Saturday, April 19, 2008
What's Your Mission?
Have you ever wondered if you have a specific mission in life? A specific purpose?
In John 17, Jesus Prays for His Followers! If you are a Christ Follower, this Prayer should blow you away and ROCK your world! Christ Follower, Jesus Prays and gives YOU a mission...let that sink in!
From Verses 13-19
In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world,
I give them a mission in the world.
I'm consecrating myself for their sakes
So they'll be truth-consecrated in their mission.
Jesus goes on to Pray about His Mission....
From Verses 24-26
Righteous Father, the world has never known you,
But I have known you, and these disciples know
That you sent me on this mission.
I have made your very being known to them—
Who you are and what you do—
And continue to make it known,
Jesus had a Mission to make God known, The very being of God known to all...Who He is and What He does!
As a Christ Follower, your mission is the same. So how are you making the very being of God known today? Tomorrow? God has given you specific gifts and abilities...He has entrusted specific people and places and spaces for you to be in. Christ Follower, you will be a better family member, you will be better at your work, you will be a better student, you will be a better athlete, a better musician, etc, etc if your mission is to make God known.
I am not talking about having a bulletin board strapped around your neck that says "Repent" and shouting through a megaphone, "Sinners, you are all sinners, God loves you but hates your sin." No dude, I am talking about using your gifts and talents to Worship God, to take care of your family and to serve your community.
Live your Mission. When your mission is to make God known, everything else falls into place!
Look how Jesus closes out His Prayer for Christ Followers as He speaks to The Heavenly Father...
In John 17, Jesus Prays for His Followers! If you are a Christ Follower, this Prayer should blow you away and ROCK your world! Christ Follower, Jesus Prays and gives YOU a mission...let that sink in!
From Verses 13-19
In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world,
I give them a mission in the world.
I'm consecrating myself for their sakes
So they'll be truth-consecrated in their mission.
Jesus goes on to Pray about His Mission....
From Verses 24-26
Righteous Father, the world has never known you,
But I have known you, and these disciples know
That you sent me on this mission.
I have made your very being known to them—
Who you are and what you do—
And continue to make it known,
Jesus had a Mission to make God known, The very being of God known to all...Who He is and What He does!
As a Christ Follower, your mission is the same. So how are you making the very being of God known today? Tomorrow? God has given you specific gifts and abilities...He has entrusted specific people and places and spaces for you to be in. Christ Follower, you will be a better family member, you will be better at your work, you will be a better student, you will be a better athlete, a better musician, etc, etc if your mission is to make God known.
I am not talking about having a bulletin board strapped around your neck that says "Repent" and shouting through a megaphone, "Sinners, you are all sinners, God loves you but hates your sin." No dude, I am talking about using your gifts and talents to Worship God, to take care of your family and to serve your community.
Live your Mission. When your mission is to make God known, everything else falls into place!
Look how Jesus closes out His Prayer for Christ Followers as He speaks to The Heavenly Father...
So that your love for me
Might be in them
Exactly as I am in them.
Might be in them
Exactly as I am in them.
With The Love of God and The Spirit of Jesus in you, your mission will be fulfilled!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
The Warrior's Prayer
We have always admired how The Samurai are such amazing Warriors. Their Honor, Courage, and Loyalty are seldom matched. Even though they were great Warriors, no body compares to Jesus: The Ultimate Warrior. The Prophet Isaiah tells us how Jesus looked death in the face yet never flinched (Isaiah 53.11-12 MSG).
With that being said, we were inspired to write, "The Warrior's Prayer." Pray through it today (Click on Picture to your left). It's time the nice boy Christian stuff is put aside. As ChristFollowers, we must be Warriors - Christians have been pushed around too much.
ChristFollowers are pushed around no more.
Proverbs 29.21 (MSG) says, If you let people treat you like a doormat, you'll be quite forgotten in the end.
Warriors are not doormats. Warriors live as Jesus lived (1 John 2.4-6 MSG). As Lifechurch.tv says, Warriors have "A Cause worth fighting for, a Victory worth claiming."
To listen to the series "The Warrior" that also inspired us to write this Prayer please click on http://www.lifechurch.tv/current-series/the-warrior/
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
A Life Jesus Will be Proud Of
Here is a cool Prayer from The Book of Philippians, Chapter 1 (The Message)
...it is my Prayer for my family and the community in which I live....It is my Prayer for you reading this blog....Pray it for your family, your community and your self today, that you all would live a life Jesus will be proud of!
