This morning as I started my morning I have been thinking of a question. It seems rather simple, but rather complicated. What defines who we are? What defines who I am?
One might think it is a rather simple question to answer, but in all reality try to answer it. I have run into a few people that say that they are a Christian, but does that define who they are? We are not what we do, but who we are, so what does that make us? I am a human man, that is a start on the definition, but what then? Do my choices really define me? Does my thoughts define me? Does what I say define me? All of which could be the defining power of who I am.
People all around us are struggling with there identities. I have a friend, who says she needs to be with a man to know who she is. Well, I don't agree with that, because what happens when the man leaves. I think that is one of the keys, we can't use other people to define us. You may be married, but it isn't your spouse that defines who you are. Identity is a personal journey, so why am I sharing it with you, because you also need to discover what identifies you.
Today, my job, where I live, my marriage status, none of that defines me, but what I believe is the sole definition of the defining power. Do you believe what you believe is really real? If you say you are a Christian, that only says you want to be classified with a group. But can you imagine changing that up and saying, I believe that God sent His Son Jesus to save us from ourselves, to define the person we are. It is only through Him that I am defined. Our definition of ourselves are not what we do, our status in life, but what we believe. Living by faith, not by the concept that others will be the definition of ourselves. It is in us that Jesus lives. It is walking in the light, it is living not to say we are right, but letting us reflect the Son's light. We are called to be the moons and He is the Son.
As you read this, think about what defines you.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Standing on the edge
Are you afraid to take the leap? Are you afraid to take the step to what comes next? I know the feeling, but there is no walking on the fence. It is a choice that only you can make. Yes, someone can push you, but you will find yourself back on the edge once again. Today it is about taking the step that you have to take to be free from the fears, from the things holding you back and seeing that there is life to be had, even after you take the step.
I have found in order to forgive others, we must forgive ourselves first, we must take the step that will set us free from the pain and fear. It is time to learn how to love, learn how to be free. It is a simple, but complicated thing. But just think it is only as complicated as you make it. Do you want to be stuck in the same place? Or is it time to move forward?
We can lead others to the water, but to make them drink is another thing. It is like a story I read and I will try to capture it here.
A man found himself trudging one day through the stark, bone dry desert in the blazing sun. As he walked for hours and hours on end, he became parched and dehydrated because of the blistering sun and unrelenting heat. The miles and miles of sand offerent no moisture for him, and, as he crested every sand dune hoping to see even a tiny puddle of water, the desert only offered him more dry sand and more blazing heat to deal with.
Finally, after miles and miles of miserable journey, he was about to drop and give up, but crested a dune and saw a most blessed sight. A few feet away, stuck in the middle of the sand, was an old fashioned, hand operated water pump. As he staggered over to the old rusty pump, with its long, metal handle and curving spout, he noticed that a message was stuck to it. He reached up and removed the withered paper message that had been browned by years in the hot sun and read it. It said…
“If you are reading this, I assume that you are interested in obtaining water from this pump. At the moment the pump is not primed and will yield no water to you, no matter how hard you pump it. But, do not fret. If you follow my EXACT directions and trust me, you will obtain an endless supply of water that will fill you until you can drink no more. Please take note of the following. If you dig directly down at the base of the pump for one foot, you will find a pint of water in a glass bottle. DO NOT DRINK THIS WATER. You must use every drop of this water to prime the pump. Once you have dug up the bottle, remove the cork and pour exactly half of the water over the leather seal that connects the pump handle to the stem of the spout. Currently , this seal will not work because the hot sun has dried it out. Once it is wet again it will swell and retain its seal. It will take exactly half of the water from the bottle to be poured on the leather seal for it to swell enough to work again. Next, pour the rest of the water down the front spout of the pump to prime the pipe to the underground well. This will provide the proper suction and will begin the process of drawing water once you start pumping. Again, do not drink the water in the bottle, but use it for this process!!! Once the water begins to flow again, drink until your heart is content then refill the bottle and bury it back in the sand for the next person to use when their time comes and they are thirsty. Do not be tempted to drink the limited amount of water in the bottle and exclude yourself and everyone else from the endless supply of water that could be yours if you follow these directions. Trust me.”are lost.
