GOSPEL :: FAMILY :: MISSION
Some days are like a whirlwind. Some weeks are like a whirlwind. When I think of a whirlwind I think of a tornado. I remember the tornado that rolled through Hallam, NE back in 2004. Hallam was a small town of less than a 1,000 people that was struck by a two and a half mile-wide tornado in the middle of the night.
The author of the book of Job says that “God spoke to Job out of the whirlwind.” God spoke to Job in person, out of a whirlwind. What would that look like? What would it be like to speak personally with God in the midst of a whirlwind? What would it be like to be so grounded in the love of Christ that when the nastiest of storms hit my life, I seek the presence of God until he shows up and speaks to me?
When I was a kid I was part of a boy’s club called Royal Rangers. Think, Boy Scouts meets Jesus. One of the things the leaders of this club taught us was what they called the Royal Ranger Motto. Every time a leader would yell “What’s the Royal Ranger motto?” We would yell at the top of our lungs, “Ready. Ready to work, play, serve, worship, live and obey God’s Word.”
The Lord loves to heal our sicknesses, lift our spirits and forgive our sins. Are you sick? Pray and ask for prayer. Is your spirit downcast? Pray and ask for prayer? Are you struggling in sin? Pray and ask for prayer.
September 11, 2001 was a day that rocked America to its core. It was a terrifying day to say the least. It was a day that caused many to question their security and live in fear. It was a day that left its mark on anyone who was alive.
In Ephesians 3:16 – 17 Paul prays that the Holy Spirit would strengthen us so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith as our hearts are rooted and grounded in the love of Christ.
Think about your commitment to the community of the gospel for a minute. We begin in the community of the gospel as consumers in need of the community of the gospel. Then we are transformed by the gospel into a community of contributors who continue to receive benefits in gospel community but also begin to give generously to one another as we mature in the gospel.
Unbelief in God’s character leads to unbelief in my identity, which leads to ungodly desires inside of me, which leads to ungodly behaviors outside me.
Where is Jesus right now and what is he saying to you? I was sitting in a 10×10 office on a cream colored chair with a small green pillow in my hands across from a small middle-aged woman sitting in a rocking chair. She asked me this question after I’d explained some of the events of my childhood and some of the events of the last few years of my life.
Where is Jesus right now and what is he saying to you? This question gets to the bottom of what’s happening in our hearts. It helps us stop and evaluate our lives. It helps us examine the health of our relationship with Jesus. It helps us assess whether or not Christ has settled down in our hearts through faith. Our hearts are like fields full of soil and our lives are like trees growing in those fields.
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