...without the moving of the Holy Spirit.
Speaking of congregational worship, we have replaced the moving of the Holy Spirit in our worship with moving lights and lyric backgrounds; not everywhere or in every church, but it is becoming a more and more popular scene. We have abandoned the essential requirement of the power of the Holy Spirit in us to worship God. King David so desperately knew that he needed the Holy Spirit in his life. Before Pentecost (Acts 1-3) the Holy Spirit was not commissioned to be the Helper for everyone who believed in the Messiah to come. He was a gift. Presently we have taken for granted the help of our God through His Spirit in us. We grieve Him and give not attention to His work or will in our lives. David knew that he needed the Spirit in order to have communion with God. He cried out to God in the Psalms,
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation,and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalms 51:10-12 ESV)
I think I've realized that I need to give up the effort on "getting people to worship" in my own strength. I can talk about God and how great He is until I'm blue in the face, but until I rely on the Holy Spirit to work in the praises of His people, I will get nowhere. Instead, I think now I will ask the Holy Spirit to do that for me. I will engage the Spirit during worship as an example to the congregation. I am a lead worshipper, not a worship leader (thanks to Matt Redman who coined that phrase in his book The Unquenchable Worshipper). I should be encouraging the congregation to engage the Holy Spirit with me. Worship is passionate, personal, precious communion with God.
I pray you see where I am coming from. Are light shows, extravagant lyric backgrounds, or even instruments necessary to engage the Holy Spirit in worship? No. Why then rely on them more than the Spirit Himself? I do not say this because I am completely against lights and backgrounds, but as an inspection into our own reasons and motives for worship.
To my fellow lead worshippers, engage the Holy Spirit as an example to your congregation. Remind them to engage the Holy Spirit. Don't rely on your talent or appearance (but don't neglect them either). Rely on the Holy Spirit.
To my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, engage in communion with the Holy Spirit. Don't rely on the music or stage settings to move you. The Holy Spirit is enough. We worship Him, not our experience.
Lastly, don't be quick to judge others. You don't know the hearts of men. Work on your own heart and it's problems. Just be aware of your reasons for worshipping.
Blessings,
Nick
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
You Say You Love God... But...
Do you love others?
I mean, do you love others as Christ as loved you? Do you love those who are poorer than you? Do you love those who aren't as healthy as you? Do you love those that the world despises? Do you love those that don't measure up to the standard of you morality?
Face it, Christian, do you love the least? Do you serve them? Do you show them the love that Christ has shown you? If not, then why do you call yourself a Christian if you don't do to others what Christ has done to you? Do you think you are more important than the least? More righteous than the immoral? Too high class to pay attention to the lowest class? Do you think you are better than those who don't believe what you believe? Where is the love of Christ?
A preacher once said, "The church today is largely sleeping. It's like a great bedroom, and all the Christians are saying, 'Please don't wake me up! I want to keep on sleeping!'" The majority of what we call the church today is unaware of the dire necessity for the love and compassion of Christ that needs to be shown to the world; not only to each other but also to the world! We go around judging and condemning each other and the world when we should be encouraging each other and sharing the Gospel (in both speech and proof of action) with the world. Quit condemning each other over trite issues. Quit condemning the lost who are already condemned. Christ didn't come into the world to condemn the world. He came to save it! It is His right and duty alone to judge when He returns. So quit your condemnation. Quit your self-righteous attitudes. Quit your high and mighty prideful love for yourself. Start loving others the way Christ would have you do!
Mark Cahill, a man I would call a "reality is the motive" speaker, says "Engage the culture, or it will engage you!" He understands that we need to not shelter ourselves from the world and engage the world as Christ did. We need to go out into the world and reach sinners with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mark shares the love of Christ in places with people that most Christians would detest. He gives them the Gospel and loves them with God's love. He engages them as Christ would have. Why? Because he knows that this is the mission Christ as called us to engage in. Mark not only says he loves God but his actions show it.
If God is precious to you, the things that are precious to God become precious to you. So if you say you love God and don't love your fellow Christian or someone who is lost, can you really say you love God? God hates sin and He hates sinners (Psalm 105), but He still to chose to love them and give them a way to be made reconciled to Him. Will you choose to love others, Christian or not, the way Christ has loved you?
