Reflection

This is a picture of our oldest daughter being baptized.  Before I go on, it would be good to explain what baptism is for those who may not know.  Baptism is the immersion of a believer (in Jesus) in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, as well as the believer’s death to sin, burial of the old life, and resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.

The thing that stands out to me about the picture is her reflection in the water.  So why the reflection?  What is so important or impressive about a reflection in the water?  In reality there is nothing magical about the reflection.  But I see it as a symbol of what baptism is all about.  Baptism isn't what saves a soul,  but rather it's a symbol of salvation.  The reflection to me is a last look at her old self.  Her lost soul.  Her separation from God.  Because once she accepted Jesus as her savior, all that went away.  She is now child of God, forgiven of her sins and eternally united with Him.  Praise be to God for his gift of salvation.

Help me just to live it, Lord!

This morning I read one of the best articles I've seen in a while.  Something about it just grabs me each time I read it.  The feeling is hard to explain.  It's like God is speaking to me in His still, small voice.  The tone of the article is peaceful and thought provoking.  Again, it just sends an awesome feeling through my soul.   

The article focuses on the presence of God in Heaven.  What will we say?  What will He say?  When we can see with glorified eye his oceans of mercy, how much more glorious will He then be?

"When all the questions are answered . . . when the threads of our doubts and hardships are seen as the finished tapestry of his sustaining grace . . . when we look over all our decisions and moves and steps . . . when we see, for the first time, the ocean of his mercy with glorified eyes, what will we say about him? What else could we say but that he is beautiful?"

As believers, those who confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we need to think about this.  Our promise of being with God, forever.  The absolute awesomeness of this truth.  Do we ever really think deeply about this?  Do we take the time?  For me the answer is not nearly enough and not with depth I should.

"And knowing that now, living in the imagination of that coming Day, the prayer of our hearts becomes simple. That is what this vision does, after all. It unclutters. It reminds us of what really matters. It makes us desire, with the intensity of heaven, for God’s word to go forth in all the world. We will see him one day. We will live forever in his love. And we want others to experience this same joy that he has welcomed us into."

"Therefore, we pray, “I want to take your word and shine it all around. First help me just to live it, Lord. And when I’m doing well, help me to never seek a crown, for my reward is giving glory to you.”

Does this vision, the vision of being with God forever, unclutter our hearts?  Does it reveal what is really important in our lives?  For me, I want it to.  Deep down in my soul, I really want it to.  But when that alarm clock sounds on Monday morning, will that desire still be there?  Or will the rush of life sweep it away?  So I ask, "First help me just to live it, Lord."  Help me to live with eternity in mind.  Knowing that I will one day give an account for my life here on earth.  Praise be to God for the saving Grace of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

You can read the full article on the Desiring God website.  Just click the link below.

http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-will-we-say

Draw Closer

Hebrews 2:1- "Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it."

We need to draw closer to the scriptures and the faith proclaimed in them.  Hebrews 1 tells us of the supremacy of Jesus, therefore we must pay closer attention to Him.  He is the way, the truth, the life.  Below is a prayer from the Valley of Vision.  The prayer is for a deeper intimacy with the scriptures.  Enjoy and think upon it as you read Gods word.

O GOD OF TRUTH,

I thank thee for the holy Scriptures,
    their precepts, promises, directions, light.
In them may I learn more of Christ,
  be enabled to retain his truth
  and have grace to follow it.
Help me to lift up the gates of my soul
    that he may come in
  and show me himself when I search
    the Scriptures,
  for I have no lines to fathom its depths,
  no wings to soar to its heights.
By his aid may I be enabled to explore
    all its truths,
  love them with all my heart,
  embrace them with all my power,
  engraft them into my life.
Bless to my soul all grains of truth garnered
    from thy Word;
  may they take deep root,
  be refreshed by heavenly dew,
  be ripened by heavenly rays,
  be harvested to my joy and thy praise.
Help me to gain profit by what I read,
  as treasure beyond all treasure,
  a fountain which can replenish my dry heart,
    its waters flowing through me as a perennial river
    on-drawn by thy Holy Spirit.
Enable me to distil from its pages faithful prayer
  that grasps the arm of thy omnipotence,
  achieves wonders, obtains blessings,
  and draws down streams of mercy.
From it show me how my words have often been
    unfaithful to thee,
    injurious to my fellow-men,
    empty of grace, full of folly,
    dishonouring to my calling.
Then write thy own words upon my heart
    and inscribe them on my lips;
So shall all glory be to thee
    in my reading of thy Word!

