Heart & Soul

Written By: Kirk Peterson

The closest person I have ever met to God told me once, “Always listen to the Holy Spirit when He tells you something.”  He went on to tell me a story about how he longed for some shrimp and grits, oh how he loves those shrimp and grits, but the Spirit told him “stay away.”  He heard what the Spirit had said, but the temptation of the shrimp and grits was too great and he picked them up anyway.  He got food poisoning from the food, but said he learned his LESSON well!

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HEART

As I was sitting there in Bible Study, watching the other children’s leader teach about the first parables of Jesus, he said something that had the Holy Spirit tug at me. He was teaching about “wheat” and “weeds (Bearded Dardanelle)”, when one of the children asked, “When you speak about our heart, do you mean our actual beating heart?” The co-leader went on to teach how God can see right through our exterior and into the very innermost part of us. He explained that when we teach about our HEART, we are talking about the deepest part of us that makes us who we are. He said that innermost part is our SOUL and that--“We are not simply a BODY with a SOUL, but rather a SOUL with a BODY around the outside.”

The Holy Spirit had me take notice that there is something profound in those words.  It tugged at me, and putting into practice what my friend had told me about always listening to the Spirit when He tells you something, I blurted out to the children to listen to his words.  I told them that this was another homework assignment for them, and that they needed to memorize those words.  One of the other children’s leaders started a “Rap” trick in memorization with the kids, using beats to help with remembering.  Being encouraged by the power of the Spirit, I started to pound the table in beat.  I looked up and started prodding everyone to start to rap with me, “We are not a body with a soul, but rather a soul with a body”.  I looked over to the other co-leader, as he sheepishly smiled at me, almost telling me “you thought those words were cool did you?”  My smile back at him said, “Yes you goof, those words were AWESOME!”

It was a fun moment, but one that I try not to take for granted.  For I believe the Holy Spirit lead all of us into a truth that was buried in the scripture, digging up for us one of the buried treasures in God’s great Kingdom.

11He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. (Matthew 13:11-13, NLT)

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MYSTERIES SET APART

16“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it. (Matthew 13:16-17, NLT)

To the prophets and all those in the Old Testament, many of the mysterious of God’s plan were left unanswered.  The Bible now has the COMPLETE gospel (good news) that reveals ALL that God wants to tell us in His word, and explains how He plans to redeem his lost people from their fall into darkness.  Part of God’s plan is to set apart the treasures of His Kingdom, for those that trust in Him.  God our heavenly Father is ALWAYS there to embrace those that TRUST in Him. But God's word, and the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, are designed to have layers that can only be UNLOCKED by the power of his Holy Spirit.

The apostles themselves did not understand everything The Good Shepherd was teaching to them.  We see how with Jesus’ parables (relevant stories with a deeper meaning) those that truly walk with the Lord, having good soil in their heart, SEEK to understand and go to GOD for help in understanding.  While those who do not listen, loose the “seed” that is God’s word in the hard, rocky, or thorny soil that is their heart. (Matthew 13:3-23; 36)  I encourage you to go to God in prayer when you do not understand something in the Bible or a sermon, and ask God to reveal His truth to you through his Holy Spirit. 

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SOIL OF YOUR HEART

18“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Matthew 13:18-23, NLT)

How is the soil of YOUR heart?  I know that too often, my heart soil is rocky, where my roots are too shallow to stand up to adversity and hardship.  I turned to the children that night in Bible Study, and with a pen shoved down into a Tupperware filled with rocks, I asked them what we could do to have our roots grow strong.  Indeed I ask you now, what can you do to have your roots grow strong in the LORD?  I believe some great places to start are with Bible Study, Church, Prayer and Fellowship with other believers.  I hope and pray that God’s “seed”, which is His word, can grow in fertile soil in your heart--producing a righteous harvest to the honor and glory of our Great King!

 

May the SOUL that makes up the very heart of you rejoice and find peace celebrating and glorifying our great King's birth this Christmas Season!

