To start things off here is an excerpt from a book called the Devine Mentor by Wayne Cordero;
"Shortly after I became a Christian, I found myself complaining to God about the quality of my church's academic-style preacher who often flew things at a high altitude where I was unable to cruise. I began my complaint in the bathroom after a service.
"God!" I called out, hoping I was alone in the men's room. "I'm not getting fed. I'm dying here, suffering from malnutrition!"
I'm not sure if it was a chuckle from the stall next to me or a reply from heaven, but I recall becoming acutely conscious of something as the Spirit spoke to me from the depths of my own anguished being.
What about ME? He seemed to whisper. Am I not enough? Why are you blaming others for your lack of growth? You are depending on a once-a-week feeding, but as you grow up you must learn to feed yourself! I will be your Mentor."
That last paragraph should speak to us all... "What about ME? Am I not enough?" All too often we find ourselves relying on a pastor/preacher to tell us what it is we need to learn or what we need to read, after all God is supposed to speak through them to us right? Well... yes, and no. We are to create disciples that create more disciples. We are all preachers, we are all given the role of mentorship once we have been mentored ourselves. This doesn't even always apply to a "new Christian" there are plenty of people who have been a Christian for quite a long time and yet lack a mature relationship or even a realization of what that relationship should look like. This comes almost every time from the fact that they do not feed themselves, they do not allow God to be ever present in their life PERSONALLY. To give Him access to what happens everyday and to take that to Him and say "Lord, teach me". To take time out of their busy day and devote it to Him, or even continual conversation with Him throughout the day.
Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
All of what Is told in this verse is nowhere close to passive, it is action.. which requires doing. Not just saying "ok Lord teach me I'm here." If we require knowledge what do we do? We go to someone who knows what they are talking about, the sole job of a preacher is to encourage a more personal relationship with God. Not to become the relationship we have with God. Going to His word in our own free will and opening our hearts and minds to HIM then allowing Him to manifest Himself in us. Seek out the source of knowledge and you will be granted truth and wisdom. This is not to say that you should not go to church and listen to your pastor, these men have been called to do what they are doing. But you need to always refer back to the word and the Holy Spirit to solidify what it is that they have taught. Then allowing God to teach you something that is even more relevant to your life than you had thought. He wants to teach us, in fact He is DESPERATE to teach us! He will be there for us and teach us, but we must seek Him out. To show Him we are willing to learn all that we can from Him.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
Beauty
Beauty is no rarity, but an attractive spirit is a diamond among coal. Found only ever through faith and protected over the ages. Created by beauty in order that beauty could remain pure through the eyes of the heart. Creating a display within the prism of ones spirit by which one can stand in awe. Observing the glory of what shines through it and what surrounds those that are blessed with its sight. Heed not it's shell, lifeless and without purpose, but only to display such greatness and majesty that is projected with passion from beyond itself. A light portraying such vivid colors and sounds that it can only be seen by the heart. Blessed are those that have seen it, those that have been graced with the presence of true beauty. And great are those that treasure it, that hold it dearest among all possessions.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
How gracious our Lord is when we live by faith..
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you on high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.”
Everyone wants to be part of something, a piece of a bigger puzzle. Have you ever noticed how we as humans are drawn toward giving ourselves a purpose? Or putting great effort into trying to find one? And if we don't we feel worthless, like there is no point to our lives.. depressed and stressed out. And to think, it is just as simple as this verse states above. Blessings will OVERTAKE you... so much that you are overwhelmed with good things. All if we trust in His voice and LISTEN to it. set high above all the nations? Whaat? You mean to be seen through His glory as great... TRULY great? Among nations.. WOW.. what a thought! There is a song called "promises", one of my favorites by a band called Sanctus real, in it they say "hold on to the promises" meaning to believe in what God has promised. No matter what anyone else says, each and every one of us is called for greatness. But we have to be sure and pay attention and seek out the desires of our heart.. not our desires to satisfy what we want. Which can often and easily be confused. But the desires of our heart, through love are always good and always fully satisfying, He promises to fulfill those desires, each and every one of them. He only asks that we commit those things to him, that's all, to seek out through those things ways to glorify him. Don't be shy about it, sure you may get made fun of, but for every jab you take more blessings will pour out onto you! This means that we must live by faith, no one likes to risk things for what they do not know, it is one of our many flaws as humans. But we absolutely MUST live FAITHFULLY, this means taking risks. If you are truly making a jump for God, (even if it is in the wrong direction) He will provide for you. But NEVER just attempt a free-fall without a parachute, what do I mean? PRAYER, pray intensely. with reverence and with humility, submitting each and every move you make to Him. Yes He knows what's going on and can see it happening, but we must show faith in praying to Him, there is nothing wrong with asking Him to provide when you are on the edge of the cliff, about to make that life or death jump. In fact He wants you to ask! And ask often!
