I received an email devotional from my pastor this morning and stopped for a brief moment to do my daily deed. I read it and italicized at the bottom of the email was an asterisk with a note from the Pastor saying this lined up with my reading this morning from James 3. This little note triggered something inside me to pull out my bible this afternoon and check it out. Here is what I found..something so profound that the Lord has been whispering in my ear for the last month or so.
I opened my Bible to James...read one line and was hooked. That line was this...James 3:1 "Dear brothers and sisters (keep in mind this is James speaking, Jesus' half brother), not many of you should become teachers in the church for we who teach will be judged more strictly." It dawned on me that we are all teachers. The word teacher according to Merriam Websters is defined as "to instruct by precept, example and experience." If we live our lives God first we are instructing others by our example and our experience in the Word. I am always so intrigued by the example that is set by my elders within the church. I look to them on how to live daily life. It is such a grand responsibility we have as Christian's to be teachers and lead by example and according to our experiences. During this season of my life, a student, fiance, student ministries leader and Christian I often find myself surrounded by others who are leading and teaching the wrong example. It says in James 3:1 that the 'teachers' will be judged more strictly and therefore we should be living our lives above reproach. What does this mean to you? Is it avoiding ladies night even if you're only having one drink, wearing an undershirt even if its not your style, or making the extra effort to leave your boyfriends an hour or two earlier. These are all things that I have struggled with but as I strive to become a better teacher realized are not living above reproach.
Well what does this mean? As we teach we become more and more in love with our Lord and desire more and more of Him. I read further in James 3..."If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom....For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic." It struck me when I read this that as teachers of the Word we have a greater desire for the wisdom of our Lord. How often do we find ourselves back tracking and falling into the desires of our flesh and our world. The things of this world are not the things of our God.
I challenge you as a teacher and steward of a God first life to stop living selfish lives that strive only to satisfy our flesh. Eternity depends on your decisions today...take them seriously! Leave behind the one drink at dinner, staying over at your boyfriends/girlfriends (regardless of what's going on behind closed doors), gossip, etc. Take the challenge and allow God to transform your life!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
i want more of You
This has been laying on my heart pretty thick lately and I wanted to just share some insight that God has revealed to me the last few days. Last Wednesday I doubled dipped and went to Wednesday night service and then college life. Both messages were dramatically different but coincided with exactly what is going on in my spiritual walk.
Pastor Branker started my wonderful Wednesday night off with Lessons in Leadership and brought to my attention the powerful leader, Nehemiah. There are four different categories that Nehemiah's leadership can be categorized by and they are: character, compassion, prayer and mission (Nehemiah 1:1-11). This was so hard for me to swallow. I'm in so many different leadership positions and all of them are different types. For example, at school I tutor first graders twice a week, I lead the guest services team at College Life, I am the service flow coordinator for element (behind the scenes), and finally I am leading a mission trip with my future hubby this March. All of these vary as far as leadership goes. How in the world do I spiritually lead in all of these different ways? It seems nearly impossible. Nehemiah is a great model and the more and more I looked into his life I found myself desiring to lead just like he did.
First and Foremost Nehemiah was a servant...now who would have ever thought? He was also constantly in touch with God through prayer. This made me think of a series that I went to back at Argyle Baptist. They talked about being able to beep beep God. Think of a Nextel phone, you can beep someone and have a conversation or just a quick hello. Nehemiah was constantly beep beeping God, he never let the anxiety, pain or worry of every day life bog him down, he was constantly bringing it to God instead of losing sight of God. He had a huge passion for his people, the people he was serving. I can only imagine what kind of leaders there would be in this world if we laid down our lives for the people we are serving and had an all out passion for them! Finally Nehemiah didn't just sit around and let things happen, he did something about it! This is where the next message comes in.
Liz Cook spoke later that night about God's purpose for our lives! Nehemiah never sat around waiting for God to come to him or to tell him specifically what to do (this was in the old testament so it could have happened that way, lucky for them), instead Nehemiah did something about it. Liz used the example of Paul, remember when Jesus walked on water and Paul was with the other disciples on the boat in the raging waters and winds (Matt 14: 25-32)? Jesus said "Come" .... who got out of the boat? Paul! What about the other disciples? Were they still in the boat? Is that us? Just sitting back as Christians waiting for the right moment to step out and have total and complete faith? What about our leaders, are they serving those they minister too? God laid it on my heart to share this with you because as Christians and leaders especially we need to stop living in a motionless state and do something about it. I encourage you to take the challenge. Dive into God's word and find out what he wants for your life. What are some areas your can improve and be challenged? Express these things to God through prayer and fasting and He will surely answer your prayers and bless you!
I love you guys :)
Pastor Branker started my wonderful Wednesday night off with Lessons in Leadership and brought to my attention the powerful leader, Nehemiah. There are four different categories that Nehemiah's leadership can be categorized by and they are: character, compassion, prayer and mission (Nehemiah 1:1-11). This was so hard for me to swallow. I'm in so many different leadership positions and all of them are different types. For example, at school I tutor first graders twice a week, I lead the guest services team at College Life, I am the service flow coordinator for element (behind the scenes), and finally I am leading a mission trip with my future hubby this March. All of these vary as far as leadership goes. How in the world do I spiritually lead in all of these different ways? It seems nearly impossible. Nehemiah is a great model and the more and more I looked into his life I found myself desiring to lead just like he did.
