I have always had a Heart for Pastors – their job is one of the hardest ones that I know of.   I am just starting to get to know my Pastors and will be having lunch with them tomorrow.  I would like to know what their vision is and how I can help them… 
          Pastor Shaun finished the book of Hebrews yesterday and Chapter 13 has some great advice for all of us to follow in regards to those who have been put in charge of teaching us.
        Verse 7 below talks about the Wisdom of our Leaders who teach us and that it should be one that we follow.  One of the main reasons I attend the church that I do is because of Pastor Shaun – he has been given a great gift of interpreting the Bible and it is Wisdom that I can Imitate.  
Hebrews 13:
7.   Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith.
       Then towards the end of this chapter (Below) comes one of the strongest challenges for us in regards to our Pastors.   The first one is something that is an Act of Worship and should not be taken lightly.   We must fall into Obedience and submit to our leaders – this is an Act that we must do to encourage them and lift them up.  This is one of the few Oaths that I take and it is a very important one to me and that is for me to be Obedient to the leadership of the church that I attend. 
Hebrews 13:
17.  Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.   18.  Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.
      Then verse 18 talks about Praying for them – this is a must – our leaders have to be covered with Prayer.  
 One of GMM’s newest changes is – what will men come away with when they attend a GMM Conference (Statement below).   The Acronym we came up with is DEPTH – and when you look at the H – it is one that talks about supporting your Pastors vision.   Our Pastors have been given Vision’s from God on how to lead their people and we need to honor that.
Men will come away with “D.E.P.T.H.”
Deeper – relationship with Christ.
Encouragement – from community and Holy Spirit.
Passion – renewed, celebration of our gifts and talents.
Team – Band of Brothers, Unity in Community.
Home Church – daily bread and support of the pastor’s vision

 So my question to you is:   Do you fall under Obedience to the Leaders of your church and do you Pray for them.

This is one of the most important acts of Worship that we can do.

Bobbyg

 

I went to see my Grandson Jonah this weekend for his Birthday – he turned the great age of 8.   So this prompted me to write about Jonah – well the Jonah of the Bible…    My last blog was about God’s Discipline and with this story you can see what could happen if God were to call you for an act of Obedience. 

           As you know the story of Jonah, God instructed him to go to Nineveh.
             Jonah 1:2 & 3 > “Jonah Tries to Run Away from God”
2.   “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.”  3.  But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
       How many times do we run away from God when he has instructed us to do something?   Well as you know it did not do Jonah any good – when he tried to hide and run away, he ended up in some Big Fish.    But through Prayer – he was given a second chance to be Obedient.   We are also given second chances to be faithful to the calling of God.
    My study Bible talks about the Reasoning behind this encounter with Jonah and God…    “Jonah’s Hate, God’s Love.”  “Why did Jonah disobey God?  Because he despised the Ninevites.  Why did God send Jonah to Nineveh?  Because he loved the Ninevites.  Reaching beyond racial, cultural, gender and ethnic barriers to demonstrate the power of Biblical unity is more than a nice idea.  It is God’s will and command.  To miss this fact is to miss the message of Jonah’s story.”           
WOW  –  do you see this being a problem in today’s world…. I do – and I believe I am as guilty as Jonah was..
           I was talking with Jim H. last week and he brought up the topic of being of one mind with God…    I struggle with this at times – especially when it comes to the Obedience in the realm of what Jonah had to conquer.  
     One of my hardest but most rewarding acts of Obedience was to pray for my worst enemy – that he might know the Love of Jesus and be in Heaven.   I have to tell you this was a major change in my relationship with Christ and it opened up doors that I had closed because of my Hardened Heart.   I still have some very deep areas of Obedience that I need to overcome to be where Christ would have me be and it is an everyday work to accomplish His Will.   But the more I do it – the easier it comes to have one Mind with God…

 Do you have any of those Areas as Jonah did that you are not being Obedient to what God is calling you to do..    Please look at those areas – because you are given second chances. If you do not do His will be careful the next time you go fishing – “There might be a Big Fish that has your number to help you become Obedient”

Bobbyg

       This is a really tough one (I have that written alongside these verses in my Bible) and it can be one that is extremely challenging.  The area of Discipline that I have to be careful with is:   Differentiating it between Trials and Discipline…   They are both put into our lives to help us grow closer to Christ – but are very different.
          Trials are the tough times we go through and are not caused by a Sin that we have not concurred.   Where Discipline is correcting an action that we should not be doing.  
           The Scripture below is a portion of Hebrews that my Pastor has been teaching on and a great example of what Discipline is about:
Hebrews 12:4-11 > 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.  5 And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

nor lose courage when you are punished by him.

