THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD.
Colossians 3: 1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection F14 on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel F15 against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. ( KJV)
Colossians 3:1 So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. 2 Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ - that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. 3 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life - even though invisible to spectators - is with Christ in God. He is your life. 4 When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too - the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.
5 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. 6 It's because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. 7 It wasn't long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better.
8 But you know better now, so make sure it's all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk. 9 Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. 10 Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. 11 Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.
12 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. 13 Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. 14 And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. 15 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. 16 Let the Word of Christ - the Message - have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! 17 Let every detail in your lives - words, actions, whatever - be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. ( Message)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFaIGSyENsY
Monday, February 9, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Brown's Daily Word & India update 2-6-09
Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for today, the first Friday of February. Sunday is coming. In a stormy and turbulent world, which is almost paralyzed by fear, doubt, and hopelessness, we turn our hearts and minds to Jesus the Risen One, who is our sure anchor and solid ground. In the Gospel according to Mark, Chapter 1, our Lord launches His ministry, demonstrating His authority in terms of preaching, teaching, and healing. The first miracle Christ performed was in a Holy Place, a synagogue, where a man possessed by an unclean - demonic - spirit was present. Jesus rebuked the demonic spirits and cast them out with authority and power. He came to destroy the powers of Satan. He has given us power and authority against demonic and diabolic powers even today. We are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.
It is written in 2 Timothy 1: 7, “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” Fear of following Christ, then, is not given by God. Satan offers that to us and we grab it from him and hold onto it. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, brings us power, love, and self-discipline. The Spirit of Power that we receive is not like the human power that we recognize as strong. It’s a power unlike anything we can do on our own. I read the following story some time ago about a young man who, growing up in the wrong part of Houston, became a bully. He got into fights in school and in his neighborhood, and he began mugging people to get spending money. He even beat up people just because he enjoyed doing it. He learned to box, and became pretty good at it. He began to make a lot of money and could have almost anything he wanted. One day, during his training session for an upcoming bout, he heard his mom talking to his sister on the telephone about his favorite nephew. The young boy had a seizure and now lay in a coma in the hospital. Doctors said he would probably die, and that if he came out of the coma he wouldn’t be able to move his limbs, or speak, or do any of the human functions we consider part of living. The man ran into the room where his mom was on the phone and shouted, “Momma, call the hospital and tell those doctors to give him the best of everything. Tell them I’ll take care of all the bills, to fly in the best doctors from wherever they have to. Tell them who I am, and that I’ll take care of everything — whatever it costs.” His mom spoke to the doctors, and then told him, “Son, you’re just going to have to pray.” He realized then how grave the situation was. When someone tells you the only thing you can do is pray, things are looking pretty bad. Then it hit him. All of his money, his fame, his influence, his friends — none of that could solve this problem. It was out of his hands, out of the doctor’s hands, out of everyone’s hands. For the first time, he was totally powerless. And for the first time, George Foreman dropped to his knees and prayed. He wasn’t sure God existed, but he knew that when all else failed, people prayed. He asked God, if He really existed, to help his nephew. Then he got back in bed. A few seconds later, he got back on his knees and offered to give up all his wealth if God would heal his nephew. Then he got back in bed again. A few seconds later he got back on his knees a third time and got angry at God for letting this happen to his nephew, a child who hadn’t experienced life yet. George told God to take his life instead. Let the boy live and take George’s life instead. The next morning George’s sister called from the hospital. His nephew had awakened from the coma and could move his eyes, but the doctors still said he wouldn’t ever walk again. She called later that day, and the boy had begun moving his toes. The next day the boy was talking, and a week later he was on his way home, “walking, talking, and back to normal.” The doctors had no logical explanation. But George Foreman knew God had just given him a miracle. In his book, "God in My Corner — A Spiritual Memoir", George wrote about his experience following a deadly bout. “I knew I was dead, and that this wasn’t heaven. I was terrified, knowing I had no way out. Sorrow beyond description engulfed my soul, more than anyone could ever imagine. If you multiplied every disturbing and frightening thought that you’ve ever had during your entire life, that wouldn’t come close to the panic I felt. … I screamed with every ounce of strength in me, ‘I don’t care if this is death. I still believe in God.’ “Instantly, what seemed to be like a giant hand reached down and snatched me out of the terrifying place. Immediately, I was back inside my body in the dressing room.” George accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and devoted himself to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. He realized his human power, his money, and his prestige were worthless in the next life, and that they were meant to be used as tools to lead others to Jesus during this one. Following this milestone event, he twice went on to win bouts to become the Heavyweight Championship of the World. He was ordained as an evangelist in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and became pastor of a small church. He also became involved in prison and hospital ministries. Though you may know him best for the George Foreman Grills that continue to be sold around the world, he recently baptized his own 23-year-old daughter who finally decided to dedicated her own life to Jesus. That’s God’s idea of power. Paul told Timothy that following Christ gives the power of Christ to act on his behalf. We are the hands and feet of Christ and he wants us to succeed in doing his will. The hate-filled bully from a Houston slum was transformed into a prayerful, loving, father of 10 and compassionate minister through God’s spirit of love. Nothing else could possibly have had that result. Paul ministered in turbulent times, and the church was not welcomed by the general public or government leaders. Persecution against those who chose to follow Christ was increasing and becoming even more hideous than before. As Paul told Timothy, “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” We should have no fear of being salt and light in the dark and flavorless world. If we accept the Holy Spirit in our hearts, he will guide us through every step of our journey with Jesus.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmBCudTMQV8
OBAMA SPENDING BILL STIMULATES ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIGOTRY
Dear Supporter of Traditional Values,
Buried in the rubble of President Obama’s $1 trillion monstrous pork/stimulus plan is a section that bans Christian Bible studies, worship services and other religious activities from many public education buildings!
All of this is found in the “greening” (supposedly to help the environment) of our nation’s school section of the bill and to the tune of at least of $3,500,000,000. The greening funds are to be used for the “modernization, renovation or repair” of higher education facilities, but prohibit the repairs where religious activities or services may be conducted.
The economic crisis is being used as a pretext to curb religious liberty at institutions of higher learning.
The ultimate impact will be to drive religious activities out of public education altogether. If higher education institutions worry about not getting part of this federal grab bag, they’ll simply eject religious activities from their campuses so they can easily get the money.
Andrea Lafferty, TVC Executive Director is leading the fight to address this aggressive anti-Christian section in the bill. We have met with staff, organized conference calls and spent days alerting key Senators and staff to this dangerous section. We are on Capitol Hill fighting for you.
We must not let them take away our precious rights which are currently in danger. America’s current leadership seems to have lost their moral compass.
We know these are difficult financial times. But as you can see, it is vital that we remain here at the nation’s Capitol. Your religious freedoms are in grave jeopardy and we remain vigilant in protecting them for you and your family.
We need your immediate financial help today. In addition, would you please consider a regular monthly donation to Traditional Values Coalition and our efforts to safeguard your freedoms. To make a donation, click here.
This is just the beginning of the aggressive anti-Christian discrimination that we will face over the next four years. As you know, Traditional Values Coalition has led the fight over Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and so-called hate crimes bill for the last decade. When the hate crimes vote took place last Congress, we were able--with your help--to apply enough pressure that some Members of Congress actually switched their votes. And, it was when TVC gave greater visibility to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) definition of the utterly bizarre 30 Sexual Orientations that the ENDA was derailed in the Congress. So we pray we can also defeat this.
The language in the Obama Stimulus bill (S.336, Section 803, pg 164) says:
No funds awarded under this section may be used for …
(C) modernization, renovation, or repair of facilities—
(i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or
(ii) in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission; or
(D) construction of new facilities.
As you can see this prohibits any private or religious school from receiving any funding under this bill, in addition to removing religious expression in public buildings.
This should be called the ACLU Full Employment Act since it will be a boon for their anti-Christian litigation. The ACLU will work to sniff out Christian activities such as Bible studies or religious services. Unless the schools banish religious activity on campus, the ACLU will surely sue these institutions for daring to allow these newly “greened” buildings to be used for religious purposes.
If this aggressive anti-Christian bigotry is allowed to remain in the bill, I predict it will soon be in the K-12 sections of this and other school funding bills. That will mean that churches can no longer meet in schools on Sundays, as well as, boy scouts and student Bible study groups.
This new administration and its secularist allies in Congress don’t accept the First Amendment’s protections of religious activity even as they cite the First Amendment to defend all sorts of bizarre and offensive speech and art.
The entire package should be rejected by the Senate. It is pork, not stimulus – and most Americans understand this.
We need your donation today so that Traditional Values Coalition can remain your vigilant watchman. To support Traditional Values Coalition today just click here.
Your voice at the Capitol,Rev. Lou Sheldon
PS- What does $1 trillion equal?
$1 bills stacked one-third of the way to the moon or 68,000 miles into space
Praise the Lord for today, the first Friday of February. Sunday is coming. In a stormy and turbulent world, which is almost paralyzed by fear, doubt, and hopelessness, we turn our hearts and minds to Jesus the Risen One, who is our sure anchor and solid ground. In the Gospel according to Mark, Chapter 1, our Lord launches His ministry, demonstrating His authority in terms of preaching, teaching, and healing. The first miracle Christ performed was in a Holy Place, a synagogue, where a man possessed by an unclean - demonic - spirit was present. Jesus rebuked the demonic spirits and cast them out with authority and power. He came to destroy the powers of Satan. He has given us power and authority against demonic and diabolic powers even today. We are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.
It is written in 2 Timothy 1: 7, “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” Fear of following Christ, then, is not given by God. Satan offers that to us and we grab it from him and hold onto it. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, brings us power, love, and self-discipline. The Spirit of Power that we receive is not like the human power that we recognize as strong. It’s a power unlike anything we can do on our own. I read the following story some time ago about a young man who, growing up in the wrong part of Houston, became a bully. He got into fights in school and in his neighborhood, and he began mugging people to get spending money. He even beat up people just because he enjoyed doing it. He learned to box, and became pretty good at it. He began to make a lot of money and could have almost anything he wanted. One day, during his training session for an upcoming bout, he heard his mom talking to his sister on the telephone about his favorite nephew. The young boy had a seizure and now lay in a coma in the hospital. Doctors said he would probably die, and that if he came out of the coma he wouldn’t be able to move his limbs, or speak, or do any of the human functions we consider part of living. The man ran into the room where his mom was on the phone and shouted, “Momma, call the hospital and tell those doctors to give him the best of everything. Tell them I’ll take care of all the bills, to fly in the best doctors from wherever they have to. Tell them who I am, and that I’ll take care of everything — whatever it costs.” His mom spoke to the doctors, and then told him, “Son, you’re just going to have to pray.” He realized then how grave the situation was. When someone tells you the only thing you can do is pray, things are looking pretty bad. Then it hit him. All of his money, his fame, his influence, his friends — none of that could solve this problem. It was out of his hands, out of the doctor’s hands, out of everyone’s hands. For the first time, he was totally powerless. And for the first time, George Foreman dropped to his knees and prayed. He wasn’t sure God existed, but he knew that when all else failed, people prayed. He asked God, if He really existed, to help his nephew. Then he got back in bed. A few seconds later, he got back on his knees and offered to give up all his wealth if God would heal his nephew. Then he got back in bed again. A few seconds later he got back on his knees a third time and got angry at God for letting this happen to his nephew, a child who hadn’t experienced life yet. George told God to take his life instead. Let the boy live and take George’s life instead. The next morning George’s sister called from the hospital. His nephew had awakened from the coma and could move his eyes, but the doctors still said he wouldn’t ever walk again. She called later that day, and the boy had begun moving his toes. The next day the boy was talking, and a week later he was on his way home, “walking, talking, and back to normal.” The doctors had no logical explanation. But George Foreman knew God had just given him a miracle. In his book, "God in My Corner — A Spiritual Memoir", George wrote about his experience following a deadly bout. “I knew I was dead, and that this wasn’t heaven. I was terrified, knowing I had no way out. Sorrow beyond description engulfed my soul, more than anyone could ever imagine. If you multiplied every disturbing and frightening thought that you’ve ever had during your entire life, that wouldn’t come close to the panic I felt. … I screamed with every ounce of strength in me, ‘I don’t care if this is death. I still believe in God.’ “Instantly, what seemed to be like a giant hand reached down and snatched me out of the terrifying place. Immediately, I was back inside my body in the dressing room.” George accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and devoted himself to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. He realized his human power, his money, and his prestige were worthless in the next life, and that they were meant to be used as tools to lead others to Jesus during this one. Following this milestone event, he twice went on to win bouts to become the Heavyweight Championship of the World. He was ordained as an evangelist in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and became pastor of a small church. He also became involved in prison and hospital ministries. Though you may know him best for the George Foreman Grills that continue to be sold around the world, he recently baptized his own 23-year-old daughter who finally decided to dedicated her own life to Jesus. That’s God’s idea of power. Paul told Timothy that following Christ gives the power of Christ to act on his behalf. We are the hands and feet of Christ and he wants us to succeed in doing his will. The hate-filled bully from a Houston slum was transformed into a prayerful, loving, father of 10 and compassionate minister through God’s spirit of love. Nothing else could possibly have had that result. Paul ministered in turbulent times, and the church was not welcomed by the general public or government leaders. Persecution against those who chose to follow Christ was increasing and becoming even more hideous than before. As Paul told Timothy, “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” We should have no fear of being salt and light in the dark and flavorless world. If we accept the Holy Spirit in our hearts, he will guide us through every step of our journey with Jesus.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmBCudTMQV8
OBAMA SPENDING BILL STIMULATES ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIGOTRY
Dear Supporter of Traditional Values,
Buried in the rubble of President Obama’s $1 trillion monstrous pork/stimulus plan is a section that bans Christian Bible studies, worship services and other religious activities from many public education buildings!
All of this is found in the “greening” (supposedly to help the environment) of our nation’s school section of the bill and to the tune of at least of $3,500,000,000. The greening funds are to be used for the “modernization, renovation or repair” of higher education facilities, but prohibit the repairs where religious activities or services may be conducted.
The economic crisis is being used as a pretext to curb religious liberty at institutions of higher learning.
The ultimate impact will be to drive religious activities out of public education altogether. If higher education institutions worry about not getting part of this federal grab bag, they’ll simply eject religious activities from their campuses so they can easily get the money.
Andrea Lafferty, TVC Executive Director is leading the fight to address this aggressive anti-Christian section in the bill. We have met with staff, organized conference calls and spent days alerting key Senators and staff to this dangerous section. We are on Capitol Hill fighting for you.
We must not let them take away our precious rights which are currently in danger. America’s current leadership seems to have lost their moral compass.
We know these are difficult financial times. But as you can see, it is vital that we remain here at the nation’s Capitol. Your religious freedoms are in grave jeopardy and we remain vigilant in protecting them for you and your family.
We need your immediate financial help today. In addition, would you please consider a regular monthly donation to Traditional Values Coalition and our efforts to safeguard your freedoms. To make a donation, click here.
This is just the beginning of the aggressive anti-Christian discrimination that we will face over the next four years. As you know, Traditional Values Coalition has led the fight over Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and so-called hate crimes bill for the last decade. When the hate crimes vote took place last Congress, we were able--with your help--to apply enough pressure that some Members of Congress actually switched their votes. And, it was when TVC gave greater visibility to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) definition of the utterly bizarre 30 Sexual Orientations that the ENDA was derailed in the Congress. So we pray we can also defeat this.
The language in the Obama Stimulus bill (S.336, Section 803, pg 164) says:
No funds awarded under this section may be used for …
(C) modernization, renovation, or repair of facilities—
(i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or
(ii) in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission; or
(D) construction of new facilities.
As you can see this prohibits any private or religious school from receiving any funding under this bill, in addition to removing religious expression in public buildings.
