it is my JOY to worship you

Worship: It’s a touchy subject.

It’s a way of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of his worth. It cannot be done by mere acts of duty (for example, attending church simply because you feel you HAVE to). You have to worship from your mind AND heart, with affection and passion and joy. If we only worship out of duty – it is dishonouring to God. When we worship out of desire and in joy – it honours God. For example, a man brings home flowers for his wife – with a smile on his face, he says – ‘here, these are for you. I bought them because I have to since I’m your husband.’... uhm, yeah – i  would be offended haha However if he hands the flowers to his wife and says, “these are for you, I love you and I want you to know how amazing you are to me.” – perfect! Okay, I know, it’s a cheesy analogy, but you get the point right? What are we saying to God? “I worship you because it’s my duty?” OR “I worship you because it’s my joy?”

Worship IS expected from us as Christians. Hebrews 10:25 “Let us not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing”. We are called to be a part of the ‘body of believers’, attend a church, small group etc. The quality of your private worship life does NOT exempt you from worshiping among other believers. “There’s an element of worship and Christianity that cannot be experienced in private worship or by watching worship. There are some graces and blessings that God gives only in the ‘meeting together’ with other believers” – DS Whitney.

BUT our public worship should not take away from our private worship. ‘How is it possible to worship God publicly once each week when we do not worship Him privately through-out the week? Can we expect the flames of our worship of God to burn brightly in public on the Lord’s Day when they barely flicker for Him in private on other days? Isn’t it because we do not worship well in private that our corporate worship experience often dissatisfies us?’ Bam. Private Worship is a blessing. God blesses us through it. Daily strength, guidance and encouragement is available to us. How amazing is that Jesus Christ is willing to meet with us individually for as long as we want, whenever and wherever we want? He is EAGER to meet with us, every day!

Remember though, worship cannot be forced, diagrammed or calculated. It is the response of a heart in love with God. But, it is ALSO a Discipline. We must discipline ourselves to worship so that our relationship with Christ can be healthy and strong and always growing. Worship should not be an ‘on and off’ switch, it must always flow from our hearts – for God is ALWAYS God and ALWAYS worthy of worship.

True Worship.

Don’t fake it... the act of worship without actual worship is a miserable and hypocritical experience. If worship wearies you – you aren’t really worshiping. How can we stand before the throne of God Almighty and fake our worship...? I would write more here... but I don’t really know what to say. It happens SO often – how insulting is that to our God... wow. The object of our worship is our Great, Glorious and Majestic God. When worship becomes empty – the problem IS, no doubt, with US (the subjects) and NOT with God (the object). God is worthy of ALL the worship, ALL the time. The best and most whole-hearted worship we can give Him.

Worship is so valuable. It is to be treasured and protected. It is to be biblical and passionate. It is not to be taken for granted, It is not to be taken lightly. It is not meant to be shallow and meaningless. Worship is a gift. It is an opportunity to meet with our King and grow in our relationship with Him. It is our chance to give back just a little bit.

pursuing godliness. part two.

*If you read Part One, hopefully you’re beginning to grasp the importance of reading the Word and growing in your knowledge of it. The Bible isn’t there for us to simply open on Sunday mornings, it isn’t there to open when we need it most. The Bible is a tool given to us, directly from God, in order to help us pursue godliness and in pursuing godliness we become more like Christ.*

Another HUGE Spiritual Discipline we as Christians must be practicing is prayer. Colossians 4:2 “devote yourselves to prayer”.

What does it really mean to be devoted to prayer? Well, I look at it this way... A couple is devoted to one another. They make time for each other; they sacrifice for each other and make the other a priority in their life. They will do anything to maintain a strong and healthy relationship with the other person. So, therefore when the Bible calls us to be devoted to prayer, I think it’s somewhat similar. We are to make prayer a priority, sacrifice for it and give time to it... God EXPECTS Christians to be devoted to prayer.

So why is it then that so many Christians struggle in their prayer life, feeling as if they are talking into thin air? “We can be prayer pessimists and see the expectation to pray merely as obligation, or we can be optimists who view the command to pray as an opportunity to receive the mercy and grace of God.”  DS Whitney.  If we are only praying because we feel obligated to as the duty of a ‘good Christian’, then chances are our prayer life will not be fruitful. It’s so important to remember that God desires to have a relationship with us. He wants to be in constant communication with him because He loves us and cares for us. Prayer is something we are able to do because of God’s grace, take full advantage of that! “His command to pray is a command of love. In His love He desires to communicate with us and to bless us.” Remember that prayer is for our benefit; It is something we, as believers, NEED because we cannot be like Jesus without it.

“When our awareness of the greatness of God and the gospel is dim, our prayer lives will be small. The less we think of the nature and character of God, and the less we are reminded of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross, the less we want to pray.” This statement is so beyond true. This is a main reason why reading and growing in the word is tied hand and hand with prayer. If you truly grasp – even just a little bit – of who God is and what He has done for you – how could you NOT want to be speaking with him. Prayer is an incredible gift that we SHOULD take full advantage of because we WANT to, not because we are asked to...

Finally, it’s important to remember that God doesn’t mean for prayer to be a means of one-way communication. God also speaks to us, we just need to listen. “Where God leads you to pray, He means you to receive.” CH Spurgeon.  The point of prayer is NOT to ‘get’, but it is critical to know that God always answers prayer, maybe not always in the way we desire – maybe sometimes it seems as if his answer to our prayer was the exact opposite of what we were hoping for – but, He knows best. We have to believe that. God has our best interest at heart.

