Passion. What comes to mind when you hear that
word? Maybe you think about love or a
fierce desire for something. I think
everyone desires passion of some sort. I
had the privilege to finally go to the Passion Conference in Atlanta, Georgia
this year and it was incredible. It so
enlightening to get to see our generation rise up for Christ and hear our cries
to help end slavery in the world. Fun
fact of the day, there are over 27,000,000 slaves in the world today. Not really that fun, but something we need to
be aware of. We have a part to play in
ending slavery when there are more slaves now than there have ever been
before. I’ll rant more on that on a
later day, but be aware. What I want to
talk about now is the incredible longing I have.
I
honestly hope that someone that reads this doesn’t know the love of Christ
because I am here to tell you that it is real and it is alive. Religion in today’s society is screwed
up. We make such a big deal out of who
goes to church where, different theologies, or how to worship. I just want to tell you right now to
STOP. There’s only one thing that
matters: I was dead and now I am alive.
Jesus has this same desire for you too!
I am not a follower of some code, concept, or set of rules. I am a follower of Jesus Christ who I believe
is God incarnate, came to this earth, died for my sins, and rose again. If you would like to talk anything about
that, you’re confused, or you think I’m a complete idiot (for my beliefs, not
smarts here haha) feel free to message me because I would love the chance to
talk with you.
One
thing that God has really been laying on my heart this past week is that He is
FAITHFUL. We will never be able to
comprehend His ways, but He always gives us exactly what we need. The God we serve is a God who can do immeasurably
more than we can possibly imagine. I’ve
seen God move in incredible ways. The
darkest places in the world such as sex slavery or drug abuse have been rocked
by our Savior. I heard a story about a
girl named Rachel who was rescued from sex slavery and found Jesus. She stood proudly before 60,000 people as her
story was shared and you will not be able to convince me that anything other
than an all-powerful God is behind that.
HE IS FAITHFUL. (all caps for emphasis so picture me being loud and
slowing down my speech a bit)
If
you could take out your Bible and read Ezekiel 37:1-14 before you read this
next section I would appreciate it. Don’t
be that guy (or girl), actually read it.
Such an incredible passage here.
Ezekiel, a prophet, has a vision that God wanted to share with him. He’s taken to this valley, notice that God
brought him to this point, and he’s surrounded by bones. (a tad bit creepy I
know) The bones of a body aren’t really that useful by themselves if they aren’t
alive. God tells him to prophesy to the
bones that God will give them breath and they will come to life. At first Ezekiel just prophesies for them to
come to life. The bones and tendons and
muscles attach themselves and they have a body.
Cool and freaky. What good is
that body without the breath of life though?
After
God breathed life into them they STOOD UP and it was like an army out
there. I saw an army this past
week. I saw 60,000+ students take a
stand to fight slavery just like God fights for our hearts. You know the cool thing about becoming a
Christian? Verse 14 says, “I will put my
Spirit in you and you will live…” It’s
like God opens up our chest, takes out our dead/cold heart, and puts a new one
in. A heart that has the Holy Spirit
also known as GOD HIMSELF is given in return.
Christ takes this piece of crap heart and gives us the ultimate
gift. We don’t have to live in the sin
anymore. We don’t have to fear. We don’t have to live in shame. The old scars we still feel sometimes from
our past are a witness to how faithful God is now and where He has brought
us. God is FAITHFUL.
I’m
so moved when I think of the sin in my life and how God loves me and will use
me anyway. I am not worthy of this, but
He is FAITHFUL. He can use you no matter
where you’re at in your walk with Him.
If you don’t know Him then you should because I can’t imagine living
life with God. He’s the author of the
universe so He’s kind of a big deal.
Heaven and hell are too real a place for me to not share this message
with you. Hell isn’t some place with
fire everywhere with the devil hitting you with a pitchfork either. Hell is separation from Christ and the pain
of it is more nightmarish than you will ever imagine. God is offering us this new heart though!
I
don’t know where you’re at in your walk right now. Maybe you’re in a place where you feel
comfortable. If you are then I’m sorry
to be the one to tell you that you’re doing it wrong. God didn’t call us to be comfortable. We aren’t called to just make enough money
for our family to survive and enjoy a couple of hobbies and be a “good person”. We are called to give EVERYTHING to Him. When is the last time you can remember giving
absolutely everything? The universe was
created to display God’s glory because He deserves our full attention. He deserves our obedience. He deserves our love. The question is, “Will we give it?” He’s there waiting for us and we have to
respond.
In
Love,
Bill
