Excellence: an act of Jesus

Joseph Prince

"Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks."

Deut 28:4

Would you want to buy a chair that Jesus made? I would, even if it cost US$1,000 because it would be of superb quality. Whatever Jesus did, He did it with perfect excellence.

And because Christ is in you, the things which you produce will be of exceptional quality too. That includes your children, who will be champions. Deuteronomy 28:4 says, “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks”.

God was using terms that the Israelites understood since they were farmers and shepherds. Today, “your ground” is the place of your work. This means that “the produce” of your work shall be of excellent quality.

That is not all. God promises that quantity will always follow quality because Deuteronomy 28:11 says that the Lord will “grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body,” which means that you will have plenty of children, “in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground,” which means that your business will flourish and you will be a leading producer in the area of your specialty.

My friend, your excellence and plenty do not come by your efforts. They come by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who paid for your prosperity — “though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich”. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Jesus was made destitute of all material things at the cross. He had nothing! As He hung on the cross, He watched the Roman soldiers gamble for His robe. His last possession on earth was gambled away. He became poor, so that you could be blessed with the excellent and the plenty!

<<Joseph Prince.org>>

GOD wants to know YOU

  

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

John 14:9

Vicar.  A word you know; a word that I know.  But, do we actually know what it means?  Many may answer that vicar means priest or minister - as in the leader of a church.  The sobering truth is that it actually means something quite different...

Priest is fairly close, but in the sense of "one who stands between".  Vicar is a shortened version of the word vicarious, which means "serving instead of someone or something else".  It can be argued that vicar is a good word since we often experience GOD through our church leaders, we experience worship and teaching through their gifting.

I WILL ANSWER

'Call to me and I will answer you.  I'll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.'

Jer 33:3

I love this verse for two reasons:


Firstly - the assurance that GOD will answer us.  As Christians we often find it hard to believe that GOD will answer our every call - especially when we haven't quite lived up to our end of the 'bargain'.  It's this mindset that limits what GOD is able to do through us because we live with a 'law' mindset.  In the Old Testament you had to pay a price in order to have your transgressions absolved and be able to plead with GOD.

Jesus' death and resurrection changed all of that - so why, then, do we still think in the same way?  I believe that it's because we listen to the Devil when he tells us that we're not good enough.  It takes very little for us to believe that GOD won't take note of our call because we don't deserve His attention.

Heroes and Celebrities

by Kevin DeYoung

Christians need heroes. They can live without celebrities.

The two are not always easily distinguished. Some heroes become celebrities and some celebrities can be heroic. But in general, the two words mean different things and refer to two different kinds of people.

Light armour

Copyright Protected. Kelvin Joseph.

"The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.  So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light."

Rom 13:12

Jesus calls us to be a light to the world by doing good so that people will give GOD the glory for what they are seeing. Then, in John 18:12 Jesus says that He is the Light of the world and that those who choose to follow Him will never walk in darkness.  Why would Jesus say that we are to be the light of the world and then later say that He is the light of the world?

It's because He is giving us a portrait of worship - doing as He did in order to bring Glory to GOD!  One of the most attractive characteristics of Jesus is that He never asks us to do or endure anything that He Himself has not already experienced.

Jesus wanted to show the Jews that worship wasn't about meeting at the temple, it's not about paying the right tax - it's about walking in worship.  It's about embracing our redeemed identity in Christ in order to wear the armour of light.

Why then, do we find ourselves walking in darkness?

Strength to my hands

"Energize the limp hands, strengthen the rubbery knees.
Tell fearful souls, "Courage! Take heart! God is here, right here, on His way to put things right And redress all wrongs.  He's on his way! He'll save you!"

Is 35:4

As we near the end of the year, it's a time when we start to feel drained and hardpressed (2 Cor 4:8) and start to wonder why life can be so difficult.  Why do we have to be surrounded by so many difficult people when we feel like we have so little strength left to make it through?

The Two Farmers

"These are the words of Him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name."
Rev 3:7-8

Stand firm

 Three quick lessons from Nehemiah

I want to share a quick encouraging thought with you that comes from Nehemiah 4:1-9 . Nehemiah was originally a cup bearer to the king Artaxerxes (try saying that ten times fast...) but GOD called him to rebuild the nation of Israel in Jerusalem. Quite something for a government official! I don't know many government officials that are actually involved in rebuilding and growing countries...