This should be called the ACLU Full Employment Act since it will be a boon for their anti-Christian litigation. The ACLU will work to sniff out Christian activities such as Bible studies or religious services. Unless the schools banish religious activity on campus, the ACLU will surely sue these institutions for daring to allow these newly “greened” buildings to be used for religious purposes.
If this aggressive anti-Christian bigotry is allowed to remain in the bill, I predict it will soon be in the K-12 sections of this and other school funding bills. That will mean that churches can no longer meet in schools on Sundays, as well as, boy scouts and student Bible study groups.
This new administration and its secularist allies in Congress don’t accept the First Amendment’s protections of religious activity even as they cite the First Amendment to defend all sorts of bizarre and offensive speech and art.
The entire package should be rejected by the Senate. It is pork, not stimulus – and most Americans understand this.
We need your donation today so that Traditional Values Coalition can remain your vigilant watchman. To support Traditional Values Coalition today just click here.
Your voice at the Capitol,Rev. Lou Sheldon
PS- What does $1 trillion equal?
$1 bills stacked one-third of the way to the moon or 68,000 miles into space
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 2-5-09
Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for the way we can have dreams and visions from the Lord, the Creator of Heaven and earth. It has been written that without vision people perish. I was in a conference last year in Washington, DC, where one of the speakers was Dr. Michael Duduit. I first met Dr. DuDuit in Birmingham Alabama in 1992. In the words of Dr DuDuit, "Do you know what is the richest place in any city or town? It’s not the jewelry store, or the country club, or anything so modest as that. It’s the cemetery. Go by any cemetery – it’s full of riches that people carried to their graves. There are great songs that were never written, magnificent works of art never created, life-changing achievements never attempted, powerful testimonies for Christ never spoken. Can you think of anything more tragic than to go to your grave never having tasted the great things God made available to you – all because you never asked?" Victor Pentz, pastor of Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, one of the largest churches in America, said that when he was a young pastor he one day walked into his office with a pair of scissors and cut the word “impossible” out of his dictionary. That may sound silly, but it shows the kind of vision that God uses to transform churches, communities, and nations. Only when we expect great things from God are we prepared to receive great things from God. In Ephesians 3:20, Paul said, “God can do anything – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” (The Message) What would we attempt for God if we knew we couldn’t fail? The Lord Jesus stood by the sea of Galilee and called fishermen to reckless obedience. The fishermen left everything and followed Jesus with reckless abandon, without thought as to where the next meal was coming from or what chores must be done around the house. To live in reckless obedience indicates that we expect great things from God, but it also means that we will attempt great things for God. Faith is wonderful in the abstract, but there comes a moment of truth when we must get out of the boat and put our faith into action. Reckless obedience requires getting out of the boat. Many people have faith in theory, but on the night that Jesus came walking toward them across the water, only one disciple stepped out of the boat. Peter not only believed Jesus could enable him to walk on the water, but he acted on that belief. Faith is not simply knowing that God is there, that Jesus can save. It goes beyond mentally believing and requires doing something about that belief; it means getting out of the boat. In 1789, William Wilberforce stood before the British Parliament and called for an end to human slavery within the British Empire. Every year for the next 18 years he introduced a bill to end slavery, and every year for 18 years his bill was defeated, but he never gave up on his campaign. Then, in 1833, just four days before he died, Wilberforce saw Parliament pass a bill abolishing slavery. But it never would have happened if someone had not stepped out of the boat. In the late 1800’s, Wilbur and Orville Wright believed that “the age of the flying machine” had arrived, but for ten years their experiments continued to fail. Then, on December 17, 1903, on the sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, their little plane lifted off the beach and a new day of air travel had begun. It never would have happened if they had not moved their dreams from idea to reality. They had to step out of the boat. Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see. When we are willing to step out of the boat in reckless obedience, we are freed from the obstacles of life that would entrap us. Peter stepped out of the boat and joined Jesus in doing something no other man had ever done before. When Jesus said, “come,” Peter got out of the boat. It was a powerful moment of faith for Peter, followed by an equally low moment. He took his eyes off Jesus, just for a moment, to look at the storm, and he began to sink. He had stepped out of that boat with his eyes and his confidence fixed on Jesus, but as he began to look around, “when he saw the wind, he was afraid.” He began to look at his situation and his circumstances, and he had a "reality check". He began to think, “Wait a minute. I can’t walk on water!” That was when Peter started to sink.
