Baggage

How much baggage are you carrying? As we travel our paths things happen to us. We tend to internalize the hurt it causes us. Everytime picking up baggage. As we travel unless we surrender the hurt and baggage to jesus, it will eventually get unbearable.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlTzgTW3WaE

Tired of carrying around baggage? Tired of carrying a heavy load? Give it to the one who died on calvalry so we wouldnt have to!



https://www.youtube.com/embed/KHPckyV83EA

Father I pray not only for myself, but for all that would read this post. I pray that we would lay down our baggage, I pray we would live as an offering to you. I bow down before you. I pray my life would be an offering and an example for others. I want nothing more than to live in your will. I may not have much to offer...but I offer you all that I am. Here I am father, use me!

In jesus name, amen

Are you satisfied where you are?

Are you satisfied where you are or do you want More of his presence?

¹⁵  “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver.

matthew 26:15

Thirty pieces of silver, according to the commentary i use, was the price of a slave.  A slave is defined as one bound in servitude as the property of a person or household.  Jesus came to this world as a baby, grew into a man who was betrayed, beaten, crucified died, buried, and rose again.  

some might find this strange.  why would god send his only son into the world for him to be treated worse than a slave in the end?  There is onlt one word to explain this...love!  as a parent i would do anything for my children.  i love them to no end.  I know as much as i love them god loves them more.  This is the reason Jesus was sent.  We all fall short...but Jesus stood in the gap on calvalry.  now we have a bridge to god!

that being said, i often wonder why people would choose the silver, rather than the savior?!  

Matthew 26:69-75

New Living Translation (NLT)

Peter Denies Jesus

⁶⁹ Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”

⁷⁰ But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

⁷¹ Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.^[a]”

⁷² Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.

⁷³ A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”

⁷⁴ Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.

⁷⁵ Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.

I wonder why people would deny him.  Peter did it...we are still doing it today.  That person in the grocery line in front of you may need someone to be Jesus to them.  That person walking down the street may need someone to be Jesus to them.  How we treat others is a direct reflection of Jesus in us.  How we love others says a lot about if he is alive in us.  Seems like most would rather choose this world over serving him.  some would rather drink the sand, than living water!  Question is what are you drinking, water or sand?

John 4:9-14

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁹ The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans.^[a] She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

¹⁰ Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

¹¹ “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?¹² And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

¹³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. ¹⁴ But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

I implore  you to not drink the sand...you'll only stay dry and thirsty.  The devil comes with all his tricks...Rob the devil of his prize and drink from the living water and never thirst again!!  




Jesus culture - show me your glory

pursuit

In this life there are many things we pursue.  Some of them are of god...most are not.  Search me oh god.  If there are things i am in pursuit of that aren't of you, guide me away from them.  i will pursue you, and only you father.  i want only your presence.  I don't want to be where you are not.

Psalm 88

A song; a psalm by Korah’s descendants; for the choir director; according to mahalath leannoth;^[a] a maskil by Heman the Ezrahite.

¹ O Lord God, my savior,
    I cry out to you during the day and at night.
        
            Turn your ear to hear my cries.
³ My soul is filled with troubles,
    and my life comes closer to the grave.
        
        I am like a man without any strength—
            
            like those who have been killed and lie in graves,
            like those whom you no longer remember,
                who are cut off from your power.
⁶ You have put me in the bottom of the pit—in deep, dark places.
⁷ Your rage lies heavily on me.
    You make all your waves pound on me. Selah
⁸ You have taken my friends far away from me.
    You made me disgusting to them.
    I’m shut in, and I can’t get out.
        
            All day long I call out to you, O Lord.
                I stretch out my hands to you in prayer.

¹⁰ Will you perform miracles for those who are dead?
    Will the spirits of the dead rise and give thanks to you?Selah
¹¹ Will anyone tell about your mercy in Sheol
    or about your faithfulness in Abaddon?
¹² Will anyone know about your miracles in that dark place
    or about your righteousness in the place where forgotten people live?

¹³ I cry out to you for help, O Lord,
    and in the morning my prayer will come into your presence.

¹⁴ Why do you reject my soul, O Lord?
    Why do you hide your face from me?
¹⁵ Ever since I was young, I have been suffering and near death.
    I have endured your terrors, and now I am in despair.^[b]
16 Your burning anger has swept over me.
    Your terrors have destroyed me.
¹⁷ They swirl around me all day long like water.
    They surround me on all sides.
¹⁸ You have taken my loved ones and friends far away from me.
    Darkness is my only friend!^[c]

Father you gave it all on calvalry...all to you i owe!

Psalm 91

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Psalm 91

¹ Whoever lives under the shelter of the Most High
    will remain in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say to the Lord,
    “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.”

³ He is the one who will rescue you from hunters’ traps
    and from deadly plagues.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge.
        His truth is your shield and armor.

⁵ You do not need to fear
    terrors of the night,
    arrows that fly during the day,
⁶ plagues that roam the dark,
    epidemics that strike at noon.
        
            even though a thousand may fall dead beside you
                or ten thousand at your right side.

⁸ You only have to look with your eyes
    to see the punishment of wicked people.

⁹ You, O Lord, are my refuge!

