have you ever felt like sitting down and just writing what you thought? basically, this is my way of letting things go from my heart to your heart. some writings may be my opinion or just what i think. perhaps a good discussion or mind-boggler. call it what you want and enjoy. thanks for visiting my site.
You've probably read this passage of Scripture: "You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. " (Exodus 20:9-10, NLT). I've run across several perspectives on this recently, from sources as diverse as the Catalyst podcast, where I heard an interview with Eugene Peterson (the guy who translated The Message version of the Bible), and an interview with Rob Bell of the Mars Hill church; and a link I found in Glen Stansberry's LifeDev blog. All of these folks are essentially saying the same thing--it is important to take a day off from work.
Traditionally, Christians have regarded Sundays as Sabbath days, but I believe the intention here is not that we must observe a specific day of the week as the day of rest, but that we do set aside one day each week for rest and relaxation from our labor. (Pastors, worship leaders and others who work on Sundays obviously can't take Sundays off...)
Scriptures teaches us that God himself modeled this pattern when he created the universe--he worked at it for six days (however you may interpret a "day" in that context) and rested on the seventh. Since we are created in the image of God, it only seems reasonable that we are wired up in a similar way, and that a weekly day of rest is something we should make room for as a matter of habit--perhaps even obedience.
The ancient Jews took this idea to the extreme, establishing all sorts of rules and regulations about what was and was not permissible activity on the Sabbath--we don't want to go there. One of Jesus' criticisms of the Jewish leaders was that they had taken the Law, which was supposed to be for the benefit of human beings, and turned it into a burden by adding hundreds of detailed rules to it. That isn't rest. I suspect that Sabbath rest looks a little different for each one of us. For some of us, it will mean turning off the cell phone and computer and spending time with our family, just having fun. For some of us, it may mean quieting the usual din of our lives--maybe turning off the TV or the radio and enjoying some quiet time to read, or take a walk in the woods, or go fishing, or take a drive in the country. For some it may mean that we tinker in the garage, or pursue a hobby. It might mean just spending an afternoon in a coffee shop with your spouse or a close friend...the possibilities are endless.
The main thing is that we choose one day per week and set it aside for rest, whether the rest is physical, emotional, or mental (or all three). For some of us, a whole day without obligations is a difficult thing to come by, and it will mean that we have to say "no" to some very good things from time to time. That isn't an easy thing to do. In fact, if we are bent towards workaholism, it may drive us nuts, at first.
For those who are heavily involved in ministry, this is especially difficult. Many of us have full-time jobs along with many extra hours of ministry responsibilities, and we may have to work hard to make a couple of half-days available for Sabbath rest some weeks, but frankly, not to do so is to ignore pretty clear instructions from God.
It is also probably true that many of us don't use our six days of labor all that well. I may need to ask myself, do I really need to sit and watch three episodes of "Seinfeld" or "Friends" in a row, or is there a better way for me to use those 90 minutes, perhaps making phone calls, composing e-mail, listening to new worship music, working out a guitar arrangement, or preparing for rehearsal times? Perhaps if I used the rest of the week more wisely, it wouldn't seem so difficult to take a day off from all of my work and ministry responsibilities. Those of us who lead ministries must also be sensitive to the needs of those who work with us in those ministries. Even though we may have volunteers who are willing to work long hours without a Sabbath rest, we must encourage them to take a day off, even if it means certain things don't get done. God made us, and God says we need one day of rest in every seven. I have to admit that I am challenged by this--I hope you'll take a good, hard look at your life, as well.
I am going to blog on something that none of us like to touch. There's a lot a misinterpretation on this scripture. It's a touchy issue, but why? It is God's word. I'm gonna be speaking about the "unpardonable sin." I still believe it's true...you can't tear it out of the bible, you can run a permanent marker through it...its there! But I'm gonna explain the issue so you can understand it better. I don't think that it is so easy to commit the sin. If fact, I believe perhaps a handful of people HAVE committed this sin. But what do I know? Find out as you read. And...please bear with me and read. It is long but just read. I hope you enjoy.