Anyway, I am really encouraged by the way that Nehemiah responds in this scripture for three reasons:

Persist. Persevere. Prevail.

"Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

James 1:4

I AM A CHILD OF THE KING

"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.
   I've called your name.

You're mine. "

Isaiah 43:1

(THE MESSAGE)

(This is part 5 - click here for part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4) 

I HAVE A NAME

(c) www.visualphotos.com

(This is part 4 - click here for part 1, part 2, part 3) 

How do you feel when you are called by your name?  Does it matter who calls it?  Your mother?  Your boss?  The doctor?  Your partner?  When you hear other names, do you think of specific people?

I have two kids and my wife and I thought long and hard about their names… we wanted a biblical name and a family name because we wanted their identities to be routed in GOD and routed in their family.  Although your name is not your whole identity, it is a part of it, and GOD knows it!

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are mine."

Isaiah 43:1 (NKJV)

Imagine being alone, nobody around; you’re walking on a deserted salt-pan.  The ground is cracked and you can see the large honeycomb-type patterns in the hard earth beneath your feet.  It’s the kind of place where the guys from Myth Busters blow things up – but they’re not here right now.  There is no wind.  Not a single sound except for the rushing of blood in your ears, that’s the ringing sound that you can hear.

Then, out of nowhere, you hear your name being called from the heavens.  A booming yet gentle voice, so gentle it gives you chills right to your marrow.  GOD has called your name.  Yours, not someone else’s, yours.  You feel comforted, yet convicted; peaceful, yet uncomfortable with the way things are.  And all that GOD has done is say YOUR NAME.

All of a sudden, you are important, you are no longer an insignificant nomad in a desert wasteland.  Finding your purpose in GOD is intrinsically linked to Him calling you by name.  When we worship, we call GOD by the names that we know Him by, when we pray, we do so in the name of Jesus – that’s because there’s power and purpose in the Name.

There is power and purpose in your name too, power and purpose that can only be recognised and activated by the presence of GOD; the presence of the Holy Spirit, in your life.

Be encouraged that GOD has called out across the universe and He has called your name.  When He called, a life began and creation was different.  When we worship our GOD, it's not as a face in the crowd - it's face to face with the One!

I AM REDEEMED

  “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are mine."

Isaiah 43:1 (NKJV)

(This is part 3 - click here for part 1, part 2)

Redemption is a very special word that is used quite specifically in the bible…  it has to do with slavery.  If someone is redeemed, it means that they used to be a slave – but are no longer.  Redemption is a ‘buyback’, or a swapping of an equivalent or better slave for another and setting that one free.  Does it sound like anything else in the Bible?  The cross!  But here we are reading it in Deutero-Isaiah – nearly 650 years before Christ even came, let alone died on the cross.  That means that all along, GOD’s design has been for us to have an identity and purpose that is linked to redemption.  An identity that says “I was a slave. I am now released.  I am not bound.”

In order to know what we were slaves to, we need to remember that until Jesus died on the cross and rose again, as our Lord and Saviour, we were bound and living in bondage to Sin.  Christ’s death on the cross had nothing to do with forgiveness, it had to do with salvation – with GRACE; with redemption.  GOD always offered forgiveness to His people, so that was nothing new.  The issue was the old covenant, it was a law that we could never fulfill in its entirety, only Christ could fulfill it.  That’s what happened in His finished work on the cross - GRACE.  In order for the law to be fulfilled, a life had to be given - GRACE.  The human race was stuck in the condition of Sin – that’s what we needed saving from; and GOD’s alternative - GRACE.

Often we think that salvation is an event that happens, and WHAMMO – we’re saved.  I like to think of it like this:  Living in Sin is like drowning in the ocean; we can swim, but the distance to shore is just too great for us to swim it alone.  We need a lifeguard to save us, one who knows the currents, swells, squalls and waves.  One who is a seasoned swimmer.  Now, the lifeguard swims out to us, but we still have to swim to shore, with Him.  Just because the lifeguard has reached out, doesn’t mean that the journey of being saved is over.  It’s the same with our walk with salvation in Christ – it’s a journey.

