The unthinkable
I think one of the things that I find most incredible and amazing about God is his ability and desire to forgive our sins. When I think about it I am blown away. It really is unthinkable and almost unbelievable that God would forgive us as he does.
Our problem, however, is that I don't think we actually believe that God forgives us. We think we need to earn forgiveness, pay penance or do something to pay for what we've done.
But that's not how God does it. If we confess, he forgives.
I think some of you needed to be reminded of this today, so I encourage you to read the following Psalms, spend some time in confession, and let God speak to you about how you are forgiven: Psalm 32, Psalm 51, Psalm 103.
Ananias
I know I've read the story of Ananias out of Acts 9:1-19 before, but this morning, as I read it again, I was blown away by Ananias.
I don't know much about the guy. He was from Damascus. He was a disciple of Jesus. That's about it.
What's amazing to me about this guy is his ability to hear from God and then his courage (in the face of fear) to be obedient to what God had told him to do. And as a result of his hearing and doing, Saul's sight was restored, he was baptized and he was filled with the Holy Spirit.
That's big because this "Saul" later became "Paul," the guy who wrote most of the New Testament and who spread the gospel throughout the Roman world.
God used Ananias because he was listening and obedient. You never know how God is going to use you when hear from him and do what he says.
St. Patrick
Thanks to Mark Batterson for the following story:
In honor of St. Patrick's Day, here is a little backstory on Saint Patrick himself. At the age of 16, Saint Patrick was captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland where he became a slave to the chieftain of Ulster. One night, after six years of slavery, Saint Patrick heard a voice, "Behold, thy ship is ready." He traveled two hundred miles on foot to a place where he knew no one and had never been. He wrote in his autobiographical account, "After this I took flight, and left the man with whom I had been six years; and I came in the strength of the Lord, who directed my way for good; and I feared nothing till I arrived at the ship. And on that same day on which I arrived, the ship moved out of its place."Patrick made his way back to Britain, found his family, and could have lived out the rest of his life in relative comfort in the land of freedom. But in 432 AD, he had another vision. He saw a man coming to him from Ireland carrying innumerable letters. "And I read the beginning of the letter containing 'The voice of the Irish.' And while I was reading aloud the beginning of the letters, I myself thought indeed in my mind that I heard the voice of those who were near the wood of Foclut, which is close by the Western Sea. And they cried out thus as if with one voice, "We entreat thee, holy youth, that thou come, and henceforth walk among us." And I was deeply moved in my heart, and could read no further; and so I woke."Saint Patrick went back to Ireland as a missionary. No outside religion had penetrated Ireland in a thousand years. Saint Patrick founded more than 300 churches and baptized more than 120,000 people. His ministry was so influential that he came to be known as the one who "found Ireland all heathen and left it all Christian."
What's got me thinking
Somebody, who shall remain anonymous, told me the other day that they were closing down their blog. I was saddened and asked why. Here's the response: I need to not cop out on real relationships by being open in a way that's easy for me.
I've got to say, that's a profound statement that's got me thinking. I wonder how often I "cop out" on real relationships and hide behind technology? I think it's easy to let email, facebook and twitter be "cop out" options. Sure, you're communicating, but it is through the safety of technology... and it's one sided... and it's safer.
Technology can help relationships grow, to a degree. But I don't want to let it be a substitute for something better.
I'm not giving up my blog, but I am going to think twice before emailing or facebooking people that I should be calling or talking to face to face.
Another good post to read
I enjoyed this post and wanted to pass it along. You can read it here.
Clocks and Prayer
Don't forget to set you clocks ahead one hour tonight. It's always a bummer losing an hour of sleep, but hey, there will be more daylight in the evening! I love more daylight in the evening.
And I would appreciate you praying for Hub City Church. Pray for our worship Gathering. Pray that God will move. Pray that God will speak. Pray that we will have the courage to respond in obedience. Pray that God will grow and mature us as a church.
My converstaion with Levi
I had the following converation in the car today with Levi, my 3 year old:
Levi: How did God make me?
Me: He used part of mommy and part of daddy to make you in mommy's tummy.
Levi: NO! Santa brought me in a basket.
Me: Oh?!?! I didn't know that. Just so that you know God made you and loves you.
Levi: Where does Jesus live?
Me: In heaven (Liz told him in his heart a few months ago and it freaked him out)
Levi: How long does it take to get there?
Me: I don't know.
Levi: I want to go see him.
Me: Me too.
Just had to share.
Writing
I read the other day that if you want to be a writer, or if you want to improve your writing, that you need to write something every day. But here's my question. What if you don't have anything worth-while to write? If you're a writer and you have suggestions or ideas please let me know.
How to grow spiritually
Spiritual growth is a process. Everyone of us begins as a spiritual infant. That's normal. What's not normal is if we stay infants. And what's unique about spiritual growth is that our growth rate depends largely on us. So if we want to grow spiritually, we need to do something about it.
I read the following quote this morning while working out on the elliptical. It's from Richard Blackaby:
God begins by giving each of us a "little." Perhaps once we become Christians God makes it clear He wants us to be baptized and to join a local congregation. So we do. Then God speaks to us about reading our Bible each day and spending time praying to Him. We find that enjoyable. Then God talks to us about tithing. We might squirm a little, but as we begin giving our money to the Lord, He blesses us, and we receive great joy from our investment in God's kingdom. The God leads us to share our faith with a colleague. That pushes us out of our comfort zone! Over the next few years, God continues to give us larger and larger assignments. Each time we obey, we mature spiritually.
I love that. Spiritual growth is a process of being obedient. If we won't be obedient to what God is telling us to do right now then we're stunting our growth. Obedience is key to spiritual growth. What's God telling you to do? If you want to grow spiritually you better do it.
