Sermon Reflections from GLORIFY | Greg Asimakopoulos | July 13
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
In our lives both physical and spiritual, we are on a journey. God brings us to Crossroads and Jeremiah admonishes us to choose His pathway, the good way and to walk with Jesus in it!
God desires us to look, listen and walk with Him each day. I love Micah 6:8 as it explicitly tells us how to react to our personal crossroads. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. "
Pastor Greg talked about the crossroads in his own life and how important they were to his growth and development of faith. He then led us to see crossroads in our Savior’s life and how pivotal they were.
Jesus at 12 years old choosing to be about his Father’s business.
Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness and his confrontation with Satan- choosing not to accept bread, kingdoms or worship of anyone but His heavenly Father.
Jesus choosing his Father’s mission and not fame and worldly glory.
Jesus pouring out his heart to his Father in Gethsemane as he faced the cross.
Pastor Greg concluded by challenging us to examine our own crossroads and seeing what we learned about ourselves as our lives progressed. I have been pondering this since he gave the challenge. Here are the milestones in my spiritual life that caused me to decide decisively to live for and with Jesus.
At 11, I accepted Jesus into my life. This was done with a wrestling heart as I mainly thought about what I would have to ‘give up’ in my life if I decided to walk with Jesus. I decided to follow Jesus as what He promised was far above what the world had to offer me.
As a young woman of 20, I sought to find someone who loved Jesus to marry. God is good and led me to a man who professed faith and yet I learned later was doubting. Thankfully, in time he grew to know Jesus for himself.
As a young married woman, I wanted to work in the church, so I served as director of VBS. Why this sticks in my mine is that it was the first major commitment and challenge God had for me to lead others in the cause of Christ.
As the years progressed and I was a Mom with 2 small children, I hungered for more. I was introduced to Bible Study Fellowship and after just one year they asked me to be a children’s leader. I found passion and answers in the study of God’s Word. It breathed life and hope into my faith. (I am still serving in BSF as a children’s leader).
When my life, which had seemed charmed, hit hard roadblocks and difficult crossroads, I turned to scripture and returned to BSF. I had left for a bit while I worked on a graduate degree, but as things got hard and I realized I needed the foundation and fellowship of the study of scripture.
Later as I was journaling and studying God’s Word, a fellow sister in faith, encouraged me to write a book about my faith journey. I had been struggling with fear as I did not trust myself to make decisions and felt at a loss. I journaled all the No Fear passages from the Bible and discovered God does not want us to live in fear but to walk in trust with Him. This adventure in God’s Word led me to write 3 books and blog on the internet weekly. The growth of my faith has exploded since zeroing in on His Word and His answers for my life.
The major crossroads in my life had led me towards deeper faith and trust in God! This makes me know for sure I am following Him.
I hope you will take up Pastor Greg’s challenge and outline for yourself your spiritual crossroads. It is an exercise that allows you to see more clearly how God has and is guiding your life. We can truly believe Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” To walk with Jesus, we need to trust in His plan for our lives and know it is good.
Linda
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Linda is a member of Crossroads church and regularly blogs about her faith.
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Discovering God is a fresh look at how God is moving in our lives. Rooted in the Crossroads Church community, we reflect on sermons, share stories, and explore everyday moments where God invites us to grow. Join us as we take steps toward Him together. Learn more at www.wearecrossroads.church.
Discovering God is a fresh look at how God is moving in our lives. Rooted in the Crossroads Church community, we reflect on sermons, share stories, and explore everyday moments where God invites us to grow. Join us as we take steps toward Him together. Learn more at www.wearecrossroads.church.
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