As we live a life consumed by God we will find our lives being transformed into His likeness. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says: “We all with unveiled faces are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.” I find the more I think about transformation two questions come up. First, do I want to be transformed and second, how am I transformed?
Do I want to be transformed? Transformation has a cost and am I willing to pay the cost? What will I have to sacrifice in order to be transformed? These are personal and often times painful questions we must ask as we search our hearts. Take a moment to soul search before you continue. Do you want transformation in your life?
So you want to be transformed. What next? First you must have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus. For He is the Only Way, the Only Truth and the Only Life, you cannot connect to God without Jesus in your heart and life. Titus 3:5 says: “He saved us not by works of righteousness that we had done but according to His Mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit." After establishing that you have a relationship with God you must put aside things that are not glorifying to Him. Ephesians 4:22 & 23 tells us our old selves are corrupted by deceitful desires and our minds will be renewed by the Holy Spirit when we put them aside. Romans 12:2 says: “Do not be conformed but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good pleasing and perfect will of God.” How do we renew our minds? Let’s see, read your Bible and pray…regular worship attendance and discipleship with other believers helps too!
Transformation is a long process and you could argue that it is never complete in this life. Are you ready to begin? Take the first step.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Consumed
I have been doing a lot of soul searching the last two weeks and have not found all the answers I am seeking but have come upon some thoughts I’d like to share. The first one is founded around the word consume.
CONSUME. To Consume: to do away with completely; to spend wastefully; to eat or drink especially in great quantity; to engage fully.
Consume can be either good or bad depending on how we look at it. If we let a situation consume us to the point where we are no good to anyone, including ourselves, we are consumed badly. I have allowed my circumstances the last several weeks consume me and rob me of my joy, this is a horrible way to be consumed and yet I have allowed it to happen. I know it is ok to grieve and be sad but I must not allow it to consume my every moment. God gives us grace to make it through so I need to keep my eyes focused on Him. Are you being consumed by something and allowing it to take your joy?
So, what is consumed in a good or beneficial way? In Psalms, David writes, "Zeal for Your house will consume me." God is referred to as an all consuming fire. It we allow ourselves to be consumed by the fire of God, we will put away things that separate us from Him and others. By doing this we allow Him to use and transform us into His likeness. By becoming more like Him, our lives will be changed along with the lives of those around us.
Allow God to CONSUME you, not the things that will keep you down.
Be CONSUMED and Transformed.
CONSUME. To Consume: to do away with completely; to spend wastefully; to eat or drink especially in great quantity; to engage fully.
Consume can be either good or bad depending on how we look at it. If we let a situation consume us to the point where we are no good to anyone, including ourselves, we are consumed badly. I have allowed my circumstances the last several weeks consume me and rob me of my joy, this is a horrible way to be consumed and yet I have allowed it to happen. I know it is ok to grieve and be sad but I must not allow it to consume my every moment. God gives us grace to make it through so I need to keep my eyes focused on Him. Are you being consumed by something and allowing it to take your joy?
So, what is consumed in a good or beneficial way? In Psalms, David writes, "Zeal for Your house will consume me." God is referred to as an all consuming fire. It we allow ourselves to be consumed by the fire of God, we will put away things that separate us from Him and others. By doing this we allow Him to use and transform us into His likeness. By becoming more like Him, our lives will be changed along with the lives of those around us.
Allow God to CONSUME you, not the things that will keep you down.
Be CONSUMED and Transformed.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Chase the Lion - Week 5
Embrace – to take up especially or gladly
Uncertainty – the quality or state of doubt and skepticism
Is uncertainty a quality that makes life better or worth living? I think so, uncertainty in life allows faith to enter giving you a great life, well not boring.
As long as you have spiritual certainty you can face circumstantial uncertainties. As long as you have a relationship with God, there is nothing you can’t handle.
Oswald Chambers said it best: “To be certain of God is to be uncertain in all our ways. You never know what a day may bring. This is generally said with a sign of sadness; it should rather be an expression of breathless expectation.”
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
God asks us to give up our certainties to follow Him. What certainties do you need to give up?
God has plans for our lives, it is not up to us to know them but to trust Him!
Uncertainty – the quality or state of doubt and skepticism
Is uncertainty a quality that makes life better or worth living? I think so, uncertainty in life allows faith to enter giving you a great life, well not boring.
As long as you have spiritual certainty you can face circumstantial uncertainties. As long as you have a relationship with God, there is nothing you can’t handle.
Oswald Chambers said it best: “To be certain of God is to be uncertain in all our ways. You never know what a day may bring. This is generally said with a sign of sadness; it should rather be an expression of breathless expectation.”
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
God asks us to give up our certainties to follow Him. What certainties do you need to give up?
God has plans for our lives, it is not up to us to know them but to trust Him!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Chase the Lion - week 4
Reframe - to recondition a mental attitude or outlook
Problem - a source of perplexity, distress or vexation
Who you become is not determined by your circumstances, but by your outlook.
