Live only for what you'd die for...

I've been staring a computer screen since 5pm quoting auto and home insurance up the wazzoo, and I'm pumped full of coffee. My mind is mush, but suddenly the thought popped into my mind, "I don't want to be apart of anything that I wouldn't die for."

A couple of weeks ago a woman in our church shared a picture she had (its a long story, but it was related to a World War 1 poem - http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/poetry/poetry_ww1_1.html) - it dealt with a large poppy field full of fallen soldiers who had given their life for different things. It really impacted me because God esteems martyrs a great deal, and I believe there is a sobering reverence we should have as well, knowing one day we'll face men and women who died for freedoms/truths we can often take for granted.

I suppose all of this filtered into my mind that nothing in life is worth living for unless I'd die for it. I don't necessarily mean in only the larger things in life either, such as Christianity as a whole for example. I mean every truth, every right, every principle. In politics, would I die or willfully send my son to a war to die for the liberties and freedoms our country was founded upon? Would I die for truths founded in Christ? Baptism? The outworking of the gifts of the Holy Spirit? The 5-fold ministry (Eph 4)?

These sobering and endless topics are trotting through my mind making me wish to pull back from certain areas not worthy of a life slain in its defense. Its also inspires me to gain true and deep conviction for so many truths I know to be worthy of martyrdom.

What would I die for? In that answer lies my direction, path and focus for life....

Over and out!

"...But especially that you may prophesy."

Yes, I said it, PROPHESY! The HOLY SPIRIT wishes us to PROPHESY. Why is this so controversial in the Church today? It's in the Word of God! I do not wish to argue and validate scripture in this writing, but I will go on to explain what I feel God is "ruining" my heart for. I've been seeking and longing to know God's intention for His Church, and the past few months I've been frustrated to the point of tears with the ignorance of the work of God the Father, Jesus Christ AND the Holy Spirit within His church body. However, it has been only in the past few days my eyes were opened to the deepening up the absolute necessity of prophecy within the Church. It wasn't from a great idea or a feeling or hunch I had, but rather from reading the Word of God and knowing the obedience and dedication we must have to His commands. I will write humbly - for I am not a theologian, nor do I know New Testament Greek. However, I am a child of God who receives revelation and reads His Word seeking to know not merely a head-knowledge, but to understand with knowledge that far passes the mind. Here's where it's left me:

1 Corinthians 12 leads us in chapter 13 with the closing remark of "But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still a more excellent way." We all know, or even if you don't know but you have attended a Christian wedding - 1 Corinthians 13 is about love. Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy and it does not boast. So on and so forth - Love never fails. This is beautiful and most certainly can be appropriately used to speak of the love between one another in a marriage. However, this chapter of love is not in the book of Song of Solomon when speaking of a husband and his bride, nor in Psalms declaring David's love for God. No, this chapter is sandwiched between instructions pertaining to spiritual gifts. These gifts including: prophesy, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, miracles, healing, discernment of spirits, and tongues/interpretation. Would it not make sense when Paul speaks about spiritual gifts and then goes on talk about how we should love one another, and then go back to spiritual gifts and their use when we all come together, that this love should be APPLIED to our love to build one another up by actively using the gifts given to us by God?! Going back to the verse I opened with, Paul tells us (Paul working as the mouth piece of God in this God-breathed scripture) that we must desire earnestly these gifts, and love is the most excellent way to do this! It is because of our LOVE for the Church, and therefore our desire for its growth and maturity, that we yearn for these gifts to build one another up!

The first verse of 1 Corinthians 14 to segway from love back into spiritual gifts is this, "Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy". Now, admittedly I had a difficult time figuring out why, when God wants ALL of His gifts to be outworked in the church and makes of point of needing every body part, He includes 1 Cor 13:31 where we're told to desire the greater gifts. Also, 1 Cor 14 explains prophesy to be a superior gift and what we should desire most of all. My mind was going around in circles wondering EVERY body part (every person within the church) should desire to prophesy? What about the other gifts? If all are needed, why should we wish to have this one gift in particular? I thought to myself, "This is the Word of God. I will be obedient to it whether I have clear understanding yet or not, because I follow Christ - not only the parts of Christ I see and understand." So, with a resolve within myself to follow obedience of desiring prophesy, I've been asking God to help clarify why exactly I should desire it above all other gifts. Last night, my homegroup leader said something that brought much clarification: A relationship is built off of communication. The way one person connects with another is ultimately through speaking to one another. This is not to say servant hood, encouragement and plain ol' fun is not important in a relationship, but communication is the key ingredient. In ALL giftings and outworkings, God wants to SPEAK to and through us, therefore: prophesy. Prophesy is being the mouthpiece of God - Speaking His heart in the moment and declaring before the the saints what He wishes to say.