There are two things I want to clarify before this blog entry ends. First, to love your fellow Christian does not mean look past their sin. It means to encourage, exhort, and carry each others burdens; and it means to call them out on sin in compassion and meekness. Second, to love a person who is not a Christian does not mean you legitimate their lifestyle, nor does it mean you give them approval of their sin. If you are legitimating their lifestyle and approving their sin, you don't understand sin and why it is wrong. It is your job to show them love and compassion, and not compromise the Gospel in doing so. Remember that you used to be an enemy of God as they are now so don't put your nose up at them. If it weren't for God's grace, you would still be in their position.
If you love God, you will love your fellow man. Simple as that. If you say you love God but don't love your fellow man, rethink your pride and humble yourself before God. Ask Him to give you a love for those He loves. Put your worship of God into action. Remember that we love because He first loved us.
Blessings,
Nick
I mean, do you love others as Christ as loved you? Do you love those who are poorer than you? Do you love those who aren't as healthy as you? Do you love those that the world despises? Do you love those that don't measure up to the standard of you morality?
Face it, Christian, do you love the least? Do you serve them? Do you show them the love that Christ has shown you? If not, then why do you call yourself a Christian if you don't do to others what Christ has done to you? Do you think you are more important than the least? More righteous than the immoral? Too high class to pay attention to the lowest class? Do you think you are better than those who don't believe what you believe? Where is the love of Christ?
A preacher once said, "The church today is largely sleeping. It's like a great bedroom, and all the Christians are saying, 'Please don't wake me up! I want to keep on sleeping!'" The majority of what we call the church today is unaware of the dire necessity for the love and compassion of Christ that needs to be shown to the world; not only to each other but also to the world! We go around judging and condemning each other and the world when we should be encouraging each other and sharing the Gospel (in both speech and proof of action) with the world. Quit condemning each other over trite issues. Quit condemning the lost who are already condemned. Christ didn't come into the world to condemn the world. He came to save it! It is His right and duty alone to judge when He returns. So quit your condemnation. Quit your self-righteous attitudes. Quit your high and mighty prideful love for yourself. Start loving others the way Christ would have you do!
Mark Cahill, a man I would call a "reality is the motive" speaker, says "Engage the culture, or it will engage you!" He understands that we need to not shelter ourselves from the world and engage the world as Christ did. We need to go out into the world and reach sinners with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mark shares the love of Christ in places with people that most Christians would detest. He gives them the Gospel and loves them with God's love. He engages them as Christ would have. Why? Because he knows that this is the mission Christ as called us to engage in. Mark not only says he loves God but his actions show it.
If God is precious to you, the things that are precious to God become precious to you. So if you say you love God and don't love your fellow Christian or someone who is lost, can you really say you love God? God hates sin and He hates sinners (Psalm 105), but He still to chose to love them and give them a way to be made reconciled to Him. Will you choose to love others, Christian or not, the way Christ has loved you?
There are two things I want to clarify before this blog entry ends. First, to love your fellow Christian does not mean look past their sin. It means to encourage, exhort, and carry each others burdens; and it means to call them out on sin in compassion and meekness. Second, to love a person who is not a Christian does not mean you legitimate their lifestyle, nor does it mean you give them approval of their sin. If you are legitimating their lifestyle and approving their sin, you don't understand sin and why it is wrong. It is your job to show them love and compassion, and not compromise the Gospel in doing so. Remember that you used to be an enemy of God as they are now so don't put your nose up at them. If it weren't for God's grace, you would still be in their position.
If you love God, you will love your fellow man. Simple as that. If you say you love God but don't love your fellow man, rethink your pride and humble yourself before God. Ask Him to give you a love for those He loves. Put your worship of God into action. Remember that we love because He first loved us.
Blessings,
Nick
Friday, November 25, 2011
Quit Complaining... God Doesn't Have to Explain
Many people think they are entitled to an explanation from God about everything that happens to them in their life. They think that God is responsible to them; that He has to tell them everything because He owes it to them. After all, the Bible says that all things work together for good for Christians. So why shouldn't I get an explanation about what goes on in my life? I find this to be a funny concept because God doesn't talk to us in audible voice (not to say He can't, He just usually doesn't since we have the Bible to guide us now) so why would we expect an answer from Him as if He is going to speak to us like that? I think it's better to say that people want everything to happen to them in such a way that they can make reason of it in their own logic. Otherwise you have to rely in faith that God is working everything out, and why would a Christian want to do that [insert sarcasm]?
