4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

If you are anything like I am then you desperately want the God of peace with you.  Life can be hard & confusing.  There are days when what life throws at you seems to be more than you can handle.  In the midst of those days you and I must rely on the promises of God.

Many of us want the peace that comes from God yet we are not willing to do our part.  Read that passage again.  What exactly is our part?  Let me give you a hint; practice.  look at verse 9.  Paul says to “keep putting into practice” those things you have learned and have been taught.  And here is what I came away with when I was meditating on this passage.  Peace comes not from knowing these things but from practicing them.

We can know a lot of things but until we practice them they will never positively affect our lives.

Scripture gives us the information we need to know in order to have the abundant life that God so desires for us to have, but until we put into practice that which we know, we can never experience all that God has for us.

I want to experience all that God has for me and for my family.  That is why I listen to what I listen to.  That is why I read what I am reading.  That is why I work so hard at renewing my mind with His Word.  Without hard work, it doesn’t matter how much I know.

Just something to think about.

The longer I am a daddy the more funny my kids seem to become. Their innocence and the way they view the world and the things around us has a purity about it. Well the other day as we were driving down the road with both boys in the back seat Mason said “Daddy, God is that tree”. I quickly fixed his theology and told him that Jesus is not the tree. He quickly replied “Right, Jesus is behind the tree.” I laughed and said “I guess he is cause God is everywhere”.

There was a brief moment of silence in the car and then Mason said “Jesus is in the car with us right daddy.” “Yep he is” I replied. More silence…then I hear the sound of the seat belts clanking in the back seat as Mason says “Buckle up Jesus, it’s not safe to not be buckled in. (as he his putting the middle seat belts together.)

Just wanted to share this funny moment with you all.

Whether you have kids or not, I hope that you are drenching your day with Jesus. I am reminded of Deuteronomy 6 where Israel is being urged to talk about God, His laws, & precepts in every area of life.  I love this.  Check it out.

6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

How are you doing with these things?  What are you speaking into your family, friends, and those around you.  Something to think about.

When I am anxious and the walls seem to be coming in on me, I pray, I read, I listen.  Right now, I am praying and reading about the greatness and powerfulness of God found in Job 26.  He is powerful enough to hold the earth and space, so I know that He can handle my little anxiety and panic attacks.  No matter how huge they are in my own eyes, they are nothing He cannot handle!  He is bigger than my anxiety & panic.  Fill in the blank with this one.  Whatever your battle is at this very moment speak it out loud.  Say “God, You are bigger than________”  Claim that!  Because IT IS TRUE!!  There is nothing that our God cannot handle.  Say it again from the depths of your heart.  “God, You are bigger than  _________”     Speak it and believe it!

I didn’t really plan on blogging any of that.  I simply was going to throw this song up here and hope it encouraged you.  So here it is.  This is a great song of hope.  I believe it is going to be all right!!  Listen and remember God is bigger than ______.

Psalm 119 (English Standard Version)

Psalm 119

¹ Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD!
²Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
³who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
⁴You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
⁵Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
⁶ Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
⁷I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
⁸I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me!

Questions to ask ourselves:

• Do I keep his testimonies?
• Do I seek Him with all of my heart?
• Do I walk in His ways?
• Do I diligently try to keep His precepts (laws)
• Are my eyes fixed on His commandments?
• Do I praise God with an upright heart?  You can’t praise Him from an upright heart if you are not living in obedience to His Word
• Do I keep His statutes?  (Spiritual laws He has set up for us in order to live uprightly)

Although we are not about works or religion, we are about living uprightly before God.  He has called us to a higher standard than the world.  Do you live it?  Do you seek it?  Lots to think about!

Yesterday I enjoyed my day off with my two boys.  I got up and made a pancake breakfast for them.  Then we loaded into the mini-van and headed over to look at a rental house that is available here in Glen Mills.

Jenn and I are convinced that God wants us to sell our house so it is officially on the market.   We have no idea where we will be living but we are stepping out in faith knowing that God will bless our obedience.  Did I mention obedience is not always easy or fun?  We really are needing to get out of the bondage of debt and this will help us do that.  Dave Ramsey would be be so proud!

With so much going on in our lives it seems that I have been wanting God to be more present in my life.  Why does it always happen like that?  Why does it always take something to bring us to a place of needing Him more?

This morning I was reading from the devotional book entitled Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby.  The first sentence blew me away.

“Our response to God greatly determines His presence in our lives. If we seek God with all of our hearts, then we will find Him”(Jer. 29:13–14).

Do you ever struggle to find God?  Do you ever wrestle with walking with him every day?  Do you try to find Him but feel that you can’t? If that’s you like it is me at times, be encouraged by these verses and continue to seek Him with everything that You are!

