Faithfulness Unto Death

Today was Covenant Sunday at our church. I'll explain. In my denomination, we set aside the first Sunday of the year as a day where we write down the expectations we desire to see happen in our lives over the course of the year. The Covenant Form starts out like this :

" I make this covenant with the Lord that as His Hand Remains on me to Bless me and keep me in 2013, I shall..." 

And it ends with (after you have written out your covenant, expectation etc)

So help me God. 

Lord, permission to hate my enemy.

Courtesy freedigitalphotos.net

You know those moments when someone has gotten on your nerves and all you want to do is smack them or ,if you are not looking for an assault charge, how you wish the earth would open up and swallow them ?

There are days when I have actually stopped short of saying "Lord, I know You said we should love our enemies and all but this person takes the title for 'person I wish I never knew' and I would officially like permission to express my , um, dislike ".

Radically Different : Praying Like We Mean It

 What if we prayed like we meant it ? What would happen in our homes, marriages, our cities and countries ? What if we prayed such audacious prayers that people literally thought we were going crazy ? When are we as Christians going to move away from begging and crying (as if God is some tyrant ready to whip us !) and " I hope God hears my prayers"-kind of prayers to believing that God has heard our prayers and will move in response to our prayers in the Name of His Son Jesus Christ ? Today I will not waste my breath on what God can do in response to our prayers. I am simply going to GIVE you the Scriptures that say so.

So what radical statements did Jesus make about prayer?  

Radically Different : How Anger equates Murder

I am still on a roll with the series Radically Different. This is the series where I am taking a look at Jesus' Words and how we can also live radically different lives as we practise them. Here is a portion of Scripture that has intrigued me since I was a teenager.

Radically Different : Living Totally for Jesus

Happy Tuesday to you !

Last week, I began a series called Radically Different. In this series I am focussing on the words of Jesus as He spoke them in the gospels, how radical they were and how we also can live radically different lives from what is considered the norm in the world.

I don't know about you but one day, I want to be remembered as the girl who was crazy for Jesus. I want to live out and exhaust my life to bring Him glory alone. There is simply nothing like serving my awesome Master Jesus and I want to walk just like He did. If I am going to live for Him and walk like Him, then I am going to have to know what He said and live by it. So here's #2 in the Radically Different series. 

Listen to what Jesus says :

When you continue on the Scripture talks about cutting off your legs etc. Well, this was figurative of course because I don't believe God woud have you physically cut off your arm and your legs for no good physical reason ! However, the Lord does want us to get rid of those sins and weights that pull us down and keep us back from living a holy life before Him. If we are His, then we have to be fully His. We can't be half in and half out. It's all or nothing. 

What is causing sin in your life that you need to get rid of ? Could it be a friend, your job, too much sleep or could it even be the very things that God has blessed you with that is now causing you to drift away from Him ? 

I am examining myself today (I'm really in a solemn mood today as I examine myself. Not sad. Just reflective.) . I am asking myself the tough questions. What in my life causes me to not apply myself fully to serving God ?

I leave you with this Scripture from Revelation . The Apostle John received it as a message for the church in Laodicea centuries ago and it still applies today. Please, let's take heed. 

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 

Revelation 3:15-16

Linking up today at Heavenly Homemakers , Thankful Homemaker, Titus2 Tuesdays

Radically Different : Servanthood

Yesterday, I announced on this blog's Facebook page about doing a series called Radically Different. Radically different is a series I am doing on how radical the life and teachings of Jesus were and how we can also live radically different lives by following Jesus' example and today features the first installment.

If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all. - Mark 9:35

Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

This sounds so upside down, doesn't it ? I mean the world tells us that to become great you have to get an Ivy-league or Oxford education, you have to "make" it in the financial world, become an overnight sensation or discover the cure for cancer. There is no place for becoming last and servanthood !

This is what makes Jesus' statement so radical : in God's Kingdom, the way up is the way down. The way to greatness is the way of servanthood. Becoming the highest means being the lowest first. Wow.

Jesus did not make a name for Himself. He did not publish a single book. He never intentionally drew attention to Himself. He went as low as washing the smelly feet of His disciples and dying the death of criminals. He never felt too big to do anything that would draw us to Him.

Who, being in very nature God,

    did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

⁷ 

but made himself nothing,

    taking the very nature of a servant,

    being made in human likeness.

⁸ 

And being found in appearance as a man,

    he humbled himself

    and became obedient to death—

        even death on a cross!

⁹ 

Therefore God exalted himto the highest place

    and gave him the name that is above every name,

¹⁰ 

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹ 

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:6-11

Do I really have to write more ? I sit here convicted. This is the God I serve, my friends. THIS IS THE GOD I SERVE and this is the example He would have us follow.