John 18

Two points from that stood out to me from John 18:

1) The Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees came looking for Jesus with lanterns and torches and weapons. 
It is interesting that after all this time these people felt that they needed to bring lanterns and weapons to approach our Lord. Our Lord is the Light and He has the almighty Power, yet his life on earth was one of one full of peace. He was able to live this life even while knowing why He was here on earth. We are those that have the life of Christ in us, do our lives testify of the character of Christ? Do people feel that they need to approach us ready to fight?

2) Peter was ready to die for the Lord in the garden but could not stand for Him during everyday events.
 I've always looked at Peter's action of cutting of Malchus's ear as one of foolishness but this time I have to admire what he did. Even though he acted in a way that he wasn't supposed to, Peter was ready to defend our Lord even if it meant death. In John 13 Peter declares that he will lay down his life for the Lord and here in John 18 he is ready to do just that. This could be considered a defining moment in Peter's life, a moment where he had to risk his life to stand up for Christ and he was able to do it. I admire Peter in this matter because I'm not sure if I have those real defining moments where I stood up for Christ even to the point of "death". But we find that Peter later denies our Lord three times in moments that were less "exciting". I guess this could be compared to our everyday walk in the world, when the the "Roman cohort" isn't attacking us. How much easier it is to deny our Lord when we go about the mundane everyday tasks? We let our guard down and then we quickly find ourselves denying the life of Christ that is living inside of us.

Functioning in the Body.

I'm quite familiar with the verse in 1 Corinthians that speaks about the many members that make up the Body of Christ but the past few days I've been reflecting on what they actually means for me. We've been having some fellowship about the function of the PGG group within the church and quite honestly I had no idea. We agree that we need to be united by the same vision but to me that's was just Christian lingo that we throw around because it sounds right. In reality we haven't received a clear vision from the Lord and that's why there's been so much confusion.

Being in the PGG group is a unique period of life. We are at a point where we are starting to serve in multiple capacities in the Body: the children's ministry, worship team, middle or high school groups, CGG, adult ministry. This is a blessing but I feel that at times we can easily get lost in these services and lose sight of why we're doing them. I'm not sure if I have the answer but I think that our function as the PGG group within the body is to bear one another's burdens.

Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

Galatians 6: 2, 10

What better time than now for us to learn to bear each other's burdens and to serve one another, whether through diligent prayer or actual acts of service when prompted by the Holy Spirit. Being single really frees me up from a lot of the responsibilities so I should view this time as a blessing, the perfect time to learn how to function in this way in the body. Who knows what life will be like once I'm married with kids. lol I definitely won't have the same freedom to just drop everything and serve when led by the Spirit. I am however reminded that all this must stem from love. Without the love of Christ it will be impossible to function in this way with a joyful heart. 

A Little Leaven

I was convicted by the Lord today about overstepping the line when it came to trying to make the "right" decision about a situation. Throughout our conversations I felt like we were going in circles and we always ended up more confused than we had started. Tonight I suddenly felt the Lord telling me why things were so confusing, we had forgotten to ask the Lord about His decision. I had allowed man's voice and reasoning to enter into my mind and had blocked out the voice of our Lord, That's why I couldn't feel peaceful about any decision that was being made. So often we seek after the advice of man, and the advice might even be good, but unless we ask the Lord for His way, we will never feel at peace. 

As I was getting ready for bed I was led to read Galatians 5 where it talks about walking by the Spirit. 

You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. 

Galatians 5:7

It doesn't take much, just a little leaven, and we lose clarity in our life. It is only when we walk by the Spirit will we be able to resist the desires of the flesh. We don't need to stray far from this path and all of a sudden the thoughts of the flesh come flooding in and we lose our sense of direction and peace. If He calls us to do something we need to follow, we cannot allow anything else to persuade us otherwise.

I think I was reminded of this not only for myself but that I need to trust the leading of the Spirit in my brothers and sisters. We may not see what they see, but we need to trust that they are sincere before the Lord and that the Lord is working in their life. We all make mistakes but that's why we need the Blood of the Lamb. He is gracious and merciful towards us and as long as we have the heart He can continue to work. 

To Contend.

