Friday Update

This week's Friday Post comes from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. Think about what is being taught in this short devotional. Can you completely put your eyes on Christ without worry?

February 27, 2009
The Impoverished Ministry of Jesus
Where then do You get that living water? —John 4:11
"The well is deep"— and even a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew! ( John 4:11 ). Think of the depths of human nature and human life; think of the depth of the "wells" in you. Have you been limiting, or impoverishing, the ministry of Jesus to the point that He is unable to work in your life? Suppose that you have a deep "well" of hurt and trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says to you, "Let not your heart be troubled . . ." (John 14:1 ). Would your response be to shrug your shoulders and say, "But, Lord, the well is too deep, and even You can’t draw up quietness and comfort out of it." Actually, that is correct. Jesus doesn’t bring anything up from the wells of human nature— He brings them down from above. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering only what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and also by saying, "Of course, I cannot expect God to do this particular thing." The thing that approaches the very limits of His power is the very thing we as disciples of Jesus ought to believe He will do. We impoverish and weaken His ministry in us the moment we forget He is almighty. The impoverishment is in us, not in Him. We will come to Jesus for Him to be our comforter or our sympathizer, but we refrain from approaching Him as our Almighty God.
The reason some of us are such poor examples of Christianity is that we have failed to recognize that Christ is almighty. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment or surrender to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying, "Of course, He can’t do anything about this." We struggle to reach the bottom of our own well, trying to get water for ourselves. Beware of sitting back, and saying, "It can’t be done." You will know it can be done if you will look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness runs deep, but make the effort to look away from yourself and to look toward Him.

House MD vs. Jesus RLC (Real Life Changer)

I really like the TV show House. Why do I like it? It is intriguing. Houses character intrigues me. I wonder to myself, how many people are actually like house in the world? People who get so caught up in their own intelligence and arrogance that they are unwilling to change because they think that what they are can never get better. In the latest episode of House at the end House says "This is the only me you get." He was referring to making a "change" that if made would have taken away the pain in his life and brought him peace. Instead he decides to neglect that change and live, by choice, in pain and suffering trusting only in himself and no one else.

I implore you, do not be like house. If you are living in pain and suffering there is a change that you can make. That change is found in Jesus Christ. Jesus came to take on our sin and defeat it so that we can be in a right relationship with God! Jesus came that we might have peace not suffering. That we may be found forgiven and justified before God not thrown out and condemned. That we may have eternal life in Heaven and not Hell. Yet, when I read the news I am blown away by so many people who get caught up in themselves (all over the world) and cause needless pain and suffering!

We humans are given to the disease of sin. Jesus is the only remedy for that disease. Jesus shows us how to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8) Jesus brings peace through salvation. Jesus gives hope through forgiveness of sins. Jesus is the only bridge between us and our creator God! This isn't the "only me you get". There is a new "me" waiting to be discovered and continually developed in following Jesus. So I implore all of us to not get caught up in the self-reliant culture of House and get caught up into self-less reliance on God.

The Relaunching of www.LiveRelevant.com

I just wanted to let you all know that I am working on redesigning LiveRelevant.com! It will become more of a facebook style webpage! There will be information on there as to upcoming events, studies we will be doing, and the cool thing: it will become a blog style page to keep you all informed and up to date! There will be twitter links, facebook links to an RSM group, there will be opportunities for you to share the page with friends as well as there will be links to other ministry resources for you all to check out! There will be opportunites for you to connect directly to RSM staff for prayer needs etc. via the webpage...you name it, it is coming to LiveRelevant.com! I will be relaunching the page next week so be ready for some new exciting stuff! And remember please check LiveRelevant.com to keep up to date and get you CONNECTED with what is going on with Relevant Student Ministries!!!

Would The Real Man Please Stand Up...

God has been teaching me a lot lately about what a real man looks like. More than that God has been teaching me what a real leader looks like. I have been attending Men's Fraternity sessions that our church has been providing and I can honestly say it has made a huge impact on my life as a young man. I am kind of an odd ball in the group as I am the only person under the age of 25 at this particular session. At the same time, I am so blessed to sit in a group of older men and hear their struggles and what God is teaching them about their lives right now. I am so thankful for this opportunity to learn from these men and their past failures and successes! I am also thankful that they are willing to share about themselves and the things God is teaching them right now that they wish they had known when they were my age. Wisdom comes from this group like a rushing waterfall. I am totally thankful for this experience.

I want to share four things that every man needs to learn. Please understand that this is my personal take on these four points. These four points come straight from the life of Jesus who was the ultimate man and ultimate leader! In the session we compare Adam from Genesis to the second Adam, Jesus. This comparison leads us to these conclusions of what Biblical manhood is all about.

1. Reject Passivity. Adam was passive when he stood beside Eve as she ate the apple and thus was cast out of the garden and caused sin to enter into the world. Jesus rejected passivity and stood firm on the reward that God had for Him. When he was tempted in the desert, Jesus never gave in because He knew what God's plan was--to save the world through him! Jesus knew that his actions would save the world as long as he didn't disconnect from God and from his duties here on the earth. Jesus was never passive. He never let anything slip. He was always active in changing lives for God!

2. Accept Responsibility. Adam blamed Eve for the action that was committed in the garden. Jesus shows us that responsibility must be ours. If we are not responsible for anything then nothing would ever get done. We are responsible for the way we treat our wives. We will be held accountable before God for the way we served Him. God has given us each gifts and we will be held responsible for how we use those gifts for Him. More than any of this, if Jesus is the center of our lives then we are responsible for showing Him to the world through the way we live!

3. Lead Courageously. Adam was afraid of God. He hid from him in the garden after the apple had been eaten. Jesus lead without abandon. He knew God's purpose and plan and he went all out in making sure that that plan was accomplished. How much more effective would we be if we just lead courageously trusting God to direct us, stepping out in faith, knowing that He is in control? I know one thing, God is looking for people who will be obedient to His calling!

4. Remember the Reward. The reward is heaven and filling it up with others! Teaching others about Jesus is the most important thing we can ever do in our lives. Living out Jesus to others follows suit. Jesus promised that all who believe in Him will have eternal life! The reward is in heaven, not here on earth. Remember that being a true man/leader is to model your life after Jesus and remember that the reward comes from rejecting passivity, accepting responsibility, and leading courageously is Heaven and it being filled with people that we together have brought to Jesus!!!

Be a real man. Too many men let life pass them by while they stand on the sidelines. Too many men don't accept responsibility for the way their children yearn for a real father but wouldn't work on a marriage to be that father. Too many men are full of fear and don't rely on God to make them courageous in their actions. Too many men have forgotten or don't know the reward that comes from being a real man...let the real men stand up and be counted. And let them go and lead other men to Jesus the true man and leader!

A Snippet from This Sunday's Message!

