I've been laying low with my email barrages lately if you haven't noticed haha. God has really been dealing with me on some issues. I was on facebook the other day I just realized how many of my childhood faith-building friends that attended camp with me really lack the understanding and root in Christ that I had. Not in a demeaning way at all. Of course this is a faith-walk (hebrews 11:6) to even believe that a man came down, died for our sins, and yet while we were wretched sinners, murderers and thieves... did it anyways. Because He loved us... not because we earned it or did anything to deserve it.
Here is the question I pose to you: Why is it that we continue to have faith in God and continue to believe that this Jesus-walk we have is real? What keeps your faith moving forward and what keeps that heart of yours ticking and bubbling up with Joy when you hear the awesome name of Jesus? What an incredible journey we can be on once we get the answers to these things... because im sure there is a sinner sitting in the same ditch you used to sit in who is crying out for someone to share this same simple revelation to him.
Love you guys, (discuss)
IN CHRIST!
-john
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
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Dusty graduated from Etowah High School in '99. While working a full-time job he managed to also graduate from Beulah Heights University in '06 with a Bachelors Degree in Leadership Administration. He has attended the local church, Acworth Church of God of Prophecy since he was little. He currently resides in Acworth Georgia with his wife Suzy and their three dogs, Coco, Shelby and Keebler. You can contact him @ dustylolley@gmail.com
6 comments:
Once you've been through some stuff, as I have, and you've stood through it and made it through to the other side, you realize that God's hand was there the whole time. It's only those who never persevere through the trial that lack the realization that God is with us even in our hardest times. It's like the parable of the sower. We only produce the harvest of continued faith when we stand the tests of time.
Luke 8:5-15
5"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."
When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
9His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,
" 'though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.'[a]
11"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
For me, and all the ways that I have messed up and searched for things in this world to satisfy the hunger of my soul, I always come back to the fact that Christ is my ONLY TRUE hope and love. He is the ONLY one that can give us the abundant life that we desire. Once you have truly tasted of that, even as you fall, you are motivated to get up and keep seeking after Him. Its like the disciples said..."Where else can we go? You alone have the words of life." (Don't know if that is word for word, but you know what scripture I'm talking about!)
God does not allow us to be truly fulfilled apart from Him!!!
"I was dead 'til you became my life. I couldn't see it 'til you became my eyes."-Bethany Dillon
It's a death and life thing for me. There can be no life without death. And there can be no death without life. I can't know christ, who is life, until I know death, which is dying to self. And the same goes I can't know death, death to flesh, until I have known life, which is christ. For me, I have continued to realize that there is no life without christ.That there is no turning back to the old me. The old me is dead and gone. I keep tasting and seeing that the Lord is good and that is what keeps me hanging on. I believe that it's those that have been truly awakened to the real God who perserve until the end. It's almost an unexplainable feeling why I can't quit. It's the Holy Spirit inside of me that won't let me quit, that keeps this hunger burning and burning. And even when I feel doubt, the Holy Spirit whispers to me and I feel awakened again.
God is the most powerful being in this world. And when you realize that he loves you no matter what, it’s an awesome thing. We continue to have faith in him because we know that nothing else on this earth can save us from our sins. We know He is real because we witness His miracles. We witness His amazing works and we can’t help but to just praise Him and rejoice in His name.
For me, whenever I hear His name I get excited and I can’t explain why. And that means that he is alive in me and that he loves me. God is what we can’t explain. No scientific fact or theory is going to explain why He loves us so much. We feel it in our hearts and know that it is real.
Others can try to explain the reasons for existence and such, but as Christians we know only one explanation for everything and that is God.
I share your sentiment about ole friend abandoning the walk of righteousness. What keeps me in this walk is by no means my own resolve nor is it because I'm just good at it. I would say it's because I can't get away from it, because the truth haunts me if I even put one foot off the path. Once Divine Truth has been revealed to you, you don't look at the world the same.
The world is the proverbial pig sty we see in the imagery of the Prodigal Son who has left wealth of his father's estate to find better, but ends up far worse in the world. So I know that as soon as I get off the path, I will be pummeled by the hopeless sorrow of this world. Jesus is my "Rock that is higher than I" and he is my light. He makes it worth it all and all to Him I credit for every one foot I put in front of the other in this journey.
Very well put Dusty!!
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