Ive been meaning to write this post for a while now... and I actually have no excuse other than I let everything else in the world come first and distract me- which is exactly what I let happen with my relationship with Christ... I'm sure I'm not alone- I hear a great sermon that speaks volumes to my heart and then the next day its almost as if I hadn't heard it all...
Ive been re-reading the last chapter of the book trying to ingrain it into my brain and also remind me to blog about it! its a good one- i just kept putting 'work' and stuff before. But now I am sitting here making myself write it =) part of me is pulling away because I have a list of things I need to get done before I leave town this afternoon but this is a long time coming so here we go!
Chapter 7-The Supernatural Church
this chapter speaks a lot about churches and not relying on the Holy Spirit to guide and lead... The parts that I underlined are more specific to me personally not relying on the Holy Spirit.
so that's what I will share...
"I don't want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn't be doing this by my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come through. That if He doesn't come through, I am screwed."
"I believe He is calling me-and all of us- to depend on Him for living in a way that cannot be mimicked or forged. He wants us to walk in step with His Spirit rather than depend solely on the raw talent and knowledge Hes given us."
"God cares about whether people are lovers of Him." "Perhaps I can talk people into praying a prayer, but I cannot talk anyone into falling in love with Christ. I cannot make someone understand and accept the gift of grace. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. So by every measure that actually counts, I need the Holy Spirit. Desperately"
1 Kings 18 about Elijah
"they were stunned by God. They wee in aw of His power. They knew that what they experience could not have been manipulated by Elijah. They experienced the power of God"
"Even in our daily lives we can look more like the prophets of Baal as we live our lives, running about in a frenzy, trying to fix our problems, not stopping long enough to call on the power of God Almighty. Yet as children of God, we are not called to trust in our idols or ourselves. We are made to be like Elijah, who did not question whether God would show His face that day. He prayed and asked for help and God sent down fire from heaven in response."
"whatever you need, the point is that God is aware of you and your circumstances, and He knows what you really need. He is able to bring these things, people, and circumstances into your life."
"But God is not a coercive God. and though He desires for His children to know peace and love and to have wisdom, I have noticed that often He waits for us to ask. "
"He desires to do more than 'help out' a bit. He wants to completely transform us. He wants to take a timid heart and set it ablaze with strength and courage, so much so that people know something about supernatural has taken place- life change just as miraculous as fire coming down from heaven. He wants to imbue us with His wisdom because He is the 'spirit of wisdom and revelation' (Ephesians 1:17)"
Galatians 5-fruits of the Spirit.
"You may have the list memorized. But look over those traits right now and ask yourself if you possess each to a supernatural degree. Do you exhibit more kindness and faithfulness than the Mormons you know? do you have more self control than your Muslim friends? more peace than Buddhists? more joy than atheists? If God truly lives in you, shouldn't you expect to be different from everyone else?"
"I don't know about you, but I cannot simply muster up more love. I cant manufacture patience just by gritting my teeth and determining to be more patient. we are not strong or good enough, and it doesn't work that way. None of us can 'do goodness' on our own, much less all the other elements that make up the fruit of the Spirit."
"But despite our inability to change ourselves in this way, to simply become more peaceful or joyful, we expend a great deal of effort trying. We focus on what God wants us to do and forget the kind of people He wants us to be."
"Instead of mustering up more willpower, lets focus our energies and time on asking for help from the One who has the power to change us. Lets take the time to ask God to put the fruit of His Spirit into our lives. And lets spend time with the One we want to be more like"
"It is safer to avoid situations where we need God to come through then to stake it all on Him and risk God's silence. If Elijah has not had the courage to face down the prophets of Baal that day, if he hadn't prayed, fervently and courageously, then he would not have experiences God's power in such a profound way."
"This is certainly not a call to demand that God prove Himself in each and every circumstance that we manufacture. But it is a profound reminder that God delights in showing up when His people are in desperate need of Him, because that means no one else can steal His glory."
"God wants the praise for what we do in our lives. Bit if we never pray audacious, courageous prayers, how can He answer them? If we never follow Him to positions where we need Him, how can He show up and make His presence known?
"But when I am living in a way that requires me to depend on the Holy Spirit, people respond by praising my Father in heaven"
"If you have not known and experienced God in ways you cannot deny, I would suggest that you are not living in a needy and dependant way. God delights to show up when His children call on His name and when they are trusting fully in Him to come through, whether that is in relationships, in battling sin, in strength to make sacrifices, or in endurance to be faithful in daily life. "
"without the Spirit of God in our midst, working in us, guiding us, and living and loving through us, we will never be the kind of people who make up this kind of community."
"I spent years asking God to be part of whatever I was doing. When I read the book of Acts, I see people privileged to play a part in what God was doing"
"No matter where you live and what your days look like, you have the choice each day to depend on yourself, to live safely, and to try to control your life. Or you can live as you were created to live- as a temple of the Holy Spirit of God, as a person dependant on Him, desperate for God the Spirit to show up and make a difference."
