Now we come to the hard part

Now we come to the hard part of the Live LIGHT Manifesto. Some may think we’ve been spouting platitudes up to this point. These three statements tend to hit us between the eyes.

I don't have time to be busy. I don't have time to worry. I don't have time to waste.

I don’t have time to be busy. I don’t have time to worry. I don’t have time to waste.

The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. Luke 8:14

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Ephesians 5:16-17

Now we come to the hard part.

Hard part 1 - I don’t have time to be busy.

I remember saying this phrase when a friend asked me if I had a busy day ahead as we dropped of our kids in the same class. “I don’t have time to be busy” was what surprised me when it came out of my mouth.

I wan’t even using how much I had to do that day as a badge of honour. It was like I was telling myself, “I’d better not miss the best things today.”

I remembered slowing down that day to talk to people I’d probably rush right by on my usually hurried way. I can’t remember what was said or done that day, but I remember knowing it was a better day because I refused to give in to the hurry.

And soon thereafter I refused to define my day as “busy” ever again.

My goal

Jesus talked about the seed that fell among the thorns that too quickly was crowded out by the cares of riches and pleasures of life. That was the same seed that fell on good soil and produced a hundred-times more than was planted.

The seed doesn’t change. The condition of my heart does.

Do you accept busy-ness in your life or are you angrily militant with the weeds?

You and I don’t have time to be busy.

Hard part 2 - I don’t have time to worry.

Have you seen the stats recently about how many things that don’t happen that we worry about?

Me neither. I don’t worry about it.

Paul tells us not to worry about anything but pray about everything. Peter tells us to cast all our cares on the Lord BECAUSE He cares for us.

It all starts with knowing God cares for you. If you believe that and work it into your life in the way you pray and the peace you feel, you can be worry-free for the most part of your life. I can help you do that.

Hard part 3 - I don’t have time to waste.

I don’t have regrets in my life. If you knew my story you might find that a difficult statement to swallow. But I don’t have regrets because I have God who redeems.

I know He’s taking everything and working it out for the best of those who have been called. I don’t have time to waste.

My favourite blessing lately has been this:

May God enable you to live a life worthy of His calling. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

I have to live the life God enables me to live. I need to do good things prompted by my faith. But God does it through me and God gets the glory. Read that verse in context and see the amazing blessing Paul intends it to be.

I don’t have time to be busy. I don’t have time to worry. I don’t have time to waste.

And neither do you. I can help you.

My Goal to help you

Live LIGHT Manifesto

What rhythm are you living from?

We all have a rhythm. What’s yours? The next part of the Live LIGHT Manifesto reminds us we’re to live like Jesus did and not give lip service to loving Him. Here it is…

Living with His light burden is the rhythm I work from in the day-to-day of every day.

Living with His light burden is the rhythm I work from in the day-to-day of every day.

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:7

In John’s first letter he unpacks what it looks like to be living in the light as God is in the light. His encouragement for us to walk in the light reminds us to carry the light yoke that Jesus offer us in Matthew 11:30…at least it does for me.

How can we be a living light if we’re not living light?

What rhythm are you living out of?

The rhythm of a servant, a friend and a child

We are called a servant of God (2 Timothy 2:24), a friend of God (John 15:15) and a child of God (Romans 8:14).

A servant obeys (Colossians 3:22).

A friend abides (John 15:7-14).

A child keeps in step with the spirit (Romans 8:14).

You can’t abide and not obey. You can’t keep in step with the Spirit without abiding and obeying.

The good news is all three are the same rhythm. It’s the rhythm Jesus modelled when he was in the world.

Jesus' Rhythm of Rest

Jesus' rhythm can be tracked through the gospels...

Time with God from the world - Time to bring God to the world.

It’s how you obey.

You need to listen before you can obey. You need instruction from the Word before you can obey.

It’s how you abide.

You need to be alone in the presence before you can bring the Presence to others.

It’s how you keep in step with the Spirit.

Time with God from the world - Time to bring God to the world.

Do you follow that rhythm in your own walk? I can help you live out the rhythm.

don't hold it as an idea or sentiment

I don’t hold it as an idea in my head or sentiment in my heart, but work out its implications in every detail of my life.

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:25

Paul tells the Galatians they need to follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of their lives. He goes on to describe how that looks like.

In the North American church we are really good at teaching knowledge and really lousy at living out wisdom.

We’ve got to stop agreeing with something intellectually and then not letting it change our lives.

