Lessons From the Philippines I
Well, I just got back to my hotel from saying goodbye to some great people. I figure I would start sharing some things that are on my heart. Some things I got from my trip to the Philippines. This is the first part of a series. I don’t think that you can go to another country and not get some things that you learn from being there, and taking part in another culture. This series of posts is a result of not only my trip but what I learned and was reminded of before I went anywhere, so hang with me.
My friends came to the U.S. a little over 3 months ago to learn some of our jobs cause the company I work for is moving some jobs to the Philippines. Not everyone in the U.S. is that gracious when folks come to take your job. It’s not an easy thing to train your replacements. I don’t think anyone really likes it, but that’s just a reality in the world we are living in these days. I am thankful that I am keeping my job with the company, but I have had to say bye to some of my co-workers. That’s not an easy thing and there was a while I wondered if I would keep my job.
Lesson 1) Uncertainty is Certain
The only thing certain is that change is inevitable. We live in a world that is constantly changing, moving, spinning. Think about it, we live on a planet that is always spinning and orbiting the sun. The tectonic plates in which the continents are constantly moving, rubbing up against each other (earthquakes), spewing hot liquid rock and metal (volcanos). The oceans are always rising and falling (tides). The wind blows across the water and ground in constant movement, causing clouds to form, and rain, and plants animals and people to be affected by it. Even our hearts beat every second of our lives so we are in constant movement till the day we die.
If this is the case, why should we think that things in life won’t? Let’s look back in Ecclesiastes for a second:
Ecclesiastes 3
A Time for Everything
1For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2a time to be born, and a time to die;a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3a time to kill, and a time to heal;a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4a time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6a time to seek, and a time to lose;a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7a time to tear, and a time to sew;a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8a time to love, and a time to hate;a time for war, and a time for peace.
So many of us are tossed to and fro on the waves of our emotions, circumstances, and situations. One minute we are happy, another moment we are sad. One minute we thank God for His blessings, the next we are complaining about what He has given us. One minute we are happy about the church we attend, the next we are visiting another. One minute we are in love with our spouse, the next we are contemplating divorce.
Just because life is so uncertain, doesn’t require that we be so uncertain. There are things we can as Christians, can “hang our hat on” so to speak:
God loves us unconditionally
Romans 5:7-8
7For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Tough times will come
John 16:32-33
32Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
He did not leave us to fend for ourselves
John 16
13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Remember, change is inevitable. How we respond to change when we have an opportunity to show our maturity, or a an opportunity for God to show us where we need to mature so we can move toward our destiny in Him.
Kevin
Walking in Truth
My writing has been a lot more sporadic lately. I’ve gone weeks without a post. For those of you who keep checking in, I am so very grateful for it. There is definitely a method to my madness which I kind of hope to explain. Not to explain why in an apologetic slant, but in a way to make you step back and think about motives and condition of the heart.
God has revealed Himself to me in so many ways I don’t know if this blog could hold them all. He is so good and the depth and breadth of who is cannot be measured. He has opened up scriptures to me and shown me that there is so much depth to them that you could spend a lifetime reading them and still find something new that you have never seen before.
Something He has shown me is that some truths can’t be explained or taught, some have to be walked out. We can speak the truth, but are we walking in the truth? Are we walking in the truth that God has revealed to us or are we learning about the truth for sake of saying we know it?
James 1:26-27 (English Standard Version)
26)If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27) Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
I think we can be a lot better at telling people how to live than living the Truth and we need to shut up and live it. That’s what I get from this scripture. That’s my message to you and me.
Some truth is meant to be revealed, some is meant to be walked through, wrestled with, and toiled in.
Are you walking in the Truth?
Kevin
Lost Touch?
Everyone has people that they knew for a long time and have lost touch. We were close to know thier quirks, habits, likes and dislikes. We remember the good and bad times shared together. We were close to those people, but somehow, we just lost touch.
I wonder as Christ-Followers if we have lost touch with our “old-selves” or the person we were before Christ found us. I think it is critical to ”keep in touch”. You may wonder why we should want to remember our “old-selves”. Let me ask you a few questions:
Are you moved to compassion when you hear someone else’s struggles?
Do you feel empathy or disgust when someone shares a weakness you once posessed in your “old life”?
Is your first reaction when someone confesses a hidden sin to you that you are glad “you don’t have that problem”?
When someone asks you for help is the first thing you do is figure out how you can pawn it off on someone else?
Are you emotionally unavailable to those closest to you?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you have lost touch.
What you have gone through, where you have failed, the pain you suffered, the wounds you have received, the wounds you are still healing from, are not a thing of just the past.
God allowed you and I to experience these things for a purpose. Not as things we need to forget, or hide, or as a self-righteous “before and after” picture. Just as we are healed by the wounds Christ bore upon His body, so our wounds are ordained for the healing of others. Our failures should help keep us and others from slipping into self-righteousness. The pain we suffered should move us to compassion to show the love and mercy of Christ. They were not meant to be discarded or concealed.
We are broken people who have been drawn to the arms of love, healing, and mercy. We have the ability, with one decision, to wreck our whole lives! We are not so righteous that we can forget that we have an old nature that is at constant war the nature of Christ that compels us to sin?
We can hide our weaknesses, we can cover our wounds with religion. We can cover those things with a number of things that may seem good, admirable, even righteous, but in doing so, we cut off those things that drove us into His arms to begin with and into the bed of self-righteousness and cold dead religion.
Have you lost touch?
Does it matter to you?
Kevin
Almost Saved?
In my life I wrestled with this, and sometimes still do to an extent. Being raised in the church, I learned a lot about “what not to do”.
Don’t drink
Don’t smoke
Don’t do drugs
Don’t have sex (ever)
Don’t ever mess up, cause “you never know when Christ will return and you will be left behind”.
