Where to?

Gut check time...

So far all that I have written on this blog has been instructional. I have been hoping that I could pass on all that I have been learning in a way that is easy for people to understand. Yet it seems understanding and doing are 2 totally separate concepts. Logically we need to understand before we can do anything... so why does this seem much more difficult than it should be?

I guess all I have come to know and understand... all I believe to be true... has led me to ask myself one question.

Where to?

or

Where do I go with this?

If I claim to be willing to follow, why am I running from the call?

If I claim to understand, why do I struggle so much?

If I claim to know His voice, why do I not listen when He speaks?

Heed the call... I tell myself this over and over again. But I struggle to even hear the call, let alone heed it. I know I desire to... I long to hear Him and follow. I know I desire to be a man of God... and live a life that is pleasing to Him. I desire to do His bidding. Yet I continue to get in His way. I put my own thoughts of ineptitude before His thoughts of capability. He tells me that I can... I tell Him that I can't.

So where do I go from here?

Do I turn back out of fear of failure? Do I run?

That didn't work so well for Jonah. He tried running from what God had for him and wound up in the belly of the whale. He said no... God said "uh yeah, I think so". If I truly desire to do His will... if I truly desire to follow... then I only have one choice... press in and press on. Forward march for this soldier... no turning back.

Now that I have realized this... that still doesn't help with the other problem areas I have. I do tend to have hearing issues when it comes to hearing His voice above all the noise. His voice tends to get drowned out by my own thoughts of incapability. So how do I work past this... I believe Him. I believe in Him... and that He is capable to do it through me. Just as He used imperfect men all throughout the bible. Just as He took men just as they were and used them to do great things... I need to believe He is still able to do that with me.

2 Corinthians 12

^'9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.'

I need to believe these words that Paul wrote in Philippians 4...

¹³ "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

I need to realize that it isn't in my own power, strength, or abilities but by His.

Zechariah 4

⁶ So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.

Scripture shows what God can do through those who are willing... and in Jonah's case, one who was unwilling... just what He can do. Not because He needs us, but because He chooses to use us. He wants us to be a part of His work, because His power, His strength and His majesty are revealed when He uses imperfect people to do His perfect work.

God chooses to use the weak to make His strength shown...

1 Corinthians 1

^{25 '}For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.'

^{26 '}Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.'

^{27 '}But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong'

^{28 '}He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are...'

why did He do this, why does He do this....

^{29 '}so that no one may boast before him.'

He does this so we can see that through Him all is possible, and that without Him it really just doesn't matter. We can use this life we were given to chase riches, fame, fortune, power, or anything we choose to. But I can't take any of the accolades I get in this life with me to the next. I can't reap the benefits of fame, fortune and stardom after I am dead and buried. Though it seems many try to do just that. We tend to honor the dead long after they are gone... but why? What have they really done that will matter in eternity? Apart from those that do God's will, there is no eternal value to anything anyone can do. One day this will all be ashes and dust... to be thrown into the fire. It will burn like chaff in the flames of His judgment.

1 Corinthians 3

¹¹For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹²If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. ¹⁴If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. ¹⁵If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames

So to those of us who believe... we build on the Rock... the foundation... Jesus Christ. For His name, for His honor, for His glory, we heed the call.

We ask where to... and then allow Him to lead us there. We can't do it without Him... but with Him all things are possible. As Paul tells us... we run the race that He has laid out before us. We never look back... we just keep running forward and listen intently to the direction of the Lord.

Just one Taste

Take a taste... just one taste.

That one taste can snowball out of control, and in time consume all that you are.

It has been a week since I have written anything on this blog. I guess you can say I was waiting for inspiration. Something to spark the process of putting words to paper... so to speak. Well something has happened. What it all boils down to is that one small taste. It reminded me of the story of Eve in the garden. I could see the snake standing there holding the apple, Eve's eyes glowing with anticipation, and I can hear the words uttered..."just one taste, just take one small taste, then you will see."

But what will you see? Thats my question.

Genesis 3

⁴ "Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
⁶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
⁸ And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden."

