“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Prov 3:5-6 (NIV) Trust God with the remainder of your days. Your departure from planet earth has already been scheduled by God. He knows when you will take your final breath of earthly air. God is all-knowing and God is eternal. He sees the entirety of your life. He already knows every decision you will make and every path that you will take. In His foreknowledge, God already knows what the final chapter of your earthly existence looks like. Are you willing to trust God with your life? Are you willing to place your life completely in His hands? Live your remaining days with the focus and tenacity of a passionate follower of Christ. Don’t rely on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge the sovereignty of God. Live with the awareness of God’s purity, power, and perspective. God is for you. He demonstrated His love for you before you had a chance to weigh in on the transaction (Romans 5:8). God took the initiative to bring you into a love relationship with Himself. Place God first in your life (Matt. 6:33) and He will make your paths straight. Give Him the proper place of allegiance and loyalty. God deserves your devotion and your worship. Make no room for apathy or lethargy. With the time you have left on this earth, trust God with all of your heart. Allow your love relationship with Him to demonstrate who you are and whose you are! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Author: Stephen Trammell
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15:4 (NIV) How will you live before you go? Your time on earth is limited. James compares life to a mist that appears and then vanishes (James 4:14). Compared to eternity, our time on earth is brief. Yet, how you choose to live your life on planet earth has eternal implications. Each moment matters for eternity. Jesus identifies the abiding relationship made available to you. Without having an abiding relationship with Jesus, you cannot bear fruit. He is the vine. He is the source of real life. You are the branch. Your role in the relationship is to stay connected to the vine. You become the conduit through which Jesus bears His fruit. Your fruitfulness is proportionate to your abiding relationship with Jesus. To remain in Christ is to stay connected to Him through a growing relationship with Him. Once you have established the connection through your faith in the completed work of Jesus on the cross, your eternal relationship with Christ is solidified. Now that you know Christ personally, you are to grow in your relationship with Christ progressively. Moment by moment you enjoy the abiding relationship whereby you experience His life flowing through you. As the life of Christ flows through you, His life is expressed through you to a watching world. Fruit is evidenced as a result of your abiding relationship with Christ. Stay connected! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” 1 Thess 4:16-17 (NIV) If you are a child of God, then there is no need to fear death. You will either experience the rapture or the resurrection. If you are still alive when Jesus comes for His Bride, you will be raptured. You will be snatched up from your earthly existence. However, if you die before the the Rapture occurs, you will not experience the sting of death (I Cor. 15:55). To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6-8). The moment you take your last breath on earth, you are ushered instantaneously into the Presence of the Lord. Are you Rapture ready? Have you solidified your spiritual status? Do you have the assurance of salvation? The Bible is clear that you can know that you have eternal life. “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:11-12 (NIV) “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13 (NIV) Revisit the day of your salvation. Spend some time tracing the spiritual markers in your life. Thank God for His assurance of your salvation. Now that you are Rapture ready, invest your life in making a Kingdom impact for the glory of God. Make your life count for eternity! Pursuing God Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Teachability (7)
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” 2 Peter 1:5-7 (NIV) Warm memories flood my mind as I think about our annual tradition of adding lights to the outside of my house growing up. Each Christmas, my brother and I would go up into the attic to retrieve the Christmas lights. We would spend hours untangling them and threading them throughout the shrubbery. Each bush would be covered in lights. We would also get up on the roof to strategically place lights along the edge of the roofline. Each year, we would add to our collection of lights. It was a blast! Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. You house the Spirit of God. Your daily privilege is adding to what God has begun in your life. The faith that you were given by God to become His child and to be adopted into His family is the faith that God wants you to add to. Adorn your faith with goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Add these to your life as you would add Christmas lights to your house. These qualities are to be added to your faith by a conscious decision. You are in the process of becoming who you are in Christ. You are in motion. You get to participate with God in your development. Be teachable. Allow God to show you areas of your life that need improvement. Cooperate with God in building you into the man or woman of God that He created you to be. “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:8 (NIV) What are you adding to the temple of the Holy Spirit? You are the walking tabernacle of God’s Presence. You may be the only Jesus others see in their lifetime. What will they see? What are you becoming? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Teachability (6)