Don’t see “R” movies
I also learned about the things I “should do”.
Read your bible
Pray
Go to church
Give your tithe
Serve in some area of the church
I lived a miserable life. If I wasn’t happy cause I couldn’t do anything “cause I was a Christian”, I was unhappy cause I struggled constantly with the things I was supposed to do that I was not doing. I didn’t make a good sinner or saint! That depressed me too!!
It finally sank in my thick skull that I was totally guilty (100% sinner) and totally lost, no matter how much “good” I did, and I realized Christ received the punishment for every sin, every hurt I caused someone, every time I disobeyed Him, every time I fell short of what I or anyone else thought I “should” be doing, that I was able to experience the freedom and the joy that I longed for so much!
The idea of being loved with no stipulations, no catches, no God waiting to zap me if I fail, still boggles my fallen fleshly brain. It fills me with so much peace to know that I am saved, not “almost saved” depending on certain conditions that I must fulfill. His grace was freely given before I had a clue about what grace even was!
That love is so powerful, it compels us to do even greater things than we tried to do in our own strength to gain His approval! His radical love compells us to action for the sake of love, not obligation or religion. It goes beyond our “self” to the end that we lay down our lives if necessary.
That is the gospel for church folk like me. It is even more amazing than the day I accepted Him into my heart.
Kevin
The Most Important Thing
1 Corinthians 15 (English Standard Version)
1) Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2)and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain.
3)For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,…….
We live in an information age. If you have a question on almost anything, you can plug it into Google or any other search engine and get an answer. In the Christian world, there are millions of sites and blogs (like this one) where you can find teaching on more topics than you could ever study out in a lifetime.
The issue with so much information available, it is so easy to get swept away by the deluge of information that we forget the most important thing.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, he reminded them to hold fast to the things that Paul taught them. He knew that there were so many things people would be distracted by, that would draw their attention away from the most important thing.
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,…….”
The gospel is the most important thing! Paul didn’t say “that Christ died so I could speak in tongues” or “that Christ died that I may prophesy”. He said “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures…”. Prophesy and speaking in Tongues are not bad in and of themselves, but when they become the focus, we are no longer preaching the gospel.
John 3:16
16)“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
As a young person growing up in church, I heard many people say “that message wasn’t deep enough for me” and “we need to move on from the cross and get into deeper things.”
The Father showed His ultimate act of love by sending His only Son to die for us. His heart was revealed and displayed for the whole world to see. When we “move past the cross” we move away from His heart. When we move away from His heart, we are no longer preaching the gospel.
The gospel is what our lives should be centered around. It should be the determining factor that every decision should be based on. Imagine with me for one second, how the world and the church would look if we made every decision centered around the gospel of Jesus Christ? How would our workplaces, our families, or schools look? How would we look at our finances? The things we spend our money on? The things we do with our “free” time? Think about that.
Let’s not forget the most important thing.
Kevin
The Escapism Mentality
escapism 1. the state of having wandering and imaginative thoughts in order to escape from reality. — escapist, n., adj.
2. the practice of engaging in activities that enable one to avoid having to deal with reality, as the persistent attendance at science-fiction films, reading of fantasy literature, etc.
Life can be tough sometimes. No doubt.
Life can be unfair. Yes, this is true.
Sometimes we need a break, a sabbath time of rest from our labors where we can recharge our mental, physical, and spiritual batteries.
People have come up with a myriad of ways to escape from the constant stresses and struggles of everyday life. Some folks go mountain biking, some play games online, some veg out in front of the tv. Everyone has their “thing”. All these things can be beneficial when done in moderation.
This is not the kind of escapism I want to talk about today. I’m not even talking about the excesses that many indulge in today. The kind of escapism I am talking about is one of a different kind. A “spiritual” kind. This one can be just as dangerous as any other excess that people are involved in.
Please follow me closely, cause I do not want to misunderstood here.
In times of trouble, (hopefully when things are good too) we draw closer to God. As God’s children, we should draw near to Him because we want relationship with Him. This is good.
The problem is when we get ourselves in a bad situation and we have the escapism mentality that God will pull our butts out of the fire.
I know the scriptures you may quote at me about God delivering people out of various situations in the Bible. I believe He still delivers us out of situations of our own making. The problem is when we expect there to be no consequences for our actions. We treat God like our “get out of jail free” card in the board game Monopoly. We throw down the “god” card and everything will be ok. We coat some Jesus over our problems and act like they don’t exist. This is escapism at it’s most dangerous.
God set forth the law of sowing and reaping ( Galatians 6:3-10). If you sow kindness, you will reap kindness. If you sow seeds of unforgiveness, you will reap bitterness. If you give, it will be given back to you. So on and so forth.
I have reaped the fruit of a lot of bad decisions in my life. He has delivered me from some situations that seemed impossible, but certainly not all of them. Does that make God bad? Heck no!! Does it mean He doesn’t love me? If you think that way, then you don’t know God at all and you need to read your Bible.
Did God heal David and Bath-Sheba’s baby even though David repented of adultery? No. Did Moses get to enter the promised land even though he did everything right except one act of disobedience? No, he didn’t get to enter. Was this harsh of God to act in this way? No. This was the law of sowing and reaping. When you sow seeds of sin or folly, they will return to you.
God may not deliver you so you are forced to make changes that you never would have made if God bailed you out.
Whether God delivers you or not, our hearts should constantly be drawn to Him. Not because we want God to help us, but so we might have the grace and strength to face whatever life throws at us, or we throw at ourselves because of our bad choices. He is always good. Always.
Kevin
This Is A Prayer We can All Pray
Thought this prayer of Thomas Aquinas was just incredible and wanted to share it with you all. I think it is still just as relevant today if not moreso in this day:
O merciful God, grant that I may desire ardently, search prudently, recognize truly, and bring to perfect completion whatever is pleasing to You for the praise and glory of Your name.
