Pouring Ourselves Out

We were meant to pour ourselves out. We are to give of ourselves to others, for we were created to serve one another. Again I ask, who are we? We are vessels created by the Lord to show forth His power and goodness. One of the ways He can use us to do this, is to continually give of ourselves to others.

Jesus did this. He continually poured out Himself to all around Him, so that the Father may be glorified. He told His disciples that He came not to be served, to serve (Matthew 20:28). The thing I came to realize about this, is that Jesus gave Himself to all and yet received very little if anything back from them. Think about this for a second. Jesus did many amazing things while He was here. Everywhere He went, people followed to hear His teaching and to be blessed and healed by Him. Yet When Jesus was arrested, His closest friends abandoned Him. When He was on trail, only two defended Him. When the crowd was given a chance to free Him, they all condemned Him. Peter denied Him, Judas betrayed Him, the crowed mocked Him. He poured Himself out for them all, even unto death, and received nothing from them in return.

Jesus' example is so important to learn! There are, at times, where we feel like we have nothing left to give others. We are worn down from constantly giving of ourselves and receiving little if anything in return. So we want to quit. We want to shrink back and hide. But as Christ constantly poured out Himself for the church, so should we constantly pour out ourselves to others. This was how Jesus showed us the Father. This is how we can show others Christ.

It is also important to note here, that the Bible mentions so many times that Jesus met with the Father daily. This is how He was able to continually pour Himself out. What He received from the Father He gave away. What we receive daily from Christ, we are to give away. This is how we are able to continually pour ourselves out to others.

So let us continually pour ourselves out. And let us do this without expectation. We serve others because Jesus first served us. We constantly give of ourselves to all, because the Lord is constantly giving of Himself to us. And because Christ lives in us and us in Him, we are never empty. Soli deo gloria: Glory to God Alone.

Amelia the sparrow

Amelia was a little sparrow who lived in a big and beautiful tree right outside of a beautiful but old, country home. She was a friendly sparrow, always talking to those who passed her way. The Master of the home was her dearest friend. Every morning and every evening, He would sit on the porch with His hands wide open, full of grain for her to eat. She would happily sit in His hands, eating the grain, talking to him. And how they talked! They talked about everything.They would talked late into the night and when she would fall asleep in His hands, He would gently place her back into her nest. He was an amazing man and she loved him deeply.

Amelia was friends with another sparrow named Sam who lived in the nest next to hers. Like the Master, he too, was her closest friend. Every day they played together and sang together. One day Sam did not return home as usual. At first she thought he was just late, gathering bugs and all that sparrows do. But in the morning when he still was not there, she began to worry. She flew over to the Master of the home and told Him her worries. When she was done, He gently picked her up and looked into her eyes. "Amelia, do you trust me?", He asked. "With all my heart", she replied. "Continue to trust me. I will find him, I promise." So she flew back to her nest and waited. A couple of days passed, and Sam still had not returned. Every night the Master of the home returned and Amelia would fly over and sit in His hands and eat. When she asked if He had found Sam, He always gave the same reply; "Trust me," He said, "I will find him." Days dragged into weeks, and weeks into months. Still Sam did not return. Amelia was beside herself. She trusted the Master. If anyone could find Sam, it was He. But she did not think it would take this long. Why was it taking so long? Where was Sam?

One day Amelia decided she had had enough. When the Master returned, she greeted Him as she always did, but instead of landing into His open hands, she perched herself on the tree right outside of the window. "Amelia," He said. "Why will you not come and eat from my hand as you always do?" "I am tired", she replied. "I am tired of waiting, I am tired of trusting, of hoping, that you will find Sam. He has been gone much too long, and You still have not found him. I just want some space and some rest and I simply do not feel like eating from your hand today." The Master looked at her gently. "Space from me is a dangerous thing, Amelia. And not eating what I provide for you will make you weak. Only in my hand will you be able to rest. My hands comfort, heal, provide, and protect. Do not forget that it was I who planted the tree so that you might live in it. It was I who planted and harvested this grain so that you might eat it. It is I who gently places you into your nest every night. Trust me, Amelia. Trust me." Amelia looked at the Master with sad eyes, but flew over into His hands and slowly ate the grain. As she did, she began to cry, but with each tear she felt strength return to her. Then the Master did something He had not done before - He sang to her. His song was the most beautiful song she had ever heard. And though she did not know the song, somehow her heart opened and the words poured in. Soon she was happily singing with Him, and they sang late into the night.

