Not home yet

Not home yet

You and I need to be encouraged.  As Christians we have the hope of Heaven.  But we’re not home yet.  The world we live in is well it’s a mess.  But God’s not done with us yet.  I found hope in the opening of the book of Galatians.  

Galatians 1:3-5 

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.”  

Did you catch that?  Jesus rescued us from both our sins and this evil age.  We just aren’t home yet we have to keep drawing close to him and his grace and peace in the meantime.  Does that mean all the trouble will disappear?  Nope but we do have a Savior to help us and therein lies the hope because Jesus is hope made flesh who accomplished a rescue mission for us.  To borrow a phrase from WWE legend Bret Hart our savior really and truly is “The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be.”  

“There is strength in the name of the Lord 

There is power in the name of the Lord 

There is hope in the name of the Lord”

Yes it’s an evil age but we have a hope and a rescue plan.  We also are on mission to share that rescue plan with others.  It’s been said over and over again but 100 years from now the only thing that matters is someone’s relationship with Jesus Christ.  

In the name of the Lord by Sandi Patty 

Strong Tower by Newsboys 

Mighty to save by Laura Story

Shine on us by Phillips, Craig and Dean 

Another time and another place by Sandi Patty and Wayne Watson 

Heaven in the real world by Steven Curtis Chapman 

What a friend medley by Amy Grant 

The Great Divide by Point of Grace

Grace flows down by Sandi Patty 

I'm Waiting for you by Michael W. Smith

Maker of noses by Rich Mullins

Let not lettuce

  Let not lettuce

Those who know me well know I hate lettuce.  But we’re not having a blog to talk about that.  We’re going to talk about letting something else rule.  Our thoughts can run amok if we let them.  So we don’t need to let them dwell on lettuce or things will go bad.  

The more I read the book of Colossians the more I find awesome stuff in it.  Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians are pretty much the Christians marching orders and practical guides to life in my opinion.  

Colossians 3:12-17

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

See it’s practical Christianity.  We are told what to be doing and where are minds and hearts should be.  Not on lettuce but on but on the peace of God.  

Rich Mullins summed up the thought problems well.  

“The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance I owe only to the Giver of all good things.”  We want God’s thoughts not our own.

The passage in Colossians talked about letting the peace of God rule in our hearts and I will admit Thursday I struggled a lot with that.  See I get stressed out easily when things are beyond my control.  I had to pray and realize that I don’t need to be in control of the actions of those on my job site I need to rest in the knowledge that God is still in control no matter what and let his peace rule in my heart.  It has not been an easy lesson let me tell you.  I kept coming back to the song Come to me by Geoff Moore and the Distance.  A song about coming to God with our problems when we're weary and overwhelmed

What matters most by Cheri Keaggy 

In the light by DC Talk

Praise the Lord by the Imperials. I heard an interview by the artist’s about this song.  It’s an in between song.  Between the battles raging in your life you keep your eyes fixed on God and praise him.  

Let the peace of God reign by Kim Hill

Come to me by Geoff Moore and the Distance 

If I stand by Rich Mullins 

Think on these things by Petra 

Purified

Purified

Go a few days without a shower or brushing your teeth and you begin to feel grungy and gross.  I’m on a waiting plan currently to have a bad tooth extracted.  It’s not fun and it hurts.  By the time it is removed you will probably have a chance to read this.  God calls us to be clean and purified.  As sinful humans we need that it’s like needing a bad tooth removed.  “Houston, we have a problem.”  We need to come to God for cleansing and often.

2 Corinthians 6:16-18 

“What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols.  For we are the temple of the living God.  As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’   ‘Therefore come out from them and be separate,’ says the Lord.  ‘Touch no unclean thing, I will receive you.’  ‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters.’  Says the Lord Almighty.”

God wants to be part of our lives and that should be a cause for celebration.  But he’s going to have to extract a tooth or two.  We have a part in it too.  

2 Corinthians 7:1

“Since we have these promises, dear friends let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting reverence out of reverence for God.”  

We need to seek God in humility and ask him to purify and cleanse us.  We have to be willing to turn from our sinful ways and have him remove anything in our lives that doesn’t glorify God.  Until we reach Heaven we’re supposed to draw closer to God and become more like him.  

Hebrews 12:1-3

“Therefore, Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith , who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it’s shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

The tooth extraction much like God’s cleansing of us won’t always be easy but it’s necessary to make us more the person that God wants us to be.  Like my friend Mr. Wilson always said.  “The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.”

God first.  And his best for our lives first.  

Purified by Michael W Smith

They could not by Sandi Patty   So I'm going to let you in on a story behind this song.  I grew up on the music of Sandi Patti and I've literally heard this song hundreds of times.  This week I was driving around Corpus Christi doing something or another and I actually listened to the words and this song describes how the people of Jesus' day simply didn't understand God's plan at all and it gets to this one line that says "And when at last they took from him what willingly he gave could they keep him in the grave? They could not praise God they could not."  It's emphatic and it's the message of the cross.  it's foolishness to those who refuse to believe but wisdom to the believer.  

Clean by Natalie Grant

Whiter than snow A Capapella Hymn 

Steeple song by Don Francisco 

Throne Room by Kim Walker Smith

Refiner's fire by Jeremy Passion and the Katinas 

Set

Set

I’m not a tennis player my knowledge of the game is getting the ball over the net.  I played a lot of ping pong in college.  There’s a phrase of “Game set and match.”  I know more of this phrase from playing X-Men legends for the ps2.  I looked at some verses and they mentioned the word “Set”. Which brought me to thinking of that phrase.  Will I take up tennis uh yeah no.  Sports are pretty boring to me.  But there is a theme of setting your eyes on things I want you to see. Some of you know I had a rough week.  I found out Thursday last week about 40% of my hearing is gone in both ears.  Sunday I was in intense pain and had to go visit an urgent care.  Our bodies they aren’t gonna last forever. This isn’t our eternal home.  Some days we have to remember that.  Even though we are starting to sound like a bowl of Rice Krispies there is still hope for the Christian because our mission is not over.  When you have days where you relate to the Lifehouse song Broken where they say “I’m falling apart I’m barely breathing.”  Well there’s hope.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory That far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  

I read that about three times before typing it and the first line caught my attention.  “Therefore we do not lose heart.”  It’s a statement not a question.  It ends with a period that gives it more authority.  We’re starting off with a fact.   If you did an outline or a wrestling promo these would be statements leading up to your points you’re going to make.  Bullet points as they are referred.  Paul makes them and then tells us to “fix” or “set”. For the non Texans reading this if a person from Texas tells you they’re “Fixing to” that means they’re getting ready to do something.  

Colossians 3:1-4

“Since, then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” I had to stop because this is another statement of fact and certainty for the Christian.  We’re being told where Christ is and where God is leaving no doubt in the reader’s mind.  This is where they are and you’re about to see why we’re to do what is asked.  Here’s where that word “set” comes back into play.  Also the hope we have.  Weekly dose of Hope, Batcave blog all about hope in God’s Word.  “What is a recurring theme for $500 Alex.”  

“Since, then you have been raised with Christ set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life, appears then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Set your eyes on your future destination on those days when you feel like you aren’t going to make it.  

For those who want extra reading as homework I highly suggest reading Ephesians 2:1-10.  And if you invest the time in the music below you will find part of that passage quoted in Way Beyond the Blue by Steven Curtis Chapman.  Older song of his but very awesome.  The blog is as interactive as you the reader choose to make it.  I refer more to that thought in the next paragraph.  Also the second song link is to the newest single released by the Real Life Worship band.  The blog started at Real Life Corpus Christi Tx where I go to church.  Some of you faithful readers know this and others of you connect elsewhere but people on the worship team in Austin and Corpus worked on this song and released it as a single on ITunes and Amazon if you want to purchase it.  

So the blog got a little extra interactive this week.  I share this when I I can with the World Petra fans Facebook page and I asked them in the group for Petra songs dealing with fixing our eyes on God and on our future in Heaven.  I got a few suggestions so if you see links to more Petra songs than normal I had help.  

Mind’s eye by DC Talk

Highest Hope RLWorship

Heaven’s on my mind by Cherri Keaggy 

Hold on by Twila Paris

Rise again by Dallas Holm

Way beyond the blue by Steven Curtis Chapman 

God fixation by Petra 

Walk by faith not by sight by Petra

Beat the system by Petra

Run for the prize by Petra

Keep breathing by Kerrie Roberts

Over the horizon by 4Him 

Wide Open Spaces

So this is just a quick blog about something awesome.  Been thinking off and on about this and just wanted to share this with you.  For years there has been this verse Psalm 18:19 that I have called one of my life verses.  it says this " He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me."  That's the NIV translation of it.   Well For years I have had this cd  Follow the Narrow by this group called Clear that literally I stumbled on at Disc Go Round.  I had bought their self titled cd and then found Follow the Narrow.  Well this afternoon Marion and I were driving home from HEB and this one song called Wide Open Spaces starts playing it hit me as I listened to it.  This song was talking about Psalm 18:19 and God bringing us out to a spacious place.  It's a song about God rescuing us and it's awesome So I had to share.  Below you will find a link to the song.  

Wide Open Spaces by Clear 

The Breakdown

The Breakdown 

As humans we over complicate matters often.  For example if you walk into a Christian book store or go to the religious section in Half Price Books and you try to find a book on understanding the will of God for your life the amount of books you find can be staggering.  The amount of devotionals can be staggering as well.  Sometimes we just need it simplified. There are times in the Bible where God tells us his will for our lives in ways that a mathematician would call the “lowest common denominator.”  A musician would call it a break down.  A pro wrestler like The Rock would call it the go home line.  An officer in the military would call it your marching orders.  I’m going to show you a few of these times.  

Micah 6:8 

“He has shown you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Simple plain to read.

Most important commandments 

Mark 12:29-31 

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these. “

And then 

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”  

There’s the Will of God for you and I in a nutshell.  

Micah 6:8 Maranatha singers

Humble yourselves by Mylon Lefevere

Simple heart by Geoff Moore and the Distance 

Red letters by DC Talk

Word of God speak by Mercy Me