Have you ever felt compelled to do something or say something? The "urge" just strikes you and you are compelled to just, well, to just do it...
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 "For Christ's Love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again."
Paul states that the Love of Christ compels him simply because he is convinced. Convinced of what? Paul believes that Christ is who He claimed to be...the Messiah; the One who died for all yet lives!
The fact that Christ died and was buried in a tomb...that He was raised from the dead and LIVES compelled Paul to continue...even after he had been falsely accused, beaten and jailed; the Love of Christ compelled this man to continue...he had an authentic encounter with this Christ...the man who was dead yet walked the earth after his burial...Paul had an encounter with the Love of Christ!
You could say that Paul was radical about his faith walk; he was radical about persecuting those that followed Jesus until he had his encounter on the way to Damascus. At that point, Paul came face to face with Christ...Paul's life was never the same. There was a visible transformation in the life of Paul...he went from being driven or compelled to persecute and even execute Christ-followers to a man that was compelled to spread the Good News! A radical transformation after an authentic encounter with Jesus.
Our own life should so mirror that of Paul...
There should be a defining moment in our life that has transformed us - our thinking - our behavior - our speech. Our encounter with the Love of Christ should compel us to live a life transformed...simply because we are convinced that Jesus IS who He claimed to be....the Messiah; the One who died for all yet lives.
So I ask you...if you have had an encounter with Jesus, how has it compelled you?
Monday, August 22, 2011
What do you believe
The message at church yesterday was this....
Believe what you believe...Walk what you believe...and let the chips fall where they may. If you are able to do this as Paul did, you will have peace in spite of any circumstance.
The life of Paul is an example to each of us on how to WALK out what you believe! Before he had his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus...he was bold is his belief that all those who followed and dared to believe in this risen Jesus should be prosecuted and killed. He chased Christians and had them executed...he fully walked in the belief that he held...and did so with boldness.
Paul also walked with the same boldness AFTER he encountered the Lord on his journey; he himself was beaten, jailed, mocked and he was in danger of death many, many times for his boldness - for his belief - for the way he chose to walk it out! What Paul held as Truth was vividly walked out for all to see....what he believed was obvious...to the "common" people, to the religious people, to those in government and to the Kings; Paul walked what he believed!
So as I thought about this yesterday it occurred to me....would others be able to accurately state what I believe by how they see me act or respond or interact with those around me? That is a tough question!
If we are to use Paul as an example, as the Word of God says, than I have failed. You see, I believe with every fiber in my being that the Bible is the Absolute Truth and the inspired Word of God. So then, how should I live this belief out?
The life of the one who has chosen to be a Christ Follower should be radically different than the one who has not....shouldn't it? YES...it most certainly should :)
The church...this body of people who believe...need to have their foundation shaken by their King!
It is time for us to make the decision to walk out what we claim we believe...ARISE CHURCH!!! Let's be the Light that we are called to be and let our life shine like the life of Paul.....
Let's be RADICALLY HIS :O)
Believe what you believe...Walk what you believe...and let the chips fall where they may. If you are able to do this as Paul did, you will have peace in spite of any circumstance.
The life of Paul is an example to each of us on how to WALK out what you believe! Before he had his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus...he was bold is his belief that all those who followed and dared to believe in this risen Jesus should be prosecuted and killed. He chased Christians and had them executed...he fully walked in the belief that he held...and did so with boldness.
Paul also walked with the same boldness AFTER he encountered the Lord on his journey; he himself was beaten, jailed, mocked and he was in danger of death many, many times for his boldness - for his belief - for the way he chose to walk it out! What Paul held as Truth was vividly walked out for all to see....what he believed was obvious...to the "common" people, to the religious people, to those in government and to the Kings; Paul walked what he believed!
So as I thought about this yesterday it occurred to me....would others be able to accurately state what I believe by how they see me act or respond or interact with those around me? That is a tough question!
If we are to use Paul as an example, as the Word of God says, than I have failed. You see, I believe with every fiber in my being that the Bible is the Absolute Truth and the inspired Word of God. So then, how should I live this belief out?
The life of the one who has chosen to be a Christ Follower should be radically different than the one who has not....shouldn't it? YES...it most certainly should :)
The church...this body of people who believe...need to have their foundation shaken by their King!
It is time for us to make the decision to walk out what we claim we believe...ARISE CHURCH!!! Let's be the Light that we are called to be and let our life shine like the life of Paul.....
Let's be RADICALLY HIS :O)
Pruning....God's Handywork
I learned something new this year about tomato plants...it is best if you prune them during the season! I had no idea that a tomato plant could or should be pruned; according to the experts, the plants produce more fruit (the tomato) when it is pruned. They have offshoots called "suckers" that grow and compete with the main stem for nutrients and energy....a battle, if you will, to become the 'main' stem. If left untouched, these suckers can cause the plant to become heavy, cumbersome and even out of control; the fruits will be smaller as well.
The plant that is pruned and has those 'suckers' removed actually prevents the plant from becoming too heavy and falling and/or splitting. In the event the plant falls, the main stem can become damaged and hinder any further growth and/or bruise the fruit that was already set on the vine. Pruning should be done with care so as not to damage the plant as well as to only remove those "suckers" that will eventually hinder it's growth.
The unattended tomato plant can grow large and 'bushy' hiding its fruit as it forms and matures on the vine; however, a plant that is pruned is able to shoot upward allowing its fruit to be seen, to be noticed and even admired by those watching the plants progress.
Hmmm...that reminds me of something, now what could that be....Yup...us :O) The Lord prunes us as well...He is our Master Gardener!
He does so in a manner that we may not understand or one that we clearly recognize as His handy work in motion. Just as the plants in our gardens or yard produce much more fruit once pruned...so we as followers of Christ are able to reflect more of His Character once God's Loving Hand is finished picking away that which hinders our growth.
The life of the Christian who allows God to prune their walk is similar to the tomato...their fruit may have started to blossom but its hidden by the abundance or overgrowth of attitude, wrong thinking, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, etc - the 'suckers' of the plant. But the life of one who allows the Hand of God to pick away those things that are not beneficial or to prune the "suckers" from their life is a life that shoots upward bearing much fruit along the way.
It is best to prune the plant when the suckers are just forming; the longer the wait, the more embedded they become and the process of plucking it is more difficult to the plant. We are no different....the earlier we allow God to uproot and pluck away those things that hinder our walk...the easier the process. It is when we wait and are not quick to agree with God about something that the roots take hold and the plucking becomes more of a struggle when asked to release it to Him...
The Master Gardener knows us each so well that He knows just the time and manner in which to prune our life. Each one of us is different and the process that works for one might not work for someone else and God understands this for He created each of us...He knows which areas to prune at just the right time in order for us to bear much fruit!
What is the fruit of the Christian walk? That is the subject for another post :)
Won't you allow the Gardener of your heart to gently manage His soil? Submit to God and watch your life blossom into something that takes your breath away :O)
The plant that is pruned and has those 'suckers' removed actually prevents the plant from becoming too heavy and falling and/or splitting. In the event the plant falls, the main stem can become damaged and hinder any further growth and/or bruise the fruit that was already set on the vine. Pruning should be done with care so as not to damage the plant as well as to only remove those "suckers" that will eventually hinder it's growth.
The unattended tomato plant can grow large and 'bushy' hiding its fruit as it forms and matures on the vine; however, a plant that is pruned is able to shoot upward allowing its fruit to be seen, to be noticed and even admired by those watching the plants progress.
Hmmm...that reminds me of something, now what could that be....Yup...us :O) The Lord prunes us as well...He is our Master Gardener!
He does so in a manner that we may not understand or one that we clearly recognize as His handy work in motion. Just as the plants in our gardens or yard produce much more fruit once pruned...so we as followers of Christ are able to reflect more of His Character once God's Loving Hand is finished picking away that which hinders our growth.
The life of the Christian who allows God to prune their walk is similar to the tomato...their fruit may have started to blossom but its hidden by the abundance or overgrowth of attitude, wrong thinking, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, etc - the 'suckers' of the plant. But the life of one who allows the Hand of God to pick away those things that are not beneficial or to prune the "suckers" from their life is a life that shoots upward bearing much fruit along the way.
