Sunday, April 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
compelled to GO!
If I am to be consumed, may it be by the fire of loving my Lord. May the things of the world not hold my affection or control me in any way. May I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and love my neighbor as myself. I am your servant, your disciple, your missionary, your child. May my life be an offering unto you, my King.
I know I can tend to get comfortable in my life, in my house, with my family, and my responsibilities, etc. I can be consumed by my drives, my burdens, and pains. Yet, I cry from the inside to wake up and stop letting idleness, selfishness, and fear take over whenever this feeling of comfort creeps in; from within I am compelled to GO! I am not sure I can quite explain this urgency in my heart.
The idea of just living our little lives for ourselves, our own plans or ideas or achievement or comfort, just makes my spirit grieve. We are not here for consumption, dominance, pursuit of pleasure, or ourselves in general. We are here to pursue God and lead others to pursue Him. I don’t feel right when I am not actively serving, loving, and relating to my community somehow; when I feel disconnected to the people and in my own little world. My heart burns for more relationship existence with those in the world around me.
We can be deceived by lies causing our faith/walk to slip during disobedience when we are not fully arming ourselves in Christ daily. I know for me, many times in the past I have made excuses for why I can’t serve; my kids, lack of knowledge or skill, time, confidence, etc. Sometimes I am just plain lazy. I become consumed with myself or my comfort or my problems. Sometimes our lives can be too overwhelming for us to want to even think about serving anyone anywhere. Other times it has just been fear holding me back. It can also be hurt and pain from past experiences that keep me from jumping head first into something; where I feel I am protecting myself by not doing it. There are many reasons for why I have denied opportunities in front of me.
Now I know we can’t do everything that is brought before us. We need to pray and seek God daily on what He desired for us to move in. But if our tendency is to say NO most of the time, then we need to take an inner look at our hearts. If it is fear and pain holding us back then we need to find ways to get help and work through those and heal and move past them and not let them cripple us. God can use our hurts, pains, trials, journeys, etc as we serve. They should not keep us from serving but should be used to propel us more into service. We should be asking God to show us how we can be used in spite of or due to those pains. If it is laziness or excuses, then we need to just get over ourselves and suck it up. Again, assess and work through and heal whatever issues might be causing that stagnation or attitude and wake up to what is important and what our calling is. We need to be reminded of the example of laying down our life; only then can we truly come alive.
1 Thes. 5:14 “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”
Romans 12 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[e] 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Yes Lord!
I desire more simplicity. I desire more community. I desire life lived together. I desire not just reaching out, but reaching into. I desire Christ seen in me. I desire to see Christ in others. I desire to spread the gospel. I desire to see holy passions ignited in people’s lives. I desire to see lives made new; hearts changed. I desire healing for hurting souls. I desire to bring and see revival in the land; eyes opened causing people running hard, fast, and free after the Lord. I desire to see lives laid down. I desire to be God’s hands, feet, voice, shoulder, etc. I desire to see God being given glory and praise. I desire to be and see love in action; people loving people. I desire for truth to be proclaimed in the streets. I desire for my life to be a living sacrifice. I desire to go and make disciples and proclaim His name among the earth.
Here I am Lord, send me. Lead me daily to walk in your shoes to your people with your message for your glory! I will be your witness. "I will not be silent, NO. I will not be quiet anymore." "I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done..." psalm 118:17
Amen
I know I can tend to get comfortable in my life, in my house, with my family, and my responsibilities, etc. I can be consumed by my drives, my burdens, and pains. Yet, I cry from the inside to wake up and stop letting idleness, selfishness, and fear take over whenever this feeling of comfort creeps in; from within I am compelled to GO! I am not sure I can quite explain this urgency in my heart.
The idea of just living our little lives for ourselves, our own plans or ideas or achievement or comfort, just makes my spirit grieve. We are not here for consumption, dominance, pursuit of pleasure, or ourselves in general. We are here to pursue God and lead others to pursue Him. I don’t feel right when I am not actively serving, loving, and relating to my community somehow; when I feel disconnected to the people and in my own little world. My heart burns for more relationship existence with those in the world around me.
We can be deceived by lies causing our faith/walk to slip during disobedience when we are not fully arming ourselves in Christ daily. I know for me, many times in the past I have made excuses for why I can’t serve; my kids, lack of knowledge or skill, time, confidence, etc. Sometimes I am just plain lazy. I become consumed with myself or my comfort or my problems. Sometimes our lives can be too overwhelming for us to want to even think about serving anyone anywhere. Other times it has just been fear holding me back. It can also be hurt and pain from past experiences that keep me from jumping head first into something; where I feel I am protecting myself by not doing it. There are many reasons for why I have denied opportunities in front of me.
