I am Throwing Myself Into a Volcano!!!

Well now, THAT got your attention, didn't it!  Metaphorically speaking, I AM indeed throwing myself into the volcano, as a living sacrifice, just like you see in the movies.  No, I haven't been captured by the natives and am being forced into the mouth of a gurgling, boiling cauldron of molten earth.  But I AM going to be a living sacrifice.

I no longer have the rights to decide what I am to do.  I must go throughout this day according to someone else's plan for me.  I am standing on the lip of sulphuric mountain, and I am jumping in...voluntarily!  That's right, no one is pushing me in.  No one is standing there with a poison tipped spear or blowgun threatening that I'd better get in to appease the fiery bowl below.  Nope, I'm doing this of my own accord with no one around.

Why, you ask?  Because in that sacrifice is freedom; freedom to be who I am created to be.  Freedom to use all of my gifts to please my master; freedom to break out of the brittle mold the world tries to force me in, and grow beyond that false frame, that imitation of life.

Indeed I have orders from the Great God who Is.  He is indeed the God of fire, but it's not because he's an idol on a door frame shelf in some jungle hut.  No, it's because He created fire.  It's because He created water.  It's because He created EVERYTHING, including me.  It's because He is the creator, the Creative-One-Who-Provides-For-Me.  He is the One-Who-Loved-First; the One-Who-Loves-Anyway; the One-Who-Loves-Even-Me.  Perhaps you've heard of Him.

He's all powerful, yet all loving.  He's vengeful, jealous, and full of wrath for those who move against him, yet He's gentle and loving enough to make sure His children are always welcome in his arms.  He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Jesus Christ.

And I'm safer, more loved, more protected jumping in His volcano than anywhere else in the universe.  I choose today to let Him deal with my problems.  I choose to let Him worry about my perilous situation because He WILL save the day.  He WILL come to my rescue.  He WILL love me.  I know this because He already has, and I love Him for it.

What will you do with the gift Jesus has given YOU today?

^"1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

          -Romans 12:1-2

God is TRYING to Tell You Something!

Psalm 46

A Song of the Sons of Korah

 ^1-3 God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. 
   We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, 
      courageous in seastorm and earthquake, 
   Before the rush and roar of oceans, 
      the tremors that shift mountains.

   Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, 
      God-of-Angel-Armies protects us. 

 ^4-6 River fountains splash joy, cooling God's city, 
      this sacred haunt of the Most High. 
   God lives here, the streets are safe, 
      God at your service from crack of dawn. 
   Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten, 
      but Earth does anything he says. 

 ⁷ Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, 
      God-of-Angel-Armies protects us. 

 ^8-10 Attention, all! See the marvels of God! 
      He plants flowers and trees all over the earth, 
   Bans war from pole to pole, 
      breaks all the weapons across his knee. 
   "Step out of the traffic! Take a long, 
      loving look at me, your High God, 
      above politics, above everything." 

 ¹¹ Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, 
      God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

===========================

Hey you...yeah, YOU.  I'm talking to you; the one staring at your screen just now.  Did you know that God is trying to take your mind off of all your junk right now?  Did you know that He WANTS to take care of all your problems?  Did you know that He doesn't want you to worry about ANYTHING?

How do I know this?  Do I have some special message from God?  My spiritual gift IS prophecy after all.  Well, yes, in fact I do have a special message from God.  It came directly from Him, and it is for YOU specifically.  You are reading this right now because this message is and always WAS intended for YOU to hear it right now at this very moment in time.

Go back and re-read Psalm 46 that I posted above.  It is taken from the paraphrase called "The Message".  Go re-read it in your favorite translation.  God has a message for you.

Did you see all those things He created?  He didn't do that for kicks.  He did that for YOU.  That incredible tree you saw today?  God made that for YOU.  Why?  Because He wants you to know He's here.  Yeah, right here, as in you see this screen you're staring at...yeah, there He is.  Turn to your left...you see that...He's there too.

Listen, you're NOT alone, no matter what you think.  He's here.  He's there too...I know you looked.  Yeah, He's over there too.  He's everywhere.  The great thing is that He's there because He WANTS to be with you specifically.  He loves you!  He wants you to have an abundant life.  He wants you to think about Him and Him alone, and not for you to worry about other stuff.

Yeah, you've got responsibilities, and you should take care of them, but have Him on your mind when you do.  In fact, talk to Him as you take care of them, and He will take care of you.

The God of the universe has a message for you today, so that's not the issue.  The issue is: are you even listening?  So stop, re-read Psalm 46, and then STOP.  Hush and listen.  Let Him do the talking.

And then be amazed.

Renovations to The Blog

WHOA!  Where did it all go?

Well, last night at about 1am I decided to wipe out the blog.  There were only like 4 people in the universe reading it and I didn't like the direction it was going, so I am starting over.  Stay tuned for a new, better blog coming soon!