Community Part 2
08 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
Community Part 2
“Whole Hearted” Clip from Facing the Giants. Found on Youtube.
Do you ever feel like this clip? Do you ever feel like God has asked you to trust him to go further in your faith with him? Maybe at first you’re like Brock -you don’t think you can make it to the end but you are willing to give it your best shot. Over time your “death crawl” has gotten a lot harder and the weight on top of your back was heavier then you thought. All God asked for you was your best and you are doing your best but it hurts so much. I want to remind you that the voice of God is screaming at you to keep going even in the moments where you feel like he is asking you to much or where you cannot hear him because of the pain. He is guiding you even when you don’t feel it. Give him everything you got. Give until he tells you to quit. I promise you that when you take off that blindfold, you will be amazed what He did through the pain that it cost you. There’s one line that struck me unusually in this film. Coach tells Brock that “If you walk around defeated so will they (the team).” Realize that you are a leader whether or not you realize it. People are following you. Like coach says, if you walk around defeated, they will follow you believed that they are defeated as well. The truth of the matter is that even if we feel defeated we are not. We know that we may lose battles, but that God has not lost the war. Revelation 12 tells us how we are to overcome the attacks of Satan and how we should press on.
See how far he takes you when you are willing to follow his challenge to you.
Community Part 1
05 Jan 2011 1 Comment
Lately I’ve been thinking about the importance of community. Perhaps I am just odd or maybe there are other people out there like me. Let me explain. Often times when I go through hard times I tend to resist speaking with the people I know I need to talk to to help and advise me, typically an older adult. Instead often times I go to someone who will just hear me out, typically one of my peers. Why do I do this? It comes down to pure pride and often times I don’t really even think about the fact that I am doing it. For me I struggle because I want to be independent. I don’t want to need other people or have to take someone’s advice. However, the Bible warns of this kind of pride. Proverbs 11:2 warns that “when pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
I have been learning that observing true community extends far beyond ourselves and our own comfort. Observing the greater Christian community is about letting God use other people in our lives. Did you ever stop and think that perhaps God has placed someone in your life and you have failed to seek their advice because of your pride and that perhaps you thereby missed an opportunity for divine counsel? Perhaps we need to take a minute to think of the people in our lives whose advice we should be seeking and make more of an effort to be open with them. Proverbs 15:31;33 says that “He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.” We have nothing to be afraid of if the counsel we receive is grounded in the Bible. So what if someone tells us that what we are doing is wrong-if it is a word given to us is supported by the scriptures, then we need to hear it. Anything short of that is pride. Often times it’s people who are older then us who know more. So one of my goals this year is to shut up and listen. I want to listen to the people whom God has placed in my life. I want to hear their stories and have them advise me in mine. I encourage you to join me on this adventure. What has been spoken over you in truth may just change your life. God give us humble hearts.
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