Archive for the ‘devotion’ Category
God is bigger than a blog
Posted by Hillsong | Filed under devotion
I write this blog with the risk of sounding repetitive from my previous blog but I think this bears repetition. When our daughter Sienna was born, so many people wanted me to send them a picture of her. I didn’t immediately grant them their request though. A few people thought the delay was because something might have gone wrong during the labour and we wanted to wait a bit before we sent a picture, maybe something needed to be healed up on her face. This was not the problem.
Full post: http://hillsong.com/blogs/powerhouse/2009/05/02/god-is-bigger-than-a-blog/
Assumption gets me into trouble
Posted by Hillsong | Filed under devotion
Ephesians 5:10 - “Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.”
Assumption gets me into trouble all the time! It is more convenient to assume that something is going to be fine than to double-check and cover all the bases. When I read this verse, I felt convicted to make sure that I hadn’t made any incorrect assumptions as to what pleases God.
Throughout the course of life, it’s easy to live based on our experience or to justify our actions or motives based on what we’ve seen in other people … But are we making wrong assumptions? The Bible here is encouraging us to CAREFULLY determine what pleases the Lord. We need to make sure we don’t fall into the trap of assumption just because everyone else is doing it or because a certain attitude or action has become accepted within culture (even sometimes Christian culture!).
Have you made any wrong assumptions about God and what is pleasing to Him? I encourage you to read through the whole of Ephesians 5 and allow it to shed some light on what really pleases God.
Doc
IHEART……….. WHAT!?
Posted by Hillsong | Filed under devotion, iheart, updates
Sticky Prayer // Nick & Sarah Khiroya
Posted by chrishan | Filed under devotion, updates
Hi guys! So summer is here and that means one thing! Ok maybe 2 or 3 things, but however many things it means, one of them is definitely summercamp! In the lead up to summercamp this year we are calling all young people to prayer! The SUMMERCAMP challenge is to commit to praying every single day from now till camp, and to pray beyond just ourselves! If all our prayers were answered would it mean we just had a nice car in the driveway and some new jeans, or would it mean that our city was being touched by the love of God, our church was exploding with people coming to know Jesus and revival was breaking out??!!!! So be praying! And don’t forget to register for camp!
Also we’ve got a new message on prayer from Nick and Sarah Khiroya on prayer.
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Much love,
Chrishan and Danielle
Perfect Fit // Judah Smith
Posted by Hillsong | Filed under devotion
Judah Smith is the pastor of Generation Church, the exploding youth ministry of the city church in seattle. He has made it his mission to reverse the slide into immorality and change society by building the local church.
Click to hear to Judah Smith speak on the Perfect Fit
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What Would Change? // Thomas Hansen
Posted by Hillsong | Filed under devotion
Hope you’re having a fantastic day! Our first sound bite comes from Thomas Hansen and I won’t steal this thunder, but what are we praying for?
Chrishan
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download// (right click link and select ’save link as’)
Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section.
Woman. Amen. 2
Posted by Hillsong | Filed under devotion
Matthew 1:3,5,6 by Tamar…by Rahab…by Ruth…by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
It is astounding that every woman mentioned here in the genealogy of Christ, has major issues. They all have very significant reasons that their story shouldn’t exist in Christ’s lineage. From being foreigners, to harlotry and worse. And yet God uses them! And uses us.
Let us never become judgmental, but always choose to see possibility and potential and calling in those that others write off. Let’s choose to believe in the power of the Gospel for EVERYone, and believe that God can use ANY life, because He does.
Father show us the potential that you have placed inside people. When we see others, let us see them with your eyes. With your eyes of love, and with your eyes of potential. To be able to see the possibility for significance that lies in all, and the wisdom to be able to speak to it and draw it into reality.
Chrishan
Woman. Amen.
Posted by Hillsong | Filed under devotion
Genesis 2:18 And the Lord God said.
“It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him”
Reading this passage I am again reminded that everything the Lord made “God saw that it was good”, except the loneliness of man. Even though man had the greatest garden planted by God Himself, and God would literally walk in the garden and talk to him, man was still missing something. We were never created live this life alone, outside of relationship with other people. Loneliness seems such a plague in our generation, it’s possible to live in the biggest cities on earth and be surrounded by people all the time, and yet feel alone. And it is not good.
It’s important we all realise how vital relationships are in our lives, to be cultivating and paying a price at times to build great relationships into our world. Not only that, but we all need to keep our eyes open, to broaden our circles of friends, to never become exclusive, to continue to build churches that are friendly, and embrace people into community.
Father continue to keep me open to the great friendships around the corner, and help me to connect people with each other and into community, show us the lonely that need your family.
Chrishan
Unashamed
Posted by Hillsong | Filed under devotion
Well it’s the day after conference and I’ve already creased my bookmark! I shouldn’t have put it in my pocket! It’s Saturday, so as per Robert’s reading plan I turned to Romans. This is the verse that stood out:
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
As I look to the next 6 months, the next thing on my heart is for us to be part of a youth ministry that is confident in sharing the Gospel, it’s why JAM 09 is UNITED for a city! And here the first verse I journal is a declaration: for I am not ashamed of the Gospel! It feels like such a confirmation in my spirit and also such a challenge!
It’s easy to think we should be unashamed, but is that what our actions indicate? Would it be evident to someone watching our lives that we are unashamed, and believe it is the power of God for people’s salvation? Do we share it with people?
It’s easy to let insecurity rob us of the joy it is to share the gospel with people. It’s easy to think we don’t know enough or to just be afraid of getting it wrong. But let’s live instead, looking for the opportunities to share the Gospel with our friends and see it’s power transform lives!
Father grant us boldness and courage to share your Gospel with others, and open our eyes to the opportunities that you bring our way, in Jesus name.
Much love,
Chrishan
I Need Jesus
Posted by raj | Filed under devotion
We’ve been doing that series on Sunday mornings “Better Together” from the book of Hebrews, so I’ve been reading through the book of Hebrews this month. This morning I was reading Hebrews 10:4 “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” It is our nature to want to work and earn our salvation.
To want to earn our way back into right standing with God when we have gone astray. But there is nothing we can do to make ourselves right with Him. If it could be accomplished through our own good works, our own sacrifices, our helping people, or church attendance, or bible reading (as great as all those things are!!), then we would never have needed Jesus to come, and his coming would have been in vain.
We’re right through Him. So next time we know we’ve made a mistake, let’s remember the throne room, and remember that we can walk boldly in, and obtain GRACE.
Chrishan