The Gospel

This weekend as we wrapped up our series on Heaven, our pastor told two stories that were very sobering.  One was of a man who had a dream his name was not in the book of life.  How sad, but how awesome of our God to share this with this man.  The other was of a missionary from the UK who was on mission here in the US.  The missionary was so excited he received his green card. Wondering what the big deal was, our pastor asked.  The guy said that not having a green card was like a ticking clock.  If his visa expired, he would have to go home.  The people need the Gospel and he was here to share it.

Two great visions for us a believers to think on.  There are lost people in need of the Gospel and we have a ticking clock on the time we have to share it.  In the next service I was able to share the Gospel with about 50, K-2 graders.  This is easy, very important, but easy.  I was challenged to share with my co-workers, neighbors, and possibly to those far away.  As believers we should think about this everyday:  John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.  It takes a love of God and a love of people, to see them saved for His Glory.

Below is a video for those who need to hear the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ saving grace.

You're All I've Ever Needed

During a recent "Night of Worship" at our church, Bay Area First Baptist Church, a song by Michael W. Smith spoke to my soul.  The song is Draw Me Close, specifically the line "You're all I've ever needed" really worked on me and confirmed much that God has been challenging me with over the past few months.    For the first time in my professional career, I've been challenged by the lack of success.  Not to say that I haven't experienced ups and downs and your everyday challenges, but for the most part everything has gone well.  Since January my group has been severely challenged due to a poor strategy by the group that brought me in.  I take things very personal, so this has been extremely stressful for me.  When we moved to Houston, both Julie and I felt this is where God was leading us.  So for me to be stressed, not trusting Him was contrary to what we know God means for good.

I know I've mentioned this before, but it is worth repeating.  I've tried to find joy in being successful playing golf, running, in my career, and other things in this world.  This also has been discouraging as I'm not as "successful" as I would like.  So God being God has been working on me and this line "You're all I've ever needed" confirmed my convictions.  Romans 8:6  "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."  This is the answer to my struggles.  He is life and peace, nothing in this world can take that place.  He promised to those who trust in His Son Jesus, eternal, abundant life (The abundance is not health, wealth, and prosperity).  That life starts at accepting Him as savior, John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."  The thief was trying to steal my joy.

So my prayer is that through His word, through prayer, through encouragement from my amazing wife and through partnering with the body of Christ God has placed us in, I will find life and peace.  And that is my prayer for you, fellow believer.  Trust in Him, not the world.  And for you, non-believer, I pray you will find eternal life in Christ Jesus.

He is Greater

Sitting in the lobby at church tonight I logged into my blog.  As an "inspirational" link I have the Love Your Guts site and what a true inspiration it is.  I went back to October 2007 and July 2009 and read the sweet words Sarah wrote about the birth of Gracie, Judah, and Jilly.  I literally have tears in my eyes as I write this.  Such sweet memories and an amazing testimony.  Below is a post she wrote 3 days after Gracie was born.  I hope it is as encouraging to you as it is for me.  Jesus is greater than anything we can imagine.  

Inexpressible

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Where to even start? I have so much going through my mind and somehow am going to try to convey what is on my heart. I should go back to way back when i was a kid and life was just so simple. No worries, just living the life. So many memories. I have been truly blessed with so many things in my life that i have absolutely not one thing to complain about. There is so much truth in the word of God and I pray with all of my heart that if you don't know Jesus that you will at least open your heart to listen to His sweet voice. I can promise you that He will NEVER let you down. Things won't always be picture perfect, as my journey has shown you, but a heart that is full of joy and peace that can only be filled with the Lord Jesus is something that can never be fulfilled any other way. As my journey has shown you, there have been many times that I have struggled to feel God's presence and His love and yes, it has been very hard at times. However, the power of prayer and the living, active word of God will overcome those feelings every single time. I am a true testimony to that. Take these last few weeks for example. They have literally been a blur...I don't remember much. I have noticed a decline in my health. I am weak and move slower. I have had many questions with not a lot of answers. 

