I SURRENDER!

Listen to this story that I had the honor of hearing:

A woman came into a courtroom asking for orders against her ex-husband. She was haggard with emotion, nervous and upset to the point that she seemed ill. Trembling, she related at length how bad her ex-husband was, how ever since their divorce he had been poisoning her son’s mind against her and was constantly interfering with their relationship.

She seemed a bit old to have a young child at home, so the attorney interrupted and asked the age of her son.

"He’s just turned 32," she said.

"Oh," said the attorney, "And how long ago was the divorce?"
"About 17 years," she said.

This woman had made her divorce a career, a way of life! 
Do you know of anyone like this?  Does this sound like anyone you know?  Is it you?

This woman and many like her are trapped in a prison of idolatry - because the focus here is herself.  It is her story, her life, her topic - I can tell you that people avoid this woman like the plague because of her self-centeredness.   Wholeness will never come to her until she surrenders - and it is true for each one of us too - wholeness, health, life will never come to us until we surrender that which is keeping us the center of our own attention. 

Truth is it isn't just about the negative things like divorce, death, depression, addictions, that keep us in the prison of self.  Good things like our families, churches, jobs, money, possessions also keep us from being free.  These must be surrendered just like the bad things, they keep us focused on ourselves, instead of God.

Surrender today.

WHO IS YOUR GOD?

Have you joined the journey the last two weeks? Have you been thinking about what it means if life isn’t about you?

So many have been told all of our lives that life is about “ me” – and that it is what I think and about what I do that is important. But there it is – one line at the beginning of a powerful book: “It’s not about you.”

The journey has started with focus? Where do we look? Who is God in our lives? Is it me or is it somthing I possess? Is it cash or a job? Family or social standing? What is God in our lives? Who is God in our lives? This is a very important question for each one of us. I think it has a relatively easy answer that I would like to share. Our God is the person, place or thing that we turn to in our hour of need. Where do you turn when there seems to be nowhere else to turn? The answer to this question is your God.

Even those in the church have a hard time with this question, maybe most of all. We are supposed to have “the” answer, the God of gods! But I also know that I have kept God in my little “God-Box’ many a time, when if I had simply let him out to be powerful, life-changing, life-giving my life would have been hugely different.

When faced with a trial, a temptation, a struggle or in the face of suffering we often turn to our own strength, our own devices, our own answers instead of trusting the one who is big enough to take care of all the issues. Even life-long church members are known to only go to the Lord in prayer as a last ditch effort.

Today I want to encourage you to answer the question:

“Who is my God?”

I hope you will answer this question with Psalmist’s answer found in Psalm 145:

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you.

Have a great week -

Pastor David

IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!

This is the first line in Rick Warren's book - The Purpose Driven Life and in my opinion it is one of the most powerful lines ever written and here is why.


Each and everyone of us has two choices in life - we can choose to live for ourselves or we can choose to live for God. Now I know - we have lots of sub-categories that we think tell the world we are living for others... - things like our job, our families, our children, even our church. But all of these things - are about ourselves. So there two choices for who we are going to live for.

The choices I believe are choices of focus. We can focus on ourselves, our desires or we can focus on God and God's desires. Scripture tells us clearly that we can live for one or the other - but not for both. (Matt. 6:24) So which will it be for you? If life is really just about me - then it is just about you and I don't think it really can be both. Because we already know that if it is only about me - or only about you - then we will want what we want and won't care about what the other one gets - as long as we get ours...... It becomes a rather vicious circle really very quickly! But if it is about pleasing God instead of ourselves, then how we live will change - our focus will change from what "I" want to what God wants. Now here is the really cool thing - God wants you to have it all. Love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, happiness, understanding, hope, (Galatians 6:22) and more.

When we focus on what God wants for us do you know what happens? We get it all - Abundantly -(John 10:10) We end up being the blessed ones.

So what are you focused on today? Yourself & your own desires or God - and God's desires for you? Who do you think knows best?

Join us on the adventure - and live life to please God!

Pastor David