"You know when I sit down and when I rise up" -Psalm 139:2
When was the last time that you counted how many times over the course of the day that you went from a sitting to standing position? I wouldn't even be able to venture a decent guess as to what that might have been for today. And to be perfectly frank, who cares? What does something like that matter at all?....except to show us the personality of Jesus.
Our God is the God of details. He's ruler over all that is grand and even the minutia that we fail to consider. I'm about ready to start trusting him with more than just my ups and downs!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
He Asks Much and Gives Even More
"'By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld, your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.'" -Genesis 22:16-17
What an example Abraham is. He surrendered to an obedience so extreme as to sacrifice his son, yet with his willingness to hold nothing back from the Lord, God spared his son and blessed Abraham abundantly. What strikes me most about this passage lately is that those who God asks much of in the way of sacrifice, he uses greatly. Are we willing to act in obedience like Abraham so that we may be blessed by the privilege of being a tool of the one and only living God?
What an example Abraham is. He surrendered to an obedience so extreme as to sacrifice his son, yet with his willingness to hold nothing back from the Lord, God spared his son and blessed Abraham abundantly. What strikes me most about this passage lately is that those who God asks much of in the way of sacrifice, he uses greatly. Are we willing to act in obedience like Abraham so that we may be blessed by the privilege of being a tool of the one and only living God?
Friday, October 21, 2011
A Different Perspective
The picture above is from our hotel window, overlooking downtown Charlotte. As I peered over the edge, I watched the people below strolling along the sidewalks and in and out of stores. The perspective is so different than if I was on the ground. I can see two people, who have no idea that they are walking towards each other and see that if neither one of them moves quickly, one...or both of them just might end up swimming with the swans in the pond. You can see so much farther ahead from that perspective from the window.
That's like what the Lord sees in our lives. He sees everything near and far. He knows who and what we are going to run into down the road and he provides for us accordingly. WOW! I'm thankful that during times in the desert, our provider has planted the rivers that satisfy our hearts.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
It's Feels Special
"For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose." -Galatians 2:19- 21
This sums up the beauty of the gospel I think that our world needs to hear! Following Jesus is the most special thing I can imagine.
This sums up the beauty of the gospel I think that our world needs to hear! Following Jesus is the most special thing I can imagine.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
It Feels Like Joy
"Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices" -Psalm 16:9
"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." -Psalm 16:11
When I get really excited for something or am looking forward to something, I get loud and talk a lot (well...more than my normal "a lot")You know how sometimes you get really excited about something and people can just detect it when they're around you? Though that happiness is fleeting, all it takes is a rough class or a bad day at practice or an argument with someone you love to knock you off your horse of bliss. Living a life of continual ups and downs according to circumstances (happy one day, sad the next) is less than what God designed us for.
Great news!! He offers us himself that we might have unending joy in his presence.
Following Jesus feels like joy...it's not this plastic smile happiness all of the time or that "go get 'em" optimism always in the face of every hardship, but rather feeling loved by God regardless of the situation because of his faithfulness to his promises to us and his allowing us to glorify him!
"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." -Psalm 16:11
When I get really excited for something or am looking forward to something, I get loud and talk a lot (well...more than my normal "a lot")You know how sometimes you get really excited about something and people can just detect it when they're around you? Though that happiness is fleeting, all it takes is a rough class or a bad day at practice or an argument with someone you love to knock you off your horse of bliss. Living a life of continual ups and downs according to circumstances (happy one day, sad the next) is less than what God designed us for.
Great news!! He offers us himself that we might have unending joy in his presence.
Following Jesus feels like joy...it's not this plastic smile happiness all of the time or that "go get 'em" optimism always in the face of every hardship, but rather feeling loved by God regardless of the situation because of his faithfulness to his promises to us and his allowing us to glorify him!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
It Feels Like Hope
"We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf." -Hebrews 6:19
In everyday life, think about how many circumstantial things we base our hope on. How about time? Say you're playing a soccer game and your team has just gone a goal down. You look up at the clock to realize there are still 20 minutes left...there's hope for a comeback.
Maybe you snooze through your alarm on the morning you have to go to clinical. Once finally on the road, you hit a string of green lights and think to yourself, "there's still hope I'll make it in time, if I keep flowing with traffic this way."
Once at the hospital a patient codes and the response team manages to stabilize him. The doctor tells his family, "there's hope he'll live if we can perform emergency surgery to break up the clot within the next 24 hours." There's hope for her grade if she scores well on the next exam. There's hope for his job if he never again comes late or misses another meeting. There's hope.......IF.......
So much hope in this world is conditional. If something, then a favorable result. Jesus' death and resurrection took the "if" out of our hope statement as believers. Thanks to the UNCONDITIONAL (meaning no if's) love of our heavenly Father, our hope statement is not of this world. Instead of "there is hope if......" we can confidently proclaim: "There is and always will be hope because Jesus died to secure it, he already made a way for a one-on-one relationship with the God of love, and he made eternal salvation available after this world is over!"
Following Jesus feels like real, guaranteed, unconditional hope because the work to preserve it has already been done!
In everyday life, think about how many circumstantial things we base our hope on. How about time? Say you're playing a soccer game and your team has just gone a goal down. You look up at the clock to realize there are still 20 minutes left...there's hope for a comeback.
Maybe you snooze through your alarm on the morning you have to go to clinical. Once finally on the road, you hit a string of green lights and think to yourself, "there's still hope I'll make it in time, if I keep flowing with traffic this way."
Once at the hospital a patient codes and the response team manages to stabilize him. The doctor tells his family, "there's hope he'll live if we can perform emergency surgery to break up the clot within the next 24 hours." There's hope for her grade if she scores well on the next exam. There's hope for his job if he never again comes late or misses another meeting. There's hope.......IF.......
So much hope in this world is conditional. If something, then a favorable result. Jesus' death and resurrection took the "if" out of our hope statement as believers. Thanks to the UNCONDITIONAL (meaning no if's) love of our heavenly Father, our hope statement is not of this world. Instead of "there is hope if......" we can confidently proclaim: "There is and always will be hope because Jesus died to secure it, he already made a way for a one-on-one relationship with the God of love, and he made eternal salvation available after this world is over!"
Following Jesus feels like real, guaranteed, unconditional hope because the work to preserve it has already been done!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
It Feel Like Certainty
"Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths but do not speak; eyes, but no not see." -Psalm 115:2-5
Our God is large and in charge....he's actually alive and active. We all have gods of our live. A really easy way of identifying what it may be is by asking what the one thing is in your life that you simply cannot imagine life without? Without this, you'd fall apart, you'd feel purposeless, powerless, and poor. The reality is that the little "g" gods of our lives will inevitably fail us a some point or another. Just like this scripture makes clear, they are not alive.
When we make the big "G" God the ruler over our lives, peace, security, and certainty can ensue permanently. When we serve Jesus, we will never be victims of circumstance, and I like that. There is never anything that happens in your life that was the result of bad luck. Everything has a purpose for your benefit and his glory. One of my favorite life scriptures sums up what it's like to walk with Jesus....
"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my like; of whom shall I be afraid?" -Psalm 27:1
Following Jesus feels like certainty in all things present and to come, because in the past he paid the price for circumstance so we wouldn't have to!
Our God is large and in charge....he's actually alive and active. We all have gods of our live. A really easy way of identifying what it may be is by asking what the one thing is in your life that you simply cannot imagine life without? Without this, you'd fall apart, you'd feel purposeless, powerless, and poor. The reality is that the little "g" gods of our lives will inevitably fail us a some point or another. Just like this scripture makes clear, they are not alive.
When we make the big "G" God the ruler over our lives, peace, security, and certainty can ensue permanently. When we serve Jesus, we will never be victims of circumstance, and I like that. There is never anything that happens in your life that was the result of bad luck. Everything has a purpose for your benefit and his glory. One of my favorite life scriptures sums up what it's like to walk with Jesus....
"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my like; of whom shall I be afraid?" -Psalm 27:1
Following Jesus feels like certainty in all things present and to come, because in the past he paid the price for circumstance so we wouldn't have to!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
It Feels Like Salvation
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." -John 3:17
Simply defined, the word condemn means to express disapproval. I'm not sure at what point everything got twisted around and cartoons of God sending down lightning bolts grew to be the predominant picture of God, but according to his word, he sent Jesus to save us from disapproval, not strike us with it. When you have a perfect God and imperfect people, this is necessary. God loves you and he loves me and SENT...not might send if we are well behaved, not will do his best to send if he has time, not even is sending and you should expect arrival shortly....no he already sent his son to pay the price for every thing that we will do that hurts him...aka sin...so that "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1).
Following Jesus feels like salvation. And salvation means I don't have to get my life all neat and tiddy to bring before the throne of God, but can simply bring my broken pieces to him, unashamed because he came not to disapprove of me, but to save me!
This movie makes me cry every time. I think it's the single most beautiful thing this side of heaven when people proclaim what Jesus has done for them. (Make sure you watch the slides, they're so powerful).
Jesus Saves- Jeremy Camp
Simply defined, the word condemn means to express disapproval. I'm not sure at what point everything got twisted around and cartoons of God sending down lightning bolts grew to be the predominant picture of God, but according to his word, he sent Jesus to save us from disapproval, not strike us with it. When you have a perfect God and imperfect people, this is necessary. God loves you and he loves me and SENT...not might send if we are well behaved, not will do his best to send if he has time, not even is sending and you should expect arrival shortly....no he already sent his son to pay the price for every thing that we will do that hurts him...aka sin...so that "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1).
Following Jesus feels like salvation. And salvation means I don't have to get my life all neat and tiddy to bring before the throne of God, but can simply bring my broken pieces to him, unashamed because he came not to disapprove of me, but to save me!
This movie makes me cry every time. I think it's the single most beautiful thing this side of heaven when people proclaim what Jesus has done for them. (Make sure you watch the slides, they're so powerful).