Showing posts with label Forgotten God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Forgotten God. Show all posts
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Take up your cross pt 1
"And He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." 2 Corinthians 5:15
today's post comes from part of the chapter titled "Forget about God's will for your life' but to me the title of the post fits better with the rest of the chapter!
"God wants to see His children stake everything on His power and presence in their lives."
"Nowhere in Scriptures do I see a 'balanced life with a little bit of God added in' as an ideal for us to emulate." "People who have, in a sense, asked Him to join them on their life journey, to follow them wherever they feel they should go, rather than following Him as we are commeanded. The God of the universe is not something we can just add to our lives and keep on as we did before. The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is not someone we can just call on when we want a little extra power in our lives. Jesus Christ did not die in order to follow us. He died and rose again so that we could forget everyting else and follow Him to the cross, to true life"
"If all you wanted is a little Jesus to 'spiritualize' your life, a little extra God to keep you out of hell, you are missing out on the fulness of life you were created for."
"You only need the Holy Spirit's guidance and help if you truly want to follow the Way of Jesus Christ. You only need Him if you desire to 'obey everything' He commanded and to teach others to do the same (Matt 28:18-20). You only need the Holy Spirit if you have genuinely repented and believe. And you only need the Holy Spirit if you understand that you are called to share in Christ's suffering and death, as well as His resurrection (Rom 8:17, 2 Cor 4:16-18, Phil 3:10-11)
"If you truly belive and have turned from the way you were headed and joined a different Way of living, then you desperately need the Holy Spirit. You know you cannot live this Way without the Spirit in you."
"How does He desire that we live? The fact is we were called by Jesus to give up everything. His call is to come and take up the cross (luke 9:23) 'Taking up my cross' has become a euphemism for getting through life's tyical burdens with a semi-good attitude. Yet life's typical burdens-busy schedules, illness, bills, hard decisions, paying for college tuition, losing jobs, house not selling, and the family's dog dying- are felt by everone, whether or not they follow the Way of Jesus."
"When Jesus calls us to take up our cross, He is doing much more than calling us to endure the daily, circumstantial troubles of life. It is a call to radical faith. Jesus is calling us to be willing to suffer anything and forsake everything for the sake of the gospel. His call is to love those who have cheated us in business, those who have spread nasty rumors about is.... His call is to consider everything a loss for His sake. His call is for total surrender"
"His call means realizing that His power is made perfect in our weakness, that when we are weak we are also strong (2 Cor 12:9-10).
(too much goodness to share: to be continued)
today's post comes from part of the chapter titled "Forget about God's will for your life' but to me the title of the post fits better with the rest of the chapter!
"God wants to see His children stake everything on His power and presence in their lives."
"Nowhere in Scriptures do I see a 'balanced life with a little bit of God added in' as an ideal for us to emulate." "People who have, in a sense, asked Him to join them on their life journey, to follow them wherever they feel they should go, rather than following Him as we are commeanded. The God of the universe is not something we can just add to our lives and keep on as we did before. The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is not someone we can just call on when we want a little extra power in our lives. Jesus Christ did not die in order to follow us. He died and rose again so that we could forget everyting else and follow Him to the cross, to true life"
"If all you wanted is a little Jesus to 'spiritualize' your life, a little extra God to keep you out of hell, you are missing out on the fulness of life you were created for."
"You only need the Holy Spirit's guidance and help if you truly want to follow the Way of Jesus Christ. You only need Him if you desire to 'obey everything' He commanded and to teach others to do the same (Matt 28:18-20). You only need the Holy Spirit if you have genuinely repented and believe. And you only need the Holy Spirit if you understand that you are called to share in Christ's suffering and death, as well as His resurrection (Rom 8:17, 2 Cor 4:16-18, Phil 3:10-11)
"If you truly belive and have turned from the way you were headed and joined a different Way of living, then you desperately need the Holy Spirit. You know you cannot live this Way without the Spirit in you."
"How does He desire that we live? The fact is we were called by Jesus to give up everything. His call is to come and take up the cross (luke 9:23) 'Taking up my cross' has become a euphemism for getting through life's tyical burdens with a semi-good attitude. Yet life's typical burdens-busy schedules, illness, bills, hard decisions, paying for college tuition, losing jobs, house not selling, and the family's dog dying- are felt by everone, whether or not they follow the Way of Jesus."
"When Jesus calls us to take up our cross, He is doing much more than calling us to endure the daily, circumstantial troubles of life. It is a call to radical faith. Jesus is calling us to be willing to suffer anything and forsake everything for the sake of the gospel. His call is to love those who have cheated us in business, those who have spread nasty rumors about is.... His call is to consider everything a loss for His sake. His call is for total surrender"
"His call means realizing that His power is made perfect in our weakness, that when we are weak we are also strong (2 Cor 12:9-10).
