While we were sitting in church tonight, the preacher began talking about the classical story of Abraham and Isaac, and the sacrifice that it took for Abraham to give up his "miracle" child. As he was explaining this no-doubt miraculous show of faith that Abraham definitely had, I began to think of Isaac's side. What was he thinking as his father tied him up? What would his prayer have had to have been in order to submit and allow your father to do that? I implore you to let his prayer become yours.
This is the end of me
This is the beginning of You
I'm bound, I'm tied to this tree
Lord I'm trusting you
This is where my heart stops
This is where Yours begins to beat
When all my plans seem like flops
You have written my story
I'm Your sacrifice
Consume me with Your fire
You paid the greatest price
I am forever Yours.
Genesis 22:1-13
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-- this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1
Let my prayer be set before You as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2
Friday, December 17, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Longing for You
Where is the light
Down this corridor of turns and tumbles?
Where is the ground
Beneath my prodding foot?
Lord show me the way;
Show me the way.
Show me the way.
Where is the help
To those who are crying?
Where are the tools
To fix what is broken?
Lord give me the means;
Give me the means.
Give me the means.
Where is the calling for action
From the spoon-fed Christians?
Where is the echoing response
Replying from passionate followers?
Lord give us Your heart;
Give us Your heart.
Give us Your heart.
He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Psalms 23:3
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8
In your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling. Exodus 15:13
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. Isaiah 42:16
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28:7
I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
Monday, December 6, 2010
R & R
Two words that I find are very difficult are the words “respect” and “responsible”. I’ve had them integrated into my vocabulary since I was 2 years old, listening to my mother when I ran away from her in the grocery store. I always like to sound and look smart, so I used these words whenever my brothers seemed out of line, and in order to complete second grade, I passed the spelling unit with these words. So why do I find these words so difficult when I know them so well?
Maybe because actions speak louder than words.
Respect is defined as “a feeling of appreciative, often deferential regard; esteem” by the American Heritage College Dictionary. The denotation of this word is not hard to grasp, yet when we see the contextual definition in the Bible, things can get a little bit more challenging. The way I see it, the Biblical definition of the word in part is “Showing humility by placing others higher than oneself; giving up your selfish desire to meet the requirements of gratitude; honoring one regardless of what they have earned, but for what they deserve.” And that is a lot harder than what it seems.
Take the big picture. We have people complaining all the time, myself included, about high taxes, stupid government proposals, and government interference with our lives. Is that giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s?
Take your job. Everyone has a supervisor or a manager who we just can’t believe got their by being as lazy or as stupid as they are. We think they need to earn our respect, and they never seem to be doing the right thing at the right time. Is that giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s?
Now take your life, your time at home. How do you treat your parents, your grandparents, aunts or uncles? Do you write them off as senile, people living in the past; or do you constantly grudge about “unreasonable” expectations they have placed on you? Are you giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s?
So what does this have to do with responsibility? As defined by thefreedictionary.com, responsibility is defined as “The obligation to carry forward an assigned task to a successful conclusion”. The difficulty with this phrase is found in it’s definition: the obligation to carry forward an assigned task. What is our assigned task?
Respect is a responsibility that we have towards those around us. As ambassadors to this world, we are obligated to be representatives of the One who sent us. We have an obligation to do many things, but one of the first things people will notice is our respect for others. Because you cannot have respect for someone unless you first have a love for them. Not a weird, creepy kind of love, but the love of Christ that compels you to look past one’s faults and do the impossible. The love that Christ had for us when he died for us, the most unworthy things to be respected. When we have God’s vision, we have a whole new-found respect for all those things around us. And we regain respect of the responsibility that Christ has commissioned us on. And with this realization comes action.
I think it’s time for a little R&R.
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away. Matthew 22:21b-22Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Colossians 3:20Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. Proverbs 1:8-9 Hereby perceive we the love {of God}, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But who has this world's good, and sees his brother has need, and shuts up his bowels {of compassion} from him, how dwells the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18
Respect is defined as “a feeling of appreciative, often deferential regard; esteem” by the American Heritage College Dictionary. The denotation of this word is not hard to grasp, yet when we see the contextual definition in the Bible, things can get a little bit more challenging. The way I see it, the Biblical definition of the word in part is “Showing humility by placing others higher than oneself; giving up your selfish desire to meet the requirements of gratitude; honoring one regardless of what they have earned, but for what they deserve.” And that is a lot harder than what it seems.
Take the big picture. We have people complaining all the time, myself included, about high taxes, stupid government proposals, and government interference with our lives. Is that giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s?
