Romans 4:17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed – the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
The God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. Beautiful, precious, blessed, clean; all of these things we are not, but God calls us anyway. The creative power in his very breath is beyond our understanding. It’s one of the mysteries we must accept. But this very fact we accept in the most foundational area of creation, is what prevents us from true life change. We get stuck in the guilt and pain of sin and can’t get over ourselves. He has already spoken over us. By grace, through faith we are saved and forgiven. But we can’t get past the feelings of guilt and the memories we see, all of which sit on our hearts and minds squelching the joy that is possible. The work God could use us in and the hope we could share are unimaginable. But how can we profess our faith and belief in his saving power, when we don’t accept it for ourselves.
He calls existence from nothing, life from death, and beauty from ashes. We are good because he calls us so. What are you today? Are you willing to let go of what you say are and become who he says you can be?
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Thank You
This is a thank you to Living Proof ministries. I attended the Louisville event at Southeast Christian, and I firmly believe it was due to your prayers covering the event that brought me there. I only live 20 minutes away from Louisville and not only was a group from my church going, but my Bunco group was going as well. I turned down three opportunities last year to buy tickets, before they sold out. I had various reasons, money and child care being the ones I told everyone, but really I think it was more of an issue with my heart.
Next thing I knew it was a couple of weeks before the event and someone couldn't attend. You think I took the ticket? No, we had just had some financial issues come up and my husband was working a 12 hour shift on Friday night. So, another friend bought the ticket and that was that...
Or so I thought. The week of the event I received an email that she and her husband had concert tickets and she didn't realize they were the same night. She wouldn't be able to go. So now both God and you are screaming, "Take the Ticket!" But still, I wasn't sure, I'd have to figure out child care, there was still the money issues, and I just wasn't sure if I wanted to.
You see I've done some Beth Moore studies and I knew I wasn't ready to make some of the decisions I was going to have to make. God would be there, I wouldn't be able to run from him. He's been pulling at me to start using some gifts He's given me and I've been, shall we say, unmotivated to put forth the effort. So finally on Wednesday I asked my mom to watch the kids, and called my friend to say I'd buy the ticket from her.
I left a message and waited to hear back. And this is when the providence of God, finally screamed at me. She called me back and said she hadn't wanted money for it all along. She thought I knew that. She just wanted someone to be able to use it. She didn't know the struggle we were having with our finances. That we had just had a huge let down, that I might have to go back to work. The struggle I was having in my heart with fear and worry. But God did. And I had to decide that He was worth it. He was worth the financial sacrifice and hassle of finding a baby sitter. He was worth more than I had been willing to give. And I had to decide I wanted it, before I could see what He had in store for me.
So, Thank you, for your prayers leading up to the event and during. I was one who wouldn't have been there without them.
It didn't stop at just mere attendance, I've been thoroughly blessed and revived in every sense of the word. I was letting the choke set in as just a fact of life. The anxiety and worry was choking out every good and beautiful blessing that was right in front of me. I am now working on Treasuring his Wonder, Protecting my heart, and Stopping the choke of anxiety from stealing the work God can do through my life. I'm working on moving myself out of the way and allowing Him to use all that He can.
Next thing I knew it was a couple of weeks before the event and someone couldn't attend. You think I took the ticket? No, we had just had some financial issues come up and my husband was working a 12 hour shift on Friday night. So, another friend bought the ticket and that was that...
Or so I thought. The week of the event I received an email that she and her husband had concert tickets and she didn't realize they were the same night. She wouldn't be able to go. So now both God and you are screaming, "Take the Ticket!" But still, I wasn't sure, I'd have to figure out child care, there was still the money issues, and I just wasn't sure if I wanted to.
You see I've done some Beth Moore studies and I knew I wasn't ready to make some of the decisions I was going to have to make. God would be there, I wouldn't be able to run from him. He's been pulling at me to start using some gifts He's given me and I've been, shall we say, unmotivated to put forth the effort. So finally on Wednesday I asked my mom to watch the kids, and called my friend to say I'd buy the ticket from her.
I left a message and waited to hear back. And this is when the providence of God, finally screamed at me. She called me back and said she hadn't wanted money for it all along. She thought I knew that. She just wanted someone to be able to use it. She didn't know the struggle we were having with our finances. That we had just had a huge let down, that I might have to go back to work. The struggle I was having in my heart with fear and worry. But God did. And I had to decide that He was worth it. He was worth the financial sacrifice and hassle of finding a baby sitter. He was worth more than I had been willing to give. And I had to decide I wanted it, before I could see what He had in store for me.
So, Thank you, for your prayers leading up to the event and during. I was one who wouldn't have been there without them.
It didn't stop at just mere attendance, I've been thoroughly blessed and revived in every sense of the word. I was letting the choke set in as just a fact of life. The anxiety and worry was choking out every good and beautiful blessing that was right in front of me. I am now working on Treasuring his Wonder, Protecting my heart, and Stopping the choke of anxiety from stealing the work God can do through my life. I'm working on moving myself out of the way and allowing Him to use all that He can.
Seek Him Out
Romans 1:8 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
Now, this verse is a little scary, but it is very clear. They (the people of the Earth) did not retain the knowledge of God and there was a vacuum created. In the following verse we find out what happened to the vacuum. “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity,” Romans 1:29a. Now what stuck out to me in this verse wasn’t the sheer fear it elicited in my spirit that said, “Get on your knees for at least 2-3 hours a day, turn off all TV, radio, and computer information that is not holy and hope you haven’t already been turned over.” I saw was a people who, although they weren’t seeking God, weren’t seeking evil, either. It doesn’t describe them as a people running after pagan gods throwing themselves into idol worship, as some other groups in the Bible are described. They simply didn’t find it worth their time to “retain the knowledge of God.” It’s an indictment, all the same, but one that would seem more of a misdemeanor than a felony.
Isn’t that where we get tripped up though? When we look at ourselves we think we’re okay because we wouldn’t commit any of the “Big Ones.” You know murder, theft, and infidelity. We have God’s top ten down. That’s what’s curious about this though, the following 3 verses track sin’s growth curve. Beginning with verse 29, “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless,” Romans 1:29-32.
All of this was not because they sought it out. They were not actively seeking evil, but they also were not actively seeking God. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
Now, this verse is a little scary, but it is very clear. They (the people of the Earth) did not retain the knowledge of God and there was a vacuum created. In the following verse we find out what happened to the vacuum. “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity,” Romans 1:29a. Now what stuck out to me in this verse wasn’t the sheer fear it elicited in my spirit that said, “Get on your knees for at least 2-3 hours a day, turn off all TV, radio, and computer information that is not holy and hope you haven’t already been turned over.” I saw was a people who, although they weren’t seeking God, weren’t seeking evil, either. It doesn’t describe them as a people running after pagan gods throwing themselves into idol worship, as some other groups in the Bible are described. They simply didn’t find it worth their time to “retain the knowledge of God.” It’s an indictment, all the same, but one that would seem more of a misdemeanor than a felony.
Isn’t that where we get tripped up though? When we look at ourselves we think we’re okay because we wouldn’t commit any of the “Big Ones.” You know murder, theft, and infidelity. We have God’s top ten down. That’s what’s curious about this though, the following 3 verses track sin’s growth curve. Beginning with verse 29, “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless,” Romans 1:29-32.
All of this was not because they sought it out. They were not actively seeking evil, but they also were not actively seeking God. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
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