These thoughts come from chapter 7 in "Killing Lions" by John & Sam Eldredge.
There are many evil forces out to try and devour Christians. This is a Biblical fact. Therefore it is imperative that we pray against these. We need to give them to God's control and authority and speak against any attacks in His perfect name. We are at war, but Jesus is on our side. We need to put Him at the centre of each of our fights, otherwise we don't have a chance. With Him, however, we are guaranteed the victory!
Anything that is not of God - whether it be fear, discouragement, frustration, impatience, anger, etc. - must be given to God and prayed against in the name of Jesus. I am completely niave if I don't realise that these things come as attacks from the evil one. Therefore, I mist always put Jesus at the centre of each of these battles. This is jowni become a warrior for Him. I lean on Him, put Him at the centre of the fight, and allow Him to fight the battle for me. My part is to then resist, saying, "You cannot have my heart fear, temptation, anger, frustration, impatience, etc..".
I never gave enough thought to the fact that all these things are often attacks from Satan. Therefore it is time for me to make like a true warrior and start fighting by doing what has been described above.
A very important part of this is to be daily praying against all evil attacks on behalf of my family. God is with us and will watch over us, but we need to do our part of the battle. That part is to obey Him, seek Him, pray against evil and in doing so resist it.
Wednesday 17 December 2014
Wednesday 19 November 2014
Stop being so stupid and trying to determine my own way!
When examing the life of Joseph, it is very clear that God blessed Him in major part because He was surrendered to Him. Even in the midst of heartache, pain and unfair treatment, Joseph remained faithfully surrendered to God. He allowed the Lord to bring his way whatever God saw fit. And Joseph was incredibly blessed for it.
I need to learn from this. When I examine my life, all good things have come directly from God and have never come as a result of me forcing the issues. They have come because God has blessed me with them.
A lot of times I have had goals and dreams that have not been fulfilled to which I later realize I am thankful that they weren't. God had a better plan which He brought about. I therefore need to really learn from this. I need to stop trying to force things. Rather I must work hard in all areas of life, striving to worship the Lord, and then allow Him to bring into my life whatever He sees fit. Forcing things are foolish. I must get out of the way and allow the Lord to determine the course of my life for He truly knows what is best for me. He has a perfect track record!!!
I need to learn from this. When I examine my life, all good things have come directly from God and have never come as a result of me forcing the issues. They have come because God has blessed me with them.
A lot of times I have had goals and dreams that have not been fulfilled to which I later realize I am thankful that they weren't. God had a better plan which He brought about. I therefore need to really learn from this. I need to stop trying to force things. Rather I must work hard in all areas of life, striving to worship the Lord, and then allow Him to bring into my life whatever He sees fit. Forcing things are foolish. I must get out of the way and allow the Lord to determine the course of my life for He truly knows what is best for me. He has a perfect track record!!!
Monday 17 November 2014
Listening to Arguments about Evolution
It was frustrating listening to some arguments in one of Richard Dawkins' books about "proof" for evolution.
-Many of the arguments it seemed could have been flipped around to argue for creation, which to me means they are just rhetoric.
-Evolutionists use this rhetoric, but there rhetoric still leads to them having to have tremendous faith in their beliefs. Christians have faith, but our faith is based off of a God Who was seen and therefore known to have existed - JESUS CHRIST
-the arguments presented only make sense if evolution is true. As these arguments are presented they do seem to make sense, but that is because they do make sense only if evolution is true. However, there are so many problems with evolution, and most importantly, so many proofs for creation, that it is scientifically irresponsible to present evolution as fact.
-Of course if you are assuming something to be true, then the arguments you use to prove it are going to be "true". For instance, if I made up a fictional story, and in that fictional story I came up with a way for how life was created, and I explained in detail all the ways that life was created in my fictional story, I could indeed come up with a plan that seems to make sense. However, that is a fictional story. I made it up. It is the same with the theory of evolution being the means for how the earth and life was created. The story may sound like it makes sense, and the proof/explanations provided in favour of it may seem to make sense, but that does not make it true. This is one way that evolution is actually deceptive. Explaining how evolution could have happened, does not make it true. And Dawkins and other evolutionists explain what could have happened in a way that presents these ideas as "facts", saying that they absolutely happened this way. That is deceptive and scientifically irresponsible.
-Many people say that books like Lee Strobel's "Case for a Creator" is a God of the gaps book, saying that it only fills in gaps of evolution. I think this is a foolish argument. For one, that's what it should do. It should fill in the gaps that evolution has. And secondly, why do people who accept evolution not look at this arguments that are filling in the gaps? These gaps serve to disprove evolution, showing that it cannot be the means for how life was created.
-Many of the arguments it seemed could have been flipped around to argue for creation, which to me means they are just rhetoric.
-Evolutionists use this rhetoric, but there rhetoric still leads to them having to have tremendous faith in their beliefs. Christians have faith, but our faith is based off of a God Who was seen and therefore known to have existed - JESUS CHRIST
-the arguments presented only make sense if evolution is true. As these arguments are presented they do seem to make sense, but that is because they do make sense only if evolution is true. However, there are so many problems with evolution, and most importantly, so many proofs for creation, that it is scientifically irresponsible to present evolution as fact.
-Of course if you are assuming something to be true, then the arguments you use to prove it are going to be "true". For instance, if I made up a fictional story, and in that fictional story I came up with a way for how life was created, and I explained in detail all the ways that life was created in my fictional story, I could indeed come up with a plan that seems to make sense. However, that is a fictional story. I made it up. It is the same with the theory of evolution being the means for how the earth and life was created. The story may sound like it makes sense, and the proof/explanations provided in favour of it may seem to make sense, but that does not make it true. This is one way that evolution is actually deceptive. Explaining how evolution could have happened, does not make it true. And Dawkins and other evolutionists explain what could have happened in a way that presents these ideas as "facts", saying that they absolutely happened this way. That is deceptive and scientifically irresponsible.
-Many people say that books like Lee Strobel's "Case for a Creator" is a God of the gaps book, saying that it only fills in gaps of evolution. I think this is a foolish argument. For one, that's what it should do. It should fill in the gaps that evolution has. And secondly, why do people who accept evolution not look at this arguments that are filling in the gaps? These gaps serve to disprove evolution, showing that it cannot be the means for how life was created.
Sunday 3 August 2014
Ways God Has Worked In My Life
-Nyack. Looked like I was going to Virginia (Averett College) and God provided me an offer that was almost a full ride, which was unheard of for a player like me. That lead to me growing in my relationship with Him, and brought me to Brie.
-York Region District School Board. I had no idea how to go about getting an LTO, let alone a contract, yet God had me in right place at right time (a teacher had to take a week off at Rogers and I was there for them to ask me if I would do that next week). Then Mr. Brooks class needed a teacher the week after that, which led to an LTO for the rest of the year. Then the Kindergarten LTO the next year. All the while I was learning so much, including how to go about getting LTO's and apply for contracts and what questions to answer in interviews. Then the contract at Rick Hansen opened up, I was able to get it, and then shortly after I got that job it was evident that I had got a contract just in the nick of time, because they went to a seniority hiring method shortly after that. It would have taken a long time for me to gain the seniority to be able to get hired for a contract if it wasn't for God getting me in when He did. When I look at the timeline of things, it is clear that He was simply blessing me, opening door after door for me, even though I wasn't even trying overly hard to get LTO's or contracts. I was too foolish to realize how important it was to do so. I wasn't in a rush, but God definitely had my back! Thank you Jesus!
-Marrying Brie. It was clear to us that God wanted us to get married when we did. Even though we were broke college students, He provided us with jobs that allowed us to pay off our student loans and even save money. It was absolutely incredible!
-Any time I have ever obeyed God and His Word, I have never been disappointed. It has always paid off to do so. I can't see this being a fluke.
-His Word says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart". I have always found this to be true. I feel His presence. I feel His guidance. He always leads me and guides me when I ask for it. He always leads me down the best paths and works things out when I seek Him and surrender to Him. This is always true. Always consistently true. And along these lines, Romans 8:28 is always proven true in my life. How can this be fluke? A fluke cannot happen 100% of the time. I can't think of any times in my life where this has not been true. Bad things happen, but God is always there leading, guiding and comforting.
-Josiah. The prayer I prayed for the hematoma to be gone right before Brie went in for her ultrasound. He did it! The hematoma was completely gone! A miracle.
-The stories from trustworthy people like Francis Chan about crazy answers to prayers. Prayers for people to be healed and they feel it immediately. Or the time where they needed meat to feed a large amount of people, and the fridges at a nearby grocery store went down and they called them randomly to see if they could take their meat. Amazing stuff!
-The historical evidence from archeological digs that are finding things which corroborate Biblical accounts of places that are referenced in the Bible.
-The scientific evidence of a Creator. The more science probes, the more they are finding proof of "Intelligent Design" aka God. Things such as the "fine tuning principles" which show that if certain aspects of our world and universe were even remotely different - such as force of gravity - it would be very difficult for life to exist. Research shows that the chances of life evolving are so astronomical, it takes more faith to believe in a God who created life, then to believe in this all happening by random chance.
-Many say that the Bible cannot be trusted because it was written by so many different authors and done so a long time after the events happened. It can be proven however that much of the gospels were written quite soon after Jesus died. And at the same time, people were reading these accounts that actually witnessed the events and life of Jesus. If the events were wrong, why did people not speak out about them.