We complain all the time about our circumstances: "Why am I going through this?", "Why would God let this happen to me?", "I wish my life was easier.", "God, what in the world is going on here?"... Look at the actions of Job after he lost his livestock and children:
"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." (Job 1:20-22, ESV)
How many of us would have this response to losing our children and wealth? What did Job know that caused him to have this response? That answer is simple. Job knew that God owned his life and all that had been given to him. He knew that God could give and take whatever He wanted from him. After all, we came into this world with nothing and we will leave with nothing. Everything given to us is a gift from God so don't find Him at fault when something is taken from you; whether it be a possession or loved one. Job went through a lot more than what 99% of us will ever go though, but he still praised the Lord through it all. So my question to you is:
Will you trust God as Job trusted Him?
Trusting God means understanding that He is in control. It means not complaining about how you think things should be. It means giving your own logic and understanding a break and letting God work things out for a change (all you worrywarts out there...). Isn't God bigger than all your problems? Don't you think He can handle minor details in the universe? After all, He did speak it into existence.
I'll leave you with what Paul told the Philippians:
"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all." (Philippians 2:14-17, ESV)
Worship God today knowing He is in control.
Blessings,
Nick
We complain all the time about our circumstances: "Why am I going through this?", "Why would God let this happen to me?", "I wish my life was easier.", "God, what in the world is going on here?"... Look at the actions of Job after he lost his livestock and children:
"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." (Job 1:20-22, ESV)
How many of us would have this response to losing our children and wealth? What did Job know that caused him to have this response? That answer is simple. Job knew that God owned his life and all that had been given to him. He knew that God could give and take whatever He wanted from him. After all, we came into this world with nothing and we will leave with nothing. Everything given to us is a gift from God so don't find Him at fault when something is taken from you; whether it be a possession or loved one. Job went through a lot more than what 99% of us will ever go though, but he still praised the Lord through it all. So my question to you is:
Will you trust God as Job trusted Him?
Trusting God means understanding that He is in control. It means not complaining about how you think things should be. It means giving your own logic and understanding a break and letting God work things out for a change (all you worrywarts out there...). Isn't God bigger than all your problems? Don't you think He can handle minor details in the universe? After all, He did speak it into existence.
I'll leave you with what Paul told the Philippians:
"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all." (Philippians 2:14-17, ESV)
Worship God today knowing He is in control.
Blessings,
Nick
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Praising God in the Unexpected
This past week I was involved in a pretty bad car accident. I was leaving a stop sign on my turn and another car ran its stop sign t-boning me at 50mph. We traveled about 30 feet from where the impact occurred. My first thought after everything stopped moving was "Thank You, Jesus!" I was still alive and not badly injured! My truck is totaled and I'm pretty beat up, but I'm still alive and walking.
Having a relationship with God with the understanding that I can praise Him in the good and bad times is a wonderful thing. When the bad times roll around I know that He is on my side and will protect me as He sees fit. So why get mad at the situation and God when He is in control. If I was supposed to die that day, or at least be seriously injured, it would have still been in His control. Praise Him that I am okay!
My question for you is:
Will you find reason to praise God and make an effort to see the good in any given situation?
It will test your faith. If your faith is weak, ask God to make it stronger. He would be more than happy to help you. If your faith is strong, press on and keep letting your life point to Him for all the world to see.
Blessings,
Nick
Having a relationship with God with the understanding that I can praise Him in the good and bad times is a wonderful thing. When the bad times roll around I know that He is on my side and will protect me as He sees fit. So why get mad at the situation and God when He is in control. If I was supposed to die that day, or at least be seriously injured, it would have still been in His control. Praise Him that I am okay!
My question for you is:
Will you find reason to praise God and make an effort to see the good in any given situation?
It will test your faith. If your faith is weak, ask God to make it stronger. He would be more than happy to help you. If your faith is strong, press on and keep letting your life point to Him for all the world to see.
Blessings,
Nick
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Why don't people worship?
As a worship leader, I have trouble wrestling with the fact that some people just don't want to worship. They don't want to sing or lift their hands in praise and adoration to God. Now that doesn't mean they are less of a Christian than the person next to them who is singing their heart out and raising their hands because the person next to them may just be there under pretense. Although I do think that a person's understanding of doctrine immensely influences the response of a person to God through music (and life, but I want to focus specifically on musical praise to God). As a worship leader, I can do all I can to make the environment perfect for an emotional drawing of a person, but without understanding great doctrine (like who God is, the Gospel, regeneration by the Spirit, the sinful state of man, grace, mercy, redemption, adoption of the children of God, etc.) we have nothing to base our praise and adoration of God on (this is a perfect reason to sing songs that have deep, meaningful doctrine).
Too much effort is being placed on making the environment the main influence to help people praise God. There are moving lights, laser lights, fog machines, animated slides for lyrics, and rockin' bands with sweet guitar licks and drum solos. Are these wrong to implement into a worship service? No, but if they are the main instrument used to influence people to worship, then yes, it is wrong. Are we worshipping, praising, and adoring God or the coolness of the environment?
My fellow Christian leaders, If we are not teaching our brothers and sisters about how great our God is, they will never be able to worship Him! If we never elaborate on the person and characteristics of God, how can they worship Him? If we put most of our focus the environment influencing the people, how is that not robbing them of praising God? How is that not robbing God of praise? No wonder the people don't worship and complain when the worship service wasn't perfect or wasn't exciting enough! Teach them of the greatness of God! Teach them of His holiness, His righteousness, His justice, His love, His grace, His mercy, His faithfulness, His patience, His kindness, His beauty, His majesty, His authority, His power, His wrath, His making a way for people to escape that wrath through Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and the list goes on and on! Understand that it is not the environment that causes people to worship God. It is the relationship they have with Him that causes them to worship. God isn't impressed by our feeble attempts at making worship look cool. His delight is in the worship-filled, praise-filled hearts of His people that adore Him. If we don't teach this to the Church, they will never know what the purpose of worship is. They will never come to the understanding that musical worship is not about how cool everything looks or how entertaining it's supposed to be.
Brothers and sisters, God is great and mighty. He is a fortress of strength and power. His authority knows no boundaries. His wrath is infinite against sin, but His love, grace, and mercy are infinite towards those in Christ. He is forever our King and Friend. He will forever be our Savior. He never stops interceding for us all day and night. He never stops carrying us through our struggles. He never stops holding us when we are weak. He never restricts His hand of mercy upon us. He never ceases to be great! He never ceases to be majestic! He never ceases to be holy! He never ceases to be righteous! He never ceases to have control over all of His creation! Who is like our God!
Who is like our God!
So why don't people worship? Because they don't realize the greatness of their God. They don't sing songs magnifying the greatness Him, songs that tell of who He is and what He has done. Leaders, take your people to the throne of God and leave them in utter amazement and awe of Him.
Blessings,
Nick
Too much effort is being placed on making the environment the main influence to help people praise God. There are moving lights, laser lights, fog machines, animated slides for lyrics, and rockin' bands with sweet guitar licks and drum solos. Are these wrong to implement into a worship service? No, but if they are the main instrument used to influence people to worship, then yes, it is wrong. Are we worshipping, praising, and adoring God or the coolness of the environment?
My fellow Christian leaders, If we are not teaching our brothers and sisters about how great our God is, they will never be able to worship Him! If we never elaborate on the person and characteristics of God, how can they worship Him? If we put most of our focus the environment influencing the people, how is that not robbing them of praising God? How is that not robbing God of praise? No wonder the people don't worship and complain when the worship service wasn't perfect or wasn't exciting enough! Teach them of the greatness of God! Teach them of His holiness, His righteousness, His justice, His love, His grace, His mercy, His faithfulness, His patience, His kindness, His beauty, His majesty, His authority, His power, His wrath, His making a way for people to escape that wrath through Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and the list goes on and on! Understand that it is not the environment that causes people to worship God. It is the relationship they have with Him that causes them to worship. God isn't impressed by our feeble attempts at making worship look cool. His delight is in the worship-filled, praise-filled hearts of His people that adore Him. If we don't teach this to the Church, they will never know what the purpose of worship is. They will never come to the understanding that musical worship is not about how cool everything looks or how entertaining it's supposed to be.
