GREENE STREET LETTERS: Count The Cost

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Count The Cost

Double whammy this morning....
Rainy Sunday morning......
AND the dreaded time change.....
Oh well, this too shall pass.
Passage from Luke 14:27-28 caught my attention this morning.

"And if you do not carry your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. But don't begin until you count the cost."
Reckon why no one ever teaches on this? There must be something to it or why else would Jesus have even mentioned it. What if He really meant it? That we needed to sit down and take a look at what it would cost us to become a disciple of His.

What would the cost be? How about everything.....
"You don't mean that do you? Everything?"
I think maybe somehow Jesus truly does mean that.
More than the cost is the simple fact that being a disciple means hardship, persecution. We are not very welcomed people in society today. Try standing up to defend your faith under the onslaught of public opinion. Try being a person whose godly principals guide you through life. You will run into those who hate you simply because you have answered a call to follow Jesus.

To me, the cost of becoming a disciple of Christ is far outweighed by the grace, peace and love directed to me by my heavenly Father. The things that happen to me each day because of my belief far exceeds anything the world could throw at me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to come off as "Johnny Holy-Roller". I'm trying to simply state some truth, that maybe from time to time when life gets hard we should examine the cost of following Jesus.

I am reminded in scripture that the coming days are only going to grow darker and darker spiritually. That we will see the human heart as we never have. The times and events of the coming days are only going to uncover and highlight the true heart of humanity, especially those who live life outside the will and love of God. Those who choose to live for themselves.

V1. - You should know that in the last days there will be very difficult times (Stressful)

V2. - For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.

V.3 - They will be unloving and unforgiving. They will slander other and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.

V.4 - They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.

Maybe....just maybe, here on this rainy Sunday morning....
We should sit down and take the time to count the cost of following Jesus.
Then when we finish...
Be about the Kingdom work He has called us to.

God on you...
mbb

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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.

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Count The Cost

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD