Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Monday, October 8, 2012
Friday, October 5, 2012
So Thankful for Community
Last night I had music / worship practice time at the Church. It has been a busy time and one part of me felt that I should not be doing this, that I should have worked harder to find someone else to fill in. But another part of me felt drawn to spend time with some of my friends, my brothers and sisters, in worship. I am so glad that I was there. The Lord used that time as a great encouragement to me. Sure practice happened but more importantly worship took place, prayer was shared and experienced, and community was shared.
Times of solitude are important for getting our focus right and some other things. But too often the great gift of community that God has given us is overlooked or treated as a secondary thing. I believe that God has called us to live, grow, worship, pray, teach, preach, work, share, make a difference ... all of this primarily in community. Sure we all need to be growing in our personal walk with God, but if we are not walking that road together with out brothers and sisters then we will be weak, we will be less effective, we will be dis-obedient because as we look at the Bible, it is full of references to the Church and plural designations for how we are to live and serve God together.
The Mystery of our faith is that when we acknowledge that God is there and that He is Holy, Just and Loving, and then we acknowledge that we are not, that we are sinful and have no way on our own to achieve a relationship with God. The we are to accept Jesus and His finished work on the Cross, which paid the price for our sin and gives us a new relationship with God for all eternity. We do this as we repent with humility because of our sinfulness and joyfully we pray accepting forgiveness and freedom that Jesus offers us. At this point He (Jesus) by the power of the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us. This is the great mystery. But the effect or result of that mystery is we become a Holy community through Jesus. We are joined together in unity by our Lord, we are His family, we are His Body.
I am so very thankful for the community that God has place me in. His family, His Body, is so full of support and encouragement that it overwhelms me. Lord thank you so very much for Your great sacrifice that has made it all possible. Jesus you are amazing.
Preacherman
Times of solitude are important for getting our focus right and some other things. But too often the great gift of community that God has given us is overlooked or treated as a secondary thing. I believe that God has called us to live, grow, worship, pray, teach, preach, work, share, make a difference ... all of this primarily in community. Sure we all need to be growing in our personal walk with God, but if we are not walking that road together with out brothers and sisters then we will be weak, we will be less effective, we will be dis-obedient because as we look at the Bible, it is full of references to the Church and plural designations for how we are to live and serve God together.
The Mystery of our faith is that when we acknowledge that God is there and that He is Holy, Just and Loving, and then we acknowledge that we are not, that we are sinful and have no way on our own to achieve a relationship with God. The we are to accept Jesus and His finished work on the Cross, which paid the price for our sin and gives us a new relationship with God for all eternity. We do this as we repent with humility because of our sinfulness and joyfully we pray accepting forgiveness and freedom that Jesus offers us. At this point He (Jesus) by the power of the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us. This is the great mystery. But the effect or result of that mystery is we become a Holy community through Jesus. We are joined together in unity by our Lord, we are His family, we are His Body.
I am so very thankful for the community that God has place me in. His family, His Body, is so full of support and encouragement that it overwhelms me. Lord thank you so very much for Your great sacrifice that has made it all possible. Jesus you are amazing.
Preacherman
Monday, October 1, 2012
Thanksgiving Week
This week we are heading towards Canadian Thanksgiving. It is a great time for us to be reminded of the importance of giving thanks, appreciating what God has done, is doing and will do in our lives.
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Such a great passage, a reminder the as Christians we are to have the Word of Christ dwell in us with a richness, a fullness, a depth. We are to use this gift to teach and admonish one another, we are to help each other grow and become strong, seeking to walk together in victory over sin. We do all of this in worship, we sing, we exclaim thanksgiving to God. In everything we do, all things, all the time, we are to live in the name of Jesus giving thanks to God through our relationship with Him.
So let us live our lives, founded on the word of God, Centered on Jesus, continually giving thanks to the Father. This is a life of Worship, a life of Thanksgiving.
Preacherman
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
http://bible.us/col3.16-17.esv
Such a great passage, a reminder the as Christians we are to have the Word of Christ dwell in us with a richness, a fullness, a depth. We are to use this gift to teach and admonish one another, we are to help each other grow and become strong, seeking to walk together in victory over sin. We do all of this in worship, we sing, we exclaim thanksgiving to God. In everything we do, all things, all the time, we are to live in the name of Jesus giving thanks to God through our relationship with Him.
So let us live our lives, founded on the word of God, Centered on Jesus, continually giving thanks to the Father. This is a life of Worship, a life of Thanksgiving.
Preacherman
Saturday, September 22, 2012
A New Beginning
Welcome to my new blog homestead. Sometimes you just need a fresh start. I like to blog and have been active in a variety of blogs before this one. But they have all been with a particular theme. So I decided that this blog would be just simply "my blog" where I will blog about whatever is on my mind. So the theme could jump around and change but that is fine with me. Anyway I hope you enjoy it, I know it is good for me to use this venue to express myself.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Preacherman
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