Sacrifice of Choice

Posted by wundabred on Nov 14, 2011 in fear, life, truth | 0 comments

“Always guard against self-chosen service for God; self-sacrifice may be a disease.” ~ Oswald Chambers

“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” ~ Genesis 22:2

What is your sacrifice of choice?  What one thing would you be willing to give up for the promise of something better?

How often we think of sacrifice this way.  We all have these trade-offs in our mind – the things we think we really need/deserve/want, and the things we might be willing to give up if the trade seems equitable.  Think about it, though.  Is it really sacrifice, if we get something we want by giving up something we probably didn’t need in the first place?

How often do we use this with God?  How often do we pray “God, if you would give me this one thing, answer this one prayer, heal this one illness, I’ll give up ________ for You.”  We want to choose our sacrifice.  We want to give so that it doesn’t hurt.

What do you think God wants?  What do you think He requires?

He asks that we truly sacrifice.  To receive the things He has in store for us, He wants us to give until it hurts.  He wants us to give where it hurts.  He wants us to look to the cross – to the gift that none of us deserve, and that none of us, if we’re honest, would EVER be willing to give.

He wants us to realize that to truly sacrifice, we have to be willing to give up the things that HE chooses, not the things that WE choose.

God offers us the promise of something better.  He offers us a life that we could never, and will never, have on our own.  But to see the reality of His promise, we have to decide:

What is your sacrifice of choice?

What are you doing with the answer?

Posted by Aaron Armstrong on Aug 19, 2011 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

One of the greatest personal struggles that I face is implementation.  I can envision an idea, write it down and even see how to get there.  My downfall is that I have way too many ideas and answers written down on paper, but very few of them have been put into action.

Most of us are the same way when it comes to the answers we get.  We “ask the right people the right questions,” and we “get the right answers.”  We think about the answers, and we might even record them in a journal of some kind.  We just never act on it.

So, how do we implement it?  The answer to this is real simple – DO IT.  Before you ask another question of God.  Before you seek to know another deep truth in God’s Word.  Before you seek to know more of God’s will in your life.  DO IT!

What answers are you sitting on today?  What truth has God revealed to you that you have not put into practice?  It’s time to DO IT.  NOW.  TODAY!

And as you DO, I want you to think on this statement that Jesus made in John 14:21.

“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

Why are you asking?

Posted by Aaron Armstrong on Aug 18, 2011 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

When I first went into the ministry I served as a Student Pastor.  I loved working with students.  I loved it so much that I thought I would spend my entire life as a Student Pastor.  However, God had other plans.

In my time as a Student Pastor, I spent a good bit of time working with parents of students.  One particular parent seemed to question every decision I made with regards to the ministry.  It got so bad that I would avoid this person altogether.

I learned that she was asking questions in hopes that her questions would redirect the course of the student ministry.  She was trying (in a very “passive aggressive” way) to lead the student ministry.  This situation taught me that that motivation for a question is often as important as the question itself.

So, why do you ask the questions you ask?  Are you trying to understand something?  Are you trying to control something?  Are you trying to get your point of view across?

If it is anything other than seeking the truth, then you might need to rethink your line of questioning.  Motivation matters when you’re asking questions.  The wrong motivation might get you the right answers, but it will not get them the right way.

As we close I want us to think on a question that Jesus asked in Mark 8:27-29.

27 Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.”29 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.”

What was HIS motivation?  Did HE seek the truth?  We need to do the same!

Who are you asking?

Posted by Aaron Armstrong on Aug 17, 2011 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

This past weekend we started a new teaching series at Revolution Church called “Questions & Answers”.  In this series we are answering some of the questions that our fellow Revolutionaries have about God, faith and life?  You can check out this series by clicking HERE.

As I was thinking about this series a quote from an Ed Young, Jr. sermon kept rattling around in my head.  This is what he said, “You’ve got to ask the right people the right questions to get the right answers.”  So, this week on TWF I am going to unpack the implications of this statement and how important questions are for a follower of Christ.

The first thing that strikes me about this statement is the phrase, “You’ve got to ask the right people the right questions….”  The people that you seek counsel from are often more important than the counsel that you seek.  If you are asking the right questions to the wrong people you will get the wrong answer every time.  It’s just that simple.

So, how do we find the right people?  What should we look for?  What makes a person the “right person“?  Here are a few qualities that the Bible gives us for picking our advisors.  These are the characteristics I look for in those that I seek counsel from.

1. Look for people who are following Christ. (Philippians 3:17-20)
2. Look for people who are learners. (Proverbs 16:20)
3. Look for people who are not afraid to correct you.  (2 Samuel 12:1-12)
4. Look for people who have your best in mind.  (2 Timothy 1:3-7)

Be sure to pick your advisors carefully.  The wrong people will give you the wrong answers every time despite how great your questions may be.

Christmas Rediscovered…

Posted by Aaron Armstrong on Dec 2, 2010 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

For most of us the Christmas season is full of rushing around, eating food, buying gifts and trying to catch our breathe when we can.  The truth is that it doesn’t have to be that way.  The reality is that all of that stuff has less to do with Christmas and more to do with us.

I would like to challenge you to join me on a journey for the next 25 days.  This journey is to follow a Bible reading plan to remind us of what Christmas is truly about.  You can find this reading plan by going to www.youversion.com and clicking on the reading plan tab.  The reading plan is called “Rediscovering the Christmas Season.”

I would love to hear what God shows and reminds you of during this Christmas season.  You can comment here or message me on Twitter (@aaron_armstrong) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/armstrong96).

Let’s rediscover Christmas together!