BEING WHO GOD DESIRES ME TO BE

 

I recently came across the entire Bible written in 50 words. Here it is.

God made, Adam ate,

Noah built, Abraham split,

Joseph ruled, Jacob fooled,

bush talked, Moses balked,

Pharaoh plagued, people walked,

sea divided, tablets guided,

land entered, Saul freaked,

David peeked, prophets warned,

Jesus born,

God walked, love talked,

anger crucified, hope died,

Jesus rose,

Spirit flamed, Word spread,

God remained!

Even though that was fun to look at and quiet humorous, it is a good example of how "NOT" to do a Bible study. You can't take parts and pieces and string them together. Between each of those phrases that I wrote above, there are intricate pictures and parts that reveal the heart of God for his people and how his plans are all tied together leading to a restoration of this creation and his subsequent rule and reign.

Most people are quiet content to live by the "Cliff Notes" version of scripture, thinking that as long as they strive to be good people then they have been successful in having relationship with God. God didn't call us to be good..he called us into relationship with him. A relationship that begins with my giving back to God the most precious thing I possess, my very life. He, in turn, gives back that life filled with his Holy Spirit. From there, I begin the daily walk following him as I go to work, to the market, to my home.

Find the life that is in the Word of God.

God on you today...........

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STRANDED AT THE MOUNTAIN

 

Exodus 32:1
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us, for as far as this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."

How quickly the human heart and will turn aside from God.
Let the least little hardship come along.....
The first problem that we don't have an answer to....
And we listen to that old familiar voice in our minds that tell us to return to our "Egypt".
Egypt...a place of slavery.....misery.....pain and suffering.
Let life begin to pile up around us and we start to romanticize the past, to the point that we turn to go back.

The Hebrews, in Exodus 32, had seen the hand of God do some incredible feats while they were in Egypt. The became a free people and were on the move to a land that God had promised them. But now, here they were at a mountain in the wilderness. Moses had gone up to commune with God. Days passed. People became restless. What was their solution? Reach way back in the memories and draw from their dark hearts and dark thoughts the idea of replacing the real God with false ones. Isn't that what we do when we allow our past to influence where we are headed. When we reach a point where life is to hard....to much pain ....we look to our behaviors from the past to give us direction on where to go in our future.

To put it bluntly, the people who waited at the foot of the mountain for Moses to come back, let their impatience get the best of them. They demanded that Aaron, Moses' brother, build them a false god....a golden calf,if you will. It was the intent of their collective hearts that causes them to cast of the real God and return to their old ways of worship. 

God's will and call for those He brought out of Egypt never changed, and He never wavered in His commitment to them to see them all the way to the place He'd promised to give them. Knowing this should bring us great peace and purpose when we do go through those times that we don't understand the "why" of their purpose. Maybe that is why we read in II Corinthians 5:7: For we walk by faith and not by sight. That our journey is one of seeing life different. Seeing life with new eyes and a fresh vision that only God can give us.
Think on this....

God on you....
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CROSS TALK

 

Luke 9:23

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

It would be so totally easy to read into these verses what ever we wanted to. In fact, let me make a confession to you. I have often thought myself as quiet a martyr in that I take up a cross daily. How sick is that? Well, maybe not much more than you. It is hard to be hidden all the time. To remain in the shadows so to speak. For it is in these hidden places of following Jesus that my old nature wants to come out. It craves attention. It wants to scream and say, "Look at me!" Taking up a cross is a lonely business that comes with the call to follow Jesus. Seems to me that in this day and time we have a lot of people exploting their own "cross carrying" in order to gain attention. I don't think Jesus intended it to be this way.

We humans have a tendency to want to garner the spotlight, even when it comes to serving Jesus. We want others to see the sacrifice we make for His name. We want others to see what we have given up for Him. In fact, the truth is we haven't given up near enough. We still have a boatload of misplaced pride to surrender. If I am looking for the praise of men to be heaped upon me for something I am expected to do, then I am getting my reward here on earth.