-Over 500 people say Jesus after He rose from the dead. This could not possibly have been a conspiracy. And almost every disciple of Jesus died brutal deaths after being scared and going into hiding when He died.
-Many people think of Christianity as being "cultish". They see it as fantasy. I hate this, because the evidence points to it simply being matter of fact. I want to help people realize that it is not anything mystical or fantasy. It is simply facts, yes with degrees of faith that God requires, but what exciting facts they are. There is a God who loves us! People need to stop getting in their own way and making God's truths seem so hard to believe. The facts show that it really requires less faith than people realize.
-York Region District School Board. I had no idea how to go about getting an LTO, let alone a contract, yet God had me in right place at right time (a teacher had to take a week off at Rogers and I was there for them to ask me if I would do that next week). Then Mr. Brooks class needed a teacher the week after that, which led to an LTO for the rest of the year. Then the Kindergarten LTO the next year. All the while I was learning so much, including how to go about getting LTO's and apply for contracts and what questions to answer in interviews. Then the contract at Rick Hansen opened up, I was able to get it, and then shortly after I got that job it was evident that I had got a contract just in the nick of time, because they went to a seniority hiring method shortly after that. It would have taken a long time for me to gain the seniority to be able to get hired for a contract if it wasn't for God getting me in when He did. When I look at the timeline of things, it is clear that He was simply blessing me, opening door after door for me, even though I wasn't even trying overly hard to get LTO's or contracts. I was too foolish to realize how important it was to do so. I wasn't in a rush, but God definitely had my back! Thank you Jesus!
-Marrying Brie. It was clear to us that God wanted us to get married when we did. Even though we were broke college students, He provided us with jobs that allowed us to pay off our student loans and even save money. It was absolutely incredible!
-Any time I have ever obeyed God and His Word, I have never been disappointed. It has always paid off to do so. I can't see this being a fluke.
-His Word says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart". I have always found this to be true. I feel His presence. I feel His guidance. He always leads me and guides me when I ask for it. He always leads me down the best paths and works things out when I seek Him and surrender to Him. This is always true. Always consistently true. And along these lines, Romans 8:28 is always proven true in my life. How can this be fluke? A fluke cannot happen 100% of the time. I can't think of any times in my life where this has not been true. Bad things happen, but God is always there leading, guiding and comforting.
-Josiah. The prayer I prayed for the hematoma to be gone right before Brie went in for her ultrasound. He did it! The hematoma was completely gone! A miracle.
-The stories from trustworthy people like Francis Chan about crazy answers to prayers. Prayers for people to be healed and they feel it immediately. Or the time where they needed meat to feed a large amount of people, and the fridges at a nearby grocery store went down and they called them randomly to see if they could take their meat. Amazing stuff!
-The historical evidence from archeological digs that are finding things which corroborate Biblical accounts of places that are referenced in the Bible.
-The scientific evidence of a Creator. The more science probes, the more they are finding proof of "Intelligent Design" aka God. Things such as the "fine tuning principles" which show that if certain aspects of our world and universe were even remotely different - such as force of gravity - it would be very difficult for life to exist. Research shows that the chances of life evolving are so astronomical, it takes more faith to believe in a God who created life, then to believe in this all happening by random chance.
-Many say that the Bible cannot be trusted because it was written by so many different authors and done so a long time after the events happened. It can be proven however that much of the gospels were written quite soon after Jesus died. And at the same time, people were reading these accounts that actually witnessed the events and life of Jesus. If the events were wrong, why did people not speak out about them.
-Over 500 people say Jesus after He rose from the dead. This could not possibly have been a conspiracy. And almost every disciple of Jesus died brutal deaths after being scared and going into hiding when He died.
-Many people think of Christianity as being "cultish". They see it as fantasy. I hate this, because the evidence points to it simply being matter of fact. I want to help people realize that it is not anything mystical or fantasy. It is simply facts, yes with degrees of faith that God requires, but what exciting facts they are. There is a God who loves us! People need to stop getting in their own way and making God's truths seem so hard to believe. The facts show that it really requires less faith than people realize.
Tuesday 22 July 2014
Empty my hands and let God fill them
Empty hands let him fill with what he wants
God gave clear answer and felt like would go against God to keep pursuing
Attempting to do things myself in life is stupid! I am incapable of providing for myself and accomplishing anything even close to what He can provide and accomplish for me. And He wants to bless me in these ways. I must surrender. I must seek His guidance in all things. I must work hard to do my best in everything - I must do my part. In all of it, however; I must seek Him and allow Him to accomplish through me what He wants to.
I must not trust in my own capacities, I must trust in God and the talents He has blessed me with. David's defeat of Goliath is a tremendous example of this. David is not the hero here - God is. David was trusting in God to help Him. God had given David physical and mental talents, and David had worked hard to develop them, but at the same time He realized that in developing and implementing those talents, he needed the Lord's help to do so.
I believe a prayer that David may have prayed may very well have been, "Lord God, thank you for the talents you have blessed me with. I am going to work my hardest to get as good as possible at these talents, but I need your help to do so. I cannot be successful at getting good at, or accomplish, anything without Your help and blessing. So please Lord help me as I try to get as good as possible and please help me to do it all as worship to you. Please help me to worship you as I work to develop the talents you have blessed me with, and please help me to worship You as I use them. I cannot do ANY of these things without you."
As Christians, we must rely completely on the Lord. I know that non-Christians do accomplish success in this world by relying on their own abilities alone, but I believe that many times God prevents Christians from accomplishing things in these ways. I believe this is the case because He knows that what is best for us is to learn to rely on Him completely in everything, not just some things. Therefore, while some people who don't know Him may accomplish great things on their own strength, we can thank God that He often does not allow us to happen in the lives of us Christians because He loves us and knows that what is best is for us is for us to rely on Him completely for, and in, all things.
God gave clear answer and felt like would go against God to keep pursuing
Attempting to do things myself in life is stupid! I am incapable of providing for myself and accomplishing anything even close to what He can provide and accomplish for me. And He wants to bless me in these ways. I must surrender. I must seek His guidance in all things. I must work hard to do my best in everything - I must do my part. In all of it, however; I must seek Him and allow Him to accomplish through me what He wants to.
I must not trust in my own capacities, I must trust in God and the talents He has blessed me with. David's defeat of Goliath is a tremendous example of this. David is not the hero here - God is. David was trusting in God to help Him. God had given David physical and mental talents, and David had worked hard to develop them, but at the same time He realized that in developing and implementing those talents, he needed the Lord's help to do so.
I believe a prayer that David may have prayed may very well have been, "Lord God, thank you for the talents you have blessed me with. I am going to work my hardest to get as good as possible at these talents, but I need your help to do so. I cannot be successful at getting good at, or accomplish, anything without Your help and blessing. So please Lord help me as I try to get as good as possible and please help me to do it all as worship to you. Please help me to worship you as I work to develop the talents you have blessed me with, and please help me to worship You as I use them. I cannot do ANY of these things without you."
As Christians, we must rely completely on the Lord. I know that non-Christians do accomplish success in this world by relying on their own abilities alone, but I believe that many times God prevents Christians from accomplishing things in these ways. I believe this is the case because He knows that what is best for us is to learn to rely on Him completely in everything, not just some things. Therefore, while some people who don't know Him may accomplish great things on their own strength, we can thank God that He often does not allow us to happen in the lives of us Christians because He loves us and knows that what is best is for us is for us to rely on Him completely for, and in, all things.
Authentic Manhood series notes
33 Men's Bible Study Notes
Tell your kids the following 4 things...
I love you
I will never lie to you
I will stick with you until you are grown
There are boundaries, don't cross them
Important to give kids the above because then you are providing emotional support, truth, security and discipline
I am a man. I am called to take care of myself and my family. I have to stop allowing Brie to take care of me. That is being a lazy little boy.
Is being married to me a blessing? How can I make myself better. I need to identify these things and put them into action.
Men go through seasons of life. We need to plan for those seasons by seeing how others planned for them before us and then following those plans which have been proven to lead to success. When I make a plan I need to do so with the end in mind. I need to seek God for where He would have me go and then make a plan for his to get there. Now He may not always tell me exactly where He would have me go or how He would have me get there, but I must still seek and then trust Him to lead me and accomplish the purposes that He has for me. As long as I am remaining obedient to God and His Word then I am in his will.
Seek out mentors who are in the next stage if life so that I can learn from them.
What we sow in one season we will reap in another season
In order to budget my time appropriately between work, family and God, I must create margins. It is good to work hard, but I must have margins so that I can go between these responsibilities smoothly and with appropriate ease
Seasons of life:
Spring - 18-20 - becoming a man
Summer- 20-30 - growth
Fall - 40-60 - influence
Winter -60 plus - sage/champion/coach
As a man I must always:
Reject passivity
Accept responsibility
Lead courageously
Invest eternally
In order to do these things, as well as to serve God in general, it is not so much about working harder and straining harder to serve God. This is important, however, this all is most effectively done when we are in such great communion with God that we serve and live effectively for Him naturally, out of the strength and ability that comes from being in constant communication with Him. Being in constant communication with Him also seeks to effectively motivate me to joyfully live for and serve Him.
The goal of life should be to try and make God look as great as He is by living for Him and loving Him and in doing so serving others.
Tell your kids the following 4 things...
I love you
I will never lie to you
I will stick with you until you are grown
There are boundaries, don't cross them
Important to give kids the above because then you are providing emotional support, truth, security and discipline
I am a man. I am called to take care of myself and my family. I have to stop allowing Brie to take care of me. That is being a lazy little boy.