You have made the Most High your home.
¹⁰ No harm will come to you.
    No sickness will come near your house.
¹¹ He will put his angels in charge of you
    to protect you in all your ways.
¹² They will carry you in their hands
    so that you never hit your foot against a rock.
¹³ You will step on lions and cobras.
    You will trample young lions and snakes.

¹⁴ Because you love me, I will rescue you.
    I will protect you because you know my name.
¹⁵ When you call to me, I will answer you.
    I will be with you when you are in trouble.
    I will save you and honor you.
¹⁶ I will satisfy you with a long life.
    I will show you how I will save you.

The following song has been on my heart for the past few days. I often wonder if all i pursue is of god.  i pray that if there are things that aren't of god...that he would help me see!  If there are things in people who read this post i pray that you would help them see where their pursuits lie.  

kim walker smith - pursuit

what are you pursuing?

running away

Matthew 26:55-56

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

⁵⁵ At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I were a criminal? I used to sit teaching in the temple courtyard every day. But you didn’t arrest me then. ⁵⁶ All of this has happened so that what the prophets have written would come true.”

Then all the disciples abandoned him and ran away.

Matthew 26:69-70

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Peter Denies Jesus

⁶⁹ Peter was sitting in the courtyard. A female servant came to him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus the Galilean.”

⁷⁰ But Peter denied it in front of them all by saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Matthew 27:3-4

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

³ Then Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, regretted what had happened when he saw that Jesus was condemned. He brought the 30 silver coins back to the chief priests and leaders. ⁴ He said, “I’ve sinned by betraying an innocent man.”
They replied, “What do we care? That’s your problem.”

Matthew 27:25-26

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

²⁵ All the people answered, “The responsibility for killing him will rest on us and our children.”
²⁶ Then Pilate freed Barabbas for the people. But he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified.

Matthew 27:45-54

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Jesus Dies on the Cross

⁴⁵ At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ⁴⁶ About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” ⁴⁷ When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” ⁴⁸ One of the men ran at once, took a sponge, and soaked it in some vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. ⁴⁹ The others said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰ Then Jesus loudly cried out once again and gave up his life.
⁵¹ Suddenly, the curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split open. ⁵² The tombs were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died came back to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after he had come back to life, and they went into the holy city where they appeared to many people.
⁵⁴ An army officer and those watching Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the other things happening. They were terrified and said, “Certainly, this was the Son of God!”


We are all responsible for a part of these versus.  For some it might be the abandoning jesus, some it might be Denial, or betrayal.  All these versus stood out at me as i was having my devotional time.  We are all guilty of these above things.  At some point we have all denied him, betrayed him, abandoned him, crucified him... Even though doing any of the above to any body other than Jesus would probably either ruin a friendship for life, or land you in prison.  Jesus would never leave your side, oven when we are at our worst...he is always at his best.  We may abandon him...but never will he abandon us.  This is especially true for parents.  our children may do any and all of the above to us at some point.  We can't get mad at them...we MUST love them like jesus loved us.  It may be hard at times...but he is always with us...never abandoning us nor forsaking us.

life in the light

How many of us know people that claim to be christian, but only open their bible for one hour on sunday?  How many know people who own a bible but don't know where it is?  Still how many more of us see wrongs being done unto others...and yet we sit here and do nothing? 

Matthew 25:31-46

New International Version (NIV)

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”


He has called us do do what we can.  But will we...it's time us as Christians rose up stopped sitting on our laurels and did what we could.  If you have been blessed financially, give.  if you have been blessed with the ability to cook...cook for those you know who either can't or are unable to.  We can all make a difference to someone...question is will we?

I pray that God will fill us to over flowing.  May we that can shine his love to those who need it.

jesus culture - fill me up 

darkness part 1

Darkness surrounds us, ever present, never stoping, always trying to drown us.  Only one thing, only one person can keep us safe from the slings and arrows this dark world can throw at us.  Only the light of my savior Jesus Christ can be a beacon of light and hope in the other wise inky darkness of this world.

John 1:5-12

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

⁵ The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it.^[a]
6 God sent a man named John to be his messenger. ⁷ John came to declare the truth about the light so that everyone would become believers through his message. ⁸ John was not the light, but he came to declare the truth about the light.
⁹ The real light, which shines on everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world came into existence through him. Yet, the world didn’t recognize him. ¹¹ He went to his own people, and his own people didn’t accept him. ¹² However, he gave the right to become God’s children to everyone who believed in him. 

Ephesians 5:7-14

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁷ Don’t participate in the things these people do. ⁸ For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! ⁹ For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
¹⁰ Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. ¹² It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. ¹³ But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, ¹⁴ for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper,
    rise up from the dead,
    and Christ will give you light.”

gods light shines brightly into all places and things.  with him living in me there is nothing in this dark world for me to fear.  There is nothing  that is hidden, for his light makes all visible.  Are you living in his light?  Are you living in the inky black darkness?  We must all ask ourselves this question.  are we really living in his light?  There are so many in this world that are just waiting for us as christians to just lend them a hand!!!!  and yet we say no not me, or not right now....

Father i want to be a lamp stand for you.  I want to shine your light into the Inky darkness like a lighthouse shines it's light to warn ships of danger.   I want to say this way to help!  I pray that you give me the guidance i need.  I feel there is more to say about the darkness that surrounds us...give me the words to write, and the places to study.

amen

jesus culture - roof tops