Lindsay Willis

What if....

...we as followers of Christ really lived as He did.  John 5:30 in the Amplified Bible quotes Jesus:

I am able to do nothing from Myself, independently, of My own accord—but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders. 

Even as I hear, I judge. 

I decide as I am bidden to decide. 

As the voice comes to Me, so I give a decision and my judgment is right, just, righteous, because I do not seek or consult My own will. 

I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose, but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me. 

Kiwi fruit moments

Do you like kiwi fruit?  I do!  First, I think the fruit, once it is peeled and sliced, is so cool looking!  The green, the black seeds, the white center.  Wow, what was God thinking when He created that?  (He has a pretty vivid imagination, doesn't He? And I LOVE the taste of kiwi.  So refreshing...almost a purity to it, like nothing else.

But the wonderful fruit is hidden in the ugliest skin.  I have three kiwi sitting on my counter this morning.  I stopped for a moment wondering who first ate a kiwi...and whatever possessed them to think of cutting (or tearing) into that little ugly thing?   I wonder if their friends thought they were crazy to even think about opening that ugly little package...and then daring to eat that fruit.  would it be poisonous?  Or would it be good for them?  (by the way, did you know that kiwi are one of the healthiest things you can eat?)

And then God brought the point home:  how many moments in life are kiwi moments?  They look really ugly on the outside, they don't come packaged beautifully.  They are kind of rough and scratchy and they certainly carry no outward promise of inward joy.

But when we engage them and open them, we find the most wonderful, sweet fruit, that is healthy and beautiful.

Beware of moments that come to you in ugly packages...God may just have something wonderful on the inside, if you dare to open them up. 

Robert Morris tonight at River Valley Church, 7:00 PM. YES! Wouldn't miss it!

Divine tension

Our God is holy.

Just read and meditate on Psalm 99. 

His holiness stirs the fear of God in our heart.  Without understanding His holiness, I will not live in the fear of God.  And without the fear of God, I lose my bearings in life.

I think I do not spend enough time meditating on the holiness of God.  It would change the way I live.

At the same time... 

Our God is love (1 John 4:8).

I am very glad God is love.  Without His love, His holiness would consume my sinfulness.  I would have no avenue of access to my Holy God apart from His foreverthesame love for me.

Jesus stepped into the tension between God's holiness and His love and paid the price for me so God, our Holy God, could have relationship with me, the sinful one.

Jesus is the resolution of the divine tension that exists in our God. 

I stand in awe of our amazing God.

Psalm 27:1, 3-5 MESSAGE Bible

Light, space, zest--that's God!  So, with Him on my side I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing.

When besieged, I'm calm as a baby.  When all hell breaks loose, I'm collected and cool.

I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing:  to live in His house my whole life long.

I'll contemplate His beauty; I'll study at His feet.  That's the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, the perfect get away, far from the buzz of traffic.

So HUMAN

SOAP for the past couple of weeks has had us reading the story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...the patriarchs of faith.

And they were.  They were men who believed God's promises to them in the midst of ungodly people.  They held to their faith and their commitments to God over three generations. 

But they sure weren't perfect!!  And that always brings me encouragement!

Perfection is NEVER the standard by which God chooses people to do amazing things for him.  These three patriarchs were liars, and swindlers, and cheats, had multiple wives, and did all kinds of things that we would frown upon (and we probaly did, if we took the time to reflect on the stories).  In fact, if Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were in a lot of Bible schools or churches today, they wouldn't even qualify for leadership.  And yet....they are considered Biblical examples of great faith.

Does that mean we can just go live any way we want and God will still do amazing things through us?  That may be stretching things just a bit.  But we do serve an amazing, loving, passionately patient God, Who will work with us and through us, as long as our hearts are moving toward Him.  Our actions can be very wrong.  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did things that we would consider wrong....but it was all with the heart of obedience toward God.   But GOD IS STILL GOD and He is at work, IN SPITE OF US.   

The point is: don't disqualify yourself over a choice you made in the past.  Just get up and keep moving toward God.  You will be amazed at what HE CAN DO through you. 

The emphasis must ALWAYS be on GOD!

We need to pray

Have you noticed that there is just a little bit going on around the country when it comes to the state and the federal governments?  There is a lot happening....

I flew into Washington, DC today....looking over the monuments and the Pentagon as we came in for a a landing.  And I was again impressed how important it is that we pray for our leaders...no matter what party they represent or what political leanings we have. 

We need to pray that they would walk in the fear of God and that they would judge righteously and fairly...not because of pressure from lobbyists or contributors.  Our leaders need to do the the RIGHT things...not the popular or controversial things.

I love to pray that they would have a Nebuchadnezzar moment.  If you wonder what in the world that is, read Daniel chapters 2 and 4. 

And then pray....it works a whole lot better than criticism!