FULL (of what?)

God is about us taking in more of Him than anything else in this world. Why than do we fill ourselves up with everything else? I am still trying to figure it out. Besides the easy answers that lead us to selfishness and our sinful human nature, why do we put God as an after-thought in our lives?
Is it because we want other things more than God? Do we desire more of this world rather than more of God? As I grow older and as I grow in my journey with Christ I have realized that with each day I must rely on Christ for EVERYTHING (even the air I breath). Things seems to really get out of whack when I don't rely on Christ. That's when things go south, haywire, crazy, you get the point.
Maybe the problem is that we don't put into action our lives as followers of Christ. We are just okay hearing and never doing, teaching and never showing through example the life of Christ.
If we never do what we say or what we read in the Word than what difference will it make. Head knowledge by itself is good if you want a degree, but transforming that knowledge into action is where something happens. Transformation is an action and action only happens when we move, go, or do. Knowledge is only as good as the one who is being followed. So I guess the question would be, "Who are we following today, tomorrow, next month?" In the end who we decide to fill ourselves up with will determine who we are becoming and where we are going.

freedom

Paul talks about our "freedom in Christ" in the book of Galatians. Yet this freedom is abused more times than we would like to admit. We use it to indulge in the "flesh". Then we say, "I have freedom in Christ to do this, so back off you judgemental hypocrite. Paul would let us have it if he was still around today. This freedom is not to do what WE want, but rather to serve one another in love! We don't have to serve each other because it is required by the law, but because we do it out of love. It boils down to the flesh vs. Spirit, our good works vs. the work of Christ, our own abilities vs. the grace of God, running the race of life by the law vs. running it by grace, legalism vs. freedom. How will I live? How will I choose? Legalism has no place in the life of the follower of Christ.

Have you ever noticed that legalism causes us to fight each other like nothing else, it consumes us. Living in the flesh causes us to miss opportunities for service and love each other in the name of Jesus. How much have we missed out on because of "law living"?

Lets start living each day by the Spirit, serving one another in love out of the freedom that we have been given by Christ.

Catalyst

Wow, how long has it been since I have written anything? Too long. I have a lot of things rolling around in my head. God has been doing some amazing things in my life. I just returned from Catalyst in Atlanta. It challenged me, encouraged me, and moved me in ways that I have not had in years. I am still trying to take it all in and process what I have heard. Then comes the question of, "What do I do with what I have heard?" The one thing that I do know is that God is amazing, awesome, great, merciful, giving, generous, loving, etc..
I believe that God is definately doing something in this young generation and I want to be a part of what God is up to. I heard a speaker this weekend that said, "Quit praying, 'God bless me' and start praying, 'God let me be a part of what your blessing.'" We must seek the Kingdom of God! There was so much good stuff that I couldn't talk about it all in one sitting, mainly because I am still taking it all in.
One other point that I remember is that there has been a lot said about the church, Christ bride, in the last few years. There seems to be more said on the negative side than positive. It is one thing for the main stream culture to put down the bride, but its another for the body of Christ, followers of Christ to do it also. Now I would be lying if I said that I have never done this. As followers of Christ we have all probably at one time or another been guilty of this. We get fed up with things going on in the church or with leaders in the church (those that are leading) and we put those feelings on the church as a whole. That's not fair to Christ and His bride. As one speaker put it, "God wants you to love the REAL church not the ideal one." That statement blew me away, because I have been guilty of loving the ideal one instead of the real church. When I focus on the REAL church there is nothing that I can complain about (or shouldn't complain about because it is perfect, I am the one imperfect). May I lift up the beautiful bride of Christ.

theology of a five year old

The other day my daughter and I where talking about trusting God and not being afraid because God was with us. The conversation began with us talking about the thunder storm and how she was afraid of the loud thunder. I asked her who made the thunder. She told me God. I asked her if God loved her. She told me yes, BUT then said something that made me stop. She said, "I know daddy that Jesus is here, but it's hard because I don't see His skin (as she was pointing to hers)." It made me think, "Are we being the skin of Christ to those around us?" How many people reject Christ because of us not being who He intended us to be through our words and actions. Let us truely be the skin of Christ to those around us and see lives changed.

Going on Tour Next Month...

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!Having too much fun!

Needed

Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for
you know that nothing you do
for the Lord is ever useless.

-1 Corinthians 15:58b

I read this verse today and it was just what I needed (although I had to read it several times for it to sink in). Thanks God, your the best!

To become or not to become is the question

Do we spend way too much time thinking about the things that we do wrong in our lives (sin)? Should we deal with that sin(s) and move on rather than sit in our own pity party and not move forward with who God intended us to be. The way I understand it, when we become a follower of Christ we are reborn, rebirthed, made new. The old-self is no longer the number one influence, God should be. We are given a new life in Christ; "Dead to sin, alive to God" -Romans 6:11. Now I'm not saying that we will never sin again, I'm dead to sin (that life that controlled me), but not ignorant of it. When I sin I need to admit, confess, praise God for that forgiveness, and make it right with anyone that I have hurt. Then move on to living the way God intended for me to live. The cool thing is that God does forgive and doesn't want me to wallow in my sin, but rather MOVE ON to the life that He has for me, the NEW LIFE. It's kinda like us never wanting to move past a liquid diet to a more solid diet that fills you up. Maybe that's why so many people that call themselves Christians never seem to mature, they never want to go beyond the liquid to the solid. Lets encourage one another to be the person God intended or better yet created us to be.