What do you do?

What do you do, when something comes in between you and the most important thing in your life?

So just to update you who are reading.... I graduated form Chico State late June of this year.  I decided to accept a job in the Bay Area, more specifically in the east bay.  The job I took was a sales rep position for Gallo Winery.  It seemed perfect right? I wanted a job, I had one.  I wanted to be independent financially, I was.  I wanted to be a big boy and live life without my parents help, I was.  I mean this is what I have been working for, a future, a career, a job, a sense of purpose, as if I made it...right? Well 5 1/2 months later, about to come out of the busiest time of the year for this job, I have a completely different perspective on all those things that I thought I wanted, let me fill in the blanks.

The most important thing to me is my relationship with Jesus Christ.  I have been high, I have been low, I have tried to do life by myself, I have had moments of victory, I have had moments of doubt, I have had moments of shame, I have had moments of joy, but what happens when you realize that everything you ever wanted wasn't necessarily what you needed?

This job is demanding, this job requires early wake up calls, this job requires high levels of detail oriented skills and organization, ontop of amazing relational skills.  But a question came to my head the other day, "if you don't see yourself moving up in this company, what are you doing here?  If you aren't called to the work world, what are you doing here?"


Since I have taken this job, I have gotten a better perspective on where I am currently.  For example, a sense of purpose and financial security. But on the other hand, I have no time to dedicate time to spending with the Lord, and my relationship with him has become a memory.  Our walks with God do not come natural, and they sure as heck don't come easy, but when you are suffering from sheer exhaustion and working 12+ hour days and trying to fit everything you need into the day, He gets taken out of the picture very quickly.

So my question is, what do you do when something comes in between you and the most important thing in your life?

It has been a minute!

So, I realized that I can write a paragraph of why I have been MIA or just get straight into it....Good choice... straight into it.

Today I was reading the word and came across this passage in the beginning of John 12.... let's look at it.

1-4 "Six days before the Passove, celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus - the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus' honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, That perfume was worth a year's wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor."

So imagine this setting.... Jesus has just raised Lazarus who was dead for 4+ days and he and the "gang" are around the table most likely talking about how awesome Jesus is.(at least that is what I would be doing) Then Mary goes back to her room and opens this hefty jar.  Instantly the room fills with this amazing smell.... if you have driven through an orange orchard while its blossoming you will know exactly what I am talkinga bout.  The smell goes into the living room where everyone is gathered. Mary then procedes to sit at Jesus' feet... most likely cupping her hands and pouring this into Jesus' feet.  But here is where I want you to pay attention.... This jar 1. smelled amazing... 2. was being poured out on Jesus' feet...(making a mess) 3. was worth a years wages. .........
$20,000? $40,000? $90,000?

The question I am asking myself and procede to ask you as well...... Are you willing to give Jesus a years worth of wages?

One thing I ask also is that I am going to Mexico on Saturday-Saturday... I would just ask for your prayers for safety, and also that Jesus' just shows up on this trip as we build houses and share the love of Christ with everyone and anyone around.

Always

It's easy to get discouraged when things aren't going your way, but holding onto the promise and knowing God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain, suffering, stress, etc.  Just remember, the next time your little hut is burning to the ground, it may just be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.  For all the negative things we have to say about ourselves, situation and or thoughts... He has that many more positive things to say. He knows yours pains, He knows where you are and He says... Hebrew 13:5 Jesus says, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you."He always has His phone on Him and will always answer when you call, no matter what.

Pictures speak....

It's my birfday yo!

It's been a while I realize since I posted but that has no correlation to what God is doing! Let me just start off by saying this... I love the rain and it is totally raining on my birthday as I sit in my favorite coffee shop and read my word.  Best birthday gift ever honestly.  But! I wanted to share something about what my dad said to me over winter break..... He told me, "It is a gift to know God," and that has really stuck with me.  I don't want to go into much detail with that but I want you to just read that and think about it.... it is a gift to know God.

Reflecting on my 23 years of life, I have realized and am so humbled that God thought of me when he created the earth, universe and everyone and thing in it.  Wow.... and people say that God isn't personal?
hmm...

