Isn't that a question that we as Christians seem to always ponder? We always want the exact answer to everything whether it is the school I should go to or the person I should marry, written clear cut in the Bible. And then we come back to a place of wondering well if it isn't clear cut in the Bible then I can make the decisions for myself. Wait before you decide what your life holds...God does have a general will for His beloved children, and until we follow Him in these areas, we can't be sure He will be more specific in our life.
God’s General Will
God’s general will is dictated throughout scripture, here is a brief look at what He requires.
• Live a pure and holy life (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7)
• Obey His commandments (John 15:10)
• Love Him with all that is within you (Mark 12:30)
• Remain in Him and Bear Fruit (John 15:1-8)
• Forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15)
• Love others (1 John 4:7)
• Spread the Gospel (Matthew 28:19-20)
• Be joyful, pray without ceasing and give thanksgiving in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
“There are vast portions of God's will which are already revealed in His Word. We must develop the discipline of reading and studying His Word - studying His will - and then follow what He has already commanded. For the part of God's will which is specific to our life, we must listen intently, pray diligently, and wait very patiently. But when His specific direction arrives (and we will know when God calls) we must be prepared to abandon all else and boldly follow Him.” –Steve Troxel
Monday, April 30, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
kimi's bday
saturday morning we treked up to las brisas in beautiful laguna beach for Kimis golden 20th birthday! it was a lot of fun :) here are just a few of the pics
Thursday, April 19, 2007
He will NEVER fail you!
Why is it that we as Christians tend to forget God's faithfulness and provision in our lives. We look back generation upon generation and is quite evident that we humans are lacking in the trust area! We go down the same paths over and over again, we make the same bad choices, and instead of waiting patiently on the Lord for His direction in our lives, we tend to make decisions for ourselves!
We serve an ever-faithful and never failing God who has our absoulute BEST interest at heart! He knows EXACTLY what He is doing and we need not worry, but wait and stay in constant fellowship with Him! He won't fail you...He never has. Think back on all He has given you and all He has done throughout eternity past...He doesn't fail...He can't. Look at some of these verses:
"To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless..." Psalm 18:25
"All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant." Psalm 25:10
"Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full." Psalm 31:23
"For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does." Psalm 33:4
"For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies." Psalm 57:10
"Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures." Psalm 119:90
and the list continues...
Rest in Him today, in His love, in His peace, in His character, in His promises, in His presence!
"As for his failing you, never dream of it -- hate the thought. The God who has been sufficient until now, should be trusted to the end. Charles Spurgeon
We serve an ever-faithful and never failing God who has our absoulute BEST interest at heart! He knows EXACTLY what He is doing and we need not worry, but wait and stay in constant fellowship with Him! He won't fail you...He never has. Think back on all He has given you and all He has done throughout eternity past...He doesn't fail...He can't. Look at some of these verses:
"To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless..." Psalm 18:25
"All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant." Psalm 25:10
"Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full." Psalm 31:23
"For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does." Psalm 33:4
"For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies." Psalm 57:10
"Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures." Psalm 119:90
and the list continues...
Rest in Him today, in His love, in His peace, in His character, in His promises, in His presence!
"As for his failing you, never dream of it -- hate the thought. The God who has been sufficient until now, should be trusted to the end. Charles Spurgeon
Saturday, April 07, 2007
TETELESTAI!
Last night Pastor Mike gave a great message on the crucifixion. Here is a recap...think about this for a moment!
Above the Roman crucifixies there was a wooden tablet that read the crime the crucified committed. On that dark day, about 2000 years ago, a Savior hung between two heinous criminals.
His crime,
as John 19:19"Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read:|sc JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS."
Not being a crime, but entire truth, the world watch on as a man was crucified for being who He was...King of the Jews. The crime the world saw that day wasn't a crime at all, but what God saw was completely different. You see, He didn't see Jesus' crime...but rather He saw YOURs. He saw EVERY SIN, EVERY PERSON, IN ALL OF HISTORY, PRESENT, AND FUTURE willl EVER COMMIT, every thought, every deed, every omission...He saw it all! And then He crucified His own son.
Isaiah 53:10-11 "Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes [c] his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life [d] and be satisfied [e] ; by his knowledge [f] my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities."
