Archive for January, 2007
You are currently browsing the Philip K Stone blog archives for January, 2007.
15
Jan
2007
Get Real!
I’m concerned that many christians aren’t sure what some words mean in songs, the word Happy in songs is sung like an off note with a little sad or seriousness in the facial expression, We Praise God singing bowing and kneeling at the foot of Jesus, yet we stand or sit while singing?
Maybe some struggle to get into the words that someone else has penned in the song, I’m not a great singer I know, but if i’m not getting into a song i just make up my own words to suit the music, I pity the people sitting beside me in a way but i don’t care what they think cause God Loves it, and Although when it leaves my lips it may sound rough and unlearned, Its from my Heart and that makes it beautiful to God. I struggle at times with corporate worship, You know a youth service thers no chairs and people will worship in total freedom, then church comes and people restrain themselves, (Well maybe not always the case)
The toughest times i’ve found to worship and praise God have come when my world is upside down or when circumstances have confused my understanding of life and how it should be. At those times in my life I recall coming to God unashamedly, not caring who was watching i’ve postured myself before God, a time when nothing matters but my opportunity to get sorted with God.
In life its easy to fit in, easy to be a joe Bloggs or a john Smith, but God wants us to be us, Unique and Beautiful as He made us!
If you feel pressured in life to do anything ask the question is this what I want or is this what others want of me? If its what God wants by all means do it, but sometimes people and usually those we work and do life with influence what we do, what we buy etc, so just be careful to Do what you want, cause if you don’t it will turn to regret.
Today ‘Be Real’ that doesn’t mean be over the top making sure everyone knows what your doing, but rather Just make sure Your connecting with God and that He knows what your doing and Why, God Loves Worship, He Loves acts of Worship, He Loves variety in worship, but He loves Honest worship a lot more!
Its Time to be Authentic worshippers
12
Jan
2007
Hearing God
Have You ever heard God? Have you ever heard the accent of Heaven speak into the ears of your heart? Have you ever Heard Your Creator Speak Words into your ears? Many including myself struggle sometimes to hear God, I Would have to say that Nearly every Time God has spoken to me its been a quiet whisper into my soul.
When I read the bible and see the Words ‘God Spoke’ to Moses or David or another Character, I wonder when God spoke in those days was it a loud voice and I know in some instances it was, like the burning bush was an Audible Voice and the receiving of the commandments was an audible Voice. This morning I’m wondering is it that God speaks Louder when we are in quieter surroundings and give Him a chance to speak? or is it that God always speaks at the same level but often we don’t hear him because stuff gets in the way.
I Crave in Life to have a Daily Word from God, Many days it doesn’t happen because I try to rush God, You know fit Him in here and there, But as I come closer to the grand age of 25 I’m starting to realise that God will respect and use our time to its greatest potential if if choose to respect His time and give him the audience He Deserves as Creator, Saviour and Lord.
Moses, David, Solomon, Daniel, and every other follower of God to ever live haven’t been perfect, God used these people because of their dare and faith in Him. If we Let God use us and obey Him when He speaks then we will Hear More of God, its when we stop obeying God that I believe things go quiet, maybe today we need to return to our last act of disobedience towards God and get it sorted before we can continue in our Holy Purpose.
11
Jan
2007
Gods Plan A
Moses has to be one of my favourite Bible Characters, coming into the pages of Scripture as an abandoned Baby, found in an ark among the Bulrushes by Pharaohs Wife, who has compassion on the crying baby and asks that its mother come and bring the child up for her and get paid for it… imagine getting paid to bring up you own child ladies?
But anyway Moses grew up and started to see with His own eyes the burdens carried by the His People, after witnessing a murder of a Hebrew, the first thing Moses does in His grown up years is a revenge murder by killing an Egyptian. But He was seen not only by God but by others and He had to flee for His Life to the mountains, during His Time Here He gets to meet His Wife to be, Zipporah, daughter of the Priest of Midian – Jethro. Moses gets the Job now of looking after Jethros flock of sheep and one Day He had the Famous ‘Burning Bush’ Experience on Mount Horeb. (Not that would have been awesome)
It was at this Burning Bush were Moses is asked to remove His scandals and He received His Instructions from God, and is told that God wants Him to Lead the children of Israel out of Egypt.
