Today I was convicted by all the opportunities we get to share Christ and yet somehow still neglect it, by all the times we know what we are about to do is wrong and yet do it anyway, and by all the chances we get to lavish someone with love and instead tear them down. As my heart ached for a few minutes, God allowed me to see that those times have been forgiven, that He sees our efforts and our attempts, our successes and our shortcomings, and He rejoices over us through it all. He sees our hearts, He knows our needs, He feels our pain, He loves our efforts, and He has the power to erase the past and let us start again. He is truly all we need.
With Him, all things are possible; our pasts have been forgotten, and we have been made new. It is time we start living that! We cannot hang onto our past, onto the mistakes we've made or the missed opportunities. God wants our "now" and we can't be wasting that by worrying about the past. Trust me, He has already taken care of that. Let us move forward, and give God all that He deserves.
Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.If only you would listen to his voice today!
~Psalm 95: 6-7
He deserves our everything! He desires our lives, our hearts, our love, our service, and our worship. We are called to be His children, and we were made to worship Him. Do not let your hearts be troubled, but rather take hope in knowing He can change our future and is continually working out good for those who love Him!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Moving On
As yet another summer comes to a close, I find it brings the excitement and apprehension of what a new school year will bring. Being a senior, heading off to college has become old hat, but I remember preparing myself for freshman year and the anxiety that brought with it. I aim this blog at graduating seniors, but it really applies to anyone embarking on something new with our lives (which is all of us at some point or another).
To those of you who with whom I have spent countless hours with this summer, know that with this new step comes many exciting things, but you must prepare yourselves spiritually for what you may encounter. The closeness and intimacy of groups such as the Agape Singers, or the camaraderie built up on mission trips is an amazing thing that, as you move on, must be left behind in a certain respect. Of course those people will still be there for you whenever you need them, but it is also time to take what you have learned from these groups, these people, and pour it out onto all the new people you will come into contact with. You have been blessed in order to be blessing unto others. It is in these times, where fear of the unknown could stop you from stepping out in faith, that you must discard your fears, your timidity, your doubt, and live out all that God has called you to. Use what you have learned this summer as a building block, knowing full well that your journey with God, your relationship with Christ has only just begun.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
~ 2 Timothy 1:7
I urge you to take chances, try new groups, and to find a core of believers to build up and be built up by. The temptations, the distractions, the opportunities to fall off the path will become more numerous, but in beating these things comes great strengthening of your faith. If you are being tested by the Satan, then you are on the right path. If you were following the ways of the world, then he would have no need to try and sway you in other directions; by following Christ, Satan sees you as a threat and is working against us. Stand firm, pray continually, trust in Him, and all will be worked out for the good of those who love Him.
Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
~ 2 Timothy 2:22
Moving on can be tough, scary, and challenging, but with Him, we have hope for our futures. Allow Him to use you, to change you, to make you and mold you into the person you are called to be. Do not worry and do not get caught up in your own plans, but rather trust in Him to work it out for your good. He loves you in ways we will never understand. Who better to have by our side than the Savior of our souls in this time of moving on?
To those of you who with whom I have spent countless hours with this summer, know that with this new step comes many exciting things, but you must prepare yourselves spiritually for what you may encounter. The closeness and intimacy of groups such as the Agape Singers, or the camaraderie built up on mission trips is an amazing thing that, as you move on, must be left behind in a certain respect. Of course those people will still be there for you whenever you need them, but it is also time to take what you have learned from these groups, these people, and pour it out onto all the new people you will come into contact with. You have been blessed in order to be blessing unto others. It is in these times, where fear of the unknown could stop you from stepping out in faith, that you must discard your fears, your timidity, your doubt, and live out all that God has called you to. Use what you have learned this summer as a building block, knowing full well that your journey with God, your relationship with Christ has only just begun.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
~ 2 Timothy 1:7
I urge you to take chances, try new groups, and to find a core of believers to build up and be built up by. The temptations, the distractions, the opportunities to fall off the path will become more numerous, but in beating these things comes great strengthening of your faith. If you are being tested by the Satan, then you are on the right path. If you were following the ways of the world, then he would have no need to try and sway you in other directions; by following Christ, Satan sees you as a threat and is working against us. Stand firm, pray continually, trust in Him, and all will be worked out for the good of those who love Him.
Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
~ 2 Timothy 2:22
Moving on can be tough, scary, and challenging, but with Him, we have hope for our futures. Allow Him to use you, to change you, to make you and mold you into the person you are called to be. Do not worry and do not get caught up in your own plans, but rather trust in Him to work it out for your good. He loves you in ways we will never understand. Who better to have by our side than the Savior of our souls in this time of moving on?
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Come to the Well
So often as Christians, we strive to do what is right, but find ourselves empty when all is said and done; finding only temporary satisfaction in the greatest of things that we accomplish on our own. That is simply the way this world works. It promises grandeur and fortune around every corner, only to leave you wanting and needing more to get that next fix. On our own, nothing will ever be enough. Our weak flesh will always want more; more money, more fame, more popularity, more stuff. Without Christ at the center, this habitual cycle is never ending.
