabbath, rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from His works as God did from His. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest..."

When I was in high school I was a wrestler and I absolutely adored the sport. I devoted my entire heart and every extra second of my time to getting better at the sport. I wrestled during the regular season, but I also wrestled in the summertime in tournaments all over the place. It was very hard to get me off the mat. Some of the best times I had when I wrestled were at Saturday afternoon tournaments.

These tournaments usually started early in the morning and lasted until the early evening. One of the coolest things about wrestling in tournaments was the feeling you got when you signed the paper saying you won the match. The feeling of knowing you accomplished what you had set out to do by winning the match was absolutely thrilling, but you really have no energy left in your body to even lift the pen so you just scribble something on the paper and walk away.

The hard part about these tournaments was the lack of rest between matches. Like I said your body is completely spent and you don't get much time to rest and regain energy. You have to find some way to rest or you will be useless for your next match, and it can truly mean the difference between winning and losing the next match.

Our spiritual lives aren't much different folks. We spend hours and hours on getting ourselves prepared to do the work of the Lord. We get excited when we have a great conversation where we see a life change or if the friend that we invited to church shows up for the first time. We love God with all of our heart, mind and souls and He in turns instills us with a passion to serve Him.

I think we should truly be thankful for how God uses us, but full obedience to God means that we follow all aspects of His teachings. Finding rest in the midst of His work is not something that God suggests or politely nudges us to seek, but it is truly a mandate from Him. The author of Hebrews says that we should strive for rest, not just hope to get it. We need to make finding a rest a priority amidst our service to God.

If we burn ourselves out living our lives and trying to do the work that God has set forth us than it might mean, just like at a wrestling tournament, the difference between winning and losing. Seek to refuel yourself through rest. Seek time alone with God because I believe that is where we get a chance to hear from him the most. If we keep going at full throttle than we may just miss out on hearing what God is trying to teach us. Slow down, rest and hear God's voice in the midst of your busy life and service to Him. He doesn't tell us to think about resting, He tells us we must.

Thought question: What keeps you from truly resting and finding alone time to refuel your spirit? What can you give up to find the time to rest?