What Is Your Will In Christ?

I've seen a fair number of Christmas Days come and pass into the cataloged history of my days. And in the passing of each one, I've learned with growing experience to look forward to the next with  mounting expectation. As the day we mark to celebrate Christ's birth slowly approaches, my anticipation begins to rise in the hope that I'll find that expectation met. But in my building excitement and watchful search, I'm not looking for what some might assume... As a young boy, I was the son of a carpenter with big dreams who struggled at times to support his family and a gifted, hardworking mother who worked tirelessly and creatively to meet the needs of our household. There were good times, celebrated with what seemed to us rare luxury at the time, yet were in reality the kind of things that many might take for granted and wouldn't give any notice or any real significance to. There were also meaner, lean times when the struggle to fill the gap of need meant wo

We who follow Christ are not perfect in our efforts, but humbled by grace and broken hearted by the undeserved mercy of a holy and omnipotent, yet merciful God, we've come to know with certainty who our anchor and our mooring line are... Hebrews 6:17-20 (NLT)  17 "God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. 18 So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. 20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek." In an unguarded moment, subject to the frailty and weakness of our flesh, we might find ourselves moved

The world may seemingly close in around us and the skies grow threateningly darker, but this illusion does not give us cause for despair. Because as darkness seemingly grows, the light of heaven grows brighter and the God who reigns sovereign and omnipotent does not change in His tender and jealous passion, nor His mercy for His children.  Where WE walk, ... darkness fears to tread! We are not victims as darkness in its deception may try to convince us, but in truth, unshakable conquerors that terrify darkness when we walk firmly in Christ. As God is immovable and unshakable, so we are as we reside in HIM. The trials and circumstances of our brief moments do not change what is forever true - that which God has already declared! So stand firm, walk with the confidence of your identity and inheritance through Christ and let your faith grow over the distance of your travels with the One who's already long secured your victory.  1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NLT) "13

I claim no advantage over any other in Christ. My purpose is only to provoke gainful thought and hopeful promotion of my brothers and sisters in Christ toward Him as we journey together... I'm well convicted that we can create barriers between ourselves and the object of our holiest desire as we claim to seek to follow Christ, by ignoring, discounting or flat out deliberately disobeying the rules and instructions that our God has sovereignly laid before us. However we may do it - even if it's in undisciplined ignorance, I believe that we take a step backward away from the source of our blessing and grace, while claiming to move ahead in other areas, when we trod over what God has declared to us. What He's declared, He's made available to us in His kindness, so that we can know. Let's consider the subject of forgiveness... Unforgiveness is a prison. It can be a dark and desolate compound repellent to outside intervention, whose walls are often hardened to va

Deuteronomy 6:4-  (NLT) 4 “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. 5 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." As Moses began to lay out the Lord's decrees as he was directed and to stress the importance of them to a waiting Israel, he began with what was the most important imperatives on the Lord's own heart and mind. And among those things was this... Deuteronomy 6: 14 (NLT) “You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations, 15 for the LORD your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His ange

Self Discipline is a prerequisite to our mission of "following" Christ and an enabling power that begins to provide us with the ability to begin to live a  fruitful  life in submission to the ways of our God rather than a life lived in costly slavery to the inclinations and lusts of our short lived flesh. It's also a term that bears some feared connotation in a modern society that prides itself on a lack of boundaries and limitless opportunities for self indulgence and promotion.  But is all of the possible gratification of our flesh and lack of boundaries really satisfying to answer our purpose to have lived? Will it leave us personally with anything lasting when our days here are finished? Does it really satisfy that inescapable inner longing to belong to, and to be a part of something greater? That deep, subtle, yet persistently nagging longing is the eternal call of the God who created us.  It's a call that undeniably requires a response and one that resides

Matthew 12:35-37 ( NLT ) 35 "A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” What do a man's words say about his heart? What do your words say about you? My words aren't always perfect. I'll readily admit my flaws and imperfection and am continually grateful for the Lord's grace. But as the work of His transforming me continues, I become ever more conscious of my words. If the words that come from our mouths identify the content of our heart, how very important it is to take care in what we say...  Thankfully, as we draw nearer to witness Christ's perfection, we become more aware of our own imperfections and find Him ready to work in us as we're willing to confess our weakness and really surrender ou

John 1:15-21 (NLT) 15“If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,  who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”  If you're a follower of Christ, have you ever really stopped to think about why? I mean, other than the obvious aversion to the prospect of being sent to hell when Je

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT) 16 "Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." Gratitude is a choice . It's an opportunity to properly respond to what we've received in God's grace. It's an opportunity to perform justice to God for what he has either provided or allowed in His all knowing wisdom. Our failure to be grateful demonstrates our lack of faith in the wisdom of His plan and provision ...  ...and our complaints express a direct challenge - questioning His wisdom... Job 38:1-7 (NLT) 1 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: 2 “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? 3 Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. 4 Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. 5 Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? 6 What su

Ezekiel 1:26-28 (NLT) 26"Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. 27From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. 28All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the LORD looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me." perception        (Oxford Dictionaries) NOUN mass noun 1The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses. 1.1 Awareness of something through the senses. ‘the perception of pain’ 1.2Psychology Zoology The neurophysiological processes, including memory, by which an organism becomes aware of and interprets external stimuli. 2The way in which something

1 Chronicles 16:23-27 (NLT) 23"Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. 24 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. 25 Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. 26 The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the LORD made the heavens! 27 Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling." I've wrestled with something that's provided me with some growing motivation. In fact, it's a big part of the reason that I began to write here at all. It was something that came to me as a thought several years ago and it's continued to prompt me at times since. It's simple, but somewhat fearfully inspiring to me and it's this: What if I were suddenly silenced and had no more capacity to give voice to what the Lord has taught me through many years of discovery, hardship, correction, joy, grace and blessing -

When I was much younger, I exercised something without fully recognizing how significant the method of it was at the time. Fortunately, it was something I would gratefully rediscover later in life and learn to cherish as the only method preferred with prejudice toward any other. It carried true humility and honesty and delivered simple unadulterated content with the overwhelming recognition of one's own small presence and weakness while knelt in true reverence before an unimaginably immense power. The act was simple and had no real reason for any resistance beyond the possibility of some imagined pride, but yet one that seemingly required external forces to initiate at the time. It's result was something powerful and that had the ability to be potentially transformative. It created a connection that over the years and in the course of daily life, eventually became overshadowed by the time consuming cares of daily rigors and duties for a time. I realize fully now that it was

I'm hoping that this comes out more as an encouragement to some young person that needs to hear it rather than a worn out, tired rant from some old guy leaning closer to sixty than twenty, thirty or even forty.  I've had ups and downs in life and I've experienced and learned a lot. I've gained and excelled and I've also experienced the the feeling of having to go through losing it all. I've lived with an energetic passion that didn't know the word "quit" even when I should have.  I'm no expert or sensational intellectual, I'm just a passionate, but imperfect guy who's learned experience in this life has led him to some very solid and well earned conclusions that might be of value to you. If you're struggling to get traction in your Christian walk with Christ, there are some things that are best set as dominant facts. They can and do defy the world's logic and societal norms sometimes, but they also have the power to change yo