More Than We Can Imagine.
By Rob | February 11, 2010
Monday night at rehearsal I shared about the Father’s love. I know we have all read the Prodigal son over and over, but do we really believe that our Heavenly Father really loves us that much? the Father’s love for us is truly more than we could ever imagine. God wants to exceed any expectation we have, He has amazing things in store for us. Joel Osteen recently said in a devotion that God will take you places that you’ve never dreamed and give you breaks that seemed impossible. When I think about those words many stories from the Bible come to mind. One in particular is the woman from the town Nain (Luke 7: 11-15) Jesus was going in the city gate and a funeral procession was coming out. this woman had a son and he had died, and besides that she was a widow. He was all she had. Jesus was touched with compassion and told the woman not to cry. He went to the coffin and touched it and told the dead man to “get up” the dead boy sat up and began to talk, and it says that Jesus “gave him back to the woman” What was once dead was alive and Jesus gave it back to her. We have all had things in our life die, dreams, relationships, you fill in the blank. But we have a God who is moved with compassion towards us. He really cares about everything. Contrary to what others say and maybe even what you have been taught God desires to bless you, To give you the desires of your heart.(as long as they are godly desires that measure up with his word.) God’s desire is to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond all you could ask, think, or imagine. Like the verse I shared in Isaiah 30:18 “But the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for him to help them.” He is waiting for us, to wait on Him for all of our needs, why? because he has abundant blessings he wants to give us. It is time that we really believe that the Father is waiting for us. No matter how many bad things you have done, or how far you may have strayed. The Father is watching and longing for you to come back to him, And when you do you are given sandles for your feet, A robe to cover your shame and sin, and a ring to show you that you are part of the family and you still belong. And waiting is a feast so a celebration can take place because you have come back to the family. choose to dream again, to have hopes and know that what ever you can imagine, God has more for you and me than we could ever imagine.
Selah (think about it)
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What Are YOU Waiting For
By Rob | December 15, 2009
It is hard to believe that 2009 is almost gone. I like the holiday season with all the excitement, the gift buying, the gift “getting”. With a 2 year old Grand child you have a chance to enjoy their excitement as well. As much as I enjoy the holidays i look forward to a new year. I don’t know but there is something about a new year that brings a fresh start. We get to wipe the slate clean and start all over, at least I do. You make plans for the new year, set goals, plan vacations, maybe even make a resolution. It is not just “wordly” things that we renew, I think the new year is a good time to look at our lives spirtually, Where are you with God? Are you happy with your relationship? or so you long for something more? Are you waiting for God to do something in your life? What are you believing for? I believe how we wait on God is as important as what we are waiting on Him for. Let me share some thoughts about waiting on God the right way that I recently cam across.
Our waiting on God should not be a passive thing. When you and I wait the right way we are on the look out. We begin to talk about what we are believing for is actually going to happen. We act like it is going to happen. we begin to make preperations for it to happen. We wait with expectation.
Let me share it in an illustration. It is like when you are expecting someone for dinner; you don’t wait until they show up to begin to get things ready and put the food on to cook. You start early. you make sure the house is clean, you go to the store to buy all the ingredients. you prepare because you are expecting someone. another way to look at it would be if you were expecting your first child. You paint the room, someone may throw you a baby shower, The clothes are washed, the hospital bag is packed. You may have even taken some child birth classes. You have been preparing for that day. That is the same attitude we need to have as we wait for God’s promises to come to pass. As you and I put actions behind our prayers, our faith comes alive and opens doors for God to move on our behalf.
So what are you waiting for? And how are you waiting?
Selah…
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Press On
By Rob | November 12, 2009
How many of you have ever tried to lose some weight? A few months ago I stepped on the scale and WOW!!! I thought I heard the scale say “only one at a time” all joking aside, I really needed to drop some pounds. (And I am still working on it) So in order to accomplish my goal I started working out, watching what I eat, Cut out the “extra” things. And to tell you the truth it is all good for the first couple of weeks, But now into 4 months it gets weary. I could decide to quit and be content with where I am at, or I can press on. If it was easy every one would do it. Working out, maintaining a healthy marriage, raising your kids, staying close to God. anything worth having takes commitment, hard work and when it gets tough it takes pressing on. In Philippians 3:14 Paul tells us that he is pressing on to win the prize to which God in Christ is calling us toward. I like the way it is said in The new living translation, let me share it with you.
