A royal priesthood

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9, 10 ESV)

There is coming a day soon in which this will happen.  My soul longs for that day.  Christ alone is worthy and He has made all believers a kingdom and priests to God.  What a glorious day it will be!  Amen!

Walk in integrity

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. (Proverbs 10:9 ESV)

If what we say and what we do are at odds with one another, then there is no discerning the good from the bad in the court of public opinion.  Say a man walked into a bank with $5.85 in his pocket and proceeded to rob the bank of $499 staying underneath the $500 threshold for grand theft.  When officers arrest the man they find the man with $504.85 cents on his person, how much is his likely to be charged with stealing?  If you had just witnessed the robbery, would you believe him if he said that $5.85 was his?  My guess is, no.  This is the same challenge we face by choosing to be Christ followers.  We are not perfect, nor will we be in this world, however how we behave needs to line up with our actions or else, just like the robber, no one is going to believe anything we have to say.  It's not an easy road, and it means eating some humble pie along the way.  We can't be perfect, but we can be honest and show people the difference between making mistakes and living a perpetual life of habitual sin.

So tonight, I'm praying that God would show me the areas in my life that Need attention, and I pray that you also would seek Him on ways in which He wishes to work in your life.  It's not easy, but He will never leave or forsake us.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV)

Tonight I went a little old school with the KJV, mainly because this is how I remember this verse.  Let me be forthright in telling you that no matter who you are, in the last 24 hours, someone has lied to you.  You may not even know it yet, but it is true.  The weird thing, is that no matter how big or small the lie was, if you want it to be true, you will be able to find people willing to band together with you to tell you that you are right.  This is what happens when men rely on each other to be the compass.  God's word is very clear in this passage in 2 corinthians 10:5 that we are to cast down any idea that would go against the knowledge of God.  We are not just called to cast it down, but to force these ideas under the obedience of Christ.  If it doesn't work in the context of the knowledge of God and the obedience of Christ, it is to be cast down, discard it, not going to work, incompatible.  We must be sure that our compass is God, lest we be lead astray and get far off course..and it only takes the first step to begin walking the deceived path towards destruction, ruin, heartache, and things you can never undo.  The best action is to avoid that path, check your compass, which had better be the word of God.  

Tonight, if you find yourself on that dark path, and are struggling to know which way to go, cry out to God.  Get to a church, ask a Christian in your life about how God has been their light in a dark place.  His word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path...we only need to turn it on by opening the pages of His Holy Word.

Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego and Ephesians 4

They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:18-24 ESV)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18 ESV)

Today our pastor spoke on Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego.  I came heart to heart with something that disturbed me.  They were unwilling to bow down and worship the idol, they were adamant about upholding their faith in the one true God.  Look at the powerful statement that comes from Daniel 3:16-18, they were not going to bow no matter the cost.  Even with their very lives on the line, they would not give God's glory to another.  The thing that disturbed me is how rampant sin is in today's society...even inside the church.  How is it that we have come so far as being willing to die so that God is worshipped above all, to behaving as if we we have unlimited free passes to go on sinning?

Now understand, I am not saying that God's grace has limits, however, there is a real heart issue if there is no change in our behavior when we come to Christ.  Can you imagine saying to a powerful ruler in today's world "I would sooner die than <insert request>?  How about " I would rather die than tell a lie"?  Or I would rather die than <insert sin>.  Surprisingly enough, I had an even more despicable thought...it wouldn't be so bad to die like that...but it sure would be hard to live like that.  

I skip now to Ephesians 4:18-24, this makes it perfectly clear that we are to cast off the old corrupt, deceitful self, and put on the new self created after the likeness of God.  We must experience REAL change in our lives and continually seek to choose what is in HIS best interest with no regard for ourselves.  We are called to be tender hearted, kind, and forgiving to one another.  

I submit tonight that it is a heart issue through and through.  We must choose to exalt God in all that we do and anything less is giving God's glory to things that are unworthy.  We must not just be willing to die for His glory, we must be willing to LIVE for His glory, every hour, everyday.  Seek Him daily, renew your mind in Christ, and be prepared to be persecuted for it.  Then when persecution comes, as it always does, stand strong, speak boldly, do not waiver, and above all glorify HIS name.  Amen!

