Because of God's love

Last night my family was watching Prince Caspian, the second movie in the classic series by C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia. I had seen it before, but if you've ever seen a movie more than once, you catch new things most every time. Well this was certainly one of those times. There is a scene near the end when Aslan (the Lion who represents/is the God figure in the story) is speaking to a group of characters in the movie.

One of the characters (who happens to be a mouse) asks Aslan to heal his body by giving him a new tail as his tail had been cut off in the recent battle. He asks Aslan to do this to restore his dignity. (we all know mice have no dignity without a tail) Aslan's response to him is what I find absolutely amazing and representative of how God operates in our lives. He responds to the mouse by saying:

"not for the sake of your dignity, but because of my love for you... I will do what you ask."

Throughout Scripture, we find these words:
- "It is because the Lord loved you..." (Deuteronomy 7:8)
- "Because of the Lord's great love..." (Lamentations 3:22)
- "For God so loved..." (John 3:16)
- "Because of his great love for us..." (Ephesians 2:4)
- "We love because he first loved us." (i John 4:19)

These are but samplings of the numerous passages throughout Scripture that depict God's love being the reason for his interaction and influence with mankind. I was enamoured that Hollywood would get something like this so right, a thing that believers so often forget. We may forget this truth and think God loves us because of our value, or because we are deserving, or for our sake, or he needs us... or, you name the reason.

I am thankful that my dignity, worth, value, or right-doing does not make me worthy of God's interaction in my life. I am thankful that I serve a loving God who first loved me. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."

Thank you Jesus for your love.

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What thrills your soul?

Came into the office today thinking about the joys of life... I am humbled at how much I have to be thankful for and how the Lord has blessed my family. In doing so, my mind wondered back to an old hymn I have not heard in years... All that thrills my soul is Jesus. The words go something like this... for your sake I will not sing it...

Who can cheer the heart like Jesus?
By His presence all divine?
True and tender, pure and precious,
O how blessed to call him mine!

All that thrills my soul is Jesus;
He is more than life to me;
And the fairest of then thousand
In my blessed Lord I see.

I am reading a new book by Mark Batterson entitled Primal. In it he describes a time when he traveled to Rome and toured ancient catacombs where early believers risked their lives to worship the one and only true creator God. About his experience, he says this,

...when you're standing in an ancient catacomb, the comforts you enjoy
make you uncomfortable. The things you complain about are convicting. And some
of the sacrifices you've made for the cause of Christ might not even qualify
under a second century definition.

You can't help but realize that these early believers who gave their lives in these places knew they served a God greater than any comfort, pleasure, or "blessing" in this world. The hymn writer understood this too.

Lord Jesus, help myself and others who read this to find the thrill of their soul in you and you alone. May you be our sufficiency and supreme joy. Guard us from valuing worldly joys, whether material or relational, above the joy and thrill that only you can give. Help us to live in such a way that you are always on our heart and in our mind. May we discern and always remember what matters most, and that is You. Amen.

Everything

So I normally would not post two videos in a row, but this one grabbed my heart once again. I had seen it several years ago... it is a interpretive skit to the song Everything by Lifehouse.

We serve a God who is passionate about his people. In the Old Testament it speaks of a God who is jealous for his people. (Exodus 34:14) Oprah misunderstood this jealousy and took it as man's sinful and selfish jealousy... a jealousy that you or I have when we want something we do not or cannot have... she ended up abandoning Christianity.

However, properly understood, the Bible speaks of this jealousy, not in terms of man's sinful jealous attitude, but as a passionate zeal for the affection of his people that rises when something threatens the coventant relationship between God and man. It is likened to the jealousy of a husband or a wife when something (sin) threatens their marriage relationship (whether it be work, things, time, people, or unfaithfulness).

I am glad I serve a jealous God who pursues me when when pain seems stronger and more powerful than the comfort of God, when trials seem more numerous than blessings, when temptations seem more fulfilling than God's goodness, and even when I choose the world over Him. Thank you Jesus for your love!

Hilarious

Below is a clip that I found absolutely hilarious... seems to be a group of American soldiers training a group of international soldiers overseas. I am not sure what country is represented by these soldiers, so I can post this with a clear conscious and you can know that I mean no disrespect to these men or their nationality. :) Enjoy!

The Power of Doing Good

Some quotes that summarize much of what this week's lesson address... don't miss out on the last week of Living Beyond Myself in Sunday School and Worship!

"Use power to help people. For we are given power not to advance our own purposes nor to make a great show in the world, not a name. There is but one just use of power and it is to serve people." ~ US President George Bush

"People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care." ~ John C. Maxwell

"Jesus Christ is not valued at all until He is valued above all." ~ Augustine

"No indulgence of passion destroys the spiritual nature so much as respectable selfishness." ~ George MacDonald

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." ~ Francis of Assisi

"If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life." ~ Jesus Christ

Blessings...

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Just Jump In!

Just Jump In!
This week we are continuing to study Living Beyond Myself, and Sunday we learn the best method to begin such a lifestyle it to "Just jump in!" Different opportunities in life require and function best when we contemplate, test, and discuss options. I'm speaking of things like, purchasing a new car, considering schools/universities/careers, changing jobs, or even deciding where to go eat. Each of these tasks are best performed when significant thought and planning is given to the opportunities before action is taken. (especially the place to eat... :))

"Just jump in" addresses the issue that very often in the Christian life we can wish, think, and plan that one day we will begin serving or one day we will go and do "x." One of our ministers on staff is known for saying, "if you wait for perfect timing, nothing will ever get done." How true in regards to following Christ. God calls us to follow Him regardless if we think we are ready or prepared or have it all in line... how often in Scripture does he call those who are seemingly ill-equiped, not ready, too young, etc to do the work he desires to be done. God's call is to act, not just think, plan and prepare.

Sign-up this week at the Expo for a great opportunity to volunteer at Calvary or simply think of a way you can serve others in the community and go do it. Our goal as a church is not that you would simply fill a need here (though there are plenty) but that we would each have a shift in perspective and begin to think and act in ways that cause us to live beyond ourselves.

See you Sunday!

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When God makes a promise...

Recently, I read 1 Kings 8:24 which says, You spoke with your mouth and with your hand have fulfilled it this day. The context of this verse shows us that Solomon was praying a prayer of dedication over the newly built temple in Jerusalem. It was the same one that the Lord had promised to Solomon's father David years before.

We find here just one evidence of a great attribute of our God. When God makes a promise, he delivers! Other times throughout Scripture, God promises to accomplish what he sets out to do; Isaiah 55:11 is just one of those passages. When you look through Hebrews 11, person after person is commended for their belief and truth in a faithful God.

Solomon's father, David expressed his faith in God in 2 Samuel 7:28 (just after God promised to build the temple during the reign of his son Solomon where he said, And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Here David is saying at least two things. 1. God is the ONLY God, and there is no one like Him. He is supreme. 2. God's word is truth and what He says He will do.

May you and I have this kind of faith in the Lord. May we believe his Word and trust in his promises, for He is a faithful God, a trustworthy God; He is my Savior and Lord! Praise him for his faithfulness!

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