My best friend and sister, Julie was pregnant and I so badly wanted to meet Gracie and to be here when she was born. She was due November 1st, but wanted to have the baby October 15th. As soon as she told me, I started praying that Gracie would come October 15th and wouldn't you know, she did? Now, tell me that's not a God thing?! It was a whirlwind...she called me Monday morning to tell me that her water had broke, so I got in the shower and Dad helped me pack. I got my pink walker and off with Jerri and Bill to D.C. I go. The other crazy thing is that my cousin Cassie goes into labor the same day and has her little girl. What another God story! My cousin Cassie and Emmy were born the day after me. So of course, we've been attached since birth. I met Julie when we moved over to the Beverly Hills area (her house was right behind mine between the dirt hill). Then the inner-circle began. Julie, me, Cassie and Emmy were inseparable. When we got the call that they were moving to Cincinnati after the 5th grade, we were all devastated. But, true friendships and family never end. To this day all three of our families are as close as can be and have shared some great, great memories and will continue to do so. Now maybe you can understand how crazy/special it was that Gracie and Alaire were born on the same day! 

The word cancer can seem so scary sometimes, but to me it has become one of the greatest blessings of my life. I hope that all of you can experience the power of the the greatest love that has ever been and will ever be in existence today and forever: God's love. 

Julie, Hutch and Gracie are finally on their way home from the hospital, so I must sign off so I can get ready for their arrival. Oh the joy of a baby! 

Love your guts! :)
sarah

Know Before Whom You Stand

Da Lifnei mi atah Omed (Know Before Whom You Stand).  This statement spoke to me this morning.  In todays message, our pastor mentioned this phrase and how in many synagogues this is written on or above the doors of the Aron Ha-Kodesh (the Holy ark in which the Torah scrolls are kept).  I drifted away from the message and started mediating on this.  Being completely transparent, I came to the realization that I don't grasp this.  And I would have to say in the American church, most of us do not.  One example, Bibles are a dime a dozen in America.  There are an average of 4.7 per household, but I would say that number is twice that in the home of "church attenders".  I counted 14 in our house, but I bet we have more.  This is not a bad thing, but if you are like me you take for granted that you have access to God's Holy Scriptures any time you want.

My prayer is this: that I will grasp this amazing reality.  That when I open the Scriptures, that I am reading the very Words of God.  That when I enter church to worship, that I am in His presence.  And ultimately, that every hour of every day that I am in his presence.  Because that is reality, He is omnipresent.  He is everywhere at all times.

Here is a great link to expand more on this: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Meditations/Da_lifnei/da_lifnei.html

What Binds the Hands of Love

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. (Colossians 1:3–5)

The problem with the church today is not that there are too many people who are passionately in love with heaven. The problem is not that professing Christians are retreating from the world, spending half their days reading Scripture and the other half singing about their pleasures in God all the while indifferent to the needs of the world.

The problem is that professing Christians are spending ten minutes reading Scripture and then half their day making money and the other half enjoying and repairing what they spend it on.

It is not heavenly-mindedness that hinders love. It is worldly-mindedness that hinders love, even when it is disguised by a religious routine on the weekend.

Where is the person whose heart is so passionately in love with the promised glory of heaven that he feels like an exile and a sojourner on the earth? Where is the person who has so tasted the beauty of the age to come that the diamonds of the world look like marbles, and the entertainment of the world is empty, and the moral causes of the world are too small because they have no view to eternity? Where is this person?

He is not in bondage to the Internet or eating or sleeping or drinking or partying or fishing or sailing or putzing around. He is a free man in a foreign land. And his one question is this: How can I maximize my enjoyment of God for all eternity while I am an exile on this earth? And his answer is always the same: by doing the labors of love.

Only one thing satisfies the heart whose treasure is in heaven: doing the works of heaven. And heaven is a world of love!

It is not the cords of heaven that bind the hands of love. It is the love of money and leisure and comfort and praise — these are the cords that bind the hands of love. And the power to sever these cords is Christian hope.

I say it again with all the conviction that lies within me: it is not heavenly-mindedness that hinders love on this earth. It is worldly-mindedness. And therefore the great fountain of love is the powerful, freeing confidence of Christian hope.

