Sharing Your Faith Part 3

Good Afternoon Readers!

I am very excited about going to GC Crew tonight. I hope that you all will be there at 7pm. I am looking forward to seeing all of your happy, smiling, transformed faces! I love seeing and feeling the joy of the Lord at our church. I feel so blessed that God placed me here in Killeen to be able to be a part of what He is doing at Grace Christian Center. I am very happy that you found your way there too! I don't think some of you that have lived here your whole lives realize how lucky you are to have such an amazing church in your town. It is not often that you see so much time and energy put into youth programs. You all are very blessed indeed, and I pray that you come tonight to take part in that blessing. I know Pastor Erik has a good word for you tonight too!

So have you been practicing love in your life? Have you been obeying God's word, seeking him, and being transformed by Him? I pray that you have. I want so much for all of you to live the life that God has intended for those that obey and love Him. Let's dig again today into God's word to learn more about sharing our faith with others.

Please open your bibles to Luke 10:1-12. Take a moment to read the passages now. Because we are going over a larger portion of text, I will not be writing out the verses here. If you do not have a bible handy, you can use the internet to look up and access a bible online. Read on when you have finished.

Luke 10:1-2

In these verses Jesus sends out 72 people ahead of Him to the towns He was about to visit. Notice in these verses that Jesus sent out these people in pairs. It says that they went out two by two, meaning that they traveled with a partner. In verse two we see that the reason they are sent is because there is a harvest that is ready and yet there are no workers to collect the harvest. The harvest here refers to the people in these towns that are ready to hear the word of God. These are people whose hearts are open to hearing and learning about God. Jesus says that there are not enough workers to go out into the fields and to tell people the good news about God.

Luke 10:3-4

Jesus says that He is sending these people out as lambs among wolves. He knows that there are a lot of people that are bent on destroying the word of God and the spread of God's good news. Jesus says for them to not travel with bags, purses, or sandals and that they should not greet anyone on the road. I wonder if this is for safety reasons. I can imagine that Jesus does not want them to get attacked on the road or mugged. I think Jesus knew the people that were ready to hear about God, and that the people on the street weren't them!

Luke 10:5-7

Here Jesus instructs the travelers on where they should stay. Jesus says that if a "son of peace" is there... The "son of peace" refers to a believer. Jesus wanted them to stay in the house of someone who believe in Him and would provide the workers with food and shelter.

Luke 10:8-12

Jesus tells them to enter into the towns that welcome them. The towns that are welcoming are the places where they can eat, spend time with the sick, and even heal the sick in Jesus' name. They are there to tell the people in the town that the kingdom of God is near, that Jesus is in the world and that He is on His way to their town.

However, if the workers come to a town that is not welcoming, they are to brush the dust from that town off their feet. In other words, they are to have nothing to do with that wicked town and shouldn't bring any part of that town back with them. Notice here that Jesus still wants them to warn the town that the kingdom of God is near, but they will not perform miracles in this town.

The commands that Jesus gave to these 72 are still the same rules we should follow as we share the good news of Christ. We should share our faith in pairs. Why do you think Jesus wants us to tell people about Him in teams? Think about that for a moment and come up with your own answer.

Jesus wants us to share our faith in teams so that we will be accountable and responsible to someone else. There is safety and security in numbers in many aspects of this life and sharing God is one of them. Think about it...What if someone asks you a question that you aren't sure the answer to? If no one is with you, you may be tempted to make up an answer, or just to guess. If you have someone else with you they may know the answer or can help you find it. This is just one example of what can happen if you go about sharing your faith alone.

Remember that Jesus told his workers not to stop and talk to people on the road? It is because He already had certain places in mind for His workers to go. God is still the same today. We need to trust God to lead us into the places and to the people that are ready to hear about Him. The Holy Spirit needs to go before us and open and soften people's hearts and minds before we can share our faith and knowledge. Pray that God will lead you to the right people and give you the right opportunities to share your faith.

Remember that people need the Lord. Don't be afraid to let God use you, but always wait for the right opportunity and always share with love.

I am looking forward to seeing all of you in a few hours. Until tonight...God Bless!

Sharing Your Faith Part 2

Good Afternoon Readers!

I hope this blog finds you well. I am enjoying my summer and I hope you are too. The weather has been typically-Texas-hot lately and I'm loving it! How about you? Have you been going to the beach, swimming in the pool, taking bicycle rides around the neighborhood? I hope so. Enjoy your time off of school and being with your friends. School is rapidly approaching!

Have you had any opportunities to share your faith this week? In my last blog I talked about why God views sharing our faith as important. I hope you learned something from that blog. I pray that your heart has softened a little more towards those that are lost and need Him. Remember, we have all been there before. Remember when you were lost? Aren't you glad God pursued you and used people in your life to direct you to Him? I know I am.

Today we are going to read more in the book of Luke. Let's turn our hearts towards God today and allow Him to touch us. Please open your bibles to Luke 10:25-27. Take a moment to read these three verses.

Luke 10:25-27

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” So he answered and said, “ You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

Just like in the last passage we read together, there is someone in the audience that is questioning Jesus' teaching. This lawyer is trying to find out how he can be saved and have everlasting life. Its like he is asking Jesus how he can get the living water that Pastor Erik was throwing off the stage last week. Jesus answers him with a question. He asks the lawyer what the word of God says. The lawyer answers that it says to love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

This seems like such a simple answer to the complicated question that so many people are wondering about, "Where will I go when I die? How will I know that I will make it to heaven?" The answer seems simple because it is! That is the beauty of our God and of our faith. Did you realize that every other religion and faith teaches that there is something that a person must do to make it to heaven or to acquire happiness in the afterlife? Christianity is the only faith that teaches that you can not obtain heaven through works. There is nothing that you can do to make it to heaven. Nothing! Well, there is one simple thing, and that is what this passage is all about. All you need to do is love the Lord your God with everything that you have. If you love God with everything then you have believed and trusted that He sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for your sins. If you love God with your whole heart, mind, and soul then you want to obey Him. If you love God with everything you have then you will live forever with Him in paradise. Its so simple, its so beautiful and wouldn't you know it is the one truth that the enemy tries to distort everywhere in the world?

So what does any of this have to do with sharing our faith? Think about the implications! Here Jesus is giving an answer to the most important question you will ever ask in your life. The answer is given so simply and in the same breath as this simple command..."Love your neighbor as yourself." To me if this command is linked in with the answer to my salvation, then I know it must be important. I know from the passages in my previous blog that God views the lost as very important indeed. I also now know that my love for others is linked into the basis of my faith. Not only am I commanded to love God with everything I have, but also to love others as I love myself.

How do we love ourselves? Answering that question will give us insight into what God wants us to do for others. Well, I feed myself, clean myself, dress myself, educate myself, etc. These are all physical needs that contribute to my physical well-being. I also care about where I am going to spend eternity. I seek out God and want to learn more about Him because I care what happens to me in the moment that I take my last breath. I want to know that when I close my eyes for the very last time that I will be in the presence of God. Undoubtedly you love yourself the same way or you wouldn't even be reading this blog right now! So, do you love others in the same way? Can you honestly say that you care about the people you work with, your friends, your family, or a complete stranger on the side of the road the same way that you care for yourself? If you do not, then it is time you and I both realized that we are called to do that.

