Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
I read the above verse this morning, and thought about the significance of it in relation to Thanksgiving. I am truly disheartened at the no care attitude our country takes toward such an awesome holiday; however, I’ll save that for a later post.
Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, declared this to be an annual holiday, and so we have done that. But in thinking about what all Americans have to be thankful for, I must think about our heritage. We have the greatest history of any nation in the world, save God’s chosen people, Israel.
But for this post, I want to commemorate just a few things that I came across today that I was thankful for.
1. Fellowship with God
The scripture is the most important thing you could ever read, and just this morning God spoke to me through my bible. What an amazing thing, that God would speak to us the way he does! Then the privilege of prayer, probably the greatest weakness of the church today, that allows you and me to come boldly unto the throne of grace! I love the privilege of talking to my Lord just whenever I want to.
2. Family
I have the greatest family in the world. We’re all so busy, that sometimes we don’t even thank God enough for each other. God has blessed our home with his presence, something that others can even feel, and they talk about when they leave our house. Our home is a haven of rest! I know that one day I will have a family of my own, and I just pray that my home will have that same touch of God on it that ours has now. I’m thankful that all of my family desires God’s will, and we are dedicated to the call that he has placed on each of our lives. My Dad and Mom are the absolute best parents in the world! God has blessed me beyond measure.
3. Friends
I have been blessed with some great friends. I’m thankful for the men in my life who have stayed faithful to the Lord, who have shown me how to be what they are, MEN!
Besides my own father, there are men such as my Grandfather, who could be listed in the family category as well, Frank Givens. There’s not a more generous man. Then there are Bro. Rob Unger, Bro. Nick Blackburn, Bro. Jim Lyman, Bro. Jimmy Noles, Bro. Bob May, and their families. I also thank God for Pastor Mike Keenan, who has showed an interest in me, and has invested in my life, helping cultivate a love for God and a desire to live right. I could never deserve such friends as I have! As recent as this year, God has seen fit to bless me by giving me friends across the world!! With our recent trip to Holland, I was blessed to become acquainted with Missionary Jake Huussen and his family. I could not describe the encouragement they have been to me, and my family as well! Then there is my Saviour, Jesus Christ, who, when I was unlovable and lost, became my friend, and gave himself for me. What Love!!!
This is not, by a seas width, an exhaustive list. This is simply three things that I noticed today that I am truly thankful for. With these three, what more in the world do I need, really?
But…here’s one to top it off:
4. Future
I have an unknown, but with God, a no-doubt fantastic future!!! I can only imagine what may be ahead as the Lord tarries! What a scary, yet exciting thought! I just turned 18 today, on Thanksgiving! As this chapter of my life closes, there’s a lot to be done.
Be thankful! You really have no reason not to be. If you have one reason not to be thankful that cannot be offset by at least three reasons to be thankful, leave a comment and tell me about it. I’ll give you a hint: you can’t!!! And really, what you perceive as reasons to be unthankful is just your misunderstanding of God’s will for your life.
Skim over this post and you decide if God, as the verse says, “daily loadeth me with benefits.” It’s true for me, as it was for David. And hey, it’s true for you too!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
If you'll just stay on your bottom...
I had one of the most enjoyable evenings I have had in a long time the other night. We (my mother and I) decided to take the neighbor's three youngest children out for some fun. They have seven children; consequently, the younger children do not get a lot of simple things that sometimes an "only child" might get. Well, the night turned out to be so much fun that I have decided to do this type of thing on a more regular basis. I literally was almost doubled over laughing while I was supposed to be driving! Dangerous? Especially if you knew my driving habits under normal conditions. :D Actually, that's just a joke. I am a very cautious, safe driver by nature. I have no desire to take my own life in a car accident!
Anyway, the kids ages are 7, 6, and 4. Wow, at the things kids say!!! My mom and I laughed all night long. It started by going to a very kid-friendly restaurant, which they very much enjoy for the pizza! Then we went to Wal-Mart to buy them all a gun and a cowboy hat. Boy, they were in all their glory. The youngest made an interesting comment on the way out. He said, "I really like you guys." How easily children are pleased! :D
But there was one comment that the 6 year old made on the way to the restaurant in the vehicle that stuck with me. We were discussing the hazards of playing around in the car while driving when he said, "If you'll just stay on your bottom, you won't get hurt!"
