How much?

Why did Cinderella have to ask permission from her step mother before going to the ball? Why did Rapunzel never leave the tower when she could have at any moment? Why didn’t Elsa take a leap of faith, and tell her sister about her powers? Each and every one of us has moments in our lives where we just can’t get over this feeling of rejection, fear, embarrassment, and failure.

Life can hold you down with fear. It can hold you down by going to slow, and it can hold you down by going….way to fast.

One of the most fast paced days I’ve ever lived, where it just felt like I grew two years in one day, was a day that I had a College Algebra test on. My teacher was awesome by the way. Mr. Beisel. Great teacher. Anyway, I was driving home from class and my phone rings. I’m like, “Okay, it’s probably my mom wondering when I’ll be home.”

But then I look at the number and it’s not her. So I answer, and the person on the other end says, “Is this Anna?….Do you still want the job?” Now it may not seem like a big deal, but at the time it was pretty incredible. My first job…I was very ecstatic to receive that call.

I tell you this because we all have those days that seem to explode upon us with change. Where we have had to make a choice that will mold a large portion of our lives.

For Cinderella it was getting dressed up and going to a ball where she would find her prince, and have the courage to stand up to her step mother and sisters. For Rapunzel it was the day a stranger stumbled upon her tower, and showed her the wonders of the world that was just outside her window. For Elsa it was the moment she couldn’t hide her power any more, and despite everything and everyone, her sister Ana never gave up on her.

I know these are just stories. Even fairy tales. Their fairy tales because they start with Once Upon A Time…..someone made a difference, someone changes peoples minds, someone against all odds….survived. You see, in every single one of these stories, it got worse before it got better. Their lives and their dreams crumbled before them, and that was when they made the choice to not live in their fear, their failures, or their pain.

Don’t let your fear of failure and disappointment hold you back. Go after the impossible! Christ came and made the impossible, possible through him. And his story didn’t start with Once Upon A Time. It started with, “In the Beginning.”

In the beginning, God loved us so much. In the beginning, God gave us grace. In the beginning, no matter how many times we turned our back on God because of fear, embarrassment, or anger, He still sought after us. In Hosea chapters 1-3 we hear about a man and his incredible faith in God, and his incredible LOVE for his wife. Despite the fear, doubt, and pain that was coursing through his body, he had faith in God and did the impossible. He forgave…

Hosea Chapters 1 & 3

God wanted Hosea to feel his pain…so he would understand. After Gomor has left Hosea again & again, God is still saying in, Chapter 3:1 And the LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.”

Even though she has made a fool of herself because she wanted “nice” things…even though she has broken your heart and is now a slave to be bought…I want you to lover her, as I love the Church. Hosea understood as he walked through his village to find his wife.

Hosea 3:2-3 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.

And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.”

Judah Smith said it perfectly,

“I don’t think you understand! Hosea just bought something that was already his. He walked street after street looking for his wife. Where do you look for prostitute? Where? What are the chances that Hosea finds his wife on some pedestal, CHAINED, NAKED, and being sold to the highest bidder for sex. Hosea looks at her and says, “Excuse me Sir, that’s my wife.” The man replies, “Sir, I don’t care who you are, there is a price that has to be paid for this woman.” I can just imagine Hosea saying, “How much?” He gets the money, hands it to the man, and looks into the eyes of his wife. This prostitute. The other men wanted to buy her to use her. But Hosea wanted to buy her to heal her.”

This story is not a “Once upon a time, and happily ever after” kind of story. This story has pain, gut wrenching sorrow in it. Hosea didn’t turn his back on his wife. He may of wanted to, but he didn’t. He held on to faith, and believed that God was revealing something amazing to him. That day in Hosea’s life must of been an explosion for him, he had to walk the streets for his wife, the prostitute. He probably had fear, pain, and even anger swirling in his heart and mind. But he walked those streets anyway…and found his bride.

Christ looked down on earth and saw sin, darkness, he saw HIS creation falling… And he said, “How much?”

The price of your own son is the only thing that can save them from their own sin. Christ sent his son to die for us. Jesus was the price for our freedom from sin. And he paid it.

Anna Beth: Under The Surface

Empty Me of Me…So I can Be Filled With You.

In Your Presence: Elevation Worship

Your love is everlasting
Your kindness never ends
God You never leave me
Your presence goes before us
Your glory has no end
God You never leave me

You will be our guide
To the end, to the end
The Lord is with me
He will not forsake me

In Ephesians 6 it talks about putting on the full armor of God.

As Followers of Christ, we need to clothe ourselves in the armor of his word, grace, and wisdom. Romans 13 talks about putting on the armor of light, so that we might cast off the works of the darkness.

The armor of God is not something you can wear physically, but spiritually and mentally. We need to abandoned the desire of our flesh and go after the desire to be more like God. When we begin to understand the smallest fraction of how DEAD we are in Sin, our realization that we need a Savior…becomes HUGE. Many people have written and spoken on the Armor of God

Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

We do not wrestle against our own flesh and blood, but against “temptation” and the consequences of the choice we made a long time ago to want to BE GOD, instead of wanting be LIKE GOD by being a follower of Him.

James 1:14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it as conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Ephesians  6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand the evil day, and having done all, stand firm.

– Fasten the Belt of Truth

The belt of truth allows us to always be prepared for anything. It’s like having a suitcase prepared for immediate travel. In the scriptures when we hear about Christ telling his followers to……go pack a quick lunch, maybe some socks because it could be cold later. NO! He says, “Come, and follow me.” The belt of truth is about being true to who you are in Christ. Be true to who is guiding you to become. Because that person, is the person who will follow Christ without having to pack a bag.

Be prepared always, as if you were waiting for your master to come home. Be ready to open the door when he arrives. We need to prepare our minds for action, and set our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 1:13

– Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate protects our heart from not only things we may long for but for things that may long for us. There is a never-ending amount of things in this world that could pull us into temptation, so we have to put on this breastplate of righteousness by continually having that alone time with Christ. Whether it’s digging deeper into His word or simple having that time to listen and feel His presence.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love.

– Shoes of Readiness

Shoes of Readiness allows us to go among the nations and preach the word of God. We are not meant to make a decision to follow Christ and then just sit and do nothing. You can make a difference right where you are, your city, town neighborhood, HOME. Having shoes of readiness is being ready to act when God opens a door for us to spread His light, but we also have them so we can be ready to FLEE from temptation. Temptation is not something we need to stick around to see what happens, it’s something we need to drop what we’re doing and not WALK but RUN. I once heard a fantastic speaker say, “If you want to be hidden, BE SEEN, and if you want to be seen, BE HIDDEN.” Those words have stuck with me to this day because I believe them. We can’t fight against temptation by ourselves, it would be like fighting this ninja in hand to hand combat, you odds are not looking good. That is why we turn, RUN, and don’t look back. We dig into the word, dig into accountability, dig into putting our full armor of God on.

Romans 10:15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

2 Timothy 2:22-24 Run from temptations that capture young people. Always do the right thing. Be faithful, loving, and easy to get along with. Worship with people whose hearts are pure. 23 Stay away from stupid and senseless arguments. These only lead to trouble, and God’s servants must not be troublemakers. They must be kind to everyone, and they must be good teachers and very patient.

– Gospel of Peace

The foundation of our faith needs to be built on the gospel of peace. This is shown through our actions, if we show love, show forgiveness, people are going to see that. The world is full of anger, stress, guilt, lust and hate. We need to allow God’s amazing grace to shine through us because when people hear the gospel and hear that they are loved beyond any possible comparison…that gives them an incredible amount of peace.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you-unless you believed in vain.

– Shield of Faith

The shield of faith. When life is just bearing down on you [or you are being overwhelmed by temptation] and you feel as though your going to be crushed by the weight of it…it’s in these moments that we need to lean on our faith the most. In those dark moments, Christ can turn the situation around and shine bright. Our faith protects us.

1 John 5:4-5 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

– Helmet of Salvation

What you put in your mind, goes to your heart, and comes our in your actions. Because of this we need to guard against what we put in out heads. What we listen to, what we watch, whom we hang out with. We may not think things like this could influence us this much, but it greatly does. Guard your heart, your mind, and your soul.

– Sword of the Spirit

The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. It helps us be bold in our walk with Christ. Proclaiming to the world that we are DEAD in sin, but can be ALIVE in Christ through his death and resurrection.

Ephesians 6:17 ….And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Isaiah 61:10-11 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.

“Lord,

Empty me of me so,

I can be filled with you.

Lord, empty me of the

selfishness inside.

Every vain ambition and the

poison of my pride.