Many of us have experienced something similar. God has called us to a task, and we have begun well enough, but we take our eyes off Him and begin to question ourselves. We look at the circumstances as the deciding factor in whether God's task can succeed or fail. We notice the wind and the storm, and we lose heart. Often, a crisis comes into our lives, and we begin to be engulfed by the situation. We wrongly believe that the challenge is too great, the conflict can’t be overcome, the wind is too strong. That is taking our eyes off Jesus. Sometimes we remove our focus from our God, who called and appointed us, and we begin to look at other people. It would not be surprising if Peter had looked back at the other 11 disciples still in the boat and thought, “Why are they in there and I’m out here?” It is altogether too easy to start paying attention to what other people are doing (and telling us to do), and we forget what Jesus has commanded us to do. Often things begin to fall apart when we look at ourselves. We second-guess ourselves and our situation. Even Peter came to the moment when he realized his own inability to walk on water. He was absolutely right! He could never do this thing in his own power. He would sink like a stone. Yet, for a moment, when he stepped out of the boat he wasn’t operating in his own power. He was walking in the power of Christ. When we walk in His power, recklessly obedient to His call, walking on water is like walking down a sidewalk. One of the amazing discoveries of walking with Christ is that it is in reckless obedience that we discover reckless grace. It is only when we are willing to step out of the boat in obedience that we are in a position to discover the awesome grace of God that is available to us. There are two important truths that we need to address. First, when we lose our focus on Jesus, we will sink. But it is equally true that even when we are sinking, Jesus is still there. His grace awaits our obedience by faith.
Peter would never have experienced the saving touch of Jesus in that moment if he had never stepped out of the boat. It is when we practice reckless obedience that we put ourselves in a position to discover reckless grace – grace without limits, grace that doesn’t depend on our abilities or our goodness, grace that reaches through a storm and brings us safely home.
Jesus Christ left behind the glories of heaven and came to live among us. And at Calvary, He covered us with the sacrifice of his own body. He gave Himself so that you and I can have life abundant. That is reckless grace. It is in reckless obedience that we discover reckless grace. How about you – are you ready to get out of the boat?
In His Grace,
Brownhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMrAafe7Mns
Praise the Lord for the way we can have dreams and visions from the Lord, the Creator of Heaven and earth. It has been written that without vision people perish. I was in a conference last year in Washington, DC, where one of the speakers was Dr. Michael Duduit. I first met Dr. DuDuit in Birmingham Alabama in 1992. In the words of Dr DuDuit, "Do you know what is the richest place in any city or town? It’s not the jewelry store, or the country club, or anything so modest as that. It’s the cemetery. Go by any cemetery – it’s full of riches that people carried to their graves. There are great songs that were never written, magnificent works of art never created, life-changing achievements never attempted, powerful testimonies for Christ never spoken. Can you think of anything more tragic than to go to your grave never having tasted the great things God made available to you – all because you never asked?" Victor Pentz, pastor of Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, one of the largest churches in America, said that when he was a young pastor he one day walked into his office with a pair of scissors and cut the word “impossible” out of his dictionary. That may sound silly, but it shows the kind of vision that God uses to transform churches, communities, and nations. Only when we expect great things from God are we prepared to receive great things from God. In Ephesians 3:20, Paul said, “God can do anything – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” (The Message) What would we attempt for God if we knew we couldn’t fail? The Lord Jesus stood by the sea of Galilee and called fishermen to reckless obedience. The fishermen left everything and followed Jesus with reckless abandon, without thought as to where the next meal was coming from or what chores must be done around the house. To live in reckless obedience indicates that we expect great things from God, but it also means that we will attempt great things for God. Faith is wonderful in the abstract, but there comes a moment of truth when we must get out of the boat and put our faith into action. Reckless obedience requires getting out of the boat. Many people have faith in theory, but on the