Journal Thoughts

 I thought I'd share a few more thoughts and quotes from my prayer journal today.....

"When the Son sets us free, He expects us to be completely free." Chris Tiegreen......Jesus said that "He who is free in me is free indeed." How much of our life points to the "indeed" part of the Lord's words? How can it be that so many of His people continue on in various forms of bondage even after embracing His promised freedom. Tiegreen says that we are "crafted for glory but wallow in captivity." The truth of this is seen everywhere. Why do the chains that hold us seem so unbreakable? Someone said that the blood of Christ serves to soak the chains from our wrists. Maybe that's part of the reason; we don't know the power of His blood. We sing a hymn about there being "power in the blood," but we don't experience it. Christ came to make us free. In Him we are free. Why have we let the enemy convince us that we're not? Why do we let him convince us that we're his "prisoners of war" when it is our Lord who has already won the battle? We could talk for hours on end on why so many continue in their captivity, but I think it just comes down to something Paul said. He said he was a bondslave to Jesus Christ. He also said that being Christ's slave made him free from all other masters. We easily call Him Savior, we shrink back from truly receiving Him as our Lord. When He is truly so, we are free in Him, and so we are free of all else. "When the Son sets you free, you are really free." May this be our day to day life experience.

"Do we go through the rituals of a worship service without the attitude of worship?" Chris Tiegreen....What does our worship "look like" to the Father? Have we ever asked ourselves this question? We tend to think in terms of corporate worship, but whatever happens on a Sunday morning is the outflow of what has been going on through the week. Sips and nibbles of the water and bread of life each day isn't genuine worship, and if that is all we've had, then what happens on Sunday will indeed be mainly a ritual to us. Drive to the church, move into the sanctuary, often late, hope the worship team is on target that morning and can get us "in the mood," and then hope the pastor can feed us some good bread......so long as he doesn't take much time doing it. Then we all go out to the parking lot, get in our cars, and drive home, or to lunch, or to our kids games, or....whatever. We've engaged in a ritual, but we deceive ourselves if we think that's worship. It's not just what does He see in that, but what does that do to His heart?

"Have you lost your first love? Do you follow Him but not enjoy Him?" Chris Tiegreen....Jesus placed a scathing judgement on the church in Ephesus in the Book of Revelation. He told them that they were doing all the right things, that they practiced and followed a correct doctrine and that they stood for His truth.....and they did it all without a burning love and desire for Him. Their faithfulness was centered on duty, not upon passionate love for their Lord. How many of us do the same? How many of us "do all the right things," but have no real enjoyment of our Lord? How much of our walk is lived out in dry and dutiful obligation to Him? We follow Him, but we don't enjoy Him. He is a Taskmaster more than a Companion and Friend. There is little or no joy in the relationship. We have left our first love, and the worst of it is that we aren't really aware that we have. I believe this applies to a great segment of the church. We do what is right, but not from a motive of love, and it shows out with how we deal with one another and how we relate to a lost and dying world. May we awaken, and return to our first love....before it is too late.

Those were just some thoughts that speak to me today. Hopefully, on some level they'll speak to you as well. May your day be richly blessed and filled with Him.

Blessings,

Pastor O