I don't think we fully understand the function of a cross. To us it is a symbol. Something to be formed and shaped into jewelry......shiny and pretty. The cross was a judgement that was being carried out on an individual. As Leonard Ravenhill put it, "You see a man coming out of a city carrying a cross and you know that he isn't coming back. We have lost sight of this mindset. That once we engage Jesus in relationship, a call is placed on us. The call includes taking up "OUR" cross and following Him. We follow Jesus to death for it is only in a death to self that we can embrace life. In our current day, we seek to build a life of comfort to separate us from the hard and harsh life of following Jesus. I don't want you to think that we are to walk around, heads down, frowns on our faces a mile long and sing about what a suffering servant we are for Jesus. No! We rejoice that our names are written in the book of life. We rejoice that everything we face is temporary and is only drawing us closer to our eternal reward.

What about you?
Have you taken up your cross today?
God on you..........

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LEARNING TO LIVE

 Matthew 10:1

And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them POWER over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

This is one of those scriptures, that when we read it we almost hear it like it is part of a fairy tale. Oh, we do believe in Jesus. We believe that the word of God is true, but somehow these so called "super-natural" occurrences just don't compute as real in our world.  Well, let me ask you something. Just because we can't wrap our minds and brains around the fact that Jesus deals in and operates out of a place of power, doesn't negate the simple fact that such is true.

What's even more whacky is that He wants to fill us with His power and give us authority to live and operate in this world. We read the steps of A.A. and we acknowledge them, but when it comes to Step # 2 and the whole "POWER" concept, we seem to get lost. Maybe it's because we watched to much POWER RANGERS....or we think of Alabama POWER, when we try to understand. Maybe we think God acts like a POWER Drink, or a POWER bar. 

Actually, according to Acts 1:8, Jesus told us that we would be "Clothed with power". Draped in.....covered with.....filled up.....with the Holy Spirit of God. This is the Power we have searched for in our quest to be free from sin/addiction. And all we have to do is receive Him.
In our journey to real freedom, we come to believe (rely on, trust it, cling to) that a Power greater than ourselves and our own ability can restore us to sanity, or right thinking in our decisions making.

The natural progression after coming to this place of believing in this Power, is to make the decision, based on God speaking to our hearts telling us that this is the better way, to turn our will and live over to His care. Turn them both over to the God of our understanding. I have always loved this part......God of my own understanding. That doesn't mean I get to construct my own version of God, or create a God that I want to........what it does mean is that I don't have to have a college degree or be able to dissect the Greek and Hebrew of Scripture, to come to Him for salvation and freedom from my sin/addiction. I just have to turn my will and life over to Him. When I finally reach this place of decision, the Power comes.....The Power is given......I am filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Now, school is in session. My days are filled with learning a new way to walk through this life. A new way of doing business in the world, so to speak. Believe you me, it is a learning process, but our teacher, the Holy Spirit, is patient and kind and all those other "fruits" of His that we read about in Galatians 5:22-25. At first, as we become acquainted with this new Power that lives in us, this new day doesn't seem natural. We feel uncomfortable with it and there is a strong desire to cut and run back to the old ways. Don't give into that thought or feeling. It will only kill you..........both spiritually and physically. Every time the anxiousness or the "not knowing" what is next leads you to want to cut and run....sit down and relax. Take out your Bible and turn to Matthew 11:28-30 and read this promise that Jesus has made to you.

A promise of rest...
A promise that what He is teaching you is easy to learn and is not a burden.
A promise that you can participate in real living, and not have to mask yourself with a false reality of using.
You can do this....
This is your time, and your day!

