Open Arms Inc

Fulfill Your Calling

2006-08-10T23:49:00.000-07:00

Ray Steadman, in his book entitled "Body Life" wrote, "What does the apostle (Paul) say to the church in Ephesus in the face of the desperate demands of human need? What is his answer to the cry for justice and relief arising from the lips of the oppressed citizens to whom he writes? Simply this: Fulfill your calling! Don't deviate from the divine strategy. obey your orders. Follow your Head!"

What else is there for you and I to do apart from being who Christ has created us anew in Him to be? What else is there that can be so effective in the generation and society we find ourselves living in today, other than being who we are called to be?

I do not think it is to far off to say that if we find ourselves doing other 'good' things, or trying to be something other than what Christ has called us to be, then we are being distracted, and made inneffectual in our purpose, thereby thwarting the very power of God that is alone able to change the hearts of men and women.

God, I am in desperate need to be made holy...daily.

Proactive Prayer

2006-05-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

Clarity can and will only come to us as to the direction of our lives as we spend time on our faces before God. We want shortcuts, we want it now, we want God to lead and guide us...all according to our time frame. And we are shocked and amazed, angry and upset when life throws a curve ball or a change up at us.

We react this way because we haven't really prayed. We just asked God to "take a memo." We haven't poured out our hearts to Him, we've just given Him our list again. We don't want Him for Himself...we want what He can do for us. "Make my ride more comfortable, Jesus."

When we are truly praying, truly seeking His kingdom to come in our lives first, seeking His righteousness first, then and only then will He take care of everything else that needs taking care of. "And all these things shall be added unto thee." When we are truly taking action in prayer, instead of reacting in prayer, we will begin to truly live, and move, and have our being in Him. We will be prepared already when those situations and circumstances come into our lives. We won't be caught off-guard...we will be ready, expectant and anticipating what the Lord will do on behalf of those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose.

Smoldering Christians?

2006-01-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

As I woke up to pray this morning, I found myself wishing I could get the last bit of the log that was on the fire last night to re-light. I wasn't freezing, but just cold enough to want the fire to be rekindled...just for a bit.

As I prayed, I found myself listening and then looking at the smoking smoldering remnant of a log that was sitting there. Man, I wanted that log to catch afire. I could feel a little warmth from it, if I left my spot and stooped fown near to the grate. But all it made me do was to think that just as my desire to have this fire going was that strong, God's desire toward you and me is so much the stronger, so much more the purer. And I found myself asking God to blow upon my life, to rekindle my heart, to reignite the fire in the time I spent in prayer with Him. "I don't want to be a smoldering member of Your church, Lord. I want to burn for You. I want to be consumed with You, by You, and for You."

What about you? Are you smoldering? Does the Lord come to spend time with you, desiring to be warmed by your fervent love, your ardent passion to draw near to Him? Or does He find us smoldering...not out, but not enflamed either...just smoldering.

If this is you, there is hope, certain hope.

"A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth" Isaiah 42:3.

It's been said, "Get on fire for God, and people will come watch you burn."

Also, someone once wrote...
"One life to live
Will soon be past
What's done for Christ alone will last
And when i am dying
How glad i will be
If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee."

Catch and Release

2005-11-23T12:09:00.000-08:00

I was going to write something completely different, but as I thought on how to title it, The picture of 'Catch and Release' came to me. And the thoughts came flooding in behind the title.

When I hear 'catch and release' I automatically think of fishing. Fishing, something i am not TOO fond of, makes me think of Jesus saying to some fishermen, "Follow Me and you will become fishers of men." My mind then goes back to the first word in the title, which is 'catch'. That makes me think of Paul the apostle who said "That I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus" in Philippians 3:12.

So, The question comes to mind then, "Have you been 'caught'? Have you been apprehended? And if you have, the next question I am led to is this, "Why? For what purpose? To what end?"

More on this later...any questions or comments would be most welcome.

Doing The Impossible

2005-10-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

"Is anything to hard for the Lord?"

That is the question the Lord Himself put to Abraham in Genesis 18:14 concerning the upcoming birth of Isaac, the son of promise that was born to Abraham (100 years old) and his wife Sarah (90 years old).

"There is nothing to hard for Thee."

That is the observation and declaration of Jeremiah the prophet in Jeremiah 32:17 as he saw God doing the impossible right before his very eyes.

Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27, and Luke 1:37...Jesus twice and the angel Gabriel once.

The point?
There is nothing in your life or in mine that is impossible. No situation, no circumstance, no depression, no debt, no estarnged or starined relationship is to hard for God. All He wants is for us to trust Him and His ability to work it out in His way and in His time. Remember, He is the One who spoke light into existence. He also measures ALL of creation with the span of His hand...that's the tip of the thumb to the tip of the pinkie finger of an outstretched hand.

And He knows the numbers of the hairs upon your head. He gives you every breath. He is concerned and moved with compassion toward you and your circumstances. Will you trust Him today?

Straightway and Immediately

2005-09-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

In Mark's gospel, we see the words 'straightway' and 'immediately' used over and over.

In the 1828 Dictionary of American English, Noah Webster defines the word "Immediately' this way..."Instantly; at the present time; without delay, or the intervention of time."

