learning from the past // Friday E-Devotion

Ever get to the end of the puzzle only to realize that you are missing a piece?

Ever read a book and realize that a page is missing?

I hate those kind of things, but they help me grow. Not long ago I shared a message with our church family that shocked a lot of people (a least a couple) stating that I am human, we all are, and have holes in me that God has to fill. Humanity sticks sometimes.

1 Thessalonians 3:10 (nlt) --- Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith.

God not only will fill in the gaps but He wants to. It is in His character and nature to help humanity, us who are His kids, to be whole and well. It is kind of like letting God fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle or the missing page of the book.

It is also like taking a huge look at history and learning from it. We have to do this as individuals, as families, as a nation and as churches. One place we often don't like to do this is at church. Because it means (are you ready?) ...................... Change. It means making meaningful changes not for the sake of making someone mad, or rocking the boat but to help us be better at what God has called us to do.

That is why at The Community Fellowship we are taking a hard look at our 1st year. What did we do right? What did we do wrong? How can we be more effective in demonstrating the love of God to community? This is God kind of stuff. And let me remind you and me that it is all about Him.

Take a hard look and let God fill in the gaps...

Romans 15:13 (nlt) --- I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 3:19 (nlt) --- May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

1 John 2:5 (nlt) ---But those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.

Comments

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Search This Blog