"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." (Matthew 13:44-46)

On Sunday Nathan talked with us about those things that are available to us when we are in Christ. As we went through the scriptures, we discovered why the passage in Matthew makes sense. Why a man would sell all he had to gain a "hidden treasure" or a "pearl of great value."

Remember the list we generated from the New Testament scriptures we read? What do we gain from our relationship with Christ? Is there anything better than those things on our list? Here is that list, to refresh your memory:

Redemption xxxxx Forgiveness xxxxxEquality
Access to God xxxxx Wisdom xxxxx Understanding
Provision xxxxx Peace xxxxx No shame xxxxx Faith
Hope xxxxx Righteousness xxxxx Freedom
Light xxxxx New creation xxxxx Brought near to God
Confident xxxxx Life xxxxx Love
No condemnation xxxxx Grace xxxxx Mercy
Body of Christ (family) xxxxx Fullness/Completeness

Which of these resonate with you? For which of these are you most thankful? How do these things compare with the temporary things of this world that you value?

Talk to me!

What Should I Do While I'm Waiting for God to Answer?"

On Sunday we talked about waiting for answers to prayer. All of us have experienced that at one time or another. We pray and we wait, and then we pray again. Do you ever wonder if God is just really busy or if He is sleeping? It brings to mind the old Andrae Crouch song

He never sleeps. He never slumbers.
He watches me both night and day.
He never sleeps. He never slumbers.
The reason I know - He told me so.

One thing I hope that you got from my message is that delayed answers to prayer always have a purpose. Let's expand on a couple of the points, shall we?

1) When answers are delayed, consider how God is preparing your life for what He has for you. Ask God what He is trying to say to you or what He wants to change in your life. God always has a plan, and part of His plan is to use things in our lives (including having to wait for an answer to prayer) for good.

He wants to accomplish something, so the best thing you can do is cooperate with that. Start seeking not only answers to your prayers, but answers to the question of what God wants to say to you and what He wants to change in you.

2) When answers are delayed, understand how God speaks in your life. If all you are listening for is the answer to your prayer, you may not hear what else God is saying to you. You will hear God best in the context of worship. If you are living your life as an act of worship to the Lord, you are much more likely to hear Him speak to you.

As a side note, part of our worship involves fellowship with believers, so it is important to be in regular fellowship with others in the body of Christ (i.e. Sunday services, small group, one on one, etc.). Why? Because sometimes God speaks through other people!

3) When answers are delayed, recognize how God evaluates your life. While you're waiting, evaluate your life and spend some time asking God what your life message is. Ask Him to show you opportunities to share His love with others, and ask Him to help you be an example of His grace to those around you.

If you put all of your faith and energy into praying fervently for an answer, you may put your life and your ministry on hold. That would mean a lot of missed opportunities to let God use you in the lives of those around you.

What are your thoughts? How do you respond to delayed answers to prayer? How do you deal with waiting for an answer? Talk to me!

The Branch

Yesterday we focused on Isaiah 11:1-16. It is a passage that is quite often passed over as confusing or hard to understand. The passage refers to Jesus as a shoot from the stump of Jesse. Jesus is also referred to as the branch that comes from that shoot. New life coming from something that is dead.

Isaiah was giving hope to the people of Israel. He was telling them that even in their "deadness," that new life would come from the Messiah.

I remember hearing a story many years ago about a man, who I will call Jack, being given the job of removing a thick growth of ivy from a wall surrounding a large piece of property. He was working hard at the task. This was a job that would not be accomplished in days or even weeks. He hacked and he cut back and then hacked some more. It was slow going.

At some point, a gentleman came by. The man stood and observed Jack working for a few minutes, and then walked over and asked if he could offer some advice. Jack was willing to hear anything that would help.

The man simply said, "Go along the bottom of the wall and cut the roots. Come back in a few days, and you will have dead vines to deal with. They'll come out much easier."

What a concept!

The reason that worked so well is this: If the thick growth of vines was not connected to the roots, they would die. It is much easier to remove dead branches and growth than it is to remove live ones.

The spiritual application is obvious. Stay connected to Jesus, the Vine. If we don't, we will die spiritually. From the Vine, we get life, health, and fruitfulness. Apart from the Vine, we get spiritual frailty and barrenness and, yes, death.

Jesus said it best:

"I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing." - John 15:5

Stay connected to the Vine. We literally depend on the Vine for our very lives, and we cannot function without Him.