Worship That Wins

In the course of life, we will probably be exposed to thousands of competitions that will cause us to pick a side and then cheer for that side to win over the other.  We will buy banners, signs, and cheer with a fervency that brings us out of our comfort zone again and again.  Why?  We want to WIN!  It's the passion of the moment, when emotions run high and we are sensitive to every play, every move, every call by the officials.  It drives our thinking about how our team will somehow be able to win the contest.  Of course, it goes way over the edge when we get involved in fantasy leagues with fantasy drafting of players, and coaches, and scenarios that would rival the most professional organization.  We are suddenly using areas of our brain that had long sense been dormant and the endorphins start feeding the frenzy of competition.  I have seen people who never competed in any athletic competition become very efficient armchair quarterbacks, seemingly overnight.  Our media feeds on this stuff and uses it to the fullest to sell products, launch TV shows, and hopefully get us "hooked!"

Believe it or not, worship for believers is in some ways just like the competitions we either see, or participate in, and the desire to WIN is just as real.  It comes back to our ultimate focus and desire, and how they line up with our daily life away from church, or other worshipers.  God continually wants to win our attention every day of our lives and His plan for the BEST for each of us is waiting for undivided attention.  Just like those who live on the edge in the area of competition and team allegiance, His exciting, awesome plan for our lives takes us to a whole new realm in the area of worshiping Him.  Romans 12:1-2 says, Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  In Paul's writing to the church at Rome he continually reminded them to allow God to have their allegiance and undivided attention.  In fact, he stated it was a part of the transformed life that came with those who knew Jesus.  Paul's admonition didn't stop with music worship though. He went to the heart of the matter and stated that they were to give thier lives as instruments of worship by the way they lived.  In other words, if we are going to be "people of worship" then we will worship wholeheartedly our Jesus and Him alone.  We will make every day a "life of worship" and in the process get to know the Father better.  The result will be a life conformed to His image that impacts the world we walk in.  The other result is a changed life, a life of true worship, and a life that touches others who don't know Christ.  That would be a WIN.....WIN......WIN!!!

You may say, "How does this apply to music worship?"  As a worship leader, I can tell real quick in a service the people who are living the daily life of worship by how much they seem to know the One they worship.  It's way beyond expression or style.  It's way beyond vocal or instrumental ability.  It's REAL.You don't have to "pump them up" to get them to express their love for Jesus.  It just happens!!  A person who worships in that frame of mind is really a winner every time because more of Jesus is seen than them.  In other words, His Spirit is the guiding force in all they say and do.  THAT is the winning element of true worship.  To quote Jesus on the matter, we look no further than John 4:21-24 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 "You worship what you do not know ; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth ; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  

If you want "worship that wins" then you must be totally sold out to a worship lifestyle. Here's some elements of a worship lifestyle:  Daily time with Jesus, interacting with other believers, befriending the lost, and a changed life.  That is "worship that wins" and that is what God wants in all our lives.  The end result in a church service will be you expressing what God is doing daily in your life and that kind of worship is a win for all.  So, put on your worship attire (a changed life) and give Glory to His Name.  When that happens you will never be the same.

Psalm 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name ; Worship the LORD in holy array.

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren 

How to Recover From a Spiritual Heart Attack

The Heartfelt Faith – Recovering from a Heart Attack….

 The end result of living a heartless faith will be you living a life that is borderline at best.  You can only walk that tightrope so long before you fall off.  The narrow path opens your life up to wide open living that is generated by the Holy Spirit coming alive in your life.  The strength of your core will help you withstand the challenges of daily living.  It will affect EVERYTHING!!!

We need to rediscover our true heart’s cry.  When we rediscover that, our life will take a drastic change toward the best God has to offer us. That is God’s Way!!!

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death

God loves with a great love the man whose heart is bursting 

with a passion for the impossible."  William Booth

Spiritual Alert…

When we realize that we are in a battle and that battle is for our heart.  We will suddenly want to draw near to the one who holds our heart and ask Him to protect us from the attacks on our heart. 