To the ancient Hebrews the “heart” was the seat of the emotions, yes…but it was also the seat of the decision and the seat of the action. To be whole-hearted means we not only agree something is true, we do something about it and feel something for it.

Being whole-hearted is the exact opposite of holding something as an idea in our head or sentiment in our heart but not working it out its implications in every detail of our lives.

We need to be whole-hearted when we follow the Spirit. Holy Spirit is God and we’re to love God with our whole heart. So make the decision to follow Holy Spirit, take the action to follow what He tells you to do, and feel the joy in knowing you’re keeping in step with the Spirit. Let me help you do that.

#liveLIGHT

Live LIGHT Manifesto

Creation longs for you to be revealed

Creation longs for us to be revealed. The next part of the Live LIGHT Manifesto mentions that all creation longs for the children of God to be revealed. If you're a child of God, don't push that off until heaven.

creation longs

I am a child of God creation longs to be revealed.

For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Romans 8:19

Do you know all of creation is waiting for you and I to be revealed?

We can push that off to heaven and forget about doing anything about it in this life.

And yes, it is talking about what will happen when we’re in heaven.

 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Romans 8:20-22

But do you remember, Jesus came and reversed the curse. And we’re to be like Jesus in this life. And we’ve been given a taste of what is to come so we groan with all creation. (Romans 8:23)

What if, in some small and sometimes astonishingly large ways, our job is to bring more of heaven to earth?

Live LIGHT Coaching is waiting for you

It’s not that crazy of an idea. Jesus taught us to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” If we’re to pray it, doesn’t it seem right to live it?

Heaven is where God’s will is perfectly done.

That also is my favourite definition of what the Kingdom is - the Kingdom is wherever the King rules.

His disciples were told to declare his Kingdom and live his Kingdom. And they were to teach whatever he taught them to others, which means we’re to declare and live his Kingdom.

So is it still a stretch to think creation is longing for us to be revealed as his children?

#heavencome #evenso

So what are you doing to declare and live his Kingdom today?

Do you want help with that? I do offer coaching https://revtrev.com/coaching

The Live LIGHT Manifesto

I was Created

I was created to walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day.

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Genesis 3:8

You and I were created to walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day.

Can you imagine what it was like for our first parents to be in the garden where they could hear their creator walking about?

How cool would that have been?

To BE WITH GOD in the garden - the one who had created you, playing with the animals he created and got you to name.

I’m talking - of course - before they ate the fruit, before they broke the only rule they had, before they shattered their Father’s all-knowing heart.

I was the only grandchild my grandmother ever spanked.

It wasn’t an abusive situation. I was shocked that it didn’t really hurt. I knew what I did had deserved it.

Every year my mom sent me to grandma’s for a week. It was sweet. She never had a bedtime for me. She’d be up at the crack of dawn making waffles with fresh cream and fresh-picked raspberries. She never had to call me for breakfast, I’d be there…and probably asleep a little earlier the next night.

One day I was walking in her garden, helping myself to raspberries and enjoying the summer day. For some reason I went through the fence gate. I probably bounced the dog’s ball over, went through the gate, threw the ball back to the dog and did some exploring.

I heard her call for me. But I was somewhere I knew I shouldn’t have been. I was on the other side of the fence. I guess that’s what made me not respond. Instead I hid myself.

She called and she called and she called. It was when her voice got scared that I got really scared. I had never heard my grandmother’s voice scared.

The neighbour came over to help her look. I had to make sure he didn’t find me. It wasn’t long before the police showed up. That’s when I knew I could not be found where I was.

I hatched a plan. If I could sneak back into the house and pretend to be sleeping, I couldn’t get in trouble for that, could I?

Well, the police were surprisingly easy to sneak by and I got into the house and down the hallway to the bedroom.

That’s when she found me.

That’s when I lied.

That’s when I had to apologize to the police officers and the neighbour. I don’t think I apologized to my grandma at that point.

She sent me to the room and I had to await my punishment…for the bold-faced lie.

So I can imagine a little bit how our first parents felt. They had everything and didn’t know how good they had it. They messed up and didn’t know how bad they did it.

But I’m like them…and I want to once again walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day.

I’m so glad He wants to walk with us too.

You can do it everyday. My goal is to do it all day everyday. He’s already always with me. I want to be aware of that and be with Him.

Do you need the training, tools, coaching and community to walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day? Discover more https://revtrev.com/coaching

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