Backyard gardens...

We had a vegetable garden in our back yard when I was growing up. Every year, we would plant tomatoes, green beans, collard greens, and a few other items. Every year my Father would get out there and work the ground, plant the seeds, remove the weeds by hand, build trellises for the tomatoes and beans. At the end of the year, he would happily go out there, pick the food and for a few weeks we would have fresh home grown vegetables. There wasn't enough food to get us through the winter - just enough to enjoy some home cooked food with the work of his hand.

One year, when I turned 8 or 9, my Dad called me into the back yard with him. He showed me how to till the ground. That's how it all started. For the rest of the year every time the garden needed to be tended, I was out there by his side learning, step by step. At the end of the year, he taught me the proper way to pick the fruits and vegetables in a way not to damage the fruit.

The next year, I did more of the gardening while he watched. He successfully taught me how to garden.

That... is discipleship in the nutshell.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like a sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields." (Matt 9:36-38 NLT)

The first thing that Jesus did when he began to disciple who we later call The Apostles was - pray that God send workers.

The thing is... when the workers get there... just like my Dad did to me, we're going to have to teach them how to work the field...

So, here's my challenge for you today. Take a moment and look around you. Notice the people that are hurting. Ask God to make you aware of the people that need Him... and pray that he sends workers.

Selah.

What does it mean to disciple someone?

When I was in high school we had the opportunity to take a lump of clay, use a pottery wheel and make a little earthen vase. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how many times I started over, my lump of clay never took any form that looked like anything. I think when I was all done, I had this short, shallow, leaning, malformed, lumpy thing that I called an ash tray. In reality, it wasn't even good enough to hold ash because of the cracks in the side.

I didn't realize until today why I was never able to make anything. It's because I didn't have an idea of what I wanted it to look like, I half expected it to form itself. There was no plan. The clay was there. The pottery wheel was there. My fingers, some water and a sponge was there. I had all the elements, so a beautiful work of art should just form... right?

In reality, it takes vision and intent to make something out of nothing. You have to have a plan.

I was talking with a friend of mine from college last night. We were discussing what it was like when we were in college and involved in campus ministry. When we got there, we were just these lumps of misshaped clay, and by the time we graduated, we had been made into disciples. We knew what we believed, we knew how to teach others and we were on fire. Our campus leaders knew how to equip us.

When Jesus started his ministry he said these words:

Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people! (Matt 4:19 NLT)

For the next 3 1/2 years, he taught them. As a matter of fact, the last thing that Jesus says before going back to heaven was:

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matt 28:18-20)

My mind drifts back to a book... "Disciples are made not born" by Walter A. Henrichsen ... I may have to dig that up for a refresher...

I want it now!

I remember when I was a child and the Sears catalog would come just when the holiday season would come. I would sit down and look over the pages... carefully picking out the things that I would ask my parents for. There was a lot of excitement and anticipation after I made my list - wondering if I would get what I wanted.

The truth is, in those days, I generally got what I needed - another pair of shoes for the 2nd half of the school year, clothes to replace what I had grown out of and usually the one big toy that I wanted and a few other things as well. That was enough to make me happy.

Times have changed as our economy has grown. People are use to getting what they want all the time now - well at least before the great recession hit... but most people still sacrifice to give their children what they want. I can understand that... I think of what Jesus sacrificed to give us eternal life, in that same spirit, we sacrifice to give to those around us.

But... what does that teach us about patience? After all, when it comes to God's plan, he rarely moves as quickly as we do for our children.

I woke up this morning thinking about Jacob. Jacob needed a wife, and he saw this beautiful woman named Rachel.  He told her father that he would work for him for 7 years to marry her... wait. sees this woman - that he wants to marry... and he is willing to wait how long? 7 years? Ooooookay.... (Genesis 29:15-18)

Jacob works for 7 years. It goes by quickly - he's in love. He gets to see to object of his affection on a daily basis - so time flies. I imagine he got to see her at meal times and that they had great conversations as they continued to get to know each other.

Then... it comes time to marry her - his father pulls the switharoo and he ends up marrying Leah. (Gen 29:21-27)

WHAT??!!!

He marries Leah, and according to their custom spends a week with her which is time that he isn't spending with the object of his desire - Rachel.

After all of that, he was allowed to marry Rachel.

I'm not sure why God allowed such a thing to happen, but what I do know is that from all of this, Jacob had 12 song who eventually became the 12 tribes of Israel - a nation by which we are all blessed today.

I guess God does have a plan, maybe we aren't patient enough to see it through today...

Sounding like a broken record...

In the days when records ruled more than cassette tapes, and CDs, MP3s and iPods weren't even a thought - there were these things called records. Records were great, and many music lovers still buy "vinyl" today because they believe the music just sounds better.

The problem with records was that it was easy for records to "skip". A skip could be caused by a few things... too much dust collecting in the grooves causing the needle not to progress. That would mess with the sound. Other imes make the arm not progress across the record causing the same thing to be played over... and over.

A scratch or a blemish could also cause the record to skip. When there was a scratch, the needle might slide backwards and cause a segment of the song to be played over and over again. In other instances, if the scratch were really bad, it would skip across multiple songs.

Sometimes, reading the Bible is like listening to a scratched record. Mankind has these blemishes and flaws that  cause us to either repeat the same mistakes over and over OR try to skip to the end. Either way... the intent of having the playlist of our life gets disrupted by these scratches that we pick up along the way.

Let me see if I can demonstrate  this...

• We choose to follow God (Joshua 24:15 - But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.)
• Life gets in the way, and we forget about God (Judges 2:10 - A generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done.)
• Then, someone comes along and reminds us to serve God (2 Kings 22 - Josiah finds the law and brings the people to repentance)
•  We become comfortable with God and treat our relationship with him casually (Romans 1:21 Yes, they knew God, but they didn't worship him as God or give him thanks.)

Then, I read about people who got it. People who endured being mocked and beat. People who are put in prison. People who were killed for their belief "Of whom the world was not worthy" (Hebrews 11:38 KJV) and I get a little anxious.

I, sometimes am afraid that if I try really hard I will fail God, That I won't have the faith required to do what he is asking of me. So, sometimes, I sit content - and not do anything at all.

Sometimes I get caught up at looking at the people that got it wrong and put myself in that lot and not looking at the ones that got it right.

Do you see what this means - all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running - and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight f where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through - all that bloodshed! So don't feel sorry for yourselves. (Hebrews 11:1-5 - The Message)

What are you using to measure?

Most of the people that I know are battling their weight on some level. I know people that go to the doctor, step on the scale, then when they see the weight, immediately start making excuses and say things like - "I can take 10 pounds off for my shoes, clothes, keys, and the 3 pennies that I have in my pocket..."

The truth is, if you're trying to shave 10 pounds, you probably have more than 10 pounds that you need to worry about.

But we try to rationalize things using the scale in our mind... and as a result, we rarely do anything about the belly fat that resides around our mid section. The problem is - we are trying to rationalize with an objective measure, and our justification in our own mind, doesn't change the reality.

This spills over into our work life. We compare ourselves to what we perceive others doing at work, and even worse... we do the same thing in the church.

The question is... as Christians, what should we be measuring ourselves against?

In Leviticus 20:7, it says "Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God. He goes further in verse 8 and says "And you shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the Lord that sanctifies you."

God is basically saying He is the line that we should want to measure ourselves by. We need to considere ourselves sacred or a holy people. And as we continue in living a holy life, God will help us achieve that. But... we have to be willing. We have to decide!

But surely, that's just in the old testament... we are under grace now, right?

1 Peter 1:16 - Because it is written, be holy for I am holy.

Today, let's struggle to do more than what is needed to get by. Let us strive to be all that God has called us to be.

Impossible? That's what you think...

Somewhere along the way, I think a lot of Christians got confused. There is this belief that we can ask God for anything that we want, and He will give it to us. We are taught that if we just have faith, the size of a mustard seed... that we can ask for anything we want and God will do it. Nothing will be impossible. (Matt 17:19-20)

So, one day, something happens... and we pray, and pray, and pray, and pray... and the situation doesn't get better. So we get angry with God. Our faith gets shaken. In the future, when is comes time to pray, we only pray half hearted.

Maybe our premise is wrong.

Jesus said that he came to do the will of the the One that sent him. (John 6:38). What if Jesus was truly saying God will ask you to do things that you think are impossible, but if you ask Him to do what he says, and believe - He will make it happen.

Ezekiel 37:1-7
 1 The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. 2 He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. 3 Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”
   “O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”
 4 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6 I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
 7 So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons.

But this is extreme, right? Things like this just don't happen... this was a vision... wasn't it?

John 6:5-7 
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
 7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

God knows what he is going to do. I know sometimes what he asks of us seems impossible... but we need to believe that He is faithful... so maybe, when you feel God is asking us to do the impossible, we should pray... have faith... and watch Him do the impossible.

That's the kind of faith and relationship that I want to have with God... I want to show myself faithful in the small things so He will show me how big He really is.