“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:4 (NIV) Where do you lack? That’s a personal question to say the least, but an important one to consider. God’s desire is for you to be complete, not lacking anything. One of the tools God uses is the conduit of perseverance. Why would you need to embrace perseverance? Living the Christian life in the laboratory of our fallen world demands a response. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you get to choose your response. You can persevere or you can buckle. You can breakthrough or you can break down. Perseverance is a mark of a maturing Christian. As you mature spiritually, you learn how to respond to adversity. Your response to adversity reveals your level of spiritual maturity and develops your spiritual maturity. The process includes your teachability. What will you learn from the chisel of adversity? Will you become bitter or will you become better? God values your maturity. God wants you to be complete. Rely on God’s power to persevere in this life. Your perseverance informs your spiritual maturity and impacts your eternity. God is building you. You are still in process! You are still on the assembly line! Be patient, God is working! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Teachability (5)
“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!” Heb 5:11-12 (NIV) How long have you been a child of God? When did you have your conversion experience? Recount the moment you turned from your sin and confessed Jesus as Lord of your life. Now take a look at your life now compared to then. How much have you grown spiritually since the day of your salvation? What has changed over the years related to your spiritual maturity? As you grow spiritually, you develop an appetite for the meat of God’s Word. You move from the elementary truths of God’s Word to the deeper things of God. There is a clear process of movement from milk to meat. If you have been a follower of Christ for several years, then your appetite ought to give evidence to the level of your spiritual maturity. If you are slow to learn, then it is time to examine your level of teachability. When you are teachable, you receive, believe, and apply God’s Word. Your teachability enables you to experience progress in your spiritual journey. Feeding on God’s Word becomes a delight instead of a duty. What is your level of spiritual maturity? What is keeping you from reaching your God-given potential? God has designed you for physical and spiritual growth. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Teachability (4)
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Romans 8:29 (NIV) We take comfort in knowing that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rm. 8:28). Our comfort is found in the sovereignty of God, knowing that He is on His throne and has the final say. Yet, there is more to the purposes of God than our comfort. God also treasures our conformity to Christ. The ultimate goal for the believer is to be conformed to the image of Christ. To become like Christ requires our participation. God provides the environments and opportunities for our transformation. We get to join God in His redemptive activity. Our teachability determines the level of our conformity. Are we responsive to God’s corrective measures? Are we sensitive to God’s prompting? “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will–to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Eph 1:4-6 (NIV) God’s desire for us is that we operate as holy and blameless in His sight. We are clean before Him because we have received the imputed righteousness of Christ. However, there is a practical daily response to God’s work to conform us into the image of Christ. When you stand before God one day to give an account for your life, how many adjustments will be needed in order for you to be completely like Christ? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Teachability (3)
“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” Eph 4:14-15 (NIV) Your stability is linked to your teachability. Are you grounded in God’s Word? The anchor holds! In this life on planet earth, your faith will be challenged. Your beliefs will undergo scrutiny. The values you hold dear will be resisted. The world’s system and the anti-Christian culture will seek to dominate the landscape of your faith. Are you able to grow spiritually in a hostile environment? You must make a decision to conform to the culture or to confront the culture. As you grow spiritually, your roots will go deeper and your stability will become more evident. Notice that in all things you will grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. In all types of situations and scenarios, you can grow. Regardless of your current reality, you can and should grow. Maybe you are facing a challenging situation or a difficult relationship and wonder how you will grow in the midst. The good news is that God can cause you to grow through whatever you are facing. God does not waste the difficulties we face. God will bring you through at a deeper level than you entered the circumstances. Remain teachable. Allow God to form you and fashion you through the challenges of life. Let God strengthen your resolve to remain faithful at all costs. Finish strong! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Teachability (2)