The next morning she watched the Master of the house leave. As He passed her nest they looked at each other. At that moment she knew that He was capable of everything and anything. If anyone could find Sam, it was He, so she would wait and trust. And wait and trust she continued to do, safely and gently in His hands.

Money (Part Two)

It took me three hours to write my last blog. I never imagined that I would write about money. But today, something was said that just made me want to write something about it. Something I struggle with in the church, is that I feel like the church knows that we won't do something unless it benefits us. And sad to say, we are such selfish people, that this tends to be true. When it comes to tithing or giving, we are told that if we tithe or give that the Lord will bless us. This is true, I have seen this first hand, but I feel like we are missing the point.

What we must realize is that the Lord owes us nothing. Again we exist because of Him. He does not exist because of us. He gave us everything that was good, and we turned away from it. It was us, who rebelled against Him. Yet, God in His amazing greatness and goodness still loved us and redeemed us by His Son. When Jesus died on the cross, that was the first time in History that the Son was separated from His Father. It was our sin that separated us from God. When Christ died, He took on our sin which caused His separation from His Father. This is how we were redeemed, by the blood, the pain, the anguish of another who did not deserve it. Again, God owes us nothing, but we owe Him everything!

So the point I feel like we are missing when it comes to tithing or giving, is that we should do so simply because the Lord asks us too. To walk in obedience to Him is one of the greatest joys that we could ever ask for. He asks so little of us, and yet we still look to Him and say "sure, I'll do it, but whats in it for me?" Has He not already given us more than we deserve?And amazing enough, He does continue to bless us and reward us when we obey Him. What a God!

So let us remember that He owes us nothing, but we owe Him everything. And let us tithe and give in joyful obedience because of the God He is. Soli deo gloria: Glory to God Alone!

...Money...

What is the purpose of money to a Christian? I have heard so many heated discussions on this topic. And upon hearing these discussions, I have started to realize that a lot of Christians fear money. They fear wealth. I can understand why. Money tends to be the root of many problems in the church, in a marriage, in a family, in a lot of places. I have done a lot of thinking about what money means to me and I have come to realize that money in itself is not be feared, but how we let it control our lives.

One thing that I have come to understand is that money offers a false sense of security. Money pays our bills, it provides us with what we want and need. When you look at your bank account, there is a comfort there to see that what you have worked hard for, is building up. It gives you a sense of security and pride. Not saying that this is bad. But we must be careful not to look at money as our security but instead see it as a blessing from the Lord who is our security.

Money, I think, should be used to help others, to give away. This is something that the Lord has really, and I mean really, taught me. I use to buy so many things, because I was insecure about who I was and how I looked and I truly believed that if I bought this one thing, it would be all that I needed. But soon I would tire of it and I would be on the search for something greater. I learned the hard way, that buying things contributes absolutely nothing to the hearts capacity for joy. Actually, nothing contributes to the hearts capacity of joy except the Lord. Our spouses, our families, our homes, our occupations. This is something that some of us do not realize until everything we thought that fulfilled us is stripped away. Only then do we see that none of it truly fulfilled us. Because our fulfillment doesn't come from money, things or people. It really does come from knowing the Lord and the Lord knowing us. Andrew Murray said "The giver is more than the gift; God is more than the blessing. And our being kept waiting on Him is the only way for our learning to find our life and joy in Himself."

