One Step Up From Stupid: NewDirection

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

NewDirection

I don't know about you and your family, but it seems that there is a lot, and I do mean a lot of pressure to throw in the towel. It has been unbelievable here lately. Just as folks are recovering from one challenge, another one comes, and then another. Wow...it has been unbelievable...well, in actuality...it is believable.

As I was reading somewhere in the Bible the other day....(don't quite remember where), the statement which grabbed my attention went something like this. Keep far enough back from the Ark so you will know the direction God is taking you. Why? Because you have never gone this way before.

With each new direction, there is pressure. Perspective has to change because while we are in the midst of stuff, the direction God is leading us seems blurred. As we step back and get the big picture of His directing then we can see the path ahead. I suppose there is not an area in our lives right now that doesn't require a big picture of His directing. That was my prayer tonight.

The interesting part of this scripture is...the direction He is taking us is a new direction. We've never been this way before. This is a direction of trust. I know some of you are experiencing this new direction, from FlipFlopMamma to Lala and many more. Questions of jobs and new communities. Questions of ministry and how to see yourself.

It looks like, as God told the Israelites, get the big picture cause you've never been this way before and I want you to follow my lead. It is good news for me, anyway, that He is leading the way. The steps of a righteous man or woman are ordered of God. Now, I just need to understand what I'm looking at...

2 comments:

Morning Glory said...: Sometimes it's so hard to just reach out our hand to His and follow. So many things are hard to understand. I pray you'll find strength in your faith and clarity in the direction you must go.; 11:54 PM
Lala's world said...: wow that was awesome! thank you for another great post! The pressures I have been feeling have been at times overwhelming! then the added questions from others....do you think you are supposed to be moving because of all the things going wrong? to.... wow you sure are supposed to be moving cuz you are getting so much opposition.....hard to know how to answer cept for this is what I know we are supposed to be doing. So regardless of how I am feeling at times I still knew that! and you are right, this is a direction we have never gone before, that is why I think it has been so hard but I can see how my trust has grown and our steps ordered!; 2:04 AM

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Why is this blog entitled "One Step Up From Stupid"?

Quite some time ago, a friend of mine challenged me to start a blog. I knew I did not have time, nor did I want to take the time to do a blog.

One day as I was driving home from work, I was talking with the Lord and He challenged me to start a blog. "Okay, but you are going to have to give me the stupid name for this blog because I haven't a clue as to what I should call IT."

I was stopped at a light waiting for it to turn green during this whole conversation. Before the light changed, I heard in my spirit, "call it one step up from stupid". I quickly jotted down this ridiculous name and that is how it all started.

So much of my life I've stood at the crossroad of deciding whether to make a wise decision or a stupid decision. I would like to say my life has been filled with perfection, but alas that is not the case. My prayer is that this blog is a benefit to you in whatever challenges you face each day. The bottom line...you can serve a God who always loves you, will never leave you, gently corrects you, and has a good plan for your life.

How do I become a Christian?

The central theme of the Bible is God's love for you and for all people. This love was revealed when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world as a human being, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead.

Because Christ died, your sins can be forgiven, and because He conquered death you can have eternal life. You can know for sure what will become of you after you die.

You have probably heard the story of God's love referred to as the "Gospel." The word Gospel simply means "Good News." The Gospel is the Good News that, because of what Christ has done, we can be forgiven and can live forever. But this gift of forgiveness and eternal life cannot be yours unless you willingly accept it.

God requires an individual response from you. The following verses from the Bible show God's part and yours in this process:

God's Love Is Revealed in the Bible
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." —John 3:16 (NIV)
God loves you. He wants to bless your life and make it full and complete. And He wants to give you a life which will last forever, even after you experience physical death.

We Are Sinful
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." —Romans 3:23 (NIV)
You may have heard someone say, "I'm only human—nobody's perfect." This Bible verse says the same thing: We are all sinners. We all do things that we know are wrong. And that's why we feel estranged from God—because God is holy and good, and we are not.

Sin Has a Penalty
"For the wages of sin is death." —Romans 6:23 (NIV)
Just as criminals must pay the penalty for their crimes, sinners must pay the penalty for their sins. If you continue to sin, you will pay the penalty of spiritual death: You will not only die physically; you will also be separated from our holy God for all eternity. The Bible teaches that those who choose to remain separated from God will spend eternity in a place called hell.

Christ Has Paid Our Penalty!
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." —Romans 5:8 (NIV)
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, has paid the penalty for all your sins. You may think you have to lead a good life and do good deeds before God will love you. But the Bible says that Christ loved you enough to die for you, even when you were rebelling against Him.

Salvation Is a Free Gift
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." —Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
The word grace means "undeserved favor." It means God is offering you something you could never provide for yourself: forgiveness of sins and eternal life, God's gift to you is free. You do not have to work for a gift. All you have to do is joyfully receive it, Believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ died for you!

Christ Is at Your Heart's Door
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." —Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
Jesus Christ wants to have a personal relationship with you. Picture, if you will, Jesus Christ standing at the door of your heart (the door of your emotions, intellect and will).

Invite Him in; He is waiting for you to receive Him into your heart and life.

You Must Receive Him
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." —John 1:12 (NIV)
When you receive Christ into your heart you become a child of God, and have the privilege of talking to Him in prayer at any time about anything. The Christian life is a personal relationship to God through Jesus Christ. And best of all, it is a relationship that will last for all eternity.

(From the Billy Graham website)http://www.billygraham.org

One Step Up From Stupid

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

NewDirection

2 comments:

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