Entrusted

“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

Luke 12:47-48

 

With the gifts of God and with great revelation comes great responsibility.

Perhaps no one after Jesus had greater revelation than the Apostle Paul.

Suppose he did nothing with it?

Suppose the last we heard of him was his Damascus road encounter?

But of course it wasn’t.

A good chunk of the New Testament was written by Paul or about Paul.

He knew the Master’s will and he did it.

Even when doing the Master’s will meant trials, persecution, testing, imprisonment and ultimately, death for him.

Paul was given much and much was demanded from him.

How about you?

“Well”, you say, “I never claimed to have received what Paul received”!

Maybe not, but what have you done with what you have received?

After all, none of us is required to walk in another man’s calling.

How are you stewarding the grace and gifts of God in your life?

Can you say you have been faithful to bring increase to the Kingdom of God through what you have been entrusted with?

Those are fair questions to ask ourselves regularly.

Lord:

Help each who reads this today to steward well the gifts, the grace and the revelation you give to them.

May the Kingdom see increase through their lives and the King receive the Glory!

In Jesus’ Name we pray.

Amen!

Are You Vulnerable?

““Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.

But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.

And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

Luke 22:31-34

 

What would it take to knock you out of the race?

Would it be a violent, forceful shove from the enemy or would it be nothing more than a glance in your direction that you misinterpret and take offence to?

Scripture tells us that the enemy goes around like a roaring lion...

A lion preys upon the weak, the straggler, the vulnerable.

He stays away from the crowd.

Why make his job more difficult than it need be.

Those on the fringe become his easy targets.

Maybe an offense drove you to the fringe.

Maybe it was an activity that drew you out of regular fellowship.

Perhaps lukewarmness was the reason.

Whatever the cause; the edges of the fellowship, the fringe if you will, is not the place to be.

Did you ever hear the expression “There is safety in numbers.”

Why is that?

Because we can look out for one another.

We can set a watch and care for the weak, the lame, even sometimes the foolhardy.

“God sets the solitary in families...”

We think it only to because of loneliness but could it also be for protection?

If you are ‘on the fringes’ it is time to come back to the place of safety.

Don’t make yourself vulnerable to the enemy.

The Incomparable Christ

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

He is …

The exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation. (Colossians 1:15)

By Him….

All things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16)

He Himself…

Existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.] (Colossians 1:17)

He is also…

The head [the life-source and leader] of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will occupy the first place [He will stand supreme and be preeminent] in everything. (Colossians 1:18)

It pleased the Father…

For all the fullness [of deity—the sum total of His essence, all His perfection, powers, and attributes] to dwell [permanently] in Him (the Son).  (Colossians 1:19)

This same Incomparable Christ dwells within you.

Knowing that, is there anything you cannot do?  Is there any mountain too big?  Is there any need that He cannot meet?  Is there any void that He cannot fill?

So, what do you do with this Incomparable Christ that dwells within you?

Share Him by bringing good news to the afflicted; binding up the brokenhearted, and proclaiming liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners. (Isaiah 61:1)

Get Back Up

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:

Everyone should be quick to listen,

slow to speak and slow to become angry,”

James 1:19

In the verse above, James was writing to believers.

But maybe the three words “...everyone should be...” reveal just how well he understood the old nature at war within us.

What we should do is not always what we do.

Yes, even when we know better!

Listen to a fellow apostle’s words on this matter–

“For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” Romans 7:18-19

World War II was fought on many fronts.

The Allies did not win one battle and go home.

To win the war against our old nature means we will face on-going battles.

As long as we are in these ‘corruptible’ bodies we can expect resistance.

Have you lost a battle?

Don’t give up.

Confess, repent and get back up.

James lost some battles; so did Paul.

How do I know that?

Because they were human just like you and I.

But they didn’t allow those failures to define them.

When you have been quick to speak, slow to listen and quick to become angry seek God’s forgiveness, the forgiveness of any one you may have sinned against and forgive yourself.

Get back up stronger and wiser!

Click on the link below to take a lesson from this Toby Mac song:

https://youtu.be/MX5OqyBYKh4

Thank You

“Now, our God, we give you thanks,

    and praise your glorious name.”

I Chronicles 29:13

A day off from work and a perfect Spring day here in western New York.

That gave me the opportunity to get some yard work done.

As I was considering the tasks completed I was so grateful to the Lord.

Oh sure, there is still a long ‘to-do’ list and it would be easy to grumble about the length of that list but instead it can be an opportunity to express gratitude.

The mere fact that I have yard work means I have a yard.

I have green space to enjoy.

I took my laptop out to the deck to enjoy the evening as I write this post.

As I am sitting here I am enjoying the scent of the Lilac bush in full bloom and the Begonia’s that we just potted.

So what is the lesson from today?

Simply this, remember to thank God for all of His blessings.

They can easily be missed when we are not looking.

They can hardly be recognized when we are complaining.

They are abundant if our heart is set to see them.

I have a nephew named Andrew who had his tonsils out this week.

He was in a lot of pain today but in the midst of that he took the time to express his gratitude for the wonderful care of his grandparents.

There is a lesson there for all of us.

Open your heart...so that the blessing can be recognized.

Open your eyes...to see each one.

Open your mouth...to give thanks to God.

Be blessed today as you give thanks with a grateful heart!

Click on the link below to enjoy this video song of thanks:

https://youtu.be/Bk_7wUR2Wdg

“...We Might Have Hope.”

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us,

so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures

and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

Romans 15:4

Are you in need of a little hope today?

Can you use some encouragement?

Are you a student of the Word of God?

No, I am not asking if you are enrolled in a Bible College but do you spend time in His Word.

There are students of geology and archaeology, biology and physics but those who name the Name of Christ should be students of His Word.

If, according to His Word:

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

then they are worthy of honor and our attention.

Someone once said that those who never learn from history are condemned to repeat it.

Perhaps they took their inspiration from this verse in Romans.

His Word has value for our lives.

It offers us endurance, encouragement and hope.

So consider me a doctor today because I am prescribing for you a daily dose of the Word of God.

I am confident we can all use what it offers!

Up From the ‘Easy’ Chair

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

Galatians 5:13

Why would the Paul write the verse above to believers?

What is the connection between indulging the flesh and serving one another humbly in love?

The ‘connection’ is that one excludes the other.

If all I want to do is indulge my flesh

(because, after all, Christ has made me free)

then little else matters to me, especially serving someone else.

We can easily think of a million other things we would rather be doing than serving.

Sometimes it is easier to write a check or send a donation than to go and do.

Serving calls me out of my easy chair, my comfy couch, to someplace I will be stretched in my faith.

Serving might demand I be around people who make me uncomfortable.

 We want the emphasis to be on the freedom we have in Christ.

Paul reinforces that we do have wonderful freedom because of the price Christ paid for us but then places the emphasis squarely on serving one another in love.

And oh, by the way, serve in humility!

We love freedom – it says I am no longer bound.

Paul challenges us to be bound in loving service to one another.

No, not in the sense that we must do it to earn our way into heaven but rather we are compelled by Christ’s love to serve one another just as He said:

“...But I am among you as one who serves.”

Luke 22:27b

When Jesus washed the disciple’s feet as recorded in John 13, He rose from the table.

He had to get up from reclining to serve them by washing their feet.

He had to leave the comfort of the meal table and serve.

He should have been the one served, yet He was teaching by doing.

Today, what service is calling you away from your leisure?

Will you continue to recline or will you respond to the call?

The Ultimate Thirst Quencher

Today’s blog post is contriuted by David Trotta:

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

Jesus isn’t talking about physical water that temporarily satisfies our physical bodies, but the spiritual water that nourishes our thirsty hearts.

Your heart was designed to be a container.  It is meant to be filled.  Something will rush in to occupy the void if it isn’t intentionally filled.  If you sit passively by and don’t daily choose to fill it with God’s love and presence, then a long list of worldly things stand poised at the door of your heart to fill that void.

The only problem, those worldly passions and lusts will never fill the void.  They will just leave you unsatisfied and thirsting for more.  It’s the old bait and switch trick.  They have the outer appearance of quenching your thirst, only to leave you unfulfilled.

But God’s love will not only satisfy your thirst for God, but it will also spill over onto those people you come in contact with.  God’s love isn’t just a trickle, it’s a spring continually flowing, bubbling within you.

So this day, surrender your heart to the things of God and choose to drink deeply at the well of Jesus.  Choose to make knowing Him your passion and pursuit above all else.  Fill your heart with things that strengthen your relationship with Him, not detract from it.

Let Him quench your thirsty heart.

A Question of Capacity

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13

You’ve seen them.

Maximum occupancy: 100

Load limit: 1,000 pounds

Bridge Clearance: 11 feet 8 inches

They are signs that address capacity.

They are meant to advise you concerning limiting the safe number of people in a room, payload of a pickup or the safe clearance under a bridge.

Do you know your heart has a capacity too?

We can fill our heart to overflowing with so many things.

The ‘overflow’(what the bible calls the ‘abundance’) of our heart can be very, very revealing!

Just as an egg dipped in food coloring at Easter time cannot hide where it’s been ‘hanging out’ out hearts reveal much about our passions and where we have been spending our time.

Two disciples spent some extended time with Jesus on the road to Emmaus.

This is what they had to say:

"Didn't our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?"

Luke 24:32 NLT

It was as if their hearts were on fire just by spending time with Jesus as He brought revelation to them.

Imagine what He desires to pour into your heart as you spend time with Him.

Imagine too, how the ‘overflow’ of that can bless others.

Does your heart overflow with His presence or is the capacity of your heart already taken up with less important things (and everything else is less important!).

Don’t major in the minors.

Let your heart be filled to overflowing with His love.

You (and others) will never be the same!

Are You a Guard?

Every day we make choices about what we will fill our hearts with.

Yes, we make those choices. They are not made for us.

You see, we cannot blame others for what makes its way into our hearts.

No wonder scripture tells us:

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Proverbs 4:23

This is not simply good advice from a kindly uncle, it is the command given to us by the Creator of our hearts.

He knows what we can allow in and then, in turn, what would come from the fruit of that.

A guard is someone who is very aware of their surrounding and is charged with protecting the safety of property and people.

In guarding our hearts we need to be aware of what is ‘absorbed’ by it – as we spoke of previously.

Is it filled with the love of God or does it absorb the suspicion, fear and cultural norms of the world around it?

We are told to love our neighbor but we are not charged with guarding their heart any more than they are charged with guarding ours.

It is a choice, a decision we each personally make hundreds of times a day.

What will you allow in?

What will fill your heart?

“...Love the Lord your God with all your heart...”

Matthew 22:37

Stone to Flesh

If you placed a sponge and a rock into a bucket of water which would absorb more of the water?

Of course it would be the porous sponge.

Our hearts can be porous like a sponge or hardened like the rock.

As we come to God in repentance He cleanses our heart.

As we live our live in a way that makes us sensitive to the Holy Spirit and aware of our need to repent when we sin we maintain that porous heart.

The man or woman who has allowed their heart to be hardened by sin never sees or acknowledges the need to repent.  

The porous heart has the ability to receive the love of God.

The stony and hardened heart has no such ability apart from a touch from God.

The hardened heart is filled only with self.

Have you found yourself hardened to sin in some area and closing off part of your heart to God?

King David had.

He had sinned with Bathsheba and cried out to God in Psalm 51 –

Have mercy on me, O God,

    according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

    blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

    and cleanse me from my sin...

... Create in me a pure heart, O God,

    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

    or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

If that is you today you can come to God in repentance and through the finished work of Jesus Christ we know we are forgiven.

He will turn the stone to flesh once again in your life.

Absorb

Absorb: to take in (something, such as a liquid) in a natural or gradual way.

What does your heart absorb?

What is it taking in spiritually?

There is really only one thing that matters -

Gods’ love!

Everything else is clutter and distraction.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with

all your soul and with all your strength.”

Deuteronomy 6:5

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”

Psalm 139:23

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:21

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Romans 5:5

“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”

II Thessalonians 3:5

Sky’s the Limit

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

I’ve heard courage defined as “moving forward without knowing the outcome.”

Not knowing the outcome can be scary.  But, here’s the good news!  We may not know what lies ahead, but God does and He promised to be with us every step of the way.

It may be a new job you are walking into or a new ministry you are starting.  Or, it may be God stretching you by asking you to use your gifts in different way that takes you out of your comfort zone.

Courage doesn’t come natural.  It’s something we develop through repeatedly ignoring the unknown in front of us and trusting God with the outcome.

I truly believe we would be shocked if we could peer into the future and see the potential our lives hold when joined to God.  But instead, we often only see the potential for failure rather than potential for victory and we become paralyzed in the process.

You will find that even though you can’t see what lies ahead, God is already there waiting for you in the situation you are stepping into.  He has already prepared the way.  He is just waiting for you to be courageous and take the step He is calling you to take.

If you make being courageous a regular occurrence in your life, the sky is the limit on where God will take you.

“Yes, Lord!”

Today's blog post is contributed by Denise Friedman:

Yesterday we considered God’s invitations to be part of His general will for our lives. How can saying “Yes, Lord” to such a general call open doors for God’s specific will in your life? Today, I would like to share a personal example from my journey with you. 