With all of that said, I am not saying that we should just give all of our money away and never have any. I think it is wise to invest, to save, to build up and to spend a little. But what we shouldn't do is invest, save, build up and spend INSTEAD of giving away. Invest and give, save and give, build up and give, spend and give.

John Piper wrote: "Why does God bless us with abundance? So we can have enough to live on, and then use the rest for all manner of good works that alleviate spiritual and physical misery. Enough for us; abundance for others..."

I think this is how we should view money as Christians. We should not fear it, but be joyful when we are blessed with it, for we are able to help and give to others. We are vessels created by and for God, to show forth His power and goodness. And I fully believe that one of the ways He does this is by blessing us, so that through us, He can abundantly bless others. Soli deo gloria: Glory to God alone.

Prayer

"You know the value of prayer: it is precious beyond all price. Never, never neglect it..."

-Sir Thomas Buxton

Prayer is something we are called to do, yet we do so little of it. Why is that? I think it it because for some, they get impatient and frustrated when they do not see the fruits of their prayers right away or even at all. For some it is because it did not produce the result they wanted. For others, it just not that important. I think most of us sometimes forget why we are called to pray. Not only are we commanded to pray but there is power, strength and unity in prayer. Men and women who above all pray, change the world and endure all that is set before them. There are two reasons why I believe this to be true.

1.Prayer is the only way to truly connect with God. And when we truly connect with God, our whole being is effected and our lives are transformed. In the forward of E.M. Bounds book "Power Through Prayer", Stromie Omartian writes

"Prayer makes the person and it affects who we are and who we become. It effects our character just as it did Paul, David, Elijah and Jesus. Prayer changes the heart and actually makes the person. It takes away our impatience, harshness, selfishness, and cluelessness, and replaces them with patience, gentleness, loving-kindness, and understanding. It takes away our blindness and replaces it with fresh vision and clarity. It takes away our weakness and gives us strength."

And why does prayer do this? Again because we are personally interacting with the one true God, and one cannot personally interact with Him without walking away changed. Jesus Himself prayed much. He prayed for those around Him, for us (John 17) and for Himself. Before He was betrayed, he prayed twice for strength to do the Fathers will. He knew that prayer connected Him to His Father and being connected to His Father was the only way to accomplish what He was sent to do.

2. Prayer unifies us. in Romans 15:30, Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 4:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:25 and 2 Corinthians 1:11, Paul is asking others to pray for him. Why? Again, Bounds explains this perfectly. He writes:

"Paul is an eminent example that we must have the prayers of other. He asks, he coverts, he pleads in an impassioned way for the help of all God's saints. He knew that in the spiritual realm, as elsewhere, in union there is strength; that the concentration and aggregation of faith, desires, and prayers increased the volume of spiritual force until it became overwhelming and irresistible in its power. Units of prayer combined, like drops of water, make an ocean which defies resistance...".

Paul dealt with hardships, persecution and such things that most of us will never go through or understand. He alone would never have been able to endure all this if it was not for God alone and for other interceding on his behalf. We too cannot stand alone. We need be unified and strengthen by interceding; praying for each other.

There is power and unity through prayer. Amazing things happen when we pray. Our lives are transformed when we pray. The world is changed when we pray. So let us again, become men and women of prayer. Let us connect to our God once again and become one with Him and each other through prayer. Soli deo gloria: Glory to God alone.

Taste and See

I am amazed. I am actually beyond amazed. I am blown away. I can relate to David when he wrote "The Lord my God lightens my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God-His way is PERFECT... (Psalm 18: 29-30)"

The Lord is so amazingly good! Sometimes He has to strip everything away in order for our blinded eyes to see this, but once you see Him, truly see the Lord, and experience His amazing love and greatness, it changes the way you look at everything. He really does amazing and wondrous things for those who seek Him! His way really is perfect. How I wish everyone knew this truth. He loves us and He has amazing things in-stored for us. Things may not always work out perfectly, in fact they normally don't. There will always be pain, hardship, chaos, and things we simply can't explain or control, but this does not take away from who He is. And what the Lord is, is a great and mighty God. He not only loves us, and I mean really loves us, but He is great in power, great in kindness, and great in faithfulness. I have met so many people to whom this has been true, the way The Lord has blessed them and worked in their lives. It has been amazing to be apart of their lives and to see first hand all that the Lord has done for and in them. I have seen this first hand in my life also, especially over the last month. He has taken what was once broken (me) and made it into something completely new.

