"Aren’t most ministers supposed to of ALWAYS been Godly? I mean even growing up as a child?"
This question was asked by a friend of mine in one of his notes. After replying to him, I felt that the question and the answer to it were both valid and should be shared with each of you...
(My reply by God's Wisdom)
Absolutely not! Ever read Hebrews 11? It's often called the "Hall of Faith" or "Heroes of Faith" chapter. In it you'll find some of Christianity's greatest men and women! But look closer and study the people listed there... You'll find they include prostitutes, adulterers, murderers, outcasts, liars, thieves....the scum of the earth! And check out Matthew 1 and Luke 3:23-38 for the ancestry of Jesus! The same kinds of people are listed there as well! Don't you see?
We don't live by the world's standards anymore; Jesus changed all of that! :) Our worthiness and our usefulness is not measured by our endeavors to be great or our ability to be king of the hill... He died for us while we were still sinners!? He gave it all for us; his enemies... We are worthy because He has made us worthy with His blood; He spent His life to give us ours! We ALL fall short; ALL OF US. I struggle daily in my fight between flesh and spirit! Paul himself cried out to God to pull the "thorn" from his flesh three times! You know what God said? "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Look, we need our weaknesses to leave room for God's power to be made known in our lives. You are trying to earn your calling by asking Him to rid you of your faults, but guess what? You can't earn it! Your calling and your mission here on earth is NOT YOUR OWN!
You CANNOT do it without God and God is not going to make you perfect until we are all made perfect together in Heaven. So that means that you MUST rely on God to be your strength where you are weak. His grace is sufficient. Paul went on to say, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in my weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
And another thing; don't put so much pressure on yourself regarding your ministry and how and when and what-not. Your ministry has already begun! It began the day God reconciled you to Himself. Your "calling", (be it Youth Ministry, Pastoral, Missionary, Teacher or whatever), is only a small part of your purpose here on earth; God is painting a MUCH larger picture! Every choice you make, every road you take, every relationship you build; your whole life is your ministry and God has purposed you to be here! :)
So take a load off, and rest in the Power of God. Live life in the moments and stop worrying about what's to come and how your going to get there. Just trust in God and He will see you through to His Glorious conclusion! :)
"Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
~Isaiah 40:28-31
Grace and Peace to you all!
~Cameron :)
Friday, February 22, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Master... Savior... Friend???
This past weekend I visited an old friend of mine. (I say "old friend" because we have an eight year gap in our friendship due to him having to move away when we were young.) As we were hanging out, my friend said to me, "I'm your bestest friend, aren't I Cameron?"
The answer to that question wasn't easy for me. You see, we have nothing in common but our past now... We have taken two very different paths in life. I couldn't say yes to him, but I did make sure that he knew we would always be friends and nothing would change that. Needless to say, all of that talk about friendship got me wondering...
Who is my best friend?
To find the answer to that question, I first needed to know what makes a friend a friend! Hahaha! :)
"A friend loves at all times" ~ Proverbs 17:17a
Sound familiar? :) So if a friend loves at all times, what does that look like? Well, lucky for me, I once wrote a poem to help me remember what that looks like! :D
Love ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, Love is kind,
Love does not boast, Love has no pride,
Love never blames, Love never dies,
Love always hopes, Love always tries,
Love's in your actions and your eyes,
For this one thing Christ Jesus died!
So basically, my best friend would be someone who is the best at doing all these things AND doing them unconditionally and at all times! Whoa! Talk about a large shoe to fill!! And yet, there IS someone to fill it! :D
Jesus is my best friend! He IS Love and noone else can ever take His place in my life! :D
But that leaves me with another question: If Jesus is my best friend by His Mercy and Grace and not by any thing that I have done, then what am I supposed to do?
Jesus says,
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." ~John 15:12
Wow! How awesome is that! We are called to love each other as Jesus loves us! What an opportunity! And what an even greater responsibility!! :)
So the way I see it is like this:
You can only have one BEST friend, but you can strive to be a best friend to all! :)
The answer to that question wasn't easy for me. You see, we have nothing in common but our past now... We have taken two very different paths in life. I couldn't say yes to him, but I did make sure that he knew we would always be friends and nothing would change that. Needless to say, all of that talk about friendship got me wondering...
Who is my best friend?
To find the answer to that question, I first needed to know what makes a friend a friend! Hahaha! :)
"A friend loves at all times" ~ Proverbs 17:17a
Sound familiar? :) So if a friend loves at all times, what does that look like? Well, lucky for me, I once wrote a poem to help me remember what that looks like! :D
Love ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, Love is kind,
Love does not boast, Love has no pride,
Love never blames, Love never dies,
Love always hopes, Love always tries,
Love's in your actions and your eyes,
For this one thing Christ Jesus died!