Is being married to me a blessing? How can I make myself better. I need to identify these things and put them into action.
Men go through seasons of life. We need to plan for those seasons by seeing how others planned for them before us and then following those plans which have been proven to lead to success. When I make a plan I need to do so with the end in mind. I need to seek God for where He would have me go and then make a plan for his to get there. Now He may not always tell me exactly where He would have me go or how He would have me get there, but I must still seek and then trust Him to lead me and accomplish the purposes that He has for me. As long as I am remaining obedient to God and His Word then I am in his will.
Seek out mentors who are in the next stage if life so that I can learn from them.
What we sow in one season we will reap in another season
In order to budget my time appropriately between work, family and God, I must create margins. It is good to work hard, but I must have margins so that I can go between these responsibilities smoothly and with appropriate ease
Seasons of life:
Spring - 18-20 - becoming a man
Summer- 20-30 - growth
Fall - 40-60 - influence
Winter -60 plus - sage/champion/coach
As a man I must always:
Reject passivity
Accept responsibility
Lead courageously
Invest eternally
In order to do these things, as well as to serve God in general, it is not so much about working harder and straining harder to serve God. This is important, however, this all is most effectively done when we are in such great communion with God that we serve and live effectively for Him naturally, out of the strength and ability that comes from being in constant communication with Him. Being in constant communication with Him also seeks to effectively motivate me to joyfully live for and serve Him.
The goal of life should be to try and make God look as great as He is by living for Him and loving Him and in doing so serving others.
Wednesday 25 June 2014
Don't be a fearful parent
Just like an athlete should never fear an opponent, we parents should not "fear" the influence the world will have on our children. When you fear your opponent in sports, you increase the likelihood that they will win. When you fear Satan and our sinful world, you are playing into their hands. Yes they should be respected, but not feared, because we have a God who is infinitely more mighty than they could ever hope to be. As parents, we must have confidence that He will guide and direct our children. Therefore, we must teach our kids to live in the world, but not be of it, and trust God all the while to guide and direct them and keep them safe and becoming more Christ-like each moment of their lives.
Praise you LORD for who You are!!
Praise you LORD for who You are!!
Sunday 8 June 2014
Stop trying to figure it out....just trust His promises!
I know that all of God's promises are true, but I have a problem with trying to figure out why they are true. The answer to that question will always be "because He is God". I need to accept this and put my trust in Him and His promises, rather than an understanding of "why" it is true. God has never failed me or let me down. His promises have always been fulfilled in my life, and they will always continue to be. Therefore, I must stop trying to figure things out and simply trust Him. What a privilege to do so. And what a stress-reliever this is too. Trying to understand all the ways of the Creator is futile. Simply trusting Him brings incredible joy and peace. Thank you LORD!
Monday 2 June 2014
Total Surrender....I Haven't Been Even Close
A life that is truly surrendered will be one which reflects that of Jesus. He was the perfect example of surrender and humility. He was equal to God, yet He did not live His life to gain the recognition that should come with that. Rather, He lived as a servant. He humbly lived His life in total surrender to God and His purposes, and this meant living as a servant, not for His glory, but for the glory of God.
When you think about all the accolades that Jesus gave up it is incredible. He deserved to be absolutely worshiped 24/7 here on earth. And He did not simply give up these accolades. It is not like He simply hid in the background and went about life in that kind of humble way. Instead He displayed TRUE humility. Instead of seeking "Equality with God", He made Himself a servant. It is so important to get a clear picture of this. He was God, and was absolutely worthy of all praise and glory that comes with that, yet instead He chose to make Himself a servant of those who should have been worshiping Him. I MUST GET THIS!! If anyone who has ever existed deserved to take a break, take it easy and pursue their own glory, it would have been Jesus. A big reason why He did not seek any glory, but instead made Himself a servant was because He was providing the perfect model for us of how a Christian is EXPECTED to live their life.
I am humbled and embarrassed when I reflect on these truths. Jesus was 24/7 dedicated to His Father's will. He was 24/7 dedicated to serving others because this is what God called Him to. He did not even for a second live for Himself. Every single moment was for Jesus. If I compare this to my life, I am ashamed. I am a selfish, selfish person. I live for myself. I live looking for ways to please myself and serve myself. God has called me to follow the example of Jesus, and yet I fall so very short. I am not even close. I realize that I will never be close, but I am not even close, to what I could be.
I must begin following the example of Jesus. I must humble myself before Him and be surrendered to Him. I must stop being motivated by things that bring me alone happiness, and begin surrendering to Him completely so that I begin to be motivated by the desire to serve Him wholeheartedly. If I truly am imitating the life of Christ, I will be motivated to serve others. I will be motivated to look for ways that I can deny myself, and put my family well before myself. I will even be motivated by putting others well before myself because this is what Jesus did. If I am not imitating Christ, then I am wasting my life, because He provided the perfect model of what a perfect life looks like. I will never be even close, but I need to get a whole lot closer.
In my life I have been motivated by the things that I enjoy, by things that can bring me glory. I know that God has blessed me with things that I enjoy so that I can enjoy them, but I need to start enjoying them in the ways that He means for them to be enjoyed. My purpose for doing these things must be to glorify and honor Him. They must be to worship Him, and to bring Him alone glory, not myself. These are how God wants me to enjoy them. These are the best ways, the most pure ways, to enjoy anything. My glory is far to small a thing to live for. God and His glory is the only thing worth living for.
When you think about all the accolades that Jesus gave up it is incredible. He deserved to be absolutely worshiped 24/7 here on earth. And He did not simply give up these accolades. It is not like He simply hid in the background and went about life in that kind of humble way. Instead He displayed TRUE humility. Instead of seeking "Equality with God", He made Himself a servant. It is so important to get a clear picture of this. He was God, and was absolutely worthy of all praise and glory that comes with that, yet instead He chose to make Himself a servant of those who should have been worshiping Him. I MUST GET THIS!! If anyone who has ever existed deserved to take a break, take it easy and pursue their own glory, it would have been Jesus. A big reason why He did not seek any glory, but instead made Himself a servant was because He was providing the perfect model for us of how a Christian is EXPECTED to live their life.
I am humbled and embarrassed when I reflect on these truths. Jesus was 24/7 dedicated to His Father's will. He was 24/7 dedicated to serving others because this is what God called Him to. He did not even for a second live for Himself. Every single moment was for Jesus. If I compare this to my life, I am ashamed. I am a selfish, selfish person. I live for myself. I live looking for ways to please myself and serve myself. God has called me to follow the example of Jesus, and yet I fall so very short. I am not even close. I realize that I will never be close, but I am not even close, to what I could be.
I must begin following the example of Jesus. I must humble myself before Him and be surrendered to Him. I must stop being motivated by things that bring me alone happiness, and begin surrendering to Him completely so that I begin to be motivated by the desire to serve Him wholeheartedly. If I truly am imitating the life of Christ, I will be motivated to serve others. I will be motivated to look for ways that I can deny myself, and put my family well before myself. I will even be motivated by putting others well before myself because this is what Jesus did. If I am not imitating Christ, then I am wasting my life, because He provided the perfect model of what a perfect life looks like. I will never be even close, but I need to get a whole lot closer.
In my life I have been motivated by the things that I enjoy, by things that can bring me glory. I know that God has blessed me with things that I enjoy so that I can enjoy them, but I need to start enjoying them in the ways that He means for them to be enjoyed. My purpose for doing these things must be to glorify and honor Him. They must be to worship Him, and to bring Him alone glory, not myself. These are how God wants me to enjoy them. These are the best ways, the most pure ways, to enjoy anything. My glory is far to small a thing to live for. God and His glory is the only thing worth living for.
Tuesday 27 May 2014
What to tell Aivs about making choices for God.
Aivry was talking about what she wants to be when she grows up and saying hiw she hopes "God chooses it". We are so proud if her for this. I have been trying to seek God for how to help her understand the ways that God gives us choice....
God often allows us to choose. He wants us to ask Him if it is what He wants us to do though. As long as you are doing it in a way that pleases Him He is happy. Sometimes He will say He wants you to do something and that is also exciting because He knows what is best. But He will always lead you through every circumstance.
Just like when your Mom offers you 2 choices of cookies, she wants you to choose the one that you like the best. Unless God calls us to something, it is the same with our life choices. God wants us to choose the new we like the best. He is just wants us to them live out that choice in a way that honors Him.
Therefore, in seeking God it is about seeking Him to make sure that He is okay with you pursuing those things, and then pursue those things in a way that pleases, worships and glorifies Him.
God often allows us to choose. He wants us to ask Him if it is what He wants us to do though. As long as you are doing it in a way that pleases Him He is happy. Sometimes He will say He wants you to do something and that is also exciting because He knows what is best. But He will always lead you through every circumstance.
Just like when your Mom offers you 2 choices of cookies, she wants you to choose the one that you like the best. Unless God calls us to something, it is the same with our life choices. God wants us to choose the new we like the best. He is just wants us to them live out that choice in a way that honors Him.
Therefore, in seeking God it is about seeking Him to make sure that He is okay with you pursuing those things, and then pursue those things in a way that pleases, worships and glorifies Him.
