Tonight, I understand why.  God has reminded me that there was a time when I thirsted for Him night and day–a time when He was my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night. There was a time when I would literally rather sneak away and spend time with Him than eat, and often did. A time when I devoured His Word every day. A time when I looked for any and every opportunity to share the story of Jesus.

Tonight, He reminded me of special moments at the Morehead Baptist Student Union, of the afternoon I led a man to Christ on the streets of Flemingsburg, of nights sitting on the hill above my house at Banner, and of day-long hikes in the hills of eastern Kentucky–all because I yearned for Him. All because He was everything to me. All because I was desperate for Him. All because I couldn’t get enough.

God is reminding me tonight and it’s painful–so painful that it’s hard to see as I type, but the pain gives me hope that He hasn’t given up on me. The pain gives me hope that He will still use me in His work, but His message has never been more clear. “My son, only if you yearn for Me! There’s no shortcut….YEARN! There’s no secret–YEARN! There’s no other way–YEARN! YEARN!”

The chorus of “Yearn” by Shane and Shane goes like this:

Lord, I wanna yearn for You. I wanna burn with passion over You, and only You. Lord, I wanna yearn for You. I wanna burn with passion over You, and only You. Lord, I wanna yearn.

In humility can I ask you, do you yearn for Him? Is He everything to you? Do you burn with passion in your life for Him, and only Him?  If so, praise God! If not, then do whatever it takes to get there. Remove anything in your life that dampens your fire and passion for Him. Yearn! Yearn for Him! He desires it. He deserves it. He demands it.

“Lord, help me yearn for You. Help me burn with passion over You, and only You. Lord, help me yearn for You. Help me burn with passion over You, and only You. Lord, I wanna yearn.”

When it’s all said and done, I hope that UK will hang its 8th National Championship Banner, but what title will last throughout eternity, when it’s all said and done? What title should I seek? What title should you seek? The title we should desire is the Biblical title of OVERCOMER! Who is an Overcomer? What does that title mean? Consider the following verses from the Word of God:

⁴ For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5 (ESV)

When I repent of my sins and place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, I am “born of God.” Those who are born of God are Overcomers. Jesus told Nicodemus:

³ “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:3-6 (ESV)

I encourage you to search your soul and know with 100% certainty that you have born of God. Examine your heart and be sure that you are God’s child and that you possess the title of Overcomer through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Life is filled with uncertainties, but eternity can be definite. Decide right now to be an Overcomer!

]]> http://stephencraigrice.com/2012/04/02/1922/feed/ 0 StephenCraigRice http://stephencraigrice.com/2012/02/26/project-1189/ http://stephencraigrice.com/2012/02/26/project-1189/#comments Sun, 26 Feb 2012 12:20:14 +0000 Stephen C. Rice http://stephencraigrice.com/?p=1909 ]]> Several months ago, while I was on a morning run through Clear Creek Park, the Lord distinctly laid something on my heart. He emphasized that I was to lead our church to read straight through the entire Bible from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22—all 1,189 chapters. He also stressed that we should read from behind our pulpit in our sanctuary.

In obedience to His instructions, we are going to read through the entire Word of God beginning Sunday, March 11 and ending Sunday, March 25. Every person who wishes to participate in reading a portion of the Scripture, will be asked to sign-up for a time slot on the sheet posted in the Sanctuary. The weekday schedule will look like this:

 Week of March 12-16 & March 19-23 / 10am-6pm

Pray about how the Lord wants you and your family to participate. Maybe He will lead you to read or just drop in and listen while others read—just obey Him as He leads.

Here are three important things I believe the Lord wants us to accomplish through PROJECT 1189:

• Renew our dedication as a church to hearing and obeying the Word of God
• Renew our commitment in our families to the Word of God
• Renew our passion as individuals to the Word of God

As anticipated,  Nehemiah is full of practical, Godly leadership principles. Nehemiah’s quest to lead the Jews to restore the crumbled walls and burned gates of Jerusalem in 52 days was one of the greatest leadership ventures in history. Did you know that originally Ezra & Nehemiah were on one scroll. Later when the Jews divided the scroll they called them 1 & 2 Ezra. The chronological setting for the Books of Ezra & Nehemiah stretches from 537-433 B.C.