Brothers and sisters, God is great and mighty. He is a fortress of strength and power. His authority knows no boundaries. His wrath is infinite against sin, but His love, grace, and mercy are infinite towards those in Christ. He is forever our King and Friend. He will forever be our Savior. He never stops interceding for us all day and night. He never stops carrying us through our struggles. He never stops holding us when we are weak. He never restricts His hand of mercy upon us. He never ceases to be great! He never ceases to be majestic! He never ceases to be holy! He never ceases to be righteous! He never ceases to have control over all of His creation! Who is like our God!
Who is like our God!
So why don't people worship? Because they don't realize the greatness of their God. They don't sing songs magnifying the greatness Him, songs that tell of who He is and what He has done. Leaders, take your people to the throne of God and leave them in utter amazement and awe of Him.
Blessings,
Nick
Monday, November 7, 2011
Significance of Being "Born Again"
"[Nicodemus] came to Jesus by night and said to [Jesus], 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.' Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'” (John 3:2-3 ESV)
After reading today's entry you will walk away encouraged, convicted, or angry. All I ask that you please read the entire entry before tossing it aside.
The term "born again" has been criticized and scoffed at since Jesus first said it to Nicodemus. Nicodemus replied to Jesus saying, "How can a man go back into his mother's womb?" because didn't understand the significance of what Jesus just said to him. Even most of the world today doesn't understand what it means to be "born again". Some people make the term "born again" a derogatory term. They use it to put down and make fun of Christians. We must be encouraged when talked to this way even in the worst circumstance because Jesus said that the world will persecute us because it hates Jesus. Those who haven't been born again are enemies of God and Christians; you can see it in their words and actions towards us. The Bible says that even though they are our spiritual enemies we are to show love to then and turn the other cheek. We have to remember that they don't understand the things of the God or the Bible because they aren't born again. Do not be hostile to those who show hostility to you, but instead show them love.. the love that has been shown to you through the Savior. Now some even use an excuse to side-step being born again. They say "If God made me this way, why should I live any other way?". This excuse comes from a love of sin and a misunderstanding of the inherent sin of humanity. Since the time Adam and Eve sinned, all of humanity inherited a sinful nature that is in complete opposition to God in all of its will and desire. There is not one person (except for Jesus) who hasn't been born without a sinful nature. So to say that they were born with sinful desires because God made them that way is a false statement. They were born that way because sin made them that way. It is my personal belief that everyone is born not only with a sinful nature but a sinful nature that is prone to certain sins: lies, theft, lust, sex, homosexuality, envy, hatred, murder, lewdness, rebellion, and the list goes on. Our sinful nature is putrid to God. It is of the utmost stench and depravity to Him. This is why we must be born again. Those who do not understand the gravity of their sin only view being "born again" as mechanism or behavior control. Why then would they want to give up what feels so natural for them?
Now what does it mean to be born again?
Being born again is the epitome of a person's life on this side of eternity. It is at that point when a person comes out from under the condemnation of God and is put under the mercy and grace of God, by having their sins forgiven through faith in Christ and being set apart from the rest of sinful humanity. It is the point at which a person's spirit is awakened by God so that he may come into a relationship with God. At this point a person is given a new heart with new desires that hates sin and wants to do things that please God. From this point a person begins to conform to the image of Christ through sanctification (setting apart of one's life from sin and the ways of the world). All of this is attained when a person puts their faith in Christ alone for His righteousness (perfection) alone in place of their unrighteousness (sin or imperfection) apart from any works trying to earn righteousness. The significance of being born again is foundational to salvation. Without it, you can pretend to be a Christian all you want or you can even deny God completely and try to just be a good person, but you will go to hell in the end because of your sin. Christ commanded that you must be born again and He made the way to be born again. So why wait? Have you been born again? If not, throw yourself on the mercy of God today, lay all of your sin at the cross, leave all of your sin behind you, and trust that Christ paid for your sin so you could be granted His righteousness and find favor with God. Once you are born again God will never again have His hand of infinite wrath and condemnation against you. It will be his hand of infinite love filled with grace and mercy!
Let us thank God today for giving us a second birth through Christ. What a great and marvelous God we have!
Blessings,
Nick
After reading today's entry you will walk away encouraged, convicted, or angry. All I ask that you please read the entire entry before tossing it aside.