Now I know we can’t do everything that is brought before us. We need to pray and seek God daily on what He desired for us to move in. But if our tendency is to say NO most of the time, then we need to take an inner look at our hearts. If it is fear and pain holding us back then we need to find ways to get help and work through those and heal and move past them and not let them cripple us. God can use our hurts, pains, trials, journeys, etc as we serve. They should not keep us from serving but should be used to propel us more into service. We should be asking God to show us how we can be used in spite of or due to those pains. If it is laziness or excuses, then we need to just get over ourselves and suck it up. Again, assess and work through and heal whatever issues might be causing that stagnation or attitude and wake up to what is important and what our calling is. We need to be reminded of the example of laying down our life; only then can we truly come alive.
1 Thes. 5:14 “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”
Romans 12 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[e] 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Yes Lord!
I desire more simplicity. I desire more community. I desire life lived together. I desire not just reaching out, but reaching into. I desire Christ seen in me. I desire to see Christ in others. I desire to spread the gospel. I desire to see holy passions ignited in people’s lives. I desire to see lives made new; hearts changed. I desire healing for hurting souls. I desire to bring and see revival in the land; eyes opened causing people running hard, fast, and free after the Lord. I desire to see lives laid down. I desire to be God’s hands, feet, voice, shoulder, etc. I desire to see God being given glory and praise. I desire to be and see love in action; people loving people. I desire for truth to be proclaimed in the streets. I desire for my life to be a living sacrifice. I desire to go and make disciples and proclaim His name among the earth.
Here I am Lord, send me. Lead me daily to walk in your shoes to your people with your message for your glory! I will be your witness. "I will not be silent, NO. I will not be quiet anymore." "I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done..." psalm 118:17
Amen
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Life in Christ
Because of the fall of man, people have been living their life separated from God and just learning to live their life accordingly; outside of the daily presence, connection, and knowledge of God. People have learned to cope with life and have developed thoughts, beliefs, patterns, behaviors, etc. over the ages. When one comes to know God and understands who He is and what he has done through Jesus, and comes to Jesus submitting their life to Him as Lord, they are said to be "born again" or given new life and are now reconnected to the Father. The old ways of living apart from God are no longer needed, reconciliation has come and we can know truth and live in that truth.
What happens a lot of times though is that people take God and try placing Him into their ways of living, their world view, their life thoughts, patterns, beliefs, behaviors, etc. that they have established through life experiences and teaching apart from being with God. When instead what I believe we are called to do at salvation is to shred off our lives, our everything; strip down and lay it ALL at the cross and build anew on the foundation of Christ the living word, and God's written word the Bible. We should start over with God's world view becoming our own and then proceed from there building our life in Christ. We shouldn't be trying to fit God into our lives, He should BE our life; everything we are, do, think, act, etc stems from Him and His ways. It is no longer our life, it is His. "For whoever wants to find his life must lose it" (Matt. 16:25) and "to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21) and "it is no longer me but Christ in me" (Gal. 2:20).
What happens a lot of times though is that people take God and try placing Him into their ways of living, their world view, their life thoughts, patterns, beliefs, behaviors, etc. that they have established through life experiences and teaching apart from being with God. When instead what I believe we are called to do at salvation is to shred off our lives, our everything; strip down and lay it ALL at the cross and build anew on the foundation of Christ the living word, and God's written word the Bible. We should start over with God's world view becoming our own and then proceed from there building our life in Christ. We shouldn't be trying to fit God into our lives, He should BE our life; everything we are, do, think, act, etc stems from Him and His ways. It is no longer our life, it is His. "For whoever wants to find his life must lose it" (Matt. 16:25) and "to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21) and "it is no longer me but Christ in me" (Gal. 2:20).
Monday, March 8, 2010
Truth?
Yesterday my pastor talked about being aware of false prophets, teachers, doctrines, etc. He implored us to be careful who we follow, since who we follow will be who we become and who we become will be who we reproduce. Who do you want to become? What kind of fruit do you want to produce? He talked about how important it is to know the word of God and to be able to recognize when something comes up against it. He brought up how there are many Christian authors, speakers, etc out there bringing messages to people, and much of what they say can be good and true and honor the word, but that sometimes, there will be stuff amongst the truth that doesn't line up. So we need to be aware of what people are saying, no matter how it good it sounds, and take it to the word and see what God says. If we don't know the word well enough, we can be lured into believing a false doctrine, even though we don't mean to. He mentioned how a lot of time what these people end up doing is minimizing the word of God and that is never a good thing.
