Lord Come!!!

On Christmas Eve 2009 I ponder the thought that our God sent His son to earth. Wow, to fathom what that really means just blows me away.

 

I am listening to music as I sit here with lyrics like, “…a God in outer space doesn’t mean anything to me, So would you come….” And “…come like You promised You would…”. These are heart cries of a Christian that longs to be with our Lord and creator. He did promise he would return for us and the bible speaks of this many times. I personally can’t wait for that day! But, as I sit and think of Christmas I can’t help but think about the fact that He did come…. He came to people that were waiting desperately for their Savior to come. The only problem was that they looked right past Him. He didn’t fit their mold or paradigm of what their Savior was supposed to be, in their minds at least.

 

This leads me to think of what I expect Christ to be in my life. Are  my expectations looking past who He really is? As I celebrate this Christmas I pray that Christ would reveal Himself to me and reshape my expectations of Him. I have a feeling that if I can truly see my Savior for who He really is, I won’t be able to stay the way I am.

 

God, wash away all that I think or pretend to know of You. Take captive every thought or imagination of who I think you are. Replace my selfish desires of You with Truth.

 

John 8:19-23

19Then they asked him, "Where is your father?"  "You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." 20He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.  21Once more Jesus said to them, "I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come."  22This made the Jews ask, "Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, 'Where I go, you cannot come'?"  23But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be,[a] you will indeed die in your sins."

 

 

 Steven

Something Greater

This really touched my heart this morning when i read it. I have had those experiences in worship where God moves in such a way that it just leaves me in awe. I don't want to go so far as saying that I "live" for those experiences with God, but i will say that I want to be in that place every time I worship. That is worship at home, church, car or wherever I may be. I know I have said that before and I truely mean it. My desire is that each of us would desire God's presence in such a way that when we come togehter corporately God will be in our midst as he states in Matthew 18:20 "...where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there..." I believe that we can hinder his presence if we are not spirtually prepared to visit with Him.

I hope that you enjoy this article as much as I did!

In Christ,
Steven

Immortal, Invisible - "Something Greater"

Posted 12/14/2009 - Laura Story

"In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever.
They lay their crowns before the throne and say: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
- Revelations 4: 6-11 (NIV)
There is something mysterious about worship. Even as I child, I remember singing songs like, "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" and "I Surrender All," and feeling all warm inside. Whether it's the thunderous voice of a hundred-person choir or "Amazing Grace" being played by a single violin, there is a tenderness that cannot be explained with words. It's the feeling of being part of something greater than myself. And in the book of Revelation, John gives us a hint of what that "something greater" might be. There are many theories suggesting how the book of Revelation should be interpreted. Some think that John, the self-professed author, is speaking strictly about the end times. Others view the book as a panorama of historical events throughout the life of the church. But either way you slice it, God gave John a vision and what he saw was magnificent. It was so magnificent that John was in too much shock to even stand! The Lord spoke with a voice like a trumpet, and there were angels and other creatures consumed with worshipping the One who sat on the throne. They were bowing low in awe of their Radiant King, singing "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power…"
Though this may not sound like normal worship services at your church or mine, we still may see small glimpses. Here on earth, we will only experience a taste of this splendor. But it is enough; it's enough to remind us that this life is about something greater than ourselves. When we sing praises to our Lord, we join in the chorus that creation has been singing from the beginning of time. And it is the same anthem that we as believers will be singing for all eternity.
God, may I savor each moment in your presence as a glimpse of the glory that is to come. May I never grow weary of singing Your praise.

Be Encouraged

So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just
the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if
we don't give up.

Galatians 6:9 (New Living Translation)

Its so easy for us to grow weary throughout the year, but even more so during this season with so much to do and seemingly so little time to do it. Be encouraged that we do not labor for earthly rewards, acolades or notoriaty! We labore for a harvest and reading above brings me encouragement that God will honor our persistance in doing good with a harvest! Praise God, the fields are ready and He will bring the harvest!

Don't let being busy bring stress or discouragement. Be encouraged in Christ.

In Christ,
Steven