Imitators of God

Eph 5:1

"Be imitators of God as dear children."

If you've ever been around kids then you know that around 2 years old they really start to imitate everything you do.  This can be a very good thing, or a very bad thing.  It's actually kind of scary to think about being a father of a very impressionable 3 year old.  It actually adds new weight to the responsibility of being a parent.  I have to watch everything I do and say.  I have to admit, I'm not always the perfect example of a parent.  I say and do things everyday, that I wish I could take back.  There are also times when my son does something awesome, and it's like, "that's my boy".  He's a chip off the old block.  I hope he's so much better than I am when he grows up.

As I read this scripture today it took on new meaning.  I'm supposed to imitate God like a child.  This is difficult because I don't want to think of myself as a child.  As we read the word, we're supposed to have child like faith in Him.  So, I want to encourage you today to not read too much into things, and get your mind out of the way.  If we would follow God as a child, and be imitators of Him life might be a little more simple.

Excalibur

Excalibur the legendary sword of King Arthur.  There are many stories written about how Arthur obtained the sword, but the one I grew up with was the old Disney classic, "The Sword and the Stone". In this account, the sword could only be pulled out by "the true king," meaning the divinely appointed king or true heir of Uther Pendragon.  Excalibur, King Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of Camelot are only legend but they make for some great stories.  Some of my favorite stories are of King Arthur, and the Knights of the round table.

The word of God is often called a sword.  Check out the below two scriptures.

Ephesians 6:17- And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

Hebrews 4:12- For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart

The Bible is our weapon against Satan, and all the spiritual forces of this world.  The enemy would like to deceive us, and cause us to fear him and what he can do.  If you look at all the scary movies that come out in the theater.  The purpose is to cause fear in the hearts of men.  Do you know that we have authority over the powers of darkness? Jesus said in Luke 10:19-"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

You do not have to fear Satan, and his demons.  The same Spirit that rose Christ from the dead dwells in you.  No weapon formed against you shall prosper.  The enemy wants to keep you out of the Bible because he doesn't want you to be armed for battle.  We are in Spiritual Warfare every moment of everyday, and we have to suit up in our armor and take up the sword of the Spirit to fight.  We have to pray the word of God.  Prayer and the Word will give you victory over the enemy every time.

Are you in a battle today?  Pick up your word, and begin to read and pray.  Keep the word in front of your face.  It has to be a priority in your daily life.  We are kings and queens of heaven, and we can pick up the sword which is founded on the true stone.  We have our own Excalibur that gives us victory every time we use it.  We are not heirs of Uther Pendragon, but we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.

The key to unlocking the power of your Sword of the Spirit is understanding not just the written Word, but the living Word-Jesus Christ. The Bible says in John 1, that the Word became flesh and dwealt among us, and we beheld His glory as the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. The Bible is alive because Jesus is the fulfillment of everything written in the Bible-Gen-Rev. Jesus is the living sword that the enemy has been defeated with. The enemy the devil is already defeated. He was defeated when the Word was crucified, and rose again. He is the alpha, omega, beginning, and end. The First and the last. He is He who was, and is, and is to come. You can rest in the fact that Jesus Christ has won the victory, and is the Living Word.

When God Ran

Luke

 ¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
   ¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
   ¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.
 
   “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
 
   ²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
   ²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
 
Have you ever been the son who left his father?  The only picture in the Bible of God running is this father running to get his son back.  God loves you with an everlasting, unconditional love.  No matter how many times you've left him, He is there to welcome you home.  No matter how many times you sin, He is there to forgive you every time you ask Him.  It's time to look at God as Daddy.  He will never fail you.  He will never leave you.  His grace and mercy are within your grasp. Just take one step toward Him.  If you take that one step, He will run to you.  Just turn your face in His direction, and He will run to you.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

In this movie, all Steve Martin wants to do is get home for Thanksgiving, but the journey home has one detour after another.  The only person Steve Martin has to keep him company is an obnoxios slob of a shower ring salesman John Candy.  Nothing goes right for each of them on their journey, but in the end Steve finally gets home, and they both enjoy Thanksgiving dinner together.

Has your life ever felt like this movie?  You have a destination in mind of where you want to be in life by a certain age, but nothing is going right for you.  Detour after Detour, challenge after challenge, it feels you'll never reach your dreams, goals, or vision you had when you were younger.  I have a couple of scriptures to encourage you with:

Isaiah 55:8-9
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts your thoughts."