Don’t just turn to prayer when you feel you’ve hit a dead end and run out of options. Don’t just wait to pray on Sunday mornings or bible-study nights. Pray Often. Pray without ceasing. Pray about everything. Talk with God – realize how blessed we are that we can do that.

pursuing godliness .part one.

We aren’t merely to wait for Holiness, we are to pursue it.

So how is it then that we become like Christ, how can we grow to be more like him? The answer is found in 1^st Timothy 4:7 “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness”. As Christians, we must discipline ourselves using the Spiritual Disciplines and this is how we pursue a godly life. When we remember this, disciplining ourselves becomes a delight rather than drudgery. “The Spiritual Disciplines are the God-given means we are to use in the Spirit-filled pursuit of Godliness” - D.S. Whitney. Jesus Christ disciplined himself for the purpose of godliness, so if we desire to be Christ-like, we must live as Christ did – Christ not only expects these spiritual disciplines of us, but he modeled them for us throughout his life.  If you want to get real, we all know of professing Christians who seem to have little fruit and power being poured out in their lives – the cause of this may likely be the fact that these people are so spiritually undisciplined. Always remember *It takes sacrifice to succeed*

First of all, one of the main Spiritual Disciplines would be reading God’s word as we should. I think it’s fair to say that MANY Christians – especially young people – struggle with this one .We look at third-world countries where there is a church, a body of believers, and not one person there owns a bible or has read the word of God. Missionaries are amazed at how ‘misled’ or ‘confused’ these believers are because of the fact that they aren’t being guided by biblical truths. It’s one thing to be unfamiliar with Scripture when you don’t own a bible; it’s another thing when you have a bookshelf full. “No Spiritual Discipline is more important than the intake of God’s Word. Nothing can substitute for it. There is simply no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk and meat of Scripture”.

Romans 10:17 “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Much of the faith we need for day-to-day living comes from hearing the Word. We are called to worship God constantly, in everything we do, but the ongoing worship of God CANNOT be separated from the Word of God. We HAVE to discipline ourselves to hear the word of God – through church, small groups, personal devotion time etc.

“How often do we face problems, temptation and pressure? EVERY DAY! Then how often do we need instruction, guidance and greater encouragement? EVERY DAY!” – John Blanchard.

“A man can no more take in a supply of Grace for the future than he can eat enough for the next six months, or take sufficient air into his lungs at one time to sustain life for a week. We must draw upon God’s boundless store of grace from day to day as we need it.” – DL Moody

In our society, a huge reason many Christians struggle with reading the word as they should is.. well.. it’s laziness. However, tape-recorded versions of the Bible have proven that you can get through the ENTIRE book in 71 hours. The average person in Canada watches that much TV in two weeks... guilt trip!!!! SO the reason so many professing Christians complain (or sadly, are content) with not having any fruit or power in their lives is because they settle for a poor quality intake of hearing, reading and studying God’s Word... therefore they severely restrict the main flow of God’s sanctifying Grace towards them. “Let the word break over your heart and mind again and again as the years go by, and imperceptibly there will come great changes in your attitude and outlook and conduct.” – Geoffrey Thomas.

With reading, hearing and studying the Word of God, we also find other Spiritual Disciplines such as: memorization, meditation and application. We have to always remember that when Scripture is stored in our mind, it is available for the Holy Spirit to take and bring to our attention when we need it most. However, if we aren’t hearing, reading or studying Scripture as we should, we have no weapon in our hand when we face questions of our own or from others, when we face trials, when we face anything... “When the Holy Spirit brings a definite verse to mind, it’s an illustration of what Ephesians 6:17 can mean when it refers to “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” A pertinent scriptural truth, brought to your awareness by the holy spirit at just the right moment, can be the weapon that makes the difference in a spiritual battle” – DS Whitney.

*Until scripture is hidden in our hearts – it isn’t available to use with our mouths*

impossible isnt a friendly word

Lately I can hear that still small voice asking me to simply, ‘stop everything’. The more I try to get myself out of the stressful mess I’m in, the more stuck I become and the more frustrated I get and this cycle of hurt and pain never ends. I’m so focused and consumed on the fact that my life isn’t at all where I’d like it to be and I give my full attention to my fears and worries, not realizing in the moment that it’s destroying me. Sometimes I wonder how in a matter of months I’ve slipped so far under such heavy emotional and spiritual stress, what happened? How did I allow myself to get here? The truth is, the more I ask questions like that – the more I feel as if I’m a failure and my faith is weak.

I can’t remember the last time I took a breath and just sat in silence, listening for Gods voice. My thoughts are always SO loud, in every moment of every day – it never stops. I’m so easily distracted that when I try to pray or spend time with God – I feel like I get nowhere. As time goes by I’m beginning to feel so drained of energy that I’m just allowing myself to remain in this state because trying to find my way out of it seems impossible.

‘Impossible’... I’ve become too friendly with this word and that in itself is an insult to God. I’m beginning to realize that maybe he’s allowed me to cage myself in this mess I’ve been making just to remind me of a simple and powerful truth. Depend on Him.

Depend on Him.

I’ve been here before, a few times actually. It’s amazing how easily we can forget. It’s amazing how God can pull us out of such awful situations in life – and yet the next time we encounter a situation, we try to go it alone and we fail. As I write this I can imagine God with a smile on his face looking at me and saying, ‘are you ready to give up on yourself and rely ONLY on me?’ I don’t see him as angry at the fact that I’ve been pushing Him away by relying on myself and my own strength... I see Him with a smile. He knows my weaknesses, He knows my pain and he knows my way out. The smile makes me realize that He’s been here all along, he’s been waiting... watching my every failed move... the smile makes me realize that he’s holding out his hand and asking me (again) to TRUST HIM and DEPEND ON HIM.

