Louis Giglio: How Great is our God

This blog has been dead for a while, so let’s wake it up a bit. 

I recently watched this message and was completely blown away.  It truly is worth watching and sharing. 

Down to the Motions

I was listening to the song, “Motions”, by Matthew West this morning and it led me to ask a series of questions.  What motions do I go through each day that should be more than motions?  What things have become simply motions in our walk with Christ?  Has Christianity become merely motions?  Actions to make us “look” Christian when we should be living Christ?   

This might hurt, it’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change,

Changing the way we live can hurt.  It causes us to rethink everything we do.  It forces us to let go of pleasures that do not give glory to Christ, but glory to ourselves.  People will look at us differently, some with curiosity, others with distain and we cannot bear the latter, but what is life about?  Living for the moment, for our own pleasure?  Or to glorify Christ and show the world what He looks like?

 I don’t care if I break,
At least I’ll be feeling something

 What will break?  Our will?  Our pride?  Our Old Self?  We put these things aside, we break our selfish pride, we open ourselves to the joy and peace only Christ can give. 

‘Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life  

When will we finally grow tired of our walk with Christ being okay?  We, (even Christians,) try to fill ourselves with things of this world, but they are nothing compared to being a Child of God.   God didn’t mean for us to live with as little of Him as possible, to substitute His love for “the nothingness of life”.  But we can’t change on our own, we need His help.

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking,
“What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?”

It’s time to say enough, it’s time to truly live for Him.  Don’t simply try to live like a Christian, live as Christ lived.  Be passionate about Him.  He gave you His life, His love and He called you, set you apart.  Shouldn’t this mean something to us?  Shouldn’t this cause us to live for Him with passion?

 No regrets, not this time
I’m gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love make me whole
I think I’m finally feeling something
‘Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

 Romans 13: 14 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

II Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. 

Thanks for reading my ramblings.

Questions?  Thoughts?  Comments?

 Soli Deo Gloria,
~Laura

Heart Issue

No, this isn’t the next article, (sorry), but you see, I have a confession to make.  I started Connect The Dots  because I felt called by God to speak the truth to Christians because I saw the Church slowly losing sight of our Biblical foundation.  I still feel called to be a voice of truth to the Church and have a heart for stirring a revival within the body, but as I was writing the next article I realized, all my reasons for starting this blog were not completely Godly.  In fact, there was another reason, one that (I feel) was quite wrong of me.  What was it?  I wanted a place to vent my frustration, tell people what I thought concerning the declining Biblical foundations in the Church and ramble on and on about it.  Mostly it was to vent.  I had grown so frustrated towards blinded Christians I was about to burst.  I really did have desire to outline Biblical Truth in an understandable way, and point people back to learning truth from the Bible, but I let my own bitterness and frustration lead me, rather than praying about it and letting God lead.  I believe He would have had me start the blog, but not as soon as I did.  I wasn’t quite ready, I hadn’t learned a two simple little things; humility and patience. 

I want to apologize to you all, I began a work too soon and I only have my own sinful nature to blame.  I tried to play God, be my own leader.  I rushed into battle before the general sounded the charge.  (I’m afraid I’m good at that.) 

I also want to say thank you, for being patient with me and for continuing to be patient.  I’m going to carry on posting articles and such, but first I’m going to get my heart right, rededicate this blog to Christ and seek His guidance in every piece that is written.

Soli Deo Gloria,
~Laura

Late

As you might have guessed by the title of this post, the next Connect The Dots article is going to be late.  Honestly I feel really bad about it and I won’t to offer an apology to those of you who have been waiting patiently for the next instalment. 

I’ve been really stressed about finishing Draft II of my novel (that I’m currently revising) before my set deadline, (June 9th), and revision has been eating up nearly all my time.  (For news on how things are going visit my personal blog Writing for His Glory.)

I have started the article and will finish and post is as soon as I am able.  Again, I’m sorry for the delay and thank you all for your continued patience. 

Soli Deo Gloria,
~Laura Jenkins

Faith vs. Common Sense

 “Where is your faith?” 

“You must not have enough faith.” 

How many times have we heard this?  It is what our pastors, church leaders, and what our fellow Christians tell us whenever something goes wrong.  But what is faith?  Is there a line between trusting God for everything and making our own choices based on common sense?  These are two questions I hope to answer through this first article of Connect The Dots.  Please hold tight, open your mind and your heart, as I lay before you a message of faith, trust and using the good sense God gave us.

• Dot 1: What is Faith?

Faith, simply put is self commitment to God, unwavering trust in and obedience to Him.  And ultimately, trust is complete surrender of your life to God’s will. 

I like this quote from The Zondervan Bible Dictionary:

                “Faith in His person is faith in Him as the eternal Son of God, the Son of Man… Who died in man’s stead, making possible justification with God, adoption into His family, sanctification, and, ultimately, glorification.”

Notice the underlined words; ultimately, glorification.  This made me stop and think, “Whose glorification?”  It couldn’t be ours, because all glory goes to God.  Is it saying that the ultimate purpose of our faith is to glorify God? 

