What is your purpose? What are you living for? What do you desire to be & become?
I think many of us struggle answering this question. We struggle knowing our purpose. We struggle figuring out what our life is all about & what we should do with it.
Purpose is easily found in Genesis 1:27 which tells us how God created man in HIS image. We were created by God in His likeness. Created to look like Him. Created to be like Him. God created nothing else in His image, and nothing else created us in its image. We were made to be like Him.
And this was no accident. We were CHOSEN. Ephesians 1:4 tells us that even before God created us, we were created in HIS image. Even before we took our first breath, we were chosen to be like Him. Even before man was first created from the dust, God had purpose in creating us to be like Him & live like Him. To be holy, blameless & righteous just like Him.
We are God's prized creation. Ephesians 2:10 informs us that "we are God's workmanship. Created in Christ Jesus to good works" from the beginning of time. From the beginning, we were made in the image of God to live like Jesus. No accident. Straight purpose.
Purpose is this --> Created BY God from the beginning IN the image of Himself to BE like Jesus forever.
That's purpose. Be like HIM.
JV
7.21.2010
7.15.2010
Come HOME
Ever a time in your life when you've done things you wish you didn't do? Times when you've made decisions you wish you could take back? Or maybe you chose to live a certain way you knew was wrong?
I think we've all had times when we've struggled with sin in our lives. In Romans, Paul talks about the struggle of "not understanding what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Many of us live a life of sin we don't want! Sin has crept in & taken over our lives & now we struggle with living for sin or living for the Lord. Life has become confusing & sin has taken over our lives, leaving us in a broken & lost state of doing what we don't want to do.
But the promise of freedom is there. In Luke, Jesus tells us the story of the prodigal son. The son who went out, stopped living for the father, & began to live a life of sin. A life consumed of living for himself & for the world. So much so that he lost all his money & was contemplating eating pig scraps. He lost everything because of sin. His money. His dignity. His family. His life. He was lost.
But he went home & the father ran out to greet him. For the son was lost, but now found. He was dead, but now alive.
How much more Jesus does for us! We lose ourselves in sin & get lost, when Jesus is only waiting for us to come home. Waiting with open arms for his children to return.
Romans 7:24-25 tells us this: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Paul & the son both recognized their lost state. That they couldn't fix themselves. They couldn't SAVE themselves. And they recognizes there was ONLY ONE who could - Jesus.
Jesus is the only thing to save you. We get lost in sin sometimes. But Jesus will save you. He's waiting.
Come home.
JV
I think we've all had times when we've struggled with sin in our lives. In Romans, Paul talks about the struggle of "not understanding what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Many of us live a life of sin we don't want! Sin has crept in & taken over our lives & now we struggle with living for sin or living for the Lord. Life has become confusing & sin has taken over our lives, leaving us in a broken & lost state of doing what we don't want to do.
But the promise of freedom is there. In Luke, Jesus tells us the story of the prodigal son. The son who went out, stopped living for the father, & began to live a life of sin. A life consumed of living for himself & for the world. So much so that he lost all his money & was contemplating eating pig scraps. He lost everything because of sin. His money. His dignity. His family. His life. He was lost.
But he went home & the father ran out to greet him. For the son was lost, but now found. He was dead, but now alive.
How much more Jesus does for us! We lose ourselves in sin & get lost, when Jesus is only waiting for us to come home. Waiting with open arms for his children to return.
Romans 7:24-25 tells us this: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Paul & the son both recognized their lost state. That they couldn't fix themselves. They couldn't SAVE themselves. And they recognizes there was ONLY ONE who could - Jesus.
Jesus is the only thing to save you. We get lost in sin sometimes. But Jesus will save you. He's waiting.
Come home.
JV
7.14.2010
ON Fire
What are your passions? What are those things that drive you to become fanatic? What passions in your life are so important that you're excited every time it's brought up?
More importantly, are you that passionate about JESUS?
Sometimes we lose sight of our passion for Him in light of the other things that take up all our time. Sports. Music. Family. Significant others. But it's always good for us to be reminded WHY we are called to be passionate for Him.
In Philippians 3, Paul reminds us what category all our worldly passions fall under: rubbish. Paul calls us to consider EVERYTHING a loss compared to knowing Jesus. That in comparison to a relationship with Jesus Christ, nothing else matters. It's all trash. It means nothing. And nothing is as valuable as knowing Jesus.