So how do we share Jesus with those that are different from us? What about those people that are from a different culture, race, or religious background? Well, Jesus has answered that for us in this verse. We can share Jesus with different people by putting God first in our lives and by treating others the way we would want to be treated. Before you open your mouth to say something stop and ask yourself if what you are about to say might hurt someone's feelings. Put yourself in the place of others; would your actions and words hurt your feelings? If so, then you are not loving others as you would love yourself. God did not call us to stand on our soapbox and start judging others or giving people commands and ultimatums. No. God didn't even do that to us! Why would he do that to anyone else? Why would he do that to the lost ones which he is desperately searching for? No, God called us to love. God made us to love.

Go out and love someone today. Share the love of Christ and obey God's commands in the process.

Until tomorrow...God bless!

Sharing Your Faith Part 1

Good evening readers!

Its been quite a while since I last blogged. I only have three specific bible stories/topics to write about this week, so I guess I have been taking my time getting started. I hope that you all have remained in the word over the past few days and that you are still striving to live a transformed life.

How did you like service last Wednesday night? What did you think of the two sisters who performed the song they wrote? It was amazing wasn't it? If you weren't there you really missed out! I really enjoyed the message that Pastor Erik presented. It actually made me cry and made me think about the opportunities I have had to share the living water and yet squandered. When Pastor Erik started spilling water onto the stage it reminded me of all those people I know that are lost and need Christ. It made me realize that I have the living water that they are yearning for and yet I have not been brave enough to share it with them. Every time I do not share the water it is like I am spilling it on the ground, wasting it, never to be useful or able to be collected again. I'm sure you can think of people in your life that do not know Christ. Have you missed opportunities to share Christ with them like I have? This week we are going to study what the bible says about how we should share our faith. Today we are going to focus on parables that Jesus taught. Before we can learn how to share our faith, we must first learn the importance that Jesus put on the task.

Please open your bibles to Luke 15:1-10. Please take a moment to read the verses carefully on your own. Remember that if you do not have a bible you can use the internet and find a free online bible.

Finished reading? Great! Lets begin the dig!

Luke 15:1-3

The beginning of this chapter is very important because it gives us the reason that Jesus began telling this parable. Jesus was drawing a crowd who were listening to him teach. Verse 1 tells us that the tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to hear Jesus teach too. The Pharisees and scribes began to complain. You see, the Pharisees and scribes were the "holy" people in Jesus' day. They would not have allowed the sinners and tax collectors into their circles. They said to each other, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." I imagine that this sentence was probably said with disgust. In my own imagination I can see them saying, "How disgusting! How can this Man claim to come in the name of God and then be around such unholy people! Gross!" As soon as Jesus hears this he has a parable ready for them to hear. Jesus wants these Pharisees and scribes to learn something important. He wants you to learn it too. Lets see what it is!

Luke 15:4-6

Ok. So here is the parable. Jesus says to the crowd that if anyone had a hundred sheep and lost one they would leave the ninety-nine behind to find the one that was missing. Since I don't own sheep and never have it isn't exactly something that I can relate to. How about you? Do you own sheep? I think when Jesus was speaking to this audience he knew that a lot of those people did own sheep and other livestock. They would understand this story and it would speak to them personally. I am going to have to substitute the sheep for something that I can relate to in my life. I'm going to think about my children instead. I do not have 100 children, but I do have three. If one of my children were missing, I would go out searching for the missing one. It doesn't mean that I love the other two any less, but I am definately going to put my whole heart and soul into looking for the lost one. When I find that lost child I am going to call all my friends together and we will have a huge celebration. I loved the two that were safe at home the entire time. They mean the world to me and if they were the lost ones I would do anything to find them as well. However, when one of them is lost I know that they are out in the darkness alone. I know that harm can come to them at any moment. I know that they need to be in the safety of their own home where they have parents to look out for them. In the moments that the one child is lost, I can not rest or think about anything but their safety. The love I have for them drives me in my search. I will not let them perish. I will not let them remain lost. When I find the missing child I rejoice because they were once lost and in danger, and now they are safe and sound.

Luke 15:7

A lost soul is the same as a lost child or a lost sheep. They are out in the wilderness, in danger of death at any moment. This verse says that heaven rejoices more over that one sinner that has repented than the ninety-nine that are righteous. Does this mean that God loves that sinner more than you if you aren't lost? No, of course not! Its just like having a lost child. God adores the children that he already has in his house, the ones that are already saved, the ones who have trusted in His free gift of salvation. But God is even more concerned for those that are wandering in the wilderness, in danger of certain death, just as you would be if you had a lost child. All of heaven rejoices when the lost child or sheep returns home, because they are no longer in danger of death. They are safe in the family of God, they will live forever. Do you see how important the lost are to God? Jesus told the story of the lost sheep to tell the Pharisees that He cared for the lost sinners that came to listen to him just as much as any other person that would be welcome in the presence of the Pharisees. Jesus wanted them to be found!

Luke 15:8-10

Just in case the Pharisees did not understand the meaning of the first story, Jesus tells another one just like it! Only this time He doesn't use the example of sheep, but of a lost coin. I know that we can all relate to the story this time! Jesus says that any woman who has ten silver coins but loses one will light a lamp and sweep the floor until she finds it. Is that true of you? Have you ever dropped money before? Did you get on your hands and knees to search for the quarter that you dropped under your bed or dresser? I know I have done that before. Its funny because even if I have twenty dollars in front of me, I will still search the floor if I drop a quarter. I will look everywhere for it, and I will be very happy when I find it. Those that do not know Christ as their personal savior are just like a lost coin. They matter to God. God may have thousands, millions, billions, trillions of other souls that will be in heaven with him, but he will still search out for that one that is lost. God still cares about each lost soul out there. Again Jesus says in the last verse that heaven rejoices over a sinner that repents.

We need to have the same heart for people that God does. God cares about each individual person. He does not look at numbers. God will never say, "I have a billion people going to heaven already, that is enough!" Just like we would never say, "What my youngest child is missing? That's ok, I have two more at home that are safe." Of course we would never say that! And likewise, God would never be satisfied until all have come to repentence, until everyone is in the safety of His house. We need to have the same view of people. Each person that does not believe that Christ died on the cross for their sins, that does not accept the free gift of salvation, is lost. These people are out in the wilderness and death is certainly coming for them. In order to make evangelism a part of our relationship with God we need to seek out the lost with Him. Invite people to church with you. Share the love of Christ with those around you. Remember that you have the living water that so many people are thirsting for. Don't squander it. Don't pour it out onto the carpet when so many people need it. Don't get your fill and forget about others. Don't be selfish with God. Share Him. People need the Lord. That reminds me of the song, "People Need the Lord." I'm going to include it here. Take a listen and then take a moment to pray to God about using you to find the lost. Pray that He will give you the courage and the opportunity to share the living water.

Until tomorrow...God Bless!

The Transformers Day 5

Good Evening Transformers!

Today is the last day we will be looking at Romans 12 and talking about transformation. Do you feel you have learned anything this week about living a life transformed for the glory of God? I hope so. I know I have. I love learning about God and drawing close to his heart in the process. It is such a comforting and safe place to be, in the arms of the one who created us, listening to His heartbeat, understanding his character, falling deeper in love with him. Is there any greater love on this Earth than the love of the Father? No, there is not. We are so blessed to have this love available to us, and to be given the free gift of salvation. We are so undeserving and I couldn't be more grateful! Let's learn more about our God tonight and fall more in love with Him in the process. Ready? Great! Let's go!

Today we are going to finish reading the 12th chapter of Romans. Starting in verse 17 and reading all the way to verse 21, take a moment to read now.

Romans 12:17-21 New Living Translation

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge;
 I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
 If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap
 burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Tonight I am going to comment on all the reading at one time. I am doing this for two reasons. One, the verses are all tied together and so do not need to be separated and commented on separately. Two, because I have a deep personal connection with these verses as a whole.

