Christopher Jacobs

For those of you looking for a place to volunteer with the flood relief efforts please contact Christ Church Nashville.  They have teams out today and will continue to send teams out every day over the next few weeks.  You can contact the church at 615.834.6171.  They will tell you exactly where you can volunteer ASAP.  Feel free to email me as well at etsjay@gmail.com

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I have arrived here in Montana.  It was a long day of travel and getting situated.  It is gorgeous here!  I am going to be blogging daily through my adventure here.  I cant wait to see what God has to show me during this time.  I will give you a more detailed account tomorrow.  Tonight, I am hecka tired.  Going to bed now.  Peace and Love.

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I have really been thinking about ways to make this blog most useful during this time of growth in my life.  I am about to embark on an incredible adventure of service.  For those of you who have asked questions, I am doing a DTS (Decipleship Training School) through YWAM (Youth With A Mission).   The first part of my adventure will be spent in montana going to school.  The base is in Lakeside.  It is an old airforce base.  This is a time of intense learning.  I am so excited to see what God has for me during this season of my life. My DTS has a focus on art and worship.

The second part of my adventure will be spent doing an outreach somewhere in the world.  Could be anywhere from Thailand to Nepal to Brazil.  I will find out after the first week in Montana where my team will be going.  I get to go work with kids and use my musical and artistic abilities.  I so excited.

I have been thinking about how I can keep the best journal and how I can really capture my experience.  I figure twitter and my blog will be the easiest way for people to keep up with what I am doing.  I want to get other people who are going through this experince with me  to guest blog for me so we can get as many perpectives as possible and so people can see the big picture.

I am so excited for this opportunity to go serve, learn and grow.  Please keep me in your thoughts in prayers, as I have many things to accomplish before I leave.  I love all of you and thank you for your support.

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A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

This verse always gets me. You guys all know me, and know I can be a little testy at times. Aggressive speaking is still one of my biggest struggles. I can be sarcastic and downright rude at times. That does absolutely nothing for my witness. Actually, It harms it. Sarcasm has become such the norm in our culture. We make ourselves feel strong by belittling other people. I do it on a daily basis. I let my insecurities get the best of me, quite often. I use words to hurt instead of using them to build people up. Every day it is a constant struggle for me.

Psalm 35:28 says ” And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long.” All day we are called to speak of Gods righteousness. When I’m blasting someone else for being an idiot, I’m not doing a very good job of that. That shows nothing about how good God has been to me. That doesn’t speak well of my transformation at all. We all have to opportunity to be the hands, feet and MOUTH of Jesus Christ. I don’t do a very good job of that sometimes. Words can make or break a nation. Words can get people involved or get people to detach. Words can save and words can kill. Be the mouth of Jesus.

Allow him to speak through you. Prayerfully go through your day. Focus on being the mouthpiece of God. Amazing things will happen through you, I can guarantee it.

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28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.-Romans 8:28

The past few months have been filled with many ups and downs for me.  I have experienced times filled with great joy but also great sorrows.  When I first became a Christian, I thought this verse was crap.  How could ALL THINGS work together for good?  I couldn’t believe that ALL the terrible things that happened to good people could work together for good.  Sounded like a load of hippy crap to me.  Oh was I wrong.  This verse is thrown out a lot in “feel good” sermons.  Well I challenge you to keep reading.

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Holy crap.  That is some good stuff right there!  We were Predestined to be CONFORMED to the IMAGE OF HIS SON.  We are saints, baby!  Not only were we made in the image of Christ, we were also called, justified, and glorified.  Pretty much, what is being said here is you were CALLED.  If we follow that calling, we are justified (to show (an act, claim, statement, etc.) to be just or right).  Not only are we justified, we are also glorified. Glorify-to cause to be or treat as being more splendid, excellent, etc., than would normally be considered. So because if we are doing his will for our lives, loving God, and serving others, then he is going to work ALL things together for good.  So no matter what crap comes your way, he is going to somehow work it out for the better.  That doesn’t say that things wont hurt you, and that you wont feel defeated from time to time, but it should give you serious hope.  We should be able to find rest in the fact that, even if we dont understand what is going on in our lives at the time, God has a plan for us.