Until Jesus Christ cut loose those bonds, we were slaves to Sin.  We lived differently.  We spoke differently.  We looked different.  Change is noticed by differences, growth and newness and this happens a little more everyday.  Some changes may be radical, but others will be hard and we will have to work through them everyday.  All of this begins with us embracing our identity as REDEEMED!  Before – people would look at us and see us alone.  Now, when they see us, they should see our lifeguard too – what a challenge!

People need to see the change in our lives, they need to see that we are no longer bound if we are going to live with purpose.  Worship is proclaiming the majesty of GOD – not just in words, but also by our choices. ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation.  The old is gone, the new has come.’ 2 Cor 5:17.

I believe that we need to be encouraged to know that we do not need to act like slaves – for we are redeemed, we are released – we are not bound to Sin!

I AM NOT AFRAID

I am not afraid. I have nothing to fear. I am a conqueror.

But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,  the One who got you started, Israel:
"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.
   I've called your name. You're mine. "

Isaiah 43:1

(THE MESSAGE)

(part 2 - click here for part 1)

I want to encourage you today with GOD's Word - when He tells you that you need not fear anything!  If we are going to live as a people of purpose, who change the world around us, we cannot be afraid. Fear deters us from fulfilling our purpose.  Satan would like you to doubt, to fear, to think that you’re not good enough - because then he can hold you back from becoming all you can be in Christ - from discovering who you are!

Think about that young shepherd that walked out onto a field, in front of thousands of grown men who were trained to rip him to pieces.  He spoke up for GOD, popped a pebble in his rimpie, and klapped an overgrown moron right between the eyes.  And all those trained scary, hairy men?  They turned and ran!  That’s how our GOD operates!  That’s what happens when He says to us – do not be afraid!  That's what happens when we embrace our purpose and change our world!

If you want to become a person of purpose, then you need to become a conqueror in GOD.  Not your own strength, but GOD’s.  GOD doesn’t just say – don’t be afraid – He creates a conqueror’s spirit in you!  It's by His Grace, and finished work on the cross that we are able to stand in victory, to say "I am not afraid - I am a conqueror."

That means, no matter what situation you face, no matter who might stand up against you, you do not need to be afraid.  We are more than conquerors, for if GOD is for us, who can be against us?  I pray that today, you will be encouraged that your identity in GOD is by Christ's Grace, that you have no need to be afraid.

Who am I?

‘The only way to understand ourselves is by what GOD is and by what He does for us, not by what we are and what we do for Him.’

Rom 12:3b MSG

 Purpose.  Purpose is one of those words that old people use when they’re trying to give us guidance.  Some people think purposes swim in the ocean, but that’s wrong.  Those are porpoises, they’re like dolphins, but they’re not dolphins.  Anyway… purpose is key to defining who we are.  Definition is more than a name, we love to redefine our structures and environments by inventing politically correct names – stay-at-home moms become ‘home-executives’, cellphones become ‘handheld devices’ and sheltered employment becomes ‘local government’.  Changing a name can create some hope, but fundamentally, nothing changes.  Your name is only one piece of the picture of who you are.

It’s not enough to attach a simple name to something, purpose is achieved when something is used to change or influence something else – then, it has purpose.  I believe that purpose should be measure by the amount of change that is brought about.  When someone famous is said to achieved great purpose, it’s often when they’ve just brought about significant change – whether it’s an humanitarian gesture or an advancement in their profession, their purpose is measured by change.  Therefore, purpose has to do with what we do and why we do it and why we do things stems from who we really are.

I really believe GOD wants us to explore and discover ‘who we are because of Him’; that we will only become people of purpose in Him.  As you’re sitting reading this, close your eyes and ask yourself, with your internal monologue… not out loud,  “Who am I?”

The GOD of the heavens calls out into the universe, after you, and declares this:  He says:  “Do not be afraid.  I have redeemed you, I have called you by name.  Child, you are mine.”   It is in this scripture that we discover who we are, where we discover the power of our identity in Christ!

Over the next few posts, join me as we are encouraged to become people of purpose and people of power!

Be refreshed... in abundance!

“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.”

Deuteronomy 32:2

There is an amazing gentleness about GOD’s love and His teaching, yet it penetrates marrow and bone and cuts through to the soul.  Rain can be gentle and refreshing, (see Psalm 68:9), but it can also completely transform and reshape a landscape. We often see the devastation of rain but if it falls in the right place, at the right time, forests and lush gardens sprout out.  Deserts of baron sandscapes become havens of life, newness and growth.  Wherever GOD’s Spirit is, things will be fresh and full of life!

People are attracted to life and newness, there is a uniqueness about growth that draws people in.  GOD offers this to us in abundance, not in limited supply, but more that we could ever ask or imagine!  If we want to become people who encourage, who stop, listen and love, then GOD’s word urges us to allow His teaching and discipline to grow, transform and empower us!

We need to desire to grow into the people that GOD has created us to be - images of Him.  As diverse and different as we all are, together, we create a glimmer of the diversity and depth of GOD.  It's from this beautiful picture that we begin to take on the image of GOD, and start to experience His abundance.  His Word encourages us to become part of the palette and add our colour to the canvas of life.

It's important to remember that bit I mentioned earlier about the right time and right place.  Often, we pray for GOD's abundance in an area and then struggle to accept why it might take time to manifest in our lives.  GOD knows that if we know too much, too soon, it can destroy us.  We should never rush GOD or His countenance, we should relish in what we have right now, because this is the abundance that He knows will create growth in our lives and in our relationship with Him.  We are like tender plants and He is the gardener, He knows how much sun we need, He knows how much shade.  He also knows how much watering will drown us, and how much will allow us to grow to our potential.

The heaven’s declare His righteousness – let your lifescape be a garden of hope and growth!

STEP INTO THE LIGHT

(Part 4 of "Don't be a pharisee...") 

For we maintain that [we are] justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 

Romans 3:28

(This is the fourth part in a series on looking at Christ through faith or through the law.)

Lastly, as we progress from right and wrong, through rules and regulations, we arrive at the stark truth that the leaders of this particular synagogue, and ourselves,  lacked faith (see scripture).  Faith separates the believer from the non-believer.  Faith doesn’t need rules and regulations, it doesn’t need right or wrong.  It’s content to accept.  And what's of great encouragement - we are justified by our faith:  not the law: not the regulations.

Jesus said that we should have childlike faith, not childish faith.  I think the difference has to do with the heart of where our faith stems from.  Childish faith needs constant affirmation, as if it's not quite enough.  Childlike faith is content in a place of trust.  Hebrews tells us that it is confident and assured.  A child cannot do anything to earn their parent's love - it's available to them freely!  When we get this, we get that it's not about what I do, but about what Jesus did!

Don't be a pharisee... part 3

The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?  Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

 (Luke 13)

Sometimes, it’s not so easy to know what the loving thing to do is – so, again, like the temple leaders, we fall into the trap of consulting the rules and regulations.  When we look at things through the eyes of the law, we look at the rules.  It’s the only way.  The law consists of rules and regulations.  I believe Jesus challenges us to look deeper than the rules and seek to find the relationships.


We live in a world that is governed by this way of thinking so it’s hard to escape it.  But if we want to grasp Grace in the person of Jesus, and steer clear of the trap of looking at life and people through the eyes of law, through the eyes of a non-believer, then we need to steer clear of setting our sights on the rules and regulations.  We need to see Grace through the eyes of a relationship with Jesus.  The temple leaders felt that it was wrong to heal on the Sabbath... but right any other day, because that’s what the rules said.  They were unable to sink deeper into the situation and recognise the relationships.

I believe Jesus had a different way of looking at it.  He was able to act in love, not because of the rules, but because of the relationship.  He was able to stop, listen and love because He valued this woman and was willing to put her and her needs above the expectations that were placed upon Him by other people.  Because He rose above these expectations, He was able to behave unexpectedly - and this was how He became a location for a miracle!  Is this story only about how the temple priests tried to trap Jesus, or is it about how miracles happen?  

