Saturday, May 30, 2015

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!


BECOMING MORE!  Why yes!  Should not that be the cry of God’s people today?  Not, “having more” – but “becoming more!”  In the world there’s definitely ample advertising for how to become more:  “do the 21-day fix … and your flab will be fixed”; “never leave home without your American Express card” … then you can buy whatever you want”; purchase Apple products … and you will “think different”; watch ESPN … and you will “miss nothing”; wear Nike shoes … and you will be able to “just do it”; buy a BMW … then you will own “the ultimate driving machine”; choose LG appliances … and you can say “life’s good”; need to ship something – just pick DHL … with them you can “move the world”; invest in DeBeers jewelry … and you can tell her that “a diamond is forever!”  Successful slogans that helped make these companies even more successful – why?  Because a lot of people believed the slogans – or at least, they wanted to.  Thousands upon thousands of these shoppers believed a slogan could/would change their life.  They soon found out the deceit of it all.  Without genuine commitment and dedication to the right dream with the right purpose, and without help from the right Person – it is all fleeting.  The slogans go up in smoke.  The changes for the better seem to plateau and then take a nose-dive.  The products break or rust or wear out.  The promises don’t deliver.  The diamond might last forever – but the marriage doesn’t.  Think about all this for a moment.  Sound familiar?  Add into this mix the highest tech computers, tablets, smart phones that “do it all” … and “do it with lightning speed”.  Then put the icing on the longing to be more connected with Facebook, Twitter, and all forms of social media, and life should be perfect.  Every day.  All the time.  We have everything we need now, right?  Wrong.  What we have is the subtle, but steady descent into a life of flawed perfection.  Sought-after satisfaction diffuses into major dissatisfaction.  Promised happiness and achieved status crumble into empty sadness and maxed-out credit cards.  This really is not what You wanted for Your children, is it God?  In the depths of our hearts, we do long to be more.  For You.  For Your honor and glory.  We see You at work in our lives, and we feel like “life is good”.  But it’s so easy to get satisfied and lulled into a state of being numbed to the fact that God has more for us.  Way more!  Often we stumble through days of wasted time with dulled senses, instead of staying focused and crying out, “What’s next, God?”  With God’s help, we can “just do this”, you know.  Rather than resting on the laurels of a singular God-miracle, we can surge forward in our desire to become more!  You do recognize Who placed that longing within us, don’t you?  Yes, it was God who placed a certain amount of godly discontent within us so that we would never be content with the status quo of this world and its false facades.  It is God Who talks to us, prods us, drops thoughts into our minds and hearts, and helps us recognize that these promptings come from His Holy Spirit to our spirit.  It is definitely God Who brings me to the place of awareness that I have done wrong.  It is most certainly my Holy God Who brings me to my knees in genuine repentance before Him.  It is fully the work of Jesus on the cross through His shed blood that shakes me to the core and “fixes my spiritual flab”.  It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit working in me that convicts me to put just as much effort and time into becoming spiritually fit as I do in every other area of my life.  And I work hard on those other things, believe me.  What if I devoted equal time talking to God for every minute I spent on the phone or social media connecting with others?  What if I sought to remove everything about me that doesn’t look like Jesus – as determinedly as I try to clean all the dusty places in our house?  I AM being literal about this, because God is working on me – literally.  God has just given us a huge miracle in providing our church a permanent place to worship in.  We dare not sit back now in apathy and wait for God to hand us the next miracle.  We need to be actively seeking and pursuing the next opportunity … the next appointment … the next lost soul needing Jesus!  Much work awaits us in God’s Kingdom, and He needs children who will be fully committed and obedient – and continually aware of the shaping that still needs to be done in their lives.  He wants to take us back.  May the ways of the world not fit and gain entrance into our spiritually toned hearts and minds.  May the Lord Jesus Christ alone have full control of our lives so that we can become MORE!  For the cause of Christ!  There is nothing more noble than that.

REMEMBER . . .

“My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep My commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”
~ Proverbs 3:1-4  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie





0 comments: