Hi. My name is Trevor Lund and my plan is to Live LIGHT and help you to Live LIGHT too. You need to know a bit of my story to know why I’m so passionate about it. So thank you for listening as I share a short version of my journey.
Read more at >>> https://revtrev.com/about/
My plan is to live LIGHT and help you live LIGHT too. Here's a bit of my story so you can see why I'm so passionate about it.
Hi. My name is Trevor Lund and my plan is to Live LIGHT and help you to Live LIGHT too. You need to know a bit of my story to know why I'm so passionate about it. So thank you for listening as I share a short version of my journey.
I used to call myself "a walking oxymoron". I was a senior pastor and head of the Elder board when I was 25. It was good that I only knew that I didn't know much. In the 7 years I was senior pastor I was continually blown away by God's grace. In any way most people in churches count success - budgets, baptisms or butts- things were very, very good.
But we felt God's calling us to lay our family, friends, finances and future on the altar. I resigned from the church we loved in July 2004 and told them we would be available for them until the end of December, when we'd move to New Zealand without a call or a plan or any reason beyond obedience.
About a month later my dad was diagnosed with Bulbar ALS and was told he'd have only 18 months to live.
It was a tough, tough thing to leave our family and friends. But we had to obey what we felt God was telling us to do.
I went to New Zealand with the wrong attitude. I figured God owed me and if I had willingly given up so much, the least He could do was give me an open heaven.
We arrived in Aukland New Zealand at 6:00 AM January 1, 2005. It was a city of 1 million people... and everyone was at the beach.
We had friends come from the beach, lead us down an empty four-lane freeway to their house, then go back to the beach, inviting us to join them in the next days.
I don't know what "open heaven" means to you. I'm not sure what it means to me. All I know is an empty city of a million people is more post-apocalyptic than it is open heaven.
We learned a lot in New Zealand and we met so many amazing people, and had incredible experiences with God. But in August of that same year, after friends from all over the world agreed, we realized it was time for us to return home and be with family.
We returned home in time to help my dad publish his book before he died. In the process I decided there had to be a better way to publish books and I started a publishing company. Over time, I learned 3 very important things.
1. I can't live offended at God.
2. I shouldn't make a major life decision like starting a company while I'm grieving and living offended at God.
3. No one should ever start a company on credit cards, especially when they are grieving and living offended at God.
The church I had pastored also held my ministerial credentials and the new pastor decided to withdraw their support of me because I wasn’t currently being paid as a pastor. We never did that when I was in his position. We’d walk alongside the hurting. It was days before my dad died. I felt completely rejected by people I loved just days before we all mourned my dad's death.
The back engine for the website I wanted developed for publishing got delayed and I started publishing books painfully slow. Authors needed websites, and I needed income, so I started doing websites. People saw my web copy and wanted help with theirs, so I started writing web copy and ad copy and short copy and sales copy. I didn't like scrounging clients so, I started ghostwriting books.
All of it was to keep ahead of the credit cards. I'd hustle to make the next payment. I thought I was protecting my wife if I kept our financial situation from her.
You can imagine how that affected our marriage.
My blog was getting 100,000 visitors a day. I had 5300+ subscriptions to my podcast and over 10,000 email subscribers. And I had two Twitter accounts with over 250,000 followers on each. Also I created a fast from negativity that outrank Oprah's call for people to do a negativity fast.
I was doing all I could to keep all the balls up in the air. I was pretending everything was amazing. From the outside a lot of people thought so. I was getting invites from around the world to come and share my message.
But my wife was mad at me, she was rightfully hurt and betrayed with my admission with how much we were in debt. I felt worthless and ashamed and incapable of supporting my family. I emotionally withdrew from her and the family.
With all the web traffic, my site kept crashing. I couldn't afford the downloads for my podcast and the fees for my email subscribers kept skyrocketing. With no way to make money with all those platforms, I had to kill them all.
All this time I was leading Bible studies and prayer times and teaching on different topics in several different churches. I was still staying close to God. I wasn't giving him credit for the works of the one who comes to steal, kill and destroy. I had learned to live unoffended at him and I wasn't blaming him for me not keeping in step with His Spirit.
Over the years, we tried planting a church twice. The first on was stopped by our covering leadership just days before we launched. The second didn't even get that far because the ones who wanted us to do it, decided it was going to be too much work for them.