Wednesday 7 May 2014
Do not offer your body to sin
ROmans 6:13 tells us that it is important to never offer the parts of my body to sin. Therefore, anytime I am tempted tons in, I need to tell the part of my body that would be involved in that sin, "No sin, you cannot have my body". It may be my hands, eyes, feet, mouth, etc., but I need to say no to sin, because I live in Christ and in Him I am a " new creation ". To help with this I need to dedicate myself every day to God. Another thing I can say when tempted is to remind myself that sin is not my master. God is my Master. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." And this is because each and every decision is exactly that - a choice. I need to choose to do the right thing and allow God to provide me the strength to do that. If I look at this as a bunch of decisions it may seem overwhelming, but when I focus on each decision one at a time, it becomes much more manageable. In those decisions focus on saying, "Sin is not my master, and sin, you cannot have any part of my body".
The other thing t
The other thing t
Monday 7 April 2014
What would Jesus do?
It is important to constantly be asking "What would Jesus do?". Jesus did everything perfectly and so why would I not attempt to do everything in line with what He would do? It us foolish not to.
When asking thus question it is important to recognize that God calls each person to different things. Therefore, when we asking this question the answer will always involve obedience to the Father. So when I am asking what Jesus would do, I am also asking, " What has God called me to do?". This was what Jesus was on earth to do, and so this is what I too am called to.
One thing that is really important to remember is that Jesus was completely surrendered to the Father...even unto death. He did not want to have to endure the cross if at all possible, but He did say, "Not my will but Your's Father". If Jesus was completely surrendered in something as big as that, then I definitely need to be surrendered in EVERYTHING. I must be surrendered in every aspect of my life.
Not my will, but Hour's please Father.
When asking thus question it is important to recognize that God calls each person to different things. Therefore, when we asking this question the answer will always involve obedience to the Father. So when I am asking what Jesus would do, I am also asking, " What has God called me to do?". This was what Jesus was on earth to do, and so this is what I too am called to.
One thing that is really important to remember is that Jesus was completely surrendered to the Father...even unto death. He did not want to have to endure the cross if at all possible, but He did say, "Not my will but Your's Father". If Jesus was completely surrendered in something as big as that, then I definitely need to be surrendered in EVERYTHING. I must be surrendered in every aspect of my life.
Not my will, but Hour's please Father.
Friday 21 March 2014
Grace based parenting
It is very important that Brie and I parent like God "parents" us. He does so with grace.
God does not lay guilt trips. He does not set up legalistic rules and get extremely angry when we break rules. He knows that we are going to make lots of mistakes. Instead of always telling us how disappointed we are making Him, He comes along side us with an attitude similar to, "I know that you are sinful, that you make mistakes and that you struggle with the things that you do. I am here for you to help you get through this and to help you improve in these areas because in love you and I want what is best for you. I will be patient with you because I love you.". Brie and I must adopt these same attitudes.
When we parent with grace similar to the grace that God has for us, it helps to instil in our children a loving attitude for God and for others. Faith is not something that you can force on hour children. It is something that they "catch" as a result of having it displayed to them by their parents.
It is important to realize that parenting in a fraxe- based way does not mean that there are never consequences, for of course thee are. However, part of those consequences should not be yelling and screaming and telling our children how much they have made is sad and disappointed us. We must display grace and love at all times.
God does not lay guilt trips. He does not set up legalistic rules and get extremely angry when we break rules. He knows that we are going to make lots of mistakes. Instead of always telling us how disappointed we are making Him, He comes along side us with an attitude similar to, "I know that you are sinful, that you make mistakes and that you struggle with the things that you do. I am here for you to help you get through this and to help you improve in these areas because in love you and I want what is best for you. I will be patient with you because I love you.". Brie and I must adopt these same attitudes.
When we parent with grace similar to the grace that God has for us, it helps to instil in our children a loving attitude for God and for others. Faith is not something that you can force on hour children. It is something that they "catch" as a result of having it displayed to them by their parents.
It is important to realize that parenting in a fraxe- based way does not mean that there are never consequences, for of course thee are. However, part of those consequences should not be yelling and screaming and telling our children how much they have made is sad and disappointed us. We must display grace and love at all times.
Tuesday 18 March 2014
Guardrails to protect your marriage
1. Don't travel with members of the opposite sex
2. Don't have meals alone with members of the opposite sex
3. Don't try and fix people of the opposite sex. If they need help, get them help, but it is not wise for you yourself to provide that help.
4. If you feel like you are being tempted or drawn toward someone, FLEE! And also go and tell someone to keep you accountable. In would go as far as to say it isnwise to flee and tell someone if you even feel like you are starting to enjoy the company of someone from the opposite sex more than what is normal (I.e. more than the common family friend).
5. Don't confide, or allow yourself to be confided in, by members of the opposite sex.
6. If you ever get into a situation where you feel like you are trapped in one of these situations, first do everything you can to get out of it, and second make sure you make a phone call to tell your spouse and do this immediately.
7. Ask yourself in every dealing with the opposite sex, "Would I feel comfortable revealing everything about this situation to my spouse?". The answer needs to ALWAYS be yes. If the answer is getting even close to no, then you must RUN from that situation.
8. Don't be alone anywhere with anyone of the opposite sex.
9. Don't talk about personal or sensitive issues with members of the opposite sex.
10. Don't joke too much with mvers of the opposite sex. Sticking to one joke a meeting is probably a good principle to follow.
11. Know yourself and set up any other guardrails that you feel are important for you to follow.
These will seem extreme to society, but they are not. They are wise. After all, these are the things that we all want our spouse and children to follow, so of course we should do these things ourselves.
It is important to realize that our society baits us to get involved with sexual immorality. Just look at media in our culture. They bait us and then scold if people actually succumb. Therefore, it is extremely important to set up guardrails which are VERY FAR from the line of what is inappropriate. This makes sure that you never get tons point that you shouldn't be in. It also ensures that if you bump onto one of your guardrails, your conscience feels terrible. It feels as if you have done something very sinful. This is a good thing if you have set your guardrails up properly. A proper guardrail is in a place that is not sinful, but again, since it is a meaningful guardrail to protect yourself and those you love, you should feel terrible.
I love Brie so incredibly much. And because of this I don't care if people think I am crazy or extreme in following these guardrails. They are not extreme, they are wise, and lead to a happier, more blessed marriage. Why wouldn't I keep these? It would be stupid not to.
In general, when it comes to decisions and guardrails, it is important to always make wise decisions right from the start. Once you give in to temptation once, it makes it easier to give in again, while at the same time it makes it more difficult to go back and stop resisting temptation. Set your boundaries and always stick into them right from the start.
2. Don't have meals alone with members of the opposite sex
3. Don't try and fix people of the opposite sex. If they need help, get them help, but it is not wise for you yourself to provide that help.
4. If you feel like you are being tempted or drawn toward someone, FLEE! And also go and tell someone to keep you accountable. In would go as far as to say it isnwise to flee and tell someone if you even feel like you are starting to enjoy the company of someone from the opposite sex more than what is normal (I.e. more than the common family friend).
5. Don't confide, or allow yourself to be confided in, by members of the opposite sex.
6. If you ever get into a situation where you feel like you are trapped in one of these situations, first do everything you can to get out of it, and second make sure you make a phone call to tell your spouse and do this immediately.
7. Ask yourself in every dealing with the opposite sex, "Would I feel comfortable revealing everything about this situation to my spouse?". The answer needs to ALWAYS be yes. If the answer is getting even close to no, then you must RUN from that situation.
8. Don't be alone anywhere with anyone of the opposite sex.
9. Don't talk about personal or sensitive issues with members of the opposite sex.
10. Don't joke too much with mvers of the opposite sex. Sticking to one joke a meeting is probably a good principle to follow.
11. Know yourself and set up any other guardrails that you feel are important for you to follow.
These will seem extreme to society, but they are not. They are wise. After all, these are the things that we all want our spouse and children to follow, so of course we should do these things ourselves.
It is important to realize that our society baits us to get involved with sexual immorality. Just look at media in our culture. They bait us and then scold if people actually succumb. Therefore, it is extremely important to set up guardrails which are VERY FAR from the line of what is inappropriate. This makes sure that you never get tons point that you shouldn't be in. It also ensures that if you bump onto one of your guardrails, your conscience feels terrible. It feels as if you have done something very sinful. This is a good thing if you have set your guardrails up properly. A proper guardrail is in a place that is not sinful, but again, since it is a meaningful guardrail to protect yourself and those you love, you should feel terrible.
I love Brie so incredibly much. And because of this I don't care if people think I am crazy or extreme in following these guardrails. They are not extreme, they are wise, and lead to a happier, more blessed marriage. Why wouldn't I keep these? It would be stupid not to.
In general, when it comes to decisions and guardrails, it is important to always make wise decisions right from the start. Once you give in to temptation once, it makes it easier to give in again, while at the same time it makes it more difficult to go back and stop resisting temptation. Set your boundaries and always stick into them right from the start.
Thursday 6 March 2014
God's game plan for your life
In order to properly seek God for what His will is for my life, I need to look at the talents and abilities that He has give me. These talents and abilities are clues for what His plans are for my life. He has blessed me with certain talents and abilities so that I will develop them and use them to bless Him, others, and to further His Kingdom. This is displayed through Jesus' parable of the talents. I do not want to stand before God someday and have to answer for why I did not make the most of the talents and abilities He blessed me with. Therefore, I must always make sure that I am leaning into and developing the talents that God has blessed me with.