What did your sins cost? The life of the Son of God!!! In His final breath He yelled out this phrase "TETELESTAI!" which means "Paid in Full". Your sins were paid in full on the cross and for those who believe and live for Him, they are seen NO more..."As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." psalm 103:12
What an amazing love that truly is....
And the hope we can find in that as we know the story doesn't have a sad ending but a joyful, exciting, and unbelievable one...our Savior rose three days later "Jesus rose early on the first day of the week..."Mark 16:9
Take some time to say THANK YOU today for the mighty work of the cross. Although it can never be repaid, a gracious heart is due!
"Jesus Christ our Lord, moved by a love that was determined to do everything necessary to save us, endured and exhausted the destructive divine judgment for which we were otherwise inescapably destined, and so won us forgiveness, adoption and glory. To affirm penal substitution is to say that believers are in debt to Christ specifically for this, and that this is the mainspring of all their joy, peace and praise both now and for eternity.” J.I. Packer
Above the Roman crucifixies there was a wooden tablet that read the crime the crucified committed. On that dark day, about 2000 years ago, a Savior hung between two heinous criminals.
His crime,
as John 19:19"Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read:|sc JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS."
Not being a crime, but entire truth, the world watch on as a man was crucified for being who He was...King of the Jews. The crime the world saw that day wasn't a crime at all, but what God saw was completely different. You see, He didn't see Jesus' crime...but rather He saw YOURs. He saw EVERY SIN, EVERY PERSON, IN ALL OF HISTORY, PRESENT, AND FUTURE willl EVER COMMIT, every thought, every deed, every omission...He saw it all! And then He crucified His own son.
Isaiah 53:10-11 "Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes [c] his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life [d] and be satisfied [e] ; by his knowledge [f] my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities."
What did your sins cost? The life of the Son of God!!! In His final breath He yelled out this phrase "TETELESTAI!" which means "Paid in Full". Your sins were paid in full on the cross and for those who believe and live for Him, they are seen NO more..."As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." psalm 103:12
What an amazing love that truly is....
And the hope we can find in that as we know the story doesn't have a sad ending but a joyful, exciting, and unbelievable one...our Savior rose three days later "Jesus rose early on the first day of the week..."Mark 16:9
Take some time to say THANK YOU today for the mighty work of the cross. Although it can never be repaid, a gracious heart is due!
"Jesus Christ our Lord, moved by a love that was determined to do everything necessary to save us, endured and exhausted the destructive divine judgment for which we were otherwise inescapably destined, and so won us forgiveness, adoption and glory. To affirm penal substitution is to say that believers are in debt to Christ specifically for this, and that this is the mainspring of all their joy, peace and praise both now and for eternity.” J.I. Packer
Monday, April 02, 2007
The Mighty Cross...HE IS RISEN
As we reach the most important weekend of celebration throughout the year, many things come to mind. During this week attitudes change, thoughts are captivated and consumed with this Godman named Jesus, and thousands of unsaved sinners flock to churches in hopes of finding "hope" for the year. What is that hope? How do we find it? The reality is my friends there is only one source of REAL tangible, feel-good, lifealtering hope...and that is found in JESUS CHRIST and Him alone.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God… 1 Peter 3:18
It seems as though it takes Passion week for us to reflect vividly upon the work of the cross. We have heard the message countless times, we've seen the movies, and we've wept tears of sorrow and joy. But why is it that it takes this week for those thoughts to come into our minds? The Gospel is the most important message in all of history. The day it changed you is the most important day in your history. Why do we refuse to reflect on the reality of the Cross? Is it too shaming...too emotionally riveting...or maybe it has become dull in our minds.
We should daily remember the work of the cross. My friends, your GOD in all of His splendor, perfection, majesty and might humbled Himself even to the point of death in coming to this sinful, wicked earth and walking as a man. But not only did He come, He lived a sinless...yes perfect life and was rejected! He was mocked, flogged, beaten and bruised for YOU! He wept as the whip ripped the flesh from his very bones. Blood dripped as thorns were impaled into His skull. And in agony He endured steel nails being driven deep into his hands and feet. In all of His glory He hung battered and bruised. And then, He paid the price. He experienced all of God's divine, righteous, and frightening wrath for EVERY sin that EVERY PERSON had EVER committed and would commit in the future...and then He breathed His last. He died for YOU and for me. AND THEN THREE DAYS LATER HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD!!! PRAISE GOD!!!