Stop everything. Stop moving. Rely on God’s strength and be filled with HIS love and peace and doors will be opened. Spend time with Him, reading the word and praying and listening to HIS voice rather than your own. Stop looking for a way out. Look to Christ and lean on Him and the way out will come to you.

Trust Him.

Depend on Him.

Doulos

Within the church today, there seems to be a significant difference between being simply under the title of ‘Christian’ and actually living out the meaning of ‘Christian’. I don’t simply want the label; I want to be a disciple... For some, being a ‘Christian’ is only cultural or traditional. It is simply a title inherited from a previous generation, the net effect of which involves avoiding certain behaviours and occasionally going to church. For some, being a ‘Christian’ is political: ‘a desire to defend moral values in the public square or perhaps preserve values by withdrawing from the public square in total’. AND for some, ‘Christian’ is just being a good person, a general belief in Jesus etc...

The followers of Jesus weren’t actually called Christians until about 10-15 years after the church began. Before this time, they were known as disciples, brothers, saints, followers of the way (john 14:6) etc... To be a Christian gives the meaning of being a wholehearted follower of Jesus Christ (John 10:27). ‘Christian’ is much more than a superficial association with Christ (as society can currently see it). Rather, the title DEMANDS a deep affection for Christ, allegiance to HIM and submission to His Word. (John 15:14) (John 8:31) (Luke 9:23).

When we call ourselves Christians, we proclaim to the world that everything about us, including our very self-identity is found in Christ because we have denied ourselves in order to follow and obey Him. The world/society see’s the title of ‘Christian’ in many negative ways. It is not just another religion. Maybe if we as ‘Christians’ started living as TRUE disciples -  we would be able to correct the world’s definition of what it truly means to be Christian.

Even within the church community, being a ‘Christian’ has become about success, wealth, prosperity and the pursuit of happiness. We often hear that God loves people unconditionally and wants them to be all that THEY want to be.  It’s all about personal ambition, personal fulfillment and personal gratification. This has all become what it means to have a ‘personal relationship with Jesus Christ’. BUT, the New Testament understanding of being a follower of Christ is just the opposite. HE is the master and owner, we are HIS possessions. HE is the king, Lord and the Son of God. We are HIS subjects and subordinates. We are HIS Slaves. We are not servants, we are slaves! *servants are hired and therefore have a degree of freedom. Slaves are owned and bought at a price.

The word slave = Doulos in Greek. ‘Doulos’ has been mistranslated in almost every English version of the bible.  The word slave/Doulos appears 124 times in the original text, but it is correctly translated only ONCE in the King James. Instead of translating Doulos as slave, it has been translated as servant... “the gospel is not simply an invitation to become Christ’s associate; it is a mandate to become his slave” (John MacArthur).

Our slavery to Christ has radical implications for how we think and live. It changes our perspective and our priorities. Devote yourself completely to HIM! Submit wholly to His will and seek to please Him above all else. Die to yourself and follow your master – no matter the cost. Be Christ’s slave. THIS is what it truly means to be Christian. If we do this, live as the disciples did – understanding the TRUE meaning of ‘Christian’ (aka. Slave), maybe we can correct the church AND the worlds view of what being a Christian is all about.

To Be Self-less

Selflessness - what does it mean to you?
I want to strive to be just like Christ - meaning I need to be less of myself. I need to surrender all that I am into God's hands so that he can shape me and mold me. I want to be who HE made me to be, not who the world says I could be... I desire all that HE desires for me - starting with a life that glorifies him. I dont want to focus on myself. I dont want to live a life that is focused on my happiness, my succes, my material gain... I want to live a life that is firmly rooted in Christ and revolves around him every minute of every day. Through HIM I will find not only temporary happiness, but eternal true Joy! I will find purpose and meaning.

The more I surrender all that I am, the more room I give Christ to dwell in me and move in me. I want to be selfless! I want to see others, and the world, through eyes that are not my own - I want to look through HIS eyes. I want to give up myself - give up my life - so that He can use me.

I want to be selfless.
more of you is less of me.

'be still and know that I am God'

Sometimes I stand before God and I try so hard to put into words all the things that are running through my mind. It is in moments like these that I am reminded that sometimes it is best to just stand in silence before my King. He knows my heart and he knows my thoughts... so I quiet myself and I let the silence do the talking. In the silence I am able to marvel upon the beauty of my God, I am able to stand in awe of Him rather than be distracted by the many worries this life can bring. I know that in the silence He hears everything I want to say, but I am also able to hear all that he has to say. My prayer becomes a prayer of thanksgiving and a prayer of praise, simply glorifying God for who he is. In these moments I know that he is with me, I know that he surrounds me and his love for me is powerful.

The power of his love allows me to leave all my worries, all my pain, all my fears, all my questions... everything at his feet. You come to a point when you realize that maybe the reason you have that sinking feeling of ‘i have no control of my life’ is because you aren’t supposed to. You aren’t meant to plan your own way, HE is. Surrendering full control to him releases you of such heaviness, knowing that he will light the way. If you believe he has purpose for your life, you must trust that he will bring you there also. In this moment, you still have every ability to be thankful and joyful.

So in this moment, I stand still... knowing that the chaos cannot consume me. I allow my heart to be thankful, for I know that I am blessed. I allow my heart to find that Joy that cannot be taken from me, because every time I silence the world around me and stand still before my King, I am filled with deep true Joy. Praise be to my heavenly King, there is none like You.

Christ or Comfort...

They gave up everything, and we can’t even give up our comfort.

In the end it makes me wonder where our priorities lie, what is the most important thing to us? Is it Jesus Christ? Or is it our comfort?

I’ve been reading through a book called ‘radical’ by David Platt. Something that really caught my attention is something I’ve heard many times before, but this time it hit me on a much deeper level... The book mentions the fact that Jesus, when calling the disciples, called them to give up EVERYTHING.

Their material possessions, their homes, their jobs, their family and friends and ultimately: their lives were not of any value if they were to truly follow Christ. Jesus said they must sell all they have and give to the poor, he said they couldn’t wait to follow him in order to say goodbye to family or bury their dead, he said they must give it all up... everything... because in the end, they must give up their lives for Him. He was asking them to abandon themselves and everything of importance to them in order to find true meaning and true purpose and true life. This calling wasn’t meant to be easy or comfortable, but it was meant to bring LIFE! The rewards we receive when we abandon ourselves are so much greater than anything we can possibly imagine. Sometimes we get so overwhelmed by the calling, we feel that our lives are being threatened by what Jesus is asking of us – why? Because we are comfortable...

That’s the problem right there... we’re finding our comfort in the wrong place. Our priorities are wrong. We are supposed to be in the world but not of the world! So why is it then that our comfortable lives are made comfortable by the very things we are called to abandon. Our focus is on ourselves so often that when we hear Jesus calling us to pick up our cross, even in the smallest areas of our lives, we shut him out. The disciples gave up their families, their homes, their jobs and their money, their safety and in the end, their lives... and in our society today, we struggle to give up music, movies, addictions, materialism, bad habits...

The radio is playing or the TV is on and we know that what’s on isn’t glorifying God, in fact – it’s insulting Him. So why is it that we can’t turn it off... we can’t walk away... we can’t say no... Have we forgotten that this life is not about US? This life is not about how to satisfy our own needs and our own wants and our own desires... this world CANNOT satisfy us... so why do we keep trying to fill ourselves up with emptiness? I guess I just think it’s so important to remember that only Christ can satisfy us, only HE can give us what we need. The disciples got it, they saw Christ and realized that nothing else mattered, nothing else had any value and they would abandon EVERYTHING in order to follow Christ. They realized that in the end they were actually gaining so much more...

In our day to day lives, do we strive to choose Jesus over our comfort? Do we find our purpose and meaning in Him, or do we look to fill ourselves in other ways? Do we strive to surrender all we are and all we have in order to prove that Christ is EVERYTHING? Do we strive to live radical lives – lives that do the opposite of those people living around us in order to point them to God? Do we read the word of God and truly listen to the words of Jesus Christ, or do we read them and then water them down in order to maintain our comfortable lives. We aren’t called to be comfortable. We need to live on the edge, we need to pick up our cross, we need to be the mirror-image of Jesus Christ.

Vain Pursuit.

Vain pursuit:

Chasing after the wind – it’s meaningless.

I don’t want to hope in anything or boast in anything – unless it’s directly related to God.

I’m tired of having my hope in things that end, in people that leave, in this world which will end.

I recognize that I am here for one purpose only;

 to worship the Father and glorify Him, enhance His kingdom.

I’m bored of shallow relationships.

I’m bored of people who are so caught up in themselves and their lives –

People who are hungry for attention, hungry for approval...

I’m bored of people who only talk trash, only notice the bad in others.

I’m bored of people who are quick to judge and slow to forgive.

I guess I just desire relationships that go a little deeper,

Is that asking too much?

I’m hungry to have people in my life who are boasting in Christ alone.

Living life for the Kingdom, not for their own glory...

Vain pursuit:

It’s like putting yourself in a box.

Life to me has more purpose then getting a good job and retiring early.

I desire a greater purpose, My God has bigger plans for me than living comfortably.

My focus needs to be on God, I must always be looking up.

He is my only rock and fortress, my refuge is God.

I must trust in Him at all times.

He’s not far away.

Vain pursuit:

In the end it’s your choice what you chase in this life.

God has lavished us with his grace, Jesus died on the cross to give us life.

So go on and glorify yourself, stand in the spotlight, chase after things that fade.

Pay no attention to the greater purpose we all have, continue to live a shallow life.

Just remember, in the end we all stand before our maker –

And in that moment, I hope it finally becomes real to you that it’s not about you at all,

It’s all about him. It always has been.

one last brick.

Have you ever played that game with the little wooden bricks? You build them into a tower, and then slowly you take turns pulling bricks out – the goal of the game is to take as many bricks out as you can without knocking the tower over...

I feel like I’m standing on that tower, really high up. One minute everything is solid and the next you feel as if the whole thing is about to collapse. Life has its ups and downs, but after awhile you get tired of the game. You get tired of people coming along and pulling the ground out from underneath you, you get tired of circumstances taking away your stability. You get tired of the fear that one move will cause your tower to collapse.

I hate to sound so depressing... but that’s how it is. I really honestly feel as if I’m standing at the top of that tower and so many bricks have been taken out – any moment the whole thing is going to come tumbling down.

That feeling is very real... very real. However; no matter how strong that feeling becomes I know for certain that my God is that very last brick... let me explain.

No matter how shaky things become, no matter how dark – I know God is there. No matter how hurt I am, no matter how many wrongs are done to me – I know God is there. No matter how many mistakes I make, no matter how lost I am – I know God is there. No matter how confused I am, no matter how desperate I become – I know God is there. Even if every brick is taken out from under me, and all I’m standing on rests on one little brick – I will not be shaken. That final brick that holds me up is my God – and he is always there, always listening, always watching, always loving, always forgiving, always helping, always supporting, always rejoicing. He will never fail me. He is the rock on which I stand. He is the only thing on which I stand.

worship. random thoughts.

