spending time with God

Godzheart left a comment regarding my last post, saying that i was so blessed to be able to spend so much time with the Lord. well, one of my devotional reads for today was on just that.

"Jesus our Lord is always with us whether life is hectic or calm, but there
is great value in taking time each day to walk the quiet road with Him."

the author also asks himself "How often do I travel the quiet road with Jesus? Do I exit the fast lane of my responsibilities and concerns to focus my attention on Him for a time each day?" i'm trying to exit the fast lane on a daily basis...or at least start my day out with Him as my focus before entering the fast lane. we have one life to live and we know it. if you're a believer, it becomes vital to spend time reading His Word and spending time with Him. He's our shelter from this world, our refuge. hmmm, a light just came on. well, i just thought of David and when he was on the run. he thought of God as his refuge to hide from his enemies. this world is our enemy in alot of ways and we need to turn to our refuge to refresh us and carry us through. we do have the time, we just need to learn how to manage it and make Him a very important part of our day. i'm learning that, now...i just need to apply what i'm learning. God is good, He's shaping me. Praise God for His love and patience!! the first song on my radio blog called the preciousness of time that speaks just to time and how important it is to make use of it well.

also, check out Lifetime Guarantee's devotional for today. it's about how Jesus goes before the Father for us. our creater goes to bat for us!!

33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us - Romans 8:33-34

joy joy joy deep in my heart...deep in my heart

"Joy comes from the Lord who lives in us, not from what’s happening around us"
That's a quote from my devotion this morning. i have a inner joy going on today. and i know its from having a closer walk with God. even if it's just in this moment or today, it's there. i'm very happy to be doing the Rendezvous series and have been looking forward to spending that quiet time with the Lord in the mornings. there has definetly been more of an inner peace with me lately. God is good, and i thank Him for his mercies, cuz they're new every morning!! it's just a relief to not feel like i was awhile back, stuck in the muck and mire of sin. the workbook for the Rendezvous series has been pretty challenging for me with some of the questions it asks, and it causes you to really examine your relationship with Christ. i've been doing the reading from the book, the study guide and my own personal devotions in the mornings seperate from the book. i hope to grow from this and to encourage others if i can.

people say that God is there...actually God says He's there, even in the small stuff. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. - (Matthew 10:29)

sometimes when i'm listening to my mp3 player, and this morning was an example, it's like God has a special playlist ready for me to listen to. my player has over 2200 tracks on it and 95% of it is christian music, and i usually have it playing on "shuffle all", so i never know what's next. but man, i'm telling you, sometimes the order of songs are either songs that i love or sometimes, they're songs that one after another touch on something i'm going through or have a message i needed to hear that day or right at that moment. this morning on the way in was one of those morning. i was just feeling like praising God for this inner peace i had because of my confidence in His faithfullness and patience. and the songs, one after the other were praise themed songs, and they just went with what i was thinking and feeling. it's happened often enough that i wonder if He's that involved in even the smallest details of our lives. i've mentioned it before where the same thing happens with the devotionals i'd read for the day, and the thing is i read two different ones from two different sites. gotta wonder. at any rate i thank Him for leading me to find good christian music, that helps me to keep my mind stayed on Him.

new music

added some new music to the music blog. i've been in a praise and worship mood the last coupla days, so these songs reflect that. the lyrics do, the style of music may not to some people.

Living as Children of Light

Paul instructs us to no longer live as the gentiles who were darkened in their understanding and seperated from the life of God because of the ignorance that was in them due to the hardening of their hearts. these same gentiles lost all sensitivity and gave themselves over to every kind of impurity with a continual lust for more. Ephesians 4:17-19

Paul actually insists that we don't live like this. i think i've had the idea in my head for the longest time that having a heart that desires to live for God would "just happen". i didn't realize how much i am responsible for. Paul says that we are taught with regard to our former way of life to put off our old self, which is being corrupted by it's deceitful desires and to be made new in the attitudes of our minds and to put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4: 20-24. That statement infers that it's something we can do, it's a change of attitude.

Verses 25 thru 32 go on to give more instruction on putting off old behaviors that do not reflect the love of Christ. the thing that struck me for the first time this morning is that these are behaviors that we have to decide to change. there's no swallowing a magic pill and puff, those behaviors are gone! or even just throwing up a prayer to God to have Him change your attitude with nothing being done on our part. we have to purposely set out to change. in my reading from our Rendezvous material, the author compares our relationship with Christ to a garden and the work it takes to grow as a Christian. "we must tend to our heart and life daily to guard against intruders creeping up from within and hindering our spirtual growth and effectiveness".

we have to remember that we can't do it on our own, and that we need the Holy Spirit to help strengthen us. also seeing that Jesus didn't face the temptations in the desert alone was another eye opener. i mean, i'd read it many times before but a "light" came on this time. He had the Holy spirit with him and angels ministered to Him later. "We have the Holy Spirit just as Jesus did. The Spirit lives in our hearts, empowers our efforts, and directs our steps."