Take your job. Everyone has a supervisor or a manager who we just can’t believe got their by being as lazy or as stupid as they are. We think they need to earn our respect, and they never seem to be doing the right thing at the right time. Is that giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s?
Now take your life, your time at home. How do you treat your parents, your grandparents, aunts or uncles? Do you write them off as senile, people living in the past; or do you constantly grudge about “unreasonable” expectations they have placed on you? Are you giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s?
So what does this have to do with responsibility? As defined by thefreedictionary.com, responsibility is defined as “The obligation to carry forward an assigned task to a successful conclusion”. The difficulty with this phrase is found in it’s definition: the obligation to carry forward an assigned task. What is our assigned task?
Respect is a responsibility that we have towards those around us. As ambassadors to this world, we are obligated to be representatives of the One who sent us. We have an obligation to do many things, but one of the first things people will notice is our respect for others. Because you cannot have respect for someone unless you first have a love for them. Not a weird, creepy kind of love, but the love of Christ that compels you to look past one’s faults and do the impossible. The love that Christ had for us when he died for us, the most unworthy things to be respected. When we have God’s vision, we have a whole new-found respect for all those things around us. And we regain respect of the responsibility that Christ has commissioned us on. And with this realization comes action.
I think it’s time for a little R&R.
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away. Matthew 22:21b-22Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Colossians 3:20Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. Proverbs 1:8-9 Hereby perceive we the love {of God}, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But who has this world's good, and sees his brother has need, and shuts up his bowels {of compassion} from him, how dwells the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Jesus Commands Us to Go!
Then through the hymn came another sound like the pain of a million broken hearts wrung out in one full drop, one sob. And a horror of great darkness was upon me, for I knew what it was-the Cry of the Blood. Then thundered a voice, the voice of the Lord. "And He said, 'What hast thou done, The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.'" Amy Carmichael
Can we go too fast in saving souls? If anyone still wants a reply, let him ask the lost souls in Hell. William Booth
I'd rather have people hate me with the knowledge that I tried to save them. Keith Green
While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight-I'll fight to the very end! William Booth
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. Luke 19:10
If sinners be dammed, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one GO there UNWARNED and UNPRAYED for. Charles Spurgeon
Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. Acts 18:9
Oh bless me Lord, bless me Lord", You know it's all I ever hear. No one aches, no one hurts, No one even sheds one tear. But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds, And He cares for your needs. And you just lay back And keep soaking it in- Oh, can't you see it's such a sin? Cause He brings people to your door, And you turn them away, As you smile and say, "God bless you, be at peace". And all heaven just weeps; Cause Jesus came to your door. You've left him out on the streets. Keith Green, Asleep in the Light.
God save us from living in comfort while sinners are sinking into hell! Charles Spurgeon
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. Matthew 25:44-46
It is my hearts desire that I must be NO more, that He be KNOWN more. Saheed Olalekan
He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30
Oh, to realize that souls, precious, never dying souls, are perishing all around us, going out into the blackness of darkness and despair, eternally lost, and yet to feel no anguish, shed no tears, know no travail!How little we know of the compassion of Jesus! Oswald Smith
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. Matthew 28:19
Oh, how God grieves and believes that the world can't be saved, Unless the ones He's appointed obeys His command and His stand for the world, That He loved more than life. Oh He died, and he cries out tonight.Jesus commands us to go- It should be the exception if we stay. Keith Green, Jesus Commands Us To Go
Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Matthew 8:20
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Mark 16:15
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38
Can we go too fast in saving souls? If anyone still wants a reply, let him ask the lost souls in Hell. William Booth
I'd rather have people hate me with the knowledge that I tried to save them. Keith Green
While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight-I'll fight to the very end! William Booth
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. Luke 19:10
If sinners be dammed, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one GO there UNWARNED and UNPRAYED for. Charles Spurgeon
Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. Acts 18:9
Oh bless me Lord, bless me Lord", You know it's all I ever hear. No one aches, no one hurts, No one even sheds one tear. But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds, And He cares for your needs. And you just lay back And keep soaking it in- Oh, can't you see it's such a sin? Cause He brings people to your door, And you turn them away, As you smile and say, "God bless you, be at peace". And all heaven just weeps; Cause Jesus came to your door. You've left him out on the streets. Keith Green, Asleep in the Light.
God save us from living in comfort while sinners are sinking into hell! Charles Spurgeon
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. Matthew 25:44-46
It is my hearts desire that I must be NO more, that He be KNOWN more. Saheed Olalekan
He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30
Oh, to realize that souls, precious, never dying souls, are perishing all around us, going out into the blackness of darkness and despair, eternally lost, and yet to feel no anguish, shed no tears, know no travail!How little we know of the compassion of Jesus! Oswald Smith
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. Matthew 28:19
Oh, how God grieves and believes that the world can't be saved, Unless the ones He's appointed obeys His command and His stand for the world, That He loved more than life. Oh He died, and he cries out tonight.Jesus commands us to go- It should be the exception if we stay. Keith Green, Jesus Commands Us To Go
Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Matthew 8:20
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Mark 16:15
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Full Bellies with Starved Hearts
I was reading an article in World magazine and came across a quote that really stuck with me. It simply said, "Their bellies are full but their hearts are empty".
What does it mean to have a full belly? Well, we might not exactly be stuffed every minute of every day, although in this country it is quite possible to be like that. We might not be living in the lap of luxury, but when was the last time one of your needs was not met? When was the last time you had no house, no money, no clothing, or any food? I would say in general, we are physically well nourished.
That is, until you become stuffed. What happens when one's eyes begin to grow too large for their stomach? We've all heard the saying, and have probably experienced it recently, with Thanksgiving come and gone. When someone becomes too full, they become apathetic, lethargic, and quite often, they become a bit larger.
So how do we become too full of this world?
Being too full of this world involves one's wants to overpower their needs; where their wants become such a driving force that they seem a necessity. When we place careers, school, music, or sports as an idol in our hearts; when the spotlight in our hearts are focused on me-me-me, and God gets the shadows all to Himself.
Spiritual apathy is directly correlated to self-satisfaction. When we get bloated with this world, our spiritual lives become malnourished and sluggish.
What does a starved heart look like?
It looks suffocated by the things around it, the pounds of the flesh. It looks dead to Christ and un-empathetic towards others. It looks self-centered and inward seeking. It looks uncontent.
Just as the body requires the right kind of nutrition to keep it running on all cylinders, the heart of Christ requires food of Fire. It requires food of Passion, of Life; it requires food of Sacrifice. It requires time spent in the Word of God, and time spent giving when it can't. It requires the Widow's Mite, and it requires your all.
But the benefits of a heart that is fitting, not two sizes too small, are immense! It gives you spiritual endurance: the ability to never give up the Hope of God. It grants you a place of leadership: the opportunity to say, "Follow me as I follow Christ". It gives you the peace that passes all understanding: the calm in the middle of the storms of life. But most of all, it gives you the Heart of God.
What has your diet been looking like lately? It's time for a change.
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' Matthew 4:4
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1
They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:3-4
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 1 Peter 2:2
What does it mean to have a full belly? Well, we might not exactly be stuffed every minute of every day, although in this country it is quite possible to be like that. We might not be living in the lap of luxury, but when was the last time one of your needs was not met? When was the last time you had no house, no money, no clothing, or any food? I would say in general, we are physically well nourished.
That is, until you become stuffed. What happens when one's eyes begin to grow too large for their stomach? We've all heard the saying, and have probably experienced it recently, with Thanksgiving come and gone. When someone becomes too full, they become apathetic, lethargic, and quite often, they become a bit larger.
So how do we become too full of this world?
Being too full of this world involves one's wants to overpower their needs; where their wants become such a driving force that they seem a necessity. When we place careers, school, music, or sports as an idol in our hearts; when the spotlight in our hearts are focused on me-me-me, and God gets the shadows all to Himself.
Spiritual apathy is directly correlated to self-satisfaction. When we get bloated with this world, our spiritual lives become malnourished and sluggish.
What does a starved heart look like?
It looks suffocated by the things around it, the pounds of the flesh. It looks dead to Christ and un-empathetic towards others. It looks self-centered and inward seeking. It looks uncontent.
Just as the body requires the right kind of nutrition to keep it running on all cylinders, the heart of Christ requires food of Fire. It requires food of Passion, of Life; it requires food of Sacrifice. It requires time spent in the Word of God, and time spent giving when it can't. It requires the Widow's Mite, and it requires your all.
But the benefits of a heart that is fitting, not two sizes too small, are immense! It gives you spiritual endurance: the ability to never give up the Hope of God. It grants you a place of leadership: the opportunity to say, "Follow me as I follow Christ". It gives you the peace that passes all understanding: the calm in the middle of the storms of life. But most of all, it gives you the Heart of God.
What has your diet been looking like lately? It's time for a change.
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' Matthew 4:4
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1
They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:3-4
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 1 Peter 2:2
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