Life is so much the same way, we have an endless well available to us, but we have to have a little faith to prime the pump with the one choice to change. What would you do? Do you have enough faith that the note is right and are you willing to take the step? Today it is about that choice. Don't wait for the right time, because it is time, time for change, time for a refreshing drink of water. Take the step of faith and see life is worth it. All you need is a little faith.
I have found in order to forgive others, we must forgive ourselves first, we must take the step that will set us free from the pain and fear. It is time to learn how to love, learn how to be free. It is a simple, but complicated thing. But just think it is only as complicated as you make it. Do you want to be stuck in the same place? Or is it time to move forward?
We can lead others to the water, but to make them drink is another thing. It is like a story I read and I will try to capture it here.
A man found himself trudging one day through the stark, bone dry desert in the blazing sun. As he walked for hours and hours on end, he became parched and dehydrated because of the blistering sun and unrelenting heat. The miles and miles of sand offerent no moisture for him, and, as he crested every sand dune hoping to see even a tiny puddle of water, the desert only offered him more dry sand and more blazing heat to deal with.
Finally, after miles and miles of miserable journey, he was about to drop and give up, but crested a dune and saw a most blessed sight. A few feet away, stuck in the middle of the sand, was an old fashioned, hand operated water pump. As he staggered over to the old rusty pump, with its long, metal handle and curving spout, he noticed that a message was stuck to it. He reached up and removed the withered paper message that had been browned by years in the hot sun and read it. It said…
“If you are reading this, I assume that you are interested in obtaining water from this pump. At the moment the pump is not primed and will yield no water to you, no matter how hard you pump it. But, do not fret. If you follow my EXACT directions and trust me, you will obtain an endless supply of water that will fill you until you can drink no more. Please take note of the following. If you dig directly down at the base of the pump for one foot, you will find a pint of water in a glass bottle. DO NOT DRINK THIS WATER. You must use every drop of this water to prime the pump. Once you have dug up the bottle, remove the cork and pour exactly half of the water over the leather seal that connects the pump handle to the stem of the spout. Currently , this seal will not work because the hot sun has dried it out. Once it is wet again it will swell and retain its seal. It will take exactly half of the water from the bottle to be poured on the leather seal for it to swell enough to work again. Next, pour the rest of the water down the front spout of the pump to prime the pipe to the underground well. This will provide the proper suction and will begin the process of drawing water once you start pumping. Again, do not drink the water in the bottle, but use it for this process!!! Once the water begins to flow again, drink until your heart is content then refill the bottle and bury it back in the sand for the next person to use when their time comes and they are thirsty. Do not be tempted to drink the limited amount of water in the bottle and exclude yourself and everyone else from the endless supply of water that could be yours if you follow these directions. Trust me.”are lost.
Life is so much the same way, we have an endless well available to us, but we have to have a little faith to prime the pump with the one choice to change. What would you do? Do you have enough faith that the note is right and are you willing to take the step? Today it is about that choice. Don't wait for the right time, because it is time, time for change, time for a refreshing drink of water. Take the step of faith and see life is worth it. All you need is a little faith.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Procrastination
In my life I have found it easy to say well I will do that when this project is done, or when my life is under control. It is easy to say I want to do that, but then something else comes up and I don't do it. I have found so it is with my Christian walk. It is so easy saying I will go deeper in my relationship with Jesus Christ when things work out in my life, or when I feel better, or when the cows come home. I procrastinate what I should do today till tomorrow, but the question is what happens if tomorrow does not come?
I don't want to put off the things that I have been putting off for fear that it will change my life, or maybe I will not be as fun as I once was. Will I become a boring Christian? I believe we can look at the people around us and we can point fingers, say they aren't doing it, why should I. But the problem in doing that is we are not to compare ourselves with others, we are to be different. We are called to a higher standard and by just walking the fence it is no place to be. My life has been walking the fence, but true repentance is saying please forgive me for my procrastination and doing a 180 turn from it. It isn't saying please forgive me and doing a 360, because we will be right back where we left off.