Ephesians 6:12

How to survive a spiritual heart attack:

1.            The Little Things - Recognize the changes going on around you and be alert to things that are creeping into your life that are affecting your heart.

Sugar intake – (The Silent Killer) Never underestimate the media and its strong influence on your heart.

You must adjust your intake of sweets that are polluting your system and replace them with the meat of the Word of God.  Psalm 119:11

2.            Compromising Cohesion – Questionable things that didn’t use to be a problem are starting to block your relationship with Christ and other Christians.  You know something is wrong and you just don’t have the Spiritual Energy you used to have, but you think it is nothing to worry about.  You have questionable lifestyle issues that are sticking to your life like glue and you can’t shake them anymore.

Sin Cholesterol – Blocking your arteries and stopping the flow of the Holy Spirit’s influence on your life.

You need an accountability group to help you work through some of the issues you are dealing with.  They will help steer you in a healthier direction and your blockage will clear up with time. 

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

3.            Consult “the” Physician - The last thing we sometimes want to admit is that we are sick and getting worse.  What we do is postpone the trip to the doctor because deep inside we know what His diagnosis will be and what that means.  We practice avoidance, hoping everything will just work itself out.  It never does….Then we have what we never thought would happen.  The Attack on our heart!!

Routine Checkup -One of the most dangerous things for a Christian is becoming stagnant, or sitting on the sidelines.  We fill our days with everything else but God and instead of keeping our faith current, productive, and growing, hours turn into days, and days turn into weeks, and so on.  Time escapes us and we don’t even realize that too much time has gone by between prayer times and it is starting to show in our attitude and our lifestyle.

Ephesians 5:16 says to be redeeming the time because the days are evil. Part of that evil is letting time slip through our grasp.  Instead of living a vibrant, active life for Christ, we become lazy and let those things necessary for good spiritual health fall to the side of our schedule.  Time that used to be spent with God is replaced with just TIME SPENT!!!

4.            Heed the warning signs – If we are not aware enough to see that things are not right.   If we ignore advise from those who love us.  If we continue to walk on the slippery path of compromise, then the attack on our heart will be successful and the damage will be devastating.  The freshness of our commitment to the Lord will be battered and bruised and the effect on us and those who know us will be tragic.  We must heed the warning signs and realize that every day is a day to be lived for Christ and lived from our heart.

Get the blood flowing again – 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  That what I call Heart Surgery.

What is your heart saying to you now?

Are there compromises in your life that are affecting your heart?

Is Christ in charge of your heart?

Is your heart health good or bad?

What are you willing to do to make it right?

Today is the day to experience a true lifechange through a drastic change of heart.  Move from a mediocre heart commitment to a passionate life that is driven with a strong heart that is pumping blood from the only source that's lasting....Jesus Christ!!!

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

Unity Pie

When I lived at home I remember my mom always having a pie, or cake, or something sweet around the house all the time.  When I came home from school, I would be tired from books and sports, and I couldn’t wait to taste that good ole pie or cake that would be waiting for me.  One time some of my friends from school came home with me and got the treat of mom’s dessert.  After they got one taste of what was waiting for me, they made it an ongoing habit to come to Faye’s Kitchen at least twice a week.  My mom was a hit and she made me a hit with my friends at school.  One day when I came home she had gotten busy and didn’t have a dessert and I was really disappointed and let her know about it.  She said, “You don’t realize all it takes to bake a pie or cake, so now is the time for you to see how it’s done!”  Mom proceeded to grab all the ingredients and put them on the counter and I was amazed at how many things it took to make one pie.  This particular pie was a pecan pie, so we had 1 - 9” pie shell, 1 ¼ cups of chopped pecans, 2 eggs, 1 cup of corn syrup, ¼ cup of brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon of molasses, 2 Tablespoons of melted butter, 2 Tablespoons of flour, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  She told me exactly how to get everything set up and when it was prepared, how long to cook it, and let it cool.  About one hour later, I had my pecan pie.  Whoa….I didn’t bargain for this and from that moment on I appreciated the effort she made to make sure I had a dessert waiting for me after school.  Why?  Because instead of just eating the pie, I realized the work it took to make it, and my perspective changed.

