The Parable Explained - Part 3, The Engine Still Runs

He got out of the car and walked toward the door.  There was a lock on the door and one of the other keys on the key chain fit it perfectly.  He unlocked the door and opened it and turned on the light.  In the back part of that garage was what looked like a car under a tarpoline.  He walked over to the tarp and gently pulled it back revealing a 1936 Roadster.  It was in mint condition, and in the ignition were the keys!  He thought to himself, 'This is his prized possession? An old car?"  He couldn't help but be disappointed.   All his dreams of a beautiful new racing car quickly popped when he realized this was the car his grandfather had left him.  He had one question.  Why?  Feeling a little bit selfish, he walked out of the garage and thought that he would just keep walking.  He stopped, turned around, and walked back in and opened the door to the old roadster and got in the drivers seat. As he reached down to adjust the seat he felt a card on the floorboard, and when he looked at it recognized his grandfather's handwriting.

To Josh:

He opened the envelope and read the card inside.  Josh, I hope you enjoy this car.   It is my prized possession and has never let me down when I needed it.  Since it has been so reliable to me all these years, I want you to have it because I know it can be trusted.  Take good care of it and hopefully, some day you will pass it down to your grandson.  Love, Grandpa.  PS - I haven't started it in 20 years, but it should do just fine.  I have a can of gas on the shelf.  Put all the gas in the tank, pump the accelerator two times, and fire it up.  Keep in mind....I was never beaten in any race in this car.

He teared up as he realized his grandpa gave him something he knew he could rely on.  The car he had kept and used for many years,  He walked into the other room and looked at the new two seater, turned and looked at the old roadster, and walked to the shelf, got the gas, and emptied the can in the roadster's tank.  He opened the back door of the garage and got in the driver's seat of the roadster and just sat there.  He thought, "Will it start?  It's been 20 years!"  He pumped the accelerator twice, turned the key, and heard the sound of the most powerful engine he had ever heard.  It not only started.  It sounded awesome!

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When the key didn't fit the shiny new sports car the young man was disappointed and realized there WAS  more and he wanted to find what the key unlocked.  As he saw the back door of the garage and tried the key on that lock he saw it fit perfectly and opened the door to reveal a room he didn't realize was there.  He had only seen the front garage area and this new room was a new revelation for him.   The new room and the key shows us that God gives us the keys to a new way of thinking about life, and about our faith.  Sometimes we live in the superficial and in that room we see only a glimpse of what God is trying to show us about living the Christian Life.  Sadly, churches many times lead someone to Christ and then send them on their way and the only room they know about is the front area of the garage.  It is good at first, but is only a shadow of what God wants us to see.  We have the key to the new room but we don't try to open it because we don't even know it is there.  When we are open and "seeking" we suddenly realize God has so much more for us and the key that unlocks it is found in His Word.  As we go deeper and deeper in His Word our eyes are opened and we see many more things around us.  One of those things is this new "room" or way of thinking.  We have to choose whether or not to go into that room, and what will be the end result.   When the young man walked into the back area of the garage he saw the gift His grandpa had given him and lifting up the tarp he saw a perfectly preserved car and it was old....yet new.  This represents the scales that can sometimes form over our eyes to keep us from realizing all the blessings of God.  When we allow God to pull back the scales our vision improves and we see the gift of God, the Holy Spirit.  The young man could have gone to the back area of the garage years earlier, but he could never get past the new shiny current car his grandpa had at the time.  In his lack of maturity he was missing the greatest gift.

When the young man stepped into the old roadster he immediately thought "this feels comfortable, familiar" and stooped to at least adjust the seat.   That's when he found it.  The letter from His grandpa. The letter represents God's discerning power given through the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is the power given to us when we accept Christ to be able to discern, or figure out, what God is telling us through scripture.  Once again, that discernment has always been there, but we choose to not pursue it and so it goes unread and unused.  In that discerning power we also begin to realize just how great God's love is for us and it confirms and establishes an even stronger faith.  In His letter there are instructions about getting this whole thing started and the promise of it working, because it always has.   God also gives us encouragement about the strength and victories that have been won and will be one in the faith.  With Christ you never lose!!!!   Never!

When the young man walked to the shelf and got the gas and filled the tank he was showing his faith in what the letter said and proceeded as though it would all happen as his grandpa had said.  It has been said that the failing of God's church will be because of a lack of faith.  I am amazed that we have no problem believing when we accept Christ we will go to heaven, but we fall short of believing the same God can use us in an incredible way here and now.  That doesn't add up and we must be willing to be filled on a daily basis with the fuel we need to live a life of victory.  We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit every day.

I believe when we live our life with that kind of faith, that kind of power, and when we hear the roar of that engine in our ears we will also be amazed and renewed.  What an encouragement it will be to see that the engine of our faith still runs and it runs awesome!  Pure power, pure grace, pure direction, pure victory.  Isn't that what we all want, really?  I believe it is and I will continue in the next blog further explaining the parable.  After the last explanation I will list scriptural references to further encourage you in your faith.  God's engine is running and it is an amazing thing.  Listen........I hear it.  Don't you?

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

The Parable Explained - Part 2 - Remember What the Gift Really Is.

He went ahead and stayed at the house for the next two days and after the funeral went back to walk over the old home place.  He walked by the creek where he caught his first perch.  He saw his initials in the stump of an old tree where his grandfather had taught him the proper way to hold a knife.  As he walked up to the house, his aunt was there and came up to him and said, "Dad told me he made a commitment to give you his prize possession, his car.  Here are the keys and the title is already in your name.  He loved you very much and wanted you to have a car that could help you learn to race like you always wanted."  The young man took the keys and as he watched his aunt drive away, turned to look at the old garage across the driveway.  As he walked over to the garage he opened the door and there it was.  The ultimate driving machine.  Shiny, low to the ground, and ready to race.  He took out the key and noticed it was kind of old looking.  He thought that it was probably the car company's attempt to keep an old fashioned spin on a new car by having an old looking key.  He sat down in the driver's seat, and after gathering himself, raised his hand to put the key in the ignition.  To his surprise, the key wouldn't even go in!  He tried the two other keys on the key chain,  but they wouldn't fit either.  He couldn't figure out what was going on.  As he looked around the garage he noticed a sign on a divider door in middle of the garage in front of the car.  The sign said, "To my beloved grandson. Enjoy!" 

When the young man came to his grandpa's farm and was met by another member of the family telling him of his grandpa's death, he suddenly thought he was too late to accept the gift in person. He was like the disciples when Jesus told them He was going to leave them. The young man's focus turned to his memories of his relationship with his grandpa.  That relationship was filled with wisdom being handed down to him by his grandfather.  He thought of all the wisdom he had missed because his grandpa was gone.  He knew there were many more lessons to learn and really felt at a loss.  His aunt giving him the keys represents other members of those who know Jesus encouraging those who aren't growing in their relationship with Lord.  They want to serve God by handing off the access to a better way of living.  They also want to remind those they are encouraging that God really does love them and wants the best for them.  They are pointing the way so the purpose of God in a person's life can be furthered.  Sadly enough, we are living in a world that is presenting shiny, easy access faith and that faith is mostly shallow and very temporal.  It's strength is found in it's "looks" that entices those searching for the "true faith" to accept a compromised version of the real thing.  Shiny and Shallow go hand in hand and those who are looking for something like a movie hero faith result with no buy in, find themselves very disapppointed when what God is saying doesn't line up with what kind of faith is being presented.  The keys not fitting the shiny red car represent that our impression of what God is desiring to give us is much different that what we think we are receiving.  The only problem is; the keys of the faith don't fit this shallow kind of faith.  In God's love letter to His people (The Bible)  it details that God's love and direction are found throughout and His message to us is "keep looking" because I want the BEST for you.  His message is clear and it is pointing to the right faith and way of life.  In the next explanation in the days ahead we will see the "way" to living a life of purpose and wisdom.  A life that is not temporal, but eternal  A life that not only enables us to run the race, but win the race EVERY TIME!!!  There is a Gift that is waiting for all who follow Christ. We just need to remember what the gift really is!!

