As we enter the Lenten season for 2021 - let's all remember the reason we celebrate this season in our faith. By definition Lent is "the period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities." 

Whether I choose to 'give something up' as a sacrifice for Lent, or to 'add something' to my spiritual life to acknowledge Lent, what's most important to me is the reflection on my own walk with Christ. Where can I improve my relationship with God? What are things I can do to grow others in Christ? How can I be more pleasing in God's site? 

As Jesus wondered the desert for those 40 days, I often wonder what He was reflecting on. His life on earth? His separation from the Father? His coming fate at the cross? The devil even tried to tempt Him.

Matthew 4:1-11

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights and afterwards was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread. He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”

He was very confident, He knew the Father was in complete control. But He also knew what was in front of Him, and He was anxious.

Mark 14:32-42

 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³ And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. ³⁴ And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.”^[a] 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

As you ponder your reflections in the time of Lent, always remember that even Christ pondered on His own life. He dealt with fear and anxiety. He was HUMAN. And the most important thing to me is that He always trusted and glorified the Father. He was indeed confident because of who the Father is. Walk in confidence and know He is the one in control even in these very uncertain times. As you ponder, always remember that God loves you completely, as He did the son. That's pretty awesome... 

 OK - so today we transition one US President for another. I don't like talking politics - and I will leave my opinions about Trump out of this. But, what I do know is there is a high level of mistrust on both sides. I've never seen this much American hatred in my lifetime. If this nation has any chance of healing itself - both sides have to 'lean in' here. Our democracy and our very freedoms are at stake. Big government has never been an answer to any prosperous society, ever. But we all have to remember God is ALWAYS in control. Even those who don't acknowledge Him or even believe. Remember how He was in complete control of the Pharaoh in Egypt when Moses was there. We are called to pray for our leaders, including those recently elected. 1st Timothy explains...

" I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time."

Philippians: Paul’s Theme Unpacked

Philippians: Paul’s Theme Unpacked

The basic idea of the epistle [letter] is joy. This idea of rejoicing or ‘keeping our chin up,” or better yet, jumping for joy… is found 16 times. This idea, appearing in both noun and verb form throughout – with ample conclusion from Paul as to why someone would have such joy as a Christian.

Examples include:

• Joy in suffering, for in our suffering, God accomplishes good (1:12-14)
• Joy in the sacrificial giving of one’s time and energy (2:17-18), and of one’s goods (4:18), to meet the needs of others and to do God’s will, thus following Christ’s example (2:4-11)
• Joy in knowing Christ and experiencing His resurrection (3:8-10)
• Joy when agreement happens with other believers and people in general (2:4; 4:2-5)
• Joy over the sufficiency of Christ (4:13, 19), which produces satisfaction for every situation

The Apostle Paul was an interesting character. I say interesting, because one should take a genuine interest in why he was so devoted to Christ and strong in his faith. Such an interest [with this letter/book] should invoke some thoughts as to why we Christians (who by and large in the States) don’t suffer as the early Christians did for believing what we claim to believe – and yet we don’t measure to the joy and faith of those going through such “physical” persecution and confusion. One would also have to pay homage to our brothers and sisters in other countries – who are suffering such persecution to this day.

To be understanding of Christ’s sacrifice and submissive to God’s will is to realize that all things gained in this world will never match up and will always fall short of the Glory of God – practically and spiritually.

If you’re looking for reasons to find joy in your faith and solid examples to support those reasons – look to this letter and find comfort knowing you have all you need in Christ.

Philippians 4

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

A Deeper Understanding Of The Scriptures

As I process the fact that the Christian life is not one of “sudden enlightenment” and “supernatural bestowment of understanding”, I begin to find joy in what seems to be a toilsome journey that is reading and comprehending the Bible. The Word of God is designed to bring us fulfillment, wisdom, guidance and assurance as we make our way through life. This year, I will read it. Next year, I will read it again and it will carry different weight than before. Our goal is not to win the legalistic race of checking the “I read my Bible, did you?” box. That denies its purpose. Rather, our goal should be to the let the Holy Spirit enrich our lives with the everlasting truth within the pages of Genesis through Revelation. As I read, I will begin attempting to peel back the layers of the text – simply to understand it for myself, so I can help others seek the same understanding.

At the church I attend, our pastor referenced a path he suggests for those looking to go through the Bible in a different manner then reading from cover to cover. His suggestion is this order:

     Mark (suffering and labor of Chris),  

     Philippians (Apostle Paul in Prison, working out the Gospel and its meaning),

   Matthew (the biggest compilation of the teachings of Jesus),

     Ephesians (Understanding Salvation),

     John (Understanding the deity of Christ),

     Colossians (Discovering the identity of Christ),

     Luke (the most detailed of the gospels),

     Romans (Understanding the gospel from the Christian perspective),

     Genesis & Exodus (Understanding the origin of God’s creation),

     Galations & Hebrews (Understanding what it means to have faith and the importance) and finally,

   Psalms & Proverbs (wisdom and encouragement) throughout.

This blog series will be about the sections of each book that I feel I need to flesh out in greater detail. I will use other references and then record my own conclusion. I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide me in this journey.

The Parable of the Sower: Unpacked.

Many challenges with understanding the Bible is that you have be able to differentiate when something is meant to read for face value or if it has a deeper meaning beyond what it seems to be on the surface. This parable (referenced below) taught by Jesus is one of those that can catch you off guard if you don’t pay special attention. As you read through, the basic story makes sense. Jesus teaches the people about spreading seeds. He teaches that some seeds, depending on the soil they’re on, either don’t grow at all, grow quickly but don’t last or get smothered to death – while others will grow and flourish. He then says, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear” and is finished with his lesson.

His disciples are somewhat perplexed as to why he teaches in parables. Jesus explains that most people won’t embrace the Word of God right away or they’re too simple-minded to process the gravity of His lessons. He goes on to explain that by teaching people simple wisdom, He is prepping their minds to receive the good news – in a way they can process. Parables were used quite often in Jewish circles to teach lessons.

He then goes on to explain the seed analogy to His disciples in further detail. At this point, everything seems easy enough to process.

The interest bit that throws a wrench into the mix, is the section where Jesus says:

“[11] He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables [12] so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,

             and ever hearing but never understanding;

otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

 At first glance, this passage seems to come off like Jesus taught in parables for the purpose of preventing people from understanding what he was talking about. And it seems like the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven were only given to a select few men. This isn’t the Jesus we know. Why would He do such a thing?

(As I mentioned in the first paragraph, a deeper look is required to understand the actual meaning. [Tip: Read those little footnotes.]).

Jesus wasn’t trying to keep anyone in the dark. In fact, He was doing quite the contrary. The way to comprehend this passage is found in the piece of scripture Jesus quotes to make his point. He was quoting Isaiah 6:9-10, a passage that prophecies Israel’s hardened hearts for God. Basically, it’s saying that no matter what is done, those who have ears to hear the truth – will either embrace it or deny it. There’s no need to “beat a dead horse”. Understanding this piece peels back a layer.

When we read the words “so that” it creates that level of confusion. “So that” what? Long story short – if you reference other translations (i.e. NLT, ESV, etc.) you’ll find that Jesus is saying He teaches this way, “so that” the prophecy in Isaiah can be fulfilled. Which is, after all, the reason Jesus came – to fulfill prophecies of the old testament and to bring us salvation.

(NLT) Mark 4: 10-12

10 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret a of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders,

[12] so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:

‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing.

When they hear what I say, they will not understand.

Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.’”

My last comment on the Bible and its intricacies is that different passages may seem to contradict themselves. This will remain a consistent point of strife for believer’s and non-believers alike. Remember that context is important, and the Bible as a whole will never contradict its main message – which is the story of our salvation. 

The Parable of the Sower

4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. ² He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: ³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

¹⁰ When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables ¹² so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
    and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’^[a]”

¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word.¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

From all of us at World Church Unites we want to wish you all a very Happy Easter!! Remember Christ CHOSE His death to save you, that's right YOU! He chose you...

All you have to do is accept Him. We love you lots!!! WCU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JssY82UhgG0&feature=youtu.be

Life Transformation - All things are possible with God

In my walk with God – I grow closer to Him everyday. I was thinking how very different my life is than just several years ago. I remember a sermon where my pastor was telling me about his early view of God. Basically he explained that when he was young he thought the whole idea of God was to make children behave and to comfort old people when they were dying. Now keep in mind that he grew up going in church - so it’s not like he didn't know God. He was just a bit cynical (like perhaps a lot of us are at times). He went on to say that once he saw a total life transformation of someone in his family, he easily could see God everywhere. The fact that life change IS possible and there IS any good in this world is proof God exists.

