`Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth.´
Psalm 47:1
´Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands and all that is in them`
Isaiah 42:10
Thursday 19 February 2009
Thursday 12 February 2009
Loving God
1. We are connected to the God who is love. His love has transformed our lives through the work of Christ on the Cross. His love is poured out into our lives through the Holy Spirit. We can cry, "Abba Father!" At the heart of our experience of faith is this reality of the presence of the God who loves without condition except that of the sacrifice of His Son at the Cross. The work of the Cross brings us into relationship with Jesus. We have access to the Father and the Holy Spirit empowers us to live out His love.
"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them." 1 John 4:16
Love is evidence of His presence! God now!!
This life in Christ connects us to the ocean of His love.
a) It is so wide that He embraces all of creation and all eternity. His love embraces the whole world. Let's move from the shallow water experience of His love to the depth of what he has given to us in Christ
b) It is so long that it stretches to eternity past and to eternity future over our personal lives. Nothing can separate us from this love. Our debt is paid in full at the Cross. Our sin is removed as fare as the east is from the west. We are free to hope and live in righteousness because he has redeemed us through His blood.
c) It is so deep that it reaches to the deepest need of our heart and can bring healing and deliverance. We have seen that here in Deenmark. Ann and I had lunch with a couple today who have experienced traumatic pain in their family and now know miraculous healing. They said that there is poverty of the heart in Denmark and that it is a need that only Jesus can fill.
d) It is so high that there is nothing that cannot be overcome by this love. The love of God is higher than the mountains that you face today.
"Perfect love drives out fear." 1 John 4:18
"I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide, and long, and high, and deep is the love of Christ, and know that this love surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17 - 19
2. We now have the ability to make the choices of love. This love transforms our attitude and enables us to rely on His Holy Spirit to bear fruit.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Cor 13:4 - 8
What are the choices of love that you are making today? Does your relationship with Jesus define those choices? Or do you tend to justify your actions and blame others. The power and presence of Christ is with us to transform our attitudes in a miraculous way,. We can love our enemies.
3. We now have the capacity to love others.
"A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34 - 35
Jesus did not say that we should try to love. he definitely did not say we should pretend to love. The command is to believe in Him. We now have the capacity to love through the power of His presence in our lives. We have a new capacity to show good news through the way that we live together.
This love is the dynamic energy released in our lives through the presence of Christ. This love motivates us to be involved in the ministry of reconciliation
"For Christ love compels us, for we are convinced that one died for all and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.2 2 Cor 5:14 - 15
The Cross is our motivation and power. We have capacity to love. He can bring transformation to others through our surrendered lives.
My prayer for us today is in the words of Paul to the Philippians church:
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. So that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God." Phil 1:9 - 11
As we pray His life will increase. As His live in us increases, our love will grow. Take one step at a time into the depth of His love or take the plunge and dive into the ocean, He can be trusted.
"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them." 1 John 4:16
Love is evidence of His presence! God now!!
This life in Christ connects us to the ocean of His love.
a) It is so wide that He embraces all of creation and all eternity. His love embraces the whole world. Let's move from the shallow water experience of His love to the depth of what he has given to us in Christ
b) It is so long that it stretches to eternity past and to eternity future over our personal lives. Nothing can separate us from this love. Our debt is paid in full at the Cross. Our sin is removed as fare as the east is from the west. We are free to hope and live in righteousness because he has redeemed us through His blood.
c) It is so deep that it reaches to the deepest need of our heart and can bring healing and deliverance. We have seen that here in Deenmark. Ann and I had lunch with a couple today who have experienced traumatic pain in their family and now know miraculous healing. They said that there is poverty of the heart in Denmark and that it is a need that only Jesus can fill.
d) It is so high that there is nothing that cannot be overcome by this love. The love of God is higher than the mountains that you face today.
