Here for the last few weeks, my Pastor, Kevin Brown, has been talking about the exchanged life versus the surrendered life. I found this similar to what I have been studying for the last while myself. In other words, the surrendered life is what most Christan's are living, but the exchanged life equals the radical. To be honest, there are very few radical Christians out there, and the world's condition is desperate for these radicals. Men as fathers need to step it up as Christians, not putting so much interest and devotion on how well your child does in sports and "extracurricular activities" and start focusing on training that child to stand strong in a world with seemingly no direction and quickly fading morals. Men who are not married and not fathers need to step it up with focusing on pure hearts and taking every thought captive and not worrying so much about the latest video game, guitar, or air soft rifle, or whatever the case may be. To all Christians, we need to step it up and take so much care out of magazines, romance novels, cells phones and computers and place our main priority on indulging ourselves in His Word. Our priorities as Christian men and Christians as a whole seem to be way out of proportion just at first glance of the world and society. How to we make a change and do a 180?
After Christmas, or a birthday or just anytime in general, have you ever taken it back to the store from which it came? What is the reason for taking it back? To exchange it...I'm sure we have all exchanged something. I was listening to Pastor Kevin's messages on the exchanged life and was thinking of a good way of grasping it in my own mind and I thought I would share.
When we exchange something, why do we make the exchange? For example, lets say we have a big glass vase that we just purchased. We open it and see that it has a tiny crack in the glass, but you know that crack will grow larger and larger. When we take it back to exchange it, we are getting the same glass vase, but we are getting one without blemish or crack.
When we exchange our current lives, we are giving up the life that we previously knew for one that God has a sole purpose for. We are willing to do whatever God tells us without question or even an answer as to why. When we fully exchange our lives, we do the thing that God tells us to do, even if we do not see the whole picture. I know I'm not married, but men I want you to think about something for just a moment..when you make a decision for your family that you know is right, don't you want your wife and children to trust you fully? Even if they can't see the outcome, or even know why that decision is being made? It is the SAME THING with God. God longs for us to trust Him because after all, He is fully trustworthy. God can instruct us to do something in our lives and He just wants our full trust. We must know for a fact that God will not steer you in the wrong direction, or send you without enough strength. That is just like a great father isn't it?
Something that I personally have to remember often is the fact that God does not need my help, He just needs my obedience. He doesn't need my help with taking my life and relationship with Him to the next level, He has that taken care of. All that He needs from me is my obedience, because He cannot bless the disobedient. Fathers, if you asked your child to take out the garbage and wash the dishes, and you came home to them watching TV with neither of the two done, would you bless them? ABSOLUTELY NOT!! Again, the same thing with God. Fathers if you want to understand the way that God works, just relate it to fatherhood. When we exchange our lives and make that profession, that is only the start. It is what you do after that that counts. When we hear instruction from Him, we must be obedient to do it. When we are obedient, we will be given what was promised. "And all these things shall be added to you." Words of Jesus
Here is something that I want you to think about, just to see how "radical" or "exchanged" you think you may be. If you were completely obedient and done everything He asked of you and never received a blessing, or experienced many trials, would you still do it? Because we should never exchange our lives just for what we may gain..we could follow His every command and never see much worldly gain. I want you to realize that is not promised. Your health, wealth and possessions are not promised...what is promised is His name being glorified above all other things through you if you exchange your life saying "Lord, whatever you want to do with me, here I am. Take it all if it be Your will. Because it is Your Name above all other things. Hallowed be Your name, Your will be done, in Jesus' name"
That is what it is all about. You are a representative of the King, will you make the exchange?
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Digging Deep
In my last post, I talked about seeking Gods will in our lives. I mentioned that we can often become selfish in doing that; asking....asking...asking...and asking more. So seldom do we take time and listen to what God has to say in return. Lets look at HOW to seek His will diligently. Before doing so, we must first realize that it is NOT about us....
I believe that seeking the face of God is something that takes the very utmost of dedication. This cannot be something like a hobby, which we think about periodically or seldom. Seeking after His will should be a lifestyle. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." that we cannot be a part of the world and Him. We must choose. Either we are all in, or all out. "Go big or go home", so to speak.
(This picture is a great example of what it looks like to indulge ourselves in seeking His will. Even Jesus did that in Gethsemene)
We must completely indulge ourselves in Him. In fact, what was Jesus doing when He was 12 years old? He was about His Fathers business. Do you want to go REALLY deep???? Lets look at John 6:53-57...Jesus says "Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in You. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in Him. As the living Father sent me, he also will live because of me." That's what I call indulgence. You see, it must be our highest priority. Our bread of life. I find it interesting that the more we do this, the more we realize that we don't really need that much to live. We have Him. I believe the less unnecessary things we have, the more we are equipped for our purpose.