-John Piper

Amazing Run

As I mentioned in my last post, my main goal in running is to glorify God. At times I ask, how can I do this, I mean how can I glorify God by running? Here is my first shot. About a month ago when I ran that trail 5k, I struggled just to finish. I've run 5k's before, but I was out of shape and the trails are harder than the typical road race. Well today I ran most of that course, not once, not twice, but three times for a total of 6 miles on the trail. A snow covered trail to be more specific. All glory to Him. He has encouraged me to get up early and to run in the cold, which are both contrary to my nature. He has helped me maintain and progress. So I pray that I can continue to run and bring glory to Him.

Goals, Not Resolutions

One of my goals, not resolutions, is to write one blog per month.  I would love to do more, but I have much going on with our 4 kids, bible study, reading, work, running, etc.  I've also set some other goals that I would like to share.

I started running again after my father-in-law asked me to run a 5K trail race last month.  Man, it was hard, but I really loved the trail.  So, as my lovely wife predicted, I started obsessing over running, again.  As I did, I started to follow some running peeps on Twitter and ended up connecting with guy that I played softball with in DC, small world.  Long story short, he is a blogger and wrote about the birth of his first child and the new balance of life that comes with it.  Oh, how true it is.  We have to maintain a good balance, otherwise we get burned out or worse weaken the other parts of our life.  And that relates to all areas of life, whether it be our ministry at church, activities with our families, or our own personal activities.  So, I have some goals for this year that will help me maintain a good balance.

1) Bible Study/Reading: read (1) chapter of the bible per month.  I want to dig deep, really seeking the Lord in His word.  Personally, I read slow and can't digest that much information quickly, so I need to take my time.

2) Other Books: read (1) book per quarter, again I read slow and don't have much down time.  Those books will be on Prayer, Marriage, Parenting, and Evangelism.  These are areas of my life that require the most focus now and all build on each other.  My first goal, being in the word will then drive me to Pray.  Being in the word and in prayer, will teach me his ways and Lord willing, enable me to love my wife as Christ loved the church, Ephesians 5:25.  That will also teach me to raise our children up in the ways of the Lord, Proverbs 22:6.  And finally, but never lastly, I need to share His good news, the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others, Matthew 28:16-20.

3) Running: as I mentioned at the beginning, I started running again.  I think this is extremely important as I need to be in better shape.  Having a busy life as ours, I need all the energy I can get.  And my goals are: sub-20 minute 5K, (2) trail 10K's, (1) half-marathon.

The question is, how do I balance these.  The answer, getting up early.  And that's a praise I give to the Lord.  When I started back running, I knew I would have to get up around 5:00 to make it happen.  And getting up to run at 5:00 AM when it's 30 degrees out isn't that appealing.  But I prayed, asking the Lord to give me the motivation and ability to do this.  And to the praise of His name, He did.  So I will continue to pray for this and Lord willing I can accomplish these goals and most importantly, glorify our Lord in doing so.

For His Glory,
Hutch

Hurry

One of my daily devotionals, Grace Gems, landed me here today.  This is the last part, which was the most convicting.  

"A third apprentice piped up, "I'm going to tell them that there is no hurry." 

"Brilliant!" says Satan. "That is just what you need to say. You will have great success. Let them listen to the Word of God, and then whisper in their ears: This is good stuff. One day you ought to do something about this. But tomorrow will do."

If you are like me the obvious is that we aren't guaranteed tomorrow so we need to live accordingly.  But neither are those you love most or the person in the office next to you or your neighbor.  As we believers ponder this reality, lets remember this.  "John 3:36- Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."  Share the Gospel, the good news of our Lord Jesus.

What's your Wedge(s)?

Have you ever thought of yourself as "zanah"? How about a harlot? Or even whorish? Bet these catch your eye and possibly have you clicking the X button on top right corner of your screen. Well God thinks of us in this way at times. Read from His word and then let's discuss: Ezekiel 6:9- then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols.