When it comes to everyday tasks I can be a somewhat proactive person. I like making lists of what needs to be done the next day and it gives me a sense of accomplishment when I can mentally cross them off. However, when it comes to spiritual matters I must confess that I am rather passive. I could argue that I'm allowing the Lord to have His way in me but if I were being honest with myself I would see that that isn't the case, my self-will is still very strong. 

I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand I will not be shaken.

Psalm 16: 8

I've been reminded that choosing to follow the Lord is an active decision that must be made daily. It is so easy for the enemy to convince us that we don't NEED the Lord to get through the day and in some ways he's right. I may miss devotions one day and find that I have no problem getting through the day. I may even miss them two days in a row and I can still finish my to-do list. This is what the enemy does. It's such a gradual lie that we don't realize we are slowly drifting away from the path of our Lord. Then when things start to get rough we wonder how it happened. As I start off each day I must make the conscious decision to choose Life, to set the Lord continually before me. 

You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Psalm 16:11

2014

2013 was a rough year but I am thankful that through the difficulties the Lord was able to reveal more of Himself to me. As I move into 2014 I pray that I would not forget the hard lessons I learned but that I would be able to build upon them and grow deeper in my relationship with the Lord. I haven't set any new years resolutions for many years because I was always disappointed by the fact that I could never keep them but I feel like I should at least try to form some concrete resolutions for this year. I understand that I can't keep them by my own strength but that as I bring them before the Lord He is faithful and is the one that does the keeping. 

The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times. You, O Lord, will keep them; You will preserve him from this generation forever.

Psalm 12: 6-7

So...here are my prayers before the Lord for the year 2014:

1. To be able to find joy in Him.

There are many things that may happen this year that I will be not content with, whether it is life circumstances or perceptions I have about myself, but I realize that this should not define my sense of joy in the Lord. Being content in the Lord doesn't mean that I need to be happy with life on this earth; being content in the Lord is a deeper sense of satisfaction that exists even when I'm unsettled by my earthly circumstances. 

 

2. To treasure His Words.

Finding satisfaction in the Lord is impossible if I don't spend time with Him. I've struggled with spending quiet time before the Lord in the past and my prayer is that the Lord would burden me with the desire to treasure His word and the time I spend in His presence. This blog was created as a way to document the work that the Lord has been doing in my life but I haven't been very good with staying consistent. Honestly, it's probably a pretty good reflection of my condition before the Lord. My prayer for this year is that I would give Him the time He deserves each day and use this blog as a way of remembering His speaking/working in my life. 

3. To be obedient before the Lord.

In the parable of the blind man, the Lord placed mud on the eyes of the blind man but he needed to be obedient to the Lord's command to go to wash it off. The Lord sometimes burdens me with something or reveals something that He's doing in my life but I am unwilling to take the step to obey and submit to His leading. In this next year I pray that I would allow Him to soften my heart so that I would be obedient before Him, whether it is letting of something I've been clinging onto or taking up something I've been avoiding.

Out of the Depths (Psalm 130)

Out of the depths, O Lord, I cry to you
When I am tempted to despair
Though I might fail to trust Your promises
You never fail to hear my prayer
And if You judged my sin
I'd never stand again
But I see mercy in Your hands

So more than watchmen for the morning
I will wait for You, my God
When my fears come with no warning
In Your Word I'll put my trust
When the harvest time is over and I still see no fruit
I will wait, I will wait for you

The secret mysteries belong to You
We only know what You reveal
And all my questions that are unresolved
Don't change the wisdom of Your will
In every trial and loss
My hope is in the cross
Where Your compassions never fail


-Sovereign Grace

Why should I see His Kingdom?

Just a simple thought that came to me this morning from a verse we're all very familiar with:

But seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:33

I realized that I've been looking at this verse wrong. Why is it that I desire to seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness? Is it so that "all these things will be added to me". I've always had this mindset that when we seek after the things of God then He will bless us with all the things we want. In a way that isn't wrong, I mean He does bless us as we follow Him but that isn't the desire of His heart. He doesn't want us to seek Him just so that He'll bless us. He wants us to seek after the things of Him because of who He is. 

As we learn to let go of the things in our life we find that He is a loving, merciful, and faithful God. Not only that, but He is the God who is seated upon the throne. When we realize these things our desire to seek after His Kingdom and His Righteousness becomes a natural thing. We don't do it for the blessings that follow; we do it because He Himself is worth it.