God does not play hide and seek with His will. God has a desire that we know His will, in fact. Although, it goes against His grain to show us His will if we are not seeking, or even partially seeking. Think about it like this....I know that most of my readers do not have children but just imagine you do for a moment. If our child wants so badly to go outside and play, we say, "Sure, but you must clean your room first." Later on, they come back and say, " Okay mommy/daddy, I'm ready to go outside now!!!!!" "Have you cleaned your room yet?"..."No..." We could not bless that. It is the same way with our Father. If we are not seeking, He cannot bless..simple as that. "Lord!! I'm ready for Your will in my life now!!" "Have you sought me with your WHOLE HEART?"....you finish the rest. So..we know that our priorities must be set on Him and looking for His will.
Here is one of the most important point I will make in this post...when seeking for His will, do not put limits on Him. For example, if I am praying about which job to take, or which direction to go, what if it is neither? What if God has something totally different for you? Just keep that in mind.
So, in conclusion, seeking His face takes much dedication. More dedication than playing your instrument, more dedication than your job, more dedication than sports, and yes, more dedication than even your own life and family. I don't mean to not be dedicated to your family at all, but THAT is how much dedication it is going to take. We must consume ourselves in His word to know His absolute will. Remember, God so longs to be sought by us.
More on how to seek His will in my next post.
I believe that seeking the face of God is something that takes the very utmost of dedication. This cannot be something like a hobby, which we think about periodically or seldom. Seeking after His will should be a lifestyle. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." that we cannot be a part of the world and Him. We must choose. Either we are all in, or all out. "Go big or go home", so to speak.
(This picture is a great example of what it looks like to indulge ourselves in seeking His will. Even Jesus did that in Gethsemene)We must completely indulge ourselves in Him. In fact, what was Jesus doing when He was 12 years old? He was about His Fathers business. Do you want to go REALLY deep???? Lets look at John 6:53-57...Jesus says "Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in You. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in Him. As the living Father sent me, he also will live because of me." That's what I call indulgence. You see, it must be our highest priority. Our bread of life. I find it interesting that the more we do this, the more we realize that we don't really need that much to live. We have Him. I believe the less unnecessary things we have, the more we are equipped for our purpose.
God does not play hide and seek with His will. God has a desire that we know His will, in fact. Although, it goes against His grain to show us His will if we are not seeking, or even partially seeking. Think about it like this....I know that most of my readers do not have children but just imagine you do for a moment. If our child wants so badly to go outside and play, we say, "Sure, but you must clean your room first." Later on, they come back and say, " Okay mommy/daddy, I'm ready to go outside now!!!!!" "Have you cleaned your room yet?"..."No..." We could not bless that. It is the same way with our Father. If we are not seeking, He cannot bless..simple as that. "Lord!! I'm ready for Your will in my life now!!" "Have you sought me with your WHOLE HEART?"....you finish the rest. So..we know that our priorities must be set on Him and looking for His will.
Here is one of the most important point I will make in this post...when seeking for His will, do not put limits on Him. For example, if I am praying about which job to take, or which direction to go, what if it is neither? What if God has something totally different for you? Just keep that in mind.
So, in conclusion, seeking His face takes much dedication. More dedication than playing your instrument, more dedication than your job, more dedication than sports, and yes, more dedication than even your own life and family. I don't mean to not be dedicated to your family at all, but THAT is how much dedication it is going to take. We must consume ourselves in His word to know His absolute will. Remember, God so longs to be sought by us.
More on how to seek His will in my next post.
Mountain Climber
For a long time here lately, I have been thinking alot about my blog. I haven't posted a blog since April 4th! It isn't because I haven't had time, nor have I forgotten about it. I have just simply been blank about the subject of the condition of this world. I believe it is unquestionable that we are soon to see the last days. As a matter of fact, I believe that we are in the last days. This world in is such rough condition, I think, "where do I start?". While paying close attention to the world events taking place, thinks have bounced from Lybia, Israel, The Middle East, The United States and back around the circle again.
Here lately, the big focus has been on the United States and its dwindelling government. The obvious big issues are spending and borrowing of the US. The republicans are strong on their oppinions on how to fix this mess and the democrats are the same way. Now, you may ask me, am I a republican, or democrat? (Yes, I know this can get personal, depending on the person) The answer?...neither..I am a Christian. Why do I not stand for one party or the next? Becuase neither stand on the principals of the Word of the Living God. Do not get me wrong, dont think that I do not care, because I can assure you that I do. Although, I am not a politician at all, so we wont get to deep into that today. Maybe later.