Jesus said in John 14:12, “Verily  verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.”

Paul wrote in Colossians 3:23, “Whatsoever you do, so it heartily, as to the Lord, not unto men.” 

What we do, how we live, is meant to bring glory to God.  Therefore what should faith look like?  Our lives, completely and totally surrendered to God in a way that brings glory to Him.

• Dot 2: What is Common Sense?

According to Webster’s Dictionary common sense is:

                “Ordinary good sense or sound, practical judgment.”

What kind of person is the opposite of “sound, practical judgment”?  The answer is quite simple; a fool.

                Webster’s Dictionary defines a fool as:

                “A person with little or no judgment, common sense, wisdom, etc.”

The Bible is very clear concerning fools, and as Christians, we are not to be one.

So what does this have to do with faith?  Let me show you.

• Dot 3: Think about it.

 God gave us common sense (or good judgment).  Did you know that?  If He gave us the ability to judge if something is wise or not.  Don’t you think our God given common sense can work with faith?

In the Old Testament, the Israelites saw faith and the law as compatible.  In the same way trusting God and using good judgment are compatible; they work together.  David, multiple times in the Psalms and Proverbs, asks for wisdom and good judgment and tells his son not to lose sight of them.

                Psalms 119:66 – “Teach me good judgments and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.”

                Proverbs 3: 21 – “My son, let them not depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion.”

If you are looking for a job and have surrendered to God the task of finding the right one, what will you do?  Will you sit around waiting for a phone call?  No.  Why?  Because it would not be showing good sense.  God is in control and He can make a miracle and get you that job without you doing anything, but is that how God usually works?  No.  You have to play your part.  Yes, you trust God in your job search, but that doesn’t mean you sit around and not do anything yourself.

Another example: Your church wants to build a building but doesn’t have the money, and there’s a deadline.  You put it in God’s hands and pray that He will raise the funds if this building is His will. Many people are involved in this project and you all put your faith in God, surrendering the outcome to Him and His timing.  But the deadline creeps up and the funds are not at the level they should be.  The leadership makes a decision, and takes out a loan.  Now, not only have they contradicted their faith,   but have shown poor judgment in choosing to make the church a slave to debt.

Even if we trust God and have complete faith in Him, He lets us have a choice.  We can stand by our faith and use sound wisdom in how we will wait on His timing, or we can have faith and yet make choices not based on faith, but on our own wants.    God gave us common sense.  Don’t you think He intended us to use it, while trusting Him?   

• Dot  4: Put them all together:  Connecting the dots.

As Christians, showing good sense is not only a wise idea, but when we don’t, we are made to look like fools.  If we play the part of fools, how are we glorifying God?  If the ultimate reason for our faith is to glorify God, and yet if we act foolishly, what does that tell the people around us?  Does it show them faith?  No.

Using common sense is not a lack of faith.  Our lives and our faith are meant to bring glory to God, but if we ignore our God given common sense and make foolish decisions, we do not glorify God.  As Christians we are to be Christ-like, not fools, therefore faith and common sense cannot be separated.

Two More Days to Launch!

Just two more day untill Connect The Dots is officially launched!  Be ready! 

 

I am very excited to see what God will do through this blog and in the people who read it.  (Plus I’m looking forward to all He has to teach me as I try to write for His glory).  Untill Saturday, God bless!

Soli Deo Gloria,
~Laura

Upcoming

For the first series of articles I’m going to write about what’s been on my heart in the last several months: The Church.  I believe this is the best place to start in our journey to understanding truth.  As Christians we need to be aware of what is going on within our own walls and what we can do about it.

Upcoming topics are:

Faith and Common Sense.  Having faith and using the common sense God gave us goes hand in hand.

The Demise of the Biblical Church.  A look at how conformed to the culture the Church has become.

The Myth of Programs.  A look at the first Church, what programs they had and why.  How todays church programs have caused  burn out within the body and how most are unneeded.

The Makings of a Strong Church.  What makes a strong church?  Strong families.  How todays church is unknowingly preventing families from growing together within the body.

Keep your eye out for these upcoming new posts!

Here I Go

Hello readers!  For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Laura; I am a high school graduate a Biblical Christian and a writer.

I’ll start of by saying… For some time now I have been toying with the idea of using my writing gift as a way to speak out against what I have seen as the demise of truth.  Everywhere around me truth is being attacked, even in the Church. 

Since before the beginning of this year a burning desire to vocally stand up for Biblical Truth has been festering inside me just waiting to be set free.  Now, I don’t like conflict, and conflict is something I knew would come if I opened my (sometimes rather big) mouth, but,  through the course of several months I’ve realized that I wasn’t doing those around me any favors by keeping silent (and as a Christian, proclaiming the truth is part of my calling).  So I’m taking a leap of faith and starting this blog.  I don’t know who will read it or if it will make a difference, but I do know it’s a start.  A way for me to get my thoughts together now, a practice ground, if you will, for a larger stage.

Here it goes. 

Soli Deo Gloria,
~Laura