Yesterday, I had a friend find me on my facebook account. He was one of my best friends in college. I'm sad to say, but we have not done a good job of staying in touch over all the years.
Dave, if you read this, accept my apologies.
I'll never forget the day that Dave came back to school after a weekend retreat and stated "Guess what, I got saved over the weekend." What??? You are already a believer in Christ. You go to church, you lead the BSU bible study, you are a great guy. What do you mean?
Dave's answer made me reflect upon my beliefs and faith. He said, Scott, I have always believed in Jesus, but I never fully turned my life over to him.
It's like believing that the chair you see can support your weight, but you never sit in it.
It's like seeing a parachute and believing it can save your life, but you never put it on.
That weekend, Dave stopped "just believing in Jesus" and he started living with Him and for Him.
You know, I think there are a lot of people that believe in Jesus, but they have never put their trust in him. They are not willing to obey and follow him. What's ironic, is that obedience to Christ is what leads to a completely fulfilled life.
If you are going to profess to be a follower of Christ, your life should reflect the way he wants you to live.
Stop Clowning Around: Stop "Just Believing" and actually trust and obey Christ.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
God's Voice
I think one of the greatest things about becoming a parent is getting to know your baby's cry. It's amazing, you can be in a public situation with children everywhere and pick out the cry/voice of your child.
As a child, I always thought it was amazing to see my mom turn in a crowd when I cried out MOM. Now I get it, she knew my voice.
Maybe I should be ashamed to admit this, but I've also learned, as a father, how to tune out the voice of my child. If you know my son, you may not believe this because he seems so quiet, but, when he is home or especially in the car, he will not stop talking. Since I'm a mere man, I can only take it so long before I completely tune him out.
(By the way, this is dangerous. You can find yourself saying yes to things you should not agree with)
In any close relationship, we learn the voice of the other person. When they speak, we know it.
We can also train ourselves to tune out the voice of this close person. (Trust me - Not Good)
Recently, I felt like God was trying to speak to me. However, I just couldn't get my arms around it. Was it God or was it just me. I found myself very discontent in the professional aspect of my life. After speaking with my wife, she stated, "Maybe God is trying to speak to you and you are not confident that you know his voice."
That's it, I'm not confident in the voice of God. See, I've learned to tune him out. I liked what I was doing. I did not wish to hear his plan. It might include something difficult. So, I did what many of us do. I tuned Him out.
However, I forgot what his voice sounded like. Oh, how I wanted to hear him and figure out what he was trying to say.
Ironically, I spent some time reading I Samuel 3 where God called Samuel.
God was trying to speak to Samuel, but he did not know God's voice. He did not know if he was hearing things, if Eli was calling, or who the voice could be.
Finally, Eli gave him guidance and told him to say "Speak Lord for your servant hears."
That's it. "Speak Lord for your servant hears."
I found myself back in God's word and in prayer. Boy it's so easy to get out of the habit.
Just know, when you stop reading the wonderful word of God and stop praying - you begin to tune out the voice of God.
Stop Clowning Around: Speak Lord for your servant hears. Prayer and Bible Study is important in knowing the voice of God. Do not tune Him out. You might miss his voice and a great big blessing.
As a child, I always thought it was amazing to see my mom turn in a crowd when I cried out MOM. Now I get it, she knew my voice.
Maybe I should be ashamed to admit this, but I've also learned, as a father, how to tune out the voice of my child. If you know my son, you may not believe this because he seems so quiet, but, when he is home or especially in the car, he will not stop talking. Since I'm a mere man, I can only take it so long before I completely tune him out.
(By the way, this is dangerous. You can find yourself saying yes to things you should not agree with)
In any close relationship, we learn the voice of the other person. When they speak, we know it.
We can also train ourselves to tune out the voice of this close person. (Trust me - Not Good)
Recently, I felt like God was trying to speak to me. However, I just couldn't get my arms around it. Was it God or was it just me. I found myself very discontent in the professional aspect of my life. After speaking with my wife, she stated, "Maybe God is trying to speak to you and you are not confident that you know his voice."
That's it, I'm not confident in the voice of God. See, I've learned to tune him out. I liked what I was doing. I did not wish to hear his plan. It might include something difficult. So, I did what many of us do. I tuned Him out.
However, I forgot what his voice sounded like. Oh, how I wanted to hear him and figure out what he was trying to say.
Ironically, I spent some time reading I Samuel 3 where God called Samuel.
God was trying to speak to Samuel, but he did not know God's voice. He did not know if he was hearing things, if Eli was calling, or who the voice could be.
Finally, Eli gave him guidance and told him to say "Speak Lord for your servant hears."
That's it. "Speak Lord for your servant hears."
I found myself back in God's word and in prayer. Boy it's so easy to get out of the habit.
Just know, when you stop reading the wonderful word of God and stop praying - you begin to tune out the voice of God.
Stop Clowning Around: Speak Lord for your servant hears. Prayer and Bible Study is important in knowing the voice of God. Do not tune Him out. You might miss his voice and a great big blessing.
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