Passionate Pursuit..Craig Denison Ministries

 Passionate Pursuit

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus we have been afforded an opportunity to live an incredibly abundant life here on earth. Our God is nearer, more tangible, and has a greater ability to make his presence known than we’ve yet realized. He longs to make his children more in tune and aware of the depths of his love, guidance, empowerment, and nearness. He longs for our days here on earth to be marked by unveiled communion with him. As we look at what it is to live an abundant life here on earth, I pray that your heart will be awakened to the reality of God’s presence and affection in your life.

Scripture:“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’” Psalm 27:8

Devotional:

The key to abundant life here on earth is the passionate pursuit of Jesus. I doubt there will be a single believer who ever reads these words that will doubt that statement. But I also know that we often fail to truly believe that statement in our hearts. If we truly believed that the key to abundant life was passionately pursuing Jesus, most of our lives would look drastically different. My life would look drastically different.

If we truly believed that passionately pursuing Jesus would bring us abundant life, the way we spend our time would drastically change. We would choose pursuing the presence of God over entertainment more often. We would structure most of our worship services differently. We would cease working for the opinion of man and start living for the good pleasure of our Creator. And our lives would look simpler, more joyful, more peaceful, and more like the life of Jesus.

The good news for you and me is that there is grace for us today. Isaiah 55:6-7 says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” It’s time for the people of God to wake up to the true purpose for our lives. It’s time that we stop seeking the things of the world and give our lives to the total and wholehearted pursuit of Jesus. And there is grace from on high that God longs to give us today to do so.

The Lord is saying to you and me,“Seek my face” (Psalm 27:8). And we need to reply as David by saying,“My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek’” (Psalm 27:8). All that stands between you and a radical life transformation is turning away from the cares and pursuits of the world and giving your heart to your heavenly Father. We have a daily opportunity to live in total communion with our Creator, receiving and giving love in everything we do. Jesus paid the ultimate price for you and me to live with the tangible knowledge of God’s love for us. We also have the opportunity every day to live marginal lives where we experience and commune with God part of the time and live for the fleeting and unsatisfying ways of the world the other. The choice is yours today. Will you passionately pursue relationship with Jesus, or will you allow the ways of this world to crowd out parts of your life like weeds blocking you from the refreshing, life-giving presence of the living God?

Take time in guided prayer to listen to your Father, meditate on his promise of abundant life, and chase after wholehearted relationship with Jesus at all costs. May you experience to new levels today the abundant life Jesus died to give you.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of passionately pursuing relationship with Jesus above all else. Allow Scripture to fill you with the will to choose God over the things of the world today.

“The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” Psalm 34:10

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:12-14

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

2. What have you been pursuing above relationship with Jesus? What has been holding you back from seeking wholehearted relationship with God above all else?

3. Ask the Lord to help you live for him alone today. Take time to receive his presence and receive his incredible, grace-filled love for you. Enjoy his presence and allow it to lay a foundation on which you seek the Lord wholeheartedly.

“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’” Psalm 27:8

“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” 1 Chronicles 16:11

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1

Extended Reading: Psalm 84

Building Bridges through Pain..Greg Laurie

 Building Bridges through Pain

By Greg Laurie

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” – Revelation 21:4

It has been said that success builds walls, but failure builds bridges. Sometimes when we tell someone how everything is going well, it doesn’t help them at all. We say, “Hey man, things are going great for me. I just got a promotion, we’re going to buy a bigger house, and the kids have both been accepted into the finest colleges.” Meanwhile, their house just burned down. And a wall just went up.

But when someone says, “Pray for me. I’m hurting right now. I have a problem. I just got bad news from the doctor,” your heart goes out to them. You care. You want to help them. And so you should. We live in a world of pain and hurt. Everyone has it. And we should reach out to others who are in pain.

When we go through adversity, we can help others who are going through it as well. The apostle Paul wrote, “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” (2 Corinthians 1:4). God lets us go through adversity so we will have a new compassion for others who are in pain.

Since our son Christopher went to Heaven, God has given me a platform to bring comfort to others that He has brought to me. So many hurting people have written me and have talked with me. And there are some who will listen to me today who wouldn’t have listened to me before. I thank God for that. But am I glad all this has happened so I can have this new ministry? No. I am glad, however that God can bring some good and some comfort out of that pain.

