I have not come to bring peace...

"I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."

-Matthew 10:34

i have heard this verse many times - but reading this this time, i felt Jesus' warning in it...

and i felt Him saying

"i love you, and i will always care for you. you see the tiny sparrows? i see them, every one - and how much more valuable are you to me than they are??? but hear me, please hear me - dont get comfortable...i didnt come to earth to make your life perfect and easy so you could just sit back and relax until you get to heaven - i came to give you a way to fight. i see your struggle, i see what satan is doing and i came so that you could have freedom to stand on - should you choose it. I give you a sword, a way to fight- but in order to win, following Me has to be more important than everything else. no exceptions."

so don't take His gift of life for granted.

lets not just say "thanks for loving me, i will see you in Heaven!" and just let life happen.

thank Him, acknowledge Him, and then choose Him.

choose to follow Him, decide that He is the most important - and then pick up that sword and stand on the truth - the truth that He died for you so that you might live.

God is just breaking my heart for people who don't know that they can fight! or that fight in vain because its on their own power. they are exhausting themselves, they are dying - no its not comfortable to step out of our comfort zones, its not fun to risk being rejected...

but i'm willing to bet it wasnt fun to hang on a cross and be convicted as a criminal - not asking first if people would accept Him after it was all said and done.

it didnt matter. He did all He could so that we might live.

He didnt come to earth so that we could accept Him and then do what we wanted for the rest of our lives - He came to bring a sword. a sword for His followers to pick up, by the power of the Holy Spirit to fight through the darkness so that people might catch even a glimpse of light through it all.

how else will they know?

one of the pastors at Edinbrook said this "we are ONLY still here because there are still people who need Him."

this world offers hopelessness.

Jesus offers a sword.

Lets pick it up ask Him what to do with it...

-ALIVE