You Are Chosen

            9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

            Lets break this verse down.  In the beginning of this chapter, Peter is describing evil behavior and saying that you are not like that.  He is saying that you are chosen.  You are not only set apart, but you are also royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.  YOU ARE GOD’S!!!  That should make you feel like you are on top of the world.  You are chosen to be a royal priest, a holy nation, and God’s very own child.  You are special.  But with great title come great responsibility.  You have to show others that you are chosen by showing God’s goodness throughout the world.  You must show others the way out of the darkness because God has taken you out of the darkness and you know the way out!  This verse shows me that I am not just an ordinary person, but I have a calling on my life.  I am set apart from everyone else because I have purpose in my life to fulfill and I’m not going to let anyone get in my way.  I AM CHOSEN!!!!!!!

 

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.  Joshua 1:6

 

 

Living Love

Earlier this week I was asked a question. That question was "what is your favorite Bible verse?" Immediately I knew the answer to that question. I have a verse that I call my life verse (a life verse is a verse of scripture that you live your life by... Obviously). That verse of scripture is John 15:12 "This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you." If you ask me that is a pretty amazing way to live you life. But, then the question began to boil in me. I call this verse my LIFE verse, but do how much of my life do I really live by it? Instantly, I became hurt by that question. It was almost as if Jesus had slapped me in my face. How much of your life are you living by this verse? So, I thought about it and my thinking hurt me. The answer is, i'm not really living a whole lot of my life by that verse.

 

So, in order for my self to understand that you have to look at what the love of Jesus looked like. Let's talk about one of the most talked about story's in the Bible. The woman caught in adultery in John 8. In the beginning of this story we know that Jesus has come to the temple to teach people. While he was in the middle of teaching, the people who taught law and some Pharisees drug a woman to him and threw her in front of the crowd. Then they began to proclaim that she was not just being accused of adultery, she had in fact been caught in the very act. They yelled to Jesus and called him "teacher" if you don't know about the Pharisees, they were mocking him. They said to him, the law of Moses says they should all stone her to death. Then they asked Him what He would have them do. Now, we know in this situation, they were trying to get Jesus to say something that could incriminate him so that they could have him put to death. Yet, Jesus did not care what happened to him. He kneeled down to the ground in front of her and he began to write in the dust. It is not recorded what Jesus wrote. But, it does not matter, what matters is he wrote life in her situation. That is not the only significant thing in this situation. The accusers continued to antagonize and poke and prod at Jesus. He stood up and looked at them and simply said, "let the first person who has no sin throw the first stone". Then he immediately kneeled back down with her. What is so important about that? Jesus is kneeling down in front of this woman after he essentially just told them to stone her if they wanted to. He has put his own body in front of hers. If someone were to have thrown and stone in this situation, the first person to be hit would have been Jesus. He looked at the woman after no one threw a stone and he said, where has everyone that accused you gone, did they stone you? She replied no to him. Then he looked at her and he said, neither do I. 

This is an amazing image of the love Jesus has for all of us. He absolutely loves every single person on this planet without flaw. He doesn't even think twice about this women. He instantly portrayed the love that he has for her even though she had been caught in the very act of sinning. But, instead of condemning her, he just loved her and helped her remove the barrier of sin from her life. Think about the death of Jesus. As he was hanging there on that cross, beaten, tortured, flesh hanging off of him, barley living. Even when the people who were killing him were stabbing him in the ribs. He shouted out to God and asked for their forgiveness. Not because it was his job, not because someone told him to do it, not because he thought they would let him go. But, because he loved them. Just as he loves each and everyone of us. 

Lord, I pray that I can take your word and apply it to every corner of my life. Consume me with your fire Father until none of me is left, until you are the only thing that remains. Let me love like you love. Let the people I come in contact with not know who I am. But, let them know who you are. I love you Jesus. 

~Sean

 

"Truly Knowing How to Love"

1 John 4:20:  If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

 

 

I’ve realized Christian believers have to know how to love well because it is essential for true spirituality. 

I hope to always have the ability to recognize that I have to love, respect, and value people; also taking into consideration that I am not perfect and I’m not always right. Peter Sazzero references a Jewish theologian by the name of Martin Buber who wrote a great book called “1 and thou”. This book talks about two kinds of relationships, one of them being the best kind of relationship to have. Buber described the most mature healthy relationship being an “I-Thou” relationship. “ In such relationships I recognize that I am made in the image of God and so is every other person on the face of the earth. This makes them “Thou” to me. Because of that reality every person deserves respect that is; I treat them with dignity and worth. I do not Dehumanize or objectify them. I affirm them as having a unique and separate existence apart from me.

God, You have created each and everyone of us fearfully and wonderfully. I'm so grateful that you looked at us and said "it is good." We are created in your image

~Seny

 

 

Im Not Going Back

1 Peter 5:6-11 "So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you. Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does."

I've been thinking lately, and God is so good to us. Though we don't deserve it! It doesn't matter how many times we mess up, He's still there to pick us back up and brush the dirt off;  Even if we think he should just turn his back on us.

In my own walk with Christ, I can't tell you the countless times that I have messed up. All I can think about is his GRACE and MERCY, that follows me, even into the darkest places of my life.  My life use to be about getting my next fix or when I was going to be able to get the next 'solo cup' in my hands.

I thank God that I am no longer bound to those bondages and can say with an honest heart that I have NO intentions on ever going back to my life before God! He has brought me too far to look back. With my testimony it's my desire to help people know that there is more to life than the fix they need. I want to be able to look back and say that I helped numerous people with their addictions and through Christ bring them out of those addiction. With God's help all things are possible.

