1 John 5:3 - Loving God means keeping His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.
God doesn't make it hard on us. His commandments to love Him above all else and to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40) don't cost us anything. So why do we struggle with them so much? I don't really think that we do struggle as much as others might try to say that we do.
Those who say that we don't follow these two primary commandments, I believe do so because they have ulterior motives. While it is true that there are certainly those who identify themselves as Christian and don't follow these two commandments, I believe they are in the minority. So why do non-believers use the minority to point out what the majority is, or isn't, doing? I believe their ulterior motives are mostly based on fear.
Perhaps they are afraid of what God will find out about them when they open up and confess their sins to Him? Well here's the thing - He already knows. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that nothing in all creation is hidden from God (Hebrews 4:13). Nothing escapes His notice.
Maybe they're afraid of what they will find out about themselves? That's understandable. We all have secrets about ourselves that we don't want to think about or remember. Just because we don't think about them, doesn't mean they aren't there. We have the option to forget about them once we confess them, just like God does. He has promised to never remember our sins (Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 8:12, 10:17), and we have the option to do the same. He doesn't hold them against us, and we shouldn't either.
Maybe they're afraid of what others will find out about them? That certainly makes sense, since people are prone to gossip. But if we are true followers of Christ, we will follow Paul's instructions and let what we say be good and helpful, and let our words will be an encouragement to others (Ephesians 4:29). We won't hold things against others, because love doesn't keep any record of being wronged (1 Corinthians 13:5).
Some might be afraid that the church is just after their money. That's understandable since there have certainly been those who have done wrong with the tithes and offerings of cheerful givers in the past. They aren't the rule, though; they are the exception. I once heard a Pastor address this issue and tell the congregation, "If that's how you feel, that's fine. Keep your money. The church is doing fine" (that was a first for me to hear that!). But he was right. The church doesn't need your money. It isn't about that. It's about being obedient to God. If you're not sure that your specific church is being a good steward with your tithes and offerings, then pray and ask God where He would like you to give them. Maybe it's not a church specifically, maybe it's a particular ministry somewhere else in the world. It's not about the act, it's about the attitude behind it.
When we take the time to share Jesus with those who don't know Him, it is always only about sharing His love. God's love isn't meant to be hoarded. Obeying His command to love is also obeying His command to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). That should always be our ulterior motive.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me. Thank You for showing me that it all starts and ends with Your love, and that is the most important thing that I have to remember. I pray for those that have held back committing to You for various reasons. I pray that they will realize that Your ulterior motive is to show them Your love by blessing them with the free gift of eternal salvation with You in Your Glorious Kingdom. I pray that those that are sharing Your Good News, remember that it's all about Your love and nothing else. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
First Things First
Haggai 1:3-4 - Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: "Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?"
It is very easy for us to forget that we are to be seeking God's Kingdom and righteousness first (Luke 12:31; Matthew 6:33). Everyone gets caught up in the daily busyness of life, and we concern ourselves and worry about things that we not only have no control over, but are already promised to us by our Lord and Savior.
What I really like about this chapter of Haggai, is what happened when the people were called out by God for focusing on the wrong things. They immediately obeyed, and the Lord said He was with them (Haggai 1:12-13). That's what God wants from us, not perfection. We can't achieve that. He knows our shortcomings, and what we are capable of. He doesn't expect us to overcome those, because He already has. He expects us to overcome what we are capable of overcoming, and that is our decision-making and choices. When we choose to be obedient to Him, He will bless us.
The Gospel's in the New Testament all vary to some degree. This is to be expected, because they were written by four different people, and no two witnesses ever agree on something exactly the same way. They were also written for different audiences, so they tend to focus on different things. But their core message is the same, which is why we see the same things repeated.
God's promise to be with us, and provide for us, wasn't a new concept when it was mentioned in Haggai, and certainly not when Jesus promised it. Remember, Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish it (Matthew 5:17). God promised to bless Abraham's obedience when he left his native land for Canaan (Genesis 12:1-3). The great thing about Abraham's story, is that he didn't even know where he was going. God said I will show, He didn't say when. The beauty is that Abraham obeyed. Materially, what did he have to gain by it? Absolutely nothing. He was already a wealthy man, and he was close by his family. Why leave? Because he recognized God's calling for what it was, and he knew he had to obey. Something inside him knew that immediate obedience was the right thing to do. But how did he know?
Solomon told us that God has planted eternity on our heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11). While Solomon's words were written a long time after Abraham, that doesn't make them any less applicable to Abraham's situation. God planted eternity on the human heart when He created mankind.
Our highest calling in this life, will always be to obey God first. Whenever we come to a point where we aren't sure that what we are doing is God's call, we should stop and ask Him. He always wants to hear from us. Avoid the thinking that God will prevent it from happening if He doesn't want it to be, because He won't. He will always allow us the choice to obey Him. He won't violate free will. That is why when we seek Him first, He has promised to bless us. I once heard a Pastor say that God will always love us and that will never change. But if we aren't seeking to do His will first, if we aren't being obedient to Him, then He won't bless us.
I pray that we all will stay focused on seeking and being obedient to God's will and purpose for our lives. I pray that we will keep His plans and desires for us as our first priority. And He will bless us abundantly as a result.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for planting eternity in my heart. Even though I didn't recognize it for so many years, I am beyond grateful that You put it there so when I did start to seek You, I didn't have to look far to find You. I am blessed that You have always bent down to listen to me. I pray for those that haven't sought You out yet. My prayer is that they will feel the stirring of the Holy Spirit in their hearts that has was planted there so long ago, and will recognize it for what it is - Your desire to bless them. Your desire to spend eternity in Heaven with them. I thank You for Your wonderful gift of salvation and reconciliation to You that is available to us all. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
It is very easy for us to forget that we are to be seeking God's Kingdom and righteousness first (Luke 12:31; Matthew 6:33). Everyone gets caught up in the daily busyness of life, and we concern ourselves and worry about things that we not only have no control over, but are already promised to us by our Lord and Savior.
What I really like about this chapter of Haggai, is what happened when the people were called out by God for focusing on the wrong things. They immediately obeyed, and the Lord said He was with them (Haggai 1:12-13). That's what God wants from us, not perfection. We can't achieve that. He knows our shortcomings, and what we are capable of. He doesn't expect us to overcome those, because He already has. He expects us to overcome what we are capable of overcoming, and that is our decision-making and choices. When we choose to be obedient to Him, He will bless us.
The Gospel's in the New Testament all vary to some degree. This is to be expected, because they were written by four different people, and no two witnesses ever agree on something exactly the same way. They were also written for different audiences, so they tend to focus on different things. But their core message is the same, which is why we see the same things repeated.
God's promise to be with us, and provide for us, wasn't a new concept when it was mentioned in Haggai, and certainly not when Jesus promised it. Remember, Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish it (Matthew 5:17). God promised to bless Abraham's obedience when he left his native land for Canaan (Genesis 12:1-3). The great thing about Abraham's story, is that he didn't even know where he was going. God said I will show, He didn't say when. The beauty is that Abraham obeyed. Materially, what did he have to gain by it? Absolutely nothing. He was already a wealthy man, and he was close by his family. Why leave? Because he recognized God's calling for what it was, and he knew he had to obey. Something inside him knew that immediate obedience was the right thing to do. But how did he know?
Solomon told us that God has planted eternity on our heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11). While Solomon's words were written a long time after Abraham, that doesn't make them any less applicable to Abraham's situation. God planted eternity on the human heart when He created mankind.
Our highest calling in this life, will always be to obey God first. Whenever we come to a point where we aren't sure that what we are doing is God's call, we should stop and ask Him. He always wants to hear from us. Avoid the thinking that God will prevent it from happening if He doesn't want it to be, because He won't. He will always allow us the choice to obey Him. He won't violate free will. That is why when we seek Him first, He has promised to bless us. I once heard a Pastor say that God will always love us and that will never change. But if we aren't seeking to do His will first, if we aren't being obedient to Him, then He won't bless us.
