Weakness and Strength
2 CORINTHIANS:9-10 NIV
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
So often we forget where the power truly comes from. It’s crazy how often we all get lost in our efforts. We push and pul and strive… which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but we so easily get lost in those efforts and become reliant on what we can accomplish when in reality we can do nothing without Jesus. Jesus said this in John 15…
JOHN 15:5 NIV
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
If you and I believe this then we must believe when… not if… but when we fail it isn’t a time to give up and beat ourselves over the head with the guilty stick and sit idle. In our weaknesses God’s strength takes over. When we fail Christs grace freely given to all who accept Him takes over. The debt was paid for that failure on the cross. It’s in those failures we can be reminded how amazing our God is and how much we need Him.
It’s never our efforts, just our choice. It’s my choice and yours to let Him fully in and to allow His strength in your life. Thank God for His love for us, for His proven ability to be our strength, and for the amazing future He has for us. Take this verse with you and remember Jesus already overcame our failures.
JOHN 16:33 NIV
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
A new song
PSALM 98:1 NLT
Sing a new song to the Lord, for He has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory; His holy arm has shown His saving power!
God you have done such wonderful things for me. Thank you for creating me and giving me value, dying for me to show the depth of your love, thank you for guiding me through life to show that you can be trusted, and for providing for me to show me all I need is you.
The song I want to sing to you is all about obedience and intimacy. I pray God that I can sing it beautifully to you.
Amen
True Wisdom
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
Psalm 19:7-8
Living by God’s word will refresh your soul, give joy to your heart, and give light to your eyes. His word is perfect, trustworthy, and right.
What are you waiting for? Read it.. every day. God is there to guide you to the life He has for you.
I’m praying for you all to dive in!
Have you been deceived?
As I am reading through 1 Corinthians I came to some scripture that is concerning.
Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.
1 Corinthians 3:18-19a NIV
Actually I worry for some. I believe many people are deciding what is wise for them based on the wisdom of this world rather than that of God’s word.
Decisions on their finances, the future of their marriage, how to raise their kids, where they invest their time, and what they pursue in life. I want to caution anyone reading this to truly sit down, pray, and ask yourself;
Are the decisions I’m making/about to make based on God’s word or on man’s wisdom.
Don’t be deceived. Don’t be tricked into living life based on the wisdom of the world. It’s easy to be tricked. I can trick someone super easy. I do it all the time playing around with my family. That means we have to really pay attention to God’s word and what opportunities and choices come our way so we don’t make foolish choices that threaten harm us, our walk with God, someone else, or our families.
My friends, stay focused and stay close to the Lord. I pray each of you strive to live the life God has called you to. Pray for me too.
How are you creating opportunities?
ENGAGE = To take part in or participate.
How are you engaged? What do I mean? Good question! Glad you asked. Jesus said this:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19 NIV
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has called us to action. We are called to let people know about the amazing message of love God offers through Jesus to all of humanity. How are you taking part in this?
I don’t mean you have to preach a sermon, go door to door, or go on a mission trip (although each of those things might work for you) but are you serving anywhere?
I’m blessed with the opportunity to baptize someone from our church this Saturday. As I was thinking about it though… it’s not like I had the only part in bringing her to this place. She came to our church because someone invited her, she was greeted by greeters and made to feel welcome, she got to hear great music and experience God through the musicians that lead worship, she was taught messages, was a part of life groups, had a bagel and coffee someone prepared on a Sunday morning, got to serve on a team someone was leading; it was a team effort to bring this woman to Christ and ultimately have her choose to be baptized. Many of you reading this had part in that process. That is awesome and we should all be stoked!
To those reading who aren’t engaged… don’t wait to step up and help create opportunities for others to experience God’s love. Holding a door open and saying good morning, cutting a bagel, handing out a program, or playing an instrument all could be a small part of doing exactly what Matthew 28:19 says. The time is now because our time is short on this planet… rise up and let’s make moves in the name of Jesus!
Get Your Kids Involved.
This picture is great. It was taken at a concert the Ni River Band played for the Spotsylvania Stars & Stripes Spectacular this year. It was a great show. As I was looking at this picture it reminded me how fast time flies. The two girls sitting on the subwoofer in the picture are around 5 and 9 years old. I’m sure the mom and dad of these two have said or will say at some time, “Man they are so big now.”
Parenting; it has it’s days of being extremely rewarding and other days of being stressful. Some days you feel good about how it’s going and other days are spent seeking advice and solitude. Regardless of all the ups and downs there is nothing quite like having your child rap his or her arms around you to thank you for a gift they got or to say I love you. In that moment nothing else matters.
I want to say this to parents; it goes fast. Some of you already know that as your kids have left or are leaving already for college or are grown with jobs and are starting families of their own. The Bible describes our lives here as a mist or vapor (James 4:14). It goes quick.
The years we have building a solid foundation in our children are short. In what ways are you intentionally guiding them toward Christ? You may bring your kids to church… that’s a great first step! But how are YOU intentionally involving them in seeking Christ so THEY can come to know the Lord? If you struggle with this, here are some suggestions:
Daily prayer with the family and each kid individually.
