Have you ever wanted to live for God but felt overwhelmed by his calling? Have you ever had the desire to change the world only to look at the task at hand and discover that it was impossible for you to accomplish? In the Christian life it is easy to view ourselves as just one person that can’t possibly have a major impact on the world. But can I urge that as common as these thoughts seem to believers they are wrong. In John chapter 6 starting in verse 1, we see the story of Jesus feeding the multitude that had come to hear him speak. As Jesus looks upon the multitude he asks, “Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?” As you continue through this passage Simon Peter gives the answer that I believe many believers give God today when he calls them to action. Verse 9 says, “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: BUT WHAT ARE THEY AMONG SO MANY?” The five loaves and two fish were all that this little boy had, but he was willing to give them to Jesus. The boy gave them to Jesus and he multiplied them so much so that it fed the whole crowd and there were 12 buckets of fragments remaining. I believe that we can learn so much from this young boy’s giving heart and this passage. God is not asking us to change the world; he just wants us to give our lives to him. He does not expect us to have all the tools to accomplish this great task; he just wants us to lay down everything we have at his feet. If God can take five loaves of bread and two fish and feed a crowd of 5,000 plus, imagine what he can do with the lives of believers that are fully surrendered to his service. The great basketball Coach John Wooden once said, “It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” You may look at your life and think that there is nothing significant in it that God could use to do a mighty work, but can I tell you that you are Wrong! God desires that we surrender to him the little bit that we have no matter how insignificant it may seem. After all, we could never change the world on our own no matter how great we may think we are, because Jesus Christ is the Hero. It’s all about him, and it is by his power alone that we may see revival in our day. As believers we must remember that we are not going to reach the whole world with the Gospel in one day, but that does not mean we should be discouraged. God’s word teaches us that our goal to reach the world should be one person at a time. Luke 15:10 says, “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. I challenge you not to become overwhelmed with the task, but be willing to give God your five loaves and 2 fish and watch the amazing things that he can do with them. Just imagine if you made it a goal to share the Gospel with just one person a day, then at the end of a year you will have shared the Gospel with 365 people. One a day does not seem like much, but look at how much your faithfulness to God would multiply overtime. My prayer is that as the body of Christ we would become just like the boy in John Chapter 6, that we would place everything we have into the hands of the Master and let him do exceedingly great things that we could have never even imagined.
God Bless you all,
Corbett Casteen
I’ve been struggling recently with being able to understand God’s plan. His word teaches us that when we call upon him he hears our cries and answers them. As many of you know my family, our church, and this world lost a great man this week in Doug Lewis. I am sure that many of you, as I did, poured your heart out to the Lord in prayer for Doug. As I became aware of the fact that a cure was not to be I really struggled with understanding God’s plan in this situation. I know that God’s plan is perfect and that he doesn’t make mistakes but I could not understand why with so many people praying and such a Godly man suffering God would allow this to happen. That is when the Lord opened my eyes to a very well-known verse that I had never considered in this way before. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. That is when I realized my problem, God never promised that we would understand his ways, but he did assure us that they are perfect. In fact the bible even tells us that God’s ways are higher than our ways and there are certain things on this Earth that we may never understand until we see Christ in Glory. God’s knowledge and plan is so much greater than ours that we cannot even begin to comprehend it. This verse teaches us not to rely on our own understandings but rather, place our trust fully in God that his plan is perfect and that what he has done has a purpose. We do not have to understand why, but just trust that regardless of the outcome God’s way is best. Even when you are hurting trust that God's way is perfect and even through heartache know that God is working out his perfect plan to further his kingdom. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. In the most difficult times of life we must place our trust completely in God because he is never caught by surprise, but is always in control and we find our strength to carry on in him alone. When our world is shaking be sure and know that God is still on the throne.