⁷ “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  — Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)

⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. — James 4:8

³ Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. — Jeremiah 33:3

¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you, declares the LORD, –Jeremiah 29:12-14

2 Chronicles 16:9 (New International Version)

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

Did you know there was even a verse like 2 Chron. 16:9 in the Bible.  One that says that God is literally looking for hearts fully committed to Him in order that he can strengthen them?  That is crazy.  To think that God has nothing better to do on this rainy day than to roam around looking to to strengthening people’s hearts.

He does not strengthen just anyone.  He strengthens those who have hearts that are fully committed to Him.  For those of you are are not fully committed to Him, a strengthened heart is out of reach without committing yourself completely to Him.  Do you need your heart strengthened?  Then cry out to Him.  Joy can only be found by those who are strengthened by Christ!

Psalm 84:5 (New Living Translation)

⁵ What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,

Philippians 4:19 (New International Version)

¹⁹And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Monday night our dryer died on us.  I called a friend to come over and help me take a look at it.  If I were to do it alone,  it would be reminiscent of a tool time episode and we all know how those ended…fire, explosion, & usually personal injury.  After a couple hours of looking at it, we decided that we could not fix it.

My first thought was not “God will meet your needs”.  It was more like, “Great, what are we going to do?  We can’t afford to fix it let alone buy a new one.”    While my friend Jim and I were trying to put it back together, his wife told us of a mutual friend who had recently moved and had left a dryer behind.  She recommend we call her and inquire about the drier.

So Tuesday morning in my office I called our friend that had moved.  Sure enough, they had two dryers and only needed one so they left one at the house.   When I asked what they were planning to do with it she simply said, “Do you need it?  We were just going to donate it”.  It was at that point that I was reminded about the verse in Philippians.  God was meeting our need for a new dryer.

Last night Jennifer and I drove out to their house and loaded the dryer into the van.  We took it home and got it installed, and celebrated God’s favor while doing some laundry.  Thank you Father!

As I think about this series I can’t help but think of the word “journey”.  Being made into the image and likeness of Jesus is a journey that lasts a lifetime.  Hopefully we are daily becoming more like Him.

This morning as I sat in my office listening to worship music the song “You are here” came on.  The phrase “The same power that conquered the grave lives in me, lives in me” was sang over and over.  It not only moved me but it reminded me of a I Corinthians 15 when Paul talks about the resurrection and how it drives everything he does.  I love how the Message paraphrases this.

^30-33And why do you think I keep risking my neck in this dangerous work? I look death in the face practically every day I live. Do you think I’d do this if I wasn’t convinced of your resurrection and mine as guaranteed by the resurrected Messiah Jesus? Do you think I was just trying to act heroic when I fought the wild beasts at Ephesus, hoping it wouldn’t be the end of me? Not on your life! It’s resurrection, resurrection, always resurrection, that under-girds what I do and say, the way I live. If there’s no resurrection, “We eat, we drink, the next day we die,” and that’s all there is to it.

The resurrection is not something that should be reserved for Easter.  It is the driving force behind us being MADE into His image.  So when you think you don’t have the power to change, remember that you by yourself do not.  But if you have the same power that raised Christ from the dead living in you,  life change really is possible.  So rely on His power.  Remind yourself that His power is your power.  It is the power that changes life and turns death into life.  And it’s all yours!

Fellow leaders…Go get ‘em today. But get ‘em from a heart that is bent toward God and away from self!

21 “I hate all your show and pretense—
the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.
22 I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings.
I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings.
23 Away with your noisy hymns of praise!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice,
an endless river of righteous living. Amos 5:23 (NLT)

“Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.”

The phrase “guard your steps” indicates & admonishes us to be careful, be attentive, and to listen.  The idea here is that we are to draw near and listen to what God wants to say.  It is the attitude and mindset that says “God wants to speak to me today”; “Speak Lord, I am listening”.

Can I ask you a question?  What is your attitude and mindset when you are on your way to the house of God?  Are you busy thinking about the day or the week ahead of you?  Are you thinking about what you can do for the church or how important you are to what goes on at the church?

This goes for me as well.  Although leading in worship is my “job” and my “calling/gifting”, God wants me to come quiet in spirit and heart and listen.  God’s working does not depend on me or the band.  It depends on God speaking to each individual and whether or not our hearts are open and ready to listen to God.

I challenge you my friends to begin to have a quiet mindset asking God to speak.  Slow down and listen.  Come this weekend with a heart of expectation of what He will say to you.

It is not about what we can do or bring to God.  I remind the band of this regularly.  It is not about us.  The songs we rock to and the songs we raise our hands and worship have two main purposes.  To worship God & to prepare hearts to HEAR God speak to them.  Whether we use a Beatles Song or a U2 song, the purpose remains the same.  We engage our culture that they might HEAR God speaking to them.

So Father as we prepare for this weekend, it is my prayer that you would speak to my heart.  Help me remember that it is not about me, not about the band, not about anything else but hearing and obeying you.  Speak to us!  We come having no agenda of our own. Speak and we will listen!