Archive for March, 2010

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 1 Chronicles 16:29

Do you ever wonder what God thinks is beautiful?  Every time I read this scripture, “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness”, it always catches my attention.  This scripture grips my heart!  Why?  Because God is saying that worship resides inside of holiness.  WOW!!  This means that holiness must be offered in order for our worship to be beautiful in the sight of God.  I believe it is vital to explain what the word holiness means.  Holiness is not only abstaining from sexual immorality.  Rather, holiness is more accurately described as wholeness.  Wholeness is what God desires and what He sees as beautiful.  Wholeness will produce sexual holiness, but this scripture has much deeper implications then sexual immorality.  God desires wholehearted worshipers.

I have found myself fighting for wholeness.  Everyday I must make the decision to be wholehearted.  I am learning that God truly wants all of me, not just parts of me.  Sometimes, I find it easier to pick and choose what parts I will give to God, but I am slowly learning to give God all of me, not just the parts that are easy or convenient.  Jesus was trying to convey the message of wholeness when He said above all else, “Love the Lord your God with ALL of your heart”.  The words of Jesus still ring true today—GOD WANTS ALL OF YOU!  Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!

Palm Sunday.  Maundy Thursday.  Good Friday.  Easter Sunday.  A week of celebrations.  Communion service Friday night.  Name reveal Saturday evening.  Two services and a movie on Sunday morning.  An eventful weekend in the life of Higher Praise Church.  Throw in a shopping trip here — an Easter egg hunt there.  You’ve got a calendar that is full to overflowing. 

So, where do we find time for solitude and a few moments alone with God, to reflect on what really happened during that week, over 2000 years ago?  We can get a glimpse of what it was like through the movie, ”The Passion of the Christ“.  We can read about the events in the gospels.  But, can you imagine what it was really like.  From the triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the glorious resurrection on that Sunday morn.  What a week! 

Find a few moments to reflect on this week, and what it means to you.  Is it just another week of celebrations with fun and food?  Does it carry a rich heritage with you?  Christmas is an exciting time for most people, but Easter should be even more so for those who are Christians.  We should be excited to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Without that sacrifice—without that miracle—where would we be?  His death on the cross was the price that was paid for our salvation.  His resurrection offers us hope to live eternally with Him!  Let’s celebrate!

Exodus 16:4 ~Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.” 

If you read the book of Exodus starting in chapter 16, you will see Israel in the wilderness and God doing amazing things, chapter after chapter. Consistently, Israel will grumble and fall into despair. Their attitude is constantly, “Oh, we don’t have any bread.  Oh, we need water.  Oh, we need more food.  Is God trying to kill us because we don’t know where we are going?”  Time after time, God says, “OK, I will give you what you want, and then you will know I am God.” He tested them over and over.  These were not tests that He hoped they would fail.  They were tests so they would trust Him.  I read this and became so sad for God.  He just wants them to believe, to trust, and to know He cares and is always there and will give them what they need.  I believe His heart was crying out, “Why won’t you just rest and trust in me?  Just walk and trust that I love you.  I AM GOD!  I am in control.”  I began to ask myself, “Do I trust Him?  Do I worry?  Do I need signs to believe?  Will I just walk every day and believe He is there?”

Jesus came and did signs and wonders for people to believe He was the Messiah and sent by the Father.  I believe His heart cried the same thing to His disciples. “Don’t you see who I am?”  God cries the same thing to us.  “Do you believe who I am? Do you believe that I am God?”  He says to us, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, what will happen, or even what you are going through right now. Believe that I am God and your Father.”  Do you need another sign to believe?  Does God need to put you in another problem just to get you out so you will trust Him?  Or, will you walk in true faith, never worrying or wondering what’s going on?”  The fact of the matter is, that if Israel would have just trusted in the beginning after being led out of Egypt, then what took them 40 years would have been a very short trip.

How long will your wilderness be?  How many more times will God have to get us out of trouble before we will just rest in times of trouble and believe?  Trust/Faith is the ultimate act of Worship!

