Wednesday, April 25, 2012

God's Masterpiece

Here is the 3rd of 3...hope this trio of blogs has caused some reflection on your walk with Christ...Give me a shout if you have a thought.  Thanks.

GOD’s Masterpiece – Ephesians 2:8-10

As I’m writing this I’m enjoying some vacation time with my family on Jekyll Island in southern Georgia.  The first evening we were here we ate dinner out on the wharf and after dinner we walked along the intercoastal waterway and got to see the sun set down below the horizon.  I have seen sunsets before, but as I watched this beautiful thing I was reminded that God designed life to be enjoyed. 
It has become epidemic in western society that life is meant to be lived at a blistering pace.  Earning a living, saving a little, paying the bills and hopefully one day we will have saved enough and we can retire and enjoy the rest of our lives in peaceful living.  But if God had intended us to not really enjoy life till the last third of life then why did he create sunsets?  Why did he create children’s smiles to be so intoxicating?  Why did he give us 4 seasons, or 3.5 in Northeast GA?  Why did God create color?  I could go on and on.
God most definitely desires for us to enjoy life.  Yes we should work hard, we can find that clearly stated in the Bible.  But he also desires for us to LOVE LIFE!!  I think this is why the “Life is Good” shirt company resonates so strongly with me.  God desires us to have the attitude that life is good as much as possible.  Yes there will be seasons of pain and strife.  Yes, there will be times of sadness and mourning.  Yes, there will be trouble because we are children and followers of God (Jesus promises that in John 16:33).  However, multiple times and in many ways Jesus also tells us that he came to give us life.  Not just hum-drum, trudge through the mud of life; but life so filled with promise, hope, and joy that we can’t help but say LIFE IS GOOD!!! 
I am so uplifted when I meet people who actually do have this attitude because it reminds me that I have a purpose and a calling on my life that demands I have a Joyful outlook.  My God who has saved me from eternal death has a purpose for my life here on earth before I spend eternity with him.  It is because of that very purpose that God allows me to wake up every morning with air in my lungs.  How can I not have joy in my heart?!?!  I am a fully devoted follower and LIFE IS GOOD!!!!  If you haven’t seen a sunset lately you should try it, maybe it’ll give you some perspective that God loves you enough to let you see this amazing beauty created by God for you and me, his true Masterpieces. 

The Body/Family of Christ

Here is the 2nd of 3; wrote this a month or so ago. Hope it spurs some thought and action.  Dig in to the work of God!!

Ephesians 4:16 – “From [Jesus] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

          We as followers of Christ are called to grow in many ways.  To grow in the strength of our faith, to grow in the firmness of our Biblically based convictions, to grow in our personal relationship with Jesus, to grow in our love for the world in need around us, and there are many more.  The point is that we are called to become stronger, more mature, fully-devoted followers of Christ.
          This verse from Ephesians shows us that not only are we called to become more mature in our relationship with Jesus, but we are just as strongly called to become more integral parts of the Body of Christ.  We are called to be plugged in, devoted, active members of the local church. 
          In doing this we will see two natural by-products: growth in our Christian walk and even more so growth in our involvement in the growth of others.  As Christians, as active parts of the body of Christ and the local church we are commanded to encourage one another, to comfort one another, to care for one another, to hold one another accountable to our faith; simply put to be a strong family.  Family members know what is going on in the lives of other family members and take a role in the development of maturity and growth.  If we are members of the body of Christ we are to be intimately involved in the growth of the body.

         If you aren't part of and involved in a local Bible-believeing church, do so soon and join into the work and movement of God!!!  

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Fan or Follwer

Okay, so once again I've been absent from the blogging world for a while, but I'm about to drop 3 back-to-back-to-backers, so enjoy the reading and feel free to comment away. I wrote this first a couple of months ago and just never got it up.  Enjoy!!

I’ve been working my way through the Book of Job recently and I came across a few verses that struck me.  Chapter 9:25-35:

25 "My days go by faster than a runner; they fly away without my seeing any joy.
 26 They glide past like paper boats. They attack like eagles swooping down to feed.
 27 Even though I say, 'I will forget my complaint; I will change the look on my face and smile,'
 28 I still dread all my suffering. I know you will hold me guilty.
 29 I have already been found guilty, so why should I struggle for no reason?
 30 I might wash myself with soap and scrub my hands with strong soap,
 31 but you would push me into a dirty pit, and even my clothes would hate me.
 32 "God is not human like me, so I cannot answer him. We cannot meet each other in court.
 33 I wish there were someone to make peace between us, someone to decide our case.
 34 Maybe he could remove God's punishment so his terror would no longer frighten me.
 35 Then I could speak without being afraid, but I am not able to do that.

As I read through this I was absolutely floored at Job’s frustration and understanding of his condition as human.  He knew that no matter how upright and righteous he was (see Job 1:1), his state as a human was still flawed in comparison to that of the Holy and Powerful God.  And Job has no idea of the day down the road that Christ will die on a cross then rise from the grave and take away the sins of the world and bridge the gap from man to God so that there can be a relationship there.  Even though he had zero knowledge of that glorious day of victory to come; he knew that without having someone to serve as the bridge between man and God there is no way to reconcile our guilt.  There is no way to save us from the wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked beings that we are (Revelation 3:17), without Christ. 
          We are so blessed to have this knowledge and have it at our fingertips in the Holy Bible.  Job had to come to this knowledge through life experience and he came to it through horrible tragedy.  We have simply been given this knowledge.  All we have to do is respond to the loving gift of Grace offered by God who desperately desires to see all enter into his grace. 
          Despite the knowledge of his flawed human condition, Job knew he had been called to be committed to following God no matter what it meant for his life instead of being someone who sits in the bleachers on the sidelines thinking they are fine because they said a prayer once or got baptized or were confirmed. 

I am “Not a Fan”.  “I am a follower” and I will get in the game and be a valuable member of the Body of Christ.