So basically, my best friend would be someone who is the best at doing all these things AND doing them unconditionally and at all times! Whoa! Talk about a large shoe to fill!! And yet, there IS someone to fill it! :D
Jesus is my best friend! He IS Love and noone else can ever take His place in my life! :D
But that leaves me with another question: If Jesus is my best friend by His Mercy and Grace and not by any thing that I have done, then what am I supposed to do?
Jesus says,
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." ~John 15:12
Wow! How awesome is that! We are called to love each other as Jesus loves us! What an opportunity! And what an even greater responsibility!! :)
So the way I see it is like this:
You can only have one BEST friend, but you can strive to be a best friend to all! :)
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Roots
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a firm tree in the path of a strong wind...
Now, picture a weak tree in the path of that same strong wind...
What was the major difference between your two imagined trees?
In my imagination, the firm tree has BIG roots going DEEP into the ground and the weak tree has small roots scattered shallowly in the soil. Keep this analogy in mind as you read this mesage...
It's useless for me to urge you to read your bible again and again unless you realize the importance of it. Reading your bible should never be or become a legalistic check on a list of things to do. It's more than a book to be read; it is a life to be learned. The Bible is a letter of Love and Instruction from God to us, revealing His AMAZING nature! He wants us to know about Him and His Love for us! He wants to teach us how to live life to the fullest with no regrets! Maybe you've been trying to live for Him, but find that you get blown over by every strong wind that comes your way? Then may I suggest doing what I must do daily: Check your roots.
Where are your roots?
~ What kinds of music are you listening to? What kinds of movies are you watching? What kinds of influences are you hanging out with? Whatever the answers to these questions are, these are where your roots are. But locating where your roots are is not the hard part; planting them where they need to go is.
The first time I did a root check, I quickly realized that the media I was reading, watching and listening to and the people I was spending my time with were pulling me away from God's Will for my life... Now I must make a choice each day to place my roots in God, Scripture, uplifting friends and clean media OR be blown away by each breath of the Enemy.
How deep are your roots?
~ This one is pretty self-explanatory; how deep are you digging into the things of God? You can't expect to be strong during trials if you are merely scratching the surface. Whether your roots are deep or shallow, the wind is going to blow; Will you be ready for it?
I pray that each of you will begin examining your lives and looking for good soil to plant yourselves in as you continue to follow Jesus. May these verses be a strength and comfort to you as you stand against the winds of this world...
"He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not faint."
~Isaiah 40:29-31
~Cameron
Now, picture a weak tree in the path of that same strong wind...
What was the major difference between your two imagined trees?
In my imagination, the firm tree has BIG roots going DEEP into the ground and the weak tree has small roots scattered shallowly in the soil. Keep this analogy in mind as you read this mesage...
It's useless for me to urge you to read your bible again and again unless you realize the importance of it. Reading your bible should never be or become a legalistic check on a list of things to do. It's more than a book to be read; it is a life to be learned. The Bible is a letter of Love and Instruction from God to us, revealing His AMAZING nature! He wants us to know about Him and His Love for us! He wants to teach us how to live life to the fullest with no regrets! Maybe you've been trying to live for Him, but find that you get blown over by every strong wind that comes your way? Then may I suggest doing what I must do daily: Check your roots.
Where are your roots?
~ What kinds of music are you listening to? What kinds of movies are you watching? What kinds of influences are you hanging out with? Whatever the answers to these questions are, these are where your roots are. But locating where your roots are is not the hard part; planting them where they need to go is.
The first time I did a root check, I quickly realized that the media I was reading, watching and listening to and the people I was spending my time with were pulling me away from God's Will for my life... Now I must make a choice each day to place my roots in God, Scripture, uplifting friends and clean media OR be blown away by each breath of the Enemy.
How deep are your roots?
~ This one is pretty self-explanatory; how deep are you digging into the things of God? You can't expect to be strong during trials if you are merely scratching the surface. Whether your roots are deep or shallow, the wind is going to blow; Will you be ready for it?
I pray that each of you will begin examining your lives and looking for good soil to plant yourselves in as you continue to follow Jesus. May these verses be a strength and comfort to you as you stand against the winds of this world...
"He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not faint."
~Isaiah 40:29-31
~Cameron
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Why I Read The Bible...
I love to read books and stories of people who have done or are doing amazing things with their lives! (Even fictional ones lol) Perhaps one of my favorites is "The Hobbit", a story about how an ordinary little guy did big and extraordinary things! I also love reading books that encourage and build me up; reminding me that I am not alone in my struggles, or that I can do big things too! These books are great and each of them have taught me some important lessons in life, but none of them compare to the Bible....
