When Love Walks

Walk - to move about in visible form

Have you ever thought about the idea of love walking before? Think about love for a second. What comes to mind? Is it an emotion? Is it a feeling? Is it an action? What is your definition of love? Where did you get this definition? Did the world, media, or culture shape or define love for you? Has God's Word had anything to do with your connotation of the word love? What is the source of love? If you agree with me and say God then do you define love the way He defines it?

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. - 1 John 4:10

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. - 2 John 1:6

Love cannot be stagnant. The love of Christ, the love he showered upon us must be walked out. It must move to become visible. You may be asking yourself what that looks like. Check out 1 Corinthians 13 and you will see a pretty clear picture. Today ask God to give you love that walks. Love that is visible for others to see. A love that we cannot create or manufacture but love that comes from God Almighty.

Power, Passion, & Purpose

Do you walk with your head up or down? Do you walk around with power, passion, and purpose?

Often times I catch myself with my head down. Many times I forget.

I forget that if our God is for us who can be against us?

I forget that our God is stronger and higher than any other

I forget that our God is the healer and redeemer of the broken and the lost

I forget that he is the life changer

I forget that he is living water and the bread of life

I forget that our God is all powerful

I forget that our God loves us unconditionally

I forget that I am His.

Have you forgotten?

Over lunch today I was encouraged. I was listening to a guy who hasn't forgotten. He was walking in the power, passion, and purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was taking the attacks of Satan head on with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit. It wasn't easy but there was the power or Christ in his life. His passion and purpose proved it.

I don't usually write prayers but I want to leave you with one today. Don't let the enemy win the battles in your mind and in your life. Use the power and truth that God has given you.

"God, I am your child. You are my father. I thank you for that relationship. I pray that I realize this truth and embrace it. I pray that I would walk in your power today. That you would give me a passion for the name of Jesus Christ. As it talks about in Acts 4, I pray that people would take note that I have been with Jesus. That my life would reflect and lead people to you Lord. I thank you for the power over sin and death that the cross accomplished for me. Give me an eternal perspective and a passion to fulfill my purpose in Christ. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Restrained

Have you ever had to be restrained?

When it comes to living passionately for Jesus Christ one of the last words I think of is restraint. That is why it caught my eye as I was reading Exodus 36. As the people of God were constructing the Tabernacle, everyone whose hearts were stirred to do the work came. The people of Israel continued to bring contributions for the work of the Tabernacle. In verse 5 the workers approach Moses.

"and said to Moses, "The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do." So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, "Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more." - Exodus 36:5-7

I love the fact that they had to be restrained from giving. There is no way you would see that in today's culture. We are either holding on so tightly or when there is an abundance it is never enough. One of the prayers for the ministry is that God would provide all that we need to do what he has commanded us to do. Not more and not less, just enough. Every month God comes through. Every month we have enough to pay the bills. God continues to prove time and time again that we can trust him. I don't know where you are at but I do know God wants you to trust him.

I love to dream. I love to dream big. What if the people of God would desperately care for the work of the LORD? What if the people of God had an eternal perspective? Would their focus shift? Would the world look any different? What would it look like if pastors would have to tell their congregations to stop giving because of the abundance of their giving? What an awesome sight that would be!

The Sheep of Your Pasture

"But we your people, the sheep of your pasture,

will give thanks to you forever,

from generation to generation we will recount your praise."

- Psalm 79:13

Have you ever thought of yourself as a sheep in the Lord's pasture? To me that is a reassuring. It is a picture of God's love and guidance for our lives. As much as my prideful self hates to admit it this means that I am not in control. This means that I have to surrender control of my life to the shepherd. But thanks be to God that when the Lions, Wolves and Bears come we have our shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me."

- John 10:10-14

Abide

So recently I have not made time read. I have done my daily time in the Bible and have really studied it but my supplemental ready has really slacked the past month. In fact I haven't done any. Therefore this past week I made a commitment to pick up some good books. I began reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and What Jesus Demands from the World by John Piper. Let me just say that when you add to your Bible reading some great stuff by some great authors it grows you, strengthens you, and energizes you. If you are not a reader or have slacked recently I encourage you to pick up a good book and dive in. If you need some suggestions I have some on the side tab on my blog or feel free to ask me.