Now I am going to delve into my life a bit. I grew up Catholic. My parents were raised Catholic and their parents before them. I had gone to a Catholic school in Chicago until my parents moved our family to Northwest Indiana. When I was in the fourth grade I went to public school for the first time, which meant I got to ride a school bus for the first time! On the first day of school my mom walked my sister and I down to the bus stop about a block from our house. At the bus stop were two girls that looked to be about the same age as my sister and I. My mom took it upon herself to introduce us to each other. I will forever be grateful to my mom for that decision. Michelle and her sister Melissa became instant friends for my sister and I. We played all kinds of make-believe games together, married our dogs, went swimming, rode bikes, played house, etc. To this day I still consider Michelle and Melissa my best friends. They are as close as sisters to me, and we still keep in touch with phone calls and facebook messages. There is one other key reason why Michelle and Melissa became so pivotal in my life. They were born again Christians. At the time of our introduction, my family had no idea what it meant to be born again. Michelle and her family introduced my parents to protestant church and planted a seed that would change my entire family dynamic. My family needed the Lord and God used Michelle and her family to reach and touch us. I won't go into my entire life story here, but it is important for you to know that Michelle and her family are the reason that I began to get the Word of God into my life and into my heart.

Fast forward a few years. Michelle and her family moved to another town in Indiana. My parents weren't attending church anywhere, but we knew a lot about God and the free gift of salvation through Michelle's family. In my senior year of high school my friends at school and I were in the middle of a huge fight. I do not even remember now what it was about, but I remember it was a very big deal. I know that I was sitting alone at lunch sometimes because of the anger that had built between my friends and myself. Well, one day I remembered part of a verse that I had heard while at Michelle's church. I found my mom's bible and looked it up. It was in Romans 12:17-21. This was the first time I had ever looked up a bible passage or read the bible by myself. I read it over and over again. I thought about the words. The next day I made the decision to put the words into practice. It worked! This marked the very first time in my life that I sought out the word of God and applied it to my life. It was amazing! It was powerful, it gave me results! Now lets look at what it said.

We are never to repay evil with more evil. We are instead to show people that we are honorable. Revenge does not belong to us, it belongs to God who can take revenge righteously. What God has called us to do is to be kind to our enemies, our kindness in response to their anger will bring them shame. It may also soften their hearts. Have you ever noticed that smiling at someone can make them smile back? Do you know that the bible says that a gentle word can turn away wrath? Have you ever tried it? I did. My senior year. I remember very clearly walking up to the friend I was fighting with and saying to her, "I am sorry that we have been fighting lately. I don't want to fight anymore. We are too good of friends to let this come between us. Do you forgive me?" I was shocked when she said, "yes." Then she asked me why I suddenly decided to stop being mad and I got to tell her about what I read in the bible. It was the first time I had ever read the bible, put it into action, seen it work, and share my discovery! It was a great feeling and one that I will never forget. In that moment, God became real to me for the first time. Before that, God had always been someone else's faith or experience, but now it was my own. I pray that you make what you are learning this week your own. The whole point of Pastor Erik's sermons over the past several weeks have been for you to know God on a personal level. My prayers for you are that you are making these lessons personal. I pray you are taking your faith to the next level, that you are being transformed.

One day I will die. I will stand before the Father and give account for what I have done on this Earth. In that moment, I will think on all of the times I reached out to God, learning more about Him, and I will think about all the people that helped make Him real to me. Michelle will be one of those people. Does anyone have your name in mind? Are you making a positive impact on people? Are you bringing the love of the Father with you wherever you go? Take what you learned this week, and be transformed. Before you know it you will be shining for Jesus so bright that everyone will take notice of your quiet, patient, humble, loving spirit. And all of it will result in the glorification of our God!

Until tomorrow...God Bless!

The Transformers Day 4

Good Evening Readers,

Did everyone have a good weekend? I know I enjoyed the sunshine. It gave our family a chance to use the pool that has been sitting abandoned to the rain all week. It feels great to be outside again after a week of rain, especially in Texas. It seems like everyone gets a new found appreciation for the sun and heat, and all the plants seemed to have grown inches in only a short time. I think we can draw parallels to our lives from that illustration. Are you going through a storm in your life right now? Does it seem like the "rain" will never stop falling on your situation? Take heart, because the sun always appears after the rain. It will give you a new found appreciation for the good times, and you'll find that you've grown after a rain as well. The bible says this in Romans 5:3-5

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

I love these verses! It gives me so much comfort to know that I have a hope that will never disappoint, even when the world and things in this world do. I have God who has given me the Holy Spirit to fill my heart with love. The pure truth, power, and beauty of these words make me want to memorize and meditate on them. I would encourage you to meditate and memorize scripture that touch your heart as well. You will find that when times get tough and you need a touch from God, verses like this will pop into your head. When that happens I know its like God is giving me a big hug and saying, "Remember my promises Keri. Remember my truth." How amazing is the Lord we serve!

So back to the topic this week...Transformation! How is yours coming along? Have you put the word of God into practice this weekend? Have you tried to use your gifts for the body of Christ? Did you practice hospitality, did you set a prayer date with God? I hope so! Remember we must be doers of the Word if we want to be transformed, if we want to be more like Jesus.

Today we will continue reading in Romans Chapter 12. Paul is giving instruction on Christian living to the Roman church in this chapter. Take a moment to read what Paul has to say in verses 14-16. I would encourage you to read it twice. Once silently and the second time aloud. Read on when you are finished.

Romans 12:14

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

This is a very short, very simple verse. It doesn't take long to read, it doesn't take long to understand, but it can be difficult to put into action! Here Paul is telling us that to live a life transformed for the glory of our God we need to bless those who persecute us. Persecution is when someone is harassing you, annoying you, or treating you unkindly because of something you believe in or stand for. If we want an example of someone who was persecuted and responded with blessing we need only to look at Jesus. Jesus was condemned to be crucified because he said he was the son of God. Those who wanted him crucified were intimidated by his claims and worried that he might try to become king. Jesus was definitely persecuted for his beliefs. He was beaten and hung on a cross to die, but did Jesus curse his executioners? No, in fact Jesus said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." Jesus wants you to do the same. If you know anyone at school who might make fun of you when you start talking about church or God, Jesus does not want you to fight with them. You do not need to give them a mean look, or an attitude, but show them kindness. Maybe you have others in your life that dislike you for other reasons, do not curse them. Bless them. Show them kindness. Smile at them and say hello! Imagine how curious they will be at your sudden change in manner and attitude. They will wonder about your transformation and even though they may not ask you what happened, your change will be a testimony to God's work in your life.

Romans 12:15

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Its weird to think about, but everyone goes through different stages of their life and have different emotions all at the same time. For instance, right now while you are reading this, there is someone on your street that is probably in their bedroom crying over a death or a loss in the family. While at the same time, there is probably someone else on your street that is having a celebration tonight. Perhaps someone in that house got a new job, had a baby, or had a birthday and they are having a special dinner tonight. Two different houses, both on the same block, on the same date, and experiencing two different emotions. How do we as Christians respond to those around us? We are called here to rejoice with those rejoicing, and weep with those who are weeping. If you have a friend that is experiencing great joy in their life, be happy for them! Celebrate with them! If you have another friend that is experiencing great sorrow, do not ignore them. Meet the needs of your friend by sitting with him/her while they cry, and sympathize with them. You can share with them the hope and comfort that you have found in Christ.