Put my life in order, O my God. Grant that I may know what You require me to do.
Bestow upon me the power to accomplish Your will, as is necessary and fitting for the salvation of my soul.
Grant to me, O Lord my God, that I may not falter in times of prosperity or adversity, so that I may not be exalted in the former, nor dejected in the latter.
May I not rejoice in anything unless it leads me to You; may I not be saddened by anything unless it turns me from You.
May I desire to please no one, nor fear to displease anyone, but You.
May all transitory things, O Lord, be worthless to me and may all things eternal be ever cherished by me.
May any joy without You be burdensome for me and may I not desire anything else besides You.
May all work, O Lord, delight me when done for Your sake and may all repose not centered in You be ever wearisome for me.
Grant unto me, my God, that I may direct my heart to You and that in my failures I may ever feel remorse for my sins and never lose the resolve to change.
O Lord my God, make me submissive without protest, poor without discouragement, chaste without regret, patient without complaint, humble without posturing, cheerful without frivolity, mature without gloom, and quick-witted without flippancy.
O Lord my God, let me fear You without losing hope, be truthful without guile, do good works without presumption, rebuke my neighbor without haughtiness, and—without hypocrisy—strengthen him by word and example.
Give to me, O Lord God, a watchful heart, which no capricious thought can lure away from You.
Give to me a noble heart, which no unworthy desire can debase. Give to me a resolute heart, which no evil intention can divert.
Give to me a stalwart heart, which no tribulation can overcome.
Give to me a temperate heart, which no violent passion can enslave.
Give to me, O Lord my God, understanding of You, diligence in seeking You, wisdom in finding You, discourse ever pleasing to You, perseverance in waiting for You, and confidence in finally embracing You.
Grant that with Your hardships I may be burdened in reparation here, that Your benefits I may use in gratitude upon the way, that in Your joys I may delight by glorifying You in the Kingdom of Heaven. You Who live and reign, God, world without end. Amen.
Thanks for reading.
Kevin
Passion for the Promise
Joshua 14 (English Standard Version)
6)Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. 7)I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. 8)But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God. 9)And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’ 10)And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. 11) I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. 12)So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said.”
This passage of scripture really spoke to me today. I don’t many people who have not been affected by the problems with the economy. Even my wife was laid off from her job so we are feeling the crunch like many of you out there. What really spoke to me this morning was the passion and faith of Caleb.
We all have things that we are praying and believing for God to do in our lives, our family, or friends. Whether it’s physical healing, finances, or salvation, we all have something that we are claiming God’s promises for; asking God to directly intervene in.
How many of you have passion for God’s promise?
How many of you, like Caleb say “I am still as strong (passionate, dedicated to, expectant) today as I was the day that God promised He was going to …….(you fill in the blank). “No matter how long it takes, no matter what I have to go through, I am going to hold fast to His promise and know He will do what He said He will do.”
I know this is hard sometimes. I am right there with you. I truly feel your pain, but we who claim the name of Christ have a hope beyond our natural means, an expectancy that is seen through the eyes of the Spirit, and not with our natural eye. We have a God that works above the systems of this world and can intervene in any given situation at any given moment. We have a hope that goes beyond our own ability to make happen, manipulate, or coherce. We are in the midst of a stormy sea where only God can reach out and help us to walk on the water. Life is not easy. It is hard to go where we have never been or believe for things that we don’t have any ability to attain, but this is what true faith is all about!
Caleb lived 45 years before he came face to face with his promise, but in that day, God gave him the strength at 85 years old to go into a land that was inhabited by those younger, bigger, and stronger and took what God promised Him. In 45 years he had plenty of time to doubt God, but he didn’t. He believed just as passionately as that day 45 years ago.
Will you?
Kevin
Imagery in Prayer and Worship
One of the greatest untapped resources that God has given us is our imagination. Think of the imagination it took to make all creation. From the largest galaxies, to the atom, molecules, the strange underwater creatures that glow that after thousand of years we are just now discovering. This took imagination on a scale beyond our imagination. So, if God gave us the gift of creativity and specifically our imagination, why would we not use it to glorify Him, to grow closer to Him, and help others to do the same?
I think there are many who pray to and worship a nameless, faceless God. This was never meant to be the case since God had fellowship with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Our sin brought a separation between us and God. Where man once walked and talked to Him like we are here, we no longer have that type of interaction but God did not leave us with nothing. Has anyone of you ever a relationship with someone you have never seen before? I’ve talked to people online before but once I knew what they looked like; it helped me connect with them better. It brought a new dynamic. God gave us a picture too. He gave us two things: His Word and our imagination. Let’s look at an example:
Psalm 18
1I love you, O LORD, my strength. 2The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3I call upon the LORD, who is (D) worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4(E) The cords of death encompassed me;
(F) the torrents of destruction assailed me;[a]
5(G) the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6(H) In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his (me) temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7Then the earth (J) reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8Smoke went up from his nostrils, [b]
and devouring (K) fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9He (L) bowed the heavens and (M) came down;
(N) thick darkness was under his feet.
10He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on (O) the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his covering, his (P) canopy around him,
thick clouds (Q) dark with water.
12Out of the brightness before him
(R) hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
13The LORD also(S) thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his (T) voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14And he sent out his(U) arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and(V) routed them.
15Then(W) the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your(X) rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of(Y) the breath of your nostrils.
16He(Z) sent from on high, he took me;
he(AA) drew me out of(AB) many waters.
17He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were(AC) too mighty for me.
18They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the LORD was my support.
19He brought me out into(AD) a broad place;
he rescued me, because he(AE) delighted in me.
20The LORD dealt with me(AF) according to my righteousness;
according to(AG) the cleanness of my hands he rewarded
Can you see the imagery taking place here? This is how David saw God moving on His behalf in the circumstances he was in. He saw God in this way. God allowed this imagery to be placed in the scriptures so we could understand different aspects of who He is. The scriptures give us an image of Him that we can trust of who He is. We should be careful to stay within the context of the scriptures cause I have heard some really far fetched stuff, including people being intimate with Jesus and things of this nature so we do have to be sure that the way see Him doesn’t go outside of scriptural contexts. When I pray or I am in the midst of worship, I picture in my mind that I am standing before Him worshipping or talking or being hugged or comforted by God. All these things are scriptural, and they allow us to see the charcter, the greatness, and the love of God and therefore helps us to have a greater connection with Him.
So I want to challenge you during your prayer, and your personal and corporate worship time to use the scriptures to draw on a picture of God. His scriptures were given to reveal Himself and His plan for your life. If you have never done that before, it might seem a little weird at first but I believe that it will bring a whole new dynamic to your relationship with Him.
Afraid of Worship? (The Peception Factor I)
As a worship leader, it is our responsibility to not just lead some songs, not to lead you where you want to go, but it is lead you to places that you need to go. Sometimes there are certain arguments have to be overcome to help you accept the path. Some can be explained through teaching and preaching, other times it may take the Holy Spirit speaking to you and revealing the truth to you.
Perceptions can be formed over a few minutes, or over a lifetime. They can affect the decisions we make and how we see things. As followers of Christ, these perceptions that we have built in our minds can affect how, if and why we worship.
Abuse
I know of people that have been mistreated by their earthly father in terrible ways, and therefore have a problem with accepting God as their heavenly Father. It can greatly affect how they pray and worship. These kind of hurts may take professional counseling in some cases. If you feel that your relationship with God is impeded by this type of abuse and mistreatment caused by someone close to you like a father, I would recommend that you go see a counselor and possibly get involved in a support group to help bring restoration to that part of your life that was scarred. While you are seeking healing for your soul, listening to songs that talk about God being our healer and the restorer of our souls will also help to change our perception of who God is. We must attack the lie that we are always going to struggle in our relationship with God and our worship of Him because you were abused.
Betrayal
This is another issue that plagues believers and their worship experience and that is the issue of betrayal. In paticular, a betrayal by someone in the church. This ranges from a betrayal of a friend in the church to in a lot of cases, someone in leadership. I could get into the topic of whether or not a person has truly experienced betrayal or just heard something they didn’t want to, but that is for another post. Wounds of a friend or person you trusted or admired greatly are tough to get over, but not impossible. The thing that brings separation between you and God is unforgiveness. It will hinder your prayers and your worship. It will keep you stuck. Many church folk are stuck in no-man’s land because they have allowed the unforgiveness of past hurts to plant their roots deep into their hearts. Jesus, in His first prayer that He taught His disciples, made sure that He talked about this topic:
Matthew 6:9
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10) Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11) Give us this day our daily bread, 12)and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
14) For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15) but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Powerful words of Christ. He understood that unforgiveness brings separation and hinders our relationship with God. The reason you have held on to your unforgiveness is because you don’t have a true understanding of Christ’s forgiveness for you. When you grasp a revelation of his forgiveness, and what He has forgiven you of, it becomes almost impossible to hold on to your unforgiveness. Understanding His forgiveness gives us the freedom to forgive.
Confess your unforgiveness to someone you can trust that will hold you accountable. Begin to saturate your heart on music that glorifies His forgiveness. Meditate on scriptures that talk about men like David who sinned big but understood that he was forgiven big.
I am not saying that forgiveness is always easy, but you have to make a decision whether it is worth your relationship with Him or not.
(to be continued)
Kevin
Afraid of Worship?
I have had the privilige of leading worship for Journey Church (www.journeychurchnow.com) for the past few months. It has been an incredible experience so far. It had been a very, very long time since I had done so, but when we are obedient to God He equips and qualifies us for what He has called us to do. I never cease to be amazed at how He uses the weak things of this world to glorify Himself and make His name great!
When I made a decision that I was going to serve God, I had a really hard time worshipping God. I think I need to define that for everyone. I used to love singing fast, loud, songs about His goodness, His power to save, how He set me free and so on. There were songs that were great talking ABOUT Jesus but when it came to singing songs TO Him, it felt kinda weird and uncomfortable.
Some of this is because of the songs we sing. I have heard some songs that would still make me feel uncomfortable. We are not taking Jesus on a date, ok? Jesus is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, and God is our Father, but I am not putting on a dress and kissing Him like I’m going on a prom date. When you are looking at a song, sometimes you need to see who wrote it. God is many things to many people. People who write songs write from their perception of God. If the song is written by a woman, they may see Jesus as a father, husband, or mysterious love interest. Men can tend to see Him as a father, king, or a mighty warrior. Perception can fuel our views of how see Him.
The problem is when our perceptions have been tainted or twisted by past hurts, abusive parents, betrayal, or a perceived “lack of interest” on God’s part to intervene in certain times of our lives when we feel like He should have.
In the next few posts, I would like to address some of these perceptions and give some practical things you can do to break through these perceptions and gain some freedom in your worship. Things may not change overnight for you, freedom from a lifetime of mispreceptions of God can be, but are not always conquered in a day. We will also look at some other things to help you in your worship experience as well. So stay tuned!
Kevin
Jonah VII (Asleep)
5) Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.
There are as many reactions to disaster and devastations and hard times as there are people. People react in so many different ways. We can see in recent events with the terrible earthquake that has just devastated the island of Haiti, the different reactions to this cataclysmic event. We see pictures of people crying out to God,pleading for help. We see thugs and criminals trying to take and control the tiny amount of food and resources that can be found by force and sheer inhumanity, committing muderous acts against innocent men, women, and children. We see those whom despite the lack of tools or equipment, digging with their hands, holding on to some hope of finding their lost relatives that are buried under tons of rubble.
In the case of the text from which we are reading today, we shall see something just as devastating on the spiritual landscape of America. There are no dramatic pictures to reveal the destruction. There’s no CNN reporters doing exclusives on what exactly is going on. They may report on the aftershocks, but the underlying problem is much, much deeper than some news agency could percieve or report.
These are days of great uncertainty. Fear permeates our televisions with stories of terrorist plots, soaring energy prices, a dwindling economy, and not a lot of answers on how to fix it. We have seen great political swings in the past couple of years. People desperately turning to anyone who might show the leadership that will solve their problems and calm their fears.
Just like the mariners, people are turning to their gods to find some refuge or escape from the mounting pressures around them. For some it’s alcohol, drugs, pornography, sex, anger, and all sorts of other things that people use to medicate the turmoil that is not just on the outside but on the inside. I have never seen so many drugs advertised for depression and all kinds of other “conditions” that we never realized were “conditions”. Many would risk the side affects of these drugs that are unimaginable to find some happiness, solace, or peace.
In hopes that the government will save them, people are tossing freedoms and liberties that our forefathers of our country, fought and died for, for the hope of security and safety. This is not a political statement, as much as it reveals a condition of the heart. Just like the men on that boat were willing to throw away cargo that could have been worth a fortune, possibly priceless items, for the slight opportunity of safety, security, and self-preservation.
In the midst of this storm, tempest, fear and anxiety that our world faces, the answer to the problem, the hope for humanity, the one who can do something about what is happening in our world today……………………………sleeps.
To Be Continued.
Kevin
Jonah VI (In the Storm)
Jonah 1
4)But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.
I remember a day that is one of those days, that you remember the rest of your life. I was sitting in a waiting room at the hospital with my father. My mother was having exploratory surgery because the doctors couldn’t diagnose why my mother was having pain and digestive issues. It was what seemed like another day. There wasn’t a great deal of stress about the surgery. It was about 30 mins into the surgery, and me and my dad were just shooting the breeze, when all of a sudden my mom’s surgeon came walking into the waiting room, very grim faced. “Can you come with me please?” he asked, so we got up, now feeling pretty nervous, and walked to a type of consulting room near the operating room. He had a diagram on the door of the inside of the human body. He said “When I opened her up, I found cancer everywhere!” and he proceeded to put his hand on this diagram to demonstrate how it was attached to every organ in my mother’s body. Like Jonah, I could suddenly feel a great wind begin to blow and the tempests were overwhelming me. My life, in an instant, was rocked and flipped upside down and every which way and the day she went to be with Jesus, every belief that I was raised with, who I thought God was, everything I thought I was, was eternally changed!
God allows things to happen in our lives for a reason. God allows us to go through persecution, betrayal, times of loneliness, and yes, even allows us and those we love to suffer and die for what seems like “no good reason”. The moment my mother died, I knew that God has a higher plan that is so much greater than my feeble mind could wrap itself around. It was greater than the “faith” I had to believe for her to be healed. It was greater than the things I used to comfort myself. He was more in control and greater than I could ever imagine, or honestly wanted Him to be. The wind and waves were stronger than my ability to struggle against. I was helpless in the tempest. I felt like I was dying inside, and in all actuality, I was. I was dying to the ways of the past so that I could become alive in the truth of who He is and who I am in Him.
You may be in a tempest right now. You may not understand why. You may be without hope today. I want you to know today that God is there. God allowed the tempest to come for a reason. I know it hurts like hell and feels like you are in hell, but God is accomplishing something greater within you than you can imagine. He is revealing Himself in a way that you can only see in the midst of suffering, pain, rejection, and loss.
1 Corinthians 13:11-12
11)When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12)For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
We see life through smudged and stained glasses. We rarely understand that God does work all things for our good, no matter how bad they are. No matter how desperate they are. No matter how dark the day is. He is doing something exceedingly, abundantly, beyond all you could ask or think to ask for (Ephesians 3:20)
If you need prayer, I would be glad to stand with you. You can leave a comment or email me through the link on this page.
As always, thanks for reading.
Kevin
Jonah (Part V)
Jonah 1
But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.
There are few words in the English language more powerful than the word “but”. That word changes the course of whatever is being said, done, or planned. It can take hope and crush it, or take the most hopeless situation and turn things around in a second! It can take the most well thought out plan and change it into something totally different.
In Jonah’s case, “but” took Jonah out of the frying pan and into the fire! Jonah was in blatent disobedience. Little did he know that there was a “but” coming for him. He thought out and decided on a course of action that he felt would take him out of God’s presence and therefore negate God’s plan for him, “but” God’s plan included his disobedience, which included a little “pleasure cruise” to subjection and obedience.
It’s funny how we think that God is the least bit fazed by our bad decisions and choices. We think that God is popping anti-anxiety meds while watching us flounder to and fro and just hoping that we will “come back” to Him and serve Him. I think He laughs when we think so much more highly about ourselves than we truly are, like by our own will or choice, we can determine the course of time and history and decide the fate of those who rise and fall. We dare to tell Him like Lucifer :
Isaiah 14:
13) You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
I have had many “but” moments in my life. I have had moments like Jonah when I tried to take the reigns of my life and steer into a direction “I” thought would be better for me and it led to brokenness and subjection. I have also been in the midst of some very low points in my life where there seemed to be no hope and God sent a “but” my way and made a way where there seemed to be no way.
Are you facing any “but” moments?
Kevin
Here is Some Perspective for the Holidays
This video moved me greatly. In times when people are worried about presents and things, there are folks who are simply praying for their daily bread. There’s some perspective we all need at this time of year.
