We love him, because he first loved us. – 1 John 4:19, KJV In his book Follow Me, David Platt recounts the following story: When Heather and I arrived in Kazakhstan to adopt Caleb, we were met at the airport by a young woman named Vitalina. She was our translator for the next four weeks,… Continue reading Be politely persistent in delivering God’s message.
Category: God’s Will
You were created to create.
So God created man in his own image… – Genesis 1:27, KJV When God created man and woman, He created them in His image, meaning that He created them to have many of His own attributes. One such attribute is the attribute of creativity. God is the most creative being in the universe. We see… Continue reading You were created to create.
Confused about what to do? Submit your will to God’s, and things will clear up for you.
If any man desires to do His will (God’s pleasure), he will know (have the needed illumination to recognize, and can tell for himself) whether the teaching is from God… – John 7:17, AMP During a recent missions conference held at our church, a young man asked missionary Kris Blumer how to choose between two… Continue reading Confused about what to do? Submit your will to God’s, and things will clear up for you.
God’s not terribly excited when you rely on yourself.
And God was displeased with this [reliance on human resources], and He smote Israel. – 1 Chronicles 21:7, Amplified Bible Most Christians don’t have a clue how irritated God gets when we rely on ourselves rather than on Him. Consider 1 Chronicles 21. In this passage, King David instructed his captain, Joab, to take a… Continue reading God’s not terribly excited when you rely on yourself.
Be a faithful sower of the Word.
In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening withhold not your hands, for you know not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether both alike will be good. – Ecclesiastes 11:6, Amplified Bible Most of us have a near insatiable desire to know the future. We want to know what’s going… Continue reading Be a faithful sower of the Word.
Hold on to God while the fog clears.
Life can be confusing at times. Although we can be confused when good things are happening to us, the confusion surrounding such times isn’t problematic; it’s welcome. It is the confusion that surrounds the hard times in life that is difficult to bear, and when assaulted by such confusion, we need something sure to hold… Continue reading Hold on to God while the fog clears.
God is closest to you when you make disciples.
…I am with you all the days… – Matthew 28:20 In the introduction to David Platt’s book, Follow Me, Pastor Francis Chan (author of the book, Crazy Love) wrote the following: “When people say that they don’t “feel close to Jesus,” I ask them if they are making disciples. After all, his promise to be… Continue reading God is closest to you when you make disciples.
It’s time for you to be like a grain of wheat.
I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain; it never becomes more but lives] by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest. – John 12:24, Amplified Bible It is possible to… Continue reading It’s time for you to be like a grain of wheat.
God would rather you not rebuild Jericho.
In his days, Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho… – 1 Kings 16:34, Amplified Bible Merriam-Webster.com defines the word “stronghold” as a “a fortified place” or “a place of security or survival.” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stronghold) The word “fortification” is derived from the Latin words fortis, or “strong,” and facere, or “to make.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stronghold) So, the intent of a… Continue reading God would rather you not rebuild Jericho.
Watch those itching ears. They’ll get you into trouble.
…I hate him, for he never prophesies good for me, but evil. – 1 Kings 22:8, Amplified Bible Years ago we had a missionary visit our church who told us about one of the many interesting plane rides he had experienced in his career. During the flight he was seated next to a man from… Continue reading Watch those itching ears. They’ll get you into trouble.