A quick quote from “Suprised by Joy” by C.S. Lewis – a gift from my brother Tylan (read his stuff here).

“…I often find myself at such cross-purposes with the modern world: I have been a converted pagan living among apostate Puritans.”

That pretty much sums it up for some of us.

You?

Travis

“Both the criminal and the guard are in prison.”

Got this from the Faith Men’s Breakfast this morning – a gift from Marvin Walker.

How’s that strike you?

Travis

Read This Today…You Should Too

From Romans 6:2-15
“We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5 If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, [a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”

Travis

Last night in the Living Room (Sunday night Transit group for 18-20somethings) we were talking through verses 1-14 of John 14…things like do we really know the way to God? Does the promise of heaven hold enough of our attention to keep us moving on the right path? and whether or not we take Jesus seriously when He said we would do the things He’d been doing, oh wait, “and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father”. And all so that “the Father may be glorified in the son” – hopefully God will look at us and it will glorify Jesus’ work…not make us God’s stupid ones. Deep, I know.

Whatever we are asked by God to do is our mission and should be taken on in all seriousness…so our goal is to be obedient whether God’s request is big or (we think) small.  So we ended by asking the questions about what is in the way in our lives – why aren’t we more obedient, which we agreed would lead to “greater things” in our lives.    Is it our lifestyle choices?  lack of discipline?  stubbornness?  Are we living in a way that actually requires faith?  Are we risking enough and allowing God to do what only He can do?

I love the questions – and loved the honesty of the answers.

So this week ask yourself: What is standing in the way of living the most obedient life I can live – one that only Jesus can get credit for because I am living with an overwhelming amount of faith?  What needs to change in the next 7 days?

Thoughts?  Share them here…

Travis

Oh, and as Drew taught us – if God’s answer to your prayer of what should I do is “clean your room”…trust Him and clean your room.  Ask him about it, it’s a great story.