just a thought...

just a thought...or 2...or a few...

yoda: try not. do...or do not. there is no try.
luke: i don't, i don't believe it.
yoda: that is why u fail.

and a yoda paraphrase..."don't end your training...don't choose the quick and easy path"

there might be something to this :-)

"whatever presents itself for you to do, do it (with all your might)" (ecclesiastes 9:10).

to paraphrase Jesus..."so in everything, do...the easy path [ie: not doing] leads to destruction...do, ask, seek, knock...just do!!!" (matthew 7)

don't just try! do!

"what do you mean, 'if i can?'" Jesus asked. "anything is possible if a person believes" (mark 9:23).

so, just do it! (thanks, nike)

🎶 i'll tell you what He wants, what He really, really wants 🎶

romans 12:1 says this: "so here's what i want you to do, God helping you: take your everyday, ordinary life--and place it before God as an offering." it's worth noting that the writer, paul, begins this chapter in a way that suggests that he has given some instruction prior to his "so here's what i want you to do" statement. in chapter 11 of romans, paul describes God's mercy on Israel (His chosen people), a people prone to stumbling and falling and turning their backs on Him. God was relentless in His pursuit of them, so that He could show His free grace (His unmerited favour)...so that He could show that they didn't have to stumble and fall beyond recovery...so that He could show that His mercy is far reaching. paul makes clear that God's grace (getting what we don't deserve) and mercy (not getting what we do deserve) are now available to everyone, and he notes that "God's gifts and God's call under full warranty--never canceled, never rescinded" (11:29). they can never be withdrawn, so because of this, "here's what i want you to do..." (ps: this isn't to suggest that we can take the grace of God for granted, abusing it, like it's a license to sin...because we can't...that's not what God's grace is about...we can't abuse it, but we can take advantage of it 😀).

God wants our undivided attention in our every day lives because of the high price that was paid for our salvation. He wants our conscientious gratitude for what He has done, as He works to change us from the inside out so that the world recognizes Him in us by our loving, and serving, and helping, and reaching out, and playing second fiddle, and getting along with people, and being kind, and yes, even smiling 😀 God isn't asking for perfection; He wants our hurts, and our hang-ups, and our habits so that He can develop well-formed maturity in us...and the exciting thing is that as we give our ordinary selves to God daily, God will help us. He doesn't expect us to 'do life' on our own, or to 'be religious,' but He does expect that our relationship with Him will show, even in our everyday, ordinary lives...ESPECIALLY in our everyday, ordinary lives. In fact, romans 12 is pretty direct in telling us that God will give us transformative opportunities that will ultimately help us "not let evil conquer" us, but we will be empowered to "conquer evil by doing good" (12:21). i like what james 1:27 says about what matters to God for us in this life: "pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." God wants your religion to show in how you reach out to others, and in your relationship with Him. basically, let your little light shine in the darkness. that's what God wants.

i also like how the new king james version puts romans 12:1: "i beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." we, by the mercies of God, give our lives to Him and this is our reasonable service. it is the least we can do for all He has done. "embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him." the best way to worship God is to place our lives before Him for Him to use, and to not "copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you by changing the way you think. then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect" (12:1). that's what God wants.

your walk with God is a journey. sometimes there will be hills and valleys and obstacles and detours...and ALWAYS there will be opportunities and people for us to serve, teach, encourage, give, lead, show kindness to, to hate what is wrong and hold tightly to what is good. that's what God wants.

i like one biblical analogy which likens our walk with God as being on a ladder, and the old hymn comes to my mind "one day at a time," except in my head i hear "one [rung] at a time." and i think that's what this is all about as we live lives of sacrifice and dedication to God...one day, one rung, at a time.

give God your rungs and your days...everyday...and watch and see what He will do through you, and with you, and for you, and sometimes even in spite of you 😀 that's what He wants.

you're blessed!

the message bible titles the beatitudes passage found in matthew 5 like this: "you're blessed." i've copied and pasted the passage at the end for your easy access, because it is a great and hope-full passage to read to remind yourself that you're blessed...no matter what state you're in.

i would like to reiterate and expound upon a few points:

1) people committed to Jesus followed Him, which is relevant for us today. we need to follow Jesus in our everyday lives, just as if we were physically going out to the hillside with Him to hear what He had to say. today we can do this by being committed to a relationship with the Word of God. we can follow Jesus by following His Word. this won't always be easy, just like making the dusty, dry, trek out to the hillside and then being faced with a mountain to climb wasn't easy for His followers, but they were committed...they didn't take off to the beach :-) following Jesus takes effort, but the effort is well worth it because of the blessings in store. we need to hear what He has to say by following His Word.