(too much goodness to share: to be continued)
take up your cross pt 2
So I posted these backwards so that if your scrolling through and reading it will be read in order =) i was going along typing in all the quotes I underlined and going ohh yes that's good and ouch yep that hurts and didn't realize how long the post was getting already... and if anyone reading this is anything like me... if i see a long worded post.. i tend to skip =) so maybe this will help splitting it up! My prayer is that by me just posting quotes from this book and other books in the future that it will touch someone else's life too... This book is so harsh with the straight to the truth talk-theres just nothing I can add to it!
(continued from pt 1)
"What if you could hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and He asked you to literally give everything you owned? What is He asked you to sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor? Could you do it? Before you start explaining why He would never ask that of you, take a moment and answer the question honestly. Its not out of His character to ask for everything"
"I say I want to give it all to God, to truly submit myself to the leading of the Holy Spirit. But I wont lie; sometimes the reality of what that means leaves me wanting to hold back a little."
"To submit and give up everything truly is radical and terrifying. However when I think deeply about it, walking in my own wisdom, contrary to the Spirit's leading, is even more frightful"
"The crux of it, I believe, is realizing that being filled with the Spirit is not a one-time act. walking with the Spirit implies an on going relationship.Being filled with the Spirit is not limited to the day we first meet Christ. Instead, throughout Scripture we read of a relationship that calls us into an active pursuit of the Spirit"
"He typically asks us to play an active role in the journey toward wholeness. He doesn't need our help but invites us to participate. Often this journey to freedom takes time, sometimes a very long time. and it takes perseverance. It takes participation on our part. We have to get on the treadmill and run-merely looking at the workout machine doesn't do a whole lot. (see also Rom 12:11 and 1Thes 5:19)"
"Because of the fact that is you were in step with the Holy Spirit, listening to and obeying Him, you wouldn't sin (Gal 5:16)
"This doesn't mean that if you sin, you didn't have the Holy Spirit or aren't a follower of Christ, It does mean that when you are sinning, you are not simultaneously submitted to the authority and presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. He is still present, but you are most likely suppressing or ignoring His counsel"
"Take some time to think about areas in your own life where you tend just to do your own thing, heedless of the Spirit's will and call."
"Living by the Spirit implies a habitual, continual, and active interaction with the Holy Spirit. While this sounds exhausting, it really isn't because all of this living and action is done in the power of the Spirit. It is not by your own strength"
"If we never responded to God, if we never acted based on what He has done for us, there wouldn't me much of a relationship thee. God is all real and moving, but at some point we have to respond and act because of what He's done. Like yeast and flour are both necessary to bread, both God's action and our response-action are necessary in this relationship with God."
"In Philippians 2:12-13 Paul says in one breath 'Work out your own salvation' and in the next, 'it is God who works in you' The both-ness here doesn't allow us to escape with a simple conclusion. Yes it is God who works in you. and, yes, there is work for you to do. Yes, the Spirit empowers you to do the work. and, yes, you do the work."
"It requires continual engagement and wrestling and discovering how to live a Spirit-filled life today. Not ten years from now. Not tomorrow. But right now, in the particular time and place He has put us. As we 'work out our salvation' and as 'God works in us' Let us keep in step."
(continued from pt 1)
"What if you could hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and He asked you to literally give everything you owned? What is He asked you to sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor? Could you do it? Before you start explaining why He would never ask that of you, take a moment and answer the question honestly. Its not out of His character to ask for everything"
"I say I want to give it all to God, to truly submit myself to the leading of the Holy Spirit. But I wont lie; sometimes the reality of what that means leaves me wanting to hold back a little."
"To submit and give up everything truly is radical and terrifying. However when I think deeply about it, walking in my own wisdom, contrary to the Spirit's leading, is even more frightful"
"The crux of it, I believe, is realizing that being filled with the Spirit is not a one-time act. walking with the Spirit implies an on going relationship.Being filled with the Spirit is not limited to the day we first meet Christ. Instead, throughout Scripture we read of a relationship that calls us into an active pursuit of the Spirit"
"He typically asks us to play an active role in the journey toward wholeness. He doesn't need our help but invites us to participate. Often this journey to freedom takes time, sometimes a very long time. and it takes perseverance. It takes participation on our part. We have to get on the treadmill and run-merely looking at the workout machine doesn't do a whole lot. (see also Rom 12:11 and 1Thes 5:19)"
"Because of the fact that is you were in step with the Holy Spirit, listening to and obeying Him, you wouldn't sin (Gal 5:16)
"This doesn't mean that if you sin, you didn't have the Holy Spirit or aren't a follower of Christ, It does mean that when you are sinning, you are not simultaneously submitted to the authority and presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. He is still present, but you are most likely suppressing or ignoring His counsel"
"Take some time to think about areas in your own life where you tend just to do your own thing, heedless of the Spirit's will and call."
"Living by the Spirit implies a habitual, continual, and active interaction with the Holy Spirit. While this sounds exhausting, it really isn't because all of this living and action is done in the power of the Spirit. It is not by your own strength"
"If we never responded to God, if we never acted based on what He has done for us, there wouldn't me much of a relationship thee. God is all real and moving, but at some point we have to respond and act because of what He's done. Like yeast and flour are both necessary to bread, both God's action and our response-action are necessary in this relationship with God."
