For Those That Wander

This is Shrek the sheep. He was found after hiding out in caves for six years. During this time his fleece grew without anyone there to shave it. When he was finally found and shaved, his fleece weighed sixty pounds. Most sheep have a fleece weighing just under ten pounds, with the exception usually reaching fifteen pounds, maximum. For six years, Shrek carried six times the regular weight of his fleece. Simply because he was away from his shepherd. In John 10 Jesus compares Himself to a shepherd, and His followers are His sheep.I think Shrek is much like a person who knows Jesus Christ but has wandered. If we avoid Christ’s constant refining of our character, we’re going to accumulate extra weight in this world, a weight we don’t have to bear. When Shrek was found, a professional sheep shearer took care of Shrek’s fleece in twenty-eight minutes. Shrek’s sixty pound fleece was finally removed. All it took was coming home to his shepherd. Christ can lift the burdens we carry, if only we stop hiding. He can shave off our ‘fleece’, our self-imposed burdens brought about by wandering from our Good Shepherd. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Rend Collective Experiment

Enjoy this playlist of Rend Collective Experiment! They have really amazing music and lyrics. Some of my favorites are Cost, Desert Soul, and Second Chance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26pU_eImMlQ&list=PL6C58679DDB630653

Excerpt on Worship from Jesus Lives by Sarah Young

This is on page 14 entitled "Worship" This book is written as if God wrote it directly to you as a letter. "If you want to learn how to celebrate Me more consistently, more abundantly, begin by lingering in My peaceful Presence. As you relax in My everlasting arms, sense how safe and secure you are. I am indeed the rock-solid Foundation on which you can live exuberantly. Dancing, singing, and praying are ways you can express your delight in Me. My very Presence radiates Joy in vast, unmeasured fullness! When you praise Me, your Joy increases, as does your awareness of My holy Presence. Your body may or may not be mightily engaged in this endeavor, but I see into your heart. That is where the ultimate celebration of My Presence takes place." I wanted to share this because I feel that many people need to hear this. They feel as though if they are not worshiping exactly like those around them that they aren't truly worshiping, which is fully wrong. God says that He sees into your heart. And if you are truly worshiping Him with all your heart, then He knows that. So don't worry if you don't worship like others may be, it is between you and God. So, be confident in your relationship with Him, try not to care what others think of you during worship. There is also no right or wrong way to worship. We were created to worship, in Isaiah 43:21 it says "the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.", you were specially designed to worship, so there is no way that you can do it wrong if your true heart is to love Him.

Satan's' jealousy

Something God revealed to me during a retreat this past summer -Satan is jealous of us because his future was taken away, and ours is promised by God.

lies vs. truth

lies:
1.unimportant
2.invisible
3.invaluble
4.not beautiful
5.unwanted

truths:
1. Psalms 139:13 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb" He took time to make me and plan out the details of my life.
2. Psalms 139:2 "You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar." He takes the time to see and know me.
3. Psalms 139:15 "My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,when I was woven together in the depths of the earth."
4. Psalms 139:13-14 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made" He says that I'm remarkable and wonderfully made. He sees me as beautiful.
5. Psalms 139:16 "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." He wants me. In Psalms 139:2 it says "you know when I rise and fall, you perceive my thoughts from afar." it's an instinct to want to be know, for someone to know you, and everything about you. We desire to be known. In Psalms is says that He perceives my thoughts from afar. When you feel alone and unwanted, He's there, knowing you, more and more. He already knows it all but if He got the chance to learn something new about you, He would be ovewhelmingly excited. Psalms 139: "You have searched me, Lord,and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before,and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts,God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you. If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent;your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them;I count them my enemies.Search me, God, and know my heart;test me and know my anxious thoughts.See if there is any offensive way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting."

 You know me by Bethel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVVlMQved8k

Understanding that His love is pure

It's the story of Mary and Martha when Jesus is planning to visit them at Martha's house. Martha worked so hard to get every detail right for when he was coming to visit. Wheather she realized it or not, she was trying to somehow impress Jesus, and to earn His love. Martha thought he cared about how clean and perfect His visit would be. She didn't realize that His love was pure, and that the only thing He wanted was to spend with her and Mary. Because Martha thought that His love would be "impure" her response if love back to Him was impure. It was just a performance. Not that she even meant it to be, but she was so focused on Him coming that she forgot about why He even was. However Mary understood that Jesus' love was pure. Her loving response of sitting at His feet and spending time with Him came from a heart that grasped His pure love for her. So, in which way do we find ourselves worshiping God? How do we view worship? Do we view it as Martha had viewed her housework or as Mary viewed her time with The Lord? Do we ever worship God like we need to impress Him? Do we fall into the thoughts of "God will not meet with us if the worship isn't 'perfect'" John 4:23 "the time is coming and is already here when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship Him that way." So, the challenge to everyone is; Am I the type of worshipper the Father is looking for?

Pure Love

Pure love, something we all want but rarely see. Ruth and Naomi is a true resemblance of pure love. Ruth 1:16-17 "But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you." Naomi told Ruth that she should go, leave her and find a better life. But Ruth refuses when she says; "where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay." This is an amazing story of true, pure love.

idol vs. idle worship

Just something for us all to think about: idol worship vs. idle worship

How God sees sin

We see sin as we see skyscrapers from their side view. We see some people's sins worse than others.

God sees sin as from a skyview looking down. Simialar to how we see skyscrapers when we are above them.

How to magnify God?

Psalm 34:2-4 "magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together." In Hebrew magnify is the word 'gadal' which means to grow or make greater. There are two ways to magnify something. First, is to take something small and to magnify it several thousand times as you would with a microscope. The second, is to magnify something very big but far away, to make it close enough to see as we would with a telescope when looking at planets. Jupiter from the naked eye does not appear to be the most impressive, in fact you can barely see the planet as it looks like as dot. However, even though it is not the most visible planet from earth, glancing at it through a high powered telescope all the details of its beauty can be seen. Jupiter is actually said to be one of the most beautiful and detailed planets. As Christians, we should act as telescopes so that others may see God's beauty.