Something recent has come to my attention, I’ve come to truly appreciate this little item, that may seem so small but means so much….it’s the “lives in” verses “hometown” information option on Facebook. After recently moving to Santa Clarita to attend the Master’s College I myself changing my residency information on Facebook and noticed that I could put “hometown” and one my profile it comes up as “from.” Later that day a friend came up to my room and talking with my roommate said, “Never call this home, this is temporary.”
“The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.”- 1 Corinthians 15:47-49
Too often we as Christians become comfortable with this world, calling it our home, living in it and sometimes sadly, of it. We do not think to ourselves enough to never call this world home, to remember that it is only temporary, we are not of this world, but rather we are of heaven.
The day that you repented of your old life and proclaimed Christ as Lord, placing your faith in Him for salvation is the day you left this world and became a citizen of heaven. Do we understand the cost of this citizenship? Do we understand the depth of which we have it? We have citizenship on three different levels:
1. Purchased- Christ, on the cross, paid the price for sins, taking on all the wrath God, purchased us for ransom, that we might become citizens with him. 1 Corinthians 6:20 mentions how we were bought with a price, we were bought from this world by Christ to become a part of heaven.
2. Birth- To enter into heaven we must be born again as Christ said to Nicodemus in John 3:3. To be born into citizenship is to have a natural right in it.
3. Adoption- The last level of citizenship is adoption, to be chosen, hand picked for the kingdom. We did nothing in this adoption, we were in no way attractive, and this is not something comparable to a family picking out the puppy at the pound. Rather Ezekiel 16 gives the description of us in verse 5 as those who, “No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.” In this state he chose us and adopted us as sons, to be in his kingdom.
We live in a world we are not apart of, set apart from those in it Philippians 3:19-21 states, “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” So, if our belonging is not here but in heaven, what do we do now? We will be made glorious when he returns, so do we just live here now with the mindset of heaven? No! Rather we strive to live now as citizens! 1 Peter 2:11 urges us “as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” We are to run far from what this world is living for and live for heaven, acting like we belong there.
Spurgeon states that, “If, then, we are thus citizens of heaven, let our walk and actions be consistent with our high dignity.” Let us think through our lives, cutting out what looks of the world, what causes us to call this place “home.” As Christians we are not to be comfortable with this earth, but longing for what lies ahead, perfection, which is Christ likeness, so let us press on toward that goal keeping our mind on heavenly things.
As for Master’s I love it here, I take care of my dorm, care for those around me and follow what I’m called and told to do here, but I look forward and even long for when I can go home.
“Every Christian could have “heaven” as their hometown on facebook.’-Bobby Blakey
Monday, September 12, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Walking According to the Law
In the High School ministry I serve at we’ve been reading through the Psalms and just finished 119 today on a little thing we call SOTD. It’s so encouraging to see a little over a hundred high schoolers get online to read God’s word and post a comment on what they learned from it, instead of just jumping onto Facebook, Youtube, or any other site. Check it out at:
http://www.churchforhighschoolers.com/!
Anyways back to the main thought for this blog, it’s been awhile but I’m looking forward to what God has planned for this summer in some brainstorms about a blog series on worship and some book reviews from the summer reading list.
But what’s always on the reading list is God’s word, everyday! Today we read Psalm 119:161-176 and verse 165 just jumped out at me. It says,
“Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.”
“Great peace,” that’s something we don’t expect to have in this life, I mean sure people always fight for peace (ironically enough) and search for it through various means but really you can search high and low, striving everyday of your life for peace but never find it unless you are found in Christ. He is called the “Prince of peace,” and we find our source of comfort in Him alone, especially through His word.
How are we doing in reading God’s word?
Are we just skimming though, maybe pondering on it, or not reading it at all? Or are we all about God’s word, hungering for it, studying it, looking for any moment of the day to get back to it?
Peace outside of God’s word is a hopeless endeavor.
In John 14:27 Christ says to his disciples,
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Why does God word bring us peace? It guides us in living upright and righteous lives! Ever notice how the less you sin, the more peace there is among you? The Psalmist does. He connects peace with avoiding stumbling in verse 165.
I love this analogy of walking rightly and not stumbling through loving God’s law, knowing it, studying it and obeying it daily guides us in the way we walk and not to stumble over certain sins.
Last night our church’s college ministry had a beach night and there was a log right in the middle of where everyone was walking or standing around talking. As I went to join in with a group I also ate it tripping over this log, and someone said, “Watch out for the stumbling block!” Unfortunately the warning was post almost eating sand, but someone came and removed the log far away from where anyone could trip on it again.
God’s word opens are eyes to what is causing us to stumble or could potentially cause us to. If someone had warned me before walking over there I would have carefully and thoughtfully walked around it. Proverbs 4:12 says how when our eyes are open to the path before us “when you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.”
Not only does God’s word point out specific stumbling blocks but warns us that there will be many we are unaware of, if I had kept a close eye on how I was walking I could have kept from almost falling. When you study and begin to better understand God’s word “then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble.” (Proverbs 3:23)
Lastly, God word guides us to helping others to see and remove what stumbles them. We need to be helping out our brothers and sister in Christ, like my friend did in removing the log far from the group in pointing out their sins and helping them to remove them from their lives. Following what we read in Galatians 6:1 that says, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
We need to be in God word to keep a path of walking that is right and pleasing to God, beginning to sin less and turn to guiding others in a path of righteousness. Donald Whitney said,
“Our bodies are inclined to ease, pleasure, gluttony, and sloth. Unless we practice self-control, our bodies will tend to serve evil more than God. We must carefully discipline ourselves in how we “walk” in this world, else we will conform more to its ways rather than to the ways of Christ."
“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”-Jude 1:24-25
http://www.churchforhighschoolers.com/!
Anyways back to the main thought for this blog, it’s been awhile but I’m looking forward to what God has planned for this summer in some brainstorms about a blog series on worship and some book reviews from the summer reading list.
But what’s always on the reading list is God’s word, everyday! Today we read Psalm 119:161-176 and verse 165 just jumped out at me. It says,
“Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.”
“Great peace,” that’s something we don’t expect to have in this life, I mean sure people always fight for peace (ironically enough) and search for it through various means but really you can search high and low, striving everyday of your life for peace but never find it unless you are found in Christ. He is called the “Prince of peace,” and we find our source of comfort in Him alone, especially through His word.
How are we doing in reading God’s word?
Are we just skimming though, maybe pondering on it, or not reading it at all? Or are we all about God’s word, hungering for it, studying it, looking for any moment of the day to get back to it?
Peace outside of God’s word is a hopeless endeavor.
In John 14:27 Christ says to his disciples,
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Why does God word bring us peace? It guides us in living upright and righteous lives! Ever notice how the less you sin, the more peace there is among you? The Psalmist does. He connects peace with avoiding stumbling in verse 165.
I love this analogy of walking rightly and not stumbling through loving God’s law, knowing it, studying it and obeying it daily guides us in the way we walk and not to stumble over certain sins.
Last night our church’s college ministry had a beach night and there was a log right in the middle of where everyone was walking or standing around talking. As I went to join in with a group I also ate it tripping over this log, and someone said, “Watch out for the stumbling block!” Unfortunately the warning was post almost eating sand, but someone came and removed the log far away from where anyone could trip on it again.
God’s word opens are eyes to what is causing us to stumble or could potentially cause us to. If someone had warned me before walking over there I would have carefully and thoughtfully walked around it. Proverbs 4:12 says how when our eyes are open to the path before us “when you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.”
Not only does God’s word point out specific stumbling blocks but warns us that there will be many we are unaware of, if I had kept a close eye on how I was walking I could have kept from almost falling. When you study and begin to better understand God’s word “then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble.” (Proverbs 3:23)
Lastly, God word guides us to helping others to see and remove what stumbles them. We need to be helping out our brothers and sister in Christ, like my friend did in removing the log far from the group in pointing out their sins and helping them to remove them from their lives. Following what we read in Galatians 6:1 that says, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
We need to be in God word to keep a path of walking that is right and pleasing to God, beginning to sin less and turn to guiding others in a path of righteousness. Donald Whitney said,
“Our bodies are inclined to ease, pleasure, gluttony, and sloth. Unless we practice self-control, our bodies will tend to serve evil more than God. We must carefully discipline ourselves in how we “walk” in this world, else we will conform more to its ways rather than to the ways of Christ."
“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”-Jude 1:24-25
Monday, April 25, 2011
All Dressed Up
So there is this weird trend I’ve noticed on my school campus, people all dressed up. And not just “Oh, they look nice,” kind of way but more of a in-between prom and extremely nice dinner dressing. I keep thinking, what are they trying to be ready for? And then today it hit me, “dressed for action.” I should probably mention this is happening in the fine arts area of the school, where theater, vocal, and instrumental classes and performances take place. These people are constantly ready to look nice for ANYTHING that comes their way, they are ready to be performing at any time, because that’s what they are, performers!
But they aren’t the only ones being called to be ready at all times, in Luke 12:35 we see Jesus tell us to be staying “dressed for action.” You may be thinking, “Okay Ashley, but these performers are told what to wear so they can be ready, how am I as a Christian supposed to adhere to dress code?” Glad you asked cause in Ephesians 6 Paul tells us!
He writes,
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” –Ephesians 6:13-18a
(I’d love to go into detail about each of these pieces to the full armor of God but John MacArthur did a wonderful series on this passage which you can find, read, and listen to at the “Grace to You” website.)
Are you ready Christian? “Ready for what?” you may ask. Performers are ready to be on stage and perform, Christians are ready for battle, spiritual battle that is, in the full text of Ephesians 6:10-20 we see the battle Paul is addressing, here’s what I left out:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places…To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”-Ephesians 6:10-12, 18b-20
There is a spiritual warfare going on both in our flesh and outside! Are we ready to stand and fight?
I end with some encouragement from Charles Spurgeon on the thought of war,
“We are not alarmed because Satan hindereth us, for it is proof that we are on the Lord’s side and are doing the Lord’s work and in His strength we shall win the victory and triumph over our adversary.”
May we not try to fight this battle alone, but like small children who looked towards their parents to be dressed each day, depend on our Father for the defense we need.
But they aren’t the only ones being called to be ready at all times, in Luke 12:35 we see Jesus tell us to be staying “dressed for action.” You may be thinking, “Okay Ashley, but these performers are told what to wear so they can be ready, how am I as a Christian supposed to adhere to dress code?” Glad you asked cause in Ephesians 6 Paul tells us!
He writes,
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” –Ephesians 6:13-18a
(I’d love to go into detail about each of these pieces to the full armor of God but John MacArthur did a wonderful series on this passage which you can find, read, and listen to at the “Grace to You” website.)
Are you ready Christian? “Ready for what?” you may ask. Performers are ready to be on stage and perform, Christians are ready for battle, spiritual battle that is, in the full text of Ephesians 6:10-20 we see the battle Paul is addressing, here’s what I left out:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places…To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”-Ephesians 6:10-12, 18b-20
There is a spiritual warfare going on both in our flesh and outside! Are we ready to stand and fight?
I end with some encouragement from Charles Spurgeon on the thought of war,
“We are not alarmed because Satan hindereth us, for it is proof that we are on the Lord’s side and are doing the Lord’s work and in His strength we shall win the victory and triumph over our adversary.”
May we not try to fight this battle alone, but like small children who looked towards their parents to be dressed each day, depend on our Father for the defense we need.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Caring is Sharing
So, Greenpeace sometimes bothers me. I mean can't a girl buy organics without being told she needs to "save the polar bears" too? Like most people I usually whip out my phone or haste by them with a smile and a "no thank you!" But last week my encounter with Greenpeace went a little differently...
I was at the mall with a mission in mind, get in and get out, no dilly-dallying of the sorts. Then I saw a sign that read, "The Irvine Spectrum Company does not hold the views of the solicitors here." "Oh no" I thought. I started to walk through looking like I was in a rush when a girl asked, "Excuse me but would you like to help out the dolphins and whales from dying?" I quickly answered, "No thanks!” and flashed a smile. To which she replied, "Well do you care about people then?" That stopped me dead in my tracks. I said, "Actually yes I do!" So, I agreed to listen to her speech about air pollution causing death and other various problems affecting mankind. As she pulled out the donation form, I said "Wait, before we get into money, can I share with you how it is I care about people?" She agreed and I shared the gospel with her and that I cared more about souls then bodies. I told her I stopped and listened because I cared about her more than anything. She was very open to everything and actually carried out this conversation and agreed to go to church, she told me her time was up to be there and I had a choice in that moment, to donate or not to donate...
"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.... I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings."-1 Corinthians 9:19,22
As Christians we are going out to a blind and deaf world proclaiming the most important message anyone will ever hear, but how we carry that message is of upmost importance. The saying goes, "They won't care what you know, until they know that you care." I mean, you could tell someone "I love you" in a stern voice while hitting over the head with a bat, and they most likely not believe you. That's what we're doing when we share the message of the saving Gospel with just the objective of telling in mind.
The "donation" of time and interest can often mean much more than a couple of bucks given to help out a cause, we need to show our care through actions, not just the deed. May our mindset be more like Paul's in 1 Thessalonians 2:8 where he tells the church, " So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us." Another translation says "our own souls," are we ready to give our entire selves to someone for the sake of their eternity?
The situation may have played out differently had I went into the conversation without letting this girl talk. She even told me some experiences she had with other "Christians" that made me so sad for that witness. But in the end I donated telling her why I was donating, because I cared about her. And she thanked me and is prayerfully going to attend church this weekend.
I was at the mall with a mission in mind, get in and get out, no dilly-dallying of the sorts. Then I saw a sign that read, "The Irvine Spectrum Company does not hold the views of the solicitors here." "Oh no" I thought. I started to walk through looking like I was in a rush when a girl asked, "Excuse me but would you like to help out the dolphins and whales from dying?" I quickly answered, "No thanks!” and flashed a smile. To which she replied, "Well do you care about people then?" That stopped me dead in my tracks. I said, "Actually yes I do!" So, I agreed to listen to her speech about air pollution causing death and other various problems affecting mankind. As she pulled out the donation form, I said "Wait, before we get into money, can I share with you how it is I care about people?" She agreed and I shared the gospel with her and that I cared more about souls then bodies. I told her I stopped and listened because I cared about her more than anything. She was very open to everything and actually carried out this conversation and agreed to go to church, she told me her time was up to be there and I had a choice in that moment, to donate or not to donate...
"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.... I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings."-1 Corinthians 9:19,22
As Christians we are going out to a blind and deaf world proclaiming the most important message anyone will ever hear, but how we carry that message is of upmost importance. The saying goes, "They won't care what you know, until they know that you care." I mean, you could tell someone "I love you" in a stern voice while hitting over the head with a bat, and they most likely not believe you. That's what we're doing when we share the message of the saving Gospel with just the objective of telling in mind.
The "donation" of time and interest can often mean much more than a couple of bucks given to help out a cause, we need to show our care through actions, not just the deed. May our mindset be more like Paul's in 1 Thessalonians 2:8 where he tells the church, " So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us." Another translation says "our own souls," are we ready to give our entire selves to someone for the sake of their eternity?