God does not look at us the way the world, or even we, look at ourselves. "God looks at the heart, not outward appearance.". Therefore, it is important to realize that God can use us in any way He sees fit. It doesn't matter what we think we may or may not be good at. If God wants to accomplish something through us then He will - as long as we are surrenders. The surrender is the "heart" part. God looks at our heart, and He can use us as long as we are surrendered. For this reason, we must always be examining our heart to ensure that we are surrendered.
God does not look at us the way the world, or even we, look at ourselves. "God looks at the heart, not outward appearance.". Therefore, it is important to realize that God can use us in any way He sees fit. It doesn't matter what we think we may or may not be good at. If God wants to accomplish something through us then He will - as long as we are surrenders. The surrender is the "heart" part. God looks at our heart, and He can use us as long as we are surrendered. For this reason, we must always be examining our heart to ensure that we are surrendered.
Tuesday 4 March 2014
Making Righteous Decisions
There are some questions you should ask when making decisions.
1. Am I really being completely honest with myself?
Don't talk yourself into things that you want to do, or talk yourself out of things, when it is unwise to do so. We often self talk yourself into and out of things that are unwise just because we think we want it. We talk ourselves toward the things that we think we want. It is so important to be honest with ourselves. Need to find the real reasons why we want to make certain decisions. But if you want to make wise decisions, you need to be very honest with yourself and why you are so inclined to make certain decisions. Being honest with yourself will help you mkenwise decisions.
Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure". This means that we will always attempt to deceive ourselves into making the decisions that we want to make. Therefore, it is so important to honestly answer whether or not I am being honest with myself.
2. Pay attention to the tension.
When you are not sure whether or not something is right, when there is tension in your conscience, it is really important to pay attention to that. You need to allow that tension to grow as big as it is going to grow before I make a decision.
3. What decision will bring the greatest pleasure and glory to God.
Every decision, every thing that I ever do, I must be finding a way to bring glory to God through it. Everyone lives for someone's glory, and usually it is for our own, but the truth is that my glory is just too small to live for. And I was not created for my own glory, I was created for the glory of God. We are never fulfilled by living for our own glory. Any time I have ever tried to do this I have just ended up frustrated and feeling like an up humble jerk. But when I am living for the glory of God and drawing all attention to Him, I always feel better about myself. I feel fulfilled and joyful. Not only is this proof of God, but it also proves that I exist to glorify God, not myself.
1. Am I really being completely honest with myself?
Don't talk yourself into things that you want to do, or talk yourself out of things, when it is unwise to do so. We often self talk yourself into and out of things that are unwise just because we think we want it. We talk ourselves toward the things that we think we want. It is so important to be honest with ourselves. Need to find the real reasons why we want to make certain decisions. But if you want to make wise decisions, you need to be very honest with yourself and why you are so inclined to make certain decisions. Being honest with yourself will help you mkenwise decisions.
Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure". This means that we will always attempt to deceive ourselves into making the decisions that we want to make. Therefore, it is so important to honestly answer whether or not I am being honest with myself.
2. Pay attention to the tension.
When you are not sure whether or not something is right, when there is tension in your conscience, it is really important to pay attention to that. You need to allow that tension to grow as big as it is going to grow before I make a decision.
3. What decision will bring the greatest pleasure and glory to God.
Every decision, every thing that I ever do, I must be finding a way to bring glory to God through it. Everyone lives for someone's glory, and usually it is for our own, but the truth is that my glory is just too small to live for. And I was not created for my own glory, I was created for the glory of God. We are never fulfilled by living for our own glory. Any time I have ever tried to do this I have just ended up frustrated and feeling like an up humble jerk. But when I am living for the glory of God and drawing all attention to Him, I always feel better about myself. I feel fulfilled and joyful. Not only is this proof of God, but it also proves that I exist to glorify God, not myself.
Humbly accepting praise but shifting glory to God
God did not create us to do great things and then hold onto the glory. He created us to do great things by His grace and power. We are to graciously accept praise that comes from our accomplishments but we are then to try and find an appropriate way to say something along the lines of, "Thank you, but I must be honest. If it wasn't for God's grace, leading and strength in my life, I would never have been able to accomplish this." We always need to shift the glory away from us and give it all to God. I am not on earth for my glory, I am here to glorify God. That is why I was created. After all, anytime I even attempt to hold glory for myself, I never feel good about myself, and the "glory" fades and does not last. None of this is the case when giving God all the glory.
Thursday 20 February 2014
Our Miracle Baby From God
December 2013
-Brie was cramping and bleeding. It seemed like this was another miscarriage for sure. It had all the signs. We, and many others were praying that God would allow this child to live and grow up to live for Him.
-about a week later Brie got an ultrasound which said the baby was alive and had a strong heartbeat. I remember waiting for the call from Brie in my classroom and getting a text from Dave Whitelaw. It was so cool to see God's hand on us and further proved that He was in control. Dave had no idea about the situation but said that God had laid Brie and I on his heart that morning and that he had been praying for us. It is so cool that God is always watching out for us. When we lost the baby in October 2012 we got a Facebook message from Luke Crawford saying that He felt God calling him to pray for us. It is so amazing that God loves us enough to actually lead others to pray for us. Praise Him!
I am so excited because I really feel lime God worked a miracle for us. He saved this child for us and is looking out for our entire family. Thank you Lord.
January 2014
Praise God!!!! The hematoma is gone! Brie and the baby are healthy and strong. This has been such an incredible rollercoaster ride, but Brie and I have been so blessed as we have trusted in God throughout this time. Here is what happened:
So many friends and family have been praying for Brie and the baby. We had the opportunity to go in for weekly ultrasounds. It was amazing being able to see the baby move around, suck its thumb, etc.. Being able to enjoy that with Aivry has also been nice. She thinks it's a girl :)
As we had been going in for the weekly ultrasounds they were tracking the hematoma. We were told at one point that it had gotten smaller, but then were called the next day and told that the ultrasound technician had been mistaken and that the hematoma had actually increased in size. We were encouraged to go to emerge to see if there was anything that should be done to help Brie and the baby. We were given the news that there was nothing that could be done and that unfortunately there was about a 50% chance that this pregnancy was going to end up in a miscarriage. During the ultrasounds, it was so difficult to see that hematoma right beside our beautiful baby, knowing that this hematoma could end our child's life. It was a helpless feeling, but we were placing it in God's hands, praying for a miracle and asking Him to protect our baby. We were asking Him to keep our baby healthy and safe and for the baby to be one which was born healthy and strong, and to become a person who loves who serves Him and spends eternity with Him one day.
We got our miracle. The hematoma had gotten a little smaller (praise God!) and had changed shape a bit, but after our last ultrasound, there had not been a lot of progress. The hematoma did not look like it was going away anytime soon. On the day that Brie was scheduled to go in for her latest ultrasound, I was teaching a lesson at school. I was writing something on the whiteboard when I looked up on the clock and saw that it was about time for Brie's ultrasound appointment. I prayed a small prayer to myself at the front of the room. I asked God to "please take this hematoma away. Please help it to not even be there anymore." And praise God, that is exactly what He did! The ultrasound technician said that she could not see any sign of the hematoma, and when we got the results back from the doctor this was confirmed. Not only was the hematoma gone, but Brie was told she now had a healthy pregnancy and no longer had to be on bed rest.
It has been so amazing to witness this miracle. What an amazing answer to prayer! It has been so cool to be able to share this miraculous answer to prayer with family, friends and co-workers.
THANK YOU GOD! PRAISE YOU LORD!!
-Brie was cramping and bleeding. It seemed like this was another miscarriage for sure. It had all the signs. We, and many others were praying that God would allow this child to live and grow up to live for Him.
-about a week later Brie got an ultrasound which said the baby was alive and had a strong heartbeat. I remember waiting for the call from Brie in my classroom and getting a text from Dave Whitelaw. It was so cool to see God's hand on us and further proved that He was in control. Dave had no idea about the situation but said that God had laid Brie and I on his heart that morning and that he had been praying for us. It is so cool that God is always watching out for us. When we lost the baby in October 2012 we got a Facebook message from Luke Crawford saying that He felt God calling him to pray for us. It is so amazing that God loves us enough to actually lead others to pray for us. Praise Him!
I am so excited because I really feel lime God worked a miracle for us. He saved this child for us and is looking out for our entire family. Thank you Lord.
January 2014
Praise God!!!! The hematoma is gone! Brie and the baby are healthy and strong. This has been such an incredible rollercoaster ride, but Brie and I have been so blessed as we have trusted in God throughout this time. Here is what happened:
So many friends and family have been praying for Brie and the baby. We had the opportunity to go in for weekly ultrasounds. It was amazing being able to see the baby move around, suck its thumb, etc.. Being able to enjoy that with Aivry has also been nice. She thinks it's a girl :)
As we had been going in for the weekly ultrasounds they were tracking the hematoma. We were told at one point that it had gotten smaller, but then were called the next day and told that the ultrasound technician had been mistaken and that the hematoma had actually increased in size. We were encouraged to go to emerge to see if there was anything that should be done to help Brie and the baby. We were given the news that there was nothing that could be done and that unfortunately there was about a 50% chance that this pregnancy was going to end up in a miscarriage. During the ultrasounds, it was so difficult to see that hematoma right beside our beautiful baby, knowing that this hematoma could end our child's life. It was a helpless feeling, but we were placing it in God's hands, praying for a miracle and asking Him to protect our baby. We were asking Him to keep our baby healthy and safe and for the baby to be one which was born healthy and strong, and to become a person who loves who serves Him and spends eternity with Him one day.