“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Eph 4:11-13 (NIV) Where do you fit in this picture? God has placed equippers in your life to help you develop into a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. God has placed a systematic process within the local church to promote spiritual maturity. Are you an intentional part of the process? Take a close look at your level of participation in the life of the local church family. Are you being built up? Are you reaching unity in the faith and in the knowledge of Jesus and becoming mature? Are you attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ? What is your level of teachability? Your spiritual maturity will be proportionate to your teachability. Are you teachable as you listen to your pastor’s message? Are you teachable as you sit under the teaching of a godly small group leader? Are you teachable as you spend time alone with God in prayer and Bible reading? Make the most of the opportunities God has given you to grow spiritually. Maximize the moments you sit under anointed teaching from God’s Word. Move from hearing and reading God’s Word to applying God’s Word in daily living. Live out what God is depositing in you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Teachability (1)
“Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’” Luke 23:43 (NIV) The thief on the cross received the greatest gift of all, the gift of eternal life. In our vernacular, we would say that he was in the ninth inning with two outs and a full count. His next decision would determine his future. When the thief made the decision to turn to Christ, his forever was radically changed. Instead of going to hell, the thief, now as a newly converted child of God, went to heaven. We rejoice in the immense mercy and grace Jesus demonstrated upon the cross for this thief. However, this thief had no time to grow spiritually and to develop his spiritual muscles. Was he authentically saved? Yes! Did he have time to develop into a mature follower of Christ? No! Fortunately, you have the privilege of knowing Christ personally and growing in your love relationship with Him. The challenge for you is not the matter of salvation, but the matter of sanctification. Are you growing? Are you becoming who Christ made you to be? You have both the privilege and responsibility to maximize the time you have in order to grow spiritually. What have you learned so far in your spiritual journey? Life on earth is a classroom of preparation for the life to come. How are you utilizing what God has given you with the time you have? Are you intentional about your spiritual maturation? Are you growing in your love relationship with Jesus? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple.’” Luke 14:25-26 (NIV) Idolatry is a word we seldom use. Whenever you allow someone or something to take the place of God in your life, you commit the sin of idolatry. The first and second of the Ten Commandments speak to this concept directly (Ex. 20:3-4). Whatever or whomever becomes the object of your worship becomes your idol. Jesus infuses this earthly tendency of ours into His teaching on becoming a disciple. To become a follower of Jesus Christ, you must be willing to remove the idols in your life. Your loyalty to Christ is to be unmatched and undivided. Jesus becomes your focus and the object of your worship, devotion, and loyalty. The fifth commandment of the Ten Commandments refers to the honoring of our parents (Ex. 20:12). Jesus is not contradicting the fifth commandment. He does not want you to dishonor your parents. Jesus is saying that your love for Him should be such a priority, that in comparison, your love for your family would look like hate. Your love, loyalty, and devotion to Jesus is to be your top priority and the expressed passion of your life. Don’t allow anything or anyone to compete for that place in your life. Don’t allow anything or anyone to rob your allegiance to the One who gave His life for you. Jesus has already demonstrated His selfless and sacrificial love. Now, it’s your turn to demonstrate your selfless and sacrificial love for Jesus. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matt 5:43-45 (NIV) Loving the lovable is not much of a challenge. But, to love those who are difficult to love requires a new perspective and a new enabling. God not only wants us to love our neighbor as ourselves, but to also love our enemies. Some people are hard to love. Jesus brings a new dimension to the concept of love in His Sermon on the Mount. Not only are we to love our enemies, but we are to pray for those who persecute us. Showing love to those who have wounded us is only possible by the enabling of the Lord Jesus. “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:23 (NIV) “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” 2 Tim 1:12 (NIV) Jesus is our pattern for loving our enemies. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20 (NIV) Is it possible to love God and hate your brother? Can you have the love of God residing in you and at the same time have hatred toward others festering in your spirit? The duplicity seems to be incongruent to the life of love that God calls us to and that Jesus exemplified on the earth. Turn inward for a moment and examine your own current reality. Is there anyone you are fertilizing hatred toward? Do you have someone in your life to whom your love has extinguished and your hatred has ignited? Doing life in a fallen world is inundated with landmines of hatred. You will not lack opportunities to be wounded by hurtful words and by harmful people. People will let you down. You cannot love God and hate others at the same time without your relationship with God being affected. God’s love in you demands expression. When you choose to hate the people God created and the people Jesus died for, you restrict God’s love within you. God wants you to hate what He hates and love what He loves. God passionately hates sin, but passionately loves the sinner. Who is your brother? Who is your sister? How would God define your level of love? You will notice daily tests that reveal the authenticity of your love for others. Do you love God? Do you love others? Loving God and loving people is the entirety of the Bible for present day expression. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:21-24 (NIV) God took the initiative to come to your rescue. Have you ever questioned your own value and worth? That’s a normal part of life. Everyone wants to feel valued and valuable. God established your value by taking the initiative to rescue you from your sin and to robe you in His righteousness. God has made His righteousness known through His Word and the Word made flesh (John 1:14). When you place your faith in the completed work of Jesus on the cross, you receive the righteousness of Christ. The truth is that we have all sinned and fall short of God’s glory. We have missed the mark of His perfection and His holiness. Yet, God chose to justify us freely by His grace through the redemption that came through Jesus. God took the initiative to demonstrate His selfless and sacrificial love. Before you decided what you would do with God, God decided what to do with you. Before you turned to God, God turned to you! Your value is measured by the price He paid to remove your sin and to robe you in His righteousness. You are valued and you are valuable to God. His love for you is the certification of your value. What will you do with the love God has shown you? How will you treat others now that you have experienced God’s love firsthand? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1 (NIV) Jesus gave so freely to others. His compassion is without comparison. He caused the lame to walk, the mute to speak, the deaf to hear, and the blind to see. Children were drawn to Him and His love for them was unmatched. Jesus simply loved people. The public ministry of Jesus was visible, tangible, and contagious. He was an irresistible influence. His love for people also had a private dimension. We are invited into an intimate setting where the evening meal is being served and Jesus is surrounded by His disciples. Jesus captured this moment to show them the full extent of His love. Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet. Think about that for a moment. The master chose to serve. Jesus embraced an act of kindness that demonstrated His security and His selfless love. The Son of God chose to serve sinful man. The removal of dirt from their feet was a selfless portrait of love that was a preview of the sacrificial love Jesus would demonstrate upon the cross. Are you willing to show the full extent of your love for others? Are you willing to express the selfless and sacrificial love of Jesus to others? Maybe God will bring someone to mind for your consideration. Maybe God will bring someone in your path today that needs to know that kind of love. Be ready to release God’s love! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’” Gen 3:8-9 (NIV) God demonstrated His selfless and sacrificial love in the Garden of Eden. As Adam and Eve were trying to hide from God due to their willful disobedience, God asked Adam a question that revealed the heart of God and the sinfulness of man. God called to Adam, “Where are you?” The truth is that God knew exactly where Adam was both physically and spiritually. God did not need Adam to identify his location. God wanted Adam to consider and contemplate his own personal spiritual state. God wanted Adam to recognize his disobedience and rebellion. God demonstrated sacrificial love as He killed an animal that He created in order to provide covering and cleansing for Adam and Eve. “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” Gen 3:21 (NIV) “So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Gen 3:23-24 (NIV) God’s provision taught Adam and Eve that the shedding of blood was necessary for the removal of sin. The demonstration of selfless and sacrificial love also taught Adam and Eve that sin comes at a high cost. Adam and Eve received God’s forgiveness, but had to suffer the consequences of their sin. They were banished from the Garden of Eden. God’s selfless and sacrificial love includes tough love. Think of ways in which God has demonstrated His selfless and sacrificial love in your life. You may want to revisit the spiritual markers in your life and assess them based on God’s selfless and sacrificial love. It could be that you can identify times in your life when God had to practice tough love and allow you to suffer the natural consequences that parade behind your choices. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” Gen 3:6-7 (NIV) Have you ever inherited anything? You may have inherited some furniture, jewelry, or money from a loved one who passed away. Perhaps you have not ever been in an official capacity to inherit earthly goods as of yet. There is one thing we have in common with every human being who has ever lived, who is currently alive, or who will be born. That one common thread is inheriting the sin nature from our relatives, Adam and Eve. That’s right! You can trace your family tree all the way back to Adam and Eve. We have inherited their sin nature. Adam and Eve were both selfish and selfless. Eve selfishly put her way above God’s way by doubting God’s Word and succumbing to the serpent’s temptation. Eve was selfless in that she gave some of the forbidden fruit to her husband, Adam. Adam was selfish in that he also disobeyed God’s instruction and placed his own personal desire above God’s instruction. In their fallen state, they did exhibit selflessness in sowing fig leaves together and making coverings for themselves. Actually, they were trying to cover up their sin. Why do we do the things we do? Why do we willfully walk through doors we should not enter and cross bridges we should not cross? Why do we operate in the cycle of selfishness? It all goes back to the Garden of Eden. We are simply feeding the sin nature that we inherited. Hope is on the way! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Passion in Action (7)