6 For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves,

and chastises every son whom he receives.”

7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?  10 For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.  11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
      As you can see – Discipline is not a bad thing – it may be painful and really unpleasant, but it is because God Loves us that Discipline comes.  My study Bible states “When God corrects you, see it as proof of his love and ask him what he trying to teach you.”   This is his way of directing us to go down the Right Path – and Obedience will be required to accomplish this.   The best example I can think of is Saul’s Transformation when he was blinded by Jesus and then he became Paul.
           One of the greatest things about Discipline when we have overcame the cause of it – is that now we can now help others who may be struggling with the same problems. 

When he has broken us:  it is then when he can use us…

So when you go through Discipline – you must remember that is produces a harvest of Righteousness and Peace for those who have been trained by it.

 Bobbyg

       Last night at our Tuesday night study – I had a question?  “What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit and Fire?”   I understood what being filled with Holy Spirit is about but the emphasis was what does the fire look like –…     We were talking about the DNA of Men and what does that look like in today’s world – this is an even bigger question.    This year’s GMM Conference is hoping to tackle this question with the theme of “True Identity”.
          Now back to the question of Fire:   Leigh Commented on what the Fire  should look like – and it had to do with the Passion that we get when the Spirit is active inside of us.  The example he used was the Disciples.  When the Spirit came upon them – there was this fire burning inside of them to get the word out.   This meant at all Costs – and when you look at their stories – you see the passion that they had in telling people about Jesus. 
          Then his next comment at the end was…    How do we get this fire and keep it aflame.   Then how do we help others?               I have to tell you – I am still working on the answers to all of this – and it is an extremely important aspect of our Christian walk if we are to be affective.  
      My wife was listening to a Third Day Song the other day and stated how powerful it was.   She said you may have to do a Blog on it…..     Well she was right…
        This song really addresses the Fire –  “Soul on Fire”  –   All I can say is – please listen to the song and the lyrics (Below).       It is what we should be doing on a Daily basis…  A Really POWERFUL Song.  
 Bobbyg
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7lv9oMjv_0
 “Soul On Fire”
God, I’m running for Your heart
 I’m running for Your heart
 Till I am a soul on fire
 Lord, I’m longing for Your ways
 I’m waiting for the day
 When I am a soul on fire
 Till I am a soul on fire
 
 Lord, restore the joy I had
 I have wandered, bring me back
 In this darkness, lead me through
 Until all I see is You
 
 God, I’m running for Your heart
 I’m running for Your heart
 Till I am a soul on fire
 Lord, I’m longing for Your ways
 I’m waiting for the day
 When I am a soul on fire
 Till I am a soul on fire
 
 Lord, let me burn for You again
 Let me return to You again
 And Lord, let me burn for You again
 And let me return to You again
 
 God, I’m running for Your heart
 I’m running for Your heart
 Till I am a soul on fire
 Lord, I’m longing for Your ways
 I’m waiting for the day
 When I am a soul on fire
 
 God, I’m running for Your heart
 I’m running for Your heart
 Till I am a soul on fire
 I wanna be
 Till I am a soul on fire
 Till I am a soul on fire

       I have always enjoyed reading the stories about Jesus walking on Water – especially the one when Peter steps out of the boat to meet him on the Water.  One of my favorite books is “If you want to walk on Water – You have to get out of the Boat” – this is a powerful read for men who need a spark to get them going.
           But the story below is a different time when Jesus walked on the Water – Jesus had just fed the 5000 and then sent His Disciples ahead of him in the Boat…
          Here is the story:
Mark 6:45-51 – Jesus Walks on the Water
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Beth-sa′ida, while he dismissed the crowd.  46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.  47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land.  48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them,  49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out;  50 for they all saw him, and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”  51 And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded,
      I was visiting with a Pastor Friend of mine (Pastor Grant) and his study group were going over this – but he mentioned that there is a part that stood out this time that he had not noticed before.    Jesus did not plan on walking to the Boat to be with the Disciples – he had meant to pass by them…    HUH>….   I had never read it that way either…  but there it is.    What is amazing is that Jesus did not come to them until they had cried out…  and then he was able to comfort them.
           Now I had to look at myself and ask – How many times do I do this?   I bet more times then I want to know…     Nick is our Artist for GMM and he has put together this piece of art that we will be giving away in November.  It is a Heart with a door on it and when you open the door there is a Cross made out of wrenches.   Again how many times do I close that door on Jesus – and he has the tools to make it better.
           We must learn to cry out for Jesus at all times – that would be in the Good and the Bad…   He is our Light and has all the tools to comfort us – but most of all to enhance that relationship that we should have with Him.  I have a really good friend (Tom) and he has this amazing Relationship with Jesus at the present time that is out of this world.   As I have told him – it is something extremely special and when you meet him – You meet Jesus…   At the present time he too would be crying out for Jesus to lead him towards the future that Christ has in store for him.
          Like Tom – we should all have that same type of Relationship with Jesus….