“Watch a small boy follow his dad through the snow.  He stretches to step where his dad stepped. Not an easy task.  His small legs extend as far as they can so his feet can fall in his father’s prints.  The father, seeing what the son is doing, smiles and begins taking shorter steps, so the son can follow. 

It’s a picture of discipleship.   

In our faith, we follow in someone’s steps.   A parent, a teacher, a hero — none of us are the first to walk the trail.  All of us have someone we follow.  In our faith, we leave footprints to guide others.  A child, a friend, a recent convert.  None should be left to walk the trail alone.

It’s the principle of discipleship.”

( the Inspirational Study Bible)

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Parables continued…

The children have all gotten their tickets. They have arrived at the factory for their tour, and the first room they go to is the Chocolate Room.

Chocolate Room

The Chocolate Room is the first room that the many different people are able to go into. It is said that everything in this room is eatable: the pavements, the bushes, even the grass. There are trees made of taffy that grow jelly apples, bushes that sprout lollipops, mushrooms that spurt whipped cream, pumpkins filled with sugar cubes instead of seeds, jelly bean stalks, and spotty candy cubes. The main icon of the room is the Chocolate River, where the chocolate is mixed and churned by the waterfall, but must not be touched by human hands. Willy Wonka proclaims, “There is no other factory in the world that mixes its chocolate by waterfall.” Pipes that hang on the ceiling come down and suck up the chocolate, then send it to other rooms of the factory, such as the Fudge Room, and Augustus Gloop is sucked into one pipe after falling into the river while drinking from it. (Wikipedia)

After Augustus is sucked up into the pipe, the Oompa Loompas sing a song and here is part of it:

Inside the room to which he’s gone
Some funny things are going on.
But don’t, dear children, be alarmed;
Augustus Gloop will not be harmed,
Although, of course, we must admit
He will be altered quite a bit.
He’ll be quite changed from what he’s been,
When he goes through the fudge machine:
Slowly, the wheels go round and round,
The cogs begin to grind and pound;
A hundred knives go slice, slice, slice;
We add some sugar, cream, and spice;
We boil him for a minute more,
Until we’re absolutely sure
That all the greed and all the gall
Is boiled away for once and all.
Then out he comes! And now! By grace!
A miracle has taken place!

Keep in mind that all of this is fiction, and no child was actually harmed, but let’s look into this scenario:

When we are saved, we obtain our Golden Ticket. The first days and months of salvation feel like a wonderland. Everywhere we go, everything we see, it is all glorious. We are on top of the world, as we should be! We begin to pray for God to use us, to mold us, and shape us according to His Will and Purposes. Then, He does. That’s when things get difficult. Trials come through difficult times. We feel like we are growing, but why is it so painful? Growth is often slow and painful in life. Temptation surrounds us, the world presses in, and we wonder where did our wonderland go? It’s still there, everything in God is still glorious, but now God is changing us. He has to prove and refine us so that we can truly be used for the purpose he has for us. Just as Augustus could not go into that pipe and come out the same, neither can we enter into a life of salvation and stay the same. This does not happen without effort on our part and a willingness to be molded.

Today, someone was unhappy with  me. To someone else they said, “This one really broke the mold”. I laughed inside because I couldn’t help but think of what I would have liked to replied if I had of felt it appropriate. I would have said, “Sir, there is only one mold I want to fit into and that’s not it.” You see, the only mold I care to resemble is the one of Jesus Christ! However, in trying to do just that, the situation called for me to hold my tongue and say nothing. Sometimes trying to be an example of Jesus will require you to do the opposite of what your flesh wants to do. Actually, that is what it requires all of the time.

The Bible says:

1 Peter 1:6-7 (New International Version)

⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

After Augustus has gone through the pipe and has been changed, he is then released back out into the world. After we have let God change us, He too will send us back out into the world to share His glory and grace with all we see.  They will see us as new creatures and will know that we have gone through a real experience! Rejoice, the trials are only for a little while!  It will all result in praise, glory, and honor for the Lord!!

