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Real Dudes,
Below is the message I used for our Thanksgiving service last night.
Practicing His Presence, Nate
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Real Dudes,
There are several chapters in the Bible that feature songs sung because of a victory in the Lord, including Exodus 15 after Moses lead the Isrealites through the Red Sea -- we have recorded for us the "Song of Moses.” In the parallel passages of 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18 we read about David’s songs of Victory over Saul and other Enemies. Isaiah 12 is a song of praise, and Revelation 5 and 15 are also victory songs. Each of these songs celebrate God's power and deliverance in response to events like the parting of the Red Sea, David's many victories, and the ultimate triumph of the Lamb in heaven. The portion of Scripture that I'm going to draw our attention to is Judges 5. This chapter celebrates the leaders and people of Israel who willingly offered themselves to fight against the Canaanites and calls for praise to God for their willingness and leadership. Judges 5 is Deborah's victory song, which was a celebration of the Israelite victory over the Canaanite army and emphasizes that the victory was due to God's intervention, not human strength alone. We'll begin in Judges 4:23-5:3, 9 (CSB) 23 That day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 The power of the Israelites continued to increase against King Jabin of Canaan until they destroyed him. 5 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang: 2 When the leaders lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, blessed be the Lord. 3 Listen, kings! Pay attention, princes! I will sing to the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel. 9 My heart is with the leaders of Israel, with the volunteers of the people. Blessed be the Lord! I’d like to highlight a couple Truths within this particular Victory Song:
Practicing His Presence, Nate Here's an old hymn that's one of my favorites, especially as a Christian and as a Tennessee Volunteer fan;) Hymn: A Volunteer for Jesus 1 A call for loyal soldiers Comes to one and all; Soldiers for the conflict, Will you heed the call? Will you answer quickly? With a ready cheer? Will you be enlisted As a volunteer? Refrain: A volunteer for Jesus, A soldier true! Others have enlisted, Why not you? Jesus is the Captain, We will never fear; Will you be enlisted As a volunteer? 2 Yes, Jesus calls for soldiers, Who are filled with pow'r, Soldiers who will serve Him Ev'ry day and hour; He will not forsake you, He is ever near; Will you be enlisted As a volunteer? [Refrain] 3 He calls you, for He loves you With a heart most kind. He whose heart was broken, Broken for mankind; Now, just now He calls you, Calls in accents clear, Will you be enlisted As a volunteer? [Refrain] 4 And when the war is over, And the vict'ry won, When the true and faithful Gather one by one, He will crown with glory All who there appear; Will you be enlisted As a volunteer? [Refrain] Source: The New Church Hymnal #209 https://hymnary.org/text/a_call_for_loyal_soldiers Real Dudes,
Last week I sat down to watch a movie with my granddaughter. I’d never seen or heard of the movie Leap before, so I was attentive to the message in it. If you haven’t seen it, there is a young girl named Felicie who is beginning ballet. She goes from being the worst in her class to competing for the lead spot in the biggest play of the year. Throughout her training and competing, one of her mentors makes the statement, “you’ll be ready when you can answer the question, ‘Why do you dance?’” Almost frustrated with the number of times she’s asked it, Felicie can’t stop thinking about how to best answer the question. Nearing the end of the movie, immediately following a dance-off with her competitor (Camille), the gentleman (Merante…he is the one responsible for choosing who plays which role in the play), has the following exchange with the two young girls…
Men, let me ask you this…Why are you a follower of Christ? For all these years have you been attending church because it’s something your parents forced you to do? Or is it because you’re passionate about following Jesus and that’s what you live for? This made me think of the conversation between Jesus and Peter in John 21:15-17. Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him or not. Peter responds verbally with a YES each time. Jesus tells Peter, “then feed My sheep.” You see, it’s not just about telling Jesus you love Him, but it’s actually proving it through our actions. It’s almost as though Jesus asks Peter, “Why do you follow Me?” Can you explain that to Me? If it’s because you love me and you’re passionate about living the Christian life, then are you prepared to back up your words with actions? You’ll devote your life to feeding My sheep because you love and follow Me. What if someone asked you the question, “Why do you follow Christ?” What would your response be? Would you resemble Camille in the movie and stumble over your words and come up with some empty answer, or would you look more like Felicie who got to a point where she was prepared to always be ready to explain it? What did the producers do to draw you to Felicie in the movie, what caused you to cheer her on, what created emotions within you because of her statement? She got it…at a young age someone spoke into her, asked her the question, and she owned it for herself. What about you…do you own your relationship with the Lord and your service for Him? Are you truly passionate about Him and His ways? Men, let me ask each of us an important question – Why do you follow Jesus? Do you have a thought out and prepared response? I pointed out earlier the statement from the movie, “you’ll be ready when you can answer the question, ‘Why do you dance?’” Men, you’ll be ready to be all-in for Jesus and used by Him when you can answer the question, Why do you follow Jesus? What’s your initial response? Something to mull over, pray about, and then act on. Practicing His Presence, Nate 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT) Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. |
AuthorNate Smith is a husband, a father of 6 girls, grandpa to 3 granddaughters and one grandson, a police and fire chaplain, a pastor, and has a passion to see men grow in Christ. 
#girldad including granddaughter
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