To sum all that up, my every single blog will NOT be on the depressing news of America, it will NOT be all about the destruction of surrounding countries and nations. Although Israel is definitely the nation to watch today, my blogs will not even be on the events of Israel (even though I will keep you informed). Rather than just providing you with facts of our time, I want to supply the means to fix our own lives: seeking God with ALL YOUR HEART.
Something that I have thought much about in my own life in the last while is how I pray. I tend to do alot of asking and trying to figure things out for myself. I would even venture to say that most of you do too. We do this without realizing it. It is almost natural. But why? Why are we so focused on ourselves to ask for things for ourselves instead of seek what God wants? I hear so many peopke ask me and others "how do I know what Gods will for my life is?" That is a great question. Not so very long ago, I had that same question myself. I spent a lot of time searching and what I thought was seeking for that answer. Something that I had to realize is that Gods will is so much bigger than me. Do I know God's will for my every step in life? No. Not even close. When looking for that answer, one of the most important elements is loosing grip on yourself and realize that He has a plan that is more than your life. Now, does God have a will for your life? Absolutely. Nothing comes to us by chance. But, when we realize that we are servants for Him, looking at the bigger picture becomes easier; and after a while, we will tend to take the focus off ourself.
When I was wanting to know His will for my individual life, to be honest, I wasn't so concerned with the homeless man begging for just a bite of food. I wasn't worried about the people who weren't hearing the word of God. I was so concerned with trying to find what was right for my life, that I didn't even notice the bigger picture. The truth is, most Christians are looking for God's will in their own life, but, my theory is that if we all take focus off ourselves, and put it on each other, our needs will be met. But, more importantly, we can show Christ in our lives to reach those is desperate need. In fact, that is God's will for us as a people and Christian nation.
Matthew 28: 19-20
Next, we will look at HOW to seek His will and living a radical Christian life.
Here lately, the big focus has been on the United States and its dwindelling government. The obvious big issues are spending and borrowing of the US. The republicans are strong on their oppinions on how to fix this mess and the democrats are the same way. Now, you may ask me, am I a republican, or democrat? (Yes, I know this can get personal, depending on the person) The answer?...neither..I am a Christian. Why do I not stand for one party or the next? Becuase neither stand on the principals of the Word of the Living God. Do not get me wrong, dont think that I do not care, because I can assure you that I do. Although, I am not a politician at all, so we wont get to deep into that today. Maybe later.
To sum all that up, my every single blog will NOT be on the depressing news of America, it will NOT be all about the destruction of surrounding countries and nations. Although Israel is definitely the nation to watch today, my blogs will not even be on the events of Israel (even though I will keep you informed). Rather than just providing you with facts of our time, I want to supply the means to fix our own lives: seeking God with ALL YOUR HEART.
Something that I have thought much about in my own life in the last while is how I pray. I tend to do alot of asking and trying to figure things out for myself. I would even venture to say that most of you do too. We do this without realizing it. It is almost natural. But why? Why are we so focused on ourselves to ask for things for ourselves instead of seek what God wants? I hear so many peopke ask me and others "how do I know what Gods will for my life is?" That is a great question. Not so very long ago, I had that same question myself. I spent a lot of time searching and what I thought was seeking for that answer. Something that I had to realize is that Gods will is so much bigger than me. Do I know God's will for my every step in life? No. Not even close. When looking for that answer, one of the most important elements is loosing grip on yourself and realize that He has a plan that is more than your life. Now, does God have a will for your life? Absolutely. Nothing comes to us by chance. But, when we realize that we are servants for Him, looking at the bigger picture becomes easier; and after a while, we will tend to take the focus off ourself.
When I was wanting to know His will for my individual life, to be honest, I wasn't so concerned with the homeless man begging for just a bite of food. I wasn't worried about the people who weren't hearing the word of God. I was so concerned with trying to find what was right for my life, that I didn't even notice the bigger picture. The truth is, most Christians are looking for God's will in their own life, but, my theory is that if we all take focus off ourselves, and put it on each other, our needs will be met. But, more importantly, we can show Christ in our lives to reach those is desperate need. In fact, that is God's will for us as a people and Christian nation.
Matthew 28: 19-20
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Next, we will look at HOW to seek His will and living a radical Christian life.
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