The Great Commission

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lc6GBR6eOg

Living between "Once upon a time" and "Happily ever after".

This is not a fairy tale. It is completely and totally true. And its wonder far surpasses that of a child's bed time story. It contains the majesty of the very power of God Almighty.
"Once upon a time..." I was drowning in my sin. Shackled in a prison cell I could not escape the dragon. I had been enslaved me from birth and my end was destruction. There was no hope. And the worst part was that I was unaware of these things.
Then came Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Lovingly He opened my eyes to my bondage and led me towards His light. Heroically he payed the ultimate price to rescue and to pardon me. In awe, though His grace I responded in faith and begged forgiveness. Instantly the eternal work of the cross was applied to my account, my name was written in His book, I was washed of my sins, I was adopted into His heavenly family, eternal life was breathed into me, all condemnation was removed, the Holy Spirit was given me as a "down payment" of more to come, all the riches of His grace were bestowed upon me, I was eternally predestined to be conformed to the Image of Himself, made co-heir, and so much more that it will take eternity to discover all that happened when I believed.
All of these wonders happened without me ever literally laying eyes on my Prince. Though I felt His presence with me and have His Holy Spirit, His physical body is seated at the right hand of God. His word tells me that I will see Him when He returns for me; but until then I am living between "Once upon at time" and "Happily ever after." Don't get me wrong; it is not that I am unhappy or think He did something wrong!Living between is a privilege, a high calling. He could have taken me straight to be with Him but instead He chose to use me! Me! The helpless blind idiot. He said through His power I would become strong to do the impossible task He had for me. With Him all things are possible.
And so living between "Once upon a time" and "Happily ever after" is exactly where I will stay until He comes for me. I will be content in this circumstance and even thrive!  For though I long to be with my Lord ( can I say that again? I LONG TO BE WITH MY LORD)  in His "Happily ever after" kingdom, I have unfinished business here. What about you? Will you live wishing for "Happily ever after" to come sooner? Or will you be content to live between  "Once upon a time" and "Happily ever after" for now?

The Gospel

The very ugliest of ugliness (besides the tempter) is the human soul without Christ. Entirely apart from God it is apart from all light, goodness, and beauty. It is the epitome of selfishness, laziness, greed, etc. and is utterly deceitful and desperately wicked.
But God in His great mercy loved us while we were yet enslaved in the muck, and sent His righteous son to impute that righteousness to out account. Through His act of  sacrifice (death on the cross)  we become dead to our old enslaved self and through His victory, (rising from the dead)alive in Him! Hallelujah!
The most Beautiful thing in the universe is God. The creator of beauty chose to turn the ugliest into a reflection of His beauty. He has brought us out of the darkness and into the light! And now we are bond-slaves  to the epitome of goodness  and loveliness to the only one who will never fail, fall, or change! What better life could we ask for? http://www.ellerslie.com/The_Gospel.html

When I say "I'm a Christian"...

When I say that 'I am a Christian', I am not shouting that 'I am clean living.
I'm whispering 'I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow!
-Author Unknown

Rest

"Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

-Jesus in Matt.11:28 (Italics mine)

Rest. What comes to mind at that word? A pillow, maybe, a good book. For some a few minutes in front of the TV. But what is true rest?

Rest for those who have believed in Jesus Christ is a time to draw near to Him, and for Him to draw near to you. True rest cannot be attained unless it is given by its Creator. So you cannot have true rest unless you know Jesus. Also, you must "come away" from the noise and rush of life. Many people have called this coming away a "Quiet Time". "But, you may say, a quiet time is not required to be a christian!" That is correct. But requirements for salvation is not what is being discussed. Though it is not required, to truly grow in Christ there must be fellowship. At its core that is what true rest is, simple closeness to your Creator. It does not require a physical separation from your surroundings (though that does help).  To rest in close fellowship with your Creator is the sweetest relaxation known to man. 

You may at this point be wondering "Is it even possible to be that close to God?" The answer is "YES!" That question brings us to what true rest requires. 

First of all, rest requires that all sin be confessed. Close fellowship with God is always marred by unconfessed or unforsaken sin. 

Second, it requires focus. You must be fully focused on God. That is way being alone and undistracted is important.

What are the results of rest? 

Perfect Peace (John 14:27)

A Closer Walk (James 4:8) 

Rest is essential to the Christian walk. Without rest the follower will simply become burned out, worn down and altogether exhausted.  You cannot effectively serve without rest.