You can't take it with you when you go.

Psalm 49 puts into perspective our purpose in life. The psalmist writes about wealthy men and how...when they die...they pass on to others what they have acquired. It seems that the Bible talks about this problem time and time again. Jesus says do not store up for yourselves treasure in this life...I love the passage that says...don't store up for yourselves treasures where moth and rust destroy and where thieves come in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...but what is a treasure in heaven?
One can assume...maybe it's the good things we have done... except you can't go to heaven on good works, so that doesn't make sense.
Maybe it's our obedience to the Lords commandments, but unless we are obeying consistently, it's no treasure at all.
So why are we not obeying consistently??? perhaps because there are too many variables. I know that Jesus is the constant, but the things around us constantly change and we end up reacting differently and therefore not obeying the same everytime...

but that's the goal... to consistently obey Jesus no matter what the circumstances, and thus storing up treasures in heaven... the feeling and confidence that we did everything we could to live a life like Jesus did...


points to ponder!

Predestination or foreknowledge???

Something that I have always thought about is whether or not our lives our predestined... or if God foreknew our steps. Predestination takes away our ability to choose whereas foreknowledge lets us choose but God already knows the outcome. I am more of a foreknowledge person myself...
As I think about yesterdays passage again...combined with the the story of Joseph in the Old Testament...and it puts into question what this is all about. Why would God make him go through all of that...-thrown into a pit and left for dead...-sold into slavery...-accused of crimes he didn't commit. predestination says that God set those things in place for him. Foreknowledge says that God allowed them to happen.
The bottom line is this (I think)...Things happen! People (and this includes us as well) do some pretty stupid things. these things sometimes affect other people...and sometimes they affect only us. How do we respond to these things that happen...(mistakes...sin sometimes...lets call it what it is).
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.
Lets not focus on the mistake...but lets focus on the next step that God has placed before us. How much easier would our walk be if we followed the path that God has made for us.

Back again...hopefully it sticks?

I Can't believe it's been almost 4 months since I sat down with the Bible and put a little effort into reading it. It's sad and depressing really, but, like before, whenever I am away for too long, God places that yearning and desire to get back into it. I would like to make excuses... but alas it would be an exercise in futility.
This morning I read out of my devotional "Walk with God"...the book I always seem to come back too. Today it talked about Proverbs 16:9... a passage that I have loved for years.
" In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."
Of course, timing is everything... because here I am whining and crying and concerning myself over money and employment... trying to figure out what it is I have to do to make sure we have enough food on the table and that all the bills are paid.
I hate that I always second guess God. When I find myself doing that, I remind myself who HE is and who I am not... and the the second guessing goes away. His plan is perfect, even if I don't know what the outcome is going to be.
I remind myself of these few versus...(paraphrased)

Why do I worry about the things you will eat or the things you will wear. God looks after the birds and the flowers. How much more will He look after me...

I have plans for you declares the Lord...plans to prosper you and not to harm you. plans to give you a hope and a future...

Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

These promises... combined with the call I received from God....keep me moving forward.

short and boring...

We made it back from medicine hat last night at about 10:30. It was sad to leave. It's hard waiting. There are only 47 more days until we move. I am so pathetic that I actually marked them on the calendar.
Anyway, I started a new reading plan today, one that I found off of my phone. ...
meh
well see how it turns out. Today's reading wasn't fabulous... but at least it was something different.
maybe more tomorrow.

A blog about nothing.

I did read yesterday, i just never blogged about it. One of the hardest things to do is picking out what to read. What I should do is find a good reading plan and stick with it. I love the devotional that I have, it is very convicting in a lot of ways. However, there is usually only a small bible passage with a long writeup afterward. I do like the writeup, but I would rather be instructed by the Bible, not by the author of a book. Plus, the more I read the bible, the more I can trust into memory.
So, yesterday and today I read out of 1john.
It was some good old fashioned instruction and encouragement.
And it was exactly what I needed to hear.
But for tomorrow... I will use my new phone (yay for me) to find a good reading plan and start something new.

Shepherding Gods people; where do I stand!

