Gianna Jessen, Abortion Survivor

By pastorbillwalden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPF1FhCMPuQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8B1nKGIAeg

This is very powerful.  Total viewing time is 16 minutes.  Please make time to view this.

What A Waste

By pastorbillwalden

Mark 14:3-9 3And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. 4But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.  

6But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. 7For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. 8She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. 9Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Many who love Jesus give of themselves to Him.
They give time, money, talents, material possessions.
They forsake personal gain, high paying careers, and upward mobility.
Some would say that they give too much.

Parents may encourage their child to go to college and prepare for a good career, rather than go to Bible college and prepare for a life of godly service.
They would never tell their child to not be a Christian; they would just tell them to have a “balanced” life, and be sure to have a good career first. They may suggest that their child not get too fanatical about their Christian faith. They would emphasize that it’s a tough world out there, so their child needs to “look out for #1″.

There are many other examples of how people that give their lives to Jesus are warned or corrected by others who are around Jesus.  The disciples were with Jesus all the time, had seen the miracles, and heard Him teach, but they thought that what this was did was “a waste”.  They justified their opinion by saying that some good social act could have been done instead.  Helping the poor is important, but it wasn’t more important at that moment.

They made the mistake that so many Christians make: they miss the best and suggest the good.  They are committed, but not too committed.  They worship and serve, to a point.  They give, but are careful to not go beyond what is reasonable.  They try to be “reasonable” in their Christian life, and are careful to maintain a “balance”.

I never read about keeping a balance.  I read about being led by the Holy Spirit.

Like the woman who poured out the costly ointment, some Christians pour out their lives to God.
Like the woman, they are told that what they have done is extravagant and extreme.
Jesus had a different opinion, and defended her.

Be careful about how you judge such things.

Misusing The Provision Of God

By pastorbillwalden

When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, the mob came to arrest Him, led by Judas. Peter sought to protect Jesus, and swung his sword, cutting off a man’s ear.  Jesus healed the man, and then said to Peter…

“…do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” (Matthew 26:53, 54)

Jesus told Peter that he could have prayed for twelve legions of angels to protect Him for this crowd.

1 Legion = 6,000 angels.
12 Legions = 72,000 angels

In 2 Kings 19:35, one angel killed 185,000 soldiers in one night.
Jesus could have been defended against 13,320,000,000 people.
Thirteen billion, three hundred and twenty million.
Twice the Earth’s present population.

Those are staggering numbers, but the numbers aren’t the point.

The point is this: Jesus would not use the provision of God to avoid the will of God.
That which was rightfully available for Jesus could have been used by Jesus to avoid the will of the Father.

Question yourself: do you ever use the provision of God to avoid the will of God?

If you avoid the will of God, (disobey), then you are using the provision of God for purposes that are contrary to the will of God.  You use your mind, body, money, talents, family, friends, job…..you use blessings from God to avoid doing the will of God.

Instead of obeying God, you stay busy with the life God provided, you hide in the home God provided, you drive away on the car God provided, you do the lesser instead of the greater with the talent and mind God provided.

Dear Christian…everything you have is the provision of God.

May we not use the provision of God to avoid the will of God.

On Being Intentional

By pastorbillwalden

It was said of Jehoshapaht, that he “prepared his heart to seek God”. (1 Chronicles 19:3)

Think about those you admire. Think about those you enjoy watching “do their thing”.  They are intentional about what they do, and not just reactive.  They are committed.  They are passionate.  They are disciplined. They see what “can be” when others only see “what is”. They are good at what they do because they are committed to their pursuit.  They did not achieve excellence by accident.

When others are playing, the ones we admire are working, reading, practicing, training, studying.  They excel because they are intentionally choosing to pursue their goal.  They are focused.  They are not disciplined because they “have to be”, but because they love that which they pursue, and realize that they were created for such a pursuit.

As Christians, we can expect no less, and do no less.  The same principle applies.  We can be saved, but be lazy, indifferent, and ineffective. By God’s grace, we will surely go to heaven, but we will make little impact on our world.  The great saints of the Bible and throughout church history were those that were passionately intentional about seeking God.  They rose up early, they set time aside, they forfeited other opportunities, they didn’t waste time doing things that benefited little.

They weren’t legalistic with themselves, but they realized that not all things are beneficial.  They denied their flesh, and discovered the great joy of the disciplined Christian life.  What formerly felt “needful to do” eventually became a passion.  What previously seemed like a sacrifice now became “obviously unneeded”.  Like Jehoshaphat, they “prepared their hearts to seek the Lord”.

“Preparing your heart to seek the Lord” does not require exceptional talent, intelligence, or gifting.  It is simply and only a matter of intention.  It is not for the purpose of being great in front of others, but of being close to God. “Preparing your heart to seek the Lord” benefits the Christian with personal holiness, greater peace, and more of a sense of what the Spirit is doing in his/her world.

What kind of Christian will you be?  One who seeks God only when there is trouble, or one who seeks God that he/she might draw near, be filled and sent out, knowing that there is trouble on every side, and that there are many needs in many lives?

Carve out a time to meet with God.  Find your quiet place.  Be intentional.  Make it a priority.  Quit doing something else so that you can do this. Knowledge of doctrine will not settle your heart…but closeness to God will.

Prepare your heart to seek the Lord.