Here and There

I wanted to share some very interesting history that I have learned so far in my study this week. We all have some type of “THERE” in our life… it’s where we see ourselves in a few years. Even if you are older…you can still see yourself in a location, with somebody, doing something. It’s what I like to call the “Here and There.”

Here is some food for thought: The Israelites spent 40 years on a journey that should have lasted 11 days. It wasn’t distance that stood between them and the Promised Land. It was the condition of their hearts. God’s purpose went deeper than simply transporting a huge group of people to a new land. What good was the Promised Land if the Israelites were as wicked as the nations already living there? The journey was a painful but necessary part of preparation. Through it God taught the children of Israel two things:

1) Who He Was – The Living God the Leader of their Nation

2) Who They Were – People who were fallen, sinful, and prone to rebellion and doubt.

Not much has changed today. This is why The Law is still so important… it reveals our sin so that we can always understand how to relate to God and to other people. (Romans 7) Your spiritual journey may be lengthy, and you may face pain, discouragement, and difficulties. But remember that God isn’t just trying to keep you alive. He wants to prepare you to live for service and devotion to him. (Amen)

Visionary or Dreamer?

Are you a visionary or a dreamer? There is a clear difference...are you praying for God to do the work for you, or are you praying for the opportunity to do it yourself. Dreamers dream about things being different. Visionaries envision themselves making a difference. Dreamers think about how nice it would be for something to be done. Visionaries look for the opportunity to do something.

A great example of this is in the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a man with a vision, not a dream. He didn't pray that God would rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He prayed for the opportunity to go and do it himself. That's freaking awesome. God uses visionaries...people that see the way it should be and are not scared of the work it will take to get it done.

God can use Sorrow

One of the hardest things to do in life is to swallow our pride and say “I’m sorry.” That’s because NO ONE LIKES TO BE WRONG. Dealing with sorrow is hard; it zaps all of the energy out of you. You can analyze your situation so much that if you aren’t careful … you can become unrepentant. Bitter at the fact that if he/she wouldn’t have done what they did, you wouldn’t have done what you did. No matter how you spin it…… two wrongs will never make a right.

There is hope! If we can be repentant, we can experience a sorrow that we will never regret. Sorrows that will actually help us, grow us, teach us and save us. If you are dealing with sorrow, then find peace in the fact that God has not forgotten you…in fact; if you allow Him, He will take your sorrow and give you joy!

2 Corinthians 7:10 For God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation. We will never regret that kind of sorrow. But sorrow without repentance is the kind that results in death.

5 Things On My Mind

>First things first....I'm hungry and my Father in-law is making some pasta. YUM

>How much I love and enjoy my family. Last night Mel and I hung out with my parents and watched a few movies. Today we drove to Galveston with my in-laws and spent the day just enjoying each other’s company.

>About the book I read the forward on last night by Andy Stanley called Visioneering. Man it was good. Talked about how as followers of Christ we give up our personal agenda to pursue God's vision for our life.

>How much I hate the devil....but hope he never leaves me alone. Let me explain... every time he makes me mad, I just want do everything in my power to advance God's Kingdom! It's like telling me I can't do something, it just makes me want to do whatever it is even more.

>And lastly...how much I love my wife. She is so wonderful. I'll stop there before it gets to mushy.