meandean

we would have no understanding of the cross and why jesus had to die. it would of been as a fireworks show to us,been there saw the grand finalle,so lets go home.never really touching us at all.we are all shallow and wild people, i believe the greek refers to us as wild stallions in need of breaking.and until we yeild to god we will only profess christ in our way, not gods.repentance is not easy. we like the thrill of sin.but we must stay focused on him,as we walk towards him and home.

i think the first part is acknowledging we are sinners. we are empty and cannot come to god on our own means. there is nothing we can think, say or do to make us christians, we must yeild to god and his ways and the life of god will be openned to us.the relationship between galatians 5:22-23 and here is simple, your either walking in the spirit or your not. noone can live the beatitudes out appart from the spirit.

i think the first 2 words says it all. is he my god? have i surrendered all, unconditionally to him?do i trust him ruling and reigning my life? before anything else is ever filled, we must first see the emptiness. solomon prayed for 2 things, understanding and wisdom. thats it. we must understand how spiritually bankrupt we are, and in wisdom know who can get us out of debt.now i know that i have personally used the finances which he gave me incorrectly. and i know i have squashed his word when i could have said something, and i know i have pushed hurting people aside because i didn't want to take the time. i'm sure there is a magnitude of mis use of grace in my life intended for others sake, but this one thing i know for sure, is that i'm not finished yet, and he will continue to fill my life with love, and joy, and peace as i look to him. for he never runs out of grace. and as i come to understand through the moments of my life what it means to have a god that laid down everything for me before i knew him, then i too can do the same for the unloved, the alien, and the widower.this is wisdom, to put into practice that which i know or understand to be true.may i remember and reflect on this today in my busy world....

they gave unto the lord. sure they saw paul, and heard pauls words,and knew paul had a great ministry, but they actually were gods words and actions coming through paul. they knew that just as paul was given his ministry, they too, were giving their finances, and all things came from the lord.so giving your time, your talents or even your tithes,reflects who you are in christ jesus and what you really believe to be true. we can hoard the treasure for ourselves or we can give without resistance, futhering the gospel for christ's sake.

paul was a doer. if we could go into paul's house, we could let him tell us about all those first place trophys on his mantle piece. we could call it" the look at me room" and "all that i accomplished myself deal". all that was so finely polished at one time is now dusty with spider webs. it had to be real confusing to him even with the shock of seeing jesus on the road to damascus, to go from a doer to it is finished, completely done, guy.maybe thats why he spent 3 years in arabia to figure this out.but as he grew in the lord, all things were made sure. he knew the lord would meet every need.and much like paul, we too would want to go to work for the lord. but we can't just sit on our laurels and expect things to get done, nor can we step in front of the lord and do them in his name with our own strength. if we choose not to submit to his spirit,we choose ourselves over him. our balance is in his spirit.

well it's like flying in an airplane to hawaii only come to find out we are a couple of degrees off the compass, so instead of ending up in hawaii, we end up in guam.james chapter 4 tells us that we ask amiss because we want what we desire for ourselves. i remember a daffy duck cartoon a long time ago when he struck gold he would say," it's mine,mine,mine, all mine". it really shows as who we are in self and how we think it's alright to build there. but thanks be to god for not letting us stay in that sty.

it takes everything i am to focus on god every hour of the day, every day of the week, and every week of the year. it sure isn't easy when i want to rest alittle bit, maybe sit for awhile, you know the suttleties...i love the word of god. but without his pressence, this would be like a broken home, one parent over here, the other over there.the spirit of god and the word of god are my spiritual parents. what i want to focus on now is his pressence.

bottom line, no matter what i run too, no matter how i argue about fairness,or how big of a bone head i become, he is my father. i don't always agree with what he wants to teach me. i find it difficult at times to be his son. but i know his arms hold me and his voice tells me i love you. and i know he hears me and listens as if i'm the only one in the world. and it starts with what god desires for me. he knows me like no other, and he knows i need his word as well as his pressence.and when i am immersed in both, i am at peace.