God on you....
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SPIRITUAL ADULTERY

 

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

Spiritual Adultery

Good Tuesday morning...
Coffee brewing in the kitchen...
"Gurgling" of the percolator is a joy to these old ears.
Percolator?
Yes....I use a percolator.
Old school coffee....
Community coffee for your sipping pleasure.
It was a good weekend...busy, but good.
Phone calls from others who were looking for help.
It's hard to distinguish what  is "help" and what is a "handout".
Not my place to figure that one out. My place is to be obedient to what God tells me to do. The usage of said help will be on the recipient, not on the giver.

For me, naps are the order of the day when Sunday rolls around.
A great lunch is always followed by a great nap.
Once stirred from the nap, this is followed by coffee to awaken me from gentle slumber.
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Matthew 15:8
These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

This verse has always been a mirror that I use to see myself.
A mirror in which I make sure everything is alright.
It asks the question, "Why do I honor and worship God?"
Is it for the right reason, but has such become a mundane ritual that I go through simply because I want to look good to those around me?
Sing the songs with gusto and feeling....
Lift my hands during the service, in hopes that others will view my posture and think me to be a godly man.
Underline my Bible to the degree that if others should view it, they would think me a scholar of royal dimensions.

Or do I worship and honor God because I truly am in touch that He is the lover of my soul.
He is the one I owe allegiance to, not this world. Imagine it like this, if we were God....

You go to a wonderful restaurant with the one who proclaims that they love you.
You order the best of the menu...
The atmosphere and ambiance of the room is perfect.
You sit at the table, and there across from you is the person that you love.
They take hold of your hand, look deep in your eyes and tell you the most wonderful things about why and how much they love you. The evening is perfect.
But.....
All the while this is taking place, the one proclaiming their love is thinking of another they'd rather be with.

The lips say one thing...
But the heart desires another...
Such is the same when we worship God with lip service, but our hearts have affection for sin and the things of this world. 
I call it "Spiritual Adultery".
The problem in our case is that God already knows the condition of our hearts and the motivation of our actions. In other words, we're uncovered, yet we think we've fooled Him.

And we wonder why our lives are a mess...
Why we never seem to receive blessings from God...
It is because we don't truly love Him...
We love the world...
We love the shiny baubles and beads....the cheap roadside trinkets that the world offers to us.
We desire the temporary things of this world over the eternal things of God.
Forgive me, Lord!
Forgive me for playing the religious game.
Forgive me of hiding behind a fasade of falseness in order to appear that I truly do love you.

What is the answer?
Truth of who we really are...
Confession of what our hearts really want...
Forgiveness from a God who loves us and finds value in who and what we could be, under the construction and guidance of His Holy Spirit.
Receive that forgiveness....

In short...we need a divine realization of who God is..
We need to fall in love with Him.
Isn't that the greatest commandment?
Spoken from Jesus' lips?
"Love the Lord God with all you heart...as well as mind, strength etc...etc..."?
Yes it is...
Maybe instead of trying the change myself....
Instead of trying to better myself...
I should pour myself into loving God...
Finding gratitude in spite of what state our life is in...
Giving thanks for what we have received from God...
Don't dwell on what you don't have, or what others do have...
This is about God and us, as individuals.

Let your worth and your words be filled with praise to God.
Sing praises in the shower to God...
Shout to Him as you drive to work this morning....
Memorize a verse today that speaks to you, and then recite it over and over during the day.
Let His love rule in your heart....
And one last thing...
Go out and have a great Monday.

God on you...
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MISSING MY SISTER-IN-LAW THIS MORNING

 

Sad morning....

There is one less in our family as the sun rises on this day. My sister-in-law, Dianne Campbell, traded the things of this world to enter into the presence of God.

There is a cloud of sadness and grief hanging over us, but how can we truly be sad when we know that Dianne has been restored, and no longer suffers the reality of living in this flesh. No more pain....no more darkness....now only joy that can only be found in the presence of the one who gives us life.

Dianne was a true southern lady. When you were having a conversation with her she made you feel like you were the most important person on this earth.