The Bible is FILLED with so much that we can't even comprehend most of what is written in it! A single verse can teach us so many things about God that we get something new out of it each time we read it! Take one of my favorite verses for example:
"Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles
;they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
~Isaiah 40:30-31
Okay, so that's actually two verses! Hahaha! When I first read this verse, it was on a really cool portrait of an eagle in my Grandpa's house. I think I was more attracted to the eagle than to the verse at the time lol but I understood that it was saying that God would give me strength when I had none. As the years have passed, this verse has taught me so much about God and His love for me! Even though I make mistakes and fall victim to temptations of my past, God holds His hand out to me; He takes my weakness and gives me strength. And how about that whole eagle thing? Ever wonder why it was an eagle used for this verse and not, say, a hummingbird or a penguin? Well I sure did! And I found that eagles don't fly, they soar! (And there is a difference lol) When a bird flies, he is flapping his wings to lift himself into the air, but a bird that soars spreads its wings and relies on the wind to lift him. We too must learn to rely on God to lift us up; not ourselves. I could go on and tell you more of what I have learned from this verse alone, but I don't need to.
The Bible is our guidebook, our lamp, our instructions, our map. It tells us about the One who loves us so much He died for us!(John 3:16) It teaches us that we have purpose!(Ephesians 1:11) And check out what it teaches to us who have been saved through Him:
We are His children - Galatians 3:26
We are His friends - John 15:15
We are each a home of His Holy Spirit - 1 Corinthians 6:19
We are new people with new lives - 2 Corinthians 5:17
We are His work of art - Ephesians 2:10
We are forgiven - 1 John 1:9
We are like Him - Ephesians 4:24
We are alive - Ephesians 2:5
We are citizens of Heaven - Philippians 3:20
We are messengers - Acts 1:8
We are the salt of the earth - Matthew 5:13
We are a light to the world - Matthew 5:14
We are LOVED - Romans 5:8
What more can I say!? The Bible is AWESOME!! It truly is the Word of God!! And for you Shrek fans out there, the Bible even records a talking donkey!? (Numbers 22:21-41)
So don't be a penguin flapping awkwardly and getting nowhere! Be an eagle and soar on the wind of God's Word!! :)
~Cameron
The Bible is FILLED with so much that we can't even comprehend most of what is written in it! A single verse can teach us so many things about God that we get something new out of it each time we read it! Take one of my favorite verses for example:
"Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles
;they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
~Isaiah 40:30-31
Okay, so that's actually two verses! Hahaha! When I first read this verse, it was on a really cool portrait of an eagle in my Grandpa's house. I think I was more attracted to the eagle than to the verse at the time lol but I understood that it was saying that God would give me strength when I had none. As the years have passed, this verse has taught me so much about God and His love for me! Even though I make mistakes and fall victim to temptations of my past, God holds His hand out to me; He takes my weakness and gives me strength. And how about that whole eagle thing? Ever wonder why it was an eagle used for this verse and not, say, a hummingbird or a penguin? Well I sure did! And I found that eagles don't fly, they soar! (And there is a difference lol) When a bird flies, he is flapping his wings to lift himself into the air, but a bird that soars spreads its wings and relies on the wind to lift him. We too must learn to rely on God to lift us up; not ourselves. I could go on and tell you more of what I have learned from this verse alone, but I don't need to.
The Bible is our guidebook, our lamp, our instructions, our map. It tells us about the One who loves us so much He died for us!(John 3:16) It teaches us that we have purpose!(Ephesians 1:11) And check out what it teaches to us who have been saved through Him:
We are His children - Galatians 3:26
We are His friends - John 15:15
We are each a home of His Holy Spirit - 1 Corinthians 6:19
We are new people with new lives - 2 Corinthians 5:17
We are His work of art - Ephesians 2:10
We are forgiven - 1 John 1:9
We are like Him - Ephesians 4:24
We are alive - Ephesians 2:5
We are citizens of Heaven - Philippians 3:20
We are messengers - Acts 1:8
We are the salt of the earth - Matthew 5:13
We are a light to the world - Matthew 5:14
We are LOVED - Romans 5:8
What more can I say!? The Bible is AWESOME!! It truly is the Word of God!! And for you Shrek fans out there, the Bible even records a talking donkey!? (Numbers 22:21-41)
So don't be a penguin flapping awkwardly and getting nowhere! Be an eagle and soar on the wind of God's Word!! :)
~Cameron
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