Over the years, I tried getting a real job. My wife and I describe a "real job" as one you earn paid vacation time when you work. When you have pastor and director of Christian ministries on your CV it's tough to get an interview for a real job.
When I did get an interview, some Christians thought they'd be taking me from my calling to give me a job, others thought I'd be too "evangelistic". Non Christians didn't know how my skills could be transferable in the real world.
I had one friend tell me "You used to be someone, what happened?" I had a complete stranger who was interviewing me to take over his position say, "I heard you on the radio last night talking about your book. You were great. That's what you should be doing, you don't want to work here."
That was great, but it would also be great to get a job be that was capable of doing and that would support my family.
I did get a job that I grew to really dislike. The pay was ridiculous and the owner wanted me to prove how much more money I brought in than he paid me - which was easy to do but degrading. I didn’t like trying to stand behind the process and product I knew every client was going to have issues working through. And I had to deal with backlash. Every decision that would have enabled me do the jobs I was expected to endure - was never made. I distain setting people up to fail and it was being done to me. It was the closest thing I may ever experience to a personal hell, but I needed my wife to know I'd do what I could to bring in some stable income for the family.
That part of the journey wasn't easy. I needed to confess and repent of a lot. But I have an amazing wife. She showed me what real forgiveness looks like. I have let her down so much and she's still the best friend I've ever had.
In time, she was the one who convinced me to teach people how to really hope. I wrote the book “Hope in Transition” in 2010. It is a written expulsion of every lesson I had learned up to that point through everything we had to go through.
In 2013 I became a certified elite coach and started coaching people to help them live with their legacy in mind.
I really enjoyed coaching and kept it up for this first year I went to be the pastor at my next church. We went to a hurting church that needed to be healed. It was there the idea for Live LIGHT started to come into focus.
When we were in New Zealand my email signature was "Be a living light, living light". I didn't know what It meant or what it would become.
It was at that church that I started writing the Live LIGHT Manifesto.
My whole journey is one of learning to lean into failure and find contentment in pleasing God. I don't try to impress people and I can't and don't need to impress God. I need to be faithful and faithfulness to God is multiplication. That’s why I do classes and courses and coaching and blog posts and books with the same original content.
In the three years we were at that church we saw seven baptisms and two people we baptized had never seen a baptism before they got wet. It was fun, but we left that church just before it closed its doors. We were able to help some people, but we weren’t able to help the church more than they were willing to help themselves.
In a short while, the first church I was at, was looking for a pastor.
I prayed about it and felt God wanted me to go back.
It turned out, they prayed about it and felt God wanted them to have someone else.
Shortly thereafter, on August 26, 2018, I had a heart attack.
In the year of recovery with a forced Sabbath some things became clear. I have been entrusted with the Live LIGHT message. Is is my opus. It's the legacy God's entrusted me to make the world a better place. It's everything I've had to learn, unlearn and relearn the hard way. I want to Live LIGHT and help you Live LIGHT too.
You were created to walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day. Sin came into the world and you bore the consequences. Jesus came and reversed the curse and took your place and offered you His yoke that is easy and his burden that is light.
You are a living light....will you live LIGHT?
I want to help you live loved radically, live intentional fearlessly, live generous joyfully, live hopeful trustfully, and live today mindfully.
And you can live this way, regardless of what you're going through in life. The darker your night, the brighter your light. It's the miracle of the transformed mind that silences the arguments and pretensions that set themselves up against the knowledge of God.
You CAN change how you feel.
You can Live LIGHT.
I'm here to help.
RevTrev.com - Daily articles to help you walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day
Books - Ebooks - Audiobooks - What I create always needs to HELP - Honour, Empower, be Life-giving and Pleasing to God.
Live LIGHT Mondays - email list Weekly encouragement to live LIGHT
Manifesto Deep Delve - email list 30 day intensive look at the Live LIGHT Manifesto and how to live it out in the day-to-day of everyday
Speaking - I make myself available to groups and if an online call-in works best for all of us - great! Contact me with you details.
Interviews - Do you have a podcast, radio show or TV show does my message resonate with your viewers? Contact me and let me know.
The Live LIGHT Show - A podcast to help you live loved, live intentional, live generous, live hopeful and live today
Live LIGHT Friends - A Facebook group to help you move from busyness to blessing
Live LIGHT Community - a private social networking site for Lighterati - those who have been called to freedom and use their freedom to serve others in love.