With that being said I wanted to share some thoughts I gleamed from a chapter from the Piper book...

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." John 15:9

Abide: to remain stable or in a fixed state

Did you know that Jesus demands that we abide in him? Did you know that he demands the engagement of our minds and hearts every day of our lives?

"Abiding in Jesus means staying vitally connected to the life-giving, power giving, fruit-producing branch, namely, Jesus." - Piper

Do you ever feel depleted? Spiritually tired? Exhausted?

Do you feel like you are in a desert wandering for water?

If you are feeling this way I hope you evaluate if you are abiding in Christ's love and in God's Word. Jesus Christ is the life giver, he is the source of everything good in us. Actually, apart from Christ we can do nothing of any value. When we try to operate on our own power we eventually dry up. We cannot sustain ourselves, that is why Christ demands that we abide in him. My heart for you today is that you would stay vitally connected to Jesus. That you would remain in his love, his truth, and his word. Take time today to savor the goodness of your savior.

"Believing in Jesus as our living water means drinking the water - savoring it and being satisfied with it." - Piper

At The Cross

We had an amazing weekend working with Polen Band to share Gospel of Jesus Christ and celebrate the release of their new cd, "Face to Face." My favorite song (right now, it seems to always change) is called "At the Cross." I just wanted to share it with you and let it minister to your hearts today.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" - Mark 15:37-39

AT THE CROSS
(words and music by Jeff Polen ©2005 Jeff Polen Music / ending words written by Eric Kaufman, Jeff Kaufman, and Maynard Miller ©2009)

You have asked me for everything
But You have given me more than I gave You
And I have found that when I’m nothing
I am everything in You

When I’m weak You make me strong
When I’m down You give me words to a song
And it picks me up again
And I lay my burdens down
At the cross again
And then it’s only You and me

I am a stranger in a strange land
You are still the same
And You are always right beside me
Every time I call Your name, Jesus

When I’m weak You make me strong
When I’m down You give me words to a song
And it picks me up again
And I lay my burdens down
At the cross again
And then it’s only You and me

credits

www.polenband.com

His Grace is Sufficient

So it has been awhile since my last blog. Life, ministry, and living with 7 other people can tend to make life a little crazy. So in the midst of taking on the weight of others, the burdens of those you care deeply about, and wrestling through extremely tough decisions I found myself a little stressed out today. Have you ever tried to be "Superman?" Usually I don't struggle with this and tend to give my cares and burdens over to the Lord but today for some reason they seemed to pile up on my shoulders. They started to block out my faith and trust in God and started to pour thoughts of worry, doubt, and inadequacy into my life. As we arrived at New Grounds Cafe to prepare for our weekly outreach called "RE-connect" I found myself starring blankly at my computer. Then in the background I heard "Your Grace is Enough" by Chris Tomlin. Immediately 2 Corinthians 12:9 came to me,

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

That truth resonated with me and assured me that I don't have to be "Superman." That in all actuality I can do nothing apart from the power of Christ. That I need to stop relying on Travis and start relying on Jesus Christ and the truth of His word. So today my prayer for you is that you would know that God's grace is sufficient and you would see his power made perfect in weakness.

Pray

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

It is 4:45 in the morning. I have been up since 3:00am. Recently the Lord has been convicting me that I don't pray enough and I have been asking him to give me a heart that constantly seeks him and brings me to my knees in prayer. Well he seems to be answering my prayer by waking me up at 3am and feeling the overwhelming need to pray. I have spent the past hour and 45 minutes reading scripture and praying. It has been an awesome time of asking God for forgiveness, asking him to transform me, and petitioning for friends, family, and the ministry.