"In Philippians 2:12-13 Paul says in one breath 'Work out your own salvation' and in the next, 'it is God who works in you' The both-ness here doesn't allow us to escape with a simple conclusion. Yes it is God who works in you. and, yes, there is work for you to do. Yes, the Spirit empowers you to do the work. and, yes, you do the work."
"It requires continual engagement and wrestling and discovering how to live a Spirit-filled life today. Not ten years from now. Not tomorrow. But right now, in the particular time and place He has put us. As we 'work out our salvation' and as 'God works in us' Let us keep in step."
Friday, July 30, 2010
Forget about His Will for your life
I just got done reading just the intro to the 6th chapter of Forgotten God...I couldn't go any further- even though it was extremely good and I cant wait to continue reading to see what all he has to say.. but I was afraid I wouldn't internalize it if I kept going and get too much info in my head.
This intro screams at my heart because I know I'm so so guilty of it but i don't know that I have ever heard it put this way before-
a little warning: i underlined almost the entire intro-yeah-its that heavy!
"And to expose our hearts to truth and consistently refuse or neglect to obey the impulses it arouses is to stymie the motions of life within us and, if persisted in, to grieve the Holy Spirit into silence." A.W. Tozer
"How many times have you heard someone say, "I just wish I knew God's will for my life?" (I'm soooooo guilty) "I know Ive longed for this before. But now I see it as a misguided way of thinking and talking" (Intrigued? you should be!)
"Few people in scripture received their life plan from God in advance. Consider Abraham, who was told to pack up his family and all his possessions and start walking. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't know if he would ever be back. He didn't know any of the details we consider vital-his destination, how long the venture would take, what the costs/rewards would be whether he'd receive a 401k or health insurance. GOD SAID TO GO AND HE WENT, AND THATS PRETTY MUCH ALL HE KNEW."
"I think a lot of need to forget about 'God's will for my life'. God cares more about our response to His Spirit's leading today, in this moment, than about what we intend to do next year. In fact, the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now, in today's decisions"
"Its much less demanding to think about God's will for your future than it is to ask Him what He wants you to do in the next ten minutes. Its safer to commit to following Him someday instead of this day"
"We forget that we were never promised a twenty-year plan of action; instead, God promises multiple times in Scripture never to leave or forsake us."
In a way this truth is encouraging and comforting to accept that God might not/most likely wont reveal our life plan to us... we can stop stressing over it- day to day trusting Him to lead us but the hard part in my opinion is asking what He wants each day, throughout the day and following and obeying. to be honest- it scares me more to ask 'what do You want me to do right now' when I've got a list in my head of things I need to get to in the next few minutes-such as paying some bills, finishing up an order, checking my mail... He gently reminded me that He is more important and those things can wait.. He always has my best interest in mind and if I sincerely want to walk intimately with Him and be used by Him then it calls for day to day, throughout the day seeking "who can I love for You today, or right now', 'what would You like me to do right now'
"My hope is that instead of searching for 'God's will for my life' each of us would learn to seek hard after 'the Spirit's leading in my life today.' May we learn to pray for an open and willing heart, to surrender to the Spirit's leading with that friend, child, spouse, circumstance, or decision in our lives right now."
This intro screams at my heart because I know I'm so so guilty of it but i don't know that I have ever heard it put this way before-
a little warning: i underlined almost the entire intro-yeah-its that heavy!
"And to expose our hearts to truth and consistently refuse or neglect to obey the impulses it arouses is to stymie the motions of life within us and, if persisted in, to grieve the Holy Spirit into silence." A.W. Tozer
"How many times have you heard someone say, "I just wish I knew God's will for my life?" (I'm soooooo guilty) "I know Ive longed for this before. But now I see it as a misguided way of thinking and talking" (Intrigued? you should be!)
"Few people in scripture received their life plan from God in advance. Consider Abraham, who was told to pack up his family and all his possessions and start walking. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't know if he would ever be back. He didn't know any of the details we consider vital-his destination, how long the venture would take, what the costs/rewards would be whether he'd receive a 401k or health insurance. GOD SAID TO GO AND HE WENT, AND THATS PRETTY MUCH ALL HE KNEW."
"I think a lot of need to forget about 'God's will for my life'. God cares more about our response to His Spirit's leading today, in this moment, than about what we intend to do next year. In fact, the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now, in today's decisions"
"Its much less demanding to think about God's will for your future than it is to ask Him what He wants you to do in the next ten minutes. Its safer to commit to following Him someday instead of this day"
"We forget that we were never promised a twenty-year plan of action; instead, God promises multiple times in Scripture never to leave or forsake us."