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Gal 2:20 (NIV) Are you dying to live? You can spend your entire life trying to figure out how to really live. Your constant pursuit can be saturated with seeking to discover life. Meanwhile, life happens while you are trying to get a grasp on life. Paul gives tremendous insight into the life God has for you. In order to live, you must die. The life God has for you is really not your life. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you have been crucified with Christ. You have already died to yourself so that Christ can live in you. Don’t miss the parallel. You died so that Christ can live in you and through you. Yet, the life you now live in the body is lived by faith in Jesus, who loved you and gave himself for you. You are dying to live. “Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.’” Luke 9:23-24 (NIV) “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” Romans 8:11 (NIV) Put your passion in action by allowing Jesus to live His life in and through you. Give Jesus the reins to your life and let Him have His way in you. Surrender to His Lordship and submit to His prompting. Your passion will be evidenced by your obedience. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Passion in Action (6)
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” 1 Cor 9:24 (NIV) Life is not a sprint, but a marathon. The Greeks had two athletic festivals: the Olympic games and the Isthmian games. Paul’s audience would immediately connect this running imagery with the Isthmian games in their city of Corinth. Instead of receiving a gold, silver, or bronze medal like in our current day Olympics, only one prize was awarded in the Isthmian games. The winning runner would receive a wreath. Nothing was awarded to the runner who came in second or third. Only one person got the prize! Paul is encouraging us as believers to run in such a way as to get that prize. We are to live the Christian life with passion. God desires our best and God deserves our best. So, how are you running the Christian race? Are you running with passion? Too often, we divert our passion to other venues. We rob God and we give our best to that which has no eternal value. How you live is just as important as how much time you have left on this earth. The quality of your life is just as vital as the quantity of your remaining days. How will you live your life? If you had less than one month to live, would your passion in the race of life be vertical? Would your passion for God and His agenda be evident? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Passion in Action (5)
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil 1:3-6 (NIV) The Apostle Paul demonstrated his love for the church at Philippi by his passionate intercession for them. He prayed with joy because of their partnership in the gospel. He prayed with confidence knowing that God began a good work in them and would bring it to completion. Paul’s prayer life was energized by his love for the believers at Philippi. Paul was not alone. The Holy Spirit joined in the divine communication by interceding for the saints in Philippi. Jesus interceded for them from the right hand of God in heaven. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” Romans 8:26-27 (NIV) “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Romans 8:34 (NIV) When you pray for others, you have the divine privilege of joining the Holy Spirit and Jesus in the ministry of intercession. Put your passion in action by embracing the ministry of intercessory prayer. Who will you begin to pray for today? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Passion in Action (4)
“‘Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.’” Josh 24:14-15 (NIV) Joshua’s passion for God was contagious. He was willing to take responsibility for the spiritual condition of his home. Joshua made a bold proclamation that as for he and his household, they would serve the Lord. He did not apologize for his passion to obey God. His loyalty to God was expressed through his passion for God. Joshua’s passion to lead his family spiritually impacted the nation. “‘Now then,’ said Joshua, ‘throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.’” Josh 24:23 (NIV) “And the people said to Joshua, ‘We will serve the LORD our God and obey him.’” Josh 24:24 (NIV) It is interesting that Joshua did not ask the people to do anything he had not already done. Joshua put his passion in action by leading his family to revere and serve the Lord. Now the people could respond to his example and to his exhortation. Are you putting your passion in action in such as way as to impact your family and those in your sphere of influence? Is your passion for God contagious or difficult to detect? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Passion in Action (3)
“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” Romans 10:1-4 (NIV) Paul identifies the possibility of being zealous for God and yet not being saved. Paul examined the fruit of the Israelites in his day and detected their zeal for God. He noticed that their zeal was not based on knowledge. As a result, their pursuit of righteousness was faulty. They were unwilling to submit to God’s righteousness and as a result they failed to recognize Christ. “It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.” Prov 19:2 (NIV) Don’t allow your zeal to blind you from truth. Before you put your passion in action, make sure you are grounded in the truth of God’s revelation. God has made His salvation plan known. Make certain of your personal born again experience. Revisit your conversion and trace your zeal from that moment to now. What if you had less than one month to live? How would you inform your passion in order to properly unleash your passion for the things of God? Stay in the know. Invest time in securing a daily intake of God’s Word. If you want to know the heart of God, read His Word. If you want to know the blessings of God, obey His Word. God honors obedience! If you want to put your passion in action, be zealous to know and obey God’s Word! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Passion in Action (2)
