Taking a Minute

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Okay, God has a plan for your life, and you may be asking, well, “what is that plan?”  Well, there is a great key in Romans 12:2 – it says “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  So you may have heard this scripture before.  But there also may be more in here we haven’t seen.

If we aren’t sure of God’s will for our lives, it may be because we have some more renewing of the mind to do.  We are in need of a bit more transformation.  We are still conforming to some patterns of this world.  “God, what would you have me do?”  Well, if it isn’t clear, then what He has you doing is more renewing.  Any new project will probably require some new skill, knowledge, and effort.  Therefore for there to be a new level in my life, a new transformation must begin in me.  Sounds easy right?  Well, transforming can be tough since this world is very loud.  The world is quite good at unnewing our mind.  (I made that word up).  Unnewing is decaying your mind, and as a result, it decays your world.  The world is yelling for us to conform, from the TV we watch to the people we talk to, and the things we read. We are surrounded by it, inundated constantly by the worlds message.  The world has a system for marriage, relationships, money, dating, eating, living, but have you noticed that the worlds system is broken.  It isn’t working.  But God’s system still works and it leads to life.

Transformation comes through meditation.  If I can focus my thoughts on one subject for a great deal of time it will bring transformation.  We sometimes think that transformation comes from making a choice.  Really, the choice is only the beginning.  If I choose to start working out, well, I probably will only stay disciplined to that work out for a few weeks.  But if I were to meditate daily on working out, study, plan, envision, and devise, for a long period of time, then I would become the type of person who works out as a normal routine.  Now I’m not trying to get you to work out.  I’m saying that if you can have focused thought about a scripture, and truly meditate on it daily (and nightly), it will begin to transform you.  Your mind will be made new concerning that scriptures unique wisdom.  Don’t be so surrounded with the world’s message, but instead, surround your brain with the bible.  To renew our mind and fight the decay that attacks us we are best armed with the word of God.  When I get the word of God in my mind and spend time thinking about it, my mind is renewed.  It remembers to love, to have hope, and to do what is right.  And a bunch of renewing has me transforming, and a bunch of transforming has me clearly knowing God’s will.

www.livingwordonline.com The Living Word Bible Church Mesa, AZ

In John 11:35 Jesus comes to see his good friend Lazarus, who is dead.  Now Jesus is not surprised by this, cuz, well, he’s Jesus.  Still, when he gets to the grave it says in John 11:35, Jesus wept.  Not just cried, he wept.  Sometimes as a Christian we think everything is supposed to be always perfect, and we have to appear like everything is wonderful. You know, squeaky clean Christian with no problems.  If something goes wrong in your life then you just don’t have enough faith.  This isn’t true at all.  Paul had plenty of faith, and we might perceive that much of his life was spent in persecution.

Jesus here shows us a glimpse into his humanity, that is, he felt pain.  Jesus wept.  Wept isn’t like He got a bit misty.  I can think of just a few times in my life where I truly wept.  That sobbing kind of release that comes from deep with in your soul.  Listen, if Jesus is allowed to cry, well then, so are you.  Our ability to weep is a gift from God, to express and let out the sadness.  If we hold sadness in, it can get all messed up.  So Jesus let it out.  He wept.  Wept, right in front of everyone too.  “But people might think there is something wrong with me?”  Yeah, or maybe, and they will stand with you, cause they remember a time when they also wept.

Now God has commanded us to rejoice in all things, and His command is true.  So follow Christ on this path now…He didn’t stay all weeping forever.  It doesn’t say he wept, and then a few verses later, he was still weeping, and then at the last supper, he broke down and cried about Lazarus…So go ahead, and have a good cry, let it all out, have at some weeping.   Not everything is always rice crispie treats and milk.  Remember that God is the author of the answer, the Holy Spirit is your comforter, and that you are human.  Weep.  And then stop weeping.  Be healed, and get back to the Joy of the Lord.

www.livingwordonline.org

I like to talk about direction and destiny.  Have you noticed this?  J  I also enjoy classic rice crispie treats, but now is neither the time nor place.  As for destiny, vision, purpose, it is often in my meditation.  I’m quite inspired in my study today thinking about how the strong winds of life sometimes blow us off course.  Calamity has us adjusting our rutter and lowering our sails to catch our bearings.  This is normal, but now that the winds have died down, what do we do?  On the other end of a  life changing event… well, what now?

After Jesus dies and resurrects he finds some of his disciples fishing.  Come on fellas.  Jesus death was a life altering event.  Even though he told them straight up it was going to happen, that it needed to happen, and what would happen afterwards, they had gone a bit off course.  Well if the men who spent years next to Jesus got off course, you might too.  But what now?  Jesus sits down with Peter by the fire for a fish breakfast, and he asks Peter..”Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”  Now Peter’s original name was Simon, and Jesus changed it to Peter.  Simon has kind of become the guy he used to be, not the guy Jesus had called him to be.  So calling him Simon was a message all by itself.  Jesus was saying, “Hey, where’s that guy I’ve been training, because you’ve gone back to the comfortable who you were, not who you are.”

Peter answers Jesus, “yes Lord, you know that I love you.”  So Jesus says, “Feed my lambs.”  Now this same question happens three times.  Jesus wasn’t worried about his farm here, the lambs he meant are the children of God.  The food here is the word of God.  The point is that Jesus wants Peter doing what he’s called him to do, to serve God, and Jesus was saying if you love me… do this.  So your boat got a bit off course, so what?  It happens.  But now it’s time to get them sails back out, get out your map, (the bible), and hit the open seas for Jesus.  You ready?  Your purpose beckons.

The Living Word

Here we are at another New Year, and our minds are all clicking along at light speed thinking about what this year holds.  So with that in mind I wanted to take a moment to encourage you to get your hopes nice and high.

Hebrews 6:19 “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.”  (NIV)

The inner sanctuary behind the curtain is where God’s spirit dwelt in the Mosaic Tabernacle.  Now this all takes place in our heart, as God has made us His dwelling place.  So in our hearts it is our hopes that lead the way in to see God.   It makes sense, I go in to worship and pray as I stir up the hope for God’s mighty hand to move in my life.  The scripture also says that hope is an anchor for our soul. Sometimes our soul could use a little anchoring.  If my soul is like a boat, sometimes my emotions try and get me off course.  Sometimes fear or doubt could have us wondering where God is in our lives.  When a storm hits, an anchor is just what the boat needs to keep it steady.  I don’t know what you’re going through today, but I do know that the Hope of Jesus, the hope he brings, well that hope has us trusting in God, relaxing in the inner sanctuary… now listen to Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold un-swervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful!”  So for 2013, if your hope is a cup of coffee, make it a venti.  Take hold of that hope!  Put all of your hope in God.  Get your hope big and hopping.

The Living Word