God's Movie

       Francis Chan scored big with me, when he made the comparison of our brief lives to that of an extra in a movie, God's movie. The concept of forever is so infrequent to us, so it is hard to comprehend, but have you ever tried understanding the brevity of our lives? The fact that our lives are so short is both hopeful and jarring. God could call any of us home at any time, so why waste our life on selfish ambition and gain? Instead, we should look for ways to be productive and make our lives count, so that in the end we will leave a legacy.
      God pursues us, wanting us to be a part of His movie. He is the Creator, the Savior, the Redeemer, the star of the show. It is so humbling that the God of the Universe casts us for His movie, when it really is all about Him. Seeing how short my life is, I am so much more grateful for the trust I can place in God. No matter what hardships I go through, Jesus Christ is the hope I have to look forward to. It is incredibly uplifting that compared to the joy we will feel and experience in Heaven, our fears, worries, and struggles on this earth are so small and short lived. There is no need fear the judgment of man or the darkness we encounter, because it is just the flicker of a light switch, off and back on again. I honestly cannot express in words what I am trying to get out, because the Lord is unfathomably remarkable and indescribable, and His love for us far exceeds the ability of our minds to perceive such a deep devotion and compassion. Because of his crazy love for us, we too should be willing to pick up our cross daily and die for His cause. For the man who suffered immeasurably more than we know, we should mirror the oppression and rejection that He faced, being odd, because we stand firm in our belief that this life is a blink of an eye contrasted with the forever we will spend with God, if we make our live only about His movie. According to Francis Chan, “Something is wrong with our life, if it makes sense to unbelievers.”

       Don’t waste your life! Seek Jesus in all areas of your life. He is the way, the truth, and the life! After reading the book Heaven is for Real, I have a stronger passion and urgency, because I want everyone to have an involvement in God’s paradise! Mark Driscoll puts the whole teaching in perspective, when he explains the need to look straight forward, not backwards. Times will be tough; times will be delightful and rewarding. In all circumstances, we have to learn to focus only on God and our own relationship with Him. He gives us the metaphor of plow. God has assigned us each a plot of land, and it is our duty and goal to plow a straight line towards Him and His eternal kingdom. The life between receiving salvation and seeing God face to face, our discipleship or strip of ground, matters! Looking back to your old ways and your repented sins and sulking over your failures will veer you away from the straight line you want to plow. Looking towards other objects of affection or heartache will distract you from the work laid out ahead of you, and will cause you to snake your way through your life. Also, looking at others accomplishments and their progress in their discipleship will turn your gaze away from God’s hope and the New Jerusalem. In the end, you want to look at your life, your plowed soil and see where God picked you up, and not where you curved your path, focusing on less important opportunities. Don’t be one of those people that say, “Thanks for your salvation, Jesus. Now I’m going to go live my life as I please. See you in Heaven.” Instead, our reaction to His amazing grace and mercy should give us the attitude of, “Thank You for Your salvation, Jesus! Thank you for restoring me and giving me a new life! Because you love me with such a crazy love, that you were willing to die to pay the price of our sins, with Your own blood, I too will be willing to die for the cause of Your Great News. I will make this life count, and I will glorify Your name in all I do. I will plow forward and look towards my reward in Heaven, where I will sing praises to You, day and night.”

        In conclusion, remember that life, even with God, is hard. However, if we focus on Him and His promise of Heaven, we will be successful in plowing our land, in a straight line towards Jesus. Leave a lasting legacy, so that even after you have lived this short life, people will still be talking about the difference you made in such a short period of time. Inspire others to participate in a movie where God's will and His Heavenly Kindgom are the primary focal point. “It’s the scenes that you’d prefer to skip that God is using to orchestrate and ending you wouldn’t want to miss.”- Steven Furtick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZDQzR8LK-c&feature=related

<3 Abby

Unmasked

       There should be no worries about the future, no worries at all, in the Lord. Sometimes, we find ourselves anxious about how we will approach life and how we will deal with life’s challenges. The Christian faith is sometimes hard to live up to and sometimes we worry about not being able to make it through our day to day walk with Christ. The easiest way to rid your life of these human concerns is to give your life over to Christ, realizing that it is no longer your own and placing it in His hands one day at a time, in order to praise His Mighty Name and achieve His perfect will for your life. God has amazing things in store for you each and every day. If you choose to seek Him, He will open your eyes to new discoveries of His All-powerful Presence in your life. When you take one step at a time, you are able to enjoy the undeniable company of God, in your thoughts, prayers, and actions and also in the scenery, people, and places around you. God uses it all to draw you closer to Him and desire Him even more. Once you embrace the gift of God and thank Him for giving you another day, you will begin to crave Him and His evident Majesty, always! These hints point to God and serve to remind us that in everything, God is with us! He is in the birds of the air, the looming clouds, the cool breeze, the kind deeds of fellow peers, the intricate patterning of our bodies, the light absorbant stained glass windows, and the soothing comfort of your heart; He is in everything and is everything, after all, He is the Creator of the universe, so let us lift up our voices to Him.
      This world will pass away, but the Lord will always remain. Because of this, you should want to remain constant in Him, seeking Him and His will for your life. Fix your eyes on the unseen, the glory of the Lord, which will be unmasked when your life is in His hands, so that you can enjoy the splendor of His creation. When you recognize the God, who is unseen, you clearly see Him for who He is, not always face to face, like in Bible times, but in the light of all things; He is a constant reminder of the faith that can move mountains.

"A break in the clouds, His glory coming down.."

<3 Abby