Are you committed?

Good evening everyone! I read this paragraph in a book one time and what can I say “It challenged me!” It went a little something like this. “We live in a day when there is very little if any commitment to anyone or anything! The reason for these actions is there is very little surrender to anything anymore! You see if I surrender my own needs to the needs of others, then I will find myself committed to their lives! Jesus Christ over 2,000 years ago surrendered his entire life for us…. What would happen if I submitted mine back to him?” As I read this paragraph it moved me and made me self examine myself to see if I was truly committed to Jesus Christ 100% not 99%. My pastor said something one time that challenged me as well. He said a 99% commitment to Christ is 1% to short, its all or nothing! You see self examination is very important, it tells you who you are and where most of your time is spent. I personally believe that we as Christians can’t even begin to realize how much God loves us and how big of a plan he has for our life. I also believe in order for us to have the protection of God we have to be under the authority of God! You can’t live like Hell all the time and be committed to Jesus Christ, it’s just not possible! You know I Love people who commit to be on time and actually are! In other words thank you to all who say they are going to do something and they do it! I believe with all my heart God wants even a stronger commitment to his will for our lives not our own! Let’s face it we screw up and mess up all the time! However we serve a perfect and holy God, thank goodness for that! You know as I think about commitment one thing pops in my mind over and over again! If we can’t commit to the little things how can we commit to the big things! When I accepted Jesus Christ as the payment for my sins and believed in him through faith he put a burning passion in me to reach out to all types of people. Though I may get knocked down sometimes, I’m like Rocky I keep getting back up (with the help and guidance of Christ of course). You see he made a 100% commitment to us so when are his followers going to make the same commitment to him! Jesus said you can’t be both hot and cold he would rather you be one or the other. Being Luke warm he said it makes him sick he would spew you out his mouth! Hey he said it not me! So what are you willing to do to change the way you commit to things in life? The way you commit to Jesus, your spouses, your kids and even doing something you said you would do. Commitment is the most important step in life! If you’re not a Christian and maybe you have been mistreated by a church or a Christian let me just apologize for them! Not all churches and Christians act the same. You see Jesus did not come into the world to condemn it he came to save it! Many Churches and Christians would rather condemn people and have a holy huddle inside the church! They try to lead the church instead of letting Jesus Christ lead! Many times the church splits right down the middle because of a lack of commitment to Christ! So I know how you may feel toward these types of so called Christians but don’t let their actions keep you from believing in Jesus Christ! I’m telling you he is very much alive and he has changed my life tremendously! He is the best! If you call on the name of the lord and believe through faith you will be saved! For those who have gotten offended at this post I don’t apologize, maybe you needed to get offended because you lack commitment! For all you non-Christians I want you to know I love you and want the best for you! Jesus is the best oh yes! Have a great Day with love Jason!

When FEAR turns into FAITH!

Life is full of challenges. Job security has become a thing of the past. Soaring cost in medical coverage, housing and other basic needs have created an environment filled with opportunities for worry. Problems of every description confront us EVERY DAY of our lives and generate enough pressure to stress out any normal person. There are 2 questions that you need to ask yourself.I did and its incredible the results! 1. What do you do with your worry? 2. How do you handle your fears? The truth is we all worry and fear things that could happen in our lives. Or we are worrying about a situation we have absolutely no control over at all! I personally struggle with worrying about the stupidest things sometimes! If your honest you do to! Lets take a look in scripture at what Jesus Christ says about worrying! Matthew Chapter 6 25-34 wow these verses rock my world. In Matthew 6:27 Jesus says "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" The answer is no one! Verse 34 says "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" Jesus told us plainly do not worry. The one thing that always helps me when I worry is writing down what I'm worried about! If you see it for what its worth its not worth worrying about! Also talking to someone who LOVES you about a problem or just when life happens is great for you as well. So as you journey through your day look up and remember ONE GOD, ONE LOVE, ONE WAY PERIOD!!!!! Love all of you Jason

CHANGE PLEASE!

Good morning everyone I will be talking about Change today. Pastor Troy Gramling said something that sticks out to me and I would like to share it with you. Change is in the air and happening at record speeds. Many of the changes we face are not within our control, as we have learned in many situations, but how we respond to change can be controlled. This is so true. I like the way Twyman L. Towery compares the stages of change to the stages of grief: DENIAL: Our first reaction is to deny, rather than adapt to and embrace, the change in our life. ANGER: Once we realize we cannot stop the change we become angry that it is outside of our control. If we do not understand where the anger is coming from, we can mistakenly hurt the people we perceive to be initiating the change. BARGAINING: This is an attempt to avoid change by bargaining it away. EXPLORATION: We begin to except that there is going to be change and explore ways to deal with the change. Depression can become a reality during this stage as we give up being able to control the circumstances. COMMITMENT: We except and embrace the change. We begin to see some possible benefits of the change. When I read this it rocked my world. I started thinking about this same mindset people have on Change inside the church. I hear so many people in church talk about other churches and what they are doing! It goes like this: “Did you here what "such and such"church is doing? I can’t believe they are doing that!” It bothers me to hear people focusing so much on other churches, they end up forgetting their on vision for there church. Let’s face it the same things that worked 10 years ago will not work today! We serve a creative God If you don’t think so then look outside. Better yet look at your spouse and your kids! It’s time the church in America gets with it and makes some huge changes. Do not change your church vision, just the way you present the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Make it fun and fresh! We must reach the YOUTH! I believe with all my heart, that should be the focal point in the church! Not the Cemetery or the pointless picking of apples for the Senior Adults! If you just got offended good you needed it. Although Twyman L. Towery was talking about changes in our life. I believe some churches have this mindset about where they go to church. They don’t like change. They make it all about them and the Hell with the lost people! This is my opinion on change within churches, if the Pastor and Staff constantly seek Jesus Christ and put him first in everything Jesus is in control! Jesus said follow him! Are you following him? Does change bother you? Are you making all about you and not Jesus? I know this is a touchy subject and I am not downgrading churches or people. I am simply calling it like I see it! If you get mad great! If you don’t even better! Love You Guys Jason!

Full Follower

Good Afternoon! We have all played hide and seek as children heck I even play it now with my kids! Today I'm going to teach about hiding from your own beliefs and if you do you can't seek God fully! John 3:1 says "There was a man named Nicodemus...a member of the Jewish ruling council...who came to Jesus at night." The one question I had with this text was, Why did Nicodemus come to him at night? Nicodemus came to Jesus at night because he was afraid that others might learn he wanted to follow Jesus. Many people today try to hide and seek Jesus. Because they are unwilling to stand up for Christ, the rarely have an impact on their world for Christ. Jesus said to Nicodemus that unless he stepped out of the shadows and followed him publicly, he would miss out on the joy of following Christ. Jesus also taught Nicodemus that secret followers never experience the full measure of God's love. Make sure you experience the fullness of following Jesus Christ! Be Passionate!!!! Love Jason