Serving All Men

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

//Its very easy for us to loose site on who we are really serving.  Even thou we surrender our lives to Christ, we are still serving him.  But serving him how you ask.  Well one way is “Bringing people to LIFE through the gospel of Jesus Christ”.  Yeah that is the motto of Calvary Kendall, but it should be everyone’s motto for everyday of our lives that we serve Him here on earth.  Just like someone has pored into you, to take the steps you did in surrendering your life to Christ.  The same we have to do to others, but we have to learn that each person is not the same.  Warren Wiersbe said it best “It takes tact to have contact.”

One of the tactics is that we have to pastor everyone. Pastor everyone? What do you mean?  well one thing we have to consider is that the preaching doesn’t start at the pulpit.  In ministry from the parking attendant to the usher we all have to be loving to everyone we encounter.  Even thou we are not all pastors in the sense of a title, but we are when we are reach out to people on a daily bases.   You never know if that one person that you encountered was on the road to complete devastation. Just because you showed compassion on to them they realized that there is something better. I have seen and heard the stories of just one person reaching out to someone that was on the road to disaster and their lives were turned completely around.

So let us remember that yes we are serving Jesus, but he wants us to serve all men so that they may also know who Jesus is.

 

Who’s In Control?

Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, 
And the rulers take counsel together, 
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces 
And cast away Their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; 
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, 
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King 
On My holy hill of Zion.”
“I will declare the decree: 
The Lord has said to Me, 
‘You are My Son, 
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You 
The nations for Your inheritance, 
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron; 
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
Now therefore, be wise, O kings; 
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear, 
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, 
And you perish in the way, 
When His wrath is kindled but a little. 
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
(Psalm 2)

//I think from time to time we totally forget who is in control.  I mean it’s your life right, you make the choice on whether to go left or right.  I mean it’s common sense that you should control everything in your life down to the last choice you will ever make.  You have the 5 year plan and creeped into the 10.  You have total control of everything.

What if i told you that your not the one in control.  What if the plans you have in your life are not what is intended for you.  You see in this world we have no control of what happens to us.  Every circumstance that we run into is totally out of our control.

We have to understand that we have to let go and stop trying to control our lives.  God has a plan for our lives and its never what we intend for it to be.

I am super happy that God has put this passage in my heart today, because I try controlling my life sometimes.  I am an over thinker and try to come up with every situation possible to try and put my life into my controlling hands.  This just made me realize to let go and let Him take control.  I have done it before, but you know what I have lost sight of it and i know many of you have as well. Let us not loose sight of this, let Him take control of your life. The moment you have him take control, His plan for your life will continue and things will happen quicker than you think.  Keep Him in Control……..

Where are you now

You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called. (I Corinthians 7:23-24)

// The Message reads this way “All of you, slave and free both, were once held hostage in a sinful society. Then a huge sum was paid out for your ransom. So please don’t, out of old habit, slip back into being or doing what everyone else tells you. Friends, stay where you were called to be. God is there. Hold the high ground with him at your side.”

I know a lot of you are discouraged and think that God is not working in your life.  The thing is that God is always working in your life.  God has you in your current position for a reason whether it is that He is doing a work in you or the fact that you’re doing a work in someone. He has you there because He wants you there.

God is personally always doing a work in me whether it is patients or my loyalty to what He wants done in my life. I just came out of a circumstance that if I wasn’t totally surrendered to Him and been loyal to him he would have never allowed what he did in my life to happen.

God’s Timing is His timing and it is always perfect.  You know what He may move you in one thing and has you waiting in another but wait on him.  The moment your start moving away from His will and start using yours it will take you longer for God to put you where you need to be.

I hate to say but BE PATIENT.  I am the most impatient person there is.  I want it now and right away sometimes.  But the reward is greater if you don’t walk away.  I have learned the hard way and you know what its easier just being in God’s will.

Even thou that this is a section of Scripture that Paul wrote the Corinthian Church about marriage and relationships.  This can relate to every part of our lives like Courtship, Singleness, Work Place, Ministry, Finances and the list goes on and on.  Be diligent to God because He is going to do a great work in your life as long as you wait on Him.

The Extra Mile

And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. (Matthew 5:41)

//I don’t know about you guys but this verse packs a punch.  Jesus is telling us to go the extra mile.  We should all live our lives with this mentality.  Weather it be in our work place, in our marriages, our relationship with one another, our ministries, and our daily duties we should always take that extra step.  Even if its just something as small as just answering phone calls at your work place, be diligent in what you do and go that extra mile.  If you are diligent in the small things then you will be blessed with things you never thought imaginable.

God works in all our lives, but just not doing anything for his kingdom and thinking that we just going to get an abundant amount of blessings is not the right attitude to take.  Work hard and be diligent, because as much as you put in God will bless you 25, 50, or even 100 fold.