Why am I here

At some point, I think thinks about this question in some way.

Why am I here.
Why was I born into this family.
Why do I live here.

It's almost like we instinctively know that we're suppose to fulfill some purpose with our lives, but we can't quite figure out how we can get there from here.

Maybe... just maybe, we are where we are suppose to be, but WE are the ones trying to solve the wrong problem.

I always like to go to the Bible to try and get a little understanding... what did Jesus, our model for living say?

John 6:38
The Message
I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim, but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.

Jesus accomplished so much in his 3 1/2 years of ministry because he knew why he was there, and born into that family, living where he lived... He was there so he could accomplish the will of God.

Do you know what the will of God is in your life? Do you know what he wants you to do? Do you spend time fasting and praying to discern what his plan is for your life? More importantly... are you doing it?

I think that sums up Christianity in the nutshell. We shouldn't follow our own whims. We do what God asks us to do. I understand that obedience can be difficult at times... believe me, I know... but here are my closing questions for the day.

• When you hear the voice of God, are we obedient?
• Do you even try?

Climbing higher

In the United States we really want things to be done the easy way. I have friends from across the world and they all really pretty much say the same thing. We would rather drive to the store at the end of the street than walk. We have automatic vacuum cleaners that will snake their way around the room so we don't even have to lift a finger. We have automatic hammers! We have special tools to core or slice apples, automatic salad makers. We have gotten use to everything being... easy.

Part of that has spilled over into the church as well, I'm sad to say. We want all the benefits of being a Christian without doing the work. We will listen to a sermon on the radio or watch something on the TV instead of picking up our Bible. We don't really don't check to see if the teachers that we're listening to are telling the truth or subtly perverting the gospel. If you asked any member in your church to tell you what they believe, and back it up with scripture - I wonder how many would be able to comply.

So, the question that I had this morning was... how do I break the desire to want things the easy way and become the Christian that God is calling me to be?

I think one of the keys lies in fasting.

Isaiah 58:6

Amplified Version

[Rather] is not this the fast that I have chosen:

to loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the bands of yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

and that you break every [enslaving] yoke?

When I read this, it points to an inward action. If I fast it will loose the bonds of wickedness in my life. It will undo the bands of things that yoke me. It will free me from the oppressive weight of sin. Fasting will help me break free of those things that enslave me!

But, as I am learning, God doesn't do these to us so we can enjoy freedom. He wants something in return.

Isaiah 58:7

Amplified Version

Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry

 and bring the homeless poor into your house

 -- when you see the naked, that you cover him,

 and that you hide not yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?

There's an element of outreach that's associated with it. As we fast and learn from the Word of God which is the bread of life we are to share that with those that hunger. And Jesus said to the, I am the bread of life: he that comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believes on me shall never thirst. (John 6:35) 

We are to take those who do not know that heaven is their home, the ones that are truly homeless to worship with us. After all, when we were lost, God sent His son to offer us the spirit of adoption allowing us to call God our Father!

Today, I'm struggling with how far I'm willing to take my beliefs. Am I willing to deny myself food, television, time doing what I would rather do in order to reach those who do not know who Jesus is? Am I willing to spend more time in His word so I will know His voice when I hear it? Am I willing to pray - not just for my needs and the needs of those close to me... but am I willing to intercede and let God set my prayer agenda for me? What are the limits to which I am willing to serve?

A silent act of praise

I was reading in the The Psalms today looking for examples of how to praise God. There are so many instances where David instructs the people to give praise to God. But, when you read deeper, you'll see that in many of those situations, it was as a result of asking for deliverance from an enemy or the hand of another man.

There was always this sense of urgency because David, the warrior king knew the dangers and perils that surrounded him and was aware that God was his deliverer. As a result, he always kept in mind that God was the one that kept him and he had a reliance upon him.

Today, we don't really have any enemies. I mean, there's the threat of terrorism, but that isn't directly pointed at us in a personal way.

Most of us have fairly comfortable lives. We may stress about the economy, or our family... but for the most part we live in peace.

So when do we praise God?

• in church on Sunday?
• if we hear a praise song that we like?

When was the last time you just sat there and thought about what God has done for you and why you love Him?

So... today, step away from the computer for a moment... grab a pen and a piece of paper. Write out your own Psalm to the Lord. Don't try to use Bible phrases... just write it out. When you're done, post it in the comments section so others can be encouraged as well.

Here's mine:

I love you because you love me

and you're faithful when I am not.

You call to me like a mother calls to her newborn child

so I will always recognize your voice.

You give me what I need to grow

and the medicine of your word, even though I may not

like the taste, I know will heal me spirit

and make me whole.

Like a teenage child, I mutter and complain

and think I can do things on my own

but I know you love and guide me and

provide more than just a home.

I think about you and smile, God.

This morning I praise your worth.

I want to love you more and more

than anything on this earth.

Teach me your Word

Sometimes warriors get tired...

Sometimes, I get tired. Sometimes, I honestly don't "feel" motivated about my relationship with God. It could be due to everything that's going on in the world around me... it could just be me.

The question is, what do I do about it? Well, right now - to be totally honest, I would love to have a bacon double cheeseburger topped with bleu cheese, cajun flavored french fries and 32 ounces of root beer. Not that that would motivate me or make me feel better. As a matter of fact - it would probably flow against my long term plans.

But, I still wouldn't feel like praying,  picking up my Bible or blogging... but here I am. As I struggle to hear from God, I read these words:

1 Timothy 2:1
I urge you first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

Then it all makes sense. The pity party that I'm throwing for myself doesn't matter. I know God. We have a relationship.  I know that He has a bigger plan and that in everything that I think I'm enduring, He is tempering me like steal - removing impurities so I can be stronger, wiser, and more reliant.

It's not about me.

Today, I need to humble myself and pray... and I'm praying for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; because he cares for you.

Lead us not into temptation

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen" (Matthew 6:13)

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray,  He tells them to pray - "lead us not into temptation." because You, God, our Father have all the power and glory. But in James 1:13 it says

"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither does he tempt any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." (James 1:13-14)

Jay Carty, in Counter Attack, Taking Back Ground Lost To Sin, defines this as "Eclairs in the refrigerator", or in the example, cookies in the cookie jar.

Here's an example from the book... let's say that you decide that you want to start working out. Good. So, the first thing that you do is go to the store and purchase your favorite snack food... as a reward. You put them on the highest shelf and promise yourself that you will only have a few as a reward after you work out.

What will probably happen is - you'll end up going to the cabinet and snacking on this treat more than you thought when you came up with the reward plan. (Some of you have greater will power than others, so note the word probably.)

This applies to many situations in our life. For some - it's toying around with the triggers that will cause us to watch porn, or over eat, or do whatever that "thing" is that will cause us to slip into sin. We place ourselves there and then wonder why we fall.

It's important to note that we have responsibility in this. The lead us not into temptation prayer is what we should be praying before we are engrossed in the temptation. We should be vigilant and struggle and fight before it gets to that point.

After all, aren't we tempting God if we willingly walk into an "evil" situation, then say - God! Help me???

The question is... why did you go there in the first place? In order to experience the kingdom, power and glory of God, we need to stay present in the kingdom where we can experience God's power and glory.

We should struggle to pray before we get into the situation, then fight with all we have not to fall... and God will be faithful to help us.

Romans 12:1-2
The Message (MSG)
 1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Someone's watching you...

"I have a friend, Don Snow, who is retired from the Army. He finished his tour in Viet Nam and has some great stories. My favorite is about his first night mission.

Upon entering a village one particularly black and inky night, Don heard breathing on the other side of a fence. When he took a step, a step was taken on the other side. When he stopped, it stopped. And so it went, for the full length of the fence.

As Don approached the end of the barrier, he flipped the safety on his M-2 carbine and set it to automatic. His heart beat wildly, tensions sweat soaked through his shirt, and the pit of his stomach ached with emotion. Each muscle quivered and twitched. His breathing was shallow and rapid. The moment was intense. There was no way to know how many enemy Vietcong were on the other side. But Don was ready for whatever might happen. He was a well-trained veteran.

As he got to the end of the fence, he took as deep a breath as he could and held it. He heard breathing on the other side, but the steps had stopped. Then with all the strength, quickness, and agility he had, my friend coiled and sprang around the corner with his carbine blazing.

To his surprise, he killed the biggest pig in Viet Nam." Jay Carty - Counter Attack. Taking back ground lost to sin

What does that story have to do with Christianity? A lot. You see, the pig didn't realize that he was in a war!

A lot of times, Christians forget that we are in a battle, and far too many of us end up as collateral damage not really understanding what happened or why.

Over the next few days, let's explore what it means to be vigilant so we don't fall into sin or temptation.

Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour/ (1 Peter 5:8 Good News Translation) 

 

What does the cross mean?

     The cross was well known during Jesus time. Guilty criminals of the worse kind were subject to the cross. The worse kind of criminal, and those that wanted to over throw the government were placed on a cross as a deterant for anyone else that might consider behaving the same way. The cross was not considered as something that was honorable. Frequently criminals had to drag the cross - the instrument of their death with them. They knew their death as a public spectacle was near... and that everyone was going to be able to watch and see.

     Now, we view the cross as a thing of beauty. For most, it is a charm that we wear on a necklace or it adorns our clothing or our car. It is a symbol that we attend a church, or believe in God... but is that where it ends?

     The cross represents a few things. First and most importantly it is the way God bridged the gap between God and man. It is the ultimate sacrifice, the shedding of blood to cover the sins of man, because without the shedding of blood there is no removal of sin (Heb 9:2). Since this work is done, complete, and final there is no need for a new sacrifice. So, when Jesus says pick up your cross and follow me, what is he talking about?

     To understand this, we need to understand who Jesus is. First, Jesus is God. He existed from the beginning.

     In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made (John 1:1-3)

     This means that Jesus was there when the words "let us make man in our image" (Gen 1:26) were uttered. Jesus witnessed the rift that separated mam from God. He knew firsthand the impact that sin had in the relationship between God and man.

     Jesus was there when the high priest had to enter the most holy part of the temple every year to offer a sacrifice so that the sins of the people might be forgiven.

     He saw countless rams and bulls killed and the blood spill. He saw the blood sprinkled and for all this, the gulf still existed between God and man.

     Jesus was there when Solomon built the temple and the holiness of God entered in, but the sinful nature of man could not bear to be in the same place as a holy God.

     He understood that resolution would never come through the sacrifice and offerings of men. That is why he said a body has been prepared for me (Heb 10:4-6). He understood that sin entered the world by one man, Adam (Heb 5:13-15) and the only way to reconcile man back to God was to offer himself as the perfect sacrifice.

     Picking up the cross meant Jesus had to put others above his own comfort. He left his throne in heaven where creatures of unimaginable beauty covered their faces and flew back and forth proclaiming his holiness.

     He came down cloaked in the frailty of humanity to be a minister of reconciliation. The example that Jesus set picking up his cross teaches us that there are more important things than status, comfort, or pleasure. It all pales in comparison to reconciling others so they too can experience true relationship with God (Phil2:5-8).

What lengths are you willing to go to pick up your cross to share what you believe with others?

Trust this...

 

"Trust God." How many times have your heard that? The more I think about that phrase, the more  I think it should be: "does God trust you?"

The Bible is filled with history that shows us that God loves man and that he desires to have to have a relationship with us. The Bible is also filled with account after account where man has not returned the affection. God trusts us to love, and we make the mistake of violating the trust or trying to change the rules by which the relationship is designed to work!

We try to force Gods hand, when in reality He is trying to build our faith, make our relationship with him stronger. He wants us to be at that point where we believe and trust him regardless of the situation!

Have you ever read the book of Job? Have you seen the things that Job went through? Why did he have to go through that? Because God new that Job would be faithful. God trusted Job.

 In Job 1:8, God says to Satan, have you considered my servant Job?

 That has to be an isolated incident, right? That's the Old Testament. But the same holds true in the New Testament.

James 1:2: My friends, consider yourself fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing trials, the result is the ability to endure.

Romans 5:3: We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

More than anything, God wants man to have a right relationship with Him, but because we live in a fallen world, we like to take the easy way out. We believe that if we don't struggle, then the trials will go maybe we can live in peace. But we can't believe that because the Bible teaches us that:

The sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will. (Romans 8:7)

Once we give in to sin, we will continue to sin. By nature this is our struggle! In yesterdays post I talked about birth pains. Although we accept Christ and we are a new creation, old things are passed away, and all things have become new - we still have to contend with our flesh. The process of living how God intends for us to live is only possible by accepting His grace and power that allows us to overcome! (See the earlier blog posts on grace.)

 God says in the Old Testament:

 "I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies. turn, be converted and live! (Ezekiel 18:32)

and in the New Testament:

God isn't late with his promises as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the end because he doesn't want anyone lost. He's giving everyone space and time to change. (2 Pet 3:9)

Anything that we go through is to help us realize that God loves us. If it's good, if it's bad - it shouldn't matter. Our faith should be able to help us trust God  - and he will help us trust Him!

So... today, I encourage you to not just trust God, but be strong and show that he can trust you! Resist taking the easy way out. Just like in the picture, take that leap of faith that proves that the Bible is more than an archaic book that has no relevance in today's society. Believe it. Live it. Trust it. You'll grow stronger in your faith when you do!