Jesus is seeking you...

I was re-reading my previous post and it occured to me that I should have added something more but instead of editing it, I'll make a new post. Call it part 2 of Faith with Feet :)

As I'm reading through the Gospels each day it becomes more and more evident to me that Jesus, during his short stay on Earth, was a very busy man. He never stayed anywhere very long, he was always going, always teaching, always healing...always seeking the lost. He didn't sit and wait for the lost to find Him. No, He went in search of the lost sheep and He found them everywhere He went!

He says in The Word....GO and make deciples of all nations. That one word- GO- is an order, a command. Jesus doesn't add, "If you want to." or "If you feel like it." He says "GO."

There are hurting people all over this planet. As Americans we've been pretty spoiled by not really being affected by the suffering that people in so many other nations endure. Yes, the people in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, South America are suffering and need Jesus. But in many cases there are intense spiritual needs much closer to home. If traveling abroad is something you simply cannot do, there are people in your state, in your town, probably in your neighborhood who are suffering. People right next door who need Jesus.

"GO!"

Being fairly new to our community, there are still many people I don't know, circumstances I'm not aware of. But the spirit in me is telling me to GO, find the hurting, bring Jesus to them. Someone, long ago, took a chance and shared Jesus with me. How can I not reach out to some lost and hurting soul and do the same?


I'm going to share another persecuted believer's story link here. Please, take some time each day to lift up our suffering brothers and sisters around the world in prayer.

Pastor Wang Xiaoguang has been in a Chinese prison for nearly 900 days...simply for teaching about Jesus. Please take a moment to pray for him and maybe even write him a letter of encouragement. http://www.prisoneralert.com/pprofiles/vp_prisoner_200_profile.html

Does your faith have feet?

I was listening to my Ipod today and a song by Casting Crowns came on. It's a song that resonates in me; one that makes me take stock of my life and my walk. It's called, 'If We are the Body'. If you haven't heard the song, the chorus says:

But if we are the body

Why aren't His arms reaching?

Why aren't His hands healing?

Why aren't His words teaching?

And if we are the body

Why aren't His feet going?

Why is His love not showing them there is a way?

If we are the body of Christ, then why are so many of us neglecting to do what He has commanded us to do? We should be helping the widows and orphans, we should be leading the lost to Him, we should be welcoming the traveler into our midst and loving him to Christ.

But something else that struck me is that we should also be walking the walk among our leaders. If we, the children of God, refuse to stand up and speak out for what we know to be right, if we refuse to be leaders ourselves, then we leave this country, this world, to those who don't believe. We leave control of this country to pagans, athiests, and those who would remove God from every aspect of our nation.

We must vote! We must write letters to our local, state, and federal leaders. We must participate in ways that will be God honoring and effective or this country will fall in the same manner that Rome did.

We must put feet on our faith! We must Go! This country was founded and built upon a the solid rock of Jesus and we, the sons and daughters of the almighty God, need to wake up and stand up and fight to keep that solid rock from being chipped away and undermining the stability of The United States of America.

Does your faith have feet? Are you willing to go when God calls?

We Have Hope!

I'm reading a book, one I've read a dozen times at least. It's the first book in an amazing trilogy by Francine Rivers called A Voice in the Wind and on page 13 there is a passage that struck me and I wanted to share. A brother and sister in a desperate situation are having a conversation and the passage reads:

"Is this the will of God, Mark?"

"Father said it is not God's will that any should suffer."

"Then why must we?"

"We bear the consequences for what we have done to ourselves, and for the sin that rules this world. Jesus forgave the thief, but he didn't take him down off the cross." He pushed his hand back through his hair. "I'm not wise like Father. I haven't any answers to why, but I know there is hope."

"What hope, Mark? What hope is there?"

"God always leaves a remnant."

Jesus forgave the thief who hung beside Him on the cross, but He didn't take him off the cross. The thief was made to suffer the consequences of his actions but Jesus forgave him and assured him of his place in Heaven.

We, as children of God, are also forgiven but we, too, must endure our own consequences for our sin. We are assured of our place in Heaven but while we live in this sinful world we will suffer and many times we suffer for the sinful actions of others even if we didn't participate or were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But we have hope! Even through the trials and suffering we experience we have Jesus by our side. He never said it would be easy, but He promised we would never have to go it alone. What a beautiful promise!

And to end this blog post, I'm going to share some song lyrics from one of my very favorite songs by an amazing artist, Ginny Owens. This song is called "If You Want Me To"

The pathway is broken
And The signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to

Chorus:
Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will walk through the fire
If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone

So when the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering that Your love put You through
And I will walk through the darkness
If You want me to

Cuz when I cross over Jordan
Gonna sing, gonna shout,
Gonna look into Your eyes and see You never let me down
So take me on the pathway that leads me home to You
And I will walk though the valley
If You want me to

Yes, I will walk through the valley
If You want me to

Here is a link to a You Tube video of the song if you care to listen. She has such a beautiful voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVYRc7LtvUA

Vote Your Conscience!

With elections in full swing the candidates are polishing up their speeches and ramping up their attacks on their opponents, dragging skeletons out of closets and pointing razor tipped fingers used to expose every perceived slight to the American people.

I cannot express enough, my friends, how very important it is to vote your conscience. Stop looking at the parties and, instead, look at the morals, values, and agenda of those running. Just because you are a registered Republican or Democrat does not mean you HAVE to vote for the person running in that party. Vote for the person who most closely represents your values, not matter what party they happen to be affiliated with.

And one more thing, read between the lines of the pretty speeches. Do your research and find out what these people REALLY think, how these people really vote, what these people really want for our country. Right now they're saying what they think the people want to hear, but we all know that campaign promises are rarely kept and what will we be getting when the campaign is over?

Above all- VOTE and VOTE INFORMED!