Romance: It's Not a Comedy Part I

My husband preached a powerful message this weekend on dating. It was the first in a series of three titled "Romance: It's not a comedy". What does dating have to do with anything? Aren't you married Indy? How could this possibly apply to you? Well, I'll tell you something, I don't know how but it had EVERYTHING to do with me and where I am in life right now. As I have shared with you in the past, my husband and I are walking the journey of infertility right now. For the past 2 and a half years we have "tried" to start our own family but for whatever reason God has asked us to wait.

Waiting is not a new concept though, God actually asked Adam in Genesis 2:18-22 to wait. God knew Adam had a need for a companion yet he chose not to fulfill his need immediately. The bible says that no "suitable helper" was found for him. However, rather than have him sit around until his wife came along, God wanted him to get to business. He gave him a mission which was to name the animals. Pretty funny when you think about it now, huh? Doesn't seem like a very difficult task, does it? No doubt, God was perfectly capable of doing it on His own but then why would he choose to give the task to Adam? Perhaps he wanted to see if Adam was going to be faithful or maybe God just wanted to keep him busy while he waited. The truth is I don't know; only God knows why he does what He does. If I were to understand everything he did than I wouldn't need God. (I stole this from my hubby. Thanks, Luki!)

When I think about my own life, I realize God has placed a very real desire in my heart. That desire is none other than to be a mother. However He has also asked me to be faithful to Him. Like my husband said, "Could you imagine if Adam decided to take matters into his own hands and try to meet his own need? He might have settled for marrying an animal." I don't know about you but I certainly don't want to get ahead of God and settle for anything less than His best. I know (although I may not always feel it) that what He has in store for me is the best.

Can you relate? Have you been waiting on God to answer your prayer? Be encouraged my friend, remember that He knows your needs, he hasn't forgotten you and he will meet all of your needs.

What Kind of Dirt Are You?

Pastor Lucas taught us using the parable in Luke 8:4-8 which talks about the four types of soil. The first type is the one that is scattered along the path and gets trampled on. These are the people that hear the word but like the good old saying goes, "In one ear and out the ear". These are te people that hear it but it doesn't really make much sense to them. The second type of soil is the type that falls on the rock and it has no moisture. These are the people that come to church when it's cool and fun. Pastor Lucas refers to these people that lack commitment and consistency as "Convenient Christians". The come to church as long as it's comfortable for them. The third type is the one in which the thorns choke it up. In other words, these people allow the worries and concerns of the world to steal the word that was planted in their hearts. And finally, the good soil is that which falls and produces a crop, a hundred times more than is sown.

We all fall into one category. Which kind of dirt are you?

It's obvious that our aim should be to be the "good soil". The next step is to dedicate ourselves to the following three things: 1). Preaching of the gospel, 2). Intercessory prayer and 3). Sacrificial love.

What does it mean to preach the gospel? Well, the gospel can be summed up in one sentence. Christ died, was buried, raised on the third day and appeared. Pretty simple, huh? This can be found here in 1 Cor. 15:3-5. Basically all of us need to be ready to share the hope that is in us. Why do we believe what we believe? The only way to know what our faith is based on is by studying and knowing the word of God.

Intercessory prayer is the next thing that we need. Intercessory prayer occurs when we pray for others. This is so important! Afterall, prayer has the power to change things including the hearts of others. We should pray so that others will have faith.

Sacrificial love is an art moms have mastered. They love us no matter how bad we've been. Sacrificial love is a little like that except it is only possible with God . 1 John 4:7-8 says, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." If we know God's love than we are able to love others even those that many times are unlovable.

If you're in the Doral area, join us next Sunday @ 11:00 am.

*Photograph courtesy of Flickr.

First Love

Do you remember the time when you first fell in love with the Lord? It was the only thing you talked about. Your friends thought you were crazy, your parents called you fanatics and you could not get enough of him at church. I do! And although it wasn't too long ago, I can't say I've still got those butterflies for God like I did in the beginning.

Pastor Lucas used the text in Revelations 2:1-5 for the third sermon in the series, "Does it Bother You (When Our Church is Cold)?". He encouraged us to remember how we felt when we first came to know Christ. We all struggle with this at one point or another (most of us will struggle with this throughout our entire walk with Christ).

Once you remember then you need to repent from what he called the sin of apathy. He explained that the "sin of apathy" is when we just don't care about what is going on around us. People are perishing, we don't care. People are hurting, we don't care. People are hungry, we don't care. This can be due to the fact that we have misplaced priorities (relationships, jobs, money, etc. taking the front side to God) or we are simply taking things for granted (God's always there when I need him).

So after we remember and repent the last thing we need to do is return to our first love. When I meet someone that has just accepted Christ as their savior, I can see the fire in their eyes and in the way they speak about Jesus; it's written all over their face. I think this is how all believers should look to the rest of the world.

If you are unsure today of whether you know Jesus or not, I pray that the Lord will reveal himself to you in a real way. And if you find yourself where I did, forsaking your first love, I pray that you will return to him.

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."
-Psalm 34:8

*Heart of Worship 10/40 on Flickr by Marculio

God's GPS

Today we had an awesome service and a packed house. Pastor Lucas (aka my husband....hey, I can't help it, I'm proud of this man) did a great job delivering the message and instructing us through the word of God. He's currently preaching a series titled "Does it Bother You?". Today's sermon was about seeing the needs of those around us and not allowing ourselves to become numb to the pain of those who are suffering. The statistics he shared with us were staggering and helped me realize that there is a need that I can meet.

He talked about three specific ways to meet needs which I will share with you. The first way we can meet a need is through material giving. We can also meet needs of those around us by serving and giving of our time. Sometimes all it takes is a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear. Be patient with those who are hurting. Lastly, we can meet a need through friendships and mentoring (that's definitely my forté ). We do this by investing in our relationships.

Pastor Lucas used the GPS acronym which stands for Give to others, Point to God, and Share the Gospel.

G - When we give to others that makes room for God to continue blessing us (not necessarily in monetary ways). God's budget system is mysterious and we are living proof of that.

P - We have to be ready to give an account of the hope that is in us. What drives us to do certain things? We do not do it to receive praise from others but rather to point others to God. He will reward us for our obedience and faithfulness and his reward system is a lot better than the one we can find on our own.

S- No matter how many good things we do, if we do them without telling someone about Christ they are worthless. "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36)

This sermon rocked and I really wanted to share it with you. I hope you are able to grasp something out of it and apply it in your own life. And if you're ever in the Doral area, check us out here Doral Baptist Church...we'd love to see a new face.