 

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GREATER

Written By: Kirk Peterson

The amount of energy that is released when two atoms touch has produced the most powerful FORCE science has ever shown mankind with nuclear energy.  Modern medicine and surgery has saved people’s lives from disease and sickness who would have perished otherwise and showed mankind the HEALING power of science.  Though these powers are great, there is nothing GREATER than the living God!

28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30The Father and I are one.” (John 10:28-30, NLT)

One of the greatest powers God has shown to us is His power to give those that trust in Him eternal life.  Jesus tells us here in John, that God the Father has given those who are saved to His son.  Nothing is more powerful than God and nothing can steal those who are called children of God away from Him.  No force of evil, no power of science, indeed nothing in all of creation is more powerful than Yahweh!

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Jesus is Stronger

Recently, my young son Brody (our 4 year old), asked me if he should be scared of “the bad guys?”  We had taught him about the enemy and his army of demons, and he asked what I thought was a very good question coming from someone so young.  I told him that as a child of God, he had NOTHING TO FEAR from the enemy, for Our God is greater.  As my bible study said, “No matter how strong evil seems in any situation, Jesus is stronger!”

20But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 21For when a strong man like Satan is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe—22until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings. (Luke 11:20, NLT)

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Power of Death

The bible tells us that we can tell false prophets and teachings by looking to the fruit that they produce.  It also teaches us to be careful that what we think is light and truth, might actually be darkness.  Some of the best fruit I have seen in this life, is from Christian men who when facing death--still found joy and peace. 

I want to tell you two stories that I fell show the POWER of Christian hope.  The first story, is about someone in my Bible study.  His Mom had just passed away a couple of days before this particular study, and I was amazed to see that he truly had joy in his heart at his Mom’s passing.  He was happy at a time that most people would have been broken.  You could see that his faith in God and God’s promises filled him with hope, and that he was grateful that his Mother got to spend eternity in heaven.  I was humbled, for I knew that in the same situation I would have been sad and broken--yet here he sat, mere hours after learning that his one and only mother on this earth had passed away, was left smiling and joyous about his mother’s death.  I think this shows the very power of Christian hope, and the weight to the Bible’s words that death has lost its sting by the victory of Jesus Christ our Lord!

The next story is about a man that is closer to God than anyone else I have met in this life.  The rain was beating down in a torrential downpour of a storm, with a power that was flooding the very ground before us.  We all stared out into the darkness of the storm and realized that we would just have to wait this one out.  None of us had brought umbrellas and I even went as far as trying to use a makeshift plastic shelter (to no avail) to shield us from the rain.  This man was in good spirits and was his typical self, cracking jokes and offering words of encouragement.  As he continued to speak, I was amazed to hear that his daughter was at the trauma hospital downtown and might not make it through.  Having two children of my own, I was astounded to see his mood be so light and joyful at such a hard time.  I told him that it was very obvious that he was close to God by the way he was living his life at such a challenging time.

54Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57, NLT)

God’s Authority

[Jesus speaking] 28Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. (John 14:28 NLT)

God the Father has AUTHORITY OVER ALL THINGS.  Jesus himself said that God the Father is GREATER than even he is.  I believe, that though the Father--Son--Holy Spirit are one, that God the Father has authority over all things.  I believe, the authority of the Most High reigns over even Jesus & the Holy Spirit.  When Jesus said that the Father is greater than he is, I believe that he was speaking of God’s authority.

The Trinity of God is a concept that is very challenging for humans to understand, and perhaps is something that is BEYOND us.  My friend said his pastor said it this way, “The Trinity is a HOLY UNION.  A bond between Father, Son and Spirit.”  Though we are all part of God’s family when we trust in Him, I believe the holy union of God unites The Three as One. 

