Pastor's Corner

You may notice the nifty little audio player on the right hand side of the screen.  This is a widget that allows you to listen to sermons posted online by Pastor Mike Andrews of Moosehorn Baptist Church in Manitoba, Canada.  I encourage you to listen, and present your questions/comments/feedback. Also, be sure to check out Pastor Mike's blog:  http://pastormikescorner.blogspot.com/
 I have enjoyed these and I hope that you do as well!

Getting to Know Him... My Endless Journey

I started my journey a long time ago and then, at the same time, not so long ago at all. I asked Jesus into my heart in 1995. I went to church from that point forward. I went to Bible college and received my ministry degree.  But still, with all that, I don't feel I was intentional about getting to know Christ until the past couple of years. Before that, I think my goal was to do the right thing. My focus was perfection, works... being a "good" Christian. Now I'm realizing more and more how blinded and bound I was all those years. I was trying to DO so much that I was missing the point. Don't get me wrong, doing is good. Faith without works is indeed dead. However, works without faith is exhausting and pointless. I'm coming to understand that faith in Christ is more than thinking that he can perform miracles. It's more than believing that He exists. It's more than believing that He has saved me or that He answers prayers... Faith is knowing that Jesus is and will always be. Faith is when things don't go my way, the way I've prayed hard they will go, and I still know without a doubt that He is still God, He is still able, and He still loves me. Faith is living the way He desires for  me to live because I trust that He has my best interest at heart and knows what will bring me joy and peace.

Faith isn't easy. My view of God is so wrapped up in tradition and experience that it's hard for me to trust Him. When I think of God as Father I unintentionally make a comparison between Him and my earthly fathers. When I think of Jesus as a brother I compare Him with my brother. When I think of God as a friend I compare Him with my friends. And because of the churches I've attended in my past I tend to think of God as some Santa Clause who knows when I've been naughty or nice and heaps out blessings or curses accordingly. And then I think about all the times in my life when people have withdrawn their love from me because I had failed them and I reason in my very human, very limited mind that God is doing the same. Then, of course, I condemn myself and get discouraged and I take a break from trying to build this Jesus relationship because I am not yet perfect enough to be in relationship with someone so perfect.

A. W. Tozer in his book Knowledge of the Holy makes the statement that "the essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him". He makes the point that if we form an image of God in our mind that is based on anything that we can imagine then we are not thinking rightly about God because he is very far from someone any human can imagine or understand. I'm so guilty of the sin of idolatry. The image of God that I have in my head is flawed. My worship is the worship of an image I've created. My prayer is to an image that I created. My witness is of an image that I created. I don't do it on purpose and it reminds me of how very far I have to go. I will never have a perfect view of him. I will always need to ask him to "create in me a clean heart oh God and renew a right spirit within me". It's fine though I guess. I should never lose sight of the fact that I am a broken, sinful mess and He is my only salvation. I should never lose sight that if I am going to do "all things" it's going to have to be "through Christ who strengthens me". I want to sin less but I need it to be because I trust that God's desire for my separation from the world is because He desires for me to be joined with Him. I am working towards reading my  bible more, praying more, and giving more but no longer because I want to be a good Christian or do the right things or follow the rules but because I want to know Jesus and in order to know Jesus I have to put myself in a position to get to know Him.

Here's what I know so far: Jesus is the  image of the invisible God, that same image of God that man was created in in the beginning, and it's not a physical image; but one of the very nature of God, an image of  "righteousness and holiness of truth" (see Eph. 4:24, Col. 1:15, and Heb. 1:3). And I know, that one of the desires of God for my life is for me to get to know that image, to get to know and be in relationship with Christ. And another desire is for me to put on that image and bear that imagine in a world that also desperately needs to know Him. It's a journey that will never end to a destination that can never be reached.

~Written By Rebecca D. Campbell

Philippians 3:8

I love reading the Bible.  I enjoy learning. And who better to learn about than God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit?! Am I right, or am I right?  You may notice that the link to this blog contains "phil38". It stands for Philippians, Chapter 3 Verse 8.  More specifically, Philippians 3:7-11, which is the scripture that inspired the context of this blog. It isn't necessarily my "favorite" scripture" (that changes often).  But here is what it says:

7         But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

8         More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 

9        and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 

10     that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 

11      in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

 

This really spoke to me.  The heading at the top of my NLT version says :  "The Priceless Gain of Knowing Christ" .   And it is so true. Knowing Christ is "PRICELESS". But it's really knowing Him that I am striving for.  I want a relationship, not religion. I want to understand Him and His teaching. I want to grow as a child of God.  This passage really explains how I feel about everything....  Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gainChrist and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

What do I hope to achieve with this blog?

I want to encourage. I want to bring someone to Christ. I want to hold myself accountable. I want to have conversations about things worthwhile.  I want to help others and be helped by others.

I do not want this to be one-sided. Ya know, where I tell a little story about what I read in the Bible and then how it makes me feel... I want to dive deep into the Word... WITH YOU!  I want to feel and know the character and persona of Jesus... WITH YOU! I want us to be able to discuss and grow and learn TOGETHER.  Tell me how you feel. Tell me your story. Give me your testimony. Help me and others by divulging your success and failures concerning your walk with God.  Let's build each other up. Let's talk.