GOD wants to use you and I for amazing things - but if we stick to the expectations and rules of society, we will only understand Grace and GOD's presence with us, in terms of right and wrong, rules and regulations.  This means that when I do something good or right... GOD must be with me.  If I do something bad or wrong, then He is not with me.  


Let me tell you today, that even when you 'do wrong', GOD IS WITH YOU!  GOD never ever turns His back on you.  When we choose to act selfishly, we turn our backs on GOD, not the other way around.   Deuteronomy 31 reminds us of this, and again the writer of Hebrews reminds those reading his letter: that GOD is always with them.


We need to let go of trying to impress GOD buy keeping His law - Jesus died on a cross and rose again so that we wouldn't have to live this way!!  If I can encourage you today, let me lay it out there that people are more important than anything else.  Relationships are more important than rules.  Sometimes we need to look passed the rules in order to see the relationship.  Jesus gives us His Grace so that we can look beyond the rules and relish in a relationship with Him!

IS IT RIGHT OR WRONG?

(Part 2 of "Don't be a Pharisee...)

Have you ever asked yourself "Is this right or wrong?"

Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people.  “There are six days for work.  So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

 (Luke 13)

The first thing that the teachers of the law did was to ask themselves, "Is this right or wrong?"  This is something we tend to do every day of our lives, whether the moral dilemma is huge or insignificant, this is an easy trap to fall into.  Should I?  Shouldn’t I?  It is right, or is it wrong.  I believe that Jesus came to teach us to stop asking ourselves this question.

I believe, Jesus was never concerned about right or wrong, here’s why.  The temple leaders are saying how it would be perfectly okay to heal on any of the other six days of the week, just, not today Jesus, it’s the Sabbath!  And clearly, since you have done something wrong, you must be wrong.  A logical and acceptable response, I think?

Don't be a pharisee...

You're probably thinking "I'm not a pharisee... what are you talking about??!!"... and I guess there's a high probability that you're right, you're probably not a pharisee. But here's where you are like a pharisee, when you look at Christ through the eyes of the law...

It's so easy for us to fall into this trap, we often don't even realise it.  Check this story out:

“On a Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit of eighteen years.  She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.  When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from you infirmity.”  Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised GOD.

Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people.  “There are six days for work.  So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites!  Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?  Then should not his woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

[Luke 13:10-17]

I don’t know about you, but I think that if anyone were to believe in Christ, a miracle would do it?  Here we read of the temple leaders, face to face with a beautiful, life changing act of GOD, and they don’t believe!  Why don’t they believe?

It’s important for us to take a look at this because there are times, whether intentional or not, that we find ourselves in the same camp of as these people that Jesus called hypocrites!  Scary, maybe, but true.  We try hard not to, but there are some traps that these non-believer fell into that I know, for myself and I’m sure for you, I’ve found myself in.

I think, initially, the biggest issue facing these temple leaders was this:   They looked at Christ through the eyes of the law/religion.  Join me over the next few articles as we journey through the eyes of a non-believer...

INTELLIGENT LOVE

 “So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.”

Phil 1:9-11

  

If worship doesn’t make GOD attractive, then I believe we’ve missed the boat, we’ve crossed a line that has taken our worship out of His presence and into the realm of the flesh.  Things that we can see, that we can control, that we can glory in - and that’s where things fall short!  We start to glory in our worship, instead of glorifying GOD.  It’s a fine line between experiencing GOD’s joy and glorifying ourselves. It’s a fine line between loving GOD and loving ourselves...

Careless campers

How often do we shoot our mouths off without thinking about just how much hurt it might cause? When I was in high school, I found it so easy to say things and then, if I'd hurt someone, just say "I was only joking..." I would test the waters with people, see how far I could push, just for the sake of it. As I look back, I thank GOD that He gently drew me away from that bad habit and convicted me of a way of behaving that was destroying my life and my friendships!

In church, if we want to really learn how to encourage each other, then we need to hand our words over to GOD. The only way that our words will build into the lives of others is if they are filled with the Holy Spirit. We need to speak in GOD's power and GOD's authority.

There's a beautiful proverb, 26:18-19, Eugene Peterson puts it like this:

"People who shrug off deliberate deceptions, saying, 'I didn't mean it, I was only joking,' are worse than careless campers who walk away from smoldering campfires."