And any foolishness my heart holds.

Lord,

Empty me of me…

So I can be filled with you.”

– Unknown Author

– Anna Beth: Under The Surface

The Gospel & Us: God is for Us

The great thing about Pandemic Gospel that makes it so different than many other blogs is that the ministry being done through it isn’t from one man or one woman. It’s God working through a large assortment of different and varied writers all in different places in their lives and at differing levels of faith. This allows the writings on the Pandemic Gospel to hopefully capture the varied ways that God is at work in many different lives all around the world. This ministry is a collective of numerous ministries that God is working through is everyday life, and it opens the door for many voices, for many stories of God at work to be told. Writers for Pandemic Gospel will either write an exclusive post for the blog, or allow Pandemic Gospel to feature a post from the writer’s personal blog. This post comes from Michael Hinton, student ministries pastor at Ben Davis Christian Church in Indianapolis, IN. The post is being featured from his personal blog, so be sure to go check it out!

Several years ago, I sat in a restaurant for lunch with a friend who also happened to be my boss. We had become good friends after working with each other for about 3 months. That day was like any old day, where we would meet up for lunch, discuss football or basketball, talk about what was going on at work, etc… I had come to really appreciate our friendship in the sense that I didn’t have many friends who I could relate to in the way that I could relate to him in that time period of my life. We had similar backgrounds in family history, upbringing, and how we often dealt with life problems. He was older by five years, so I somewhat looked up to him as a role model in my life at the time.

I remember this one particular day and conversation like it just happened yesterday. It was a few days after Christmas and its one of those conversations that you just don’t forget. My friend walked into the restaurant, sat down and we proceeded with the usual small talk around our weekends, the latest sports news and scores, plans for work that day. The waitress came around to take our drink and food orders and then she left. The place the was somewhat at capacity that day, which was unusually surprising considering not many people like to eat there. The waitress came back with our drink orders and told us that our food would be out in the next 15 mins (she knew us well as regulars).

“My wife is leaving me…”

Five words that changed my friend for the rest of his life.

Five words that told me my friend’s world was falling apart.

Five words that painted a picture of how much pain and brokenness exist in the world today.

As I looked him in the eye to try and grasp what he just told me, I could see the pain, I could see the devastation, I could see the confusion, I could see the sense of being lost. His world had just came crashing down on him and he had no idea why, when, how, what, or where. All he knew was that his wife was leaving him, meaning he would have to split his time with his kids, meaning a potential custody battle could take place, meaning he would have to hire a divorce lawyer, meaning he would have to get a second job to be able to make enough to provide for his kids, meaning life as he knew it was over.

He eventually placed his face in his hand as to signal he needed time to re-process that thought all over again. The waitress returned with our food and asked if we needed anything. I told her we needed the check and some to-go boxes. I felt this wasn’t the best place to have this conversation with my friend. He needed some privacy to flesh out all that was bottled up inside of him. We returned to his office where he proceeded to breakdown and rehash the entire conversation with his wife. He woke up Christmas morning to open presents with his family only to find them completely packed and ready to leave.

I bring up this moment to tell you about a question he asked me in the retelling of the events surround his wife leaving him. In the midst of his tears, anger, confusion, disappointment, he asked me a question that at the time seemed so big and left me speechless.

“Why is God working against me?”

Isn’t that a question we’ve all asked a time or two? If we’re being completely honest in this moment, we can all admit to having those thoughts. Could God be possibly working against me. It just seems like no matter what I do, nothing works in my favor. We’ve all been there and done that. Its human nature for us to doubt the man upstairs in his dealings with us. If everything is going against us, then there is no way for God to be working for us or with us right? That’s just the way the world works. We’re either the lucky ones or we are just out of luck.

Wrong…

One of the most beautiful things about the Gospel is that it’s a story about God, his people, and his plan of restoration. The key word in this point is the word “Restoration.” God is actively restoring us to him. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t give me a picture of God working against us, more like God working for us. How can we read the bible and not see over and over again God actively…

Pursuing us…

Redeeming us…

Forgiving us…

Restoring us…

The Gospel is a beautiful story of how this creator created this world and its inhabitants and desired to be in connection with them. However, deception and doubt entered the picture and the creator lost his connection from his creation. Since that moment, the creator has been actively restoring his creation back to him. The Gospel isn’t a story of God working against us, it’s a story of God working for us in ways we couldn’t begin to imagine or think of. And the crazy thing is that it doesn’t stop there… there is more to the story of God’s inner workings.

