My time at Harvest hasn't been some saccharine experience where I have been reassured that God wants to make all my dreams come true and bend to my every whim for the sake of my own comfort. What I have encountered is something way more profound; discovering exactly who God is and who I am in light of this. I am actually very small, weak and quite frankly hopeless. This is what I hear most Sundays.
In a culture where self is exalted and we are encouraged to be driven by hedonism, this message can leave most people with a sour taste- even some Christians. But through the teaching and ministering of others at Harvest I have learned that Jesus didn't come to give hugs and guarantees of a life free of hardship. After all, people can't endure the burdens of life by clinging to warm fuzzies.
It's only through having a right view of Jesus we can live a life of right perspective. Whether I have been dealing with personal sorrow, doubt, conflict, descisions or sin, I have been constantly reminded by my brothers and sisters in Harvest that God is sovreign, faithful, holy and just. These aren't things that are dependant on my state of mind or relative to my perception of a situation, these are things I can cling to; these things are tangible.
Without the discerning teaching and loving disciplship of my church family, I would still be left believing that I am the hero, that I am right, and that God is just an additional to my aresnal. But God is my ordnance for every circumstance.
So I'm thankful for Harvest. It is a place where Christ is elevated and the people stand firm on His word. It is a place where it is far more important to lovingly hold one another accountable than to leave eachother to advance on a trajectory which will inevitably lead to self destruct. There is courage of conviction and an integrty which is humble and sincere. My soul is simultaneously pacified and ignited every time I abide here and know i can entrust my soul to its care for years to come; confident that I will be continually sanctified for a life that serves my saviour and one day, dwell in eternity with Him.
It's only through having a right view of Jesus we can live a life of right perspective. Whether I have been dealing with personal sorrow, doubt, conflict, descisions or sin, I have been constantly reminded by my brothers and sisters in Harvest that God is sovreign, faithful, holy and just. These aren't things that are dependant on my state of mind or relative to my perception of a situation, these are things I can cling to; these things are tangible.
Without the discerning teaching and loving disciplship of my church family, I would still be left believing that I am the hero, that I am right, and that God is just an additional to my aresnal. But God is my ordnance for every circumstance.
So I'm thankful for Harvest. It is a place where Christ is elevated and the people stand firm on His word. It is a place where it is far more important to lovingly hold one another accountable than to leave eachother to advance on a trajectory which will inevitably lead to self destruct. There is courage of conviction and an integrty which is humble and sincere. My soul is simultaneously pacified and ignited every time I abide here and know i can entrust my soul to its care for years to come; confident that I will be continually sanctified for a life that serves my saviour and one day, dwell in eternity with Him.
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