HERE WE GO:
Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:22-32 ESV)
A number of years ago I was privileged to be able to speak at a number of churches that would have me once a week for a message. I always give an altar if the Lord's leading me in that direction, and one night a woman came forward who wanted very much to believe but felt she was not able to because she had “committed the unforgivable sin.” As we talked over the next half-hour or so it became clear that somewhere along the line a preacher had told her that anyone involved in witchcraft was beyond the redemption offered by God. That was his interpretation of this portion of Matthew’s gospel. She had once been involved in a Lucifer worship cult and was, as a result, firmly convinced that she was beyond even God’s help. No amount of counsel to the contrary would allay her fears. She left in the same hopeless frame of mind as when she arrived.
It was this event that began my personal examination of the passage above. It is a hard thing to reconcile a gospel of God’s limitless love with the notion that there is a line that one must not cross, that it is possible to step outside of His seemingly boundless willingness to forgive.
It is for this reason that a great many preachers today will tell you that what Jesus is talking about here is dying as a non-believer. We are told that the only way to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to reject God’s offer of salvation, because while the offer is made by God the Father, and the price for it was paid by the Son, it is by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that the offer is fulfilled. And so the only unforgivable sin is to die without having accepted the offer of salvation and arriving in the next world without the righteousness of the Lamb to speak for you.
It is a reasonable and comfortable interpretation. But at the risk of being branded a heretic, I think it is an interpretation that may also be in error. This is an important issue so I ask your indulgence as I explain. I think this interpretation may be in error because of the last statement made by Christ in this passage: “whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
There are two things to notice here: 1) “whoever speaks” is not about failing to make a decision, it is about making a statement, a proclamation, 2) “in this age” clearly indicates that the offense can be committed this side of the next world, while we are still of “this age.” These then are the characteristics of the “blasphemy” that has been committed against the Holy Spirit. The key to understanding this passage must reside in the meaning of this word.
It should be noted that blasphemy is not a translation of the Greek, it is a transliteration. The word was adopted from the Greek with only a change in pronunciation. According to Strong’s the word is “blasphemeo blas-fay-meh'-o ; to vilify; specially, to speak impiously:--(speak) blaspheme(-er, -mously, -my), defame, rail on, revile, speak evil.” So then, even the definition of the word used by Christ would indicate that he is referring to the things being said by the Pharisees. This calls to mind his words in Mark 7:15-16, “There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”
But there seems to be more to it than simply speaking ill of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ discourse to the Pharisees points out the flaws in the logic of their argument. He makes it clear that the notion that Beelzebub (Satan) would seek to deceive the people by casting out his own demons is ridiculous. Think about it a moment. What profit would there be for Satan in this? If he were to cast out demons, would people praise him and abandon God? Of course they wouldn’t; rather they would give God the glory for the event and Satan’s kingdom would fall even further.
It would also appear that Jesus knows the Pharisees know this (“Knowing their thoughts, he said to them”), which is what adds the incredible weight to their sin. If they know in their hearts that such healing could only come from God, by the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that moved upon the face of the waters at the moment of creation, then why would they suggest that Satan is the one who is at work? The answer is two fold: pride and envy.
At this point the Pharisees are beginning to show their desperation. Jesus has beaten their arguments at every turn. Even those totally unversed in the scriptures can see that there is something remarkable going on, that God is doing a new thing. Indignant at the popularity of this Galilean upstart, fearing that their position of power among the people is threatened, and even facing the possibility that everything they thought they knew about the messiah is about to be proven wrong, they make a desperate ploy to preserve the status quo – they attack the very God they claim to serve.
This is the depth of the sin involved here. They know that such healing can only come from God. They know that Jesus’ interpretation of scripture is entirely valid. They know that God is at work in His ministry and something new and remarkable is about to happen. But they no longer care about what it is God wants to do! Such is their desperation, they attempt to derail God’s plan; they are willing to condemn the acts of God Almighty as works of evil rather than risk losing their position of authority or alter their own world view!
How much envy has to live in one’s heart to come to such a place? How much pride does it take to believe that your world view is more important than God’s plan for Israel? In speaking this way the Pharisees engage in the sin of Lucifer. They set themselves above God and His will, and seek to impose their own will on the universe.