Paul alludes to this in his letter to the Roman followers. He makes this claim that God is working all things for the “GOOD” of those who love God. So everything that happens in the life of those who love God is being worked for the “GOOD.” Let’s think about that for a second because there are some profound implications being made here. For those who love and desire to live a life in Jesus, all things in their life are being worked together for the “GOOD.” Not only are the good things being worked for good, but also the not so good things, the bad things, the ugly things, the “let’s not talk about it” things.

The broken marriage…

The bankrupted financials…

The disobedient child…

The medical mystery…

The loneliness issue…

ALL THINGS are being worked for our good and in the end we will come to see that God has been working for us and not against us. God desires to restore his creation back in connection with him and in order to do that, He is using everything in our lives to move us back in that direction. You see for example, God has this “30,000ft” view and can see all things and orchestrate all things where as we can only see what’s right in front of us and only take care of whats right in front of us. So why would we ever consider God working against us? What would make us think that?

Would it be all the bad things that have happened to us?

Would it be when things didn’t go our way?

Would it be when we felt so distance from our creator?

God is never against those who love him and call him Father. God is always for those whom trust, hope, and have faith in him. Paul continues in his letter that if God is for us, who can be against us? I think that’s the better question for us to ask when things are falling apart. Instead of questioning God’s plan and provision for us, why not asked who in their right mind would want to be against me with God on my side? God’s love for us at creation extended beyond just creation, all the way to the cross, into the grave, into the sealed tomb, only to rise again. That’s the unlimited, unconditional, never-ending, unfailing love of God right there on display.

His love is unending…

His grace is forever-reaching…

His work is always for you…

The Gospel is the story of God, his creation, and his work at restoring what’s rightfully his….

That’s you and me…

Because He is always with you and always working for you.

Why A College Campus Should Be Reached With The Gospel

Check out this great post from Thomas Kuhn, campus intern for Reformed University Fellowship at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY on the importance of doing ministry on college campuses.

The Westminster Confession of Faith states that Christ has given to the Church “the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints, in this life, to the end of the world” (WCF XXV, III). If the Church has been given the truth (Scripture) to gather and perfect the saints, surely this commission must apply to the college campus. Author Stephen Lutz argues in his book College Ministry in a Post-Christian Culture, that “[c]ollege ministry is the most strategic mission field in the world today” (41). When a student steps on a college campus in the United States, they are a part of a group of the largest college-going generation (nearly 16 million undergraduate students) (Lutz 37). If you include graduate students, higher education students make up at least 7 percent of the population (Lutz 41). To insist that college ministry is the most strategic field is not to take away from foreign missions, but to insist that in reaching this 7 percent of the national population, we are reaching the future leaders of our nation and indeed the world. With an opportunity to reach the world’s future leaders right here at it’s doorstep, the Church should take the gospel to the college campus.

The Church should reach the college campus not only because of the future leaders of the world but also because college is a formative time and place for students. Fresh out of the care of their parents, college students arrive to campus with numerous hopes and dreams of their future. It is during these 4 or 5 years that students set a trajectory for the rest of their life. The college campus is a place where “where worship, business, and the exchange of ideas are combined so powerfully, freely, and personally” (Lutz 42). Authors Brian Habig and Les Newsom in their book The Enduring Community: Embracing the Priority of the Church, suggest that there is a growing confusion and disillusion with the Church among today’s population (13). If this is the case, the Church must enter into this formative hotbed of ideas that is the university with the gospel of Jesus Christ. If the Church can reach the college campus with the gospel now, it will undoubtedly alter this current culture of confusion and disillusionment with the Church in the future.

The college campus also should be reached with the gospel because it is a culture increasingly confused about truth. Postmodern thought rules the day on the college campus. Students are either explicitly or implicitly taught that doubt is the only worthy dogma and that submitting your ideas to some over-arching principle of truth is “wrong-headed” and “backwards”. Students are taught to value diversity, but as Stephen Lutz point out, this “diversity” is a strikingly uniform cocktail of “relativistic personal morality, shape-shifting sexuality, a crusading ‘save the world’ idealism by day and a debacherous ‘party as if the world is ending’ nihilism by night” (23). Authors K. Scott Oliphant and Rod Mays state in their book Things that Cannot Be Shaken that in such a world of relativism, “the authority of Christ and his Word is acceptable at the personal level perhaps, but it is almost a forgone conclusion that it cannot be applied to everyone” (19). This view handcuffs the student to a subjective and non-authoritative view of truth. If this is the orthodoxy of the college campus then the Church, the pillar and buttress of truth (1 Tim. 3:15), cannot stand idly by and watch a generation perish in a mire of confusion and rejection of the truth. The college campus is in dire need of the redeeming power of the gospel. The Church should be about its mission of “gathering and perfecting the saints” among a generation so confused and resistant to the truth and the college campus is undoubtedly the most strategic place to do so.”

-Thomas Kuhn

Thank you Thomas for the passionate and truth filled argument for discipleship on the college campus. As someone, who at times highly considers ministry, I look at the abundant discipleship opportunities presented to me on this public university campus and realizes that God definitely has willed me to be right here, right now for a reason beyond my understanding. I humble myself in the fact that he is in control, and I prepare for whatever he has called me to.

-Dylan

The Gospel & Us: God is Always With Us

“This sincere and enlightening post comes from the amazing mentor who has impacted my life in countless ways, especially in the aspect of growing in my faith. Therefore, it is a huge honor that Michael has reached out to me and is allowing Pandemic Gospel to repost some of his blogs as part of our ministry. Read these amazing thoughts by Michael Hinton, also I HIGHLY suggest checking out his blog Relational Thoughts for this post and many others like it. Also, look out for more posts from Michael and other writers in the near future.”  -Dylan

September 23, 2014

A few nights ago, I was reading the bible with my daughter as we (attempt) to do every night before she falls asleep. It’s a practice that I believe isn’t about her learning as much it is about us learning together. I want her to see that spending time in the word is good for the soul, especially before she sleeps. I also want her to see that her dad’s willingness to interrupt whatever he’s doing to spend time with her for the name of Jesus. I hope someday, she will be able to look back on those nights and attribute that to one of the reasons she became a follower of Jesus. On this particular night however, my daughter asked me a question. Normally, as we read, I use different voices to read each story, she laughs, and then I ask her questions about the story and how we can apply it to our lives (with hints of how to answer the question…lol). But on this night, she wanted to know something. She asked me, “Daddy, what is a gospel?”

As a pastor, you would think this answer would come flowing with ease and simplicity. You would think that I would be able to answer this question with no hesitation. You would think that I wouldn’t have to think about the answer or how to form a response. Well you’re assumption would be wrong. I found myself in that moment searching and racking my brain, unable to produce a simple answer for my 5 yr old to understand. It’s not because I didn’t know the answer! I know what a gospel is, I know what THE gospel is! But she’s five…not 25 or 35. I can’t give her the theological break down of the gospel, nor did I want to give her the kid answer of just the “good news.” I wanted to give her an answer that would resonate with her, that would give her comfort but also conviction about how she fits into the gospel story. I wanted to give her the good, the bad, and the ugly news of this life and the life to come. Sugarcoating it is a disservice to her (no offense to parents who do – you raise your kids as you feel led), but condemning the news only creates more confusion and doubt. I said to her, “Keira, the gospel is God’s story of how he is reconnecting his creation to its creator. Its God’s way of telling us the FULL story.

I proceeded to link Adam and Eve to our “bad behavior” and how the rest of the bible was God trying to show us we needed him. Jesus then comes (who is God in the human skin) to help us reconnect with God. After Jesus died and came back to life (you should have seen her face), We now can connect with God in a very special way. I said to her…”Keira, this is the gospel story, God is always with us, God is always for us (those who love God), and God is always ahead of us. We prayed, told her I loved her forever and ever and kissed her good night. That was the end of our discussion. However, it wasn’t the end of my mind racing with all the possibilities from that conversation. Not only was I thinking about the implications it had for Keira and her question (it means Jesus is doing a work and I am so thankful that He allows me to be her father and to teach her about him), but the implications it had for me, for you, for everyone.

The Gospel isn’t just the “good” news about us never having to face hell or disconnection from our creator is we believe and live in Jesus. It’s not only about the “bad” news of our disobedience against our creator or the depravity of humanity and it’s lost cause. The Gospel isn’t just about the theological theories or sound doctrines we christians fight for or against. The Gospel isn’t just about the outward missional or the inward discipleship focus of the church. The Gospel is ALL OF THE ABOVE, it is all inclusive, and more importantly, it is all about God, God’s story, God’s plan, and of course…US!

