Tightly Woven

     I know this is not a new teaching, or even an earth shattering revelation for most bible readers, but God has put it on my heart for quite awhile that as the body of believers, the bride of the returning King, we need to be tightly woven together, so closely woven together that as a fabric we can not be torn apart or ripped asunder.      In Philippians Paul writes to the Christians in Philippi about unity, not only unity but also being "together"

      Do you think some of them were insisting that thIey could find God without going to church? I've heard a lot of people in this day and time say that there are many ways to God, but maybe this was an issue they dealt with a long time ago also? Scripture does say that "there's nothing new under the sun"!

     Here Paul says "above all", that means it is pretty important to conduct ourselves in the way he describes. 

     Paul says to:

1. Conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.

2. Standing together.

3. With one spirit.

4. With one purpose.

5. Fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News of Christ.

     This teaching takes away the idea that you can go your own way and still be living the life that God would desire for you. You may not believe that you need to be joined with other Christians and maybe it's not for you, maybe it's for them? Whatever the reason, it is the instruction for the way we should walk out this life.

     Above all, you must live as citizens of   heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see 
you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Philippians 1:27 NLT

Sweet-Smelling

     Now that Lane is sharing a teaching or scripture for tithing each week at church scriptures or teachings in the bible about tithing seem to be everywhere I read! 
     The scripture that I'm sharing now is written by Paul and he's teaching the Philippians, in the book of Philippians, a principle of God's nature. 

Several times you sent me things I needed when I was in Thessalonica. Really, it is not that I want to receive gifts from you, but I want you to have the good that comes from giving. And now I have everything, and more. I have all I need, because Epaphroditus brought your gift to me. It is like a sweet-smelling sacrifice offered to God, who accepts that sacrifice and is pleased with it. My God will use his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need. Philippians 4:16-19 NCV

     The principle in this case is that God wants us to give "gifts", this is beyond our regular tithing. Tithing and giving is not a subject that most people like to hear about, kind of like children on the playground aren't always eager to "share" the toy that they have desired and finally been given. We'd rather hear about what God is doing for us, right?
     Nonetheless, God's principles about tithing and giving is that He gives to us, so we can in turn give back to Him and to others. It's a never ending cycle, unless we stop it by not giving! 
     In scripture, we're even told that the giving we do for His purposes, whereas it is a sacrifice to us, is "sweet-smelling" and pleasing to God. And also, God's principle follows that as He is pleased with our gifts, He will in turn give you everything you need! Here I know you start thinking of God giving you all of your "wants", right? I do that too! but God's promise is to give you everything that you "need", let's learn to be content with having our "needs" supplied...that in itself is a true gift and blessing from our Heavenly Father. 

Voices

I will listen and believe the voice of truth.
Jesus You are the voice of truth, I will listen!

There are voices on the radio
voices on TV
voices in magazines
voices on billboards
voices from friends
voices from enemies
voices from the past
voices of fear
voices of lust
voices of envy
voices of jealousy
voices of judgement
voices of criticism
voices of flattery
voices of deception
voices of self congratulation
voices of self pity
voices of self centeredness
voices of self condemnation
voices of self accusation
voices of self pride

     Most of the voices listed are voices of our own, of the world  and of the enemy of our soul. 
     There are many voices in the world, which one do you listen to?
     If you want to hear the voice of Truth you have to seek it...Praise, Prayer, Study of the Word, Meditation...yes, it is a challenge, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes...you have to tune out from the other voices and tune into God.
     Change the channel of your voice tuner! Turn from the channels of the world, turn off your TV, radio, telephone(OH MY! Not the phone! Yes, turn off all of the texting!). God speaks to us when we listen, then we can hear His voice.
     Sometimes God speaks past all of the other voices, but if it's your desire to hear Him, why not make it easier to hear? Take time, quiet the voices from the world and listen for your Heavenly Father. He will speak to those that want to hear.

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

The New Year!

The New Year!

What does that bring to mind for you?