1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing
So then my great brothers and sisters, Pray, Be humble before God, Find peace in His will for you, And JUMP, jump like there is nothing to catch you. But knowing that there always will be :)
Everyone wants to be part of something, a piece of a bigger puzzle. Have you ever noticed how we as humans are drawn toward giving ourselves a purpose? Or putting great effort into trying to find one? And if we don't we feel worthless, like there is no point to our lives.. depressed and stressed out. And to think, it is just as simple as this verse states above. Blessings will OVERTAKE you... so much that you are overwhelmed with good things. All if we trust in His voice and LISTEN to it. set high above all the nations? Whaat? You mean to be seen through His glory as great... TRULY great? Among nations.. WOW.. what a thought! There is a song called "promises", one of my favorites by a band called Sanctus real, in it they say "hold on to the promises" meaning to believe in what God has promised. No matter what anyone else says, each and every one of us is called for greatness. But we have to be sure and pay attention and seek out the desires of our heart.. not our desires to satisfy what we want. Which can often and easily be confused. But the desires of our heart, through love are always good and always fully satisfying, He promises to fulfill those desires, each and every one of them. He only asks that we commit those things to him, that's all, to seek out through those things ways to glorify him. Don't be shy about it, sure you may get made fun of, but for every jab you take more blessings will pour out onto you! This means that we must live by faith, no one likes to risk things for what they do not know, it is one of our many flaws as humans. But we absolutely MUST live FAITHFULLY, this means taking risks. If you are truly making a jump for God, (even if it is in the wrong direction) He will provide for you. But NEVER just attempt a free-fall without a parachute, what do I mean? PRAYER, pray intensely. with reverence and with humility, submitting each and every move you make to Him. Yes He knows what's going on and can see it happening, but we must show faith in praying to Him, there is nothing wrong with asking Him to provide when you are on the edge of the cliff, about to make that life or death jump. In fact He wants you to ask! And ask often!
1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
So then my great brothers and sisters, Pray, Be humble before God, Find peace in His will for you, And JUMP, jump like there is nothing to catch you. But knowing that there always will be :)
Friday, October 4, 2013
A personal relationship, it's not about us.
Today it seems that everything in this world promotes the idea that all things are about us. It is all about our selfish desire to get what we want and making sure everyone knows we feel good about doing it. Too many churches nowadays preach solely on love alone, but not a reciprocated love, only the saving part of His love. They also need to remember, Christ died for us in order that we could be wiped clean of our sins. Not so that we could sin again, then to ask forgiveness with the intent on further sinful actions.
So many times I find myself in my mind going back to the analogy of fatherhood. His love for us and our relationship with Him is the perfect example of a relationship between a father and a child. When children misbehave there are consequences to their actions. The father must allow the consequences to happen out of love for his child. not because he wants them to endure the repercussions, but because he desires for them to reach into wisdom that is on the other side of the punishment. And standing with that child making sure that they know the only reason for it is love and love alone. Not anger, not frustration, but a true love and will for them to receive a gift of wisdom.