Can you see the parallels to our own lives... to the lives of those around us. The first lie Satan told Eve..."You will not surely die." But the truth is... that is the moment death crept into human existence. One little lie, one little taste, one disastrous result... death will come to all men.

The one thing in this passage that really strikes me is that now that Adam and Eve had their eyes opened... they saw their nakedness... and they hid from the presence of God. As if you can actually hide from God. But they knew they did something wrong. They knew they disobeyed God... so they hid.

Don't we do the same thing today? Doesn't the snake slither up to us with that same old lie? "You will not surely die." But God says surely you will.

So why do we take of the fruit? Because it is pleasing to the eye. Because it can offer us something... whether that be wisdom(so we think), pleasure(lasts for a moment), wealth(can't take it with us), or one of the other many reasons why we disobey God. Yet those lies of Satan tend to creep in there, and we listen to them over the voice of God. Then, when we realize what we did... we try and hide from God. The omnipresent God, who sees all and knows all, from this God we try to hide. A little illogical I would say, but the truth nonetheless.

So again we return to the question of why. Why take that first taste?

As this pertains to my own life, I have witnessed the snowball effect. I have witnessed the first taste. I have heard the excuses to follow, the promise to never do it again. "I know it was a mistake, it won't happen again"... these words echo in my mind. Of course... it isn't the truth. It will happen again, and more frequently. As the hunger to be satisfied by whatever it is grows in us, we go back and back again.

James 1

^14"but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

We go back to it while knowing we are wrong, knowing the consequences, thinking we can handle it. But we can't. "Just this one time" we say to ourselves. Or..." What's so bad about this, I don't see the problem with doing it just this once." But it doesn't end there. It gets harder and harder to say no each time we go back to it. It will always get harder each time we go back to it.

James 1

^16"Don't be deceived, my dear brothers."

We listen to the deceptions. The lies that there is nothing wrong. The lies that we can handle it. Yet it will continue to get harder unless we remove that desire, and replace it with a different one. You want just one small taste... well then take a taste of something else. Something pure, something true, something real, which promises to fulfill.

Psalm 34

⁸ "Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."

1 Peter 2

^2"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

Psalm 119

¹⁰² "I have not departed from your laws,

for you yourself have taught me.

¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

¹⁰⁴ I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path."

So come... taste and see that the Lord is good.

Renew Your Mind

Romans 12:2

"Do 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."

So... how do we get transformed? By the renewing of our minds.

How do we renew our minds? By letting God change it. By reading His word. By following the leading of the Spirit. By letting go of our old ways of thinking, and letting in the guidance of God. By offering ourselves as a sacrifice to Him who is worthy....

Romans 12:1

"Therefore, 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."

The living sacrifice... a life of worship. A lifestyle of worship. Worship is not just going to church 1 day a week and singing along with everyone else. While that is perfect and good to do, our worship should not end there. Everyday we live should be our worship. Everything we do should be our worship. From the words we say, to the music we listen to, to the choices we make, to the movies we watch... everything we do, that is our worship.

The Son gave His life... should we do any less?

Shall we take His gift, thank Him, and then continue in our old ways?

Is the old man not dead yet...?

Romans 6

⁵ For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. ⁷ For he who has died has been freed from sin.

Ephesians 4

²² "that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

Shall we keep on sinning and living a lifestyle that is not of Him?

Romans 6:1

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? "

Romans 6:2

"Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

I know that many of us find nothing wrong with certain things that we do. We find nothing wrong with the movies we watch. We find nothing wrong with the music we listen to. We find nothing wrong with the places we go. It's no big deal... right?

My question then is this... are we truly allowing the Holy Spirit to transform our minds when we keep allowing the garbage we tend to let in, still creep in there?

Are we not negating what God is trying to do in us by continuing on in the former ways we used to live, by remaining conformed to the world?

Maybe I am overreacting a little. Or a lot. But if we truly desire to please God, and live a life of worship to Him... shouldn't all of this matter more to us?