Romans 12:16 NKJV

Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Romans 12:16 NIV

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

I included the NIV translation here because I think it is easier to understand. We need to live in harmony with each other. We should not be too proud to associate with those in low positions. That reminds me of Jesus again! When Jesus was alive he didn't spend all of his time with the Rabbis and teachers in high positions. Jesus spent time with the people who needed him, who were outcasted by the rest of society. Jesus was not ashamed or too proud to talk to prostitutes or lepers. As Christians who are living a transformed life we should take on the same attitude as Jesus. We should not be ashamed to talk to those at school who may be viewed as less than everyone else. Of course, I am not telling you to start being friends with the trouble makers! What I am saying is that you should not think you are better than anyone else. You should not ever take on the attitude that you are above speaking to some people. Jesus came to die for everyone, so even the people that are viewed as uncool by you are a precious jewel in the eyes of the Lord.

Do not be conceited. If you are trying to live a God-honoring life and you are devoting yourself to transformation, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to become conceited. Being conceited means you have a very high opinion of yourself. If you start thinking you are always right, can do NO wrong, and are the greatest gift God gave the planet, then you know you have crossed the line. The horrible thing about crossing that line is that if you are doing everything in the name of Jesus people are going to get a bad taste in their mouth for Christianity. Therefore, you have caused your transformation to go from something that should have lead people to Christ into something that makes people want to run far away from Christ. Remember always that God loves you, but remember as well that you are human. You have made just as many mistakes as anyone else on the planet. Don't judge others. The bible says that God will do the judging. Just love people and humble yourself and love God above all else. If you do that God will exalt you in due time. Do not try to exalt yourself! That will lead to heartache and pain for you and others who need the Lord.

So have you learned anything today? I hope so. I pray that you will spend a few moments in prayer tonight. Meditate on one of your favorite verses. Then tomorrow put some more of these practical life applications into practice. Be transformed, Transformers!

Until tomorrow...God bless!

The Transformers Day 3

Happy Friday Everyone!

Don't you just love Fridays? The best part about this Friday is that the rain actually stopped for awhile today and the sun was out. Never thought I would be missing the sun in July in central Texas!

So how have all of you been doing this week with living a transformed life? Its been difficult hasn't it? We have to remember to constantly take ourselves to the altar in prayer and sacrifice. We have to be open to God and we need to give the Holy Spirit permission to come in to our situation and work through us. It's not easy when the world we are living in is very eager to distract us. As we study and read God's word today I want you to view this as a message directly from your Father in Heaven. Remember that the bible is God's Word which is alive. It's a living, breathing, changing force in our lives if we meditate on it. Join me in meditating on the word today.

Turn with me now to Romans 12. Today we will read Romans 12:12-13. Take a moment to read these two verses on your own. Read it twice. The first time I would like for you to read it quietly. The second time I want you to read it out loud so you can hear the words.

Have you finished? Now it is time to examine the words, to dig!

Romans 12:12 (NKJV)

Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

Before I begin picking apart the message here lets remind ourselves why we are studying this particular chapter this week. Pastor Erik has been teaching on living an obedient life, and a life that includes knowing God on an intimate level. Some of you may have been raised in church your whole lives, you may know more about the scriptures than I do, but you may not actually KNOW God personally. The scripture this week is meant to show you how to take the knowledge you have acquired your whole life and apply it to your daily life. Its time to let God use you! It's time to get to know God and his character! It's time to know Him more than just a church visit on Sundays! Perhaps you have not been raised in church like me, well this is the time for you to start digging into the word. It's time to start applying the faith you have acquired at GCCrew and putting it into practice in your life. If you have already accepted Christ as your personal savior the bible says that you must put off your old self and be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It's time to renew our minds today because we know that to renew our way of thinking will affect and cause our transformation. Are you ready? Ok!

To live your life transformed and to be a testimony to others the first part of the passage tells us that we are to rejoice in hope. I found that checking the dictionary for the definition of these words can be a helpful first step in picking apart the message. According to the dictionary, rejoice means to give joy to or to gladden. Hope means to desire something with the anticipation that it will happen. That means that God wants you to be happy while you are anticipating the things you are desiring for your life. Here is an example, several years ago I went to a women's conference at another church. One of the ladies that spoke to the crowd was a new mother. She told us that she and her husband had wanted a baby for years but the doctors told them that they would never be able to get pregnant. This lady had faith that one day God would answer their prayers and while she waited for her prayers to be answered she joyfully planned baby showers for others, etc. What are you praying for today? What have you been desiring in your life? God not only wants you to have hope that he will answer your prayers, but he wants you to be joyful during the waiting process. You can wait with joy because you have confidence that God will do as He promised. God wants to bless you as you are obedient and submissive to Him.

You are to be patient in tribulation. Tribulation is when you are going through distress or suffering. To live a life transformed means that you can endure that suffering and distress patiently. This goes hand in hand with the first part of the verse. You can be patient during hard times because you have the hope and joy that God will answer your prayers, that God will deliver you.

Continue steadfastly in prayer means that you are praying loyally. I bet a lot of you are very loyal to your best friends. Being loyal means that your friend can count on you to always be there, you call them daily and you love them dearly. You are called to be more loyal than that to God. It's crazy how easy it is for me to call up a friend daily but how difficult it can be to get on my knees daily. Why is that? How much has God done for me! How much does He love me unconditionally?!? And yet, I sometimes have to force myself to get on my knees in prayer. Often I will forget to pray altogether and will get in bed at night and realize I haven't talked to God all day. That isn't being very loyal! If God were any of my other friends he would be very annoyed that I had ignored Him all day. Thank the Lord that He is forgiving and patient.

Romans 12:13

distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality

Who are the saints in this verse- you may be asking yourself. The saints are those people that are saved, who have accepted the free gift of salvation. Here God is calling us to remember the needs of other christians around us. Often times we become focused on missions to other countries, feeding and clothing the poor, support the needs of the homeless, etc., that we forget that the people around us have needs as well. Of course, we still need to help those in need around the world, but do not forget those people in your own church. We are to be hospitable with one another. This means you should be inviting people over to your house, and being generous in all circumstances.

Well, we only went through two verses today, but there is a lot of instruction packed in those verses! These verses inform us on how to live a life that is transformed for the glory of God.

While doing a bible study today a friend and I discussed what happens when people hear the word of God but do not put it into action. The bible says that the word of God is like a seed, and that when people do not sow the seed (put it into action), they eat the seed. Perhaps you have devoured this lesson and the ones previously. Perhaps you are reading along with me, taking notes, and getting very excited about what you are learning. But perhaps despite all of that excitement, you do not see any change in your life. You may still look, feel, and act like the exact same person you were before reading the lessons. If that is the case it is because you ate the seed. You did not sow the seed. To sow the seed you must put these lessons into action. Once you have put the lessons into action you will begin to see change. Please take a moment now to consider what you can do from the lesson today.

Here are some ideas of putting the scripture from today into action. Pray loyally! Make a commitment right now to set aside the same time or times everyday to talk to the Lord. Make time for God like he is one of your best friends. Be loyal enough to show up for your "date" with God everyday. Hope for the things you are longing for with joy. If you are going through a difficult circumstance in your life remember that He is there for you and that He will get you through it. Be patient. God has the best in mind for you. All you need to do is patiently obey Him. And lastly, open up your home to your friends. Allow other people to play your new video game or swim in your pool. Give to those around you that are in need. These are the things that God wants from a heart that loves Him, that wants to make their life a beautiful offering to Him. I know I want God to look at my life after my death and say that I put what I learned into practice, that I used my talents to further His kingdom. I want Him to see that I was loyal, and that I trusted Him. Don't you want the same?

