word a day (9): Isaiah 54:2

EXPENSE... what does it cost? Usually the better something is, the more expensive it can become. I can confess to you that I am what you might consider a name brand lover. I will only purchase Adidas or Puma sneakers. There is something about the color that illuminates from a new pair grab my attention every time i walk down 5th or Broadway which are lined with shoe stores (my favorite being "Electronics and Shoes Inc."... only in NYC). But the truth is that these shoes generally have a considerably long life span. The neon yellow/silver adidas which adorn my feet at this moment, were purchased at least four years ago. You pay for fashion, or durability, or just because a brand is popular. 

So now back from that rabbit trail... It cost Christ His life to save the soul of every man ,woman,  and child who will except Him. To make a way that we can have a personal relationship with God no matter what nationality or culture we come from, but what does it cost you and me?

1 Romans 6, Paul talks about us joining Christ in death. This does not conclude in us going upon hills nearby and constructing crosses for ourselves, I promise. When we accept Christ and make Him the leader of our lives, we submit. We die to ourselves, our sinful nature, our past regrets. And just as Christ rose from the grave, so will we have new lives. A life that is no longer centered around our own selves. It costs us everything. Our all. We lay everything down for Christ, that pearl of great price. That can be pretty pricey for some. In a world that cries out "Me, Me, Me!!!!" it can be hard. We are trained to care for ourselves and then fold onto what is ours. This is why it is called an expense. It is casting aside our selfish "me me me" wants and focusing on what God wants for us. 

word a day (8): Isaiah 54:2

AND SPARE NOT... to spare is to hold back. Our God is not one who in known to hold back. To those who serve Him, He continually pours out abundance and blessing. Being made in 

God's image, would that not in-tale that we were never a people created to hold back. Sometimes work can bog me down, or something happens in my family that leaves me feeling low. There are even times when church can wear me out(you can account to this if you have been in bible college and have spent every single day of your week in the church). But not one of these is a legitimate reason to spare time or attention from God and His call in my life. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 9 that we not only are running a race, but we should be running so that we will win. We have to give it our all every day. This isn't a competitive race. We aren't competing to "get to God" before our peers, we are running out our own race. We are constantly challenging the pace we set the day before. The goal is to run with my eyes fixed on Christ. On His insurmountable love. On His grace that is undeserved. On His example he set before us and is available to us if we just open the pages of that book we only pull out for church services. The goal is for me to run this race, sparing no amount of energy, no amount of time, and no amount of effort.

Word a day (7): Isaiah 54:2

YOUR HOME... In the bible, the word home is used a fraction of the time in describing a dwelling place with walls a roof and a fireplace. I like to think of a house as a shell, the walls. A roof over your head. This house is important. What would a church be if they had no common place to fellowship. But I feel the "home" is the comfort that can be found within the walls. Another thing, a home is not confined to a shell. God wants us to bring that home-like feeling into the cities we live in. Our jobs, our family, and friends. That is why building relationships is the most effective way to bring out the Kingdom in this world. It is the words and actions of a friend that change someone's life, not a beaming in the back of the head by someone throwing judgment and accusations from people they don't even know. As followers of Christ, we are expected to be excepting and comforting, even if we don't understand. It was the example He gave us while here on earth. This is how we are to treat people. Treat them as if they were valued guests in your home, because that is who they actually are in God's eyes. We need to step back and look outside of ourselves, our own agenda's, our own ambitions. To welcome people into our home in the Father. 

A Pro-Choice God

As crazy as that may seem to you, our God is pro-choice. I don't mean this in a direct correlation with abortion, but choice as a whole. 

Many christians and non-christians alike struggle with this question: "If God knows all past, present, and future, what does my life on this earth matter?" The matter of predestination has confused theologians and laymen alike since the beginning. Some view God as a giant looking down on us, moving us around as he pleases. I want you take take a look at it this way. Take the creator of the game of chess and place him in a match with a newbie to the game. The creator not only knows the strategies in and out, he invented them. He knows the outcome of the game just by the first moves of the game. But here it is! The creator doesn't move the rookie's pieces around on the board, he just knows what will happen because of each of the moves. The rookie decides which route and strategy he will use. He can even impress the creator with a move and change how the creator will play out his next series of moves. 