Phil 3:12-14
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.
NLT
For me that makes it so clear. My paraphrase is. Hey I don’t say that I have it all together, But I am working on being everything Christ has in mind for me. I still mess up and make mistakes, But I am not going to focus on that, I am going to press on, and push through, to not quit when I feel like it so that in the end I will be all God has created me to be, and I will have all of His blessing that he has prepared just for me.
I know we all have difficult times and disappointments in life, that is just life. Let me encourage you no matter what you are trying to do, Maybe it is to lose some weight, to have a healthy fulfilling marriage, Maybe you need to be more consistent in your relationship with God, Press on don’t give up. There is an old saying “when the going gets tough the tough get going” so if things are tough, renew your mind and think about all God has done and brought you through. He will never leave you or forsake you. His plans are good, ones to prosper and bless your life. Press on, push through. Have the attitude of the woman with the issue of blood an push through the negative circumstances and “touch” Jesus. You will never be the same again! so once again I say Press on! Do not give up and do not give in. You will get your victory!
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What does our worship Cost?
By Rob | October 28, 2009
I want you to think about the question in the title. What does our worship cost? Or does it cost anything? Only you can answer that question. In 2 Samuel 24:24 King David said He would not offer burnt offerings unto the Lord that cost him nothing. Our worship is an offering unto the lord. So I ask the question again. What does our worship cost? May I offer a few suggestions? Does it cost some extra time to make sure we are prepared? Does it cost getting up a little earlier so we make it “on” time? Does it cost us an attitude adjustment when some songs we are singing are not ones that “we” like. Does it cost us not having a critical spirit when we are not the one “chosen” to sing the solo. For our worship to be effective it will cost us something. Check out the following devotion, I found it very good to help me ask myself the same questions I just asked you. What does worship cost me?
I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24).
Awhile back, a northern district in a particular church denomination had received a grant to help educate their people in worship. They worked with our organization in planning and hosting a worship seminar, but we also invited others from outside their denomination. Using the grant money, they extended scholarships to their district churches, based on the size of the congregation. One church was given six scholarships, another ten and still another received twelve, etc. It all seemed quite equitable. Nearly two hundred people were pre-registered for the seminar, about half that number were folks who had received the scholarships.
Unfortunately, the seminar was held in the middle of winter, and the night before there was a snowstorm, a big snowstorm. I watched the snow piling up outside my hotel window. Fluffy white flakes continued to fall from the sky on into the morning hours. As a result, travel became quite difficult. The snow had drifted across roads. Road clearing crews had difficulty keeping up with the storm.
The final result was that about half of the people who had pre-registered didn’t show up for the seminar. Interestingly, though, it was not the people from far away who didn’t make it. Actually, there were folks who drove more than an hour through snow-covered roads to attend. Predominantly, the ones who failed to attend were the ones who had no investment. People who lived within just a couple miles of the venue were not there. Why? Because they had received a scholarship to go but they had no real investment in attending.
King David said, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24). He recognized that if he had no investment, the sacrifice was meaningless.
Here’s the interesting part, though. David knew he needed to offer a sacrifice at a particular place: the threshing floor of Araunah. The owner offered to give David everything he needed to make the sacrifice. The oxen, the wood for the fire, even the piece of property were willingly offered to the king. If David had accepted, the sacrifice would have looked exactly like the sacrifice he finally ended up offering. In outward appearance there would have been no difference.
But David refused. He would not offer something to God that cost him nothing.
Perhaps David was on to something. Maybe the Lord isn’t interested in what our worship looks like on the surface. You see, when you and I gather together weekly with brothers and sisters in Christ, we can appear to be involved in actual worship. We can sing and smile, perhaps play our instrument and help lead the congregation. But is that it? Is it just an appearance? Or are we truly making the necessary investment into what we’re offering to the Lord? Are our hearts really engaged with Him as we “worship” or does it just look proper on the outside? Are we honestly allowing God to mold and shape us with His Word throughout the week, or do we just come on Sunday morning and go through the motions?
When life’s blizzards hit—and they will—if we have no investment, we will falter. Are you making an investment in your worship to the Lord?
Lord, we, too, don’t want to offer You something that doesn’t cost us anything. Cause us to be drawn to you repeatedly, that we might offer worship that doesn’t just look good on the surface, but truly comes from the treasures of our heart.
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Out Of the Pit
By Rob | October 20, 2009
Wow, It has been way to long since my last blog. We have had a busy late summer early fall. Jennifer and I thank God for the opportunity to lead this great team of worshippers. Every week you come prepared to give and minister to the body of VCF by leading our church into the presence of God. A lot of times it is a faith walk. We all go through tough and discouraging times. In this blog I want to share some thoughts from Joel Osteen about coming out of the pit. the word of god tells us that “He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on the solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.(Psalm 40:2 NLT) Enjoy the words from Joel!
Out of the Pit
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE“He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on the solid ground and steadied me as I walked along”
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and VictoriaDo you feel like you are in a pit today? That pit can be frustration or disappointment or a feeling of discouragement, despair, or hopelessness. And maybe you can’t see a way out, but you’ve got to know that God is still with you, and He will make a way where there seems to be no way. Remember, God will never waste anything you go through in life. If you’ll keep the right attitude, He’ll turn that situation around for your good. It doesn’t matter how you got there, whether it was by your own poor choices or maybe someone else treated you unfairly, God wants to use that situation to do a work in you. He’ll take that evil and turn it around for your good. You may be uncomfortable at times, but you’ve got to know you are growing, and God is building your character. Today, make the decision to shake off any negative, self-defeating mindsets. Choose to cooperate with God. Trust that He is preparing you for promotion. As you keep an attitude of faith, expectancy, and thanksgiving, He will lift you up and set you on the solid path of victory He has in store for you!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY“Father God, today I lift my eyes to You, for my help comes from You. Thank You for doing a work in my life. Thank You for using every situation in my life for my good. I bless You today no matter what is going on around me, knowing that You have a good plan for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.” |
If you like devotions like these you can go to www.JoelOsteen.com and sign up to get your daily devotion. this devotion was used by permission.
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Racall
By Rob | June 3, 2009
Hey guys!
Thanks for reading my blog. Recently I have been thinking about how hard we seem to make the things of God. All the questions, all the excuses of why we do what we do. All the reasons it seems “so hard”. It really is simple, Trust God with all of your heart and He said He would direct your ways. It’s all about trust. The hard part is that trust involves letting Him control our lives, and us not. I recently received an email called “Recall Notice” I thought it was pretty cool. Maybe you have already seen it, if not here it is. Remember living for God is not hard. Not living for yourself, now thats a topic for another time.
RECALL NOTICE:
The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart.
This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed “Sub-sequential Internal Non-Morality,” more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.
Symptoms include:
1. Loss of direction
2. Foul vocal emissions
3. Amnesia of origin
4. Lack of peace and joy
5. Selfish or violent behavior
6. Depression or confusion in the mental component
7. Fearfulness
8. Idolatry
9. Rebellion
The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect.
The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required. The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.
Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.
No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self-control
Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Believers’ Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.
WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded. For free emergency service, call on Jesus.
DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter the Kingdom so as to prevent contamination of that facility.
Thank you for your attention!
- GOD
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Giving in tough times
By Rob | May 28, 2009
Most people would agree that we are in some tough economic times. some time ago I read an article that talked about the importance of continuing to give (tithe) in tough economic times, allow me to share some of the key points with you.
In Deuteronomy 8:18 it says “Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” We need to remember it is God who gives us the ability to produce wealth, and God is not limited by the economy. The word tells us that All things are possible. I want to encourage you to read Malachi 3:10-12 what an awesome promise to tithers. I believe one of the hang ups we have some times in giving is God’s commands sometimes defy our human logic. Things like you get more if you give 10% away? How about the first shall be last and the last first? I don’t know how a lot of things work but I use them on a daily basis. I do not understand how all the electrical power I need comes into my house from wires that are connected to a power grid, But I turn my light switch on every day and it works. I do not understand the rotation of the earth, and all about gravity. But I live every day. I don’t understand all about the internet, but I seem to rely on it more and more. You see there are a lot of things we don’t understand, but we don’t question it. But when it comes to God we sometimes think we have to understand it all or we can’t do it. I know that my heavenly Father has good things for me, He has a plan and a future for me. And if He commands me to give 10% then it must be for my good. Here are 4 bullet points on Why it’s important to keep Tithing in Tough Economic Times.
1. God Tells us to:
In the word of God we are told to tithe. We as followers are to obey. Even if it doesn’t make sense to us, God is smarter than we are and His ways are higher than ours (Isa 55:8-9)
2. The Unchurched Need Our Help:
When you tithe it gives the Church the resources to reach out and help others. Your tithing gives the Church the finances and the ability to minister to our community and our world.