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Jesus is All Powerful

One of the children in our Bible study asked us how God—Son—Spirit could be one?  I tried to teach them about the Holy Union of The Three and how that bond united them as One.  Also, I spoke of Jesus, having just went over three lessons in consecutive weeks on the miracles of Jesus--about his power here on earth.  I explained to them that Jesus was both man & God, and that I believed that AT THE RIGHT TIME he was empowered with the spirit without limit that enabled him to perform all kinds of miracles including: healing any sickness or disease, raising the dead back to life and casting out demons.  I said that Jesus could have destroyed the entire world if he wanted too when he was here on this earth, and through he had all the same weaknesses we have, he never fell short of the glory of God.

Jesus teaches us that everything he has is from the Father.  He said that everything he did was to fulfill the will of God.  I believe that Jesus had ultimate power when he was here on earth, but submitted to God’s authority and His will to fulfill his mysterious plan.  God has already told us what that mysterious plan is.  To first give his people the law.  Then, to send his Son Jesus to fulfill the law and transform how He saves his people by Jesus’ sacrifice at the cross--saved by grace and fulfilling His promise to change our hard hearts and bestow upon those who believe His Holy Spirit.  Finally, after the Day of Judgment, God will create a new heaven and a new earth and His people will live with Him forever in the golden city of The New Jerusalem. 

 27“My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Matthew 11:27, NLT)

3Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. (John 13:3, NLT)

38And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39“And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, 40but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, 41not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. 43He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.” (Acts 10:38-39, NLT)

I hope and pray that those reading this will come to know that God is Greater.  That no matter the situation or circumstance, that God is stronger!

 

May the peace of Christ be with you.

 

See Chris Thomlin’s Video “Our God is Greater” here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlA5IDnpGhc

The Narrow Road

Written By: Kirk Peterson

The Narrow Gate

13“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. (Matthew 7:13-14, NLT)

The narrow road we are called to walk can be difficult.  Our human nature because of the fall of man into sin, TEMPTS us to live one way while God’s word SHOWS us how to live the opposite way that leads to life. 

Recently, my 4 year old blew me away by preaching the good word.  He said he wanted to sit his little brother and myself down and tell us a story of God.  As I watched him there, so young and innocent, flipping the pages of the book and telling us what he has learned about God, I was amazed at how he was TEACHING us about God at such a young age.  He said, “God knows what is good for us and tells us how to live”. 

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Listen & Follow

Building on a Solid Foundation

24“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27, NLT)

The Bible tells us that the world is controlled by the enemy.  The Bible also tells us that the human heart is tainted by sin and causes us to fall.  Though it may seem like we have the cards stacked against us as Christians, Jesus tells us how to build our life on a solid foundation.  He said that anyone who LISTENS to His teachings and FOLLOWS it is wise.  Though the storms of life come beating and trying to tear down the foundation, it won’t collapse because it is built on the bedrock of His teachings.  So what does it mean to listen to Jesus?  What does it mean to follow Jesus?

To listen to someone, we have to stop talking.  When we truly listen to someone, you let the other person share what they want to tell you and we open up our ears to HEAR what they have to say. To follow someone, you have to stop leading yourself and fall in behind the leader.  No matter which way they turn, you have to walk the same places that they walk.  So maybe the best way to weather the storms of life, is to simply listen with open ears to God’s teachings and follow the path that Jesus leads us to.

Listening and following both take action.  We have to make an EFFORT to obey what Jesus is teaching us to do.  My brother in law recently gave a sermon and he said that we are either growing or decaying spiritually.  God gives us free will, and though he shows us the door--we still have to choose open it.  Recently, I wrote about how I think my faith has been shallow to some extent, for I wasn’t applying God’s teachings to my life.  I would come and get fed by reading his word or hearing a sermon at church, but I wasn’t choosing to WALK the narrow road in my own life.  I encourage you to go to God in PRAYER and ask him how you can listen and follow his teachings in your own life, so you can weather all the storms that may come your way.