Live LIGHT Pathway Coaching Group coaching that takes you through the Live LIGHT Pathway from frustration to fulfilment
Live LIGHT Journey Coaching One-on-one coaching that meets you where you are and walks with you to how you want to Live LIGHT.
Live LIGHT Academy - Courses to help you live out of your God-created identity
Want to plan for the new year under God's blessing? I've found 4 blessings in 2 Thessalonians and have come up with 6 questions to help myself align with them.
I saw someone creating their vision board and I was asking them about their inspirational images, wondering if was something I should do.
Then we started talking about goals and how they relate to our life's purpose and I sort of blurted out...
My goal is to Live LIGHT and to help others Live LIGHT too. I want to Live Loved. I want to Live Intentional. I want to Live Generous. I want to Live Hopeful. I want to Live Today.
Then I remembered I already had a vision board...without the inspirational images, so I went home and added the images that are usually on my desktop and viola!
You can see that roadmap at https://revtrev.com/roadmap I do very little that's not public knowledge.
It's up to me to make the plans and up to me to keep in step with what the Spirit is leading me to do TODAY.
I don't have due dates, but I will if God tells me there's a date that something needs to get done. If I can get every coaching session, every class, every book, every ebook, every audiobook set up this year - Awesome. If it take the next 5 years...that's probably more realistic.
We have friends who wait on God for a word for the year. I think it’s a good idea. I’ve tried it for a few years, but I’ve never really got a word I was really excited to embrace. “Long suffering” “tenacity”. I mean the weren’t bad, just not “Let’s do up shareable image good”.
So this year I started to look for blessings. I figured if I could find out what God wants to bless and just go along with that, it’s going to be a whole lot better. And I found a good one.
I found a blessing that I pray for myself and everyone for 2020. It's in 2 Thessalonians. As I studied the context for it I actually found 3 other blessings in that letter that are all an incredible glimpse at God's will for us in the year to come.
It's more important to me that I please God in the day-to-day of everyday than I check off a to-list - even if checking off a to-do list is fun.
So I look for how God wants to bless me, and I line myself up for that blessing.
So let's look at all 4 blessing in 2 Thessalonians. I'm going to read them out...because they are good. Then I'll unpack the verses they come from and see the challenges they have for us today. Then I'll read them again and we can reflect on them as we worship.
May God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call and may he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.
May our Lord and our Father comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.
May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.
May the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation.
Background of book - In Acts 17 Paul was in Thessalonica and we see the start of the church. Those that didn’t accept his message started a riot and Paul and his companions had to move on to Berea.
Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica because he heard they were still going through troubles. Timothy had returned to Paul in Athens with news of the church and it was suffering persecution.
Paul wrote them to encourage them that Jesus could return at any time, so keep on doing good. Then about 6 months later he had to write them another letter because what he wrote the first time, people began teaching that it already happened... and they missed it.
This is probably my brother - Pastor Shawn's - story to tell, but growing up at church a Christian movie meant it was a movie like "Thief in the night" - remember that movie from the 70's when the rapture took place and everyone who missed it had to figured out what happened and what to do? After one of those movies one Sunday night we all went to someone's house for snacks. Except Shawn fell was asleep under a pew and woke up to an empty church.
The same thing happened in Thessalonica. Not the cheesy 70's movie, but the thought that Jesus had already returned and they missed it.
It's into this atmosphere that Paul wrote his second letter. And he includes 4 incredible blessings that help us keep in step with His leading in the heart to come.
So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 2 Thessalonians 1:11
Paul tells the the Philippians that we need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) then goes on to tell us to live up to what we've already attained (Philippians 3:16). Peter tells us we have been given everything we need for living a godly life (2 Peter 1:3) but we need to do what we can to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:5)
What I’m trying to point out is this… God enables you to live a life worthy
God's will for you is holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
He enables you to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3)
How awesome is that?
Yes, I have to do work to make it work But I need to learn to struggle with all His power that’s in work in me. (Colossians 1:29)
How’s that for a goal for 2020? It's a great way to plan for the new year to do everything with His power that at work in us.
May God enable you to live the life worthy…of His call.
Remember Thessalonians problem...this is not "dream it and achieve it" theology. It’s not “the call on my life.”