God’s desire is not for us to be condemned but for us to commune with Him! In the story we heard earlier, God’s desire was not for those who are “in” to act like they have it and no one else can get it. God’s desire is for those who are “in” to go “out” and find more people to come “in” until the whole world is “in”! God wants everyone to commune with Him. Let’s take a look at the word Commune. What does that mean? Well dictionary.com gives these definitions: Commune-–verb (used without object) to converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc.; interchange thoughts or feelings. To be in intimate communication or rapport: to commune with nature. As a noun it means the interchange of ideas or sentiments. God wants us to reach out to the gothic man so that He can commune with God. God wants us to reach out to those we are uncomfortable reaching out to because if we don’t do it, then who will?
When we commune with God we begin to find out his character, His passions, His attributes, and to be with Him daily. When we commune with God we begin to think and act like Him. Think about this: Have any of you ever had a best friend? Maybe that best friend is your neighbor you grew up with, your wife, your accountability partner.
Have you ever caught yourself acting like they act? Laughing like they laugh? Saying what they would say? That is the kind of relationship God wants us to have with Him. To know Him so well that we act like Him, make decisions like Him, make his desires our desires!
It is easy to get distracted by our lives. We must MAKE time for God every day until our time with Him becomes as natural as breathing. You know, God doesn’t just watch and listen from 7-7:45 AM He watches and listens all day every day for all of history! He is just waiting for us to make a commitment to follow Him with our whole lives 24/7/365/Eternity! When we commune with God our lives will never be the same! But the thing we must never forget is that we cannot commune with God without Jesus. Jesus is our way, our truth, and our life (John 14:6). He was the only one capable of living a sinless life and becoming a sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16); that when we believe in Him we are given the righteousness that He has so that we can be in a right relationship with God.
When we commune with God every day, people will see a difference in us and desire what we have. Think about the promises that come with knowing God and living every day with Him: Assurance of eternal life, peace, financial stability (God owns everything so money means nothing to Him), forgiveness of our past, acceptance, unconditional love, He is jealous for us, He is our father, He gives us purpose in this life, He gives us special talents and abilities to be used for Him. More than that we are communing with the God of creation, of the entire world! And these are only a few! In this one and only instance I believe that God would say it is OK for a person to covet what a neighbor has: A daily, living, breathing, and growing relationship with Himself. The cool thing is God offers this to us freely. When we live in a right relationship with God people will be drawn to Him through us. So anyone can be a part of God’s family. All you have to do is believe in Jesus and live for Him!

Amazing Insight from Oswald Chambers! (From My Utmost For His Highest)

Are You Listening to God?

They said to Moses, ’You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die’ ` —Exodus 20:19

We don’t consciously and deliberately disobey God— we simply don’t listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them— not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and humiliation for ignoring Him.

"You speak with us, . . . but let not God speak with us . . . ." We show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don’t want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it is simply one of God’s servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, "Well, that’s only your own idea, even though I don’t deny that what you said is probably God’s truth."

Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, "Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?" This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so.

This Is Great!

Check out this devotional which was sent to me from Pastor Chris. It is a really good insight into a sometimes confusing passage of God's Word! Thanks Chris!

New for Old
by John Fischer

Jesus once warned against trying to patch an old garment with new cloth or put new wine into old wineskins. In the case of the garment, the new unshrunk piece of cloth will tear away from the rest when the clothing is first washed. And in the case of the wineskins, the new wine will be too acidic for the old skins and they will burst. New wine and new skins need to grow old together. I used to wonder about exactly what this meant. I'd heard it taught as being related to new methods of sharing the Gospel and pretty much left it at that. Recently I found something new. I found out that Jesus told this story right after being criticized for hanging around tax collectors and sinners at Matthew's house. When the religious leaders (Pharisees) questioned Jesus as to his choice of friends, he promptly replied, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:13) Which translated meant, I didn't come for you; I came for them. And shortly after that is when Jesus is suddenly discussing garment repair and proper wine storage. Here's what I think. I think that little piece of advice was meant for the Pharisees. It was meant to announce to them that God was now going to usher in a new thing entirely. Jesus did not come just to fix religion. He did not come to patch up the Old Covenant. Nor did He come to pour new life into it (new wine into old wineskins). He came to do something entirely new. And in order to “get it” you can’t come in through the existing door. The standard framework of thinking about God and religion will forever prevent us from being able to understand and partake in something new -- what Jesus came to establish.
Therefore, Jesus is pleased to start with people who have no preconceptions of God and how to please Him; they just know they’re messed up. That’s all Jesus wants. He doesn’t want the religious sacrifices of “good” people. He wants the entire lives of people who know they are sinners and failures so he can begin something entirely new with them—new clothes... new wine... new skins. Now all this should come as terribly good news to anyone who knows he or she is not a good person. That's precisely the point. Jesus didn't come for good people; He came for sinners. This isn't a remodel; it's a total makeover.