night that Jesus came walking toward them across the water, only one disciple stepped out of the boat. Peter not only believed Jesus could enable him to walk on the water, but he acted on that belief. Faith is not simply knowing that God is there, that Jesus can save. It goes beyond mentally believing and requires doing something about that belief; it means getting out of the boat. In 1789, William Wilberforce stood before the British Parliament and called for an end to human slavery within the British Empire. Every year for the next 18 years he introduced a bill to end slavery, and every year for 18 years his bill was defeated, but he never gave up on his campaign. Then, in 1833, just four days before he died, Wilberforce saw Parliament pass a bill abolishing slavery. But it never would have happened if someone had not stepped out of the boat. In the late 1800’s, Wilbur and Orville Wright believed that “the age of the flying machine” had arrived, but for ten years their experiments continued to fail. Then, on December 17, 1903, on the sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, their little plane lifted off the beach and a new day of air travel had begun. It never would have happened if they had not moved their dreams from idea to reality. They had to step out of the boat. Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see. When we are willing to step out of the boat in reckless obedience, we are freed from the obstacles of life that would entrap us. Peter stepped out of the boat and joined Jesus in doing something no other man had ever done before. When Jesus said, “come,” Peter got out of the boat. It was a powerful moment of faith for Peter, followed by an equally low moment. He took his eyes off Jesus, just for a moment, to look at the storm, and he began to sink. He had stepped out of that boat with his eyes and his confidence fixed on Jesus, but as he began to look around, “when he saw the wind, he was afraid.” He began to look at his situation and his circumstances, and he had a "reality check". He began to think, “Wait a minute. I can’t walk on water!” That was when Peter started to sink.
Many of us have experienced something similar. God has called us to a task, and we have begun well enough, but we take our eyes off Him and begin to question ourselves. We look at the circumstances as the deciding factor in whether God's task can succeed or fail. We notice the wind and the storm, and we lose heart. Often, a crisis comes into our lives, and we begin to be engulfed by the situation. We wrongly believe that the challenge is too great, the conflict can’t be overcome, the wind is too strong. That is taking our eyes off Jesus. Sometimes we remove our focus from our God, who called and appointed us, and we begin to look at other people. It would not be surprising if Peter had looked back at the other 11 disciples still in the boat and thought, “Why are they in there and I’m out here?” It is altogether too easy to start paying attention to what other people are doing (and telling us to do), and we forget what Jesus has commanded us to do. Often things begin to fall apart when we look at ourselves. We second-guess ourselves and our situation. Even Peter came to the moment when he realized his own inability to walk on water. He was absolutely right! He could never do this thing in his own power. He would sink like a stone. Yet, for a moment, when he stepped out of the boat he wasn’t operating in his own power. He was walking in the power of Christ. When we walk in His power, recklessly obedient to His call, walking on water is like walking down a sidewalk. One of the amazing discoveries of walking with Christ is that it is in reckless obedience that we discover reckless grace. It is only when we are willing to step out of the boat in obedience that we are in a position to discover the awesome grace of God that is available to us. There are two important truths that we need to address. First, when we lose our focus on Jesus, we will sink. But it is equally true that even when we are sinking, Jesus is still there. His grace awaits our obedience by faith.
Peter would never have experienced the saving touch of Jesus in that moment if he had never stepped out of the boat. It is when we practice reckless obedience that we put ourselves in a position to discover reckless grace – grace without limits, grace that doesn’t depend on our abilities or our goodness, grace that reaches through a storm and brings us safely home.
Jesus Christ left behind the glories of heaven and came to live among us. And at Calvary, He covered us with the sacrifice of his own body. He gave Himself so that you and I can have life abundant. That is reckless grace. It is in reckless obedience that we discover reckless grace. How about you – are you ready to get out of the boat?
In His Grace,
Brownhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMrAafe7Mns
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