In a way this truth is encouraging and comforting to accept that God might not/most likely wont reveal our life plan to us... we can stop stressing over it- day to day trusting Him to lead us but the hard part in my opinion is asking what He wants each day, throughout the day and following and obeying. to be honest- it scares me more to ask 'what do You want me to do right now' when I've got a list in my head of things I need to get to in the next few minutes-such as paying some bills, finishing up an order, checking my mail... He gently reminded me that He is more important and those things can wait.. He always has my best interest in mind and if I sincerely want to walk intimately with Him and be used by Him then it calls for day to day, throughout the day seeking "who can I love for You today, or right now', 'what would You like me to do right now'
"My hope is that instead of searching for 'God's will for my life' each of us would learn to seek hard after 'the Spirit's leading in my life today.' May we learn to pray for an open and willing heart, to surrender to the Spirit's leading with that friend, child, spouse, circumstance, or decision in our lives right now."
Thursday, July 29, 2010
A Real Relationship pt2
John 15 The Vine and the Branches story is my absolute favorite passage in the Bible. I could, need to, and should read it every single day! Francis Chan stopped in the middle of the chapter about having a Real Relationship and asked us to read John 14-16. Its such a powerful section... If i was really good at typing I would type it all out for you-especially chapter 15.. but maybe you can find a moment to go read it on your own and be blessed because of it.
"if you have received by faith the promise of the Holy Spirit, you are also His temple. As you drive your children to school. As you go to work every day. As you embark on a new, unknown season. As you go to school. As you face tragedy and pain. As you buy groceries. As you give of yourself in relationships. As you walk the dog. As you make decisions. As you live your life, the Holy Spirit is dwelling in you."
"Christ redeemed us from the curse we were under so that we could receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. The 'promised Spirit' is not a small promise. Jesus suffered a grueling death so that I could have the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit. How dare I take this for granted?"
"its not about having an impersonal guardian who looks over you. Its about having a parent, the best parent there ever was or will be."
"The Spirit speaks to our hearts, such as 'there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus'(Romans 8:1) and 'nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus'(Romans 8:39) and "He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins'(1 John 1:9) These are verses we could probably spout off, but often we need reminding of the power and veracity of them. And one of the Holy Spirit's roles is to do this reminding."
"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord." Jeremiah 29:13-14
"Ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to set everything else aside right now so that you can seek Him wholeheartedly. Tell God that you want intimacy with Him, no matter what, even if it necessitates suffering on your part. When this relationship with Him is as it should be, there is nothing more satisfying or meaningful"
I love the last comment about how there is nothing more satisfying then closeness with the Lord. I desire that so much! I want to walk through the day with Him and obey every prompting by the Spirit to love on others or share Him in some way... Its frustrating that at the end of the day I look back and about 10 minutes after I read my bible and a section of this book I got completely distracted and I have a hard time returning throughout the day. Im looking forward to the Fall and Aydin being in school part of the week and maybe just maybe I will have uninterrupted time with the Lord.
"if you have received by faith the promise of the Holy Spirit, you are also His temple. As you drive your children to school. As you go to work every day. As you embark on a new, unknown season. As you go to school. As you face tragedy and pain. As you buy groceries. As you give of yourself in relationships. As you walk the dog. As you make decisions. As you live your life, the Holy Spirit is dwelling in you."
"Christ redeemed us from the curse we were under so that we could receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. The 'promised Spirit' is not a small promise. Jesus suffered a grueling death so that I could have the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit. How dare I take this for granted?"
"its not about having an impersonal guardian who looks over you. Its about having a parent, the best parent there ever was or will be."
"The Spirit speaks to our hearts, such as 'there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus'(Romans 8:1) and 'nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus'(Romans 8:39) and "He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins'(1 John 1:9) These are verses we could probably spout off, but often we need reminding of the power and veracity of them. And one of the Holy Spirit's roles is to do this reminding."
"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord." Jeremiah 29:13-14
"Ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to set everything else aside right now so that you can seek Him wholeheartedly. Tell God that you want intimacy with Him, no matter what, even if it necessitates suffering on your part. When this relationship with Him is as it should be, there is nothing more satisfying or meaningful"
I love the last comment about how there is nothing more satisfying then closeness with the Lord. I desire that so much! I want to walk through the day with Him and obey every prompting by the Spirit to love on others or share Him in some way... Its frustrating that at the end of the day I look back and about 10 minutes after I read my bible and a section of this book I got completely distracted and I have a hard time returning throughout the day. Im looking forward to the Fall and Aydin being in school part of the week and maybe just maybe I will have uninterrupted time with the Lord.
A Real Relationship pt 1
I hope if you've been reading the last couple blog posts I may have convinced you to go out and buy the Forgotten God book for yourself... I am in no way able to explain fully and share enough of the book to get the real message across. God has used Francis Chan in amazing ways and sharing God's message in this book is one of them!
Chapter 5 is all about God's incredible, indescribable love for us and His desire to have a real relationship with us.
"theres nothing better than being absolutely sure that the most powerful Being in the universe adores you as His own child. This is precisely the confidence the Holy Spirit offers us."