Furthermore, Paul calls us to pursue the PRIZE God has called us to chase. To passionately pursue the prize of becoming like Jesus. To passionately pursue the prize of a relationship with Him. To passionately pursue the free gift of salvation & eternal life that only Jesus can give through faith in Him.
Jeremiah describes his passion for the Lord like "fire" in his "heart." He tells us his passion for the Lord is like "a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in - indeed, I cannot." A passion so deep that he can't even contain it! He can't control it! It's consuming him.
Do you have that passion? A passion so deep it's in your bones? A passion so alive you just can't hold it in?
Are you living with passion? Are you living ON fire for Jesus? Don't hold it in.
JV
More importantly, are you that passionate about JESUS?
Sometimes we lose sight of our passion for Him in light of the other things that take up all our time. Sports. Music. Family. Significant others. But it's always good for us to be reminded WHY we are called to be passionate for Him.
In Philippians 3, Paul reminds us what category all our worldly passions fall under: rubbish. Paul calls us to consider EVERYTHING a loss compared to knowing Jesus. That in comparison to a relationship with Jesus Christ, nothing else matters. It's all trash. It means nothing. And nothing is as valuable as knowing Jesus.
Furthermore, Paul calls us to pursue the PRIZE God has called us to chase. To passionately pursue the prize of becoming like Jesus. To passionately pursue the prize of a relationship with Him. To passionately pursue the free gift of salvation & eternal life that only Jesus can give through faith in Him.
Jeremiah describes his passion for the Lord like "fire" in his "heart." He tells us his passion for the Lord is like "a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in - indeed, I cannot." A passion so deep that he can't even contain it! He can't control it! It's consuming him.
Do you have that passion? A passion so deep it's in your bones? A passion so alive you just can't hold it in?
Are you living with passion? Are you living ON fire for Jesus? Don't hold it in.
JV
7.08.2010
No Stopping
Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt unstoppable? Maybe in a game you just got so hot that nobody could hold you? Nothing could be done to stop you?
Acts 4 tells us about two guys that couldn't be stopped. John & Peter were out telling people the Gospel & ended up being arrested. The officials couldn't really do anything, so they just pointed their finger at them & told them to stop. WELL, John & Peter decided they were going to obey the Lord & that no man could stop them from telling the Good News of Jesus. They were arrested once more & thrown back in jail. Miraculously, an angel of the Lord opened their cell doors & instead of getting out of town when they escaped, they simply went back out to tell people about Jesus. Fearless.
The challenge here about John & Peter was the fact they were "ordinary men." They weren't anything special. They weren't educated. They were just obedient to GO & TELL. Much like you & me. In fact, John & Peter both said they could not "help speaking" about Jesus. They couldn't stop themselves! They just had to tell everyone they could. They could NOT be stopped.
Acts 5 then tells us John & Peter "never stopped teaching & proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ."
They NEVER stopped. The COULDN'T be stopped. No man could stop them. They couldn't stop themselves.
So what's stopping YOU? What is keeping you from telling others about Jesus? Friends? Popularity? Fear? Yourself?
Be bold. Be fearless. NEVER stop. Never BE stopped.
JV
Acts 4 tells us about two guys that couldn't be stopped. John & Peter were out telling people the Gospel & ended up being arrested. The officials couldn't really do anything, so they just pointed their finger at them & told them to stop. WELL, John & Peter decided they were going to obey the Lord & that no man could stop them from telling the Good News of Jesus. They were arrested once more & thrown back in jail. Miraculously, an angel of the Lord opened their cell doors & instead of getting out of town when they escaped, they simply went back out to tell people about Jesus. Fearless.
The challenge here about John & Peter was the fact they were "ordinary men." They weren't anything special. They weren't educated. They were just obedient to GO & TELL. Much like you & me. In fact, John & Peter both said they could not "help speaking" about Jesus. They couldn't stop themselves! They just had to tell everyone they could. They could NOT be stopped.
Acts 5 then tells us John & Peter "never stopped teaching & proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ."
They NEVER stopped. The COULDN'T be stopped. No man could stop them. They couldn't stop themselves.
So what's stopping YOU? What is keeping you from telling others about Jesus? Friends? Popularity? Fear? Yourself?