I am so grateful for the time and the relationship that God allowed me to have with my Uncle Doug. I will truly miss him. He was such a Godly example that I was able to look up to from a young age. Doug made a big impact on my life and I can honestly say that I am stronger in my walk with Christ today because of his influence. I will always remember his wisdom and guidance that he shared with me when I sensed the Lords calling upon my life to go into the ministry. I love and will miss Doug, but I know that he is better now because he has seen the face of the one he lived his whole life for.
Psalm 116:15- Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
-Corbett Casteen
With Easter coming up this week I have been reading through the accounts in the gospels of what Jesus went through leading up to the crucifixion. All of the pain and suffering that he endured for sinners like you and me. It made me stop and think that often times as Christians we lose sight of just how much was sacrificed for us. We have heard the story so many times and know it so well that we almost become numb to what actually happened. So I believe if we truly examine the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ it will be a humbling experience that has the power to change the way we live our Christian lives forever. If you are reading this and are not yet a Christian I want you to understand that Jesus endured all of this for YOU, yes you, so that one day you could spend eternity with him in Heaven.
Jesus, the Son of God, came to this Earth and lived a perfect life not even sinning once. But he was sent by his Father for a reason. That reason was to save the souls of men, and to be the propitiation for their sins. When the hour came for him to be offered up Jesus prayed to the Father “If it be possible let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Matthew 26:39. Jesus submitted unto the Father because he knew that there was not any other way because he was THE WAY. John 14:6 I am THE WAY, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by ME. Jesus was aware of the trials he was going to face, but he was sent to do the will of the Father and to demonstrate the love of God to you and me. As Jesus was arrested and came before the council they bare false witness against him, mocked him, spit in his face, and then crowded around him and began to strike him with the palms of their hands. Then Jesus was sent before Pilate and he gave him over to the soldiers. They took Jesus and put a robe upon him and pounded a crown of thorns into his head. The soldiers once again began to mock him and spit on him. They removed his robe and beat him with a cat of nine tails that tore the very flesh off of his back. Then he was lead up to a place called Golgotha where he was nailed to a cross and hung there and died. Jesus went through all of these physical sufferings but do you know that there was something that he had to bear that was even worse. Isaiah 53:6 says, “And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” As Jesus was dying on the cross every sin that you and I will ever commit was laid upon him. He had to bear the burden, the grief, and the sorrow of all of our sin at one time. Jesus was innocent he did not deserve to die, but he went through all of that suffering for you and me.
Isaiah 53:5 says but he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Jesus went through all of this suffering so that he could pay the price for our sins. Through his shed blood we can receive forgiveness and eternal life, but we must accept his gift to receive it. If you’ve never asked Jesus into your heart and to forgive you of your sin and become your personal savior I can think of no better time than Easter. Because although Jesus was crucified he rose from the dead on the third day and he is alive today.
As Christians my prayer is that our eyes would be opened to exactly how much it cost for us to receive salvation. We are truly bought with a price and I hope that we do not take that for granted. God held nothing back he gave it all for us. We are forever indebted to Jesus Christ for the price that he paid, and we ought to give him everything we have. Every day when we wake up we should remember just how much it cost for us to be Children of God and live with a purpose because of that. “For whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” Luke 12:48. We have been given so much that we are unworthy of, it is only right for us to do our part to fulfill God’s plan.
Amazed by his Love,
Corbett
Time is precious. It is one of the most valuable resources on Earth and once it is gone you cannot get it back. Yet so often it seems as if it is taken for granted. Society as a whole has lost the value of time and this is including Christians. The world is trying to capture us with things that are seemingly unimportant to occupy and distract us from the work that God has called us to do. I feel like so often our schedules are so busy between school, work, or other activities that our mindset for the day is just to get through it. I find myself doing this from time to time and I have come to the realization that it is totally wrong.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
God has a plan for each and every one of us for every day. He has us in the situations we are in for a reason and as Christians it is our responsibility to bring glory to him with every aspect of our lives. This is not an easy task, but the time to get determined and do it is NOW! Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the Word of God shall stand forever.