"Though I do not believe God gives us His Spirit solely for our personal benefit, it undeniable that one of the greatest aspects of being in relationship with the Holy Spirit is the intimacy, security, and encouragement He brings us. It is when we can serve God as a beloved child rather than a stressed out, guilt ridden slave."
2 things Fancis Chan mentions that can get in the way of being intimate with God and the Holy Spirit is being too comfortable and life being too loud. both of which I know get in the way for me!
"it is those who put their lives at risk and suffer for the gospel (Phil 1:29) who will most often experience His being 'with you always, even to the end of the age' (Matthew 28:20)" "The Bible says that the Spirit comes through in situations where we would normally be afraid (Luke 12:11-12)"
Chan shares a story about some missionaries who were imprisoned and how they never felt closer to God then in that time and how they desire to go back to that! I can recall several times in my life when I was scared, doing what I knew God was wanting me to do even though it meant having no friends at one instance, no boyfriend for a period of time, and while I was in China as a missionary for the Summer- to name a few.. I felt closer and had a more intimate relationship with Christ during those times than any other- I was leaning solely on Him because He was all I had! Sadly being comfortable has a way of taking away that dependence on Him
"Our lack of intimacy often is due to our refusal to unplug and shut off communications from all others so we can be alone with Him" (Mark 1:35)
"I don't know exactly what it will look like for you to be still before the Lord. But I do know that no matter what your personality it is a spiritual discipline to be still, to listen, and to cut out the distraction and din of our world. And as we practice this stillness, this waiting, this being, it is then that we can experience deep intimacy and relationship with the Holy Spirit"
Chapter 5 is all about God's incredible, indescribable love for us and His desire to have a real relationship with us.
"theres nothing better than being absolutely sure that the most powerful Being in the universe adores you as His own child. This is precisely the confidence the Holy Spirit offers us."
"Though I do not believe God gives us His Spirit solely for our personal benefit, it undeniable that one of the greatest aspects of being in relationship with the Holy Spirit is the intimacy, security, and encouragement He brings us. It is when we can serve God as a beloved child rather than a stressed out, guilt ridden slave."
2 things Fancis Chan mentions that can get in the way of being intimate with God and the Holy Spirit is being too comfortable and life being too loud. both of which I know get in the way for me!
"it is those who put their lives at risk and suffer for the gospel (Phil 1:29) who will most often experience His being 'with you always, even to the end of the age' (Matthew 28:20)" "The Bible says that the Spirit comes through in situations where we would normally be afraid (Luke 12:11-12)"
Chan shares a story about some missionaries who were imprisoned and how they never felt closer to God then in that time and how they desire to go back to that! I can recall several times in my life when I was scared, doing what I knew God was wanting me to do even though it meant having no friends at one instance, no boyfriend for a period of time, and while I was in China as a missionary for the Summer- to name a few.. I felt closer and had a more intimate relationship with Christ during those times than any other- I was leaning solely on Him because He was all I had! Sadly being comfortable has a way of taking away that dependence on Him
"Our lack of intimacy often is due to our refusal to unplug and shut off communications from all others so we can be alone with Him" (Mark 1:35)
"I don't know exactly what it will look like for you to be still before the Lord. But I do know that no matter what your personality it is a spiritual discipline to be still, to listen, and to cut out the distraction and din of our world. And as we practice this stillness, this waiting, this being, it is then that we can experience deep intimacy and relationship with the Holy Spirit"
Friday, July 23, 2010
"Who do You want me to love for You today?"
This morning's blog post is from yesterday's reading and this mornings. It might be a little long but I hope you keep reading through the whole thing. Yesterday's was titled When the Spirit Leads. It mainly talked about how its not easy following the Spirit... "Often, walking with the Spirit is an uphill trudge through all sorts of distractions and difficulties. But while the path is winding and difficult, you are constantly moving in a particular direction, and that direction is set by the leading of the Spirit."
Not sure about you but that statement is so comforting to me... through being a Christian for majority of my life I have gone through long periods of time of being distracted and neglecting the Holy Spirit... and even in the times when Im striving I swear Im the most distracted person- I read these amazing books that the Spirit speaks so loudly to me about and Scripture that rings in my heart and then at the end of the day... I probably couldn't remember exactly what it was I learned that morning.
Later on in this section Francis Chan starts talking about Paul's letter in 1 Corinthians 13 (the Love chapter)
"In addition to becoming like Christ in His holiness, being led by the Spirit will result in becoming like Christ in His love."
"The Holy Spirit is the one who fills believers with God's love and the one who enables us to love one another"
Ephesians 3:16-19
"May we know this love hat surpasses knowledge-the mystery of this great love-by the strengthening power of the Spirit"
"and like our Savior, who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurt. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and acts in and through us in ways that on our own we are not capable of. This is our purpose for living. This is our hope" 'And hope does not put us to shame, because God;s live has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:5
It seems through most chapters at the very end Francis Chan will use a specific person in history who lived out through the Holy Spirit. At the end of Chapter 4 he talked about Esther Ahn Kim who was imprisoned during WWII for not bowing down at shrines all over Korea and Japan. She ate rotten food in preparation for being in prison and memorized hundreds of chapters of the Bible since she wouldn't be able to read in prison.