The term "born again" has been criticized and scoffed at since Jesus first said it to Nicodemus. Nicodemus replied to Jesus saying, "How can a man go back into his mother's womb?" because didn't understand the significance of what Jesus just said to him. Even most of the world today doesn't understand what it means to be "born again". Some people make the term "born again" a derogatory term. They use it to put down and make fun of Christians. We must be encouraged when talked to this way even in the worst circumstance because Jesus said that the world will persecute us because it hates Jesus. Those who haven't been born again are enemies of God and Christians; you can see it in their words and actions towards us. The Bible says that even though they are our spiritual enemies we are to show love to then and turn the other cheek. We have to remember that they don't understand the things of the God or the Bible because they aren't born again. Do not be hostile to those who show hostility to you, but instead show them love.. the love that has been shown to you through the Savior. Now some even use an excuse to side-step being born again. They say "If God made me this way, why should I live any other way?". This excuse comes from a love of sin and a misunderstanding of the inherent sin of humanity. Since the time Adam and Eve sinned, all of humanity inherited a sinful nature that is in complete opposition to God in all of its will and desire. There is not one person (except for Jesus) who hasn't been born without a sinful nature. So to say that they were born with sinful desires because God made them that way is a false statement. They were born that way because sin made them that way. It is my personal belief that everyone is born not only with a sinful nature but a sinful nature that is prone to certain sins: lies, theft, lust, sex, homosexuality, envy, hatred, murder, lewdness, rebellion, and the list goes on. Our sinful nature is putrid to God. It is of the utmost stench and depravity to Him. This is why we must be born again. Those who do not understand the gravity of their sin only view being "born again" as mechanism or behavior control. Why then would they want to give up what feels so natural for them?
Now what does it mean to be born again?
Being born again is the epitome of a person's life on this side of eternity. It is at that point when a person comes out from under the condemnation of God and is put under the mercy and grace of God, by having their sins forgiven through faith in Christ and being set apart from the rest of sinful humanity. It is the point at which a person's spirit is awakened by God so that he may come into a relationship with God. At this point a person is given a new heart with new desires that hates sin and wants to do things that please God. From this point a person begins to conform to the image of Christ through sanctification (setting apart of one's life from sin and the ways of the world). All of this is attained when a person puts their faith in Christ alone for His righteousness (perfection) alone in place of their unrighteousness (sin or imperfection) apart from any works trying to earn righteousness. The significance of being born again is foundational to salvation. Without it, you can pretend to be a Christian all you want or you can even deny God completely and try to just be a good person, but you will go to hell in the end because of your sin. Christ commanded that you must be born again and He made the way to be born again. So why wait? Have you been born again? If not, throw yourself on the mercy of God today, lay all of your sin at the cross, leave all of your sin behind you, and trust that Christ paid for your sin so you could be granted His righteousness and find favor with God. Once you are born again God will never again have His hand of infinite wrath and condemnation against you. It will be his hand of infinite love filled with grace and mercy!
Let us thank God today for giving us a second birth through Christ. What a great and marvelous God we have!
Blessings,
Nick
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Circumstances Around Us
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. (Philippians 4:4 ESV)
Our moods and attitudes are substantially influenced by what is going on around us. If something good is happening or life seems to be going well, we tend to be happy. If something bad is happening or if life is tougher than it used to be, we tend to be sad or get angry. Moods can change in an instant and they are constantly fluctuating day in and day out like the waves of the sea. What then do we do with verse at the top of this blog entry? How can we maintain our objective to rejoice in the Lord always when the circumstances around us are trying to suppress enjoyment of and in God? How is it possible to have a joy that doesn't change with circumstances that seem to have an irresistible influence on our lives?
True, constant joy isn't a magic feeling that makes everything bad going on around you disappear. It's not a drug that numbs the pain of life's hardships and trials. True joy is a mindset that comes from an understanding of who God is and what He has done. It is a realization of God being bigger than and in control of any and every circumstance in our lives. It is a constant that cannot be removed as long as we continue to remember who God is and what he has done for us.
