Lay Hold of God

Rom 5:20 Where sin increased, grace increased all the more. (NIV)

Have you ever found yourself at a discouraging point in life where brokenness and failure loom over you? An all to familiar place where you have failed before? You begin to associate your own identify with an area of sin. Your mind reasons that there is no point in even praying since you have disappointed God, yet again. You tell yourself God is tired of listening to excuses and has better things to do. You end up losing hope in certain areas of your life. You begin to believe, "I can't care about this person anymore. They will never change and I am wasting my time even hoping they will.".

You read or listen to the events of the day. The headlines tell of financial crisis and destruction that are ravaging our country and the world. You find yourself feeling helpless, getting frustrated and angry, unable to make any kind of impact or change of course. You ask, what can my hope and prayers possibly do to change what is going on around me?

STOP! Don't give up!

Romans 5:20 tells us something completely different. Sin and its' effects will never become greater than God's grace. His grace is bigger than anything we will EVER face. I find the Holy Spirit reminding me daily "that in our greatest weakness, he is able to perform the greatest transformation of our heart and soul". I am so thankful that God's thinking and reasoning are different from mine (Is 55:8). We serve a risen and victorious Savior, full of hope and passion for each and everyone of us. Enough for every single person in the world, whether they choose to embrace him or not.

This very scripture drives me to the arms of my heavenly Father. We must as believers, both individually and as a body, press into and "lay hold of God". This is a time when we should have heavy hearts for the unsaved. It is time to thank God for the depth and security of His grace. It is a time to dance, worship, and proclaim the Word of God to all around us. It is a time when we should be embracing God's future, seeking and praying for his vision for our community. I feel strongly that this same hunger, to lay hold of God, is what is behind Harvest Cry. Will we allow God to gather us together, united in voice and purpose for his kingdom?

I asked for God for more scriptures and he gave me these:

Heb 4:14-16 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us HOLD firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come BOLDLY to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (emphasis added)

Heb 10:21-25 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us HOLD tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (emphasis added)

Lord, show us the place where your grace abounds, even if it is uncomfortable and painful. There you will begin the transformation of our very thoughts and desires. Teach us to how to LAY HOLD of you, so that through us your spirit may transform the community around us. Show us how to operate in your boldness! Amen.

Michael

Consuming Words

Consuming Words

Ezek 3:1-10 The voice said to me, "Son of man, eat what I am giving you – eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. "Eat it all," he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey. Then he said, "Son of man, go to the people of Israel with my messages. I am not sending you to some foreign people whose language you cannot understand. No, I am not sending you to people with strange and difficult speech. If I did, they would listen! I am sending you to the people of Israel, but they won't listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn. But look, I have made you as hard and stubborn as they are. I have made your forehead as hard as the hardest rock! So don't be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are such rebels." Then he added, "Son of Man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. Then go to your people in exile and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says!' Do this whether they listen to you or not."

When we read, speak, write, and hear God's Word on a daily basis, we are consuming the very things of God. When we choose not to include him, we consume the things of Man. In the above passage we see how Ezekiel learned the importance of not only consuming, but digesting the Word of God. God's word makes you stronger in your faith and its wisdom sweetens your life. God wants us to be able to stand against anything or anyone, including those who deny or hate what is right. You don't have to look far to find people who don't share your faith. I find this unbelieving person is myself at times. Just as we see how God gave Ezekiel tough faith ("as hard as the hardest rock"), he wants to give you stability, perserverance, and insight to live up to the task he has given you. When we surrender to his will for our life, the conditioning to get us into shape begins. How hard is your forehead?

I find that when I consume his word, His spirit begins to consume me. Removing the things that don't belong and replacing it with the things that do. Eating His word is a good thing, as found in Ps 34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Our Lord is offering an invitation to "try this, I know you will like it." We must allow the Holy Spirit to go deep into our heart, so that we may be prepared to share the Gospel with everyone. I have learned he will give you not only the words to speak, but provide the opportunity and person when you press in to hear his gentle whisper. All of this eating and digesting daily is a lesson in obedience. It is up to us to choose Him over ourselves each morning as we take that first step. Does your daily diet include God's Word?

I asked God to give me a passage from the New Testament that related to all this consuming. Here is what I received. Read John 6:53-58.

Just as God told Ezekiel to eat his word, Jesus instructs us "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you" (John 6:53). His flesh and blood are true. We are told by Christ to feed on him so that we may have eternal life. Christ, being the Word of God, provides exactly what we need to remain in him and to do his will. I encourage you to taste and see exactly what God has for you. Chew on it awhile and see if it is not as sweet as honey. Ask God to strengthen you as His Word goes deep into your heart and begins to restore and transform you into his delight. Will you join me today in eating some bread of life?

Lord, thank you for your son Jesus, the Word of God. Give us an appetite for the things of your spirit. Begin the conditioning in us today so that we may be hard and stubborn in faith as Ezekiel. Amen

Still Desperate for Him!

Michael