Now for the tough part.  If we are walking apart from God, and not carrying out his calling on our lives, then he isnt going to work all things together for good.  It says “for those who love God”.  It doesnt say, for anyone and everyone.  Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.  We are called as Christians to surrender our lives.  “Our lives” are now dead.  It isnt about what we want for ourselves, it is about what He wants for us.  His plan, not ours.  Most of us know that how difficult it can be waiting on Gods timing.  We are impatent people, but His plan is always a million times better than what we could ever plan for ourselves.  We can find REAL HOPE in Romans 8:28.  A hope that the world will not understand.  A peace that the world will not understand.  A peace that allows you to remain calm in adversity and trails, because we KNOW the truth. We know that God will work all things together for good.  If you are going through rough times, seek God and then sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.  Doors will open, prayers will be answered, and He will provide.

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31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:31-32

Again, another example of how awesomely simple God is. Jesus is saying “hey! all you have to do is follow my word and you are a disciple.” Its NOT difficult. Its simple. Also he is saying “are you tired of bondage? Are you tired of being run by your flesh? Know the truth, and it will set you free!”

We can all be free from our bondage. As much as we complain about how hard it is to live a Godly life, here Jesus is saying that it Isn’t. You don’t have to go out and make a case that you are a disciple and a Godly person. Abide in His Word and the rest will follow. It isn’t supposed to be difficult. We are FREE! No longer held down by the bondage and mess of this world. We are His. Our Dad has us.

There is a catch. You cant abide in the word, if you don’t know it. Part of being a disciple is studying. It is digging deep in the word, so you know the right things to do in certain situations. My mom always says “where you spend your time is where your heart is.”  If you are spending your time in fellowship and in the word, then that is where your heart is. Your actions speak louder than any words you can ever say.

Be free! Be disciples! Be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior.

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14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. —Galatians 6:14

For those of you that know me best, know how humbling this is.  I have always found confidence and security in material things.  Always “ridden the coat tails” of the people that are in my life that are the most successful.  At the end of the day none of it matters.  I have nothing without the cross.  I can have as many louis vuitton bags, cars, and clothes as I want, and none of it will make me happy.  I can brag and boast about all of the material things I have been fortunate enough to have in my life, but its all just crap.  I just end up looking like an idiot when I speak about them.  The only thing that we can boast about is the fact that our Lord, Jesus Christ, died for us.  Everything else is just icing on the cake.  It doesn’t matter how talented we are.  It doesn’t matter what we have, because all of it can be taken away in a heartbeat.  As a Christian man, I cant find comfort in anything from the world, but instead I should find comfort in the amazing gifts he has given me.  He hast given me those gifts so I can brag or boast, but so I can use them for His Kingdom.  We are called to use our talents for him.  Not to feed our own personal egos.  This is hard.  We all have our amazing gifts and talents that He has blessed us with, but none of us will ever reach our full potential, until we start using them for Glory of His Kingdom.  The last thing on our minds should be monetary gain.  We know that God is the ultimate provider. If we are faithful to Him, we will always be provided for.

Today, I want to challenge you to boast as much as possible about the cross of Jesus.  To the world you will look crazy, but it may spark some pretty interesting conversation.  We have been crucified to the world anyways, so what do you have to lose?  NOTHING.  Lets keep eachother accountable in being humble people.  I know I always need help with that.  Being humble says a whole lot more about the amazing work that God has done in our lives, than bragging and boasting about our talents and material blessings.  We are called to glorify Him in all things we do.  That means making Him look as good as possible.  While we will always fall short, it is what we should strive for- a humble, selfless, and SINLESS life.

I love you guys and hope this sparks some thought throughout your day.

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1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,^[a] who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

This was my “it just came to me” reading this morning.  Hope it blesses you.  We are not bound by the law.  Not saved by works, but by grace alone.  While sometimes we feel like our best is never good enough, it is.  Everyday is a constant battle to keep our mind not on things of this world, but on Him.  The things he has in store for us are way better than what we could ever dream for ourselves.  There is no such thing as true peace without Him.  Find rest in God, and the love that He pours out on us daily.  I get so blown away at the amazing work that he has done in my life.  Paul, was a pharisee and for him to no longer be bound in the law, is one of the biggest examples of a heart change in the whole bible.  He was super Jew.  Killing those who followed Christ, and totally bound by the Jewish Law.  Paul had a heart change.  He was passionate about Jesus, and spent the rest of his life PLEADING with Jews, to not feel bound in the law.  Pleading to them that we are saved by GRACE and NOT by WORKS.  It is an everyday battle to walk in the spirit and not succumb to the flesh.  Today, lets walk accordingly to the spirit.  Being Prayerful about everything that we do.  That is the ONLY way to walk in the Spirit.

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