Who are you watching?

I've grown up in a reformed church. I've attended a pentacostle youth group since highschool. I currently attend a Baptist church... I enjoy variety.

Anyways, the point is, after seeing a little bit of everything and experiencing it all for myself... my main struggle as I went from one denomination to the next was keeping MY eyes on my KING and not the people around me. We all know that people express their worship in different ways. Don't get me wrong - I think there are times when people do things that are not biblical and there are times when people like to just make more rules to add to their never ending list.. but I think its sad when people are afraid to just WORSHIP because they're too concerned about what is going on around them.

'i cant raise my hands because no one does that here'
'i cant sit down because everyone is standing'
'i cant stand still because everyone is dancing'
'i cant not sing because we were told to sing louder'
blah blah blah, you get the point... it's almost as if people like to pressure others into worshiping a certain way. why? I dont know, maybe because those who are more 'expressive' of their worship seem to be more passionate about God... which isnt true at all.

Keep your eyes focused on God. You're worshiping Him and Him alone. Dont try to please those around you. Don't try to fit in.  Don't try to follow the crowd. Don't pressure others into what you think is the 'better way to worship'. Just WORSHIP FREELY.

Worship is a lifestyle -  worship is not defined by the ways it is expressed...
dont allow worship to become 'standing or sitting, raising hands or kneeling, being quiet or shouting'... do you get my point. that is an expression of your worship.. that is NOT what worship is.

keep your eyes focused on God. On Jesus. Worship Him Freely.

ooooh jersey shore ;)

Lately, I’ve been kind of annoyed by all the ‘arguing’ that happens over Christians boundaries. When it comes to things like music, movies, TV, social events and other stuff – there’s always different perspectives and opinions on what is right and what is wrong; what’s okay and what isn’t? I guess the reason I mention TV/movies/music is because I hear them talked about the most. For example; jersey shore... some say its wrong as a Christian to watch it, some say it’s no big deal. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not writing this to say I have an answer to what IS okay and what ISN’T, cause frankly – I just have yet another opinion to add this debate... I’d rather mention the fact that our view of sin should be GREATLY affected by our view of God.

The reason we don’t really get sin is because we have shrunk God. Sin has become an ‘ooops!’ rather than realizing that when we sin – we sin FIRST (on the deepest level) against God! That is a pretty big deal I’d say.  --- this thought was mentioned in church a week or so ago and as usual, it caught my attention.

It’s SO easy to disrespect our parents, the elderly and those around us because we’ve forgotten that by disrespecting them – we disrespect God. DISRESPECT GOD! If we were really aware of how big, great, holy, righteous, powerful etc. God is... we would shiver at the thought of disrespecting him. But we forget that by disrespecting those around us (gossip, lies, disobedience, rudeness), we disrespect God on a much deeper level...

I personally think it’s kind of similar when it comes to the music I listen to, what I watch on TV or in movies... I personally think jersey shore is straight up stupidity (I don’t understand how it can possibly be entertaining), but I also really believe that by watching that – I support what it is on some level. I support partying, swearing, immorality, drunkenness... I think you get the point... the bible is pretty clear on those topics... it IS sin. How can watching other’s sin like that become our entertainment... that stuff IS offensive to God, and if I support it – wouldn’t I be offending God? I don’t want to be offending God... do you? I guess I think people need to re-evaluate how they view God, who they think He is, what he stands for... that should affect HOW you live, what you watch and listen to, where you go to hangout; it should affect every aspect of who you are. Live wisely – and wisdom begins with God.

I know it’s complicated because to be honest, most TV shows have something in the that wouldn’t be pleasing to God, most movies and music as well. In the end, everyone does have their own boundaries and limits... but I think sometimes, those boundaries are pushed pretty far. There are some shows I see, movies and music too, and I wonder why the Christians around me aren’t completely disgusted by these things...

In the end, I think we need to be reminded of who our God is. Read the word, go to church, pursue your relationship with God – push yourself. Tune out all the noise of everything else and just focus on God – re-evaluate how you see Him. This will completely change your view of how you should live... we realize whether or not we are making WISE choices – is how we live really how God intended? Or have we allowed ourselves to dip our feet into the ways of the world... just something to think about...

lazy?... fail.

Laziness is like the ultimate way to destroy yourself. That might seem a little bit over the top – but I think it’s true. Sit on the couch all day, every day and your health declines. Expect your parents to always give you money because you’re not willing to get a job - slack on your school work because it’s not as important as watching TV or updating your facebook status – give up on trying to accomplish anything because it’s just ‘too hard’ – don’t work at keeping a relationship with a family member or friend alive because it’s just ‘too much work’ – I think you get what I’m saying... in the end, laziness results in failure.

Laziness allows for something good to fall into a bad state and fall apart.

Proverbs 24:30-34

“I went past the field of the sluggard,

Past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgement;

Thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds,

And the stone wall was in ruins.

I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest –

And poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man”

Being lazy in your faith – I guess to me would be if I stopped reading the bible regularly and stopped spending time with God through prayer. If I stopped ‘learning’, I would fail to apply things to my daily life – I wouldn’t put my faith into action as well. If I started ‘pushing the boundaries’ of what is considered ‘wrong’ and started to act like the world... failing to stand apart for Christ. If I stopped completely living for God and just added ‘the Christian religion’ to my life without taking it seriously – I would be lazy in my faith; lazy in building the kingdom; lazy in growing in God.