But I think the true weight of their error lies in it's consequence for the innocents. Consider Jesus' words in Matthew 18: "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:5-6 ESV) The Pharisees denial of God's Messiah held the potential to put the salvation of others at risk. By deliberately declaring that the work being done by the Holy Spirit was being done by Beelzebub, they were running the risk of leading others astray, and Jesus' words concerning their fate are quite sobering.
So this then, I believe, is the sin that God will tolerate only so long. To simply reject His plan of salvation is one thing; to openly revile it and seek to impose your own world view when you know the truth is quite another. To continue down this path will put the salvation of others at risk and will eventually take one to a place where your heart is hardened beyond repentance. And if you have crossed the line to a place where you are no longer capable of repentance, then how can God forgive?
Understand that I am not talking about simply bad mouthing someone’s ministry here, or even being simply mistaken about what is God's plan. I’m talking about something far more sinister; something akin to setting yourself up as the arbitrator of salvation. This is about someone who knows the truth, acknowledges the reality of God’s plan, but seeks to discredit it in the eyes of others to forward their own agenda. As I said, this is a sin that rivals the sin of Lucifer. For this reason, I am convinced very few people will ever be this far away from God’s saving grace!
In fact, I doubt more than a handful of people down through the centuries could possibly be guilty of such a sin. Not that I am qualified to judge. But that said, I do not think even this group of Pharisees had crossed that line. Jesus’ words hold the flavour of a dire warning rather than a final judgment. He is letting them know, in no uncertain terms, that He knows exactly what is going on in their hearts. He is letting them know that they will not succeed, and that if they press the issue too far, the ramifications will be far greater than they might have imagined.
I think also this is why we are commanded not to judge others but only the condition of our own hearts. Because it is the passing of judgment on the works of others, especially when our opinions are more our own than founded in God's word, that will start us on such a path.
Ever so often, somebody likes to yell at me in my blog comments. Rarely do I respond via this blog. However, I would like to respond a recent comment, which I have copied and pasted below.
The comment was as follows:
IF GOD REALLY DOES EXIST, WHY IS IT THAT HE MAKES UP SUFFER? IF HE IS REAL, WHY DOES HE GIVE US EMOTIONS? WHEN SOME OF THEM WILL HURT US OR THE PEOPLE WE CARE ABOUT? WHY IS IT THAT HE GIVES US LIFE AND LITTLE HAPPINESS BUT TAKES AWAY LIFE AND OUR HAPPINESS WHEN WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE WHAT WE HAVE AND HE TAKES IT AWAY. I SAY THAT IF GOD REALLY LOVED US, HE WOULDN'T MAKE US SUFFER AND WOULDN'T TAKE AWAY THE THINGS OR THE PEOPLE WE CARE ABOUT THE MOST.
Now, my response…
"Dear Anonymous,
Jesus has created your world and your life. Jesus has loved you ever since He made you in a special place. While creating you, He placed in your heart a set of morals. He remembers the morals which He gave you, and He also remembers specifically placing in those morals the rules of when, and when not to excessively use your "caps lock" key. You clearly went against your own heart which He made for you; when you went against your better judgment and typed your whole comment in capitol letters. You know this is wrong, and yet you do it anyway. Unfortunately Anonymous, you live in a world surrounded by people that go against the seeds of righteousness that Jesus has planted in their heart. When the world turned against Him, the world fell apart. Why the suffering? Why the hurt? Why the excessive use of the "caps lock" key? The answer is only three letters long… S-I-N. I’m sorry that you have to wrestle about Jesus in a world so screwed up. The good news is He did something about it. He created a place better than where you’re stuck, a place where suffering doesn’t even exist. He also made a way for you to get up there. If you want in, make Jesus the Lord over your life, then calm down on your "caps lock" key and keep searching for the truth. At the end of your journey, you’ll find Him with His arms spread wide open. That’s a cross reference, get it? He died for you. He died for your excessive "caps lock" key use. He died for your anger. I’m sorry you are hurting. You won’t be much longer. He loves you. Read His biography and talk to Him about it."
