Musings on Hebrews 11...

So this month I have been going through Hebrews and today I was in Chapter 11. The Hall of Faith chapter. Here is a little excerpt from the chapter to give you a small taste,

 "11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, [1] they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

I don't know about you, but whenever I read this chapter, chills run down my back. The faith that these people had astounds me. I wonder, if I was in the same place as they were; if I was faced with the thought of being torn in two or renouncing my faith, would I be able to STAND?

I would hope so. I would hope that the love of Christ, and passion for my SAVIOR would so permeate my being that nothing could separate me from my JESUS! But what about you? Do you have the faith of a mustard seed? 

I think that America, for far too long has been slipping back into a coma of complacency. The body has neglected its commission in life to stand and be a LIGHT in this dark world. To stand for TRUTH!  There are many, many hurting people out there. People who desperately need the truth of the gospel to set them free. But they are not just in Africa or in Indonesia. They are in your own community. You pass them at the gas-station. Maybe they don't look like they are hurting, but inside they are on the brink of letting go. They have held back the pain and the hurt for so long that they can't even cope with life. THESE are the people that GOD has called us to help. THIS is where the faith of God's people is needed. 

God has called us to a life of faith. A life of single devotion to the one who has created us. The one who saved us. Do you have the faith that can move mountains? If not, ask God for it. And hold on tight, cause He will give it to you. Don't hold back, live your life in reckless abandon for HIM.
LETS GO SHAKE THEMOUNTAINS....

What is my calling?

The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet...

What is my purpose in life. What has God placed me on this earth for? What's up with all these weird talents that I have and how am I supposed to meld all of them together into some sort of lifestyle? I think this is one of the questions that Christians (especially younger ones) spend most of their lives trying to figure out. And if my experience is anything like most of you, ITS HARD! In fact looking back I spent so much time worrying if what I was doing was what God had planned for my life or if I was on a crash course with the edge of a cliff.....And the cliched "Pray about it" responses were not helping....I AM praying, but where is that {giant} pillar of fire, or that voice that shakes the ground, "Luke Sullivan you have been called to be a trash man." But it never came. {I'm kinda glad he didn't call me to be a trash man....}

But over the years, God has been changing my thinking on this. I finally came to this ground breaking discovery:  God wants you to do what you love. Wow, really God??? It might seem like such a simple thought to you, but to me it was life-changing. You see, my whole life I had lived under the assumption that there was ONE set strict plan that God had for your life. And if you weren't really tuned into to the divine calling channel and you somehow missed one of those divine answers, and picked the wrong college to go to, or ate the wrong flavor ice cream for July 4th that your life would be a failure. Ok, maybe failure is too strong a word, but in essence you would have missed out on what God wanted for you and he would be disappointed at you. And that's the last thing I want God to feel about me; disappointment...

So how did this new discovery change my perspective on life? Well let me use an example....
First off, I have never been a father before, so this is all speculation. And fathers, if I am totally off base let me know. But if I {were} a father, and I had a son, I would pour my life into him. I would want him to be the very best that he could be. And to be honest, when he was first born, I would have these awesome dreams of the man he would grow up to be. Well as he grew up, at the begging I would have quite a bit of rules, but as he matured I would pull back the control and let him make the decisions. Soon enough he would be a teenager and start his walk into independence, and he will have to start making decisions for himself. And although I would appreciate his asking me what to do on certain decisions, I would want him to make his own decisions. In essence, nothing would bring me more pleasure as a father than to finally see my son become a man and make his own decisions and be making the right choices. Now looking back, did he grow up to fulfill those dreams I first had for him? Probably not. Am I disappointed in him that he didn't grow up the way I wanted him to? Certainly not, he is an independent person who makes choices that make me proud to be his father......

Well in a sense, our heavenly Father treats us in the same way. Although he loves it when we turn to Him in prayer to ask what we should do, He also wants us to make our own choices. We are not robots. Choices are a part of life. And when we make the right choices in our lives and plot our course in order to bring ultimate glory to our Saviour in the forefront of out mind, then our Father could not be more proud of us.

So are you struggling in a career choice? Where should you go to school? What kind of pizza should you have tonight? Pray about it first. Then search the Scriptures. That is one of the biggest ways God will speak to us. But often the Scriptures doesn't tell us specifically whether to marry Mary or Jane. When you search the Scriptures and find that both sides of the issue are completely Biblical and in line with Scripture, then search your heart. Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? What are your passions, what drives you? And then GO FOR IT! No regrets don't look back. No second thoughts. Live your life with reckless abandon for the glory of your maker. Don't worry about whether or not it is the perfect plan for your life. Its the one your on right now, if its not where God wants you, He'll let you know. But remember, these aren't wasted times or experiences. They are a part of the grand drama we call life.

We have been called to be world changers, salt to the tasteless masses, light to the great darkness.

Now go and change the world. And maybe someday my grandson will read about your life in a book and he'll want to grow up to be just like you....who knows...

Snoopy

Some thoughts on life....

"In solitude we can listen to the voice of him who spoke to us before we could speak a word, who healed us before we could make any gesture to help, who set us free long before we could free others, and who loved us long before we could give love to anyone.... In solitude we discover that life is not a possession to be defended, but a gift to be shared." -- from Out of Solitude by Henri Nouwen