I love it when God convicts me enough to get my attention. He also does it at the times when I least expect it. Tonight I was listening to the third talk being brought by Richard Wallace Jr. and he was BRINGING it!!! He was preaching an outline using the Nevertheless I Live Workbook and we were continuing a discussion on the 5 Forms for a Firm Foundation. I had read the chapter earlier today in the textbook, and I knew the material and I was listening as you do when you know the material, listening but letting thoughts drift. So drifting and listening and paying attention but not lasered focused was when Richard told us to turn to John 15 and that is when it happened!!! (This is what I really love about God) He snapped me back to the laser focus level as we read John 15:3 "Now Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." Jesus was telling his disciples that he was the true vine and his Father was the husbandman (v. 1) and every branch that does not bear fruit gets taken away and every branch that bears fruit it gets purged(pruned) so it can bear more fruit(v.2)
That was then that the Lord thumped me on the back of the head and said "Pay attention!" As Richard was reading the verse, the word "Now" leaped out at me. NOW it screamed, NOW it was showing me that it meant exactly that.....NOW, not five days from today, or even thirty seconds from the present, but NOW as I was reading the words, NOW in the very present time, the Lord was saying, and as I was pondering that the Lord was talking to me about the present moment in my life, the rest of the verse began pouring into my Soul. NOW Ye ARE CLEAN (how am I clean)... THROUGH THE WORD (what word)... that I HAVE SPOKEN UNTO YOU!!!!
I should have lept out of the chair and starting shouting praises, but I did not, so consider this blog my shouting time. Here is what it is saying to me and I hope that in my words I can get this truth across to everyone reading this. Because even though I was soaking the words up as though the Lord was speaking only to me, Brothers and Sisters this is a truth that is for you as well tonight or early morning on Saturday August 29th!!! NOW IS THE TIME WHEN YOU ARE CLEANSED!!!! You do not have to wait for the next drink, the next hit, the next link on the internet, the next bite of whatever your fleshly indulgence is, the time when you can be freed from the darkest sin is...... wait for it..... NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not another milisecond need be given over to Satan, why because God has cleansed us through his word NOW, all we have to do is Abide in him (Remain, Conform) He says that in verse 4 and makes it very plain in verse 5 the relationship that is in play. "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me YOU CAN DO NOTHING!!!!
No matter what your addiction is, it is not about you. You no longer have to try to handle the dark secret alone. Your God knows and he is simply waiting for you to Abide!!! NOW!!!!
Satan loves to get our minds wrapped up in the fact that Heaven is a place that some day we will get to and until then all we have to do is wait on the Lord. While Heaven is our eternal reward if we have given our lives to Him, We do not have to wait to conquer, we do not have to wait to be cleansed, As we Abide in Jesus Christ, as we Abide in the Word that he gives to us we can be cleansed from that sin (you know yours and I know mine) that is keeping us separated from the Father!!
So as you read these words I just pray that the next time you get the itch to walk away from the light and towards the darker part of the street, just remember John 15:3 "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." Now really is now and yes you really are clean if you simply will abide in Him!!! When you are abiding in Jesus, there is no way you will fall. The promise is right there. So I am perscribing John 15:3 to you. The next time you are tempted Read John 15:3 and LET THE CLEANSING BEGIN!!!!! Praise God for his Goodness!!!!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Today's Meditation - August 28, 2009
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." -Proverbs 28:13
Because you and I live in the realm of the human, and finite we believe what our human, finite world has taught us to believe... Sin and wrong-doing brings punishment, justice, condemnation, and harshness. Therefore, our nature is to cover, conceal, and hide all wrong-doing lest we receive these punishments. Conversely this is how we begin to deal in the spiritual realm as well. We see God through humanistic eyes. Many people wrongly see God as an "Old Man Upstairs" with lightning bolts eagerly waiting to catch man sinning so that He can strike them down in anger and vengeance. However, nothing could be farther from the truth! In fact, the Bible says, "God is love." which means that the very nature of God is love. In the verse above the Lord communicates through Solomon to us that the covering and hiding of sin so weighs us down that no facet of our life will prosper with sin in tow. Then God goes a step farther to tell us that our views of God and sin are wrong! He doesn't want to strike us down, and the natural course to hide and cover is wrong! In fact, He then goes a step further to say that instead of revenge we will find mercy and the implication is that with mercy we also can find God's prosperity! POWERFUL STUFF! But it's only is powerful if you and I enact it in our lives! CONFESS!!!
From my heart,
-R
From Last Night's "For Life" Prison Ministry Meeting...
Thank you for the mentor... the youth has not had a VC in over a year and he could not wait to tell me how his visit went.
Above is a "copy and pasted" e-mail from my inbox this morning. One of our mentors, David, was assigned a new youth because his first youth graduated out of the program and was released. David's youth was so excited that someone wanted to visit him he could not control his enthusiasm. As you can see from the e-mail above he had not had a visitor in over a year. This a 16 or 17 year old boy who simply needs someone who will love him. Thank you, David, for being that "someone" in this young man's life.
If you would be interested in being that "someone" in the life of another youth currently incarcerated in the Gainesville State School please e-mail me at ruman.wallace@gmail.com.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Recruitment/Training Meeting For Reformers Unanimous...
The ministry of Reformers Unanimous will be hosting a recruiting/training meeting on Tuesday, August 25 from 6:45 until 8:45 p.m. at the home of Michael and Patty Stovall. We will have food at the meeting, and child care will be provided at the church beginning at 6:30 p.m.