i thought i'd just share how my eyes were opened to the fact that we have alot to do with changing internally, alot more than i realized anyway. it is hard work, but it can be done with the help of the Holy Spirit.

verse of the day

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

Rendezvous

our church is starting a 40 day program called Rendezvous...a Sacred Encounter with God. actually, alof Nazaren churches are participating. the idea of the program is to help encourage people to turn their relationship with Christ into a more intimate one than it currently is. we'll be doing our reading during the week, then meet on sunday evenings to discuss the prior week's reading. i'm looking forward to it. my wife and i will both going, so i'm hoping it'll bring Christ more into focus in our marriage. one reason i'm looking forward to it is to be able to just talk about God and living this christian life with other believers. i think i'd like to be in the kind of community where we're really keeping each other accountable. encouragement, edification, praying for each other, sharing our struggles, all that good stuff. i dunno, does that kind of community really exist? you know, the kind where you say to someone, "hey, the other day i was reading proverbs and this verse really stuck out to me." ...and it turns into a good convo, and thats the norm. i hunger for that sometimes. today i think i'm feeling that way.

so far it's been pretty quiet today at work, and i think i'm gonna spend some time reading and in prayer. what i'll read, i dunno. maybe i'll continue my reading of Chronicles, not sure. maybe i'll find something to study, so lost when it comes to personal bible study, but i wouldn't mind starting one. speaking of study, my pastor and i will start meeting after the Rendezvous program completes. man, i can't describe the desire to live for God that's in me sometimes! it can be so frustrating at times, cuz i'm so weak. i need to learn how to live out 2 Corinthians 12:9: 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." spending more time in the Word, and less talk and more walk lol. i'm working on it. that's why i think a consistent community presence would be good in my life, any believers life for that matter. it may happen some day. ok, off to do something...work i guess. ugh

talking with friends about God

have you ever tried talking to someone, a friend about God? especially when that friend doesn't attend church and doesn't consider themselves to be "religious"? i have a friend who i ride the commuter rail to work with just about every morning and we had our first "religious" discussion. i think it went very well.

we were having a convesation about how sedentary kids are today and how much we walked when we were growing up. i brought up walking everywhere and church was one of the places i walked to often. somehow the conversation turned to her not going to church very often and not considering herself to be very religious. i told her how i didn't consider myself to be religious and that i felt that word wasn't an accurate description of a believer. i said it much differently of course. i think i gave a general description of the difference between being "religious" and how being a believer is less about you and more about God. your view of life is based more on living a lifestyle that is pleasing to God. how you treat others, your own personal behavior, living a lifestyle that is obedient to God. don't know if i used the word obedient, but she got the idea of what i was saying. and it was received well. we also got into why some people view Catholics as not being Christian. i mostly touched on confession and how for Christians, Christ removed the need for a priest and is our bridge to God. i also talked about the sacrificial system of the Jews in the OT and how Christ was the ultimate sacrifice and became our mediator.

i kept it pretty general i think, but gave enough detail to possibly open her mind a little more than it is. prior to the conversation getting deeper she had mentioned wanting to eventually go back to church. so there was opportunity and it wasn't the first time that church came up, but the first time we talked at length. i'm glad that it wasn't an uncomfortable convo between friends. when i think about it, alot of topics came up and i think she came away with a better understanding of some things.

we kinda moved on from there but it went very well and i'm hoping that some things piqued her interest or changed her view a little on church. the term "organized religion" came up and i explained that it really should be more of a community of people who believe the same thing and are coming together to support each other. in essences that what church is. i think when people use the term "organized religion", their feelings are that it's almost cult-like and people involved in organized religion aren't thinking on their own.

recent newz

so we had our echocardiogram and everything looked good. the only thing left will be ultra-sounds. so hopefully we'll enjoy the journey a little more with some of that stuff behind us.

our first little man has been driving us crazy!! it's comical when i think of it. probably the typical two and a half year old behavior. but man, he's testing every ounce of patience i have...lol. meanwhile, the wife is nesting and i'm caught up in the whirlwind. which i like, cuz i like having the place in order and right now it's getting straightened up. it's becoming more and more of a reality, especially with her showing earlier this pregnancy. very excitiing....i'm just rambling..i'm sorry.

i feel blessed, despite the struggle. and at times, it's more apparent to see how some can compare our realtionship with God to a romance. the way He persues us. sometimes it's hard to see it that way. at least it is for me. then it comes to me in a subtle way. truths about His character. things i've read in His word and then i realize that it's a truth in my life. very hard to explain. well, mr. "it's my world" is up from his nap and it would be futile to try and do any blogging with his expanding world envading mine. so till next time.