This is "becoming more like Jesus in spite of (or because of) any of the troubles you find yourself in.
He has called us…
Servant (Romans 6:22)
Friend (John 15:14)
Child (Romans 8:14)
In one sense it is a progression,
You can’t be a friend before your a servant,
you won’t a child before you’re a friend.
in another sense you can’t leave one and move on to the other. Let me explain....
A servant obeys (Colossians 3:22). You are called a friend because you have obeyed (John 15:14) When you obey you abide with Jesus (John 15:10). As you abide with Jesus you keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:24-25). All who keep in step with the Spirit are children of God (Romans 8:14)
So your calling of servant, friend and child means you need to
Will you be a servant, a friend and a child in the new year? Will you obey, abide and keep in step with the Spirit?
We’ve already talked about his power at work within us and that we have everything we need to live a godly life.
Can you do good things not prompted by faith?
Anything not done in faith is sin (Romans 14:23)
I know I can do good things and my motivation can make it sin. And yet I can have His power to accomplish all the good things I do that are prompted by my faith.
What I mean by that is is my motivation for everything I do needs to be that I'm seeking His kingdom - righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:7).
Am I doing what I’m doing to see His Kingdom here on earth?
If I am, I am walking by faith because faith is what pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).
These are two of the questions that should help you make a plan for the new year. Let’s look at what else we can ask ourselves.
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. 2 Thessalonians 2:16–17
Why need comfort in doing good?
Doing good can lead to scary places. Thessalonians had outside persecution. The time is soon coming when more good will be called evil and more evil will be called good and you and I will need to decide “Do we do good or do we avoid conflict?”
Some of you may have already experienced it. You’ve learned to not talk politics or religion. I don’t care about politics, but you do need to be active in sharing your faith.
God has given you eternal comfort and a wonderful hope. He will comfort you in every good thing you do and say….every good thing your faith prompts you to do or say.
God is the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
God comforts us in every good thing we say and do so we can comfort others.
May our Lord and our Father comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.
We can go weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9)
We’re told if we need strength we trust in the Lord (Isaiah 40:31)
Trusting in the Lord is active, not passive. It involves your whole heart. We’ll talk more about this in in a moment. You need to make the decision to trust. You need to do the action to show you trust and you need need to feel something - I’ll talk about this more a little later on - trusting God you feel peace.
3. Will you accept God’s comfort and strengthening in the coming year?
I don’t know what the year holds for you and for me…but I know I’ll need his comfort and I know I’ll need his strengthening.
May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:5
What is your heart?
Your heart is the seat of your emotion, the seat of your decision, the seat of your action
If your heart is going to be led to a full understanding and expression of the love of God you need to make the decision, feel the motion and respond to the love God has for you.
Ephesians 3:17-19 (NLT)
Trusting God with heart…experiencing the love of God - so make the decision to respond to the love of God.
1. Know how to show you love God… Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27, Matthew 10:37, Luke 14:25, Matthew 6:24,Luke 16:13, 1 John 2:15, John 14:15, John 14:21, John 14:23, John 15:10, 1 John 4:18-22, 1 John 2:3-5, 1 John 3:10 , 1 John 3:23, 1 John 5:2-3, 2 John 1:6 , Hebrews 6:10, 1 John 3:11,17-18, Matthew 25:32-40, Matthew 6:33, James 1:12
2. Know how to love… 1 Corinthians 16:14, 2 Corinthians 5:14, Galatians 5:6, Colossians 3: 17, 1 Thessalonians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 8:7-8, Ephesians 4:15, Ephesians 5:1, Philippians 1:9, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:10, Jude 1:21, Colossians 3:14-15, Philippians 2:1, Colossians 1:5, Colossians 3:12
3. Know how to love other people… Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8, 1 John 4:10-11; 2 John 1:5 , 1 John 4:19-20, Romans 12:9-10, Romans 12:13, Matthew 18:35, 1 Corinthians 13:4, 1 Corinthians 13:5, John 17:23, 1 John 4:18, 1 Peter 4:8 , Romans 13:8
4. Live unoffendable… 1 Corinthians 13:5, 1 Corinthians 13:7, Luke 7:23, Colossians 3:13-14, Galatians 5:25, Romans 12:19, Romans 12:20, Luke 6:28, Matthew 5:44, Matthew 5:39, Matthew 5:45, John 13:35
Whatever this year holds, we all need to grow in the patient endurance that comes from Christ. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. Patience makes us more like Jesus.