I know that this is a sore subject for many. It has been a battle for me as well. What is wrong with a little entertainment? It just helps pass the time... right? That movie isn't so bad... my Pastor even went to see it. I saw the women in my church dancing to that song... what's wrong with that? If they can listen to it, so can I.

But in the end... when you stand face to face with Jesus, that excuse won't suffice. Maybe it's time that we... the children of God... stand up and show the world by what we do, and not what we say, just what we truly believe.

I mean... I'm just saying.

This is my Desire

Desire.

What is my desire?

It is true that your actions will follow your desires. So then the question should be... what do I desire?

Last night the men at my church started a bible study. The study is based off of a book called, "The Measure of a Man" by Gene Getz. I have actually been reading this book on and off for a while now. So I guess I was prepared for this. Which is a good thing. Tis good to be prepared. The premise is to show us the virtues of a Godly man, and then show us how to become a Godly man. Lord knows we could use a few more of them in this day and age.

One of the main points my Pastor brought up was about desire. We can't be Godly men unless we desire to be Godly men. Makes sense. I mean, if we don't have that desire... then we won't do what is necessary to become one. I won't seek to be more Godly unless I desire to be more Godly. That is pretty basic stuff... but it makes you ponder where your desires lie.

So I have to ask... where are our desires?

Do you seek ye first the Kingdom of heaven and His righteousness?

Or are you seeking after the goodies this world has to offer?

If you answered no to the first question, but yes to the second, let me tell you that anything this world has to offer is just temporal. It will one day fade away into the sunset, just as you too will one day fade away into the sunset. Nothing you can acquire on Earth can be taken with you when you die. There is no fulfillment, not ever present joy, no peace, and no meaning in collecting junk. That is why we chase and chase after happiness yet never truly find it because we are seeking in the wrong place.

Now if you answered yes to the first question... then you are on the right track. But it doesn't end there. Meaning that you can say that you are seeking God first... but not actually be seeking God first. KWIM. Our actions have to follow our words. God desires to be first. God deserves to be first. But too often He gets put way down in the order of importance. I know that I have been guilty of this. One foot in the world and one foot in heaven is really no way to go through life.

Jesus said in Matthew 22:37

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

In Luke 10:27 He adds strength to the equation.

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'

So the question is... do you love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength?

If you do, Jesus says in John 14:15

"If you love me, you will obey what I command."

and in John 14:21

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

So do you desire God above all else?

Do you seek Him above all else?

If you do, you will love Him above all else. And if you love Him above all else, you will seek to be a Godly man or woman in His eyes. Not in our eyes, but in His eyes. We will then do what is necessary to become what He desires for us to be...like His Son.

Ephesians 4:13

"until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

Let this be your hearts desire...

Philippians 3:12-14

"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. "

Desire that which has eternal significance... and put behind you the desires for that which has temporal significance.

Matthew 6

¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

and where your heart is, your desires will be.

I will leave you with a song by Jeremy Camp, enjoy and ponder.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/--36509162

Truth, absolutely

Truth.

What is truth?

How do we determine the truth?

Simple, yet profound. Truth is one of those things that men drive themselves crazy trying to find... trying to figure out. Yet it has always been right in front of our faces.

It upsets me when I hear people say that there are many truths... how can that be? Yet that is what happens day in and day out? We seem so proud to be "enlightened", and so sure that we can find our own way and our own truth. Yet how can we be sure that we know the truth? And yet what is the point of being enlightened if we believe in lies?

So what is the truth?

Where do we find this truth?

Is there absolute truth? If there is... who defines what that truth is? Has that truth been exposed to us so we can know it?

Let's face it... there can only be one truth. One total absolute truth, and that truth has to be defined. That truth has been defined. That truth has been defined by He who is truth. All else is untruth. All else is fallacies. All else is lies. Sometimes those lies are disguised as truth, or even mixed with truth. Sometimes we accept those lies as truth because it is easier to live beneath those lies than the weight of the truth.

When it comes to God, people run from His truth. They think they can outrun Him and all He decrees. They live outside of His will and think that if they believe He doesn't exist then He won't exist. But the truth is... that God is. God was, is and always will be. We can't outrun Him, out live Him, or escape Him. Yet people try and try so hard to do just that. Why? Two reasons. The first is this...