3. Thithing keeps you Focused on And Trusting God:
We have to remember that God is our source, not the world. When you tithe you receive tithers rights. (for more on this you can purchase a cd series by Dr. Barclay in our book store). We are told in gods word to Trust him with our whole heart, and he wouold direct our steps.)
4. Tough economic Times are Usually When You Need God’s Blessing the Most:
Tithing opens a flow of blessing from God, Therefore in tough times we need that flow of blessing to continue. Tithing keeps the channel of blessing open. Blessings come in many ways, not just financial, But in our health, in our relationships, and of course in our finances. Every promise of God’s is Yes and Amen, and God has promised to open a window of blessing that we can not contain, If we are obedient and give Him the tithe.
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Simplify
By Rob | February 12, 2009
I have one of those block word decorations on my desk, I actually have 2 of them one says “BELIEVE” the other says “SIMPLIFY” Easy to read but so hard to do. Sometimes we make our lives so complicated. We worry and fret over decisions we need to make. You know the daily things of life can wear on you. Money for this money for that, The kids need, Our spouse needs, we need. The list can go on and on. In God’s word we are told to ” Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything yo do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you.” Psalms 37:3-5 Then in Matthew 6:27 we are reminded “Can all of your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not.” It sounds so simple but to fully trust God with every detail of your life and put it in His hands? You mean I can not control it? Scary!! I wish I could say I have mastered that in my life. But I am working on it. Remember God has an awesome plan for all of our lives, More than we could ever hope for. Begin by trusting Him in small everyday things, and as your faith develops trust Him with more and more. After all can we add a single day to our life by worrying? Of course not.
Trusting In Him
Rob
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Our Ultimate Purpose
By Rob | November 20, 2008
Last Sunday I preached a message about Our Ultimate purpose. I think sometimes in the “Church” we get mixed up and confused as to why the Church is here and what we are supposed to be about doing. With all the “me” activities available (those that cater to my needs, my desires, what I like) it is easy to lose focus on the real purpose of the Church. In Acts 20:28 we read that we are to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood. It’s easy to complain about Church, and second guess why things are done. The bottom line is the Church belongs to God, He purchased it with His blood. We are stewards given responsibilities and ministries to do in the Church to help fulfill the Ultimate our Ultimate purpose. What is that purpose? To reach those that are far from God, Lost people. To show people that Jesus is not a way, rather He is The way, The truth, and The light. I Timothy 1:15 is tells us that Jesus came into the world to save sinners. All the blessings, prosperity, healing, All the promises of God have been given to us to help us fulfill our Ultimate purpose, to tell others about the life changing power of God and save sinners. Pray for those you love and pray that God would give you opportunity to share the love of Jesus this week. Fulfill your Ultimate purpose!!
In Him
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Live Like You Were Dyin
By Rob | September 19, 2008
A while ago while scanning the radio stations I came across a country song that caught my attention, probably because I could relate due to the fact the guy the song talked about was in his forties. The song talked about a guy that went to the doctor and received a bad report. It caused him to evaluate his life and do the things he always wanted to do. He went skydiving, rocky mountain climbing, and even rode a bull for 2.7 seconds. It also caused him to love deeper, and talk sweeter, and even forgive those he had not until now. Suddenly all the “things” he thought were important did not seem so important now. He became the husband he had never been. He became a friend that everyone would love to have. It even caused him to pick up the “good book” as he called it and really examine what life was all about. It caused him to value relationships with the ones he loved, you know the people we all take for granted. You know when it’s all said and done we really don’t spend a lot of time here on earth, but it seems we try so hard to impress people, and be a success in the “worlds” eye that the things that really matter and the people we really love get the short end. I doubt that if you were given 30 days to live if your job and the gathering of “things” would really matter. We would take time to build relationships, and probably “fix” some relationships that are broken. Paul kind of summed it up in Philippians 1:21 he said “For to me, to live is christ, and to die is gain.” That sounds crazy! How could can death ever be a gain? the only way death can ever be a gain is if we live our life now with the purpose of following and pleasing Christ. Let me challenge you to ask your self this question. If I was given 30 days to live how would I live? what would I live for? What would be important to me? What would I want to be remembered for? Got an answer? Now live every day like you would if you were “Living like you were dyin”
Living for Him
Rob
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