This blog tonight is simply a cry, a shout to how great our God truly is. Please, come, taste and see that the Lord is good, because He is. He really is. Soli deo gloria: Glory to God alone!

Tenth Avenue North - Beloved (Lyrics)

Waiting

Why were we created?

To be vessels in which God created and designed to show forth His great power and goodness.

Where do we belong?

In complete, absolute and unceasing dependency upon God.

What is our purpose?

To wait on God and on God alone.

He alone is in control. He alone can and will do all He has purposed and planned. (Is. 14:24,27;43:13). And since He alone will do all He has planned we can do nothing but wait on Him. This may look and feel weird, especially those of us who like to be in control. But the truth is we were created for His good purpose, a purpose He alone will accomplish. All we can do is be the vessels in which He will use to accomplish His purpose and He will use us when we wait on Him alone. Soli deo gloria: Glory to God Alone.

Abraham

Abraham was a great man. A sinful man, a weak man but through the Lord a righteous man and a Godly man. Abraham was a great man. He was called to believe the impossible. Sometimes we forget this. When we read the story of Abraham, we already know the ending. We know what will happen. We know that the Lord would do all that He promised Abraham. But Abraham was a man like us. He lived as we do. He did not know the ending. There was so much time in between the promise of the Lord and the fulfillment. So when the Lord promised him a son, when He promised that he would be the father of many nation, more decedents than the stars and the sand on the shores, Abraham was called to believe the impossible. Through his eyes, he saw a barren wife and he saw his age. Through his human eyes, he saw all that hindered this promise. Yet Abraham believed the impossible and obeyed. "In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations as he had been told. He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body which was as good as dead, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised (Romans 4:18-21)". Abraham believed the impossible. What would our lives look like if we really and truly believed the impossible? What would it be like to look at all the chaos that surrounds us and really believe that nothing is to great for the Lord? To really believe that the Lord holds all in His hands and nothing can stop Him from His will? Man plans, but God alone prevails. Hold on to this truth! Man plans, but God prevails. He always has and He always will.

J.I Packer wrote

"Abraham was not by nature a man of strong principle, and his sense of responsibility was somewhat deficient. But God in wisdom dealt with this easygoing, unheroic figure to such good effect that not merely did he faithfully fulfill his appointed role on the stage of church history, he also became a new man...Abraham developed habit of walking with God, resting in His revealed will, relying in Him, waiting on Him, bowing to His providence, obeying Him even when He commanded something odd and unconventional. From being a man of the world, Abraham became a man of God...We see him becoming a man of prayer. We see him at the end so utterly devoted to God's will and so confident that God knows what He is doing, that He is willing at Gods command to kill His own son, the heir for whose birth he waited so long."

God prevailed in Abraham's life. He won Abraham over. He worked on Abraham and changed Abraham until his heart and life was fully Gods. Abraham was a great man, but God was/is greater. He alone changes our hearts. He alone takes a sin-blistered heart and turns it into a paragon of virtue. He alone preforms the impossible, in our lives and in the situations around us. Nothing is to great for the Lord, even our own sins. Nothing keeps us from Him. Nothing separates us from Him. He brings order out of chaos and beauty out of ugliness. He did it with Abraham, He will do it to us as well.

May we be like Abraham, who obeyed the Lord when he was asked to believe the impossible. May we, like him become men and women of God who are so utterly devoted to the Lord and to His will. May we like Abraham believe in hope against hope that the Lord can and will do all that He promises. May we not waver in our faith, even when all we see is the darkness that surrounds us. But may we give glory to God and be at peace, fully convinced that the Lord is not only able, but will do what He has promised us. Soli deo gloria: Glory to God Alone.

Home

Home. Home is defined in many different ways. It brings memories and laughter. It causes loneliness and longing. To some it causes fear and panic. Home. Where is home? This is a question I have asked myself for several months now. Every day, every hour I have asked myself, "Where is home?". And the answer came. It came so softly and so suddenly that it has changed the way I will view home for the rest of my life. Home is where Christ is. Where Jesus is, let our home be as well. How easily we call a place, a house, a family "home". But these "homes" can be taken from us so quickly. Our houses can be destroyed without warning. Our families can be taken from us in the blink of an eye. And what we once called "home" no longer exist. And when and if that happens, we are left shaken, stumbling in the dark to find our home.

But here is absolute truth: Christ can never be destroyed. He never leaves us. He can never be taken from us. He never changes. He is sure and stable. He is strong and unshakable. He provides all that we desire, and need. He provides safely and security. He fills us up when we are empty and broken. He listens and answers. He encourages and disciplines. He shelters and covers us. When we lie down to sleep, He is there. When we awake, He is there. In Him alone is fullness of joy, peace and contentment. In Him alone is love and the very essence of who we really are. If that is not home, then I do not know what is. Is does not matter what kind of house we live in, where we live, whom we live with. It is nothing compared to the home we have in Christ alone.

So when everything around you crumbles. When you are in pain, filled with sorrow, afraid or even terrified and deep within you cry "I want to go home!", set your eyes, your hearts, your hope, upon Jesus, and you will finally be home. Soli deo gloria: Glory to God Alone.

Knowing

Rich Mullins. I love this man. He was a man after Gods own heart. A man who lived for God and God alone. His life is so inspiring. It was not always pretty, but it was filled and lived for one thing: Jesus. As I read his book and biography, I am inspired, convicted and renewed. Rich Mullins. I love this man. By no means was he a saint. He was not perfect. Something I can relate to. But again, he was someone who sought so deeply and so desperately the Heart of God.

Jesus is a touchy subject. Especially today. People believe what they want to believe and make up their own truth about Him. But the truth about Jesus and who He is can not be touched. It cannot be shut out. It cannot be made into something it is not. History points to this time and time again. His truth always prevails. It always will. What does it mean to know the heart and mind of God? To truly know Him? J.I Packer once wrote "Knowing God is a relationship calculated to thrill a persons heart...for what higher, more exalted and more compelling goal can there be than to know God?". So, as this day begins anew, I set my eyes, my heart, my mind and my soul to know God. To truly know Him. He has never failed me. He never will. All things are in His hands, even the sparrows. How can I not want to know Him?

Life is short, which to some is a blessing and to others a curse. Either way, the truth of the matter is this: we all die someday. We will not live forever (here on earth that is). Rich Mullins died in a car crash in 1997. He was 41 years old. So as my time on this earth winds down, how do I want to live? I want to fully live for the Lord. We are in existence because of Him. He does not exist because of us. We did not create Him, He created us. We owe Him everything, He owes us nothing. Yet time and time again, we turn away, we care only for ourselves and forget completely about Him. And time and time again, He forgives us, redeems us and give us this amazing grace to once again walk with Him, to know Him again. He never gives up on us. Nothing separates us from His love. Our mistakes, past, present and future are already forgotten. How could we not want to know and love a God like that?!

As I begin to live, to truly live, I seek one thing: That the Lords desires for my life, become my desires. That His hope for my life, becomes my hope. That something beautiful comes out of my life. That when my life here is finally over, it will be a life that was lived and filled with one thing: Jesus. May He have full sway over my soul, be fully formed within me and fill me with all the fullness of Himself. That is why we were created. That is why we are here. Soli deo gloria: Glory to God alone.