A Holy Awakening
In the middle of Glorietta, New Mexico I saw the presence of God amongst His people. Thousands of middle and high schoolers seeking the face of God with a stirring within their spirit to see God move powerfully in their lives lit every part of their soul. Some seeking to come back to the faith they were once enamored with, yet the waves of life threw them away from their first love; some with an unshakeable calling that God has given them to serve His bride through vocation; and others whose eyes were opened for the first time to the majesty and beauty of God. There’s no way to quantify this other than God doing what He’s always done for His people: allowing the Kingdom of Heaven to come down to Earth.
What are we to do after an experience like this? Pray, fast, and seek ways to not allow this experience to become a one-time event, but a launching pad towards greater faithfulness to Jesus. While there are contextual differences between the needs of middle and high schoolers, the needs for every Christian does not change based on generation or context.
The words on these pages are designed to inspire the heart to long for beauty, deposit truth, and aim the mind towards the way of following Jesus, so that we would be whole disciples of Christ. Blessings.
THE WORD OF GOD
The vitality and well being of a soul is wholly dependent on the word of God. Our ability to comprehend and understand the words in the Bible is important, but because God Himself inspired the Scriptures and illuminates them to our souls, our utter dependence on them is of utmost importance.
Yet the Bible isn’t just some compendium of thoughts meant to inspire, it’s a literary masterpiece with poetry, history, narrative, and a few more genres written over thousands of years in multiple languages. So how does the Bible make sense? How do you or I come to have an understanding of the words in the Bible? Through the work of the Holy Spirit.
We receive new life in Christ, receive His Spirit, and begin walking in the wisdom God has written through the scriptures revealed by the Spirit. Life with God may look different in seasons of sweetness and tenderness in contrast to seasons of hardship and tears, yet the Lord still works within the midst of it all, keeping the promises He’s made throughout countless generations.
May we be people who love the scriptures, seek wisdom from them, see the character of God within its pages, and see them applied through our ordinary and everyday life. That is the call God has for each and every believer.
COMMUNAL LIVING
I was driving down the highway one Friday evening with one of my best friends. Conversation had been flowing well, smiles were shared, music blaring, and suddenly he asked me to turn the music down and with a gentle voice he asked, “Why are you still my friend after all these years? After everything we’ve been through, why would you still choose to be my friend?”
This question spiraled into an hour long conversation over our history as friends. From the conflicts, the hardships, tears, as well as the fun times, shared meals, inside jokes, and everything in between. For some context, this particular friend and I had gone through something that would dissolve most friendships, and for us it did for a few years. Yet by the grace of God, our friendship had been redeemed supernaturally and with a little bit of time passing by.
God intends for you and I to live in the context of friendships with other believers. Why? Because it puts us on a path towards a joyful life and deep healing within our souls (James 5:16 & Heb 10:24-25). Allowing not just God but trusted friends to know the deepest parts of who you are allows you to live with a kind of vulnerability and authenticity most people long for but never actually live out. To know someone and be known is one of the greatest gifts that you and I could ever receive.
May we be those who share our lives with others well, have a deep commitment to live out the “one anothers” of scripture, seek wisdom from godly friends, and allow this to be the reality of our lives for all of our days.
A LIVING FAITH
The culmination of knowing God through the scriptures, living in fellowship with other Christians, is to now live this out. As followers of Jesus, we aren’t just hearers of the word but doers of it as well (James 1:22). We serve not out of obligation, conceit, or ill intent, but from an overflow of joy from God.
How could we look at the Father’s unending love for us, the Son's redeeming work on the cross, and The Spirit's work to sanctify us and draw us nearer to God and not have an urge to give our life back to Him? It would’ve been just enough for God to save us and leave us there, but God blessed us abundantly because He is truly a Father that loves to give good gifts to His children. Tastebuds to savor the richest of foods, eyes to gaze on the grandest of mountains, ears to hear the sweetest melodies, and a heart to embrace it all. That is the motivation to serve.
Serving can look like a lot of different things. From helping find spots in the parking lot, praying on behalf of others, feeding the hungry, leading small groups, it can be a lot of different things but the goal is to do something for the sake of others. When we serve others we are also serving God (Acts 26:14).
May you and I find a place within the local church to serve the people of God, live out the joy that stands before us, and be obedient even in trial because God has called us to a good work and He will sustain us through it. Blessings, friend.
PRAYER
May we be people who are fully invested in the Kingdom of God. Let us be those who delight in the Word, let us be people who are known well by others, let us be people who find it a privilege to serve your church, all so that Your name would be glorified. When our hearts grow weary and we find discouragement to come easier than joy, would You provide Your strength once again, God? You are our Stronghold, Provider, and ever present Help and apart from You we can do nothing. It’s to your precious name that we pray. Amen.