Gem

Jude 1:24-25

I rediscovered a Gem of a verse the other evening that does my soul well. In the most solitary book in the new testament Jude  "now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of his glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority before all time and now and forever Amen". Now the mere fact that we will be able to be in the presence of God is awe inspiring. But the fact that we will be able to stand before the Lord, without stumbling, blameless, and with Great Joy is unimaginable. That these guilty hands will be seen as holy hands. That my treacherous heart will be seen as a pure righteous heart. That the sinful life I have lived is marked and looked upon in honor.

All thanks and honor, glory and power going to Jesus and Jesus alone. Abiding in Him and Him abiding in me. Seeking refuge in Him clothed in His righteousness we are made well with God and far beyond that.

Finding Purpose in People

Genesis 1:27,28 

The other night I had the blessing of talking to the teenagers in wednesday night meeting. I really felt as if the Holy Spirit was impressing upon my heart to speak on purpose. I can see them struggling with definition, placement, and guidance. I found the Lord laying upon my heart to teach "Original Purpose". Maybe one of the most simple effective passages in searching the scriptures for purpose. Looking at beginings may allow for us to move to restoration and redeemtion in the current. My prayer was that they would understand purpose in being made in God's Image and being mandated to "Bear fruit and multiply" and to "subdue the earth". 

Being made in God's Image what an amazing and humbling aspect of creation. God actually allowed us the ability to carry the reflection of God into the earth. The word image is something that means a resemblence to, but also the word means something in the nature of an idol. An idol in its basic form is not something that receives worship but ascribes worship to. A person is not worship a buddha idol they are saying this idol is the essence of buddha it reflects what I do worship. Except we are no doll we were/can be  living breathing active reflections of God. What a meaningful original purpose given to us!!

But it is not left at just that we were made to "Bear fruit and multiply" as well as "Subdue the Earth". At first glance those mandates seem fairly simplistic but they go much thicker and richer than we could ever grasp. Bearing fruit first and formost is mandate to discover a God Glorifying family but it goes thicker than that. In the Image of God we are called to Bear Fruit, which means in simple terms we are reproducing the Image of God over and over and over. Reflecting the Glory of God to all places. Second Subduing the earth in the Image of God leads us to place of harnessing all the earth has to offer to Glorifying God. It allows us to find freedom to do our Jobs to live life and all it has to offer in a God Glorifying type of way. 

I simply wanted to teenagers to understand how Original purpose is still relevent today in the redeemption of Jesus. That they could find purpose in the people around them coming to know the Lord bearing the Image of God (bearing fruit and multiplying). Also that in the giving of the Holy Spirit they could find purpose in every facet of life. Surfing, school, eating, work, fellowship, and so on do it to the Glory of God. So eat your Cheerios to the Glory of God. 

God Bless