Now, I love to read books on Christian life and issues and people, and all that. There are times that I get so pumped up and motivated and inspired when I read some of these books. I will recommend books and rave about a lot of the things I got out of them; God's word and message can come alive and be seen more clearly through giftings of writers and speakers. God uses many things in life to give us revelation, but true revelation must match up with the word.
We must be careful not to go around and promote these books as the "all in all" or worship any of the authors/speakers. I know I have caught myself before, jumping the gun and saying how much I am enjoying a book when I start it, only to find out later in the book some questionable material. I want to be careful not to promote something I cant back up with the word. So until we can take something to scripture and back it up, we shouldn't be out walking in it or teaching others. A book never replaces the bible. There are many times where I stop and say "I'm not too sure about that" or "I am going to have to do some study on that one" type of thing. We can take a lot of things away from the books we read, positive and negative; but we always must remember, that they are not the bible. Whenever we do get some message from a book we read, whether we like it or not, we need to take it to the Bible and see how it lines up. I also think, the sooner the better. For if we ponder on something in our thoughts for too long we can start making it part of who we are and if it is something contrary to the word, it will not be good for us. For only God's ways are good. Or the opposite, if God was trying to use something to awaken you to a truth of His and you didn't like that truth so you just pass over it as you read it or hear it saying it isn't truth instead of taking it to the word for conviction to come, then you won't grow in your relationship as God desires you to.
We must remember, that only the Bible is the word of God. The measure for everything. It is not just a book that we can take and leave info from. It is the very word of God. All other books are just books. They might contain the word in them, but you cant call them the Bible. There are many gifted and blessed speakers and writers doing amazing things for the Kingdom of God and they can be such a blessing and inspiration for us. Yet we always must be responsible with the information we receive. Our personal walks with God can not be fully based off of what someone says, writes, teaches, preaches, etc. We need to go to God and dig into His word ourselves and make sure we are living in tune with His ways. We need to have a real living/growing relationship with God and we should be seeking to know Him as we worship Him with our lives. Scripture is so critical in this walk. It can not be minimized. Prov. 14:12 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Be ware of who you follow; only the truth brings life. Only the Bible is fool-proof. 2Tim. 3:15-16 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Are you learning the word? Can you detect false doctrines? Do you esteem the word above all else? Do you only rely on others to fill you and teach you truth? Do your beliefs line up with what God says? Do you have a growing personal relationship with God? Do you have strong accountability in your life to help keep you on track with God? Are you willing to let go of your ways and follow God's truth?
Brothers and sister, I pray you fall in love with the word of God and write it on your hearts and consume your thoughts with it. Be careful who you follow, for that is what you will become and that is the kind of people you will produce. Follow Christ and point everyone to Him! God is so worthy of worship and honor; He is the giver of life and His ways are above all others! Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Now, I love to read books on Christian life and issues and people, and all that. There are times that I get so pumped up and motivated and inspired when I read some of these books. I will recommend books and rave about a lot of the things I got out of them; God's word and message can come alive and be seen more clearly through giftings of writers and speakers. God uses many things in life to give us revelation, but true revelation must match up with the word.
We must be careful not to go around and promote these books as the "all in all" or worship any of the authors/speakers. I know I have caught myself before, jumping the gun and saying how much I am enjoying a book when I start it, only to find out later in the book some questionable material. I want to be careful not to promote something I cant back up with the word. So until we can take something to scripture and back it up, we shouldn't be out walking in it or teaching others. A book never replaces the bible. There are many times where I stop and say "I'm not too sure about that" or "I am going to have to do some study on that one" type of thing. We can take a lot of things away from the books we read, positive and negative; but we always must remember, that they are not the bible. Whenever we do get some message from a book we read, whether we like it or not, we need to take it to the Bible and see how it lines up. I also think, the sooner the better. For if we ponder on something in our thoughts for too long we can start making it part of who we are and if it is something contrary to the word, it will not be good for us. For only God's ways are good. Or the opposite, if God was trying to use something to awaken you to a truth of His and you didn't like that truth so you just pass over it as you read it or hear it saying it isn't truth instead of taking it to the word for conviction to come, then you won't grow in your relationship as God desires you to.