I think the thing that stood out to me about Dianne was that she and her husband, Mike, met when she was in the eighth grade, he in the ninth. From that moment on there was no one else for these two. They went steady ( young'un's don't know what this means), they dated, they were engaged and then finally were married. It truly was a story book romance. Wouldn't be surprised if their life didn't turn out to be a Hallmark movie in the near future.

In an age of skeptics, doubters, and negative nay-sayer's, Dianne and Mike stayed true to the love that God had given them. It will be hard moving forward from this death, but life demands that we do. But isn't this family all the more richer because of Dianne? I think maybe the answer is yes.

I will miss you Dianne, and look forward to the day when we all will stand together as family before our Savior. It might get a little loud and rowdy but hey...that's the way family is.

We love you....

Michael and Vicki....

Chad, Robin, Tyler and Ashley...

Josh and Heather...

Clan Bynum

HAVE YOU FEASTED ON THE WORD TODAY?

 

Matthew 4:4

Jesus answered,"It is written:'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

I have found myself parked in this verse.

I have read it probably more times than I can count or remember. It isn't a hard verse and contains no cryptic hidden message. It is pretty straight forward and too the point.

Jesus is speaking in reply to a request the devil has made of him.

The devil wanted Jesus to take matters into his own hands and solve the problem of the hunger that he was experiencing.

As usual, the devil was speaking on a flesh level and Jesus was living on a spiritual level. These two thoughts (flesh and Spirit) never meet in agreement...never will. Have you noticed this. That flesh and spirit never seem to be on the same page or in agreement. They are at odds with one another.

Jesus' reply to the devil was delivered in this manner.

"It is written."

What Jesus was about to speak was thousands of years old and had been written in the book of Deuteronomy. It wasn't an idea that Jesus just came up with, but rather a command given by God to Moses for the people of Israel. It wasn't a suggestion or a hint or a request.....it was a command. To top it off, it had been written down for the ages.

Jesus identifies who this is for. "It is written.....man (or humanity).

Sinful, fallen, in darkness and without leading.....man.

Man shall not live....that means outside of God and his words, there is no life. No reason to exist. We find completeness in Him and total darkness and death outside of Him.

Man shall not live by bread alone.

The basic food for survival on this planet is not enough to save man. There is a greater food that has been given to mankind. The Word of God. The Manna from heaven given daily to man. It is given and all we have to do is harvest it through hearing and allowing it to mix with our faith to bring about God's plan for us.

Have you feasted on the Word of God today?

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HUZZAH!!!

 Celebrate!  Give a shout out! Jump up and down for joy! Last night at Church @ Wills Creek this man  (One Mark Branch) got his 11 year chip for sobriety. Eleven years!

Mark is one of those individuals that can be found where ever there is a meeting going on. He does more than simply attend meetings, he gives back to others. He takes an active role in C.R.

Mark truly is a Psalm 108 man. "With God we will gain the victory!" Mark will tell you that every day has battles that must be fought, that you cannot shrink back or away and run to your old way of living and thinking. He has found the value of the discipline that comes with working a program of recovery. The value of having a close relationship with Christ. 

I am proud to call Mark my brother and my friend. Even though Mark tends to shy away from the lime light, I think recognition of what God has done in Mark's life only highlights the awesome power, love, mercy and grace that God wants to extend to everyone still trapped in the bondage of addiction.

So if you see Mark, shake his hand or hug his neck and give him a big ol' way to go!

God on you...

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WHO ARE WE?

 

People in transition.

People who have crossed over into "new" life.
A work in progress.
Straining forward to the Upward call of Christ.

A people learning a new way to live, on the economy of heaven, rather than the dictates of our society and the demands of our old lifestyle.

We have lived in the darkness far longer than we care to remember.
Now the dawn of hope breaks over us everyday through the Word of God and the presence of His Holy Spirit in us, over us, around us. We are a people learning to trust.
Trusting God....
Trusting each other...
Trusting ourselves.

