I was reading an old post by Art Good who is the pastor of Fish Lake Assembly of God in LaPorte, Indiana. It was called The Ideal Pastor, and was talking about how society & the church generally have a very different idea of what would be the ideal pastor than God has. He talked about the story of when God chose David (through Samuel) out of all of Jesse’s sons as the one to lead Israel.
Through the prophet Samuel God said “the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).”
Though I’ve read this verse many times – I found deep encouragement in it today. God knows my heart – and it doesn’t matter if I fit the worship leader mold – it only matters what God sees.
There’s another scripture that Johnny has quoted often- “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.” – Acts 13:36.
To serve God’s purpose in my own generation is all that I can aspire to. I can rest assured that God’s will is perfect – and that as long as I remain in Him, it will be accomplished.
Faith
Priority 1
“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you” – Matthew 6:33
During lunch today I heard a sermon that was wrapped around this verse. It was AWESOME! So awesome that I’m considering buying it on CD – which I know I do way too often. But anyway – I’d like to share some of what I learned, and some of my own thoughts too:
1st – What is the Kingdom of God? My Bible defines it as “wherever God is reigning and the people experiencing God’s reign”.
2nd – What does it mean to seek the “Kingdom of God”? How do we seek it?
The pastor I heard over lunch gave 3 ways we are to seek the Kingdom of God – and I thought these were really good:
We should seek to: EXPERIENCE, EXPRESS & EXPAND the Kingdom of God.
To experience the Kingdom of God would be to be a part of it – to know Christ personally and to be a part of what He is doing in His Kingdom.
To express the Kingdom of God would be to simply make it known to others – tell others about the freedom and grace available through Christ’s sacrifice.
To expand the Kingdom of God would be to invite others to be a part of it along with you. (Make disciples – remember the Great Commission?)
Now the next part – “and His righteousness”
What is His righteousness? – Righteousness is the state of being perfect, without sin.
So – we seek to be like Christ (since there is no one but Him that is perfect).
And the last part – “and all these things will be added to you”. What things will be added??
If you read directly before this verse you’ll see that it is all about worry. We worry about so many things! The Bible mentions a few specific things that we all worry about – what to eat or drink, what to wear. Let me pose a question – what do you seek after? Money? Happiness? Family? Friends? Comfort or Security?
The Bible says that if we seek FIRST the Kingdom of God (to Experience, Express & Expand it) and His righteousness (to be like Christ) than all those other things that we seek will be added to us according to God’s perfect will.
Think about it. If we seek God’s Kingdom first we’ll certainly be secure (there is no more secure place than in the arms of the Master), and we will be part of the biggest and most powerful family there ever was or will be – God’s family. If we seek to be like Christ – we’ll find a friend (there’s no better friend than Jesus – cheesy I know, but true). Our treasure will be in Heaven (rather than treasure here on Earth where moth and rust destroy), instead of happiness we’ll find Joy – deep, abiding Joy. The Bible says that the Fruits of the Spirit are peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. These are the things we experience through seeking God’s Kingdom first.
There is so much more to all of this – I just might have to blog about it later.
Til then – let’s make His Kingdom priority 1.
Echoing Christ’s "Come"
“If you abandon everything to Jesus, and come when He says, ‘Come’, then He will continue to say, ‘Come,’ through you. You will go out into the world reproducing the echo of Christ’s ‘Come.’ That is the result in every soul who has abandoned all and come to Jesus.” – Oswald Chambers
DUDE!! I’m not sure I can add anything to this statement other than to say – this is my goal: my ultimate goal as a follower of Christ.
Oswald also says: “If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you.”
I don’t think there’s any greater goal in this life than to say that God made me a holy experiment, that He used me to touch lives. And that through my life He said to others, “Come to me”.
For Such A Time As This
I was reading in the book of Esther today, and although I’m sure I’ve read it before, one chapter really stood out to me – in fact, I was almost moved to tears.
The story is an exciting one (that I highly recommend) about a jewish girl (Esther) who is, through what would compare to a modern-day beauty pageant, placed in the position of being Queen of the Persian empire. In that position, she saves her people from being destroyed by their enemies who are led by an evil official named Haman. (So many details in this story – you need to read it if you haven’t!) Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, sent word to her about the persecution her people were facing, saying: “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?“ (4:13-14).
Esther replies, “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.”
Esther knew she needed to go to the King (her husband) to ask for his help, but if she went into him w/out being asked for he could (and probably would) have her killed. She did it anyway, and God gave her people great success in defeating their enemies.
WOW! One woman’s obedience began the deliverance of an entire nation. I doubt she knew that her obedience to God would play such an integral part in history. I doubt if any of us know the impact our obedience to God’s will has on His plan. I know I don’t. I read a few study guides about Esther and here’s an excerpt from one of them:
“God has a purpose for you, right now, right where you are, no matter who you are, where you live, to whom you are married, what you have experienced in the past, or what you are facing in the future. In fact He has allowed you to come to this place in your life for a definite purpose, “for such a time as this.” He has something specific for you to accomplish in your present situation, and He wants you to look for the opportunities in that present sphere of influence.
He will be honored when we claim His grace to be what He wants us to be and do what He wants us to do in our present circumstances. We must take advantage of the opportunities He has made available to us in the here and now. He may later open wider spheres of opportunity if that suits His purposes, but that is in His hands. Our responsibility is to let Him use us where we are.
God is at work in our lives just as definitely and decisively as in Esther’s. Our circumstances may not be all we would like them to be. But we can thank God for them anyway. They provide Him with the opportunity to demonstrate His sovereign love and care, and they provide us with an opportunity to glorify Him. Let us believe that He will work those circumstances together for good, then look for ways to serve Him in them.”
Really good stuff, man!
Connecting the Dots – Part 2
God’s faithfulness to me and His sacrifice for me have brought me to ask what should I do in return as an act of obedience and worship – here’s what I’ve come to:
Get CONNECTED & Get COMMITTED
As I was stewing over what it means to get connected and committed, God brought me back to a verse I’ve heard probably a thousand times in my life and perhaps never really picked it apart as I have done in the last few days: According to Jesus in Mark 12:30 it is the greatest commandment. “Love the Lord your God with all your HEART, all your SOUL, all your MIND and all your STRENGTH…and love your neighbor as yourself.” So, what does that have to do w/ getting connected and committed??
Getting Connected w/ God requires your heart (it is the wellspring of life), and your soul (the innermost, eternal part of you). Getting Committed requires your Mind (Romans 12:2) and your Strength (Isaiah 7:9b – and many other verses). On Sunday I heard 3 sermons. One on overcoming the past and knowing that God has an incredible plan for you. The second on being completely committed to Christ. The 3rd about the Big and Bold Adventure God is calling us on – to make a huge impact by being bold and sharing the Good News. All made mention of the incredible life God calls us to – the “Great Adventure”. All made mention of being committed to Christ (in many different areas). And all encouraged me to get up and get moving. To get connected and get committed. There is so much more I have to share. For now, I am reminded of a song – an old song (there’s always a song!):
“Saddle up your horses, we’ve got a trail to blaze. Through the wild blue yonder of God’s amazing grace. We’ll follow our Leader unto the glorious unknown. This is life like no other…this is the Great Adventure”
Connecting the Dots
Have you ever been so overwhelmed w/ truth and revelation that it becomes difficult to make sense of it all and come up with some sort of action plan? Well, that’s me right now. I’ve been seeking God’s truth like never before, and He is delivering it full force. It’s interesting to me how the more I learn, the more I want to learn. The more I receive, the more I seek. I’m feeding on the very truth of God, and am still so hungry to hear, learn and experience more of Him. (Read Johnny’s blog for some interesting thoughts on being “fed”.) I would love to share with you all the things I’m learning (although most of it is what I’ve known for a long time and it is being reinforced by God in a big way). However, I’m afraid I could never cover it all in a way that you’d actually have time to read, so I’ll try to just connect the dots. I’ve been drawn to Proverbs 4:23 – “Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (this verse comes under the heading of “Wisdom is Supreme” – how interesting is that?! Another verse I’ve been drawn to is Psalm 91:3-5 (it’s about the arrows that pierce our heart.) So, we are to guard our hearts. We also need to know that guarding our hearts is not an easy thing. Our hearts, by the way, are how we connect w/ God – they are the part of us that God wants the very most because they are “the wellspring of life” – the part of us from which everything else flows. I’ve been convinced of the faithfulness of God (there are so many verses God has given me over the last 6 months to attest to this).
God is faithful, that I well know. But God’s faithfulness (and His grace – more on grace later) requires something from me as a response. I’ll talk about that response in the next post.
Blessed Assurance
I was reading Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotional today, and although it is not evening – the evening devotion was particularly gripping – here’s a little taste:
You are standing at the foot of his cross, trusting alone in the merit of Jesus’ precious blood, and no rise or fall of the markets can interfere with your salvation in him; no breaking of banks, no failures and bankruptcies can touch that. Then you area child of God this evening. God is your Father. No change of circumstances can ever rob you of that. Although by losses brought to poverty, and stripped bare, you can say, “He is my Father still. In my Father’s house are many mansions; therefore will I not be troubled.”
You have another permanent blessing, namely, the love of Jesus Christ. He who is God and Man loves you with all the strength of his affectionate nature-nothing can affect that. The fig tree may not blossom, and the flocks may cease from the field, it matters not to the man who can sing, “My Beloved is mine, and I am his.”
Our best portion and richest heritage we cannot lose. Whatever troubles come, let us play the man; let us show that we are not such little children as to be cast down by what may happen in this poor fleeting state of time. Our country is Immanuel’s land, our hope is above the sky, and therefore, calm as the summer’socean; we will see the wreck of everything earthborn, and yet rejoice in the God of our salvation.
Immediately I started to sing (in my head, of course) that old tune:
Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine.
Oh what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation
Purchase of God
Born of His Spirit
Washed in his blood
I know it’s an old song – but those old songs often have deeper meanings than most of what we sing today.
What blessed assurance to know that I am an heiress of God himself, and there is nothing that will ever change who I am in Christ!! In Christ I am righteous and holy. In Christ I am strong and courageous. In Christ I am special and in Him I am loved.
The Heart Factor
I have just started reading a book called “The Sacred Romance” by Brent Curtis and John Eldridge and had to share a piece of it with you:
“In the end, it doesn’t matter how well we have performed or what we have accomplished – a life without heart is not worth living. For out of this wellspring of our soul flowers all true caring and all meaningful work, all real worship and all sacrifice. Our faith, hope, and love issue from this fount, as well. Because it is in our heart that we first hear the voice of God and it is in the heart that we come to know him and learn to live in his love.”
It is often interesting to me, although not suprising, that when God is trying to tell me something He will continue to tell it to me in as many ways as possible until I get it. Well, God – message received. In the beginning of the book I am reading, the author mentions that all of us – no matter our relationship with Christ, are always wanting more. More love, more emotion, more meaning – More Heart. I can definitely relate to the desire for more out of life – as I’m sure you can. I have been overwhelmed with the feeling lately that there is so much more than I am getting. I seek God – but do I seek Him hard enough? I praise God – but do I praise him often enough? I worship God – but do I worship with ALL of my life, or simply with my song? I have to confess that everything I could ever give would never be enough. So, how do I get more? I’m not exactly sure. I suppose that just knowing that there is more will force me to seek harder and praise more often and try to learn how to worship with everything that is me. At least I hope that is the case.
kimewells 