Until the whole world hears

This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. (Matthew 13:13-17 ESV)

This passage saddens me.  Just as in the time of Jesus, people today don't even know they are lost. It is so easy to get caught up in the things of the world and never give a second thought about what is after this life.  If you count yourself as a Christ follower, than we have a mission to tell the whole world of the love of God, the sacrifice of Christ, and the salvation that comes with a relationship with Jesus.  Never stop, until the whole world hears or Christ returns.  

Do you Come to Church or Go to Church?

And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.” (Matthew 9:33, 34 ESV)

In a way, this passage reminds me of reading a modern day news story.  One side believes that Jesus is doing good, the other side believes him to have ill intent or to be doing the work of Satan.  This type of reaction is seen all through out scripture, those who choose to accept, without need for proof (faith) and those who choose to refuse to accept, regardless of the facts (lack of faith).  

I found myself thinking this week about 2 statements that at first glance seem to be the same, yet after taking a closer look, I think there is some merit in them actually being different.  Here are the 2 statements.

1. I come to church.

2. I go to church.

Which one do you identify yourself with if you had to choose?  I have heard people use these expressions interchangeably my entire life and never thought anything of it until recently.  I actually think that these are 2 different groups of people after giving it a lot of thought.  "Come" & "go" are actually opposites if you think about it.  Have you ever heard someone say "They come and go as they please" or other phrases where the 2 are used as opposites?  I know that I have and I'm quite confident that most people have.  "Come" would be the act of moving towards something, approaching, drawing near, or being called.  "Go" would be the act of moving, taking action, or being told to move or take action.  This was eye opening to me because it made me realize that people are attending church with different motivations.  Some are seeking something, some are giving something, some are being called to action, others are being being told to take action (could be God, family member, etc)some are checking a box so they're "covered", and a whole other host of reasons.  At the end of the day though, both groups are at church.  Sometimes, this intermingling of reasons can lead to situations like the one in Matthew 9:33-34, where the Pharisees take issue with Jesus casting out demons.  God does an amazing thing in someone else's life, and someone is there to snatch the joy away from them and tell them it was not God, but something else.  The Holy Spirit moves mightily during service and someone is quick to change subjects to it being too dark, too cold, too loud, etc.  There is something fundamentally wrong here.  This is what got me thinking about "Come" & "Go".  I actually think that "Come & Go" are a lot like breathing, inhaling and exhaling, if you don't do one, you can't do the other.  We should COME to church, with a gentleness, kindness, seeking God, wanting to draw close to God and other believers, seeking what God wants from us and how we can help others, and we should GO out of Church ready to take action, demonstrate kindness, execute God's plan, and serve others.  If we get the order of these backwards, we risk becoming as the Pharisees, viewing everything through the eyes of our plans, not God's plans and how it must be Satan messing up our plans.  In fact, if we are never in the mindset of "Coming" to God, and always about "Go", we will never get beyond ourselves and get to God's plan.  

Well pleased

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21, 22 ESV)

Have you ever watched rays of sun light shine through a cloud?  The light hits it just right and it looks like many focused beams of light illuminating whatever is underneath.  This is what plays out inside my head when I read this passage.  When I read those words that everyone of us longs to hear, I hear a warm, confident, loving, compassionate tone.  What a way to set the stage for all that was to follow.  Thankful tonight for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Hearing for the first time

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. (Acts 10:34-38 ESV)

In today's culture, it is difficult to comprehend someone hearing the gospel message for the first time, much less from someone who was there.  When I read this encounter, it brings such joy, yet society today often turns a deaf ear to the hope and salvation that is found in Christ.  Many choose instead to seek to glorify themselves in the temporary world and give no credence to the eternal.  I pray tonight that the message of the gospel and the hope that it brings would fall from our lips generously, live in our hearts with conviction, and be demonstrated in love to all that we encounter.  If you have questions about how to become a Christ follower, feel free to reach out and ask.  Amen!

"Road Blocks"

24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,27 that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,28 for
“In him we live and move and have our being;

as even some of your own poets have said,
“For we are indeed his offspring.(Acts 17;24-28)
Today I spent a lot of time thinking about "road blocks".  "Road blocks" could also be known as problems, trials, challenges, etc.  We all have learned at some point in our life that the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line, yet often times, there are obstacles that must be gone around, over, under, through, etc, hence the "Road Blocks".  Each of these solutions require either greater distance in travel, or greater effort, or perhaps both.   I found myself thinking more about the problem itself and potential solutions, than thinking about whether the logic was flawed to begin with.  You see, I'm not talking about physical "Road Blocks", I'm talking about things in our lives that turn into barriers that inhibit forward motion.  This is a very frustrating experience for anyone to be in.  No one wants to have a problem that they feel is unsolvable.  Tonight's passage comes from Acts 17, where Paul is having a conversation with some of the great philosophers of the ages, referencing their statue of "The Unknown God".  Paul explains to these philosophers, that God doesn't live in temples made by men, and needs nothing from us.  God is the creator, He made mankind, and set the boundaries on their lives and dwellings.  God doesn't need us, but He wants us to draw near to him and find Him.  Then Paul goes on to say "In Him we live and move and have our being".  The point I would submit tonight is that though we have laws of physics, time, chemistry, biology, etc, NONE of them apply to God.  These laws of men can not even begin to contain, describe, or other wise limit the Creator.  With God there is another way, because He IS the creator. With God there is another way, because He is not far from each of us.  With God there is another way because "In Him we live and move and have our being".  With God there is another way and it is in Him.  I don't know what "Road Blocks" you are facing in your life tonight, whatever it is, just know that with God all things are possible, and that "In Him we live and move and have our being".  

Change who you are

Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” (Genesis 32:28 ESV)

God changed Jacob's identity that morning.  He gave Jacob a new name, Israel.  Jacob wrestled God all night, and his life was spared (though he walked with a limp from then on).  I think this passage of scripture is so overlooked.  Jacobs identity changed in an instant do to his encounter with God.  He became the father of an entire nation.  

Do you ever feel like God has changed who you are?  Maybe he hasn't literally changed your name, but He has changed your identity.  Sometimes this change is painful, it leaves us with a limp as a reminder of where we have been and what we have been through. The other side of the struggle brings glory to Him, and gives us all the more reason to praise Him, as His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Let your yes be yes and your no be no

12But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. (James 5;12)

Our reputation of making good on what we say has implications far beyond what we may realize.  If I say I am going to do something and do not do it, then that make me unreliable.  If I say that I'm busy and can't help out, when in fact I am free, but don't want to help, that makes me a liar.  God expects us to be honest in our communication and stick to our guns.  If we say yes, then we need to mean it and if we say no, we need to mean it as well.  This is how the world will look upon us and judge the message that we have been entrusted to give them.

Establish, direct, steadfastness

But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. (2 Thessalonians 3:3-5 ESV)

Establish, direct, steadfastness.  These are the three words that stand out to me in this passage.  This provides a complete picture of our lives as Christ followers.  "He will establish you"-this is the beginning of our walk, "may The Lord direct our hearts"-this is the day to day following after Christ, and "the steadfastness of Christ"-this is the eternal sustainment of Christ through His shed blood.  Remember we are saved by grace through faith in Christ...Christ + Nothing = Everything.

Bless the Lord

"1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,and all that is within me,bless his holy name!2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits,3who forgives all your iniquity,who heals all your diseases,4who redeems your life from the pit,who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,5who satisfies you with goodso that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s." (Psalms 103;1-5)

