And we are coming in the light of endless testimonies from those who have sought after Him and walked with Him throughout history. And what does the Word and the testimony invite us into? A relationship with this One Who is good, Who is love, Who is perfect and holy, Who is faithful and all-powerful, Who is the embodiment of all wisdom, knowledge and truth.
Can we come to anyone higher or greater than Him? Can we find anyone more kind and wonderful than Him? Can we bring all the cares and needs of our lives to anymore more capable and trustworthy than this One Who calls Himself our Father and Shepherd? Can we find real life and hope in any other power or philosophy or reality besides the One Who created us for Himself to share in His glory?
Oh how blessed are we that we have found Him, rather that He found us and revealed Himself to us that we might seek Him. And in seeking after Him there is open before us unlimited possibility to rise above, to transcend, the brokenness and darkness of this world where death and futility define all the outcomes of the days we spend trying to find life in this world. Not only do we rise above and overcome, in Him we are restored to a potential place of power and authority to change the painful outcomes for countless others who have not known our wonderful Father and His Son. We are invited into heaven's family, into the Kingdom of God, where we get to be a part of a movement from heaven toward earth that releases redemption, restoration, recovery, reconciliation, renewal, revival, recompense and all the other "re's" that powerfully change all the negatives that suck the life out of us and position for all the best heaven has for those created to be sons and daughters of God. Yeah!!!
And this is where we find ourselves today as we bow before Him to consider what He wants to do in 2018 and how we might be a part of it. We are seeking Him to align ourselves more perfectly with His heart, His ways, His plans and His rewards. And it requires that we focus like never before, to see more clearly Whom we are seeking and what matters most in this next year. "How" you see Him and "how" you see the life He is inviting us into will determine "how" you seek after Him during this time we have set aside as a church.
As you read in Isaiah 58, especially in vs. 1-5 and 13, you can see that the people of God were seeking God but not in the right way. It was producing nothing. Is it possible that they did not really know Him or His heart? Did they really trust Him and love Him, following His ways and plans? Or was Yahweh just another god among many they were trying to manipulate for their own needs? As we read in Isaiah 29:13, "Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of traditions they have learned."
Today, since there lies within each of us the potential to seek after God erroneously as these Israelites did, operating from inadequate knowledge of Him, and relating to Him without our hearts fully loving and trusting Him, can we take a moment to ask Holy Spirit to help us see Him and ourselves more clearly? Can we cry out for true alignment with our Father Creator? Can we choose to humble ourselves to focus and see what we have not seen before that will require us to repent and renew our commitment to Him? Is there a level of worthiness in our God that rearranges our priorities and how we worship Him that we are willing to embrace this year? How we respond to these questions will determine where we end up at the end of 2018. May this be the greatest year we have ever experienced because we are aligned with our magnificent and worthy God and Savior! He is standing at the end of 2018 calling us forward into things He has prepared for those who love Him.
If you didn't get a copy of the FOCUS 2018 booklet, you can still pick one up at The River. We look forward to seeing you for our 3 special gatherings for the The River or Cowboy Church.
The River
- Tuesday at 7pm
- Thursday at 7pm
- Friday at 7pm
Flathead Valley Cowboy Church
- Monday at 7pm
- Wednesday at 7pm
- Saturday at 7pm
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