For Your Entertainment?

 “You cannot be in the presence of God and be bored at the same time. For that matter, you cannot be in the will of God and be bored at the same time. If you follow in the footsteps of Jesus, it will be anything but boring.” Mark Batterson, Going All In (Kindle Locations 137-138)

The "Will of God" is not always a change of location or vocation but a change of attitude!

Some people think by changing churches and careers they are following the Will of God, but in reality they are trying to find self-gratification in serving God instead of glorifying and pleasing Him. Sadly to say, some people make the worst decisions in their walk with God by thinking that moving out of where they are is the answer to stopping their spiritual boredom. Look, If God wants us to make major changes in our lives He will definitely be very clear about it. He might not give you all the details but He will not be vague or confusing. Remember... He is not a God of confusion! 1 Corinthians 14:33

So all this to say... Don't make any drastic change like leaving your Church, quitting your job, joining or not joining a missions trip, changing ministry, starting or closing a Church, giving or not giving money to the Church, until your attitude is in-tune with God. Whatever you do to gratify “YOU” it’ll end up being boring because you will never be satisfied unless you are in God’s will and living your God-given purpose and destiny. Remember, this journey is not... For Your Entertainment.

“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” Romans 8:5

Check out also blog: Shhhh…

Lourdes Morales 

I've Been Thinking...

As we get older life becomes more and more intense. Events, people, situations, all that is viewed with a different set of eyes... the eternal eye!

Is it worth my time worrying too much about things that are trivial? Is it worth my time getting anxious about situations that will have no lasting effect in my life? Is it even worth my time being mad a others longer than necessary? I guess the answer is obvious. 

However, it is definitely worth my time thinking where I'll be 1,000 years from now. Regardless of people's way of thinking or opinion about God, eternity is always before us and He (God) has given us the power to choose what kind of eternity will be waiting for us:

• "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments...that you may live...and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them...you shall surely perish (Deuteronomy 30: 15-18, parts)."

• "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." John 3:16-17

Yes! As I am getting older eternity is in my mind more intense than before and as I deal emotionally with my father's death I keep thinking, "My dad is already in the eternity he so longed for so many years... An eternity with God." I TOO WANT THAT ETERNITY. 

(It has been so long since my last blog and many things have happened during that time. Today I just feel like writing my thoughts down. I guess I need the catharsis I get through this venue.)

Shhhh...

We have been subliminally trained by our accelerated world to be a fast society where rapid lifestyles are rewarded and most slow-paced activities and pacific environments are labeled as lazy and/or bored. We spend more time preparing for upcoming events than we are enjoying the moment we are currently living. Sometimes we don’t even have time for what is important because we are searching for the immediate, at the same time sacrificing what really matters; God, family, and health.

How many times have we been at fault of using the same fast-paced-instant-gratification system in our walk with God? Perhaps many times! Ok let's be totally honest here, possibly most of the time. Oh, how quickly we forget one of the most quoted passages in the Bible: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

When the time to run is here… we must run (I go deeper into this in one of my past blogs “Every Pastor's Wife Needs A Good Pair Of Running Shoes.”), but we won’t be in any shape to run if we don’t spend time growing in the Lord. We can’t depend on drive-thru experiences to give us more inches of Christ.  If that were the case most of our churches would have a drive-thru window with fast-spiritual specials: #1 Sanctification, #2 Justification, #3 Holy Spirit Infilling, etc… Nah! Not the case.

Our maturity in Christ is part of a developmental process and we are to experience it step by step. Unlike salvation, which is a gift from God and an immediate miraculously phenomenon between God and our repentant heart, our spiritual growth requires time, prayer, the study of His Word, fellowship with other believers, and total commitment to Christ. There will naturally be times when we'll need some things fast. However, in His presence time is no longer in our control, but in God’s control. Remember, God has stamped our spiritual growth with “HANDLE WITH CARE.” He isn’t in a hurry... Neither should we!

The secret of knowing His heart, His mind, and His direction for our lives is found in the time we spend in His presence, away from the world that is running fast around us.  Let us take time to build a strong and intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father. He wants us peaceful, not anxious. He wants us focus, not distracted. He wants us to close our eyes and breath the air of His presence; to hear the sound of His voice with a gentle and quiet whisper saying, “Shhhh… Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

All Things New

Written by Chris Brown, Mack Brock, Wade Joye & Ben Richter

Verse 1:

Peace be still, You are near

There’s nowhere we can go

That You won’t shine redemption’s light

Our guilt withdrawn

PreChorus 1:

As You rise, we come alive

The grave has lost, the old is gone

Chorus:

And You’re making all things new

You are making all things new

You are making all things new

And we are free

Verse 2:

Hope is found, You are here

Our hearts forever sealed

By this love that came for us

Now we are Yours

PreChorus 2:

As You rise, we come alive

Bridge:

Your love never ending

Your grace never failing

Redemption is calling us home