iWill

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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)

Today we live in a society that’s all about gratifying the individual.  It’s an “all about me” world.  The world is teaching us to look out for number one and these days number one is not God.  Number one has become me.  One look at the company Apple and we can see how much we have bought into this little idea.  Have you heard of the iPhone, iTouch, and iPad.  These are just a few of the products Apple has to offer.  I’m not saying the products in and of themselves are bad.  (In fact, we own a couple.)  I just want us to look at the name.  Every name starts with “I”.

It’s important that we understand the attitude of this world and that we learn to overcome it.  In fact, Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount to help us see what our lives should like.  There is nothing in there that talks about what this world can do for me.  A lot of it does have to do with me, but it begins with me changing.  It begins with me embracing the Truth of God and allowing it to shape me.  It begins with me saying, “Okay, even if I want to shake the other person and help them understand that they can’t do certain things…  I can’t!  I can only work on me!”

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Too Big for your Britches

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One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. (Luke 6:12)

This is another opportunity for us to stop and examine how Jesus handled big decisions.  We see here in this passage of Scripture that Jesus stopped to pray and that He prayed all night long.  What could be so important that He had to pray all night long?  What was He seeking God’s guidance on?  Well, the passage of Scripture goes on to say that Jesus chose His twelve disciples on the following morning, from a larger group.  I would say that was a very big decision.

I enjoy reading this passage of Scripture because it once again reminds me that Jesus was human.  He needed God’s guidance just like I do.  He went to God to seek the direction on who should be the twelve disciples that would follow Him for the next three years.  Jesus never made a decision without prayer.  He always went to God.  He showed us how important it is to seek God on every major decision.

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The Steering Wheel

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…for the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)

I would like to start using Mondays as a day to share what God is doing in my life.  It was a question I often asked back in college and have now asked many times since to friends I meet along the way.  I would like to ask this question of you.  Let’s take Mondays to reflect back on the week before and see what God is doing in our lives.  Let’s take time to be grateful for His work and stand in awe of His glory.  Please find time to glance and see every minor and major detail God has taken care of in your life.  Take time to rejoice in His faithfulness.

There are many things that I continue to learn and I will share them every week.  One popular theme in my life now is God’s strength.  I daily have to surrender myself to the strength He provides.  The part that becomes a battle for me is that I want to be the strong one.  I want to take care of everything on my own.  I want to fix the problems that arise.  I want to find the solutions.  I want to get ahead of God.  But no such luck!  I’m not strong enough!  I’ll never be strong enough.  The Bible teaches me that over and over.

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The Waiting Game

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…Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for him. (Luke 3:4)

Have you ever had to wait for something?  Did it take a lot of patience?  Was it worth the wait?  If you are anything like me, you have had to wait for a great many things.  Maybe you are even waiting for something now.  What does your life resemble when you’re waiting?  I can honestly say that at times I do well with the waiting game and at times I fail miserably.  I probably fail more times than I care to admit.  My time is just a little different from God’s.  That’s why I’m really enjoying this next passage of Scripture we are going to go through together.

Let’s take a look at four different people who were waiting for the coming Messiah.  What did their lives look like as they waited?

1.  The Shepherds

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Eternal End Zone

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…for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity. (Proverbs 24:16)

I’ve been hearing many stories lately of people who have been stumbling.  This verse reminds me that it doesn’t matter how many times you stumble or how many times you fall down…  What matters is how many times you get back up again?  If you fall down 5 times, get back up 6.  If you fall 9 times, get back up 10.  Never let anything keep you down!

I’m kind of looking at this like a football game.  How many guys have fumbled the ball?  The answer is too many to count.  Does the team kick the player while he’s down?  Do they argue over why he fumbled the ball?  Do they talk about how bad he screwed up?  No, they go on with the game.  They are a team and the only way they can win the game is together.  We as Christians are part of a bigger team.  God’s team.  We all fumble the ball once in a while.  We all stumble and fall.  It’s okay, we can and should be able to count on each other.  Stay in the game.  Keep your eyes on the end zone!  Do not let the enemy defeat you or keep you down!  One fumble never lost a game!

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