Thanks Carlos,
Kevin
Jonah (Part III)
In the last couple of posts we have broken down verse 1 and 2 of Jonah 1. We have been peeling back the layers of a book of the bible that on the surface looks pretty cut and dry on the surface in the message it’s getting across. What is actually being revealed is a much more powerful, multi-faceted, message. We can see a story of God’s love for His, the story of God’s call of reconciliation to those far away from Him, and the church’s role in the process. Let’s get to work shall we?
Jonah 1
1)Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2)“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3)But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.
This is exactly how Adam and Eve reacted once they had sinned. They hid themselves from the Lord’s prescense. There was a breaking of fellowship with God. Our disobedience and sin once created a chasm between us and God. Jesus Christ came and bridged the chasm between God and man, and brought us back into right fellowship with Him. When we become aware of what He has done for us and refuse to respond, in many cases a time of breaking and subjection is soon to follow.
One of the things that really stands out in this verse as I studied it was the root meaning of “Tarshish”. It means “breaking or “subjection” (Gesenius’s Lexicon) Our sinful nature is constantly self-serving, self-centered, and self-motivated. Thanks to Jesus Christ, He has given us a new life, a new nature, new freedom. Where you were once self-serving you are now called by Christ to love others. Where you were centered around your own wants and needs, you are now seeking after the kingdom of God and those things that will glorify God and further His kingdom. This change happens in our spirit right away when we are regenerated and born again, however the change in our outward actions sometimes take some time and take some painful lessons to learn. Jonah had to go through a process of being broken and brought into submission to His will before he finally obeyed God.
As we grow as Christ-Followers, God shows us things in our lives that He wants us to submit to His Lordship. Sometimes these things are not so hard to lay down. Sometimes we refuse to lay those things down. We must be broken of those things. We must be disciplined. We must be brought into subjection to His will.
Some of the hardest people for God to reveal Himself to is religious people. God wants to reveal Himself but due to jacked up mindsets and putting God in a box, they have the hardest time accepting God when He doesn’t fit their mold. That mold must be broken so you can be free to receive everything God has for you and wants you to be. God wanted to reveal Himself to Jonah, but Jonah ran. What he didn’t know, is that he was running straight into subjection and breaking!
God help us to hear Your voice and give us the grace to obey You, even when we don’t quite understand what You are doing. Help us to know that no matter what, that You are working all things for our good.
Kevin
What You Need
I was praying in my car on the way to work this morning, and I was asking God to help me with some things that I felt like I need help with. He began to speak to me and led me to Acts 3:
Acts 3
1)Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2)And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4)And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5)And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6)But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8)And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9)And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10)and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
The beggar asked for what he felt like he needed. God gave him what he truly needed. There could be a countless amount of reasons that God decided to heal him at that moment but God gave him what he needed; the ability to walk. Why at this point? That’s something we can all ask Him one day.
After I pondered this story, He said: “My grace is sufficient. My mercies are new every morning. I will give you what you need when you need it.”
I think that sometimes if we get what we need too soon, it can easily turn to pride.
I look back on how many times I have asked God to back me up on what I thought was what I was supposed to do. I have fallen on my face so many times and I blamed God and would say “I thought you told me to do this! Why are you doing this to me?!” He was giving me what I needed. I needed to fall on my face. I needed to humbled. I needed to realize that God truly gives us what we need, when we need it, and how we need it. We must accept Him as our Lord and not just our Savior and truly put our trust in Him that no matter what, He provides everything we truly need.
Trust Him today. His grace is sufficient. He makes all things work together for your good.
Kevin
Jonah
I am studying the book of Jonah right now. I wasn’t sure what I would learn in a book that is centered around a guy who disobeyed God, got swallowed by a fish, and got spit out on the beach, and then decided to obey Him. What I have found is a book that is extremely relevant to our lives, both individually and as the body of Christ. A story that reflects Jesus Christ’s plan to save us through types and shadows. A story of the Great Commission.
Let’s dig in shall we?
Jonah 1:1
1Now the word of the LORD came to(A) Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
You may ask “why did you stop there?” God’s Word must be meditated on verse by verse. Line by line. We will probably look at multiple scriptures later, but let’s not miss what is happening here.
”the word of the Lord came to Jonah” This is powerful. The phrase “and the word of the Lord came” is used 109 times in the Bible!
Let’s break this down further, “the word of the Lord”. Let’s look at John Chapter 1:
1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2)He was in the beginning with God. 3) All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4) In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Skipping down a little:
14)And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus was the Word, the word of the Lord came to Jonah. Jesus, who was the Word, came to Jonah! That’s powerful! The next word that comes after that phrase is even more exciting!
“came” this word comes from a Hebrew word “hayah”: to become, come to pass. It also means to abide, remain, continue.
Let me unpack this cause I don’t want you to miss this! The word of the Lord, who is Christ, came to Jonah, not only to speak to Jonah but to abide and remain with Jonah! This is a shadow of what Christ does in our lives! He chooses us, His Word (Jesus) comes and abides in our hearts, where He remains forever with us!
Within the very first scripture of this book, the Lord has already revealed his plan of salvation!! How deeply rich His Word is! How great is His love is for us! He sent His Word to us, Jesus Christ, who came and died and rose again, and sent us His Spirit that we may continually have relationship and abide with Him!
It’s amazing how much we miss when we pass over a simple scripture isn’t it?
More to come, thank you for reading.
Kevin
What I Am Thankful For In 09
Just a few things I am thankful for this year.
1) I am thankful for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ my Lord. That He chose me from my mother’s womb to lavishly pour out His grace and Mercy while I was yet a sinner.