It’s amazing how we as Christians always feast off of things that have been done for us and never realize what it takes to make everything happen.  We come and anticipate our “pie” and when it’s not there we get all out of joint.  Unity is one of those things that we come to expect, but when we don’t see it we just go off to our corner and pout.    God is good about taking us by the hand into his “kitchen of wisdom” and showing us just what it takes for Christians to have unity.  Ephesians 4: 1-16 gives us some ingredients for unity and shows us how to cook it up right. 

Here are the ingredients:

1.              Our walk must be aligned with the character of Christ.  In Verses 1-3 Paul tells the church at Ephesus to walk in a manner worthy of what we have…..Christ.  If you have Christ, you have a tendency to taste and experience unity by how you walk and live.  He gives some results of this Christ centered walk and lists something we all know about.  We are to have humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance in love, and diligence.  These ingredients will cook up the unity Christ wants us to experience.  You may notice we put ourselves on the back burner and selfishness is replaced with selflessness.  We are aligned with who Christ is when we have these qualities and the result is unity.

2.              The reality is there is unity in Christ, but we choose to try wrong ways to achieve it.   In Verses 4-6 Paul states a foundational truth.  It is centered around the word ONE.  We are attached to the oneness or unity of Christ and God is the “big baker” who takes these ingredients and makes the best tasting Unity Pie.  If we get distracted from the fact that He is the foundation for Unity, then we only skirt the issue and never get to the purity of the truth.  He says it best when he says, “One God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.”  Wow!  Without God in control there is NO unity.  Forget it.  It’s not going to happen.  With God we can’t help but have unity.  It’s in our spiritual DNA.

3.              He has gifted all of us in different ways, but in such a way to make our different gifts all work together. In Verses 7-13 Paul shares that the sacrifice of Christ for us sinners not only gave us the opportunity to live with Him forever in heaven, but also changed how we live with others here on earth.  When Jesus went to be with the Father He made the statement that we would do greater things than He had done. How?  He gave us His Holy Spirit and that power is the “heat that cooks this unity pie.”  Over a period of time He enables us to realize our different gifts and through His Word shows us how to use those gifts, with other believers, to further the Kingdom. He has taken the ingredients He put in each of us and now He is “really cooking” us into what He can use.  We even start to smell better and start to realize changes in our lives that encourage us to learn more, and be more like Jesus.  When this “cooking” starts to happen, we suddenly become a part of the church and with Christ as our head, we see that something great is going on and we are a part of the process.  Satan hates this and wants us to be confused about unity and lures our selfish side to come out and stop the process of unity and so the “unity pie” is undercooked and doesn’t taste good.  It is at this moment that we must pray and pursue God to protect our hearts and get the pie cooked completely.  When we hold on to God’s promises and attain the full measure of faith He gives an amazing thing happens. UNITY. 

4.              The process is not through when we get fully baked.  We get to eat what we made. In Verses 14-16 Paul tells us there is a graduation to a whole new way of living.  Unity is our battle cry and God wants to protect it, so no one can come and eat from this pie who doesn’t need to.  This pie that has been made for each of us is waiting to nourish others as they taste the sweetness of Unity in our lives.  Christ, the master baker, continues to make more and more unity pies and the body of Christ grows in numbers every day.  Why?  Because God supplied the ingredients.  God is the one who puts it all together.  God is the one who bakes it.  God is the one who keeps on baking more and more.

Perhaps you didn’t know all it took to make unity a reality for believers and you have been the recipient, but you haven’t been in the process.  Take what this scripture has taught us about how to realize unity and get in the game of living UNITY.  The end result really tastes good.  Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”  You want unity.  Take a bite!!

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

A Divorce That Works

We now live in a country where 60% of CHRISTIAN MARRIAGES end in divorce.  Wow!  I wouldn't have ever thought that Christian Marriages would be so unprepared to handle the pressures of daily living.  But, there it is D I V O R C E.  That old country song really stings in my ears now more than ever.  The very fabric of our faith is unraveling before our eyes and there seems to be very little or no attempt by the modern day church to meet this problem head on. Divorce -  a legal decree dissolving a marriage • a separation between things that were or ought to be connected.  No matter how you spell it out, it still spells failure. Failure to follow through with your commitment.  Failure to draw closer to each other now that you are one flesh. Genesis 2:24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.  Failure to pursue God together as a unified force in your world and family.  Failure to forgive and work things out one problem at a time.  Failure to develop your hearts together. FAILURE!!!

It's time to wake up and see where the problem lies.  In our hearts.  For those who know Christ, the bond we have with our heavenly Father is to be so strong that it makes it very difficult when you are not married to another believer. 2 Cor. 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?  You see, when we accept Christ and give Him our life He takes that step of faith and starts a process that begins with salvation and grows it into a very intimate relationship with our heavenly Father.  God changes in our lives from GOD, to Abba Father, or daddy.  That intimacy draws us closer to Him by giving us a desire to pursue Him with everything we are and that starts a very big change. (Oh no.  They didn't tell you that you would have an immediate change when you accepted Christ?) Our Bad!!!  REALLY.......Our bad.  Our spiritual gift of assumption kicked in and kept us from discipling you like we were supposed to.  Why did that happen?  Probably because no one made a concentrated effort to disciple us.  Makes sense doesn't it?  What's good for the goose is good for.....You know the rest.  So the legacy that should be passed down to all believers is not a legacy at all, but a weak expression of what we experience in Christ.  The end result is a very watered down faith without much power and even though the Holy Spirit is supposed to be controlling each of us, He is shut out because we don't even know He's there.  Wow!  Things look tough don't they?  Not so fast my friend.  God is still alive.  He still changes lives.  His Holy Spirit is in those who know Christ and ready to respond.  When can all this power and direction begin?  NOW!  Yes, I said NOW!  Here's what needs to happen. The only Divorce that needs to take place in your life is the divorce with your past life.  2 Co. 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!   When you accept Christ you will have a new perspective on life.  One that is no longer self centered, but Christ centered.  You put your wants and desires on the back burner and you let Him lead you through a new life according to His Will.  That process is real and does work, but it has to happen.  You must  totally get a divorce from who you were and be joined with God and be one in heart with Him.  The problem with a lot of baby Christians is they are not told the whole truth and they just do a trial separation with their past life and dabble in their Christian life and never really see the turning, or the change become complete.  That trial separation is just a trial and before long they are back to living nowhere lives.  The only problem is that whatever they try to do is always compromised and less than what it should be because their CORE is not pure and healthy.  I guess you could say that a person who has a little of Christ and a lot of the world is a spiritual bigamist. The only problem is you cannot be married to both.  You must divorce, not do a trial separation from your past self and totally give your life to Christ.  Anything less than that compromises what God will be able to do in your life.Oh yeah, the divorce problem among Christians.....By now you must surely see how putting another person in your life with your weak faith can only lead to problems down the road.  Usually that ring, that ceremony, that paper, that commitment becomes another in a long series of failures.  So the root to the problem is not necessarily a lack of good marriage training.  It is more likely a lack of discipleship for the person who accepted Christ.  Of course, marriage problems are just one of many problems for a person who has a weak, worldly based Christian faith.  Right now though, it is tearing apart lives right and left, not to mention how much it is weakening the effectiveness of the local church.If you are going through marital problems right now, I am willing to believe that a weak faith by one or both parties involved is at the root of your problems.  You will get no better life and marriage counseling than that given by The Wonderful Counselor, Jesus.  Start with a heart to heart with you and Him, and then have a heart to heart with the other part of your flesh, and I believe things will start looking up immediately.It's time to move out of the house with your past life and divorce it once and for all, and renew your original commitment to the Lord.  You will be pleasantly surprised how much it will change everything else in your life.  That's a divorce that works!!!

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

Breath Mints - Adjective Overkill

I was looking at a church's website today and noticed that in the name of being "real"(otherwise called truthful) they used so many adjectives it almost became comical.  Words like relevant, authentic, engaging, intentional, interactive, catalyst, strategic, and many others have become the staple of advertising for churches and church leaders.

I used them and they rolled off my tongue like butta.  It was innocent enough at first for me, but before long I was a major user.  I couldn't make a sentence without throwing in an all too familiar adjective like "relevant" or "authentic".  It became a crutch for speaking and before long all I wanted to do was hang around other people who used the same words.  Sadly, I was a member of a little known cult called The Contemporarys.  Yes, this group had sucked me in to their little group and fed my addiction with timely emails, newsletters, and free David Yurman cross cufflinks (to be worn on the inside not showing the cross because it would not be relevant in today's societal needs)  Before long I quit associating with Bible Thumpers who read from anything less than The New English Relevantly Hyperdrived Apologizing version of.........The Bible  If not for a group of Christian friends who made a commitment to intervene on my behalf, I would still be tied to the inner circle of the cult, known as "The  Inner Circle"  (It was tough for them to get a cool word for the inner circle)  As I distanced myself from their hold I began to see that what they were doing wasn't really anything new at all .......THEY WERE JUST WORDS!!

Of course, I am kidding, but this may be closer to the truth for some than they are willing to admit.  When I went to college I pledged a fraternity my first semester and joined the next semester.  I made some fairly good friends and actually felt like I was a Big Man On Campus.  But what made me a Big Man On Campus was not who I was, but who I was associated with in my fraternal membership.  It looks like the fraternal need of many Christian Men is still there and the best way to fill that need is to be a part of a hierarchy group of people who have all the answers to right the wrongs of past mistakes made in the modern day church.  To them the Bible is a reference book to be used with the latest bestseller from the hottest new Christian Author, instead of the other way around.  Over the years I have had many churches approach me about coming to serve in their fellowship and it is tragic to have one or more of their leaders ask me, "What book are you reading now?" as a litmus test as to whether I am up on my modern Christianity.  One such leader called a while back and when asked I just had to stop this whole thing, so when he asked what book I was reading I replied "Romans."  He laughed and said, "No really, what book like Visioneering or Blue Like Jazz?"  I didn't laugh and once again said, "Romans."  He didn't call back.

