Celebrating The Beauty Of Life

"You Are Not Far From The Kingdom Of God," Jesus said.

2008-11-19T04:04:00.001-08:00

If we ever wonder about falling out of the presence of God, allow this one promise to remind you always, me, and anyone else who might happen to come upon this page; that the more we love Him, the closer we are to the Kingdom of Heaven. We have nothing to ever doubt or to ever fear if we love Him and continue in that love. That's how close to The Kingdom Of God we are.

Now I was reading in Mark when I happend to see the scripture in a new light. guess that's how it always happens. And I'd like to share that with you. The scripture comes from Mark 12:28 - 34

As the other religious teachers and political leaders posed their questions not out of sincerity but out of trying to induce Jesus to say something that would incriminate Him, there was a religious teacher listening intently and marveling at what Jesus was saying . Likely awed by Christ's response because these men mean to harm Him, and Jesus snapped the fowlers net each time. This religious leader that was listening was actually a devout man of God. And as he listened to Jesus, he said in his heart, "He has answered well."

The story goes on to entail what conversation occurred between Jesus and this devout religious teacher, and this is what each believer can stake their claim on. You'll read farther below...

- continuing the story -

recap:
"One of the teachers of religion who was standing there listening to the discussion realized that Jesus had answered well. So he asked, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

Jesus replied, "The one that says,' hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only God. And you must love him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. '

The second is: ' You must love others as much as yourself.' No other commandments are greater than these."

The teacher of religion repied to Jesus, "Sir, you have spoken a true word in saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is far more important to love him with all my heart and understanding and strength, and to love others as myself, than to offer all kinds of sacrifices on the altar of the Temple."

Realizing this man's understanding Jesus said to him.....

do you know what Jesus said next?

He said, "You are not far from the Kingdom of Heaven."

Wow!!!

That's a promise for the heart that loves Him more than anything else in the whole world!!!!!

You my friend are not far from the Kingdom of Heaven. Keep loving God. And as you do, you will never be moved from a love for Him. Amen

Kings, Kingdoms, Presidents & Nations

2008-11-04T04:04:00.000-08:00

Leadership is one of the hardest positions to fill. As a leader you are criticized for inaction, criticized for your action, and brought under great scrutiny. Today as I go to the voting polls, I think of one of our greatest leaders in the Bible. His name was David. Israel's great king. A man who was full of passion, commitment, failure, sin and humility. And though today, he might be criticized for his humaness, if we gaze closer at his heart, we see a man who though succommed to weakness at times, also did what was right in the eyes of God.
As a king he desired to serve his God and his fellow country men. He was the man who desired to build a proper House for God. There he lay in his palace bed, surronded by riches and comfort. And his mind drifted to His God who's presence had once shadowed The Ark of The Convenant.
How many of our leaders today can say, " I desire to be close to the very heart of God?" How many search after God, instead of following after the praise of men? How many of our leaders are willing to stand up for what is right? I'm not sure. But I do know that as I go to the polls, I go with a desire to do what is right.
This has been the toughest year for me as a voter. I want to vote the right candidate in office. My vote will help to determine which candidate is qualified for presidency. Whether or not I am right or wrong, I vote in faith. I pray for those who go to vote. It's a tough decision to know each of us will feel responsible for the candidate we've chosen. I pray for our leaders. They have a big position to fill. And it comes with a heavy price. Our nation depends upon good, sound judgments that are made by those we place in office.
God chose David as king. He was in control. And ultimately God chooses to allow all things to happen even to the deciding of who will take office as president. Guided by conscience and what is right and true let each of us make our choice not based out of fear or selfish gain, but what it is in the best interest of our country. And let the determing factor be based upon faith in what we feel led by God to do.

A Desirous Calling

2008-09-30T01:51:00.001-07:00

I was so excited about the idea of starting bible study that I hardly considered what obligations were involved. How hard can it really be to share fellowship and study God’s Word together. Not hard, until you are the person who is the leader. It seems like a desirous calling. Being able to show my love for God and my commitment to showing love for fellow believers, right?

And yet when considering the idea in the beginning, I didn’t question for one moment it was right for me. That was until the first bible study. I wasn’t prepared for the questions that would arise. I wasn’t prepared for answering the urgent needs that met me through the struggles that these women faced. That first bible study revealed my vulnerability and my incompetence as a leader. There are such complexities that each of us face that the only way to solve them is by seeking God through prayer. What I thought would be simply reading and sharing, became a time in which these women were searching for quick easy answers, and yet not realizing that sometimes it takes considerable kneeling before God that a bible study is just ineffective at curing.

Bible study is designed to become better acquainted with His Word, it's an informal way to really discuss how it applies to one's life and gives a springboard for how we can develop a practical way of applying the Bible's examples to our lives. It isn't meant to replace the depth of ministry that one gets when they visit the House of God or request time to counsel with the pastor.

