I have been given many great gifts in life. A Denver Bronco uniform when I was younger, a sony boombox, new clothes, etc. Things like this fade, there are two gifts that I have received in my life that I have done nothing to deserve. The first is my relationship with Jesus Christ, He is my all, my salvation, my healer, my redeemer, my hope. The second was given to me in such a poetic way from the Lord, he has given me a gift of a woman in my life, her name? Eve. I only heard of this name growing up in church, really never knew an "Eve". It is just a great picture to me that God would lead me to a woman with this name, the first name given to a woman. A picture of elegance, grace and beauty, a helpmate, a friend.
I am thankful for many gifts in my life, Eve I thank the Lord for you. 5 weeks to go.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
A borrowed post - Thanks Jamin!
C.J. Mahaney - Grace and the Adventure of Leadership.
1 Corinthians 1:1-9 - Paul’s attitude and affection for the Corinthians was shaped by his divine perspective of the Corinthians. “I always thank God for you” (vs 4). This was a correction letter.
Do not adjust individuals who you do not have a divine affection for. (you will always find difficult individuals in your life).
Lessons on Grace from Paul and Divine perspective.
1. Paul had an understanding of the call of God
3 times in the 1st 9 verses Paul references “call” call = divine summons.
Paul was reminded of the prior activity of God in their lives which allows you to appropriately see the present deficiency.
This will give you the faith for change and perseverance for the process.
2. Paul was more aware of evidence of Grace than areas in need of growth.
Vs 4 – “I always thank God for you” high priority on thanksgiving.
Note: paul mentions thanksgiving (line per line) more than any other author pagan or Christian.
Paul, thanked God for their spiritual gifts… but he later needed to correct this area of their life. (peoples greatest strength is often their biggest weakness)
He gave thanks for those evidences of grace.
1 thess 1:2-5 another example… he was specific (1 Thess 3:9… how can we thank God enough for your).
If all you see is negative when you look upon people or individual, that is self righteousness on your behalf. (look how you view your spouse, children, friends, ppl you service, etc…) Application: ask them does being with you make them more aware of their weaknesses or do they feel better about themselves.
People need to be extended Grace as they are growing, recognize that God is at work instead of if they are finished with growing or not.
God Honors leaders who follow these principles
3. Paul had Confidence in the Grace of God.
“He will keep you strong till the end” (vs 8) because “God is faithful” (vs 9). If you looked at the Corinthians you would not have had that confidence… except because God is faithful
1 Corinthians 1:1-9 - Paul’s attitude and affection for the Corinthians was shaped by his divine perspective of the Corinthians. “I always thank God for you” (vs 4). This was a correction letter.
Do not adjust individuals who you do not have a divine affection for. (you will always find difficult individuals in your life).
Lessons on Grace from Paul and Divine perspective.
1. Paul had an understanding of the call of God
3 times in the 1st 9 verses Paul references “call” call = divine summons.
Paul was reminded of the prior activity of God in their lives which allows you to appropriately see the present deficiency.
This will give you the faith for change and perseverance for the process.
2. Paul was more aware of evidence of Grace than areas in need of growth.
Vs 4 – “I always thank God for you” high priority on thanksgiving.
Note: paul mentions thanksgiving (line per line) more than any other author pagan or Christian.
Paul, thanked God for their spiritual gifts… but he later needed to correct this area of their life. (peoples greatest strength is often their biggest weakness)
He gave thanks for those evidences of grace.
1 thess 1:2-5 another example… he was specific (1 Thess 3:9… how can we thank God enough for your).
If all you see is negative when you look upon people or individual, that is self righteousness on your behalf. (look how you view your spouse, children, friends, ppl you service, etc…) Application: ask them does being with you make them more aware of their weaknesses or do they feel better about themselves.
People need to be extended Grace as they are growing, recognize that God is at work instead of if they are finished with growing or not.
God Honors leaders who follow these principles
3. Paul had Confidence in the Grace of God.
“He will keep you strong till the end” (vs 8) because “God is faithful” (vs 9). If you looked at the Corinthians you would not have had that confidence… except because God is faithful
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
A man
Quick and to the point, I had this nice paragraph written, but I am going to be quick like a bunny on crack. To be a Man, is to be one who truly understands His position to God and responds to His calling upon his heart. Men, hear me, God Loves you, Believes in you, He has put you where you are for a reason. People around you dont need someone else, They need you. Comparison to others is not of God. The slate is wiped clean, A man my friends is only what God says he is, everything else is a lie.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Morning Prayer
MORNING PRAYER
MORNING SCRIPTURE:
You whom I love dearly, let us love one another. Love is from God and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7
SHORT PRAYER:
Father, cure us from the sickness that taints our understanding of love and decieves us to see love as trivial, frivilous or inconsequential. Rather, help us to truly believe that love is of the highest order and is the most excellent way.
