big church (does size matter?)

Yeah, I guess I'm pretty happy with my church's size. It seems there's always someone that God has richly blessed to my left, to my right, and all around. There's typically a message in the air that is either challenging or comforting, and fellowship happens all the time. I get to celebrate God, talk about him freely, share the blessings and the joy, and live out my freedom in Christ is so many ways. I get to express, without a word, the fruits of the Spirit, and when I stumble, I know right away, because He is right there with me. I even get to see folks who never met Him yet, and hope to make the introduction as the Lord directs the time and my words (if I keep still and LISTEN...!)

And, yup, all of this happens Monday through Friday, and sometimes Saturdays..! (but I rest up on Sundays). And, of course, on Sundays my family and I fellowship with friends, new and old, and celebrate the Love of Christ we were all so priveleged to live in all week long. And, just maybe, we'll pick up some "new" wisdom from our pastor to apply to our lives, and pass along too.

Guess it's fair to say that all our churches are as "big" as we want them to be, Monday thru Saturday, and it all depends how much we serve, unconditionally, to everyone around us all week, because I think that's what Jesus meant us to be for Him... That, to me, "the seven day deal", is the church... life to the fullest!

Answers

Last night I was talking to the Lord, but said nothing of my anxieties that, frankly, I was in denial about. It seems, in retrospect, that I thought I had enough faith to handle just about anything. So I kept my fears to myself and went ahead to pray for things like prosperity and health issues and the continued blessings that flow so abundantly from Him all the time. And then the download hit me. I was, deep inside, really thinking that He wasn't blessing me or answering me but my cheerfulness and martyrish ongoing was covering what would otherwise appear to be a lack of faith... In a prideful way... As I continued to take in just what God had to say to me in that moment it became very clear: I was praying out of order...

The message was clear: He said, "Everything's under control, and I have been answering your prayers, but you need to have faith. You need to grow. The answers are just flying over your head because you're not really ready for them. Grow in faith and then you will understand"...

I didn't hear an audible voice, but I didn't have to. It was like the message was unpacked in a way I could understand it, in a flash. And it was comforting. I understand it. And it's true. So I pray for Him to help me grow in faith, and instantly, the answer is, "I will"...

Where Art Thou?

I have a brother who is involved in the prison ministry. I also have a brother who is in Haiti serving God in a different sort of prison. We all have these prisons we can serve in, right where we are, but there are also those self imposed kinds. What's got you locked up? Would you recognize the key, or even the bars, if they were pointed out to you? If only we took more time to look around, take a deep breath, and ask God to show us not only the way out of whatever keeps us from serving Him, be it worry, business, or fear, but to also show us how to be the best servant cellmates on this here planet the best we can. Pastor pointed out another famous acrostic this Sunday, FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real. That's all it is. So break out of that cell, you are free in Christ to do just that, and serve Him with all you've got. May God bless you, talk to ya later...

True Christianity by Stephen Hill

For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself,

so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:3, NASB

The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis exposes the true grit of Christianity as few other works have. Take heart as you consider this encouraging discourse about the burden of tribulation and the confidence of divine comfort.


Christ’s whole life was a cross and martyrdom—yet do you seek rest and joy for yourself? You are deceived if you seek any other thing than to suffer tribulations; for this whole mortal life is full of miseries and marked on every side with crosses. The higher a person has advanced in the Spirit, so much the heavier crosses he often finds. Nevertheless, this man, though in so many ways afflicted, is not without refreshing comfort, for he understands that great benefit is accrued to him by the bearing of his own cross. All the burden of tribulation is turned into the confidence of divine comfort.

It is not man’s natural inclination or ability to bear the cross, love the cross, chastise the body and bring it into subjection; willingly suffer reproach, despise oneself and wish to be despised; endure all adversities and losses and desire no prosperity in this world. You are not able to accomplish anything of this kind alone.

But, if you trust in the Lord, strength shall be given you from heaven, and the world and the flesh shall be made subject to your command. Set yourself, therefore, like a good and faithful servant of Christ, to boldly and courageously bear the cross of the Lord, who out of love, was crucified for you.

"trinity of values"

"Lord, Help me to learn this trinity of values:

...first, let me live Christ,

...then, let me hear Him with a "fast" ear,

...then, let me speak with a steady tongue.

Guard my tongue lest it should bring You shame.

May every word I speak exalt Your name."

...taken from a Bible devotion

Always and Forever... whoa dude!

What a mind blowing thing to imagine... "always and forever"..! Can we really and truly expect our minds to be able to envision all that God can do from His perspective? I mean, we would not need the Word, we would not need faith, and He would not have had to send Jesus to show us just what trust is all about...

If we doubt that the Infinite and Eternal is possible, well, what are we left with?

Probably this : All that exists is limited to what we can understand, making reality a mere opinion.

Let's think and pray on that, and then realize just how awesome God is to have all this going on around us without us having to know too much!

Here's another snippet from Steve Hill's devotional on the subject, God bless you and enjoy His presence and power in your life today. Agape ~ Eric

"Live eternity-conscious"

Before the mountains were born, or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.

Psalm 90:2, NASB

Have you ever tried to imagine eternity? Of course, our finite minds tend to understand things better when we are able to compare the concept to something we already know. For instance, it would be difficult to describe how chocolate tastes to someone who has never tasted it. Similarly, eternity is not a concept easily grasped by humans, whose days are numbered. However, Samuel Davies, a Presbyterian evangelist during the 1700s, relates a beautiful comparison in this passage.

Eternity! We are alarmed at the sound! Lost in the prospect! Eternity with respect to God is a duration without beginning, as well as without end. It is a duration that excludes all number and computation. Days, months, years and ages are lost in it, like drops in the ocean. Millions of millions of years, as many years as there are sands on the seashore or particles of dust in the globe on the earth, all these are nothing to eternity. They do not bear the least imaginable proportion to it, for these will come to an end, as certain as day, but eternity will never, never come to an end. It is a line without an end; it is an ocean without a shore.

As many times a day as you can remember to do so, ask yourself this question: How will my words and deeds today affect eternity? ~ http://www.stevehill.org/ (daily awakenings)

Daily Awakening, a devotional by Stephen Hill

February 8
A Word from Heaven
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:8, 10

I wonder what these shepherds had been discussing just prior to that “heavenly interruption.” Perhaps they had just finished counting the sheep and were discussing one that was missing. Or, one of them could have been commenting that the shepherd’s pie he’d eaten for supper had given him indigestion. Of course, the new tax census Caesar Augustus ordered may have dominated their conversation.

You see, man spends much of his brief earthly sojourn choking on the smog of senseless speculations when what he needs to take in is a fresh word from heaven’s throne. Being consumed with current events can lead us to be so engrossed in earthly things that when God does come on the scene with a fresh word, we often get frightened or angry. Be it a word of instruction, a prophetic word or a rebuking word—our reaction is pretty predictable. We are often startled and afraid, as were the shepherds, or we may become religious and offended like those of the synagogue in Nazareth (see Luke 4:28). Some even shake with conviction as Felix did after hearing the words of Paul (see Acts 24:25).
The shepherds stopped their chitchat long enough to hear a fresh word from heaven and it changed their lives forever. Do you find yourself buried in the deluge of worldly words? Shake them off and seek the fresh breath of heaven for your life and the lives of others.

Remember, we live in a world that desperately needs to hear these heavenly words:

“Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy!”