I randomly opened my bible this morning, just looking for something to read. I know I was reading Ecclesiastes, but it was depressing. I know what your thinking; just because it's depressing doesn't mean it shouldn't be read...
True! But I wanted something a little more uplifting. Well, I didn't get it this morning.
My random passage was out of Ezekiel; chapter 24 to be exact.
God is telling Ezekiel to tell the shepherds of Israel that they are in big trouble for taking care of themselves instead of looking after their own sheep.
Sounds familiar.
I know that was the problem Jesus had with the pharisees.
It was hard not relating that to my life.
If I want to be a shepherd of God's people, how well am I doing with the people He has given me so far.

Promises

So, as we get ready to embark on our new adventure in Medicine Hat, I am reminded of a number of different passages...
"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you...plans to give you a hope and a future..."
   and
"If my people who are called on my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, I will hear their prayers, and heal their land..".( there is a part missing in their...just can't think of it right now...)
   and
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight"

There are so many promises in the Bible if only we would listen to them.

Day 1...54 days left

Well..this is it. My wife has gone ahead of us to get her new salon up and running in Medicine Hat and the kids and I are left behind to finish school and get ready for the move. Here is the problem I see... my wife keeps me grounded. This is a good thing. She is my motivation to do anything... so now I have to try to motivate myself.
I am going to try implementing a new regiment for myself, things I have to do everyday to keep my mind occupied. One of these things is to be in the Word every morning...like I was last year at this time. I had misplaced that practice during the winter...but have since found it again and am dusting it off...
This morning, I read Ecclesiastes 2:1-11. What a depressing book. I might have to find a different book to read.
I have nothing to say about it.
54 days until we move, day 1 of my regiment...lets see how the rest of it goes!

God and man...

It has been a long time since my last post. A lot has happened since then as well...
I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine. We were discussing the need for a savior and why. Some of the thoughts that we talked about, I myself have had...such as...
Why the need for a blood sacrifice?
Why did Jesus have to die in such an agonizing way?
Did God throw us into water to drown, so that we may see the life we have in Jesus?

I keep going back to the very beginning... the ultimate fall of man when Adam and Eve ate from the tree. I believe that God had desired the best for them. They didn't know the difference between right and wrong, all they knew was right. they had the option to live forever...something that mankind was thought of ever since. It was right there for them to grasp, but instead, they ate from the other tree.
The thought then goes through my head...Why did God put that tree in the garden...didn't He know that this was going to happen...
Of course, once you open that can of worms, you start bringing into question God's Omniscience...Of course he knew!...so why did it all happen.
So Here's my theory...this is what I believe.

The greatest gift that we have ever been given is Jesus. He died on the cross and took away our sins so that we can have the opportunity to live forever...that is what the Gospels are all about.
The second greatest gift is the ability to choose...Free choice...free will... and sometimes that will is stubborn.
Right from the beginning, God gave us the right to choose what we wanted. He gave us jobs to do...things that would help us grow and mature, but we had the right to choose what we did and didn't want to do.
He gave those choices to the angels as well... beings that had been created before the birth of man. Some angels chose to disobey God and they wanted to rule in his place...They were cast out of God's presence and left to fend for themselves on earth. Now when man was created, these serpents cast out from heaven decided once again to ruin God's perfect society...and they whispered lies into their ears...and they eventually ate from the wrong tree...
God knew this was going to happen, so it wasn't a surprise...Don't ever think that it is...
In my opinion... God desires that experience true love...I'm not talking about the love of a man and a woman...I'm talking about the love between Man (or Woman) and God. God has loved us from the very beginning...He takes joy in all the good that we do. He has promised blessings...which I think is Joy itself.
But He doesn't force us to love him back. Forced love is no love at all...He gives us the choice to love Him.
When Adam and Eve ate the apple( or fruit...it's just easier to use the imagery), they put into motion the things that would happen; the outcome for the rest of OUR lives. It became apart of who we are. It was built into our DNA. They couldn't take it back.
God showed them the path to destruction...and said to them..."now that you know the roads set before you, chose the once that leads back to ME...I will show you love that you have never imagined. You will feel Joy the likes know one has ever seen. Together, we can do anything...ANYTHING... but apart from me you can do nothing..."
He's not selfish in the ways that we think are selfish...( i know that is what the Bible says..)If He was selfish, would he have given those first two people the ability to choose. He is a giving God, ONE that desires the best for us.
So, what are we going to chose...
The rest of the Bible is about how God has loved his people, and has reached out to them in love.