It is best to prune the plant when the suckers are just forming; the longer the wait, the more embedded they become and the process of plucking it is more difficult to the plant. We are no different....the earlier we allow God to uproot and pluck away those things that hinder our walk...the easier the process. It is when we wait and are not quick to agree with God about something that the roots take hold and the plucking becomes more of a struggle when asked to release it to Him...
The Master Gardener knows us each so well that He knows just the time and manner in which to prune our life. Each one of us is different and the process that works for one might not work for someone else and God understands this for He created each of us...He knows which areas to prune at just the right time in order for us to bear much fruit!
What is the fruit of the Christian walk? That is the subject for another post :)
Won't you allow the Gardener of your heart to gently manage His soil? Submit to God and watch your life blossom into something that takes your breath away :O)
The Story of the Green Gumball
Years ago, my sister and I worked with those in the Probation Department in Michigan. We were determined to bring the freedom found in Christ Jesus to as many as we possibly could so we were quite outspoken about our faith. Sunday's found us taking any who wanted to come to church with us to our church and afterward, we would sometimes go out for lunch.
On this one particular Sunday, one of the young men was contemplating if God was actually real and if he could trust this Being that I believed in with much boldness. On our way out of the restaurant, I turned to this young man and asked him what color gumball he wanted from the candy machine at the entrance. He seemed puzzled and asked me to repeat my question....so I gently asked him again what color gumball he wanted from the machine...I continued by saying that "IF this God I serve is real, than He will give you the color you ask for..." The young man was surprised and slowly began to smile...He said, with a grin, "Okay then, I want green."
"Green it is" I said and put the money in the machine and turned the dial....Clickety, Clickety, Click Thump, Thump, Thump The gumball had dropped down for him to take...but what color would it be? I looked at him in the eyes and told him that God wanted him to know that He was real and this gumball would prove it...the young man bent down to slowly open the little door that was hiding the gumball....he put his hand under the slot and lifted the lid....the gumball was GREEN!!!
I do not advocate everyone doing such a bold thing! However, I knew without a doubt that God had been preparing this young man for that very moment so I simply obeyed what the Father in Heaven was asking me to do...
That young man will never forget that moment nor shall I. Since that day I have been on a journey of living a Green Gumball type of faith and that journey started over 20 years ago....
I encourage you to slow down a bit and allow your ears to hear the voice of the Father as He softly whispers to you those things that will build your own faith and encourage your spirit to continue on with your own journey....live with faith...a green gumball type of faith :O)
On this one particular Sunday, one of the young men was contemplating if God was actually real and if he could trust this Being that I believed in with much boldness. On our way out of the restaurant, I turned to this young man and asked him what color gumball he wanted from the candy machine at the entrance. He seemed puzzled and asked me to repeat my question....so I gently asked him again what color gumball he wanted from the machine...I continued by saying that "IF this God I serve is real, than He will give you the color you ask for..." The young man was surprised and slowly began to smile...He said, with a grin, "Okay then, I want green."
"Green it is" I said and put the money in the machine and turned the dial....Clickety, Clickety, Click Thump, Thump, Thump The gumball had dropped down for him to take...but what color would it be? I looked at him in the eyes and told him that God wanted him to know that He was real and this gumball would prove it...the young man bent down to slowly open the little door that was hiding the gumball....he put his hand under the slot and lifted the lid....the gumball was GREEN!!!
I do not advocate everyone doing such a bold thing! However, I knew without a doubt that God had been preparing this young man for that very moment so I simply obeyed what the Father in Heaven was asking me to do...
That young man will never forget that moment nor shall I. Since that day I have been on a journey of living a Green Gumball type of faith and that journey started over 20 years ago....
I encourage you to slow down a bit and allow your ears to hear the voice of the Father as He softly whispers to you those things that will build your own faith and encourage your spirit to continue on with your own journey....live with faith...a green gumball type of faith :O)
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