1 Peter 1:13-25  (The Message)

^13-16So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”

¹⁷You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living.

^18-21Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.

^22-25Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said,

The old life is a grass life,
its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers;
Grass dries up, flowers droop,
God’s Word goes on and on forever.
This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.

OK, seriously, go back again and really read it.  No really, do it.

That passage is packed with so much, that it’s hard to take in with just one reading.  I’ve been looking through it all day today, and I feel that it was no coincidence that I ran across that passage today.

For the past month, I feel that I have been really seeking out what God wanted for me, or trying at least.  And I really felt like I was walking in what God had in store for me.  I had been praying about what it was he wanted, and asked him to adjust my heart accordingly. Yet what I was really doing was convincing myself that it was what God wanted. I was so sure of it and really believed it…because I had prayed about it, and hadn’t seen any red flags yet. I thought I was good…I was doing the right thing.  BUT, (we all know there is always a BUT) I quickly realized when things didn’t go the way I expected, that maybe it wasn’t what he really wanted.  It had been something that I had wanted, and in my mind had twisted things to make it seem like yeah, this is what God wants too.  Yes I had prayed about it, but I had not paused, or waited to hear what God’s response was.

So lately, I have been “lazily slipping” because that desire in my heart that I was strongly pursuing God about, while also twisting it to where it seemed right, isn’t there anymore.  Things didn’t work out the way I wanted to…funny how God let’s that happen.  It’s like “OK God, that situation really didn’t work out like I wanted it to, but I’m OK, I’m over it now.  But also, since there’s not much that I really am wanting in life right now, can you step aside?  I’ll let you know when something comes up and I need you again.”  WHAT THE HECK??!!  Even though that is not what I have said, that is how I have been acting.

God doesn’t allow us to get by with this “sloppy living.”  Sometimes we are so ignorant because like it says, “you know what to do.”  And we do know what to do, but we are so hard-headed sometimes that we don’t do it. We just need to get off our lazy butts and do the dang thing.  Of course we want to be pursuing what God wants in our lives, but we need to be pursuing it constantly. Daily begging him to show us.  Even in times where we have no idea how God want to use us in the present time in our lives.  We must surrender to his calling daily, and beg him to show us our next steps.  Our lives “are a journey and we must travel with a deep consciousness of God.”  God did so much for you and for me to even be able to pursue him like we can.  He did so much to get us out of that “dead-end, empty-headed life.  Paid with Christ’s SACRED BLOOD!”  Better yet, he always knew he would do this for us.  Yeah, he loves us that much, and wants to have a relationship with us that bad! DANG!!

So, I challenge you to examine the situations in your life.  Make sure the situations you are dealing with have been offered over to God.  But make sure that you are not doing it out of selfish ambition to get what you want.  Pursue God through everything, even if you feel like you are standing in a wide open field.  He is there, and waiting for you to ask him to do work in your life.

This Wednesday is starting out to be one of the best though. For one, its April Fools Day…always lots of fun, two I only had to go to my computer science lab for about 10 minutes, three I got to catch up with one of my good guy friends, and we had a good and encouraging talk, and four for some reason I am much more excited about FUSE* tonight. I really think God has something big in store for tonight — oh and guess what…BCooP is talking about the calling on your life. That’s not at all what God is speaking to me about…no not at all. (I’m being sarcastic) So I guess that’s why I’m so excited to go.

Lately, God has really gotten me excited about life. But the irony is…right now I don’t know exactly what I’m supposed to be doing with my life. You would think I would be a lot more distressed about my life possibly being turned upside down, but God has gotten me excited for what he has to show me. It’s almost like waiting for Christmas or your birthday, you know it’s going to be good so you get excited and anxious the closer and closer it gets. The only difference is there’s no set date or holiday that God shows up to give your your destiny…it’s all in his timing. Everything. So, it’s not a coincidence that God has also been teaching me about his timing. He has been preparing me for the things He is showing me now.

