Keeping the Faith; Never losing Hope; Always Loving

Qumran (dead sea scrolls); Jericho; and Bethlehem tomorrow. Our guide can’t go with us to Bethlehem bc its currently controlled by Palestinians muslims and they’ve harmed other jewish guides recently. Palestinian Christians are the “least of these” here and being slowly stamped out economically by jews and palestinian muslims. This place reeks of religious history and you can cut the tension with a knife between the jews and muslims that are constantly battling for sacred sites. Its so tense that it requires another level of commitment. People are devout (jews all over air plain standing up and going through morning prayer routine on way over), it made me weep for us where we live in a culture where being christian doesn’t necessarily mean something is at stake (for the average believer). For the people here it is Life or Death and there is nothing more serious then their faith. Tomorrow, Jerusalem stores close at 3pm and do not open up till sundown on Saturday evening because of the sabbath.

Peace,
Pastor P

Chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com
www.wedesiremore.com

Today I find myself resting in the peace of Jesus knowing of Gods grace that has empowered obedience in my life. There are times in our lives where we have defining moments where Jesus asks us to make decisions that seem like nonsense to the world. The question that Francis Chan asks in “Crazy Love” is does it make more since to look back at your life and see a life that was obedient in extravagant giving or a life that spent adding on to additions that won’t last much past our own death. Chan says, which one seems crazy now? I don’t want to live a life that is spent building meaningless additions that will not out live my life. However, I choose to live a life where I make deposits that will out live my own life. I pray for defining moments in your life today where Jesus will call you out of yourself and into his grace empowered obedience.

Peace,
Pastor P

S–Luke 19:17 “For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost. “

H–When ever I read the gospels I am convicted in my own life and see the pure sinfulness that is present in the lives of all humanity.  In this chapter we see two sides of Jesus.  We see a Jesus that approaches a tax collector with absolute compassion and generosity.  And we also see a Jesus that approaches those that should get it with statement of Judgment and condemnation.  What is the difference?  I think it falls in the fact that the tax collector knows he is lost while the others assume they are not.  The first step in being found is acknowledging you are lost.  Jesus has nothing but compassion that will seek out and find those that know they are lost.

A–For those of us that think we have “life” or that in some way think we have found what “life” really is aside from Jesus I really don’t have any words of encouragement for you except to say that until you realize you are lost from true, authentic life you cannot be found.  For those of us that know we are lost from true life and that no matter how hard we try to look for authentic life we can’t seem to find it….we just know we are lost.  I have good news for you; Jesus desires to meet you where you are, to find you and show you what true, authentic life is.  It is my experience that regardless of where I look to find real and authentic life I always come up short.  But when I realize I am lost from real, true, authentic life; it is in these moments of realization that Jesus calls out my name and asks to come hang out with me.  It are these moments that salvation comes to my house and the place that I become found and introduced to real, true, authentic life.  I pray the same for you today….btw, this is the best possible way to live.

P–Jesus, my heart is that you would break every person that will not acknowledge they are lost from true life on their own.  My heart is that every person would acknowledge being lost that every person might be found by you and experience truth, authentic, real life.  Amen.

E–I’m excited today that though I was lost from true life I have been found by Jesus and invited to experience true, real, authentic, abundant life.

Peace,

Pastor P

www.wedesirmore.com; chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com

S–Luke 18:17 “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. “

H—In the translation I read this morning it uses the word “infant” to describe the children being brought to Jesus and the disciples try to stop it from happening but then Jesus says, “let the little children come to me.”  Jesus has to be referring to the same children which would mean He is referring to the “infants.”  After Jesus says “that anyone who wants to inherit Kingdom of God must receive like a little child” He goes into a story about rich ruler who also wants eternal life.  Jesus tells him to sell his possessions to the poor, follow Jesus and he will inherit eternal life.  But the rich ruler is sad because he really likes his stuff.  Jesus uses an infant vs. a rich ruler to show God’s economy and which one is ready to inherit the Kingdom of God.

