To Know Him

What is your devotional and prayer life like? If it is anything like mine it can be, at times, labored, hurried, or even at times completely distant from Christ. That is not to say that all my devotional life is that way, yet there are times when I feel like I am going through the motions. Last night I heard a brother in Christ(BIC) share Phillipians 3:7-10, and the Spirit really convicted me of my legalistic approach to bible study and devotion. Please click on the passage to read this if you don't have your bible handy.

In verses 7-9 Paul recalls how he had achieved much in the eyes of the world. He was highly esteemed by his colleagues, he had wealth, he had "righteousness" in the eyes of his peers. But Paul (then Saul) met Jesus face to face, his life was changed forever. He forsook all to follow Christ. To do His will and and be His "bondservant." He realized that in himself, He had no righteousness when he saw true righteousness in Jesus. He realized he had no wealth that could even be compared to riches of glory in Christ. And he realized that the only opinion that truly matters is that of his Lord and Savior.

I have read that many times before, but last night when I heard it followed by verse 10 I was rocked to the core. Paul goes on to describe how all these things are counted as loss to him, so that he may KNOW HIM, and the power of His Resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. Paul understands who God is. He first seeks to know him. Do you? Do you seek to know him, or do you seek His benefits? I tend to seek his hand, his guidance, provision, protection, etc. I read about Him and learn about him through his word. I know alot of scripture by heart. But I have to be honest here, How often do I seek to see his face and spend time with him as I would my wife and child? no agenda, no requests other than to spend the time together. To know each other more. Yet, He has suffered to the point of death on a tree for that very thing. Paul had physically seen with his eyes, Jesus and His glory. He knew what was truly valuable. But we, as born again Christians also know, for we have seen the tremendous power of His love for us. We are forever changed and forever accepted by the Father as sons. Praise God! What could be more honoring to him and merciful to us than to seek him only to know him more, and feel His presence. The other stuff will fall into place, and yes we can and are called to go to him with our concerns, but our first concern should be to KNOW HIM.

What is truly awesome?

Recently, I had a conversation with my Brother "Nit" from MN, and He said something to me that I thought was quite insightful. He told me that he was trying not to use the word "awesome" too much. because there aren't that many things that truly inspire awe. for instance, you shot a birdie on the 18th... well that isn't really something to be in awe of. However, If you shot a whole-in-one with no ball, club, fairway, or green but did so with the power of your word, now that would be awesome.

That is what our Father has done. He created the entire universe from nothing but His word. He existed prior to anything. He created us with the ability to create, however, we do need the raw materials. God also uses raw materials. He used dust to assemble Adam, and from Adam He created Eve. He has created millions of saints from lost and condemned sinners. He creates good from all things. I find great comfort in the fact that I am "His worckmanship created in Christ Jesus..." Ephesians 2:10. Think about it, the God of the universe not only created you, but is continuing to work all things for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He can create good from your badness, He can even make your mistakes work for His glory. He is not dependant upon us at all. It is very probable that your toughest challenge of sin will become your strongest ministry. I have heard it said that God is the ultimate recycler. He takes our garbage, and makes new creations. He took my life of rebellion and habitual sin and has turned me into a saint, a child of God, free from any and all condemning carges against me, a branch of the True Vine, and created for good works in Christ Jesus. Nit, I completely agree with you, that is AWESOME!

Do Not Be Conformed, But Transformed!

When we(I use we to relate to the brethren) become comfortable in this world and its modus operandi, we allow ourselves to be conformed to the world. The Bible tells us very clearly "...not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds..."(Romans 12:2 nasb) We will do one or the other. we will be conformed to the world when we take part in it to the point of turning away from that which we know is right. For example, how many times have we continued to watch a program that is absolutely opposed to the gospel? The opposition I mention here is not a flagrant stance against the Jesus, except they do use His name in vain repeatedly. (which I might add is flagrant) Or how about watching a television show that turns marriage into some sort of entertainment instead of being a holy and sacred covenant between God and a man and woman. Or even the casual sex in movies where the man and woman shack up for a night and that's just fine. These are the type of things that will absolutely conform us to the world and its lusts. the word "conform" means to be squeezed into a certain shape to fit a mold. the changing comes from the outside and pushes inward. In contrast the word "transform" relates to the change that comes from within and makes its way outward. So, we know that we are not to be conformed to this world, but how do we become transformed? We become transformed when we renew our minds. The way I see it is this. When we choose not to let the worldly elements fill our minds, we need to think about something to fill the void from choosing not to think on worldly things. therefore if we set our minds on Christ and on the things of Him, He will transform us. The transformation is not something we do, it comes from Him. It is so important that we not only take a stand in our lives for what we will not take part in, but also to be diligent in filling the void that we create when we take our stand.

Ultimate Fighting.......

I admit I love to watch ultimate fighting on cable tv. It is so raw and primal, and not all fake and infiltrated by the Don King's of the world. My wife can't stand it and I know I shouldn't watch it in front of our baby girl. So why do I still want to see it? Why is it one of the highest requested and watched shows on cable? Our Pastor spoke about it this past Sunday. It was very timely because this past week I have talked about this exact subject with others. I was defending my manly right to watch UFC.

It simply boils down to violence. Mankind loves to watch violence in just about any possible way. Some of it is so absolutely grotesque and degenerate that very few people can watch without turning away in horror and disgust. However, violence can be subdued and "minimized" to the point where it is "just part of the game." Most of our top rated movies have some elements of violence in them.

Here is the tough question to ask yourself. Why do we as adults feel that it is OK for us to view things that are not OK for children to view? Doesn't the Bible warn us to guard our hearts? couldn't it be argued that when we continue to view things that are "not for children," that we make our hearts callous to the world and its lusts?

Here is the kicker. This goes well beyond my desire to watch Ultimate Fighting; this goes to the heart of just about every worldly thing we "American Christians" take part in. The list is much too long for me to list here, for it basically covers all that our world stands for, and we've been told that friendship with the world is hostility toward God. Think about it and let me know what you think.

Here I am with my own blog...

In the beginning God... That is the beginning of my belief. I believe that God existed prior to any other created thing or being, both here on earth and anywhere else. That is my foundational belief. Christ is my foundation. How can I argue with the terms that He has laid before me? Who am I to tell Him how things should be. I am simlpy glad to be a bondservant of Christ

I am not sure of what will be posted here, but I have a feeling I could find a few interesting topics to discuss. Please feel free to read the posts and comment. I am looking forward to witnessing what the Lord can do with this.