We can then take a look at Jesus and who He is. He is the firstborn of God's family. And much like the firstborn of any family, He was the example for all the children to follow. Someone to uphold the laws of the house and to show righteousness in his Fathers eyes. Many Christian ( and I have been guilty of this myself) are always complaining about their struggle and expecting God to come, swoop in and take them away from everything bad. it is not that He won't or can't do this, but it is a simple matter of this, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" John 14:15 Then continuing on in verse 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." God gave His firstborn authority, having full trust in His one and only son. So again, it is not that we MUST do these things in order to be loved. We are already loved. But when we receive His love, we should want to give it back! Being unselfish with it, wanting to show Him through the actions we perform selflessly unto others. And yet at the same time doing it only because the spirit within us drives us to do it, and through this glorifying God further. So for Christians during struggle, what is it that we are learning, are we sitting there just whining to Him? Or are we speaking life into others with our words and our actions? In faith that what we are going through is simply the wrapping paper for a greater gift of wisdom and understanding? We are to follow in His image, and His leadership. Which now brings me to this point as far as following him and seeking to walk in his image. Not His SHADOW not behind, not below, but IN His image as though we are one with Him in every motion of our body. We could look at Christ like this, He is cookie-cutter and we are all this dough that life has just rolled flat, pounded on, rolled over again, and repeated. A big nasty blob of gross. He then cuts out all the crap around us that is not our true form. Everything that is not us, that is not WHO we are. He forgives and cleanses us of everything. We then become not a giant blob of ugliness, but through grace have the ability to become re-created in His image. However, we cannot become so focused on the fact that he has accepted us for who we are, that we forget His love truly does deserve a love in return. There is a great image of Christ's Love for His father in Philippians 2:6-8;
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
One of the most touching forms of Love is humility, Christ sacrificed absolutely everything for his father, and the knowledge of His love for us. Christ humbled himself all the way to the cross. Our Love should reflect the same, becoming humble to ourselves in order to be servants. Not that we are slaves, but because the love we have within us requires us to act in such a way that it would please Him, Because of the love we have for our older brother, the Son of God Himself.
So many times I find myself in my mind going back to the analogy of fatherhood. His love for us and our relationship with Him is the perfect example of a relationship between a father and a child. When children misbehave there are consequences to their actions. The father must allow the consequences to happen out of love for his child. not because he wants them to endure the repercussions, but because he desires for them to reach into wisdom that is on the other side of the punishment. And standing with that child making sure that they know the only reason for it is love and love alone. Not anger, not frustration, but a true love and will for them to receive a gift of wisdom.
We can then take a look at Jesus and who He is. He is the firstborn of God's family. And much like the firstborn of any family, He was the example for all the children to follow. Someone to uphold the laws of the house and to show righteousness in his Fathers eyes. Many Christian ( and I have been guilty of this myself) are always complaining about their struggle and expecting God to come, swoop in and take them away from everything bad. it is not that He won't or can't do this, but it is a simple matter of this, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" John 14:15 Then continuing on in verse 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." God gave His firstborn authority, having full trust in His one and only son. So again, it is not that we MUST do these things in order to be loved. We are already loved. But when we receive His love, we should want to give it back! Being unselfish with it, wanting to show Him through the actions we perform selflessly unto others. And yet at the same time doing it only because the spirit within us drives us to do it, and through this glorifying God further. So for Christians during struggle, what is it that we are learning, are we sitting there just whining to Him? Or are we speaking life into others with our words and our actions? In faith that what we are going through is simply the wrapping paper for a greater gift of wisdom and understanding? We are to follow in His image, and His leadership. Which now brings me to this point as far as following him and seeking to walk in his image. Not His SHADOW not behind, not below, but IN His image as though we are one with Him in every motion of our body. We could look at Christ like this, He is cookie-cutter and we are all this dough that life has just rolled flat, pounded on, rolled over again, and repeated. A big nasty blob of gross. He then cuts out all the crap around us that is not our true form. Everything that is not us, that is not WHO we are. He forgives and cleanses us of everything. We then become not a giant blob of ugliness, but through grace have the ability to become re-created in His image. However, we cannot become so focused on the fact that he has accepted us for who we are, that we forget His love truly does deserve a love in return. There is a great image of Christ's Love for His father in Philippians 2:6-8;
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
One of the most touching forms of Love is humility, Christ sacrificed absolutely everything for his father, and the knowledge of His love for us. Christ humbled himself all the way to the cross. Our Love should reflect the same, becoming humble to ourselves in order to be servants. Not that we are slaves, but because the love we have within us requires us to act in such a way that it would please Him, Because of the love we have for our older brother, the Son of God Himself.
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