Absolute Surrender

What limits God from working powerfully in our life is our lack of Absolute Surrender. We are the temple of God and God lives in us but He can only work powerfully in our life if we are totally surrendered to Him. What does this mean? Jesus demonstrated this through crucifixtion - a person crucifixed is in a position of total surrender with his arms open to God, facing one way alone without ability to turn back and having no other plans of his own. This is what God expects from us when He asks to die to ourselves - die to ourselves and completely surrender to God's plans.

John 12:23-26
Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

The more we focus on ourselves, the less impact our life will have and less fulfillment too as we are not living our God given purpose. If we look at the life cycle of any living being, the organism is focussed at reproducing the next generation and starts the process of replacing itself at it's prime. Everything living reproduces itself. A seed needs to die to produce more fruit and seed. We need to die to our agenda and pick up God's agenda. God's agenda is always to serve - to serve God by serving others.

The kind of serving we are expected to do involves direct contact like a seed to the ground. If the seed is not planted in the ground, then it shrivels and life inside the seed suffocates and dies. The only way to truly live, live life to the fullest, is to lose our life by giving it all to God and others. When we do this, we will find true life, our life will automatically have complete fullness, satisfaction and know that we are all that created us to be!

Let's stop living by self-will, self-confidence and self-effort. For the joy set before Jesus He endured the cross. The cross was the birthplace of His everlasting glory. Let us desire more of God and die to ourselves and allow God to work death to self so that we can have the fullness of life.
Hebrews 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Strength for the Journey

Life is a journey and sometimes we travel through green pastures and sometimes through parched desert areas. Where do we find strength for the journey especially in the dry and arid times? The psalmist continually states that God alone is our strength, refuge and consolation and that true strength is not found in our resources or even ourselves but only in God.

Psalm 84 especially brings this out so beautifully. When we feel drained and at the end of ourselves, God is there to refresh us and impart to us His strength.
Psalm 84:4-7
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

We can shift the valley experience also into a place of refreshing. It is up to us to do this. As the Psalm says, all we need to do is dwell in His presence and have our hearts set on Him as we journey through life. We need to go into His presence in worship, read and meditate on His word and wait on Him. We will then go from strength to strength and will not feel weary anymore. Isaiah too understood that God alone can be our everlasting source of strength as God does not grow tired or weary.
Isaiah 40:28-31
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Paul and Silas too were in a valley experience as they were falsely accused and jailed. They did not sit down and complain but they looked to God and started praising God. Soon all the other prisioners joined them and God’s strength was supernaturally imparted and a earthquake broke their chains loose, the jailer believed and was baptized and they were released the next morning. (Acts Chapter 16). The whole situation changed because Paul and Silas chose to tap into God’s strength in their time of need. That is why Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9 of God’s response to Paul’s prayer when he weak, “My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in your weakness”.

Are you discouraged? Are you tired and weary? You have the capacity to change the situation. Tap into God’s everlasting and undying strength and He will impart His strength to you. You will soon feel refreshed and grow from strength to strength and soar on wings like eagles!

Rest for our Soul

Our calling is not in struggling and striving to attain things. Our calling is to rest in God who has already completed His work for us. This is why Isaiah says “In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15). Salvation is by faith and simple trust in what God has accomplished for us and not by our work and striving. This principle also needs to be demonstrated in the way we live.

However, this does not mean that we do not have any work to do! Remember, even God worked for six days and then rested on the seventh day. We are to do our part and then rest and trust in what God will accomplish for us. There is no need to fret and worry as this will not accomplish much. Worry is telling God that we are not sure whether He will do His part. A farmer plants seed at the right time and also irrigates and fertilizes as necessary. Then the farmer rests and trusts in God for the seed to germinate, grow and produce fruit. The farmer knows that the seed will germinate if he has done all the right work. Similarly, we need to do the best that be done in any situation and then rest in God. We can trust God to come through because He can be trusted!

Mark 4:26-29
He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

Jesus invites us to come to Him and unburden ourselves and find rest for our souls. We are not meant to go through life carrying the heavy loads and feeling all weary and burdened. God wants to do all the weight lifting for us! When we stop striving and rest after we have done our part, we are acknowledging that God is able to come through for us and that He can be trusted!
Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Let’s do our best and then come ashore to Him and rest and trust in Him! He will do something beautiful while we rest..

Radical Identification, Radical Difference

The single most important characteristic of Christianity and Christians should be love, love that is pure with no ulterior motive, love that is unconditional. Malcolm Muggeridge once said, "That there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents is an antistatistical proposition". Jesus demonstrated such a love for people - valuing each person as someone precious to God. There was no pecking order, no hierarchy, there were not some he reserved better treatment for than others.

Jesus demonstrated love by truly identifying with everyone including the sick, the poor, the marginalized, the weak and the powerless. He reached out to everyone in genuine love and they opened up to him and He touched their lives in a profound way. He demonstrated that there is nothing more valuable than human life. Though He radically identified with people, He was not identical to them but was radically different. He was radically counter cultural and shocked the religious people of His day. This radical difference stemmed from the way He demonstrated holiness. To Jesus, holiness was not just a superficial, keep at arms distance external holiness but a holiness that was internal and made Him approachable. The problem is that often we equate holiness with things that are superficial and external and keep away from people, thus failing to identify with them.

Jesus calls us to radically identify with the world in love and at the same time to be radically different with the world in holiness. We need to ask ourselves: Is my life characterized by religious activity and piety or true love demonstrated to people with inward holiness?

Luke 7:36-50
Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."
Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Pride and Prejudice

Pride is a deadly sin. Pride is so concerned with the self image, always wanting to be well thought of, always wanting to be seen doing as what is considered as the right and proper thing. Pride puts the self above what it is really worth. Pride has to do with our thinking, either with the way we think of ourselves or in the way we have judgemental thoughts about others. God hates pride and God opposes the proud.
1 Peter 5:5
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

Humility is freedom from pride and arrogance and having a modest estimate of one's own worth, considering others better than ourselves. When we are humble, God will lift us up and there is no need for self promotion and trying so hard and as a result we are truly free!
James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Humility is total dependency on God. It is trusting God to do the right thing in your life at the right time in the right way. Patience is always seen in the humble while the proud will be impatient as they are unable to trust in God.

King Saul's life was characterized by impatience, wanting to be in control, concerned about his self image. In contrast, King David on the most part was always depending on God, seeking God's direction patiently and wanting God's will done in God's way. Saul was so full of himself while David walked in humility before his God. The result of their lives was so different - pride resulted in Saul's fall whereas David's humility resulted in him and his line being lifted up and David is still remembered as the greatest king of Israel and the line from which Jesus, the Messiah was born.

Humbling ourselves is as simple as making the decision to suppress our pride whenever it rears its ugly head and not blow our own horns and have the right attitude towards others. The Holy Spirit will help us in exhibiting this fruit in our lives as we walk in Christ. Jesus is the perfect example of humility..
Philippians 2: 5-11
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Core Motivation

What is your core motivation for living? This is the window to who you really are and what will drive you in your life. This will explain the things you pursue and why you do them.

Many of us have right intentions but intentions do not define us or shape us. It is our desires that define us. Desire is what will define the path that we take.
James 1:14-15
But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

The difference between the desires and intentions, whether they are godly or not can be seen in the lives of the Israelites and their leader Moses. Moses, was brought up in Pharoah's house and enjoyed a good life and was in the cream of Egpytian society. He had much entanglements with Egypt but his inner desire was not to pursue the world but to pursue God. He gave up all that Egypt offered to him, to do what God called him to do. On the other hand, the Israelites were under slavery in Egypt and had a harsh time but everytime they underwent any discomfort they longed to go back to Egpyt and grumbled against Moses and God. If anyone truly should have missed Egypt it should have been Moses as he was brought up in the best of the Egyptian world, but you never see Moses complain. He gladly gave up all that Egypt stood for and suffered so that he could know God more.

The difference between the Israelites and Moses was that the Israelites intended to follow God while Moses truly desired God above all else. The core motivation for Moses' life was knowing God and loving Him for who He was. The core motivation of the Israelites was to follow God only if God met their desires.

What is your core motivation? Are you in the Moses camp or the camp of the Israelites? What is driving you? What are you pursuing? Let us ask God that we may be like Moses, having desires just to know God and pursue Him for who He is.There is nothing compared to knowing Him.

Mark 8:34-35
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
Phil 3:7-8
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

Pitted, Potted and then 'Putted'

A character from the Bible that never fails to amaze and challenge me is Joseph. His life can be summarized in three words - Pitted, Potted and Putted.

As the 11th child of 12, he was his fathers favourite and did not have the wisdom to keep his mouth shut but boasted about the prominence that God will give him which was revealed to him in a series of dreams. Joseph's brothers were jealous and decided to kill him but his eldest brother Reuben intervened and they decided to put him in a pit instead. Thus he was pitted and later sold as a slave to the Midianites who then sold him to an Egyptian man named Potiphar.

In Potiphar's house Joseph did exceedingly well in everything he was given and Potiphar saw that God blessed everything that Joseph did and so he was put in charge of everything Potiphar had. Potiphar's wife made passes at Joseph and once grabbed him but he fled away but was wrongly accused of trying to rape her and was thrown in prison unjustly. He was thus potted. In prison, he helped interpret the dreams of the butler and the cup bearer but the cup bearer forgot him even after he was released. However, years later, the cup bearer remembered him when the Pharoah had a difficult dream that no one else could interpret. Joseph interpreted the dream and Pharoah was very impressed with Joseph that he was "putted" in a place of authority as the Prime Minister of Egypt!