We may not be able to change our circumstances but we can change how we view them.
“If you want to see yourself the way God sees you, you need to look through the frame of Scripture. If you don’t, you’ll have identity issues.”
Philippians 1:29
”For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him..”
God grants us the favor of suffering for Him…This is a hard passage for me to swallow. However, it helps me reframe my circumstances.
Here are a few of the verses that came up last night:
James 1:26
“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”
James 1:19-20
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
James 3:14-16
14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
We all agreed that we liked the statement: “I may not want to write it, you may not want to read it, but God uses adversity to expand our capacity to serve Him.”
I challenge you to reframe any problems you have with scripture. Remember the adage NO PAIN, NO GAIN. Try this spiritualized version: NO ADVERSITY, NO OPPORTUNITY; KNOW ADVERSITY, KNOW OPPORUTNITY.
Problem - a source of perplexity, distress or vexation
Who you become is not determined by your circumstances, but by your outlook.
We may not be able to change our circumstances but we can change how we view them.
“If you want to see yourself the way God sees you, you need to look through the frame of Scripture. If you don’t, you’ll have identity issues.”
Philippians 1:29
”For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him..”
God grants us the favor of suffering for Him…This is a hard passage for me to swallow. However, it helps me reframe my circumstances.
Here are a few of the verses that came up last night:
James 1:26
“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”
James 1:19-20
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
James 3:14-16
14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
We all agreed that we liked the statement: “I may not want to write it, you may not want to read it, but God uses adversity to expand our capacity to serve Him.”
I challenge you to reframe any problems you have with scripture. Remember the adage NO PAIN, NO GAIN. Try this spiritualized version: NO ADVERSITY, NO OPPORTUNITY; KNOW ADVERSITY, KNOW OPPORUTNITY.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Chase the Lion - Week 3
face - to confront boldly
fear - an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation of danger.
What separates lion-chasers from everyone else...lion-chasers chase after their fears and confront them while everyone else seems to run from them.
Think about it like this a lion-chaser says here kitty kitty while jumping into the pit with the lion while everyone elses is running away from the lion.
God's will is for us to be revolutionaries while Satan wants us to be reactionaries. God is not a God of fear and wants us to be bold in our pursuit of Him.
It is easy to act like a Christian but it is much harder to react like one...where do you fit in?
"The grace of God turns final mistakes into single mistakes"
Challenge for this week start chasing rather than running.
fear - an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation of danger.
What separates lion-chasers from everyone else...lion-chasers chase after their fears and confront them while everyone else seems to run from them.
Think about it like this a lion-chaser says here kitty kitty while jumping into the pit with the lion while everyone elses is running away from the lion.
God's will is for us to be revolutionaries while Satan wants us to be reactionaries. God is not a God of fear and wants us to be bold in our pursuit of Him.
It is easy to act like a Christian but it is much harder to react like one...where do you fit in?
"The grace of God turns final mistakes into single mistakes"
Challenge for this week start chasing rather than running.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Chase the Lion Week 2
Colossians 4:5: "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity."
Seizing opportunities is a part of Spiritual Maturity that we often miss. God puts opportunities in our path every day, sometimes the may look like a 500 pound hairy problem, but are really an opportunity waiting to happen. When we look at our problem with Spiritual eyes we can see the opportunity God has given us.
Don't wait for opportunity to knock, chase after it, seek it. Think about Benaiah, he did not wait for the Egyptian to come to him; he went after him, using his own sword to kill him. He did not wait for the lion to come to him; he went after him in the snow, down into the cave to kill him.
Chase the lion, seize opportunities as God brings them to you!
Seizing opportunities is a part of Spiritual Maturity that we often miss. God puts opportunities in our path every day, sometimes the may look like a 500 pound hairy problem, but are really an opportunity waiting to happen. When we look at our problem with Spiritual eyes we can see the opportunity God has given us.
Don't wait for opportunity to knock, chase after it, seek it. Think about Benaiah, he did not wait for the Egyptian to come to him; he went after him, using his own sword to kill him. He did not wait for the lion to come to him; he went after him in the snow, down into the cave to kill him.
Chase the lion, seize opportunities as God brings them to you!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Chase the Lion
We had a great first night at Chase the Lion. Thanks to everyone who came out for this study. I am excited about how God will lead us to be risk takers over the next several weeks.
We started talking about Benaiah and the risks he took...Check this out.
2 Samuel 23:20-21
"There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it."
He did not wait for the lion to come to him, he went after the lion. This week's challenge is to LIVE OFFENSIVELY AND REJECT LIVING DEFENSIVELY.
We started talking about Benaiah and the risks he took...Check this out.
2 Samuel 23:20-21
"There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it."
He did not wait for the lion to come to him, he went after the lion. This week's challenge is to LIVE OFFENSIVELY AND REJECT LIVING DEFENSIVELY.
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