You can always tell when we have drifted too far from God's Purpose when we don't need Him or His Word to function anymore.  When Fortune 500 companies start to generate the vision for reaching out to people for Christ, something is wrong.  I'm not against adjectives that I mentioned earlier in this blog, but it causes me to think if we need to use those words, then we may have a problem  Are we not relevant?  Did you know that trends that used to take 3 years to establish are now established and gone in 6 months?   If that's the case, then who is relevant?  Talk about riding on a relevancy roller coaster! If we aren't authentic(def. having the origin supported by unquestionable evidence) then the problem could be in our source and that source is probably not God's Word.  If we aren't in a vision mode then we need what catalyst God can provide, not what catalyst Wall Street can provide.   I think right now in the church we are a product of unfulfilled fake Christianity.  As a youth pastor, I saw it coming years ago in the lives of students who were trying to live their faith through their parents.  I had to purposely try to get them to forget about living second hand faith and try to convince them to live a real faith one on one with Christ.   I also saw many kids who "got it" and deepened their walk with Christ, but there are many from the 70's and 80's who are the disgruntled preachers and church leaders of today.  Their opposite mindset about what their faith was like as a child and youth is driving their well meaning agenda, but it isn't helping the church move.  It's just a distraction.  And now adjectives are driving the course of modern day churches and we think if we say it enough it will get better, but it won't.  If you take Christ out of the Gospel, you have no gospel.  If you take the Holy Spirit out of discernment, you have no direction,  If you take God's Word out of authentic teaching, you have no truth.  If you take sacrifice out of service, you have no workers.  If you allow the World to control your church, you have no church.   If you want to be relevant, authentic, contemporary, and many other words that describe our desire to serve God, then be a Christian or Like Christ.  He is never ashamed of associating with us.  May we never be caught being ashamed of associating with Him.  In fact, I think this whole style of living shouldn't be allowed to leave a bad taste in our mouth when it comes to lifting up the name of the Lord.  When I have a bad taste in my mouth, I usually don't notice it is bad breath until someone brings it to my attention.  Then I have the option to either deal with it or not.  I usually get a breath mint and that takes away the bad taste for me and the bad smell to whoever I am talking to.  I think it's time to evaluate if this whole thing tastes good or not, and then see how it is affecting those we are influencing.  If it has even a hint of bad taste to us, then it probably smells even worse to others.  Remember, you cannot get anymore real or relevant than the truth.  Psalm 20:5-8 We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.  Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.  Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.  They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.

The Pilgrimage continues......

David Warren

What Kind of Crucible Are You?

As believers we are blessed to live a life of hope and peace that DOES pass all understanding. Philippians 4:7  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. That peace and hope will many times be tested and that testing helps us now and in the future as God is developing our faith and sanctifying our hearts.   That testing is something that I many times question and  struggle with to the point of letting it get me down or allowing it to be a distraction to my walk of faith.  Of course, then I wake up and see that God's hand is preparing me for a task or ministry where a stronger faith and perseverance will be required.  In the middle of the testing it is tough and at times distressing, but if I can get a glimpse of what is beyond the test, it gives me strength to allow the result of that test to be good and affirming.  I'm not saying that I handle all of the tests in my life with great strength and understanding because I don't.  But if I can see God's Hand in the testing a sense of true peace will come over me that helps me wade through it and get to where God is leading me. James 1:2-4  Consider it pure joy, my brothers,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

In the second Indiana Jones movie, Indiana and half pint, a boy tagging along for the adventure,  had gotten stuck in a room that was sealed and the ceiling was dropping from above, so as to crush them.  A trip lever had been stepped on putting the whole thing in motion and it was not looking good.  For just a split second though, the doorway out was open and Indiana got caught between staying and helping his young friend or getting out.  He stayed and now they were stuck.  What to do?  Fortunately,there was a mechanism through the wall, that when tripped would stop the ceiling from coming down and open the escape door.  His female companion, who had made it out, stuck her hand into an insect infested hole in the wall and tripped the safety switch to allow them to get out. Saved!!  Whoo Hoo!  What a test!  They had to react quickly to their tough situation, but they DID react properly and they were saved.

As you go through your many tests in life allow God to develop your faith by trusting Him, seeking His will, learning to think on your feet, and looking for that better day ahead.  Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight." On the pathway of life we really don't know the way without God's direction.  So God gives us tests along the way so we will be able to handle things further down the path.  Just keep in mind that God's tests are for our good and they grow us closer to Him.  The tricks of satan are for our bad and his plan is for us to stop and quit.   Stay on God's path, even when things seem so desperate and there is no hope.  If you will look up to Him He will give you a glimpse of a better day and His blessings will start to be seen and experienced.  It's like the heating of gold.  Gold heats at approximately 1063 degrees, but getting to that temperature burns other impurities out of the gold itself until it is pure. A crucible is a melting pot used to hold the gold when it is being heated.  The crucible has to be able to handle the heat or it will melt along with the gold and the process will be spilled gold, impure gold.  God has formed each of us to be a crucible, by giving us the Holy Spirit and enabling us to handle the extreme heat while our faith is being purified.  At the end of each process what used to be compromised, impure gold, is now pure in form and the crucible still holds it without cracking or splitting.  The pure gold is the end result of the heat, but the crucible is the vessel that must stand the heat in the process.  With the Holy Spirit in our life we are able to be the crucible God needs us to be to allow the purification process to be complete.  The Lord is the one who keeps our crucible or vessel from cracking under pressure.  It doesn't mean we won't feel the heat.  It does mean the heat will not overcome the cricible's ability to hold the gold.  Faith refined by fire is lasting faith.  1 Peter 1:6-7 says, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