The Gospel in essence can be summed up into these three things (in my opinion)…

 God is with us always…

 God is for us always…

 God is ahead of us always…

God Is With Us Always:

Driving interstate 40 from Paso Robles, CA to Indianapolis, IN, viewing the mountainous terrain, seeing the depths of the Grand Canyon, getting married, watching plants grow, seeing rain, being present at the birth of new life, flying 30,000 ft in the air, watching people of different nations come together…

How can you NOT believe that God’s presence is always with us? I always find it funny when I hear people pray and ask God to “show up” or to be “near” with them on that certain day. It’s not that they aren’t taking God serious, its more so that they don’t think big enough. When you wake each morning and breathe life again, how can you not think God was there in that moment? When you avoid a near death experience of spilling your Starbucks coffee on you, how can you not think God was somehow the one who prevented it? When the doctor comes back into the room and the look on his face tells you your world is about to come crashing down, how can you not think that God is holding you tight in that moment? God isn’t some magic genie that shows up only in times of need or when you “call” name. God is the God who is ALWAYS with you.

The Gospel speaks to this truth (when I say “Gospel,” I am referring to the entire 66 books – inspired word of God). We can see though out the entirety of scripture, this forever present God who despite our mis-guided attempts at doing this life alone, continually make known his ongoing, never-ending, never failing presence in the story of humanity.

God was with the first humans even after their disobedience allowed brokenness and disconnection to enter into the human story.

God was with Cain even after he killed his brother.

God was with Noah during probably the worst corruption in human history.

God was with the hebrew slaves before Egypt, during Egypt, and after Egypt.

God was with the chosen nation even in its disobedience.

God was with us in the flesh.

God was with us on the cross.

God was with us in the grave.

God was with us at the resurrection.

God was with us at the ascension.

We don’t have to ask God to be with us because He is already there. He has always been there. He will always be there.

In one of the many moments of Jesus, the writers of the New Testament records a statement that has huge implications as it relates to how God will deal with us after Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection. The writer tells us to keep our focus on the things of God and be happy with what we have because he (he being Jesus) said, “…I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you.” If we have hope, trust, and faith in the one who is called sustainer, perfecter, author, cornerstone, foundation, how can we not know, believe, and trust that the LORD is with us always!

As the song goes…

“ You will be our guide to the end, the LORD is with me, He will NOT forsake me.”

Our understanding of this amazing truth leads us to a better understanding of the Gospel as it relates to us! When we know, believe, and trust in the fact that God is always with us then we can find all that we need in Him.

We can find freedom from our brokenness…

We can find hope in a hopeless world…

We can find healing not just physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually…

We can find strength to continue on…

We can find mercy and forgiveness not only for ourselves but for others who have hurt us…

We can find restoration in our creator…

When you allow this truth to resonate within, you will begin to see life in a whole new way. The things that use to seem normal and mundane become alive again. No longer will that scroll through the park seem boring. You begin to view life in the question of “what isn’t God’s presence in?” The answer I hope you find is…

Nothing…God is always present and with us

ALWAYS…

A Promise…

When God created the world and everything and everyone in it, it was perfect. We are not told exactly how long Adam and Eve were in the garden before the serpent began to temp them, the scripture is unclear about that. We are however told that all it took for Man to be separated from God was just one sin, and that is what happened. Adam and Eve both ate of the tree that God had instructed them not to, and SIN entered the world.

Taking a big jump to Genesis 6 we are introduced to this man named, Noah. He seems to be the first man God has taken favor of since Adam and Eve and their children, in chapter 6 verse 8 it states, “Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” When God looked down on his once beautiful creation He grieved the loss that was about to come. His heart was heavy when he saw that everything and everyone on earth, besides Noah, had wickedness in their heart. In a since God was starting over with Noah and his family, God was going to wipe out everyone on earth and all that was going to be left would be this family and the creation God had started with. Because sin was a problem.

So God told Noah, “Make yourself an ark.” He gave Noah specific instruction on how long and wide this massive ark would have to be. And then God made Noah a promise.