There's more in my head...but this is getting long...
Until next time...(hopefully tomorrow)

hard truths

Here are some hard truths that I recently listened too...it was like a punch in the gut really... still kinda reeling from it...

...John 16:13;  But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

The Holy Spirit desires to be your guide. It's as if your on the pathway of life and you were merrily going down the pathway and it seemed fine but all of the sudden all of the lights went off. Jesus says "don't worry, don't worry...The Holy Spirit will guide you. He will tap you on the shoulder and say ' go this way; do this; do not do that, but beyond that He will give you the power and the ability to pull it off. "
Far too often  what you and I do is we say to God " 'm gonna learn your word, I'm going to apply the principals, and I'm gonna try harder this time. 

Romans 8:13-14; For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.  For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

If you're  not being led by him, are you really a follower of Jesus?

John 14:15... If you love me, keep my commands.

Do You...(I) have an internal desire to follow Jesus???


( taken from Pastor Ed Short, Grace Fellowship York, PA; message from Feb 27, 2011)

Nothing special.

I don't know what time it is...I crawled out of bed this morning at 6:30, went downstairs for a shower, turned on the computer and here I am. I don't see any light coming in from outside yet, so I assume that it's not quite 7:30. usually the computer will tell me in the bottom right corner... check, there it is!!..but the computer I am using right now is messed up and I can't see that side of the screen.
It doesn't matter... that's not what I am trying to say.
Last night, I went to a board meeting. we talked about some pretty important things that need to get done over the next few weeks. The story that got my attention, was one told by a youth pastor of a different church. He was telling us how his church just had their annual meeting (some may call it the annual fight). it had gone on all night and they had to adjourn it at 11:00 pm. They then had to reschedule another one because not all of the information for the following year had been discussed. That's 2 meetings, each about 4 hours long. Why am I saying this... because when your in a loving church family, even the annual  meeting can be invigorating. It was exciting to hear how they are working on difficult times to try to move forward.
I miss those times. It's strange to be saying that. I was sharing with a friend last night that our Friday night Bible study group is more of a church family to me than our past three churches.
And then, a note of encouragement for me and my wife...She has been reading the Bible a lot over the past week. It has been nice to see. As a husband and father, sometimes I don't know where to start when it comes to reading scripture with my spouse. With my kids it's relatively easy..."sit down, we're going to read bible stories..." but with my wife I have always felt like I am imposing on her time.
I have never admitted that before...
Now I hope I can take her cue and we can start reading the bible together...
Here's  hoping

The urge to pray!

I'm starting to get my mojo back. That sounds kinda strange...I know. during the last couple of morning, I have awoke with more spring in my step. I have the desire to actually get out of bed first thing in the morning. I open my eyes and see the light coming in between the blind and the window. I glance over to the clock and see that its only 7:30.
I never knew that I was affected that badly by the darkness outside. I love the light.
What a strange concept...one might actually think that someone wrote about that in the Bible.
But anyways...
I have felt the urge to pray recently. My daughter says the other day, Daddy, you prayed for like half an hour last night... Of course, it wasn't a half an hour, only about 6 minutes... but I felt the urge to pray... And I've been doing that for the past week.
When God wants to hear from us, I believe He gives us that desire... after all, It is the Holy Spirit that dwells within...
I'm babbling!  But then again, I am excited to get into Gods word today... 1 Corinthians...
Here I go...

Back again soon...

Why am I waiting?

It's late. I'm back in Saskatoon, contemplating my future.
I've been talking with my mother a lot lately. She tends to be a very reclusive person, but she doesn't want to be. She has great dreams and aspirations of living a life that is far more productive then the one she is living right now. She recently had a heart attack, and because of it wants to live life the way she has always wanted. Never take a moment for granted because you never know when it will be your last moment.
I keep asking her, " what are you doing to change your life?"
You see, I am a firm believer that if you want to change, or to accomplish something different, than you have to make steps towards that change. It's like having a focus; priorities; a goal or end result.
Of course, our circumstances can get in the way of us achieving our goals.
Or maybe we are afraid to change; being caught in the rut of our own existence.
And that brings me back to my future...am I doing anything to change it?
Do I want to change it?
I keep waiting for a miracle...but my fear is that God keeps waiting for me.
I am called to serve him...with that I have no question...
That's all I know...

