Thoughts

 Today, I thought I'd share a few thoughts/quotes from my prayer journal....

There's nothing they can take from us when everything we have already belongs to Christ....Voddie Baucham....How many times have we sung the lyrics to All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give? Beautiful words. How well do we live them?....We are natural born "clingers." We're going to cling to something or someone. If it is anyone but Jesus, we have no hope of at some point losing it or them. Scripture calls us to "follow hard after Jesus." The language used is following with a closeness that makes it impossible to distinguish between the One who leads and the one who follows....because they are one. We cannot do this when we try to hold onto our treasures. They have to be surrendered to Him. They must pass from our hands into His. Husbands, wives, children, bank accounts, investments, homes, and on and on. We live in fear of losing these....unless we have given them all to Him in trust. It's a tremendous burden to try and hold onto everything in our lives. Let us release our grip on what we cannot hold and hold to the One who will keep us in His grip of love.

We want just enough Jesus to get to heaven but not enough Jesus to change us on earth.....The church seems to be filled with those who fit this description. They want a faith that secures them heaven, but not a faith that seals them in Jesus Christ. I don't believe that such a faith even exists, but many are living like it is all the same. Someone said that many professing believers are "atheists unawares." They live out their day to day lives as if Jesus doesn't exist. He is not sought in life decisions. His wisdom takes a backseat to their own. They are more influenced by politicians, celebrities, therapists, and even their pastors, than they are by Jesus Christ. Jesus is their free pass into heaven, but He is not their way, their truth, and their life here. Where do we fall in all of this? 

Believing in God but not obeying Him is exactly what Satan does.....I don't remember who said this, but it's truth is chilling. Most professing believers will recoil in horror at this, but how guilty might each of us be in its truth? The devil knows fully who the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is. He knows completely who they are and the extent of their being.There's no doubt in his heart, if he has one, at all. Yet he exists in open rebellion against Him. Wherever disobedience exists in our lives and heart, we share this trait with him. Someday, we will each stand before Him to give an account of our faith lives. The very thought should make us tremble. May there be no part of my life or yours that puts us in the company of the enemy of God and the enemy of our souls.

Just a few thoughts. May we meditate upon them today.

Blessings,
Pastor O