After giving You a little background to the story so far in Moses Life, I’ve a few questions,
Why Did God Call Moses to do this?
Why not someone who had a better criminal record?
Why a wee man looking after sheep for His father in Law?
Because the Moses God Created was still the Moses God wanted to Fulfil his Plan in bringing the Children of Israel out of Egypt and towards the promised Land.
What is the point of todays blog?
I Just want to remind you and me that even though ‘stuff’ will get in our way in Life, God Still Has a plan for you and me. He wishes us to follow that plan, but even when things go wrong God will get us back on track, The problem comes at our burning bush experience when God reveals that plan to us, If we follow His plan then Good, but if not then all we are doing is putting off our purpose for being alive, and I don’t know about you but the thought of living my life without fulfilling my God given purpose scares me at times!.
God will guide us through ‘Stuff’, sometimes the stuff isn’t nice, sometimes its horrific, sometimes it may bring you to your knees, but Remember its on Your knees when Your total dependance is in God, that He will raise you up not only to fulfil His Plan A for Your life, but with a renewed, restored & refreshed energy and happiness that no-one else could every give You.
God has a plan A for your life, my prayer is that You find that plan sooner rather than later! God bless You today in your walk through Life!
10
Jan
2007
A Crazy Love
Throughout the NT we see Jesus show us how to Love, He does it in many ways that the ’religious croonies’ at the time rebuked and criticised. Funny isn’t it that 2000 years later if you decided to step out and do something radical for God You would still be criticised from various corners.
This morning the Term ‘Crazy Love’ has been bouncing round inside me, Throughout Scripture there are many examples of Jesus Doing things totally unseen before, things that were so full of God that the ‘godly people’ missed them completely.
Matthew 12v10 : A Man comes to Jesus, the ’religious people’ see His withered hand and ask Jesus is it lawful to heal on the sabbath? Jesus again answers a question by asking them if they lost a sheep on the sabbath would they put it off til the next day or rescue it, of course they would rescue it, so it is lawful to do Good on the sabbath!
In the moments after this, knowing of the ill feeling towards Him and Knowing if He walked away and left this guys hand til the next day there would have been nothing more said, but Jesus seen people before rules, His Love was totally crazy, If Jesus Had a motto in His Life I would say it was probably somehting like ‘People First’. The Man Stretched out His withered Hand but it was healed, So Heres the question, Did Jesus Heal this hand while it was at the mans side? Theres no record that He Touched His hand or prayed over it, My Bible says as He stretched it forth, it was restored whole, so instead of doing mans way or the way man thought he would do it, Did He go in between?
Jesus sometimes imparts crazy ideas into our hearts, things that we know if we do them, then God will move in peoples lives, things if we don’t do them will actually become an act of disobedience towards God. Today I challenge anyone reading this to not do a ‘New thing’ as we have often heard, but rather a ‘crazy thing’ Dare to step out for God, its only when you Dare to step out that You show who your faith is really in! Peter was a Character that many people respect as a Bible Character, He Dared all the time, and that I believe is why God used him so much, Don’t sit on the fence and criticise, Dare to get off the fence and get involved in this drama before the curtain of time closes!
9
Jan
2007
Brothers of Christ
In Christian Circles I’ve often heard the Term ‘Brothers in Christ’ referring to the relationship between fellow believers or ‘Sisters in Christ’ if your female. But upon reading a verse this morning in Matthew 12v 50, I asked could it be more than in Christ and in addition that we are also brothers and sisters of Christ?
Heres the Verse.
‘For Whosoever shall do the will of the father who is in Heaven, He is my brother, and sister, and mother’ – Jesus
The truth of being in christ is amazing, but Knowing that Christ is in You, me and every believer just overwhelmes me!