John 3:19

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil."

Man has a sin problem... and man tends to enjoy that sin. They want to keep living as they are living, doing as they please and not worrying about what is too come. But the second reason why people try to run from God is this...

Hebrews 9:27

"And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment..."

Judgment is coming. It is guaranteed. Just as all men must die, so must all face judgment. There is no way around it. We live, we die, and we are judged.

But instead of understanding this, believing this, and doing what we can to avoid it... we try to make up our own truths. We try to make believe God isn't really there. But no matter what we do, He will always be there. Waiting. For you.

He has given us a way to know Him. He has provided us a way to know His truth. He has offered us His grace. He has made a way for us.

What more does He need to do?

If you seek truth... seek God.

If you desire truth... read the truth... His truth... your bible... His Word.

If you have questions... ask the one who can't lie.

John 1:14

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

John 1:17

"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

Yet instead so very many choose a different path...

Romans 1:19-22 and 25

"since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

²¹For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.²²Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ...

²⁵They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen."

I hope you are open to receiving the truth. I pray that you are willing to seek Him who is faithful and true. He has shown us the way. He has given us directions. He has told us the truth. All we need to do is receive it. All we need to do is accept it. All we need to do is accept and receive Him... and He is Jesus. Amen.

Unmerited Favor

Mercy.

One word. One little word the meaning of which causes you to stop and think. Where would I be without it?

Where would I be without the mercy of God?

How do I gain His mercy? What can I do in order for Him to give me His mercy?

The answer is simple... and the answer is nothing. There is nothing I can do. There is nothing I can offer for it. No amount of good deeds will result in my gaining His mercy. But yet... I don't have to do anything for it. It has been given to me freely. God has offered His grace to me... as a gift. I don't have to try and earn it. I can't possibly earn it.

In Romans 5:8 Paul has written these words...

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."(NIV)

Now as I write this I am not saying that nothing is required of me(or you) in order to receive this free gift. When I say there is nothing that we can do, I say that in terms of trying to do something that will impress God enough that He in turn showers me(us) with grace and mercy. The truth is we do have to do something... and that is believe. We have to receive His free gift, and we receive it by believing in the only begotten Son of God.

We most likely have all heard the verse from John chapter 3 verse 16: You can't watch a sporting event without seeing a sign somewhere in the crowd with John 3:16 on it. The question is do we understand that verse. Do we know the verses that follow? Do we understand that this verse is broad in it's writing and yet so very personal that it was written to each one of us? Let's take a look at it.

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

As it is written, this verse is broad in it's meaning. For God so loved the "World".

Yet what makes this verse take on new meaning is when it becomes personal. So let's look at it again.

John 3:16

"For God so loved YOUR NAME HERE that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Thats right... For God so loved you... you... that He gave His only begotten Son.

God gave. It was God's doing. All you need to do in reply to what He did is... believe.

John 3:17

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

Once again...

John 3:17

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that YOUR NAME HERE through Him might be saved."

And why did He do that... Love. What does this love show us... His Mercy. Because He loves each of us so very much, He has extended His mercy to us. We don't deserve it, hence the definition of mercy... unmerited favor... undeserved favor. We don't deserve it. The fact that we are allowed to take a single breath is proof of His mercy towards us. The fact that He gave His only begotten Son-- Jesus Christ-- proves His love for us. That Jesus was willing to endure what He endured for each of us proves His love for us. Yet most of us live a life that basically spits in His face. We tell Him thanks but no thanks... I will find my own way. But there is no other way. There is but One Way.

John 14:6

"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

This one way was paved with the blood of Jesus. It was procured at the steepest of prices... the life of the Son of God. The one who was without sin, died for all of us who live in sin. For you and for me Jesus endured the cross. For you and for me Jesus paid the price. The way is narrow. The way is hard. The way leads God. The way leads to heaven. All you need to do is believe.

Is that too much to ask? I don't think so.