We must remember, that only the Bible is the word of God. The measure for everything. It is not just a book that we can take and leave info from. It is the very word of God. All other books are just books. They might contain the word in them, but you cant call them the Bible. There are many gifted and blessed speakers and writers doing amazing things for the Kingdom of God and they can be such a blessing and inspiration for us. Yet we always must be responsible with the information we receive. Our personal walks with God can not be fully based off of what someone says, writes, teaches, preaches, etc. We need to go to God and dig into His word ourselves and make sure we are living in tune with His ways. We need to have a real living/growing relationship with God and we should be seeking to know Him as we worship Him with our lives. Scripture is so critical in this walk. It can not be minimized. Prov. 14:12 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Be ware of who you follow; only the truth brings life. Only the Bible is fool-proof. 2Tim. 3:15-16 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Are you learning the word? Can you detect false doctrines? Do you esteem the word above all else? Do you only rely on others to fill you and teach you truth? Do your beliefs line up with what God says? Do you have a growing personal relationship with God? Do you have strong accountability in your life to help keep you on track with God? Are you willing to let go of your ways and follow God's truth?
Brothers and sister, I pray you fall in love with the word of God and write it on your hearts and consume your thoughts with it. Be careful who you follow, for that is what you will become and that is the kind of people you will produce. Follow Christ and point everyone to Him! God is so worthy of worship and honor; He is the giver of life and His ways are above all others! Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Monday, March 1, 2010
Truth and morals
I had a class discussion assignment last week dealing with morals... this is from something that I responded to the fact that people create their own...
What do you think about right and wrong? Are there determined moral standards for us? There are a lot of people in this world that don't think there are. There isn't really a truth, truth can bend. They follow their own idea of what is right and go off emotions or intellect. They can't go with anything against with what they feel no matter what anybody else (including God) has to say about it. They go about life in a self-centered fashion. They want to base their life off of what they feel will make them happy or feel good or attain the goals they have. There is no "moral compass" from which to compare truth and line up to it. I don't see how that can work. With all the people on this planet, nobody thinks the same way, everyone has ideas and thoughts. Who is to say who is right? All people are equal right? Or are we? How could anyone make laws or govern people? What would be truth? There has to be truth. God and His ways should be the "moral compass"- He is truth. If there is no compass then there is no God. If there is no God, then there was no creation. If there was no creation, then there is no purpose to humanity. Therefore, would morals even matter? Why care?
We need to line everything about our lives up to the word of God and see what He has to say and make that our answer.
Any thoughts?
What do you think about right and wrong? Are there determined moral standards for us? There are a lot of people in this world that don't think there are. There isn't really a truth, truth can bend. They follow their own idea of what is right and go off emotions or intellect. They can't go with anything against with what they feel no matter what anybody else (including God) has to say about it. They go about life in a self-centered fashion. They want to base their life off of what they feel will make them happy or feel good or attain the goals they have. There is no "moral compass" from which to compare truth and line up to it. I don't see how that can work. With all the people on this planet, nobody thinks the same way, everyone has ideas and thoughts. Who is to say who is right? All people are equal right? Or are we? How could anyone make laws or govern people? What would be truth? There has to be truth. God and His ways should be the "moral compass"- He is truth. If there is no compass then there is no God. If there is no God, then there was no creation. If there was no creation, then there is no purpose to humanity. Therefore, would morals even matter? Why care?
We need to line everything about our lives up to the word of God and see what He has to say and make that our answer.
Any thoughts?
Monday, February 22, 2010
Conflicts & Problems: Pass them on or Hold on
In small group last night we were talking about how we could be more loving to people around us, especially our enemies. We discussed how we need to be strengthened by God and real Agape love only flows from God.
We really must tap into the Lord daily for life to flow from us. He is the source of life. God is love. The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We can not attain these things in the correct manner or full capacity without God.
A thought cam to my mind in referencing our need to go to the Lord with everything. He asks that we lay our burdens at his feet, seek his wisdom, rest in Him, etc. He is our Father who loves us and has plans for us and desires for us to have a fullfilled life.
I thought about how when you are a parent and your children have issues amongst each other or with their friends and at first when they are toddlers you handle the problems teaching them what is proper and improper in how to behave and how to treat others. As they grow, the children run to you so trusting and so freely handing over their problems to you desiring for you to solve them. We get to the point where we tell them, handle the problem yourself. I don't want to deal with it. Stop hitting each other, you know better, be nice, say kind words, no throwing stuff, share toys, etc etc etc... typical parent to child lingo. We get tired of being burdened by such trivial matters that we feel don't call for intervention.
