|
| I think all of us have read the story of Moses and the Burning Bush. If you haven't, then you've probably seen it while watching the Prince of Egypt. There's a part to this story that I have overlooked for years and it was just brought to my attention. In Exodus chapter 4 is where we find the story of the burning bush. In this story, God appears to Moses in the bush. God is telling Moses that He has chosen him to save the Israelites from Egypt. Then it hits the fan because Moses starts making excuses. Starting in verse 1, Moses uses just about every excuse imaginable, then verse 14 hits. It is this verse that I want to hit on this morning. In the NIV it says "The then Lord's anger burned against Moses..." Think about some other people whom had the Lord's anger upon them, Sodhom and Gamorrah...who knows where they are? No one, because God smote them from the earth. And how about the human race at the time of Noah? Oh yeah, that's right, they angered God an he drowned everyone but Noah and his family.
I don't know about you, but I know that I do not want to have the Lord's anger burning against me ever. I have resolved never to make excuses again, and understand that when God calls, you answer. This is why I've decided to make a change in my life. As of my return from a wedding in NY, I will be taking over as the youth leader of my church. I will be both youth leader and worship leader and both will be part time. I decided that I don't want to get to verse 14 in my life.....what about you? What excuses are you making to God today? Are you getting close to verse 14? I urge you to just answer His call and get as far away from verse 14 as you can. | | |
| Have you ever looked at those people, who can list of names for hours of people they have led to Christ and felt envious? I have. I've always been the kind of person who is not necessarily amazing at "leading the prayer" or "winning souls". This has always been a discouragement to me....until this weekend. My best friend, since the 6th grade, got married this weekend. When we first met, I learned that he had grown up catholic but never really went to church. Being the good church kid I was, I began to invite him to anything and everything going on at the church, but to no avail. I began to become discouraged with him and with myself that I'd never lead him to Christ. Little did I know, that wasn't my job. One summer, he began dating a girl from my church and bam, there he was at church all the time, sunday night, wednesday nights, anytime there was something going on, he was there. Even after all this time, I still felt a little dissapointed with myself in regards to him. I watched him leave to go to school to become a pastor, but still I felt down. Then this weekend came, and God revealed to me His plan from the very beginning. In my thank-you note for being his best man, he wrote a simple phrase, "If it wasn't for you I may have never known Christ". I immediately came to tears. It was then I realized, just because I wasn't the one that finally got him into church, didn't mean that I didn't have a part in his salvation.
I tell this story to make a point. In our lives, we are all given different jobs. Does a farmer use the same tools to plant the crop that he uses to till the soil? Or does he use the same tool to fertilize that he uses to harvest? Absolutely not. Just like the farmer has different tools for different occaisions, so Christ has us. Some of us are amazing at getting that final step, getting the decision. Others are better at just being a seed-planter, someone who shows Christ in his/her actions. Even still, there are some who are better at developing the plant after the fact.
Ephesians 4:11-13 "11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." | | |
| How many of you have reached that point time and time again where you just feel down and out and that there is nothing that can help you out? I know that for a lot of us this is the time when we turn to God. We are like prodigal sons/daughters. I've been listening to a song recently by the band Rush of Fools. The song is called "Undo". It talks about hitting that point.
The beginning of the song starts out so simple, yet so amazing. "I've been here before, and here I am again/Standing at the door, praying you'll let me back in" We've all been at the point.....it's like when you have to suck in your pride and tell your brother that he was right (we never like to do that). We realize that we're not living how we should and ask God to take us back.
The pre-chorus hits it right on the head, and is what I feel the most powerful point of the song..."to label me, a prodigal would be only scratching at the surface of who I find myself to be" I know that I've hit that point where I've been ready to give it all up, even though I know God is there to welcome me back, time and time again.
Now here is where the big question comes. Does this mean that we can do whatever we want as long as we ask for forgiveness? I'm not one to judge someone else, but I will tell you this. As we draw ourselves closer to God, we won't desire to do those things any longer. If you are truly living your life at Christ's side, then you won't make yourself do those things.
So what is my main point tonight? Know Him. Psalms 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God". I really like the way the Contemporary English Version puts it. "Calm down and learn that I am God". To know something is a one-time event. Once you know it, you know. Learning, on the other hand, is a daily task. We are constantly learning. We should always be yearning, always be striving to know more and more about God.
Life is one BIG story, and we are just one small part; but the great news is that God doesn't view us as something small and unimportant, he views us as beloved creatures, whom He wants to know to the fullest. | | |
| Okay, so yeah, i haven't blogged since I moved down here....why exactly? I have no clue. But I do know that the break has been a good thing. I've decided to change the reason I blog. It's no longer to keep you updated on where I am....why you ask? That's right...I'm settling down. I've found the most amazing church that God has allowed me to plug my passions into. Anyways, from now on, I will focus my blogging on what God is teaching me. So, here goes my first new blog.
"My heart and My Soul, I give You control, consume me from the inside out"
I find it funny how a song that I began to despise due to it being overplayed at slcc has now become my cry. What does it mean to be consumed completely? I think it means to get to a point where there are no worries, there is no pain...God is fully in control of your life and you let Him carry your burdens. To say I have reached this point would be ridiculous. I think to reach this point is like reaching Holiness....something we strive for, knowing we will never truly reach it.
One thing that I have realized tonight is how much God has in control before we even think about it. I am a firm believer that 11 years ago when I first picked up a guitar, God had this moment in mind for me. He knew that 11 years later this little punk kid who wanted to make friends and impress girls by playing the guitar would be starting a job as a worship leader in a church.
Over the past 2 nights I have had conversations that have lasted over 2 hours. Last night with the lay leader of our church and tonight with the pastor. I have been able to get a lot of things in perspective. I have also made some major decisions about my life that I will talk more about when they actually happen. In college I taught my body how to live off of 4-5 hours of sleep...why in the world would that be a good thing? Well, tonight it is now 3 and I have to be at work at 9, so it looks like a nice 4-5 hours of sleep tonight because I can't sleep without writing out my thoughts.
"Let justice and praise, become my embrace, to love You from the Inside out"
Verse of the night: Psalm 37:1-7
1 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes. | | |
| So I recently had a conversation with a dear friend, and we began talking about the future. Myself, getting ready to move to Atlanta and begin a new life, the other, still trying to figure out what to do with their life. I had an amazing epiphany. We must find that which brings us joy and use it to glorify God. I then asked this person where they found their joy, and they had a little trouble figuring it out, then they turned around and asked me the same question. In a rare moment I was speechless. I always thought it was obvious as to where I found my joy...my friends, my family, my music. But then I thought about it. What is joy.
What is joy? That question continues to puzzle me even today, nearly a week since that conversation. I mean, I always believed that music brought me joy, but lately it hasn't. I sit down and play my guitar and all I get is depressed. I broadcast my music to the world and end up hurting those I hold dear......it seems as if I can't do anything right with music anymore....When will it all change? When will I find joy in music again?........ | | |
|