Why is it that God chooses to stab your heart with a simple comment by a toddler?
"...out of the mouth of babes..."
If you'll just stay on your bottom... Was that for immature children riding in a vehicle, or for me in this thing called life, Lord? Being still until you have God's "green light" can be extremely difficult. I admit, I have had recent bouts with this very issue: Patience.
Sometimes, as young adults, it's hard to learn to be patient with God's timing. You would, like me, rather things to be moving just a little quicker. My dad always says, "90 percent of God's will is God's timing." If I thought God wanted me to be a missionary, it doesn't mean that I should stop typing this post, run and go pack my bags, and get some plane tickets pronto! Why not? God's timing! It's not that I want any other than God's will, I just want it quicker! Some of you have been there, too. You're sitting in the vehicle of God's will, but you're not getting to the destination quick enough for your patience level. :D Sound familiar?
God's will is not always an easy thing, but it's not because God is playing a mental game of hide and seek with his will for me, it's because my natural man does not receive the things of God, for they are "spiritually discerned." I read in my Bible last night the story of Abram and Sarai, who did not wait on God's timing for a son, and so they improvised on God's will. What a tragedy the word of God records, and we even see today, because of this sin.
Lord, help us not to get impatient with your will for our lives, but to surrender to simply live content where you have us until you tell us otherwise. Who are we, to attempt to take our lives back from your hands after giving you all when you saved us? We don't have the right! We shouldn't act as if we have the choice to act on our own. Truth be known, we're no different than a child in a vehicle, not knowing where we're going, where we should be headed, or what to do next. As the song says, "I can't even walk without you holding my hand." Lord, drive my vehicle! And help me to just "stay on my bottom." :D
Isaiah 40:28-31
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (italics mine)
Anyway, the kids ages are 7, 6, and 4. Wow, at the things kids say!!! My mom and I laughed all night long. It started by going to a very kid-friendly restaurant, which they very much enjoy for the pizza! Then we went to Wal-Mart to buy them all a gun and a cowboy hat. Boy, they were in all their glory. The youngest made an interesting comment on the way out. He said, "I really like you guys." How easily children are pleased! :D
But there was one comment that the 6 year old made on the way to the restaurant in the vehicle that stuck with me. We were discussing the hazards of playing around in the car while driving when he said, "If you'll just stay on your bottom, you won't get hurt!"
Why is it that God chooses to stab your heart with a simple comment by a toddler?
"...out of the mouth of babes..."
If you'll just stay on your bottom... Was that for immature children riding in a vehicle, or for me in this thing called life, Lord? Being still until you have God's "green light" can be extremely difficult. I admit, I have had recent bouts with this very issue: Patience.
Sometimes, as young adults, it's hard to learn to be patient with God's timing. You would, like me, rather things to be moving just a little quicker. My dad always says, "90 percent of God's will is God's timing." If I thought God wanted me to be a missionary, it doesn't mean that I should stop typing this post, run and go pack my bags, and get some plane tickets pronto! Why not? God's timing! It's not that I want any other than God's will, I just want it quicker! Some of you have been there, too. You're sitting in the vehicle of God's will, but you're not getting to the destination quick enough for your patience level. :D Sound familiar?
God's will is not always an easy thing, but it's not because God is playing a mental game of hide and seek with his will for me, it's because my natural man does not receive the things of God, for they are "spiritually discerned." I read in my Bible last night the story of Abram and Sarai, who did not wait on God's timing for a son, and so they improvised on God's will. What a tragedy the word of God records, and we even see today, because of this sin.
Lord, help us not to get impatient with your will for our lives, but to surrender to simply live content where you have us until you tell us otherwise. Who are we, to attempt to take our lives back from your hands after giving you all when you saved us? We don't have the right! We shouldn't act as if we have the choice to act on our own. Truth be known, we're no different than a child in a vehicle, not knowing where we're going, where we should be headed, or what to do next. As the song says, "I can't even walk without you holding my hand." Lord, drive my vehicle! And help me to just "stay on my bottom." :D
Isaiah 40:28-31
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (italics mine)
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The Heart That Seeks After God, Pt. 1
I have been thinking for a while about this topic, and I think that it is very important for this reason: we live in a day where man is so dependent on himself, and proud of it, that he thinks he has no need for God. Americans, especially, have so much prosperity, that they have lost their senses for a real God, a God that created them to have fellowship with him. It seems to take people tragedy, disappointment, and failure to see their need for God. Take September 11, 2001, for example. A tragedy seems to be the only thing that sobers people up, even Christians. What might it take for Christians to see their need for God’s presence today? They have become complacent, which just means satisfied, with where they’re at. I have realized my own personal failure without God, and that alone teaches me to seek him.
