The Well Church of the Nazarene

Filled

From the "Hand Crafted" series on spiritual formation.

The Potter takes a prepared, shaped, and fired vessel and fills it... to fulfill its intended purpose. For us, as living vessels, this filling occurs from the inside out, as we empty out ourselves and are permeated and saturated--filled--by the Holy Spirit. What would happen if we looked at our lives with this in mind? How should this change our approach to life, ministry, and worship?

Fired

From our "Hand Crafted" series on spiritual formation. Even though clay has been prepared, molded, and shaped on the wheel, it's not yet ready to be used. There are still important steps it must go through before it (we) can bring ever-increasing glory to God. Fire is necessary for others to see our transformation from mud to something useful, but we often miss out on glorifying God because we can't take the heat.

When we choose to be clay in the Potter’s hand, we accept that there will be times we're exposed to the fire in order for God to finish in us what He's started. If we are not fired, we won't be capable of being filled, of being poured out, of being useful. And these fiery-furnace moments require us to lean upon GRACE, upon our faith, and to trust as we have never trusted before.

Scripture Reference: Daniel 1-3

Molded

From the series, "Hand Crafted."

God is intimately involved in our formation, having created us in His image from the inside out. We are a marred clay that God is shaping into something beautiful, but when we allow ourselves to be transformed from within, the process is often uncomfortable. The Father has his hands on us! In us. Are we willing to be molded to reflect Him? To be emptied, open and surrendered to the Potter?

 

An Average Joe

Scripture is filled with examples of God doing extraordinary things through ordinary people, but we don't always see every detail of their lives. Such is the case of Joseph in the New Testament. An average guy whose life changed after encountering Jesus!

A Fisherman Named Peter

Is there anyone more ordinary than Peter?

Jesus invited Peter--the same way he's inviting us--to go into deeper water, cast a wide net, and search for BIGGER fish. Again. And again. So often we miss the miracle because we don't obey--we're tired, caught up, distracted, overwhelmed, and chained to whatever it is we're fishing for. But even in our weariness, God can do more.

A Boy and His Lunch

Though part of one of the most familiar accounts in scripture, today's focus is on a character that is unnamed. He was an ordinary boy with an ordinary lunch who was willing to give everything he had to an extraordinary God.  It's the only miracle included in all four gospels, and it started with surrender. Jesus can do anything with whatever we have...but first we have to let it go. 

The Physics of a Tractor Pull

As a Church of the Nazarene, we believe in sanctification and holiness. But sanctification is meaningless apart from mercy and grace, and holiness is impossible apart from forgiveness and reconciliation.

As we see in the story of Joseph, mercy and grace (sanctification) are best exemplified through forgiveness and reconciliation (holiness). If we are not reconciled with each other, in time we will not be reconciled with God.

It's time to let go... 

Ordinary People...walk with God.

Noah walked in step with God and out of step with the culture around him. Faithfully, he completed his work, fully understanding what was to come. This act of faith, of choosing to obey God, was motivated by his love for God and influenced by how closely he walked with Him. So the question for us today is, "Who are we in step with?" Are we surrounded by the people we need when the rains come and the waters rise?

Stitches: Bold Prayers

What you pray for reflects what you believe about God. Selfish prayers reflect the belief that God exists for us. Small prayers reflect our lack of faith in a big God. And if we rarely pray, it's most likely because we don't believe God answers prayer. 

As God is stitching us together, it's important to remember that our kingdom impact is directly linked to how many and how often we pray together. So let us not hesitate to pray big prayers, together, with both expectation and power. And may we grow in a faith that understands when the answer reflects His will over ours.

Stitches: Called to Compassion

Compassion interrupts. Compassion costs. Compassion also changes lives.

True, Christ-like compassion demands action. To say that we care and not act is to not care at all. Caring draws us closer to Christ, which increases our capacity to care. What matters to him, matters to us. Are you looking for opportunities to show compassion? Can you see the possibilities?