Tonight, I find myself amazed...more than that, I can't even put it into words.  These last few, seemingly long, months, God allowed my faith to be tested.  Time and again, I found myself fighting a constant battle to rely on myself rather than rely on God.  I kept thinking back to Abraham and how He chose to "help" God give him a son and the result was Ishmael, though Isaac was God's perfect plan, just not in the time frame or manner in which Abraham thought was reasonable.  I have learned that when I rely on my own understanding, like Abraham, I create more problems for myself than if I would have just trusted God to begin with.  So in this particular trial, I refused to take action, even though in my mind, I thought that I could resolve things myself much faster.  It was VERY difficult, at times I was even angry with God for putting me in the situation to begin with.  I prayed, my wife prayed, others prayed, and yet I still felt like nothing was getting closer to being resolved.  I didn't understand why, I felt dejected and confused...but I'm stubborn, so I refused to take matters into my own hands...and tonight God took over.  Tonight, God figuratively delivered Isaac, because He is faithful, true, and just.  Tonight, God blessed me and I am so happy, and yet at the same time so humbled...for who am I to be blessed by the Almighty One?  I'm moved to tears tonight, tears of great joy. So tonight I sing "Bless the Lord, O my soul" along with David and millions of others who have gone before.  All glory, honor, and praise go to Him! This has been an amazing journey thus far, and He keeps drawing me closer..and I can't wait to see what He has in store for me next. I'm sorry for being so vague, if you would like a more detailed account, feel free to talk to me or shoot me an email.  

On a final note, I know that there will be many who read this who are in the midst of their own struggle.  I'm praying for you tonight.  Give God praise regardless of where you are, draw close to Him, and eventually He will make His path known to you.  God Bless!

We don't need the approval of others

In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he? (Isaiah 2:20-22 ESV)

Day in and day out we find ourselves seeking the approval of others.  This is a hopeless effort for ourselves, for even if the approval of others is gained, it comes at a great eternal price.  If we would only choose to seek His glory in spite of other's desires, the world we would be a far better place.  Praying for change tonight, for all believers in Christ.

Surrounded

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 125:2 ESV)

There is so much that we do not understand.  There is so much that we do not know.  There is so much that we fear and so many trials that we do not understand.  In the midst of all of these things that appear as mountains in our lives, He surrounds us.  Everywhere we look, His glory is found, and we are forever in the shadow of His greatness.

Something is nothing

For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Galatians 6:3 ESV)

Perhaps it is not so bad to be one selfs own worst critic.

By His stripes

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53;5)

This is one of my all time favorite passages of scripture.  One thing that stands out is that it is a prophecy.  Clearly God had given Isaiah this vision of the suffering that Christ would experience and Isaiah understood that it was all for our sake.  This brings to mind that God knows our future.  He already knows everything that we have done or will do, and still He loves us and never stops pursuing us.  That's love...

Mosquitos

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18 ESV)

I took a walk tonight in the amazingness of God's creation.  I saw many flowers, trees, plants, animals, and insects.  I was particularly pleased with the firefly, what an amazing Creator we have!  I then slapped my face and killed a mosquito.  The question popped into my mind "God, why did you make Mosquitos?"  I thought about the fact that they drink blood, spread disease, cause discomfort...then Genesis 2;18 came to mind.  Mosquitos can't live without blood, they are reliant upon other creatures for their very survival.  I started to think about this and came to the realization that God created all living things to have a symbiotic relationship.  No living thing on this earth is capable of living by itself... Especially us.  God created us to need Him, and then it dawned on me, we are no different than the mosquito.  We need the blood of Christ to survive, for without it we too shall perish.  

Losing focus is the path to sin

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1, 2 ESV)

When we turn fom the world towards Christ, our purpose and passion goes from seeking pleasure in the things of the flesh to seeking the will of God.  It's not that we won't sin, it's that now our purpose and passion is no longer motivated by it.  We are instead motivated by God and the direction that He provides every minute of everyday.  When that is our purpose and passion, sin comes around when we lose focus.

Hopeless

The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. (Proverbs 10:28 ESV)

Without our faith in Christ, we have no hope, nor does the world around us...all is doomed.  Imagine a world where there is no "best case" scenario, no chance for change, everything eventually dies, and that is all...there is nothing that anyone can do about it, that's just the way it is.  It's not a pretty picture is it?  Whatever you imagined in your "hopeless" scenario, that is what the world would be like without Christ followers in it.  Our faith in Christ shines the light of hope into even the darkest of places.  Our great hope in Christ gives the world reason to believe that there is a "best case" scenario, that people can change, that our lives are impactful to others and that death is not the end.  That hope brings joy. It brings joy because with Christ all things are possible.  It brings joy because all things that were impossible, become possible.  There is no guarantee that following Christ will fix <fill in the blank>, this is not a prosperity message.  Whether people accept Christ or reject Him, there is no hope without Him. 