4. Will you grow in patience this year?
5. Will you grow in your experience of God’s love?
How are you plans for the new year going to allow you do that?
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Peace comes from trust
Our role is to trust and we need to trust him with our whole heart (Proverbs 3:5-6).
You get this right? God wants to empower you. He wants you to walk by faith. He wants you to do good things. He wants to comfort and strengthen you as you do good things.He wants you to know more and more about His love and grow in patience and He wants you to have His peace no matter what the future the holds.
What an awesome God. What incredible plans he has for us.
6. Will I trust Him and have His peace?
May God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.
May our Lord and our Father comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.
May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.
May the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation.
Have a blessed #newyear and #liveLIGHT !
It is essential you live intentional. What does that mean in the Live LIGHT Manifesto? To live intentional means we intentionally live like Jesus. We only do what we see the Father do. We only say what we hear the Father say. Here’s some tips how to do that.
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 1 John 4:18
To live intentional fearlessly, we look at what John wrote about perfect love. In context perfect love is complete love.
Perfect love is complete
I need to take the love I’ve received and give it to others for it to cast out fear. It’s only love that’s been given away that casts out fear.
This scripture compels us to serve some body. Stop waiting for another conference or prophetic word or for another stroking of your ego.
At some point we need to stop being impressed with the size of our problem And our deliverance begins when we’re no longer so impressed with the size of our problem that we can actually serve someone
Love has to become practical
Jesus said, come to me all who are weary and I'll give you rest.
If you ever leave prayer and are not refreshed you’ve likely been complaining and not praying.
The whole point of praying is that he takes your heart and you're supposed to gets his. It’s the exchange.
To live intentional, we what to be as much like Jesus as we can. He only said what he heard the Father say and only did what he saw the Father do. It’s the same thing that happens with perfect love.
The love I see in the Father, encourages me so I can encourage others to see the love the Father has for them.
I’m keeping in step with the Spirit. Paul says all who do that are children of God.
And perfect love casts out all fear.
Awesome!
Do you want to more often live intentional fearlessly?
Coaching can help https://revtrev.com/coaching
Live loved radically. In this next section of the Live LIGHT Manifesto you'll learn what it means to live loved and how you can live loved in the day to day of your everyday.
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13
1. Know you’re loved by God… John 16:27, Romans 5:8, 1 John 3:1; 4:10;19, Revelation 1:5, Ephesians 3:17-19, Romans 8:35-39, 1 John 4:7-8;16, Hebrews 12:6; Revelation 3:19
2. Know how to show you love God… Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27, Matthew 10:37, Luke 14:25, Matthew 6:24,Luke 16:13, 1 John 2:15, John 14:15, John 14:21, John 14:23, John 15:10, 1 John 4:18-22, 1 John 2:3-5, 1 John 3:10 , 1 John 3:23, 1 John 5:2-3, 2 John 1:6 , Hebrews 6:10, 1 John 3:11,17-18, Matthew 25:32-40, Matthew 6:33, James 1:12
3. Know how to love… 1 Corinthians 16:14, 2 Corinthians 5:14, Galatians 5:6, Colossians 3: 17, 1 Thessalonians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 8:7-8, Ephesians 4:15, Ephesians 5:1, Philippians 1:9, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:10, Jude 1:21, Colossians 3:14-15, Philippians 2:1, Colossians 1:5, Colossians 3:12
4. Know how to love other people… Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8, 1 John 4:10-11; 2 John 1:5 , 1 John 4:19-20, Romans 12:9-10, Romans 12:13, Matthew 18:35, 1 Corinthians 13:4, 1 Corinthians 13:5, John 17:23, 1 John 4:18, 1 Peter 4:8 , Romans 13:8
5. Live unoffendable… 1 Corinthians 13:5, 1 Corinthians 13:7, Luke 7:23, Colossians 3:13-14, Galatians 5:25, Romans 12:19, Romans 12:20, Luke 6:28, Matthew 5:44, Matthew 5:39, Matthew 5:45, John 13:35
You are loved. Live loved. Have fun storming the castle.
Do you need help to live out love in this way? Check out my coaching options https://revtrev.com/coaching
Did you know to Live LIGHT is choice? It’s a daily choice, an hourly choice, sometimes a minute by minute choice. In this next section of the Live LIGHT Manifesto we look at how we live because of what we know and what we know Jesus told us about how we should live.
