GREENE STREET LETTERS: Wiesenheimmer's For Jesus

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Wiesenheimmer's For Jesus

James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Sam Colegrove is responsible for the picture above. It was taken on our first night at Vineyard Recovery Church. Believe you me, if anyone knows, I have no wisdom. Anything that comes out of my mouth that even sounds wise is because of God's Holy Spirit at work in me.

I have ruminated (that's a good word, isn't it? Ruminated.) over this verse from James for some time now. I know that we read it.....I know that we say we believe it...but do we really do what the verse directs us to do? Do we ever go to God with our prayer of "Grant me wisdom!"? According to my way of thinking, if the verse claims that God will give liberally, that means get ready, He's fixing to pour out buckets of wisdom upon you. I don't think it means that you turn out like the Holiday Inn Express commercial where you can do brain surgery and solve impossible math equations. I do believe that it is the wisdom of the Kingdom that will enable you to be discerning and see through whatever the enemy is trying to bring against you. It is the kind of wisdom that enable you to follow God through whatever problem you may be facing today.

I guess the main part of the verse from James begins with the understanding that I need some wisdom to deal with life's problems. I have tried and tried....I have beat my head against that "life" wall and it isn't moving. Maybe I need to turn to God and ask for wisdom to move forward and not stay stuck in this place. In order to receive wisdom, you've got to realize that you need it. To me, this sounds like you're beginning to get wisdom if you truly realize that you need it.

To many people spend their days living by their feelings. As one of our video's we show at Rapha states, "Feelings are a good thermometer, but they are a lousy thermostat." Feelings simply register the state of life we are currently in, but they do nothing to adjust our way of thinking, or give us a plan to deal with what we are facing. Here is where the wisdom of God comes in. And as far as I can tell, it is there for those who will ask for it.
So.......
What are you waiting for?
Go get some wisdom...
I'll race you!

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.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Wiesenheimmer's For Jesus

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD