Friday, March 18, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Where he leads I will follow...bearing my cross
The lyrics to "Where he leads" states I will follow ( Christ) through the water, the gardens, dark Calvary, judgments and then to glory". Paul was a mighty apostle/disciple of God. In his early days he persecuted the Church of Jesus Christ until he had a encounter with the living God and he was forever changed. I know sometimes when I read the word and I see all the testimonies and miracles that God worked through him and I think, "Lord, give me Paul boldness, his courage, his fire, his testimony" But His life didn't just consist of "mountain tops" with Jesus Christ. He followed Jesus through the gardens, the valley and persecutions. In 2 Corinthians 11, talks about everything that Paul suffered for the kingdom of God and everything he's encountered as Christian.
Sometimes we forget that part as Christians, ( I know I do). We want all the heavenly and miraculously experiences with Jesus, but we are hesitant to walk through the Garden of Gethsemane with him. I feel that God has been saying that to me for the last day, "Are you willing?" "Are you willing to walk with me through the Garden Gethsemane" The Garden of Gethsemane was a deep place of agony. The word of God says, that Jesus spirit was so heavy that he felled upon the ground and prayed. He said, "Father take this cup from me,but not my will, but your will be done..." He sweat was like droplets of blood, that's how heavy and burden Jesus was for the sins of the nations. He knew what the will of the father was and he willing and even in his weakness, his heart's cry was, "Not my will, but your will be done". The Lord is saying to me personally, " I'm going to take you through some deep places while doing the work of God...Are you willing to follow me? Are you willing to take the cup, I'm giving to you? Are you willing to follow me? I don't believe God is just saying this to me, I believe that God is saying this as well to those of us who are listening to the heart of God. We all must bear our cross. ( 27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27) We can't say we want Jesus, but yet we aren't bearing our cross, we aren't following after him through the Garden or to the cross.
Sometimes we forget that part as Christians, ( I know I do). We want all the heavenly and miraculously experiences with Jesus, but we are hesitant to walk through the Garden of Gethsemane with him. I feel that God has been saying that to me for the last day, "Are you willing?" "Are you willing to walk with me through the Garden Gethsemane" The Garden of Gethsemane was a deep place of agony. The word of God says, that Jesus spirit was so heavy that he felled upon the ground and prayed. He said, "Father take this cup from me,but not my will, but your will be done..." He sweat was like droplets of blood, that's how heavy and burden Jesus was for the sins of the nations. He knew what the will of the father was and he willing and even in his weakness, his heart's cry was, "Not my will, but your will be done". The Lord is saying to me personally, " I'm going to take you through some deep places while doing the work of God...Are you willing to follow me? Are you willing to take the cup, I'm giving to you? Are you willing to follow me? I don't believe God is just saying this to me, I believe that God is saying this as well to those of us who are listening to the heart of God. We all must bear our cross. ( 27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27) We can't say we want Jesus, but yet we aren't bearing our cross, we aren't following after him through the Garden or to the cross.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Reasonable Service
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1
As Christians, we like to think that this life of Christ is extreme, difficult, or out of the ordinary. We seem to think that we are doing God a huge favor just for walking with him. In Romans, Paul says in so many words, I beg you that you give your lives as a daily sacrifice to God. Our lives should be holy, pure, set-apart, ready for God's return. Reasonable service means that, what God is calling us to is fair and sensible request. What more could we do? When God himself gave us his son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world. It was my sin, It was your sin, it was the world's sin that nailed him to the cross. Someone had to die, a payment was needed for the transgressions and God gave himself for us.
"13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Titus 2:13-14 That is why the standard for us as Christians is to deny ungodliness, and worldly lust and to live soberly and righteously and godly in the present world! Oh God...The scripture says, Looking for that blessed hope of the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior and Jesus Christ! Christ gave himself for us. He gave himself for me! So he can redeem you and I! What more can we do, BUT to give him our lives!! Its our reasonable service....
As Christians, we like to think that this life of Christ is extreme, difficult, or out of the ordinary. We seem to think that we are doing God a huge favor just for walking with him. In Romans, Paul says in so many words, I beg you that you give your lives as a daily sacrifice to God. Our lives should be holy, pure, set-apart, ready for God's return. Reasonable service means that, what God is calling us to is fair and sensible request. What more could we do? When God himself gave us his son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world. It was my sin, It was your sin, it was the world's sin that nailed him to the cross. Someone had to die, a payment was needed for the transgressions and God gave himself for us.
"13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Titus 2:13-14 That is why the standard for us as Christians is to deny ungodliness, and worldly lust and to live soberly and righteously and godly in the present world! Oh God...The scripture says, Looking for that blessed hope of the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior and Jesus Christ! Christ gave himself for us. He gave himself for me! So he can redeem you and I! What more can we do, BUT to give him our lives!! Its our reasonable service....
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
This world has nothing for me
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. ( Romans 12:2)"Everywhere you go, the world is pressing on every man's mind"- Pastor Don Shoots. I find truth in that statement because just attending a University; you can see how the schools wants the students to conform to their beliefs and idelogies. Even outside of school, you see how every man walks according to his own will or beliefs or the major trend. ( When I say trend; i'm not referring to fashion) Even as Christians and it should not be so. God tells us not to conform to this world. Conform means to comply, bend to standards or what is acceptable in society. God requires for our mind to be renewed in Christ Jesus. Once we have the mind of Christ, we can walk in the perfect will of God and they're wouldn't be such a struggle in this life. Can you imagine? Walking in the pefect will of God? Walking in the perfect plan of God for our lives? The enemy wants our mind to be conformed to this world, so we can be continue to walk in darkness. You may say, How am I walking in darkness? I'm not really sinning. I'm a good person or I don't really do bad things. But, the standard is for us to walk in the perfect will of God. Help us lord. We get caught up our own personal goal or ambitions. We do things in the strength of ourselves. Everything we see is so short-lived. We fail to see the long term vision of what God has called us too. We are to be a people ready for Christ's return. How are we getting ready when we are so consumed with this life. We compromise and expect God to move on our behalf. We aren't focus enough.
Personally, I'm a student at a University, but I'm not committed to school anymore. I use to say God was before school, but my actions put school ahead of God. I know this world has nothing for me.
Personally, I'm a student at a University, but I'm not committed to school anymore. I use to say God was before school, but my actions put school ahead of God. I know this world has nothing for me.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Glorying in my infirmities
God is showing me the state of man...how weak we are without him. God tells us to do something; of course we obey him, but we go in the strength of our flesh and then we fail. Time and time again. I've come to realize that I don't care if my weakness is ever before me; as long as the power of Christ is resting upon me; I'm fine with that. As long as I know Jesus is with me and my weakness is made perfect through Christ's strength. I refuse to perfect myself through the flesh."Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh" Galations 3:3 I will glory in my infirmities and weakness.
"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corithians 7:19"
"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corithians 7:19"
Sunday, February 6, 2011
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