Exercise

Yea, so I'm 41, I'm bald and I'm overweight. I can't do anything about the first two but the last one I'm going to attempt to do something about. I actually ran a little bit (a very little bit) yesterday for the first time in years. I hated going to do it, hated the doing of it, but I was refreshed and felt great afterwards. Today I got suckered into playing softball...haven't done that since I was 19. I actually hit the ball and scored the winning run. Not too shabby for an old, bald, fat man!

Not only am I exercising my body but also my mind. I'm spending time reading the Bible and some commentaries, specifically in 1st Thessalonians. It's good stuff for my thoughts.

Lastly I'm exercising my faith. I'm trusting God for direction in my life, for my purpose and my future. I'm not sure where he will take me but I trust Him.

So exercise is a three part process...one without the other two just won't do!

Obey

In my quiet time this morning I read Deuteronomy Chapter 11. In this chapter God commands the Israelites to “love the lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul”. Simple. To love God and serve him with my whole heart requires a bending of my will (what I want) to His will (what I need). I’ve heard this saying all of my life, “what I want is not always what I need and what I need isn’t always what I want”. I need God thus I must obey.

I suddenly remember an old church hymn, Trust and obey.

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He
sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in
Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly
drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide
while we trust and obey.
Refrain

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth
richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is
blessed if we trust and obey.
Refrain

But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the
altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for
them who will trust and obey.
Refrain

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet.
Or we’ll walk by
His side in the way.
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.
Refrain

The truth of scripture (Deut. 11, John 17, Romans 6) is that if when we
obey God promises his strength, blessings, protection from evil, unity in faith
and purpose, and to lead us into righteousness.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.

Uh, Huh Christianity

O.k. I know I've been using YouTube way too much on my last posts but I continue to find things on there that make me muse and are worthy of sharing with you. The latest is about Revival. I've been praying for revival in my community and in the Church for a while now. I will continue to pray until it happens.

The following YouTube post is a little lengthy but give it time....it will cause you think, pray and if you are like me it will give you hope for revival. At about the 16th minute you'll see why I titled this post as Uh, Huh Christianity. Are you an Uh, huh Christian?

Has 20 years really passed since Shine Jesus shine was contemporary?

Check out this video. When I first heard music like this in the Church I was stunned. Gone were the days of using our Hymnals with a piano and organ. This was radical stuff. Of course today we sing some really rockin' worship music that makes this sound like your Grandparents music but it really touched me as I began my journey with Christ. Enjoy!

Newsboys - He Reigns

This is one of my all time favorite songs. I listened to it a lot as I served the Lord in Ghana. Listen to the words, recognize that God Reigns on ALL the Earth and be blessed!

Praise

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord all you nations; extol him, all you
peoples.

For Great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of
the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord.

I’ve been thinking a lot about praise. Do I praise my kids enough, do I praise my coworkers enough, and do I praise my spouse enough? More importantly do I praise God enough? I know the answer…it’s a rhetorical question.

There are over 130 instances in the Bible where praise is mentioned. Praise is defined as “to express a favorable judgment of”; to glorify especially by the attribution of perfections; expression of approval, commendation or admiration.”

Scripture commands us to praise God with our lips and our actions, hmmm. When I visited Ghana I noticed a huge difference between Christians there and here in America. In Ghana they recognized their dependence on God. In America we depend on ourselves, our government, our economy and everyone but God. In Ghana it was common place to hear someone say “Praise God” or “Praise the Lord” or “Thank you Jesus” when they received something of worth. Their first response was to praise God, not the deliverer of the thing of worth but the GIVER of the thing of worth. Because they depend on God they praise him.

So maybe the question is, do I depend on God, have I totally given everything to Him, am I totally sold out for Him and if so won’t the result of that be praise? I want to Praise God more. Scripture commands it.

Praise God for my salvation! Praise God for my family! Praise God for my employers! Praise God for my Church! Praise God for the men and women that give their lives toward full time low pay ministry! Praise God for the men, women and children that have heard the voice of God and have left everything in obedience to serve Him on the mission field! Praise God for people that put reaching people for Christ ahead of their financial gain! Praise God for forgiving me every time I mess up (and it’s frequent)! Praise God because He is God!

I plan to praise God more, not just here on my blog but every where to everyone.

Lord you are my all-in-all, my purpose for existing, my hope for eternity. You are perfect, loving, strong, resolute and faithful. I will praise you to the nations; I will extol you in my life.

Boasting

The Word is sufficient and all my thoughts are worthless. What makes you proud? Your family, job, spouse, house, the Braves, the Falcons, your college sports teams? What are you proud of? Did you know that everyone who spends time with you can tell? If you are with someone long enough you’ll know what they are proud of because at some point they’ll boast about it. I do, you do, we all do. So what do you boast about? You should only be boasting of one thing.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 - "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong
man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who
boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord,
who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I
delight," declares the Lord.