Passionate Pursuit

08/14/2017 Hebrews 5:8 “though He was a son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” Christ didn’t need to come down and correct any disobedience or sin that He had committed. He was perfect, blameless. He became flesh to learn obedience just as He learned to withstand temptation. He did it to prove His humanity and to experience the sufferings of humanity to the fullest. A verse that has been pivotal in this last season of my life has been Hebrews 4:15-16. These verses talk about how Jesus is our great sympathizer because He was at all points tempted as we are. We can boldly come before the throne room of grace to receive help in our time of need because we know the Lord understands.   Christ was obedient even to the point of death because He knew the Father’s heart. For me, obedience has been rather difficult when I look at what I’m called to do from an earthly perspective. Sometimes we think that the Lord calls us to do something because He wants to make li

08/07/2017 1 Timothy 6:6-8 “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” I looked up the meaning of the word contentment and found that it means to be self-sufficient and unmoved by external circumstances. I thought it was interesting to see the word “self-sufficient” because as believers we are called to depend on Christ alone. Upon reading this verse I immediately thought of Matthew 6:33, which says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you.” When our eyes are fixed on Jesus it becomes much easier to lay down our wants, cares, and desires and seek all that He has before us.            A couple of weeks before coming to IGNITE I had a yard sale to raise funds. Two days before the sale, my mom asked me if I was going to sell my bed. I thought she was crazy for even asking, but apparently she didn’t think I was coming home. I took this before the Lord and aske

07/31/2017 Luke 8:11-15 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among the thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.” Upon reading this passage, this verse immediately came to mind. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26 The seed is the word of God and the soil is our heart. I practically grew up in t

07/25/2017 Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do his commandments. His praise endures forever.” I have heard this verse probably a million times growing up. I always thought fearing the Lord meant being scared of the wrath of God and hell. Therefore, I’d be scared into doing all the right things. But what does it really mean to fear the Lord? I believe to fear the Lord is to be in awe or in admiration of God. To fear the Lord is to exchange our will, attitudes, actions, and life goals for God’s. We come to the knowledge of God by seeking Him daily. Psalm 2:6 says “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” The Lord speaks to us through His Word and that is where we receive wisdom. I find it interesting how the following Psalm (112) continues to show us the fruit of those who fear the Lord. Our desires to prosper in life (not that they are 100% promised) can only come through o