Have you ever thought about the progression of events, and the people that you’ve encountered that have radically impacted who you have become?  Maybe someone hurt you.  Maybe someone inspired you.  Maybe someone important to you was lost to cancer, or a heart attack.  So many things impact us and play key roles in helping us become who we are.

Yesterday, I went on a field trip with one of my classes for school, and all along the way, I was thinking about the things that have impacted me.  We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, my mom was sick a lot when I was a kid, my dad never lost faith, my grandfather died of a heart attack… all of these things left an ever-lasting footprint on my schema.

And, then, I began to think about God, who has had the most impact of anyone or anything that I could ever think of.  He not only put events in motion in our lives, but He heals us from the hurts and the pains that we receive along the way.  He allows us to go through difficult circumstances, but He is so faithful to bring healing as well.

Even in my good character traits, they’re only things that come from Him… patience, empathy, boldness.  Those are things I wasn’t born with, that He created in me.  But this whole thing, it’s not just something that has happened for Rana, and that’s it.  God is offering it to each one of us.

When we get to know God on a deeper level, He becomes a part of us. Our character, our perspectives, opinions, and cares begin to take on the likeness of God.  These are a lot of the time talked about as the fruit of the spirit, in Galatians 6.

When you normally wouldn’t be kind, He gives you kindness.

When normally you wouldn’t be gentle, you are gentle.

When you wouldn’t love, He gives you love.

Your circumstances give you no reason to rejoice, He gives you joy.

On and on….

It’s beautiful.

Matthew 5:6 informs us, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” I really believe the Lord wants to raise up a generation of young people who will walk in righteousness and purity. At the same time, I see a problem. The problem is I don’t see much hunger for God.  When someone is hungry for God, it will be evident in their actions and attitudes.  It will be present in the daily decisions they make.  When hunger is present in a person’s life, their wants and desires will begin to change.  I believe a person can be so hungry for God, that they won’t give a rip about what anyone else thinks!  If you are hungry, you will be filled!

Hunger is the escort to the deeper things of God!  What do you do when you are hungry?  You go eat!  There is a longing down deep on the inside of us for more of God, but we don’t even realize it because our lives are already filled with so much junk.  Our schedules are filled with responsibilities, work, school, athletics, recreational time and family time.  Take a look at your life.  Where on the priority list does God fit in?  When a person is hungry for more of God, nothing will stand in their way.  God will be the first and the last on the daily schedule!  Young people seem to struggle so much living a life of righteousness and purity.  It’s a struggle simply because you may be sowing to the flesh more than you are sowing to your spirit.  If you sow to the flesh, you will reap the flesh; if you sow to the spirit, you will reap the spirit!  Which are you sowing into most—the flesh or the spirit?  I heard a preacher once say, “If you’re not currently hungry for the word of God, get up two hours early everyday and read it!”  A relationship with God and eating His word is just like everything else—the more you dive into it, the more you will crave it!  Being addicted to Jesus Christ is just like fleshly addictions such as smoking, drinking, or sexual immorality.  The more you give yourself to them, the more you crave them!

You will always get as much out of your relationship with Christ as you put into it.  Hunger starts with a choice.  Do you want more of God, or do you not want more of God? Always remember—it’s the choices you make that determine your destiny!  Choose to be hungry for God, and go after Him.  He loves you and desires relationship with you!  Trust me—He is worth it!

Misty Edwards – Soul Cry
Check out this Song…I dedicate it to Adam Cravens

“Staying with it—that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be saved. All during this time, the good news—the Message of the kingdom—will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come.”   (Matthew 24:  13-14, The Message)

Part of our responsibility as a Christian is to preach or share the gospel throughout the world.  You may never stand behind a pulpit or pack your bags and fly to Africa.  However, you can make a difference in “your” world.  Your world may consist of home, school and church.  You may never go on a faraway journey.  But, are you impacting those you are in contact with?  Do they know about this Jesus living within you?  If not, why travel halfway around the world when there are those in our towns, our next door neighbors, who don’t know about the love of God.  If we don’t tell them, who will? 