Take a moment to tell God how this blog spoke to you today. Open yourself up to change. Be a doer of the word and not just a hearer only.

God Bless you friends! Have a great weekend!

The Transformers Day 2

Hello Readers!

Ahhh...It's been a long day today, but an enjoyable one. I just finished cleaning up a little after The Truth Project small group that Pastor Erik and I have at the house on Thursday nights. It was a lot of fun tonight. I'm praying that my brain can stay active enough to make it through this blog tonight. I guess I have to remember what we have been talking about. Every day we have to make the decision to put all the distractions aside and put ourselves on the altar as a living sacrifice for God. I'm going to be intentional about doing that tonight and I pray that you will as well.

So, have you begun to use your gift that we learned about in yesterday's passage? I hope that you took the time yesterday to consider the passage and to pray to be used by God, to function as part of the body.

Today we are going to continue to read Romans chapter 12. This time we will focus on only two verses. Please take a moment to read Romans 12:9-10 on your own. It shouldn't take long!

Now we dig!

Romans 12:9 (NKJV)

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

What do you think it means to let love be without hypocrisy? What is a hypocrite? If you don't know the definition of that word please open another window of your browser and google it. I would encourage you to search the definition of both words.

Done? Ok, so what is hypocrisy? Hypocrisy is when you claim to believe in something or feel something and yet your actions do not match your words. What is a hypocrite? A hypocrite is a person who acts the opposite of the way they claim to feel or believe. So now that we know what hypocrisy is we can go back to the first sentence in that verse. It says here in Romans that we are to love without hypocrisy. That means that we must love with actions and not just words. If we stated that we loved someone and acted as if we hated them we would be called a hypocrite. Think about the way you have behaved this week. Did you tell your parents you loved them but then did not act in a loving way? I know I have been guilty of that in the past! Ask my mom, she'll tell you! But true love, real love, has words and actions that match.

The next part says to abhor what is evil. What does it mean to abhor? It means to loathe, or hate. I have to be honest with you guys here. When I was younger, and before I came to know Christ, I used to watch horror movies. I used to see the gore and it wouldn't bother me at all. However, the closer I have grown to Christ the harder it has become for me to even see evil depicted on film. I know the movie is not real, but to see something acted out that is evil repulses me. I not only hate evil, I literally can not be around it. It turns my stomach. That is the way God wants you to react to evil that may want to creep up in your life. I'm not talking about viewing horror movies here, I'm talking about any sinful nature that you may have that wants to trip you up. You may be putting your life on the right path for God, but you have that one sin in your life that you are having a hard time kicking to the curb. God wants you to start viewing that sin as something you abhor, something that makes you sick to be around.

The last part of that verse says to cling to what is good. God, therefore, wants you to hate evil and to not only love what is good but to cling to it. The word cling conjures up the image of my daughter when she was about two years old. She used to like to sit by my feet while I was washing dishes after dinner. Sometimes she would hold unto my leg and when I would walk away from the sink I would drag her across the floor. She loved that! She would laugh and laugh. The thing is my daughter wasn't just holding onto me, she was clinging to me, clutching onto me as hard as she could so she could be dragged across the floor and not fall off. Clinging to something is hanging onto it for dear life. That means God wants you to not only hold onto good he wants you to cling to it for dear life.

Romans 12:10 (NKJV)

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.

Here we learn that we should be kind and affectionate to each other. The verse also clearly states that this affection is not romantic love, but brotherly love. We are called to love each other as we would our own brothers, our own family. It also says that we should give preference to one another. That means that you should think of others before yourself.

Remember that the focus this week is on living a transformed life for Christ. We are called to be set apart for Him. How do these two verses help us to live a life transformed? Well, these verses taught us how to behave. We are called to think of others as more important than ourselves, to love in action and in word, to be kind and affectionate. Keep yourself as far away from every evil thing as possible and surround yourself with good. Hold onto good for dear life! I know that you can put these things into practice today. At the same time remember to use your gift this week as well.

Good night Transformers!

'Til tomorrow...God Bless!

The Transformers Day 1

Good Afternoon Readers!
It is time for us to embark on our second week of digging together. Are you excited? I hope so! Studying and digging into God's word is an act of obedience and worship in itself. Reading God's word shows Him that you love Him, that you want to learn more about Him, and by doing so it gives God an opportunity to reveal Himself to you more. When you first begin reading your bible and meditating on the word, you will find that many other things are competing for your attention. It is easy to give up studying after a few days because you "don't have time" or are "tired at the end of the day." But I beseech you to not give up, push through the fatigue and make time. Know that you are battling not only against your own flesh but also the principalities of darkness that do not want you getting near God. Fight against that. If your enemy doesn't want you reading the bible, then you know that is exactly what you should be doing!

Ok, that being said, let's put it into action!

By now you have sat through service and heard Pastor Erik teach about being a living sacrifice. If you do not remember the scripture he referenced in his sermon it was Romans 12:1-2. You may want to open your bible and reread that scripture in the quiet of your own house where your friends are not around to distract you. Think about what Pastor Erik said. The hardest part about a living sacrifice is that the sacrifice always wants to get up and walk away. (Kind of like you wanting to give up on reading and studying your bible!) The thing God called us to do is to constantly lay ourselves down on the altar everyday. Everyday you have to resacrifice yourself and consider the things you will need to do in your life to make yourself a holy sacrifice. There should be a noticeable difference between the way you carry yourself and live your life compared to someone who doesn't know God. Your life should be pleasing to God and set apart for him. What things do you have in your life that are not pleasing to God? Think about that and pray about that before we start our reading today. Tell God that you want to live a life set apart for Him.

Now lets read Romans 12:4-8. During this week we will dig further into Romans 12 and see the instructions that the bible gives us for living a life transformed and set apart.

Have you finished reading the passages yet? Yes? Good! Let's begin!

Romans 12:4-5
(Because we are going over a smaller portion of text this week I will copy down the verses before I make my commentary. I am using the NKJV, so your version may be slightly different, the meaning, however, will be the same.)

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Now let me walk you through this verse in case you didn't understand it. Here you must think about your own body. Look down at yourself right now. You probably see your arms, your legs, your feet if you are sitting at a desk or table, and your toes. You do not see your own eyes, mouth, nose, ears, unless you are looking in a mirror. Think about all the parts you have that make up your one body. Do you realize how amazing you are? Each part of your body has its own function. Your heart pumps the blood throughout your body, your lungs help you to breathe, your eyes help you to see. Each part of your body makes up the whole of what is "you" and yet each part does its own thing. Now that you have thought about your own body, lets go back to the verse. Just like our bodies, we who are in Christ (meaning those who have accepted the free gift of salvation) make up the whole body of Christ. We are the representatives for Christ on this Earth. Everywhere we go unbelievers should see Christ through us. But just as we are altogether the body of Christ we also have our own functions. That means that you have a function in Christ. Just like a part of a natural body, there is something that you were created to do for the body.

Romans 12:6-8

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophesy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

So in these passages we see that we all have gifts that were given to us and that we should use them as part of the body of Christ. The first example is the gift of prophesy. Prophesy is a spiritual gift in which the Holy Spirit reveals to a person what is happening in the lives of others or what will happen in the lives of others. There were many prophets in the old testament that would hear from God or have dreams that would be messages to others about the things to come. This is a gift I would love to have! But I don't have it. It is important to see here that prophesy should be used in proportion to your faith.

The second example is ministry. This would be the act of serving others or being a minister, like Pastor Erik.