God’s timing is perfect. Sometimes it is hard to understand how perfect it is because we can only see a fraction of any situation. God is all knowing – all seeing. Sometimes we need a friendly reminder that we don’t know everything,  and we don’t have all the answers. To further our understanding of God’s timing, we have to trust Him and trust that He sees the big picture and knows the right path at the right time for our life.

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; TRUST in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” Psalm 37:4-7

So right now I am having to trust God and his timing. He is revealing things to me, but only parts and pieces. One thing I believe is that during a time like this, when you know God is making changes in your life, you need to be seeking His face and praising Him for the things He is doing. I have been focusing on letting God know that whatever He has in store for my life I am ready for it, and I am willing to do whatever it is. As hard as that is to admit, I know it will be rewarding. I want the act of denying myself to become easier and easier to do, so that God can use my life to its fullest potential.

“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:4-5

It’s a beginning. I have had many beginnings in my life, especially in the past year. Moving to college has been such a growing experience for me. I have grown so much. Many times I look back to see how far I have come, and all I can do is thank God for where he has brought me.  I have gotten involved in so much and have met some pretty incredible people. People that have become lifelong friends.

As we all know, beginnings so many times come to an end, and as this school year is coming to an end I am starting to reflect, and God is exposing things to me through him.  Things that are blowing me away.

One of the greatest things that has happened to me this year is finding NewSpring Church and getting involved. I went through the membership class and joined the church earlier this year. I finally feel that I have found a place that I love, somewhere I have chosen on my own.  I have started volunteering with the youth group, and it has been nothing but a blessing to me.  I lead a small group of 8th grade guys with a guy named Andrew Sentell who actually works for NewSpring. Andrew is an awesome guy and someone I look up to. Going and hanging out with my boys on Wednesdays is the highlight of my week.

Through all of these beginnings, God has had me thinking…what is my purpose in life? Am I following His purpose or just what I want to accomplish? Throughout high school, I always knew when I went to college I wanted to find somekind of major so I would have a job that paid very well…even saying that now I sound so shallow. For so long I have been getting caught up in the things of this world.

So yesterday, (Monday), I went with Andrew to Lakeside Middle to have lunch with some of our small group boys. We had an awesome time, and the guys were really happy we were there. God began tapping me on the shoulder saying “see the smiles you are putting on their faces? THIS is what will fulfill your life!” I heard what God was saying, but I was confused because I didn’t know whether He was just affirming what I was doing with my small group, or whether He was trying to tell me something more…something bigger.

Then, last night I started to do my Bible study for Pine Cove, the camp I am working at this summer.  It’s entitled ARNEOMAI – which in Greek means to deny. The key verse is:

“Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.’” Luke 9:23-24

To be honest, I haven’t been denying myself at all.  That has been the problem. So many times we get so wrapped up in the things of the world, when this life is not even about us! In the book of Luke, John the Baptist is there to baptize people that have come to him. The first thing he tells them is they are a “brood of vipers.” Their hearts are not in the right place – saying their lives resemble the devil more than the Lord. Ummm HELLO!! Can anyone relate to this???

But He gives them this command:

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance…the ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Luke 3:8-9

(Fruit – “karpos” – that which originates from something, a result.)

I want my life to be one that produces fruit DAILY. God is still showing me things, and I am still struggling with my plans for the future – aka school! It can be very uneasy when your future is being changed, but God has gotten me excited for what He has yet to show me. At this point, I want to do whatever He wants me to do. If we try and make our lives our own, we may accomplish a few things in the eyes of the world, but God will always bring you back to where He wants you…You just have to deny yourself.

I challenge you to reflect on your life and determine if you are producing fruit. Take time to stop…and listen to what God is trying to tell you. I guarantee it is something you will not want to miss.

I will leave you with this passage:

^1-6It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

^7-10Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (The Message)

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