INTERCESSION, REFLECTION or SILENCE:
Take 5 to 10 minutes to listen to God's voice. At any moment, when you are distracted you can recapture your thoughts with this phrase: "Love is from God."
: This Devotional was done by a good friend of mine Gavin Long, check out http://www.athomewithgod.org/
MORNING SCRIPTURE:
You whom I love dearly, let us love one another. Love is from God and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7
SHORT PRAYER:
Father, cure us from the sickness that taints our understanding of love and decieves us to see love as trivial, frivilous or inconsequential. Rather, help us to truly believe that love is of the highest order and is the most excellent way.
INTERCESSION, REFLECTION or SILENCE:
Take 5 to 10 minutes to listen to God's voice. At any moment, when you are distracted you can recapture your thoughts with this phrase: "Love is from God."
: This Devotional was done by a good friend of mine Gavin Long, check out http://www.athomewithgod.org/
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Love
So I recently was online looking at tons of different books on sale, everything from what it means to be a man, how to make sure your marriage is good, being good at prayer, the church, etc and so on. There was a book that I came across to which I read some excerpts, the title of this book caught my eye, anything to do with the love of God and peoples view/pursuit of it I am all over it.
As I began to read my heart became heavy, here is the reason. There are many things in life that we are uncertain about, will I have a job tomorrow? What do people think of me? How long will my car last? How much longer will I live? But the question remains of what does God think of me? There have been different ideas of what God thinks and I dont intend to "settle" per say the different views here but more so to put my thoughts/experience and what I see as truth in the word of God. Most importantly for consideration. Here is my thought, you ready? Yes? Hmm....
1. "When will it be settled in our mind and hearts that God loves us?"
2. "Is Gods love conditional to the believer? How about to the unbeliever?"
The reason I ask these two questions is because of what I read in the excerpt I spoke of earlier, its the idea that "If you really love God you would _________". Now here is where I am coming from with that. Scripture is clear they will know we are Christians by our love....but wait....for one another. Let me ask you a question, do you want to love someone who says, "Hey you can't you get it through your head that I did this for you? Yes you, gosh you are so selfish, I gave everything for you". If I were to say that for you, what does that bring, guilt? Condemnation? For the "love" people! We love because He first loved us. It is talked about that many Christians are stagnant, lukewarm, etc. Then its going into a stint of these people are just selfish people who need to own up to their own sin and just realize that they are sinful. Now hear me on this, sin is sin, Christ was crucified for our sin, to pay the debt, sin is serious business. But here is the clincher for me, If I truly understand Gods love for me, I wont want to sin or be drawn to the things of this world. But I can't tell another Christian, "why can't you get it?" "are you stupid?". The harsh words of Jesus came towards the Religious of the day, not those who were stuck in sin or going about their lives the ho hum life. It was to those who thought they had it all together.
I am still processing through alot of this, but there is one thing that we MUST believe Christians, its the FACT that God loves us, only God can convince us of that. We can't pound it into each others heads, we can't convince ourselves so we can act better so it proves we "love" God. How does God feel about you right now? Are you at peace with the FACT that Jesus Christ died for you and if you have put your trust in Him as your savior, your Lord, your complete payment that He loves you 100% and is pleased with you? At some point we must stop looking at the past saying if only, Jesus took care of the if only, you dont stand condemned, for if we stand condemned than Christ's sacrifice is null. Yet it is not, true freedom is that we are convinced by Almighty God himself of His love for us, and that frees us up to obey him in truth and in power. God wants to relate to you, he wants to reveal himself to you, He longs for you to know three words that shake the gates of hell. "I LOVE YOU".
As I began to read my heart became heavy, here is the reason. There are many things in life that we are uncertain about, will I have a job tomorrow? What do people think of me? How long will my car last? How much longer will I live? But the question remains of what does God think of me? There have been different ideas of what God thinks and I dont intend to "settle" per say the different views here but more so to put my thoughts/experience and what I see as truth in the word of God. Most importantly for consideration. Here is my thought, you ready? Yes? Hmm....
1. "When will it be settled in our mind and hearts that God loves us?"
2. "Is Gods love conditional to the believer? How about to the unbeliever?"
The reason I ask these two questions is because of what I read in the excerpt I spoke of earlier, its the idea that "If you really love God you would _________". Now here is where I am coming from with that. Scripture is clear they will know we are Christians by our love....but wait....for one another. Let me ask you a question, do you want to love someone who says, "Hey you can't you get it through your head that I did this for you? Yes you, gosh you are so selfish, I gave everything for you". If I were to say that for you, what does that bring, guilt? Condemnation? For the "love" people! We love because He first loved us. It is talked about that many Christians are stagnant, lukewarm, etc. Then its going into a stint of these people are just selfish people who need to own up to their own sin and just realize that they are sinful. Now hear me on this, sin is sin, Christ was crucified for our sin, to pay the debt, sin is serious business. But here is the clincher for me, If I truly understand Gods love for me, I wont want to sin or be drawn to the things of this world. But I can't tell another Christian, "why can't you get it?" "are you stupid?". The harsh words of Jesus came towards the Religious of the day, not those who were stuck in sin or going about their lives the ho hum life. It was to those who thought they had it all together.
I am still processing through alot of this, but there is one thing that we MUST believe Christians, its the FACT that God loves us, only God can convince us of that. We can't pound it into each others heads, we can't convince ourselves so we can act better so it proves we "love" God. How does God feel about you right now? Are you at peace with the FACT that Jesus Christ died for you and if you have put your trust in Him as your savior, your Lord, your complete payment that He loves you 100% and is pleased with you? At some point we must stop looking at the past saying if only, Jesus took care of the if only, you dont stand condemned, for if we stand condemned than Christ's sacrifice is null. Yet it is not, true freedom is that we are convinced by Almighty God himself of His love for us, and that frees us up to obey him in truth and in power. God wants to relate to you, he wants to reveal himself to you, He longs for you to know three words that shake the gates of hell. "I LOVE YOU".
Monday, February 21, 2011
I'm waiting...
Hear the song "While I'm waiting?" or maybe its "I'm waiting", the point is the message of this song. I dont like to wait....seriously in NYC this weekend, there is a wait for everything, I'm so used to looking at the end of goal of going to a place to sit and eat and I hate the waiting part.
My waiting for the Lord is seasoned with something different, meaning that there is just as much He wants for me in the waiting than in the destination. Sometimes when all you can muster out is "Jesus Help Me", you wait....you dont curl up in a ball on the floor, you dont stop your life. Yet you wait....there is communication from Him while waiting. Waiting for His touch, His move, a glimpse of His face, His provision, His direction, it all is wrapped up in a package of God being the Alpha and Omega, He is there at the beginning and end, and guess what He is there in between, our God is the same yesterday "The beginning", Today "The present", and "Forever" the future. God prepares a table for us in every season. Today may this be a prayer for you.
"Jesus, Help Me".
My waiting for the Lord is seasoned with something different, meaning that there is just as much He wants for me in the waiting than in the destination. Sometimes when all you can muster out is "Jesus Help Me", you wait....you dont curl up in a ball on the floor, you dont stop your life. Yet you wait....there is communication from Him while waiting. Waiting for His touch, His move, a glimpse of His face, His provision, His direction, it all is wrapped up in a package of God being the Alpha and Omega, He is there at the beginning and end, and guess what He is there in between, our God is the same yesterday "The beginning", Today "The present", and "Forever" the future. God prepares a table for us in every season. Today may this be a prayer for you.
"Jesus, Help Me".
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Mother Teresa or William Wallace?
Another excerpt from John Eldridge:
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Is Jesus More Like Mother Teresa or William Wallace?
Now-is Jesus more like Mother Teresa or William Wallace? The answer is . . . it depends. If you're a leper, an outcast, a pariah of society whom no one has evertouched, if all you have ever longed for is just one kind word, then Christ is the incarnation of tender mercy. On the other hand, if you're a Pharisee, one of those self-appointed doctrine police . . . watch out. On more than one occasion Jesus "picks a fight" with those notorious hypocrites.
One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are healed of your sickness!" Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised and thanked God! But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. "There are six days of the week for working," he said to the crowd." Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath." But the Lord replied, "You hypocrite! You work on the Sabbath day! Don't you untie your ox or your donkey from their stalls on the Sabbath and lead them out for water? Wasn't it necessary for me, even on the Sabbath day, to free this dear woman from the bondage in which Satan has held her for eighteen years?" This shamed his enemies. And all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did. (Luke 13:10-17 NLT)
Does Jesus tiptoe around the issue, so as not to "rock the boat"? Does he drop the subject in order to "preserve church unity"? Nope. He walks right into it, he baits them, he picks a fight. Christ draws the enemy out, exposes him for what he is, and shames him in front of everyone. The Lord is a gentleman ???
(Wild at Heart , 24-25)
One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are healed of your sickness!" Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised and thanked God! But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. "There are six days of the week for working," he said to the crowd." Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath." But the Lord replied, "You hypocrite! You work on the Sabbath day! Don't you untie your ox or your donkey from their stalls on the Sabbath and lead them out for water? Wasn't it necessary for me, even on the Sabbath day, to free this dear woman from the bondage in which Satan has held her for eighteen years?" This shamed his enemies. And all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did. (Luke 13:10-17 NLT)
Does Jesus tiptoe around the issue, so as not to "rock the boat"? Does he drop the subject in order to "preserve church unity"? Nope. He walks right into it, he baits them, he picks a fight. Christ draws the enemy out, exposes him for what he is, and shames him in front of everyone. The Lord is a gentleman ???
(Wild at Heart , 24-25)
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