It is a personal call to being accountable for my actions, it is a call to put my faith where my mouth is instead of being a fence walker, being what God has called me to be. It is in laying down my life for Him and surrendering my will to Him. Life is not about Geoff, it is about God. It is about what He wants, not what I want. Because it is not my will, but God's will. The bigger God gets in our lives, the smaller our problems become.
Stop putting off what should be done today, for tomorrow may not come. I don't want to be standing before God and He say Geoff why didn't you do this and I say well I thought I had tomorrow or I wasn't ready. Are we ever ready for change? What is God saying to you today?
When we lay down our lives for God, we learn about love, peace, joy and so much more. Don't lose hope for today is the beginning of something much greater then I can imagine.
I don't want to put off the things that I have been putting off for fear that it will change my life, or maybe I will not be as fun as I once was. Will I become a boring Christian? I believe we can look at the people around us and we can point fingers, say they aren't doing it, why should I. But the problem in doing that is we are not to compare ourselves with others, we are to be different. We are called to a higher standard and by just walking the fence it is no place to be. My life has been walking the fence, but true repentance is saying please forgive me for my procrastination and doing a 180 turn from it. It isn't saying please forgive me and doing a 360, because we will be right back where we left off.
It is a personal call to being accountable for my actions, it is a call to put my faith where my mouth is instead of being a fence walker, being what God has called me to be. It is in laying down my life for Him and surrendering my will to Him. Life is not about Geoff, it is about God. It is about what He wants, not what I want. Because it is not my will, but God's will. The bigger God gets in our lives, the smaller our problems become.
Stop putting off what should be done today, for tomorrow may not come. I don't want to be standing before God and He say Geoff why didn't you do this and I say well I thought I had tomorrow or I wasn't ready. Are we ever ready for change? What is God saying to you today?
When we lay down our lives for God, we learn about love, peace, joy and so much more. Don't lose hope for today is the beginning of something much greater then I can imagine.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Breakthrough
I was so amazed at the revelations on my way into work, that I forgot to blog this morning. I have been listening to a series by Chip Ingram on Breakthrough. It has been a constant slap to the forehead and it has been very good.
I was struggling to see the truth about so much, but maybe it isn't about the truth that I need to see, but about that I am not in control, that I was looking and searching for the answers, but yet they have been staring right at me. The answer is not in others, it isn't in church, it is in a deeper personal relationship with God. It is more of Him, less of me. It is more of Him and my problems become less and less, because I am no longer focusing on the problems at hand, but focusing on God's hands.
We have heard many stories about the idols in the bible and all the false gods, but we say oh that is from the old days. We don't have idles now, but the problem is the littlest things could be a stumbling blocks, things that you think have no harm could be causing our focus to be lost. I didn't see that and the more I reflect on me I realize how many things I need to change. I need to confess them, surrender them and let God deal with them.
It is not my way, but Gods way. We want connection with people, but maybe the connection we should search out first and foremost is the connection with God. When we are able to put God first in all we do, then the connection with people will come. It is Jesus, others and then myself (you). That is pure Joy. I know these are words on a page and maybe it is time to get my life back to where God wants me to be.
I fell short and it is no excuse to bring others down with me. It is time to stand, it is time for a breakthrough and the breakthrough starts with choices, with praying big and believing in what I am praying for. It is an amazing walk, but scary.
I was struggling to see the truth about so much, but maybe it isn't about the truth that I need to see, but about that I am not in control, that I was looking and searching for the answers, but yet they have been staring right at me. The answer is not in others, it isn't in church, it is in a deeper personal relationship with God. It is more of Him, less of me. It is more of Him and my problems become less and less, because I am no longer focusing on the problems at hand, but focusing on God's hands.
We have heard many stories about the idols in the bible and all the false gods, but we say oh that is from the old days. We don't have idles now, but the problem is the littlest things could be a stumbling blocks, things that you think have no harm could be causing our focus to be lost. I didn't see that and the more I reflect on me I realize how many things I need to change. I need to confess them, surrender them and let God deal with them.