Years ago, I participated in a great mission project, Operation Christmas Child.  For those unfamiliar with this ministry, shoeboxes are packed with gifts and sent to children in poverty stricken, famine and disease stricken, war-torn countries.  This was a great humanitarian project, I thought.  Every year, I have become more involved with this ministry, becoming the project leader at our church, joining the year round volunteer team, leading a group to a processing center in Maryland, and most recently leading our local prayer mobilization team. 

While this is certainly a great humanitarian project, I have come to discover this is an amazing evangelism ministry.  Children are presented the opportunity to learn about Jesus as they are given these gifts.  Millions of lives have been changed through a simple shoe box gift, especially mine.

As I started to step into God’s general will of caring for the poor, God began to speak to me of his specific will for my life.  Each step involved more responsibility with this ministry team as I said yes to God’s will for my life. As I am faithful with what he has asked me to do, God reveals more and more of His specific plan for my life.  He will do this for you as well!

Did you accept His invitation yesterday?  Your party is about to begin!

God – what do you want from me?

Today's blog post is contributed by Denise Friedman:

How many times have you asked God, “What is your will for my life?”  You are not alone.  Oftentimes, we ponder this very question.

But before we wait for the Lord to answer this question, there are some questions we need to be asking ourselves.  When was the last time I …

1.       Fed the hungry?

2.       Clothed the naked?

3.       Cared for the sick?

4.       Visited those in prison?

Hmmm, maybe it’s been a while since you did any of these things.  Perhaps you have never done any of these things.  These items are God’s general will for each of us. 

We don’t need to wait for a command to feed the hungry.  As Christ followers, we should be doing this automatically.  We don’t have to search far to find food pantry in need of shelves to be stocked, or volunteers to help hand out food.  We don’t have to search far to find those in need of clothing.  Take a look at the streets of Rochester, or the hallways in your local school, in the winter, and you will surely see individuals without a coat, hat, gloves, or a scarf.  We don’t have to search far to find a hospital or nursing home, with sick people in need of care. Chances are a neighbor on your street is sick and needs care.  We don’t have to search far to find prisoners in need of someone to visit them. I think you understand…

Each of these is an example of following God’s general will for our lives.  As soon as you begin to do this, you will soon learn of God’s specific will for your life.  I challenge you today to select one of those four invitations and say “Yes!”

“...From Now On...”

“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

II Corinthians 5:16-22

  

Read slowly and deliberately through the passage above.

As you do, consider carefully what our attitude toward the world ought to be.

We are not called to judge and condemn but to bring others to Christ through the ministry of reconciliation.

How easy and how tempting it is to step away from that role to tell others what miserable sinners they are.

If we do this we are forgetting ourselves the grace of God given in our own lives.

We begin to believe the lie that somehow we are now where we are because of our own goodness and our own behavior.

That is a dangerous place to be.

Remember that the Good News of John 3:16 is followed by more Good News in John 3:17:

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

The message and the ministry we carry is one of salvation and not condemnation; one of hope and not despair, one of mercy and not judgment.

Let that ‘triple play’ of salvation, hope and mercy make the difference in someone’s life today as you minister in reconciliation and not judgment!

He Has Told Us...

“But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.”

I Thessalonians 3:6

What news do you carry?

I am not talking about the Gospel per se’ but in a broader sense when you have the opportunity to speak of others do you speak well of them or search until you can find and broadcast their faults?

We have each been offered the opportunity, from time to time, to choose how we will handle just such a situation.

Do I build others up and encourage them as I speak of them to others or do I tear down and amplify in them the things I would want least pointed out in my own life?

“...Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love...”

Do you suppose Timothy could have brought a less than stellar report to Paul?

Of course he could have.

We all struggle and we all have issues that others can exploit.

But, we can choose to build others up and recognize the good things God is doing in their lives.

This is what Timothy did.

Perhaps you know someone today that is really struggling in an area of their life.

Instead of pointing out the obvious to them, ask God to show you something in them that you can speak encouragement too.

Bless their successes and don’t be so quick to announce their failures.

You would want no less.

God is speaking. Are you listening?

Today’s blog is contributed by David Trotta:

The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me. (John 10:27)

My pastor has a saying he often quotes – “If God isn’t speaking, then we aren’t listening.”  In other words, God is always speaking, and if we don’t hear Him, then it’s because we aren’t paying attention.

God loves to speak.  The bible continually tells us about a speaking God.  He spoke creation into being.  His Holy Spirit was sent to counsel us and teach us all things (John 14:26).  His only begotten son was also called “the Word” made flesh (John 1:14)

Sometimes we think a silent heaven is because God isn’t speaking.  While that sometimes is true (God can withhold answers to prayer for a greater purpose), many times God is speaking, but we are too busy or preoccupied to stop and listen.

