I am determined!

I like to read Hebrews chapter 11 on a regular basis because it tells us God's definition of faith and it reminds me of faith's value.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

It speaks of expectations. It goes on to say that faith is essential if I want to have a relationship with God because He is not going to show up any other way. Following is what I can expect when true faith is operating in my life:

Vision- The ability to see both what is happening now and where we are headed.
Confidence- The assurance of God's promises.
Passion- Embracing and owning the promises as our own.
Resolve- A decision to understand and live for the Kingdom of God no matter what.
Dreams- God is the dream giver. We can be driven by that God-given dream and not
be consumed only by memories.

I can expect to be compelled to serve and act with good attitude while soaring at the right altitude.

I am determined to cooperate with God's will for my life today.

"All In"

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and
greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love
your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:37–40)

Last night I had the privilege of once again attending a meeting of “Blu Cru”, the Campus Crusade for Christ chapter at Iowa Western community College. It was an evening of hearing from young people about their desire to affect their campus for the Kingdom of God. Their theme, that we are either “All in” or we are “Not in at all” is good chewing material. I awakened this morning still thinking about that and desiring to make a difference today by being “All in”.

“It’s fine and politically correct to
believe in God, but to really love Him is a whole different story.”
- Chris Tomlin

Many years ago, when I was very young in the faith, someone asked me a question that I still think about today. “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?.” I think I need to find ways to do a better job of making my case today.

Francis Chan in his book; “Crazy Love”, makes the following statement about the book in the introduction:

“I hope it affirms your desire for “more God”—even if you are surrounded by people who feel they have “enough God.”

I want more. How about you?

Where are we headed?

About a year ago I posted a blog about drifting. I think it is worthy of reading again:

There is a time to set sail and there is a time to drift. I like drifting once in awhile but so many I see today in that mode are leading quiet lives of desperation. We have so much “stuff” in our lives that we can begin to move in a meaningless direction. The Beatles did a song that described this concept.

He's a real nowhere Man,
Sitting in his Nowhere Land,
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.

Doesn't have a point of view,
Knows not where he's going to,
Isn't he a bit like you and me?
Nowhere Man, please listen,
You don't know what you're missing,
Nowhere Man, the world is at your command.

He's as blind as he can be,
Just sees what he wants to see,
Nowhere Man can you see me at all?
Nowhere Man, don't worry,
Take your time, don't hurry,
Leave it all till somebody else
lends you a hand.

Doesn't have a point of view,
Knows not where he's going to,
Isn't he a bit like you and me?

Nowhere Man, please listen,
You don't know what you're missing,
Nowhere Man, the world is at your command.

He's a real Nowhere Man,
Sitting in his Nowhere Land,
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.

A friend of mine once said that God didn’t create us to die from “Same Old” disease. We are created to have excitement in our lives. To be Someone going someplace. To have a destiny . Isaaiah 61 says,”The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” That excites me to know that a new level is mine today if I will go after it. David ran to the battle against Goliath. Whatever you are battling today, remember that God will fight on your side.

I am determined

In my study of the history of the early church, I ran across one of the martyrs who expressed his faith in a way that stirs my heart. It was Ignatius, the head pastor of the church of Antioch. His unashamed profession of Christ obtained the death sentence for him. As he was taken to Rome to be executed for his faith, he sent a message to the Roman Christians asking them to not intervene. Here is the recorded statement of his last words:

“Now I begin to be a disciple. I care for nothing of visible or invisible things so that I may but win Christ. Let fire and the cross, let the company of wild beasts, let the breaking of the bones and the tearing of limbs, let the grinding of the whole body, and all the malice of the devil come upon me; be it so, only may I win Christ Jesus…I am the wheat of Christ; I am going to be ground with the teeth of wild beasts that I may be found pure bread.”

We are not facing that same kind of threat today but we still need that kind of determination of faith.

From a chorus we used to sing in church:

“I am determined, I've made up my mind I'll serve the Lord
I've left the pleasures of this world behind, I'll serve the Lord.
I'll follow wherever he leadeth I'll pasture wherever he feedeth
I am determined, I've made up my mind I'll serve the Lord.”

Never abandoned

I shared the following article in my sermon yesterday. I think it is blogworthy.

Jeffrey Arthurs in an article in Christianity Today wrote:

“If you think God has forgotten you, think again!Israel groaned for 400 years, but then God delivered them. He hadn't forgotten them!The Midianites oppressed Israel, but then God delivered them with 300 men and a timid leader named Gideon. God hadn't forgotten them.180 thousand Assyrians surrounded Jerusalem, but then God sent his angel.If you think God has abandoned you, think again.The disciples groaned as they pulled on the oars. The storm tossed them this way and that. They thought God had forgotten them, so Jesus said to the storm, "Hush." And the storm hushed.The disciples groaned when their friend Lazarus died. They waited in darkness while Jesus took his time getting there. They thought he had forgotten them, but then they had an attitude change when Jesus said, "Come forth."The disciples saw Jesus on the cross, and they groaned. For three days they huddled in silence because they thought God had forsaken Jesus and them. But then on Sunday morning, Jesus rose, and they remembered that fact all the days of their lives.If you think God has abandoned you, think again.”

Seven

Let me tell you about supper last night with the “Seven Project” guys. At our table were three wonderful individuals, each with a great story. First there was Dan, a world champion weight lifter. He bench presses over 700 pounds. He has a joy and sense of humor that will not quit and a relationship with God that comes across when he gives his powerful testimony. He has had Leukemia for the past 13 years and has not let it get him down. Also at the table was Mark, a man who survived hospice after a miraculous healing. He is a walking quiet testimony of the lame walking. He ministers to young people by helping to set up the massive displays for the “Seven Project” in schools as solutions are presented for the difficult issues that junior and senior high young people face such as peer pressure, relationships, violence, character choices, bullying and substance abuse. It is a motivational ministry getting the message across in captivating modern ways to encourage youth to better their lives. The third guy at the table was Mike, a “Hip Hop” dance artist who uses his talents to get the message across. Tonight we are expecting several hundred people at the gymnasium as the “Seven Project” team comes to town to present the real answer to these issues, a relationship with Jesus Christ.
If you are in the area, come to the gymnasium tonight.

Seven Lessons from the Rock Wall

This past weekend I attended a youth convention with the mosaic generation from our church. These are awesome young people that are serious about serving God and when you get them together with 1000 like them, they really go after it. One of the events they did was to climb the rock wall. I gained many sermon illustrations as I watched the different reactions to what they were facing. I came up with seven lessons from that wall. They became the sermon points yesterday morning.

Lessons from the Rock wall:

Psalm 91:10-12
"No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, Lest you strike your foot against a stone. "

1. Standing at the bottom it can seem insurmountable

2. You must strap on the safety gear

3. You must take the first step off of the ground
Become part of the wall

4. You must climb

5 The closer you get to the top the harder it gets

6. You can quit at any time

7. After reaching the top, the ride down is exhilarating

There were lots of spiritual applications to the weekend. One of the key lines that I picked up on was, "Go beyond the moment and make it a movement". I'll blog more about that later.

Have a blessed day.