Day 2: 50 Days All In

One of the songs that has held strong for the last 20 years is by John Reuben “I Give You My Heart”. I remember when this was learned at my church it was played almost every service. I even remember one time at a young adult event this was the song for the altar call for at least an hour straight. But what does it really mean to give our hearts to God?

 

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

Matthew 13:44

 

Most Canadians, Americans and many others don’t quite grasp the understanding of giving up anything to follow Jesus. We can choose to follow Jesus and our lives continue unchanged for the most part. I was reminded just recently that this isn’t the case in most parts of the world.

 

Many people in the world are caught up in restrictive religions that come down very hard on those who convert to Christianity. They will take you and throw you out of the house, disown you and even hurt you for your choice to give your heart to Jesus. Therefore, reaching people with the love of Jesus isn’t always easy as because they must be all in as they will face these types of persecution the moment they reveal their choice.

 

If these Christians are willing to give up their families, their customs and lives to give God their whole heart, how come we have a hard time doing the same when we have so much less to lose? Is it because it is so easy for us that we don’t take it as serious an importance?

 

When we sing this song do we truly desire to follow Christ? The man in the parable Jesus told was willing to sell EVERYTHING. Everything to gain the most valuable treasure and remain close to it. He wasn’t concerned what others would think. He wanted it and he would do anything to get it.

 

What are you willing to do to give your whole heart to God? Are you ready to go All in, in your relationship with God starting with all your heart?

Find this song, play it a few times, listen to the words, pray then as the cry of your heart. Go All In.

 

Father, our desire is to give you all our hearts. We want to continually worship you with all we are. I pray that you will connect with your children no matter their situation and as we give ourselves to you, all in, that you will give us the strength to overcome the situations that come our way. For those who lose everything to follow you we pray for wisdom and blessings, give them opportunities to reach their families and friends who have disowned them. Use us to be effective in reaching the lost so they may know you the same way we love you. Amen

Day 50: 50 Days of Impact

If I had cancer, yet I didn’t know I had cancer I would not be very open to hear you tell me that I had it. If I wasn’t displaying any symptoms or feeling and effects I would call you misinformed. Especially if you were just my friend or co-worker, not even a professional. No one is looking for cancer in their own body. It is the same as sin, no one is looking or thinking they have sinned. For you to tell me I’m a sinner well that can’t be. I am a good person. Dr.’s know what to look for when it comes to cancer, they know the signs, symptoms and what to identify in blood. Jesus in conjunction with the Holy Spirit knows what sin is and wants to open your eyes to the life your living and the life that He has for you. Most people have a hard time accepting the diagnostic, but when you do and seek help that’s when truly healing can begin.

 

“For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.”

Romans 8:7 NLT

 

 

We need to remember that those who don’t have a relationship with Jesus are not looking for him. Those who haven’t been washed clean by the blood of the lamb, are still soaked in the sinful nature and remain hostile towards God. Why would a good God do such bad things to this world and it is people? They will ask questions like that. Because they don’t see the condition they are in.

 

If they could only look at themselves from Gods eyes, they would be down on their knees in seconds praying that God would save them from their evil ways.

 

But God, having a plan to offer redemption made a way for us to be free of sin. Jesus calls out to the people of this world to come to him. In our stubborn selfish ways we don’t hear him, and we ignore his call. I am sure you have friends or family who you have talked to many times about the love of Jesus and they keep shrugging it off and don’t seem interested.

 

Don’t give up, don’t stop sharing, don’t stop praying for them. The only lost cause is one who has been buried. So as long as they have a breath in their bodies keep loving them.

 

Dear Jesus, we need you to continue to call out to the ones we love. We want our friends and family to come to you. We open ourselves up to be used by you to witness to anyone you set in our path. Loosen our lips to share of what you have done for us and want to do for them. Amen

 

Day 47: 50 Days of Impact

How many movies have we seen where the heroes run into a room and barricade the door in hopes to stop whatever is on the outside from getting in. After a while and things settle down someone gently knocks on the door and they then have to move all the items they put in the way to verify who is waiting on the other side. We have put up a barricade in our lives, but Jesus is on the other side asking you to open the door to the truth and life he brings.

 

 

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”

Revelation 3:20 NLT

 

I believe Jesus is knocking on the hearts of every human being on earth. His desire is that none shall perish. So why is it that so many people ignore the knocking? I think that 1) they just honestly don’t know who is on the other side. Or 2) they have placed so much junk in front of the door that they just can’t hear the knock anymore.

 

Some people just are living in such isolation that they never have heard the message of Jesus. Others have grown up in a home where God was not spoken of so although they aren’t isolated from other people, they were separated from the truth intentionally or unintentionally. Many have been grown up with other beliefs that don’t point towards Jesus and have bought into something that doesn’t lead to God the Father. Yet others just plain refuse to accept that God even exists. They will fight to tell you but will not take the time to even investigate for themselves.