Now I would say that once you experience the Holy Spirit – you don’t need any more convincing. That’s where I am today. It’s been a long journey for me and I’ve surrendered my life to Christ. But let’s just say that you haven’t experienced the Holy Spirit and you are seeking after answers in your life. What would you think if you witnessed a total life transformation in someone in your life? What about a change in you? Would you wonder how it happened? Maybe.

But ponder this. God changes lives every day. If you pray for His purpose in your life – He will come forth. Don’t be afraid to try it. Surrender to God's will and tell Him that you want to surrender. Watch. God transforms lives! Old habits seem to disappear, struggles become less so, and there is a peace that surpasses all understanding. The creator of the universe knows you and He wants you to know Him. He loves you RIGHT where you are - but He doesn't want to leave you there. God wants you to live in the purpose that He created you for. Step out in faith today and ask Him into your life!

Look at the scripture Mark 10:27 and see what Jesus had to say about this.

Back To The Blog!

It's been a very busy time for me since June of 2012 and my last post - but I'm not making excuses - just getting back to the Help For It All blog. I am in the Spring semester at Liberty University getting my Master's Degree in Christian Ministry - Worship. I have a new video and single being released on April 1st - my new website has gone live (where you can get a sneak preview of the new single) - and lastly we are in a blizzard here in Western NC. So there you go . . . but blog back on!!

Christ seeks you whether you seek Him or not

A lot of us grew up going to church – many of us didn’t. The whole Christ concept is easy for some to grasp because they have believed for a long time. Others can’t understand the paradox of God coming to earth in human form to reconcile with the world – and that faith is all you need. Seems farfetched to some. There are debates among all sorts of people - from pastors – to philosophers – to ordinary people like you and me, on how and why God seeks us. So for a moment we are going to assume that we all stand in the same place – and let’s say it is a place of “I don’t know what I believe.”

Well now we can look at what makes Jesus so awesome. The coolest thing about Jesus Christ is that He seeks a relationship with you whether you seek one with Him or not. In fact, he does with every human on earth. 

In Luke 19:10 the scripture says: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
And in Revelation 3:20 it says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

The reality of the situation is that God seeks ALL of us – good, bad and indifferent. Drug and alcohol abuse, crimes committed, terrible brokenness – no problem, because His love is beyond all understanding of what we know of love. Whether you believe, once believed, or never believed – you are precious and worthy in God’s eyes. I would make the argument that if you are a non-believer, He seeks you even more than anyone else – for He wants you to have an understanding of who He is, and that you can have a personal relationship with Him. In Matthew 18 we learn - “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. ¹⁴ In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”

That is what amazes me the most! That the creator of the universe has time to deal with me and MY issues. Healing for MY brokenness and solutions for MY problems. Man I tell you – if you would have told me 5 years ago that I would be blogging about the love of Christ, I would have said YOU were nuts. But I can share this with you in all honesty and earnestness. Jesus has changed me. When I truly turned my life over and accepted His love and forgiveness – the game changed. And every day I grow in my faith and my walk with Christ - it just keeps getting better. I know sometimes it’s hard to believe what you don’t understand and what you can’t see. But if you make the decision to take that “mustard seed sized" step of faith – He WILL SHOW UP.  I guarantee you of that. I don’t stand on my own words and understanding – I stand on His.

 
“Heavenly Father I come to you in prayer. I just read this thing on the internet that was talking about Your love and forgiveness and I don’t know what to believe anymore God.  But I know that I need the peace and understanding that it talks about in the scriptures. I want to know You – I want to know the truth. Please show yourself to me Lord. I invite you into my heart and my life starting today. Thank you Jesus for dying so I can live - and in your precious name I pray – Amen”

Is ambition and greed the same thing?

Having the drive to be successful is a good thing. Making good grades - excelling in sports - practicing a musical instrument to be a great player - making money - not a bad thing. Being ambitious is part of a lot of people’s make-up - and it should be! Where the gut check lies is in your priorities. When you become greedy - you will fall.

    Psalms 10:3 - "the greedy man curses and spurns God"
    Proverbs 11:6 - "the treacherous are caught by their own greed"
    Luke 12:15 - "be on guard against every form of greed; life is not in possessions"

So what's the difference? Ambition can be centered on using God given gifts to be good at something. Maybe even using that talent to further His kingdom. To use it to help others knowing that it is the right thing to do. To honor God with those very gifts. Greed is more about your 'stuff'. Keeping up with the Jones's so to speak. Some actually gain their total identity by what they do - what they have - what their title is. It's VERY easy to get caught up in worldly things - but it's a dangerous place to be. Especially for followers of Christ. If you want to lose something - make it your idol.

One of my all time favorite church sign messages is "if you really want to make God laugh - tell him about your retirement plans" Priceless...

True joy comes in wanting what you have. Not always wanting more. Taking what you are given with grace. Pure joy comes in giving or helping someone in need. If God has blessed you with the means to help others - make no mistake - it is expected of you to do so. In a world of Wall Street meltdowns - greed in this country has gotten out of control. A lot of folks are simply interested in what they have. Where their children go to school. What kind of house they live in. Guard yourself from that mind set.

If people in this country would follow God's principle in this area, we wouldn't need welfare - healthcare reform - bail outs or government redistribution of wealth. A country based on these principles would take care of itself. Truly loving your neighbor and caring for people in a real way. Given the opportunity I believe people with the means will always do the right thing. So as the Congress is battling over the debt ceiling and America is on the brink of default - think about that. Pray about it.

One Nation Under God doesn't sound bad to me.

Does your soul crave?

We are doing a series called Soul Cravings and I feel compelled to share some of what I’ve learned so far.

First of all – I believe every soul craves something. I’m not talking about food or even earthly companionship. I’m not talking about learning and knowledge – for I know some do crave those things. I truly believe that in every human being there is a true soul craving – a craving for something that will fill the void that we all have. And I believe we crave the same thing when it comes right down to it. God.

Even those who have had all the love in the world shown to them – I believe they crave love. Those who have more money than they could ever spend – I believe they are not fulfilled by it. Those who have perfect families with great parents and loving siblings – they still crave something. Those who have fame and fortune, privilege, with everything at their finger tips – they too crave. People with perfect health – great jobs – more opportunity than they can shake a stick at – crave. It doesn’t even matter where you stand with your personal religion. Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindu, Shintoist, agnostic, and even with atheists – soul craving is just there.

It doesn’t take you being a broken person with a history of abuse, divorced parents, drug use, or even prison time to feel empty. There is that one spot that just seems to be void – even if you haven’t figured it out yet – it’s there. Welcome to the human condition.

I believe that God simply created us that way. With a yearning to know your maker – to know Him. Why? Because you can only achieve true joy and feel true completeness when you know God. He created us to WANT to know Him. No relationship, abundance of money, awesome family, or really ANY perfect situation can take the place of God. It just doesn’t work. It's broken!

But God will fill the void in every way. Seek Him through Christ to fill that place in your soul. You will be filled to the brim with peace and understanding. If you put God first – everything else just seems to fall into place. Relationships are better, families are closer, jobs are more fulfilling, and finances just seem to work.

Proverbs 3:

¹ My son, do not forget my teaching,
   but keep my commands in your heart,
² for they will prolong your life many years
   and bring you peace and prosperity.

 ³ Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
   bind them around your neck,
   write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ Then you will win favor and a good name
   in the sight of God and man.

 ⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight.^[a]

 ⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes;
   fear the LORD and shun evil.
⁸ This will bring health to your body
   and nourishment to your bones.

 ⁹ Honor the LORD with your wealth,
   with the firstfruits of all your crops;
¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
   and your vats will brim over with new wine.

 ¹¹ My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline,
   and do not resent his rebuke,
¹² because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
   as a father the son he delights in.^[b]

 ¹³ Blessed are those who find wisdom,
   those who gain understanding,
¹⁴ for she is more profitable than silver
   and yields better returns than gold.
¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies;
   nothing you desire can compare with her.
¹⁶ Long life is in her right hand;
   in her left hand are riches and honor.
¹⁷ Her ways are pleasant ways,
   and all her paths are peace.
¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
   those who hold her fast will be blessed.


That scripture is a great way to start. Fully trusting God with all aspects of your life. Listening to God - loving Him first - following the path He sets before you - trusting Him with your finances - accepting His discipline and seeking His wisdom - THAT can fill the void.

Know God and fill the void.