2) I am thankful for a wonderful wife and great children. I am truly blessed to be married to my best friend and such a beautiful friend indeed! :) I am also thankful for children who constantly keep me grounded and remind me of what is most important in my life.
3) I am thankful for my church family who has in most cases been closer to me than my own blood. They are a constant source of encouragement and love in my life. I am so glad to be on this journey of life with them. I never laughed so much or felt so loved than I have with those that God has brought into my life.
4) I am thankful for my source group that has helped me draw closer to God than I have been in a very looooong time. I am always encouraged to see the growth in everyone’s lives and I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in and through them. I have seen those who needed encouragement turn into sources of encouragement and those who needed teaching and leadership become teachers and leaders. Just awesome!
5) I am thankful for the eldership candidacy process I have been in for almost a year now. It has been very tough and challenging for me. I appreciate the accountability and the covering that the eldership of Journey has been in my family’s life. I look forward to the day that I will join the eldership team of Journey.
6) I am thankful for my pastor. Pastor Michael has been incredible leader to serve under. I have learned so much about what a leader is and what it is not. It is awesome to serve with someone who is passionate about the equipping of the saints and not in exalting himself. I am thankful for the time we have spent together on the trail just enjoying life and having fun.
7) I am thankful for my friends. I have a few guys that I can call my friends. I have gone a long time where I could not say that. I am extremely thankful for having these guys in my life to talk to, watch UFC with, and just hang out and joke and have fun.
8) I am thankful for my job. Not everyone can say they have one of those today. I am thankful for favor with my employers. No job is perfect and we work with imperfect people, but I am glad to have them in my life to help me to grow in leadership, patience, knowledge, and wisdom.
9) I am thankful for each day I get to wake up with my wife and breath in another breath in my lungs and feel the beating of my heart in my chest.
10) I am thankful for the security of knowing one day I will see my God face to face and will never know another moment of sadness or stress and I will see my mother again.
Thank you God and thank you to all of you who are a blessing in my life. Way too many to list.
I am also thankful to you who read these posts. They come straight from my heart and you honor me by your readership.
Thankfully Yours Til He Returns
Kevin
Do You Stink?
Florida in the summer can be the next hottest place to hell itself. If you are outside for a minute, you will sweat. That’s just the way it is. On Sundays, Journey Church has an incredible team of volunteers that no matter what the weather conditions are, they are out serving with an incredible attitude! When our outside volunteers come in, you can sometimes visibly tell they have been outside. I am glad to say that I have never actually smelled any of our volunteers after serving outside. It must be something supernatural, praise God! It’s not a glamourous job at times, but God is glorified by their smiling faces and warm welcome.
It is easy to tell that our Guest Services folks are out doing something. What I want to know: “Is it evident that you are working hard to glorify God and advance His kingdom?” “Do you stink?” Check out this scripture:
Jeremiah 48:10-11
10) “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.
11)“Moab has been at ease from his youth
and has settled on his dregs;
he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
nor has he gone into exile;
so his taste remains in him,
and his scent is not changed.
Let’s break these scriptures down for a sec. This is an exerpt of a prophesy that God gave the nation of Moab to Jeremiah. If you go back to the book of Joshua, God gave the Israelites a mandate to go into the land of Canaan and wipe out every man, woman, and child. At the end of the book of Joshua, we see that Israel did not obey God and wipe out all the nations that they were ordered to, and God told Israel that these nations would be a constant source of problems for them. That was certainly the case. One thing that really stands out from scripture is that Moab never did anything without help. They were weak. When other nations would come into the land they would quickly make treaties, become slaves, whatever they had to do so they would not be led away into captivity. They would rarely fight. They even hired a Babylonian witchdoctor to curse Israel cause they didn’t want to do it themselves! They were a crafty people . God was speaking to Moab because they were cowards and slackers, so much so, that they didn’t even break a sweat to do anything!
Are you one of those people that will do the things that will get you the most attention, but when it comes to doing something “behind the scenes” it’s “below you?” You will preach, but you won’t serve coffee? You will teach a class, but won’t visit a brother or sister in the hospital? Then you have the “Moab mindset”. You don’t have the heart of Christ, who washed His disciple’s feet. The heart of the one who said “if you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me.”
Or are you the slacker? Do you serve God half-hearted? Do you depend on someone else to come to church fired up on Sunday to help get you kick-started? Do you need to be constantly “encouraged” to do the things you are supposed to? Do you have faith the size of a mustard seed? Can you stand on your own two feet or does every storm that comes against you beat you down?
It’s time to roll up the sleeves and get dirty, bloody, and yes, smelly. It’s time to fight, bite, scratch, love, serve, encourage for His glory and His kingdom. If Christ isn’t worth it, then you need to repent and ask Jesus to come into your heart and reveal Himself to you. Let’s do whatever needs to be done to make His name great! Let’s repent of our apathy and ask God to wake up and revive our sleeping spirits, that we may be known as His in word and deed!!
Kevin
Loved by God Part I
For a long time, I was a “captive of God and Church.” Let me explain. As a child, I was told about Jesus and how He died for my sins, but I was also told how if I didn’t “accept His love”, I would be doomed to an everlasting, burning, eternity in the lake of fire. Being a fairly intelligent child, I knew that was not something that just didn’t sound “fun”, so I accepted Christ. That was a no-brainer to me. I was supposed to go to church, and pray and read my bible cause that’s what God wanted me to do so I would not go to hell. As I started getting older, the fear of hell was there, but there were desires to do things I was told I shouldn’t do. I felt like I was in a constant war with my desires and what I knew was the “right” thing.
