Vacation

I am leaving for vacation tomorrow for about a week and a half.  It will so glorious to be in Florida and on a cruise for my first time ever.  I can't wait.  Then when I get home in a few days I am supposedly leaving for Louisiana.  Another wonderful and great opportunity God has blessed me with.  Sad that I won't be able to be home with friends though

Silence

Our Perfect Father

I watched something that was really awesome Louie Giglio talking on our Perfect Father.  His main point was whatever we think about when we think about God is the most important thing ever.  Why?  Because we were made in Him and for Him.  That sounds boring though if we belong to someone and we don't have a choice, but that is the beauty of it.  He isn't a slave owner, but a Father.  So many of us may have such distorted views of who God is because of our own Dad's, but if you want an example look to Jesus as God came down in the flesh to show us how much he yearns for us to run to Him and have an exciting, laughing, joyful, and tearful time with Him.  We need to break down our barrier of a view of this is God in this itty bitty box and here I am and my life, cya.  Throughout the bible there are so many times when it says God is a father, but most of us look past that.

John 14:6-7 "I am the way the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

Times of Testing

Today I was reading through Psalm 66 and was so blessed as it applies to my life right now.  Not a coincidence that that has happened, and that is why God is so cool.  He answers our confusion as long as we desire to seek Him and His truth.

It is amazing how David in this Psalm is experiencing something in His life at this point that instead of staying in confusion and frustrated He starts off right with Praise to God for His character and who He is.  How often do I ever do that in the times of lonliness and puzzlement is not often and I think it is safe to say we all struggle with that. 

David then net goes into what God has done in the past in His glorious power and strength acknowledging that He can do it all.  How often do I look to who God is will continue to be because of what He has done for the Isrealites, for Abraham, or His testing of Jobs heart.  He has always had purpose for everything and it has always been for our good to bring us to Him.  I don't find myself often times going back to the stories of His wonders and promise to the Isrealites in times of doubting God.

Then David hits the core of it all, to praise God aloud for his testing of our hearts and faith. Psalm 66:10-12 "For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.  You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.  You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance."  It is only in our struggles and brokeness of being tested that God is going to bring out the impurities of our hearts just like the impurities can be drawn out of silver in a fire.  It is not all for nothing either, "because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverence (James 1:3)."  And right before James 1:3 it says to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whever you face trials of many kinds.  I am so in fault of never taking joy in my testin of faith because everytime I see the impurities being brought out I become prideful and think "how could I have been so selfish", but I should humbly accept my sinful nature and because I am saved by grace I need to life by grace instead of pursuit of my own holiness.

I am afraid I have gone way off into what I didn't want to even talk about which I have forgotten about, but that is okay.  I have spent too much time on this, but it was worth it.

I am going to now leave you off with the thought of how often do you wrestle with God.  I read a great paragraph or two in Every man, God's man about how much God loves it when we wrestle with Him because if you are truly seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness then those time of wrestling will always draw you so much nearer to God in a much more intimate relationship. James 4:8 "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."

Amy thanks to your wisdom on this saying I feel comfortable saying...

Peace be with you

Diving into the word

WHAT? HUH?

I enjoy the times of confusion and misunderstanding because then one either makes the choice to find the truth of the matter or leave it and never settle the issue and remain in confusion.  Well I actually don't like the confusion in the moment but afterwards it is great. 

Last night in lifegroup we watched a tape called Growing Intimate with the Holy Spirit.  It sounds great, but what was preached in this sermon on the tape brought much confusion among the group and among myself.  The misleading things don't matter but what I think matters is that when we come to these moments it is so trivial and key to go to God for the answers in His word.  I spent a few hours after lifegroup searching for Gods truth and surely God was good in showing me where He wants me in my own heart.  God used something like this to cause me to grow so much more closer to Him and His truth.

It is good to seek wisdom from others, but the words of men can be twisted, but Gods word is everlasting as it says in Matthew.  It is also important to look at all of the word and not just one verse.