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Sifting

Sifting

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

So much on my mind this morning; so much intensely personal on so many ways, God is stirring my soul. I am struggling how to communicate them to you, without becoming all about me, not to give the wrong impression, and let you know that God may be doing the same thing in your heart and life. I heard a great pastor talk yesterday about how people come up to him, and tell him how they are feeling the tug of God on their lives, and ask his advice. What did he say to them? He discouraged them, for they must understand the realities of ministry. But, he said he did this in no fear of God, because God will always get his man; he knew this personally in his testimony. I know in mine that I thought I could do it my way, and oh how He is still showing me today that my ways are not His. If you ever want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans!

This passage in Luke is much more than a OneMinuteMinsitry; it is a sermon, a sermon series, a lifestyle, an attitude, a heart checkup with God. Anything, and I mean anything that holds a higher level in your life before God is an idol that you serve. Anything that you put above prayer, time in His Word, and service to him, is an idol in your life. It can be work, play, hobbies, people, habits, goals; look at your own lists. Christ told us that we are to become his disciples as his last words to us as he ascended into heaven. He told us the requirements of discipleship; Luke 14:33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. If you are trying to get closer to God, you must forsake those things he will be showing you that you put before him.

Do you know sifting is? We all think of sifting flour, but it also means “to examine thoroughly so as to isolate that which is most important or useful.” Remember when Satan came to God and asked permission to sift Peter? Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. Things in your life, thoughts in your head, things that seem to be struggling or collapsing, may be because God is letting Satan bounce you around in a sifter to examine you. Will you let go of the impurities in your life? Will you let go of your idols? Will you let your work come second? Will you let, what seems to be crumbling, lie in the hands of Who truly holds it in their hands? All this shaking up of your life is God letting Satan do his dirty work, and all of it can backfire on Satan when you draw closer to God as a result of his sifting. Look up, for a sifter is open at the top.

Simple songs of praise

12 Jun

Simple songs of praise

Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

I am really tired today; been putting in some very long hours for a couple of weeks getting ramped up for summer in the air conditioning business. I have also been wrapped up in a self-study of Revelation 3, and the Laodecian church that is a very heavy passage. The language is very strong, and the emotion and disgust that Christ shows towards indifference is painfully clear. I did not know if I had the “energy” for it this morning. As I sat down to pray, a bird began it’s morning praise song right outside my window; peace came over me with it’s song. A simple joy in life, to listen to it’s song of praise and and joy for the dawning of a new day. I thanked God for that little reminder He had placed before me this morning.

In the context of the passage above, it comes from the Sermon on the Mount when Christ is speaking to us about worry. It is also in the more direct context of worrying about money; this is especially relevant to me working 80hrs a week now in my busiest time of the year. 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. 25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? I will make 60-70% of my yearly income in the summer months. Brutally honest, I am in the pursuit of money during this time of the year; making hay when the sun shines, as they say. It pulls me away from so many things, and is incredibly demanding physically and mentally. Inside it is the pressures of a service business and all the worry that come with a business that can qualify many times as emergent with the heat. The worry can put great strain on my life in all areas of my life.

Then God gives me simple blessings to encourage me along the way. He gives me a bird singing this morning; He gives me front porch conversation with a pastor friend full of encouragement; He gives me opportunities to share my faith and pray with customers along the way. Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. These little things that He places in my path give me the energy to press on to another day. Why should I worry? God has placed the smallest creatures under his care, and they sing praises to him as the day arises. I sing my praises to Him at this keyboard every morning. Thank you Jesus!

Duplexes

10 Sep

Duplexes

Exodus 20: 3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

Oh, but I don’t Lord. I will get back into church and my pursuit of You after I ______________. After I get the project done, the game played, the work completed, the rest I need, the..the..the… It was a while into my walk as a Christian that I began to see and somewhat understand this scripture. I felt good about myself and trying to better my life by going to church and seeking God. But God also began to reveal what I was placing BEFORE Him, and that I was giving Him my left overs. Much more than just Sunday, or even if you think about it only a couple hours on Sunday, is putting 164 hours a week ahead of God.

Pastor Jack yesterday so passionately conveyed that everything we have comes from God in a heartfelt plea. Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. There has to be a point in your walk as a Christian that you come to this realization. Without this realization you will never move forward in your growth and worship. You must realize there is no “me” in all your achievements, but Him in the provision of them. The longer the me stays in your mindset, the pride of those thoughts chain you down from growing in your relationship and faith that eternally saves. Pride kills any chance of becoming a true disciple of Christ. I believe Jacks quote was, “His place in your heart can never be a duplex.”

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Unfortunately in our society this is many times our idol; the pursuit of success and stuff. As a guy I know that hobbies can turn into idols for that is a huge part of my testimony. Anything that we put before God can become an idol, or in reality already is if we realize it comes before God and our pursuit of Him. If you can’t see it before your eyes, spend some time praying for God to open them. But realize He will show you, and call you to obedience of the removal of the idol in your life. Once it is revealed, leaving that idol in your life at that level is direct disobedience to the scripture above. Break the chain that is holding you back from gaining all you desire with God through the removal of what you place before Him.

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Sifting

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