Reality Christian Magazine | Page 6

Family Living By Pastor Pete Cropsey W If we keep reaching towards Jesus, He has reserved for us the very best. Jesus makes eight different promises to those who overcome the pinnacle in Revelation 3:21, “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Every day and every event between now and then is another step closer to that throne. Everyday we are closer to that throne our passions should burn hotter and our anticipation should be heightened. Christian, stir yourself up from your slumber I have gotten so sick of that expression, “Back in the day.” It sends out a message that says the best is behind us. God says the best is yet to come. 1 Corinthians 2:9 “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 6 TheLAChristianMagazine.com Christian, stir yourself up from your slumber and go outside and at the top of your lungs declare to the heavens and to the world. “Oh Jesus I love You and I am amazed at this very moment. I know that the next moment coming will be even more amazing because You have saved me and You are for me!” Paul says, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have “Lord today I will stand under the spout where Your glory comes out. I will not hold on to the past, either its failures or its successes. I am looking for fresh oil of anointing. I am seeking a new and glorious height in You today, Lord. Every moment of every day and every breath I take will be more full of You than the one before. Amen.” Pete Cropsey is the founding pastor of First Love Church . Pete is also the author of “Dead Man Waking” and “Eddie.” Find additional information about First Love Church at FirstLoveChurch.net. For information about Pastor Pete’s books, visit DeadManWaking.net We believe it is only in a real relationship with Jesus in which he plays the role of Savior, Redeemer and Lord and in which we acknowledge that we are broken sinners in need of saving that the chasm separating us from God can be closed and fellowship can take place. First Love is a hospital for sinners not a museum for saints. It is a haven of refuge for the dispirited and broken, not a showcase for the well-heeled religious. First Love is a place where no matter how you arrive God is there to change you into the person He has created you to be. We don’t tell our God how big our problems are, we tell our problems how big our God is. First Love is an expression of praise stimulated by our immense gratitude for what God has done in our lives. WEEKLY SERVICES | LIVE SERMON FEEDS | ARCHIVED MESSAGES | VISIT US IN PERSON OR ON THE WEB FIRSTLOVECHURCH.NET DEAD MAN WAKING AND EDDIE Two Novels by Peter C. Cropsey Dead Man Waking is the story of Eddie Wilkins, prison bound, heroin addicted, and caught in a life that has consumed him. Eddie is so far from God it would appear that there is no way that he could ever come to know God but God is in pursuit of Eddie and He is relentless. A motorcycle accident finds Eddie on an old farmer’s couch where he travels back through the past and into his childhood trying to unravel the mystery of how he got to where he is. Dead Man Waking is a fast read that fulfills the curiosity about the darker side of life while at the same time engenders a sense of hope and the feeling that you really want to know what is going to happen to Eddie next. TheLAChristianMagazine.com e can never rest in a place of satisfaction in our accomplishments. Has God brought you a great distance and transformed you to the point where the old you is completely unrecognizable? He has only just begun. We must press on and not be content with our present circumstance. If we do, we will find ourselves reminiscing over the things that God did back in the day and back in the day will grow further and further into the past until it is just a distant memory. When that happens we will be dry bones laying on the floor of the valley bleaching in the sun. So not only should we let go of the darker and more shameful aspects of our past but we should also let go of our prideful attachments to our victories. Romans 8 reminds us that we are more than conquerors but it say it is through Him who loved us. I sometimes want to boost myself up on past accomplishments. Things I did in and for the kingdom, and here we go with it, “Back in the day.” So I don’t want to get up in the morning with the shame of past failures or the self-satisfaction of past victories either. Rather I want to get up and give God a clean slate every morning. I want to get up a completely empty vessel so that I can be filled afresh and anew. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. First Love is the vision of Pastor Pete Cropsey and his wife Dawn. Th W