~Haley

 

January 1st 'VS' The First Monday

*New Year. New Life. New Me. New Perspective. New Attitude. New Priorities*

"My Time"

(This year will be different on so many levels)

 

 

Normal people do all their new year resolutions on the first day of the year, well this is just further conformation that I am not "normal".  As I sit in this office I realize that there are ALOT of things in my life that need to change if I expect to succeed at all in this season of my life.  So I have decided that my resolutions will not be "resolutions" but commitments to not only myself and those around me but also to God.  This year will be a year of S.H.I.F.T-ing for me.

*S.erve H.eal I.nspire F.ight T.each*

 

   *Serving- I will serve those around me with diligence and respect and will complete what I commit to with out over exerting and spreading myself to thin. 

   *Healing- I will let go and surrender all of me to the divine Healer in order to get over my "issues" and also to release others healing which will come through mine.

   *Inspiring- I will learn to look in high places for inspiration for not only myself but for those who need it, I will inspire my family, my friends, my community, my city, and in due time my country and the world with help from none other than my Lord and Savior.

   *Fighting- I will take my stance as a Kingdom Warrior and will from now on fight for not only my harvest but also my family; both physical and spiritual. My promise, my purpose, and I will fight to defend the Kingdom of God.

   *Teaching- I will take all that I have learned and in turn share with the world both near and far because I know that knowledge is power and if we all are to be Warriors of the Kingdom then we all need proper knowledge and training.  At the same time, I will learn more from those who I will come in contact with.

 

With this said, I make these commitments today and I've written them here not only for accountability but also to make an impact and a point, I love my life but I also know that I love god a lot more and whatever I have to do for him to be able to use me, this is my year to do it regardless of the cost to me.

 

*Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8; " To everything there is a season a time of purpose. A time to be born, and a time to die A time to plant and a time to pluck. A time to kill and a time to heal A time to break down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to cast a way stones and a time to gather stones a time to embrace and a time to refrain, A time to gain and a time to lose a time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to sew a time to keep silence and a time to speak. A Time To Love And A Time To Hate A Time For War And A Time For Peace."

 

This is my time, my time to step up and step out and become all that God had destined for me to be.  ~Alexis

Back To The Heart of Worship

James 3:13-18 says, "Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."

I love worship. I absolutely love worship.

But I love worship that is real and authentic. I love worship that at times is rough and raw. I love
worship where people take the talent that they have and they simply offer them up to the God who
loves them. And, in humbling themselves before God, He does amazing things through their gifts. When doing this, it reminds me of the song, “Heart of Worship.”\

I’m coming back to the heart of worship, And it’s all about You. All about You, Jesus. I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it, When it’s all about You. It’s all about You Jesus

It’s that sense of humility in worship, a humble offering of everything that we are, that comes to my
mind when I read these words from James. It’s an interesting position for a statement such as this. They come just on the heels of a verses describing the power of the tongue to either bring praise or bring destruction. And now there is this image of wisdom. When we’re connected to the wisdom of God, it will undoubtedly flow from the heart. And when it’s flowing from our heart, we see such things as peace, gentleness, obedience, humility, love. But there’s another side to the picture too. When we don’t have a sense of humility, when we’re not connected to the wisdom of God, it’s also going to show up in our actions. In that case, we’re going to be jealous, sinful and filled with bad ambitions. Maybe that’s why the heart is so important.
Here is a few questions to challenge yourself with: What’s your heart connected to? Is it the heart of
God that we find in true worship? Or is it the heart of the world?

- Haley

Broken BUT Rescued

"If the winds must keep blowing for me to trust in You... then Lord, I will hold on until You see me through. I may not know the purpose for this trial that I face, but please, don't let this

storm go to waste."

-"This Storm", McMillan and Life

As much as I love being in MC, because I really REALLY do, this is possibly the hardest thing I've ever gone through. And it's only the 7th week. It's still just the beginning, and I can't tell you how many times the thought of leaving has crossed my mind because of my feelings getting in the way.

Feelings of fear. Of stress. Of doubt. Of loneliness. Feeling like I don't belong, that I don't fit in. That I'm not enough for this group. That I'm holding the group back. That I don't have enough Bible knowledge. That I'm not as far in my spiritual walk as everyone else.

I can't tell you how many times I've started to pack my bags, completely prepared to pack up the back of my car, and just drive. No destination point. Just drive away, as far as I can on however much gas I had in my tank. I've felt like that's my best option more than once.

Then my car BROKE.

When it initially happened, I was convinced that the devil was just attacking me. Now that I can step back and look at the whole situation, I can see how that wasn't the case.

God stepped in. He took control of a situation that could have taken me away from the calling He has given me. Away from the opportunities He has put in front of me.

I believe He broke my car. Not as a punishment... but as a reminder that I'm not in control. Or a reminder that He can take me out of a situation that I may not be able to handle.

Which is really, REALLY good. Because if my car wouldn't have broken, I would have been gone. I would have left over a month ago. I would have left before the process of growing even began.

We were told from the beginning that this program wouldn't be easy, and I don't think any of us thought much of it. The breaking process hurts... A lot. You learn so much about yourself, and you're stripped down to the basics so that you can create a firm foundation for ministry. I'm starting to see now just how beneficial the hard parts are.

I'm starting to accept the fact that God has me in this program for a reason... clearly. I mean, He BROKE my car. This program is hard. But it's worth it.

Yes, I feel alone sometimes, but I know that I'm not. I have a Daddy God that is always with me. And I know that He loves me unconditionally, even when I doubt. Even when I question whether or not it's worth it. He's got my back. He sees beauty in my brokenness. He sees potential in me. He has me here for a reason. And I'm finding so much peace in knowing that.

Blessings,
        Paige