I began to see the walk with God that men and women in the Bible had, and I began to study the factors, as well as the circumstances, that contributed to it. Following are some of the notes that I wrote down. I don’t know about you, but it is my desire to be one whose heart seeks after God!
I. Fertility
The heart that seeks after God must first start with preparation, or, fertility.
Relationships in the Bible are compared to fertile gardens. God’s first relationship with man was in a garden. In the book of Song of Solomon, he compares an intimate relationship with a vineyard. The obvious reason for this is that there are so many similarities between relationships and gardens. It takes careful planning, unselfish dedication, and commitment to make a garden produce. And so it is with a relationship. Relationships do not grow without fertility.
And this garden does not grow isolated and independently, no different than a physical garden.
If I know one thing about your relationship with God, it is that you will meet strong opposition in any such endeavor. The weeds of sin, the wild beasts of the devil, and the insects of the flesh will seek to turn back your attempts. Every day will be a battle. Many days growing up on our garden-covered property, I would look at our gardens with disgust because of the hard work I had put in just the day before, knowing that a job such as I had done should last a while. What a rude awakening, to see the weeds and insects, fighting against our every attempt to grow a successful garden. :D Every day it took renewed dedication to the task. So we ask, “God, help us to seek thee more.” Fertility is where we start.
Hosea 10:12
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”
How can you expect a heart, cluttered with sin and weight like a 30 car pileup on a two lane road, to seek God? How do we expect a heart that is not prepared to seek God, to act as it has not been adequately prepared? It will not; it cannot. How can we seek after God? I asked God this same question, and he answered in a variety of ways. But this is what he told me.
A. Omission
The first reason that so many people have no heart to seek the Lord is the clutter of their Christian life. With the clutter of sin and weight in your life, you cannot seek God.
Hebrews 12:14
“…and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”
You must first remove the sin and weights in your life.
When sin is in your heart, you have no desire to seek God. I heard one preacher say, “Your behavior is indicative of your prayer life.” David said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” In seeking God with a pure heart, you absolutely must omit some things, and that starts with sin in your heart and life.
2Corinthians 10:5
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
I know some people that cannot simply have a moment of quiet time. They always have an ipod, cell phone, computer, book, magazine, newspaper, etc. in their hands. If you ever want to seek God, you have to omit that trash!
Some things in of themselves are not wrong, but they combine to steal your fellowship with God. Preparing your heart to seek the Lord is not going to happen by accident.
You, as a Christian, need to fertilize the soil of your soul and grow a healthy relationship with God by pulling weeds that would suck the spiritual life from your garden.
Consecrate yourself unto God, and develop a heart that seeks after him.
Here is a warning for all who know the story of Rehoboam:
2 Chronicles 12:14
“And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.”
Let us not make this same mistake.
B. Obedience
If you truly want a heart that seeks after God, you must be obedient to what God has told you. No matter what “so and so” said about what they thought, or God told them, or their preacher told them. Just know what God told you to do and obey.
I’ve always thought it was funny reading books titled things like, “----‘s Spiritual Secret,” or “----‘s Secrets of God’s Power.” Why would I think that was funny? Two reasons. One, you are not anyone but yourself. Secondly, they always just say things like, “Read your bible, Pray, Stay humble, Fear the Lord, etc.” :D …Hold on…I think I heard that in church last Sunday!! I think we make things harder than they are. What God wants is not for you to go dig up some pseudo-spiritual, deep, dark doctrine for God’s touch. He just wants simple, consistent obedience to his Word.
That’s preparing your heart to seek God; Cultivating fertility through: 1. Omission of Sin; 2. Obedience to the Savior.
Lord, break up our fallow ground! For if ever there was a time for us to seek thee, ‘tis now!
I began to see the walk with God that men and women in the Bible had, and I began to study the factors, as well as the circumstances, that contributed to it. Following are some of the notes that I wrote down. I don’t know about you, but it is my desire to be one whose heart seeks after God!
I. Fertility
The heart that seeks after God must first start with preparation, or, fertility.