Reading that proverb, it shows that the person who is lazy and does not work – will have their ‘field’/’vineyard’ come to ruin. When you start to act ‘lazy’, things go downhill! I think it is the same when it comes to faith – when we stop working, trying, pushing ourselves and our knowledge; when we stop moving and stand still – our relationship with God is no longer at the front of our lives – something else has taken our focus... or maybe you just have no focus and have given up – either way, laziness = failure.

This passage was spoken about the other week in church – and yeah, it got me thinking. Of course the Pastor went into more detail – and probably made more sense than I am – but I’m just sharing my thoughts with you. I guess I just really can see the importance of opening the bible and reading it and studying it to better understand its meaning. I see the need for prayer in our daily lives – the need for movement in our faith. Don’t stand still – walk forward – run forward... grow, learn, apply and all the work is more than worth it in the end. We hear stuff like this all the time, it’s become more of a ‘Sunday school lesson’... but yet there are so many people who easily shrug it off. I’ve done it and I know for a fact that when my relationship with God starts to lose its importance, other area’s in my life start to fail as well – but when God is my main priority and focus, everything starts to piece together and grow.

I guess I don’t want to just repeat what we’ve heard so many times before – but I just wanted to stress the important of delving into God’s word and studying it – learning and reflecting – praying and spending time with God – applying all the we learn to our daily walk and really watching our lives change as a result of that – don’t be lazy! Don’t sit back – run full speed towards God.

attitudes are contagious

Everyone has days where negativity completely absorbs them; I think it’s fair to say that it’s normal. We all go through events and situations where we want to give up and give in. We want to get angry and stay angry, we want to cry and keep crying... negativity has nothing good about it... nothing. I’m not talking about ‘venting’ or ‘letting it all out’, what I mean is, it is so dangerous to allow negativity to blur your vision and affect everything in your life... because it will if you allow it too...

I have to say, I’m not sure how Christians can allow themselves to be so completely negative about life, the world, or anything really... I guess it depends on what you’re living for, what you feel your purpose is and how you see God. We all struggle, we all feel hurt and down, we all give things up and lose things, we deal with A LOT in life – but to allow ourselves to be brought down by all the negative and then to just dwell in it... I don’t think that is what God intended for anyone... The bible says SO much about being Joyful – in the good and bad times – no matter what, be joyful... why? Because we serve an amazing God who has so much love and purpose for each and every single one of us. Be joyful because He has a plan, He has poured His grace out, He is our healer and redeemer. He gives us what we stand in need of... how can we worship a God so amazing with a negative heart?

Psalm 100 “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is good. It is He who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

People always say ‘no one wants to be around someone who is always negative about everything’... I think it’s very true. I remember at one point in my life, I was always negative about something – I looked for stuff to complain about – I always had something to say to darken the bright faces in the room... after awhile I began to realize that if I kept it up – people wouldn’t want to be around me anymore. I can understand that we all have to vent and let loose sometimes, we all have to talk and be honest about the ‘not-so-good’ things in life. But to dwell on them will burden your heart... and it WILL affect you. It will steal your God-given joy! We were created to worship, to serve, to love, to be God’s hands and feet – we have purpose from our God - that should give us joy. We have a God who is always with us even when we fall – that should give us joy. We all have blessings even though at times they can be hard to see, we have so much – that should give us joy. We have so much to offer, to share, to give – that should bring us joy.

Sometimes life throws stuff at us that brings us down – but to stay negative is a choice. We have so much to live for – God... I don’t believe for one second that God desires for us to live negative lives... negativity closes off your heart to so much... God wants your heart to be open for Him... what will you choose? Attitudes are contagious.  Are yours worth catching?

Paul's Prayer in Prison

Colossians 4: 2-6 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

The other week in Church, the pastor shared this verse during his sermon and discussed the importance of prayer in all circumstances, especially when it comes to witnessing. Prayer is powerful. However; the thing that really caught my attention was the fact that Paul wrote this while in prison, yet he doesn’t pray that his circumstances might change... although I’m sure he would have loved to get out...

Paul’s prayer is that he might be able to share the gospel message with those around him, that he would be able to do it clearly and successfully. Here he is in, in prison, and he prays that God will help him to be a witness there and change lives! He prays that God will use the circumstances he is already in to bring glory to God rather than praying that God will change his circumstances... I thought, if I was in prison as Paul was – my first prayer would be somewhat of a desperate cry for help in order to GET OUT of prison so that I could more easily do what God wanted me to do in the first place... give or take, it would probably be something like that.

I admire the fact that Paul is still focused on his task, no matter his circumstances. He prays that God will USE him IN the circumstances he’s in. He’s focused on God and what he can do for God no matter what, no matter where, no matter how... because God is not limited! God can do ANYTHING, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE... why do we feel at times that our circumstances can put a hold on God using us? For example, I’ve heard people say things like ‘as long as I’m living here, I can’t do great things for God’, ‘Once I have more money I will be able to do more for God’ and even ‘God can’t use me until I have it all together, I’m too big of a mess’. Why do we think that our circumstances can limit God? No matter what, God will use you if you’re willing... no matter when, no matter where and no matter how. Of course we have to work at it too, but I guess the point I’m trying to make is we can’t put limits on God... it’s almost as if we make excuses for being ‘lazy’ in acting out our faith.