"Her obedience to Christ only increased her ability to hear the voice of the Spirit, and consequently filled her with overwhelming love for the people she came in contact with."
"When she was eventually taken to prison, God used her in countless ways. One night a young Chinese woman convicted of killing her husband was brought in...It was this woman that God called Esther to love and reach out to. Esther held the woman's feet at night to warm them, even though the woman was covered in her own excrement. Though food rations were small, Esther gave up her portions for three days to this woman. Over time the Chinese woman began to respond, carrying on conversation and eventually accepting the good news of the gospel. The woman was later executed for her crime, but she went to her death alive in Christ."
"She was ready every day and every moment, asking God, "Who do You want me to love for You today?"
I teared up as I read the story of Esther this morning and I just kept asking God to help me ask that question daily, throughout the day, every moment. Since I do get distracted so easily with the silly day to day activities I need to hang the words off my head and in front of my face all day. To be honest- those words scare me as well... who will He have me love, how will He ask me to do so... But I pray as He shows me who that I will be joyfully obedient and rely on His love that He has filled me with because in and of myself I lack the love and concern for others...
Ill leave you with the quote again (if you have made it this far in reading this =)
"Who do You want me to love for You today?"
Not sure about you but that statement is so comforting to me... through being a Christian for majority of my life I have gone through long periods of time of being distracted and neglecting the Holy Spirit... and even in the times when Im striving I swear Im the most distracted person- I read these amazing books that the Spirit speaks so loudly to me about and Scripture that rings in my heart and then at the end of the day... I probably couldn't remember exactly what it was I learned that morning.
Later on in this section Francis Chan starts talking about Paul's letter in 1 Corinthians 13 (the Love chapter)
"In addition to becoming like Christ in His holiness, being led by the Spirit will result in becoming like Christ in His love."
"The Holy Spirit is the one who fills believers with God's love and the one who enables us to love one another"
Ephesians 3:16-19
"May we know this love hat surpasses knowledge-the mystery of this great love-by the strengthening power of the Spirit"
"and like our Savior, who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurt. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and acts in and through us in ways that on our own we are not capable of. This is our purpose for living. This is our hope" 'And hope does not put us to shame, because God;s live has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:5
It seems through most chapters at the very end Francis Chan will use a specific person in history who lived out through the Holy Spirit. At the end of Chapter 4 he talked about Esther Ahn Kim who was imprisoned during WWII for not bowing down at shrines all over Korea and Japan. She ate rotten food in preparation for being in prison and memorized hundreds of chapters of the Bible since she wouldn't be able to read in prison.
"Her obedience to Christ only increased her ability to hear the voice of the Spirit, and consequently filled her with overwhelming love for the people she came in contact with."
"When she was eventually taken to prison, God used her in countless ways. One night a young Chinese woman convicted of killing her husband was brought in...It was this woman that God called Esther to love and reach out to. Esther held the woman's feet at night to warm them, even though the woman was covered in her own excrement. Though food rations were small, Esther gave up her portions for three days to this woman. Over time the Chinese woman began to respond, carrying on conversation and eventually accepting the good news of the gospel. The woman was later executed for her crime, but she went to her death alive in Christ."
"She was ready every day and every moment, asking God, "Who do You want me to love for You today?"
I teared up as I read the story of Esther this morning and I just kept asking God to help me ask that question daily, throughout the day, every moment. Since I do get distracted so easily with the silly day to day activities I need to hang the words off my head and in front of my face all day. To be honest- those words scare me as well... who will He have me love, how will He ask me to do so... But I pray as He shows me who that I will be joyfully obedient and rely on His love that He has filled me with because in and of myself I lack the love and concern for others...
Ill leave you with the quote again (if you have made it this far in reading this =)
"Who do You want me to love for You today?"
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Followers or Leaders?
I am almost always going through a book or a study during my personal time with the Lord because well that is the only way I can stay focused and go deeper than flipping through my bible reading random Scriptures... its just the way I work....
Right now our Sunday School class is going through the book 'Forgotten God' by Francis Chan. It is so good and is kicking my butt! Which is what is leading me to start this new blog. I wanted to post a quote on facebook but there was way too many quotes to share! My prayer is that I can share what Christ is teaching me personally and by sharing it through here it may speak to at least one other person as well... Im not sure how often I will post and what it will be about but I believe Im being obedient and praying this is helpful to you as much as it is me.
Im already on Chapter 4 and theres been so many other things in the previous chapters I wish I could go back and share with you but I think you all should go out and get this book... it is really challenging because Francis Chan just says it how it is... and in my opinion he is right on. The section from chapter 4 in today's study is titled 'Followers or Leaders?' Pretty much the entire blog post will just be quotes that I underlined as I was reading and praying this morning because theres nothing I can add to it.