Over the next weeks, I will continue to work through this great book. Here are links to the video of each of the sermons in this series:

• Nehemiah:  A Godly Leader
• Nehemiah:  A Man of Faith
• Nehemiah:  A Man with a Plan
• Nehemiah:  Facing Opposition
• Nehemiah:  Conflict Resolution
• Nehemiah:  Desperation
• Nehemiah:  Starting Over
• Nehemiah:  The Word of God
• Nehemiah:  Recipe for Revival
• Nehemiah:  True Commitment
• Nehemiah:  Dedication and Celebration
• Nehemiah:  Promises

With this first 2012 post, I’m hoping a New Year’s resolution list for Kentucky Baptists will be well received. I offer no earth-shattering new insights. I simply challenge us to be faithful to the basic call of Christ upon our lives and obedient to the fundamental teachings in God’s word. If every Kentucky Baptist would commit themselves to the following resolutions, our churches would flourish, every lost person in the Commonwealth could hear the gospel, and the cause of the Great Commission would be rapidly advanced.

First, would you resolve to walk closely with Jesus through concerted prayer and daily Bible reading? Our Lord exhorts us in John 15:4, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” The first call of the gospel is the call to be in Jesus Christ. He is the source of spiritual life and spiritual power. Apart from him, we will remain powerless.

Second, would you resolve to obey Jesus in all things? Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28). Matters like sexual purity, financial stewardship, personal honesty, sobriety, and refraining from gluttony are not negotiable for those who have confessed Jesus as Lord of our lives.

Third, would you resolve to share Jesus with at least one lost person each week? The command to be witnesses and the promise of the Spirit’s empowerment to that end are clearly stated in Acts 1:8. As for the lost, “how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard” (Rom 10:14)? Yet, multiple studies and surveys reveal most of us never take the initiative to tell lost people how to be saved. Pray that God would give you the opportunity to share the gospel with just one person each week.

Fourth, would you resolve to love and serve Jesus’ bride with more passion than ever before? Your church isn’t perfect but it needs you. And you need the church. We simply cannot be faithful followers of Jesus apart from his church. Love and serve her.

Fifth, would you resolve to commit more of your resources to Jesus’ Great Commission? The sin of greed has captivated us. Rather than starting with a tithe and giving generously beyond that, the average church member gives less than 3 percent of their income. If we merely gave a tithe, church ministry budgets and the Cooperative Program mission budget would triple, resulting in an exponential harvest of souls in Kentucky and around the world.

]]> http://stephencraigrice.com/2011/12/13/new-members-class-video/feed/ 1 StephenCraigRice DSCN1244 http://stephencraigrice.com/2011/11/23/the-holy-land-changes-you/ http://stephencraigrice.com/2011/11/23/the-holy-land-changes-you/#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:41:26 +0000 Stephen C. Rice http://stephencraigrice.com/?p=1876 ]]> Laura and I just returned from our first trip to the Holy Land. We were privileged to travel there with 21 other Christians, 9 of them were from our church. The best way I can sum up the trip is that it changes you. I am not the same guy I was when I left. I will never read the Bible the same, I will never preach the same, and hopefully, I will never live the same!

We scheduled the trip with Jerusalem Tours out of Columbus, Ohio. David and Sara Chay, the owners, are a wonderful couple who know how to put together tours to their homeland. Our guide, Kobi Kimhy, has been voted the #1 tour guide in Israel a number of times. His knowledge, personality, and genuine love for Israel cannot be matched.

One of the highlights of our trip was our time around the Sea of Galilee. We traveled to several of the places near Capernaum where Jesus lived and ministered. We walked on the mountain where he preached the Sermon on the Mount and we dipped our hands in the Sea of Galilee where he reinstated Peter after his denial (John 21). We took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee on Sunday. While on the boat, I read the story of Peter walking on the water (Matthew 14) and we sang songs of praise.

While we were in Israel, God confirmed that He has called me to lead people to the Holy Land to experience what we experienced. As a result, I have scheduled my next trip in late October, 2013. Plan now to join us! You do not have to be a member of Shelbyville First Baptist, just contact me at srice@shelbyvillebaptist.com if you want to go or if you have any questions.