Thursday, March 29, 2018

COLLIDE

What the world says works and what the world says is right is going to collide with what the Bible says is good and right.

Is it going to be the Bible that says, 'This is how things work,' or will it be our experience that says, 'Nope, this is how it works?'

Let me just take my Bible and make it mean what I want it to mean.  Let me pull a Scripture out of absolutely nowhere and go, 'See!?'

Can God be trusted to lead us into the richest possible life?  If He can, then we must take the Word of God and apply it rather than our experiences.  Because God is God and because we're created, He's going to disagree with us - a lot.  Because God is eternal and we are not, there are going to be things that don't make sense to us.

In those moments, may our play be, "We'll submit to Your Word as it's written," and not go, "Well, golly - times are changing.  I think Jesus needs a little makeover."

Listen up.  To change Him is to be rid of Him.

Fully commit to Him and to His word.  Hold it fast in your heart.

And be blessed.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

WISELY

Not to be morbid about it, but you have a death date.  So do I.

There's a set amount of time given - and a set amount of time left - decided by God.  Pre-determined.  Only HE knows.

I think we forget that our days are numbered by God.

The truth is, whatever you think you have a lot of, you tend to squander.  But anything you think you have a limited amount of, you use wisely.

If you have a lot of money in the bank, you don't care if the lights stay on when you aren't home.  But if you're strapped to pay the utility bill every month, you're going, 'Shut the door!  Were you born in a barn or something?'

If the doc tells you have a month to live, you're going to spend those thirty days differently than if you thought you had thirty years to live.

James says:  'You do not know what tomorrow brings.  You are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.'  (James 4:14)

There's a death date for everybody.

'It is appointed for man to die once.  After that comes judgment.'  (Hebrews 9:27)

That's nobody's life verse.  You don't put that one on your fridge.  But it's still true.

Invest it wisely.

And be blessed.

Monday, March 19, 2018

? ? ? ? ? ? ?

The greatest test of culture in the final days is going to be:  Will you have the courage and strength to love the God you say you serve?

Will you have the resolve to stand for what you believe -- or will you worship YOU?  Will you worship success and fame?  Will you seek to be worshipped because you're so powerful?  Will you be run by your feelings?

What will you worship?

Jesus tells us to 'Love God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength.'  (Mark 12:30)

All.

Heart & Soul = Affections & Emotions

What do you love most with your emotions?  Because one of the things the spirit of Antichrist has managed to do over the years is to water down real worship.

One of our primary purposes at Journey Church (www.jrnychurch.com) is Passionate Worship, emphasis on Passionate.  That isn't music alone, of course, but music is a big part of it.  As a former worship leader (for 20+ years), music is important to me.  Even more vital, it's important to God.  Check out the longest book in the Bible, the book of Psalms - for all intents and purposes, a songbook.

But if you ask the average person about what worship in church is supposed to be, many will say: 'It should be quiet;  somber, even.'

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

The Bible says to worship God with some volume - with out-and-out strength.  Don't water that down.  Worship exuberantly - passionately.

It's a way-too-easy go-to on this, but when the football team scores the last second Hail Mary, what percentage of the fans are standing, waving, hands lifted, screaming, filled with joy, including the fans in your living room?

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

100% - if it's your team.

That's worship right there, friends.  That's the book of Psalms all over, except that the object of their worship is off.  That's a worship check-up for us all.

And really, if the Creator of the Universe could get some of us to show 1/10th of the heart-and-soul emotion and affection for Him that we have for our favorite football team . . . because we'll scream bloody murder for the green-and-gold (in our case) and then come Sunday morning and sit with our hands clasped in our lap with lemon-lips.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Think about that from God's perspective.

You say you love Me - so give Me some heart - give Me some soul - give Me some affection - give Me some emotion.

Mind & Strength = Attention & Abilities

What do you think about most?  Because what you think about most becomes what you worship.  Where does God place on your list?  Is He number one?  Because that's the only place He'll take.

And be blessed.

Sunday, March 11, 2018

SELF

There are a lot of things we worship today.  They all stand on the shoulders of self.

We also worship success, but it stands on the shoulders of self.

We worship fame, but it stands on the shoulders of self.

We worship ambition, but it stands on the shoulders of self.

In fact, that's the story of how all our troubles started in the first place - over success, fame, ambition - over worship of self.

The Old Testament book of Isaiah tells the story of how Satan, once known as Lucifer - an angel of God - fell from heaven because he wanted to be worshipped instead of God being worshipped.

Lucifer was in charge of the music in heaven - the worship leader.  And Isaiah tells us Lucifer wanted that worship for himself.

That didn't go over well with God, so God cast him out of heaven down to earth.  We see him represented in the Garden of Eden in the form of a serpent.

After all that got messed up, one of the major things God did to start putting it all back into order is that He created -- YOU.  He created you with this unique distinction, because now God has an unemployed and bitter former angel on the earth and no worship leader in heaven - and guess who He's given that assignment to now?

You.

Isn't that fantastic?

That's why Satan hates you so much.  He isn't some cute demon in a red jumpsuit with horns and a pitchfork sticking you in the heinie every now and then.  He's angry because you now possess the worship of God.  That was his job and you've stolen it.

It is for God's pleasure that you were created.  That's one of the things you'll do forever - praise and worship the Creator God.

He gave you the ability to create music.

You say, 'No, I can't create music.'

Yes, you can.  You can play it and sing it.  That's why we can be so consumed with music.  It's why we play it in our cars.  It's why we download it to our devices.  It's why we go to concerts.  It's why we turn out by the mass hundreds for church worship nights.  We're deeply impacted by music.

God gave you an instrument with your voice.  All of you.  'Make a joyful noise to the Lord,' the Bible says.

'Oh PK, if you ever heard me sing . . . '

I don't want to hear you sing -- but God does.

He said in Psalm 150:  "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."

Do you have breath?

It's what you were created to do.

And be blessed.