High Expectations of the Father

Father God, thank you so very much for continually expecting growth in my walk! Thank you for providing your son Jesus as sacrifice paid in full for forgiveness of my past, present and future sins! Thank you for sending the great councilor, Your Holy Spirit, to convict and guide me through life! Thank you for your Word and Your obedient servants who wrote it down so Truth i can find in You! And thank you for finding me worthy of redeeming and giving me Hope! I Love You Father God with all my heart, please continue to speak into my life and use me as a tool for Your glory and honor not mine. I give u permission to re-shape and mold me as You originally intended, before the world corrupted my sight, thank you for removing the scales from my eyes! And last but not least, thank you for providing good brothers and sisters in my life to fellowship with and to be held accountable to. You are a Gracious and Giving God! Thank you! in Jesus name i pray, amen!

On July 29th it will be 4 years since i admitted that i needed God to help me clean up the mess i had made of my life, and that through His sacrifice of His son for my sins that i was re-born, a new creation. What an awesome and challenging journey it has been. I am still and always will be learning to be what God intended me to be. I am grateful for the correction in my life, which is really no longer mine to live. I belong to the Father and i need to continue practicing that. I used to hate correction and authority in my life, i have been humbled and continue to be. At first i thought submitting myself to God was enough, oh i was so wrong! Another lesson learned hard, and is still a struggle but it has been made easier as i surrendered that to God. Anger, wow that is another big one that God has been working on me with. Diplomacy, this too He is working on with me. Love and forgiveness for my fellow man, believer or not, has been a big one too, just a few areas He has been polishing and refining me in. I am no where near done in surrendering all of myself to God, this i ashamedly admit. This too He is working on my heart.
I used to pray for patience, i don't pray for that any longer, instead i pray for Gods' strength, wisdom, endurance, mercy, forgiveness and love. I used to pray for my needs and wants, now i pray for Gods' will be done and for my fellow brothers and sisters needs to be met, and yes i sneak in a need or two for myself and family, cuz its not about me any more. When i pray for a job, it is for a job that i could be most effectively used to bring Him glory, when i pray for provisions and favor, it is only for what we need as a family, when i pray for others it is because God has laid them on my heart and because people have asked me to. I don't pray for perfection anymore, just simply to be better today than i was yesterday and allow myself to be rebuked and corrected as often as needed.
Life hasn't gotten any easier, its just become more peaceful, cuz i know that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have my back. Its been covered, so i need to be concerned about life's troubles, just not consumed by them. And i always need to remember that it is not my job to save anyone, just to lead them to their Savior.

John 16: 33
" I have told you these things, so that in me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! For I have overcome the world."

There is great comfort in this promise of Christ, and in this promise i find strength to press on in full faith that Christ really has overcome this world so i can be obedient and as loud as i want to be about my faith, my God and my Saviour! Praise be to God!

Till next time, remember keep the faith, cast off your fears of getting a little dirty to lead others to eternal salvation and the love of a Father that never gives up on His Children!

Much Love, your bro in Christ,
brother john

Picking The Unusual

Just some thoughts i've had lately as i have looked more at the relationship Christ had with each of his disciples and when they were asked to "follow" Him. He chose some quite unusual and looked over people as the ones He was going to trust His work to be continued by. Back then if you were good enough u had already been chosen by rabbis. Jesus chose those deemed not worthy to be his followers, and look what they did. If they truly were not worthy, i wouldn't be talking about Christ today, no one would. But to the world His disciples were not qualified to say the least.
That's why i love working with the group of kids myself and my fellow brothers and sisters work with. Because these kids have been looked over, labeled unteachable, and just thought of as not worth the investment. I have seen so much fruit from these kids that they give me great joy. Don't get me wrong, sometimes nights can be quite challenging, but the Holy Spirit always finds a way to turn it around.
So this coming monday on the 8th is the Edges 2nd year anniversary. Last monday we talked with the kids about a new devotional series we were going to be studying. Basically it came down to us reading to scriptures; Mark 1:16-20 and John 1:35-45. This was the launching point for our discussion that night. so after reading those scriptures together, we discussed who Christ chose as his followers and how all he had to say was "follow me", and they dropped everything and did so. So i i said to the group, you know we have been doing this for two years now, and the Word have never been failed to be taught, so i asked the guys a honest question. Do you think you guys have applied everything that u have been taught, are u satisfied with your growth although all of you have made progress in your lives, some more than others? It got real quiet and then they all one by one said no. so then i told them that like Christ all the leaders here including myself aren't looking for this huge group of kids to teach and hang out with. the truth is that each of us is looking for a few good men to follow us as we follow Christ. This was my challenge and decree that from this point on we would be looking very closely at Jesus' life from birth to transcendence to heaven, his full deity yet full humanness. My friend and pastor gave me an awesome devotional called "Knowing Him" by Sonlife Ministry.
The last challenge i added for them was for the next 7 days to take some time and reflect on each day; how things went right or wrong, how you treated people, and what could you have done differently. maybe even make amends for the things u did wrong. Then pray and spend time with God about what they came up with.
I hope they all did it, but would be overjoyed if just a few got what i was trying to get them in the habit of doing and find peace in doing so. These kids have been a huge blessing and investment in my life, i thank God everyday that he trusts me and my fellow brothers with mentoring these young men.
The steps forward however small are a huge celebration to me and i praise God for each one. I feel blessed to watch these young men begin a journey of life long change and the gift of eternal life. Some Might not really see the change, but when these kids don't know we are around or paying attention, we catch snap shots of wins in their lives. For example some it might be with how they handle anger, where 2 0r 3 years ago most of these guys would just assume hit you and talk later, to now watching just letting things go, even when the world would not blame them. They are changing little by little whether they know it or not. That is the power of Gods' Word at work! can i get an Amen!
so this following scripture is a big part of why we do what we do on monday nights at the Edge, this scripture was following Mathew the tax collectors conversion at a gathering at Mathew's house, Matthew 9:10-13
11. when the pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, " why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 12 On hearing this Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means; I desire mercy not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

I couldn't possibly say it any better or more clear so i wont. till next time.
remember keep the faith, don't be afraid to get a little dirt on you for Christ, God wants a relationship with all of us not just a certain group.

your bro in Christ
john