Clay in the Hands

Intended Purpose

February 17, 2016 by jbrianhill

Last September, I was back on the campus of my alma mater for a meeting. As I drove down Ambler Street headed to the school, I saw a portable sign with an interesting message. It was one of those signs that can be pulled around and then placed where you want it – the kind you can change the message by manipulating plastic letters. The message was so intriguing that I turned around and went back to take this picture.

This image has inspired me each and every time I have thought about it. The owner, out of frustration, changed the message on the sign to address the circumstances. The purpose of the sign is to communicate – to promote – to inform. But due to the vandalism, that purpose was diverted.

Earlier this week I talked about purpose (you can read that post here). How often do we get distracted and move away from living out the purpose for which we were created? How many times per day do we allow our circumstances to pull us away from what is really important?

Stay focused. Yes, there will be situations that pull us away. There will be a current that will cause you to drift. But stay focused on your intended purpose – serving God with all you have – and when you lay your head down tonight, you will be able to do so knowing you have made a difference.

Be a blessing today!

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The Way To God

February 16, 2016 by jbrianhill

When we settled here in Corpus Christi last year, we found a place to live on the opposite end of town from the church we serve. That was not our goal but it was just how it worked out. So my daily trek takes me across town and I have found multiple routes to get me from home to the office and back. One way takes me through residential streets filled with homes, parks and quaint shops. Another takes me down busy streets with traffic and stop lights. Another takes me by way of a freeway, crowded with commuters. Depending on the day and the time of day, one way will be better than the others.

Path Through Trees Our world would tell us that there are many different ways to God. Depending on what you want out of life and the experiences you may seek, the path you choose will wind around but eventually they all end up at the same place. I don’t find that idea in scripture at all. In fact, the truth about the path to God is very directional. If I leave the city going south, I will never end up in San Antonio. If I head north west toward San Antonio, I will never get to the Rio Grande. The same is true of finding our way to God.

Isaiah 35:8 says there is a way to God and that way is called the Way of Holiness. It says that only the redeemed will walk there. The theme of the Way appears throughout scripture. But the most vivid example is found in John 14:6 when Thomas has asked the question, how will we know how to get to heaven and Jesus answered, “I am the Way.” This Way of Holiness is lived out by following Jesus and his teaching. It is a daily commitment to seek Jesus and him only.

So, as followers in the Way, we are on this journey together. Take heart, the path is narrow but the rewards are great – not only at the end of this road but along the way as well. Stay with it!

Be blessed this day!

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It’s a Beautiful Thing

February 15, 2016 by jbrianhill

This morning I was out for a run. It was early and the sun was just coming up. The air was clear and the temperature was perfect. I was about three minutes in when I noticed a dog down the hill. The brain process began. Do I turn around so as not to have to deal with the possibility of being chased (I was struggling Dog running enough to run as it was)? Do I slow down as I get to him and try to befriend him? Do I run past and ignore him in hopes that he wouldn’t notice the huffing and puffing of what must sound like a water buffalo with asthma?

I opted for the last option. As I neared him, he spotted me easily – I’d like to say that my stride reminded him of a gazelle but I’m sure that wasn’t it. By the time I got within 20 yards of him he began to bark and run toward me. I continued on as if he wasn’t there hoping my heels and calves would be safe. As I ran by he nipped at my shoe once but for the most part, he just barked and ran along side me until I got past his home.

As I started up the hill, I replayed the scenario in my head. The dog was doing exactly what he was created to do. His instinct is to protect his home.

I rounded the corner and it hit me – we are created for a purpose. That purpose should come naturally for us. We will never feel more alive and fulfilled than when we are functioning within that purpose. When our passions, skills and talents all line up with the task at hand it is a beautiful thing!

So today, look for ways to work within your passions and strengths. Realize that God has created you just as you are for a purpose.

Now . . . to find a new running route . . .

Be blessed today!

