God awakens things within us to transform the world around us. God isn’t just working to transform the world of our generation but generations to come!
Gen 17:1-17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “…You will be the father of many nations…6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you…17 Abraham fell facedown and he laughed… NIV
This wasn’t first time Abram had heard God’s promise. He’d been told in Gen 12 and shown in Gen 15.
Now again we see God patiently awakening his heart to the promises of God.
Take heart! God wants his will in your life more than you want his will in your life. But we don’t get his will our way.
God’s plan for your life involves establishing you as part of God’s family in the earth, the church! You were created for community. Jesus even taught the disciples to pray using words like “our” “us” and “we”. Our Father…forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Give us this day our daily bread…
I’ve watched over the years how people come in late, leave early, don’t serve and won’t attend C.Grp then don’t seem to understand why they just don’t feel planted.
Ps 92:13 planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. NIV
Let’s do an experiment today. Try this at home. Wait until everybody is there preparing a meal and don’t go in until it's ready. Walk into your home looking for a warm welcome and make your way to the table. Sit down and announce, “I’ve arrived and I’m ready to be served.” If you survive the meal after making such a statement just stand up, leave your dishes and don’t offer to clean anything up and walk out. Afterward you should expect a phone call or something just to check on you this week. If that doesn’t happen then be upset because of how selfish and inconsiderate the family is.
Obviously this is ridiculous but it is exactly how people treat the family of church.
If the Pope were coming to your house as a special guest you’d prepare well in advance. You’d have the nicest meal, your best dishes and perfect atmosphere for his arrival. If he offered to put his dishes away you would in no way have it!
Cleaning up is actually a special privilege reserved for family. Guests are never allowed to work unless they are honored enough to be considered a part of your family.
If you’ve ever had that friend who is truly like family you know that individual doesn’t knock to come in and when they arrive they raid the refrigerator. Having them over for a meal and you expect them to be there before helping prepare and certainly you expect them to put their dishes away. They are family!
People who never get involved in serving in the church will consistently leave and say it just never felt like family. It never will unless we find our place to take responsibility as is God’s plan for the family!
We need each other! With God as our Father it makes sense that one of our deepest needs is Family! This then becomes one of the enemy’s main attacks. If we’re not careful we allow ourselves to grow discouraged. The enemy’s plan is to use discouragement as a weapon of disconnection to seduce us into isolation.
Seven times in Genesis, chapter one, God says, “It is good.” Of course it is good! It’s paradise! Even in the perfect paradise it is still not good for man to be alone.
Roger Banister broke the 4-min mile on May 6th, 1954, people had been trying to run a mile in under four minutes for almost 2000 years. Since ancient games at the foot of Mount Olympus.
Within a few weeks others began. In 1964 a High School student broke the barrier and today over 1,000 people have done so. How is that possible? Did human race suddenly get faster? There is something about being around others who break through barriers that drives us to break through barriers as well!
You may just be begging for a child in your moment of disappointment but God is purposing legacy beyond your wildest imagination!
42 generations after Abram the first Christmas takes place. 430 Bible prophecies are fulfilled in the first coming of Jesus as he comes out of Mary’s womb and says, “I am the seed of Abraham!”
What is God trying to awaken within you right now? Your continued disconnection is fighting against God’s best in your life and your legacy!
We Bring GP2RL: Reach out to a Community Group Leader today to find out when they meet for the first 40 days.