Attitude is a dangerous thing

God reassured the Angel-Messenger—good words, comforting words—who then addressed me: “Tell them this. Tell them that God -of-the-Angel-Armies has spoken. This is God ’s Message: ‘I care deeply for Jerusalem and Zion. I feel very possessive of them. But I’m thoroughly angry with the godless nations that act as if they own the whole world. I was only moderately angry earlier, but now they’ve gone too far. I’m going into action. (Zechariah 1:13-15 MSG)

Tonight's passage is from "the Message" translation.  I like how this version spells out God's anger over people acting like they own the whole world.  This brought to my mind several different images:

The "entitled" adult-we all know someone like this.  This person feels that they are owed something, regardless of a valid reason or not.  This type of person grumbles continuously about inequality and how they have been treated unjustly or unfairly.

The child-specifically little kids who seem to think "if I can see it, touch it, feel it, etc, it's mine".

The show off-this is the look at me person who flaunts everything they have and routinely goes out of their way to get the attention of others.

The bitter person- not the same as the entitled person, this person just dislikes life, their worldview is strictly negative.

There are a bunch more that can be identified, but all 4 of these have the same problem.  They are all focussed on self.  They are all focussed on promoting their self image, damaging others, or possibly both.  Just like a magician wants you to focus on one thing while actually doing something completely different, that is what Satan does in these examples.  Satan tricks these types of people, and at some point, all of us into believing that these feelings are true.  We begin to believe that we really are owed something, or that everything should be "mine", or that we can have everyone look at us as an "example" of someone who has it all or has arrived, or perhaps we are just angry because the good stuff always seems to happen to someone else.  This is just another example of mankind trying to assert themselves and their authority on a world that was made to glorify God, not to glorify mankind.  

Obedience leads to the destination

Don’t continue doing things the way we’re doing them at present, each of us doing as we wish. Until now you haven’t arrived at the goal, the resting place, the inheritance that God, your God, is giving you. But the minute you cross the Jordan River and settle into the land God, your God, is enabling you to inherit, he’ll give you rest from all your surrounding enemies. You’ll be able to settle down and live in safety. (Deuteronomy 12:8-10 MSG)

God has a plan, a purpose, a final destination for each of us.  There may be great trials along the way, yet in the end He will give us rest.  It's all about God enabling us through our obedience to Him.

One step at a time

You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. (Deuteronomy 13:4 ESV)

Walk after:pursue, follow in His footsteps

Fear: respect, honor Him, keep, obey, do not deviate from

Obey: heed, bring to fruition, fulfill a command

Serve: to do for another, bringing items to another, waiting upon another

After looking at this passage in light of these simplified synonyms, I read it to say that we should follow in the Lord's footsteps, respecting, honoring, and not deviating from the path that He has laid for us, heeding His voice, looking to fulfill His every command, doing whatever He has for us to do.  

A tall order to be sure, one step at a time.

Who are you really?

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? (James 4:1 ESV)

James chapter 4 talks about the constant struggle between the world and righteousness.  I recently had an epiphany.  I have always been a hard working, goal oriented, do whatever it takes to be successful, kind of person, especially at work.  There is nothing inherently wrong with this, however, I also noticed that outside of work, I don't necessarily place the same values on these attributes...As a matter of fact, outside of the workplace i think I'm actually more other people centered.  I've spent a good portion of my professional life trying to be more like my work self in my personal life, than trying to just be me all of the time.  Tonight's scripture gives some validity to this and serves to motivate through some changes in my life.  i am focusing on getting rid of that guy at work and instead just being who God made me to be...sounds so simple, but it has been amazingly eye opening!   