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Called to Action

8God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10, NLT)

24So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone…26Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. (James 2:24-26, NLT)

Grace is the unmerited favor of God.  Faith is believing in what you cannot see.  Being saved by God and inheriting his promise of eternal life in heaven does not come from doing good deeds in the world.  My bible study said it this way and I don’t think I have heard Christian faith explained any more simply then this, “"God saves and forgives us by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone."

There has been a lot of confusion regarding the James passage on good deeds throughout the years.  As my wife said, “If your faith is really ALIVE, then where is the ACTION?”  The bible teaches us that if we believe that Jesus is the son of God and that He died paying the price for all mankind’s sins on the cross, having been resurrected from death on the third day, that by the grace of God and our faith in Jesus, we will be saved, thus inheriting God’s promise of eternal life in heaven. 

I believe that as Christians, we are called to ACTION.  It takes action for us to walk the narrow road in life, constantly battling our innate desire to sin.  When we apply what God teaches us in our life, The Good Shepherd’s purpose is fulfilled when we CHOOSE to walk the narrow road.  Jesus says that we should let our good deeds shine out so brightly, that no darkness can hide it.

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Let your Light Shine 

14“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:14-16, NLT)

What does it mean to be the light of the world?  Light is something that enables us to see.  Lamps guide us through the darkness, showing us the right path to follow.  When we place a lamp on a stand, it illuminates the entire room to anyone that is near to that lamp.  So maybe our good deeds as Christians can be a light to those who cannot see, and hopefully those who cannot see will eventually come to praise our heavenly Father.  For I believe no one can be brought to God and salvation--we can only point them to the THE WAY.

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Walking the Narrow Road

God calls us to WALK the narrow road.  What does it mean to walk?  Walking means that we have to pick up each foot, step forward and take action.  We have to keep our eyes fixed forward, paying attention to our surroundings, being mindful of dangers, and enjoy the world around us.  Some of the best time I spend with my family is when we take walks around our neighborhood.  I find much rest and peace on those great walks, enjoying neighbors, enjoying each other and enjoying God’s creation.  Though the narrow road that God calls us to walk can be difficult, when we put into practice what God has taught us, TRUSTING in what He has shown us, I believe God blesses each and every one of us with a rich & satisfying life!

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May the peace of Christ be with you.

See Sidewalk Prophets video for “Help me Find it” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsjZ94K7UQs

SURRENDER

Written By: Kirk Peterson

Life is very interesting when you are DEFEATED.  It is almost like someone grabs you by both shoulders and rips you out of your daily routine.  God has used my failings twice in my life to SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE my life’s direction, and I pray that He in his mighty wisdom can do the same for you.  I pray this for you, not so you have to endure the challenges of failing, but for the opportunity for God to show you something about your life.  When we are defeated, feeling inadequate and sad about letting people down, your perspective changes.  Your mind shifts away from being closed to being open—and this is exactly when God showed me something very important--something I pray God will keep guarded in my heart FOREVER!

TEACHING

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I walked into the eyeglass store looking for help.  A nice young lady came up to me and asked me with a warm smile, “Is there anything I can help you out with today?”  I looked over to her and said, “You know, HELP is exactly what I am looking for.”  As she was helping me with my glasses, she told me she was a teacher.  I told her that I thought TEACHING was very hard.  She asked me if I had ever tried it before.  I told her I had only tried teaching once in my life and I crashed and burned--it wasn’t pretty!  She smiled as she continued to work on my glasses for me and that was when I told her, “But God used it for my good…”

19So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:19, NLT)

As Christians, we are called to be teachers of God’s word.  Though some people are gifted by the spirit to be preachers, we ALL are called to teach the good news of Jesus and point people to The One True God.

