Many church goers are used to having pre-printed outlines
for the sermon with blanks to fill in. We put in those spots exactly what the
preacher tells us to write. But in sermon at Impact Church titled “The Hunger
Games” Justin Hamilton (JH) said, “You fill in the blank, because each of you
is different.” Wat! He is supposed to tell us what to write, give us the
answer, make it easy.
JH: “It’s easy to find
crowds of people who gather in a church. It’s hard to find people who will go
to the mountaintop, go anywhere He calls you to go.”
(HJK) Each believer is called to their ‘mountaintop’ – a unique ‘where, who and how’ to disciple others. it could be the Bible Study I facilitate or my neighbor’s condo. AND that darn book I am supposed to be writing! (HJK)
JH: “Don’t ever
talk about Jesus more than you talk to Jesus.”
JH: “Revelation vs
Recollection” (HJK) Show people vs tell people. We need the accurate foundation, but if the
Word does not live in us, walk and talk through us, CHANGE us, it is useless.
And we know God’s Word is not useless, it is simply un-used. (HJK)
JH: “Am I polluting
the pond that God told me to fish in?” (HJK) Such a painful question and where I often feel that I fail. I am called to speak into people’s lives – to be an example and a teacher of God for them…and then I let my own feelings get involved. I let it become about ME instead of about God and whoever or whatever God has called me to – and when I get hurt, I lash out. Perhaps it is true, perhaps it is doubt, or perhaps Satan is whispering in my ear, “All that work, and you just destroyed it in an instant.” I am a polluter of the first degree. When will I learn that the Messenger and the recipient are depending on me – AH, THAT”S IT! Not me, but depending on the Holy Spirit working through me! As long as I try to represent God by my own power I WILL fail. (HJK)
How many of you have been irritated by my lack of sharing
the original question? Probably not enough of you. Why do I say that? Because
we want answers provided for us. Because many of us spend more time reading about
others’ pursuits of God than in the Word of God and pursuing Him ourselves.
So here it is.
JH: “6. I CAN NEVER
FULLY LIVE THE LIFE GOD WANTS FOR ME, UNTIL I VALUE HIM MORE THAN
_______________________. You fill in the blank. What holds you back? Is it pride,
or family, wealth, the image others have of you, what your family said you
should be or do? It’s individual for each and every one of you.”
I believe many people walked out of the service with that
blank still empty. And you know what, I think they should have. Unless we have already
been wrestling with God to discover our calling, longing to get to the mountaintop,
and seeking HIM as desperately as we seek things or a relationship or a certain
position … then we probably DON’T know yet what is holding us back. We may not even
be aware that we value something more than God.
But I have been wrestling. I have been seeking, and to be
honest feeling like a huge failure. I let the final worship song wash over me
as I too leave the space blank, but place a box around it in expectation of an
answer. Then, ass I get up one word pops
into my mind. “EVIDENCE!”
That may not mean a whole lot to you, but it is CLEAR to me. And as I drive and let that answer wash over me, more words and phrases come to mind. Some add further clarification - “FAITH,” “THE NEED TO SEE THE FRUIT.”
“Who shall ascend into the hill of
the Lord? or who shall stand
in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath
not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall
receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the
generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.” Psalm 24:3-6 (KJV)
This is not easy stuff and can deter many. But perhaps it should not be easy to be called. It makes sense that our leaders and influencers will struggle with the same things we do but still come out on top and with a message to share (eventually, climbing mountains takes time)! And the whole ‘clean hands, pure heart, no vanity, not sworn’ stuff can get scary when we are privy to the inner workings of our own evil hearts – even if we don’t say the stuff out loud. But I suddenly notice and want to point out to you also that the righteousness is from God! The purity comes to the saved – He is the source of that righteousness and the power to overcome. Not me.
What is your word, your obstacle, the ‘god’ in your life that comes before the one and only God who wants to GIVE you life abundantly, not take anything away.
I CAN NEVER FULLY LIVE THE LIFE GOD WANTS FOR ME, UNTIL I VALUE HIM MORE THAN _______________________.
_____________________________________________
Be blessed My Purposeful People! Heather
Wearable Art - Heather J Kirk's VIDA Collection: http://shopvida.com/collections/heather-j-kirk
and https://artofwhere.com/artists/heatherjkirk
Art by Heather J. Kirk http://heather-kirk.pixels.com and http://AEC.pixels.com
Literature by Heather J. Kirk http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/Books.html
#impact #makeanimpact #changemaker #evidence #seethefruitofmylabor #impactchurch #scottsdale #prayerlife #justgivemetheanswer
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