I truly believe if God's people humble themselves and pray and seek his face the Lord our God will move in ways we never thought possible. Men and Women of God we need to be a people of prayer. We need to stop praying safe prayers, our prayers need to be Biblical. My prayers have shifted from "God give me a good day" to "God do whatever it takes today to conform me to the image of Jesus Christ." God has been teaching me to stop praying for my own comfort and start praying for His kingdom to come and His will to be done. We need to take a look at scripture and see how our Biblical heroes prayed. We need to look at Jesus's prayer in John 17. We need to pray the Lord's prayer and mean it. So today, ask God to give you a heart of prayer, an attitude of prayer, and a constant knowledge that God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. Billy Graham once stated that in the morning he picks up the phone to God and doesn't put it down till he goes to bed. He lived in constant prayer. What happens when the people of God truly grasp 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 where it says, "pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

"Our Father in heaven

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil."

- Matthew 6:9-13

The Road of Reflection

One thing that I love is long reflective car rides. I tend to do my best thinking while I am driving by myself for long periods of time or in the shower. Those long drives by yourself gives you plenty of time to spend just talking with God and listening to Him. This past weekend I was driving to Indiana Wesleyan to spend some time with some college students. The drive takes about 4.5 hours and I was enjoying the ride by praying, listening to some Allistair Begg sermons, and worshiping. At one point I was listening to my advanced copy of the new Polen CD. I got to the song called "At The Cross" and almost broke down in tears. Do you ever have those moments when God's truth becomes so real to you and hits home? Have you ever had those moments when you realize how messed up your life would be without Jesus Christ? That is what happened at this moment. These words began repeating...

"I was spotless, I was blameless, I was the perfect Lamb of God,

You were broken, fallen, worthless, yet I died, I died for you."

As I was driving the weight of the truth in those words overwhelmed me. I was reminded of how wretched I am and how perfect Christ is. How I don't deserve anything and he deserves everything. How God would take a messed up sinner like me and save me is beyond my comprehension. At this point God's love became very real to me. I began to understand how wide, how deep God's love is for us. We are broken, fallen, worthless people yet He died, He died for us. Do you believe that? Really, does that truth effect your life? Does it do anything in your heart? Because I know for me it brings me to my knees.

The rest of the drive all I could do was thank God. Thank Him for His love, His goodness, His kindness, His faithfulness, His patience, His sacrifice... the list goes on and on. It made Romans 12:1 very real to me. When we realize how broken we are and how perfect God is our only response should be to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to Him. I pray today that you would take time to feel the weight of the words from that song. That God would bring you to your knees and you would cry out with thankfulness to your heavenly Father. That you would know its not about you and it is about God. That He is ultimately in control and that you can fully trust in Him.

*Please join us in supporting an awesome band (Polen) that is truly seeking after God and leading people into worship. They will be releasing their new CD at 3 consecutive concerts March 19th, 20th, & 21st. Cost is $10 and you receive their new CD free ($12 value). Don and I will also be speaking at the events. For tickets & more info visit www.polenband.com or let me know, I am selling pre-sale tickets as well.

Icicles

With the recent snow storms I have had to do a lot of snow shoveling. In the midst of shoveling I began to notice many icicles forming on our gutters above our driveway. Some of these icicles were very large and must have weighed 20-30 pounds. Underneath the icicles were cars and also a walkway where most of us walk. As I fixated on the icicles with fascination I began to think about sin. You see, just like an icicle it starts out small and builds. The more snow that melts and re-freezes the bigger and heavier the icicle gets. The same is true in our lives, as we let more and more unrepentant sin build up in our lives it becomes a large heavy icicle that hangs over our heads ready to crush us.

These icicles presented a dangerous situation for the guys at the house and visitors who would come by. Something must be done about the icicles and something must be done about sin. The other day we moved the cars and worked together to safely knock down the icicles and pick up the pieces of broken ice. The danger of the icicles was then removed. In our own lives something must be done about sin. Jesus came not only to save us from the sin but to pick up the broken pieces in our lives. So in your life are their icicles? Is there sin that hasn't been dealt with that is turning into an icicle? I would encourage you to get on your knees and surrender to Jesus Christ. You might need some friends to help you break down your own icicles and to help you pick up the pieces.

The funny thing is two days later I walked outside and the icicles were back. Know that we are in a battle, know it is not us that sins but the sin nature that is in our flesh. May you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ and may he bring freedom, healing, and victory over the sin that so easily entangles us!

So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. - Romans 7:17-19