DEFEATED

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It was my first time teaching in bible study.  I was well prepared and had my lesson written out before me.  I was nervous about teaching for the first time, the fear in my heart was very similar to the fear I would get before a speech in speech class, but I knew that God had my back.  I lead a prayer before we began the lesson but somehow the words did not seem to come very easy to me.  I had been feeling that God wanted me to pray more in my life and somehow my prayers never seemed to come out quite the way I wanted them too…

During the lesson, fear continued to work on my heart.  I became lost and everything I looked at in what I had planned to teach seemed so meaningless and pointless.  Fear wrapped itself around me and shut me down.  Finally I succumbed to my fear, I stopped in the middle of my lesson--I looked up at the students and over to my co-leader and said, “I’m sorry guys, I was well prepared to teach tonight but this just isn’t working.”  I looked over to my co-leader with defeated eyes and asked, “I know that you hadn’t planned to teach the lesson tonight, but could you help me out?”  My co-leader took over teaching and I tried to stay engaged, but I sat there forlorn as the feelings of failure continued to steal my spirit.

PRAYER

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Later that night, I took the advice of my awesome wife Heidi and decided to PRAY.  The leaders of my bible study showed me about getting down on my hands and knees when I pray and this act of SUBMISSION has a great way of showing God where you put Him in your life.  I needed help from above and it wasn’t something that I could do on my own!

6But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (Matthew 6:6, NLT)

God had definitely been pulling at me to pray more, so I FINALLY got down on my hands and knees and opened up to the One Above.  It is very hard for me to get QUIET before the LORD.  My mind likes to wander and sounds easily distract me--But this time, during the quiet of the night and as I became still before the LORD I finally let go of myself and opened up to speak with Him. 

I prayed to God to make me a better father, to make me a better husband, to make me a better worker and to make me a better teacher.  I asked God if my faith was shallow, was my walk just words that had no substance to them?  For the first time in my 12 years of being saved, I felt INTIMATE and PERSONAL with God.  Just as God’s word tells us that when we draw close to God, he will draw close to us—I actually felt him come close to me. 

My sister in law said that being in God’s presence is awesome and I couldn’t agree more with her.  My wife put it like this, “God is the master creator of all the universe. Isn’t it cool that we ALL can talk to him personally and that he HEARS each and every one of us?”

REVELATION

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Later that morning, after having shared on Facebook (see people--Facebook isn’t ALL that bad), my sister-in-law told me that God can’t come near to us when we are too prideful.  When she said that word PRIDE, the spirit tugged at me.  My mind and my heart were still open as I was still feeling the effects of my crash and burn in teaching from the night before.  I asked myself, had I been too prideful when I was teaching?  Maybe it was pride that keep my mind wondering during my prayer, when all I wanted to do is speak to my King?  At that moment, I decided I was going to start living my life FOR OTHERS and take MY PRIDE out of the picture.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. (Philippians 2:3, 4 NLT)

Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:24 NLT)

LIFE IS NOT ABOUT YOU.  LIFE IS ABOUT OTHERS.  This is what God showed me.  He answered my prayer.  I asked Him that night to make me a better father, to make me a better husband, to make me a better teacher and to make me a better worker—and THIS was His answer! 

I’ve always had a hard time defining what humility means, but I don’t think I have heard it explained any better than in Philippians 2:3 – “Being humble is thinking of others as better then yourselves.”  Looking back, I think that in a lot of ways my faith has been SHALLOW.  We are told many times throughout our walk with God to APPLY his truth to our lives, and I don’t know if I have every really done that until this point.  From the very moment I actually starting LIVING God’s truth in my life, by His unmerited favor, The One Above has blessed me by transforming each and every relationship in my life.  I encourage you to see what God will bless you with when you seek to apply what He has shown you in his word.  I suggest you shut the door, get quiet before the LORD and pray for Him to show you how you can start to implement His truth in your life.

I have a homework assignment for you and this is it: Whoever the closest person is to you in your life, the very next time you meet them, start living your life all about them and not yourself….and see what happens?

TRYING TO LIVE LIKE HIM

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48But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48, NLT)

THOUGH WE WILL FALL, I BELIEVE AS CHRISTIANS WE ARE CALLED TO TRY AND LIVE OUR LIFE THE WAY JESUS LIVED HIS.  We can never live up to the incredibly high standard of the perfection of God, but I believe as Christians we have to give it our BEST EFFORT!  Jesus tells us He is the Good Shepherd whose purpose is to give us a rich and satisfying life—and my life has never been more rich and satisfying then when I starting living more humble, being more concerned about others then myself.