God has done MANY miracles since Reformers Unanimous Chapter 520 opened its doors on May 25, 2007. However, God has called us to so much more! I am excited to see this wonderful faith-based addiction ministry stretch itself beyond what we have ever done, or even think possible.
However, to accomplish something of this nature there must be sacrifice. We would ask that your first sacrifice be two hours on a Tuesday night where you can come, commitment free, and see if this is a ministry that God may be calling you to help with. I would ask that you just inquire if God might be leading you to touch the lives of the addicted in our community. Would you pray what God might have you do?
Thursday, August 13, 2009
This Week in Vintage Sunday School...
"Do As I Say Not As I Do..." Ever heard this? Maybe no more frustrating life lesson than to be given this instruction. Face it, everyone wants someone they can look to that is not only instructing rightly, but also living rightly. Instruction is so much more palatable from an individual who lives out that which he teaches.
Allow me to illustrate. When I was in junior high school we had a principal that everyone loved. He was charismatic, involved, preached well, and seemed to love God. He preached wonderful truths that all teenagers needed to hear regarding moral and holy living, but we were all heartbroken to find that he was not living according to the very truths that he taught. Rather, he was living contrary to them in absolute moral failure. I remember my dad coming in (my heart was TORN!) and telling me that, "Truth is truth no matter whose lips it falls from..." Then, with my dad's reassuring chuckle he said, "But it sure does settle a lot better when it rings true in the life of the person." I think we all have been through some instance such as this.
Think with me about the first family. As we have discussed God game them a beautiful, functional world in which to live and worship their God. He also gave them one commandment, and the penalty for breaking that command. When Adam just couldn't say, "No!" to sin the "First Family" became like many of our families and experienced the "Fallout" of dysfunction. They were cast out of God's garden, and cursed. It is no wonder then that Adam and Eve had a hard time convincing Cain that God was one that should be obeyed.
This week will focus on Cain and Abel while realizing that we certainly simplify our positive impact on those who follow us when we "Do As We Say"!
I hope you will be with us as we continue in this great series!
From my heart,
-R
Friday, August 7, 2009
More Lessons From the Gym...
I'm not sure if there are really this many ties to spiritual things from the physical, or that my mind just jumps to hyper-speed during the exercise process. Either way, I came up with a couple of more thoughts while at the gym this week.
1. Working out is more easily done by one's self, however, more is accomplished when accompanied by another. This point was driven home to me today... HARD! See Jordan had been busy all week setting up his new office. So, I decided to continue on my own. I did the work. I mean, I didn't miss a day, I stuck to the routine, etc. What I found today was that more benefit can be found when there is an accountability partner, and someone pushing you farther than you want to go... I think this is illustrated in Proverbs 27:17. During the other days this past week I noticed other guys in the gym who weren't lifting quite as much as me, etc. I began to feel pretty good about myself... Isn't that what we, as Believers, do so very often? We come into the church-house on Sunday looking at anything or anyone except our Example, Jesus Christ! We seem to be doing okay, but wait until He steps back into your life and snaps you back to His reality (Holiness)... Just as Jordan stepped back in today and snapped me back to his reality (pain)!
2. A small mistake leaves one feeling very badly. Last night on the way home from "For Life" Ember sweetly asks from the back seat, "Daddy (she had me RIGHT there), can we have some pizza (of course, "pizza" was said with the cutest little lisp)?!" What could I say, "No"? Of course not! I had to get my hungry daughter something to eat, right!? Well, probably so, but I certainly didn't have to order a large pizza for myself! One little mistake... that left me feeling oh so badly! This morning the extra cardio that had to be done because I couldn't tell myself no last night! Isn't that the way our lives are? Something that looks so good on the front end, tastes so good on the tip of the tongue, or seems so harmless ends up costing so much. We know this to be illustrated so well in RU Principle #3 that states, "It is easier to keep the heart and mind clean than it is to clean it after it has been defiled." Lat night and this morning I became living proof of the truth in this principle!!! Wish I hadn't have, but I did!
Just some thoughts,
-R
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
This Week in Vintage Sunday School...
Have I mentioned yet that I am so excited about this series of lessons? I don't think I have so let me tell you that I have been amped to begin going cover-to-cover in God's Word and pulling out the great stories, and applying them relevantly to our lives in 2009.
We began, of course, with creation in the lesson "And God Said". From that we understand God is still speaking today, but it is up to our submission to allow things in our life to become "And It Was So".
Then we picked-up with "The First Family: Lessons In Dysfunction". It is part of this "sub-series", if you will, that we will be discussing "Fallout". We are still suffering the consequences for the sin of just one man. Before you get to angry with Adam... There are still people suffering consequences for your sin. Of course, there are still those suffering for mine as well.
I hope you will be in your place on Sunday to learn about the "Fallout" that sin brings... The catch phrase in our society is dysfunction. It's more politically correct to say things like, "We have a dysfunctional family" than to say, "Our family has a big sin and consequence problem!"; but really that is what we are saying.
Not only will we learn about the "Fallout" for Adam and Eve that came in Genesis 3, but we will also learn of God's "Fallout Shelter" that protects us from sin. If you know someone who is without Christ... You WILL WANT TO HAVE THEM HERE!
Sincerely,
-R
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