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Dare To Love

February 11, 2016 by jbrianhill

One of the online Bible sites I use daily is BibleGateway. As I opened that site this morning for my reading time, I came face to face (and heart to heart) with the verse of the day. Given the emphasis placed on February 14th, the verse of the day, 1 Corinthians 13:4-5, is fitting. Sunrise Heart

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

As I meditated on these two verses that describe many of the facets of real love, I began to dissect the phrases and ask myself how the love I offer measures up to this standard. Part of my mental process was to understand each of the descriptions as positive actions. As such, I think we can paraphrase the verses like this:

Love is patient and kind. It trusts and is humble. Love brings honor to others and puts their needs before our own. Love is understanding and forgiving.

As I reflected on the verses and the paraphrase, I began to wrestle with how we can possibly love this way consistently. Then I remembered 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” The idea expressed by John in this little letter is not that we love out of obligation because God loved us first. The idea is that we are able to love because God has illustrated real love for us.

Not only does God give us the perfect example of love but because God loves us, we are secure. Because of this confidence, we can be willing to risk loving others. There is nothing we can do to make God stop loving us. So even if we risk to love others and our love is rejected or not reciprocated, God’s love for us will never end.

Dare to love like that today!

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Learn From the Past and Move Forward

February 10, 2016 by jbrianhill

I had the opportunity to speak in the chapel service for our school this morning. My instruction was to cover one sentence of the model prayer Jesus gave us in Matthew 6 – verse 13; “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”

As we look at the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray, we see just before this plea to protect us from temptation, a request to forgive us for our shortcomings. There are things in our lives we can’t change – decisions we have made that we can’t change – words we have said we can’t un-say. For those things, Jesus teaches us to ask for forgiveness. We learn from our mistakes and humbly ask for forgiveness. Praying at Sunrise

But moving forward, now we can do something about that. We can make good decisions moving forward. We can watch we say and do for the rest of this day. So Jesus reminds us to ask for forgiveness for the past and then ask for direction and protection moving forward.

Here are three things we can learn from this petition in verse 13:

God will guide us and give direction if we seek it. James 1:13-15 tells us that God does not tempt us. We are tempted by our own evil desires and lusts. But Jesus reminds us to pray for God to lead us and guide us away from temptations. So our prayer should be for his guidance.
We can’t do this on our own. If left to our own, we will fall prey to our own desires. Without God’s guidance, we will allow our focus to drift away from God and toward instant gratification and our own lusts. James 1:15 says, “after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” We need God to guide and protect us.
God is fully capable of delivering us from evil. Evil is anything that takes our focus away from God. When we allow God to guide our steps, we will be led away from temptation and protected from evil.

Father, we humbly ask for your forgiveness for our shortcomings up to this point and pray that you will guide our thoughts, words and actions this day. Amen

Be blessed today!

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Commitment to Growth

February 9, 2016 by jbrianhill

This past Sunday, we began a new series in our services together entitled, Church 101. We church_101-title-2-still-16x9
are going back to the basics of what it means to be the church. God’s church is made up of God’s people – followers in the Way. So if a church is to be a vibrant church, it must be filled with vibrant followers.

The first step to being a vibrant follower is a commitment to growth – growth in our understanding of God, growth in our relationship with Jesus and growth in our relationships with others.

As we continue to grow in our understanding and knowledge, our relationship with Jesus grows as we experience his truth lived in out in our lives. And as our relationship with Jesus matures, our love for one another grows. We begin to see others as Jesus sees them.

God’s plan A for the redemption of the world is the church. Commit today to be the church God expects by committing to be a vibrant, fully engaged follower.

Be a blessing today!

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The Best Resolution You Could Make

January 21, 2016 by jbrianhill

Are you a goal setter? How about a resolution maker?

Here we are 3 weeks into the new year. Statistically, most of us have already given up on our resolutions. In another week or two, the guilt will set in as we begin to beat ourselves up over how we can’t seem to stick to that diet or that overzealous exercise regimen we set for ourselves while still under the influence of a food induced euphoria almost a month ago.