No gimmicks, just faith

"Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. And you murmured in your tents and said, "Because the Lord hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. (Deuteronomy 1:26, 27 ESV)

The human factor is this passage is very endearing and convicting at the same time.   At this point, the Israelites had countless encounters with God, yet still, even after many years of God sustaining them in the desert, they questioned His motives.  How often do we find ourselves in similar situations?  We have a lifetime of experiences to tell us that God loves us and cares for us.  That He has plans to prosper us and not to harm us.  Yet at the first signs of adversity, we are quick to point the finger and say that His plan all along was to bring us into destruction.  These are the moments that we need to reflect on who God is in our lives, what He has done in the past, what He is doing now, and what He wants to do in our future.  God is unchanging, His faithfulness never wains.  When we feel doubt and uncertainty, that is the time to believe even more and step out in faith.  It's not easy, but that is how we walk with Him.  No gimmicks, just faith.

Freedom

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. (Galatians 5:13-15 ESV)

On July 4th in the USA, freedom is undoubtedly on my mind today.  I pray today that all who experience vast freedom, would in turn serve one another.  If we could all find a way to be less self focused and more "others" focussed, God's word would spread the globe 10 fold and His love would be magnified even more!

Spiritual atrophy

praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:18-20 ESV)

Today I read an article about a study that shows that just as muscles atrophy, so do our brains, specifically the study was about social interactions related to the use of technology (texting, email, social media, etc).  The study showed that biological social cues began to degrade when individuals engaged in fewer in person interactions while distracted by their various mobile devices.  Eventually, the social cues disappeared all together.  Simply put, just like our muscles experience atrophy, so do our brains when we don't engage in certain activities on a regular basis.  This got me to thinking about "spiritual atrophy".  Wouldn't you agree that if you stop/reduce praying, that your relationship with God suffers or that if you stop/reduce the amount of time you spend in the Word, the less you see God's movement in your life?  Just like our muscles and our social skills, if we do not use our spiritual skills, they too will dull and eventually cease to work all together.  Tonight's passage out of Ephesians speaks exactly to this point.  We are to pray at all times, keeping alert, opening our mouths to proclaim the gospel boldly.  The enemy does not want this to happen and will do everything possible to weaken our position, until we feel like we have lost all contact with things spiritual, then the enemy will start whispering to us, questioning the vey existence of God Himself.

The only way to prevent any sort of atrophy, is through the continual use of that attribute.  We must be diligent to pray, spend time in the Word, proclaim the gospel, and serve each other.  This will cultivate an intimate relationship with Christ and the body of believers, preventing "spiritual atrophy".

We live in a world designed for the almighty

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16, 17 ESV)

We are so blessed to live in a world where everything was made by and for the almighty God.  Think about that the next time you see a sunset, feel a rain drop, or marvel at the stars.  He is gracious in letting us partake in the beauty of His creation and He holds it all together.  God does all that and more...nice to know He can handle our problems too!

I can see it from here...

4 And the LORD said to him, This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, I will give it to your offspring. I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD,(Deuteronomy 34;4-5)
Step by step, God leads us where He wants us to go.  It is easy to forget that though we are part of the story, it is HIS story.  Just like a character in a movie, book, or tv show, we can die at anytime.  Can you imagine how Moses felt, as he saw the promised land?  Then imagine how he felt when he was told that he was not going over there.  Can you imagine the heart ache that Moses felt? 
Here are a few things that came to my mind tonight:
1.  It's God's story, not ours...we are blessed to be a part of it in any roll at all.2.  God will share His glory with NO ONE!3.  Obedience comes in following the footsteps without knowing how or where the path ends.  This is the nature of faith.4.  God can and does use the past and the present to impact the future, whether we get to witness it first hand or not.
I don't know where God is calling you tonight, how He is moving in your life, or when it all ends for any of us.  What I can say is that the most important thing is that HE is glorified.  We are blessed to be a part of HIS story, and we should follow in obedience, no matter how obscure or unknown the path may be.  Finally, our actions, even though it is HIS story, can have immeasurable impacts on present and future generations desire to seek after God.