I am complete!

Hi

Thanks Mitch for sharing.

Here are just a few scriptures I've read lately and enjoyed.

I know at times I can be feel confused, inadequate, unworthy and lacking understanding. This scripture gives me confidence to know that I am complete because of my relationship with Jesus.

Colossians 2 v8,9,10

8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powerst of this world, rather than from Christ.9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.t

10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Whether I understand every concept of scripture it doesn't change my completeness.

I also discovered this Psalm recently. It's another scripture to inspire confidence in God.

David had such a great reliance on God. I doubt if anyone in his time had the same relationship with God that David had. Jeremy T wrote a blog on the NYC website recently about this same topic.

Psalm 118.

6 The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?7 Yes, the LORD is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me.8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in people.9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.10 Though hostile nations surrounded me, I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD.11 Yes, they surrounded and attacked me, but I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD.12 They swarmed around me like bees; they blazed against me like a crackling fire. But I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD.

See you at camp

Fire

For some reason, I can clearly remember my grade 10 science teacher asking our class ‘Is fire a living thing?’. As expected, the answer is ‘no’ but the question isn’t as silly as it sounds. He went on to explain why this has been a debated question. The six rules of living things are - every living thing needs nutrients and reproduction to survive; every living thing produces waste; every living thing repairs and/or expands itself; every living thing needs something to breathe (like oxygen) to survive; every living thing dies; and every living thing is made up of cells (No I didn't remember these - thanks google!). Fire has all these properties, except one. It is not made up of cells. But I think it’s a pretty clever choice by God to use the analogy of fire throughout the bible.

I love that God is described as a ‘consuming fire’.This conjures up some pretty strong and powerful imagery.

In the old testament, fire was often a symbol of God’s presence – such as in the burning bush and consuming Elijah’s sacrifice rather than the prophets of Baal’s sacrifice.

Fire is what came to mind when I heard this year’s topic of Living God. In the new testament, we have been baptised with ‘the holy spirit and with fire’. God uses the Spirit to guide and comfort us, just like the pillar of fire guiding the children of Israel. God now confirms His presence with the inextinguishable fire of the Holy Spirit. Just like the fire which consumed Elijah’s sacrifice, the Holy Spirit evidenced by tongues is something that I just cannot deny. It’s solid proof that I always reflect on if my faith is wavering.

Fire also gives light and Jesus described himself as the ‘light of the world’. And when light takes on darkness, light always wins!

Anyway just a few things I've been thinking about :) I'm sure there are so many more parallels along this line of thought.

Fire

One more quickly.

Isaiah, my first-born, six-and-three-quarter year old son said to me one night as he was getting out of the bath:

"I think that I believe about the people in the stories in the bible, but I don't think that I believe about God."

Ka-boom.  My pharisee brain starts freaking out and I am like "what have I done wrong, my son doesn't believe in God??!!" 

Quick prayer - "Lord, I need your wisdom".  Immediately, the Lord gave me the passage from I Kings 18 (from the previous post) "The God who answers by fire, let Him be God."  I took a deep breath and calmly told Isaiah: "That's OK Isaiah.  It's OK if you are not sure about God.  God wants you to ask Him to show you that He is really there.  Just like Elijah and the fire from heaven."

It's OK to doubt, you just have to know what to do with your doubts.  Take them to the God who answers by fire and let Him burn them up.  "I believe, Lord, help my unbelief!" Woo Hoo!

God bless.
Mitch

Power

I am very blessed.

I get to work with my dad and often my bro-in-law.  Today bro-in-law (name concealed to protect his high-profile identity) was telling me about a couple of people that he had met, and these two people were telling bro-in-law that they found a guy who is Jesus.  Or at least he thinks he might be Jesus...

When I talk to people about God and about Jesus and about the Holy Spirit, I want to introduce them to my friend.  My powerful, loving, listening, closer-than-a-brother, healing, comforting, ever-present friend.  When you have been healed and restored, it is very hard not to tell a sick person "God heals: he healed me".  Or when an exasperated parent at school notices "you and your wife are always so calm", to share that Jesus is the secret to our marriage.

I am yet to hear someone tell me "I laid hands on my wife while she was having an asthma attack and prayed in the name of (insert deity name other than Jesus here) and she was instantly healed."  But I have laid hands on my wife while she was having an asthma attack and prayed in the name of Jesus and she was instantly healed.  She has never had an asthma attack since.

That is a living God.  And He is awesome!

(Challenge yourself and others with I Kings 18:24)

Living God

Hi fellow youngies

Welcome to the Living God blog.

Feel free to post, comment, encourage and motivate us all.

Ever since hearing the theme to this years youngies camp I've been surprised by how times I've seen the phrase "Living God" used in scripture. Maybe it was used in scripture to highlight the difference between idols and our God who is alive and active.

I thought I'd share some scriptures I've read lately around the theme.

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

(1 John 4:12-15 NLT)

If anyone needs some proof that God is alive then the Spirit is it!

So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT)

Christ lives on earth today through us. He's multiplied himself over and over again.

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. (Hebrews 4:12 NLT)

So many times I've read that scripture but not realised that quick means ALIVE. How true is the Word!

Got something to share?😉

Jordan