Romans 8:28
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

No matter how bad we think our mistakes, past, or sin has been-God can turn it around for His glory.  He's all about taking failures and horrible sinners, and making them righteous and holy.  It's not about us.  It's about Him.  The enemy is the accuser of the bretheren, and he wants you to keep your eye on your issues.  BUT GOD says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.  Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.

We are to follow God one day at a time.  He's not going to give us a road map for our life.  We must realize we are not just made for life here on earth.  We were made for eternity.  God wants to work His character out in your life, so that you will be ready for the job He has for you in eternity.  If you are seeking the LORD, and following Him then you need not worry about tomorrow, or 10 years down the road. 

This life is full of detours, but this present struggle is just for a moment.  We will make it home to be with our heavenly father in time for the banquet of the bridegroom. 

Phillipians 4: 6-7
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Psalm 145

A Praise of David.

 ¹ I will extol You, my God, O King;
         And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
 ² Every day I will bless You,
         And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
 ³ Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
         And His greatness is unsearchable.
        
 ⁴ One generation shall praise Your works to another,
         And shall declare Your mighty acts.
 ⁵ I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
         And on Your wondrous works.
 ⁶ Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
         And I will declare Your greatness.
 ⁷ They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
         And shall sing of Your righteousness.
        
 ⁸ The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,
         Slow to anger and great in mercy.
 ⁹ The LORD is good to all,
         And His tender mercies are over all His works.
        
 ¹⁰ All Your works shall praise You, O LORD,
         And Your saints shall bless You.
 ¹¹ They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
         And talk of Your power,
 ¹² To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
         And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
 ¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
         And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.^{[c]
        
 14} The LORD upholds all who fall,
         And raises up all who are bowed down.
 ¹⁵ The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
         And You give them their food in due season.
 ¹⁶ You open Your hand
         And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
        
 ¹⁷ The LORD is righteous in all His ways,
         Gracious in all His works.
 ¹⁸ The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
         To all who call upon Him in truth.
 ¹⁹ He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
         He also will hear their cry and save them.
 ²⁰ The LORD preserves all who love Him,
         But all the wicked He will destroy.
 ²¹ My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD,
         And all flesh shall bless His holy name
         Forever and ever.

Mercy Seat

"The Ark of the Covenant, the chest containing the two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, was the most sacred object of the tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem, where it was placed in an inner area called the Holy of Holies. Also within the ark were the golden pot of manna, such as was provided by God in the wilderness wanderings (Exodus 16:4) and Aaron’s almond rod (Numbers 17:1-13). On top of the ark was a lid called the mercy-seat on which rested the cloud or visible symbol of the divine presence. Here God was supposed to be seated, and from this place He was supposed to dispense mercy to man when the blood of the atonement was sprinkled there.

In a manner of speaking, the mercy-seat concealed the people of God from the ever-condemning judgment of the Law. Each year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled the blood of animals sacrificed for the atonement of the sins of God's people. This blood was sprinkled on the mercy-seat.

In the New Testament, the Greek word for “mercy-seat” in Hebrews 9:5 is hilasterion, which means “that which makes expiation,” or “propitiation.” It carries the idea of the removal of sin. Also, in Ezekiel 43:14, the brazen altar of sacrifice is also called hilasterion (the propitiatory or mercy-seat) because of its association with the shedding of blood for sin.

What is the significance of this? In the New Testament, Christ Himself is designated as our “propitiation.” Paul explains this in his letter to the Romans: “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed” (Romans 3:24-25 NKJV). What Paul is teaching here is that Jesus is the covering for sin, as shown by these Old Testament prophetic images. By means of His death, and our response to Christ through our faith in Him, all our past sins are covered. Later in Romans, Paul pinpoints precisely when this occurs: “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3-4 NKJV).

It is when we, upon the basis of penitent faith, are buried with Christ in baptism, that we are raised in “newness of life.” By our obedience to the divine commands, we are made “free from sin.” Also, whenever believers sin, we may turn to Christ who continues to be the propitiation or covering for our sins (1 John 2:1, 4:10). This ties together the Old and New Testament concepts regarding the covering of sin as exemplified by the mercy-seat of God."

Now, we know what the mercy seat is, and why we should run to Him.

Meet Erika

^{Proverbs 18:22} He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
                And obtains favor from the LORD

We first met at a "Game Night" at a friends house in October of 2005. We barely said a word to each other that night. We started dating 1/1/2006. I proposed on February 3rd, 2006, and we were married 5 months later, on July 1st, 2006.  You say, that's awful quick Chris.  Please just look at the above picture for a minute.  Can you blame me? :-)  In all seriousness, I would like to share with you our story if you'd like to read it. 

As it's drawing closer to Valentines day, I was just thinking about how God brought me my valentine for life, and how I would like to write our love story.  All I can say is that miracle after miracle took place, as God brought me to Bethel World Outreach in Murfreesboro. 

I met this beautiful 19 year old girl, but I was not interested  in her and vice versa.  She actually thought I was annoying, and an old man being 27. haha.  In all fairness, I thought she was too young as well. We continued to see each other at church and small group.  It seemed like everywhere I was, she turned up.  I hadn't planned anything or sought her out.  I was not interested.  Christmas time came, and we both auditioned for the church Christmas play.  She actually was the lead role.  It was a swing dancing, musical Christmas play.  I heard her voice, and she really took my breath away.  One day during rehearsal her dance partner was gone, and so was mine.  So, :-) we had to match up.  She said it was the guns that caught her eye, and my ability to lead on the dance floor. lol.  We were still just friends, but we were both fighting something inside.  We talked a lot of the telephone during Christmas vacation.  I knew before we took it further, if she liked me (I was still clueless), I'd have to share with her my recent past.  Well, we had those conversations, and she still liked me.  I couldn't believe it.

She wanted me to call her father, and ask permission to date her before we made it official.  So, I got his number and gave him a call.  I'd never spoke to him before, and our first conversation was, "Can I date your daughter?".  Her parents live about 3 hours away in west TN.  Well, it was a good conversation, and he gave me permission to date. lol  I laugh because 3 weeks later we were traveling to meet the parents for the first time.  I met them on Friday night.  Saturday me and her father played golf all day.  Saturday night, I asked permission to marry her. What!!! That's right folks.  I'm a crazy man.  I was crazy in love with Erika.  It was important for me to have her father's blessing.  If they had said no, we would have waited.  Thank God they said...YES!!! HAHAHA WHOOHOO!!!  We both knew that God had brought us together, and we were going to marry each other.  I had a steady job, and was ready to support a wife financially.  Although if you wait for that sometimes you'll never get married.  I knew my struggles in the past, and I didn't want to give the enemy a place to mess this one up.  So, we sped things up as fast as possible.  I had vacation coming the first of July, and so I said, "That's perfect time for a Honeymoon!".  What about July 1st?  It was a struggle for her to wait that long. haha. So we set the date, Erika got to planning, and we were married July 1st, 2006.  Things haven't been perfect, mainly because I'm not, but we are committed until death. 

Erika had always wanted a family.  When I asked her how many kids she wanted, she said she wanted six.  I just kind of laughed, and I said...WHAT!!! Well, God kind of melted my heart towards the idea.  He brought me to the whole chapter of Psalm 127, and I decided that I guess I'll let God build my house.  I don't know if we'll have 6 kiddos, but 8 months after being married we started to try.  We succedded; Erika was pregnant with our first, David Israel Day.

My little buddy is now 3 year old.  He was born 11/28/07.

Well we liked David so much that we decided to try again.  On August 14, 2010, my daughter, Virginia Ruth (Ginny Ruth), was born.  She has her daddy's birthday, and we will celebrate many good birthdays together.  She is my princess, and I will make sure she knows she is loved no matter what.  I don't care if she has me wrapped around her finger.  I'm wrapped around God's finger, so I will love her the same.  This is some of our story, but I love Erika more now than ever.  She truly is my best friend, and companion for life.  We'll talk in about year about a brother or sister for David and Ginny Ruth. :-) To be continued...

Well it has continued. Our 3rd child, my angel, Eliana Grace was born on Aug 4, 2014. What a story and Journey God has brought us on that is too long to post here. God is faithful, and our family is the best thing in my life. I'm truly the most blessed man alive-money can't purchase this love. Children are a heritage from the Lord! To be continued...