It’s hard to think that no matter what circumstances we’re in, we’ll do our absolute best to be a witness for God, we desire for Him to use us all the time, no matter what! If things are terribly hard in our lives, if we feel completely broken/empty/hurt/confused/angry... or even if it’s just the opposite, God should be first! Should our desire to serve God change due to the situations we’re in? Is it okay to think ‘Okay! I’ll serve God now because it’s easy and I’m able!’, or should we be thinking more along the lines of ‘I’m going to serve God now, even when it is most difficult.’ I guess it all goes back to whether or not we’re making it ALL about God. It NEED’S to be ALL ABOUT HIM.

'we'd like to be humble - but what if no one notices?'

In order to be humble, I really believe it is important to have an understanding of who YOU are in light of who GOD is. I hear so many people all the time talking as if God is here to serve us, or believing in God is just something we can add into our lives... doesn’t that seem selfish? Since when was it all about us?! God is most defiantly not here to just serve us, in fact it is the opposite; we are here to serve our God. How? By offering up our lives to him. Why? Simply because of who HE is and what HE has done for us through his love and grace.

I remember when I was little I was taught to always put God first, others second and keep myself for last. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind... and the second is like it; love your neighbour as yourself... so it only makes sense that we come last... Of course it wouldn’t be true to say that God doesn’t care about us at all, and we are like his slaves...no, obviously not. God is loving and kind and gracious and compassionate and all those good things... but to think that He should be serving us and giving us what we want, when we want it and how we want it... that’s not okay. To be humble is to understand that we are to desire what God desires for us, no matter what that looks like – because HE is GOD and we were made to worship him and glorify him. We owe him everything. We are so undeserving but yet we have received eternal life in order to BE WITH GOD and worship Him at his feet! That is amazing considering how fallen we are...

If we start to think of ourselves less, we think of God more and we think of others more... which allows us to realize that we are not better then the people around us, rather we ought to be SO thankful that God revealed his truth into our lives in order that we might be saved... and furthermore, we should desire to share that truth with people around us so that they too may be saved.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. --C.S. Lewis

We'd like to be humble...but what if no one notices? --John Ortberg

It’s not about us! It’s so easy to have the mindset of ‘I’m going to do GREAT things for God’ because in the back of our minds we’re thinking about how great we will be... but if doing great things for God required us to die and never be ‘known’ by anyone on this earth, well that doesn’t seem so appealing does it? No, because it does give us any glory on earth - - what’s your purpose for wanting to serve God? Is it because you desire to Glorify God or because you want to Glorify yourself by serving God? To be humble is to understand who we are... but first we must understand who God is. Once we understand a little bit about who our God is, we can begin to see just how sinful and fallen we are, how undeserving we are AND how blessed we are to serve such a compassionate God who is slow to anger and abounding in love... God is good and his love for us is endless. His grace has saved us, his blood has set us free... and we are not worthy, but yet we received this amazing gift. So now, when I look at myself, I don’t see how it is possible to be prideful and ‘full of myself’... my life depends completely on him. He died for me so that I may live... HE is my life... HE is everything. If we realize this, there shouldn’t be room to be full of ourselves.

I don’t have the strength to get through this life on my own; I don’t have all the answers. I have no idea what I should do or where I should go; I don’t have all the answers. I am not wise enough... I DEPEND on Him! He comes first! To have a humble heart – the heart of a servant – is to serve God first because of who HE is and understanding that we were made to worship Him and to Serve Him and those around us.

happiness vs. joy

True Joy is found in Christ alone.

This brings me back to the book of Ecclesiastes. Happiness – it’s an emotion, and just like all other emotions, it’s very temporary. What makes me happy? Lots of things! I’m not about to tell you that being ‘happy’ is wrong or pointless or anything like that... because being happy is great! We all want to be happy. However; what are we seeking out in order to fulfill our desire to be happy? And when will we realize that happiness is simply a temporary emotion, while Joy is a state of the heart...

“...yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:11)

As I grow up, I find myself seeking out that ‘happiness’ in life. There are so many things I want out of life, which aren’t wrong, but if I’m using them to be happy... is that okay? The problem here is.. I think I’ve been confusing happiness with joy. I’ve been searching for JOY. The kind that doesn’t fade away when challenges come your way, the kind that is contagious and people can sense it when you walk into a room, I’ve been looking for that joy that comes from my heart... so no, I don’t think it’s wrong to be seeking out certain things in life in order to be happy... but remember, happiness isn’t permanent... it can fade away

Just as the verse in Ecclesiastes says, nothing was gained under the sun – it was all a chasing after the wind... If I’m looking for joy in things that will eventually fade away, in things that don’t truly matter... I’m not going to find it. Joy doesn’t fade, it comes from within. My happiness – that emotion – sure, it can be satisfied by things on this earth and things in this life and that’s okay! But when those things disappear... so does the happiness. The JOY I’ve found isn’t something that can disappear so easily. It’s not rooted in earthly things, it’s not determined by possessions, it’s found in Christ Alone. He’s it. He is my Joy.

his death. my life

He died.

He gave up his life.

He took the bullet for us.

Even though we try, it is so hard to fully grasp what that means and how it changes EVERYTHING! His love for us is so overwhelming, so vast and mind-blowing, we’re human and we can’t wrap our minds around it.

My God - - he doesn’t NEED me. He doesn’t depend on me or rely on who I am... yet he brought himself down, made himself human and then died for me. He was mocked and spit on by the very ones he came to save... he died for them even though they put nails through his hands and feet and drove thorns into his head. He did it because he WANTED to. THAT is LOVE! He doesn’t need me or you, but He wants us... He loves us, even though we are so undeserving. Grace has saved us. We are sinful and broken and yet Christ died on the cross in order that we might be forgiven for our sins and given eternal life...

Taking advantage of Grace – I’ve heard that line many times. We sin sin sin because we know that in the end we will be forgiven anyways - - ‘i’ll live my best later’ - - I know, this is wrong. It’s not AT ALL how we should be living. But yet, to a point, we do it all the time. I’m not writing to tell you what is right and wrong, what you can and cannot do/watch/say/listen to, etc... However; there comes a point where if something is not glorifying God - - we shouldn’t be spending time on it... and if it’s doing the opposite of glorifying God, well... then we’re walking in the wrong direction...

Glorify = to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration

We have a God who DIED for us, even though we are so undeserving. What can we give in return? I don’t know about you, but I greatly desire to give God thanks by offering up my life to him, by glorifying Him in every area of my life – because my life is his. I only have life because of his death! It was so easy to say all of that, but to actually live it out = blood, sweat and tears. There are so many times, every day where I realize that what I’m doing/thinking/saying is not honouring or praising God. I realize that I’m not glorifying him... and there are so many times when after I realize that... nothing changes. That’s a cold hard slap in the face to my God. He died for me to bring me life, not because he HAD to, but because he LOVES me... and I can’t even turn off the TV when I know the very thing I’m watching is an insult to his death... it’s the very thought I’m thinking that nailed him to the cross. He tugs at my heart and I ignore him because at the end of the day, I’ll be forgiven. THAT is taking advantage of grace.

I know we’re human, we’re not perfect – but I think we need to ask ourselves, “is his death worth my life?” Jesus dying on the cross... is that worth giving up our lives for? Are we willing to start changing how we live because he died for us? Do we accept the fact that all we have to give him as a ‘thank-you’ for his act of grace is everything we are and that still doesn’t suffice. Are you going to give up your life as a sacrifice, change your life from living for yourself to living for God... surrender all to the one who gave up his life for you... are we willing? Does what we do, say, think – does how we act, what we watch, listen to or support – does it GLORIFY God? Are we really trying our hardest or have we become lazy? I know it’s easier said than done, and no matter how hard we try we won’t ever be worthy of his death... but that’s what is so amazing about our God. He LOVES us anyways. For me – that makes me want to try harder. Get rid of all the things in my life that don’t glorify God... there’s no room to indulge myself in the very things that caused Christ’s death on the cross. Sin. There is no room to indulge myself in sin. It’s time to clean up our act. Don’t be lazy.

read it. understand it. apply it.

'We must embrace the word of God as the practical source of "truth and knowledge" to apply to our lives, not just a study guide or something we whip out on Sundays. Not being lazy means we read a little and implement a lot." - craig gross

It's so easy to forget about the bible. I dont mean forget that it exists, but it's easy to forget how relevent it is for our day to day lives. What sparked this thought? I've noticed that it is so much easier for people to turn on some worship music, watch a youtube sermon or pick up a Christian novel than it is to open the word of God. Dont get me wrong - there's nothing wrong with doing any of those things, but is it okay that instead of adding them to our study of the bible, we use them to replace our study of God's word? I've found for myself that when I'm struggeling with anything, when I'm in a down mood or in need of encouragement, I forget that the bible has everything I need...

It's amazing how today, especially amoung youth, reading the bible isnt stressed as important. It's true that it doesnt say anywhere in the bible that we must spend a specific amount of time each day reading the word, but the bible does tell us that it offers us truth and wisdom for every aspect of our lives. Yet, when we're searching for answers or encouragement, when we are seeking out truth for our lives - we forget that the bible is our ultimate source to finding all that we stand in need of... There have been so many occasions where I've heard people complain about not growing in their relationship with God. They feel as if they're 'stuck in the same spot'. They desire to know God more, have a deeper grasp of who He is and what he offers us. They desire to hear his voice more clearly, have more direction in their life... i think you get the point... however; when asked if they're reading the bible, they shrug it off and say 'yeah, I try to read it as often as I can'. Im not perfect, I've said and done all of these things too - but the truth is, I was asking so much of God, but offering him nothing. I expected him to just GIVE me everything I was seeking, but I was too lazy to seek God out.

open the bible - not just on Sunday morning in church - Open it often. When will people begin to realize that the bible has EVERYTHING to offer us? Another problem this 'spiritual laziness' causes is the fact that we only read parts of the bible that are 'easy and relevant'. We are quick to read psalms or romans or any of the gospels... but we avoid the parts of the bible that take a little more time to read through and a little more work to understand. We skip over verses that dont make sense to us, we avoid books of the bible that seem to have no relevance to our current circumstances. Maybe the reason so many young people say 'im stuck in my relationship with God' is because they dont put in any effort - they expect God to do it all.

First we need to start opening the bible right away - not as a last resort and not only when we're struggeling. If you desire to grow in your relationship with God, put in some effort. Read the word, discuss it with those around you, discover the meaning behind passages you've never read or even passages you read all the time. Second, apply it to your life. Dont read it and forget it - then your wasting your time. Read the word, Understand it and Apply it. If we read the word and then forget it, we're like a man who looks in the mirror and then forgets what he looks like as soon as he walks away (James 1:22-25) Dont waste your time...

God's word has so much to offer, but it requires our effort and attention. Dont go through life thinking you know everything, that you have enough wisdom and your 'good' enough to make every decision without turning to God. Open his word, read it and apply it to your life. Dont avoid the bible by replacing it with worship music, youtube sermons or another source... dont replace the bible with anything... It's amazing how people can say the bible has nothing to offer them in their circumstances - thats not true! You just need to look. Dont flip it open and expect it to land on the passage you need to hear most. Read it inside and out... know it well and you'll find that God is teaching you more and more every time you open it.