it shows that we are not just blowing smoke. my kids love to get toys.but they sure don't like to pick them up or take care of them. they simply arn't thankful in the deepest manner of appreciation yet they want more and more. now i still give them toys but i also want to teach them what is right about taking care of their gifts.as they learn, the value of their toys becomes different. we must never stop learning about god and what he has done for us. we must learn to appreciate gods tremendous gift to each of us. once we learn.we no longer just take for ourselves, we start giving with thanks.

rejoicing in the lord is a complete action. we have to decide on whether we want to or not. feelings come and go, and they depend on what is happening around them. they much like appear as a rollercoaster, up when things are great, down when things are a miss. you know, it starts with thankfulness, and ends as well with thankfulness. even in the middle there is thankfulness. when we keep our eyes on us, we end up empty and alone. but if we keep our eyes on him and what he has done in our place, well there is only one thing to do, and that is rejoice!

jesus pegged us when he said the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. everyday we need to back up and take a long look at our lives and get refreshed in him. it's so easy to kick it and let the world dictate to us on how we should act or respond, and think. you know, patriotism is a hard one for me. after serving in the military,way back in the day.when i served, i had to lose my identity as a civilian and there was no way i could mix the two ( military and civilian life). i had to learn to protect, defend at all costs. i laid my life down for a country of people i never knew, nor did they know me, i had to become a single mind because i would start to question or debate authority.i had only one objective and that was to secure a nation. so when i see others in the military serving, i understand what they mean to me. i am very proud to have them watching over me. and that goes for all who lay down their lives at any given point, firemen,policemen and so on. and i still get chills to this day when we play our national anthem, remembering those who laid their life down so i could have this freedom today. but since i accepted christianity, my objective has changed, it is now christ. i still must have the single mind,my identity is now in christ, not of the world. can't mix the two either.still laying my life down for others who i don't knowand instead of me securing, i am secured.

i think paul knew what it was like to carry around such a big to do list, i mean he just poured it out for all to see in these first verses of chapter 3, but he also knew the difference between freedom and bondage. i think he was saying don't get caught up in this religious stuff, but be free in christ. now i get alot of flack for my nature because most people don't want to see christ. they say and your a christian?... or they point out my failures. but thats all they know is religious stuff that they themselves hate to reflect on their own lives.so i tell them you sure can point out my faults well and that's okay, but why don't you also point out when you see christ as well?

not at first. i really didn't pay attention. though i asked christ into my life in 1994, i never met him until 1996.sure, i knew things about him, but i didn't have time to listen to him except on sundays.and that was out of my good christian duty.but here, let me go back to 1993. it was the day after my dad past away. i was alone in the bathroom washing my hands,really blank in my thoughts, and i heard a voice like noone i ever met before.it said to me "dean, do not be afraid." that was it. now i didn't ask christ in until over a year later. but in 1996,it wasn't the same voice, but i knew someone had told me to read joshua. me and my wife were getting ready to go somewhere and i told her what happened. she said let's go and i said no, i better find out what this was about.well i read almost all of joshua, but i missed what it said, so back to the first chapter i went. their it was bigger than elvis, joshus 1:5-9.as i reflect over the years of my life since this promise was given, wow, did i blow this one. i mean there were definite times i trusted god, but there were many times i shrunk back.now i am realizing he was always there, and here now, i just must not only depend on his promise but his pressence as well.

i think that both how well we do things and how bad we blow them traps us and keeps us bogged down.they both focus on us in" look at me kinda works". our focal point needs to become christ 24/7 and a day, being thankful for every opportunity that comes our way. i remember greg laurie saying" whatever gets your attention, gets you". satan knows if he can get our minds ,he can get us. thats where the battle is, and all we can do is unconditionally surrender to christ and allow him to fight this war. it belongs to him. and as we submit to christ, he fills us with his spirit, and as we read his word, he puts his armour upon us and we are ready to walk confidently with him into war, not looking back and pondering at the great job we did, or how bad i blew that conversation, but battle ready single mindedness, ready to engage at every opportunity with truth in love.

