Death is Necessary

     The power of God's Word is amazing. It absolutely amazes me. I love it when He shows me something I've never seen before. I love it when He shows me a new perspective on something I've seen a million times before. I love it when scripture speaks to my heart, and inspires my soul. I love it when I come across something I need to hear, at exactly the time I need to hear it. I love it. There is power in the Word of God. It absolutely leaves me speechless. It leaves me in awe. The Creator of the universe, speaking directly to me, through words penned down by men thousands of years ago - words that were inspired by the Holy Spirit of God,  How awesome is that?!

     

Take this passage that I came across today for example:

"But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, by a GREATER AND MORE PERFECT tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, BUT BY HIS OWN BLOOD he entered in ONCE into the holy place, HAVING OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean SANCTIFIETH to the PURIFYING of the flesh: HOW MUCH MORE shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit OFFERED HIMSELF WITHOUT SPOT to God, purge your conscience FROM DEAD WORKS to serve THE LIVING GOD?" ~ Hebrews 9:11-14

 There is so much power packed into just a few short verses. It goes on to say,

"And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that BY MEANS OF DEATH, for the REDEMPTION OF THE TRANSGRESSIONS that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the PROMISE OF ETERNAL INHERITANCE. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth."(15-17)

      Okay. First of all, I want to take a look at the word "testament" - how many times have I used this word and never even really understood what it meant?? I've been in church my whole life, I took a Bible History class in high school, and I took Old Testament and New Testament courses in college. Yet it wasn't until I read this scripture today that I really grasped the meaning of it. I never even considered that the testament of the Bible has the same meaning as a Last Will and Testament. It is basically a covenant, a promise, declaring who inherits all of your belongings when you die. Well, what good is a will if you never die? It's just a sheet of paper, an empty promise. SO IS THE WORD OF GOD. God's Word is a promise to His children, and He could only fulfill this promise by sending His son to this earth to live a perfect life and die for the pardoning of our sins. Could ten thousand angels have come and took Jesus off the cross, and carried Him away to Heaven? Absolutely. But His death was necessary in order for us to be forgiven of our sins. His death was necessary in order for us to inherit eternal life. His death was necessary in order for us receive the free gift of salvation. His death was necessary in order for us to have direct access to His presence. He became the mediator. He purchased our redemption. His death fulfilled the promise, and enforced His will - making us His inheritors. His death ensures our eternal life.
     But, just as a testament without death is meaningless - so is our testimony. If you have never died to your self, then you have never truly accepted the inheritance that Christ promised to you. You must first lay down your life. Spiritually, you must die to the sins of this world. Lay those sins down, pick up the cross of Jesus Christ and follow Him. Forgiveness is waiting for you. Redemption is waiting for you. But more than that, hope is waiting for you. Hope is waiting for you, because God didn't let death become the end of His story. He arose from the grave three days later, giving us the hope of a future, and assuring us that He alone has power over the grave.
     Have you taken the necessary steps in order to assure that your testimony is strengthened and enforced? Christ already made the way. He became the sacrifice, and paid the price that we could not pay ourselves. Have you accepted His offer? The promise of eternal life, that never-ending inheritance, can be yours. All you have to do is pray. Admit that you are a sinner. Confess your sins to Him. Profess that you believe in His death and resurrection. It's that simple. Christ already signed the Last Will and Testament. He signed it with His blood. All that's waiting is your signature. Will you make the choice to die to your sins? Christ will make you a new creation. He will give you a new life greater than anything you could ever imagine.

"Life is a maybe. Death is for sure. Sin is the cause. Christ is the cure."

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

~ Galatians 2:20 ~

Transitions

     Well, it's official. I am no longer a teenager. This is the first birthday that I actually felt older as soon as the clock struck 12:00. I can't say that it is a happy birthday though, for many reasons. One of the most prominent being that my friend Trey Lida would have been 23 years old today, and instead of celebrating with him, I am turning the age that he was when God called him home. That has been a hard concept to deal with. It really makes me wonder, what am I doing with my life?? Do I have dreams of what I want to do, and visions of what I want my life to look like? Sure. Do I think God has a plan for my life? Of course! But what am I doing TODAY to better the kingdom of God? What am I doing TODAY to make a difference in the life of someone else tomorrow? If God called me home a little over 4 months from now like he did with Trey, would I be ready? If he called me home a year from now like he did with Ariane Patterson, would I be pleased with the life I had lived? Because right now, I honestly feel like I'm just wasting the time that God has so graciously given to me.

     One thing that has been on my mind a lot these last few weeks has been the idea of transitions. Last year at the Verge we did a series on Transitions. When I looked up my notes from the series in my journal, these are some of the scribbling's I found... 

"We are always in transition, always in the middle, always in between two things"

"Who we used to be, who we are now, who we want to be"

"Physical birth, spiritual birth, physical death, eternal life"

"You must die so Christ can live, and you must live so Christ can be made known"

"Transitioning your view of God from who you want Him to be, to who He really is"

"We don't go through transitions to come out the same, God doesn't have you here so you can leave the exact same as you were when you came in"

     Talk about a God moment! Reading those notes from over 4 months ago, God began to speak to me all over again. We go through little transitions all the time in our daily life. But today is a big transition for me. I am no longer a teenager. I can't blend in with the crowd anymore. I can't follow along blindly anymore. I've been hiding from a calling. For years, God has been calling me to LEAD. He's been preparing me for it, but I keep hiding behind the leadership skills of others. When God called Trey home, I felt the calling stronger than ever. But when some of the other leaders grew up and moved on with their lives, I could no longer hide behind them. So I just hid, all alone. Now there is no one to hide behind, and I'm reminded of Adam & Eve, hiding from the presence of the Lord. Nothing is impossible WITH God, but hiding FROM God... now that's impossible! His Holy Spirit dwells WITHIN us. No matter where we run, He's still there. His presence never leaves. The sound of our own voice can't drown out the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, nor can the sounds of the enemy. I can make a choice to turn the other way, and I can blend in with another crowd. But in God's eyes, I would stick out like a sore thumb. His calling would not change. His voice would not change. His presence would not leave. I refuse to go through this period of transition unchanged. I refuse to live a life without purpose. I refuse to live a life unfulfilled. So I'm coming out of hiding. 

This is the vision God has given to me, four clear & distinct purposes...

1) Start a youth worship service

2) Start a young leaders bible study

3) Be a mentor & counselor

4) Write 

There it is. Written out, plain as day. I can't deny it anymore. So I ask that you please hold me accountable. Don't let me lose sight of this vision. As much as I dislike the thought, I am now an adult. There is no denying it. I can't keep planning for my life, and never living it. This is it. This is all I've got. I can't let it pass me by. I've got to make the most of the time God has given me. I pray that I can make the most of whatever time I have left. I pray that I can live a life that makes my Savior proud, and fulfill the plans He has for me.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

~ Matthew 6:33 ~

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

~ Jeremiah 29:11 ~

"Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

~ 1 Timothy 4:12 ~