Love

"There is a time for risky love. There is a time for extravagant gestures. There is a time to pour out your affections on one you love. And when the time comes -- seize it, don't miss it.” - Max Lucado

So many times we take this word called "love" for granted. We love our spouse/girlfriend/special someone. We love our family. We love Food. We love Music. We love Atmospheres. We love Friends. We love Smoothie King. We love our Church. We love artwork. We love trains. We love long walks on the beach... I think you get the idea.

So many times, we take this word called "love" out of context. In the dictionary, there's two different words for love, a verb and a noun. The noun says, "strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties". The verb says, "to hold dear". Now, i think that these are both very, very good examples of "love" but let's read what God's word says,

"If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." - John 15:10

What a thought? Jesus' love for us, he says it above. Obey my Father's commands and you will remain in love. I pray everyday that I remain in my Father's commands not just for His love but because of the great guidance. I am a worshipper first, not a lover first, but I worship my God because he is Worthy, Great and Almighty to deserve the praise that He desires. I love Him and He loves me... what a great principle. Remember... Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him!

Jack

God Can!

I thought this morning was going to be a great day! I got up, my head hurt alittle but I felt excited for things to come! Well, out of no where, I started vomiting... not a good thing. I have been under alot of stress and alot of different issues have arose over the past few days. But you know, I am drinking lemonade, sitting at my desk, just blessed that God is Able to move mountains. Since I was so sick this morning, I'm just now opening God's Word for today...

"For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through
Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and
salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you
patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is
firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you
share in our comfort." - 2 Corinthians 3: 5-6

When I read this a few minutes ago, I thought the Heavens had opened up and God had slapped me on the head. I needed to hear today that God is a God of comfort. That He is my salvation and comfort. He is my endurance. I can fail in anything... but if God has led me and I truly have a servants heart then I am under something much greater than myself. Today has and will be a great day as long as I serve Him. I never need to forget the passage above and How Great Our God is. I am a worshipper first and because of that truth of begin able to worship the God of Comfort, I know that I have a peace and understanding that I need to suffer for Him all the days of my life.

Jack

Lemons to Lemonade

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore your pursuers will be swift! A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill." - Isaiah 30:15-17

Trusting God has been something that over time, I yearn to do. God does things to us for reasons that we think are just crazy. God's love and his desires for us is a crazy love. To put it simply, we are His children and He puts boundaries in place for us, but ultimately, the power of God can do through us inside those boundaries is life shattering and changing. I was at Buckhead Church here in Buckhead last night. Andy was preaching on big ideas. He was talking about how big ideas shape us and form a culture. Like the idea of not like another race. Big ideas can change and shape humanity. God wants us to trust Him, it's when we don't that things happen. I am trusting God now, it's tough, no fun and impossible - Now that's a big idea.


Doing what I feel is God's will is something that I am trusting Him for... even when I've got the opposition of others. What I'm learning is our choices are something that God can always take lemons and make lemonade from, sometimes, there's just no sugar or not enough lemons. But God provides. In times of troubles and in times of worry, I know that He is ABLE. I know that He will do, because I am His child. I have found it tough to figure things out, on the one hand, I KNOW what's got to happen, but the second doubt, no support and unapproval from people come into my brain I just think that maybe I'm suppose to please these people, because I guess it's not about me... Oh wait! It's about GOD'S WILL! I am a worshipper first, I am trying daily to serve God and follow His will... Remember, Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.



Jack

Seek God

It's 7:12 on Monday Morning. I'm already at work, what a blessing! No, really, I am glad to be at work this early i think. Last night was amazing! I went to worship my God with Travis Cottrell. Being brought to God's throne to worship Him last night was simply powerful. I felt a great Presence of God in that place and can't even put into words how I felt. I read this verse this morning,

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." - 1 Peter 3:12

I think wow... After worshipping God in a refreshing way last night, this is exactly what I needed. I came to a point last night that reminded me that I am a child of the King. Anything in my life needs to be going to Him. Any situations or struggles all need to be laid at His feet and not try and deal with anything in my strengths. I am a worshipper first. I really don't deserve to worship an almighty God, but since He is a God of Love, I can go to His throne anytime.

Jack

God's Love

"Oh Love of God, How Rich and Pure. How measureless and strong. It shall forevermore endure. The saints' and angels' song." - Fredrick M. Lehman

The thought above, God's love being rich and poor. What a great thought? This hymn was written in 1917 and yet, the word's above ring so true today. I can not think about wrapping my brain around God's love. This hymn had the first two verses and chorus was written following the third verse. The third verse was written on the walls of a patient of an insane asylum. No one had even found the words written on his wall until after he'd been carried to his death. What makes this so amazing is how powerful these words are. I'm sure God had given them to this person. Read Below.

"Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade, To write the love of God above, Would drain the ocean dry. Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky."

What powerful words. I think it's so important to know what we sing and where it comes from. So many times, we like a beat but we forget the Words of a song. The melodies are nice, but so is these words that are mainly ordained by God. I am a worshipper first and I thank God for the love He has for every single one of us.

Jack

Pictures of Biltmore

I wanted to share some pictures from a recent trip to Biltmore. God has some awesome beauty in his creation.

The Presence of God

"I want the Presence of God Himself, or I don't want anything to do with religion." - A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

What a thought above! The Presence of God is so many times in our churches taken for granted. It's something that is abused and told to be in a box or conformed to a service order. I remember sitting in a meeting with Dr. Stanley a few months ago, and we were discussing changes that needed to be made to the service. Rodney brought up the fact that the Order of Service that was being printed in the bulliten was making it hard to really do anything other than what is written. His point was that planning is fine, but if he wanted to change something that God had laid on his heart after a certain point, he couldn't. Dr. Stanley looked at all of us and said, "Well, you can't program the Holy Spirit." and he's very right. So many times, as Baptist or as Christians, we think that if we plan our services a certain way, that God will move during this song or this prayer, when the truth is the Presence of God should be felt everyday. Proverbs 8:30 says, "I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind." I need to be praying daily to experiance His Presence. Whether it be at Work, School, Home, with Friends. I need to be praying for the discernment to be able to sense the Prescence of a Holy God. I am a Worshipper first, not anything other than a Worshipper of my God. I pray daily that I don't worry about the things of this world, because I have a God who will protect me through it all.

Jack

Perfect Praise

Today has been a day where all I've been able to do, is Praise God for the blessings he gives us. We are a country going through economic and political hardships. (I still don't know who to vote for) and yet, God is good and He's in control. So why am I praising Him so fervently today? Because not only is He worthy but He demands it.

Psalm 8:2 says, "from the lips of children and infants you have ordained PRAISE because of your enemies to silence the foe and the avenger." What a thought???? God has ordained the Praises of Children to silence and stop the enemy. If you've ever heard a child pray, that's what I think is their way of Praising God. It's so sweet and awesome to hear a child pray for every family member by name and to thank God for them. To hear them pray for their church and for different people and things in their life. What an awesome thought??? And to think that something as awesome as that is God ordained! I was singing the Majesty and Glory of Your Name yesterday and when we sang these words, "Oh Lord our God, Little Children Praise you Perfectly, and so would we, Alleluia." Children praise him PERFECTLY. Wow!

This week has been a week like no other for me. It has been good, bad, emotional, tiring and yet, I press on for the high calling of my savior. I just have to keep telling myself that I am worshipper first and everything else will just fall into place. God is still God and I am still unworthy.

Jack