Experience the Journey

Experience The Journey

   So I've taken off on a journey with several other folks this week to do something for 30 days and see what happens!  Are you ready? 

  We are going to practice putting God first in our lives.  So to many of you this may seem strange, and some of you will say, well I already do that...but do you?  Do you really?  We were told these three things:

1. Once you put God first in your life, you will never be the same again.

2. Putting God first in your life during this day and age will require great self-discipline, self-control and self-surrender.

3. Once your life has changed, you will never again want to go back to your old way of living.

This is the journey I and several others are on.  It's like this photo of a road in Virginia...you can see up ahead a little way...but what is around the corner?  The Journey is around the corner...and the next corner and the corner after that.  

Today is day two of this journey.  The first day our scripture was 2nd Chronicles 7:14.  "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."  

I get it...we are supposed to pray with a humble attitude and seek God, and turn from our wicked ways.  Seeking God...is alot like driving up this road...staying the course...quietly and cautiously driving attentively and heading for the destination.  We are told to do that with humility.  Road rage has no place in this journey.

Our scripture today was James 4:16 "But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil." 

Wow...this was a hard one to deal with.  Am I boastful, proud, conceited, or overbearing?  In context the verse is the culmination of our arrogance that we know the way when really what needs to be confirmed is that God knows the way...and we are supposed to seek that path...that road...that journey...that destination.  We really don't know the way so that is why we humble ourselves and get on our knees and pray to Him...that He will be our guide and that He would show us the way.

If you feel you are not on the right journey...then make the decision to join God's journey...the "Brave Christian Journey."  

Are You Ready?

Incomparable Perfection

"That the God of Israel is a being of incomparable perfection. We cannot describe him; but this we know, there is none like him in heaven or in earth."

From Matthew Henry's commentary on 2 Chronicles 6:12-42. Solomon has built the Temple that his father David could not build. Solomon says of God in verse 14; "O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no god like Thee in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Thy servants who walk before Thee with all their heart."

How BIG is your God?  Solomon's God was enormous!  There was no other god like HIM in all of the universe and that is a very large area.  No god who kept a covenant with and showed vast amounts of LOVE to His followers, who followed him with all their heart.  

I would challenge you to read Solomon's prayer in 2nd Chronicles as he teaches us to be humble servants of a great and mighty God.

Matthew Henry so adequately explains what we can learn from this passage:

      As, 1. That the God of Israel is a being of incomparable perfection. We cannot describe him; but this we know, there is none like him in heaven or in earth, v. 14. All the creatures have their fellow-creatures, but the Creator has not his peer. He is infinitely above all, and over all, God blessed for ever. 2. That he is, and will be, true to every word that he has spoken; and all that serve him in sincerity shall certainly find him both faithful and kind. Those that set God always before them, and walk before him with all their hearts, shall find him as good as his word and better; he will both keep covenant with them and show mercy to them, v. 14. 3. That he is a being infinite and immense, whom the heaven, and heaven of heavens, cannot contain, and to whose felicity nothing is added by the utmost we can do in his service, v. 18. He is infinitely beyond the bounds of the creation and infinitely above the praises of all intelligent creatures. 4. That he, and he only, knows the hearts of the children of men, v. 30. All men’s thoughts, aims, and affections, are naked and open before him; and, however the imaginations and intents of our hearts may be concealed from men, angels, and devils, they cannot be hidden from God, who knows not only what is in the heart, but the heart itself and all the beatings of it. 5. That there is no such thing as a sinless perfection to be found in this life (v. 36): There is no man who sinneth not; nay, who doeth good and sinneth not; so he writes, agreeable to what he here says, Eccl. 7:20.

God has no equal, He is above all and over all, He is true to every word He has ever spoken and all that serve Him in sincerity shall find Him both faithful and kind, that those who set God before them...keeping Him first in everything shall find Him good and He will show mercy to them.

Thanks be to God for servants like Solomon who teach us about God's greatness.  May we keep God at the center of all we think, believe, act and do, each and every moment of our existence here on this planet.

What shall we do?

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. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will.  Romans 12:1-2

    What is important about your opinion?  Or for that matter the opinion of others?  In the grand scheme of things I believe each of us know that our opinions are much like our noses...they don't have any value to others...we all have opinions...and they are all like noses...not very useful to others.
   I think you get it if you see that our opinions don't really matter to any one else.  But do they?  Yes they do...they matter to God.  You see God wants us to worship Him in everything that we do, think, and say.  He says in the verse above to give our entire bodies over to the distinct pleasure of Himself, the spiritual act of worship.  How can a worshipping believer listen to the the world?  How can a worshipping believer listen to his/her own opinion? How can a worshipping believer be focused on anything but God?

