What can we conclude from your behaviour?

Romans 15:5 – May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had

What a great prayer.  Firstly, an acknowledgment of the endurance and encouragement God gives to us and secondly asking for him to give us the same attitude towards others that Jesus had.

What attitude did Jesus have towards others?  Words I would use include: humble, positive, encouraging, loving, considerate, selfless, loyal, persevering, respectful, compassionate, patient, forgiving

I’m sure there are many more words we could use. Looking at these traits it helps me to see where I need to change to become more like Jesus.  Do I encourage enough, am I patient enough, do I show compassion in every situation?  Certainly food for thought!

CHOOSE

Choose your attitude, do not get upset with people or situations, change your thoughts and just maybe you can change the world, don’t be afraid of what could go wrong, focus on what will go right, let Jesus be your example, are you humble, do you live with positive thoughts, do you encourage as much as you ought, do you look around and yearn for others to succeed, does your heart leap when the seeds they have sown start to grow, are you happy in their happiness, relentless in your support, are you patient?  Do you show compassion in every situation, are you loyal to those who are around you, do you persevere despite any fear or worry, do you hurry to the aid of others at your own expense, selfless in giving your time, your gifts, your strengths, and do you respect others even when your ideas differ, are you prepared to sit there and hear them out, relate to them in cheerful debate, are you forgiving?  Do you forgive easily, showing mercy, big hearted in your attitude and most importantly can we conclude from your behaviour that you are the child of our loving Saviour?

Times when we cry out to Jesus

We need you now – words of a song that resound today. With all that is going on in this country, let alone the rest of the world, we need you Jesus.  Actually, it brings it home how insular we are at times, when things happen in our own country it seems to impact us more.  The site of a burning tower block in London resounds, maybe because we can relate to it more than a burning building in Syria or Iraq.  But the result is the same, loss of life, loss of homes, pain and suffering.  Jesus we need you now to step into all these situations, come Lord Jesus.

COME LORD JESUS

Be truly glad, wonderful things are ahead, but there will be trials to endure, times of hardship, times of questioning, asking why, times when we will cry out in fear or anger, times that we face mortal danger, times when we cry out to Jesus, come take on this situation, come save our nation, we know that Satan is already defeated, we’re ready to see him depleted, unable to cause any more suffering, come with your comforting, come with your love, come down from heaven above and make this right, come shine a light that draws all men, come Lord Jesus we ask Amen

Not Jesus mentality

I’ve been reading Joel this morning and one of the comments about the passage spoke of this quote:

“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Is this not a good reminder to look outside of our own, small world into the bigger picture and consider what it is God is telling us? How can I make a difference to all the pain and suffering?  One thing’s for sure, if I never look out of my own bubble, I’m never going to make an impact.

CARE

Pain, suffering, children dying, malnutrition, contention, war, bloodshed, hostile actions, reactions, terrorism, racism, dictatorships, persecution, provocation, incarceration, poverty, insufficiency, famine, addiction, depression, debt, let’s not shy away from this pain, living in a sheltered bubble, no exposure to the troubles that surround us, that’s not Jesus mentality, the reality is this world needs us, open your ears to the groaning, pick up your megaphone and intercede, get on your knees, Jesus teaches us to love, love our neighbours, not just those who surround us, reach out in prayer, let them know that we care, arise, react, interact and impact.

Be contagious for Jesus

Do we have the heart of Jesus when it comes to spreading the news of his love?  Do we have the heart of the early disciples in bringing friends, family, community to come to know Jesus like we do? In Romans Paul writes that his heart is broken and he is troubled.  So much so he goes on to say he would sacrifice himself so that others could come to Jesus.  Now that’s passion.  It’s time to come down from our towers, to love like Jesus loved, to live like Jesus lived and to lead like Jesus led.

Romans 9: 1-2 –  I am a follower of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is a witness to my conscience. So I tell the truth and I am not lying when I say my heart is broken and I am in great sorrow.

BE CONTAGIOUS

What would Jesus do?  Come on think this through, what would Jesus do about the mess this world is in, the sinners and the sin, how would his heart break, his eyes shed tears, what sacrifice would he make to take away the sin of the world, you won’t find him hiding within the four walls of the church, he won’t be found in a meeting trying to agree on what’s happening next, he won’t be busy sending texts or facebook posts, asking what most people want to do, he isn’t waiting for the next season of sermons to be ready, he’s not waiting for the economy to steady, he’s not waiting for the next election, he’s not for keeping his resurrection the best kept secret, you won’t find him greeting his besties and ignoring the nobodies, I think you’ll find him on his knees, talking earnestly with his Father, you’ll find him in the town centre, in the market, wherever he can park his seat and have a chat, that’s where he’s at, he laid down his life, that’s what I call a sacrifice, he sought out the sick, the hurting, those who others all avoided, unclean, not to Jesus, washed clean by his blood, redeemed by his love, what would Jesus do?   He’s already done it, he died on a Cross, that’s when he did it, his death overcame sin and all its power, he alone is our tower, he alone is our Saviour and as you start to get a flavour of what Jesus was about you need to recognise the same clout lives in you, the same power and he that is in you is so much greater than he that is in the world, Jesus calls us to follow him, live as he lived, love as he loves, be bold, be courageous, be a little outrageous, for God is with you wherever you go, be contagious for Jesus, let everyone know..

Tap into the power of the miraculous

Worship, intentional activity to glorify one name, the name of Jesus.  We are designed to worship, made for that purpose, on purpose.  Words that rang true as I listened to Darlene Zschech on stage a couple of nights ago.

Romans 12:1 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship

Sometimes we make worship all about the music, but it’s not about that.  We can worship through our lives, our behaviours, our acts of kindness, our songs, our prayers, our silence and through worship we can walk in the power of the miraculous every single day.

INTENTIONALITY

Intentionality, in reality that means that I choose to worship God, I choose to stop, to take time out, to join in the one true sound of worship, my body a habitation for God, my body made for the purpose of worship, to serve and to give God the glory, worship is not about my words, it’s how I use my life, my talents, my gifts, how I intentionally lift them up to God, my worship an act of adoration, activating heaven, my worship demands that the noise of this world shuts up,  I am so desperate for God’s presence I reach out to touch the hem of his garment, I sing, but not a lament, a song of praise, I choose praise, I choose to raise my hands in the air, I know that he hears my cry and even when I am at my lowest the answer is worship, when I am in despair the answer is worship, when the tears fall, the answer is worship, give God the glory as he works in your story, give God the praise and he will raise you above your circumstances, dance and sing in his presence and heaven will invade your earth, join in the melody, work together in harmony, tap into the power of the miraculous, let his name be ever on your lips, Jesus my Jesus

No longer a spectator but a participator

Had another fabulous day at the Cherish conference this time Alex Seeley spoke passionately about there only being one option in life, and of course that option is Jesus.

EXPECTANT

Expectant I come to meet with Jesus no longer a spectator but a participator, my only option, the one who never forgot me, the one who died for me, pursuing the heart of God, step out of the crowd and acknowledge his love, he responds to my faith not my need  I fall to my knees, I stretch out my hand, I reach out to touch his hem, I can’t handle the truth but God can, the truth sets us free from the symptoms of our issues, time for the tissues, yes I have issues but God sees through them as I touch the hem of his garment he acknowledges me, sets me free no longer isolated, marginalised, less than, I am more than enough, blessed and forgiven, my freedom sealed, power of hope revealed by the goodness of God, I smash the head of my enemy as I choose my attitude, I swim in the river of life through the valley of the shadow of death, recognising God is not the author of my issues I make room in my heart to receive because unquestionably I believe that God loves me,

Jesus is coming again, does that utterly amaze you?

Ascension day, the day we remember that Jesus ascended into heaven.  The day we reflect that the next time we see him will be when he comes back to earth, having prepared our home for us his Father’s House.  That’s so cool and exciting 😊

John 14:2 –  In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you

Mark 16:19 – So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God

 

Jesus is coming again, does that utterly amaze you?  Does it faze you, do you think it’s highly unlikely that a man from two thousand years ago will descend from the clouds like a superhero, yes I know how crazy that sounds to a non-believer but when you’ve been on the receiving end of his love, his power, his healing and received his showers of blessing on your life, when you appreciate the sacrifice he made when he died on the cross to save you from your sins, when you live with his Spirit within, changing your life and helping you live a life that means something, a life that acknowledges Jesus as King, a life which doesn’t faze you anymore cos Jesus came knocking on your door and said give me all your worries, all your cares and burdens and I will take them on myself, when he helped you overcome addiction, gave your life more traction, when he took your pain and made it better, surrounded you with friends, lends his ear whenever you need it, day or night he never denies you his time, when you see how sublime his love is for you, it won’t amaze you, it’s what you have come to expect of a King who walks on water, turns water to wine, heals the sick and brings the dead to life, this King is real, he is coming again, turn from your sin and you too can claim the place in his house he’s prepared for you, don’t be a fool, he’s calling to you.