The third is teaching. That is me! The teacher. And I am called to use my gift of teaching to act in the body of Christ. I should use my gift to help further the kingdom, to act as Christ would if he were still walking on Earth today.

Exhortation. What is that? It is giving encouragement and motivating others. I bet there are a lot of you out there with that gift! That is a gift that you can use to be the hands of Christ at your school. You can encourage your friends who are going through a difficult situation. Maybe you know someone whose parents are getting divorced, or had a recent death in the family. You can use your gift to remind them of God's love for them and your love for them. You can encourage them and uplift them through simple acts of kindness and love, maybe just a friendly text and a movie night at your house. The possibilities are endless. If this is your gift, use it!

Giving. Some people have a true gift of giving. They are able to give continuously of themselves and their finances with a cheerful heart. If this is you the passage says for you to give liberally. This means freely. You may be wondering if you have this gift. I told you earlier that I am a teacher. I always can tell which student in my classroom has the gift of giving. They always want to give me things and will all year long. These students are children, so its not like they are giving me a million dollars, but they will give me their old toys, old pins, they will color pictures for me, draw pictures for me, and give me old projects they have made. If this sounds like you then you know you have a gift of giving! Give to further the kingdom. Give to be an example of Christ to those around you. If you know of someone that needs something that you have, give it to them! Of course, don't give away expensive things without consulting your parents! But ask your parents and then give what you feel the Lord has given you to give.

Leading. How many of you are natural born leaders? The passage here says to lead with diligence, which means to lead carefully, heedfully, thoughtfully. If you are in a position at your school where you know the other kids will follow whatever you do, then you know you have been given the gift of leadership! Use it to bring glory to God. Instead of leading others into making mistakes or doing something that you know is displeasing to God, be a positive example. If you begin talking about going to church and reading your bible in front of your friends, you could actually lead others unto Christ's path for their lives! This is very exciting!

Mercy. This is the ability to be kind and forgiving under circumstances that perhaps others would not be able. Some of you have an amazing gift of mercy because you are known as the friend that will always be there. You are slow to be angry with your friends and family and you enjoy keeping peace in your relationships. That is a gift! Use it for the glory of God and do it with cheerfulness. Do not just be kind because that is what you are called to do but do it happily. You will do mighty things for God if you can daily show mercy to those around you and do it in His name.

So now that we have looked at these passages in Romans you should have a better idea of what you can do to transform your life daily. Remember, as Pastor Erik said tonight, we are called to be a living sacrifice, set apart for Him. How can you begin doing that? Look at the spiritual gifts outlined here. Which one do you have? Once you have identified it begin using it this week for the glory of God. As you do this you will be giving your life over as a sacrifice for the good of God's kingdom. Isn't that wonderful??

I don't know about you, but I am excited to use my gift this week! Take a moment to pray about your gift and that God will open doors for you to use your gift this week. Then delibrately use that gift this week!

Until tomorrow--God bless!

"All In" Day 5

Good Evening Readers!

I am blogging late tonight. Sorry about that. I am very anxious to get writing tonight though because I really love the next chapter in the book of Genesis. So lets start!

I would like for you to read Genesis Chapter 22:1-19 now. Remember you can use an online bible if you do not have a hard copy available to you.

Ok. So now you should have read through it once on your own. Now lets dig through it.

Genesis 22:1-2
God gives Abraham instruction to offer his son, his only son Isaac as a burnt offering. In the NKJV, which is the version I am reading it says, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah..." I think it is interesting how God says to take the one and only son. Immediately it reminds me of another sacrifice. Do you know which sacrifice I mean? Yep, God sacrificing his one and only son, Jesus. It also says in verse one that this command that God gives to Abraham is a test. As the reader I know from that sentence that Isaac is not going to die, but Abraham doesn't know that. What do you think is going through Abraham's head? Do you think he is doubting that God really spoke to him? Do you think he is consulting his wife and saying, "Honey, what do you think about offering our son as a burnt offering tomorrow?" I know that I often consult with friends when I am confused about something in my life. Sometimes even after I think I have heard from God I start to doubt myself and begin asking others for their worldly advice instead. Will Abraham do this?

Genesis 22:3
No, Abraham never consulted his wife or even questioned God's command. In verse 3 we find out that Abraham rose early the next morning and prepared to leave. Wow! I don't know about you but when I wake up early it is either because I have to be at work, or I am excited about something. I know that I will wake up early on Christmas morning or when I am about to take a vacation, but I know that I would never arise early on the day that I had to do something as dreaded as giving up my child. Why do you think Abraham was up early? Why do you think he didn't question God? Think about that as we continue reading.

Genesis 22:4-5
Did you notice how many days it took Abraham to find the place that God wanted him to go? Check verse 4 again if you missed it. Can you imagine traveling for three days knowing the whole time that you are about to kill your son? Try to imagine what it would be like to have the child on the trip with you...I bet Isaac was chatting away about all kinds of things with his dad. Perhaps they were talking about their family members back home, about Abraham's life when he was a child, about Isaac's friends, about God. All the while Abraham is listening to the chatter and must be thinking "You have no idea that I am leading you to your death!" Oh, the heartache that Abraham must have been feeling at that moment! But wait!! In verse 5 Abraham tells the young men that have traveled with them that they should stay with the donkey. He tells them that he and his son will go and worship and "we" will come back to you. Does your translation say that? Check it now. Did Abraham say "we" when he was talking about returning? Do you think that Abraham was expecting God to come through at the last minute? Do you think that in the back of his mind he was expecting to travel back home for three days with Isaac by his side once again?

Genesis 22:6-7
Here Isaac begins to question his father about where the animal is that will be sacrificed. I bet Isaac was getting worried. I can imagine that the walk to the top of that hill was a quiet one.

Genesis 22:8
I love Abraham's response to Isaac's worry. He says that God will provide the offering. Wow! Maybe Abraham wasn't as nervous as I would have been. Maybe he didn't feel any worry or dread while traveling with his son for three days. Maybe the entire time Abraham was trusting that God would provide, that God had always provided. Perhaps that is why Abraham was able to wake up early and prepare for the trip.

Genesis 22:9-10
Here I am imagining that Abraham and Isaac made it to the top of the mountain, perhaps Abraham is expecting God to stop him at any minute. But in verses 9 and 10 Abraham builds the altar, places the wood, binds Isaac and places him on the wood. I bet all the while Abraham was waiting and hoping that God would stop him. If I were Abraham I would have stopped at this point and said, "Ok God. I'm here. Look I'm going to do it! Can I stop now?" But Abraham doesn't. Abraham raises the knife and is really going to kill his son.

Genesis 22:11-12
God intervenes! Abraham really was about to kill his son. As much as I believe that Abraham trusted that God would provide, that God would intervene in some way, I also believe that Abraham would have killed Isaac if God hadn't stopped him. Abraham was willing to give up his most precious relationship in his life, his one and only son.

Genesis 22:13-19
God does provide another animal for Abraham and Isaac to sacrifice. Abraham calls the place The Lord Will Provide. Then God restates his promise to Abraham that Abraham's descendants will be very numerous and says that all the earth will be blessed through his seed.

Ok, here is what I got out of the reading today. God gives Abraham another command. Only this command isn't something little like move to a land that I will show you, circumcise yourself and your family, or name your son Isaac. No--this command was bigger than all of those. This command required Abraham to give up the one and only son that he loved. Isaac was the son that Abraham always wanted. Isaac was the son that he waited 100 years for-literally! Isaac was the apple of Abraham's eye and I guarantee that Isaac was the one thing that would have been the hardest for Abraham to sacrifice.
But Abraham did not question or complain to God. Abraham was willing to give up anything for God. Anything! Even his one and only son. God wanted to bless Abraham for his obedience and planned to bless all of humanity through the line of Abraham.