Heavenly Father, though we walk through storms of pain and suffering, help us to fix our eyes on you. Amen.

Dealing With This All-Too-Common sin..Clarence L. Haynes Jr.

 Dealing With This All-Too-Common sin

By Clarence L. Haynes Jr. 

“Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice.” – Proverbs 24:17

We don’t often think of people in terms of enemies and foes, and so when we come to verses like these it may be hard to relate. For this reason, let me bring it down to a level you may understand. Are there people in your life who you just don’t like or really can’t get along with? Does that hit a more realistic nerve for you? 

While you may not call someone an enemy, I can be certain you can name some people in your life you don’t have warm, fuzzy feelings for. In all walks of life, you are going to encounter people that are hard to like and hard to root for. I usually get along with everyone yet there was this one person who really got under my skin to the point I just did not want to be around him. I will spare you the details of why this person impacted me in this fashion. Recently I discovered that life did not work out so well for this person, and when I heard what happened, my first reaction was, I’m not surprised. I didn’t realize it at the moment but what I was doing was gloating. One definition of gloating is when you find pleasure in someone else’s misfortune, and I didn’t want to admit it at the time, but that is what I was doing. 

The hypocritical nature of gloating is sometimes we wrap our gloating and mix it with praise, even thanking God for the calamity or trouble of the person we don’t like because they deserved it. After all, they messed with me, and I am a child of the king. Yet when we lay our hearts before Scripture and come to verses like these in Proverbs, we realize that is not the way God desires us to respond. When we do behave in this manner our response could have the opposite effect.

“Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, 
 for the Lord will see and disapprove
 and turn his wrath away from them.” – Proverbs 24:17-18

To say this as plainly as possible, God is not pleased when we gloat over our enemies.

How should you respond to those you don’t like?

Thankfully the Bible lays out a framework for how to address those we don’t like or who are our enemies.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” – Matthew 5:43-44

“But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” – Colossians 3:8

Jesus commands you to love and pray for those who persecute you. Paul instructs us to get rid of all malice, and one of the definitions of malice is to gloat over someone else’s misfortune. When we lay the cards on the table, gloating is sinful. The interesting thing about this type of sin is no one around you would ever know unless you opened your mouth and told them. Gloating and malice are things we keep in our hearts; while we can hide them from others, God sees what lives there.

Further Reading:

• Obadiah 1:12-18
• 2 Kings 14:1-22
• 2 Chronicles 25

A Prayer to Reflect on Who Jesus Is during Lent..Meg Bucher

 A Prayer to Reflect on Who Jesus Is during Lent

By Meg Bucher

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" - John 14:6

The Lenten season causes me to take a deep breath each year as Catholic school memories flood my mind. They are good memories. I can’t remember a day when I didn’t love Jesus …even before I understood who He was. 

Lent is an amazing time of reflection. Whether you grew up Catholic like me, or this is your first time trying to figure out what it is, it will help you get to know Jesus better. I love that God’s journey for me has allowed me to be a part of many congregations: Catholic, Brethren, Methodist, Pentecostal, and Nondenominational. When we listen and lean in His direction, we drink in so much we might have passed by.

Maybe you’re like me, and though you are no longer a part of your original congregation, you can look back and see how God has layered levels of wisdom into your faith through it. It astonishes me. There are Christians in every denomination, so this isn’t going to be a place where I pick any of them apart. The joy in my journey lies in the people God placed in those churches … priests, pastors, youth leaders, and teachers—faithful servants of God.

Being a part of so many places has given me an appreciation for people seeking more of God and how important it is to know the Bible for ourselves. Our personal relationship with Jesus is bigger than, and cannot be experienced solely through, any church or denomination. Any good pastor or leader will encourage us to seek the Father first in His Word. 

Pastors, leaders, teachers … they all make mistakes. Not every denomination is 100% biblically sound. It’s important to know what is and what isn’t. That is what Lent is all about. It’s a recalibration and reflection of remembering who Jesus is. 

