Are we REALLY seeking God?

Are we REALLY God seekers? Are we REALLY pursuing God? I would like to challenge you to watch this short YouTube clip. It is from a preacher that I really respect and enjoy listening to. He is challenging us to be God seekers, people who passionately pursue God at all costs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8HP1Vbd9P0


If the thought of this clip annoys you, or if you are offended that it might suggest that you haven't been seeking God with all your heart, or if you are comfortable in your relationship with God, then this message is for you. This is what God wants, not church goers. God never wanted butts to sit in the pew or people to write tithe checks. He wanted people with hearts devoted to seeking Him.

I challenge you to honestly ask God if you have been seeking Him with all of your heart. I know I haven't been. Be honest with God and yourself. You know the truth. God requires us to passionately seek Him. He cannot be fooled. You can't convince God that you have been seeking Him wholeheartedly when you really haven't.

We must mature and grow up in the faith. No longer can we rely on others to feed us, but rather we should be feeding ourselves.

Another Thanksgiving

I wanted to sit down and write a quick blog about Thanksgiving, but I didn't want it to be a traditional thanksgiving type blog.

As I thought about what to write, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me. He was saying, "This is just another Thanksgiving". As I thought about that "Just another thanksgiving"? Then it hit me, this is just another of MANY thanksgivings that I will celebrate this year. I have so much to be thankful for that I can't funnel it all into one day of thanks. Every day for my redeemed, saved, forgiven life is a day of thanks. It thanksgiving every day.

As Sarah and I were doing our devotional before going to sleep last night, we were convicted as we realized that often times we focus on what we don't have rather than being thankful for what we do have. For example, I complain about my job sometimes, even though its a great job and my bills get paid every month. Sarah admitted to complaining about the quirks and malfunctions of her car rather than thanking God that she has a car to drive.

Our goal is to elminate the negativity in our lives and spend more time thanking God for all of our blessings.

God, thank you for everything. You promised to always meet ALL of our needs, and You have never broken that promise. I thank you for Your forgiveness, grace, mercy and abundant patience. I repent for the negativity and frustrations that I have voiced. Help me to see Your faithfulness and provision in every area of my life.

Yet another reason

Romans 5:7-8 (New International Reader's Version)

7 It is unusual for anyone to die for a godly person. Maybe someone would be willing to die for a good person. 8 But here is how God has shown his love for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Copyright © 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society)


I saw this while reading today. There are some people worth dying for. For example, parents wouldn't hesitate to lay their lives down for their children. But what has captured me this evening is that God knew that I was a sinner, yet Jesus still laid His life down for me. This would be the equivalent of you laying down your life for the worst that society has to offer.

Would you take the spot in the electric chair for the person that murdered your family member? Would you lay your life down for the person that raped you? How about a total stranger. If a robbery occurred while you were in the bank, would you become the hostage so someone else could go home to their family? Where would you draw the line? Would you go to jail in place of the person that molested your child? Where is your line?

Fortunately for us, God didn't draw the line. Romans 5:18 says : 18Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life forall men. (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.)

God didn't draw the line at my sin, your sin, or anyone's. He came and died and paid the price for our sins. These sins cover the smallest little sin all the way to the most heinous and cruel. As a matter of fact, all sins are considered equal in God's eyes, so really, the sin or sinner you hate the most is really no different than you and I are. Thats a tough pill to swallow, but we are born as sinners. Your sin, no matter how great or small is no different that anyone else's'. Your sin is equal to that of drug dealers, murderers, thieves, prostitutes, pornographers, etc...

Thankfully, I have received Christ's forgiveness for my sins. I no longer wear the labels of sin. I wear the spotless image of Christ. Hopefully, you have too.

God has proved His love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness for us. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us". There is no greater love. There is no greater act of love. This is yet another reason why I can't not worship Him.

Christian Men are still REAL Men

Tomorrow is the annual men's camping trip at our church. As I sat preparing some material to share, I was thinking about all the manly men in the Bible. These ordinary men accomplished extraordinary things when they allowed God to work through them.

I want to convey the message tomorrow that just because you are a Christian, that you don't have to stop being a real man. It seems that the unfortunate picture that has been painted of a Christian man is that of a "soft" man or a "sissy". We see the Sunday school bulletin boards of Jesus with long, wavy blond hair and blue eyes as He holds a sheep and is playing with children, but we forget that Jesus was a hard working carpenter, made a whip and drove the moneychangers & flee marketers out of the temple, stood up to and debated with the Pharisees, and then allowed His beaten, mutilated body to be murdered in public, on a tree.

Does being a Christian make you weak? No.
Does being the Godly leader of your family make you "soft"? No.
Do you have to stop having fun in order to serve God? No.
Do you have to be Mr. Nice Guy with a corporate haircut? No.

God created you like you are for a reason. There was a reason that Peter was outspoken, and there is a reason you were created like you were. Don't allow your manhood or personality to be watered down in order to fit into some preconceived notion that Christians aren't real men.

Why don't I respond?

This is something that has been bothering me for a while now. Why don't I respond to God's invitations? Why do I choose to ignore the wooing of the Holy Spirit?

This all came to head with me this past week. Sarah and I discussed it after our nightly devotionals and I was also troubled by it yesterday afternoon.

To put things in perspective, if Sarah Rae, my wife, was in the house calling for me, would I ignore her? If she was continually calling me on my cell phone, would I ignore the call? The answer to both questions is no. Sure, I may be busy or whatever, but I would answer her persistent calling. I would not be too busy to answer her. Would you ignore your screaming kid or persistent toddler?

Why then, do we do this to The Almighty God? Why do I put Him off when I know He is calling me? Its ridiculous. If the creator of the world, wants a minute with me, am I too important to sit with Him? Why do we ignore Him? Am I afraid of Him? Am I scared of what He might ask of me? Is my image of God so screwed up that I don't realize that all of His plans for me are good? What is the problem?

I am so thankful that Jesus wasn't too busy to answer the Father when He (God) asked Him (Jesus) to be betrayed and murdered for my sins. I'm glad God isn't too busy to hear my prayers and answer them in the manner He best sees fit. I'm glad the Holy Spirit isn't to prideful to deliver the words of God into my heart and spirit.

I hope that I am maturing in my faith. I hope that I'm better at responding that I used to be. Hopefully I'll be better at it tomorrow than I am today. I'm reminded of the following chorus. It is my prayer today that my family and all that read this, will embrace this and live this.

Father, I adore You
I lay my life before You
How I love You

Jesus, I adore You
I lay my life before You
How I love You

Spirit, I adore You
I lay my life before You
How I love You