30, 60, or 100 Pieces

If there was one thing that I had to choose to do on my down time, it would be putting together a puzzle. There are some puzzles that are 10 pieces, 50, 100, or 1000 pieces. They all offer their different levels of intriguing difficulty and excitement. While I was putting together a puzzle with some friends this past Thanksgiving I was thinking how puzzles really paints a picture that links life in the natural with the spiritual. 

Imagine for a moment, that your life is a puzzle (I’m sure this is not too hard for most people to imagine), and there are so many things you want to do with your life. However, you cannot seem to figure out where you want to start. If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, then the puzzle begins with salvation. At salvation, there are important fundamental foundations that are to be laid down. Those we can imagine these fundamentals to be the border pieces of our puzzle. After the foundation is laid, we must go on and mature in our walk with the Lord. These are the rest of the pieces that go inside of the borders. 

I have never seen a puzzle piece that has center pieces on the border. That would be too confusing because you  would not be able to know which side the pieces are to go on. This would take up twice the amount of time and effort then usual. How do we know if we are being given a puzzle piece or even where to put that piece? God has given us His word (scripture) so that we can understand this mystery. Our ministry, the purpose of the church, and the revealing to us what our purpose in this life is quickened to us through the Word of the Lord. As He hands us a puzzle piece we are to receive it, wait upon the Lord to hear where we are to put it down on the board. 

One vital thing we must remember is that God will never give us a puzzle piece to another person’s puzzle for our own. He may give to us a puzzle piece for us to give to another person, but we are not to keep it and try to make it fit into our piece. A friend may be struggling with knowing what the wants them to do in their life and God may give to us a word (a puzzle piece) to give to them. We don’t keep that word (puzzle piece) for ourselves, but we give it to them. We are to help each other out to hit the mark in our life here on earth. This life here on earth is just the foundation for our life in Heaven. We are one body and we must build each other up and help each other make it. 

Also, there are times where we see a puzzle piece and we think we know where it goes. It appears to fit in that spot, but later on, when we find ourselves stuck, we find that the piece we forced in was not in the correct spot. God may give us a piece of the future. We are to hold on to that piece, but not try to make it work and fit in the now when it is meant for the future. You may ask, "Why does He give it to me now then?" God gives us pieces of the future to give us a vision to work towards. If we didn't know what was to come, then life would seem like it had no point. We look to the future plans and purpose that God has for us and we work to get to that points. 

We must learn to quiet ourselves and allow God to not only give us those pieces, but to instruct us where exactly they go on the board. So many times, as humans, we want to take the control and do things ourselves. However, this, more often than not, ends in disaster. Each piece has its own small image of the whole picture. Allow God to not just give you the piece, but show you what it is and where it goes.

There were some times that I remember working on a thousand piece puzzle and there would be parts where I could not find one specific piece. That can be how we feel at times in our walk with the Lord. There is one piece missing and we try to find it on our own efforts and we get so discouraged so quickly. We seek to find it on our own. Sometimes it is because we are seeking for something that we are not suppose to know or see just yet. Other times it may be that we are looking for a piece that is not a part of our puzzle. 

Now, I get to the purpose of my title: “30, 60, or 100 Pieces”. We read in scripture of the 30, 60, and the 100-fold Christians. Also, the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. Those who are 100-fold are those who have entered and dwell in the Holy of Holies (Gods presence) and they have hit the mark in their lives. We want to make sure we have completed the puzzle. We can only do that if we put all of the pieces together and put them in the correct spot. Looking at marriage, one of many examples, we must marry the right mate, otherwise the other pieces that are suppose to go in place after that piece will not fit. It is so very important that we understand the importance of marry the right one.

When we come to the end of our life here on earth and we go to see our life. How much of our life is measured up to what God’s plan was for us? Will it be only 30 out of 100 pieces put together, 60 out of 100 pieces, or 100 out of 100 pieces put together. I want to have my puzzle complete. I not only want to see the whole beautiful picture that tells the story of my life with Jesus on earth, but also see the joy in my Heavenly Father’s face as He sees me completed in the beauty of Holiness, Jesus Christ within us.

Let us strive to make sure that we are receiving the pieces God hands to us. That we learn to wait to hear from God where the pieces go. Lastly, make sure we don't try and put other pieces, that do not belong, in our puzzle image! 

God bless!

Four What's to Consider in our Walk

What do you want you want out of salvation?

We pray and seek the Lord that revival would come, but do our actions show our prayers to be true or empty and false? If we want to bring glory and exalt His name, then we do that by living each day obeying what God says to us. We aren't just listening, but we are putting things to action in our daily walk. Pushing forward can only occur when we release the past.

I read this quote once, “Hours and days will surely pass, but we can direct them purposefully and productively.” We can only direct them purposefully and be productive when we do what is required of us. Seeking Him early in the morning is when we can find out what we are to do. Walking with the Spirit throughout the day is how we find out what is required of us. 

God doesn't force anyone to obey and do His will. So I ask you again, what do you want out of your salvation?

What are you holding on to? What are you doing?

We might be holding on to something that is preventing us from drawing closer to God. 

The sacrifices of God are a broken and a contrite spirit. Obedience is what God asks for. It’s not so much the outward things that we do that pleases Him, but it’s our heart. When He asks us to do something and we obey Him, that is showing Him our love. Letting our own hearts be broken from our own will. Our will is what will take us off the path; our own will, our own ways, our own plans. But if we will have a broken spirit and a broken heart, and obey His voice, then we will stay on the path.”