So kids grow up, learning to handle their own problems, which is good because they can not rely on someone else to fix everything for them for the rest of their life. They need to grow up and become responsible, right? But at the same time, if we have not taught them the correct way to figure out the wise choice for whatever obstacle, problem, fight, mishap, decision, etc that comes their way, they might not be successful in defeating it or solving it in the way that will glorify the Lord and benefit their life and the lives of the others involved.
We as adults a lot of times want to hold on to our problems thinking we know what to do or can figure it out. We don't run to God as much as we should. We don't run to Him trusting and freely handing over our struggles to him, like our young children do to us. He so desires for us to come to Him! He wants us to seek Him. He wants us to lay it all down. We try to do it in our own power, in our own wisdom and get frustrated and depressed and bitter, etc when things do not go right. We wonder why we cant be smart enough or able enough. We think we should be.
The great thing is that we don't have to be. We have a loving Father who always has time for us, who is always available, who is always willing to jump in and take control, who will always lead us into truth, who will always forgive us, who will guide us, disciple us, mold us, grow us, etc.
If we were not raised to know those things, if we were not taught to run to the Lord, to bring Him everything, to lay our life and our struggles at his feet, then it will probably be hard to get to that point where we do it automatically. But I pray if you are not doing that right now as of today, start! Make today the day where you abide in Him, seek, Him, run to Him and let Him love you.
And if you have children may you start today, if not doing so already, teaching them how to turn to God. Showing them how to pray, building their relationship with Him, knowing they can access the God of this universe to guide them into all truth and he will mend their heart and heal their soul. Teach them to pray for a forgiving heart, to better love the people around them, to draw closer to God, for wisdom to root and grow inside them, etc.
The answer isnt just, dont hit, share, be nice, etc. The answer is in teaching them those truths that can be found in the scriptures but also including the important aspect of prayer and the awesome power that is found in it. Teach them to understand what happens when we disobey, how the devil gets a foothold, how it hurts their heart and the heart of others, how love falls away and bitterness sets in, how everyone is broken and hurting and desiring love no matter how they act. Don't just mention what to do and not to do, but explain the truth behind it and then go to God together about it. Then as they grow they can know the answer is to seek God, not having to run to you first, or anyone else in the world who might lead them astray. God needs to be our first contact. He is our refuge. We all want whats best for our children and so does God. His ways are perfect because He knows us as humans. He knows how we work, how we think, how we feel, etc. He made us. You as a parent do not have to know all the answers, nobody does. Yet as you can always seek the Lord as a family.
We really must tap into the Lord daily for life to flow from us. He is the source of life. God is love. The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We can not attain these things in the correct manner or full capacity without God.
A thought cam to my mind in referencing our need to go to the Lord with everything. He asks that we lay our burdens at his feet, seek his wisdom, rest in Him, etc. He is our Father who loves us and has plans for us and desires for us to have a fullfilled life.
I thought about how when you are a parent and your children have issues amongst each other or with their friends and at first when they are toddlers you handle the problems teaching them what is proper and improper in how to behave and how to treat others. As they grow, the children run to you so trusting and so freely handing over their problems to you desiring for you to solve them. We get to the point where we tell them, handle the problem yourself. I don't want to deal with it. Stop hitting each other, you know better, be nice, say kind words, no throwing stuff, share toys, etc etc etc... typical parent to child lingo. We get tired of being burdened by such trivial matters that we feel don't call for intervention.
So kids grow up, learning to handle their own problems, which is good because they can not rely on someone else to fix everything for them for the rest of their life. They need to grow up and become responsible, right? But at the same time, if we have not taught them the correct way to figure out the wise choice for whatever obstacle, problem, fight, mishap, decision, etc that comes their way, they might not be successful in defeating it or solving it in the way that will glorify the Lord and benefit their life and the lives of the others involved.
We as adults a lot of times want to hold on to our problems thinking we know what to do or can figure it out. We don't run to God as much as we should. We don't run to Him trusting and freely handing over our struggles to him, like our young children do to us. He so desires for us to come to Him! He wants us to seek Him. He wants us to lay it all down. We try to do it in our own power, in our own wisdom and get frustrated and depressed and bitter, etc when things do not go right. We wonder why we cant be smart enough or able enough. We think we should be.