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:15-16
We love each other because he loved us first. 1 John 4:19
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. John 15:9
So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Ephesians 5:15-17
I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. John 12:49
So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. John 5:19
If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? 1 John 3:17
In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. Matthew 5:45
Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. Luke 6:38
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Romans 12:12
God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. 1 Thessalonians 5:24
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. John 14:1
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:34
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Matthew 25:14-30
Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! Matthew 10:7-8
I know the plan when I started to explain the Live LIGHT Manifesto was to unpack the Bible truths behind each statement. But I wanted to keep these posts to 30 for marketing purposes and this next set of statements is chock-o-block full of so much to say.
We’ll be unpacking more about all those in the posts to come. For now let’s do an overview of what’s in the manifesto.
We love because he first loved us. Perfect love is love we get from the Father and share to others to point them to the Father. Nothing can separate us from His love so we love.
We can’t be intentional about things that God doesn’t want us to be intentional about. Jesus showed us how we can live, only doing and saying what we get from God. It’s a challenge, but that’s why we need to be intentional.
God is generous in sending rain to the righteous and the unrighteous. Our generosity springs from God and is amplified by forgiveness. We can’t hold on to unforgiveness and have open hearts to be as generous and joyful.
Hope comes from trust and trust comes from knowing a trustworthy God. We can survive without food and water for a time, we can’t survive without hope for that long.
To live today we need to mindful in the moment to what God wants to do. It’s understanding also that faithfulness to God is multiplication.
I guess I can say, "Welcome to Live LIGHT." There’s not much more hidden, although there is so much more to delve into. Read more about the Manifesto https://revtrev.com/manifesto and find out if one of my coaching options can help you live LIGHT. https://revtrev.com/coaching
Learn how to be interrupted and not get offended. Jesus was able to be interrupted and since you're following him, you should be able to be interrupted too. In this section of the Live LIGHT Manifesto we'll look at how you can do that.
A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure. Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” Luke 8:43-48
1. While praying Mark 1:35-39
2. While traveling Mark 1:40-45
3. While teaching Mark 2:1-12
4. While on his way Mark 2:13-17
5. While He worshipped with others Mark 3:1-5
6. While He withdrew Mark 3:7-12
7. While He tried to eat Mark 3:20-29
8. While He slept Mark 4:35-41
Miracles happen in the moments.
My best story of being interrupted to date has to be this one. When our kids were little, we attended a church that met downtown. One day I let Karen and the kids out and went to park the car. On the way back I saw someone stumbling towards me.
I thought I had two options. I knew he was going to ask for change. My options were simple, I thought, I could not give him anything and feel good that I wasn’t supporting a destructive lifestyle or I could give him the change in my pocket and feel benevolent for a few minutes. Unfortunately God interrupted me.
I felt him tell me, “Give him something better.”
I didn’t know what that better was, so I started a conversation with him. It wasn’t long before he was insisting I give him something, “But God told me to give you something better.” And I still didn’t have a clue what that could be.
“God doesn’t want me to have money?” He shouted. “No, that’s not what I said, God wants me to give you something better than money.”
He still had a fist in his hand when I started asking questions. I had to know what I could give him. “Don’t you have family?”
“My brother and my mother don’t want anything to do with me.”
“But you have kids, don’t you.”
“I don’t have any kids.”
“But you’re a father, aren’t you? You take care of the kids you know on the street. You make sure they’re warm and safe and you give them what you have. You share what you have with them. That’s what God loves about you. You’re a father to the ones who don’t have a father and you’re showing them love like God would.”
His fist went to a hug. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me, let me by you coffee!”
I told him I had to let my family know I was alive and he didn’t want to come to church with me. When I got back to the street after I had checked in, he was already gone.
Not being bothered or upset when you’re interrupted is a worthy goal for all of us to have. It means God has rights to our agenda and we’re attentive to what He wants to do in the moment.
Do you believe what I’m writing? Do you want to not be bothered when your life is interrupted?
I can help you with coaching. Check out what I am currently offering for coaching here https://revtrev.com/coaching
I want you to want to be interruptible. Then I want you to live this radical lifestyle of being interrupted and looking for the miracle.
#LiveLIGHT