What did we, mere mortal sinners deserve you might ask? DEATH, eternal separation from God. But what a indescribable gift we have been given. Without one fiber of our being, Christ bestowed His righteousness upon us so that we might stand blameless before our heavenly Maker. Did we deserve this? Absolutely not. What love this truly is. Unfathomable, unconditional, and neverending. It is a love that has captured the hearts of many generation after generation and it is a love that should motivate us to live EVERY breath for His glory in a life of holiness.
Don't make this Easter season the only time you reflect upon what Christ did for you and worship Him for it and praise Him for HE IS RISEN...remember always and let that motivate you to live for Him!!
“Jesus Christ our Lord, moved by a love that was determined to do everything necessary to save us, endured and exhausted the destructive divine judgment for which we were otherwise inescapably destined, and so won us forgiveness, adoption and glory. To affirm penal substitution is to say that believers are in debt to Christ specifically for this, and that this is the mainspring of all their joy, peace and praise both now and for eternity.” J.I. Packer
“When we think of Christ dying on the cross we are shown the lengths to which God’s love goes in order to win us back to himself. We would almost think that God loved us more than he loves his Son! We cannot measure such love by any other standard. He is saying to us: I love you this much. The cross is the heart of the gospel. It makes the gospel good news: Christ died for us. He has stood in our place before God’s judgment seat. He has borne our sins. God has done something on the cross which we could never do for ourselves. But God does something to us as well as for us through the cross. He persuades us that he loves us.” Sinclair Ferguson
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God… 1 Peter 3:18
It seems as though it takes Passion week for us to reflect vividly upon the work of the cross. We have heard the message countless times, we've seen the movies, and we've wept tears of sorrow and joy. But why is it that it takes this week for those thoughts to come into our minds? The Gospel is the most important message in all of history. The day it changed you is the most important day in your history. Why do we refuse to reflect on the reality of the Cross? Is it too shaming...too emotionally riveting...or maybe it has become dull in our minds.
We should daily remember the work of the cross. My friends, your GOD in all of His splendor, perfection, majesty and might humbled Himself even to the point of death in coming to this sinful, wicked earth and walking as a man. But not only did He come, He lived a sinless...yes perfect life and was rejected! He was mocked, flogged, beaten and bruised for YOU! He wept as the whip ripped the flesh from his very bones. Blood dripped as thorns were impaled into His skull. And in agony He endured steel nails being driven deep into his hands and feet. In all of His glory He hung battered and bruised. And then, He paid the price. He experienced all of God's divine, righteous, and frightening wrath for EVERY sin that EVERY PERSON had EVER committed and would commit in the future...and then He breathed His last. He died for YOU and for me. AND THEN THREE DAYS LATER HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD!!! PRAISE GOD!!!
What did we, mere mortal sinners deserve you might ask? DEATH, eternal separation from God. But what a indescribable gift we have been given. Without one fiber of our being, Christ bestowed His righteousness upon us so that we might stand blameless before our heavenly Maker. Did we deserve this? Absolutely not. What love this truly is. Unfathomable, unconditional, and neverending. It is a love that has captured the hearts of many generation after generation and it is a love that should motivate us to live EVERY breath for His glory in a life of holiness.
Don't make this Easter season the only time you reflect upon what Christ did for you and worship Him for it and praise Him for HE IS RISEN...remember always and let that motivate you to live for Him!!
“Jesus Christ our Lord, moved by a love that was determined to do everything necessary to save us, endured and exhausted the destructive divine judgment for which we were otherwise inescapably destined, and so won us forgiveness, adoption and glory. To affirm penal substitution is to say that believers are in debt to Christ specifically for this, and that this is the mainspring of all their joy, peace and praise both now and for eternity.” J.I. Packer
“When we think of Christ dying on the cross we are shown the lengths to which God’s love goes in order to win us back to himself. We would almost think that God loved us more than he loves his Son! We cannot measure such love by any other standard. He is saying to us: I love you this much. The cross is the heart of the gospel. It makes the gospel good news: Christ died for us. He has stood in our place before God’s judgment seat. He has borne our sins. God has done something on the cross which we could never do for ourselves. But God does something to us as well as for us through the cross. He persuades us that he loves us.” Sinclair Ferguson
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