We got our miracle. The hematoma had gotten a little smaller (praise God!) and had changed shape a bit, but after our last ultrasound, there had not been a lot of progress. The hematoma did not look like it was going away anytime soon. On the day that Brie was scheduled to go in for her latest ultrasound, I was teaching a lesson at school. I was writing something on the whiteboard when I looked up on the clock and saw that it was about time for Brie's ultrasound appointment. I prayed a small prayer to myself at the front of the room. I asked God to "please take this hematoma away. Please help it to not even be there anymore." And praise God, that is exactly what He did! The ultrasound technician said that she could not see any sign of the hematoma, and when we got the results back from the doctor this was confirmed. Not only was the hematoma gone, but Brie was told she now had a healthy pregnancy and no longer had to be on bed rest.
It has been so amazing to witness this miracle. What an amazing answer to prayer! It has been so cool to be able to share this miraculous answer to prayer with family, friends and co-workers.
THANK YOU GOD! PRAISE YOU LORD!!
Wednesday 19 February 2014
God's righteous jealousy
God is very clear in His Word that He is a jealous God. Many people try and argue that this is a form if hypocrisy because He says that jealousy is wrong. When you examine God's jealoisy , however; you realize very quickly that He is talking about a type of jealousy that is a good kind. It is a kind of jealousy that we should be thankful that He displays. It is also a form if jealousy that all if us should be displaying in certain situations.
Bad jealousy is the type where you want something that does not belong to you, but rather belongs to someone else. The good jealousy that God displays is the kind where one is jealous for something that does belong to them but is wrongfully drifting towards someone or something else.
In our relationship with God, He is jealous for our heart. He wants all of our heart, and rightfully so. He loves us more than we can imagine and He knows what is best for us. He is what is best for us and therefore He wants to live in close communion with Him. Unfortunately however, we are often far too easily satisfied. We try to find fulfillment in things other than God. This makes God extremely jealous because something else is competing with Him for our heart. He alone must be what we find our fulfillment in because He alone provides TRUE fulfillment. Sometimes we can also fall into the trap of thinking that we are completely surrendered to God and are finding our fulfillment in Him when in reality we are not.
Often times the reality is that we are half-heartedly pursuing God, while pursuing other things as well and attempting to find fulfillment in those things. Once again, we must never allow ourselves to be far too easily satisfied. We may think that we are fulfilled by the things we are pursuing and enjoying, and we may think that we are fulfilled by the little bit of God that we are devoting our time to pursuing, but the reality is that until we completely surrender ourselves to God and are completely sold out for Him, we will not know true happiness and fulfillment.
God wants so badly to have this type of relationship with Him, but He will not force it. He says in the Bible, "I stand at the door and knock". He created us and therefore knows what is best for us. He wants to provide it, but we must do our part and pursue Him wholeheartedly. I know from my personal life experiences that I have NEVER been disappointed by Him.
Greater fullfilment can even be found in the things that we enjoy doing when we choose to make God the center of them and do them for His glory. When we decide to worship God with our efforts in all things, and surrender all results to Him, it ensures that we are keeping our focus on Him and finding our fulfillment in Him alone. When we do this, not only will our our relationship with God improve, but we will find greater enjoyment in the things that we enjoy doing. This is because our attitude toward them is in line with the attitude God wants us to have, and anytime that happens we are in the right place to experience true joy and fulfillment. We must never find fulfillment in anything or anyone but God.
I don't believe God will ever bless any of our efforts in anything where that thing is competing with Him for our heart. Our heart belongs to God. He is jealous for it. If ever we are pursuing something and itncompetes with God, I just cannot believe that He will allow us to be fully blessed in it. While this is a result if His jealousy, it is also a result of His love. We are so far better off when we are completely surrendered to Him.
If God truly has my heart, then I will be can mpletely surrendered to Him. HE ALONE WILL BE ENOUGH FOR ME. I will work hard at all things, but be surrendered tonwhatnit becomes, letting Him decide, for I long for Him and Him alone.
Deuteronomy 4:15-31
Deuteronomy 5:4-10
Nahum 1:1-15
Exodus 20:1-7
Psalm 104:1-35
Psalm 78:56-64
Bad jealousy is the type where you want something that does not belong to you, but rather belongs to someone else. The good jealousy that God displays is the kind where one is jealous for something that does belong to them but is wrongfully drifting towards someone or something else.
In our relationship with God, He is jealous for our heart. He wants all of our heart, and rightfully so. He loves us more than we can imagine and He knows what is best for us. He is what is best for us and therefore He wants to live in close communion with Him. Unfortunately however, we are often far too easily satisfied. We try to find fulfillment in things other than God. This makes God extremely jealous because something else is competing with Him for our heart. He alone must be what we find our fulfillment in because He alone provides TRUE fulfillment. Sometimes we can also fall into the trap of thinking that we are completely surrendered to God and are finding our fulfillment in Him when in reality we are not.
Often times the reality is that we are half-heartedly pursuing God, while pursuing other things as well and attempting to find fulfillment in those things. Once again, we must never allow ourselves to be far too easily satisfied. We may think that we are fulfilled by the things we are pursuing and enjoying, and we may think that we are fulfilled by the little bit of God that we are devoting our time to pursuing, but the reality is that until we completely surrender ourselves to God and are completely sold out for Him, we will not know true happiness and fulfillment.
God wants so badly to have this type of relationship with Him, but He will not force it. He says in the Bible, "I stand at the door and knock". He created us and therefore knows what is best for us. He wants to provide it, but we must do our part and pursue Him wholeheartedly. I know from my personal life experiences that I have NEVER been disappointed by Him.
Greater fullfilment can even be found in the things that we enjoy doing when we choose to make God the center of them and do them for His glory. When we decide to worship God with our efforts in all things, and surrender all results to Him, it ensures that we are keeping our focus on Him and finding our fulfillment in Him alone. When we do this, not only will our our relationship with God improve, but we will find greater enjoyment in the things that we enjoy doing. This is because our attitude toward them is in line with the attitude God wants us to have, and anytime that happens we are in the right place to experience true joy and fulfillment. We must never find fulfillment in anything or anyone but God.
I don't believe God will ever bless any of our efforts in anything where that thing is competing with Him for our heart. Our heart belongs to God. He is jealous for it. If ever we are pursuing something and itncompetes with God, I just cannot believe that He will allow us to be fully blessed in it. While this is a result if His jealousy, it is also a result of His love. We are so far better off when we are completely surrendered to Him.
If God truly has my heart, then I will be can mpletely surrendered to Him. HE ALONE WILL BE ENOUGH FOR ME. I will work hard at all things, but be surrendered tonwhatnit becomes, letting Him decide, for I long for Him and Him alone.
Deuteronomy 4:15-31
Deuteronomy 5:4-10
Nahum 1:1-15
Exodus 20:1-7
Psalm 104:1-35
Psalm 78:56-64
Sunday 9 February 2014
God's Bucket List For Your Life - and helping your kids know God
Romans 13
- God's bucket list for your life is to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love my neighbour as I love myself.
-love does no harm to one's neighbor. It seeks to serve, love, be understanding and peaceful.
-all of God's rules and guidelines are there out of love. They are there to help us manifest a proper relationship with Him. This is why the Bible says that "love sums up the law...". God's Word is not about rules for the sake of rules. The Bible is a book that teaches us about how to have a deeper relationship with God.
-I feel that as Brie and I raise our children that we should set rules and should discipline in a way which keeps these things in mind. It can be very easy to try and teach our kids to simply behave and be good - but if we don't teach them how to have a meaningful relationship with God, then the only thing we are doing is teaching them how to obey rules. We will have missed the mark and not taught them how to live for Christ. We will have raised "moral pagans". It is imperative that we are teaching our children how to have a meaningful relationship with God. When we are teaching them to follow His rules and guidelines we must make sure that they understand that the reason why they are doing this is because these rules and guidelines are given to us by God out of love. He gives them to us so that when we follow them we are pitting yourself in a place which will make us more like Christ. And if we are becoming more like Christ, then we are becoming people who can have a more meaningful and deeper relationship with Him which leads to a life that can be truly lived to its fullest.
-look for blog..."Raising Pagan Kids in a Christian Home"...have some great insights
- A relationship with God is not about being good and setting goals and then hoping that if we are good that God will allow us to accomplish our goals. A relationship with God is about loving Him and being surrendered to Him. We are called to work our hardest in all things, but we are called to do so for the glory if God. This means that we work hard to glorify God and are surrendered to Him for all results of our efforts. God calls me to work hard in all things and then be surrendered to Him for all results.
-It is okay to be a "go getter", but it is more blessed to be a "go giver". Both can be done for the glory of God, but when we look at the life Jesus lived it is clear which He most values.
+ Grace is not opposed to effort (which is action), but to earning (which is trying to accomplish only what we want rather than being surrendered)
- God's bucket list for your life is to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love my neighbour as I love myself.
-love does no harm to one's neighbor. It seeks to serve, love, be understanding and peaceful.
-all of God's rules and guidelines are there out of love. They are there to help us manifest a proper relationship with Him. This is why the Bible says that "love sums up the law...". God's Word is not about rules for the sake of rules. The Bible is a book that teaches us about how to have a deeper relationship with God.