The Pilgrimage Continues......

David Warren

The Parable Explained - Part 1, The Call

Years ago a young man who loved racing cars started seeing his passion come to life as He immersed himself in the world of racing.  He started going to races, reading racing books, talking with guys who were former racers, and quickly moved toward the day he would get his own race car.  His grandpa, who lived in a country home about 50 miles away, knew about his love for cars and decided he was going to give him his prized possession, a car.  When he told his grandson that he was going to give him his car, his grandson got excited because his grandpa got a beautiful new foreign sports car every year.  He always got the best of the best for that year.  His grandpa told him when he reached 21 years of age, he could have his car. He could already see himself behind the wheel of that awesome racing machine.  Taking hairpin turns at ridiculous speeds.  Pulling up to stop signs and beating all those who pulled up beside him floated in his dreams on a daily basis.  He couldn't wait for his 21st birthday and the days dragged on.  Sure enough, the weekend before his birthday, he couldn't stand it anymore.  He decided he would go to his grandpa's home early to look the car over and see if he needed to get it tuned up or cleaned out.  As he pulled up to his grandpa's home, he noticed some extra cars in the driveway and he wondered what was going on and walked up the path to the porch.  He had no sooner gotten to the porch when his aunt came out and crying she said, "He's gone."  His grandpa, his friend, had passed away in the night.   The man who gave him so much wisdom about living life, and taught him how to fish, hunt, and race was gone.  Gone.... 

This part of the parable is how the whole thing started for each of us.  We heard the message of eternal life and accepted Christ.  In accepting Christ we might have had an impression of what we thought the Christian life was really all about.  We got eternal security with a place in heaven.  We received forgiveness of our sins and had a direct line to God through Jesus Christ.  We had the Holy Spirit in our lives and He showed us how to live our lives and that was given directly through the Bible.   Christian friends rejoiced at our decision, but then after a while we fell right into the "me first" part of Christianity, enabled through teachings of modernistic theology (real and relevant).  The young man represents US.  Me and You.  

In the beginning we learn about God through the new found zeal that is natural with life change due to salvation.  The sun seems brighter, we wake up ready to go, and life in general is amazing!!  We have such a passion for life that when directed in the right way it changes not only us, but all those around us.  We are contagious!!  It seems like the true essence of our life is built around this passion for living.  Much like the young man we have a "natural" tendency for a certain way of  thinking (cars for him) that is passed down to us from our heavenly Father.  At this point you can quickly see that the grandpa represents God.  The young man's love for racing was in his DNA and that was hereditary.  His grandpa's love for racing was coming alive in him.  But, he didn't live with his grandpa and even though he had learned many lessons from His grandpa as a child, he had not gotten the full meaning of those lessons because he had moved to a different location, the city.  His time with his grandpa had become less and less over the years and the city (the world) had redirected some of those life lessons in the wrong direction.  He had become self centered and selfish.  The lessons taught by his grandfather seemed old and distant and his new style of life seemed so carefree and easy.  It was.  Too easy.  His perspective of life changed from quality to quantity and his basic core belief system was no longer PURE!  

His grandpa had promised to give him his most prized possession, a car, when he came of age.  The young man's messed up life caused him to think it was something much different than reality and he based his hopes on something shiny and cool.  His hope continued to rise as he looked forward to the day he would get what His grandfather had promised.  The car promised represents the power of the Holy Spirit in our life.  It's not a second blessing, but actually the coronation of the first being seen in our lives.  It is the vehicle that takes us to a whole new level of serving God.  The Call!!  We many times miss The Call because we, like the young man, are looking for some glorious, shiny thing that will elevate each of us to a higher place.  When in reality it is much different.  Today's church seems to be looking for that spark, that shiny thing to lure others to come and join us.   Only to find that the shiny thing isn't what God is in at all.  Some Christians become disenchanted and believe that God isn't going to do anything renewed or powerful, and that His time for powerful movement is gone. Gone!  Tomorrow's explanation will continue the explanation of this parable about our individual walk and the need for the church to come alive as never before.

The Pilgrimage Continues......

David Warren

The Priceless Prize - A Parable by David Warren

I have written the parable below to illustrate some essential truths from God's Word.  I hope you will read it and be able to get something out of these truths over the next few days to encourage you in your faith.  Today I am posting the parable.  Tomorrow I will start illustrating the meaning of the parable.

Parable - a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.

Years ago a young man who loved racing cars started seeing his passion come to life as He immersed himself in the world of racing.  He started going to races, reading racing books, talking with guys who were former racers, and quickly moved toward the day he would get his own race car.  His grandpa, who lived in a country home about 50 miles away, knew about his love for cars and decided he was going to give him his prized possession, a car.  When he told his grandson that he was going to give him his car, his grandson got excited because his grandpa got a beautiful new foreign sports car every year.  He always got the best of the best for that year.  His grandpa told him when he reached 21 years of age, he could have his car. He could already see himself behind the wheel of that awesome racing machine.  Taking hairpin turns at ridiculous speeds.  Pulling up to stop signs and beating all those who pulled up beside him floated in his dreams on a daily basis.  He couldn't wait for his 21st birthday and the days dragged on.  Sure enough, the weekend before his birthday, he couldn't stand it anymore.  He decided he would go to his grandpa's home early to look the car over and see if he needed to get it tuned up or cleaned out.  As he pulled up to his grandpa's home, he noticed some extra cars in the driveway and he was wondered what was going on and walked up the path to the porch.  He had no sooner gotten to the porch when his aunt came out and crying she said, "He's gone."  His grandpa, his friend, had passed away in the night.   The man who gave him so much wisdom about living life, and taught him how to fish, hunt, and race was gone.  Gone....
He went ahead and stayed at the house for the next two days and after the funeral went back to walk over the old home place.  He walked by the creek where he caught his first perch.  He saw his initials in the stump of an old tree where his grandfather had taught him the proper way to hold a knife.  As he walked up to the house, his aunt was there and came up to him and said, "Dad told me he made a commitment to give you his prize possession, his car.  Here are the keys and the title is already in your name.  He loved you very much and wanted you to have a car that could help you learn to race like you always wanted."  The young man took the keys and as he watched his aunt drive away, turned to look at the old garage across the driveway.  As he walked over to the garage he opened the door and there it was.  The ultimate driving machine.  Shiny, low to the ground, and ready to race.  He took out the key and noticed it was kind of old looking.  He thought that it was probably the car company's attempt to keep an old fashioned spin on a new car by having an old looking key.  He sat down in the driver's seat, and after gathering himself, raised his hand to put the key in the ignition.  To his surprise, the key wouldn't even go in!  He tried the two other keys on the key chain,  but they wouldn't fit either.  He couldn't figure out what was going on.  As he looked around the garage he noticed a sign on a divider door in middle of the garage in front of the car.  The sign said, "To my beloved grandson. Enjoy!"  He got out of the car and walked toward the door.  There was a lock on the door and one of the other keys on the key chain fit it perfectly.  He unlocked the door and opened it and turned on the light.  In the back part of that garage was what looked like a car under a tarpoline.  He walked over to the tarp and gently pulled it back revealing a 1936 Roadster.  It was in mint condition, and in the ignition were the keys!  He thought to himself, 'This is his prized possession? An old car?"  He couldn't help but be disappointed.   All his dreams of a beautiful new racing car quickly popped when he realized this was the car his grandfather had left him.  He had one question.  Why?  Feeling a little bit selfish, he walked out of the garage and thought that he would just keep walking.  He stopped, turned around, and walked back in and opened the door to the old roadster and got in the drivers seat. As he reached down to adjust the seat he felt a card on the floorboard, and when he looked at it recognized his grandfather's handwriting.
To Josh:

He opened the envelope and read the card inside.  Josh, I hope you enjoy this car.   It is my prized possession and has never let me down when I needed it.  Since it has been so reliable to me all these years, I want you to have it because I know it can be trusted.  Take good care of it and hopefully, some day you will pass it down to your grandson.  Love, Grandpa.  PS - I haven't started it in 20 years, but it should do just fine.  I have a can of gas on the shelf.  Put all the gas in the tank, pump the accelerator two times, and fire it up.  Keep in mind....I was never beaten in any race in this car.

He teared up as he realized his grandpa gave him something he knew he could rely on.  The car he had kept and used for many years,  He walked into the other room and looked at the new two seater, turned and looked at the old roadster, and walked to the shelf, got the gas, and emptied the can in the roadster's tank.  He opened the back door of the garage and got in the driver's seat of the roadster and just sat there.  He thought, "Will it start?  It's been 20 years!"  He pumped the accelerator twice, turned the key, and heard the sound of the most powerful engine he had ever heard.  It not only started.  It sounded awesome!  He backed out of the garage and headed to town.  As he drove into town everyone was looking at him in the roadster.  He couldn't believe the attention he was getting in this old car.  He just had to know more about the car that had been his grandpa's for so many years.  He knew of an antique car restoration place downtown and drove there to see if they could tell him anymore about his new, old car.  As he pulled up, the whole staff walked outside and the owner said, "Well, I've only seen pictures of this car.  I thought they were all gone."  The young man said,  "So, is this car worth a lot?"  The man said, "Oh yeah.  I have a dealer who would give you five for it today."  The boy thought the man was kidding when he said it was worth $500.00.  Surely, it would be worth more than that.  He said, "It may be only worth $500.00 to you, but to me it's priceless.  This was my grandpa's car and he loved it."  The man laughed and said, "Son, I didn't mean Five Hundred Dollars, I mean Five Million Dollars!  The young man couldn't believe his ears.  "Five Million Dollars!"  The dealer said, "Would you be interested in selling it?'  The young man told him, "No, it's not for sale.  It's worth much more if I pass it down through the family."  He got in the car and drove away, thankful for the ageless gift that continues to gather more and more worth as it gets older.  His grandpa's prize possession became his prized possession.  He suddenly sensed a great amount of responsibility to keep the car in the best shape possible.  It was not only his gift, but now it was going to be his legacy to those who would come behind him.

As life goes on, so do the stories of our faith and all the lessons God teaches us.  Open your mind and your heart to the truth of God's Word and see your world change before you eyes.

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

Guilty is Still Guilty

I was watching The Mentalist tonight and they had a story about a killer who was very proud of his killing expertise.  He was so proud that he thought he couldn't get caught and in his boldness seemed to make his killing an art.  In the end he was killed himself and he didn't boast anymore after that.  I have noticed that many Christians, including some ministers, have prided themself in the ability to sin and not feel guilty about it.  You say, how?  It's like substitutes for some of the "no say" words are now acceptable.  It's the new way of "being real" in our Christian Life and in our ministry.  The sad part about it is like a fraternity their little followers are doing exactly the same thing they are doing to be "cool" or "in."  This is coming in the disguise of living a "contemporary" way of living and boasts of being much more real and cutting edge.  The only problem with the whole thing is that "cool" really isn't "cool" at all.  It is still sin, no matter the package.  I watch different preachers messages from time to time and I am at times astonished by the language and illustrations being used.  It's like they are looking for the "shock" factor when they speak and rely on people being wowed over because of their boldness.   Before  I was called into full time ministry I worked as a deckhand on the Mississippi River and the talk and actions of many of those workers at the time was very crude and edgy.  It's sad to see that the desire to be relevant is causing many Christians to stoop to that type of talk and living.  Of course, as I share this I have to make sure in my heart this isn't a judgment by me, because I have no right to judge.  But this problem has increased and the witness of boldly sinning, without calling it sin, has grown to the point that it is taking the place of God's Word. Just like the bold killer in The Mentalist episode, there will be a time of reckoning, but the fallout along the way is becoming more and more devastating.  Here's something to think about when leaning toward this type of lifestyle.  Is this glorifying to God?  Has the world become more prevalent in your life than God?  Has one step in the wrong direction put you further down the road of sin than you intended?  If someone you trust as being Godly is leading you down this path, are they really someone you need to be following?  I will tell you this, if you are a minister and you take a stand against this type of activity and talk don't expect to get asked to lunch any time soon.  Also, don't expect to get an opportunity to speak to any of their groups in the near future.  This causes an interesting paradigm for you as a believer.  You are going to be exluded because of your desire to be more like God?  Does this finish painting the picture for you.  It's not worth it to "just fit in" to the right group, so don't do it.  God has great things He wants to do right now and He is very relevant to what is going on.  He just doesn't need us immersing our lives in sin to get it done. He calls us to be righteous as He is righteous.  Our type of righteousness is what the Bible calls "filthy rags."  Throw in the towel on the marginal lifesytle and come back to God.  He and His Word are still "cool", so don't worry, you won't lose your identity.  You will just gain the right one.  Guilty is Guilty.  Wrong is Wrong.  No excuses for sin.  Just reasons to be more like God. Galatians 5:13 "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love."

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Rolling Stone

I am sitting in the waiting room as my wife recovers from an ERCP procedure.  She is doing fine and we are about to get out of the hospital and go home.  We had to come and do this procedure because last week they took out her gall bladder because of a 1.5 centimeter stone.  The surgeon came out after that surgery and said that everything went well, but she had additional stones in another area.  That's how we came to be where we are today.  After this procedure, the doctor came out and said the surgery went great and that she was "stone free."  She had been experiencing some fever, stomach ache, and some other discomfort and all that led to us visiting the doctor, and then the tests, and then the surgery.  This whole process makes you appreciate our medical system and we praise God for all the doctors and nurses who worked on her.  She is on track for a good recovery and ready to get back to her normal lifestyle.

I was thinking about how all this parallels with our spiritual condition.  We have a sin problem in a certain area and when we consult Dr. Jesus, He says to get rid of that problem and fixes it all with His surgery.  His Word gives us instruction and helps us ascertain that these symptoms are troublesome for our overall spiritual health.  We get to the point where we know we need help and there needs to be some spiritual surgery to get rid of the sin.  We have to decide if we will put ourselves in the hands of Him or not.  If we choose to ignore this surgery, the result will be more and more spiritual health problems in the future and we will lose the health we are so used to.  If we choose to follow His instructions and allow Him to operate then we are on the way to spiritual health again and because of His Grace we will get back our spiritual vitality again.  Sometimes during this process God will try to move us to a higher way of thinking and some of the spiritual stones we left unturned become troublesome.  We thought we could hide them and they wouldn't be noticed, but we see those spiritual stones have rolled down where we realize we have more things to deal with than we are admitting.  It's time to come clean totally. What happens when we deal with those issues?  You realize a release from something that has been a big hindrance in your spiritual walk and you finally get beyond some things that have been troublesome for years.  Only God could care enough to do a separate procedure just for you to get in even better health. Why?  Because He cares yesterday, today, and forever.  Sometimes it may take a few days to recover from this new lease on life, but during the recovery you see just how awesome God is and how much He cares.

The next time God deals with you about a certain area in your life, let Him do the surgery to make it right.  Be prepared though.  He will probably take that situation and use it to help you in another area of your life. He will help you track down that "Rolling Stone" and get it out as well.  Sadly enough, many Christians never admit they have a problem and their spiritual stones never get removed.  Feeling feverish?  Feeling pressed on every side?  Feel like your stomach is in a vise?  Turn yourself over to Dr. Jesus and let him remove those things that keep you from living a FREE life that is trusting in Him. 