I think it is time we come to the well, so to speak. It is time we take Christ up on His offer of the living water that will never leave us wanting more. We have entered into this amazing relationship, but what are we holding onto? What could we possibly need in our lives that would be better than the restoring and loving waters of Christ, the waters of eternal life?
There is nothing that could ever compare to this gift Christ has given us, but that does not make it any easier to give up the things we so desperately cling to on this Earth. I urge you to enter into prayer, fully committing the things in your life over to Christ so that He can begin to point out what we need to remove. Our hearts need to be convicted, through prayer, in order to grow and move on from these things that hold us back. It sounds so simple, but much effort needs to be placed on this task in order to reap its full benefits. Giving up our desires will only allow Christ to fill us with His restoring waters, fulfilling us beyond our wildest imaginations. If we simply come to the well of Christ, we will never thirst again.
Verse:
But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.
~John 4:14
We have to leave it all behind, we must cut away the excess in our lives; all the junk that is holding us back must be traded in for a trip to the well of eternal life. The pursuit of perfection, the fear of rejection, your temporary pleasures, your earthly treasures, all your pain, all your sorrow, all your worry, all your fear: leave it all behind and come to the well. Be restored by the waters of Christ, and never thirst again.
I think it is time we come to the well, so to speak. It is time we take Christ up on His offer of the living water that will never leave us wanting more. We have entered into this amazing relationship, but what are we holding onto? What could we possibly need in our lives that would be better than the restoring and loving waters of Christ, the waters of eternal life?
There is nothing that could ever compare to this gift Christ has given us, but that does not make it any easier to give up the things we so desperately cling to on this Earth. I urge you to enter into prayer, fully committing the things in your life over to Christ so that He can begin to point out what we need to remove. Our hearts need to be convicted, through prayer, in order to grow and move on from these things that hold us back. It sounds so simple, but much effort needs to be placed on this task in order to reap its full benefits. Giving up our desires will only allow Christ to fill us with His restoring waters, fulfilling us beyond our wildest imaginations. If we simply come to the well of Christ, we will never thirst again.
Verse:
But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.
~John 4:14
We have to leave it all behind, we must cut away the excess in our lives; all the junk that is holding us back must be traded in for a trip to the well of eternal life. The pursuit of perfection, the fear of rejection, your temporary pleasures, your earthly treasures, all your pain, all your sorrow, all your worry, all your fear: leave it all behind and come to the well. Be restored by the waters of Christ, and never thirst again.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
A Real Relationship
As Christians, we have accepted Christ, believe in His perfect example and loving redemption, and have allowed Him to change us in some way at some point, but does it stop there? Is accepting it simply enough? Do we just continue to live the life we were living prior to this faith, but throw up few prayers here and there? Are we living out a relationship with Christ or are we attempting to have the best of both worlds?
I have found that so often we will offer a prayer in a time of need, check off our bible reading for the day or week, try to live by our moral guidelines, and get nothing out of any of it other than the pseudo-satisfaction that we have done our "Christian deeds" for the time being. We pray, but may not actually expect anything to happen. We read His word, but do not take the time to comprehend, learn, and grow. We know our moral compass, but we make excuses to toe the line or even cross it more often than not.
I believe this all stems from the lack of a real relationship with God. We must be in constant communication, fully committed to hearing His still small voice, and growing closer to the One who gave it all in order to develop this relationship. When we distance ourselves from Him, we are prone to falling back into our old lives, into the temptations that so easily entangle us, and losing sight of that relationship altogether. This falling back into worldly ways in written about in Galatians.
Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?
~Galatians 4:8-9
Why do we allow ourselves to fall back? I believe whole-heartedly that this occurs when we lose sight of our intimate relationship with Christ, when we stop serving Him with our whole hearts and instead just go through the motions. When we take notice of how we are living our lives, I believe that many of us have allowed ourselves at one time or another to sink back and lose sight of this real relationship with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for you, He longs for an open line of communication, to share with You His plans for your life, to lavish you with love and forgiveness, and for you to truly get to know Him. When we fully surrender to this life, to this real relationship with Christ, I believe our lives will look less like Galatians 4:8-9 and a lot more like Psalm 63:1-4.
O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in your sanctuary
and gazed upon your power and glory.
Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!
I will praise you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
~Psalm 63:1-4
When we truly enter into that real relationship with Christ, the relationship He has intended for us all along, it will no longer feel like an obligation. Rather, going to Christ with everything in our lives will become a necessity. We will thirst for Him, ache for Him, and crave to have more of Him. When we can accept that our relationship with Christ is the aspect of Christianity of the utmost importance, then we can truly be freed from that old life and begin to delve deeper into an unforgettable journey with our Savior, Jesus Christ. Seek Him out, talk with Him at every moment of your life, live out your faith, and before you know it, that real relationship that you have been seeking for so long with be laid out right in front of you, growing deeper, wider, and fuller with every passing moment. It is something I guarantee you will not regret.