The Bread, man

“It is only when [we] begin to worship that [we] begin to grow”
Calvin Coolidge (30^th American President)

'Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me will never grow hungry...'

John 6:35 

My family and I were out at a café recently and the twins were sitting in their pram whilst we were having coffee. A man walked passed and said “Don’t feed them, because they’ll grow up.” What a dumb, yet truthful statement!

We forget that in order to grow, we need to be fed. It’s such an obvious truth that we don’t even process it on a daily basis. Sure, we may watch what we eat in order to watch our weight, but does it ever sink in that food is what makes us grow? I’m not sure that it does because I constantly hear people in church talking about growth in many different ways. “I want to grow our youth group.” “Why aren’t we seeing growth in our men’s ministry?” “How can I grow in my knowledge of the Bible?” Have you heard these or similar comments? I have, countless times.

GOD's Presence above His Purpose

“My life needs GOD’s presence to work GOD’s purpose.”

Jack Hayford (jackhayford.org)

Eph 6:7: Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.

There is a trap that we all fall into, the trap of trying to keep people happy. When we try to please people, we fill our lives with their expectations and try our best to live up to them. Some of us are more prone to this than others, but even if there’s only one person, I’m sure you can think of someone that you would move mountains for!

Finding unspeakable pleasure

“In our worship of Him we should find unspeakable pleasure.”Tozer (American Pastor d1963)

We should take our worship so seriously, that we do not stop until we are finding unspeakable pleasure. We need to be passionate about who we are encountering! GOD calls us to excellence.

I feel that passion is so important in finding and encountering GOD because the road that we walk into His presence can be uphill and narrow. If we have no passion in seeking GOD, we will not find unspeakable pleasure - we may find 'some' joy, but not the joy of the Spirit.

WRESTLING WITH GOD

Today, I want to encourage you in this: Wrestling with GOD is necessary to receive His blessings!

Our lives can get really hectic and the thought of having to wrestle with GOD might not be at the top of your list of favourite things to do... but I want to remind you of a man in the Bible who had to do just that.

Genesis 32:22-29

That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

It's a simple story, but it's also a reminder of the journey we need to take along the road to GOD's blessings for our lives. I firmly believe that GOD blesses us only when we're ready to receive! This can be a tough pill to swallow because we may believe that we're ready today, but GOD is the only one who can see the journey that we need to take.

I found this awesome prayer by John van de Laar that encourages us to take the journey!

(Print it out and pop it in your Bible at Genesis 32)

Wrestling

by John van de Laar

© 2010 Sacredise

Following you is not as easy as it may seem at first, God;
Getting your ways into our hearts
is not a matter of just reading a few verses of the Bible,
or singing a few hymns;
No, to get your law inscribed on our inmost beings takes some wrestling;
It takes standing our ground when you come to us
in your fearful glory,
and carrying the mark of the encounter in our bodies and souls;
It takes prayer that is more than superstitious words
to try and manipulate circumstances or people,
but is a life-altering opening of ourselves,
that confronts and challenges us,
and makes us your instruments of justice and grace.
But if we are to live what we believe,
to go beyond empty words
or simple agreement with ideas or doctrines,
we need this wrestling;
If our lives are to be portals for your reign,
channels for your compassion and healing,
containers for your joy and abundance,
we need our hearts to be broken open,
our souls to be engraved with your words,
our bodies to be driven by something more than appetite.
And so we come, nervously but expectantly,
and offer ourselves to you again
in whole-hearted prayer and worship.

http://www.sacredise.com/

Faith; measured by sacrifice

Phil 1:27-29"Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ. Let nothing in your conduct hang on whether I come or not. Your conduct must be the same whether I show up to see things for myself or hear of it from a distance. Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people's trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they're up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God. There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting."

It is not enough for us to simply trust in Christ or to believe. There is more to life than this. True faith is not measured in our trust of GOD, it’s measured in how much we are willing to suffer for Him; in how much we are willing to sacrifice – and then still trust Him! That may sound scary, but actually, it's really encouraging! It means that when hard times face us that we have an opportunity for true worship!!