So here is the question for you tonight. Are you willing to give up everything for God? What is one area of your life that you have a hard time giving over to God? See, God wants your complete obedience, God wants you to have a heart that puts Him first. When Abraham was willing to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice it was an attitude of the heart. Abraham was willing to say, "God if you want Isaac, here he is!" Can you say that before God today? Can you say, "Lord if you wanted my car I would give it to you, if you wanted all my money I wouldn't hesitate. In fact, I would get up early in the morning to prepare it!" I know it would be hard for me. Abraham did it though and he was blessed. Think about one area of your life tonight where you know you are not being obedient to God. Take time now to pray about it. Get on your knees in the quiet and solitude of your own bedroom and tell God that you are willing to lay that part of your life down before Him. Tell Him you are seeking His will for your life tonight and His blessings. I guarantee that He will come through for you. After all God is Yahweh (which means the Lord will provide). Oh yes, and don't forget to thank him for sacrificing His one and only son for YOU!!

Until tomorrow...God Bless!

P.S. Now do you know why this week was called "All In?"

"All In" Day 4

Hello Everyone,

So I decided that I would not be blogging over the weekends. I think life is busy for all of us over the weekends so I thought it best to have a 5 day/week study. I hope that everyone had a great weekend and a happy independence day. Did any of you go to the 30th Anniversary Banquet? It was amazing wasn't it? I really enjoyed myself and loved hearing about all that God is doing through Grace Christian Center.

Are you ready to read more of God's word with me today? Great! I had a hard time deciding where to study with you guys after the last chapter we read. We only have two days left to talk about the story of Abraham, so I decided to skip ahead to chapter 21 when Isaac is born. Let me recap the chapters between day 3 and today. God speaks to Abram again and reaffirms his promises. He reveals that Abram will have a son by Sarai his wife and that God wants Abram to enter into a covenant with him. God wanted Abram to circumcise himself and all the males in his household. This covenant is a sign of the faith relationship that Abram has with God. God changes Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai's name to Sarah.

Abraham's nephew Lot is rescued from Sodom before it is destroyed for its wickedness. In chapter 20 Abraham journeys to Gerar and tells the king Sarah is his sister again. You think he would have learned the first time! And that brings us to Chapter 21.

Take a moment and read Chapter 21 verses 1-21 on your own.

Genesis 21:1-2
Sarah finally conceives a child. It says here in the scripture that God did for Sarah as He had spoken and at the set time which He had spoken. I like how this promise happened in God's timing and not in Sarah and Abraham's timing. Too often we expect things to happen when we think we are ready for them to happen. God knows better. I honestly believe that God needed Abraham and Sarah to take care of the things that happened in chapters 17-20 of this book first. Abraham and Sarah had to make the same mistakes again and had to learn about God's justice before they were ready to have a child. God also needed them to enter into a covenant with them by obeying his orders concerning circumcision.

Genesis 21:3-4
In the first two verses we see that God did as he had promised at the time he promised. In these two verses (3-4) we see that Abraham did as he promised and when he promised as outlined in the covenant he entered with God. Abraham called his son Isaac as God told him and he circumcised his son on the 8th day of his life. This was all according to God's command. Abraham is being obedient to God here even as God is being faithful to Abraham.

Genesis 21:5-7
Abraham was how old when Isaac was born? You may want to reread these verses if you didn't notice it the first time. And why was Sarah laughing? Let me tell you--if this happens to anyone in our day I will be laughing too.

Genesis 21:9-11
Sarah is back to her jealous and untrusting ways. Isaac is at the age where he is being weaned. According to my bible notes Isaac may have been three or four years old at this time. I think Sarah may be feeling like her little baby is growing up and she may be thinking more about Isaac's future as a man for the first time. In these verses Sarah tells Abraham that she wants Hagar and her son sent away because she does not want Hagar's son to be heir with Isaac. I think this is simply jealousy and worry popping up again. I want to shout at Sarah, "Listen woman, God just gave you a child when you are nearly 100 years old and you still doubt that He will do what He has promised?!?"

Genesis 21:12-21
Just as I suspected God did not allow Hagar and Ishmael to be left out in the wilderness to die. God speaks to Hagar and promises that He will make a great nation out of Ishamael. God intervenes in their need and provides them with water so they will not perish out in the wilderness. The scripture says that God was with Ishmael as he grew.

This week I have wanted to study the story of Abraham with all of you so we can focus on obedience and integrity as Pastor Erik spoke about on Wednesday night. Do you see how God kept his promises when Abraham was obedient? Do you see that as Abraham entered into a covenant relationship with God that he remained obedient even after he was being blessed? This is a lesson for us today. You may have an idea that to be obedient to God means that God will be pleased with you and want to bless you. It is true that God will be pleased, but the point isn't the blessing. The point is to remain obedient both in the times that you are being blessed (as Abraham did when Isaac was born) and when you are waiting for the blessing (as Abraham did while waiting for Isaac ex. circumcising himself and his household). Sometimes we are not very patient people and we may want to give up on God's promises, but God hasn't changed since Abraham's day. God is still the same. Just like with Abraham, God wants to give you His blessings, but it's going to come at His perfect time. God expects your obedience as you wait on Him.

What about if you do not feel that you are the blessed, chosen one? Are you forgotten? Maybe you feel like you aren't the popular and rich person in your school, maybe you feel like you are the black sheep of your family. Do you feel that way sometimes? Maybe everyone else around you is being blessed and you feel lonely. Well, look at Ishmael. He wasn't the "popular" son. He wasn't the one that everyone was anticipating would be born. But did God forget him? No. God loved him just as much as Isaac. God was still with him in his need and he still blessed him and made him a great nation. So on days when you feel down and you think your voice isn't being heard--just remember that God hears you. He heard Ishmael in the wilderness and he hears you when you cry out in your own bedroom.

I pray you take time tonight to worship and talk to the Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Lover of Your Soul. He is waiting for you.
Until tomorrow--God Bless.

"All In" Day 3

Good Afternoon Readers!

Is anyone else missing the sun today? Its been raining all day! I don't like the rain because it makes me feel like being lazy. Anyway, I thought I would go ahead and blog for today before my hair appointment this afternoon. Pastor Erik and I are getting ready for Grace Christian Center's 30th Anniversary Banquet tonight. Pastor Erik is practicing a song that he will be singing. He has a really bad cold and is having a difficult time. Bless his heart! I pray that he will make it through the song tonight without his voice cracking. I told him that if it does crack he should try to play it off like he is crying or something. LOL. He didn't like that idea!

So are you enjoying studying God's word? I hope some of you are reading along with me and applying the stories to your own life. I learned last night at "The Truth Project" small group that the bible is a collection of stories that is all part of God's big story. We are a part of the big story too and it is important to know the history of God's story to know where humanity has come from and where we are going according to God's master plan.

Let's look at another part of God's story today. I want us to skip ahead a couple of chapters in Genesis today and read Genesis Chapter 16. Before you take a moment to read it on your own remember what God has just promised to Abram. God told Abram that he would inherit the land and that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust of the Earth. What is the problem with that promise? Who does Abram have in his life right now? Well, he has his wife Sarai, his livestock, his servants, his nephew Lot just left, and that's it! No children! And remember when Abram left Haran he was 75 years old! Abram still has no children! How can he have so many descendants if he has no children? Hmmm...thats a problem!