I am really scatter brained right now but I wanted to share what I am reading in Daniel which really hit me hard and made me realize more and more that I want this as a man of God.
Daniel 6:4-10 "Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn't find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. So they concluded, "our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion." So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, "Long live King Darius! We are all in agreement - we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers and governors - that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human - except to you, your majesty - will be thrown into the den of lions. And now, your majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked." So King Darius signed the law. But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God."


I would encourage you to read more but I want to stop there for now and just go on with my point.  How awesome is that? Daniel was a man that just wanted to be the Lord's man.  He had seen what God can do to the highest of rulers and he had seen much of God and heard from him.  I want to be just like Daniel, when I hear that one day it is illegal to worship God....go behind closed doors and do as I always do, kneel before God.  But I can tell you I am far from that courage and boldness.  The reason why I bring this up is I just want to make sure this isn't just a heart check for me.  Since God is unchanging, all that He is doesn't change.  So why would we change our worship and devotion to Him?

I want to wrap it up with this passage in Daniel in the middle of chapter 9 verse 22 toward the end Gabriel a messenger of God comes to Daniel and he gives him a message...."And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God." WE ARE PRECIOUS TO GOD!!!! Ya you know, the one who made everything... the one who keeps everything that lives ALIVE.... That is how precious...

So to wrap all this up, we are precious to God, so the next time you have a minute, STOP and thank God for making you precious, it says that His thoughts for you are outnumbered and He never stops those thoughts....

The call of Elisha

Like I said, I have been reading through 1&2 Kings and yesterday I touched on how God saw these kings of the  Old Testament.  Today I wanted to share a little about the other thing that really grabbed my attention while reading through.

If you are not familiar, Elisha was a prophet of God, aka a mouthpiece of God.  He was the predecessor of Elijah, go figure! Now I'm not going to go into detail of who Elijah and Elisha is, if you want to know read 1&2 Kings.  But the thing that really grabbed me is, when Elijah called Elisha to follow him, it says here in 1 Kings 19:19 "So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field." You are probably saying, okay Scott, why are you telling me this? Congrats, he was plowing a field when Elijah found him. THAT EXACTLY THE POINT! Just like our walks with God, I know for me I want to be found, when I am called by the Lord to something specific, I want to be found at work! It didn't say, Elijah found Elisha sitting around passing the time by.  NO!!! Elisha had no clue Elijah was coming, and that is exactly the thing, we have no clue when the Lord is going to call us into for example, a ministry, a job opportunity, or even call us home.  I know one thing though, I want to be found plowing the field, at work with my hands for the kingdom and you should to if you know who the Lord is and know what He is asking of your life.

Luke 9:62 "Jesus told him, Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God."

No 'buts'

I have decided to read through 1&2 Kings and the Lord has been showing me a few things reading through and wanted to share a little about two things specifically.

The major theme of the book of Kings is, you guessed it, different reigns of kings within Israel, Judah and others.  But everytime a king is introduced, it goes straight into how he was viewed in the eyes of the Lord as a king. There are 3 different examples of this that I will share.
For example, 2 Kings 17:1-2 "Hoshea son of Elah began to rule over Israel in the twelfth year of King Ahaz's reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria nine years. He did what was EVIL in the Lord's sign, BUT not to the extent sa the kings of Israel who ruled before him."

2 Kings 15:34-35 "Jotham did what was PLEASING in the Lord's sight. He did everything his father, Uzziah, had done... BUT! he did not destroy the pagan shrine, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there."

2 Kings 18:3-4 "Hezekiah did what was PLEASING in the Lord's sight, just as his ancestor David had done. He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan."

Do you see what I am talking about? After every BUT there is nothing but bad things to be said, even if he was pleasing before the Lord.  I don't want a BUT next to my name before the Lord, and I think that is what we all should be striving for.  Think about it... what is it in your life that you know is not pleasing to the Lord? I mean it isn't like these things are hiding somewhere, no it is obvious to you.  Look at Hezekiah!!! There are no BUTS! it just goes straight into what he did that was pleasing to the Lord.  I am not sure about you, that is exactly what I want.... Not a BUT next to my name. Nothing good ever comes after BUT, well at least that I can think of.  As men & women of God we should be striving to please the Lord, but even more than that, removing the BUTS!


Tomorrow I will post on the other thing that really grabbed my attention, it has to do with Elisha.