It's all about Surrender.
Giving up.
We have spent our lives giving up.
This time it is a surrender to one greater than us, that has the power to restore us to sanity.

Sanity?
The ability to make sound decisions that lead to good consequences.
Sanity!
We have surrendered ourselves to the rock.
We have surrendered ourselves to the needle.
We have surrendered ourselves to the joint.
We have surrendered ourselves to the bottle.
In the past, we chose to bow our knee and worship the almighty "high" that the darkness told us was the way to real life. WE did not understand at the time, but we were worshiping "SELF". We gave self whatever it demanded, no questions asked.
We performed this ritual so many times that it became second nature
We did it out of habit until it became THE habit.
A habit that consumed the very focus of our lives.

It became a raging voice that directed our every step.

So who are we?
Vineyard ReCovery Church  is a community that is seeking answers that can only be found in Christ.
Our Theology?
I Corinthians 2:2
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Christ at the center of our life, gives our lives purpose and strength to be lived and walked out everyday. Our theology is not well-formed, but our hunger for Jesus keeps us bound together as we travel this new path. We are learning how to love Him, each other, and ourselves.

We are a community of hope.
Our worship is simple and direct.
We sing "to" God and not about God.

We are ready to move into 2017 to see what God has in store for us.
Why not join us!

Vineyard ReCovery meets every Thursday night/  6:30 p.m. /  Downtown Gadsden on Broad Street, between 4th and 5th streets. Hope to see you there.

God on you...

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PUT THE PEDAL TO THE METAL

 

Cold outside?
Duh!
I don't handle cold like I use to. Something happened to my metabolism when I turned 50. It was like someone flipped a switch inside and my body thermostat went haywire.  The cold hurts me now...wind seems to go right through me. I am now the proud owner of several "Big Heavy" jackets, gloves, 'boggans, and thermal under shirts. 
I guess it is all about the change we face.
Change in society....
Change in culture....
Change in our bodies, as Mr. Age creeps up on us.
Life is about change. We are either changing for the better....
Or we change for the worse.
The only constant in this world is Jesus.

Such is the evidence that follows everyone who chooses to travel down the addiction highway, the reality of change. As you come down the ramp of addiction highway, you merge into traffic. Wide and smooth is this highway. Fast is the pace. Feelings of exhilaration fill your mind and body as you move with the traffic. Thoughts of "Why haven't I done this sooner?" flood through your brain. You feel free for the first time in your life. You, through the choice you've made to use, have cast aside the restraints you have felt that were holding you back. You are free.  So you make stops along the way to replenish with more of your drug of choice. Back out on the road. You have the radio blaring and have found a song that can be your song. AC/DC "Highway To Hell".....yeah buddy. That's your song. You belt it out as you press hard on the accelerator. To be honest, you never have stopped to think about where this highway leads to. Doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the feeling. Repeated stops for more, back out on the road. You're so focused that you don't realize how the scenery has changed. Things don't look as good as they use to. The sky has grown dark, and the road seems a little more unsure. Pot holes....detours....cause the flow of traffic to slow down....or rather, causes them to think about slowing down. But no one does. Despite the obstacles in the road, the pace seems to be getting faster. 

Now, you're having to concentrate while you drive. You began to look around for other places you can stop and get what you need. In fact, you seem to be stopping more frequently. What happened to the "Great" gas mileage you were getting when you first started this journey on addiction highway? Now it seems as though you are having to stop with alarming frequency to fill up. You even have had the thought that you wanted off this highway, but the need to stop and fill up over road every other thought. You continue on. 

Now you begin to experience storms that seem to come out of nowhere. You keep running into family and friends along the way, trying to stop you and pull you over to talk. But you press on. No time for such right now....you've got to get to the next "filling station". In fact, you began to get concerned over this journey. You've even told yourself that this road is going to end with no good, and that you need to get off of it....change directions...find a new road....but you don't seem to be able to. 

Moving the dial across the face of the radio, you hit station after station. "Won't you fly.....Free......Bird..."  There's nothing free about this journey. Canned Heat sings that "Speed Kills" in reference to Amphetamine Annie, but they're not singing about you, are they? Clapton belts out the dangers of "Cocaine". The Eagles blast your senses with "Life In The Fast Lane". There in the jumble of songs that fall from the speakers, you run across a voice...."Jesus..just Jesus." You don't want to listen to this huckster. Everything inside your head screams that you need more fuel. But your heart says..."it's time to change." Three little words break through the haze and the pain. Jesus....Just Jesus. You know that you know, in spite of your reluctance and doubt, that He is the answer to getting off this highway. Just Jesus. 

You see....
You don't have a drug or alcohol problem.
You've got a living problem.
You have chosen to live your life, make your own choices, and then follow through on them, totally outside the will of God.
Such a lifestyle is brought about by this nature that we are all born with.
Some call it a "sin nature".
Some refer to it as "The fleshly nature".
I've even heard of it referred to as "The old man inside of us".
No matter what the name you choose to identify it by, we all are born with it.
A desire to live our life, and make our choices based on our own wants, needs and desires.
We may not say it, but the bottom line is....
We are born with an independence from God.
When you don't know who you are, and you are following the dictates of your heart...
Sometimes you end up on addiction highway.
The longer you travel on it...the farther you go...
You forget who you really are, and you fall prey to the cravings that your usage brings to your mind and body.

As the 12 Steps tell us... We are in need of a POWER greater than ourselves who can restore us to sanity. This restoration process is what some refer to as "Being saved" or "Born again". No matter what name you may give it, the bottom line is when we surrender will and life over to God's care, we are taken off of addiction highway and placed on a path that we must follow. Oh, it won't seem as glamorous as the addiction highway did when we first entered it. In fact, your mind may tell you that you've messed up because of the choice made to change directions. But don't listen to it. Continue to put one foot in front of the other and celebrate the new change that is coming to you.
As you travel on, you will experience changes that will encourage you to not stop in this new journey.

I pray that your heart celebrates daily on one simple thought.
Jesus....
Just Jesus....
That's all I need.

God on you...
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ANATOMY OF A FALL

 

Falling into sin and moving away from God most times is not a sudden departure. It is more of a slow, progressive behavior that comes through a series of bad choices. These choices usually are a result of listening to that old "sin" nature we possess. I am going to choose what benefits me the most ( That is code for "I want what I want and I want it now."

In Genesis 13:10 we begin to see the downfall for a man named Lot. He and his uncle were at a stalemate over the land they both were occupying. His uncle, Abram, made the first offer by letting Lot pick where he wanted to live. Where ever it was Lot picked, Abram had said that he would go in the opposite direction and live there. Verse 10 reads: "And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well-watered every where." In other words, this was prime territory and it was all for the taking.

Verse 12 reads: Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.  Lot didn't move there at first. He just got real close and pitched his tent so he could see what was going on. Isn't it like that when we first start drifting away from working our program of sobriety? We are following Jesus in our daily lives. We are reading our Bible and spending time in prayer. But something inside keeps drawing us back (our thoughts and attention) to the old way of life (Sodom). We don't rush out and go back to the that old lifestyle, but we do pitch our tents in the thoughts of our mind. We began to fixate on how good it was to be high...that rush...that feeling. No thought about the destruction that always followed the high...No! We won't think about that. In our thoughts we convince ourselves that we aren't really hurting anyone by simply having thoughts about the old way of life. Trouble is, it doesn't stop there, it continues down a slippery slope that leads to destruction.

If you fast forward to Genesis 19, you read about the further descent Lot makes into the culture and society that is Sodom.  Verse 1 reads: Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom...... If you aren't familiar with Biblical terminology or custom you will miss something in this verse. "Sitting in the gate" is reference to the city government of Sodom. Custom of the day dictated that the city elders and rulers would convene at the gate of the city to settle disputes and make rulings for the populace of the town. Here we see that Lot has become ingrained in the culture of the society and has, in fact, become a Sodomite, or native of the town. He isn't outside the gate sitting in his tent watching, he has now moved into the city and has become one of its denizens. Isn't that the way of sin? We find ourselves sucked into the destruction and turmoil, a willing participant of wrongness and rebellion against God.

Just like the Steps tell us..."It will take a Power greater than ourselves to restore us, or bring us out of this spiritual darkness and madness." Praise God! Jesus is that Power.
So today....be careful that you don't let your thoughts turn to your old life, old friends and old places. Keep your focus on Jesus and walk out this day.
He is there to protect you...
He is there to love you....
He is there to aid you in this wonderful new life you have embraced....
God on you....

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WHAT IS GOING ON @ THE RECOVERY CHURCH

 

SHOW ME YOUR FACE LORD

 

I say the words....
I hear them myself as they roll off my tongue.
Exiting my mouth, they fill the room with sound.
Bold words....
Bold words spoken from a heart that is unsure of its own capability....
I say the words...
I sing the words.....
"Show me Your face, Lord....Show me Your face."

Do I really mean that?
Do I want the real God to come and pull back that thin veil between my life and His existence?
Do I want to stand in the presence of a Holy God?
Could I stand in the presence of a Holy God, or would I simply fall to my knees in worship?
I prefer to think the later.
What would it be like to stand bathed in the power of holiness that burns white hot with His love?

Why would I not want to see the face of God? 
Would it be that my "humanness is uncovered in the presence of the ONE who is Eternal?
No where to hide...
No where to run....
Anything I could offer up would seem pointless and futile.
The only thing I could give.....myself and my worship to Him.
A broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Then the thought fills my mind and my heart, "I do want to see the face of God! I do want to stand in His presence and hold nothing back as I worship Him. To scream...to dance...to expend myself completely on Him.
There is nothing finer in this world or the next that can compare with such a thing. Expenditure of self to the one who gave you life. To the one who saved you from a debt you could never pay.

So like Moses, on the mountainside, I will lift my hands...my heart...my spirit, and with great humility ask...."Show me your face, Lord...show me Your face."

God on you...
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FOLLOWING----NOT LEADING

 

Funny how we try to rationalize this idea of following Jesus. I read a quote by a pastor who said, "We don't really want to follow Jesus....we want to follow American Christianity." This gave me a kind of "Whoa there" moment, as I had to take a look at my own life. Am I truly given to this idea of following Christ? Or have I hitched my wagon to a method....a concept that is couched in religion?

Do we follow Christ simply to be free of the darkness of addiction, or do we fully understand the cost that comes with a commitment to follow. Now, don't get me wrong. To be free of the bondage of addiction is a wonderful way to life, but once free then what? If we are not changed by the power of God, then we will return to that old lifestyle the first time something hard comes along. A decision we have to make that runs contrary to what we truly want to do will be extremely hard to embrace with the Spirit of God living in us. Yeah...I know...I just some old geezer who doesn't know what he's talking about right? Well, I 've seen this more times than I care to remember. Someone gets saved and is on fire to change the world. Worthy thing to do except that there is change that needs to take place in their heart first.

I love the words of Psalm 37:3-5. They pain a perfect picture of what is required of us to move forward in our relationship with Christ.

TRUST in the Lord and DO good.

DWELL in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

TAKE delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

COMMIT your way to the Lord....

TRUST in Him and He will do this.

Five things God calls us to do. Did you notice that this list began and ended with a call for us to trust God? Maybe that is where I need to turn my attention....trusting God at every turn, in every decision. Think on these things this day.

Don't forget! ReCovery Church will be meeting this Thursday evening @ 6:30 p.m. Until next time........God on you.