Pray together as much as you can! Give thanks as a family at meals, pray for protection over them before they go to school, pray together about struggles they are having, pray at night together. I have noticed my kids have started praying more and have seen God work through their prayers which has encouraged them in their relationship with God. It started by me praying for them daily.
Read the Bible together.
Read scripture regularly with them so that they start to understand the word. Make sure you have read it before hand in case they have any questions. If they are really young, go through a kids Bible with them. Pray together before you read and ask God to teach you and your child or children something. This is awesome!
Memorize verses together.
Some of the greatest times I’ve had with my daughter recently is when we decided to memorize scripture together. We started with one verse a night in the first chapter of James. We have now memorized the first chapter. We’ve both learned a lot, had great talks about God, and enjoyed each other’s company rather than her being in one room, me being lazy in another, and neither of us taking advantage of the days we have together. Get that word in their hearts mom and dad!
Involve them in church.
Do your kids come regularly to church? Are they involved in a youth group? Are they serving? Heck are you serving to show them that example? Get involved and get them involved. To many teenagers walk away from their faith and the church after high school. Get them involved!
I pray everyone who reads this takes advantage of the time they have as parents. Time is short. The world is crazy. Those kids need the Lord. Get them more involved with God so one day when you are old you’ll get another one of those amazing hugs as they tell you thanks for guiding me towards to Lord.
Have you forgotten?
I just got home last night from Peru around midnight. What an amazing trip that was! Truly I was overwhelmed at how God works. As I sat in a small shack on top of a mountain with a 12 year old Peruvian girl, her mother, a translator, and two others from our team, God opened my eyes wide to see how often we forget God’s amazing work in and around us. I’d love to share the experience with you all of how God used us to bring a woman to Christ in that shack on that mountain but am not sure how to even start because it was so divinely orchestrated I lack the vocabulary to do it justice. All I can think of this morning is how I am praying for God to keep my heart soft and raw like it is now. I am feeling desperate to keep that moment fresh in my mind. I have been praying that I would not forget it.
Now I know it sounds silly… like I could ever forget the day God had us climb a mountain and help bring someone to Christ. I don’t mean I fear the memory being lost but that I would live as though I forgot.
When we landed in the states I heard cell phones go off all around; email’s coming through, texts being received, and people getting phone calls. It’s like a wave of distraction instantly started to cloud my memory. I fear being swallowed up in a culture of false reality where we create idols of lifestyles we feel we must chase that take us further away from God’s mighty work and calling. For real I am praying this doesn’t happen. I think of these verses…
When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.
Psalms 106:7 NIV
Even though the Israelites had seen God’s mighty work they got immediately caught back up in themselves. I don’t want that. I am praying for strength and wisdom to overcome the temptation that will lead to this….
But they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
Psalms 106:35-36 NIV
Lord keep us close to you that we might be a people truly ready to be used, to share your love, and to be sensitive to what breaks your heart. Thank you for the time in Peru.
Heading to Peru
So here we go! Back to Peru in a few hours. It’s pretty amazing to think of all God has done over the years through the trips we’ve taken through Childreach and Ni River Community Church. God has moved powerfully in my heart for sure. I’ve also been able to build relationships with those I’ve had the opportunity to share Jesus with and am excited to see them all and how God is working in them. I love this quote:
“God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him” — Hudson Taylor
Don’t wait to take an opportunity to follow Christ. You are missing the reason we didn’t go right to heaven when we accepted Jesus as savior! 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 says if we are in Christ we are a new creation and we’ve been given the ministry of spreading the good news about Jesus! You don’t have to be anything because we are nothing anyway without God… we just need to be willing to respond to His love and follow Him. Will you do that? Will you stop sitting on the sidelines? It can be anything… not just a mission trip. Every day you leave your house is a mission trip, everyday in your house is a mission trip Are you following Jesus? Love people, let them know your saved, let them know you care, help someone, and sacrifice for the sake of the gospel!
I love you guys and will see you when I return God willing!
Travis
Be a man
I want to address men….. all men; young men, old men, married men, soon to be men… be a man. Be a real man. I want to see more men lead there families in truth and love. I want to see more men protecting there wives, honoring them, & not disrespecting them with the way they talk. God gives us an awesome example of how we should treat our wives. Check it…
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
EPHESIANS 5:25 NIV
Men it is time to sacrifice your time and your desires to love your wives. You have a responsibility as a husband. You can’t wing it… that is not gonna work. Are you praying for your wife? Are you speaking to her with respect? Are you encouraging her to be involved in Bible study or a life group? Is that even important to you??? Do you lead by example?
I’m praying for more men to rise up and lead their families to Christ! I’m tired of seeing families struggling and falling apart and the men sitting on the couch watching football while it happens. Be a man.
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
EPHESIANS 5:1-2 NIV
Father’s Day
I’m crazy blessed to have the family I have. I was tucking my kids in bed tonight and the hugs they gave me just went straight to my heart. When they hug me so tight and say I love you it just reminds me how much God loves me. Why did I take it there? Well living the life I once did where a human life meant nothing to me and for God to give me two amazing children… that speaks so much of God’s grace and love. I don’t understand it sometimes but I am thankful for it all the time. It’s why I get up in the morning, it’s why I live now… to serve God. I have to… how else can I respond to that love but to give all of me?
Thanks God, for everything, I love you.