     For Lane and myself we always wonder where God is taking us this year. We've been known to spend New Year's Eve in the prayer room at IHOP in Kansas City when possible to be close to God at a time when things seem brand new and the future happening before us!
     This year my goal is to hear God more clearly, to walk more completely in His path.
     So far I've been able to hear 4 messages from different Ministers, they are calling us to a more complete submission to God in this year. 
     I have a lot of concern for people that continue to call their lives their own, and to make their decisions as if they are the Captain of their own ship and they don't choose to submit to God's will or purpose in their lives.
     I used to live like I was my own Captain also, so I understand the thinking process. They believe they can go their own way and then ask God to bless them in the choices they've made, without even asking His counsel before the choice was made.
     In the messages I've heard recently I believe the ones that are plotting their own course are going to be so out of touch with God that even when they realize their need of His direction they'll be so lost in the storm they won't know which way to turn.
     Of course God is always there when called upon, but when we're too lost we don't even realize what a mess we've gotten ourselves in and instead of calling to God for help, we blame Him! That is the mess that concerns me. A self made mess, and then bitterness from the results!
     The messages I've heard bringing God's leading for His people, for the year ahead have a common thread from all 4 Ministers:

1. Walk with passion and zeal, there is no room for a tepid Christian life.
2. Don't depend on your own understanding, depend on the Spirit, pray in the Spirit in all circumstances, on all occasions
3. We are to set ourselves apart, to live a life of integrity and to remove the pollution that we've allowed to creep into our lives that disqualifies us from being carriers of God. Remove wrong thinking, wrong speaking, wrong habits, stop being self-focused.
4. This is only the beginning, we're being matured for the next step...if we don't mature, we will miss the step.

     I have felt a very strong pressure to create new habits that will bring me closer to God, I've been trying to walk closely with Him for quite a while now, but as the verses that Paul shared:
 Philippians 2:12-13  So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; fo  it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure, we need to be doing this with "fear and trembling"!
     I believe that even though we know God loves us, we need to remember "the fear of the Lord". It's time for us to quit being the children that rebelliously do what we want because we know our Father loves us and will forgive us and remember that our Father is our Creator and it should be our sole purpose to please and honor Him. It's time for us to grow up! It's time to walk with steadfastness knowing who we are in God and what He wants us to do, it's time for us to seek His pleasure, not our own.



   

Life Is Short

     Do What You Can

     Too many times we take for granted the strength and health that we have. We assume that we can put things off until tomorrow if we're not in the mood to make it happen today. 
     I want to caution you that what you put off today may never happen. We don't really know what we will be able to do today, much less tomorrow. 
     I know that we've heard these cautions many times, and easily brush them aside, but we're brushing these things aside with no facts in our corner to know what tomorrow will bring.
     Today's verse for me is Psalm 20:12 Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise.

God Is Not Static

People want to imagine God as a static being. There are some attributes of God that don't change, but there are different season's in how God deals with us, so there has to be different season's that even God goes through. Times of desiring intimacy and times of desiring respect. We can't put Him in a box and say this is God~ because He is so big! so amazing! so complex~

The Day After Christmas

     Yesterday Was Christmas
   
     Yesterday was the day designated to celebrate Jesus' birth, we're going to avoid any discussion here about whether it's the correct day. It doesn't matter to me! I'm just glad we take time to marvel at the fact that He stepped away from heaven to be born as a man! That deserves celebration, right? And even more, that birth set into play a chain of events that has given me freedom from the dark world of sin that I was previously destined to live in. I'm happy to celebrate Jesus' birth! Joy to the world! Rejoice! and again I say Rejoice!
     But....I want to ask a couple of questions for you to consider, were you like the Inn Keeper? Did you have room for Jesus, or did you put Him in the stable? Did you give him a place of honor in the "guest room", a place He can visit again next year or maybe even Easter? Or did you clean out room for Him to have His own place...a place He can claim for the rest of your year? the rest of your life?
     Second question, now that we celebrated His birth...what are you going to do with Him? Forget Him until next year or celebrate Him everyday?
     I'm not going to tell you what to do here, I'm just trying to stir up something for you to think about.
     Oh, okay, I am going to tell you something to do, a teacher's heart is always trying to teach! Don't pack Jesus up with your Christmas ornaments, just to wait to unpack Him next year, same time, same place.
     Keep Him close to you, look to Him each day. Let the gift of His birth change your life! Live in the grace of His presence.