Feel free to submit your own entries, epiphanies, thoughts, and points of discussion.

E-mail me at c.sorrow82@gmail.com 

God bless!  <3

It Ain't Easy Being Clean

Do you know who I am?  I am Constance Renee Sorrow.  I am the girl that has always been described as upbeat, happy, outgoing, encouraging, talented, helpful, funny, sweet, and kind, among other positive adjectives.  And let me tell you, I never tired of hearing all the wonderful things that people had to say about me.  I even believed most of the compliments that were so graciously bestowed upon me. I feel like that's who I was. I was that awesome, funny, fun-loving girl that everyone loved being around.  I was always invited to hang out or attend some party or be a part of someone's special occasion.  I was sought after for support, advice, and company. I was considered a friend to many. That's who I was....

This is who I am... I am the girl that feels depressed and anxious. I am broken and lonely. I am filled with self-doubt. I am convinced of my unrighteousness.  I am sad and introverted. So what changed?

As I have examined my life and compared and contrasted the situations and circumstances surrounding me then and now I have noticed some stark differences. I was lost but now I'm found. I was living in sin and now I am longing for righteousness.  I was drinking and smoking weed and burning with lust and lying and cursing and devoting myself to earthly pleasure and comfort and now I am seeking God and trying to live for Him and devoting my time to prayer and study and worship.

So why, now that I have "turned my life around", do I feel so dismal? Why am I not the same happy girl I used to be? Where did all of my friends go? Why do I seem to keep encountering trial after trial after trial?  Why, since giving my life to God, do I find myself feeling alone in this world?  You would think that I would find this unspeakable joy and happiness that I have always heard about in referrence to a relationship with God and Jesus. So, what am I doing wrong?!

Well, I was considering all of this a few nights ago. I sat wondering why I wasn't still able to be that same girl from a few years ago, but even better now that I have God. The next morning was like any typical morning.  I woke up early and made myself a cup of coffee. I sat down with all my books, binders, and my Bible. I cleared my mind and started studying. Then it hit me.  I came across John 15:19:

"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

Wow.  Talk about confirmation.  I do not belong to the world.  That verse (and many others I have read recently) has given me some insight into myself and my circumstances lately. I am not LIKE the girl I used to be because I am NOT the girl I used to be. THANK GOD!

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  ~Galatians 2:20

I am not the same.  I am better. I am a new creation!

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.  ~2 Corinthians 5:17

I will encounter trials and tribulations because I am working towards righteousness.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  ~James 1:2-3

Though things may not be all "fine and dandy", it is no longer earthly happiness and comfort I am seeking.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.   ~Romans 8:18

I feel like Satan wants me to feel depressed and lonely and wants me to long for all the things I used to have that made me "happy".  I think he wants me to want them so badly and miss them so badly that I fall back into the life I once knew. He wants me to fall into temptation and away from God.

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  ~1 Peter 5:8

Perhaps I am not what the world considers "happy" because I am not happy in the world. I am disgusted by the flesh. I am humbled for sin. I want to be perfected in Him.

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.  ~1 John 2:15-16

My joy and peace is much more than situational "happiness".

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."   ~John 14:27

My hope and prayer every day is that I may be counted among the holy and righteous. That I might not grieve God's Holy Spirit. That I am in His will. I am forgiven. I am His and His alone. And I am happy with that.

In all 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 the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  

~1 Peter 1:6-9

I may not have everything I want on this earth. But, in the end, I will have what really matters most.

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ  and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.  For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.  I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,  so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!  I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.  ~Philippians 3:8-14

So, as the title says, "It ain't easy being clean". I know that it won't be easy. And I am prepared for that.  But I will press forward and continue my walk in faith. I will rejoice in the Lord. I will choose to be clean and not defiled. My hope and prayer is that anyone who reads this will consider a relationship with Christ, knowing that it won't be all rainbows and rose petals on earth, in hopes that the great reward will be theirs in eternity. And that those who are familiar with Christ will not be discouraged by the world or their earthly desires and will continue to grow in Christ despite their circumstances. My heart grieves for the lost souls and I am saddened by those who think they are "ok" because they are "good people".  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  ~Ephesians 2:8-9

 I love you all. God bless.

DISCLAIMER

Ah, Philippians. Such a wonderful book.Let me start out my first blog post by saying I am in no way any sort of Bible scholar. I am still learning. I am human and I am fallible. Anything you read here should be studied on your own. Any interpretation of scripture found here is of my own personal discernment and should be questioned. Do not follow what I say blindly. This is my journey.
If you feel that something I say is not scriptural, please let me know (gently) so that I may be sure to be in line with God's word. I pray that if I am wrong about anything, that God will convict me so that I may not grieve His Holy Spirit or mislead anybody that may stumble upon this.
Ok, with that "disclaimer" out of the way. I would like to get started on my writing.
~Thanks for reading and God bless! <3