9-11 So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God (Emphasis Added).
Frome 18-21 Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. I can hardly wait to continue on my course.
From 27-30 Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ.
...it is my Prayer for my family and the community in which I live....It is my Prayer for you reading this blog....Pray it for your family, your community and your self today, that you all would live a life Jesus will be proud of!
9-11 So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God (Emphasis Added).
Frome 18-21 Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. I can hardly wait to continue on my course.
From 27-30 Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Freedom vs Prosperity
Are you Prosperous? If so, are you free?
There is a lot of the "Prosperity Gospel" going around these days, but here's the important thing to know:
God's goal is not necessarily to make you prosperous, but rather to make you free!
You can have many things and acquire a lot of stuff, but that stuff and prosperity can actually make you a slave, keeping you in bondage and wanting to acquire more stuff.....
There is nothing wrong to being prosperous, God wants the best for you. Just make sure you are free.....
(inspired by Erwin McManus, Vital Signs, Restoring Your Health)
There is a lot of the "Prosperity Gospel" going around these days, but here's the important thing to know:
God's goal is not necessarily to make you prosperous, but rather to make you free!
You can have many things and acquire a lot of stuff, but that stuff and prosperity can actually make you a slave, keeping you in bondage and wanting to acquire more stuff.....
There is nothing wrong to being prosperous, God wants the best for you. Just make sure you are free.....
(inspired by Erwin McManus, Vital Signs, Restoring Your Health)
God's Compass
Is smoking a sin? Is drinking alcohol a sin?
How far is too far when determining "how far to go" with your boyfriend/girlfriend?
What other morality issues do you have questions about??
Here's the thing, we make all this kind of stuff way too hard. Instead of step-by-step directions, God wants us to use the brains He has Blessed us with. He therefore has given us a compass.
God's compass can be found in 1 Corinthians...
1 Corinthians 10.31 says, So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
God wants you to use the compass He has given you. Just ask your self one simple question in all situations of life: Is this bringing Glory and Honor to God?
1 Corinthians 6.19-20 says, Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Honor God with your body. Use God's compass. Is smoking and damaging your lungs honoring God with your body? Is drinking alcohol and destroying your liver honoring God with your body?
Sometimes we make everything out to be "Is it a sin?" instead of just asking ourselves, "Is this honoring God?" or "Is this bringing Glory to God?" You see, take sin out of the equation for a second. Some of these questions should really be rephrased as "Is this stupid?" Why do you want to smoke in the first place. Why would you intentionally damage your lungs and your health, reduce your capacity to breath and increase your possibilities of having debilitating diseases?
Same goes for alcohol. Why set yourself up for having to rely on smoking or drinking because you are stressed out? Why drink just to make yourself fit in? When it comes down to it, regardless of whether or not it is sin, just take a step back and look how stupid it is....Why set yourself up for a dependency on such things??
How about your relationships? Doesn't seem stupid to ask yourself "how far is too far?" Do you really think God has set up guidelines and margins for something like this. We always search for margins in life, saying things like, "we can go this far but not too far." We think that we must "go all the way" in order to be cool. Society tells us that we must have sex to fit in, yet if a teenage girl becomes pregnant, then society treats her like scum. Why test the margins?? Sin or stupidity?....just use God's compass and ask yourself if you are honoring God or bringing Glory to God?
Sin or stupidity?...pretty much the same thing, the question that is more important is whether or not you are Honoring God with what He has given you and entrusted you with...God's compass, you always have it with you, use it :)
(inspired by Erwin McManus, Vital Signs, Restoring Your Health)
How far is too far when determining "how far to go" with your boyfriend/girlfriend?
What other morality issues do you have questions about??
Here's the thing, we make all this kind of stuff way too hard. Instead of step-by-step directions, God wants us to use the brains He has Blessed us with. He therefore has given us a compass.
God's compass can be found in 1 Corinthians...
1 Corinthians 10.31 says, So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
God wants you to use the compass He has given you. Just ask your self one simple question in all situations of life: Is this bringing Glory and Honor to God?
1 Corinthians 6.19-20 says, Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Honor God with your body. Use God's compass. Is smoking and damaging your lungs honoring God with your body? Is drinking alcohol and destroying your liver honoring God with your body?