I’m not knocking the genuine recognition of the needed improvement in taking care of one’s self. But I wonder if we have put the same emphasis on our spiritual health? How many resolutions were made to spend more time in prayer or scripture reading? How many resolutions were made to do a better job of loving God and loving others in 2016?

We are only 3 weeks into 2016. It’s not too late to make the best resolution you could ever make for 2016. Join me in refreshing your commitment to spend time with God daily in prayer and in the sacred text. God will honor your commitment with joy and peace.

Stick with it!

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Joy Is Found In Relationship

January 20, 2016 by jbrianhill

This past week the mornings came early. But nothing gets the day going like a strong cup of Dominican coffee and a cool breeze blowing through the open-air roof top perch overlooking the northern part of the city of Santo Domingo. I have always heard that Las Vegas is the city that never sleeps but I am pretty sure Santo Domingo stays awake most of the night as well – or at least the dog next door does.

While the city may be the loudest city I have ever spent time in, the people have to be some of the most hospitable and joyful people I have ever had the pleasure of walking with. I visited the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic for several days to get a glimpse of what God is doing there among the faithful believers in that country. We visited orphanages and schools, churches and homes – and without exception, God was at work in the lives of his servants.

I have walked among people in many different counties in my lifetime and I am always reminded that true joy comes not from material possessions but from a relationship with God lived out in community with other followers in The Way.

It really doesn’t matter what we acquire in this lifetime. Material possessions wear out, break or just become out dated. Money gets spent and can cause more relational problems than it solves. Fame doesn’t last and neither does authority and power.

The only nugget left in the sieve when our lives have passed through it’s screen is our relationship with the Father and the relationships we developed as a result of knowing him. On the surface, that seems harsh. But the glorious truth of the matter is this: when we place our priority on the most important relationship in our lives – our relationship with God – then all else becomes joy (Matthew 6:33).

Seek after God today!

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Stay Salty

January 8, 2016 by jbrianhill

Salt In Matthew 5 we have one of the most profound sermons ever delivered to humanity. Jesus saw a teachable moment and he made the most of it. What has come to be known as the Sermon on the Mount is recorded here in this chapter. Jesus was the master teacher. His words changed the direction of humanity and they still have the same effect today.

In verse 13 of this chapter, Jesus used a common, household item to make a very concrete statement of our role as followers in The Way. He told his followers gathered on that hillside that they were the salt of the earth. Salt is something used in a number of ways. It gives flavor to what otherwise might be a bland dish. It can also be used as a preservative, helping to prevent things from spoiling.

In the first century, salt was viewed with a bit more significance than we might see it today. But the point of Jesus’ message was that we, as believers, should exist to bring taste to a tasteless world and the hope of preservation to a world void of hope. We are called to be salt.

But when salt loses it’s saltiness, it is of no value. For us to be effective in our service, we must not lose our saltiness. We must stay close to the only one who can bring taste to a tasteless world and hope to a hopeless existence.

Stay salty!

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What Will You Offer the King?

January 6, 2016 by jbrianhill

Adoration of the Magi - El Greco 1568

We are almost a week into 2016. Today is January 6 – a day we might live through with the idea that it is a day just like any other. But historically, the church has set this day aside as the day to remember the Epiphany or some call it the Theophany. The mysterious reality of the revelation of Jesus as the son of God to the three magi that came bearing gifts.

The word Epiphany carries the idea of manifestation – God manifested wholly in a child. Colossians 1:19 says, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.” We remember today that Jesus was and is fully God and fully man. He came to earth as God in flesh. He is called Immanuel which means “God with us.”

The other aspect of this special day is the idea of the magi bearing gifts. God came to earth and Gentile men, men who had nothing to do with Judaism, came to fall at the feet of this manifestation. They came to pay tribute to the king. Their journey was long and treacherous. But they endured that trek in order to see the king.

I am reminded today that God’s love for me demands something of me. Just as the magi came to Jesus bearing gifts, I too must fall before him offering something. But I have nothing to offer worthy of the very son of God.

All I can do is humbly offer myself with no strings.

What will you offer the king today?

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