What kind of crucible are you?  I hope I am the kind of crucible, or vessel, that through the power of the Holy Spirit will continue to trust God when the heat is turned up.  2 Timothy 2:21 says, "Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel (crucible) for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

I want to be that kind of crucible.  Don't you?

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

Give Him a Hand!!

The hand is an amazing part of the body and it serves so many important functions in our daily life.  From birth and throughout our lives we see how hands can be used for so many good and bad things.  Think about it, a finger on a hand can pull a trigger on a gun and end a life, or it can reach out to a drowning person and barely grab them and save their life.  A hand can be raised up to wave "hi" or a thrown forward to say "phooey."  A hand can hold water in it's palm, or spill it by turning it over.  A grouping of fingers when applied to specific musical instruments can make beautiful melodies that stir hearts. A clinched fist can be used to take a stand by bringing it down hard on an object while making a point, or when thrust forward in a punch can knock a person out. We put rings on our fingers denoting many different things, but the most frequent rings you see are wedding rings.  Those rings can be used to show that you have given yourself in commitment to someone else, or taken off to flippantly think that commitment is over because you only have a faint tan line.  Hands can be used to hold onto something and lift enormous amounts of weight when given strength throughout our body, or they can become lifeless when a person's life has ended.  A hand on a shoulder many times will bring peace and comfort, or make us feel distant when not reached out.  Doctors prick our fingers to get blood and put a pulse monitor on our finger to get a heart rate.  Our Savior's Hands are famous for the image of serving, comforting, admonishing, and sacrifice.  We are called to extend our hands toward heaven to lift up the name of Jesus and outward to lift up the afflicted and needy.  Our hands can cover our eyes, ears, and mouth seemingly to shut out the world.  A parent's hand can calm their children's fear and anxiety with a very gentle stroke, and be used to inflict a minor degree of pain for correction.  A prisoner's hands can be tied with handcuffs one day making them bound for their crimes, and when released they have the ability to feel freedom again.  Hands! A pretty awesome part of our body that when used the right way or wrong way can impact any situation for good or evil.  I've been in many situations where someone would perform and at the completion of their performance be rewarded with the clapping of hands.  Rhythm in music is many times represented by clapping our hands.  And of course, you can always tell those who don't have rhythm.  Whatever the use of our hands, they are pivotal in a Christian's life.Exodus 9: 29  Moses replied, "When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the LORD's. Exodus 17:12 When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.   Exodus 32:15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. Psalm 19:1The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Psalm 28:2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. Psalm 47:1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.  Psalm 63:4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.  Psalm 134:2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. John 20:24-28  Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." ²⁶A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."²⁸Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Acts 8:17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.  Acts 9:17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."  Matthew 27:24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!" 1 Timothy 2:8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.  Of course, the scriptures goes on and on using the word "hand."  The best use of our hands is to give them to God and allow Him to use them in the way He intended.  All of the right ways to use our hands are chronicled in His Word and helpful for instruction for now, and in the future.  Hands are front and center when it comes to uses for good and for evil and when we place OUR hands in HIS hands they become what God intended, an extension of our heart.....his heart.  They are the difference maker in almost every situation and God wants to use your hands for His Glory and His alone.  Put your hand in the hand of the one who has the scars that show ultimate sacrifice, and see what good can be done.  Give Him a hand.....Give Him your hands.  

The Pilgrimage continues......

David Warren