I'm Hungry

But all those things that I might count as profit I now reckon as loss for Christ's sake. Not only those things; I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ and be completely united with him. I no longer have a righteousness of my own, the kind that is gained by obeying the Law. I now have the righteousness that is given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is based on faith. All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life. - Philippians 3:7-11 GNT

I wonder what happened to the hunger in God's people. I wonder when it changed. What happened that made us desire the things of the world more than Jesus? Christianity for many has become a way to get more stuff. Just apply faith to whatever you desire and you'll get it. If you want more, you can get more. Don't get me wrong, I know God blesses His people, but when did Jesus become the pathway to possessions instead of the prize we would trade everything for? When did Jesus stop being our goal? When did knowing Him, sitting at His feet, hearing His voice or seeing His face become less important than having an easy and trouble-free life?

I believe that a fresh move of the Spirit is about to break free among God's people, and it's being birthed in those who are tired of seeing Christianity as an avenue to Earthly prosperity. Yes, they are weary of a God who exists only to provide them with more wealth and a stress-free life. They've had what the world has to offer and they've found it empty and meaningless. People everywhere are hungry for something real. People are hungry for Jesus. Our hunger drives us to break out of old habits and religious rules. It drives us to trade our time and money, our desires and dreams for a moment at His feet. 

Hold on! It's going to be a wild ride. The religious institutions are being shaken and much of the dead weight has got to go. Pastors like me better be ready. Don't try to control it lest we find ourselves attempting to put the move of God in a familiar religious box. We cannot put new wine into an old wine skin. It will be different, messy, sloppy, beyond our control, powerful, real, beautiful, difficult at times, it will cost us our lives, but it will be worth it all just to know Him. Our goal is Jesus. We hunger for Him. He is our obsession. He is all we want. We want Jesus.

God Uses Broken Tools

As winter approaches, I've been feverishly working in the yard before it gets cold. The other day I went into storage looking for our weed-eater. It's the same machine we've had for years and it's taken a beating. The joints are coming loose and some parts are broken, but when I plugged it in, the motor spun, so I filled it with string and started working. Five minutes in, I realized the string feeder didn't work, so every time I needed to extend the string I had to take it apart and do it manually. Eventually, I finished the yard and even though the broken weed-eater made it more difficult, in the end, I got the job done. My tool shed may be full of broken tools but I can still get the job done.

God's tool shed is full of broken tools, as well. 2 Corinthians 4:7 say, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

We as Christians are the tools that God uses here on Earth. His Spirit lives and moves within us to accomplish His purpose in the world. Therein lies the problem. We are broken. We're all just jars of clay, cracked and chipped from sin and struggles. All of us have a past and all of us have present struggles and sins (if you say you don't you're just fooling yourself). It is us, this broken messed up bunch of humans, that God has chosen to work through. Sometimes we think that our faults and failures limit God (as if God could be limited by us), but our failures don't limit God, in fact, they bring Him Glory. The treasure of His love in jars of clay shows that the power is not us but God.

Yes, you have faults. Yes, you have a past. And yes, God wants to use you. Even though your not perfect and sometimes get off track, God is not afraid of you. God can handle you. He can take who you are, the good and the bad, and do amazing things with you. The fact that you're not perfect doesn't limit God.  So bring your life to Jesus and lay it all before Him. Let Him inspire you, motivate you and empower you for His service. Don't be afraid that you'll mess it all up. God is in charge not you. You may be broken but God can still use you to get the job done.

God is speaking. Are you listening?

God is speaking. Are you listening? You should be. God's words are positive and powerful, exactly what we need. God wants to speak to us, and He has much to say. He speaks words of encouragement and love to us. He speaks words of direction and wisdom to us. He speaks words of correction and instruction to us. He speaks healing and deliverance to us. God is speaking but much of the time we can't hear Him because we're too hurried or too worried.

In this fast paced life we live, it seems there is never a moment to stop and just listen. Life keeps us busy from dawn to dusk, consumed with the to-do list. While we feel like we're making progress we often exchange the power of God speaking into our lives for the pleasure of a completed list. We exchange a changed life for a busy life. God is speaking to us but we don't hear very well when we fly through the day at break neck speed. Being too busy to stop and just listen is like stuffing cotton in one of your ears - you're just not going to hear clearly.

Being consumed with worry is like stuffing cotton in the other ear. We're all familiar with the physical and emotional hazards of stress and yet the most dangerous thing worry does is keep you from connecting with God. God lives in the land of faith where worry is not welcome. He speaks words of faith; words that worry cannot receive. God is speaking but if your mind is stressed you won't hear what He has to say.

What a shame! The creator of Heaven and Earth wants to speak the miraculous into our lives but our ears are full of cotton. His words of healing muffled out by the next item on the list. His words of direction drowned out by the noise of our worries. Stop what you're doing and take the time to listen. Don't talk, just listen. Put your cares in His hands and listen for His voice. He created the Heavens and the Earth with His words, I wonder what He wants to speak into your life.

You Can't Deliver If You Ain't Got The Goods

There's too much talk in the Christian community. Don't get me wrong, words do matter. The truth must be spoken, but if we really believe what we say we believe, then we will live and act accordingly. The way you live is more important than what you say.

As Christians we make declarations about our faith daily. Do our declarations match our lives? Do we say Jesus brings peace and yet live a life of turmoil? Do we speak of joy and yet act grumpy and miserable? Do we say Jesus sets people free and yet live addicted. When our lives don't match our words then our words have no power.

God has called us to deliver His message of hope to the world, but we can't deliver if we ain't got the goods. People do not want to hear our message if that same message isn't at work in us. I believe the lack of interest in church today is caused by Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips but deny Him with their lifestyle.