SERVING

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Here is a good story about how God has blessed me in living this way:

It was a very busy night at the hospital and the strain of stress was weighing heavy on all of us working. 

As I passed the ER Physician, I smiled at her and said, “This has been a fun one tonight hasn’t it?”

She looked back at me with a smug grin shaking her head saying, “I’m so tired.”

I told her, “You need to take the time to get a cup of coffee and find a little rest for yourself”.

She yelled back to me as she was heading into the next patient room, “Who has time for coffee”!

I started heading back to my department, when I felt the tug from the Holy Spirit.  That tug pulled me out of my routine and had me take notice.  My mind tried to figure out what God’s Spirit was telling me and then I knew just what I had to do.  I turned myself right around and walked into the room where the ER Physician was.  I asked her if I could get her a cup of coffee.  She nodded yes and looked at me with a very skeptical grin, “Kirk, what are you trying to get from me?”  I just smiled at her as I was walking away and said, “God showed me something pretty cool.  When you have time I’ll tell you about it”.  As I was walking backwards heading toward the EMS break room, I was looking back at her with a warm smile and I nodded.  She looked back at me shaking her head and smiled back saying, “You might have to do that Kirk, you just might have to do that”.

As I got to the EMS break room, I realized I forgot to ask her what she took in her coffee.  So I went on back to the patient room and mouthed the words, “What do you take in your coffee”, as she was in the middle of speaking with the patient from behind the curtain.  She mouthed back, “Cream”.  I went into her office and neatly arranged her coffee for her.  I placed the napkins, spoon and creamers next to the coffee and my heart found peace.

 

May the peace of Christ be with you.

See Unspoken’s intimate & personal acoustic video for “Lift my Life up” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5KmkdWdRQU

  
 

Love Story: Part 1

Written By: Kirk Peterson

Our Story

I tell people that I have never seen the power of God more in my life then when I reached my lowest point.  My story of salvation begins with my wife who LORD willing, I can experience growing old & gray with, surrounded by a loving family of children and grandchildren to enrich our lives in our old age! 

I was young and inexperienced in the world.  I had not learned the hard life lessons of living on my own and definitely had room to grow in realizing what life was like out in the BIG BAD real world.

My Dad, who is someone I hold in very high regards, has always been a person who I viewed as very wise in the ways of the world.  On this day, he wanted to tell me something about my life, so after realizing how important what he was going to tell me was--I made extra sure to listen very closely to what he had to say and took what he offered to heart! 

He said, “Son, I have come across a lot of women in my life and Heidi, she sure is something special.”

At first, I didn’t let the weight of those words sink in--and that is when he said, “No really son, she is something special and you need to make sure and hold on to her”.

Looking back, you could say that the course of my life changed at that moment.  After my Dad said those words, I took a hard look at the women who was to be my future partner for life, and realized that she was everything that I ever wanted. 

Heidi was a sweetheart.  One of those girls that when you meet, leaves you with a sense of kindness and gentleness that stays with you for a while afterword’s.  She was intelligent, compassionate, selfless and beautiful.  These were all things I had seen in her before, but leave it to wise ol’ Papa Bear to make it simple enough to put it all into perspective for me! J 

I thought to myself, she really is everything I’m looking for, so what am I waiting for?

My wife, who had been disowned from her family for dating me a non-believer, found herself with no place to live on limited resources.  My Father has always been a very generous soul, and he stepped in to provide shelter for my future wife in her time of weakness, something to this day that we are grateful for.  He offered his home to her for Christmas vacation rent free, so she could save some money for the next semester of college.  It was after this time, after getting to know my future wife personally, that he offered me the advice of seeing that she is indeed special, and someone that I need to hold onto.  Heidi and I always felt that God made our story and looking back now--I see that it was more than chance that he cared for us in our weakness around the magical holiday season of His Son’s birth.

