GREENE STREET LETTERS: Not What I Want

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Not What I Want

Cloudy today with a chance of what the weather man calls "winter precipitation." In other words, something is going to fall from the sky, he just isn't sure in what form it will be.
This is such a change from last Saturday. The sun was out and it was 60+ degrees. It was warm and there was such life here in the camp. Men were out walking, some fishing, some just sitting in swings enjoying the weather. I guess the lesson to be learned is to really take it "one day at a time" because you never know when change is going to rear its head.

Doing a word search this morning, I decided to see when the word "faith" first appears in Scripture. Guess where it is? No, go ahead and guess. You'll never get it.
Ready?

Deuteronomy 32:20-- and the word faith isn't even used in a positive manner.
God is speaking: "I will hide My face from them. I will see what their end will be for they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faith."
Wow! Did you catch that?
An entire generation of people that God calls "children" (I don't think this is a loving term but one that denotes immaturity and rebellion) that hasn't any faith. None. Zero.
A generation that has been witness to God in ways that no other generation ever has and in spite of everything, they have no faith.

I do not want to turn out like that.
I want to "live" by faith (II Corinthians 5:7)
To walk by faith.
To rely solely on God and His directions for my daily walk.
Some say that is pie in the sky thinking.
I say it is realistic when you have come to the sober conclusion that without God, you are hopeless.
Not hopeless in the way the world thinks. There are people out there who, in the eyes of society, are very successful and look to all the world that they are in control of their lives. But I know this to be so not right. I know that no matter what our lot in life, whether we are window washers, skid row bums or the CEO of a fortune 500 company, we will all stand before God to give an account of our life. The account comes in the form of "What did you do with Jesus?"
Did you receive Him and His word as Lord and Savior in your life?
Or did you reject Him and take control of your destiny?
Without Jesus in my life..................
My destiny is hell.
Do not pass go...
Do not collect $200.00
Hell.

That is why faith is so important.
You are saved by faith and the grace of God.
You are brought into a new relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Think on these things........

God on you...
mb

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Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Not What I Want

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD