Hold on Loosely!

No, I am not referring to the 1981 smash hit by .38 Special. (Although, back in the day I was a fan!)  I am referring more to the things in life that seem to drag us down.  These "things" come in all shapes and sizes.  They can be in the form of unpaid bills, family conflict, car trouble, marriage issues, job struggles, and the list goes on and on.  Do you know what each of these issues have in common?  God knew about each of them before they showed up in your life, He knows how they are impacting you and He cares about how they are affecting you. (Feeling better yet? No!?)  Ok, see God has the hairs on your head numbered.  He is VERY MUCH aware of what you need. (Prove it?) Matthew 6:25-34 culminates with these words:  ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Go back and read the entire passage)  The fact is, God wants His people so dependant on Him that we allow Him to make provision for us, for everything.  But, remember, this is not a promise that He will deliver us from the storm, He will deliver us in the storm.  He loves us so much... He came so that we could have (John 10:10) LIFE and LIFE TO THE FULL.  Not just average, not just so-so, TO THE FULL.  Trust Him, He is trustworthy.  If you hold on loosely, it will be easier to let it go.  Be Blessed today.
Waiting on Him,
ML

Saran Wrap

As I was reading in Matthew 5 this morning about how God is so much more concerned about our hearts than our actions!  Of course He has commanded us not to commit murder BUT... in v22 of Ch. 5 Jesus tells us that if we harbor anger in our hearts we bring judgement.  Really!  Jesus said it not me.  And guess what, if you are nice to someone in person and loathe them in your heart, guess who know... Yep, HE does.  Our hearts are like saran wrap to Jesus.  We can hide nothing.  He sees all.  I heard in a conference over the weekend that harboring unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.  WOW!  Will you allow the Father of forgiveness to invade your heart today.  Will you ask Him to help you let go of any anger, bitterness, hate. 

I allowed circumstances beyond my control to steal my joy and hamper my witness yesterday... again.  I can tell you, I am tired of doing this.  I want to be an effective minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I find it difficult to do when I am feeling sorry for myself!  Do you?

God, please help us to have the strength to yield to you.  Help us to turn loose of those things we are hiding in our heart that are causing pain and suffering.  We can't do it without you.  Help us to experience the joy of our salvation and renew a right spirit within us.  Help us to emit the brightness and excitement that can only be explained by the assurance of an eternity spent with YOU!  And in faith we say... THANKS and we love you.  In your name, Amen.

Waiting on HIM,
ML

Shane & Shane-Lift up the Light

Having heard Shane and Shane live in Chicago while attending the Simply Youth Ministry Conference, I was so excited to hear about their new project Lift up the Light.  It released on itunes today.  I have been listening to it and love.  You should check it out, it is one of my new favorites.

Waiting on Him,



Mike L

Are you tempted?

Aren't we all?  For most of us temptation starts about the time our feet hit the floor in the morning.  Maybe it is temptation to curse because you kicked the bed post, to be angry with your spouse or parent from a disagreement the night before.  Maybe you are tempted to take a sick day even though you feel fine.  Maybe you are tempted to ignore God today, skip your quiet time in favor of watching TV, look at something on the Internet you shouldn't... The list is long of things that tempt us isn't it.  Are we weak because we are tempted?  No, absolutely not.  We are strong because we are tempted.  You know one way to tell if you are not walking with Jesus?  If Satan is not trying to trip you up, you may not be a threat to him.  But... If you are battling every day, feeling opposed, struggling to love God through tough times, maybe you are winning fro Christ.  I heard in a men;s conference one time that if we do not run into the devil in our daily running, that we may be running in the same direction as him. 
So how do we deal with this temptation?  Psh, that's the easy part- Jesus showed us in Matthew 4.  Verse one tells us he was led by the Holy Spirit.  Well, as followers of Christ we have the Holy Spirit within us right?  (Nod your head yes!)  We also see several times where Jesus when tempted used scripture to defend Himself, not His supernatural powers.  See, he was showing you and I how to do it.  What an awesome Savior!
Thank you Jesus for showing us how to be more like YOU and how to defend ourselves against the opposition!
Waiting on Him!
ML

Come Let us Worship, Fa-Real

How is your worship?  I don't mean what kind of voice do you have or how high do you raise an arm during a song.  I am not referring to whether or not you close your eyes during the invitation.  I mean, how is your WORSHIP?  Do we truly understand genuine worship the way the Magi did in Chapter 2 of Matthew?  Verse 10 says when they saw the star they were overjoyed. (They knew they were near to seeing the king)  The first thing they did when they saw Him was bow down and worship.  REALLY?  What would our worship experience be like if we had that kind of reverence for our king?  I am praying that God will help me be in awe of Him.  I want to have that kind of all out, wide open, don't care what ya think, caution to the wind, worship.  God, will you release us to experience the joy of genuine worship.  Do the needed work in our hearts that will free us to focus on you and give you the adoration you are worthy to receive.
ML

I Can see Clearly Now.

I Can See Clearly Now!

Is possible that March is gone and April is nearly here?  Hard to believe I celebrated another birthday.  Yep… I celebrated the 21^st anniversary of my 21^st birthday yet I still feel like I am 15.  I am convinced that feeling young is a blessing.  I must admit, sometimes that 15 year old thinking gets me in trouble!  Interestingly, I celebrated by getting contacts.  The primary reason for this transition was to avoid the eminent bifocals that seem inevitable in the early 40’s.  So, after having tried unsuccessfully in the past, I got my new contacts last week.  I was so proud with how easily I adapted to them.  I was able to get them in fairly easy and after a couple of days I was able to remove them without a hammer and chisel.  I was so pleased (and if I am honest, a little proud of myself!  Such a big boy!)

Well, I went back to the eye doctor on Monday to report how successful I had been and mastering the art of “Contacting”.  When he asked me to read the letters on the wall he was shocked that I could only read the second line.  (The one that has a HUGE font)  He inquired as to how long this had been the case and I told him that I guessed it had been that way all week.  See, I was so caught up in how well I adapted to them, I failed to notice that I could not see.  I walked around for the better part of a week thinking my vision was fixed when in fact, it was worse than before.  It turns out that I had mixed up the contacts and had the left contact in the right eye and the right one in the left eye. Can you imagine how clear things became when I applied them properly!

Much like contacts, God’s word must be properly applied in order to effect the desired change.  I wonder how many of us are walking around feeling great about having our salvation, our relationship with Christ and His word and yet we have neglected to properly apply it in our lives.  Not only do we have blurred vision but maybe those who are watching us to see what a Christian is really like are getting a blurred view as well.

It is worth mentioning, my close-up vision with contacts has been rendered nearly non-existent.  So I have joined the ranks of many who have gone before me and can now be seen sporting this “old people” glasses that sit on the end of my nose!

Waiting on Him,

ML

2 Peter 1:5-9 

 ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

New Website...New Blog

I am in the process of creating a new website for our student ministry at Grace.  Please be patient as I am very new at this.  I am having a great time learning how to be in touch with my inner geek!  In the techno savvy world we live n today I want to make sure that we stay current and take advantage of every avenue and opportunity to reach the lost for Christ!  We are challenged in Matthew 28 to make disciples and it seems that if the Internet can provide access to those that need to hear the truth... I want to present it to them exactly where they are.  I hope that you will follow the blog.  I will endeavor offer some wisdom and insights regarding our ministry and also regarding my personal walk with the risen savior!

Waiting on Him!
ML