SLOW DOWN

Have you ever notice that most people hurry through life, never taking the time to slow down. I often wonder why we live at such a hectic pace. Life was never meant to be a mad dash. God created us to enjoy Him and to enjoy life. As you often here stop and smell the roses. But somehow life has gotten out of control as the pace of life has us all running so fast that we forget to live life, we only survive it. If you have ever read the Biblical account of creation you know that God created the world and all that's in it in six day. But on the seventh day God rested. I often ask myself why did God need to rest? Was he tried, did he work to hard. No I think God rested to set an example for us. God also tell us to rest, to slow down, to take a sabbath. The word Sabbath means "to catch one's breath" In his Book Wild Goose Chase Mark Batterson writes "A weekly Sabbath is the way our spirits catch up with our bodies. And if we don't slow down, we eventually hit a point of diminishing returns, where more is less and less is more. It's counter intuitive, but the way you speed up is by slowing down." Life is hard and the pace can be difficult but we must all learn to slow down and to "Be Still And Know That God Is God."

Trying to Find God

It's had to discern God's presence in the busyness of life. Even when I try to do all the right things, such as reading my Bible, praying and going to church. Yes God's presence seem to escape me, and it seems as if God is elusive not wanting to be found. Can it be that I missing something? Am I doing something wrong? should I add something else to my list so that God will hear me? The more I think about it maybe I'm trying to give God a list of things when all he ever wanted was me. I mean my heart, maybe His plan was for me to fall in love with Him, not just a list of things I do for Him, but a heart that loves Him and wants to spend time with Him. Wants to get to know Him, and hear from Him. A heart that seeks him with passion and with intensity. Is it only there that we can find Him?Is it only there that we come to understand that God is a God of deep relationships, a God of passion and love. How is it that I ever thought I could find Him, by keeping a list of do's and dont's. I think that today I will give my heart to Him and then I will wait and be found by Him.

The Questions of the Heart

In the end, science does not provide the answers most of us require. Its story of our origins and our end is, to say the least, unsatisfactory. To the question, “how did it all begin?", science answers "Probably by an accident." To the question how will it all end?" science answers "Probably by an accident." And to many people the accidental life is not worth living" Neil Postman

So Why do we try so hard to find answers to the questions of Life? What is it that drives us? what is it that we so desperately want to know? We want to know that we matter and that we have a purpose. We what to know there is more to life that just 70 or 80 years, and if there is more, how do we find it? So God gave us the answers, but for most people God's message has not be accepted. I guess the concept of a loving, just God that set the standards for life is thought to be wrong. Many say that God need to do it the way that they think is should had been done. I guess they believe they should tell God how to operate, how to run things. And when God doesn't they decide that he is no longer God. Well Im glad that God is God and that he has given me the answers to the questions of my heart. I don't think that I'm an accident and thankful that God has told me that I'm not. That he created me and that he love me and has a plan for my life. Im glad that he gave me the Bible so that I can know for sure whats happens after this life and how to spend my life with Him forever. John 20:31 says "But these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and believing you may have life in his name." Yes i am thankful that God would care enough to answer the most important questions of my heart.

Delight In You

One of the great things about God is that he love us with a love that is real and unconditional. I have always found that to be astonishing. Why you the God of the universe care for me and more than care, take delight in me. Why would one such as he love one such as I. And no matter how hard i try to understand it, I am always left breathless. When I read Zephaniah 3:17 which states "The Lord you God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will takes great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you singing." I just sit back and think about why God why do you do it. You the one that is without beginning and without end. The one that need nothing to be complete. Why do you take delight in me, in us. And the only answer I can find is that you do it because you are a God of love. A God that cares so deeply for that you created, you wanted us to know it. So you just told us, so that way we would never have to wonder. So thank you for delighting in me, and help me to delight in you.

O WOW

One of the best things in life is when you know someone that loves the simple things of life. A person that seems to have child like enjoyment of those things and at time just busts out in those (O Wow) statements. Well Josh is one of those people. He just has a way of making life simple and fun. He loves to just sit back and smile, laugh, and just not take life to serious. The smallest things seem to amaze him, and when that amazement comes, you hear him say O Wow. It is at these moments that I just laugh and I think that Jesus must smile at Josh and say I love it when he does that. You see I feel Josh has something that many people have lost, the simple enjoy of everyday life, a childlikeness that often times end up in verbal outburst of his pleasure at the goodness of the things of His God. I have come to realize that Josh has an uncanny ability to keep life simple, to keep God first, and not to get caught up in the craziness of life. I find myself just wanting at times to be more like Josh in these areas of my life. To just enjoy my God and have more O Wow moments, to laugh more, to slow down and not allow the craziness of life to drive me crazy. I believe that when we keep our eyes on Jesus we often have those O Wow times. We see that life is not to difficult for Him, that tomorrow will come, and that Jesus really is in control. We come to understand that Jesus brings calmness to our otherwise crazy lives and we can only say O Wow to how awesome our Jesus is. So thanks Josh for helping me see what at times life can make me forget. That it is Jesus that makes the O Wow moments possible.

The Practice of the Presence of God

" At any moment and in any circumstance, the soul that seeks God may find Him, and practice the presence of God" from the Book of the same name. So what does it mean to practice the presence of God? How do I get to do that and why would I want to do it. I often wonder what God is like and if he is anything like the God of the Bible then why would I not want to get to know Him better. Take for example the Bible says that God is a loving God, a just God, a God of peace, and of understanding. It goes on to say that He punishes the wicked, and will one day deal with all those who stand against himself God. So I get it people don't like it when anyone tells them that they are wrong or that they fall short of the Glory of God. And I get it that no one wants to be told that they are sinners, and I'm right there with you. I don't like that stuff either, but if that is the truth and there is a God that can save me from myself, well I want to get to know him. Because in the end I dont just want to be right, I worried about being right with God, if he is who he says he is. I would very much like to be in His presence, now and forever. So if that takes me admitting that I don't have all the answers, and I can do it without Him, well that's a small price to pay, when compared to spending the rest of my life with Him. Today is a good day to start practicing the Presence of God. John 3;16 is a really good place if you would like to start a relationship with the God of the universe.

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

Have you ever read the Gospel of John Chapter 13 verse 38 and chapter 14 verse 1

John 13:38-14:2

Jesus answered, "Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter-before the rooster crows tomorrow morning you will deny three times that you even know me. "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

Would you ever think that the verse telling of Peter's failure would be followed by one of the deepest comfort? But that's one thing that makes Jesus so awesome. He knew Peter's heart and that Peter's deepest desire was not to deny Him but that Peter wanted to be Jesus' boy, he wanted to be a hero of the faith. He knew that Peter one day would die for him. Yes Jesus knew things about Peter that Peter did not yet know about himself. He believed in Peter even when Peter did not believe in himself and even though Peter would deny Him Jesus knew that one day Peter would glorify him. So even though Peter would deny him, Jesus words of comfort would give Peter the strength he later needed to become all that God wanted him to be. You see we are sometimes much like Peter, we want to do great things for Jesus, but sometimes we mess up. when those times come remember that Jesus never gives up on you, he will bring you through the tough times, so let not your heart be troubled.