So what am I waiting for!
What am I waiting for?
Why am I waiting?
 

Where is my commitment? (Romans 6(1-14)

I thought about what I wrote yesterday. Sometimes it does feel like I am trying to work out my salvation. I eas told this weekend that we need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling and I don't think that is quite it. what we need to do is to allow the holy spirit to work inside of us. I mean, he's there right? if we have accepted Jesus for who He is, the Holy spirit is there waiting for the next move. He wants to work. He want to do good. He is constantly reminding us of what we are to do next. weather we listen is another story. It's to easy to ignore the spirit and do what we want. Now if we are committed to following Jesus, we will do what Jesus wants us to do. If we don't, where does our commitment lie.

Sin shall not be my master...(Romans 6:1-14)

So the Bible says "do not offer the parts of your body to sin..." and continues on saying " sin shall not be our master". Being a a slave to something means that you give up any rights that you might have once had. You have to do what the master says, and if that master is sin...then you must sin. Our bodies are sin. It seems strange to say that but thats what Paul says in the first part of Romans 6, as well as elsewhere...but just saying that our bodies are sin is a strange sentence to come out of my mouth. If I went up to anyone on the street, some random stranger and said that your body is sin, I would get some pretty weird glances.
But...knowing that out bodies are sin... makes it even harder to understand how we are to overcome and not let sin be our master. I know that its salvation through grace, and that its nothing that I did, but everything that Jesus did, but then combine that with our sinful bodies and the phrase, Sin shall not be your master; it makes me feel that I have to try harder. Then if I have to try harder, it feels to me like I have to work  at my salvation.  then it becomes about works and not about grace.
But this is what i understand to be true...We are saved by grace...period. My belief in Jesus Christ is my ticket to eternal life. However, my life depends on how I live it. If I believe in Jesus, then I should want to desire to do good and not sin...(which I do), but then the body I live in is sin and struggles with the Godly nature I have chosen.....then it's no longer the Spirit that guides me but the sinful body.
To be connected with the spirit, I have to be
A) always reading my bible...after all, He wrote it
B) going to church and allowing the Spirit to commune with others of the same
C) praying and communing with God myself
D) truly have a Spirit mindset in everything that I say and do

ok...lots to ponder this morning...

I Get the Message! (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)

I know...I haven't been on here in awhile. Since December 9 to be exact. It seems over the last few weeks, the only time I have found to read my bible was to read stories to the kids. It's strange, because when I do read the stories, I soak up every word!  Yet, when it comes time for me to read the bible for my own personal use/enjoyment, I falter and I shove the book aside. "I have no time" i tell myself... or "I'm to tired". Or I'll come up with some other lame excuse. AND...to top it all off... the last time I went to church was the week before Christmas. This is another strange thing, because even on our year trip, we always found time for church. In my defense, 2 Sundays were storming, and we didn't want to chance the highways; 2 Sundays I was helping my Brother in law with some construction work; 1 Sunday was a misunderstanding with some family members; but last Sunday i felt we just didn't have time.

It's also difficult when you don't have a real strong church family.

I know...more excuses. I can't make excuses. it's my own fault that I haven't been reading my Bible, and if church was as important to me as some other things, then I would make time for it no matter what.
I have NEVER gone this long without going to church... NEVER! This is totally foreign to me.

Anyway..last night I had a dream that I was being attacked by Satan.... I know, only a dream right, but what if it was more than that. He was relentless... and I kept crying out "no...you can't do this... be he kept doing it and laughing. I even yelled out in my dream that I am a Christian...but the attacks kept coming. It was like I was down for the count and he was there to finish me off, coming at me from every side.
I immediately woke up and prayed. It was hard for me to get back to sleep after that.
And Here I am. I'm no fool. I get the message. "Get your act together Michael and get back into the word". I know I've been out of the word for too long when I  get flustered by a couple of Jehovahs Witnesses.

So today I read 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. It talks about Pauls thorn in the flesh and shares how we are strongest when we are the weakest.
^sigh^
I don't want to be weak. I have got to realize that I can't do this on my own...but OH how I want to try. I am going to be thinking about this all day. What CAN I do and what MUST I leave for God to do...

God's grace is sufficient for me!