"Perfect love drives out fear." 1 John 4:18
"I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide, and long, and high, and deep is the love of Christ, and know that this love surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17 - 19
2. We now have the ability to make the choices of love. This love transforms our attitude and enables us to rely on His Holy Spirit to bear fruit.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Cor 13:4 - 8
What are the choices of love that you are making today? Does your relationship with Jesus define those choices? Or do you tend to justify your actions and blame others. The power and presence of Christ is with us to transform our attitudes in a miraculous way,. We can love our enemies.
3. We now have the capacity to love others.
"A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34 - 35
Jesus did not say that we should try to love. he definitely did not say we should pretend to love. The command is to believe in Him. We now have the capacity to love through the power of His presence in our lives. We have a new capacity to show good news through the way that we live together.
This love is the dynamic energy released in our lives through the presence of Christ. This love motivates us to be involved in the ministry of reconciliation
"For Christ love compels us, for we are convinced that one died for all and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.2 2 Cor 5:14 - 15
The Cross is our motivation and power. We have capacity to love. He can bring transformation to others through our surrendered lives.
My prayer for us today is in the words of Paul to the Philippians church:
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. So that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God." Phil 1:9 - 11
As we pray His life will increase. As His live in us increases, our love will grow. Take one step at a time into the depth of His love or take the plunge and dive into the ocean, He can be trusted.
Tuesday 10 February 2009
Leadership
When we submit to the strengths of the team we provide opportunity for others to grow. Learn to do less in order to do more.
Sunday 8 February 2009
Edmund Chan - Growing Deeper in God
"This is an invitation to life in Christ. For in Christ, we have a forgiveness that is real, a freedom that is radical, and a future that is redeemed."
Saturday 7 February 2009
Abide
Jeremiah 2:13
"My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. "
John 7:37-38
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
John 15:4
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
These three pictures impress on me the importance of the power and presence of God in our lives. An empty well serves no effective purpose. A thirst unquenched is unbearable. Branches disconnected from the vine bear no fruit.
Our lives are vessels for the presence of Christ. When we drink from the life of Jesus, streams of living water flow. When we remain in Him then His life bears fruit through us.
The warning is to be aware of the danger of digging our own wells instead of relying on the Spring of living water.
We need Him everyday .
"My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. "
John 7:37-38
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
John 15:4
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
These three pictures impress on me the importance of the power and presence of God in our lives. An empty well serves no effective purpose. A thirst unquenched is unbearable. Branches disconnected from the vine bear no fruit.
Our lives are vessels for the presence of Christ. When we drink from the life of Jesus, streams of living water flow. When we remain in Him then His life bears fruit through us.
The warning is to be aware of the danger of digging our own wells instead of relying on the Spring of living water.
We need Him everyday .
Friday 6 February 2009
Identity
In the Father we are sons and daughters with eternal value
In the Son we are servants for transformation in local and global communities
In the Holy Spirit we are vessels for His presence and power to touch the world with His Love
In the Son we are servants for transformation in local and global communities
In the Holy Spirit we are vessels for His presence and power to touch the world with His Love
Tuesday 3 February 2009
Peace
A fellow Christ-Servant on board shared the following:
Christ is our peace! Hope in the midst of devastating global situations is transformational when He brings wholeness to individuals and communities. He does this through His people who are sent as light and salt into society.
"Have been impressed with the theme of 'peace' at this time.
Peace I leave with you . My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
This is an actual participation in the peace that dwells within and between the triune God - WOW!"
Christ is our peace! Hope in the midst of devastating global situations is transformational when He brings wholeness to individuals and communities. He does this through His people who are sent as light and salt into society.
Monday 2 February 2009
Rejoice
Hab 3:17 - 19
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.
For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
God has put a song in our hearts! It is a song of joy and strength when things are not as they should be.
Sunday 1 February 2009
The victory is God's work
2 Chronicles 20:15
He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.
1. When you face an impossible situation keep your eyes on Jesus
2. When you meet for worship, listen to God's word and obey Him
3. Worship demonstrates your faith before the breakthrough comes
Resolve to inquire of the Lord
He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.
1. When you face an impossible situation keep your eyes on Jesus
2. When you meet for worship, listen to God's word and obey Him
3. Worship demonstrates your faith before the breakthrough comes
Resolve to inquire of the Lord
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