Who Are You Seeking?

“I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands.”

Psalm 119:10

As followers of Jesus Christ we are to be about His business daily. We are to be making a conscience effort to journey with Him.  We are to be seeking things of God in our pursuit of Godliness/Holiness.

The key words in those above sentences are, “We are…”  We are suppose to; however, life happens and our focus is taken off the King and onto the world.  Schedules, phone calls, unexpected changes in our daily routines, lack of sleep, health issues, personality conflicts; these and many others will try to edge in and take our focus off of Him. 

About two years ago, Kerry read an article about pursing God daily in a “self-focused” world. Shortly after reading that, 5 post-it notes went up in a place that we will see them every morning.  These five simple notes were reminders for us to start the day focused on the Creator of the universe instead of the trials and schedules of the day. The key words in that past sentence… “start the day focused.” Too often than not, we begin the day focused on our to-do list and not on His Hand in our life.  Yes, I am not denying that life happens at break neck speed and we must be organized and well thought out on our planning for our marriages, families, and work; however, without placing Christ as the central driving force in those decisions and outcomes, we are tilting to the windmills of the world.  Seek first His Kingdom and everything else falls into place.

So here are the five reminders that are written on post-it notes:

How would Your Spirit inspire me to pray today?

What acts of service can I do today to represent your Love?

What words can I utter that will honor and bless You?

What acts of worship can I do towards You?

Lord, how can I love You today?

May you continue to grow closer to the Lord each and every day!

A Growing Bond Servant to the King~

Joe 

A Growing Bond Servant to the King

Let me pose this question to you, "Who or what are you a Bond-Servant/Slave to?"  My prayer is that the question would stir up thoughts and emotions and make you think.  It did me.

To fully understand this question, we must define Bond-Servant.  It is the Greek word, doulos(1401), which means servant or slave.  One who voluntarily gives himself up to another’s will, devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interest. 

Great picture from that definition.  Paul refers to himself as a Bond-Servant to Christ five times in his letters.  Spiritual leaders of the New Testament; John, Peter, James, take the title of Bond-Servant.   

So let’s again approach the question, “Who or what are you a Bond-Servant to?”  What are you a slave to? There are the worldly desires that we can be a slave to that many times sound justifiable.  “I need to put in those long hours so as to support my family.”  “All these practices and activities are going to help my child become better rounded.” “I only drink so as to help unwind from the day, I don’t have a problem, and I am still in control.”  “I really deserve this (place in here any major expense that will place a financial strain on the family).”   See how easy it is to become a slave to work, money, our children, even alcohol?

Then, for some, it comes in the form of emotional desires; lust, anger, deceit, pride, negative expressions.  Do you find yourself frequently apologizing for your actions or at least having to explain why you reacted in that manner?  Is there the pull to give your emotions and feelings to someone other than your spouse? Are you one who needs to make sure your feelings of injustice are heard rather than allowing His will to unfold?

Jesus Christ is the only One to whom we should become a Bond-Servant.  The key is to be totally devoted to should voluntary submission to Him. When one says that he or she will serve Him, that they do it without regards to their own interests or selfish wants and desires. 

It starts with the command that Jesus gives us, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”  Luke 9:23 NASB emphasis mine   We must deny our motives and agenda, voluntarily submit our lives to Jesus daily, and begin walking with Him.

He, Himself, states, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5 NASB   It is a daily walk with our Lord and Savior.  It starts with repentance, turning from sin and turning to God, and then maintaining this relationship through obedience and faith. You must abide. 

Again, ask for God to reveal to you what you are allowing yourself to be a slave to. Things of this world or things of God?  When God shows you the unrighteousness in your life, start practicing the Truth, step into the Light and let your deeds be manifested as being wrought by God. 

A Growing Bond-Servant to Jesus Christ,

Joe 

Start The Day Focused

“I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands.”

Psalm 119:10

As followers of Jesus Christ we are to be about His business daily. We are to be making a conscience effort to journey with Him.  We are to be seeking things of God in our pursuit of Godliness/Holiness.

The key words in those above sentences are, “We are…”  We are suppose to; however, life happens and our focus is taken off the King and onto the world.  Schedules, phone calls, unexpected changes in our daily routines, lack of sleep, health issues, personality conflicts; these and many others will try to edge in and take our focus off of Him. 

About two years ago, Kerry read an article about pursing God daily in a “self-focused” world. Shortly after reading that, 5 post-it notes went up in a place that we will see them every morning.  These five simple notes were reminders for us to start the day focused on the Creator of the universe instead of the trials and schedules of the day. The key words in that past sentence… “start the day focused.” Too often than not, we begin the day focused on our to-do list and not on His Hand in our life.  Yes, I am not denying that life happens at break neck speed and we must be organized and well thought out on our planning for our marriages, families, and work; however, without placing Christ as the central driving force in those decisions and outcomes, we are tilting to the windmills of the world.  Seek first His Kingdom and everything else falls into place.

