|
HonorHim365
|
read my profile
sign my guestbook
Name: Thomas
Country: United States
State: California
Metro: Sacramento
Birthday: 8/9/1984
Gender: Male
Interests: Seeking the One that gave me life not once but twice. To be more intimate with Him. To have His glory shown through my life. To reflect Him so clearly that I can be a mirror for Him. To be His hands and feet. To bring honor to my Father as a faithful son.
Occupation: Student
Message: message me
Member Since:
3/2/2005
|
|
| What separates an ordinary life from an extraordinary one?
That is the question that has been on my heart lately.
Why does my life differ so much from say; Abraham, Isaiah, David, Paul, etcetera...
They were ordinary men. They didn't possess anything that I do not
have. If anything I have more, I have the Bible in it's entirety. I
have the example of their lives.
So how do I get from where I am now, to the place of impact. Where
people are brought to repentance when they interact with me. Not
because of me, but because they are confronted with the power of God in
my life.
I'm tired of living a fearful life that lacks boldness and authority and as a result lacks impact.
When Peter preached 3,000 people submitted their lives to Yeshua.
I have led one person to the Lord that I know of.
The purpose of my life needs to shift.
My life has been so focused on MY comfort, and MY happiness, that HIS
goals for my life have not come to fruition yet. And that is not to say
that He hasn't grown and refined me throughout my life since I have
started following Jesus.
But there is so much more.
San Diego needs Jesus.
America needs Jesus.
Europe needs Jesus.
The Silk Road needs Jesus.
Jerusalem needs Jesus.
What is it going to take for my life to start impacting those around me.
I don't want this ordinary life.
I don't want the things the world has to offer.
This is not my home. And I want to bring people Home with me when I leave.
I don't want wood, hay and stubble. I want gold, silver and precious stones to lay before Jesus' feet.
Childlike Trust. A truly surrendered life. Radical obedience.
These things need to characterize our lives.
Jesus has to be our all, the One in whom we are dependent, but these things need to characterize our lives.
| | |
| Life lived for self is life lived in part. Breaths breathed but soul
suffocated. A shallow life of ease is not the HIGH CALLING that was
spoken of. It's a deeper more beautiful UNKNOWN.
That's where the temptation for FEAR comes in. That is where TRUST needs to come in.
Don't turn back to the GOOD that you knew when the BEST that you can't see lies ahead.
TRUST in the dark what was shown in the LIGHT.
If He has called you to something DON"T HESITATE.
UncomPROMISING, ImMEDIATE, SurRENDER.
A life of wavering trust is a life of INCOMPREHENSIBLE SORROW.
A life of obedience is a life of JOY UNSPEAKABLE.
Choose THIS DAY whom you will serve.
You can not serve two masters.
There is a choice.
Hot or Cold.
God or Money.
Life or Death.
But what choice is it really? Do you want Joy or Sorrow? Life or Death?
Fulfillment or Emptiness? Love or Enmity? Perfect Intimacy or
Separation?
Remember the Love of your youth.
Turn back to your first love.
We need to be confronted with the Presence of the Lord. We need to SEEK
His face with expectancy. Not for an experience, but as a reminder of
where we were and where we are now and where He DESIRES OTHERS TO BE.
"We don't want blessings, we want YOU." And we want others to have what we have.
Let us be heaven minded. Give us hearts for your creation to be brought
into fellowship with you. Let us remember that You are MIGHTY TO SAVE.
"But how can they call on someone if they haven't trusted in him? And
how can they trust in someone if they haven't heard about him? And how
can they hear about someone if no one is proclaiming him?"
GIVE US TENDER HEARTS THAT TURN NEITHER TO THE RIGHT NOR TO THE LEFT.
LET THEM BE HEARTS THAT BREAK FOR THE THINGS THAT BREAK YOUR HEART.
GIVE US THE COURAGE TO TRUST.
I pray that you would be the priority of my life, the love of my life, my life, my all. From here out.
I will stumble, but thank you for the grace to rise.
Let the rising come swiftly and the stumbling be fewer and farther in between.
Let me always TRUST in your GOODNESS, and not grasp for the LESSER when you hold the GREATER.
He IS GOOD and desires GOOD for His CHILDREN. | | |
| So I've been reading the Old Testament lately, going from Joshua
through 1st and 2nd Kings so far. There has been a very common theme;
and they did what was right in there own eyes...
It's crazy. Every once in awhile there will be one person. A king or a
judge where it is said about them; they did what was right in the eyes
of Adonai. But it doesn't end with that.
Right after it says they did what was right it usually has this
statement attached; but they left the ____. High places of Ba'al, or
the Asherah poles, or any number of idols that had been set up.
It really started making me think. First, there were only a FEW among
THOUSANDS that even were after His heart. Truly. When the Israelites
finally came to the Promised Land they doubted that God would give them
victory over the people that inhabited the land. 10 out of 12 spies
said that it couldn't be done. They were too large and fierce. But
Caleb and Joshua said with Adonai with them that they could do it.
TWO among A MILLION. And they were the only ones of their generation
that went into the Land that God had Promised. It says that because the
people refused to believe and trust God, He made them wander in the
wilderness until the UNBELIEVING GENERATION had all died. Then Joshua
and Caleb WHO BELIEVED GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY led the sons and daughters of
the old generation into the Promised Land.
LET US NOT BE THE UNBELIEVING GENERATION THAT GETS PASSED OVER!
Don't believe that we can be people that only believes and trusts in
part and not in whole and leaves up the High Places, and Asherah poles,
(Idols, things that separate us from God, meaningless things that take
priority over Yeshua and seeking His presence in spirit and in truth)
and not be passed over. They wandered for 40 years while God raised up
a new generation that would follow Him. LET US BE THAT GENERATION.
Taking on the mantel of those who have gone before us, and followed in
part but not in whole. Let us lay aside the idols that we so strongly
hold onto. Still holding onto the idols we had when we were in Egypt
instead of clinging to the God that brought us out.
HE IS LOOKING TO AND FRO THROUGHOUT THE EARTH LOOKING FOR LOOKING FOR A HEART THAT IS DEVOTED TO HIM.
HE IS LOOKING FOR THOSE FEW THAT BELIEVE AND TRUST HIM WHOLEHEARTEDLY TO LEAD A GENERATION INTO HIS PROMISED LAND.
LETS BE THOSE FEW. | | |
| So I was just listening to my soon to be pastor out in San Diego, and he was talking about forgiveness.
One thing he mentioned really struck me.
He said when somebody hurts you, you say things about them and you do
things to "pay them back" for the hurt that they have caused you.
Then I started thinking that the Lord completely heals our hurt. Or at
least he is the One that we are supposed to go to to have our hurts
healed.
And if we go to Him and he heals our hurts, then that hurt is no longer
there. And if that hurt is no longer there then what are we holding
over the person that hurt us?
Nothing. We are holding something over them that doesn't exist. We are
beating them over the head with an imaginary object. Proverbially
speaking of course.
This should be such an automatic response to hurt and offense. Somebody
hurts or offends us. We bring said hurt/offense to God. God heals said
hurt/offense. Hurt/Offense no longer exists. We forgive the
hurter/offender. The relationship is restored. We walk forward in right
relationship with God and man.
That's pretty easy to write.
A lot harder to live out.
But nevertheless, this should still be an automatic response in our relationships.
I think we would live a lot freer, happier, stress-free lives if we lived like this.
Maybe something to think about. Or maybe it's already a habit in your life.
Well if you get a chance you should watch my pastor. He's an awesome guy, lots of wisdom.
http://www.therocksandiego.org/messages/2008/
 | | |
| So I was reading about how dumb the Disciples were this morning. It's laughable really.
But then I realized I am just as dumb. That kind of ruined me laughing at them.
So Yeshua just feeds 5,000 men (not including women and children), and
he sends the 12 ahead of Him in the boat, and I am assuming that they
probably have the 12 baskets full of leftovers with them.
I think this is a good assumption because they are guys and they aren't going to leave 12 baskets of leftovers.
So they're out in this lake and they can't row anymore because the wind
is blowing so strongly against them. Yeshua sees this and yells across
the lake "wusses, paddle harder!" Ok, maybe that's what I would have
said.
So Yeshua starts walking out on the lake towards them (actually in
Matthew it says He was going to walk past them, kind of funny if you
think about it), the Disciples see Him and "thought it was a ghost and
let out a shriek".
Here they are stuck in the middle of the lake "shrieking" because they
think that the man they have been traveling with for a while now is a
ghost. So much for manly men. Yeshua has to tell them "Courage, it is
I. Stop Being afraid".
So up to this point they aren't really that impressive, but at least
somewhat excusable. But here comes their moment to prove how much they
trust their Lord and how much they know Him;
[His disciples] were completely astounded, for they did not understand
about the loaves; on the contrary, their hearts had been made stonelike.
They didn't believe that He could have come out on the lake to calm the
storm, because they didn't even understand where all that bread and
fish came from.
How are we to believe that He can calm our storm if we don't even believe that he is capable of providing our bread and fish?
So, sorry disciples for laughing at your ignorance, I'm right there with you.
If a tree could tell you what the ocean said to the wind...
The limbs in the wind
are the sway of your dance
The breeze in the trees
is the whisper of your song
The roar of the ocean
is the echo of your voice
The babbling of the brook
is the praise of your works
The heights of the mountains and the depths of the sea
are your standard of justice and mercy
You are beautiful
Your creation reflects your beauty
TS
   | | |
|