Genesis 41:37-39
The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?"
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way!" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

When his brothers were faced with a famine, Joseph was kind and helped them to come to Egypt and settle, provided for their needs and forgave them and did not pay back for their treachery. Joseph always did the right thing.

Joseph faced adversity after adversity and came out shining. His own brothers dealt treacherously and sold him as a slave. He was unjustly accused by Potiphar's wife and spent years in prison and the cup bearer whom he helped forgot him. But through it all, he never complained, never became bitter but continued to pursue God and did whatever he could to bless others and at the right time, God lifted him up. Joseph learnt humility, patience, resilience, faithfulness, obedience and did not tire in doing the right thing even if it cost him dearly. It took God yrs to prepare Joseph for being the prime minister of Egypt though his interview with the king just lasted a few minutes!

God is preparing you and me for something special. He may want us to go through adversity so that we have the wisdom and life lessons to be mature for that special place. What is our attitude as we are pitted and potted? What is our heart condition towards God, others around us and even towards ourselves? Let's not discouraged but be steady and faithful no matter what the circumstance is and we are sure to see victory and reap a harvest of blessing soon!

Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
I Cor 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Amazing Grace

Grace is so often talked about.. but what is it? It is often misunderstood as the great cover up that God has given us. Sometimes we do the wrong thing and then ask forgivesness and call that God's grace. Yes, in a way, it is true. Grace is "God's unmerited favor" - even we deserve judgement, God looks upon us in love and forgives us and does not treat us as we deserve.

Psalm 103:8-12
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

However, grace has another meaning and it is "God's enabling power". It is by God's enabling power that we are transformed. It is by grace that we can do what God has called us to do, which is always more than what we normally or humanly can do.

When Moses was asked to lead the whole nation of Israel from Egypt, Moses said he humanly could not do it. His immediate response was that he was nobody (Ex 3:11), that no one will believe him (Ex 4:1), that he was not eloquent (Ex 4:10) and that it might be someone else who had the calling (Ex 4:13). We know that when Moses stepped out, God's enabling power helped him to successfully lead a million people out of Egypt towards the promised land!

We do not need to feel overwhelmed when God asks us to do something or when we see a need and feel the tug of God. It is not our ability but God's ability, His grace that will enable us to do God's work. Let us not stop doing something that God is tugging at our hearts to do by citing our weakness or our natural ability. Instead, let us depend on God's grace, which will enable to do more than we can in the natural!

This has been my experience. Everytime, I have stepped out of my comfort zone and simply obeyed God, I am able to do things by His supernatuaral enablement and God then prepares me for something bigger. It is exciting and adventurous to follow God! His Grace is always sufficient for me as His power is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Carpe Diem

I am reading Tony Campolo’s book with the above title. It means “Seize the day” in Latin. Often we don’t live but exist through each day, going through the motions and taking comfort in routine but all the time in quiet frustration. Tony challenges us that our call is not to exist as a living breathing apathetic human being but one who is fully alive, engaging with God, engaging with one another and engaging with the world we live in.

Tony is very much right in his analysis that apathy is one of the biggest problems of our generation. We live in a world that celebrates switching off and disengaging to live relaxing life styles that take us nowhere and leave us purposeless and empty. I remember being shocked some good fifteen years ago when my three old cousin whom I was babysitting woke up to declare that he was bored!

If Christ came to make all things new and make dead things alive, then this needs to be reflected in the way we live. Christ came not just to give us an eternal salvation somewhere in the future so that our future can be alive but Christ came so that in the NOW, in our everyday lives, we can have true joie de vivre and true meaning and purpose. This comes by being purposeful each day, in the way we engage with God, others and with the world.

Ephesians 2: 1-7
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

I need to say this to myself everyday: Am I fully alive? Am I engaged? Am I celebrating life?

Carpe Diem! Seize each day!

Is there meaning under the sun?

The book of Ecclesiastes poignantly describes the yearning of man to find meaning in life. King Solomon of Israel who penned this book was extremely wealthy, wise, had fame and indulged in pleasure to the extreme. Inspite of heady success, he did not find meaning in life in his wealth, wisdom, fame or pleasures. He says "everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." (Eccl 2:11). This angst is quite evident even in our contemporary society. People who have it all are perhaps some of the most miserable as evidenced in the tragic life of many celebrities. Did Solomon, the wise one have a conclusion about the true meaning in life? Yes, but before we go there, here is a lovely story I stumbled across a while ago.

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.

The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this". The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift." The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?".

There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?". Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?"
"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."
"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!" A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the collection!"
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."
"What about the paintings?"
"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!".

God gave his son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The son, the son, who'll take the son?" Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

Well, this was Solomon's conclusion too. He ends the book of Ecclesiastes saying that true meaning in life under the sun, is only when we have an above the sun perspective, that is having God in the picture. Everything under the sun has it's meaning, beauty, significance and joy only when we acknowledge God and have an above the sun perspective!

Eccl 12:13
Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.

Jesus says in John 10:10 (The Message)
I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

The Great Omission?

Well, we all know that before Jesus ascended to heaven post his resurrection, he gave a command to all Christians to “go into all the world and make disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20). What does this mean today especially given that all of us may not be able to go to the mission field? The call is not to be a mere believer who just studies God's word, believes and attends church but someone who is actively involved in the lives of others, discipling them in the things of God and His kingdom. We are not asked to be students who just want to know what the Master knows but to be disciples who do what the Master does.

Jesus said, the two fundamental tenets in Christianity are “to love God with all your heart and soul and mind” and “to love others as we love ourselves” (Luke 6:31-36). One thing that is often not recognized is that the two tenets are linked. Our love for God is always expressed as our love for others.
I John 3:16-18
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

The kind of love that we are asked to demonstrate to others is not a "warm-fuzzy" love which is only feeling and emotion. God is calling us to a love that is based on choice, choosing to care about another person’s welfare even if that person is not someone we would naturally gravitate to. This is not always comfortable and could cost us. Salvation is free but discipleship will cost us something.

It is important to demonstrate our love for others by actively making disciples for His kingdom. It is not an option but a command given to every believer. Many times we make a decision to do something for God after the things we are pursuing are settled. However, this is not what Jesus is calling us to. He wants us to be everyday disciples in the everyday context of life.
Luke 14:25-27 (The Message)
One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, "Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one's own self!—can't be my disciple. Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple.
Luke 14:33-34 (The Message)
"Simply put, if you're not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can't be my disciple.
"Salt is excellent. But if the salt goes flat, it's useless, good for nothing.
"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"

Imagine what the world would be like if every believer disciples a few, a few disciples could then go on to change a community, whole communities of disciples can then change nations and the world. Let’s make a conscious decision that we do not make the great Commission the great Omission in our lives.

Thy Word..

.. is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 119:11 “ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you”. Having God’s word hidden in our hearts is very important to stay on the right course in our walk with God and stay away from sin that so easily ensnares us. God’s word is our guiding light. There is no substitute for reading and meditating on God’s word and allowing it to renew our mind. Then in time of need, the Holy Spirit will remind us of God’s word that is applicable for our situation by providing guidance, admonition, encouragement, hope and wisdom.

In the Old Testament, God wrote the law on tablets of stone but now God writes His word on our hearts. The Word of God must enter us through our MIND—through our understanding—in order to change our hearts. Thus we are to meditate deeply on Scripture in order to understand it better, so that our hearts may be changed. Jesus is the word and the way to abide in Him like a branch to a vine, is to reflect daily on His word. According to Peter, one of our ongoing responsibilities is to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (2 Peter 3:18) and that we are to “make every effort to add to our faith goodness, and to goodness knowledge…” (2 Peter 1:5).

Indeed “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4).

Psalm 119: 9-16
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees.With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Right thinking -> Right living

When things are not going too well, we often wonder where we are going wrong. We all really want everything to go right in our life, however wanting to live right is not going to result in right living. A kingdom principle that we often forget is that we will reap what we sow, however we might be deceived into thinking otherwise as we may not see it work in the short term.
Here's a profound statement I read:
Sow a thought; reap an action
Sow an action; reap a habit
Sow a habit; reap a character
Sow a character; reap a destiny.

Making a practice of ignoring the still small voice of God and having the wrong attitude in the small things will result in an established pattern of wrongful thinking that will be destructive in the long run and will result in making bad choices when it comes to the big decisions in our lives. However, if we are faithful in the small things, doing everything in the right attitude and continually acting and obeying God as He reveals His will to us, we are making a life long habit of making the right choices and when it comes to making a big decision, we have the tools and wisdom to choose the right way. This is why Paul writes that God is not mocked and that we will reap what we sow....

Galatians 5: 7-10
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Reason..

Well, the reason to start blogging is to write down thoughts and have a place to come back to it... Sometimes I do think some great thoughts mostly when I am meditating on God's word or reading books and I lose it except for the rememberance that it was a great thought! This blog is a repository to come back to, to reflect, to pick back up on something thought of a while ago and be inspired, touched and directed all over again...