The situation may have played out differently had I went into the conversation without letting this girl talk. She even told me some experiences she had with other "Christians" that made me so sad for that witness. But in the end I donated telling her why I was donating, because I cared about her. And she thanked me and is prayerfully going to attend church this weekend.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Moving Forward
So, "Spring Forward" is today, hope you all remembered! But as we al know, moving the clocks ahead an hour means losing an hour of sleep, which is hard! But it also means that summer is on it's way! Vacations, breaks, more time with your kids, and just all around great weather is just around the corner; but for now we have to press on through the spring...
"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for othe prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:13-14
As Christians, fighting this fight and running this race can be hard work, it takes perseverance. But I wanted to give you a short bit of encouragement to press on to the Day awaiting. Christ is going to return and we will enter into His Kingdom and rest, but will you be found hearing "well done good and faithful servant" or "what were you doing with your time????" Run till you finish the race.
Press on you saints!
See the Day approaching!
See seeing Christ something to press forward for.
Never be lacking in zeal.
Be ready, to be used.
"For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend ofrom heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words."-! Thessalonians 4:15-18
"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for othe prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:13-14
As Christians, fighting this fight and running this race can be hard work, it takes perseverance. But I wanted to give you a short bit of encouragement to press on to the Day awaiting. Christ is going to return and we will enter into His Kingdom and rest, but will you be found hearing "well done good and faithful servant" or "what were you doing with your time????" Run till you finish the race.
Press on you saints!
See the Day approaching!
See seeing Christ something to press forward for.
Never be lacking in zeal.
Be ready, to be used.
"For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend ofrom heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words."-! Thessalonians 4:15-18
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Give Me Fever
So, there is an global epidemic happening right now, it’s name:
Bieber Fever
Worldwide people have it.
He has over 8 million people following his Twitter account and on Facebook almost 23 million ‘likes!’ The world has truly caught the fever. How do you know if someone around you has “Bieber Fever?” They LOVE him, and the more they stay in “Bieber Fever” the more their love grows! Here are some symptoms of the “Bieber Fever” love:
-Following his twitter
-Listening to his music
-Reading what others are saying about him
-Following and knowing every detail of his life
-Doing anything and everything they can to even catch a glimpse of him
And lastly
-They talk about him, non-stop
Let’s just say their burning love for the Biebs, is known to all.
But what I want to know is…
What ever happen to “Jesus Fever?”
“Here, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”-Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Did you know, that on any given Twitter account relating to God, Jesus or the Bible has less than ½ million followers, some less that 5,000. And on Facebook the groups relating to God, Jesus, or the Bible barely even add up to Beiber’s 23 million. I think its safe to say, that “Jesus Fever” has burned out.
But there is hope and are still people who claim to have this burning love for Jesus, but it isn’t always shown so clearly.
Those who have “Jesus Fever” are:
-Reading His word
-Listening to songs about Him
-Reading what others say about Him
-Listening to sermons about Him
-Wanting to know, and follow after, every detail of His life
-Talking to Him
And most importantly
-They are telling everyone about their “Jesus Fever”
“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first…” –Revelation 2:2-5
We can be doing all the things listed above, but have not love. Love for others you ask? No, love for Jesus. May we not be trying to do these things on our own but know where our love for Jesus comes from, God. God gives us the ability to love him and gives us the fever we need to carry out his will.
Now you may not have “Bieber Fever,” but your “Jesus Fever” may be overrun by another fever, to which I “appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)
We need to be checking our lives for fevers that are conformed to this world and asking what we are holding to that robs us of these affections for Christ and what are we clinging to which heightens our affection for Him?
Beloved, may we remember from where we have fallen and holdfast to the love of Christ because the “superlative beauty of Jesus is all attracting; it is not so much to be admired as to be loved.”-Charles Spurgeon
Bieber Fever
Worldwide people have it.