So here are the five reminders that are written on post-it notes:

How would Your Spirit inspire me to pray today?

What acts of service can I do today to represent your Love?

What words can I utter that will honor and bless You?

What acts of worship can I do towards You?

Lord, how can I love You today?

May you continue to grow closer to the Lord each and every day!

A Growing Bond Servant to the King~

Joe 

Peace: God's Definition

Last year we, my three ladies and I, started doing a family Bible study together.  We wanted to take time to discuss His Word in-depth.  It has been a blessing and encouragement to be able to see how He is truly working in my daughters lives and to see their spiritual growth.  Our first night together we began by discussing Pastor Larry’s message.  We went to Romans 12:9-21 to discuss our walk with the Lord.  As always, God parked me at a verse and it began to wrought my heart. 

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”  Rom 12:18

The word peace struck me.  Not on a global or civic level, but on the level of a family. When we, the Vivian family, are not at peace with one another, there becomes an uneasiness and awkwardness throughout the entire household.  All it takes is the selfishness of one and the stubbornness of another to make this conflict complete, and then peace seems elusive. 

So let’s define the word peace as it is translated from the Greek.  In verse 18 it means to be reconciled to or to bring into harmony.  Harmony: What a great picture word. Here’s the thing about harmony; it’s about listening to the other parts, the other singers.  If you want to sing in harmony, you have to be willing to listen to the other parts to blend and sing. And so it is also for those who are in harmony that they must maintain their pitch.  Noah Webster’s 1828 defines harmony as, “The just adaptation of parts to each other, in any system or composition of things, intended to form a connected whole. Accordance in facts; as the harmony of the gospels.” A group of singers will not succumb to the altered notes of one who is not in harmony. No, if Truth is what is being sought, then we all must maintain our obedience to His Word. We must not water down our harmony to pacify those in disharmony.  

Are you seeing the picture? Verse 18 teaches us that it is our responsibility to seek peace with all, “so far as it depends on you,” however; we are not to compromise His Truth.   We need to listen to the other involved to understand their perspective of the conflict.  We need to be willing to listen first. Many times in conflict, we as Christians become blame-shifters.  We have a Biblical responsibility to seek peace, seek harmony with our brother or sister we are in conflict with, while all the time seeking His guidance through prayer and obedience to the Word.

Can you see how a family is a good example of peace and harmony?  When one member is in conflict, it ripples out to the entire family and harmony becomes absent.  If the disharmony continues, it begins to ripple out even further; friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. 

I love how His Word can reveal so much in such simple truth. 

Let’s all take time to be at peace in our families first and then ripple that peace, that harmony, to all we encounter.  Don’t forget, peace begins with obedience to King Jesus.

A Growing Bond-Servant of the King~

Joe

Viewing Others thru God's Lens

Looks can be deceiving. Judgments are made without regard to the individual; ideas and perceptions are placed into motion with little regard for the consequences of those initial thoughts. 

            I pre-judged some individuals and immediately categorized them into a Class and Group.  Boy, was I ever wrong.  The Lord used that moment not only to humble my heart but also to teach me unconditional love and to remind me of my daughter’s actions when she was 5 years old; she is now almost 17.

            We were shopping in Target one afternoon when she asked if she could go pick out her cereal in the next aisle.  Before I could answer, she had scampered off around the corner.  As I was rounding the corner, I witnessed the love of God. 

            Samantha was assisting a young man, probably 14 years old, who has Down’s syndrome.  She was reading the names of the cereals to him and informing him on which was her favorite as she asked him which was his.  Their conversation continued for another minute or so, with laughter and thanks being expressed.  The young man walked off with his cereal box while Samantha was still examining her choices.   

            I approached her with a smile that could melt the Poles.  I told her how proud I was of her and her showing of love to another individual.  She looked at me and gave a response that will forever be sealed in my memory.  She said, “What’s the big deal, Dad?  He is no different than me; he was also created in the image of God.”  With that, I realized, she gets it when many of us don’t.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness….”

Genesis 1:26a

            The application here is we should all take time to reflect on His beauty and love.  For before we pre-judge or make decisions on individuals, young or old, rich or poor, we need to stop and look at them as if we were looking at the face of God.  That is showing Christ’s Love to all. That God-centered view will bring us closer to Him.

A Growing Bond Servant of the King~

Joe