Challenge yourselves. Take that extra step.  But do it for the Lord and know that he we reward you.

Drop Your Past!

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)

//I’m for one guilty of not doing that what this passage says.  I always find myself looking at my past and festering on it.  Every single one of us does this and you know what it is easier said than done to forget about our past.  But have you ever thought that maybe the things in your past are there to help us in our future.  We have learned what we have done right and what we have done wrong. Because of this we can all move forward and take it in as a learning experience at the end or even an eye opener.

At times I take my past as bitter sweet.  Bitter because of the events or circumstances I had to go through, it was rough and at times I didn’t think I would make it through at times. Sweet because you know what I would be a fool if I went and did the same mistake over again because it was done wrong first time, even more so that Christ is in my life now.

We have to take our past experiences so we can learn from them and remember that what was once yesterday is exactly what it is yesterday (NO WHERE IN SITE).  We must push on forward and be concerned with what today has. Don’t let yesterday be your ball and chain that is attached to your leg and is holding you back.  Find your saw so you can cut the chains, so you can keep on walking and walking with Jesus guiding you.

He Hold’s Us

And this is Your world, You made it
And all of creation is breathing because You sustain it
Jesus, by Your powerful word, You spoke out the earth and the heavens

So I will not worry or fret
My God is the God who will never forget
All of His goodness and all of His promises
He’s holding my world in His hands

And these are your days, You give them
All for your fame and all for Your glorious kingdom
Jesus, You have ordained all things to dwell in Your purpose

So I will not worry or fret
My God is the God who will never forget
All of His goodness and all of His promises
He’s holding my world in His hands

And I am Your child, Beloved
And all of my days my future is laid in Your promise
Jesus, to the end of the age, I am not alone of forgotten

So I will not worry or fret
My God is the God who will never forget
All of His goodness and all of His promises
He’s holding my world

So I will not worry or fret
My God is the God who will never forget
All of His goodness and all of His promises
He’s holding my world in His hands

//Listening to this new able by Kristian Stanfill I came across the song called “Holding my world”.  I am personally in a position that I have to have full trust in Him, but how easy it is for me to freak out.  He has me in the position that I am in it for a reason and I know He’s pruning me for something greater.  He has given me confirmation and I know what His promises are, but I still get impatient and still get worried, man I just plain FREAK OUT sometimes because I don’t know what’s going to happen.

We all get easily discouraged, afflicted, distressed, troubled, intimidated and you know what I could keep on throwing the entire thesaurus at it and all of that happens to us.  We all like to have complete control of our lives and when something does not go to plan we like to throw in the towel.  Believe it or not God’s promises are his promises no matter what.  We need to humble ourselves and wait on the lord.  Because He will never forget about us and He has full control over our lives if we let Him.  His timing is not our timing, because He has perfect timing.  Remember we are all his children and He will never treat us like anything less.

//Our future is secure in Jesus Christ no matter what our circumstances may be.  In fact, God’s plans for His own are so wonderful that our minds cannot begin to conceive of them or comprehend them! Warren Wiersbe.

Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:22)

casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Our Faith

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. (1 Corinthians 15:13-14)

//This is a bible verse that God recently just made me re-open up too.  This was a verse that gave me not only a confirmation a year ago and gave quick reminder to keep following him.  This verse holds a lot of truth in what we believe.  The thing is that whether you believe it or not Christ did rise from the dead.  It is not only written in the New Testament and prophesied in the Old Testament, But there are written records of it.  So then why are we struggling to keep our faith in something that is true?  There are proven facts of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection everywhere you look.

So, you do believe that Jesus is who he is, so then why aren’t we showing it through our faith?  Why is it so hard for you to give your entire life to him?  These were the questions I asked myself and we should be asking ourselves!  How strong is your faith and what’s keeping you from it?

What’s Stoping us?

He died for the sins of the whole world, yet the whole world is not saved – Warren W.

//Until the whole world hears.  That song from casting crowns rings true.  Us knowing that Jesus died for us, there are still people out there that still don’t know.  God uses us as that vessel.  What’s stopping us from letting people know? Shyness? Rejection? Push through it let someone today know who Jesus is.

//All during this time, the good news -the Message of the kingdom- will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 (The Message)

God’s Wisdom

that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:5)

 

//We carry mans wisdom everyday and have faith in the most rediculous things this world has to offer.  If we believe in that then why is it so hard for us to have faith in something as concrete as our God.

Things in Heaven

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2)

 

//How many times do we strive for a better life, better car, better house.  Face it we can’t take those things with us when we die.  But the one thing we should strive to do is tell people about Christ.  He will give everlasting life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)