Genesis 6:17-22

17“Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.” 22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

God is promising Noah that even though there is this dangerous and huge storm coming to engulf the world in water, killing every living thing in its wake, God is still going to keep Noah and his family safe. That’s would be pretty terrifying to hear, but Noah held fast onto Gods promise and began building the ark.

When it came near to the time that God would bring this storm onto the earth he told Noah, “take animals of every kind two of each, male and female, and take them into the ark because in seven days I will make it rain on the earth for 40 days and nights, and I will wipe off from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.” What’s amazing about this is that Noah did EVERYTHING that God had commanded. He had faith in Gods promise to keep him and his family safe. So Noah and his family and every animal, male and female entered the ark and seven days later the flood came.

I want to stop there. Sometimes God puts us in seemingly impossible situations because the outcome of that situation is greater than we could ever imagine. Noah was told to prepare for this huge storm would come and flood the earth, because he and his family would be the only people to survive. That would be kinda scary to hear. Noah had this unimaginable faith in God, God promised him that he would protect he and his family and he did. God promised him that the flood would last 40 days and 40 nights, and it did. God promised him that he would never flood the earth again, and every time it rained he would put a sign in the sky to show us his promise. God promised Noah, and Noah believed and obeyed Him.

May we have faith in God.

May we believe his every promise.

May we give our everything to him.

Hadassah

Sometimes it’s even hard to breath, because life is just to heavy.
In those times we turn to God and say I need your hope, love, and faith right now!

In the story of Esther:
After both of Hadassah’s parents died,
She was raised by her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as his own.
In chapter 2 of Esther, we see that the young Jewish girl, Hadassah, who will later be known as Esther, is taken from her home to move to the king’s palace, to see if the king will find favor with her, and possibly make her his Queen.
Mordecai instructs Hadassah to not let anyone know of her Jewish heritage, out of fear that she would die.
So Mordecai chose Hadassah’s name to be Esther.
The name Hadassah, in Hebrew represents righteousness and boldness.
The name Esther, is taken from the Hebrew word hester, which literally means to hide or be hidden.
Two names that are polar opposite in meaning, but both integral to Esther’s story.

In the king’s palace, before even seeing the king, all the girls were subjected to a whole year of beauty treatments.
After this, each girl would wear what ever they wanted from the king’s harlem, and try to find favor in his eyes.
When it was Esther’s turn, it says in 2:15 that Esther did not cover herself in jewels she thought beautiful, but only wore what Hegai, the king’s eunuch, advised.
Immediately, the king found favor with Esther,
And she became Queen…

In Esther’s time as Queen, there was one who plotted against her people.
Hamen, he hated the Jews, but most of all, hated Mordecai.
Mordecai did not bow when Hamen passed in the streets.
Mordecai did not follow the crowd, he would bow to no one but his Lord.
Hamen was embarrassed and mortified!
He had worked his way up in the king’s courts, and was planning the
destruction of the Jews once and for all.

Mordecai heard of this and tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth and ashes.
He went to the king’s entrance and sent a message to Esther through Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs.
When Esther learned of the possible death of her people she replied to Mordecai saying:
(4:11)
“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman
goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law – to be put to death, except the one whom the king holds out the golden scepter so the he may live.
But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”

Mordecai saw Esther’s distress, through her reply.
But he also saw the fear of his people, and replied once more to Esther.
(4:12-14)

And they told Mordecai what Esther had said.

Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.

For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
–
Esther knew what she had to do.
Yes she might die, yes her people might die.
But this was why she became queen.
For such a time as this.
She replied to Mordecai for the last time saying –
“Gather all the Jews, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.
I and my young women will also fast as you do.
Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish I perish…”

–
That moment in life when you realize…
I’m ready to give everything,
for what I believe in.
And in that moment,
all the chaos, all the struggles and fear of life…
Fall at your feet.
Because you understand!!
If you had no voice,
If you had no tongue,
You would still dance for the one that saved you!
You would follow God into the storm, knowing you might not come out.
Because when the day comes that we see the face of glory,
the face that brought ruin, and ash…and made them glorious and beautiful,
We will shout His endless glorious praise!
–
Esther came to this realization…
That if she perished, it would be okay.
God put her here for such a time as this,
and if she perished obeying Him,
then she perished.
She walked into the king’s courts, not as Esther, queen.
But as Hadassah, a Jew, pleading for the lives of her people.