If you have a little bible knowledge, then you know the Israelites had some issues with idols. And you should know how much God hates idols (an idol is anything you put before God, ANYTHING). Well, if you didn't before, you do now. They lost faith in Yahweh and turned to false gods, which were made into images, which they worshipped in places that basically smacked God right in the face. Read the next few chapters of Ezekiel if you want more clarity. But this cuts right to the bone for me. My goodness, how many idols, how whorish is my heart? Extremely, if I'm compltely honest. I can think of many things I put before God. Lately I have been neglecting God way too much, not in His word, not in prayer, not in worship, not in community, not being held accountable. I've ventured off that narrow path and strolled along the wide one way to long. It's easy to get off track, but for me it has been a lot harder to get back on. Things like golf, fantasy football, Hokie football, guns, and cameras have creeped in and taken the place of God. I've focused on them way too much, enough that my attitude and walk have been affected. You may be thinking, these things aren't bad.  Well let's flesh this out a bit.  If you spend more time watching YouTube videos on how to fix your slice or how to fix your chipping woes than being in the Word.  If you spend hours trying to perfect your shooters grip.  If you click the fantasy football app on your phone more than the bible app.  If you know more about the Hokie roster than the Gospels.  If you are constantly looking for that great deal on a camera lens you can't afford anyway.  I think you get my point.  And again, these things aren't bad if they are prioritized so that God comes first and are known to be a gift from God to enjoy, not worship.  Because what happens is these suttle idols or sins creep in and fill up the space in your head and your heart.  And they grow bigger and bigger, driving you further and further away from God.  It's like a wedge in a tree, the further you drive it in, the more it splits the wood.  Don't let your wood get split by some worthless idol.

So I confessed this to the Lord and my prayer now is for complete humility and surrender to Him. I want to rid myself of these ways and put Him first where He belongs.

I hope this is encouraging to someone. Someone who may be struggling in their walk. Someone who may have let these seeminglingy harmless things take over.  Don't be prideful like me and neglect the Lord. Repent and turn from those idols and yourself. Ecclesiastes 1:2 tells us that "Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity."   Romans 8:20, 21 "For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God."

For His Glory

Need of Grace

Two questions I want us to ask ourselves after reading this great prayer by one of our Puritan brothers.  One, do we hold God in such regard that we view our sin as disgustingly offensive?  Second, what are we willing to do to overcome our sin problem?  A hint for question two, there is nothing we can do apart from the Grace of God, but he gives us the means.

"O Lord, Thou knowest my great unfitness for service, my present deadness, my inability to do anything for thy glory, my distressing coldness of heart.
I am weak, ignorant, unprofitable, and loathe and abhor myself.
I am at a loss to know what thou wouldest have me do, for I feel amazingly deserted by thee, and sense thy presence so little;
Thou makest me possess the sins of my youth, and the dreadful sin of my nature, so that I feel all sin, I cannot think or act but every motion is sin.
Return again with showers of converting grace to a poor gospel-abusing sinner.
Help my soul to breathe after holiness, after a constant devotedness to thee, after growth in grace more abundantly every day.
O Lord, I am lost in the pursuit of this blessedness, and am ready to sink because I fall short of my desire;
Help me to hold out a little longer, until the happy hour of deliverance comes, for I cannot lift my sould to thee if thou of thy goodness bring me not thigh.
Help me to be diffident, watchful, tender, lest I offend my blessed Friend in thought and behaviour;
I confide in thee and lean upon thee, and need thee at all times to assist and lead me.
O that all my distresses and apprehensions might prove but Christ's school to make me fit for greater service by tehaching me the great lesson of humility."
- The Valley of Vision, page 99

Hunger Games

Heard a great sermon this morning regarding our ultimate substitute.  In Paul's letter to the Galatians he is reaffirming the Gospel he preached because false teaching had creeped into their camp.  He drives home the fact that we are saved by faith alone, not by works and that Christ died for us as our ultimate substitute.  I bet your are wondering what the Hunger Games has to do with this.  I've not read the books nor seen the movie, but know the overall theme.  From what I gather the main point is that the main character, Katniss takes the place of her younger sister Primrose in these "Hunger Games".  Now lets qualify this, she didn't just volunteer to do her choirs.  This game is kill or be killed, last man standing.  She saves her sisters life by possibly losing hers.   

But our Lord and Savior lost his life to save us.  He knew this, He knew us, and still chose to go to the cross as our substitute.  Galatians 3:13- Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"  Let's rejoice and celebrate during this Easter season the fact that Jesus died for us and rose on that glorious third day, overcoming death so that we may have life.

Conviction & Confession

So many times I've been convicted on my lack of prayer and it smacked me in the face again on Sunday. I praise the Lord that He convicts us of our disobedience and pray that He continues to do so as He sanctifies me in this life. I remember a coach telling us one time that we shouldn't worry about him being on our case so much, but we should worry when he's not. Basically what he was saying is that he was on us because he knew we could do better but if he wasn't then he had given up hope. Just a side note, my mind is going 1000 different directions at this point because this could lead to a very deep conversation, but for this blog I want to stick to my conviction.

I confess that my prayer life is far from where it should be, but better than it was. I am far from satisfied with my walk with Christ, but am extremely encouraged to see where He has brought me over the past 10 years. Do you see growth fellow Christian? Do you view the sin in your life more disgusting today than you did a year ago? I know I do and praise God for that. The closer we grow to Christ likeness, the more repulsive sin should be. Romans 6:19- for just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

But those who are without Christ, don't be fooled by the evil one. He would love nothing more than to deceive you into thinking you are too far gone to be saved. Romans 5:6-8 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We all have sinned, we were born sinners. J.I. Packer says it best in his book, Knowing God: "There is tremendous relief in knowing that His love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion Him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench His determination to bless me."

All that can be said about that is, WOW. I pray that my fellow brothers and sisters won't be discouraged, but will push forward through our trials and frustrations. And for those who do not know our Lord and Savior, don't be fooled by the devil. Christ died for you as well.

Encouragement from others

What encourages you? What place makes you feel better just for being there? Who makes you stronger in your faith?

Two things happened over the past couple days that were encouraging to me. On Sunday my father-in-law and I went to the evening service at church to hear the youth minister candidate speak and answer questions. After we left, we engaged in conversation about the message and our impression on the candidate. Being surrounded by fellow believers in worship then engaging in conversation about the Lord's work was uplifting. Then today, out of the blue, I received an email from an old friend, one of my best friends growing up. He kindly invited me to a men's conference at his church back home. Although I cannot attend, that initial email sparked a chain of emails that were focused on our Lord and His work in our lives. This too, was extremely uplifting.

So, what do the scriptures say about this? About being surrounded by fellow believers. Proverbs 13:20- Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. 1 Corinthians 15:33- Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Very simply, we are to surround ourselves with fellow believers, those who build us up in our faith. Find those people who love the Lord, who build you up, and who are encouraging to be around.

Stop, Reflect and Win

A while back I listened to a great sermon by Will Pavone, a pastor at McLean Bible Church. In this sermon he talked about "fighter verses". A fighter verse is a one that we reflect on during times of need. This truth comes from Psalm 119:11 "I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." This verse gives us two very important things to look at. First we are to read God's word. Second, we need to think upon it or recall it during times of temptation.

Think about a farmer and his crops. There is a reason he plows his field, plants seed, and works the fields.. This is the hard work that produces the harvest. And at the time of harvest the farmer will store up some of the crops for future use. If not, then they might starve. This is what we see with reading God's word. If we do not read it, then how can we store it in our hearts? Reading and mediating on the scriptures is the leg work. When doing this we are able to store or memorize His word. If we do not, then we might starve (SIN).

This is where "fighter verses" come in. Once we begin to read God's word, passages and individual verses will come to mind in times of need. I have refelcted upon this alot recently after finishing up the book of Romans. The last verse of chapter 13 combined with the sermon regarding "fighter verses" and another sermon has resulted in much meditation. Romans 13:14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. This is a fighter verse for all occasions and sins. The other sermon I mentioned stated that when we sin, at that moment we are putting our own desires ahead of God's. Combine that with Romans 13:14 and you have an amazing revalation.

When you are tempted, think that your are putting yourself above Him and making a provision to satisfy self. It is extremely convicting.

While He may be found.

I was blessed to hear review truth tonight that is hard to think upon. As a society we don't think about the end often, it's not pleasant to most. We think we have more time than we actually do. I won't beat this drum and longer, but just want to point out this: Our time is short and our days are numbered. Psalm 31:15- My times are in your hand. This should be comforting, but it can also be hard. My reason for saying this is this: Isaiah 55:6-7- Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon Him while he is near, let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. Please read all of Isaiah 55, but my point is this. We only have a certain amount of time to make a decision and live for the Lord. Did He grant you another day today? Have you realized your sinful nature and opposition to God? Do you have a thirst for Him? Have you accepted Him as your savior and pardon for your sins? Are you a believer who is not seeking Him? Do you continue to struggle with the same old stuff? Isaiah 55: 10-11: For the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. So as the rain will bring for sprout and vegetation, so God's word will grow the Christian. How else can we know His thoughts, but by reading His word. So as a drought will dry up and kill all the crops, so neglecting the word will dry up the Christian and the fruit will be few.

Stay focused, Stay sharp

I sat down last night and just asked God to tell me where to read. Proverbs is where I felt led and went to Proverbs 24. A few sayings jumped off the page at me, the first two were, Proverbs 24:13-14 which tells us that wisdom is like honey to our soul. Then Proverbs 24:21-22 tells us to keep good company. But then verses 30-34 really stood out. "I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man." A little cause and effect if you will and a very serious effect at that. The cause is laziness as you can see you term "sluggard", which is a term for a habitually lazy person. The effect is the vineyard has become overgrown with thorns, and we know what thorn can do. Matthew 13:7, Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

This reference is so prevalent in our lives today and not just our spiritual lives. You see it everyday, but probably don't even think about it. It happens at work, at home, in our physical conditioning, and to our favorite sports teams. We get comfortable and get lazy. Once we get in a groove and things seem to be going smoothly, we put it on cruise control. And what happens when we put the car on cruise, we sit back and lose focus because the car is doing most of the work and all you have to do is keep it between the lines. At work, we are getting by, doing what needs to be done and nothing more. The next thing you know it you're being wrote up or replaced. Another prime example is the 2004 New York Yankees losing to the Boston Red Sox after being up 3 games to none. No team has ever come back from 3 down. The Yankees got comfortable and got beat.

You don't want to get comfortable in any of these situations, but more importantly we don't want to get lazy in our walk with the Lord. Every day we need to find a way to challenge ourselves and grow in our faith. Notice I said "grow", not stay the same. 2 Peter 3:18 tells us to, "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." You may be saying, how do I do this? Most importantly we need to be in the Word, deeply in the Word. Don't just skim through and mark it off the to-do-list. Really seek God, seek to know Him more. Another recommendation is to diversify yourself. Listen to good, Bible preaching pastors online or Podcast. Some examples, Matt Chandler, Todd Phillips, Lon Solomon, John Piper, just to name a few. Read books about God, not just self help books. Get involved in your community or share the Gospel with someone. Finally, get involved with a small group. It is vital to have a group of people that you can talk to and can challenge each other. Being in Biblical community is extremely important and should not be underestimated.

In summary, stay focused on advancing the Gospel. Stay sharp in your faith.

Fasting

Just wanted to drop a quick note on something that I feel God is challenging me and some others with. Last night my small group was talking about our vision and how we think God is working in us to do great things for His Kingdom. One of the guys referenced our spiritual battle like that of Normandy. As we start on our journey and strive for Holiness, the devil and his cronies are taking pop shots at us, trying to kill our will. So as we discussed how to push through this the ultimate answer was prayer. Being in constant prayer, constantly in the presence of God.

Well it just so happened that the same day I started listening to a sermon on fasting. I didn't seek it out, it was just the next one preached at McLean's Frontline service. So as I finished listening to it this morning I felt like God was challenging me and our group to fast. The challenge came when he spoke on Matthew 6:16. The key word there is "when". It's not a command given by Jesus, but it's thought to be a normal part of our Christian lives. So if I'm a Christian, then why don't I fast?

Many may be asking, what is fasting? Well there are many forms and many ways to do it. But ultimately it is eliminating something from your life, for a pre-determined amount of time, with the goal of spending that time with God. Basically, if you fast from TV then you spend the time you would normally be watching TV in communion with God. Whether that is in prayer, in the word, or just meditating. The most common fast is that of food and that is what our group has decided to do. We are going to fast every Wednesday. So starting Tuesday after dinner until dinner on Wednesday, we will fast. Please join me if you feel so inspired. If not, please pray for us that we will persevere through the challenge. That during this time we will rely on God's strength and not our own or that of food. Pray that we will be in prayer and in the Word.