2) Jesus wants the very best for us, hence His own commitment to apprentice His followers. since they were so committed to Jesus and His ministry, taking the time to follow Him, Jesus carefully selected an environment that would be conducive to teaching (after all, the beatitudes are the beginning of Jesus' longest recorded sermon, found in matthew 5-7). on this occasion, Jesus chose a quiet place where He could sit down and instruct, away from the distractions of the bustling galilean fishing village of capernaum, which was also a chief commercial and social centre of the area during Jesus' ministry. Jesus wanted to give His undivided attention to His followers so that they could hear some of His most central teachings. this meant getting away from commerce and socialization, and sometimes we will need to remove ourselves from those things as well, so that we can take advantage of the best that Jesus has for us.

the beatitudes outline a number of occasions or states that promise us blessing when we are in that particular place in our lives...different 'attitudes,' if you will. When you're in the 'attitude' of ________ (pick any one of the beatitudes: humble, sorrowful, patient, hungry & thirsty for God, merciful, honest, peaceful, persecuted, joyful), this is what will 'be:' ________(again, pick the corresponding beatitude: you'll have more of God, you'll be comforted, you'll inherit the earth, you'll be filled, you'll be shown mercy, you will see God, you will be called the children of God, you will attain the Kingdom of Heaven, you will have a great reward in Heaven).

i gave some thought to the first beatitude, that of being poor in spirit. when we empty ourselves of ourselves, it becomes about 'less of me and more of Him.' when realize we can't do it on our own, we actually gain more strength with that recognition. james 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." humility opens the door for grace, a demonstration God's unmerited favour and extravagant care, whereby we get what we don't deserve and don't get what we do deserve. in a world that seeks to subvert our attention from God with all the distractions of life, 2 peter 3:18 tells us that we can "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." when we get to the end of ourselves and the end of our rope, and our attitude shifts from wanting to do it all on our own, we have the promise that our humility will help us attain the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus wraps up the beatitudes by telling His followers that they are the salt of the earth (matthew 5:11-14). we can't live a watered down life where anything goes. rather, we need to basically start shaking off some of the salt to make those around us thirsty for what we've got. we need to "let [our] good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise [our] Heavenly Father," because it's all about Him. don't dilute the Word of God in your life or what God has done for you; share it, spread it, sprinkle it so that the world will also seek what preserves us...the grace of God "that has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. and we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. we should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God...He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very people, totally committed to doing good deeds" (titus 2:11-14).

as promised, here's the beatitudes passage:

1-2 when Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. this is what he said:

3 “you’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. with less of you there is more of God and his rule.

4 “you’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

5 “you’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. that’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

6 “you’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

7 “you’re blessed when you care. at the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

8 “you’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. then you can see God in the outside world.

9 “you’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. that’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

10 “you’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. the persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

11-12 “not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. what it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. you can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! and all heaven applauds. and know that you are in good company. my prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

be blessed!

we can't do it on our own

"God wants His people reinvigorated and restored in every way...but this is not possible without a bold move of the Holy Spirit." we need God's Holy Spirit at work in us, and working through us, and working for us. our deep spiritual needs require deliverance that the power of the Holy Spirit provides because the Holy Spirit offers such a deep connection to the raw power of God; we have to be willing to receive it (after all, it's a gift, according to acts 2:38), and we have to be willing to give ourselves to it. in turn, the Holy Spirit gives us power in our lives to live a life that recognizes sin before we yield to it...it gives us power to witness to our friends, family, coworkers, etc...it gives us power to be set free from the things that bind us...it gives us power to be stirred in our souls until we have nothing less than all that God has for us.

acts 1:8 says, "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. and you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere..." we need to take advantage of what Jesus did for us by going away: "i am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you" (john 16:7). the Holy Spirit at work in our lives gives us a fullness of power with God in the spiritual realm, and when we yield ourselves to it, God's power will certainly be unleashed on the earth.

the Holy Spirit will change us, and it will help us make changes in our lives, allowing us to show and spread God's love in a great way so that He ultimately gets the glory and the credit. it gives us confidence and a boldness to be His witnesses on earth, and if we question God's will in a situation, the Holy Spirit will give direction so that we pray God's will and not our own. our 'good' idea might not be a 'God' idea, so the Holy Spirit will provide direction in prayer...we can literally be "led by the Spirit" (romans 8:14).

On a final note, i felt God impress passages of galations 5 on me and i think it's relevant: "so Christ has made as free...we by the help of the Holy Spirit are counting on Christ's death to clear away our sins and to make us right with God...you have been given freedom: not freedom to do wrong, but freedom to love and serve each other. for the whole Law can be summed up in this one command: 'love others as you love yourself'...i advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit's instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do...when the Holy Spirit controls our lives He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control...let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives."

we can't do it on our own. we need to go in the strength and power of God's Holy Spirit. God, get within us in all fullness!