Obedience is better then…

Obedience is better then…

Sacrifice…

BUT…



Is all sacrifice obedience?

We Christian’s like to throw out that verse a lot.. Obedience is better then sacrifice.. but what does it mean? Is it a reference to that fact that if I disobey that a sacrifice is required? That my obedience is better then the death of Christ on the cross? That if we only would have obeyed, God would have been happier with that then watching His son die for our disobedience?

Honestly, I’m not sure.

However, in the last few days, I started looking at this verse with a different view point… what if the phrase.. “obedience is better then sacrifice” is more to the point of.. obedience is going to require sacrifice, and to sacrifice something obediently is much better then just sacrificing something. So it boils down to the intent and attitude of the heart…



So, are you sacrificing something just to not do it, or are you doing it out of obedience to what God says?

The basics of sacrifice…

Sacrifice…

Sometimes I really hate that word. Ok, most of the time. Fine.. all the time. But honestly, who really likes to sacrifice?

Better question.. what is sacrifice? One of my students said it best.. the giving of something that means a lot to you, which coincidentally matches up with the definition that I found online

So, if I give it up and it means nothing, that wouldn’t be sacrifice.. like.. for me, it’s not a sacrifice to give up on spinach. Seriously, that stuff is nasty. Anywho..you get my drift.



It’s got to cost us something to give up for it to be sacrifice..it has too.

So, my question today is.. what is it that you are not willing to sacrifice?

A joyful heart…

Have you ever been in the place where you are just feeling overwhelmed, stressed, under appreciated, in a funk?

Yeah, me either. However, if you happen to be one of those who can be honest about where you stand at the moment, I hope these words find a way into your heart, like they have mine…

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Prov 17:22

I read that today, and instantly recognized why I enjoy certain people when I am down. They bring with them a joyfulness that becomes infectious. You can’t help but just want to be near them.

A day later…

Well, I just had an interesting night. Was planning on having some down time, hanging out with my wife. That was until one of our kids from youth reached out to me because she had just had a run in with an ex boyfriend that left her emotionally frazzled. My wife invited her over to the house for dinner and to socialize. Ended up having 6 other young adults show up and we watched two hours of Perry Noble. By the end of it, all the guys had left, and I retired into my room for the night, leaving my wife, this young lady and another female to discuss what had happened.

Through the process, my wife ministered to this young lady, sharing with her verses from the bible, and just pouring into her the hope that is found in Christ.

It would have been easy for me to just take my much needed night off and just be selfish with it. But instead, God was moving in the day to bring my wife and I to a place, where a young lady, who was crushed in spirit and crying out for help, got the opportunity to be surrounded by her friends and just be ministered too.

Did it make everything alright for her? Probably not, but it did let her know that she has significance, it did let her know that she is cared for, and it did allow her to be around others who had joyful hearts. And at the end of the day.. we all need that.

Plus God is totally AWESOME!

The Warrior

Invincible. Indestructible. Unstoppable. Unshakable. Fierce.

Words that I would love to use to describe myself. Yet, I struggle with the basics. I yearn to be that warrior that I know God has called me to be. I desire inside my core to strike out and become who He see’s me as. That unstoppable warrior who is unashamed and unabashed at living fiercely for my King and Savior.

Yet, even with such desire, I find that I fail. I see this warrior chained to a wall, slumped in the mud, covered in dirt and grime, sword just out of reach. Powerless.

How did I get here. All by myself, of my own accord.

But how do I get free? A much more important question. It is through Christ that I find my freedom. He who the Spirit sets free is free indeed. However, does this freedom mean I can do whatever I want? At what price did this freedom come? How much did it cost me?

I am free. By the grace of God and through his abundant mercy showed to me while I was yet still stuck in the mud, chained to the wall. I am free. To serve.

See, the reality of it is we will always serve one of two masters. We will serve the world, ourselves, our sinful nature. Ultimately serving the devil’s wicked schemes to destroy us.

Or, we will serve the Lord, and realize that those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength, they will mount up with wings as eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.

Rise up, warrior of God, stand with your armor on, realizing that it is Jesus IN you, living THROUGH you, FOR Him..

and after doing all..

To Stand..

I stand corrected… kinda..

Ok, mark this day down in your books.. I stand corrected.. kinda.. What do I mean by that? Read on, and find out..