-I feel that as Brie and I raise our children that we should set rules and should discipline in a way which keeps these things in mind. It can be very easy to try and teach our kids to simply behave and be good - but if we don't teach them how to have a meaningful relationship with God, then the only thing we are doing is teaching them how to obey rules. We will have missed the mark and not taught them how to live for Christ. We will have raised "moral pagans". It is imperative that we are teaching our children how to have a meaningful relationship with God. When we are teaching them to follow His rules and guidelines we must make sure that they understand that the reason why they are doing this is because these rules and guidelines are given to us by God out of love. He gives them to us so that when we follow them we are pitting yourself in a place which will make us more like Christ. And if we are becoming more like Christ, then we are becoming people who can have a more meaningful and deeper relationship with Him which leads to a life that can be truly lived to its fullest.
-look for blog..."Raising Pagan Kids in a Christian Home"...have some great insights
- A relationship with God is not about being good and setting goals and then hoping that if we are good that God will allow us to accomplish our goals. A relationship with God is about loving Him and being surrendered to Him. We are called to work our hardest in all things, but we are called to do so for the glory if God. This means that we work hard to glorify God and are surrendered to Him for all results of our efforts. God calls me to work hard in all things and then be surrendered to Him for all results.
-It is okay to be a "go getter", but it is more blessed to be a "go giver". Both can be done for the glory of God, but when we look at the life Jesus lived it is clear which He most values.
+ Grace is not opposed to effort (which is action), but to earning (which is trying to accomplish only what we want rather than being surrendered)
Making the most of my time
-If I could see His glory I would give Him all of my time and energy and be completely surrendered to Him. I would not seek to live for my own glory, but His alone. I would be so completely surrendered to Him.
- I must recognize that I am so tiny and insignificant, that to live for my own glory would be incredibly ridiculous. I must seek to live for God's glory because His purposes are meaningful and worth being a part of. To live for myself would be meaningless. It would be a waste of a life. Only God's purposes are truly worth living for.
- it is shameful to think that I would be excited to serve a celebrity and do stuff for them. How much more I should do this for God. I know the God of the universe. This just goes to show how foolish I am. I must take God so much more seriously. I must see Him for what He truly is.
I am to live as if my life has a point, and I am not it. My glory has no meaning, God's glory is the definition of meaningful, and He wants me to be a part of it. My glory is too little a thing to live for. I am too small a thing to live for.
Priority determines capacity. When I get my priorities straight it allows life to be more enjoyable. It is not necessarily a case of not getting to do the things I enjoy, it is just making sure that the most important aspects of my life come first. A good visual of this is trying to fit big rocks into a jar if pebbles. The rocks represent the important priorities in life, while the pebbles represent the things that we simply enjoy doing. When the pebbles take priority and go into the jar first, then they take up too much space and you can't fit in all the rocks. If you put the rocks in first however, then when you put the pebbles in they will find space around the rocks and you can then fit both the rocks and the pebbles into the jar. Priority definitely determines capacity. If you prioritize correctly, then you should be able to fit everything into your day/life that you need to.
When you try and rush things in life, in order to fit everything in, then it greatly hurts intimacy. Therefore when it comes to my relationship with God, as well as Brie and my kids, I must never rush. I never want to hurt intimacy in these relationships.
By putting the "God rock" into the jar of my life first, it helps me maintain proper priority in all areas of my life. After all, why wouldn't I do this. God says in Matthew 6:33 that He knows everything that I need and therefore I am to "seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness", and that when I do that He will provide for me everything else that I need. It is amazing that God knows what I need and promises to give it to me when I seek Him first, so of course He must come first in my life.
I believe that this means that I should spend the first minutes of my day with the Lord. It is a way to put Him first and set my day off right. It makes sure that God remains the center if my life in general, and therefore all that will arise in that day.
A good saying from Martin Luther is "Pray and let God worry". God wants to never be anxious about anything.
You will make better decisions if you live realizing that your days are numbered.
Investing small amounts of time on things that matter will have a positive cumulative value. At the same time, neglecting spending time on things that matter also have a negative cumulative value. And no one installment of time really matters. It is cumulative value over time that matters. For instance, spending time with my family once will not have a positive impact on my life. It is spending time with them on a consistent basis that will matter. At the same time, if I consistently neglect spending time with my family that will have a negative effect over time on my relationship with them.
Often times it can be very easy to fill our time with random things. For instance, surfing the internet in a leisurely manner, watching t.v., watching movies, etc.. It is important to realize that when you take these things and add up the time youbsoend on them theubhabe no value. There is no benefit to them. Therefore, it is important that we spend those random amounts of time on things which will have a positive cumulative value when we add them all up.
Ephesians 5:15, 16, 17 teaches these principles. It instructs us on the importance of making the most of every opportunity and using our time strategically.
The book of Ecclesiastes speaks in depth about how meaningless life is apart from God. It talks about how life does not always make sense. An example if this is when someone is faithful to God and bad things still happen. The good news though is that no matter what happens in life, God still wants us to trust Him and be faithful to Him. And He will use all things for His glory. Therefore, with these truths in mind, it makes it increasingly clear how important it is to live surrendered to God following His will for your life. It is important tonseek His will, discovering that which he chooses to reveal to you, and then live to tally surrendered to Him. Everything else in this life is meaningless apart from Him. Everyone lives, works hard, gains stuff and then dies leaving all that stuff to someone else who didn't earn it. Living life surrendered to God is the only way to find true fulfillment.
Do not waste your life "chasing the wind". Do not waste your life chasing after things that really don't have any eternal value. It is so important to keep your priorities straight. God has given me a wife and children to love and impact for God's glory. I must not miss the mark. I must not miss out on investing in their lives for God's glory, for this is a way that I can have an impact for God's Kingdom for generations to come. I must be in prayer for my kids and their kids and all future generations. I know things like my job can have eternal value, and it is important for me to pursue hard in these things, but I must never do so at the expense of my family. This is the most important investment God has given me for His Kingdom. The moral if much if this is to make sure that I am setting my priorities straight so that my time is spent serving God and seeking how I can be better surrendered to Him so that my life is spent furthering His Kingdom.
- I must recognize that I am so tiny and insignificant, that to live for my own glory would be incredibly ridiculous. I must seek to live for God's glory because His purposes are meaningful and worth being a part of. To live for myself would be meaningless. It would be a waste of a life. Only God's purposes are truly worth living for.
- it is shameful to think that I would be excited to serve a celebrity and do stuff for them. How much more I should do this for God. I know the God of the universe. This just goes to show how foolish I am. I must take God so much more seriously. I must see Him for what He truly is.
I am to live as if my life has a point, and I am not it. My glory has no meaning, God's glory is the definition of meaningful, and He wants me to be a part of it. My glory is too little a thing to live for. I am too small a thing to live for.
Priority determines capacity. When I get my priorities straight it allows life to be more enjoyable. It is not necessarily a case of not getting to do the things I enjoy, it is just making sure that the most important aspects of my life come first. A good visual of this is trying to fit big rocks into a jar if pebbles. The rocks represent the important priorities in life, while the pebbles represent the things that we simply enjoy doing. When the pebbles take priority and go into the jar first, then they take up too much space and you can't fit in all the rocks. If you put the rocks in first however, then when you put the pebbles in they will find space around the rocks and you can then fit both the rocks and the pebbles into the jar. Priority definitely determines capacity. If you prioritize correctly, then you should be able to fit everything into your day/life that you need to.
When you try and rush things in life, in order to fit everything in, then it greatly hurts intimacy. Therefore when it comes to my relationship with God, as well as Brie and my kids, I must never rush. I never want to hurt intimacy in these relationships.
By putting the "God rock" into the jar of my life first, it helps me maintain proper priority in all areas of my life. After all, why wouldn't I do this. God says in Matthew 6:33 that He knows everything that I need and therefore I am to "seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness", and that when I do that He will provide for me everything else that I need. It is amazing that God knows what I need and promises to give it to me when I seek Him first, so of course He must come first in my life.
I believe that this means that I should spend the first minutes of my day with the Lord. It is a way to put Him first and set my day off right. It makes sure that God remains the center if my life in general, and therefore all that will arise in that day.
A good saying from Martin Luther is "Pray and let God worry". God wants to never be anxious about anything.
You will make better decisions if you live realizing that your days are numbered.
Investing small amounts of time on things that matter will have a positive cumulative value. At the same time, neglecting spending time on things that matter also have a negative cumulative value. And no one installment of time really matters. It is cumulative value over time that matters. For instance, spending time with my family once will not have a positive impact on my life. It is spending time with them on a consistent basis that will matter. At the same time, if I consistently neglect spending time with my family that will have a negative effect over time on my relationship with them.
Often times it can be very easy to fill our time with random things. For instance, surfing the internet in a leisurely manner, watching t.v., watching movies, etc.. It is important to realize that when you take these things and add up the time youbsoend on them theubhabe no value. There is no benefit to them. Therefore, it is important that we spend those random amounts of time on things which will have a positive cumulative value when we add them all up.
Ephesians 5:15, 16, 17 teaches these principles. It instructs us on the importance of making the most of every opportunity and using our time strategically.
The book of Ecclesiastes speaks in depth about how meaningless life is apart from God. It talks about how life does not always make sense. An example if this is when someone is faithful to God and bad things still happen. The good news though is that no matter what happens in life, God still wants us to trust Him and be faithful to Him. And He will use all things for His glory. Therefore, with these truths in mind, it makes it increasingly clear how important it is to live surrendered to God following His will for your life. It is important tonseek His will, discovering that which he chooses to reveal to you, and then live to tally surrendered to Him. Everything else in this life is meaningless apart from Him. Everyone lives, works hard, gains stuff and then dies leaving all that stuff to someone else who didn't earn it. Living life surrendered to God is the only way to find true fulfillment.