Anybody else got anything they want to vent my way? Drop me a line and maybe I'll respond back in blog format. Take notice that I love everyone and want to see you in heaven with me. I care enough about you to get upset with you, penetrate your heart (whether you like it or not), and compel you to come so you won't make hell your home. Hell is real (whether you believe THAT or not). I love you and thank you for all the comments you've made via blog, twitter, email, fb! Ta-ta!
I'm finding out the more and more I live on earth, the love of many are waxing cold! It's biblical right? RIGHT! I find myself thinking about the times I had as a child, living in a neighborhood that wasn't so bad. Telling my mother where I'd go and she would be okay with it, keeping our front door open all night with the screen door closed tight, going to the park not worrying that some pedophile was going to rape me. But today...I'd second guess everything.
The world we live in now is not "like it used to be." We talk about how amazing it would be if we could go back to the "good ole' days." But I'm going to tell you something that was brought to my attention. Today, where we live...
...seeing turmoil.
famines.
wars.
terror...
...and with satan more on the move now; it's not feeling like home anymore. To tell you the truth in all honesty. This world is NOT supposed to feel like home!
Hebrews 13:14 (New Living Translation) 14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
We are but pilgrims on this earth passing through.
As we stay in the world, more things are taking place in us. We allow the enemy to take control of our minds, souls, and our hearts. Be aware of that friends!
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)
Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith.
I could be all nice on here, but I have to speak the truth in what I see. I'm seeing more people wavering in the faith rather than standing firm within it. Take a minute to read Hebrews 12:12.
We are seeing shaky legs. Don't give up people, but stand radical! Quit continuing to support awareness acts and start taking action in things. We sit in our home every single day supporting awareness and clicking the "Support Cause" button on the Facebook page, but were is the action?
WE ARE WAVERING!
The main scripture I want to take you to is in Titus 2:12.
"And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with SELF-CONTROL, RIGHT CONDUCT, and DEVOTION TO GOD."
Question yourself in these areas.
1. Self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Are you living in the fruit of the Spirit? If you're not, it's a sign that your slipping away from Christ.
2. Is right conduct in your vocabulary? 1 Peter 4:4 Be strong when your family, friends, and co-workers are influencing you. Conduct yourself in a manner where people can the see the love of God in your life.
3. Are you devoted to God? That doesn't necessarily mean go buy a devotional and do it everyday, which is good practice. I'm talking about being DEVOTED to God. No matter what may come your way:
death.
betrayal.
evil.
divorce.
murder.
hate.
That you still believe God is faithful. That He is the Almighty God! You are devoted to Him in such a way that NOTHING can separate you from His love. When someone stabs you in the back, when someone does you wrong, when a bad situation takes place. NOTHING WILL SHAKE YOU!!
For God is love. He will never leave you.
So be strong, be radical, be controlled, show good conduct, and be devoted to the one true Jesus!
Please take the time to read this book. You can actually read it online. PLEASE NOTICE: IT IS VERY TRUTH-SPOKEN AND MAY MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE. If it makes you uncomfortable, perhaps you take part in it or perhaps you used to. I pray you don't, but this is an issue we need to tackle, especially in our walk with Jesus in this generation who is confused in these areas.
OK. Wherever you are right now, look at your hands. Take a look at them closely.
Now examine them. Did you know that God made your hand to be HOLY? Yeah, very strange. Your hands are powerful.
You sign contracts with them...you write your name with them...you work with them...you do chores with them...you worship with them...you love with them (you better be married, lol)!
Something about our hands are powerful. They are designed to be your hands only. God created them for you to use. The question is: do you use them for justice, or do you use them to retaliate?
It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself. - James 3:6b
James 1:19 (The Message) 19-21 Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.
Everyone has been guilty a time or two, three, four and more of letting your mouth speak faster than your brain. Without realizing that what you said (maybe) wasn't from God, but from your own thoughts. Yeah, so I'm tackling this issue today and hoping in love to reach down in the depths of your heart to pull those wicked matches out of you.