And though a leader of bible study isn't meant to replace those who are pastors or leaders of the church, he or she must still have a ready answer in the event that the study reveals the need for deeper revelation. Yes, being a leader in any capacity of ministry is a position that requires dedication,submission to the Spirit and requires many hours of study and prayer. It requires those who desire to lead, to in fact be followers of Christ, have their own lives under submission, to have a servant’s heart and above all to remain close to God and ready to put down any vain imagination, ready to deny place for personal sin or behaviors that contradict a life that is marked by the Spirit of God. This responsibility isn't for the faint of heart. This kind of calling will reveal where one stands in their faith and will reveal ones own human weaknesses when the Word of God stands as a balance weighing the life of one who chooses to lead or minister truth.

Although it is desirous to want to serve God in the area of ministry it is an important role, too important to take lightly. Let us be found deserving of any call that requires us to touch other's lives as Christ's ambassadors by having our own lives under personal scrutiny and ready to put off anything that would disqualify us as Christ's example.

Authentic Living

2008-09-24T02:17:00.000-07:00

I like how Chip Ingram refers to Christ's ascension and reign over sin and death once and for all. Chip was referring to a scripture in Eph 4 about Christ ascending into Heaven after putting powers to shame, taking the keys to death and putting an end to eternal damnation through His death and resurection. In understanding what we really recieved from this victory, Chip goes into great detail in his series on "The Miracle Of Life Change." a 10 part series in finding authetic relationships with other believers, restoration with God and being spirtually transformed.

Many of us read a bit of gospel prior to our rush into morning traffic, and perhaps if we're lucky we'll read a five minute devotional before bedtime. And yet what we lack on a grand scale as believers collectively is a true "relational relationship". And if we did have this relational authenticate relationship with God and even other believers, we would as christians act and live much differntly than we currently do.
For relationships provide wisdom, growth, accountability and even edificaion.

While studying Eph 4 I especially was struck by the passage of what Christ did after leaving and ascendig into heaven. Even before Chip commented on it. It was like, "WOW!" I had never read it in that manner before. Chip really clarified in great detail facts that I couldn't possibly be privy to lest I attended seminary. Chip was referring to the scripture in Ephesians 4:8 "when Christ returned triumphantly to heaven His resurrection and victory over Satan, He gave generous gifts to men." To get the full impact of this passage one would be aquainted with how battles went in the Old Testament. For in Psalm 67:18 we have a glimpse into an ancient battle that took place between men and kindgoms on earth. And in those battles prisoners of war were paraded through the streets of the conquering city so that the people could see their captives shamed and disgraced. Behind the prisoners would be the loot (gold, cattle, oxen, jewlery, spices, anything of value) and these were the gifts that the King presented to the people in the city.

As Christ conquered darkness,principalites, powers in high places He conquered their powers forever and took the keys of death back, He ascended into the Heavens. And as a result He gave men gifts. He overcame evil with good,and then gave those of us who love Him gifts that would edifty one another, the body of believers and also reach out to those in the world that needed to see the hand of Christ who would no longer be present with us and therefore would see Christ through each believer.

Imagine christians without these gifts He speaks of. Gifts that are clearly of heaven origin. The ability to love others without hypocrisy or want of anything. The ability to have a renewed mind or a heart of peace that you could minister to another who was hopeless. The gift of healing, prophecy, teaching, and many other gifts, such as music ministry, writing. There are so many gifts that were given to us if only we would operate in them. We don't need Him physically present to operate in those gifts for He freely gave them to us after ascension. And I think that this is what Chip was talking about in his series, "The Miracle Of Life Change." I really have enjoyed the beginning of the series. There are 8 series left and I am looking forward to watching each one.

****If you or someone you know would like to lead a bible study group and know "The Miracle of Life Change" Chip Ingram is providing his series free of charge because his goal is to touch the lives of believers who really want to have an authentic relationship with Christ. If you are interested you can go to www.lote.org and then click on the Living On The Edge DVD series "The Miracle Of Life Change." The DVD series takes about two weeks to arrive. The series is beautifully bound, and very doctrinally sound as Chip Ingram pulls from the Word Of God and a style of simplicity. The Leader's guide and study guides you can order after you recieve the series. If you are truly serious about sharing a new way of living and renewing, please order the DVDs and hold a bible study with your friends. You won't regret it.