Life is tough. We all know that. There are crummy circumstances all around us. Sometimes they aren't so bad, but sometimes they are above and beyond what we think we can handle. It's during those times that we either blame God or rejoice in Him. When we have the joy of Lord we can rejoice in Him no matter what is going on because He is in control. If employment is lost, we have the hope that God will provide. If a loved one passes away, we have hope that we will live forever in eternity. If someone sins against us, we have the ability and love to forgive that person because we know how much God has forgiven us. There are so many situations in life that try to put out the flame of our joy in the Lord, but in all reality God's love for us can never be extinguished. Why? Because the promise of salvation to those who have received it will never be taken away and the grace that He gives to us everyday will never run short. Understand this, Christian! God is sufficient through all your crummy circumstances. His strength is made perfect in your weakness. He will never leave us or forsake us. His promises are too great for us to not rejoice in Him in every circumstance of life.
It's easy to rejoice in the good times, but it's the hard times that show us if we are really rejoicing for the right reasons. Who is like our God! What compares to the marvelous things He has done! How can we not rejoice in Him all the days of our lives?
We do not worship a god made with hands. We do not worship a god reliant upon the strength of man. We do not worship a god who is weak and unable to give us grace to deal with the circumstances of our lives. We worship the God who spoke everything into existence. We worship the God who makes promises and keeps them. We worship the God who became a man to rescue wretched sinners from their sin. We worship the God whose glory and majesty cannot be compared with. We worship the God who is bigger than all our problems. We worship the God who wants us to help carry our burdens.
Don't reduce God to a list of human capabilities. He is infinitely powerful and in control of the universe. Rejoice in that God and all the problems of this life will seem trivial in comparison. He is our Helper, our Counselor, our Friend. He is the King of the universe.
Rejoice in the Lord always! Again, O say, rejoice!
Blessings,
Nick
Our moods and attitudes are substantially influenced by what is going on around us. If something good is happening or life seems to be going well, we tend to be happy. If something bad is happening or if life is tougher than it used to be, we tend to be sad or get angry. Moods can change in an instant and they are constantly fluctuating day in and day out like the waves of the sea. What then do we do with verse at the top of this blog entry? How can we maintain our objective to rejoice in the Lord always when the circumstances around us are trying to suppress enjoyment of and in God? How is it possible to have a joy that doesn't change with circumstances that seem to have an irresistible influence on our lives?
True, constant joy isn't a magic feeling that makes everything bad going on around you disappear. It's not a drug that numbs the pain of life's hardships and trials. True joy is a mindset that comes from an understanding of who God is and what He has done. It is a realization of God being bigger than and in control of any and every circumstance in our lives. It is a constant that cannot be removed as long as we continue to remember who God is and what he has done for us.
Life is tough. We all know that. There are crummy circumstances all around us. Sometimes they aren't so bad, but sometimes they are above and beyond what we think we can handle. It's during those times that we either blame God or rejoice in Him. When we have the joy of Lord we can rejoice in Him no matter what is going on because He is in control. If employment is lost, we have the hope that God will provide. If a loved one passes away, we have hope that we will live forever in eternity. If someone sins against us, we have the ability and love to forgive that person because we know how much God has forgiven us. There are so many situations in life that try to put out the flame of our joy in the Lord, but in all reality God's love for us can never be extinguished. Why? Because the promise of salvation to those who have received it will never be taken away and the grace that He gives to us everyday will never run short. Understand this, Christian! God is sufficient through all your crummy circumstances. His strength is made perfect in your weakness. He will never leave us or forsake us. His promises are too great for us to not rejoice in Him in every circumstance of life.
It's easy to rejoice in the good times, but it's the hard times that show us if we are really rejoicing for the right reasons. Who is like our God! What compares to the marvelous things He has done! How can we not rejoice in Him all the days of our lives?
We do not worship a god made with hands. We do not worship a god reliant upon the strength of man. We do not worship a god who is weak and unable to give us grace to deal with the circumstances of our lives. We worship the God who spoke everything into existence. We worship the God who makes promises and keeps them. We worship the God who became a man to rescue wretched sinners from their sin. We worship the God whose glory and majesty cannot be compared with. We worship the God who is bigger than all our problems. We worship the God who wants us to help carry our burdens.
Don't reduce God to a list of human capabilities. He is infinitely powerful and in control of the universe. Rejoice in that God and all the problems of this life will seem trivial in comparison. He is our Helper, our Counselor, our Friend. He is the King of the universe.
Rejoice in the Lord always! Again, O say, rejoice!
Blessings,
Nick
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