Live it loud!

As I was doing my studies today I came across this scripture.

"O Zion, messenger of good news, shout it from the mountaintops! Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, "Your God is coming!" Isaiah 40:9 NLT

It really got me thinking about the way we worship God and live for Him. Here God is telling His people you've got some good news. You need to get excited and shout about it. Don't be afraid to tell others or get excited about me.

I went to watch my sons baseball game last night. They lost 11-8. You know even though we lost, people were still getting excited during the game. They were cheering the players on. They would shout out directions for the kids to follow. Some even stood up and gave a loud cheer and clapped their hands. I find it interesting that we can get so excited over a baseball game, but struggle to find that same excitement in our relationship with God. Or, worse yet, at church when we are in the very place we meet to worship God.

"Your God is coming." What if Jesus himself showed up in a real physical way that we could touch and see? What if we saw Jesus the next time we were in church? How would we worship differently? How much more energy and excitement would there be in a Sunday service? If you knew for sure that today was the last day before Jesus was coming back for His church, how would you live differently? We would be more passionate and more direct in our appeal for men to get saved. We would not be afraid to share the good news with others. We would have this since of urgency to get this message of hope out to those who need it most, regardless of what others may think or say.

We need to make sure we live each day that way. We all should walk around with that excitement and anticipation in our life. Worship isn't just something we sing or say. Really it is the way we choose to live our life. Today I choose to live my life out loud. I want to shout it from the mountaintops that my God is alive and has saved me from my sins. He can do the same for everyone who is walking around lost and hurting in this world today. I challenge you to live your life for Christ out loud today so others can see and hear it! You serve a great big God that can do above and beyond anything we could hope for or imagine. Let's get excited about it!

When bad news comes

"Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness." Isaiah 38:1 NLT.

Talk about bad news. How would you like someone to have that conversation with you? Perhaps some of you who might read this have been in that exact situation. Everyone experiences hardship and bad times. No one can escape it. Maybe it's not news that you are going to die. Maybe you have lost your job. Maybe your financial situation is a mess and you can't seem to find a way out of debt. For some, your marriage may be falling apart or your kids seem to hate you. We cannot change the fact that we all have to face difficult times.

One thing we can change is how we respond. Hezekiah responded by crying out to God for help. "When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord." Vs. 2. We can get angry or upset in these moments. Some people become afraid and fall apart. Others just complain about the hand they are dealt, and eventually are consumed by bitterness. The Apostle Paul tells us how we as Christians should respond in moments like these. It's one of my favorite scriptures. "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." Philippians 4:6 NLT. Prayer is the one thing that can change our circumstances! Even if our circumstances aren't changed, prayer can change our attitude and outlook in these trying times.

Prayer worked for Hezekiah. God promised to extend his life 15 years. How about giving it a try and just see how pray can change your circumstance today!

If I could make a wish for the world it would be...

My son finished the 1st Grade today. Yesterday he brought home his paper work from this past school year. It's so much fun to read through all he has done over the course of the year. There was one particular piece of work that caught my attention. His teacher had them put together a bio of themselves. They shared these with the other kids to get to know them better. In this bio there were some questions he had to answer. One was "If I could be any person in the world I would be"...His response was "A Ninja Turtle." Another was "If I could be an animal I would...A dog." This next question was the one that got me. "If I could make a wish for the world it would be...For everyone to know Jesus."

I have to confess the moment I read that tears welled up in my eyes, much like they are now. To think that if a 7 year old boy could have one wish come true it would be for the world to know Jesus. I don't know many adults who claim to be Christians that would respond to that question in that manner. Luke 18:17 came to my mind. "I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it." Sometimes we complicate our relationship with God a little too much. Often we get so busy with what we think is important we loose sight of what truly is.

Thank you, Nate, for reminding me about the truly important things in my life. I am so proud of you.