 So are you Crying out for Jesus or is He just going to pass by You.

If you want the comfort that only comes through Him – You better start crying out now and really LOUD.

Bobbyg
 

This has been a discussion that has been in the back of my mind for a few weeks now…  Faith Verses Works – What does that mean?
          As Christians we know that it is only by Faith that we are Saved and not by our Works so as that we can Boast.   I understand how that works – it is the greatest gift that is given to us. 
           My Pastor (Shaun) has been preaching through Hebrews 11 for the last few weeks and verse one has always been my favorite Bible Verse:
          Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Now comes my hardest question for myself – How do I live that in my daily walk with Christ…   Chapter 11 talks about Faith in Action and gives accounts for several People in the Bible that lived this. 
           My Promise Keepers study Bible has a section on this Chapter and I would like to share a couple of Paragraphs:
                    “As followers of Jesus Christ we’ve been called to a life of faith.  When the Bible’s writers discussed faith they weren’t merely writing about thinking positively, being an optimist or following through on a hunch.  They spoke of faith as the rock-solid internal assurance that unseen things are real, and that promises made would come to pass.  –   Ultimately, the only way we can please God is by faith.  Religious activity apart from faith doesn’t please God.  Neither do good deeds.  Only faith and the kind of life that flows from faith pleases God.”
           As I read this and thought of Pastors Shaun’s explanation of a few of the People in the Bible that lived and showed this – it started making Sense.

1.  Moses:  He had to depend on the promises of God that he would get him through all that was ahead of him.  When you read the Journey that Moses took – it was built on Faith and Action…  As the verses stated about the People of Israel walking across the Red Sea on Dry Ground it tool allot of faith – As Pastor Shaun stated – can you imagine doing that and what it looked like.
2. Rahab the Harlot:  She was giving Shelter for the Spies – she could only go by the Faith in what she had heard about – and then take action.  As Shaun stated – look what came out of her linage (You will need to look this up).

 All the people mentioned in this Chapter had Faith – but you were able to see their Faith by their actions…  The passage in James describes what Faith and Works should look like.  

James 2: 14>26:  14 What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?  15 If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food,  16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?  17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

18 But some one will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.  19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder.  20 Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren?  21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?  22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works,  23 and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God.  24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.  25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?  26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.

 The scripture above really puts it into perspective what an Active Faith Should look like.  

So my only hope to my questions from above is that:  “I know I am saved by my Faith – but I will live a Life that is pleasing to God so that he can see my Faith by what I am doing.   People will see Jesus in me.”

 Bobbyg
 

 

 

     My work has went through some very tough transitions in the month of January and it has made several of the employees extremely angry/negative.   I have really struggled trying to keep a smile on my face when I encounter them.   A few of them I have had to tell them that they cannot steal my Joy – a quote that my wife has told me to tell them (coming from Joel O.).   
          Yesterday I went to church with my Son and Pastor Jeff was ending a Sermon Series on Deeper – expanding your relationship with Christ to a higher level.  The last portion of his sermon really hit a spot for me about my work>

 Romans 12:9-21 >    9.  Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.   10. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.   11. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.   12. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.   13. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.   14. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.   15. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.   16. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.   17. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.   18. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.   19. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.      20. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;  if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”       21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

     These verses are one of the hardest things to do and as Jeff said   “It takes Courage” to put these into practice…   But as Christians we must be Christ like in all situations we encounter – even at work with the difficult ones. 
          At one point I thought if I just stay away from all of these people who are stealing my Joy – then I will make it through the day.   Well that did not work – as the scripture says above we must embrace the opportunities to shine where the enemy has a strong hold.  So as I have been embracing this opportunity to enhance my relationship with Christ – it really works – it is getting Deeper each time I practice the verses above.

          So are you encountering a situation where Christ is requiring you to shine?