When do we prophesy and use spiritual gifts? EVERY time we're together! 1 Corinthians 14:26 - What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let ALL things be done for EDIFICATION.

Spiritual gifts MUST be put back into the Church for our edification, growth and maturity. It's GOD'S WORD and design for His church! Of course there has been abuse of these gifts in the past, just as there has abuse of church leadership, authority, teachings, exc. However, a misuse is not an excuse for disobedience to God's word. Just as one's personal experience or lack of understanding is no excuse. YOUR life must align to God's word, not God's word align to you. Do not be so prideful as to think your 70 years on the earth can alter the timeless words of God and that your human mind is ANY match to the wisdom of God!

This is the Word of God. Fear God, and obey.

Over and out.

I once heard Chritians were meant to follow the Bible...

Okay, I've had it. Seriously. If I hear of one more Christian whose pride blinds them enough to think they are above obedience to the Word of God...

Now let me make myself clear to any random eyes that have fallen upon this blog. If you are not a Christian, I do not expect you to live according to the Bible. It'd be silly to align your life to the words of a God you haven't faith in. However, if you claim to know and love Jesus Christ, and acknowledge Him as Savior and therefore Lord - let's have new revelation of the fear of our God in life choices and words.

ALL scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). Every word in this book is LIVING and ACTIVE, sharper than any double-edged sword. It pierces between soul and spirit, joint and marrow, and judges the thoughts and attitude of the heart (Heb 4:12). When Jesus was tempted in the desert by Satan, every response began with "It was written" and was followed by the infallible Words of God's scripture (Matthew 4). Jesus clearly esteemed the word of God as the be-all/end-all. When you say you want to live like Jesus and love like He did - let's start with the love of His Word, it clearly instructs us in ALL ways of love.

Jesus speaks in Luke 6 of the man who hears God's word but does not put it into practice, "He is like a man who has built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it, and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that home was great."

A famous Christian artist who has now chosen a path that opposes the desires of God, still claims a close bond with Jesus. When asked what the Bible says about this artist's new found life style (with both interviewer and interviewee knowing the Truth of God and His being against it), she replies saying "I'm not capable of getting into the theological argument....There's a spirit that overrides that for me, and what I've been gravitating to in Christ and why I became a Christian in the first place."

I'm speechless. This hits a chord with me due the overwhelming attitude of His saints in denial of what they KNOW to be the Word of God, but their own desires getting the best of them and therefore altering our Lord's words to suit their wishes. God IS love, He IS compassionate and gracious and shows mercy. He HAS saved our lives, He sent His SON to die on our behalf, and He sees us and loves us in the way He sees and loves Christ. He does indeed help us every moment we call to Him, and when we fail Him He most certainly does extend His hand to us. His love is great and strong, but it is NOT an excuse and free-pass to do whatever you will. Christ's lordship in your life is NOT evident if you see this to be case. Jesus tells us in John 15, "You are my friend if you do what I command you." God's unconditional love and grace does not permit us to rewrite the Bible to suit our needs. Where is the fear of God? I'm not speaking of sinning and making a mistake, but the choice lifestyles in pure defiance of what Christians know to be Truth.

I ask you this (and I ask myself as well, because writing this truly challenges me to examine my own choices in life, whether they are as evident as other's or not):

When life is finished, when the perfected Bride (the universal Church) has made herself ready for Christ's return - Can we stand face-to-face to our Creator, our Lord, our Savior, and tell Him we knew of His words and commandments yet chose what we desired over what He commanded? Can we look into His flame of fire eyes, and with FULL confidence say we felt we had more wisdom and understanding than the clear words He laid before us in His scriptures?

I tremble at this thought. Let us humbly ask God to make evident to us if there is any appearance of this in our lives.

Over and out.

Nothing Really...Just thoughts.

I'm too easily overcome with thoughts, ideas and feelings. I'm also too quick to yap about them. I can keep everyone's secrets, but my own. I'm quite impatient, also. I giggle when you're not meant to, and my mom tells me laugh is not very feminine. I drive around longer than I ought to because a moving car with a gentle breeze is more relaxing than simply standing there. I think girls can be mean when they're feeling insecure. Boys seem to want to show off to eachother more than they do girls, this humors me. I don't understand a philosophical thought seperate from the foundations of God. And while I love intelligence - I've known too many fallen victim to the pride of their own mind. To the men that have learned to 'count it as loss' before the mind and thoughts of God: I admire you. I want to be led by humility. Good thing I follow Jesus - for this can always be so.