cova-what?

Did you ever have anybody back out on a deal with you? Maybe it was them giving you less money than you had agreed on for a job, or they didn't show up when you thought they would. Agreements can be major sources of stress when you are not sure if you can trust the person. I am really glad that God isn't like that. We don't need to stress out at all when God says he will do something he sticks to it.

As I went through Genesis 17 today, we again see God reminding Abram (who now becomes Abraham in this chapter) about his covenant, or deal, with him. This is what the Bible is all about. When we read it we are reminded of the promises God has made with us and how He is fulfilling those promises. Take some time today to find and be reminded of the promises God is making. Try starting with Matthew 11:25-30.

Come, now is the time...

Worship.

We all have an idea of what it means to worship don't we? Had a conversation today about this topic. Talked about how you can go into different situations or age groups and they have totally different views of what worship should be or look like. It can be praise songs, hymns, drums, dance, electric guitars, sermons, or something different.

If this is all we see worship as though, we have already missed the point. When Jesus talks to the Samaritan woman in John 4:1-26 (specifically in 19-26) they are talking about true worship. The woman was worshiping at a mountain the way she had been taught but Jesus tells her that "a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain or in Jerusalem...And how now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." It wasn't about the location, but it was about meeting with God. Paul says in Romans 12:1 "to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship."

Worship isn't about how we are doing it at church or what type of music we are singing, but it is about meeting with God. Connecting our hearts to the Father so we can praise Him and He can fill us up. It is about living our entire life connected to God. How are you doing this in your life?

Take a closer look at John 4 for a better idea of the types of worshippers God wants us to be.

credit where credit is due.

Normally, I tend to try to do things on my own. I don't neccesarily want anybody to help me because I want to show that I can do things on my own. Even when we, or at least when I, see passages like "you can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" I view it as another way to help me out. But in Proverbs 3:5-6 it says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths."

Here we see that we need to acknowlege the Lord in all we do and not to trust our own understanding of things. I am too often trying to do things totally on my own, my trust in the Lord is all but non-existant. But as I attempt to trust in the Lord even for the smallest things it soon becomes easier to trust and acknowledge Him in all things. When we are able to do this we are then walking in God's paths because his goal was never for us to get the credit, but for Him to get the glory. Take a look at Proverbs 3:1-12 and think about what it really means to be wise.

What has God been showing you this week? Let us know at www.fbcacrossfire.blogspot.com. You can also click the link that says Crossfire Contemplations to get there.

Can I get a confirmation number?

Lately I've been trying to to through some of the Old Testament since that is the basis for all of God's correspondence with humans. I have been trying to look at Abram (later to become Abraham) and today read through Genesis 15. Abram is the guy who God starts the covenant relationship with and he ends up being the father of the three largest religions in history (Judaism, Islam, Christianity). Not surprising since this IS the God of the universe that the guy he blesses would be attributed to so much fame. But anyway, if anybody was deserving of this type of relationship with God it was Abram and there is a lot we can learn from his interaction with God.

Take a look at Genesis 15.

God starts off by blessing Abram telling him that he shouldn't be afraid because God was going to bless him. How does Abram respond? He questions God (this becomes a theme). When I read this for the first time, I was shocked. This guy is supposed to have tons of faith but he has the nerve to talk back to God! But even more so, God answers him!! And then it says in vs. 6 that "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." But Abram doesn't end with this, he responds with another question asking God to prove it! And then God does! What the heck?! Why doesn't Abram get smited by God for all this talking back!!?? Don't we see God telling us in Deut. 6:16 to not test him?

The answer to this goes back to Abram's belief. When we look at these questions, Abram wasn't questioning God as much as he was expressing his own belief. In the first instance we see Abram asking God to show him how God was going to work because Abram had faith that God would do what he said. And in the second half of the chapter we see God and Abram going through a cultural covenant process, they were making their contract. Abram believed God and wanted to make this agreement official, not because he thought God would back out, but because he wanted to make the agreement official on his end. Notice how he prepared and protected the ceremony, even though he slept through it?

We see that it is good to question God, when coming from faith. Don't be afraid to ask God to show you the things he has promised. Take some time to think about the things God has promised us in his Word and ask him to show you how he plans to implement those things. Share some of those promises by clicking on the link before and leaving a comment.

So, we see

Wish I wrote this.

Psalm 63:1-8 (from the Message and NIV)
David- in the Judean Wilderness

God- You're my God!
I can't get enough of you!
My soul thirst for you, my body hungers for you,
in a dry and weary desert.

So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
and beheld your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
I will praise you as long as I live.
My soul will be satisfied with the richest of foods;
with singing, my mouth will praise you

If I'm sleepless at midnight,
I spend the hours in grateful reflection.
Because you've always stood up for me,
I'm free to run and play.
I sing in the shadows of your wings.
My soul clings to you;
you uphold me.


If this could be our prayer and a reflection of our lives.

I've got a sound track in my head right now...

It's really not that big of a revelation that people like music. You walk down the street and half the people are walking around with Ipods and the other half wish they had one. We like music and different things in our lives remind us of our favorite songs or vice versa. This isn't a modern thing, people through all of time have expressed themselves in song. They made songs that told stories, songs that would put Dashboard Confessional to shame on the "emo" scale, and songs that reminded them of all that God did for them. Even Moses, right before he died, decided to sing a song about his people in Deuteronomy 32. But the most well known of all the ancient song lists would have to be the Psalms. This book of Hebrew songs was the sound track for Israeli kings, prophets, priests, and anybody else. These are the songs they had going through their head that reminded them of life, of God, of love and beauty.

Spend a couple minutes taking a look at Psalm 96. Where is God on your sound track?

Where is your Emphasis?

"I would say: 'put your emphasis on your Bible Study and Prayer'."
-Billy Graham in Newsweek March 20, 2006

There aren't too many people who haven't heard of Billy Graham. He is pretty much the most Christian person living. He is friends with Presidents and Pope's, Major network TV stations rearrange their schedules to put his Crusades on Primetime, and countless numbers of people have come to know the Lord through his speaking engagements. This guy must be living the evangelical Christian model life. But amidst all this the 87 year old evangalist is living with regret. He said in that same interview, "I have regretted that I have not spent more time in prayer [and] Bible study."

In Deuteronomy 6:8 God tells us to put his commandments on our hearts and bind them to us. And in Psalm 119:97 we see the Psalmist meditating on God's word all day long. Take a look at Psalm 119:97-104. How much insight and wisdom do you have? Do you value God's word to the point that you desire it daily? Don't find yourself at the end of your days wishing you had spent more time with God... start now!!

What is this?

Hello and welcome to the start of an experiment.
This is going to be an experiment in drawing closer to God. It will give us the opportunity to share in what God's word has to say to us as well as a resource to help us remember what God has done for us through Jesus and what He is doing in our lives today. So please, feel free to leave a comment about this site or about what God is showing you. We will try to update this daily but chances are it will be a little less frequent than that, but again, this is an experiment...

Romans 12:2