First and Foremost Nehemiah was a servant...now who would have ever thought? He was also constantly in touch with God through prayer. This made me think of a series that I went to back at Argyle Baptist. They talked about being able to beep beep God. Think of a Nextel phone, you can beep someone and have a conversation or just a quick hello. Nehemiah was constantly beep beeping God, he never let the anxiety, pain or worry of every day life bog him down, he was constantly bringing it to God instead of losing sight of God. He had a huge passion for his people, the people he was serving. I can only imagine what kind of leaders there would be in this world if we laid down our lives for the people we are serving and had an all out passion for them! Finally Nehemiah didn't just sit around and let things happen, he did something about it! This is where the next message comes in.
Liz Cook spoke later that night about God's purpose for our lives! Nehemiah never sat around waiting for God to come to him or to tell him specifically what to do (this was in the old testament so it could have happened that way, lucky for them), instead Nehemiah did something about it. Liz used the example of Paul, remember when Jesus walked on water and Paul was with the other disciples on the boat in the raging waters and winds (Matt 14: 25-32)? Jesus said "Come" .... who got out of the boat? Paul! What about the other disciples? Were they still in the boat? Is that us? Just sitting back as Christians waiting for the right moment to step out and have total and complete faith? What about our leaders, are they serving those they minister too? God laid it on my heart to share this with you because as Christians and leaders especially we need to stop living in a motionless state and do something about it. I encourage you to take the challenge. Dive into God's word and find out what he wants for your life. What are some areas your can improve and be challenged? Express these things to God through prayer and fasting and He will surely answer your prayers and bless you!
I love you guys :)
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Havin' a Heart for God
1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NLT)
I just read this and it totally spoke right to my heart. I thought I would share it and expand on what I think God is trying to tell each and every one of us about our God first lives.
"What is more pleasing to the Lord:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering
the fat of rams.
In this verse I found the four most important things that are pleasing to the Lord -
First He asks us to Listen! This means listen to your heart! What is God trying to reveal to you through the very feelings in your heart? Often I find myself thinking rationally and logically when God is so much simpler - he just tells us to mearly listen and He'll tell us everything we need to know. Next is obedience, once we listen, we must obey what He is saying. I know that more often than not I hear what God is saying and yet I don't obey. Sacrifice is also of importance, whatever God is calling us t,o is going to require some sort of sacrifice. When things seem too tough just remember that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. Last night my roommate, Heather, made it so clear to me that we must lay things down every morning. Imagine your life if you laid something down for Jesus every single morning? I can't imagine how pleasing that would be to God! Finally is submission, since accepting Jesus in my heart I have had to submit my life to Him. It has been more and more than I could have ever imagined and the blessings have been so abudant. I believe that God reveals the results and consequences of our actions without having a heart to please Him in the next verse (23)
"Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
and stubborness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king."
Rebellion is the opposite of obeying God! It is pleasing to God when we obey. I think about the students that I work with at school, ultimately they recieve the best education when they obey their teachers and tutors (thats me!). When they rebel they lose the ultimate education. God wants to give us the ultimate life, so why rebel? Stubborness is so easy when we don't want to submit our lives. Stubborn people are so stuck in their ways and think that they have figured out a better way. I can be the first to tell you that my way has never been the right way. God knows the way and why not let God take control and just show us the way...doesn't that sounds so much easier? The final and most important part of this whole verse is the final phrase, "he has rejected you as king." God has made us stewards of His kingdom...guess what that means - YOU ARE A KING. If we fail to please God by listening, obeying, sacrificing, and submitting to Him we are going to be rejected by God! I think this speaks for itself!
God loves you and I, He wants the best for our lives and has laid out how simple it is to please him. 4 easy simple steps, take the challenge and please him :)
Much love.
I just read this and it totally spoke right to my heart. I thought I would share it and expand on what I think God is trying to tell each and every one of us about our God first lives.
"What is more pleasing to the Lord:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering
the fat of rams.
In this verse I found the four most important things that are pleasing to the Lord -
First He asks us to Listen! This means listen to your heart! What is God trying to reveal to you through the very feelings in your heart? Often I find myself thinking rationally and logically when God is so much simpler - he just tells us to mearly listen and He'll tell us everything we need to know. Next is obedience, once we listen, we must obey what He is saying. I know that more often than not I hear what God is saying and yet I don't obey. Sacrifice is also of importance, whatever God is calling us t,o is going to require some sort of sacrifice. When things seem too tough just remember that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. Last night my roommate, Heather, made it so clear to me that we must lay things down every morning. Imagine your life if you laid something down for Jesus every single morning? I can't imagine how pleasing that would be to God! Finally is submission, since accepting Jesus in my heart I have had to submit my life to Him. It has been more and more than I could have ever imagined and the blessings have been so abudant. I believe that God reveals the results and consequences of our actions without having a heart to please Him in the next verse (23)
"Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
and stubborness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king."
Rebellion is the opposite of obeying God! It is pleasing to God when we obey. I think about the students that I work with at school, ultimately they recieve the best education when they obey their teachers and tutors (thats me!). When they rebel they lose the ultimate education. God wants to give us the ultimate life, so why rebel? Stubborness is so easy when we don't want to submit our lives. Stubborn people are so stuck in their ways and think that they have figured out a better way. I can be the first to tell you that my way has never been the right way. God knows the way and why not let God take control and just show us the way...doesn't that sounds so much easier? The final and most important part of this whole verse is the final phrase, "he has rejected you as king." God has made us stewards of His kingdom...guess what that means - YOU ARE A KING. If we fail to please God by listening, obeying, sacrificing, and submitting to Him we are going to be rejected by God! I think this speaks for itself!
God loves you and I, He wants the best for our lives and has laid out how simple it is to please him. 4 easy simple steps, take the challenge and please him :)
Much love.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)