Under The Surface: By Anna Beth

Hagar

Genesis 15-16

–

Genesis 15:3-6

And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”

And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

–

Genesis 16:2

And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

–

In chapter 15 God promises Abram a child, and Abram believes God. He fully trusts in Gods plan!

But in 16 it’s as if someone has changed his mind completely.

Abram is struggling with his decision, and Sarai is trying to make the decision for him even though in chapter 15 God gave Abram his very specific Word.

:Starting this chapter, I told myself I was going to analyze every verse, all the references…not even knowing what the story was.
But after I passed the second verse I was hooked! I got lost in the struggle of the Hagar.
By the time I realized I’d been reading for a while, I was done with the chapter.
Hagar’s pain and strength in this is so amazing!

Genesis 16:3-6

So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.

And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.

–
Sarai GAVE her servant, Hagar to Abram.
This GIRL! Sarai just hands her over to Abram because she wants a child.
It’s so hard to even wrap my mind around what Hagar was going through emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Could Hagar have been killed if she refused? I don’t know..?
But it’s pretty evident that she did not want to have this child.
But what’s crazy is that after Hagar realizes she’s pregnant with this baby, Abram and Sarai finally realize that what they did was wrong.
They begin to argue in verses 5-8

Genesis 16:5-8
And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!”

But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.
–
Sarai blames Abram, and Abram blames Sarai. No one will take responsibility for what they both did to this girl!
They made her feel worthless.
Violated.
DIRTY.
They took something that couldn’t be returned. And on top of that she now has the responsibility of a child.
But what’s really sad is that she probably felt shame.
Shame for something she couldn’t control.
And above all this, Sarai beat her because the sight of Hagar made her feel guilt.
And then Hagar fled…
She ran until she couldn’t anymore.
In verse 7 it states this:
“The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.”

–

So the angel found her by a spring of water in the wilderness…bruised, embarrassed, ripped clothes, messed up hair…and the angel says-

Genesis 16:8-13

And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.”

The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.”

The angel of the LORD also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.”

And the angel of the LORD said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction.

He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”

So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”

I think this story is so evident in all our lives!
When we are bruised and hurt whether it’s something we did or by someone else’s hand, God is always there to pick us back up.
He’s there to hear the long story of what has happened in the past (even though he already knows), and he’s there to tell us what path we should take for the future.
I love that Hagar says “Truly I have seen him who looks after me.”
Even though she had been through so much, and she could have blamed God for it, she thanked him for helping her get back up.

References:

Genesis 32:30

So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”

By: Anna Beth

Brokenness Aside

I am a sinner, if it’s not one thing it’s another, caught up in words, tangled in lies | but you are a savior, and you take brokenness aside and make it beautiful, beautiful

-Brokenness Aside, All Sons & Daughters

So much truth for me to remember each day just from this one lyric. God uses our brokenness and our mistakes to glorify him, all we have to do is have faith and seek after him with all our hearts and Jesus makes us beautiful.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law weakened by flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
You (specifically to Christians in Rome in 57 A.D.; however, applicable to all who follow Christ), however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who also raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies though his Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:1-11

Jesus heals the broken, and uses their faith to shame the wise (just look at the first disciples and especially the apostle Paul). Following Jesus is placing trust in him a your Lord and savior, he will take your faith and use it to change your heart from the inside out, laying all brokenness aside, and fully serving him who saved you. Take that step up faith, open up the bible that’s been gathering dust, spend some time in prayer asking God to reveal your eyes to his glory, thanking him for the love he showed you, and asking for faith and the Spirit of God. True joy (not temporary happiness) is only revealed to us through faith in Jesus.

About this Blog

This blog exist with one purpose in mind, to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It will be used only to share the truth of scripture and to share the writers’ views on how we can apply those truths in our daily life in order to be Christ-like. The Gospel commands us to be followers of Christ who lay down our old selves and to become as Paul says to Christians in Colossae in Colossians 1:10 to walk in a manner worth of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. We will use this blog to encourage other believers (including ourselves) to both pursue and attain the state of being seen in Colossians 1:10 and throughout scripture. On this blog, we will also attempt to explain the Gospel in such a way that people who may not necessarily be followers of Christ will be able to understand the Gospel and be intrigued by it enough to go check out a local, Bible-based church or talk to believers they know and choose to follow Jesus. Our end goal is that God will be glorified by this blog, whether be in the encouragement to fellow Christians or in the explanation to non-Christians.