It does take Courage to be what Christ would have us be in all situations…

Bobbyg

     We have been looking at some possible speakers for our upcoming GMM Conference on November 21^st (tentative date) and one of them tweaked my thoughts.   That still happens now and then – even being a little seasoned as I am. 
          His Talk was on David and Bathsheba – and what David had done to get his way with her and the circumstance going into this event.   The part that really got me thinking was the aftermath of events after it all had been done (Adultery – Murder – Lies).     David still did not see what he had done wrong until Nathan was sent to talk with him.   Story below:
 2 Samuel 12:1-7   Nathan Rebukes David
12 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
         (There is more to the story that you will have to read on your own).
      What really got to me is:   David had one of the greatest hearts for God and lost it because of a circumstance he put himself into.   Then it took someone else to show him what was keeping him from having that Awesome Relationship with God and that he needed to correct it.    In the end he did what was right and Solomon was born – but he had allot to go through before it was corrected. 
           So What is keeping our Relationship with Christ from being at its Best?   I was challenged recently by a 2 minute YouTube on sharing my faith – and at the same time my Tuesday night Bible study is on the Great Commission.   There are times that I hold back in showing my faith.   Recently (twice) – I have had Breakfast/Lunch with a few of the guys I know and they wanted to hold hands and pray before the meal…   IN Public…..   Really…..   This is one of the Greatest ways to show your faith without saying a word… and I was struggling with it.    It took a two minute YouTube to tell me what I did not want to here…  (Just as Nathan was telling David).    Now this may not compare to the David event – but at the present time it is what was keeping me from expressing my belief (I  had No Spine).
        As Paul Harvey would state and:  The rest of the story after a severe punishment to David was some real “Radical Truth and Grace – with allot of Love”.     David corrected his mistakes and we can do the same…   We must have the Best Relationship with Christ that is possible and it may take some tweaking.

 So the challenge this week is:   Do you have that someone or something that can Help you identify what is keeping you from having the relationship with Christ that you must have.   Look for those moments that may be identifying an area that needs to be changed in order for you to have the Greatest Relationship Possible.

 Bobbyg

     I was traveling back from Pine Bluffs for my work when I passed a Semi Truck with this saying on the back of his Trailer – “My Lights are on for you Safety”.   It really made me think about what that really meant and then I had another 20 minutes of driving to ponder on those thoughts.
          I knew this was something that I had to comment on….   it made me think about Christ being the light of our Lives and it is for our Safety.  Here is the verse that talks about Him being our Light:

John 8:12   When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

          So for Life – Christ must be our Light that will get us through – we will never stumble if he is our guide for our Life.  
           Now comes the questions about our own personnel life:
                    Are we a light for others:   Is Christ shining through us so that we can take them to safety?   We should have this saying imprinted on our foreheads….  The light that shines through me is for your safety.
          I had to take a hard look at myself and see if this was the case and several questions came up.

1.  Am I the light that I should be for my family – Do they see Jesus in me in all that I do at home?
2. Am I the light at work that people see and know that what is shining through me is something different?  Do they see Jesus in me?
3. Am I the light in the community when I greet the person in front of me – whether it be the Waitress – Store Clerk – Person next door?  Do they see Jesus in Me?

As you can see there are several areas that people can see the Light shining through us – and it should be Jesus.  This will give us the opportunity to direct them towards safety in LIFE.

 So this week – is this planted on your forehead:

The light shining through me is for your Safety.

Bobbyg

       It seems that 2015 is going to be one of those years where my wife and I are going to be Molded and Transformed.  If the first part of 2015 is any sign of what is to come – Then as my friend Ryan has stated at times.   “We must being doing something really right if the enemy has chosen us.”     This saying is so true if we look at it – we should be blessed to know that the enemy has chosen us for some extra Trials because our walk with Christ must be a good one.
      Now comes the Big Question:   Do I really want to be the one he has Chosen and Why ME?    The Scripture below portrays our Trials the best:
James 1: 2-4:  2. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.…Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
          As you can see – this is one of the best ways for us to be transformed and grow.  If we are to be Strong and persevere – then we must go through some tough times to become the person Christ would have us be….   “It takes some Molding to get us where we need to be”.   When we have endured the Trial and made it through – Our Faith –Hope – Relationship with Christ will be enhanced to a different level. 
 One thing we must remember as we are going through the Trial – is:

Philippians 4:13      I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.

We are not alone – there is someone alongside of us all the way and he can even carry us if it is needed.  Our Strength must come through HIM…  
 I have several Friends who are looking at 2015 in the same way…  this looks like a year of growth because of circumstances that have been happening in their lives. 

Is it happening in yours?

 So as 2015 goes forward and you encounter those Trials – remember the scriptures above. 

Consider it pure joy to know that you must be doing something extremely right if the enemy has chosen you.

You are not alone and you will endure and be successful.

Bobbyg

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