Our tongue will get us in trouble more than anything. In James 1:19, it says to follow up with your tongue or be slow to speak. We have to allow our everyday speech be guided by God. No, that doesn't mean you can't have fun, go out with your friends, then put on the silent treatment. What it does mean is concerning things of relevancy, that it should be evaluated before God before we hack into it with our own thoughts and words. If you think about it, that's why we get in so many arguments and confusion about the bible (which is sin). And again, (that doesn't mean we can't discuss the bible on what an issue means.) We try to put our own two cents in, when there is a bible that stands firm on what it says. GOD'S NOT STUPID! If He wanted to put in more words, He would have!
We do life everyday with friends, cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings, ourselves. What you say reflects everything about you. You become your words and your words become you. Powerful statement, but true nonetheless! Ask yourself...what kind of words come from your mouth when you get angry? What kind of words come from your mouth when you don't believe in what someone else believes? (Knowing Jesus is the Messiah) Evaluate yourself and allow God to wash your mouth out with His "love-soap." We can get so angry and foolish when things we don't agree with come to the surface. Sometimes "righteous anger" evolves! Jesus, Paul, Peter, and many more that you see in Scripture where their "righteous anger" took place. But when that happens, you still have to let the Holy Spirit speak through you from out your belly, through your tongue, and out of your mouth.
Matthew 21:12-13 (NLT)
12 Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. 13 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”
Here we see an example of Jesus. Jesus had "righteous anger" toward the people in the synagogue. As you can tell, He made a very powerful statement. When you look closely to the statement, Jesus speaks out scripture from the bible! What He said was scriptural. It wasn't His own ideas speaking. And if it were...He's Jesus right?
When we let our own ideas come out...that's when we need to stop, back up, and do as James says. GUIDE OUR TONGUE!
If you back up a little to James 3:1; he says something powerful. He bewares teachers that are not called of God to be careful. He says, "for those who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness." What an awesome responsibility you have if you are a teacher, speaker, preacher, pastor, etc. Only speak truth from the word of God. Don't speak your own ideas. There are many false teachers that are on the rise, saying they are preaching in the name of the Lord...but leading you into darkness with their foolish ideas and doctrine! AMEN!
God is raising up a generation that lives strictly by the WORD OF GOD and speak the WORD OF GOD!!! That believes everything the bible says. That doesn't take a permanent marker and mark out the parts they don't like. That doesn't tear out the pages when they don't like a passage of scripture!
Proverbs 30:6
6 Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar.
Revelation 22:18,19
18-19 I give fair warning to all who hear the words of the prophecy of this book: If you add to the words of this prophecy, God will add to your life the disasters written in this book; if you subtract from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will subtract your part from the Tree of Life and the Holy City that are written in this book.
Say what you say, but back everything up with scripture! Enough said!
Matthew 22:14//Look it up. No time for being lazy. I could write the scripture out but would rather let you read from your own bible. (or click the link).
I'm not mean. Well, sometimes I can come across a bit rough.
FEW have been chosen. 5...4...3...2...1...lets get started!
God has called you to do something specifically for Him. We all know it. We realize it. We acknowledge it. Then, we get upset cause we know the truth about it but don't want to do it.
God has His hands on your life. Don't you know He'll protect you? I don't think you do. Sorry, my opinion. (Don't get upset)
The definition for "inner-freakness." Let's break it down shall we.
Inner- 1. : of or relating to the mind or spirit 2. :existing as an often repressed part of one's spiritual makeup.
Freak-1. :one that is markedly unusual or abnormal. 2. :a person who is obsessed with something.
You were not born to this world to just pass by. Life is more than that! You were put here to do something. Whether you think that your parents just had a love-fest and oops! there's a baby, let's name him RANDY or STEVE or MIKE or @ineffablegod!
No, God has a purpose for your life. Yes, we are put here to magnify and worship our Creator Jehovah. Just living life is not enough! Sorry to burst your bubble. I tend to do that at times.
You have an "inner-freakness" in you. Passion to sing, dance, preach, teach, speakout, etc!!!
Take a look at Gideon in the bible, what about Elijah..."that's old testament!" Then take a look at Jesus, Paul, Phillip, Peter and so on! They embraced and displayed their inner-being toward the world. God is waiting for you. He's been pounding your chest to get in. Your heart's been beating 93 mph for the past months. LET...IT...GO!
Yeah sure, people will call you crazy. They will think you're nuts. (They already think your nuts for following Jesus). They will call you a "freak." And when they do, just gently lay your hand on their shoulder and tell them...
..."thank you."
When you have time, read the life of Samuel "the Prophet." He will be motivation for you. The things he did for the Lord. There are some instances in his life where he called God, crazy!
NOTE TO SELF: GOD IS CRAZY. NOTE TO YOU: GOD IS CRAZY.
I believe we are the last movement before Jesus comes back. He is raising up believers to do radical things. It's not enough for us to sit idle and not shake the buoys a bit. It's time to wake up! Create crashing waves! Many are called, but few are chosen! You have been chosen to go and preach the good news to the world! It's a privilege, and yet an a amazing responsibility. GO! GO! GO!
Many people live their lives with little regard to the goodness of God. Unaware of how gracious God has been and is willing to be toward them. Unaware of how their neglect will one day come back to haunt them. Have you given much thought to the goodness of God?
The many blessings He bestows?
The consequences if you fail to respond properly?
One passage of Scripture that ought to give us a pause is the one written in Ro 2:4-11, in which Paul expounds upon "the goodness of God." From verse 4, there are things we can look on.
2. A day of wrath involving indignation, tribulation, and anguish- Ro 2:8-9a
3. A vivid description of which is found in 2Th 1:7-9
CONCLUSION
1. Such is the end of one who does not properly respond to God's goodness...
a. Especially as that manifested through the gospel of Jesus
b. Which Paul will expound upon later in this epistle to the Romans
2. As you finish reading this, be careful to note: there is no partiality with God!- Ro 2:9-11
a. Those who do evil will be punished
b. Those who do good will be blessed.
Have you allowed "The Goodness Of God" to lead you to repentance, especially that repentance called for in the proclamation of the gospel?- Ac 2:36-39; 3:19; 17:30-31
Hebrews Chapter 11: this is one of the most extensive essays on faith in the New Testament and one of the most loved sections of Scripture, yet misconceptions about faith abound. You find in this chapter examples how faith is used. Earned. Strong. Unwavering. Yet scary. Lets face it! Have you held a wooden rod up to the sky to split a sea? Umm..I don't think so. Faith has taken its task throughout generati0ns. You find that faith is more and more abolished has time goes by. Looking at the Old Testament you see the greatest miracles take place. Then you skip over to the New Testament to see "not-so-great" miracles take place, except through Jesus (however, He's the man). But we take a look at the apostles to see that they never performed miracles AS great as the prophets in the Old Testament. Finally, you see OUR generation. WOW! I believe in miracles, faith, and the ability that God can do impossible things but how big of faith do you have to have to part a sea, make an ax head float, or heal the blind? These are all questions that we've pondered in our head a time or two. Why do you think that is? Do you think we've lost it? Do we not believe? Is our faith wavering? Take a minute to think about that...
Ok! So know... ...you're answers I imagine are staggering. But... did you know that God is the same yesterday, today and forever! He never changed! We have. From generation to generation! Just imagine if you walked up to a sea and split it...what in the world would FOXnews say? CNN? Local? I mean what coverage would that make. It would cause something to happen I'm sure. But think about it! I have to ask. What kind of faith are you using? Hard question? Well, what have you done to stretch your faith? Do you know that EVERYTHING is a "God-thing?" Have you lost that thought in life? You notice I'm asking a lot of questions, but all for the reason to maybe...just maybe...use your faith a bit. In Hebrews 11: 13 it says, "All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it." I don't know about you, but I would call that "dying in the faith." Beautiful isn't it? Here's something to think about: It took faith to save your soul from hell. By faith you were saved! You believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived and worked miracles, died on a cross and then rose on the third day. FAITH!!! So...have you continued in that same faith or have you weaned off a bit? God has a special purpose in your life. Faith is a scary but sturdy act of obedience. If you obey, things take place you've never seen before. If God tells you or ask you to do something...DO IT! If He tells you to go, GO!
husband to the most beautiful woman in the world, @LeslieBlueEyes or www.leslieblueeyes.blogspot.com. lead pastor of church at the orchard. enjoy reading, writing, eating good food and spending time outside. i am a churchplanter, conference speaker and an aspiring author.
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