Be bold. Be fearless. NEVER stop. Never BE stopped.
JV
7.02.2010
"WHY Come to Camp" Video 2
But seriously, friendships are a huge part of camp. This is a time when you can make lifelong friendships with others & really get invested in the group & church. Camp has a way of bringing us all together & I look forward to seeing the bonds grow & knowing you all better!
JV
Do WORK
How many of us TRULY take the Word of God seriously? We truly obey everything it has to say to us & then go about living it? Apply it? Tough questions. Ask yourself.
I think for many of us we somehow think we're exempt. That certain things in the Bible don't apply to us or we don't REALLY have to obey them. We surely obey the BIG things in the Bible, but somehow the smaller commands aren't as important.
How deceived some of us are! If you aren't obeying just a small command in the Bible, you're disobeying the ENTIRE thing. We have to know that everything the Bible tells us is equally important to follow & ALL of it demands our obedience.
But there's a disconnect. We hear & know what God wants from us, but we choose to obey ourselves & the world. For example, we won't give up certain music. Certain TV shows. Certain friends & activities. Certain habits. Even when we know God calls to pure & righteous living, we still live for ourselves & the world & won't give up the things God calls us to give up.
But how? Why? What makes us feel like we're outside purity & righteous living? We're outside obeying the Bible in it's entirety? What makes us feel like we can call ourselves Christians & continue to live like the world & everyone else?
James 1 tells to "not merely listen to the Word & so deceive yourselves. DO WHAT IT SAYS." We are called to obey the Word of God. To DO what it tells us to do. We aren't exempt. We can't choose what to follow. DO WHAT IT SAYS. Be like Jesus.
JV
7.01.2010
BEing Alive
Jesus tells us the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. The parable of the seed falling on four different types of soil & what happens to that seed after encountering the certain soil. But it's the last two that really stick out to me.
Jesus describes the thorny soil & how the thorns choke out the seed. The seed has the potential to grow, but has been engulfed by things that surround it & then kill the seed. And I think this is where many of us fall spiritually. We hear the Good News & Gospel of Jesus with a great potential to grow, but let other things choke that out. Fear of rejection. The worry of what our friends & other people will think of us. The cost of following Jesus & what things we have to let go of to follow Him. We simply just deny spiritual growth in light of living for the world.
HOWEVER, Jesus also describes the seed when it falls on the good soil. Spiritually, the good soil is open to hear the Word of God & then go about LIVING it. We hear the Good News of Jesus & the freedom that comes from His free gift of salvation & simply can't help but grow! And growth comes from desire. You have to take personal responsibility to grow in your faith by pursuing a personal relationship with Jesus. Talking to Him in prayer. Knowing Him more through the Bible. Growth will come through the time you invest.
The difference between the first three soils & the last? Life. The first three all end up dead. Only the last one has life. Sure there might be some quick growth at first, but it doesn't last. Only the last soil has life & life eternal.
So, what about YOU? You living or dying? If you aren't growing, you're dead. You have to grow. You have to pursue Christ. In Him & the pursuit of Him is only where life is found. Be ALIVE.
JV
Jesus describes the thorny soil & how the thorns choke out the seed. The seed has the potential to grow, but has been engulfed by things that surround it & then kill the seed. And I think this is where many of us fall spiritually. We hear the Good News & Gospel of Jesus with a great potential to grow, but let other things choke that out. Fear of rejection. The worry of what our friends & other people will think of us. The cost of following Jesus & what things we have to let go of to follow Him. We simply just deny spiritual growth in light of living for the world.
HOWEVER, Jesus also describes the seed when it falls on the good soil. Spiritually, the good soil is open to hear the Word of God & then go about LIVING it. We hear the Good News of Jesus & the freedom that comes from His free gift of salvation & simply can't help but grow! And growth comes from desire. You have to take personal responsibility to grow in your faith by pursuing a personal relationship with Jesus. Talking to Him in prayer. Knowing Him more through the Bible. Growth will come through the time you invest.
The difference between the first three soils & the last? Life. The first three all end up dead. Only the last one has life. Sure there might be some quick growth at first, but it doesn't last. Only the last soil has life & life eternal.
So, what about YOU? You living or dying? If you aren't growing, you're dead. You have to grow. You have to pursue Christ. In Him & the pursuit of Him is only where life is found. Be ALIVE.
JV
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