Now take a moment to read Genesis Chapter 16 on your own. Then I will comment on it.

Done?

Great!

Genesis Chapter 16:1-2
Ok, so I'm not the only one that sees a problem with God's promise. Here we see that Sarai herself was anxious about not having any children. Sarai told Abram in verse 2 that she believes the Lord has restrained her from having children. Wait a minute! So Sarai thinks that God promised he would give Abram more descendants than dust on the Earth and yet would choose to not give Abram's wife children? Does that make sense? Wow! It kind of reminds me of the situations that we face in our lives today. So many times I want what I want when I want it. I know that God has a plan for me and that he wants to give me a hope and a future and yet I always want to take my destiny into my own hands. I tend to want to take control and make things happen right now! Ever feel like that? Ever want something right now and not want to wait for it? Yes, I know you have. We all have. The worst part is that Sarai was so anxious for children and had so little faith in God and his timing that she acutally gave her husband her servant to sleep with! I don't know about you, but I would have to be at the absolute end of my rope to do something as desperate as giving my husband over to another woman. Let's see what happens now.

Genesis Chapter 16:3-4
Sarai gives Abram her servant Hagar to have a baby with. Hagar conceives a child and then Sarai begins to hate Hagar. Hmmm...How many of you are shocked by that? I'm not! Sarai clearly sinned here when she chose not to trust God and his promises. She caused her husband and another woman to sin because of her impatience and I can guarantee that this will lead to heartache for all involved.

Genesis Chapter 16:5
Check out what Sarai says to her husband Abram here. I had to read it a few times and say it out loud until I really fully understood it. Try that now.
Did you get it?
Here Sarai is going to her husband and saying that Hagar hates her! But in the previous verse we read that Sarai hated Hagar because she was able to conceive a child. That is so typical. Sarai told her husband to have a child with this woman, then becomes jealous when the woman actually conceives the child, then shifts the blame of the hatred she feels onto Hagar instead. Wow! Poor Sarai she is in way over her head here. Her desperation led her into some major heartache.

Genesis Chapter 16:6
Abram told Sarai to do whatever she wanted to Hagar and it says here that Sarai dealt harshly with Hagar. I wonder what that means. In my imagination I am picturing Sarai beating Hagar up, calling her all kinds of names, and forcing her to leave. I wonder what really happened. In any event, Hagar ran away.

Genesis Chapter 16:7-16
An Angel of the Lord found Hagar after she had fled from Sarai and told Hagar to go back to Sarai. The Angel promised that Hagar would have a son named Ishmael and that he would have many descendants. The Angel also revealed that there would be hostility between Ishmael's descendants and Isaac's. The important thing to realize here is that God did not allow Abram's mistake to defeat the plan he already had for him. God did not want Hagar to be outcast and have her child alone because of Sarai's mistake. God encouraged Hagar to return to Abram's house and reassured Hagar that he had a plan for her son. I love how loving God is!

Think about this: God promised Abram some amazing things. Abram got to the promised land, had hardship and left. When he got to Egypt he lied to get what he needed and then disaster happened. When Abram got back to the promise land he redevoted himself to God by calling on him. Now Abram doesn't want to wait for the descendants that God promised him so he sleeps with his wife's maid. Then his wife hates the maid because she is jealous and deals harshly with her. More mistakes from Abram and Sarai. More heatache. But God intervenes again! God is still going to fulfill his promise!

And God will do the same thing for us. No matter how many times we make mistakes, sin, act hastily because we have no patience, God is still there waiting to bless us. Still willing to take the aftermath of our mistakes and make them something beautiful for his glory. What a loving God we serve!

Take a few moments to pray over this realization. Give Him your mistakes and your heart today. Cry out for his promises and they will surely be fulfilled.

Until tomorrow...God bless!

"All In" Day 2

Sorry that this blog is being published late. I have had a busy day today! I did some cleaning with the help of my friend Rochelle and then had a lunch bible study with another friend Melody. Then I ran errands and finally got ready for my evening small group bible study called "The Truth Project." It has been several weeks since this group has been able to meet so I'm really excited about seeing everyone again and digging into the concepts of absolute truth vs. society. Love it! I am definitely enjoying my life right now and enjoying summertime. Its great not to be at work.

So did all of you pray about and study Genesis 12 with me yesterday? Its pretty awesome how the story of Abram can be applied to our lives today in the 21st century isn't it?

Well today I want to go on with Abram's story. I don't know about you, but I'm curious as to what Abram is going to do next. He just got kicked out of Egypt because he lied to pharaoh and caused pharaoh and his house to be plagued. So now what?

Lets find out!

Turn with me now to Genesis Chapter 13. Please take a moment to read through Chapter 13 on your own. Then you can read on and get my commentary on it. Go ahead, read!

Are you done? Great! Now let's dig!

Genesis 13:1-4
Here we see that Abram made the decision to take all of his riches and go back to the land between Bethel and Ai to the place where he had first made the altar to God. What did he do when he got there? He called on God! Awesome! So when I make mistakes and cause others to sin I need to do what Abram did. I need to go back to the place where I started--the place that God first led me and there I need to call on Him. I can be honest with God in this place. I can say, "Lord, I made mistakes. Forgive me! Where do you want me to go from here?" Maybe you are in a place right now where you need to go back to the place God has been trying to lead you and just be honest with Him about your mistakes.
Now let's see what happens next...

Genesis 13:5-9
In this part of the book we see that Abram and Lot had a disagreement. What was the problem? Notice that we are told that the land could not support both of them and their livestock. Weird that the blessings from God (having an abundance of things and livestock) is what ultimately drove them apart. Have you ever seen that happen in our day and time? I know I have! How often do you hear about people that achieve success and begin losing friendships and family over it! Abram is wise when he tells Lot that they are brethren and should not fight. Abram has faith in God when he lets Lot choose the land that he will live on. Abram trusts God here and knows that the Lord will not let Abram lose the land that he was promised to his nephew, Lot.

Genesis 13:10-13
What does Lot choose? Read verse 10 carefully.
Did you find it?
Lot chooses the land that is the most watered, that is the best for his livestock. Wow! I just want to tell him, "How rude!" Abram gives him the choice of where he will live and he chooses the best and gives Abram the rest. Geez! Do you think Abram is going to fall on hardship now? Do you think his livestock will die off from not having well watered grass to eat? NO! Abram trusted God and let Lot decide. He knew he would be taken care of. This is a huge sign of an obedient, trusting heart. And Abram was able to do all these things and keep his integrity intact.

Genesis 13:14-18
Abram was faithful, obedient, and loving towards his nephew Lot. Abram went back to the promise land and praised God. What is God's response? Look at these verses. God promises Abram that he will inherit the land all around him and that his descendants would be more numerous than the dust on the Earth.

Awesome! I love this chapter of the bible! Even though Abram made mistakes in Chapter 12 we see that God's promises were still waiting for Abram back in the land outside Egypt. All Abram had to do was go back to the place where God was leading Him and call on Him. Abram's faith allowed him to deal with the fighting and strife that he was experiencing when he returned to the promise land without worrying about losing the promises God had given him. How awesome is God!

If you have walked away from God's promises today, go back to where God has been leading you and call on his name! Any person that might try to rise up and cause strife in your life will be called away without you having to fight with them. God's promises are still there waiting for you. No one can take them away and even your own mistakes can't take them away! Isn't that wonderful to know that despite ourselves God still wants to bless us?

Well, I hope you have been filled and enriched by God's word today. You will find that the more you study His word the more hungry you become to learn more about him. Its great! Join me again tomorrow!

Until then friends...God Bless!