As of today I have exactly a month before my first day in Chicago, August 18th is the date that orientation starts. As I look forward to what is coming, I am so glad for the journey that God is taking me on.
It was when I was in eighth grade that I first started thinking God had more for me in my life that I originally thought. Up to that point I hadn’t considered my future too seriously, other than to think I wanted to be a teacher or basketball coach.
As I moved into my freshman year of high school, my walk with God began to deepen and grow. I began to realize that my future was not really mine, but God’s, and my job was to figure out what He wanted me to do with it.
I didn’t feel a direct calling until I started considering ministry as an option for my future. As my love for Christ grew, my desire to live for Him and share Him also grew. I can’t remember a particular instance that changed my thinking, but I do know that somewhere in my sophomore year of high school I knew that God wanted me to give Him my life and become a pastor. I felt Him press on me youth ministry in particular.
As believers there are certain things all of us are commanded to do, one of these being surrendering our lives to Christ and His control. Not everybody is called into full time or part time vocational ministry; however all of us are called to be ministers to those around us. We are commanded to share Christ’s love, we are commanded to share the gospel. We are commanded to give our hearts, soul, mind and strength to God. I felt a particular calling from God to be in full time ministry, in a church, as a pastor. I believe that more young believers should seek God to see if ministry is where they’re called.
Through high school God did nothing but confirm for me my calling. He combined my passion for youth, and love for Him. God didn’t give me a desire to be with and teach youth, and not want me to use it. He has given me my desires and abilities for His glory and His kingdom. Right now, I’m sure that this is what God wants for me. If in the future I feel differently then I am open and ready to follow His voice where he leads me. Everything I have is from God, and so I owe everything back to Him. He is the leader of my life, and I will follow God.
Eventually my choices for colleges came down to Bethlehem Baptist College in Minnesota, Crown College, Moody Bible Institute, or the University of Montana. I visited each school, spent time studying them, and prayed fervently for God to show me where He wanted me to go. I had a deadline of May 1st because of scholarship options and admissions deadlines. Daily I asked God to show me where to go, and daily nothing happened.
I began to think that God would never show me, and I’d have to make the decision by myself, which didn’t make sense to me because all I wanted to do was follow His will wherever it was. I couldn’t understand why God wouldn’t just show me where to go.
It was the morning of April 24th that God spoke to me. I was having a quiet time and felt the Holy Spirit put Moody Bible Institute on my heart. I told God that I would follow His voice.
Within the next two weeks of my decision God confirmed my choice several times over through things that happened in my life such as generous support from friends and family, and confirmation through prayer and His word. Sometimes God waits for us to make a step of faith, before confirming it in our lives. I am sure now, that Chicago is where God is leading me. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for me.
To Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever amen.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
My Greatest Fear
Recently I was posed the question, what is my greatest fear? After a few minutes of thought I struggled to find an answer that I felt answered the question fairly. The idea of drowning has always terrified me, but is that really my greatest fear? I don’t like being alone, but surely that wasn’t my greatest fear either?
In Revelation 3 God writes a letter to the church in Laodicea describing the state of their soul. Verses 15-17 say this:
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”
This is God, the God of the universe who created all things, and through whom all things live and die, saying He will spit the lukewarm out of His mouth! The first time I read this verse it penetrated my soul. How often am I lukewarm? How often do I go through the motions of my life and faith without giving God a thought? The bible says that God will spit the lukewarm out of His mouth; they have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 7:21-23 says this:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
This verse sends chills down my spine. There will come a day when God will tell people who are sure that they are going to heaven, that He never knew them. That their works, although they attached His name to them, were done in vain. This is by no means to say that we are saved by works, but it is to say that faith without works is dead. We are saved by faith alone, and that faith will be accompanied by our works and a life devoted to God.
Francis Chan, in his book Crazy Love states that there is no such thing as a lukewarm Christian. But rather a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, refuses to be lukewarm, and makes war against the flesh in order to pursue Christ.
The beauty of our struggle against flesh is that where we fall short, and we will, Christ’s blood covers us and we are made pure and holy before Him. This does not stop up us from pursuing Him, but should drive us closer to Him as we become more aware of His grace and love that He lavishes upon us. How great is our God!
Although at the time I couldn’t figure it out, I now know that my greatest fear in life, is being lukewarm, and one day having God say to me ‘I never knew you’. I don’t want to waste a moment of my life. In his song The Motions, Christian artist Matthew West screams out, “I don’t want to go through the motions, I don’t want to go one more day, without your all consuming, passion inside of me.” Many times I have made this the prayer of my heart, not to go through the motions, but to use my everything to glorify the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Lord don’t let me be lukewarm.
I was also recently asked if I was scared to pack up and move 1500 miles away to Chicago, the third largest city in the country, where I didn’t know a single person. Am I anxious? Yes. Nervous? Sure. Scared? No I’m not scared because I know that God is with me and not only with me, but guiding my steps and watching over me. Not to say I’m sure that I’ll be safe, or sure that everything will work out the way I envision it, but I am sure that the God who knows the number of hairs on my head is with me always. To Him be the glory, forever amen.
In Revelation 3 God writes a letter to the church in Laodicea describing the state of their soul. Verses 15-17 say this:
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”
This is God, the God of the universe who created all things, and through whom all things live and die, saying He will spit the lukewarm out of His mouth! The first time I read this verse it penetrated my soul. How often am I lukewarm? How often do I go through the motions of my life and faith without giving God a thought? The bible says that God will spit the lukewarm out of His mouth; they have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 7:21-23 says this:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
This verse sends chills down my spine. There will come a day when God will tell people who are sure that they are going to heaven, that He never knew them. That their works, although they attached His name to them, were done in vain. This is by no means to say that we are saved by works, but it is to say that faith without works is dead. We are saved by faith alone, and that faith will be accompanied by our works and a life devoted to God.
Francis Chan, in his book Crazy Love states that there is no such thing as a lukewarm Christian. But rather a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, refuses to be lukewarm, and makes war against the flesh in order to pursue Christ.
The beauty of our struggle against flesh is that where we fall short, and we will, Christ’s blood covers us and we are made pure and holy before Him. This does not stop up us from pursuing Him, but should drive us closer to Him as we become more aware of His grace and love that He lavishes upon us. How great is our God!
Although at the time I couldn’t figure it out, I now know that my greatest fear in life, is being lukewarm, and one day having God say to me ‘I never knew you’. I don’t want to waste a moment of my life. In his song The Motions, Christian artist Matthew West screams out, “I don’t want to go through the motions, I don’t want to go one more day, without your all consuming, passion inside of me.” Many times I have made this the prayer of my heart, not to go through the motions, but to use my everything to glorify the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Lord don’t let me be lukewarm.
I was also recently asked if I was scared to pack up and move 1500 miles away to Chicago, the third largest city in the country, where I didn’t know a single person. Am I anxious? Yes. Nervous? Sure. Scared? No I’m not scared because I know that God is with me and not only with me, but guiding my steps and watching over me. Not to say I’m sure that I’ll be safe, or sure that everything will work out the way I envision it, but I am sure that the God who knows the number of hairs on my head is with me always. To Him be the glory, forever amen.
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