After that day, I started to look differently at our relationship.  There was more weight to the possibility that Heidi not only could be…but perhaps was The One. 

Fast forward a couple of years…

The Bible teaches us that hope is always something we should hold onto.  I had just got done telling Heidi, “I’ll never be the Christian you want me to be”.  I could see that she was crushed by those words as tears started welling up in her eyes.  The air in the room became heavy with silence as we both were left speechless…I was blind to what happened in Heidi’s world after that, but those words crushed the hope she had been holding onto throughout our entire relationship that I would someday become the Christian man she always wanted me to be. 

Some more time passed, and I was completely blindsided when Heidi told me that she wanted to break up with me.  I couldn’t believe the words as they came out of her mouth and I asked her again what she meant.  She told me she was very confused and just needed some time.  I could see the women of my dreams suddenly slipping through my grasp and my world started to close down around me.  I quickly ran up the stairs and threw open the drawer that had been hiding the diamond I was going to set in our engagement ring.  I flung down the box and raced back downstairs to Heidi’s crying eyes.  I looked down at the chain necklace that held the diamond that was given to me by my Mother that was from my parent’s engagement ring—a diamond that I never got set into a ring because I let the fear of being too young get in the way of what I really wanted—and bent down on bended knee.  I looked up to her tear filled eyes and asked her to marry me. 

I poured out my heart to her, “This is the diamond from my parent’s engagement ring.  I never had the chance to set it in a ring for you, but want to give it to you now.  You are everything I have ever wanted in a woman and I want to be with you forever…will you marry me?”

Heidi refused me, crying her heart out she told me NO.  I didn’t know it then, but God had given her very specific signs.

During our break up, I reached the lowest point I ever have in my life.  Darkness painted my world and my hope was crushed.  I slinked through life, struggling at just getting by.  I leaned on all the people close to me, asking their advice and seeking reprieve somewhere…anywhere—but nothing filled the hole in my heart.  For you see, it took me getting to my absolutely lowest point in my life to see UP. 

Born Again

I decided to join Bible Study for all the wrong reasons, to try and win the girl back, but God in his mighty wisdom used it for good in bringing me to Christ.  When I arrived at Bible Study, all the men were warm and friendly.  They told me that we were studying the book of John, and that this was a perfect book to be studying for a new Christian.

Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word

1In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He existed in the beginning with God. 3God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. (John 1:1-5, NLT)

God’s Power

By God’s unmerited favor (Grace), He filled the empty hole in my heart with his spirit.  Immediately, the LORD miraculously transformed my life and rescued me from my heartache.  Though I was lost, I found my way back home again by His hand. From the moment I was born again into new life by accepting Jesus into my heart, I could feel the power of His Spirit inside of me.  God’s spirit is stronger than any wisdom of this world, his spirit is stronger than any drug man can give you, and God’s power is stronger than any hardship we can face in this life!  That is why I tell people that I have never seen the power of God more physically in this world then in our WEAKNESS.  For in our weakness, we are made strong by Him.

29He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. 30Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. 31But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:29-31, NLT)

After I was saved, I realized that Heidi was the women of my dreams and that she was someone who was worth fighting for.  I decided that I was going to battle for our future and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from giving it my all!

Jesus began his ministry and the least of us found their way to the savior of the world.  The weak and destitute, who were lost in the world found hope in something that was not from this world.  The Son of Man breathed new life into their mortal bodies in healing them, but perhaps raising them to new life spiritually was an even greater miracle.  For I believe the Love Story of God is never shown more beautifully then in the least of us…and I pray that you can begin to follow Jesus to THE WAY  that leads to life.

Crowds Follow Jesus

23Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 24News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all. 25Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River. (Matthew 4:23-25, NLT)

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Peace be with you Brothers and Sisters.

See Audio Adrenaline’s “Kings & Queens” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAlE2EnUP5A