Do not waste your life "chasing the wind". Do not waste your life chasing after things that really don't have any eternal value. It is so important to keep your priorities straight. God has given me a wife and children to love and impact for God's glory. I must not miss the mark. I must not miss out on investing in their lives for God's glory, for this is a way that I can have an impact for God's Kingdom for generations to come. I must be in prayer for my kids and their kids and all future generations. I know things like my job can have eternal value, and it is important for me to pursue hard in these things, but I must never do so at the expense of my family. This is the most important investment God has given me for His Kingdom. The moral if much if this is to make sure that I am setting my priorities straight so that my time is spent serving God and seeking how I can be better surrendered to Him so that my life is spent furthering His Kingdom.
Saturday 25 January 2014
I gotta get my act together and be the husband, father and Christian God calls me to be.
I just finished watching a video by a man who just recently died from cancer. He was a Christian man and left this video as a message to his less than 1 year old daughter so that she could see how much he loved her, but most importantly how much he loved Christ Jesus. God has been teaching me a lot lately, and this video added to it. It really spoke to me and convicted me. The video allowed me to see a man who was living his life as if every moment was his last. He was making the most if every opportunity to love his family and to love Christ because his days were short. I am ashamed of myself because I know that I should be living this way but I have not. God has called me to live this way, and I have not put the effort in. In every moment that I live, I should be loving my wife, daughter and unborn child in the way that I would if that moment was my last here on earth. Instead, I am a selfish individual who is always thinking about himself. I am always thinking about what I want to do, what I want to accomplish, what I feel like, rather than how I can best serve my family, love them, and make the most of every opportunity with them. I am not guaranteed tomorrow, yet I live as if it's a certainty. I must realize that I may not be around tomorrow, and when I really stop and think of this I am ashamed of myself. I am ashamed because I have not served my family in a way which I am proud of. I would have many regrets if I died today. I would regret all the times that I have worked out rather than play with Aivry. I would regret all the times that I sat and watched a game rather than doing something with her and Brie. I would regret the fact that I have so often allowed myself to be distracted rather than being the man that God has called me to be, stepping up, serving them and making the most of every opportunity to love them as Christ loves me - which is the way that Christ calls me to love them. Even little things like changing a diaper, or getting Aivry dressed, or making a meal - I have been so lazy and allowed Brie to do so much of these things. I know she loves doing them, but by allowing her to do it all the time, I have missed out on so many opportunities to enjoy meaningful moments with them. I have missed out on opportunities to show them love.
This has got to stop. And now. I must allow God to change me "by the renewing of my mind". I need to stop thinking about me, and thinking about them. It's crazy, because I know when I start doing this I will be incredibly blessed and feel so much more fulfilled in life. Proof of this was when Brie was on bed rest recently. I was in a position where I had to serve my family and do things which I so often allowed Brie to do. I was so blessed by serving my family. I felt so fulfilled taking care of them rather than being lazy. I know that this will be the case as I stop allowing myself to be distracted, and rather start making the most of every opportunity to love and serve God and my family - making the most of every opportunity as if it were my last.
I believe that this is what it means to "live in light of eternity". I need to live every day as if I knew I was dying tomorrow. This way, when God does call me home, I can have as few regrets as possible, for I know that I am leaving behind a legacy of positive memories for my family. This is also the way that Brie and I can best model for Aivry how to live for Christ and realize the constant blessings involved in doing so.
In every situation that I am in, I must approach it in the way that I would if I were to die tomorrow. This way I am approaching things in a way which will better please Jesus, but at the same time, in a way that will best bless the family he has entrusted to me.
And this means everything....time with God, family, work, hobbies, friends, etc.. I must do it with an attitude of how would God have me do this if I were to die tomorrow?
I am excited to do this, for I can only imagine how incredibly blessed I will be, as well as my family, as a result of changing my attitude so as to make the most of every opportunity. I am confident in these blessings because I believe that this is how God calls us to live. I am saddened to think of that which I have missed out on as a result of not living this way sooner, but am excited for what I will experience, by the grace of God, as a result of living every moment as if it's my last. My life can only be more blessed. God calls us to live in light of eternity, and He will never lead us astray.
This has got to stop. And now. I must allow God to change me "by the renewing of my mind". I need to stop thinking about me, and thinking about them. It's crazy, because I know when I start doing this I will be incredibly blessed and feel so much more fulfilled in life. Proof of this was when Brie was on bed rest recently. I was in a position where I had to serve my family and do things which I so often allowed Brie to do. I was so blessed by serving my family. I felt so fulfilled taking care of them rather than being lazy. I know that this will be the case as I stop allowing myself to be distracted, and rather start making the most of every opportunity to love and serve God and my family - making the most of every opportunity as if it were my last.
I believe that this is what it means to "live in light of eternity". I need to live every day as if I knew I was dying tomorrow. This way, when God does call me home, I can have as few regrets as possible, for I know that I am leaving behind a legacy of positive memories for my family. This is also the way that Brie and I can best model for Aivry how to live for Christ and realize the constant blessings involved in doing so.
In every situation that I am in, I must approach it in the way that I would if I were to die tomorrow. This way I am approaching things in a way which will better please Jesus, but at the same time, in a way that will best bless the family he has entrusted to me.
And this means everything....time with God, family, work, hobbies, friends, etc.. I must do it with an attitude of how would God have me do this if I were to die tomorrow?
I am excited to do this, for I can only imagine how incredibly blessed I will be, as well as my family, as a result of changing my attitude so as to make the most of every opportunity. I am confident in these blessings because I believe that this is how God calls us to live. I am saddened to think of that which I have missed out on as a result of not living this way sooner, but am excited for what I will experience, by the grace of God, as a result of living every moment as if it's my last. My life can only be more blessed. God calls us to live in light of eternity, and He will never lead us astray.
Tuesday 14 January 2014
Work as Worship
Pursue excellence for God's glory
Spend my time striving to serve those who will never be able to pay me back. Do this for God's glory and store up treasures in heaven in doing so. I must be using the gifts and opportunities God has blessed me with to serve him and others.
What if people judged a relationship with God by how they saw me work? Am I reflecting Him well?
My focus in work needs to be about serving God, and a big part of this is done through serving others. I must not be looking for what I can get out of things, but rather using my talents and circumstances to glorify the Lord. I must be responsible with the talents He has blesses me with, as well as the circumstances.
Having these attitudes will make work so much more fulfilling because I am finding pleasure in God rather than earthly rewards.
Serving those who will never be able to pay you back is what Jesus did. I must always do the same. That is what God has created me to do.
Matthew 6:33 states that when we focus on pleasing God in all things then "all these things will be added unto you". In other words, we are called to ensure that our only focus is to please the God at all times and in all things. When we make that our only focus, He will add everything else we need to us. What an amazing truth this is. We can make our ficus on pleasing and honoring God and then rest knowing that all things will work out for us because God will take care of everything else in our lives. There is tremendous peace in that.
This relates to work and all other pursuits. When we focus on honoring God, and that is our only focus, we can then allow Him to take care of everything else (i.e. results, money, approval, how others view us, success, etc.). I get so pumped to think that this is what God calls us to. He calls us to do everything in a way which will lead to greater peace, securitu , happiness and blessing.
In work, hobbies and anything else we must make sure that we use work as a means of worshipping God. It is extremely important that we never get this backward and start worshipping these things themselves. When our thoughts are continually on these things and our identity becomes rooted in them, we have croosed the line where we have started to worship them. They have become idols and have drawn out attention away from God. We must worship God with these things. Honoring Him with them must always be the focus.
Spend my time striving to serve those who will never be able to pay me back. Do this for God's glory and store up treasures in heaven in doing so. I must be using the gifts and opportunities God has blessed me with to serve him and others.
What if people judged a relationship with God by how they saw me work? Am I reflecting Him well?
My focus in work needs to be about serving God, and a big part of this is done through serving others. I must not be looking for what I can get out of things, but rather using my talents and circumstances to glorify the Lord. I must be responsible with the talents He has blesses me with, as well as the circumstances.
Having these attitudes will make work so much more fulfilling because I am finding pleasure in God rather than earthly rewards.
Serving those who will never be able to pay you back is what Jesus did. I must always do the same. That is what God has created me to do.
Matthew 6:33 states that when we focus on pleasing God in all things then "all these things will be added unto you". In other words, we are called to ensure that our only focus is to please the God at all times and in all things. When we make that our only focus, He will add everything else we need to us. What an amazing truth this is. We can make our ficus on pleasing and honoring God and then rest knowing that all things will work out for us because God will take care of everything else in our lives. There is tremendous peace in that.
This relates to work and all other pursuits. When we focus on honoring God, and that is our only focus, we can then allow Him to take care of everything else (i.e. results, money, approval, how others view us, success, etc.). I get so pumped to think that this is what God calls us to. He calls us to do everything in a way which will lead to greater peace, securitu , happiness and blessing.
In work, hobbies and anything else we must make sure that we use work as a means of worshipping God. It is extremely important that we never get this backward and start worshipping these things themselves. When our thoughts are continually on these things and our identity becomes rooted in them, we have croosed the line where we have started to worship them. They have become idols and have drawn out attention away from God. We must worship God with these things. Honoring Him with them must always be the focus.
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