  Why should we do this...have this mind set...lead this type of existence?  It is simply because He wants us to be conformed to Him and not to this world.  He wants us to look like Him...not this world.  He wants us to know His good, pleasing, and perfect will...not the will of this world.  He wants all of us...100% of our physical and spiritual selves...to be totally focused on Him...not anything else in this world.  He wants our minds to be transformed and renewed daily by feeding on His Word!  Why? Why? Why?

  To know His will...His good, pleasing and perfect Will!  So how do you do this?

  Paul writes to the Thessalonians...chapter 5 verses 16-18: "Rejoice always; Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

   Very simple...so in order to be in God's will and to know God's will, and to experience God's will for us we need to be totally transfixed on Him...24/7.  Pray without ceasing...in other words, "Pray constantly"!

   May you be blessed by God, because you have been transformed and are living a transformed life!

Everyone has FAITH!

Faith (Merriam-Webster dictionary) means - having a strong belief in someone or something!

So with that being said:

You - Have FAITH if you believe you will wake up tomorrow morning.

You - Have FAITH if you believe that when you flip the light switch the lights go on or off.

You - Have FAITH if you believe your car will start when you turn the key.

You - Have FAITH when you fly on an airplane:
 - faith if you believe the pilots know what they are doing.
 - faith if you believe that the mechanics have made sure that
the thousands of important parts that make up that aircraft will work just the way they are supposed to work.

You - Have FAITH if you believe that when you go out to eat that the food will be good and nourishing to your body.

You - Have FAITH if you believe that when you go to the grocery store to buy your food that all the thousands of people in all the factories that produced your food did it correctly and that it will not harm you and that it will sustain your family.

You - Have FAITH if you believe that when you travel in your vehicle that it will get you to your destination and that all the roads and bridges will remain intact as you travel.

You - Have FAITH if you believe that when you sit in a seat or a chair that it will support you.

You - Have FAITH if you believe that when you go to the hospital, doctor or dentist or any type of medical worker that they will be capable of diagnosing your problem correctly.

We all spend most of our day practicing some sort of FAITH even when we are not intentionally thinking about it.

Perhaps the most important FAITH question is this:

Do you have FAITH and believe that when you pass from this earthly existence that you will truly be in a better place called Heaven?

If you have never fully answered that question then it is time you considered the reality of your eminent death and the reality of your final destination for eternity.  It is as real as all the other things that you believe and have FAITH in, but it has far more critical ramifications.

Eternity is FOREVER!  So it goes without saying that it is a long time!  As Zig Ziglar said " You're going to be dead alot longer than your are going to be alive!"

If you say, Well I don't believe in Heaven or Hell.  Then you are essentially placing an eternal bet with your own soul, with a 50% chance of being incorrect.

How many of us would like to hear those odds when the doctor talks about surgery.  50% means that 1 out of every 2 people who have this surgery don't survive.  Is Eternity really worth the gamble? REALLY?

Jesus Christ is the answer to your eternal destiny. Check Him out.  Many of us spend more time deciding what we want to eat than deciding where we will spend FOREVER!

Read the Bible. Pray. Grow in the knowledge of God. Worship with His people.  You have the choice...check it out.

Choose today - where you will be spending ETERNITY!

You are what controls YOU!

 





  What is it in your life that controls you everyday?  Can you nail it down...is it your own needs or the needs and wants of your children, your husband or wife, your friends, your family, your relatives, or some good or bad habits  Maybe it is your work or your boss, or your lifestyle, or maybe even a need for attention or your need to attempt to control everything.   We are told by specialists that if we are controlled by our work then we are "workaholics".  If we are constantly needing alcohol then we are an "alcoholic".  We can be controlled by things that addict us..., sex, drugs, smoking, etc. There are certainly many things in our lives that we can allow to control our actions, responses and even daily activities.

If you are spiritual at all (we all are, even if you don't want to admit it) and have an inner awareness of your own flaws you should be really wondering if the question above should be instead "what should control me?"

Paul in 2nd Corinthians 5:14 tells us; "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf."

Simply put, Jesus Christ came as we just celebrated in the form of a young baby to be the Savior of the World.  This verse above says He (Christ) came for all!  That would be everyone, including you! He died for YOU so that you would no longer live for yourself but instead live for HIM!

Paul later on in Chapter 6 tells us: ..."Behold, now is the acceptable time, Behold, now is "The Day of Salvation!"  

There simply is no time better than today to be Controlled by the Love of Christ!  Many of us who are Christians even need to be reminded of this power from God that can control our lives and lead us in the correct way and down the right path!  This path is an eternal path...not designed by man but totally designed and authored by the Creator Himself.  You can be eternally His...destined to be with Him forever in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Don't keep putting this off...you can have an entirely different 2015 if you simply become obedient to Christ and put yourself under His authority and control! You will be absolutely amazed at how wonderful your life will be in spite of any circumstances that arise!

Do this today...What is controlling YOU?  May Jesus be your Savior and may you live each day for HIM!