The Reason That I Live

I guess it's about time for another update. Every day is packed so full that it's hard to know where to start. A brief summary: Last week Mandy Hudson gave teaching on the Holy Spirit. It was a really powerful time and opened many eyes to the reality of God's presence and power in our everyday lives. It was by far the most well-rounded teaching on the Holy Spirit that I have ever heard and for some of our students it was the first they had ever heard. The teaching was well interspersed with prayer times and prophetic actions. A few students received huge revelation or healing while others struggled to feel God's love at all. Whatever the experience, I believe everyone came away with the desire for more.
Right now we are midway through Dalton Lifsey's teaching on the Pursuit of the Knowledge of God. Dalton is the associate director of the Tauranga House of Prayer so he speaks out of a depth of personal experience that really backs up the intense message that he preaches. His first message really shook everyone up and was so convicting that about a quarter of the school started fasting immediately afterward.
It is so refreshing to be reminded of how worthy our God is and how little anything else matters. In Luke 14 Jesus talks about the cost of being His disciple. He goes so far as to say that "any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple".
Sometimes I feel like I've given up a lot to be where I am right now. When I compare it to the plight of the persecuted church really it is nothing at all and yet I would be a fool not to ask myself "is all this really worth it?" It's an important question but somewhat misleading. My eyes of flesh hinder me from seeing reality. I should rather ask myself "is He worthy?"
And then the answer is yes, it's always yes
Imagine that you are in the throne room of Heaven and you ask one of the four living creatures or the twenty four elders who sings praise to God unceasingly whether they think what they are doing is really worth it. I imagine that they would have this to say:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."
"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!"
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever!"
That's the reason that I live. That the Lamb who was slain would receive the reward of His suffering.