A—Why is a an infant more fit for the Kingdom of God and not the rich young ruler.?  Think about it; the infant has nothing to give up; the infant has no idea of value of material goods; the infant doesn’t see worldly wealth; the infant is not impressed with worldly wealth; the infant doesn’t have any status; the infant only has the hands of Jesus wrapped about him.  I wish I could say that I resemble the infant but that would be less then honest.  I am the rich young ruler and so are you.  Perhaps it is not that I posess my possessions; perhaps my possessions posess me and Jesus know that if my possessions posess me then He cannot.  I have a choice.  I can give up being possessed by my possessions, be possessed by Jesus, and inherit eternal life or I can be possessed my possessions and stay separated from Jesus.  Which one will you choose?  Perhaps the scripture should read to us, “it is very hard for people in America (if you are reading this blog you are the rich young ruler….you have access to internet, computer, time to surf net, knowledge to do it…..we are the rich young ruler) to inherit the Kingdom of God because they are a people that are in love with their possessions more then me.”

P—Jesus I come to you this morning not pretending that I love my possessions.  I do, in fact, I could spend all of my time playing with the current toys I have or searching for new toys to buy.  But yet I hear a call from you today to a better way; you’re way.  Jesus I desire not to be the rich young ruler that is not willing to give it all up to follow you but I desire to be an infant that can’t even control his own bowels but is able to welcome and receive your loving embrace.  Give me the strength and courage to be a baby and to receive the gift of eternal life that you are offering to me.  Amen.

E—I’m excited about being a diaper wearing infant instead of the cool, rich guy with a bunch of toys.

Peace,

Pastor P

www.wedesiremore.com; chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com

S–So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

H–This truth is at the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.  Unless we give up “our” possessions and become Jesus’ possession we cannot be a follower of Jesus.  In our American culture we try to find ways to dance all around this issue because we are in love with our possessions.  In fact, we actually have tried to make being a follower of Jesus into a person where Jesus gives us more possessions.  We love our possessions; but yet Jesus is very clear in this scripture, we must give up our possessions and let Him possess us if we are going to be a follower of Him. 

A–On Tuesday there was a terrible earthquake in Haiti and last night as I was in the comfort of my home watching American Idol on my HDTV there were/are people that have lost everything (who had nothing to begin with) and are in the midst of a great tragedy.  Since this past fall Amanda and I have been convicted about our lives and possessions.  The first of which is our home.  It’s a nice home for us; nothing extravagant.  It’s 2000 square feet, 3 bedro oms, 2 ½ baths, and a bonus room.  However, it’s a home that prevents us from being the followers of Jesus we desire to be.  We would love to be able to have money set aside that we could send (above and beyond what we give) during times of brokenness like with the Haitian earthquake; however, because of our home we are not able to help.  Our $50 or $100 we can send is not the $500 or $1000 we would like it to be able to send or feel called to give.  We’ve been thinking about this for a while and two weeks ago we scheduled a realtor to come to visit to help us get ready to sell our house.  It just so happens that she comes today.  I feel an overwhelming sense of peace and a “good and faithful servant” from the Holy Spirit today.  Our parents and family think we are crazy and think that there is no way we can downsize from where we currently are but our heavenly Father is pleased.  I’m convicted that I am part of the problem and I desire to be a part of the solution.  I desire to be a follower of Jesus; to sell my possessions and be possessed by Him.

P–Lord Jesus, I’m sorry that I am not the follower I should be.  I pray that you would continue to convict my heart and show me ways that I can give you more of me.  Help me not to be enslaved to my possessions but be possessed by you.  Be with those in Haiti today and everyone that is suffering.  I pray that followers of you would sell their possessions and be possessed by you and that you would use us to care for those that are broken in this world.

E–I am a follower of Jesus; I am a follower of the one who possesses me

Peace,

Pastor P

www.wedesiremore.com; chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com

From everyone to whom much has been given much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded

My readings this morning in Gen. and Luke are really intriguing.  I’ve been reminded of the power of God and His unfailing love for me while at the same time reminded of God’s expectations on my life.  Luke tells me that I should fear God and then the next sentence tells me that God is concerned about sparrows and I am more valuable then sparrows.  I’m then told that I shouldn’t worry about my needs that God takes care of the needs of lily’s in the field and I am more valuable then them.  Then the last part of the scripture Luke tells me that because God has singled me out; because of God’s attention to my life; because of God’s investment into my life much is expected of me in my life.