The great thing is that we don't have to be. We have a loving Father who always has time for us, who is always available, who is always willing to jump in and take control, who will always lead us into truth, who will always forgive us, who will guide us, disciple us, mold us, grow us, etc.
If we were not raised to know those things, if we were not taught to run to the Lord, to bring Him everything, to lay our life and our struggles at his feet, then it will probably be hard to get to that point where we do it automatically. But I pray if you are not doing that right now as of today, start! Make today the day where you abide in Him, seek, Him, run to Him and let Him love you.
And if you have children may you start today, if not doing so already, teaching them how to turn to God. Showing them how to pray, building their relationship with Him, knowing they can access the God of this universe to guide them into all truth and he will mend their heart and heal their soul. Teach them to pray for a forgiving heart, to better love the people around them, to draw closer to God, for wisdom to root and grow inside them, etc.
The answer isnt just, dont hit, share, be nice, etc. The answer is in teaching them those truths that can be found in the scriptures but also including the important aspect of prayer and the awesome power that is found in it. Teach them to understand what happens when we disobey, how the devil gets a foothold, how it hurts their heart and the heart of others, how love falls away and bitterness sets in, how everyone is broken and hurting and desiring love no matter how they act. Don't just mention what to do and not to do, but explain the truth behind it and then go to God together about it. Then as they grow they can know the answer is to seek God, not having to run to you first, or anyone else in the world who might lead them astray. God needs to be our first contact. He is our refuge. We all want whats best for our children and so does God. His ways are perfect because He knows us as humans. He knows how we work, how we think, how we feel, etc. He made us. You as a parent do not have to know all the answers, nobody does. Yet as you can always seek the Lord as a family.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Spiritual Disciplines
What are some spiritual disciplines that you find most helpful in strengthening your connection with God? I would love to hear form you... here are a couple of mine...
I find that when I worship in song, I am drawn very near to God. I absolutely love praise and worship time. There is so much power in music already, but when you make the music all about God and glorifying Him, recognizing Him, giving Him rightful place in your heart and mind, and bowing yourself before Him it is all consuming. Through the lyrics you are praying, calling out to Him, denying yourself, lifting Him up, and seeking Him knowing He will fill you. It is such an awesome way to let go and become immersed in the Lord, connecting with Him on a very intimate level. It is even more powerful when you are among others all worshipping together. You see how God can touch and connect with everyone and unite everyone all together for one purpose. It is beautiful. I have also found just having praise music on in the background during the day as I work helps my spirit and mood and I am more self-controlled in my actions.
Another way I feel strength in my connection with God is through study. When I get into the word and learn more about whom He is, what He desires for us, how we can better serve Him, etc I come alive. I love it when the spirit speaks to me and makes things known. Revelation is such a life-giving experience. You can feel God reaching out to you; feel His love for you, as he builds His relationship with you. He shows how he knows you, cares for you and desires for you to know Him. He wants to sit with you and listen, He wants you to ask questions, He wants you to express your feelings and thoughts and He desires to bestow love and truth. He is such a loving father and teacher and when I feel that connection through enlightenment I feel the truth that I am His child. There is nothing better!
I find that when I worship in song, I am drawn very near to God. I absolutely love praise and worship time. There is so much power in music already, but when you make the music all about God and glorifying Him, recognizing Him, giving Him rightful place in your heart and mind, and bowing yourself before Him it is all consuming. Through the lyrics you are praying, calling out to Him, denying yourself, lifting Him up, and seeking Him knowing He will fill you. It is such an awesome way to let go and become immersed in the Lord, connecting with Him on a very intimate level. It is even more powerful when you are among others all worshipping together. You see how God can touch and connect with everyone and unite everyone all together for one purpose. It is beautiful. I have also found just having praise music on in the background during the day as I work helps my spirit and mood and I am more self-controlled in my actions.
Another way I feel strength in my connection with God is through study. When I get into the word and learn more about whom He is, what He desires for us, how we can better serve Him, etc I come alive. I love it when the spirit speaks to me and makes things known. Revelation is such a life-giving experience. You can feel God reaching out to you; feel His love for you, as he builds His relationship with you. He shows how he knows you, cares for you and desires for you to know Him. He wants to sit with you and listen, He wants you to ask questions, He wants you to express your feelings and thoughts and He desires to bestow love and truth. He is such a loving father and teacher and when I feel that connection through enlightenment I feel the truth that I am His child. There is nothing better!
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