It wasn’t until I reached my late teens that God revealed to me His love that freed me from the fear of hell and propelled me into the loving arms of my savior! I not only understood that He didn’t want me to go to hell, but that He wanted to have a relationship with me! This was the beginning of a relationship that will continue till my last breath and into eternity! However, I was still finding that the tight-rope changed from doing the right things so I wouldn’t go to hell, to doing the right things so I could be loved by God. As I made mistakes (which we are going to do because we sinful creatures, prone to sin) I felt less loved by Him, not realizing at the time I was buying into a non-truth that the enemy was speaking into my brain. The burden of “maintaining my salvation” was overwhelming for me, cause I so wanted to please Him and be loved by Him, but I always felt like my faults and shortcomings were keeping me from Him. I was falling into despair in my walk with God and I had no hope.
But God had other plans……
Stay tuned,
Kevin
After His Heart
I have heard a lot of messages over the past several months, on how God is after our hearts. I know this is true in my own life cause He has dealt with me on a lot of things that He wants to change in me. He is aggressively after the hearts of those He has chosen to call His children. His grace is irresistable and is love knows no boundry! He is not interested in your participation in religion, your “good” deeds, or how many scriptures you have memorized. He is after a heart that is fully His. He will attack every idol in our lives, everything that you hold higher in importance than Him.
Knowing that our Lord is in pursuit of our hearts, my question is are you pursuing after His heart?
Deuteronomy 4:29 (English Standard Version)
29) But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
2 Kings 23:25
25) Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.
God wants to be pursued. God wants to be sought after. He wants us to seek His face and not just His hand (yeah, I know it’s an overused phrase, but it’s true). He wants us to have relationship with Him! I wonder how much sooner those things we struggle with in our lives would be a thing of the past if we would run to Him as He is pursuing us? I wonder if we struggle with things for such a long time is because we are trying to “hide” those things from Him, just like Adam and Eve tried to hide from God in the garden. At some point, everything must bow it’s knee in submission to Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 45:23
23) By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone out in righteousness
a word that shall not return:
’To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear allegiance.’
This scripture is not just talking about judgement day. Everything that has a place in our lives greater than Christ must be submitted to Him. There is no other god before Him. What an act of love to actively lay down those things that stand between us and Him!
I know that some things are easier than others. There are some things that we can’t do in our strength. We need Him. It is His power that gives us the power to change!
Philippians 2:12-13
12Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure
Let’s not just be pursued by God, but let us pursue Him with the same passion that He is pursuing us until all things are subjected to Him. He truly is all and holds, everything we need.
Kevin
That I May Decrease….
I was reading this passage from a book called “The Inner life” by Francois Fenelon (1651-1715) and it really ministered to me this morning. I thought about how we try so hard to “protect” ourselves from God. We have such a difficult time embracing the change that God wants to do in our hearts. We are afraid of correction, accountability, and exposure. It’s almost like we are afraid that if we cooperate with these things, we will lose our own identity, our individuality,and our own life. This could not be closer to the truth! This is why Christ died, so we can have His life! The scriptures say that anyone who tries to save their life will lose it, but anyone who loses their life for my name sake will find it! (Matt(16:25) Check out what Fenelon had to say:
Let us compare our lives with that of Jesus Christ, reflecting that he was the Master and that we are the servants; that He was all-powerful, and that we are but weakness; that he was abased and that we are exalted. Let us so constantly bear our wretchedness in mind, that we may have nothing but contempt for ourselves. With what face can we despise others, and dwell upon their faults, when we ourselves are filled with nothing else? Let us begin to walk in the path which our Saviour has marked out, for it is the only one that can lead us to Him.
And how can we expect to find Jesus if we do not seek Him in the states of his earthly life, in loneliness and silence, in poverty and suffering, in persecution and contempt, in annihilation and the cross? The saints find him in heaven, in the splendors of glory and in unspeakable pleasures; but it is only after having dwelt with Him on earth in reproaches, in pain and in humiliation. To be a Christian is to be an imitator of Jesus Christ. In what can we imitate Him if not in his humiliation? Nothing else can bring us near to Him. We may adore him as Omnipotent, fear him as just, love him with all our heart as good and merciful,—but we can only imitate him as humble, submissive, poor and despised.
Let us not imagine that we can do this by our own efforts; everything that is within is opposed to it; but we may rejoice in the presence of God. Jesus has chosen to be made partaker of all our weaknesses; He is a compassionate high-priest who has voluntarily submitted to be tempted in all points like as we are; let us, then, have all our strength in Him who became weak that he might strengthen us; let us enrich ourselves out of his poverty, confidently exclaiming, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philip. iv. 13.)
Let me follow in thy footsteps, O Jesus! I would imitate Thee, but cannot without the aid of thy grace! O humble and lowly Saviour, grant me the knowledge of the true Christian, and that I may willingly despise myself; let me learn the lesson, so incomprehensible to the mind of man, that I must die to myself by an abandonment that shall produce true humility.
May I decrease so you can increase in me God.
Kevin
Don’t Forget
Psalm 103:1-3 (English Standard Version)
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,
3) who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
I sat at my desk today, reflecting on what God has been doing at Journey Church as of late, and I can’t help but be excited. God is healing, providing jobs, and filling people’s hearts with a great sense of purpose. Folks who sat on the fence in their relationships with God are being challenged to make a choice to get off and get into the fight, and yes it is a fight for the souls of men we are fighting for!
As I was thanking God for His goodness, He spoke the above scripture to me. He said “Forget not His benefits”. It’s easy when God gives us a victory to stop pressing the attack, to stop moving forward. My encouragement to you today is don’t forget what He has done for you! Let what He has done be a testimony you constantly share with others. Tell them about His goodness and grace to you! Encourage others who are still going through a tough time to continue to press in and seek His face.
Don’t be the man who looks into the mirror and turns away and forgets what he looks like. Let His praise be in your mouth and let the abundance of His joy be in your hearts.
Rejoice, but remember, as good as He has been to you,the best is yet to come!
Kevin