Sometimes we make everything out to be "Is it a sin?" instead of just asking ourselves, "Is this honoring God?" or "Is this bringing Glory to God?" You see, take sin out of the equation for a second. Some of these questions should really be rephrased as "Is this stupid?" Why do you want to smoke in the first place. Why would you intentionally damage your lungs and your health, reduce your capacity to breath and increase your possibilities of having debilitating diseases?
Same goes for alcohol. Why set yourself up for having to rely on smoking or drinking because you are stressed out? Why drink just to make yourself fit in? When it comes down to it, regardless of whether or not it is sin, just take a step back and look how stupid it is....Why set yourself up for a dependency on such things??
How about your relationships? Doesn't seem stupid to ask yourself "how far is too far?" Do you really think God has set up guidelines and margins for something like this. We always search for margins in life, saying things like, "we can go this far but not too far." We think that we must "go all the way" in order to be cool. Society tells us that we must have sex to fit in, yet if a teenage girl becomes pregnant, then society treats her like scum. Why test the margins?? Sin or stupidity?....just use God's compass and ask yourself if you are honoring God or bringing Glory to God?
Sin or stupidity?...pretty much the same thing, the question that is more important is whether or not you are Honoring God with what He has given you and entrusted you with...God's compass, you always have it with you, use it :)
(inspired by Erwin McManus, Vital Signs, Restoring Your Health)
Friday, April 11, 2008
Sounds and Silence
Matthew 8:26
Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: "Silence!" The sea became smooth as glass. (emphasis added)
Praise be to God The Father and Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, because over the past 6 days, Jesus said "Silence!" in the context of our lives and The sea became smooth as glass.
Over the past 6 days our family and many others battled through and are still battling through two ridiculous storms: Tornado's and sickness. Along with the high flying winds of the tornado's, our family was also struck with a low life virus. God was faithful as always and got us through both of these storms and so I would like to share with you some of the sounds I experienced through it all.
From The Tornado
Praying To God
Speaking of Family
Warning Siren
Whistling of wind
Rustling of leaves
Bending of Trees
Buzzing of Chainsaws
Ringing of Phones
Reporting of News
From the virus
Family members puking (sorry)....I want to be truthful to everything we experienced
The voice of the nurse who called my family member back into the ER. (We only had a 5 minute wait)
"Hey Dude" - the welcome from my other family member who had to go into the ER - when I heard "Hey Dude" I knew he was on his way to recovery
"Im at Starbucks" - when my Dad said this, I knew he was fully recovered!
"Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Yogurt"- when my Mom said this, I knew she was fully recovered!
"Hey Bro" - this is the welcome from my Twin Bro...He is full of life when he says it!
Laughter - I always know my sis-in-law is great when I hear her laugh :)
"Bing" - the sound of a new text message that reads all is well from my other sis-in-law
Soundwaves over the phone and in person when everyone told me they were better
One of the sweetest sounds was the singing of my niece. She is 8 months old. I was Blessed to stay healthy through the storm and the virus (only by The Grace and Mercy of God) and so I had the blessing of dancing her to sleep on two occasions. I would hold her close to me as she would lay her head on my shoulder. We danced in the dark and the only sound I heard was her singing herself to sleep...no music will ever compare :)
There were many sounds I could list, but through it all, one of the best things experienced was the absence of sound....silence.
Wikipedia.org defines Silence as a relative or total lack of audible sound. An environment with sound below 20 decibels is considered quiet or silent. When the storm settled, there was silence. But better yet, when my family members defeated the virus, there was silence. When they were sleeping and resting, I walked through the house and the sound level was below 20 decibels. No puking, no buzzing, no whistling or rustling. No warning sirens. Silence. All is well.
Thanks to God for bringing us through these storms. I see things more clearly now. Colors are brighter, tastes are sweeter, sounds are richer. Attitudes are changed and Motivations enriched. I appreciate silence like never before.
Live life to your fullest today and soak up The Blessings of God; Then, ring them out on to the lives you are able to influence. Be The Sound of God in their lives!
I will close with a quote from John Wooden, famous championship coach from UCLA:
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the ways things turn out."
Glory To God The Healer, Protector, and Sustainer!
Matthew 8:26
Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: "Silence!" The sea became smooth as glass. (emphasis added)
Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: "Silence!" The sea became smooth as glass. (emphasis added)
Praise be to God The Father and Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, because over the past 6 days, Jesus said "Silence!" in the context of our lives and The sea became smooth as glass.
Over the past 6 days our family and many others battled through and are still battling through two ridiculous storms: Tornado's and sickness. Along with the high flying winds of the tornado's, our family was also struck with a low life virus. God was faithful as always and got us through both of these storms and so I would like to share with you some of the sounds I experienced through it all.
From The Tornado
Praying To God
Speaking of Family
Warning Siren
Whistling of wind
Rustling of leaves
Bending of Trees
Buzzing of Chainsaws
Ringing of Phones
Reporting of News
From the virus
Family members puking (sorry)....I want to be truthful to everything we experienced
The voice of the nurse who called my family member back into the ER. (We only had a 5 minute wait)
"Hey Dude" - the welcome from my other family member who had to go into the ER - when I heard "Hey Dude" I knew he was on his way to recovery
"Im at Starbucks" - when my Dad said this, I knew he was fully recovered!
"Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Yogurt"- when my Mom said this, I knew she was fully recovered!
"Hey Bro" - this is the welcome from my Twin Bro...He is full of life when he says it!
Laughter - I always know my sis-in-law is great when I hear her laugh :)
"Bing" - the sound of a new text message that reads all is well from my other sis-in-law
Soundwaves over the phone and in person when everyone told me they were better
One of the sweetest sounds was the singing of my niece. She is 8 months old. I was Blessed to stay healthy through the storm and the virus (only by The Grace and Mercy of God) and so I had the blessing of dancing her to sleep on two occasions. I would hold her close to me as she would lay her head on my shoulder. We danced in the dark and the only sound I heard was her singing herself to sleep...no music will ever compare :)
There were many sounds I could list, but through it all, one of the best things experienced was the absence of sound....silence.
Wikipedia.org defines Silence as a relative or total lack of audible sound. An environment with sound below 20 decibels is considered quiet or silent. When the storm settled, there was silence. But better yet, when my family members defeated the virus, there was silence. When they were sleeping and resting, I walked through the house and the sound level was below 20 decibels. No puking, no buzzing, no whistling or rustling. No warning sirens. Silence. All is well.
Thanks to God for bringing us through these storms. I see things more clearly now. Colors are brighter, tastes are sweeter, sounds are richer. Attitudes are changed and Motivations enriched. I appreciate silence like never before.
Live life to your fullest today and soak up The Blessings of God; Then, ring them out on to the lives you are able to influence. Be The Sound of God in their lives!
I will close with a quote from John Wooden, famous championship coach from UCLA:
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the ways things turn out."
Glory To God The Healer, Protector, and Sustainer!
Matthew 8:26
Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: "Silence!" The sea became smooth as glass. (emphasis added)
Friday, April 4, 2008
As Christ
10 marks to living as Christ lived. Pray God will grant you these 10 gifts, for you and your family and your church. Ask yourself and others for accountability:
(1) Are you crucified with Christ? (Galatians 2:20)
(2) Are you Holy as God is Holy--in heart and in conversation?
(3) Do you Love God with all your heart and serve God with all your strength?
(4) Do you Love your neighbor as yourself; love others as Christ loves us?
(5) Do you Love your enemies; even those who may persecute you?
(6) Is your soul all self-giving love?
(7) Are you filled with mercy, kindness, meekness, gentleness, long-suffering?
(8) Are you living the full work of faith, the patience of hope, the labor of love?
(9) Are you doing everything in the Name, the Power, and the Love of Jesus Christ?
(10)Are you doing the will of God on earth as it is in Heaven?
In other words, are there any thoughts, words, or deeds that are separated from the Vine Himself, Jesus Christ?
(1) Are you crucified with Christ? (Galatians 2:20)
(2) Are you Holy as God is Holy--in heart and in conversation?
(3) Do you Love God with all your heart and serve God with all your strength?
(4) Do you Love your neighbor as yourself; love others as Christ loves us?
(5) Do you Love your enemies; even those who may persecute you?
(6) Is your soul all self-giving love?
(7) Are you filled with mercy, kindness, meekness, gentleness, long-suffering?
(8) Are you living the full work of faith, the patience of hope, the labor of love?
(9) Are you doing everything in the Name, the Power, and the Love of Jesus Christ?
(10)Are you doing the will of God on earth as it is in Heaven?
In other words, are there any thoughts, words, or deeds that are separated from the Vine Himself, Jesus Christ?
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