Emptiness of a Pocket

John 8:12 [I Am the Light of the World ] Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Life without Christ in this lost world is like an empty pocket with a hole in It - Without him we have nothing & no matter what we put in to fill it, it will not last as it will eventually slide out and be lost leaving people once again empty.

The Pages of Scripture

The Pages of Scripture

Love them
Psalm 119:48 I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.

Long for them
Psalm 119:120 My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.

Look in them constantly
Psalm 119:97 Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day
Psalm 119:164 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.
Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

Live in them
Psalm 119:116 Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, And let me not be put to shame in my hope!
Psalm 119:144 Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.

Lose Yourself in them
Psalm 119:93 I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.

Line Up Your Life up with them
Psalm 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not  sin against you.
Psalm 119:33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.

Let them lead in everything and in every moment
Psalm 119:44 I will keep your law continually, forever and ever,
Psalm 119:62 At midnight I rise to praise you, because of  your righteous rules.

Longing for Another City

There is a longing in our hearts as we journey through this life for so much more than the trinkets of this earth.  Our hearts ache for the treasure of heaven and it is that subject that should be much more of a focus in our lives.  We should be marked by longing for more.

I have been preaching verse by verse through Revelation now for 18 months and as we near the finish line we came today to look at the exterior of the heavenly Jerusalem.  In light of all we saw today in Revelation 21:9-21, I concluded my talk today by reminding everyone that we are to live here longing for our future home. 

There is a model for us in this longing and the book of Hebrews displays it for us... 

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 

The first part of these verses speak of a temporary city, but he was actually longing for so much more.  He was looking for a city that was not of this world.

Hebrews 11:16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 

Hebrews 13:14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.

The obvious question for every Christ-follower is whether we live with this kind of longing for the heavenly city.  The Old Testament saints sure lived this way and it greatly shaped how they lived and dealt with life here on the earth.

These saints did not live with their heads in the clouds in such a way that they had no impact in this life, rather it was just the opposite.  This longing for the future city is what got them through the yuk that this life can be at times.  

So, how about it, will we begin this longing now for our future home?

Just maybe this longing could be the difference in how we live effectively for the glory of His name.

Seeing the World in Gospel

I spent a good portion of this evening reading in the book of Acts from chapters 11-20 and marveling at the expression of faith contained in the pages as seen in the cities of Asia Minor, in Israel, in homes, in streets, in synagogues, in prisons, in shackles, on an island, in dreams, in miraculous rescues and countless other places and various means.

Deep in my heart I want to live in those pages walking with other people whose passion and longing is Gospel Proclamation.

As I read, I wondered why I don't see more of the World in Gospel and the Jesus way?  It is a spiritual contemplation that I often ponder upon and wrestle with and find myself in its midst again tonight.

Sadly, Gospel living has been reduced too so much that is less than the Gospel that it should not surprise us that the church at large does not really know the Gospel anymore.  I think that is why in these days I find myself reading more in the Acts of the Holy Spirit in my spare time.

I don't want to leave this planet to my glorious existence in Christ's eternal presence without tasting the splendor of living in a Gospel movement somewhere on this planet in my lifetime.  This has become the dominant thought in my heart when I am alone with Christ.

I can't list all of them, but here are some texts in my reading that quickened my heart again in Gospel longing.  Do you long for this as well?  Maybe we should unite our hearts in prayer and relationship in this Acts of the Holy Spirit longing!

Acts 11:20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
I want to proclaim and see a great number turn to the Lord.

Acts 11:26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. 
I want to be in the midst of people who long to be taught the Word and are so distinct the world gives us a name of distinction.

Acts 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
I want to plead with others to Jesus for His saints imprisoned for the Gospel.

Acts 12:7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.
I want to be in places where God sends His angels to do the miraculous.

Acts 12:24 But the word of God increased and multiplied.
I want to see this consistently happen.

Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
I want to be a part of a church that sends people to the nations.

Acts 13:12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
I desire to see people astonished at the teaching of scripture as the Gospel is proclaimed.

Acts 13:49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
I want to see the word spreading through a whole region.

Acts 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
I want to walk with others in joy and the Holy Spirit.

Acts 14:19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.
I want to live among those when they are persecuted and dragged out of the city, get back up and go back into the city.

Acts 14:27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 
I want to live among a people who have something to share when they come together!

Acts 16:23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

I want to sing songs of worship in the night.

These are the stirrings in my heart in these days.

Could it be that God is awakening in you to this same aim?

Isn't it time His people left comfort behind and embraced "wherever He leads I'll go"?

Living Bigger

I don't know how it is for you in your faith life, but I know in mine, at times I can get easily distracted by a circumstance, a family matter, a financial stress, or a health matter.  Some of these, honestly, are really big and overwhelming but even in that truth I do not have to live cowardly under their towering nature.  

When I read the Bible like you, I marvel at those who have great faith and in the midst of mind blowing challenges, they conquered and maintained their faith when it would have been easy to cower under their weight. 

I want to live BIGGER!  I have grown tired of the weakness of faith that is more shackling, than freeing.  Read the words of Jesus to the churches in Revelation 2-3 and 7 times He speaks of conquerors.

This week my time in Genesis 22 led me to think on this deeper in regard to Abraham. 

This week as I pondered Abraham processing the idea of sacrificing Isaac I was led to think of living larger than human issues or even 1st World problems.  Genesis 22:1-2 tells us that God was testing Abraham in this matter of offering his son as a burnt offering. How do you process a request like this with the son of the promise? and one that comes from God? 

Humanly you can't, but in deep faith you can - He trusted God and was able to "live bigger" than the size of the instruction God gave (which was very big). These words stood out to me in how Abraham chose to walk into this request and circumstance he found himself under.  They are words that reveal his "living bigger" and trusting with each step and not panicking under the largeness of the circumstance (the circumstance was big - kill your son as a sacrifice).  Look at his steps of living large...
vs 3 - Rose, saddled his donkey, gathered wood
vs 4 - traveled and trusted on the way
vs 5 - somehow believed He and Isaac would return
vs 6 - took all he needed for the sacrifice
vs 7,8 - tells Isaac God will provide
vs 9 - built the altar of sacrifice
vs 10 - takes the knife and was going to follow through
vs 11 - God speaks, intervenes, & provides the sacrifice
vs 12 - God affirms his faith for faith pleases God
vs 14 - His faith allowed him to learn something new of God

I want to live "bigger" than even those things that I can't fully understand as I want to know and see more of Him than I have even known.

Here is what I think it means to live bigger: It means you keep moving forward in faith.  It does not mean you don't have human emotions in the midst of the circumstance, but you keep pursuing Christ and running after Him.