It’s all about Jesus.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

It’s all about Jesus.

If there is one thing I’ve learned over the past couple weeks of dealing with sickness and praying for so many in our church family who are hurting it is that above all else we need Jesus. 

Jesus calls us into intimate fellowship with Him. We are called to seek Him above all else. We are called to abide with Him. He is standing at the door of your heart knocking, waiting for you to allow Him in.

We can survive without a lot of things, but we cannot survive without God. After performing His greatest miracle of feeding the 5000 Jesus begins to teach the massive multitude that He was the Bread of Life (John 6:48.) Jesus says in John 5:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.”

Our enemy and the cares of this life will try to separate you from the only One who gives abundant life. The devil is going to try to discourage you every day. But don’t let it get you down. Just remember he’s a liar.

Put Jesus first this weekend and meditate on Psalm 27:5,6… 

For he will conceal me there when troubles come;

he will hide me in his sanctuary.

He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

Then I will hold my head high

above my enemies who surround me.

At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,

singing and praising the lord with music.

Connecting with God at Christmas

Christmas is the perfect time to connect with God because its the moment God chose to connect with us.  “She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.’” Matthew 1:23b  Let’s make the time to focus on God this season and follow the examples of the Bible characters in the original Christmas Story.

Listen & Obey - Mary found herself with an overwhelming calling.  Joseph found himself with a difficult decision.  Both listened and responded positively to God and His leading.  (Luke 1:38; Matthew 1:24)

Worship & Give - The Wise Men also listened and followed the leading of God both through the star and an angel.  Their journey of obedience ended with them worshipping and offering gifts to the newborn King. (Matthew 2:11)

Reach Out & Invite - Shepherds were considered the “least of these” in their culture.  Because of their status in society they weren’t even allowed to give testimony in court.  And yet, God chose them to be the first witnesses to the newborn Savior. (Luke 2:20)

Make time this Christmas to listen and obey, worship and give, and reach out and invite.  You (and He) will be glad you did.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN to the Christmas messages from Christian Life.

Connected to God through worship.

The Bible calls us to worship!

Psalm 8:1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.

Psalm 29:2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

Psalm 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

Psalm 99:5 Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!

Jesus said in John 4:23, 24, “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

With so many passages in God’s Word calling us to worship that must mean we are created to worship.

True worship connects us to God. When we approach God with hearts wide open His presence invades our life. When we gather together to worship His presence permeates the place.

We live in a connected culture. We are connected to world wide news 24 hours a day. We are connect to friends through Facebook. The world is available at our fingertips on our smartphones. There is no doubt we are more connected than ever before.  But connected to what? And what are these connections producing in our lives?

Let’s connect to God this weekend through worship. I have a feeling this connection will produce the rich, satisfying, full, good, abundant life God has promised us.

Life from the front seat.

This week our youngest, Mark, celebrates a birthday. Birthdays are always a big deal to Mark but this one is extra special because he will finally be old enough to sit in the front seat of the car. This may not sound like a big deal to most but when you're the youngest and have been relegated to the back of the minivan your entire life this is a life changing event.

You should see him. He sits up tall, adjusts the seat so he can be as high as possible, and takes it all in with a proud smile. Every now and then you can hear him giggle and whisper, “Wow, you can see everything up here.” It’s a whole new world for our little Mark.

Our friend Mark Batterson has a formula… change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. There is something about changing our routine that can give you a fresh perspective. There’s something powerful about getting away on a retreat, looking at something through fresh eyes, or doing something routine in an entirely different way. 

Sometimes we need a change of perspective in our prayer life or time in the Word. Maybe it’s time join a small group, get a new devotional, purchase a new version of the Bible. Perhaps it’s time to dive in and go deeper making your relationship with God your primary priority. God is big and powerful and awesome. If your relationship with him seems routine maybe its time to ditch the carseat and move up to the front seat for a whole new perspective.

Repentance

The other week I posted an Anglican prayer of repentance on my Facebook page. I was surprised the number of positive responses I received for such a post.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

I was trying to figure out why this prayer resonated with so many? 

I believe it’s because we are wired for repentance. Deep down we know we need to repent. 

Repentance doesn’t mean “getting our act together.” It doesn’t mean being more religious and doing good. Repentance in the Bible literally means to “turn around.” To go in a new direction. We turn from doing life our own selfish way to doing life God’s way, the way He designed us to live. The way that leads to abundant life.

There is no doubt that there is deep sorrow and regret when it comes to repentance but there is more. There is a turning (or returning) to God for forgiveness, for new life, for new desires to do His will and walk in His ways for His glory.  It is then, and only then, we are living the abundant life we were created for.