^{2 Corinthians 4:7} But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.¹²So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

His life is at work in each of us.  Let Him continue to do a great work that brings out the best in each of us....Him.  Let Him keep Rolling the Stones out of your life.

The Pilgrimage continues....
David Warren

Why Live for Christ? Because It’s Worth It!

Matthew 5: 1-16 What is our worth?  Worth definition - usefulness or importance, as to the world, to a person, or for a purpose. Value…. I mattered to God and You do too. Everyone has a purpose when it comes to living our lives and we are not meant to just bump through life from one thing to the other.  God has a great plan for each of us and we are totally capable of following that plan.  All your plans and all your dreams are important to God and right now He is listening intently to your heart to see what choice you will make when faced with this Word of Truth.  I know this.  Dusty knows this.  Your youth leaders and parents know this. The question is…Do You know this?

People who matter are most aware that everyone else does too.   Malcolm S. Forbes              How can you know you matter and have worth or value to God?  He gave His son for you to have eternal life with Him.  John 3:16 He empowers us with His Spirit to do even more than Jesus did when He walked on this earth.  John 14:11-14He doesn’t ever desert you in the middle of trials and temptations.  He can make great things come out of bad things and His plan is to always grow us in our faith.  James 1:2-4  We have worth!!!

An American tourist in Paris, who purchased an inexpensive amber necklace in a trinket shop, was shocked when he had to pay quite a high duty on it to clear customs in New York. This aroused his curiosity, so he had it appraised. After looking at the object under a magnifying glass, the jeweler said, "I'll give you $25,000 for it." Greatly surprised, the man decided to have another expert examine it. When he did, he was offered $10,000 more. "What do you see that's so valuable about this old necklace?" asked the astonished man. "Look through this glass," replied the jeweler. There before his eyes was an inscription: "From Napoleon Bonaparte to Josephine." The value of the necklace came from its identification with a famous person.

We each have great worth because of who we are connected to.  God is our worth giver and He has invested a great amount of love and sacrifice to make sure each of us succeeds in realizing that living for Him is Worth It!!  Since we know we have worth or value to God, we must realize that every time we don’t follow God or turn our back on His purposes in our life, we are not only affecting God’s plan, but our lives, and the lives of those we could impact…..So we must conclude that we are Hand in Hand with Jesus in this serving thing..Does this sound familiar?  Scripture says, “Take Up your Cross and Follow Me”  in Matthew 16: 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Where is the disconnect?

1.     No challenge  2.     No backbone   3.     No time   4.     No priority  5.     No encouragement             6.     No reward   7.     No results

The worth or value is there, but will never be realized if we don’t commit to Renewal.  Come back to God.  Make Him the number one priority in every area of your life and beginning today…today….you will never be the same.  Paul wrote to the Galatians after they had drifted away from God’s purpose because of poor teaching.  Galatians 3:1 You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it's obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the cross was certainly set before you clearly enough.

Today is the day to allow God to become real to you and follow His way.  Why?  Because it is worth it.  ……If one of you is changed, then it is worth it.…… If you get to lead just one friend to Christ, it is worth it.…….If you get to the end of your school years and see that you have made an impact for Christ on your campus, it is worth it.…….If you are catalyst to your youth ministry becoming a growing ministry whose fellowship and unity is so beyond anything anyone has ever seen….It is worth it.

Charles Leber, a Presbyterian missionary, was in Westphalia, Germany at a clinic for handicapped children. A wealthy businessman came to tour the facilities and said to the doctor, "These are very pathetic children. What ratio of cures do you get? How many go back to normal life?" 
"About 1 in 100." 
"1 in 100! It's not worth it." 
"Yes it is. If that one was your child it would be worth it."

1 Timothy 4:6 (The Message) 6-10 You've been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you'll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we've thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We're banking on the living God.

I'm banking on God to make my life worth it when He says,"Well done my good and faithful servant."  Why live for Christ?  Because it's worth it!!

The Pilgrimage Continues.......

David Warren