Relationships in the Bible are compared to fertile gardens. God’s first relationship with man was in a garden. In the book of Song of Solomon, he compares an intimate relationship with a vineyard. The obvious reason for this is that there are so many similarities between relationships and gardens. It takes careful planning, unselfish dedication, and commitment to make a garden produce. And so it is with a relationship. Relationships do not grow without fertility.
And this garden does not grow isolated and independently, no different than a physical garden.
If I know one thing about your relationship with God, it is that you will meet strong opposition in any such endeavor. The weeds of sin, the wild beasts of the devil, and the insects of the flesh will seek to turn back your attempts. Every day will be a battle. Many days growing up on our garden-covered property, I would look at our gardens with disgust because of the hard work I had put in just the day before, knowing that a job such as I had done should last a while. What a rude awakening, to see the weeds and insects, fighting against our every attempt to grow a successful garden. :D Every day it took renewed dedication to the task. So we ask, “God, help us to seek thee more.” Fertility is where we start.
Hosea 10:12
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”
How can you expect a heart, cluttered with sin and weight like a 30 car pileup on a two lane road, to seek God? How do we expect a heart that is not prepared to seek God, to act as it has not been adequately prepared? It will not; it cannot. How can we seek after God? I asked God this same question, and he answered in a variety of ways. But this is what he told me.
A. Omission
The first reason that so many people have no heart to seek the Lord is the clutter of their Christian life. With the clutter of sin and weight in your life, you cannot seek God.
Hebrews 12:14
“…and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”
You must first remove the sin and weights in your life.
When sin is in your heart, you have no desire to seek God. I heard one preacher say, “Your behavior is indicative of your prayer life.” David said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” In seeking God with a pure heart, you absolutely must omit some things, and that starts with sin in your heart and life.
2Corinthians 10:5
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
I know some people that cannot simply have a moment of quiet time. They always have an ipod, cell phone, computer, book, magazine, newspaper, etc. in their hands. If you ever want to seek God, you have to omit that trash!
Some things in of themselves are not wrong, but they combine to steal your fellowship with God. Preparing your heart to seek the Lord is not going to happen by accident.
You, as a Christian, need to fertilize the soil of your soul and grow a healthy relationship with God by pulling weeds that would suck the spiritual life from your garden.
Consecrate yourself unto God, and develop a heart that seeks after him.
Here is a warning for all who know the story of Rehoboam:
2 Chronicles 12:14
“And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.”
Let us not make this same mistake.
B. Obedience
If you truly want a heart that seeks after God, you must be obedient to what God has told you. No matter what “so and so” said about what they thought, or God told them, or their preacher told them. Just know what God told you to do and obey.
I’ve always thought it was funny reading books titled things like, “----‘s Spiritual Secret,” or “----‘s Secrets of God’s Power.” Why would I think that was funny? Two reasons. One, you are not anyone but yourself. Secondly, they always just say things like, “Read your bible, Pray, Stay humble, Fear the Lord, etc.” :D …Hold on…I think I heard that in church last Sunday!! I think we make things harder than they are. What God wants is not for you to go dig up some pseudo-spiritual, deep, dark doctrine for God’s touch. He just wants simple, consistent obedience to his Word.
That’s preparing your heart to seek God; Cultivating fertility through: 1. Omission of Sin; 2. Obedience to the Savior.
Lord, break up our fallow ground! For if ever there was a time for us to seek thee, ‘tis now!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Suprise!!
Sorry for the inconvenience, but I have deleted and recreated my blog. This is an attempt to get rid of the "spam" warning that you saw when you tried to enter my blog site before. I tried to contact the blogger team like they instructed to request a site review, but was not answered. They must be working on it or something. In any case, hopefully they will not "flag" this blog as well.
Unfortunately, none of the previous information from the old blog is transferred to the new blog, so if you followed this blog previously, you must choose to follow it again. I hope that you have not changed your mind. :D
I will try to upload the posts from the other blog to this one, so pray that works out.
Thanks, and sorry for the inconvenience.
In Christ Alone,
Clay
Unfortunately, none of the previous information from the old blog is transferred to the new blog, so if you followed this blog previously, you must choose to follow it again. I hope that you have not changed your mind. :D
I will try to upload the posts from the other blog to this one, so pray that works out.
Thanks, and sorry for the inconvenience.
In Christ Alone,
Clay
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