Life is a beautiful journey lived in step with the Lord. Lent is a powerful reminder that though life can be painful at times, living within the will of God allows us to walk through it with hope. If you’re anything like me, there are days I peer back into my past and know there is no way I should even be here. But because of the Gospel, I am. These 40 days of Lent are a time when I adjust my daily life to reflect deeply on my journey with Jesus. Whether it means giving something up or instilling a new habit, Lent can be an incredible time to create more margins to refocus our hearts and marinate our minds in God’s Word.

Though our faith in Christ Jesus is one of the most complex relationships, it’s also the simplest. “Come to me,” He says. We fight, scrap, pull away, and run for the hills, and He stands firm, waiting for us to turn our lives over to Him. Lent reminds us of who, and Whose, we are. We are His. Jesus left heaven to come to earth. Fully human, He felt everything we feel. Fully God, He did not sin. He’s God. But the different levels of pain and happiness and the steady joy we find when we’re connected to God … He feels all of it. He went to the cross for it. “For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son to save us.” That’s it. 

If you’re a part of a complicated denomination, simplify it. Lent is between you and Jesus. Make some margin to connect with Him. Take the journey.

Let’s pray:

Father,
You are amazing. You are! The way You have layered our lives with rich experiences that draw us to You is incredible. Thank You for loving us so specifically and faithfully. You love us for who we are right now. We are your children! Father, this Lent, we confess we are distracted. Help us to focus on Jesus, to journey with Him in reflection, looking for those intentional layers of love You have laid down in our lives. We want more of You, God. More time with You, and to know You better. You have prepared the way, God. This Lent helps us to reflect on the greatest love story of all time: Your love for us through Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. 

We pray for Your Word to come alive like never before. Help us to connect to a reading plan or listen to the Bible being read regularly during this time, God. Alert us. Convict us. Remind us. Strengthen our connection to You, Father. We want to grow wiser. We want to see the people in our lives as You see them. If we are being honest, God, we want to experience healing, peace, hope, and joy. Bless us with Your favor, God. We pray to look back on this Lenten season as a time when one of those remarkable layers of wisdom was woven into our lives. Thank You for loving us. Thank You for forgiving us. 

For the wounds past congregations may have left on our hearts and in our minds, God, would You provide healing only You are capable of performing. Guide us in Truth, God. Help us to forgive and heal from things that have hurt us and damaged our perception of who You are and who Jesus is. Let the purpose of Your church become something we not only understand but crave to participate in!

Father, as we journey through Lent, help us to connect with You and the people around us. Help us to see the people You have placed in our lives and plug into our congregations in places that need what only we can offer. Let the unique gifts You have placed in us be apparent, God, during this Lenten season. In this time of reflection, we want to journey with Jesus, ensuring we live our lives to the full, as He died for us to do. Let all we do bring glory and honor to You, God.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

What Children Need to Know..Mark 10:13,14

 What Children Need to Know

Mark 10:13,14

And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them."

Children and Easter. New life and new beginnings. What better time to share the gospel with your children?

But what does a child, or any person, need to know to become a Christian? The following are the basics:

First, children need to be taught who God is and how He loves them. They need to know what sets Him apart from humans.

God is holy; He is perfect. People, however, are not perfect.

God is just; He is always fair. We are not just in all our decisions.

God is love; He desires a relationship with us. That's why He sent His Son. We are not always motivated out of our love for another.

Second, children need to be taught that their sins must be forgiven (see Rom. 6:23). Many parents in this culture of tolerance feel uncomfortable talking about hell. God is patient, but He is not tolerant. His justice calls for an atonement (a payment, a penalty) for people's sins. Our children must have some understanding that their sins can keep them out of heaven. Their sins must be paid for. And that is what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.

Finally, children need to know that they receive God's forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ (see Eph. 2:8,9).

Faith involves repenting of our sins, turning to God in faith and trusting Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Lord. When we repent, we acknowledge our sins before God and express our sorrow about our sins to Him.

Those are the basics of what children need to know.

Prayer: That God would work in your children's hearts to bring them to Him.

Discuss: How have you done as a couple in explaining the gospel to your children? How can you arrange your Easter activities to take time to explain the gospel to your children?