When you're down - always look up

Sometimes when life seems to be going in the wrong direction - we clam up. It might be a family problem, a relationship problem, job (or lack of), or a tragedy looming on the horizon. When this happens to us - and it always does - prayer can be stifled. I know sometimes I find myself asking 'why?'. But in those very moments is when prayer is the most helpful. When things are good it's easy to sing praises to God. What about when we run out of rope? Are we the same cheerful people so ready to praise?

The scriptures tell us that we will suffer.

1 Peter 4:12–13

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

They also tell us that He will comfort those who seek Him.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

 

 ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

 

Even in the darkest times - seek God in prayer. He will comfort you. And even if everything is not immediately revealed to you - there is true comfort in knowing that someday you will understand why.

 

Always look up.

How is God so patient with us?

If you’re anything like me – you make the same mistakes over and over. The sins that we struggle with the most are the ones that we often repeat - makes sense, doesn't it?  Sometimes it’s hard to ask for forgiveness for these sins because we know we just asked to be forgiven for them. It's like "God I know I just stumbled again, but please forgive me - AGAIN".

I started thinking about how awesome God’s love for us is. He is an awesome parent when it comes to patience. Our Father in heaven loves us through everything we do and shows us continued grace over and over as we often repeat our sins. It's hard to understand God's unwavering patience at times, but it’s certainly easier to understand if you understand God’s timeline. In 2 Peter 3:8 – it says “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day”.  So if you look at our lives on God’s timeline – our whole life has been but a very short time for God.

I like to think of it this way. When God got up this morning and had His first cup of coffee – my entire life has passed before Him. Pretty cool premise. All of His disappointments with my struggles have been while He spent time over that very first cup. To Him, it hasn't necessarily been 10, 15, or 20 years of disobedience - just the dawn of His day.

God has big plans for all of our lives. His dreams for us are bigger than we can imagine. We all have a purpose. It's important for us to understand that. As we try to improve ourselves day by day, God's patience is there because His days are as big as He is. Our entire lives are a blink of an eye to God. He knows our hearts, our intentions, and our actions. As long as we are sincerely working towards improving our lives - serving Him by showing obedience - and asking for forgiveness for our shortcomings - God's grace is present because of His abounding love for us. He will equip you with the ability to overcome any brokenness that you may carry around with you. He will give you all the tools you need to live the life He has for you. Just pray everyday for the wisdom and understanding to know. Remember this always - God's Will for you will never take you where His Grace won't protect you!

I hope God delights in me on his second cup...

HFIA

Are YOU a blue blood? I am.

The royal wedding has been quite a spectacle – I mean I didn’t watch it personally – but I saw it on the news at least a half dozen times. Then came the news coverage of the royal honeymoon. Heck, I was standing in line at the grocery store and I saw the royal couple on the cover of most of the magazines in the checkout line. I started thinking. What must it be like to be a “blue blood”? You know – part of the royal family. Then it hit me. I am part of the biggest, most important kingdom in the universe. And my King sits on the highest throne in the land. Yes, that’s right. I serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. I am His subject and wouldn’t have it any other way. The crown jewels of this kingdom are my friends, my fellow Christian brothers and sisters – my family. There is no price that can be put on THESE crown jewels. And the crown of my kingdom sits on the head of the most important man in all of history – Jesus Christ. The One that came to save us, indeed a courageous warrior who conquered the world without ever firing a shot. Yet He did it as a servant, a humble servant. There is no monarchy anywhere in the world today where the king, prince, or duke would dare lower themselves to the position of a servant. One who washed the feet of His followers. Who sought after those who wanted nothing to do with His father. And then He died a criminal’s death on a cross on Calvary Hill. He paid the ultimate price so you, me and anyone else who believed in Him would be set free of sin and given eternal life. To reign forever with Him in all His glory – never to fear any man or any army. Yes you are part of the royal family – delight in that.

So I leave you with this. You ARE a blue blood – part of the most royal family on this earth. If you are willing to serve this King – you shall not want for anything – you will have nothing or no one to fear. And the best part? This is a kingdom that will never end. So make your place at His table. Sit down – eat – and drink. How cool is that?

We're rolling out the HFIA blog!

Today May 14th, 2011 is the first blog post for HFIA. Keep an eye out for weekly blog posts from the editors of the blog - as well as - guest bloggers and pastors alike. Thanks for being part of our mission...

God bless your day!