Click on the “sitemeter” located on the right-hand side of this page at the bottom of the column.  Do you see it—the little green/white box?  This tool helps to maintain data on the number of people that are visiting our site on a daily basis.  It also provides other information.  A couple of things I like to look at are the “World Map” and the  “By Location” links.  This lets us know “where in the world” we are making contact with others.  The sitemeter was not placed on here when we first began our site.  But, since it has been on, here are some of the stats:  Eight countries have been reached — Mexico, Philippines, Greece, Australia, Malaysia, Portugal, Brazil, and the United Kingdom; 18 states have been reached including California, Oregon, New York, Maryland and Florida. 

We’re spanning the globe, and that’s exciting!  But, more exciting than that is the possibility of God reaching the hearts.  Is what’s being read making a difference in a life?  Whether you are the author of a blog post, or someone just reading the blog, we all have a mandate from God.  Take the information and share it with someone else.  “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel”. 

     Chances are that the average person will never pick up the Word and find out who Jesus is.  Find someone and be Jesus to them today.  They will never see Him unless we show Him to them.  Find that person that has something against you, and tell them you are sorry.  Find someone who you don’t know or you have argued with, and find something in common with them.  Talk with them.  Hang out with them.  Find that person who is lonely or down, and be there for them.  You don’t have to preach to them—just love them.  If they know who you are and who you stand for, then Jesus will shine through you.  Don’t expect a thank you or expect anything in return.  Do it out of love for them and love for Jesus.  Look around and see Jesus in someone and love them.  They may just see Jesus in you.

I have recently become acutely aware of how much God loves true, deep, sincere, and SIMPLE devotion.  I so desire to be a man of prayer, fasting, and study of the Word, but so many times I don’t live up to the standard I set for myself.  My natural reaction to this shortcoming is condemnation.  I beat myself up while listening to the lies of my fleshly attitude which has a tendency to correlate good works with achieving spiritual success.  I find myself disappointed!

In recent months, I have been learning so much about my Father.  He is not nearly as interested in the good works I try to place before Him as I am.  Rather, I feel His smile towards my life when I am continually thinking about Him.  Maybe I reach the goal I set before myself for that day or maybe I don’t; but, He is more interested in the constant, consistent attention of my heart.  It seems as though He is more pleased with a heart that sincerely loves Him, rather than a heart that justifies itself before Him.  He takes sincere love seriously.  I am now learning to offer my life to Him, not only to hours of prayer or study of the Word.  I am learning to walk in the Spirit, not just visit it to be refreshed or revived, but to live continually joined to the Lover of my soul.  I have come to enjoy this beautiful devotion above everything else in my life.  This constant relationship has become the most valuable gift God has ever given me!

I can’t tell you how many times a day I find myself smiling, because just for a moment, I heard my Father say, “I love you, son”.  I can’t recall how many times during the day I simply say, “Father I love you—thank you for being so good to me”.  I would not trade this constant dialogue for anything in the world.  He is closer to me than my closest friend.  He knows the deepest parts of my heart, and the joy, is that, I am learning the deepest parts of His heart – daily! 

My heart breaks because many Christians will never learn to live in this type of devotion, and they will spend most of their lives without the fullness of His relationship.  I encourage you to find this beautiful devotion.  Search for it as silver and gold, for it truly is a hidden treasure, and it is life to those that find it!  It’s available to all!

I want to guard your heart against thinking you don’t have to set aside private times of prayer, because that is not what I am saying.  Private times of prayer and study of the Word are vital!  I set aside times for devotion daily.  I wrote this blog to encourage you not to limit your devotion to prayer times or study times, but to live in devotion.  You are called to walk in the Spirit.  Walking in the Spirit is learning to never leave your devotion with God, but to live in it!  This is true, simple, and beautiful devotion.