wow, this is what it's all about, huh? well, proverbs chapter 2:1-5 rang out to me first. but this is more than just an intelligent answer. so i started thinking about my two boys. they recently started preschool so my mornings are free. it used to be wake up and hit the floor running, taking care of this and that,making sure all bases were covered.for three years it was routine.now there's time to reflect on them, to miss them, remembering their smiles and laughter, their tears and hurts. i hear them talking to me, asking funny questions and grabbing everything that was in sight. i just taught them how to make the letter a on the chalkboard and then called everyone when they did it.they have my attention, and i have theirs. not a day goes by that i don't hold them and hug them, and tell them i love them. i want them to know i will be there for them, and i will fight for them, just because they are my sons.nothing more and nothing less.faith is a gift, much like a flower. it gives beauty and fragrance when in season. but faith also at times, whithers,but if watered and fed right will come back doublefold,and without nutrition and water, will just dry up.so yes, if you don't spend no time with christ, there would be no memories,no laughter, no tears, no love. but if we embrace this relationship, oh lordy, we out grow the mustard seed.everything is packed to the gills, our lives are overflowing into others, and this is a good thing.where am i now?i'm learning to enjoy what comes at me whether its hard or easy, i'm learning to rest in him

through faith believes it is done, through the law believes theres so much more to do,and it keeps adding more and more.the burden can carry onto any congregation, for we are such people who like to pack things around. we cry about being tired, yet we really say, give me more to carry, i aint done yet.so why can't we grasp it? it's to easy, there must be more. we don't know how to react or respond to such a kind and gracious act.we simply don't understand this grace

it belongs to this world. it is temporal and exhausting. he built it on a sandy foundation and it had to go.everything we think say and do must be brought under the authority of christ. if we hang on to anything of this nature of ours, we first will neglect him, then we will reject him, settling for what is good, rather than what is best.

i'd be a fool to say nope, not me, uh-uh, no way. it tries to raise it's ugly head all the time. i see it when people praise god yet their words are empty. their lifestyle says differently. i see it on tbn all the time. where most of the teaching says look at me,it's about me. i see it in religion. where there is scripture quoted and memorized, but where is the Holy Spirit?

to me it sounds as if they were turning religious and not genuinly loving each other.they may have become numb in serving christ and needed put away the everyday rigamaroll and refresh themselves and remind themselves in christ. time to rejoice!

cuz, we would opt out by the next one to bring sounds good theology to us. there is no loyalty there.i like what alister begg said" we build stages for entertainers and pulpits for preachers. our service needs to be dedicated to one king, and allow him to deploy us where he likes.

i didn't have this someone. sometimes this happens in big churches. but one thing i did was to get alone and open my bible and i prayed" lord, i know things about you, but i don't know you. please come be my teacher" and he did. then he lead me to a bookstore and the first two guys i never even heard of before,warren weirsbe and j. vernon magee, bought their books.i never looked back after that. everyone needs someone whether on top or on the bottom.you know i think its important to be there for everyone, but we don't want to lord over them.

much like today, there is a me-ology going around.people like to be pampered in the high places, best seats, best foods, always first in line kinda thing. even jesus warned them and us about the first shall be last.so i don't think timothy had that look at me mentality.when jesus deals with me, it is usually over expectations of others. are they doing enough, are they doing it right kinda thing.and when my eyes are of him, it seems like a flood of thoughts rush in. thats how i find i'm in the wrong place in my mind and god wants me to humbly give all these thoughts to him.

i would no longer be thinking of myself, but thinking of the one who brought me through the pain and weariness. and i could use it for his glory as he sets up these god made appointments. to share and comfort those who are weak and struggling with their faith. it brings value to me because first of all, god sees treasure below this dirt. when i look at myself and compare myself to a holy god, i'm filth,beyond measure. but he sees differently. he sees a work in progress already shinning. i must see this both ways in order to keep my head on straight.

its funny that this question has come up. i have been talking with a religionist who knows quite alot about the bible. but the light is not on. all i have been trying to do is let him ask the questions as i live out the life. what is sad though is he still thinks perfection comes from the law. and somehow we can attain it. so light can either warm and illuminate or burn and blind. we must keep in step with the lord.

people will see the love for one another and they realize the world isn't like this. shinning stars is illuminating and bright. we need to fight for the spirit of unity