It is not my way, but Gods way. We want connection with people, but maybe the connection we should search out first and foremost is the connection with God. When we are able to put God first in all we do, then the connection with people will come. It is Jesus, others and then myself (you). That is pure Joy. I know these are words on a page and maybe it is time to get my life back to where God wants me to be.
I fell short and it is no excuse to bring others down with me. It is time to stand, it is time for a breakthrough and the breakthrough starts with choices, with praying big and believing in what I am praying for. It is an amazing walk, but scary.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Struggles
I spent a few days struggling with where I find myself in life. Why haven't my prayers been answered, why am I still stuck in the same place. I wanted to be done with this journey, but the journey continues. I started looking at life as "my" life and I was stuck in the idea it was not going in order of "my plan". Do you see the issue? It took me a little while to see it too, but when I did see it, it was like hatching from an egg for the first time.
You see my life is not mine. I am only the moon and it is about reflect the Son's light. What am I without the Son? I am a dark circle with nothing. I was being selfish and wanting the things for me. Life is not about me, it isn't what I have done, it isn't about me getting to where I am. It is about God. He has gotten me this far. I was lost and He found me. I was blind and He let me see. I was selfish and I spent a lot of time focusing on me, it isn't about me, it is about God's plan for my life. It is not my will but God's will and once I am able to surrender to God then He will direct my way.
It is so easy to say things would be better if, or I wish, but it isn't about that. It is about saying I am just a man and it is God that holds the plan for this man. He is in control and the quicker we lay down our self wants to Him, the quicker He will work in us, work through us. We will fight the desires of the flesh, because we want to matter. But do we really matter if we are only focused on ourselves? How can we love if we do not love ourselves, how do we truly understand love if we do not look at what has happened to show us love.
How can I shine, if I do not except what God is doing in my life. The people I come in contact with say I am different. Why should I then be the same as every man around. It is God that makes me different and when I focus on me, then I am the same as others. It took me a long time to see this, but it is God that makes me different and He is the only one that I can give credit to. I must lay down my will and let His will be done in my life. Life is not about me, it is about God. I am only one man, but GOD.
He is my provider and my strong tower, in Him shall I rest. It is through God that all things are possible. There is no impossible, because God is the I'm, in the possible. He has made the world, but the bad doesn't happen because of God, it happens because we all have free will. But what is the bad teaching us are you learning or are you running. It is time to stop running and take God's hand, He is giving it to you. He loves you even when we sin.
You see my life is not mine. I am only the moon and it is about reflect the Son's light. What am I without the Son? I am a dark circle with nothing. I was being selfish and wanting the things for me. Life is not about me, it isn't what I have done, it isn't about me getting to where I am. It is about God. He has gotten me this far. I was lost and He found me. I was blind and He let me see. I was selfish and I spent a lot of time focusing on me, it isn't about me, it is about God's plan for my life. It is not my will but God's will and once I am able to surrender to God then He will direct my way.
It is so easy to say things would be better if, or I wish, but it isn't about that. It is about saying I am just a man and it is God that holds the plan for this man. He is in control and the quicker we lay down our self wants to Him, the quicker He will work in us, work through us. We will fight the desires of the flesh, because we want to matter. But do we really matter if we are only focused on ourselves? How can we love if we do not love ourselves, how do we truly understand love if we do not look at what has happened to show us love.
How can I shine, if I do not except what God is doing in my life. The people I come in contact with say I am different. Why should I then be the same as every man around. It is God that makes me different and when I focus on me, then I am the same as others. It took me a long time to see this, but it is God that makes me different and He is the only one that I can give credit to. I must lay down my will and let His will be done in my life. Life is not about me, it is about God. I am only one man, but GOD.
He is my provider and my strong tower, in Him shall I rest. It is through God that all things are possible. There is no impossible, because God is the I'm, in the possible. He has made the world, but the bad doesn't happen because of God, it happens because we all have free will. But what is the bad teaching us are you learning or are you running. It is time to stop running and take God's hand, He is giving it to you. He loves you even when we sin.
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