God can speak in many ways, but all of them require us to quiet our hearts and minds so that we can hear.

Growing up there was a father on my street who would stand at his front door and let out this barely audible whistle letting his sons know it was time for dinner.  The whistle was faint, but His sons could always hear it.  Why?  First, they learned to recognize the whistle above all other noises, and second, they never wandered too far away so they were sure not to miss it.

God is always speaking, but we have to always position ourselves physically and spiritually to hear Him.

A.W. Tozer summed it up beautifully in his book The Pursuit of God when he prayed “Lord, teach me to listen.  The times are noisy and my ears are weary from the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them.  Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to Thee, ‘Speak, for thy servant heareth.’ Let me hear Thee speaking in my heart.  Let me get used to the sound of Thy Voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of the earth die away and the only sound will be the music of Thy Speaking Voice.”

What Are You Waiting For?

“though he may stumble, he will not fall,

for the LORD upholds him with his hand.”

Psalm 37:24

It’s too late!

That is a lie the enemy keeps in his arsenal and pulls out regularly.

Who is his target?

Those who may have, in their own opinion, fallen down one too many times.

Don’t let him get you in his crosshairs with that untruth.

As we were reminded this past Sunday, God is indeed the God of the second chance.

The power of His grace and His redemptive work reaches out to you the second and third and fourth...and ten thousandth time.

God doesn’t rejoice when you fail.

He rejoices when you return.

Remember the story of the Prodigal Son?

Have you stumbled, have you walked away, have you turned your back on God?

He is ready, with open arms, to receive you back.

Maybe you’ve been slow in exercising the gifts or stepping into the calling He has placed on your life?

You are not at a place where you cannot commit to getting back in the race and taking up the mantle prepared for you.

God is for you, He delights in your return or in your renewed commitment.

What are you waiting for?

Praying the words of this Toby Mac song encourage you to Get Back Up!

https://youtu.be/MX5OqyBYKh4

We Need Each Other

“For the body is not one member, but many.”

I Corinthians 12:14

 

We need each other.

I know it seems like a pretty obvious statement but one worth remembering.

It wasn’t long after God created man that He declared:

“It is not good for the man to be alone.”

This was not spoken as some admission on God’s part that His creation was less than perfect but rather a declaration to each of us of our need for one another.

Husbands and wives, families and the church; we are not meant to be alone.

We need each other.

Paul compares the church to a human body and as each part of the body has a different function, so too each of us have a different function.

Not more or less important but each part is necessary to function as God intended it.

Simply stated that means if we, the church, are to be all that God intends us to be then I need you and you need me.

Again, don’t let the simplicity of that message cause you to miss its’ importance.

You are vital, essential to the work of God in the local church.

“Who, little old me?”

Yes!

It is the work of the enemy to minimize the value of any member of the Body of Christ.

Each one has value and each one has purpose.

That includes you!

Hitting the Wall

“It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

I Corinthians 13:7

Have you ever experienced ‘the wall’?

Maybe you were praying or worshipping and it just didn’t seem to be making a difference.

Beyond that it seemed there was real resistance to your prayers and worship.

Maybe you are a Pastor or worship leader and you have experienced the same thing.

It is as if there was a wall that your worship, your prayers, your preaching just is not getting past.

What do you do?

You press on!

Maybe the Holy Spirit will reveal what the wall is but maybe He won’t.

We were encouraged this past week by Kristi as she as our worship leader faced just such a wall.

As she called out to God for an answer, He encouraged her to declare the promises over her life as well as those of the worship team and the body of Christ at His Place. Much took place as she obeyed and ground was taken for the Kingdom.

As I thought about all that she shared I was reminded of the series on love we are in the midst of.

One person loved those at His Place enough to push through in prayer for the rest of us. She loved the Lord enough to be obedient as directed her actions so that ground might be taken.

I saw the word wall as an acronym:

We

Are

Living

Love

As we both individually and corporately live love through moments like our worship leader experienced last week we will see more and more ground taken for the Kingdom of God.

When we care enough (translated love!) for ourselves and others that we press through in prayer to see the victory, those walls will come tumbling down!

(Note: It is not always easy to succinctly capture my thoughts and experiences in a daily blog, let alone those of someone else to readers near and far but there are some important lessons that can be learned from what was shared so I have attempted to express but one small aspect of what I believe God was doing through it for all of us at His Place.)