One With Him

Home Bound Luke 15:20 – “So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. So if you read the title you might be thinking, what does that have to do with this verse? Well, I’m going to tell you. This is part of the parable of the prodigal son. Jesus is telling the people about a son who left home and ran to the world to find satisfaction and fill selfish desire, but he quickly learned what the world will really do for you. It ruined him. To the point of leaving him with nothingness and brokenness. But it was though that state of brokenness that cause him to return home to his father. I can only imagine him walking home and mentally planning out everything he would say to his father. “Father, I messed up,” no… no… “Dad, I’m so sorry” “Father, I will work for you, if you allow me to come home.” The walk for him probably felt like it was ...

Importance of Prayer Matthew 26:41 – Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give into temptation. For the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. This verse was the verse for the Costa Rica Kids Club this week, and I really like the comfort/exhortation it gives me. As Christ followers we need to keep watch and pray. I for one have been slacking in that area all my life. But, thankfully the past 3 months I have learned the importance of prayer and how it is powerful and might tool to defeat the enemy. Most importantly though, it allows me to talk to my God, my Friend. That’s why it says keep watch, to be careful for when the devil tempts you. He likes to tempt us with our weak flesh because if we are not praying then we are not on guard. Our defenses are feeble and frail when we don’t keep continually go to God for our strength and edification. Here is says that the spirit is willing. It’s willing to build us up and to strengthen our faith but our flesh is weak. It doesn’t wa...

Being a Servant 5 Proverbs 12:1 – Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. This is another straight forward verse that I don’t honestly really need to interpretation. It’s so one of those do or die kind of verses, you know? Any who, those who are willing to be corrected and open for exhortation are an assets to the team.  In comparison, those who completely reject correction and get mad about it, are the definition of a liability. And are known here as, “stupid.” Now for the question we all need to ask ourselves, are you an asset or a liability? I got this question presented to me a couple of weeks back. And it has help form and shape the way I look at even the tiniest of tasks. It is a choice. You choose if you want to be the person who lifts others up and be a burden to them. Another way of looking at it is, are you going to be the person who gives oxygen or be the person who sucks the oxygen out of others. I say these things becaus...

Being a Student 4 2 Timothy 2:2 – And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these faithful men who will be able to teach others also. I think the theme that I am getting from this verse is one of being sent out to disciple others now. Timothy is writing the people encouraging them to follow the example that Jesus has set before them. And even to this day, this is an exhortation to us. Today we are being trained up so we can be sent out. We are looking upon our God appointed authorities as an example of what we need to be like. Then after we have gleaned and been taught by them, you and I are going to be sent out to train up others around me. Again, be trained up to be sent out! Like Jesus did to the leper who he healed. The man gleaned from Jesus, but then Jesus told him to go out and share with others. I think this verse really one that describes what IGNITE has been for me. I am being trained up by being poured into by many pastors and great leade...

Being a Student 3 Proverbs 9:9 – Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. So over the last three months, this has kind of been the theme. We are being poured into with the words of the bible and the words of wise men. They are teaching us to be wiser and increase our knowledge. They train us up so we can be sent out and teach others. But it all starts with learning. You have to be adaptable for anything and flexible in the process of growing. It can be hard to learn new things and also apply them but it’s all worth it. Honestly, us as a general, try to over complicate this verse. There’s no underlying meaning, it’s in plain black and white. Wise men are teachable and are not above reproach. They are susceptible and willing to be taught. This verse is something that the IGNITE school follows very well. In the training phase, which I can proudly say I have completed, we sit in the class room for probably 8 hour...

Being a Student 2 Luke 2:46 – Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking questions. Like the last blog I did, this has a lot of the same concepts. First we must go to a place where we can seek Him. Then we have to sit and be at the feet of Jesus. We have to be willing to listen before we ask questions. Sometimes it’s hard to just sit and listen. It takes a lot of self-discipline to be silent before the Lord. That’s personally a really hard thing for me. I like to go, keep my hands and myself busy. Don’t get me wrong here, being busy isn’t a bad thing! But, if we are prioritizing it over sitting at Jesus’ feet and gleaning from Him, then we need to reevaluate ourselves. All God simply asks of us is to follow Him. “Do we know the God we claim to follow? And do we follow the God we claim to know?” - Keith Wheeler.  To follow God, we have to know God.  And, how do we know God? By li...