“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.” Prov 23:17 (NIV) The current of our culture is counter Christian. As you seek to live out your faith in a fallen world, you will quickly discover that walking in reverence to God and in full devotion to Jesus will place you in the minority. You may forfeit popularity in this sin saturated culture, but you will not forfeit your position in Christ. You may not be affirmed by society for your faithfulness to God, but you will be rewarded by God who is all-knowing and who takes care of HIs own. Don’t allow the prosperity of the wicked to distract you in this life. Don’t allow the visible affluence of the disobedient to diminish your passion for the things of God. Always be zealous for the Lord. Guard your heart and fortify your passion for God. Revere God as your Heavenly Father. Revere God as the One who created you, pursued you, rescued you, and empowers you for victorious living. Revere God for His holiness. Revere God for His nature and character. Demonstrate your devotion to God by your unwavering allegiance to His redemptive plan. What if you had less than thirty days to live? How would your loyalty be adjusted? Would your allegiance to God’s agenda expand? How differently would you channel your passion? Let’s live life for God with the intensity of our final days on the earth. God deserves our best! God deserves our reverence and our diligence! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Passion in Action (1)
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” Romans 12:11 (NIV) What are you passionate about? What are you giving your time, energy, and resources to? What gets the best of you? You answer unveils your zeal. God placed zeal in you. Your passion is an expression of your spiritual DNA. God gives you the ability to be passionate in this life. However, it is possible to misdirect the passion God gives you. Your passion can be diverted to areas that are unhealthy or unfruitful. You can channel your passion to outlets that dishonor God or even to good things that rob God’s best for you. God’s Word teaches us to keep our spiritual fervor. Our passion in action should be vertical in nature. We are to be passionate for God. Our zeal for God and His Kingdom should never experience a deficit. As we nurture our passion for God, we are to keep our passion channeled in the paths that God provides. Are you passionate about the things of God? Does your life give evidence to the passion God desires from you? Take some time to assess your current reality. See if your passion is misdirected. Examine your life to the level of identifying the source of your passion and the expression of your passion in action. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim 3:14-15 (NIV) What have you learned? Life is full of lessons. If you had only one month to live, how would you apply what you have learned up to this point in your life? Think about your exposure to God’s Word and the verses you have memorized. Think about how much you have fed on God’s Word and sought to apply the principles from the Bible. Paul encouraged Timothy to continue in what he had learned from infancy from constant exposure to the holy Scriptures. Feeding on God’s Word is to be our continual practice and our consistent discipline. Yet, it is not enough to just read the Bible, we must apply God’s Word in daily living. “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.” Psalms 89:15 (NIV) “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Phil 4:9 (NIV) Maybe a good start for you would be to commit to read through the Bible in one year. If you will read four chapters each day, you will cross the finish line in 365 days. Daily intake and application of God’s Word will enable your dash to make a Kingdom splash. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Living The Dash (5)
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Eph 5:1-2 (NIV) Who do I love and who loves me? Love is a fruit of the Spirit and an indicator of a Christ-centered life. Loving God and loving others is the outflow of the Christian life. God wants us to live a life of love. Our model to follow is Jesus. He demonstrated His love for us by giving Himself up for us on the cross “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” 1 John 3:14 (NIV) “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8 (NIV) Who do you love? Who are the people in your life who are the consistent recipients of your love? God calls us to love one another. God is love and those who know God love others. It is true that some people are difficult to love. Remember, God is not asking us to do anything He has not already done. God is not asking us to extend any measure of love that He has not already extended to us. Who loves you? Of course, God loves you and He has clearly affirmed His love for you by allowing His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for you. Who else loves you? Begin to name them one by one in a prayer of thanksgiving to God for them. Express your gratitude to God for the people He has placed in your life to allow you to experience love personally. God is so good. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, LORD,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’” 1 Kings 19:3-4 (NIV) What kind of life am I living? As you assess your current reality, you will find that life has a rhythm. You will experience a season of highs and a season of lows and a season of in-betweens. Life will be marked by mountain top experiences, valley experiences, and uneventful plateaus. Life has a certain rhythm that requires our faith to be anchored to the Rock, Jesus Christ. Elijah had a mountain top experience on Mount Carmel and the power of God fell in a mighty demonstration. This would be considered a major spiritual marker in Elijah’s life as well as a major spiritual victory over the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Asherah. Yet, Elijah descends into major depression following this mountaintop experience to the point of wanting God to take his life. Now that’s pretty low! God came to Elijah’s rescue and provided him with rest, refreshment, revelation, and relationship. That’s the rhythm of life. Our life today is similar in that we will experience major spiritual victories as well as some personal defeats that knock the wind out of us. The question becomes: What kind of life am I living? In the midst of the realities of life on a broken planet in a fallen world, am I living the life God has for me? Am I joining God in His activity? If you had one month to live, what would be different about your response to the rhythms of life? How would you respond to adversity? How would you respond to victory? Would you choose to draw near to God or would you choose to drift in your love relationship with Him? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Living The Dash (3)
“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath.” Psalms 39:4-5 (NIV) When you compare your life to that of a breath, it makes life seem to be so insignificant. Yet, the psalmist is not measuring the value of life. God has already established the value of life. The psalmist is asking God to give him a glimpse of how fragile life is and how temporal life is. How would you respond if God let you know that you only had thirty days to live? What would change about your current lifestyle? What adjustments would you make in order to live like you were dying in thirty days? If your remaining time on earth became a specific number of days that was clearly communicated to you, perhaps you would rearrange your current priorities. Maybe the way you allocate your time and energy would demonstrate radical adjustments once you found out that you only had thirty days to live. The number of your remaining days would directly impact how you would spend each moment. Our tendency is to take life for granted. We so often feel invincible and act as though we are guaranteed several decades of life on earth. God has a way of reminding us how fleeting life is. Are you ready to die? Are you ready to live? Have you made reservations for eternity in Heaven? “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 (NIV) Our time on earth is limited. Be ready to live. Be ready to die. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Living The Dash (2)
“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’” Gen 12:1 (NIV) Leave room for mystery. How would you respond if God told you to leave everything familiar and go to a land that He would show you? What if God asked you to uproot and relocate? The only catch is, you have to trust God for the details. God’s instruction to you is to simply leave and go. That’s it! So you start packing and you launch out to pursue God’s will and wait for Him to show you the next step. You do not know exactly where you are going. The destination has not been communicated to you. You are simply leaving and going. God’s will includes an element of mystery. God created you to be relational and to learn how to enter into communication with Him. God communicates His will to you. God reveals His purpose and plan for your life. You have the freedom to respond with instant obedience. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Heb 11:6 (NIV) “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” James 2:18 (NIV) Living the dash involves a faith journey. You are the creature whom God created. You are finite and God is infinite. You are seeking to know the heart and will of the Creator of the universe. Leave room for mystery as you walk with God. As God reveals His plan to you, obey what God shows you. As you spend time in His Word, obey what God says to you. You will discover that your obedience unlocks God’s next step. As you obey what you know, God will show you what to do next. Abraham had to trust God to show him the next step. As Abraham obeyed God, God revealed the next step to Abraham. Are you willing to obey God in what He has already shown you? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Living The Dash (1)
“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14 (NIV) In light of eternity, life on earth is marked by brevity. When you examine your life up close, what really matters in this life is how you live the dash. The dash represents the time you spend on earth. God has given you a certain amount of time to fulfill His plan upon the earth. It comes down to two dates and a dash. The date of your birth, the date of your death, and the dash in between capture your earthly existence. It’s hard to believe that your entire life can be placed on a marble tombstone with two dates and a dash. Is your life only a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes? If you have the privilege of living over seventy years on this earth, would that be considered a mist? In light of eternity, your seventy years of earthly existence is only a mist. Here’s the good news! We get to choose how we spend our dash. We get to make choices each day which determine how we live. God created us with the sacred trust of decision making. We can choose to invest our life or we can choose to waste our life. Ponder your dash. Invite God into your dash and ask Him to make adjustments in your life to help you live in light of eternity. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor