Bought with a Price - A Story of Redemption: Lecrae

   

   Glorifying God through our actions...

   Glorifying God through our speech...

   Glorifying God in the Morning, Noon, and Night...

   Glorifying God in our career...

   Glorifying God in pain and suffering...

   Glorifying God when all we want to do is take glory for ourselves...

   Glorifying God because He gave us the ultimate gift, salvation from sin...

   Glorifying God is what we are called to, yet do we fully realize what that looks like? As I was browsing through my Facebook home screen I ran across a video post by Lecrae, a Christian Rap artist who writes theologically solid lyrics and has a passion for the Lord, in which he shared his testimony. I was encouraged. Coming from a life of abuse, drugs, rebellion in school, a broken family, and gangs he shares how he came to know God and eventually use his talents as a rapper to point others to Christ. He came to see God as the father he never knew; his ultimate roll model. He is quick to point out that those who are into rapping and listening to rap are definitely a culture of their own...and this is true. Though I am not a huge fan of rap music, I do occasionally enjoy listening to some Lecrae and Shai Linne...but that's not very often! With his music, Lecrae is able to reach into a whole different culture than what most white American Christians can. It is definitely a gift from God!

   I'd like to share with you today the video of Lecrae sharing his testimony. It reminds me to be thankful for all Christ has done for me, calling me out of darkness into light, making me His child, securing a place for me in Heaven, and ultimately giving me the ability to Glorify Him! 

   Today I'd like to encourage you to be taking active steps towards glorifying God with your life. Yes, you and I may not be a public figure, but we can still pursue Christ in a manner that others will see what He has done for us...He has given us Salvation from sin and separation from Him! Here or a few verses to encourage you in your walk with the Lord. 

    1 Corinthians 6:20 ~ "...for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

    Deuteronomy 31 7b-8 ~ “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

  Romans 8:28 ~  "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,^[a] for those who are called according to his purpose."  

    Romans 5:8 ~ "...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 

   Acts 2:38 ~  "And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

    Also, if you have time, jump on over to the I Am Second website. Many amazing and neat testimonies are shared there. I know I will be taking a look at that site quite often!

Gospel Filled {Love} - Loving Your Brother

 Hebrews 13:1-2 

  
1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

    As I look at my life - all the way back through middle school and beyond - I can remember specific people in my life who I consciously struggled to {love}. Maybe it's my personality (ultimately I know it's sin), but loving others is potentially one of my biggest struggles and to do so in a way that strives to be selfless is a double whammy. These people's names and faces will always be etched on my memory and I will always wonder how their lives or outlook on the Gospel would be different had I been a {loving} friend to them. As I encourage myself to take every moment captive, to {love} others from here on out, may you be encouraged that in Christ there is forgiveness and that there is no time like the present to start actively pursuing and {loving} others...even those who are hard to {love}. 

   As I was reading Hebrews 13 today, the first two verses stuck out to me and made me think more deeply on this topic that I've been wrestling with other the last couple months. Am I more apt to {love} the newcomer in church rather than {loving }those who are continually in my church body? Yes, we are extorted to {love} and show hospitality(a topic that I love), to strangers, but how can I {love} the way God commands if I'm not already {loving} those He's placed into my life. 

   Christ is our ultimate example of {love}. Imagine what He did to show us {love} from His perspective. Before coming to earth He was in //perfect// holy communion with God the Father. He was completely satisfied and took joy from just being able to look into His Father's eyes. As Sinclair Ferguson states in the book Holy Holy Holy , "Pure and intense {love} has more power to effect awe, even gracious fear, thank all terror." So, how did Christ show us ultimate {love}? By allowing Himself to be taken out of His face to face intimate relationship with God, He became flesh so that by His life, death, burial, and resurrection He could bring us into the same relationship He shared with God in the weakness of His(Jesus) flesh. Even in His weakness, the {love} he experienced with the Father is greater than any love we could know here on earth. Christ fave up all He had and enjoyed in order to show us unselfish {love}... not only that, He was willing to share that which He had given up. 

   With this at the forefront of our minds, can we honestly say that we {love} others? If we do not {love}, then the {love} Christ showed us which would ultimately bring us into union with Him and the Father, is dead to our life -null, void, not able to cause change, useless- 1 John 4:8 says we do not know God (share in an intimate relationship with Him) if we do not {love}. 

   So, if your wondering how to {love} in a Christlike manner, look up 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 which states...

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it his not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 

      Here's a physical show of of {love} between two brothers.....multiply this {love} times an innumerable amount and then you'll have a grasp of how GREAT our Father's {love} is for us.