He has over 8 million people following his Twitter account and on Facebook almost 23 million ‘likes!’ The world has truly caught the fever. How do you know if someone around you has “Bieber Fever?” They LOVE him, and the more they stay in “Bieber Fever” the more their love grows! Here are some symptoms of the “Bieber Fever” love:
-Following his twitter
-Listening to his music
-Reading what others are saying about him
-Following and knowing every detail of his life
-Doing anything and everything they can to even catch a glimpse of him
And lastly
-They talk about him, non-stop
Let’s just say their burning love for the Biebs, is known to all.
But what I want to know is…
What ever happen to “Jesus Fever?”
“Here, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”-Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Did you know, that on any given Twitter account relating to God, Jesus or the Bible has less than ½ million followers, some less that 5,000. And on Facebook the groups relating to God, Jesus, or the Bible barely even add up to Beiber’s 23 million. I think its safe to say, that “Jesus Fever” has burned out.
But there is hope and are still people who claim to have this burning love for Jesus, but it isn’t always shown so clearly.
Those who have “Jesus Fever” are:
-Reading His word
-Listening to songs about Him
-Reading what others say about Him
-Listening to sermons about Him
-Wanting to know, and follow after, every detail of His life
-Talking to Him
And most importantly
-They are telling everyone about their “Jesus Fever”
“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first…” –Revelation 2:2-5
We can be doing all the things listed above, but have not love. Love for others you ask? No, love for Jesus. May we not be trying to do these things on our own but know where our love for Jesus comes from, God. God gives us the ability to love him and gives us the fever we need to carry out his will.
Now you may not have “Bieber Fever,” but your “Jesus Fever” may be overrun by another fever, to which I “appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)
We need to be checking our lives for fevers that are conformed to this world and asking what we are holding to that robs us of these affections for Christ and what are we clinging to which heightens our affection for Him?
Beloved, may we remember from where we have fallen and holdfast to the love of Christ because the “superlative beauty of Jesus is all attracting; it is not so much to be admired as to be loved.”-Charles Spurgeon
Sunday, March 6, 2011
An Outward Appearance
So as I was cutting up some strawberries today, I noticed there were a lot more “mutant” one than normal. You know, the ones with extra tips, lopsided, or just huge! They never seem to faze me, I just look, chuckle and cut; but I remembered talking with someone once about how they refuse to eat those strawberries, claiming there is no way they could taste the same or be good for you, crazy right? 
Just because it doesn’t fit the normal criteria of a strawberry doesn’t make it taste any different….
But is this the way we think about lost people?
Do we ever look at people and think, “they do not look like they could ever love Christ!” I know I’ve thought that before, and it’s so foolish and unloving! In 2 Peter we see that God doesn’t want “any to perish” not just “the clean cut or friendly looking to perish.”
We see an example of this in 1 Samuel 16 when God is going to call a new king from the sons of Jesse. Samuel sees the strapping brothers and though they were it, they looked like king material, but God said, “do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. (v. 7)” By an outward appearance we cannot tell if someone is going to faithfully obey God, or is already obeying God; a persons actions flow from his inward being.
So, my challenge to you is to go tell the gospel to that person you’ve been putting off thinking they would want nothing to do with it, even if that is the outcome, you’ve been obedient to God!
Just because it doesn’t fit the normal criteria of a strawberry doesn’t make it taste any different….
But is this the way we think about lost people?
Do we ever look at people and think, “they do not look like they could ever love Christ!” I know I’ve thought that before, and it’s so foolish and unloving! In 2 Peter we see that God doesn’t want “any to perish” not just “the clean cut or friendly looking to perish.”
We see an example of this in 1 Samuel 16 when God is going to call a new king from the sons of Jesse. Samuel sees the strapping brothers and though they were it, they looked like king material, but God said, “do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. (v. 7)” By an outward appearance we cannot tell if someone is going to faithfully obey God, or is already obeying God; a persons actions flow from his inward being.
So, my challenge to you is to go tell the gospel to that person you’ve been putting off thinking they would want nothing to do with it, even if that is the outcome, you’ve been obedient to God!
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