Perseverance

Soon after making a decision to follow Christ, a young Nigerian named Daniel returned to his Muslim village. He was excited about his new faith. . . the people of his village were not. Furious at him, the women of the village beat him and left him for dead.

When he regained consciousness the following day, he decided he must not have been clear in explaining his new faith. So he went back to the village and witnessed again. The women beat him and left him for dead again. This time he remained unconscious for two days.

When he awoke, he again assumed he hadn't expressed himself well. So he returned a third time. This time the village women broke into tears at his perseverance, and eventually the good news of Christ gained a foothold in that place.

If you're weary in sharing the good news of Jesus with friends, family, or your kids—take heart. And remember, we share Christ by our actions and how we conduct our lives—as much as we do with our words.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12

-Live Productively

Hannah Whitall Smith writes:

"This blessed life must not be looked upon in any sense as an attainment but as an obtainment. We cannot earn it; we cannot climb up to it; we cannot win it; we can do nothing but ask for it and receive it. It is the gift of God in Christ Jesus. And where a thing is a gift, the only course left for the receiver is to take it and thank the giver."

-Live Productively

"I don't wonder anymore what I'll tell God when I go to heaven when we sit in the chairs under the tree, outside the city........I'll tell these things to God, and he'll laugh, I think and he'll remind me of the parts I forgot, the parts that were his favorite. We'll sit and remember my story together, and then he'll stand and put his arms around me and say, "well done," and that he liked my story. And my soul won't be thirsty anymore. Finally he'll turn and we'll walk toward the city, a city he will have spoken into existence a city built in a place where once there'd been nothing. "

-Donald Miller (A Million Miles in a Thousand Years)

Follow Me!

Jesus Reinstates Peter (John 21:15-23)

¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him,“Follow me!”

²⁰ Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) ²¹ When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

²² Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” ²³ Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

I remember a sermon where a pastor once mentioned how he gets the most attacked the moments after he preaches the word of God. So for him that entailed whatever days he was speaking from the pulpit. Being a bible study teacher I'm seeing the cost that comes with being entrusted with God's flock, teaching them the ways of the Lord, how to live in the righteousness of God and to turn away from the wicked things of the world, and to proclaim the victory the cross has set out for us. The Lord has been so gracious in overwhelming my heart with Love for Him that I just want to burst sometimes! I am loving the ministry He has graciously entrusted to me and proclaiming the gospel truth on to the lives of these younger sisters who are completely blinded to the things of God and walking straightly by sight, not faith.

Every Sunday before I start leading any bible study or start spitting out any words of truth I always open up with a word of prayer and ask the Lord to lead the study. Whatever it is He wants to teach us and speak to us, I invite the Holy Spirit to lead He speaks to the hearts of His beloveds. Well today we had a special time of bible study as the Lord led us to have an opportunity for these girls to really experience the fullness of the gospel being preached through their lives. I asked some of the girls if they knew what it meant to "be saved"? To live with the holy spirit in their hearts and having Jesus be Lord of their lives? We had the opportunity to lead them into a time of ushering in God's presence in their lives, a good handful of them raised their hands and the gospel was made alive. GOD IS MOVING and I'm just in for the ride!

During worship time for our EM service, since it flows right after bible study teaching and into the worship setting I had a good amount of time just PRAISING THE LORD for His faithfulness and goodness! I started thinking ahead of what I should prepare for these girls who have a new relationship with the Lord, how I should get a hold of them, what i should do, yadda yadda yadda. But gently the Lord stopped me in my tracks and said,

"You say what I want you to say, when I want you to say it and how I want it to be said, just FOLLOW ME" (note: the Lord gave me this verse prior to coming into teaching by asking me the same thing He asked Peter. This time around he speaks this same thing but emphasizes to remind me that this bible study class is HIS not mine, HIS words not mine, HIS time not mine)

and from that moment forward I repented quickly of my own efforts of trying to move ahead of God, took a step back and focused my eyes on Him. This moment reminded me of when Jesus appeared to his disciples AFTER He rose from the dead and appeared to Peter AFTER Peter had betrayed Jesus before He died on the cross, man, talk about LOVE! Jesus asked Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" (vs15, 16, 17) He asked Peter 3x's and 3x's Peter answers, "Yes, Lord you know that I love you." (vs15, 16, 17) Jesus immediately responds back to Peter in 3 different ways:

1. Feed my lambs (vs 15)
2. Take care of my sheep (vs16)
3. Feed my sheep (vs17)

I believe that Jesus was showing Peter that he already foreknew Peter's denial and forgave Him long before and came to clarify the way Peter will truly follow Jesus now. As the Lord told Peter, the Lord told me,

"Then he said to [me], Follow me!" (vs19)

-Live Productively

Above all Else

I can sing this song all day, everyday, any day, and again today! Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Jesus my passion in life is to know You
May all other goals bow down to
This journey of loving You more

Jesus You've showered Your goodness on me
Given Your gifts so freely
But there's one thing I'm longing for

Hear my heart's cry
And my prayer for this life

Above all else
Above all else
Above all else
Give me Yourself

-Live Productively

press into Him

"When emotions run dry, and there is no holy cry

I will run blindly, I'll press into you.."

-Live Productively

One with Him as He was One with Him

Jesus the Way to the Father

⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. ¹²Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

ahh, man! How frustrating Jesus must have felt when his own disciples, whom he trained and spent a good amount of his ministry time with, had doubts! I know I would have been but yet, JESUS IS LORD! and the peace He had in his heart was because of the Father living IN Him! Even after all that they saw, all that they heard Jesus speak and all that they experienced while walking with Jesus, and STILL yet they come asking, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" and I love that Jesus just straight up answers him plainly by saying, "I AM THE WAY AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. NO ONE CAN COME TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME. IF YOU REALLY KNEW ME, YOU WOULD KNOW MY FATHER AS WELL. FROM NOW ON, YOU DO KNOW HIM AND HAVE SEEN HIM." (vs 6,7) and here comes Philip not having blatantly hearing everything that Jesus had JUST spoken by asking, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be ENOUGH for us." (vs8) Like, hello! Jesus just said "YOU HAVE SEEN HIM" haha! and how many of us are just like him, we see His miracles in our daily lives. Miracles don't have to be big and grand, they are in the small things as well; the miracle of a person turning from their sinful way and turning to the word, or a prideful person humbling themselves by apologizing for their wrongful actions, or even a hurting person to be embraced by the Love of God. It doesn't have to be crazy healings, speaking in tongues, casting out demons kind of miracles but God moves, even in the little things! but man, the way Jesus answers so gently as he always does, to us who lack in our Faith in Him by always doubting, always questioning His ways, always dusting off His words by unbelief, YET He is still faithful in saying to His disciples and to us: "Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living IN me, who is doing his work. Believe in me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves." (vs10,11)

"Holy Father,
protect them by the power of your name-
the name you gave me-
so that they may be one
as we are one." (John 17:11)

-Live Productively