Our lives are just a short time (but a vapor compared to eternity), but God’s Word and what we do for him will last for eternity. No man knows what tomorrow holds. Not a single one of us is guaranteed another day. If today was your last day on Earth and you stood before God would you be content with how you served him on this Earth? If not today is the day to change that because we don’t know how much time we have left. I don’t want to get to the end of my life and have to look back and wonder what if I had given my all for the cause of Christ, because then it is too late. I also believe it is very important to never underestimate the value of a single day. The world can change in just one day. Christ’s birth, death on the cross, and Resurrection are examples of three days that change the world forever. On the DAY Jesus rose from the dead he changed the course of mankind forever. He gave every individual form the beginning of time to the end of time freedom from sin, a hope for tomorrow, and most importantly eternal life for all who believed. Just like Christ did, we as Christians can still have a major impact on the world today. It only takes one day for a person to get saved and when that person gets saved not only does it change their life, but it also changes where they will spend eternity. So as Christians it is time for us to start living and proclaiming the gospel urgently. NOW is the time to live with spiritual tenacity because it may be the only time that we have. Just think God created the whole entire Earth in just 7 days! Imagine what he could do with your whole life if you would just place it in his hands. I pray that TODAY every Christians will step up and live up to the greatness that God has given them. DON’T WAIT BECAUSE IF YOU DO IT MAY BE TOO LATE!
May God Bless and do a work in each and every one of your lives,
Corbett Casteen
Philippians 2:17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all.
I surrendered my life to the Lord when I was 16, at the Bill Rice Ranch. For me that day it was all about giving my life and future to God and no longer pursuing my own selfish goals, but rather choosing to seek God's will for my life. I wanted to honor God with my life, but was I really willing to do anything that he called me to? I can honestly tell you that up until recently that answer was no. I believe that I, as many Christians are today. was willing to give God my life as long as I could still somewhat be in control and if whatever his will for my life was in some way still benefited me. However, it is easy to see upon close examination that what we call surrendering in fact is not surrendering at all. God wants to be in control of every single aspect of our lives. I can promise you one thing, he can do a lot more with our lives than any of us can. But the big question is are you really willing to surrender your life fully to God even if it may mean sacrificing your life as you know it in order to fulfill his calling? Are you willing to follow God's will even if it means that to the world you maybe seen as insignificant? Are you willing to answer the call even if that may lead you to a strange country which is out of your comfort zone? Are you willing to die to self and live with reckless abandonment because the cause of Christ and spreading of the Gospel is more important than the very life that you have? For many of us we may say yes I am willing, but do our lives really back our commitment? When the time comes will we really be ready for the sacrifice? I agree this is not an easy thing to do, and one of the first questions is why. When deciding if living a fully surrendered life is worth it, I believe many people come to the question of why should I? I believe this question is answered in Philippians 2:5-9 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. 6 who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.
As Christians we are to be "Christ Like" and as you see in vs. 5 it tells us we ought to have the same mind in us as Christ had. Jesus is the Son of God yet he came to Earth in a lowly fashion, served others, humbled himself and was OBEDIENT even though his obedience lead him to death on the cross. He could have came to Earth as king, ruler of all, he could have reigned over those who persecuted him yet he endured affliction. Jesus Christ came to this Earth with one purpose, to fulfill his fathers will. And as we see in the garden before his death that it may not have always been what he wanted, but regardless of the cost he was obedient to his father. Jesus Christ loved us so much that he held nothing back. He gave it all for us and we ought to give our all for him. When we reach the point where we realize that nothing we face is greater than our God, and that we love him so much that no sacrifice is to great, then we will be FULLY SURRENDERED Your faithfulness will be rewarded by God one day, just as Christ's was and is (VS 9). God Bless and may he do a work in each and everyone of your lives.
Forever Indebted,
Corbett Casteen
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