I am specifically focusing in on the response we see to Jesus' call to "Follow Me" given to Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew, and John and James, sons of Zebedee. He calls both sets of brothers and 'straightway' Simon and Andrew "forsook their nets, and followed Him."

In the same manner, James and John respond as Jesus called them 'straightway', and "they left their father Zebedee in the ship" and went after Jesus.

The questions are these.

"Am I able to respond to His call 'straightway' when He calls me to follow?"

"Why or why not?"

"If yes, how do you know?"

"If no, what is keeping you from responding immediately and following Him?"

The Power of A Seeing Blind Man

2005-08-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

"Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? Let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, "It is truth.""

God says, "Let's gather together these two groups of people. The seeing blind and hearing deaf over here, and the rest of the world over here."
"Let the world bear witness of what they know...and let the blind testify of what they can now see and the deaf as to what they can hear."
"Let the world hear and agree with the tesimony of the seeing blind and the hearing deaf"..."I was blind, but now I see. I was deaf, but now I can hear."

"...And let them hear, and say, "It is truth."

Were you blind, and yet now you see? Were you deaf, but now you can hear? Think of the overwhelming and unstoppable power of a radical change taking place in your life such as this. You and I must stand up and declare, open up our mouths and bear witness to the truth that has changed us. And may the Spirit of God open their ears to hear what He would say to them...through you.

Won't you stand and declare what you can see? Will you tell them what you can now hear? The nations sit gathered together by the God they do not know in darkness, while we bask in the light where God has gathered us...What will you do? What will you say? May God help us.

"Do You Believe This?"

2005-08-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

I just preached on John 11:1-44 last Saturday in the Park.
And then I heard someone mention it Sunday, then a couple times on Monday, and it was the scripture and topic shared by Pastor Mark Foreman yesterday at the memorial service for Corey and Vorie's son Georgie...And then there was this morning at breakfast...

And the Lord's word continues to echoe in me..."Do you believe this?"
"Yes, Lord. I know you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into this world blah blah blah..."
"No. You aren't hearing Me. Do you believe this? That I am the resurrection and the life? Because if you do, you will keep My commandments."
"Oh, but Lord, if you had only been here earlier..."
"Show Me where you have given up..." And He begins to sob, to weep, to groan. "Where have you written someone/something off...Take Me there...Lead Me to the impossible and unthinkable situation in your life."
"Come and see, Lord."
"Now...take your hands, the ones you used to roll that stone in place, where you gave up on that person, that place, that plan, that impossible situation, and roll the stone away."
"Yes, but Lord..."
"You said you believed...I desire to glorify My Father in and through your life by you allowing Me to use you in simple obedience to do what I have asked you to do...Don't be afraid. I always do those things that please the Father. Just simply obey...roll the stone away."
Then we hear His command. He speaks the word of Life into a dead, rotten, stench-filled situation. The result? Life. He told us that "I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly."
Why do we hesitate to get our "hands" dirty by obeying and rolling the stone away?
Our obedience is proof, fruit if you will, that we really do believe He is the Christ, the Son of God come into the world.
Then comes then next command. "Loose him and let him go."

But that's not going to come until we have done the first thing He has asked us to do.

The Blind, The Deaf, The Lame, The Dumb...

2005-08-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing..."
"...for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert."

How can the blind be made to see? The deaf made to hear again? The lame man jump up and run and bound like the deer? The tongue of the mute...to sing? This is impossible! These things cannot happen...and yet they will. They do.

How? Because in and through the lives of those that were barren, wild, ravaged and ravenous, dead...water, that life giving, life-sustaining liquid will come bursting forth. Streams in the midst of this desert scene will be flowing through the once lifeless landscape.

In short, the impossible, the unthinkable will take place. God, by His own decree and for His own glory among the nations, will do the impossible in people's lives.

Simple Obedience...Not Easy Obedience

2005-07-01T00:27:00.000-07:00

What has God placed on your heart to do? Can you think of the one thing, the simple thing, that He desires you to do, in a simple, obedient, loving response to Him?

There may be nothing easy or 'common-sense' about it. It may be the most difficult thing you have ever done. Or it may be so easy that you simply cannot believe it. Surely, there must be something grating and awful about doing something to please God...after all, I've been such a horible example...

The point isn't really about the difficulty or the ease of the thing God may be prompting you to do, or say, or write. He wants you to simply obey. he is trying to get us to a certain place, a certain point. Are we willing, even when it seems so simple? Be caregul not to stumble or be deceived at the simplicity that is found in Christ as we walk in the Spirit.

May the Lord find in you and me the willingness to walk in faith, trusting in His ability, not ours. Clinging to His word, not ours. Standing firm in what He has asked us to do or say or write or live out in the sight of God and God alone...

One thing I know for certain...

2005-06-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing that I know for certain in these days we find ourselves in, one thing in which I have no doubt or questions regarding in daily life, hands down, it is this...

"I have no idea what God wants to do."

Though I do have a certain and great expectation of what God is preparing His people for. I am watching His hand bring people together for His plans and His purposes, again, of which I haven't the foggiest. I feel like a little kid walking along in simple amazement at how He is so faithful to lead and to guide us as His kids, by His Holy Spirit, day in and day out. All I do is ask Him over and over, again and again, to lead me throughout the day...and He does.

I will be posting more in the near future and letting you know what's going on in my little sphere...

In the meantime, you can check out my website and the audio that's there.