Monday, September 20, 2010

Urgent

Photobucket

This thing called God is real, 
and it's only going to keep getting realer. 

...for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
   "Wake up, O sleeper,
      rise from the dead,
          and Christ will shine on you." Eph.5:14

So God, in his greatness, has been beaconing my spirit, etching at my heart, and captivating my mind. Everywhere I look, everything I read, all the devotionals I hear have been urging me to go deeper. To get real, because God is only going to keep getting realer. When he returns I want to be ready...

"...for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Luke 12:40b


This theme keeps playing out in my life, like a song getting stuck in my head. I think God is trying to catch my attention, I think he's trying to woo me in, I think he's trying something new with his potter hands. With the countless entry's of truth hitting my heart lately, I believe he's calling. Calling me, to no longer live lukewarm, to live wide awake, and to renew. It's time I answered his call.

I've been reading this book with College Life called "Wide Awake" by Edwin McManus. I just have to say, it's awesome. I've only begun reading it and would already recommend it to somebody.
Here's the gist of it so far. These are the random note's I've taken while reading the book. Maybe it will entice your taste buds as well. :)
Notes:
Life is a work of art. 
Paint your dreams born of burdens. {love this thought}
Your life becomes the brush, you are an artist.
Dream of things that don't exist, but must exist. {awesome challenge}
If we want to live the wide awake life of our dreams, 
we must trust God to guide us on a journey we cannot take on our own.

At church yesterday, Matt Cote spoke and presented a challenge that I feel I must take. DANG YOU MATT, for challenging us!  I had already begun challenging myself to go deeper and get more serious about my personal time with God, but today's message put the cherry on the cake. Matt presented a challenge that's going to be tough, it's not conducive to my schedule, it means I need to move things around, figure some things out, and work it in. His challenge you ask? To RENEW. For 40 days, read the bible for at least 25 mins. I know what your thinking, because as I type this I'm thinking it too...this seems like a simple-easy-no-brainer-task, well if it is, then why am I not doing it already? Not so simple anymore.

Matt's message touched on the fact that Christians {some % that I forget, but it's a lot} no longer consider the Bible the Masterpiece that it is. {my take on what he spoke on} --> At the end of the day, our dependancy isn't on what God's word says, but instead our lives become dependent upon our own understanding. We no longer depend on the Word of God, but instead we brush it off like an annoying fly. Our motto is no longer "God Speaks", but instead "We Speak".
Matt went on to say that, "God is not a matter of talk, but of power." 
"For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power." 1 Cor. 4:20

The challenge now is to .RENEW. through the Word of God. To actually read it. To actually get to know it. To actually live out the masterpiece that is it.

"It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, 
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4

So, today begins the journey of 40 days in God's word. 

If you're doing it too, send me a link to your blog, I'd love to follow you.