Often we desire and ask for God to bless us but few realize that in that asking we are also entering into an expectation of return.  Much has been given to me in my life and much is expected of me.  The same goes with all of us.  What a wonderful picture that God is blessing me in such a way that it is increasing my responsibility in the Kingdom.  Which means my discipline of seeking God (prayer, study, and worship) are vital for my ability to live into these responsibilities.  Today my hope is to live into these responsibilities by remembering the promise of God to care and bless me that brings about more expectation and responsibility in my life.

Luke 11:9                                                                                                                                                                                                                       So, I say to you, Ask and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.

These are bold words that Jesus makes to those that hear them.  It’s the same kind of boldness that speaks to Jacob in Gen. 28 with a promise to fulfill the promise made to Abraham long ago.  So often we spend time asking questions of why God isn’t doing something; we find ways to complain about our lives and of our frustration with God.  I wonder what would happen if we put as much time into asking, searching, and knocking as we did in complaining and doubting.  My hunch is “it would be given, we would find, and the door would be opened.”

I want to encourage you today to spend time praying and in your prayers ask with passion the desires of your heart; search with passion what you are looking for, and knock with passion on the doors that are around you.  The God that I serve will answer you!

Jesus, thank you for not abandoning me and forgive me for those times that I spend stewing in my own worry instead of seeking your face.  I pray today that as I ask, search, and knock that you would be faithful to your promise and meet me at the bethel of my life that I would experience the same promise of Jacob in my life.  Amen.

peace,

Chad

www.wedesirmore.com; chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com

“The earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.”

The Earth was a dark, formless void and it wasn’t until God’s wind swept over it did light and a form begin to emerge.

This is such a picture of my life.  My life is nothing but a formless void that is merely existing and it is not until the wind of God sweeps over this formless void of a life that my life begins to take shape into something that really matters.  God is forming my life into a distinct form where God is creating me into the man He desires for me to be.  It is only through the “wind” of God that my formless life begins to take shape that represents a distinct piece of creation with intentional purpose and meaning.

Lord, thank you for not abandoning me but coming into my formless void and for you wind sweeping over my life and forming something out of nothing and creating me into a being with purpose and intention, amen.

2 Corinthians 7:10

S–For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.

H–Paul writes this letter to the Corinthian church and in it he is talking to a community of faith that has been through a lot of turmoil and perhaps is beginning to turn a corner.  In this verse Paul distinguishes a difference between grief that comes from the sin that is present in our lives.  He says there is “godly grief” and “worldly grief” and one leads to salvation and the other to death.  Its as if this godly grief produces a change, an true acknowledgment and desire to turn away and live differently.  Where as the worldly grief is like an “I’m sorry only because I got caught” with no real desire to change other then to escape the consequence and that this kind of grief leads to death.

A–Most of us think that “godly grief” is repentance and that we must acknowledge our sin only because God sees it (or someone else does) and if we want to escape the consequence we need to at least act like we are sorry.  The focus for us in this type of grief is not one of we want to change but that we want to be freed from the consequences of our actions.  This is not to be alive; to have this kind of grief about our sin actually produces the very thing we are trying to avoid, death.  On the other hand there is this godly grief that is true, raw acknowledgment of where we are and who we are and a desire to be changed into something different.  The focus of godly grief is not to escape the consequence but to be changed from the inside out and it is the change that is the journey of salvation today, tomorrow, and for all eternity.

P–Lord my prayer today is not that I would grieve my sin just to escape the consequence but that my sin would grieve my heart so much that I would desire to be changed and transformed into something new and different that would look more like you and your salvation then the dead end street of the world I live in.  Amen.

E–Godly grief leads to a change that is the journey of salvation.

Peace, Pastor P

chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com; www.wedesiremore.com