 

We can’t just kick down their door and let Jesus into their lives. We need to build relationships to let these people know that it is Jesus on the other side calmly and patiently waiting for them to open their lives to him. We can work with them to help move aside the junk they have put in front of the door to block or defend what is on the other side, as they have been misinformed by the enemy that Jesus just wants to take their fun away.

 

We know that isn’t the case. Jesus wants to bring life. Who doesn’t want life? They matter to Jesus, that’s why he is knocking, they matter to us so we should be letting them know whose there.

 

Jesus, help me to show others who is on the other side of the door. Keep my eyes open for opportunities to build relationships to share your love. Let me be strategic in my witnessing and be an encouragement to those around me. They matter to me. Amen

 

 

Day 46: 50 Days of Impact

I had the privilege of seeing Ted DiBiase “The Million Dollar Man” this weekend where he was speaking to a group of men. One point he made was that “We are judged by our obedience and our hearts.” This is so true and fits into todays blog as it is our obedience in being the light and our hearts response to the light that brings us to a relationship with Him. Many will claim to be in the light yet live in the darkness, many are attending your churches.

 

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So, we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.”

1 John 1:5-10 NLT

 

Are you living in the light? Are you fellowshipping with other believers? Only on Sunday’s? Do you talk about Jesus outside of church with anyone? Believers or non-believers?

 

We need to be the light, we need to share the light. Jesus said what good are we if we are the light but hide in a bucket? We need to be on a hill, a beacon for those around us to see. We need to be set apart, different. We are all unique in our personalities, which is awesome. Being like Jesus and the light does not change that, it enhances who we are and displays a change in behaviours, attitudes towards certain activities that are contradictory to the light.

 

Don’t hide what you are lighting up. Don’t purposefully be putting yourself into situations which will cause you to sin. Our earthly bodies are still prone to sin and it will happen but remember Jesus promised to cleanse us of our daily transgressions. He will restore us to be the lights we are called to be.

 

We need to share the love of Jesus to those around us, the matter to him so they matter to us. Let us be the light to them.

 

Maybe today your heart isn’t where it should be, or that you never truly had a relationship with God. Jesus is the only way to a relationship with God. Asking him to clean your sin up, removing it completely, committing yourself to following him. Then asking him to help you do a 180 in your life and start living in the light. Find some Christians who will hold you to account, they will guide and mentor you. I encourage you to not delay and make a choice to follow Christ today.

 

Jesus, I want to be the light you have called me to be. Holly Spirit let me burn ever brighter as to reach the people around me. Even at the points where I am just doing my job at work, I want to be someone whose integrity and compassion for people shines through. Burn in my heart that they matter to you so they should matter to me. Amen

 

 

Day 36: 50 Days of Impact

Back in the 90’s a band by the name of Audio Adrenaline put out a song that was call “Some Kind of Zombie”. Back then I knew it had catchy lyrics but never quite understood what it was doing on an album of this Christian band. Zombies aren’t something I am truly interested in, nor care to be. Yet I see now a correlation and connection that maybe the band might have been trying to make. I don’t think we have a word for it but it is almost like when we receive Jesus and his forgiveness we ‘un-zombie’, or he is the cure we are looking for. Before Christ we are aimlessly going through life without purpose. God intended us to have a relationship with him, it was his original design and even though Adam and Eve were patient zero, he made a way that we can restore our hearts.

 

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”

Ezekiel 36:26 NLT

 

How’s your heart condition these days? Is it alive flowing with the love of Christ? Or is it hardened to the ways of the world? Maybe parts are starting to be hardened again from the things we allow to enter our lives freely.

 

We are promised a new heart, one that isn’t covered in sin, one that is tender, responsive. That’s awesome. Think about a person who has actually received a new heart via transplant. I am sure they don’t go on living the way they had in the past leading up to their first heart failing, No, they try to live life to the fullest getting ever use out of this gift that was given them.

 

So, how are you responding to your new heart? Are you listening to the Holy Spirit guiding you? He is there with you wanting to help you, showing you how to get the best results from this new heart you have. He wants you to reach others so he can provide them with new hearts. The world is full of zombies walking around with hard hearts. Jesus died so we could be alive. God wants to restore the relationship that was broken back in the garden. What are we waiting for?

 

What is holding you back from sharing the love of Jesus with others? We have the heart cure, we know what ails them we know the surgeon who can fix them, we also know it is a free operation. Let’s not keep this cure to ourselves, we are called to let the whole world know.

 

Dear Jesus, thank you for giving me a new heart. Thank you that you offer this to anyone who asks for it. Holy Spirit guide me to not keep this to myself but I want to be bursting at the seams to share this with others. Funny thing is the more we share the bigger our hearts become and the more we will want to share. So, give us a passion to share your love with the lost and tell them of what you did for them. Amen