When God speaks it is important, but when He repeats it is vital that we listen and obey. If we do not obey, then we are sinning. One who has an enlarged heart is one who has allowed God to empty them of their own desires and wants and filled them up with His desires and wants for them. If we truly want this, then we must stop holding on to things or doing things that God wants us to release. To have enlarged hearts we must be emptied of clutter. 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."   John 1:1-5

If we hold on to something, then it is as a door that we are locking on Christ. It is an area in our life that the Living word (Christ) and the written Word cannot shine through. Allow His word to penetrate us—meet the Living Word through the written Word.

I ask you now, what are you holding on to? Or I should say, what is holding you back from drawing closer to God?

Where are you going? 

If we want to finish this race strong, then we have to know where we are going first. We don’t just run and hope that you’ll get there. 

Are you running away from the call just as Jonah tried to run away from what God told Him to do? Do not try escape the call because it will follow you your whole life!

To study grace is very interesting. Grace is a person just as the Holy Spirit is a person. Grace follows wherever the Lord goes and if God tells you to go and you stay, there will be no grace with you. The grace that is of God will go where God goes regardless of whether or not you go or stay. We must have direction from God and we must obey! God holds us up when we are walking in obedience just as He did for Peter. He was given direction and when he was obedient and leaped out, in faith, and walked on the water, Christ held him up with His arms. In Christ arms we can feel the His love and joy, which are two things that strengthen us.

Some of you may know what the call of God is upon your life, but there are many out there who do not or not totally sure about what area of ministry they are called to. Don’t stop seeking God because He wants us to know so that we have direction. Without a vision we will parish. A lot of our trials that we go through help us to understand better what kind of ministry God has for us.

What is the Commander and Chief calling you to do? 

Are you seeking to find out or are you just running and holding tight to meaningless and useless things?
I would encourage you to cry out to God and ask Him: "Lord, would You give me Your desires. Give me Your grace to let go of those thing(s) that I am holding on to that You want me to let go of. God would open my eyes and ears; give me direction and give me Your faith to do what is required of me."

God Bless!

The Ball is in Your Court!

I have been reading through the book of Luke and I came to chapter 19 this morning. We find a well known Bible character here named Zacchaeus. 

Luke 19:1-10 (ESV):

"He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Going back to about a week ago, I was facing battles left and right of overwhelming thoughts and realizations of my short comings and flaws in my character. The battle in the mind is the most common battle man-kind faces daily. Once we see and think about something, it doesn't take long and is very easy for the wheels to start turning. Once they start it can be a very hard thing to stop. 

Going back to the life of Zacchaeus, he rich man (tax collector). Most men despised tax collectors because many collectors stole money from the people they collected from. As you read earlier, Zacchaeus heard that a man called Jesus was passing through Jericho; so he ran to go and see Him. Little did Zacchaeus know that that day was going to be one of the momentous day's of his life. Jesus came to Him and brought to Zacchaeus two gifts: the gift of repentance (a changing in the mind) and the gift of conversion (the turning around and changing of ones action(s). 

Many people believe that repentance and conversion are a one time thing, but it is to be a repeated occurrence. When we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts and proclaim Him as our Savior, that is not the end. When we are saved, that does not mean that everything is alright in our lives and that everything is covered by God's grace. We are not saved forever, but we can lose our salvation. Many believe too that we are no longer under the law, but under grace. That is false! We are under the law because the law is what reveals to us our bondage's (sin) and short comings. We need a change in our minds and in our actions. 

Thinking about Zacchaeus I also thought about the rich young ruler found in Matthew 19:16-22 (NKJV):

"Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,' and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."

We see here a man who is also rich, like Zacchaeus, but he is one that God already knows. He knew Jesus and Jesus knew him. However, there is one difference between these two men that make, what I see as a life impacting decision. Zacchaeus was despised by many and saw unfit to have Jesus come visit him, but Jesus came and Zacchaeus accepted the gift of repentance. We see proof of this because he repaid the money and interest to all the people that he stole from. He changed his mind and direction. Now, this rich young ruler knew the Lord and yet when he was instructed, by the Lord, to sell all he had and follow Christ, he did not. The young ruler was sorrowful and did NOT change his mind or actions.

I am not trying to be hard on the rich young ruler. In-fact I am contrasting these two lives because we all are capable of being like these two men. Doing things daily that we don't recognize or think of them as being wrong or something that is holding us back from getting closer to God. The difference between these two men is that, one accepted the two gifts God brought to him and the other did not. 

Going back to my week ago battle in the mind. I shared that with you because we all have, are, and will struggle with our flaws and short comings in our minds. However, if we just dwell on them, we will go nowhere. Here are two men who had flaws and they didn't even know it, but only one of the two responded correctly. When we see a flaw in our character, then pray that God would grant you a change in mind (repentance) and give you His grace to change your actions (conversion). I will not tell you that it will be easy and instantly you will be able to change your actions because that is not true (for most cases). It will take time, but as you take that one step God will take steps too. 

The ball is in your court and now will you choose to walk away sorrowful? or will you take that step of change and throw that ball back into God's court for Him to take the next step? The choice is yours...

God bless!