So God, the creator of this world and of you and me, has given us free will. He gives us choice! Every move we make, God saw coming, but he doesn't control them. You choose to act on the calling of your life. You choose your job, your car, you choose even the person you marry. 

God gives us opportunities. He opens doors that will change and benefit our lives but we are the ones who have to choose to step through those doors. God's story is MASSIVE! It encompasses all past, present, and future, and here is the hook... it is being written even as you sit here and read this. Our supporting roles in this story of His are only as important as we let them be, and it all depends on what we choose to do with our lives on a day to day, hour by hour, minute by minute basis. 

God wants us to play important parts in His story. Every day He brings someone, something into out lives that are tied into the calling He wants us to grab hold of. If we grab hold... "good on ya'!" But if we don't, its not the end of the world. This is where God might change His strategy up a bit. God's plans and purposes don't fall apart because of one person's choice to turn the chance down to change the world, He simply opens that door for someone else. So choose to take hold of the calling, which in-turn, results in blessing. 

A Perfect example is in 1 Samuel 16. After being anointed as king of Israel, the very first one at that, Saul continually screws up and looses his throne. God told Samuel in verse 1, "You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as King..."  God gave Saul a chance to justly rule His own people, the children of God, by simply following Him. Saul didn't fail through and through. There were times he did follow all of God's direction, and he was one of a hand full to be filled with his spirit mentioned in the Old Testament. But after making choice after choice that pulled him farther and farther from his calling. God soon after sends Samuel to anoint David. David wasn't perfect and we all know it, but he choose at the end of everything to return all glory to where it belonged. He lived within his calling and became known as "a man after God's own heart."

To understand God intends us to have choice, to live in free will whether it means with Him or without, we go back to the very beginning. God created all the universe from scratch. This means all was null and void. There was no good trees or bad trees. If God intended us to live as drones, to have no choice to follow him, then why would the tree of the knowledge of good and evil be planted? Why would He risk it? Take a man who finds a beautiful woman and instead of perusing her affection and love, he purchases a vile of potion that causes her to love him without thinking. Without her will. There is no real love there. How much more is the love that comes with time and passion and true devotion? This is why we are given free will. So that the love is real. It is everlasting. It is ours and His together.

Word a day (6): Isaiah 54:2

SPREAD OUT... We as Christians are called and given the command to spread out. To take ground. We are at war with a crafty liar who is bent on keeping our spirit and faith trampled, keeping us from being territory takers for the kingdom. Taking territory in our schools, our jobs, our relationships, our lives. Think of the influence that could made on this earth if the church as a whole where constantly spreading the grace and love of God. This is a huge reason I have bought into the vision of my church. Christian City Church effect the city of Sydney and then just call it a day. It went after the world, planting 200 churches throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. God has seen the heart of this movement and the leaders of it, and has honored them with the power to more than add to the Kingdom, but the power to multiply. 

So don't ever hide that light God has given you as His child. Share it. Use it. Take it as far as you can and then look back and see all that has been accomplished for His sake. 

word a day (5): Isaiah 54:2

AN ADDITION... When you are in a family that is growing you add on to the house. When an addition is made there is more room to move around and grow. It also increases the worth of the home. The usefulness of it. It is capable to hold more, which in turn, produces more. God has called to make room. To add onto ourselves. We do this by disciplining ourselves and committing time and energy. We make the effort, the room in our lives, and God will fill it with His presence, revelation, strength, confidence, and blessing.

Word a day (4): Isaiah 54:2

BUILD... There is always a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when you have completed something. To sit back and look at the finished project, seeing that you have actually done something. Created something. Built something. But you cant sit there in satisfaction until you have gone and worked, which usually is never easy. There are the times of blood, sweat, and tears that go into the building. In the parable of building your house on the firm rock foundation, we often just skim it and get the basic idea, but there is much more to the story. In order to get to the firm foundation, the builders had to get to the firm foundation, the builders had to "dig deep". They had to work to get to the foundation, to remove the rubble and sand that get in the way. God wants us to build. To build His house. To build up friends and leaders. To build ourselves. But before we can build and start seeing results we have to remove everything unwanted in the way, our sins, our past, our own selfish ambitions. They need to be removed so that the foundation is firm. So it wont crumble and fall.