Archive for the ‘God's Character’ Category
May 31st, 2010
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Eccl 12:13 (NIV)
Imagine enjoying a cup of coffee with one of the wisest men to ever live, Solomon. That’s right! You are sitting across from Solomon and you ask him to share with you what he has learned after experiencing life in a way that few would ever experience in a lifetime. Solomon pursued wealth, wisdom, and women. At the end of his life, he looks into the review mirror and captures what matters most.
Let me share the first essential to doing life God’s way: Revere God.
Solomon says to “fear God.” In the language of the Old Testament, to fear God means to revere God. It means to hold God in high esteem. We are to place the worth and value on God that He deserves. We are to reverence God for who He is and for what He has done.
Revering God involves giving Him first place in your life. Your ambition is to honor God with your life. His agenda becomes the focus of your life. You revere God by aligning your heart with His heart. Revering God is demonstrated by loving what God loves, and by hating what God hates.
In his book, Walking with God, John Eldredge writes, “I assume that an intimate, conversational walk with God is available, and is meant to be normal.” As you walk with God and revere Him, your love relationship with God will become intimate. Doing life God’s way always produces intimacy with God and brings Him pleasure.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
May 28th, 2010
“But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands…” Jer 18:4 (NIV)
Whenever you purchase an item that has an “as is” tag on it, you accept the fact that it may be flawed. In other words, the item may not be perfect.
The beauty of salvation is that God accepted us “as is” and brought us into a vibrant love relationship with Himself to move us from “as is” to “what could be” in His hands. Yes! We were marred in His hands. But, He lovingly and patiently removes the imperfections of our attitude, behavior, and speech.
Being on the Potter’s wheel can be painful at times. As God allows us to go through suffering and sorrow in this life, the areas of our life that do not reflect Christ-likeness will be dealt with. God will grow us through the pain. He will mold us and shape us through adversity.
Bathsheba endured some difficult seasons in her life. She experienced loneliness, grief, delays, disappointment, and shattered dreams. Yet, God redeemed all of those seasons in her life to bring her into a deeper relationship with Himself. She would have never become a Proverbs 31 woman without the adversity that God allowed her to face. She was marred in His hands. As a result of the loving touch of the Potter’s hands, she became a masterpiece!
Are you on the Potter’s wheel? Be patient. Allow God to mold you. He took you “as is” and He is shaping you for eternal significance.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
March 8th, 2010
“For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless.” 1 Thess 3:5 (NIV)
Paul cared about the status of the faith of the church of the Thessalonians. He sent Timothy to encourage them in their faith and to measure their progress. Paul knew the power of the evil one to dilute passion and to diffuse spiritual power. The tempter might have tempted them to return to the lifestyle God had delivered them from.
As you walk with the Lord each day, be alert to the strategy of the evil one to distract you from your passion for God’s will. The enemy will seek to divert your focus from godliness to worldliness, from selflessness to selfishness, and from eternal things to temporal things. Satan’s goal is not to get you to move twenty miles off mission. He just wants you to move an inch today. And then, tomorrow he will seek to get you to move away from God another inch. Before you know it, you will have drifted far from God and lose your passion for the things of God.
- “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” 2 Thess 3:3 (NIV)
Stand firm by anchoring your faith to the rock of God’s character. The Lord is faithful. He will not waver in the storms of life. God will not shift in the assault of Satanic attacks on your faith. The Lord will strengthen you in the midst of the battle. He will protect you from the flaming arrows of the evil one. God’s grace is more than sufficient for the temptation you encounter and the battles you fight.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
September 4th, 2009
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Heb 11:6 (NIV)
Pleasing the Creator of the universe seems impossible. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. God is holy, perfect, immutable, and eternal. God is infinite. How can finite man please God?
The vital ingredient to pleasing God is faith. This type of faith is the conviction that God is who He says He is. To live a life pleasing to God, you must operate in faith. The focus of your life becomes God’s agenda. You demonstrate belief in God’s existence by fearing Him and revering Him through a lifestyle of obedience.
Choose to come to God knowing that He desires intimacy with you. As a child of God, you have the distinct privilege of knowing that God rewards you as you seek Him earnestly. God rewards you with abiding peace, continual fellowship, and eternal hope.
Is your life pleasing to God? Is faith operative in your conversation and your conduct? Portray your conviction about the truth of God’s nature and character. God has pursued you with His love. Respond to God’s pursuit by living a life of faith that brings pleasure to Him. Determine to please God through behavior that is consistent with His Word.
Ask God to reveal those areas of your life that are out of alignment with His purpose and plan. As God brings those specific areas to your attention, choose to repent and go in a new direction. Remove those things in your life that rob your love relationship with God. Put your faith in action. Remember, without faith it is impossible to please God!
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
September 15th, 2008
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’” Luke 15:21 (NIV)
There is power in the recognition of your true disposition. You can shroud your persona with a facade that exudes perfection while your inner life embodies disarray. Disguising the reality of your inner self has the potential to delay being found out. However, the manifestation of your true disposition will appear at some point. God has a way of exposing our current reality.
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’
“He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’” Gen 3:8-10 (NIV)
When God asked Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” He was not perplexed that He had misplaced the crown of His creation. His question was not one of confusion related to an inability to find the couple that He created. His question was to heighten their recognition of their true disposition. God wanted Adam and Eve to recognize their current reality.
After Isaiah encountered God’s holiness, he came face to face with his true disposition. A new standard of measurement became his conscious defining moment. Notice Isaiah’s response:
“‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.’” Isaiah 6:5 (NIV)
The prodigal son identified his true disposition and responded with the confession, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
Consider the holiness of God. Are you sensing a need for confession in light of His holiness and your true disposition? His purity exposes our sinfulness. He graciously offers forgiveness.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor