Shema

http://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-the-Shema.html

Shema = to "hear" Check out the link above for some additional reading. I don't want to ruin it for you but encourage you to take one more step - dig in a little deeper.

The part that caught my attention "As we acknowledge His lordship, our response remains to "hear" Him, love Him with all our heart, soul and might, and love our neighbor as ourselves". There it is again that word "lordship" guess I need to be "hearing". 

Prior to starting The Story our church did a sermon series on the ABC's of Financial Freedom which I must say positioned us just where we needed to be as a church to receive fully what I know God has for us in our new series. Pastor Jerry spoke of it this last weekend God calls us to tithe not because God needs our money, the earth is His and everything in it. He doesn't need our money. It's all about LORDSHIP. Which warrants the question... who is Lord of lords and King of kings in your life? In my life?

God says it in, Numbers 15:41 - I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God. Are we letting the Creator of the whole universe be Lord of our lives? 

There is a battle raging for Lordship in our lives. God said, "I am the Lord your God" and ever since any number of things has tried to trump His spoken word, be it Satan or the frustrations of this world that we beat our fists in the air at or worse the good things of this life that we don't see as a lord. Anyone or thing that takes the place of Christ is lord of our lives. I pray we have eyes to see and ears to "hear" the One True God (see Deuteronomy 6:4-5). How many of us quickly go to Google for our answers and not God? Get your God goggles on! Matthew 6:33 - But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

So many of us have heavy hearts for what happened in Boston yesterday or carry the weight of a job loss, loss of a family member, delay in an adoption...fill in the blank_______. You name it, life as we know it (the lower story) is hard BUT oh God is so good. Nothing takes Him from His throne in fact today as I was praying for an obstacle in our path I was reminded that even though we experience struggles in this life, some to the point of desperation God is on his throne and nothing comes as a surprise to Him. A good friend of mine shared something last week that I'd like to pass along to you. "The gift of desperation" when we become desperate for God great things will happen. Lord, give us eyes to see & ears to hear!

How can we best respond to the work Christ did on the cross? Be desperate for Him!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA7hIiYdDkg