When We Pray

2008-09-23T00:20:00.000-07:00

I am reminded of how David prayed such heartfelt prayers and I am thankful that he left behind his signature in the book of Psalms. For what other book is greater than the Psalms that gives us such confidence concerning prayer to God and shows us that when we spend time reaching out to God, that indeed it is that devotion to prayer that brings answers we long for.
David began some prayers in agony. At times he was overwhelmed with grief and fear. And yet in his prayers we always see the reflection of hope as he reminds himself of God's promises and encourages himself that God indeed will answer, even in seasons that He seems to be silent, if we wait, patiently, He will respond.
Sometimes I feel like David felt when he would lay out his petiton before God and yet feel that God was hidden. But one thing I honor about David, a man after God's own heart, is that he always let his fears, his joys, his doubts be known to his God. And I have been encouraged to do the same; to be honest with God about how I truly appraise things, even if I am wrong in how I see life or circumstances, being honest is one way that I know that I can be heard. God would rather we be honest with Him than to sugar-coat our prayers to Him.
Some of my favorite verses include the following from David, "Bend down and hear my prayer, O Lord, and answer me..." Ps. 86:1......"Listen Closely to my prayer."O Jehovah, God of my salvation, I have wept before you day and night. Now hear my prayers; oh listen to my cry..."Ps. 88:1.
David was never afraid to petition God for answers. He was never afraid to ask that God hear and listen and respond. He went bodly to God in prayer, believing that God would hear, and answer and would never cease to remind God of what He promised. Such boldness indeed lends proof that when we love God and are obidient we have nothing to fear when we need an answer.
From David's example, I know that I have this same priviledge of going to God in prayer. I am not afraid to ask God for my needs and also to remind God of His promises concerning me. David proved that you can go to God and lay out every thing before Him and to be confident that God is a tender Father who delights in restoring us. This is of great value to know, especially in times of despair, calamity, sorrow, suffering and fear. Yes, we can petition God. And God will hear. When we pray, let us consider David's prayer life and even the examples that he set forth through his Psalms. Psalms is a wonderful example of proof that we can be confident that God is ready and willing to hear us when we cry out to Him.

God Can Turn Suffering Into Glory

2008-09-20T02:13:00.000-07:00

There are many circumstances in our lives which are unfortunate. Many circumstances are ones we may feel that we have little to no control over. Unkind words spoken to us, unheard of cruelties that have made our lives a shame to those who question why we have faced such loss and personal pain. Even biblical characters like Job's suffering was laid open before the pulic forum to judge. And even Job's friends believed that his own personal sin had brought on a heap of judgement. Sometimes suffering is just an indication that we are alive. Sometimes suffering is due to our negligence. Whatever the case may be suffering is rarely a cause for flippant dismisal. And so the exmaination process of suffering begins.

The first response may disbelief or denial; the second may be regret. "If only I had made a different decision", or "I wish I hadn't trusted that person." we might say to ourselves. However, life isn't a experience you map out in the beginning. And you certainly might never imagine where the course of suffering will take you. Or choices for that matter. But what you can be certain of is that nothing that has happend to you will be purposeless. Yes, regardless of the circumstaces you have faced, it is encouraging to know that God can take a painful experience and turn it into glory. In fact, many who have faced hardships in life have an expectancy of hope. And this expectancy gives them the mobility to careen through life's hardest trials without giving up.

This is exactly what happend to Joseph, a young boy in the bible who had made the decision to brag about his dreams to his older brothers. His brothers had already tolerated his being their father's favorite son, but having him also tell about his grand visions and dreams was just too much. And so they plotted to get rid of him.
Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery. Thinking that they would silence him forever. As the years passed Joseph would endure his punishment for alienating his brothers. He would live under the hardships and cruel lifestyle of slavery. Sold yet not forgotten. And God would pay a ransom for him despite his foolish mistake, when He would cause Joseph to be appointed to a position of authority. The long years of enduring suffering now seemed light in comparison to the blessing in the end. Joseph had become the type of person that suffering when examined produces a heart that is willing to be changed and molded for glory.

God would use Joseph to deliver the very brothers who had sold him into slavery from a hardship of drought that would devistate all of Egypt. And he would recieve and be recieved by his brothers once again. Reunited at last, though the beginning would never hint of such a wonderful ending.

We may not see the end from the beginning. Rarely will we taste the victory without having paid a price to do so. Yet in enduring, time will reveal a tested, and tried vessel worthy of honor when proven honorable in the end. It doesn't matter how your beginning started out. Whether mistakes, bad choices, other people's bad choices landed you in your current circumstance, learn to be faithful while enduring it.

For who knows if this circumstance isn't one that will be to the greater good of others. And who knows if God hasn't determined to make you a vessel of honor just like Joseph and change an entire nation because of God's wisdom in your life?

Come those of you who are heavy hearted and He will give you rest.

2008-08-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

If something is troubling you today, won't you stay awhile and listen to the music that has been compiled to help ease your burden, your sorrow and your troubles. Music is inspiration. And music has a healing property. Yet it is often overlooked at being one of the best tools to drawing us back towards our heavenly Father. If you are looking for inner healing and need rest, this was made especially for you in mind.

"Whither should the child go, when anything grieves him, but to his Father?" - Matthew Henry