Testifying who God is

This morning I read John 5:31-45 and I was struck in particular by verse 36 when Christ said, "I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. "

It struck me for a few reasons:

1. Because Christ was saying that everything he is doing is because of his life purpose.
2. That everything he was doing testifies to God.
3. Christ finished strong! He accomplished his life purpose.

This led me to 2 questions and I challenge you to think about them as well. It caused me to think:

1. Is everything I am doing what God intended me to do?
2. Is everything I am doing a positive testimony to God?

Everyday, Christ was a living testimony to God's plan for his life and was always a positive witness to God and his Kingdom. Because of this, it is safe to say that Christ has brought more people into the Kingdom of Heaven then we will ever be able to know or understand. His impact is beyond comprehension.

Can the same be said of my life? Of your life?

Psalm 42:1-2 says, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?"

When we hunger and thirst for the Lord and seek Him first and foremost, he is faithful and will encourage us and take us to that next level so that in everything that we do, we know that we are living according to his intended purpose and being a positive testimony to his greatness and glory.

Missed Opportunities

Just recently, Anne and I lost a good friend of ours, Pete Hill. I knew Pete for over 15 years dating back to when he was a youth group leader and I was in high school. Pete was a great man, husband and father. Please pray for his wife and 2 young children.

For the longest time, Pete and I were very close as we shared a love for the Cowboys and a heart for young people to come to know the Lord. We also did ministry together for years, we were roommates for a few years and he was in my wedding. We had several great times together. But, over the last few years, life happens and while we still talked, we rarely hung out. And that, is probably the one thing that bothers me the most. It is the amount of missed opportunities I had with him over the past few years.

I can make excuse after excuse as to why we both allowed things to prevent us from getting together more often, but that does no good now. Pete is gone and I had missed opportunities to spend time with a great man.

Christ says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

I know this scripture is used so much in regards to outreach, but I think this passage reflects exactly what Pete did in his life. He went and made disciples in all that he did. Whether it was how he acted or what he said (or didn't say), he represented Christ and sought to make disciples. Therefore, as fellow believers and followers of Christ, I want to encourage you this week to:

• Make time for those most important to you. Don't miss opportunities and let time pass by without seeing and spending time together. One of the things I loved about Pete was that he was genuinely interested in you and wanted to spend time with you. Life happens and we become busy, but when we allow life to dictate what we do and don't do, we may miss great opportunities to spend time with others who are very important to us.
• Share the love of Christ to others. As I already mentioned, one of the other things I loved about Pete is that he represented and reflected Christ's nature so much that it was impossible for us to be together and not talk about Christ and how we can be growing in Him. When you are with others this week, especially believers, talk about and encourage each other in Christ. It is true that we never know when someone will be taken away from us. Therefore, don't miss opportunities to share Christ and who he is to others. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Pete was saved and knew Christ as his Lord and savior. But, there are others in my life who I am not certain of. Are there others in your life that you may not be certain of? Don't let time go by and miss opportunities to share Christ with them.

It is sad that it takes a very unexpected and tragic event to make you reflect on what matters most. I am going to miss my friend very much. Don't wait for a tragic event to happen in your life. Act now and share Christ with those you care about the most.

Take some time and pray that God opens doors for you to connect with others and share Him this week.

Serving this Summer

This summer has been a great service summer for the youth (and congregation as a whole) of Cedar Run. The Youth went to Coatesville, PA, helped a team to Nicaragua and helped out at Vacation Bible School. Each service opportunity was a great success as many people got to hear about God's love and see it in action.

Why do we serve? What purpose does it meet?

There are many reasons to serve, but I believe a chief reason is to emulate the example of Christ himself.

Read Mark 10:43-45

1. What does Christ say here?
2. How does Christ model servanthood?

Application:

Christ could have simply said, "whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all" and that would have been a great saying. But, as everyone knows, talk is cheap. So, while James and John were asking Jesus to help them hold such a high position in the kingdom of heaven, Christ called them and us to a higher standard. Not only did Christ call us to a higher standard, he modeled it and showed everyone what that meant.

So, again, why do you serve? Do you serve out of the goodness of your heart? Do you serve because you will feel better about yourself or because you want to get recognized?

OR, do you serve because of the example Christ gave to us? Do you serve because the King of Kings viewed service so importantly that he came down from heaven, in obedience to his father (Philippians 2:7-8), to die for our sins?

Remember, Christ didn't have to die. He choose to serve us and die. He gave us his royal throne and all the perks that he had in heaven to die for us. That is sacrificing. That is serving.

Based on Christ's example, how can you serve others this week?

Pray that God opens up opportunities for you to serve others this week.