I have found that so often we will offer a prayer in a time of need, check off our bible reading for the day or week, try to live by our moral guidelines, and get nothing out of any of it other than the pseudo-satisfaction that we have done our "Christian deeds" for the time being. We pray, but may not actually expect anything to happen. We read His word, but do not take the time to comprehend, learn, and grow. We know our moral compass, but we make excuses to toe the line or even cross it more often than not.
I believe this all stems from the lack of a real relationship with God. We must be in constant communication, fully committed to hearing His still small voice, and growing closer to the One who gave it all in order to develop this relationship. When we distance ourselves from Him, we are prone to falling back into our old lives, into the temptations that so easily entangle us, and losing sight of that relationship altogether. This falling back into worldly ways in written about in Galatians.
Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?
~Galatians 4:8-9
Why do we allow ourselves to fall back? I believe whole-heartedly that this occurs when we lose sight of our intimate relationship with Christ, when we stop serving Him with our whole hearts and instead just go through the motions. When we take notice of how we are living our lives, I believe that many of us have allowed ourselves at one time or another to sink back and lose sight of this real relationship with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for you, He longs for an open line of communication, to share with You His plans for your life, to lavish you with love and forgiveness, and for you to truly get to know Him. When we fully surrender to this life, to this real relationship with Christ, I believe our lives will look less like Galatians 4:8-9 and a lot more like Psalm 63:1-4.
O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in your sanctuary
and gazed upon your power and glory.
Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!
I will praise you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
~Psalm 63:1-4
When we truly enter into that real relationship with Christ, the relationship He has intended for us all along, it will no longer feel like an obligation. Rather, going to Christ with everything in our lives will become a necessity. We will thirst for Him, ache for Him, and crave to have more of Him. When we can accept that our relationship with Christ is the aspect of Christianity of the utmost importance, then we can truly be freed from that old life and begin to delve deeper into an unforgettable journey with our Savior, Jesus Christ. Seek Him out, talk with Him at every moment of your life, live out your faith, and before you know it, that real relationship that you have been seeking for so long with be laid out right in front of you, growing deeper, wider, and fuller with every passing moment. It is something I guarantee you will not regret.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Live it Out!
Last night ,at the Agape bon fire, the topic of discussion quickly landed on that of living out the Christian faith. The open and honest conversation lead to discovering how we strive so hard to be good in athletics, or music, or arts, or our careers, and yet we rarely put forth such an effort in our Christian life. I have blogged before about getting too comfortable in our Christian life, and again it is such an important reminder to strive each day to advance our faith, grow closer to our Maker, and work at becoming a reflection of Jesus Christ. We must align our attitude with that of Christ, longing to follow His example, and realizing that everyday is another opportunity to get to know Him more, live out His will for our lives, and advance not only our faith, but the faith and walk of those around us.
Verse:
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
~James 2:17-18
We must take every opportunity to demonstrate our faith in order to grow closer to Him. These good works written about in James should be the product of our faith, not an obligation. By simply knowing and believing in Jesus Christ, there comes a longing to serve Him, but we so easily repress that urge with excuses of our own accord. It is time to throw off those excuses that hinder us from doing what we are called to do, it is time to take that next step in your faith walk with Christ; He has been waiting with His arms wide open. It is simply time to live it out! We have this faith and are saved by His grace, but why let that faith sit idle is fizzle out? We need to act on it!
The leading cause of atheism in this world is "Christians". Those who do not believe in Christ watch what those who consider themselves Christians and are turned off by the hypocrisy they see. It is time to take a look at ourselves, and decide if we are living out the faith we claim to have. Let us not be a cause of atheism any longer, but rather a generation that breaks those chains, lives out their faith in Jesus Christ, and leads so many more to the Cross of Salvation! No more excuses, but instead prayer, works, and walking the walk; it is time to live it out!
Verse:
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
~James 2:17-18
We must take every opportunity to demonstrate our faith in order to grow closer to Him. These good works written about in James should be the product of our faith, not an obligation. By simply knowing and believing in Jesus Christ, there comes a longing to serve Him, but we so easily repress that urge with excuses of our own accord. It is time to throw off those excuses that hinder us from doing what we are called to do, it is time to take that next step in your faith walk with Christ; He has been waiting with His arms wide open. It is simply time to live it out! We have this faith and are saved by His grace, but why let that faith sit idle is fizzle out? We need to act on it!
The leading cause of atheism in this world is "Christians". Those who do not believe in Christ watch what those who consider themselves Christians and are turned off by the hypocrisy they see. It is time to take a look at ourselves, and decide if we are living out the faith we claim to have. Let us not be a cause of atheism any longer, but rather a generation that breaks those chains, lives out their faith in Jesus Christ, and leads so many more to the Cross of Salvation! No more excuses, but instead prayer, works, and walking the walk; it is time to live it out!
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