Fear of God

Tonight I was reading Henry Blackaby's 'The Man God Uses." My lesson was on Character. The book defined Character as 'who you are when no one is looking and what you are willing to stand for when someone is looking. Character is who you are striving to be and what you can be trusted with.'

I have always used that definition for integrity. Henry defines integrity as consistency between actions and inner convictions over time. One quality of Good Character listed in the book was' Fear of God.' One thing that stood out tonight was that Christians display a lack of fear when they view worship, prayer, tithing, studying God's Word, and commitment to the church as options. In today's world we do not fear anything. We can do anything we want to and no one can stop us because we are not afraid of anybody or anything. I believe that if we fear God everything will be put back in perspective.

"And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving to you today for your own good?" Deut. 10:12-13

Because I fear God, I will love my neighbor, Put God First, pray, tithe, study his word, support my family, offer a helping hand

Because I fear God, I will kiss my wife, hug my kids, encourage a colleague, introduce myself to someone new

Because I fear God, I will ...

God ology

This week our church started a new series called Godology. The study of who God is and what he has planned for us. I was not able to make the service, but was able to listen to it on website.

The introduction covered 3 questions:

1. Who are we and where did we come from?
2. What wrong with the world?
3. How do we fix it?

Depending on how you view the world, there are many ways to answer these questions. Pat (our Pastor Pat Hood) mentioned a naturalist would answer the first question with "we are an accident, a random happening." A believer in Jesus' answer would be "Created by God."

The way you answer these questions would depend on our world view. Pat defined world view as the lens through which you see the world. and your perception would be based on your experiences and beliefs. Our world view determines our decisions, motivations, and reactions.

Whats wrong with the world? Its the things that we do that God does not want us to do. if we spent more time searching out what he wants for our lives and changed our priorities, we would probably be less stressed and able to invest more time in things that do matter. That does not mean giving up playing golf or work. but instead use those opportunites to mirror who Christ is. We do not have to go to a foreign country to do missions. We can do it right here everyday with people we do life with.

So how do we fix it? Be a good neighbor, Be available, Serve your family and friends. In being a missionary we do not always have to preach, but serve as Christ served. And be ready in case someone does ask a question.

God ology Introduction

Got to start somewhere!

I have thought about starting a blog for some time now. A way to hold myself accountable in preparing for what lies ahead. I hear God calling me to serve him in missions. I have no idea where I will end up, but believe it is confirmed in my family's willingness to go also.

So this is where I start. Opening up my thoughts, lessons learned, and commitment to God through Christ for the world to see and hold me accountable. Im excited to be put on this path to be Purpose Driven. Not to live for myself but for Christ who encourages me and God who created me and has prepared a path for me.