After sharing about my conversation with Blake yesterday and quoting James 4:8, I read the rest of the verses in James 4 and was struck by how the next 2 verses begin to lay out a plan starting to come near to God.

This will be post #1 of 3 dealing with the “all in” lifestyle mentioned in the previous post…

Let’s start with verse 8 again…

1. Change your wrong ways and begin to move toward God through your lifestyle and mindset.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. – James 4:8

Right in the second half of verse 8, we see the important first step of turning your life around and following God’s calling for your life. This is called repentance. The idea is not that you turn your head and begin to look toward the direction of God, but it’s “doing a 180″ and moving your whole self in the direction God is calling you.

This requires a commitment on your part. It requires an understanding of and acceptance of the redemption and grace that the God of the Universe has offered to you through Jesus.

He sent His son Jesus (God who came to earth to be with us…) as “the way, the truth, and the life. no one comes to the Father (God) but through him. (John 14:6)”

One of Jesus’ disciples puts it best in his book about the life and teachings of Jesus when he wrote:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. – John 3:16-18

Along with the acceptance of the gift of redemption and grace that God offers we need to begin to work on our life and things things we do. James 4:8 says “Wash your hands” which I believe calls us to change our actions and the way we live. We need to begin to evaluate our lives and the things we do and if they are not in line with the life the Bible calls us to live then we need to change those things.

But even more importantly, it says “purify your hearts.” For the first century reader (original audience of this letter), the heart was a symbol for the internal being. The mind, attitudes and soul of an individual needed to be purified. It’s these internal thoughts and attitudes that ultimately dictate how we act and what others see in our lives. It’s just as important to ask yourself, “Who am I and how do I act when no one is looking?”

As we begin to move toward a full commitment to God, it requires change…

- Possibly a change in what you believe about God
- a change in the way you live your life, then things you do or don’t do that you should
- a change in the way you think about people even though nobody knows…
- it may mean a change in the music you listen to or the TV/Movies you watch

If you are going to be fully committed to God – You absolutely need to be aware of what you see, hear, and do because it says alot about the God you have chosen to represent. God calls us to be holy – that means set apart from the world around us – Are You set apart?

Well, it’s early on a Saturday morning and I am sitting here reflecting on the last 24 hours of my life. Why? You might ask… Well yesterday I have a friend in a Bible study challenge me to look at every day, after it’s over, and look for how God’s hand had moved in my life that day.

He suggested doing it every evening before bed. Well, those who know me…know our crazy lifestyle and how tired I get. Evening does not work for me because sleep hits me before my head hits the pillow. So since God sees fit to wake me up early every morning (I don’t set an alarm clock), I figured He must want me to utilize that time better. So here we go…

As I look over all that happen yesterday, one encounter I had definitely has the hand of God all over it. Yesterday afternoon I had the opportunity to pick up a new friend from the airport. He flew into Grand Rapids from Dallas, TX and was speaking in Jackson, MI this weekend. The funny thing is that we had never met before face to face. We had talked via linkedin, email, and phone, but God finally saw fit to connect the two of us together in person. His name is Blake Porter (Visit His Ministry Website).

So when Blake finally got into town yesterday (after airport issues cause delays for him), I picked him up from the airport and we went to a local starbucks and hung out for just over an hour. I was amazed at Blake’s energy and passion for God and his ministry as he shared his story of how he came to be doing what he’s doing. The whole encounter was incredibly refreshing, exciting, and inspiring for me as I look to follow God completely like Blake has been doing for years.

As l reflect back on the conversation we had over tea at Starbucks, I was struck with the question that is now the title of this post… Am I “all in” like Blake is – completely trusting God and passionately pursuing my calling with everything in me or am I only “half in” – not fulling putting my faith in the God of the universe, who may be calling me to so much more – am I caught up in the worries of this life?

I think wherever we are in our walk with God there is always room to improve. The question is am I/are you taking the steps we need to take to improve? Are you coasting through life comfortable and content with the security you have built up or do you feel a sense that there is something more God is calling you too?

If it’s the latter, then you just need to take a baby step forward and God will begin to lead you.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8a, NIV

If you have chosen to remain “comfortable,” in the life you’ve built, I would argue that you are not being as effective in your calling as you might think. If you are not experiencing some challenge to your faith or life, then you have to ask the question “Are you a threat to the enemy?” Is Satan leaving you alone because he does not feel that you are a danger to his efforts to defeat God?

God calls us to storm the gates of Hell, to be on the front lines of the battle making a difference for His kingdom – are you doing that if you’re solely focused on your comfort and what you need? If you’re not a threat to the enemy, you’re not effective in God’s calling for your life.

What ever God has uniquely designed you to do – are you doing it with all that is in you? Trust me, if you jump in and make that kind of 100% commitment to Him that he calls us to then He will be there for you in ways you can’t even begin to imagine…

Where are you in your life… Are you “comfortable” and “safe” or are you living life on the edge of faith, opening new doors of opportunity for God to move through you and impact lives for eternity?

It’s Your Choice…

When God calls there is almost always a tough choice that has to be made in the process. One that involves some sort of risk, challenge, or something. It’s at that point that the struggle begins. In my experience, that is where fear creeps into the picture. What if my needs aren’t met? What if my lifestyle has to change? What if we lose the home?

For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. – Romans 7:19 NIV

This roadblock of fear can bring Gods incredible plans for your life to a screeching halt. Read the rest of this entry »

“As my friend Pete said a few weeks ago…God has NEVER asked any of us to do anything that is easy! However, laying aside our comforts and taking up the cross He leads us to take ALWAYS leads to a victory that we could never even imagine.” – Perry Noble

Actually the whole article is really good and hit me exactly where I’m at today. But this quote… wow…When God calls us to His mission, we can’t expect comfortable and easy. Anything worth being blessed with requires work and commitment on our end.

read the post, it’s awesome – then let me know what you think?

The words you speak from NewSpring Church on Vimeo.

Last night I was assisting with an event for work and had a great opportunity to hear an author speak. She had a simple but important message…

Love well…laugh often…live for Jesus

Really that is what life should be all about. Simple and to the point…

I’ve heard similar statements before but maybe it hit me because of where I’m at now…whatever the reason, it’s an important reminder for us all

What do you think?