Jesus Saves- Jeremy Camp
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
It Feels Like Love
"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." -John 15:13
"How great is the love of the Father has lavished on us, that we would be called the children of God." -1 John 3:1
The word "love" has so many different meanings to different people. If I said "love" to you, it is likely that you would associate it with a relationship. The intentionality of God in that regard is so evident in scripture. We were hand-designed to love others and to love Him. There is no stronger gesture of affection than to love on someone. And it's mind blowing to me that the Lord actually desires our attention....just think about that for a minute, he wants your love in reciprocation for his. His love was evidenced when he sent his Son to "lay down his life" for us. It was clear when he conquered the grave and defeated sin. And it was made available when he offered his Spirit to actively live in us that we might be able to experience real love every day.
Following Jesus feels like you're being loved like no one else can love you.
"How great is the love of the Father has lavished on us, that we would be called the children of God." -1 John 3:1
The word "love" has so many different meanings to different people. If I said "love" to you, it is likely that you would associate it with a relationship. The intentionality of God in that regard is so evident in scripture. We were hand-designed to love others and to love Him. There is no stronger gesture of affection than to love on someone. And it's mind blowing to me that the Lord actually desires our attention....just think about that for a minute, he wants your love in reciprocation for his. His love was evidenced when he sent his Son to "lay down his life" for us. It was clear when he conquered the grave and defeated sin. And it was made available when he offered his Spirit to actively live in us that we might be able to experience real love every day.
Following Jesus feels like you're being loved like no one else can love you.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
It Feels Like Freedom
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." -Galatians 5:1
We all have our yokes of slavery....a burden or two or twelve that weighs on us because of the presence of sin in this world and in our lives. They may be desires of the flesh, insecurity, fear, doubt, perfectionism, or success. They are those things that grab a hold of us, captivate our attention, time, passion, and focus, demanding we keep feeding them until they are satisfied. THEY LIE TO US. These parasite suck everything out of us with no return in the end. No matter how much money or success or friends or status or relationships....our hearts will never be made complete.
People say religion is so restrictive and maybe it is...but a relationship with Jesus Christ is freeing! He died so we didn't have to. He paid the price so we could live without condemnation. He rose and found victory over slavery to those empty things of this world. I love the way Louie Giglio puts it: if "we choose to hook our lives and chain our destinies to Jesus" we will be "free and fully alive."
Following Jesus feels like freedom!
We all have our yokes of slavery....a burden or two or twelve that weighs on us because of the presence of sin in this world and in our lives. They may be desires of the flesh, insecurity, fear, doubt, perfectionism, or success. They are those things that grab a hold of us, captivate our attention, time, passion, and focus, demanding we keep feeding them until they are satisfied. THEY LIE TO US. These parasite suck everything out of us with no return in the end. No matter how much money or success or friends or status or relationships....our hearts will never be made complete.
People say religion is so restrictive and maybe it is...but a relationship with Jesus Christ is freeing! He died so we didn't have to. He paid the price so we could live without condemnation. He rose and found victory over slavery to those empty things of this world. I love the way Louie Giglio puts it: if "we choose to hook our lives and chain our destinies to Jesus" we will be "free and fully alive."
Following Jesus feels like freedom!
Monday, October 3, 2011
It Feels Like Peace
"You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you." -Isaiah 26:3
A mind stayed on the Lord might look like a horse with those side blinders over his eyes that prevent the use of his peripherals. The horse can then only really focus on the path ahead, and therefore all distractions are eliminated from his field of vision. In the long run, with these blinders, the horse will stay the course.
When we focus in on Jesus, his everlasting love and the power of salvation in him, the Lord grants us perfect peace. And it's not a trade off, as though we give something and God returns the favor. Let's not try to barter with the God of the universe brothers and sisters. Jesus is peace and because the Lord knows our hearts, he knows that a heart focused in on him will ultimately be at peace.
You see, this world is uncertain, scary, and anything but peaceful most of the time, but if a mind stayed on Jesus is like a horse with blinders up, it blocks out the view of the world that brings all sorts of doubt and fear into our lives.
Following Jesus feels like perfect peace!!!
Perfect Peace- John Waller
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you." -Isaiah 26:3
A mind stayed on the Lord might look like a horse with those side blinders over his eyes that prevent the use of his peripherals. The horse can then only really focus on the path ahead, and therefore all distractions are eliminated from his field of vision. In the long run, with these blinders, the horse will stay the course.
When we focus in on Jesus, his everlasting love and the power of salvation in him, the Lord grants us perfect peace. And it's not a trade off, as though we give something and God returns the favor. Let's not try to barter with the God of the universe brothers and sisters. Jesus is peace and because the Lord knows our hearts, he knows that a heart focused in on him will ultimately be at peace.
You see, this world is uncertain, scary, and anything but peaceful most of the time, but if a mind stayed on Jesus is like a horse with blinders up, it blocks out the view of the world that brings all sorts of doubt and fear into our lives.
Following Jesus feels like perfect peace!!!
Perfect Peace- John Waller
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