"Desiring the Holy Spirit means we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. By definition, it is ridiculous to desire the Holy Spirit for our own purposes."
"the Spirit is not a passive power that we can wield as we choose. The SPIRIT IS GOD, a Being who requires that we submit ourselves to be led by Him. Do we really want to be led?"
"I honestly believe that most os us-while we might say we want to be led by the Spirit- are actually scared of this reality"
"the fact is God is calling. The Spirit is beckoning. The real question is will you follow? Will you listen"
"The truly startling thought is that by not submitting and totally trusting the Holy Spirit, I am not submitting to or trusting God. this is not a small matter."
The next quotes are about considering and thinking about if you are called to be Where God has you at this very moment. These questions and comments might be what hit me the hardest since I as Im sure many others believe we are where God wants us to be.
"Maybe you are called to be where you live-But If you say you are called to be in the place you are , a few questions need to be considered.-
What would your church (and the worldwide church) look like if everyone was as committed as you are? if everyone gave and served and prayed exactly like you, would the church be healthy and empowered? or would it be weak and listless?"
"Do I believe the church needs me like a body needs a mouth"
"As part of the Spirit's work through us for the 'common good' He empowers us to be His witnesses. If you are a teacher, have you thought about how you impact the students in your classes? if you are a coach, what sort of influence do you have on your team? What about other coaches you interact with?"
Big star next to this paragraph in my book- "If you are a businessperson, how do you conduct yourself towards your customers and co workers? Do they see a person who lives according to the Way of Jesus or someone who does business according to the capitalistic and self-centered standards, just like everyone else? If you are a stay at home mom, how are you forming your children into lovers of Jesus? How are you reaching out and ministering to the neighbors God has placed around you?" Can I say OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"He didn't call you there so you could settle in and live out your life in comfort and superficial peace. His purposes are not random or arbitrary. He has something for you to do. He placed us on this earth for purposes that He orchestrated long before we were born (Eph 2:8-10)"
"Do you believe you exist not for your own pleasure but to help people know the love of Jesus and to come fully alive in Him?"
Right now our Sunday School class is going through the book 'Forgotten God' by Francis Chan. It is so good and is kicking my butt! Which is what is leading me to start this new blog. I wanted to post a quote on facebook but there was way too many quotes to share! My prayer is that I can share what Christ is teaching me personally and by sharing it through here it may speak to at least one other person as well... Im not sure how often I will post and what it will be about but I believe Im being obedient and praying this is helpful to you as much as it is me.
Im already on Chapter 4 and theres been so many other things in the previous chapters I wish I could go back and share with you but I think you all should go out and get this book... it is really challenging because Francis Chan just says it how it is... and in my opinion he is right on. The section from chapter 4 in today's study is titled 'Followers or Leaders?' Pretty much the entire blog post will just be quotes that I underlined as I was reading and praying this morning because theres nothing I can add to it.
"Desiring the Holy Spirit means we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. By definition, it is ridiculous to desire the Holy Spirit for our own purposes."
"the Spirit is not a passive power that we can wield as we choose. The SPIRIT IS GOD, a Being who requires that we submit ourselves to be led by Him. Do we really want to be led?"
"I honestly believe that most os us-while we might say we want to be led by the Spirit- are actually scared of this reality"
"the fact is God is calling. The Spirit is beckoning. The real question is will you follow? Will you listen"
"The truly startling thought is that by not submitting and totally trusting the Holy Spirit, I am not submitting to or trusting God. this is not a small matter."
The next quotes are about considering and thinking about if you are called to be Where God has you at this very moment. These questions and comments might be what hit me the hardest since I as Im sure many others believe we are where God wants us to be.
"Maybe you are called to be where you live-But If you say you are called to be in the place you are , a few questions need to be considered.-
What would your church (and the worldwide church) look like if everyone was as committed as you are? if everyone gave and served and prayed exactly like you, would the church be healthy and empowered? or would it be weak and listless?"
"Do I believe the church needs me like a body needs a mouth"
"As part of the Spirit's work through us for the 'common good' He empowers us to be His witnesses. If you are a teacher, have you thought about how you impact the students in your classes? if you are a coach, what sort of influence do you have on your team? What about other coaches you interact with?"
Big star next to this paragraph in my book- "If you are a businessperson, how do you conduct yourself towards your customers and co workers? Do they see a person who lives according to the Way of Jesus or someone who does business according to the capitalistic and self-centered standards, just like everyone else? If you are a stay at home mom, how are you forming your children into lovers of Jesus? How are you reaching out and ministering to the neighbors God has placed around you?" Can I say OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"He didn't call you there so you could settle in and live out your life in comfort and superficial peace. His purposes are not random or arbitrary. He has something for you to do. He placed us on this earth for purposes that He orchestrated long before we were born (Eph 2:8-10)"
"Do you believe you exist not for your own pleasure but to help people know the love of Jesus and to come fully alive in Him?"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)