“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16 (ESV) Is God’s Word at home in your heart? Are you reading and feeding on God’s Word? Your daily intake of God’s Word will help you grow spiritually and develop relationally. God’s Word will help you know the nature and character of God and His plan. Henry Blackaby shared in a message at the Gideon Convention the following insight: “God is the center of His own activity and He invites us to join Him in His activity.” As you read God’s Word, you come to learn how to detect the activity of God. Constant intake of God’s Word increases your awareness of His activity and heightens your sensitivity to His redemptive activity. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Ps. 119:105 (ESV) “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim. 3:16-17 (ESV) Do you have room for God’s Word? You must place a high value on spending time in God’s Word. Don’t rush your daily reading. Slow down and meditate on God’s Word. Be discipline to journal what God is saying to you through His Word. Seek to write down specific application steps that you will incorporate in your day. Align your life with God’s Word and embrace His agenda. Make room for God’s Word to take root and to bear fruit through your life and your lips. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Category: Bible
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16 (ESV) Is God’s Word at home in your heart? Your intake of God’s Word will determine your level of living on mission with God. The primary tool of revelation that God uses for His children is the Bible. God reveals Himself through His Word. You can read the Bible. You can listen to the Bible. You can sit under the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.“ 2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV) Your worship includes the intentional intake of God’s Word. God has appointed and anointed pastors and teachers to communicate His Word in a creative and compelling way. Are you currently sitting under that kind of preaching and teaching? God speaks through human instrumentality. Do you consistently receive a Word from God through the preaching and teaching that you are exposing yourself to? There are many options out there. Make certain that you are connected to a Bible centered and Christ honoring local fellowship of believers led by a God fearing pastor. Don’t compromise on this one. Be sure to find anointed Bible teachers to help you grow in your understanding and application of God’s Word. Make room in your heart for God’s Word! Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Col 3:16 (NIV) Is God’s Word at home in your heart? Are you reading and feeding on God’s Word? Your daily intake of God’s Word will help you grow spiritually and develop relationally. God’s Word will help you know the nature and character of God and His plan. Henry Blackaby shared in a message at the Gideon Convention the following insight: “God is the center of His own activity and He invites us to join Him in His activity.” As you read God’s Word, you come to learn how to detect the activity of God. Constant intake of God’s Word increases your awareness of His activity and heightens your sensitivity to His redemptive activity. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalms 119:105 (NIV) “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim 3:16-17 (NIV) Do you have room for God’s Word? You must place a high value on spending time in God’s Word. Don’t rush your daily reading. Slow down and meditate on God’s Word. Be discipline to journal what God is saying to you through His Word. Seek to write down specific application steps that you will incorporate in your day. Align your life with God’s Word and embrace His agenda. Make room for God’s Word to take root and to bear fruit through your life and your lips. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Col 3:16 (NIV) Is God’s Word at home in your heart? Your intake of God’s Word will determine your level of living on mission with God. The primary tool of revelation that God uses for His children is the Bible. God reveals Himself through His Word. You can read the Bible. You can listen to the Bible. You can sit under the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 (NIV) Your worship includes the intentional intake of God’s Word. God has appointed and anointed pastors and teachers to communicate His Word in a creative and compelling way. Are you currently sitting under that kind of preaching and teaching? God speaks through human instrumentality. Do you consistently receive a Word from God through the preaching and teaching that you are exposing yourself to? There are many options out there. Make certain that you are connected to a Bible centered and Christ honoring local fellowship of believers led by a God fearing pastor. Don’t compromise on this one. Be sure to find anointed Bible teachers to help you grow in your understanding and application of God’s Word. Make room in your heart for God’s Word! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Seeking God
“I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalms 119:10-11 (NIV) What guides your decision making process? What is your moral compass? How do you know if your decisions line up with God’s will? As you seek the Lord with all your heart, He will make His will known to you. God is a God of revelation. His desire is for you to know Him personally and to obey Him instantly. Passionately pursue God’s agenda. Focus your life on accomplishing His will. Practice moment-by-moment surrender to His Lordship and respond to His prompting. God has given you His Word. As you read and feed on the Bible, God will unveil His will. You will discover what God loves and what God hates. You will begin to discern what God has for you to join Him in. God invites you to join Him in His activity so that you can experience His love and benefit His kingdom. Choose to meditate upon God’s Word. Read through a few chapters of the Bible and slow down on the verses that speak into your life. Ask God to illuminate His Word as you read. Meditate on what you sense God is saying to you and then apply that truth in practical living. Obey what God shows you. Seek the Lord with all your heart and demonstrate obedience as you hide God’s Word in your heart. Internalize God’s Word so that you can live a life of instant obedience. Hide God’s Word in your heart and embrace a lifestyle of moral purity. God’s way is always the best way! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Col 3:16 (NIV) Is God’s Word at home in your heart? Your intake of God’s Word will determine your level of living on mission with God. The primary tool of revelation that God uses for His children is the Bible. God reveals Himself through His Word. You can read the Bible. You can listen to the Bible. You can sit under the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” Romans 10:14-15 (NIV) “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 (NIV) Your worship includes the intentional intake of God’s Word. God has appointed and anointed pastors and teachers to communicate His Word in a creative and compelling way. Are you currently sitting under that kind of preaching and teaching? God speaks through human instrumentality. Do you consistently receive a Word from God through the preaching and teaching that you are exposing yourself to? There are many options out there. Make certain that you are connected to a Bible centered and Christ honoring local fellowship of believers led by a God fearing pastor. Don’t compromise on this one. Be sure to find anointed Bible teachers to help you grow in your understanding and application of God’s Word. Make room in your heart for God’s Word! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor (This devotional was originally posted in ’07 or ’08. I’m taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.) Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Col 3:16 (NIV) Is God’s Word at home in your heart? Your intake of God’s Word will determine your level of living on mission with God. The primary tool of revelation that God uses for His children is the Bible. God reveals Himself through His Word. You can read the Bible. You can listen to the Bible. You can sit under the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” Romans 10:14-15 (NIV) “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 (NIV) Your worship includes the intentional intake of God’s Word. God has appointed and anointed pastors and teachers to communicate His Word in a creative and compelling way. Are you currently sitting under that kind of preaching and teaching? God speaks through human instrumentality. Do you consistently receive a Word from God through the preaching and teaching that you are exposing yourself to? There are many options out there. Make certain that you are connected to a Bible centered and Christ honoring local fellowship of believers led by a God fearing pastor. Don’t compromise on this one. Be sure to find anointed Bible teachers to help you grow in your understanding and application of God’s Word. Make room in your heart for God’s Word! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Categories
Raised
The Bible is divided into two sections: Old Testament and New Testament. There are sixty-six books in the Bible: thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. God inspired forty human authors over a period of sixteen hundred years to record His Word to humanity. The Bible’s overall theme is that of God revealing Himself and His persistence in redeeming fallen man. We are the recipients of the transforming grace of God through Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible. Identify your position in Christ as a result of God’s initiative in the following verses. “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” Eph 2:6 (NIV) “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:4 (NIV) “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Col 3:1-2 (NIV) You cannot raise yourself up. You cannot live the new life in Christ outside of God’s provision. It’s not about what you can do. It’s all about what God has done in Christ to raise you up so that you may live a new life. Stop trying to live for God and start allowing His resurrection power to flow through you as He lives His life through you. What is your response to being raised with Christ? Set your heart on things above. In other words, allow your passion to be fueled by God’s agenda. Set your mind on things above. Nurture a heavenly and eternal perspective so that your decisions will reflect the mind of Christ. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care