I pray that we all will stay focused on seeking and being obedient to God's will and purpose for our lives. I pray that we will keep His plans and desires for us as our first priority. And He will bless us abundantly as a result.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for planting eternity in my heart. Even though I didn't recognize it for so many years, I am beyond grateful that You put it there so when I did start to seek You, I didn't have to look far to find You. I am blessed that You have always bent down to listen to me. I pray for those that haven't sought You out yet. My prayer is that they will feel the stirring of the Holy Spirit in their hearts that has was planted there so long ago, and will recognize it for what it is - Your desire to bless them. Your desire to spend eternity in Heaven with them. I thank You for Your wonderful gift of salvation and reconciliation to You that is available to us all. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Friday, September 26, 2014
But Why?
1 Kings 18:40 - Then Elijah commanded, "Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don't let a single one escape!" So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there.
During a recent discussion between myself and a couple of friends, this incident was brought up. A friend said he didn't really understand why Elijah would have killed these prophets of Baal. We all know that God loves us all, and is willing to forgive us for anything if we ask, so why did they have to die? It made me think about it, and I think there are a few reasons why they were killed, and no one else was during this incident.
For starters, the people that were witnesses to this contest between the prophets of Baal and Elijah all repented and recognized that the Lord was indeed God (1 Kings 18:39). Were they guilty of idol worship? Yes indeed they were, but they also repented and confessed their belief in the Lord as God before they had run out of chances to do so.
Second, these prophets of Baal were guilty of not only idol worship, breaking the first commandment (Exodus 20:2-3), but they were also guilty of bearing false witness (8th commandment; Exodus 20:16) by being false prophets of a false god. These were biggies according to the Mosaic Law (as are all of the 10 commandments). However, in my opinion, the kicker with these false prophets was that they didn't repent. The people did when they saw the power of God, but the false prophets didn't. They saw the same thing that everyone else did, and there is no excuse for them not to have repented.
The third thing that comes to my mind here, is that God has to punish sin. He cannot allow sin to go unchecked. Jesus told us that all sin and blasphemy can be forgive with the exception of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31). Do you think that the reaction of the false prophets would qualify as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is God, and they saw the exact same thing as everyone else did that day on Mount Carmel. They saw God reveal Himself in a remarkably spectacular way. The people realized what it was and repented. The false prophets saw it and basically said, "Ehh, just smoke and mirrors." Do you think that Elijah would have killed them if God had told him not to? I sincerely doubt it. He was highly favored by God, in the same way that Moses was,
Some people have, and will probably continue to use for a long time, the argument that if God was so loving and forgiving, why would He have them killed. Or why does He allow bad things happen to good people. When bad things happen to good people, it isn't because God allows it to happen in the sense we think of. The people doing the bad things are operating apart from God's will. They are exercising their free will to do bad things. God is incapable of doing bad. And He won't violate free will. He wants us all to use our free will to return to Him in repentance and accept His free gift of salvation. He doesn't want anyone to die separated from Him (2 Peter 3:9).
When Jesus spoke of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit being the only thing that is unforgivable, I always take that as when we are given the last chance to confess and repent, if we still choose to reject Jesus Christ at that last minute, we are blaspheming the Holy Spirit. That's basically what happened here. Everyone on Mount Carmel saw the spectacular hand of God at work, and were given a final chance to confess and repent. Those that did were spared, those that didn't were punished.
We never know when our last chance to confess and repent may come. So instead of waiting until it's too late, maybe it's better if we do so now and start living our lives for the God that loved us so much that He sacrificed His only Son so that we could be reconciled to Him for eternity.
Abba Father, thank You for giving me so many chances to repent and return to You, and to live my life for Your glory. I never deserved as many chances as You gave me, but I am grateful that You are as forgiving and merciful as You have shown Yourself to be. I pray that my life will be a reflection of Your light of love to everyone. I pray for those that don't believe. For those that have had numerous opportunities to accept Your free gift of love and salvation, but haven't. My prayer is that they will do so before it is too late for them. I pray that they will do it now, and begin to live their lives completely sold out for the cause of Your Glorious Kingdom. If I can be a part of leading them to You in any way, I am Your willing servant. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen!
God Bless!!!
During a recent discussion between myself and a couple of friends, this incident was brought up. A friend said he didn't really understand why Elijah would have killed these prophets of Baal. We all know that God loves us all, and is willing to forgive us for anything if we ask, so why did they have to die? It made me think about it, and I think there are a few reasons why they were killed, and no one else was during this incident.
For starters, the people that were witnesses to this contest between the prophets of Baal and Elijah all repented and recognized that the Lord was indeed God (1 Kings 18:39). Were they guilty of idol worship? Yes indeed they were, but they also repented and confessed their belief in the Lord as God before they had run out of chances to do so.
Second, these prophets of Baal were guilty of not only idol worship, breaking the first commandment (Exodus 20:2-3), but they were also guilty of bearing false witness (8th commandment; Exodus 20:16) by being false prophets of a false god. These were biggies according to the Mosaic Law (as are all of the 10 commandments). However, in my opinion, the kicker with these false prophets was that they didn't repent. The people did when they saw the power of God, but the false prophets didn't. They saw the same thing that everyone else did, and there is no excuse for them not to have repented.
The third thing that comes to my mind here, is that God has to punish sin. He cannot allow sin to go unchecked. Jesus told us that all sin and blasphemy can be forgive with the exception of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31). Do you think that the reaction of the false prophets would qualify as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is God, and they saw the exact same thing as everyone else did that day on Mount Carmel. They saw God reveal Himself in a remarkably spectacular way. The people realized what it was and repented. The false prophets saw it and basically said, "Ehh, just smoke and mirrors." Do you think that Elijah would have killed them if God had told him not to? I sincerely doubt it. He was highly favored by God, in the same way that Moses was,
Some people have, and will probably continue to use for a long time, the argument that if God was so loving and forgiving, why would He have them killed. Or why does He allow bad things happen to good people. When bad things happen to good people, it isn't because God allows it to happen in the sense we think of. The people doing the bad things are operating apart from God's will. They are exercising their free will to do bad things. God is incapable of doing bad. And He won't violate free will. He wants us all to use our free will to return to Him in repentance and accept His free gift of salvation. He doesn't want anyone to die separated from Him (2 Peter 3:9).
When Jesus spoke of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit being the only thing that is unforgivable, I always take that as when we are given the last chance to confess and repent, if we still choose to reject Jesus Christ at that last minute, we are blaspheming the Holy Spirit. That's basically what happened here. Everyone on Mount Carmel saw the spectacular hand of God at work, and were given a final chance to confess and repent. Those that did were spared, those that didn't were punished.
We never know when our last chance to confess and repent may come. So instead of waiting until it's too late, maybe it's better if we do so now and start living our lives for the God that loved us so much that He sacrificed His only Son so that we could be reconciled to Him for eternity.
Abba Father, thank You for giving me so many chances to repent and return to You, and to live my life for Your glory. I never deserved as many chances as You gave me, but I am grateful that You are as forgiving and merciful as You have shown Yourself to be. I pray that my life will be a reflection of Your light of love to everyone. I pray for those that don't believe. For those that have had numerous opportunities to accept Your free gift of love and salvation, but haven't. My prayer is that they will do so before it is too late for them. I pray that they will do it now, and begin to live their lives completely sold out for the cause of Your Glorious Kingdom. If I can be a part of leading them to You in any way, I am Your willing servant. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen!
God Bless!!!
Thursday, September 25, 2014
A Method To His Beauty
Exodus 7:3 - But I will make Pharaoh's heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.
If there is one thing I have learned about God, is that He always has a reason for doing what He does. There is always a method to the madness. But one of the beautiful things I have also learned about Him, is that nothing He does is madness.
God can do anything He wants to do, and He never needs our approval, counsel, or help. He chooses to work in and through ordinary people like you and me, so that everyone can see what He is doing. He does this so that when we are obedient in following where He leads us, the blessings will be all the more magnified.
Did God need Pharaoh to have a stubborn heart? Nope. He only had to snap his fingers, and the Israelites would have been delivered out of slavery and into the promised land. He chose to do things the hard way, or at least what we could classify as the hard way, so that His miraculous signs that He performed through Moses and Aaron would be multiplied and magnified. Remember, Pharaoh's magicians were able to duplicate most of the same miracles...up to a point.
We can be good people and do good things on our own strength, wisdom, and power...up to a point. When we recognize that we can't be truly successful without the power of God on our side, that's when we need God to do some God-sized work in our lives. Before I came to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, I was not really a bad person. I certainly had some low points in my life that left a lot to be desired as far as character is concerned (to say the least), but I never killed anyone. I had some compassion for people (some...). During a discussion I had recently with someone regarding being sold out for Christ, they said to me, "I'm a good person." I responded, "Indeed you are, and I love you to death. But there are going to be a lot of "good" people in hell for eternity, and I don't want you to be one of them." Was that a bit brash? Depending on your point of view it might be, but I was just trying to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
So why did God bother to multiply His miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt of all places? I mean, these were mean people who had enslaved His chosen people and treated them terribly (to say the least). Well the Apostle Peter answered that question for us. He said the Lord is not wishing for anyone to perish but that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God allows our hearts to be hardened so that He can soften them through the power of the Holy Spirit. God wasn't just trying to save the Israelites in Egypt. He was trying to save the Egyptians too. There's always a method to His beauty.
God made us the way He made us for a reason. One thing He will never do is violate the free will He gave us. He wants us to choose to follow, worship, and glorify Him. He doesn't need us, He wants us. Joshua made the choice that he would serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). He had seen God at work all in and around him, and knew that he couldn't accomplish anything apart from God.
And that's a choice we all have to make. If you don't believe in God, that's understandable because a lot of people who do believe in God now, didn't always believe in Him at some point in their life. But God has always believed in us. He is holding out hope that we would all come to repentance and accept the sacrifice He offered on our behalf - His only Son Jesus Christ. He demonstrated His love for us in this amazing way with no guarantee of any payoff for Him, just the hope that we would recognize and accept it for what it was. A way to bring us into an intimate close relationship with Him (that's what I call gambling).
I pray that if you haven't done so, you will choose today whom you will serve. As for me, I'm choosing to serve the One who made the biggest sacrifice possible for me, when I was in outright rebellion to Him. I am choosing to serve the One who made that sacrifice for ALL of mankind because He loves us all that much. There isn't anyone on this planet - past, present, or future - that God doesn't love. I am choosing to serve the Lord.
I will be praying for everyone that needs to make that choice today. If you would like someone to help you through it, I will be happy to pray with you specifically. Just give me a shout.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me when I was (and sometimes still am) unlovable. Thank You for Your sacrifice for me, even though there was no guarantee that I would ever accept it. I am so grateful that You have a method to Your beauty, and I am so grateful that the work of Your Holy Spirit finally softened my heart and I was able to recognize it. I pray for those that don't know You, but need to. My prayer is that they will finally realize that there are limits to what they can do on their own, and that their need for You overwhelms them to the point that they pray for You to enter their hearts and lives permanently. If I can be of use in this, I pray that You will use me. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
If there is one thing I have learned about God, is that He always has a reason for doing what He does. There is always a method to the madness. But one of the beautiful things I have also learned about Him, is that nothing He does is madness.
God can do anything He wants to do, and He never needs our approval, counsel, or help. He chooses to work in and through ordinary people like you and me, so that everyone can see what He is doing. He does this so that when we are obedient in following where He leads us, the blessings will be all the more magnified.
Did God need Pharaoh to have a stubborn heart? Nope. He only had to snap his fingers, and the Israelites would have been delivered out of slavery and into the promised land. He chose to do things the hard way, or at least what we could classify as the hard way, so that His miraculous signs that He performed through Moses and Aaron would be multiplied and magnified. Remember, Pharaoh's magicians were able to duplicate most of the same miracles...up to a point.
We can be good people and do good things on our own strength, wisdom, and power...up to a point. When we recognize that we can't be truly successful without the power of God on our side, that's when we need God to do some God-sized work in our lives. Before I came to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, I was not really a bad person. I certainly had some low points in my life that left a lot to be desired as far as character is concerned (to say the least), but I never killed anyone. I had some compassion for people (some...). During a discussion I had recently with someone regarding being sold out for Christ, they said to me, "I'm a good person." I responded, "Indeed you are, and I love you to death. But there are going to be a lot of "good" people in hell for eternity, and I don't want you to be one of them." Was that a bit brash? Depending on your point of view it might be, but I was just trying to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
So why did God bother to multiply His miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt of all places? I mean, these were mean people who had enslaved His chosen people and treated them terribly (to say the least). Well the Apostle Peter answered that question for us. He said the Lord is not wishing for anyone to perish but that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God allows our hearts to be hardened so that He can soften them through the power of the Holy Spirit. God wasn't just trying to save the Israelites in Egypt. He was trying to save the Egyptians too. There's always a method to His beauty.
God made us the way He made us for a reason. One thing He will never do is violate the free will He gave us. He wants us to choose to follow, worship, and glorify Him. He doesn't need us, He wants us. Joshua made the choice that he would serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). He had seen God at work all in and around him, and knew that he couldn't accomplish anything apart from God.
And that's a choice we all have to make. If you don't believe in God, that's understandable because a lot of people who do believe in God now, didn't always believe in Him at some point in their life. But God has always believed in us. He is holding out hope that we would all come to repentance and accept the sacrifice He offered on our behalf - His only Son Jesus Christ. He demonstrated His love for us in this amazing way with no guarantee of any payoff for Him, just the hope that we would recognize and accept it for what it was. A way to bring us into an intimate close relationship with Him (that's what I call gambling).
I pray that if you haven't done so, you will choose today whom you will serve. As for me, I'm choosing to serve the One who made the biggest sacrifice possible for me, when I was in outright rebellion to Him. I am choosing to serve the One who made that sacrifice for ALL of mankind because He loves us all that much. There isn't anyone on this planet - past, present, or future - that God doesn't love. I am choosing to serve the Lord.
I will be praying for everyone that needs to make that choice today. If you would like someone to help you through it, I will be happy to pray with you specifically. Just give me a shout.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me when I was (and sometimes still am) unlovable. Thank You for Your sacrifice for me, even though there was no guarantee that I would ever accept it. I am so grateful that You have a method to Your beauty, and I am so grateful that the work of Your Holy Spirit finally softened my heart and I was able to recognize it. I pray for those that don't know You, but need to. My prayer is that they will finally realize that there are limits to what they can do on their own, and that their need for You overwhelms them to the point that they pray for You to enter their hearts and lives permanently. If I can be of use in this, I pray that You will use me. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Praying For Our Enemies
Daniel 4:19 - Upon hearing this, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) was overcome for a time, frightened by the meaning of the dream. Then the king said to him, "Belteshazzar, don't be alarmed by the dream and what it means." Belteshazzar replied, "I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my lord, and not to you!"
One thing I have always admired about Daniel, was his ability to pray through every circumstance, and his ability to hope for the best for everyone regardless of who they were and what they did. It could not have been easy to pray for Nebuchadnezzar's well-being and deliverance. Daniel is a model of strong faith, and this is why his story is my favorite in the Bible.
Praying for my enemies is something I have always struggled with. I know we are commanded by Jesus to love them and pray for them (Matthew 5:44), but sometimes, it's just not that easy.
I remember once I had a very difficult boss. I wouldn't call her my enemy in the sense that we have come to think of the word, but it did seem that she was out to get me. She knew that I had a bit of a temper, and one time she was trying to bait me into an argument in front of my staff. I could sense that was what she was doing, and instead of flying off the handle (as she expected me to), I told her, "You know what, I hope you're right and I'm going to pray for you." And then I walked away. That was the hardest thing for me to do in that situation. But you know what, I did feel better about it afterwards. I believed that I had responded the way I was supposed to. And I did pray for her regularly.
A few weeks later, I had a meeting with her boss and this situation was brought up. Her boss told me that he believed that when I said I would pray for her, I was being rude and insensitive. He said that if I had said that to him it would have pissed him off. I wasn't entirely surprised by his comment, so I just shrugged him off. Then he asked me if I would want someone to say that to me. Talk about throwing me a curveball! I said, "You bet I would! I'll take all the prayers I can get!" He didn't like that answer much.
In this section of the story of Daniel, not only was Daniel upset at what the dream meant, he begged Nebuchadnezzar to repent of his sins, and to follow what was right according to God (Daniel 4:27). Now there's a curveball!
I can understand that Daniel did not want any harm to come to Nebuchadnezzar, because I believe that is always the right attitude to have. But to actually pray for the man's salvation?! That's the hard part! But it's right. This is where I need to improve. I have never really had a problem praying for the well-being of anybody. However, I have always struggled taking that extra step of compassion towards those who wish me ill. I think in the situation with my boss at the time, and subsequently her boss, I should have been praying for more than just clarity and right judgment. I should have been praying for their salvation. But I wasn't. And that really bothers me that I didn't.
All I can do now, is ask for God's forgiveness, and make sure that I am praying for these things now. He has given me another day on this earth to get my heart right and completely surrendered to Him. And by His grace, He will give me many more to come. But I can't expect that to be the case. I have to pray now as though it was my last chance to ever do so before I meet Him for my judgment. Will you pray with me?
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You so much for putting this on my heart today. I beg for your forgiveness for not praying for those people completely, like I should have. I should have known better, and I have no excuse. Thank You for giving me another day to get my heart right and for Your grace and salvation. I pray that the people You have put on my heart will not only have the clarity and right judgment to perform their duties and live their lives, but I also pray that they will come to know You. I pray for Your Holy Spirit to stir in their hearts in such a way that they will realize their need for You, and will invite You to be the Lord of their lives forever. Thank You for being the God of second chances. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
One thing I have always admired about Daniel, was his ability to pray through every circumstance, and his ability to hope for the best for everyone regardless of who they were and what they did. It could not have been easy to pray for Nebuchadnezzar's well-being and deliverance. Daniel is a model of strong faith, and this is why his story is my favorite in the Bible.
Praying for my enemies is something I have always struggled with. I know we are commanded by Jesus to love them and pray for them (Matthew 5:44), but sometimes, it's just not that easy.
I remember once I had a very difficult boss. I wouldn't call her my enemy in the sense that we have come to think of the word, but it did seem that she was out to get me. She knew that I had a bit of a temper, and one time she was trying to bait me into an argument in front of my staff. I could sense that was what she was doing, and instead of flying off the handle (as she expected me to), I told her, "You know what, I hope you're right and I'm going to pray for you." And then I walked away. That was the hardest thing for me to do in that situation. But you know what, I did feel better about it afterwards. I believed that I had responded the way I was supposed to. And I did pray for her regularly.
A few weeks later, I had a meeting with her boss and this situation was brought up. Her boss told me that he believed that when I said I would pray for her, I was being rude and insensitive. He said that if I had said that to him it would have pissed him off. I wasn't entirely surprised by his comment, so I just shrugged him off. Then he asked me if I would want someone to say that to me. Talk about throwing me a curveball! I said, "You bet I would! I'll take all the prayers I can get!" He didn't like that answer much.
In this section of the story of Daniel, not only was Daniel upset at what the dream meant, he begged Nebuchadnezzar to repent of his sins, and to follow what was right according to God (Daniel 4:27). Now there's a curveball!
I can understand that Daniel did not want any harm to come to Nebuchadnezzar, because I believe that is always the right attitude to have. But to actually pray for the man's salvation?! That's the hard part! But it's right. This is where I need to improve. I have never really had a problem praying for the well-being of anybody. However, I have always struggled taking that extra step of compassion towards those who wish me ill. I think in the situation with my boss at the time, and subsequently her boss, I should have been praying for more than just clarity and right judgment. I should have been praying for their salvation. But I wasn't. And that really bothers me that I didn't.
All I can do now, is ask for God's forgiveness, and make sure that I am praying for these things now. He has given me another day on this earth to get my heart right and completely surrendered to Him. And by His grace, He will give me many more to come. But I can't expect that to be the case. I have to pray now as though it was my last chance to ever do so before I meet Him for my judgment. Will you pray with me?
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You so much for putting this on my heart today. I beg for your forgiveness for not praying for those people completely, like I should have. I should have known better, and I have no excuse. Thank You for giving me another day to get my heart right and for Your grace and salvation. I pray that the people You have put on my heart will not only have the clarity and right judgment to perform their duties and live their lives, but I also pray that they will come to know You. I pray for Your Holy Spirit to stir in their hearts in such a way that they will realize their need for You, and will invite You to be the Lord of their lives forever. Thank You for being the God of second chances. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Total Obedience
Romans 11:29 - For God's gifts and His call can never be withdrawn.
One of the many great and awesome things I love about God, is that He never changes. We can count Him to be the same loving and merciful God forever. He doesn't withdraw His love for and towards us when we make mistakes and He doesn't change His mind about His calling on our lives either.
It's very easy for us to think that when things don't happen the way God was leading us that it's because He changed His mind. It's a very convenient way to think about it. Well that's simply not the case. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). If things aren't happening a certain way, it's because we aren't being fully obedient to Him.
Jesus told us that all of those who love Him will do what He says, and that when we are obedient, God will will be with them, and the Holy Spirit will guide and teach them (John 14:23-26). But the trick is that we need to be totally obedient. We can't cut corners on certain things. As humans living in this fast-paced culture, we always look for ways to cut corners. I know I sure do. I looooooove making things easier on myself.
God will always love us. That is a given. But if we aren't living our lives wholly committed to Him, and in total obedience to Him, He won't bless our efforts. Some might say, "Well that's not fair." Well let me ask you this. If you're employee or your child doesn't do what you say, do you approve? Of course not. Why would you? We are told to live our lives as a living and holy sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). That means we need to be sold out in our obedience to Him.
God loved us enough to sacrifice His only Son for us even though we were sinners and separated from Him (Romans 5:8). He didn't have to, He wanted to. We are told time and again in the Old Testament that God loves us and wants us to be reconciled to Him. He wanted to demonstrate that love for us, so that we would finally realize, "Hey maybe He was serious about that." Of course He was.
When He tells us to do A, B, C, and D in order to carry out His work and His will for us. We need to do A, B, C, and D. Not just A, B, half of C, and most of D. I remember a movie I saw where this guy was given this list of things to do that would help restore his marriage. When he was about halfway through, he was going over the list with a friend and trying to figure out why it wasn't working yet. One of the items on that list, was to pray for his wife. Right after he read that on the list he said, "I kinda skipped that one." That was the problem. There was the disconnect.
Although he didn't receive the list from God directly, it was certainly something that God wanted him to do. Why? Because God wanted restoration for that marriage. But since he wasn't wholly committed to doing the work that was certainly from God, he wasn't experiencing the blessings of renewal in his marriage from his wife. Now, I'm not one to normally talk about marriage. In fact, I'm probably the last person anyone should ever go to for marriage advice. I'm just using this as an illustration.
Am I truly committed to being totally obedient to God's calling on my life, and not looking for shortcuts to His blessings?
Dear Heavenly Father, search my heart and remove anything that isn't completely committed to You. I want to be completely sold out for the work You want to do in and through me, and I can only do that by being totally obedient to You. I pray for those that are trying to find shortcuts to Your blessings. My prayer is that Your Holy Spirit will stir in their hearts, and show them that there are no shortcuts available, and that Your blessings only come through complete obedience to You. I pray that we are all not just seeking Your will, but desiring to completely do Your will as well. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen!
God Bless!!!
One of the many great and awesome things I love about God, is that He never changes. We can count Him to be the same loving and merciful God forever. He doesn't withdraw His love for and towards us when we make mistakes and He doesn't change His mind about His calling on our lives either.
It's very easy for us to think that when things don't happen the way God was leading us that it's because He changed His mind. It's a very convenient way to think about it. Well that's simply not the case. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). If things aren't happening a certain way, it's because we aren't being fully obedient to Him.
Jesus told us that all of those who love Him will do what He says, and that when we are obedient, God will will be with them, and the Holy Spirit will guide and teach them (John 14:23-26). But the trick is that we need to be totally obedient. We can't cut corners on certain things. As humans living in this fast-paced culture, we always look for ways to cut corners. I know I sure do. I looooooove making things easier on myself.
God will always love us. That is a given. But if we aren't living our lives wholly committed to Him, and in total obedience to Him, He won't bless our efforts. Some might say, "Well that's not fair." Well let me ask you this. If you're employee or your child doesn't do what you say, do you approve? Of course not. Why would you? We are told to live our lives as a living and holy sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). That means we need to be sold out in our obedience to Him.
God loved us enough to sacrifice His only Son for us even though we were sinners and separated from Him (Romans 5:8). He didn't have to, He wanted to. We are told time and again in the Old Testament that God loves us and wants us to be reconciled to Him. He wanted to demonstrate that love for us, so that we would finally realize, "Hey maybe He was serious about that." Of course He was.
When He tells us to do A, B, C, and D in order to carry out His work and His will for us. We need to do A, B, C, and D. Not just A, B, half of C, and most of D. I remember a movie I saw where this guy was given this list of things to do that would help restore his marriage. When he was about halfway through, he was going over the list with a friend and trying to figure out why it wasn't working yet. One of the items on that list, was to pray for his wife. Right after he read that on the list he said, "I kinda skipped that one." That was the problem. There was the disconnect.
Although he didn't receive the list from God directly, it was certainly something that God wanted him to do. Why? Because God wanted restoration for that marriage. But since he wasn't wholly committed to doing the work that was certainly from God, he wasn't experiencing the blessings of renewal in his marriage from his wife. Now, I'm not one to normally talk about marriage. In fact, I'm probably the last person anyone should ever go to for marriage advice. I'm just using this as an illustration.
Am I truly committed to being totally obedient to God's calling on my life, and not looking for shortcuts to His blessings?
Dear Heavenly Father, search my heart and remove anything that isn't completely committed to You. I want to be completely sold out for the work You want to do in and through me, and I can only do that by being totally obedient to You. I pray for those that are trying to find shortcuts to Your blessings. My prayer is that Your Holy Spirit will stir in their hearts, and show them that there are no shortcuts available, and that Your blessings only come through complete obedience to You. I pray that we are all not just seeking Your will, but desiring to completely do Your will as well. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen!
God Bless!!!
Monday, September 22, 2014
Shouldn't It Be Done This Way?
2 Kings 5:11 - But Naaman became angry and stalked away. "I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!" he said. "I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me!"
Naaman was angry because he expected his healing to be handled differently by Elisha. He had certain expectations that he wanted to be met. When they weren't, he almost missed out on the healing and blessing of God because of his anger.
How often do we try to guide certain things to happen in certain ways, and then when they aren't, we get mad? Even before we know the final outcome. I have become a bit of an expert on trying to make certain things happen certain ways, so that I can have some semblance of order in my life. Let's be honest, we all try to do it. Fortunately for us, God doesn't operate according to our timetables, and certainly not our instructions. If He did, this world would be chaos, and we would have no pathway to salvation and eternal life in Heaven.
Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane (3 times!) to have the cup of suffering taken away from Him (Matthew 26:36-44). He didn't want to die, but the kicker in His prayer was that He was still willing to die to satisfy the will of God. We may want certain things to happen and be done in certain ways to satisfy our earthly needs and wants (Jesus is God but was also a man), but when it comes down to it, we should always be asking for the will of God to be done. Just like Jesus had instructed in the Sermon on the Mount, "Seek first His Kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).
In a book I recently read by Dr. Henry Cloud called Boundaries for Leaders, he talked about how our trust grows when we believe in someone's capacity and ability. He said, "Do not trust me to do brain surgery. Even if I understand you, and have good intent, and have good character, I will probably remove the wrong lobe, and every time you blink your right leg will kick." Dr. Cloud's specialty is leadership (as he points out in this section), and he makes the great point that he has abilities in that domain (leadership) that are utterly lacking when it comes to brain surgery (Ch. 9, pg. 183). We may have good intentions and character, but we are seriously lacking when it comes to producing righteous outcomes apart from the will of God.
That's how a lot of us are. We have a tendency to believe that we know best what we need and how to achieve it. I catch myself thinking that way A LOT. However, when I do start thinking this way, I try to take a step back and remind myself, "How's that been working out for you so far?" If I am honest with myself, the answer will undoubtedly be, "Not that great." The fact that I realized years ago that I couldn't do it anymore without Jesus in my life, and surrendered my life to God's plan, tells me that I need to remove myself from the decision making process. If I had all the answers, then Jesus didn't need to die. And we all know that just isn't true.
Before we try to play doctor for our lives, let the Great Physician do His job first. He is much better at it than any of us could ever hope to be in a thousand life times, and He will never lead us down the wrong path. His paths only lead us closer to Him and to eternal life in His Heavenly Kingdom. I like that path better.
Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me to let go and let You work. I know I try too hard to take charge of things and direct them to achieve my desired outcome. I am blessed that You are in control and don't let me have my way. I pray for those that don't want to give up control to You. My prayer is that they will see that Your Way is the best and only Way to peace and eternal salvation. I pray that they will give up control to You and that they will start to see Your amazing blessings in their lives. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Naaman was angry because he expected his healing to be handled differently by Elisha. He had certain expectations that he wanted to be met. When they weren't, he almost missed out on the healing and blessing of God because of his anger.
How often do we try to guide certain things to happen in certain ways, and then when they aren't, we get mad? Even before we know the final outcome. I have become a bit of an expert on trying to make certain things happen certain ways, so that I can have some semblance of order in my life. Let's be honest, we all try to do it. Fortunately for us, God doesn't operate according to our timetables, and certainly not our instructions. If He did, this world would be chaos, and we would have no pathway to salvation and eternal life in Heaven.
Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane (3 times!) to have the cup of suffering taken away from Him (Matthew 26:36-44). He didn't want to die, but the kicker in His prayer was that He was still willing to die to satisfy the will of God. We may want certain things to happen and be done in certain ways to satisfy our earthly needs and wants (Jesus is God but was also a man), but when it comes down to it, we should always be asking for the will of God to be done. Just like Jesus had instructed in the Sermon on the Mount, "Seek first His Kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).
In a book I recently read by Dr. Henry Cloud called Boundaries for Leaders, he talked about how our trust grows when we believe in someone's capacity and ability. He said, "Do not trust me to do brain surgery. Even if I understand you, and have good intent, and have good character, I will probably remove the wrong lobe, and every time you blink your right leg will kick." Dr. Cloud's specialty is leadership (as he points out in this section), and he makes the great point that he has abilities in that domain (leadership) that are utterly lacking when it comes to brain surgery (Ch. 9, pg. 183). We may have good intentions and character, but we are seriously lacking when it comes to producing righteous outcomes apart from the will of God.
That's how a lot of us are. We have a tendency to believe that we know best what we need and how to achieve it. I catch myself thinking that way A LOT. However, when I do start thinking this way, I try to take a step back and remind myself, "How's that been working out for you so far?" If I am honest with myself, the answer will undoubtedly be, "Not that great." The fact that I realized years ago that I couldn't do it anymore without Jesus in my life, and surrendered my life to God's plan, tells me that I need to remove myself from the decision making process. If I had all the answers, then Jesus didn't need to die. And we all know that just isn't true.
Before we try to play doctor for our lives, let the Great Physician do His job first. He is much better at it than any of us could ever hope to be in a thousand life times, and He will never lead us down the wrong path. His paths only lead us closer to Him and to eternal life in His Heavenly Kingdom. I like that path better.
Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me to let go and let You work. I know I try too hard to take charge of things and direct them to achieve my desired outcome. I am blessed that You are in control and don't let me have my way. I pray for those that don't want to give up control to You. My prayer is that they will see that Your Way is the best and only Way to peace and eternal salvation. I pray that they will give up control to You and that they will start to see Your amazing blessings in their lives. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Friday, September 19, 2014
A Bountiful Harvest
Psalm 126:6 - They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.
When God calls us to join Him where He is at work, it not only requires obedience, but there is also a cost involved. That cost to be paid, is not only high for us but also those around us. Our friends and family have to pay it too. But God makes it all worth it.
If, for instance, God calls us to pick up and leave where we are, and leave our lives behind, that's hard to do. Even more so if we have families that have to be uprooted. It can cause us to weep as we go to plant our seed for His Kingdom.
So how does He make it worth it? With a bountiful harvest. When we are obedient, God blesses the harvest we reap as we return from doing the work for His Kingdom. Jesus told us that He would give us a life abundant (John 10:10). He also told us not to worry about things because we would be provided for (Mark 6:7-12).
I am very close to my sister. She is the only family I have close to me and that I see on a regular basis. Over the last few years she has really become my best friend. If God calls me to get up and go to do work for the Kingdom that would take me far away from her, it would be hard. Does that mean I won't go? No. I pray every day that God would continue to work on my heart so that I would be obedient to His calling. Leaving her behind to answer God's call for my life would not be easy in any stretch of the imagination. But I know it would be worth it. I would be planting the seed, and reaping a bountiful harvest.
Imagine if you have a family. A wife and small children, perhaps. That would have to be even tougher. You're not only uprooting yourself, you've got others that you're responsible for that have to be uprooted from their lives. Since I don't have that, it is impossible for me to imagine what that must be like to go through. But I can imagine the bountiful harvest that would be reaped for the Kingdom when people like that respond in faith and obedience. What a blessing.
I will continue to pray for strength in faith and obedience that we all would respond to God's call and not fret over the cost that may come with it. We may cry a bit when we go to plant our seed, but the bountiful harvest that will be reaped for His Kingdom will make it worth it, and cause us to sing for joy.
Abba Father, thank You for reminding me that everything I do for You and Your Heavenly Kingdom is worth it, and will be blessed by You when I respond in faith. I pray for the strength and courage to respond obediently to Your calling. I pray for those that are struggling to respond in obedience. Perhaps they feel that the cost is too high to pay. My prayer is that You will work on their heart through the Holy Spirit to show them that the cost they will have to pay is never too high, but beyond worth it. I pray that we remember that no cost is too high for us to pay after the cost You paid to save us. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!
When God calls us to join Him where He is at work, it not only requires obedience, but there is also a cost involved. That cost to be paid, is not only high for us but also those around us. Our friends and family have to pay it too. But God makes it all worth it.
If, for instance, God calls us to pick up and leave where we are, and leave our lives behind, that's hard to do. Even more so if we have families that have to be uprooted. It can cause us to weep as we go to plant our seed for His Kingdom.
So how does He make it worth it? With a bountiful harvest. When we are obedient, God blesses the harvest we reap as we return from doing the work for His Kingdom. Jesus told us that He would give us a life abundant (John 10:10). He also told us not to worry about things because we would be provided for (Mark 6:7-12).
I am very close to my sister. She is the only family I have close to me and that I see on a regular basis. Over the last few years she has really become my best friend. If God calls me to get up and go to do work for the Kingdom that would take me far away from her, it would be hard. Does that mean I won't go? No. I pray every day that God would continue to work on my heart so that I would be obedient to His calling. Leaving her behind to answer God's call for my life would not be easy in any stretch of the imagination. But I know it would be worth it. I would be planting the seed, and reaping a bountiful harvest.
Imagine if you have a family. A wife and small children, perhaps. That would have to be even tougher. You're not only uprooting yourself, you've got others that you're responsible for that have to be uprooted from their lives. Since I don't have that, it is impossible for me to imagine what that must be like to go through. But I can imagine the bountiful harvest that would be reaped for the Kingdom when people like that respond in faith and obedience. What a blessing.
I will continue to pray for strength in faith and obedience that we all would respond to God's call and not fret over the cost that may come with it. We may cry a bit when we go to plant our seed, but the bountiful harvest that will be reaped for His Kingdom will make it worth it, and cause us to sing for joy.
Abba Father, thank You for reminding me that everything I do for You and Your Heavenly Kingdom is worth it, and will be blessed by You when I respond in faith. I pray for the strength and courage to respond obediently to Your calling. I pray for those that are struggling to respond in obedience. Perhaps they feel that the cost is too high to pay. My prayer is that You will work on their heart through the Holy Spirit to show them that the cost they will have to pay is never too high, but beyond worth it. I pray that we remember that no cost is too high for us to pay after the cost You paid to save us. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Bro, Do You Even Lift?
James 5:16 - Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
A lot of people like to work out and eat healthy. Not me, but a lot of other people. Some people are into heavy weightlifting too. What's the purpose of weightlifting? Other than to just be really sore several days of the week (gee that sounds like fun...not). It's to make you stronger and more powerful right? Maybe give you a chance against that mugger in the dark alley (maybe I watch too many movies). Most athletes do it. Ever look at a pro football player's arms? They look like some pretty strong and powerful guys. I sure wouldn't want to meet some of them in a dark alley.
Prayer is spiritual weightlifting. In this passage, James tells us that it can produce great power and produce wonderful results. And it won't even make you sweat! Me personally, I like the no sweating idea. But a lot of people don't really pray. Why is that?
I know I used to be terrible about it. I rarely pray out loud, because I hate hearing the sound of my own voice. I'm sure God's okay with that. I can speak internally to Him, and still get my thoughts out to Him. But I used to be bad about praying period, and there were a couple of reasons.
I had trouble believing that I had anything to say that God would actually want to hear. Prayer is communication between our Father in Heaven and us. Just like any relationship, things often go better when there is open, regular, and honest communication between all parties involved. Now God is not capable of lying, but we certainly are. That is kind of the catch in the passage in James here. We have to confess our sins not just to God, but to each other. Being honest with God is what helps make us righteous. That is what gives our prayers great power and wonderful results. Whenever I catch myself thinking that God doesn't want to hear anything I have to say, I remember one of David's Psalms when he said, "Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!" (Psalm 116:2). God DOES want to hear from us. That's why He bends down to listen. He doesn't mind us speaking softly (internally) to Him, because He bends down to be closer to us so that we can whisper to Him.
The other reason I used to struggle with prayer, is that sometimes I get tongue tied, and at a loss for words. For those of you that know me well, it can be hard to imagine that I actually sometimes don't have something to say. But it's still true nonetheless. When it comes to prayer, I still struggle with this sometimes. A good practice I have gotten into recently, is writing my prayer requests down (who I'm praying for, what I'm praying for, etc.). And I try to be very specific. I remember the story of Hezekiah (2 Kings 18-19). Hezekiah had been faithful to God during his reign but he was dealing with some incorrigible enemies. When he received a message from them once, we are told that he took it with him to the temple and laid it out before the Lord as he prayed (2 Kings 19:14-15). I love that. When I struggle with getting the words out, I lift up my written requests to God.
Prayer is our spiritual muscle that we have to work on regularly. It gives us power and produces wonderful results. If you are struggling with what you want to pray about, start with the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Jesus taught us that for a reason, and it's always a great starting point. You'd be surprised at how your prayers can take off after that. I have started praying that before, and the next thing I know I have spent the next 20 minutes (sometimes longer) pouring my heart out to God. Those are some great prayer times, too. It's like the Lord's Prayer was my warm up exercise before I started the heavy lifting (and I still didn't break a sweat!)
Don't be afraid to pray. Paul tells us to never stop praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The last thing we should want to hear when we are sharing our struggles with someone is for them to ask us if we are even working out our spiritual muscles. It should always be a given.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing us to come before You in prayer. Thank You for bending down to listen to our whispers (and sometimes our shouts). Thank You for loving us the way You do, and being interested in what we have to say. I pray for those that have problems coming to You in prayer. Regardless what their reasons are, my prayer is that they will remember how much delight You take in spending quality intimate time with us all. I pray we will take the time to confess our sins to You, and forgive anything we may have against a brother or sister, so that we can talk to You with a clear and open heart. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen!
God Bless!!!
A lot of people like to work out and eat healthy. Not me, but a lot of other people. Some people are into heavy weightlifting too. What's the purpose of weightlifting? Other than to just be really sore several days of the week (gee that sounds like fun...not). It's to make you stronger and more powerful right? Maybe give you a chance against that mugger in the dark alley (maybe I watch too many movies). Most athletes do it. Ever look at a pro football player's arms? They look like some pretty strong and powerful guys. I sure wouldn't want to meet some of them in a dark alley.
Prayer is spiritual weightlifting. In this passage, James tells us that it can produce great power and produce wonderful results. And it won't even make you sweat! Me personally, I like the no sweating idea. But a lot of people don't really pray. Why is that?
I know I used to be terrible about it. I rarely pray out loud, because I hate hearing the sound of my own voice. I'm sure God's okay with that. I can speak internally to Him, and still get my thoughts out to Him. But I used to be bad about praying period, and there were a couple of reasons.
I had trouble believing that I had anything to say that God would actually want to hear. Prayer is communication between our Father in Heaven and us. Just like any relationship, things often go better when there is open, regular, and honest communication between all parties involved. Now God is not capable of lying, but we certainly are. That is kind of the catch in the passage in James here. We have to confess our sins not just to God, but to each other. Being honest with God is what helps make us righteous. That is what gives our prayers great power and wonderful results. Whenever I catch myself thinking that God doesn't want to hear anything I have to say, I remember one of David's Psalms when he said, "Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!" (Psalm 116:2). God DOES want to hear from us. That's why He bends down to listen. He doesn't mind us speaking softly (internally) to Him, because He bends down to be closer to us so that we can whisper to Him.
The other reason I used to struggle with prayer, is that sometimes I get tongue tied, and at a loss for words. For those of you that know me well, it can be hard to imagine that I actually sometimes don't have something to say. But it's still true nonetheless. When it comes to prayer, I still struggle with this sometimes. A good practice I have gotten into recently, is writing my prayer requests down (who I'm praying for, what I'm praying for, etc.). And I try to be very specific. I remember the story of Hezekiah (2 Kings 18-19). Hezekiah had been faithful to God during his reign but he was dealing with some incorrigible enemies. When he received a message from them once, we are told that he took it with him to the temple and laid it out before the Lord as he prayed (2 Kings 19:14-15). I love that. When I struggle with getting the words out, I lift up my written requests to God.
Prayer is our spiritual muscle that we have to work on regularly. It gives us power and produces wonderful results. If you are struggling with what you want to pray about, start with the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Jesus taught us that for a reason, and it's always a great starting point. You'd be surprised at how your prayers can take off after that. I have started praying that before, and the next thing I know I have spent the next 20 minutes (sometimes longer) pouring my heart out to God. Those are some great prayer times, too. It's like the Lord's Prayer was my warm up exercise before I started the heavy lifting (and I still didn't break a sweat!)
Don't be afraid to pray. Paul tells us to never stop praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The last thing we should want to hear when we are sharing our struggles with someone is for them to ask us if we are even working out our spiritual muscles. It should always be a given.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing us to come before You in prayer. Thank You for bending down to listen to our whispers (and sometimes our shouts). Thank You for loving us the way You do, and being interested in what we have to say. I pray for those that have problems coming to You in prayer. Regardless what their reasons are, my prayer is that they will remember how much delight You take in spending quality intimate time with us all. I pray we will take the time to confess our sins to You, and forgive anything we may have against a brother or sister, so that we can talk to You with a clear and open heart. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen!
God Bless!!!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
All In
Luke 9:23 - Then He said to the crowd, "If any of you want to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me."
God wants us to be absolutely surrendered to Him. We cannot be only half way in. And this sort of obedience will always require adjustments in our lives.
Last night, I read a quote that hit me right between the eyes. C.T. Studd, a missionary in the late 1800s and early 1900s said, "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice is too great for me to give for Him." That's what I call being all in. This guy understood what is expected of us.
Some may read that and think, "Whoa...everything?" Yes. Everything. Jesus warned us about being half way. In Revelation 3:16 He said, "But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" I'd say it is pretty clear about where our Lord and Savior stands on not being all in for Him.
The issue a lot of us have with being all in, is giving up the creature comforts we have come to enjoy. I know I have that problem sometimes. But when I think about a lot of what I have done in my past, and the "creature comforts" I have acquired, I have to ask myself one question. Has anything I've done apart from Jesus made my life any better? The answer is a very easy one. No it hasn't. When I think about it from that perspective, it makes it easier to be willing to give everything up for Him. Not easy, but easier. Closing that gap requires God to step in and help. We need to be willing and obedient, and God will take care of the heavy lifting. What C.T. Studd said makes all the more sense in that light. There really is no sacrifice too great for us to give for Jesus.
He gave the ultimate sacrifice for us, so that we could live with Him. Like the thief on the cross next to Jesus said, "We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong" (Luke 23:41). We deserve life eternal separated from God in hell. But out of His amazing grace and mercy, He has given us a path to eternal life in Heaven with intimate fellowship with Him. We don't need to keep score on this one, because it's obvious that we are the ones winning here.
We never know the cost required in the sacrifices we will need to make or the adjustments we will need to make in our lives in order to be all in for Jesus. But there will be a cost. There will be adjustments to make. The cost is unimportant. The adjustments don't matter. We just have to make them. We have to be willing and obedient to give everything up for Him and His Kingdom if that is what He calls us to do.
I pray that if God were to call me to walk away from everything I had or know to serve His Kingdom, that I would be willing and obedient. I want to be all in, but I will need His strength to get there.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your sacrifice and giving me the path to eternal life in Your Heavenly Kingdom. I pray that I can give up any selfish desires and go where You want me to go. I know that I can accomplish anything by Your strength, and that is what I will need to give up my selfishness. I cannot do anything apart from You. I pray for those that struggle as I do with selfishness. My prayer is that they will receive the strength they need from You to break free from their bondage to self, and go all in for You and Your Kingdom. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
God wants us to be absolutely surrendered to Him. We cannot be only half way in. And this sort of obedience will always require adjustments in our lives.
Last night, I read a quote that hit me right between the eyes. C.T. Studd, a missionary in the late 1800s and early 1900s said, "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice is too great for me to give for Him." That's what I call being all in. This guy understood what is expected of us.
Some may read that and think, "Whoa...everything?" Yes. Everything. Jesus warned us about being half way. In Revelation 3:16 He said, "But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" I'd say it is pretty clear about where our Lord and Savior stands on not being all in for Him.
The issue a lot of us have with being all in, is giving up the creature comforts we have come to enjoy. I know I have that problem sometimes. But when I think about a lot of what I have done in my past, and the "creature comforts" I have acquired, I have to ask myself one question. Has anything I've done apart from Jesus made my life any better? The answer is a very easy one. No it hasn't. When I think about it from that perspective, it makes it easier to be willing to give everything up for Him. Not easy, but easier. Closing that gap requires God to step in and help. We need to be willing and obedient, and God will take care of the heavy lifting. What C.T. Studd said makes all the more sense in that light. There really is no sacrifice too great for us to give for Jesus.
He gave the ultimate sacrifice for us, so that we could live with Him. Like the thief on the cross next to Jesus said, "We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong" (Luke 23:41). We deserve life eternal separated from God in hell. But out of His amazing grace and mercy, He has given us a path to eternal life in Heaven with intimate fellowship with Him. We don't need to keep score on this one, because it's obvious that we are the ones winning here.
We never know the cost required in the sacrifices we will need to make or the adjustments we will need to make in our lives in order to be all in for Jesus. But there will be a cost. There will be adjustments to make. The cost is unimportant. The adjustments don't matter. We just have to make them. We have to be willing and obedient to give everything up for Him and His Kingdom if that is what He calls us to do.
I pray that if God were to call me to walk away from everything I had or know to serve His Kingdom, that I would be willing and obedient. I want to be all in, but I will need His strength to get there.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your sacrifice and giving me the path to eternal life in Your Heavenly Kingdom. I pray that I can give up any selfish desires and go where You want me to go. I know that I can accomplish anything by Your strength, and that is what I will need to give up my selfishness. I cannot do anything apart from You. I pray for those that struggle as I do with selfishness. My prayer is that they will receive the strength they need from You to break free from their bondage to self, and go all in for You and Your Kingdom. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
I'm Good Right Here
1 Kings 19:21 - So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.
During my quiet time last night, I came across this passage and the point was made that you cannot stay where you are and go with God. I thought about this, and it made such profound sense to me.
As Christians, we should be willing and eager to be where God is at work, regardless of where that may be. But that can be tough. Picking up and going in obedience to God's call requires faith and oftentimes major adjustments to our lives. That is what Elisha did here. Although he did balk slightly at first, when Elijah told him to think about it, Elisha knew he had to go immediately. He destroyed his plow and oxen, so that he wouldn't have the temptation of returning. His faith caused him to make a major adjustment to his life by giving up everything he ever knew, so that he could be where God was at work.
During my life as a Christian, how often have I caught myself saying, "I'm good right here. If God wants to use me, He can do it right here." That's not how it works. Our lives are not to be lived and led on our own terms. That's not what the sacrifice of Jesus was about. When we commit our lives to Christ, we need to be all in. Jesus was certainly all in when He gave His life on the cross. How can we possibly do any less?
The story in Luke 18 about the rich man wanting to be with Jesus is sort of the opposite of the story of Elisha (Luke 18:18-29). He wanted to go with Jesus, but he could not make that ultimate sacrifice and commitment to Him by selling everything off and leaving his old life behind. When I think about the idea of leaving a small crack in the door to my old life, it makes me reflect on how my old life was before I came to know Christ. Was it really that good? Not even close. If it was, I wouldn't have come to Christ on my knees begging His forgiveness and asking Him to take control of my heart and life.
Now that I have invited Him in to take charge, I have to be willing to answer that call wherever it may lead me to. My life isn't to be lived on my own terms, but His. I may think that I'm good right where I'm at, but am I? How can I expect to see the full blessings that God has for me in this life, if I'm not where He is?
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me that I can't stay where I am and go with You at the same time. I pray that I will respond in faith to Your calling and make whatever adjustments I need to in order to be obedient to You. I don't want my life to be lived on my terms. I want it on Yours. My terms don't work for me. I pray for those that are hesitating to answer Your call and go where You are. My prayer is that they will respond like Elisha, and not the rich man, and do what they have to in order to be obedient to You. I pray that we all will. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
During my quiet time last night, I came across this passage and the point was made that you cannot stay where you are and go with God. I thought about this, and it made such profound sense to me.
As Christians, we should be willing and eager to be where God is at work, regardless of where that may be. But that can be tough. Picking up and going in obedience to God's call requires faith and oftentimes major adjustments to our lives. That is what Elisha did here. Although he did balk slightly at first, when Elijah told him to think about it, Elisha knew he had to go immediately. He destroyed his plow and oxen, so that he wouldn't have the temptation of returning. His faith caused him to make a major adjustment to his life by giving up everything he ever knew, so that he could be where God was at work.
During my life as a Christian, how often have I caught myself saying, "I'm good right here. If God wants to use me, He can do it right here." That's not how it works. Our lives are not to be lived and led on our own terms. That's not what the sacrifice of Jesus was about. When we commit our lives to Christ, we need to be all in. Jesus was certainly all in when He gave His life on the cross. How can we possibly do any less?
The story in Luke 18 about the rich man wanting to be with Jesus is sort of the opposite of the story of Elisha (Luke 18:18-29). He wanted to go with Jesus, but he could not make that ultimate sacrifice and commitment to Him by selling everything off and leaving his old life behind. When I think about the idea of leaving a small crack in the door to my old life, it makes me reflect on how my old life was before I came to know Christ. Was it really that good? Not even close. If it was, I wouldn't have come to Christ on my knees begging His forgiveness and asking Him to take control of my heart and life.
Now that I have invited Him in to take charge, I have to be willing to answer that call wherever it may lead me to. My life isn't to be lived on my own terms, but His. I may think that I'm good right where I'm at, but am I? How can I expect to see the full blessings that God has for me in this life, if I'm not where He is?
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me that I can't stay where I am and go with You at the same time. I pray that I will respond in faith to Your calling and make whatever adjustments I need to in order to be obedient to You. I don't want my life to be lived on my terms. I want it on Yours. My terms don't work for me. I pray for those that are hesitating to answer Your call and go where You are. My prayer is that they will respond like Elisha, and not the rich man, and do what they have to in order to be obedient to You. I pray that we all will. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Monday, September 15, 2014
Shouldn't This Be Easier???
Psalm 138:7 - Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me.
What exactly did David mean by 'walking in the midst of trouble'? The NLT translates it as being surrounded by troubles.
I recently heard a Pastor on the radio talking about this verse, and he said it meant that David was in constant trouble. That made sense to me, and it got me to thinking about David's life. From what we read about him in the Bible, he was in constant trouble. Or at least in a constant struggle.
But the question I have is why? Wasn't he considered a man after God's heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22). Why did he struggle so much and have so much trouble? Aside from the fact that he was still a human being like all of us and still a sinner, he was anointed by God to lead his people. Shouldn't have life been easier for him? That's what made me think about some of my own struggles.
When I sin, I often catch myself thinking, "What is wrong with me? Why do I do this? I should know better!" While this is true, I have to remember that I am also a human being and I a sinner. It is true that my soul has been saved when I confessed my faith in Jesus Christ, and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. But that doesn't mean that I won't make the occasional mistake. This doesn't give me a license to sin, but it does remind me that I need to remember that I need Jesus more and more. I need to remain committed to Him, and confess my sins to Him regularly.
That is why I believe that David was considered so special to God. Sure, he made mistakes, but he always confessed them. He always sought the Lord's forgiveness, wisdom, and direction for everything he did. He recognized his need for God in his everyday life, and he recognized the power of God's hand in everything. That is what God wants from us more than anything, I believe. He wants us to come to Him for everything. That intimate loving relationship with our Creator is what He seeks with us more than anything. He doesn't expect us to be perfect, because He knows we can't be. Jesus told us that He came to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners (Mark 2:17). That definitely includes me. I recognize that I am a sinner who needs Jesus Christ in my life daily. I tried it my own way for a long time, and saw where it got me. My way of doing things doesn't work for me.
What we don't read much of regarding David is his life before he was anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel, other than he was the youngest of his brothers, and he was a shepherd. He definitely had a relationship with God, which is why Samuel was sent to seek him out. While he was young, and I'm sure that being a shepherd is not an easy life, I don't believe there is any way that the troubles he had during those years prior to his anointing were worse than he suffered for the 10 or 15 years after and before he became king. I believe that there were plenty of times that David wondered that life should be easier since he was anointed by God's Prophet to be the next king, so why wasn't it?
Jesus answered that question in John 16:33 when He said that we would have many trials and sorrows in this world, but to take heart because He has already overcome them. Life will not always be easy for those of us that believe in Jesus Christ. The daily struggle to remain true to our Lord and Savior while dealing with the temptation of sin from the enemy is real, and it is tough. There is no doubt that Satan works harder on those of us who identify ourselves as Christians. That is to be expected. We have to remember that our reward is in Heaven. Shouldn't this life be easier? Perhaps, but the next one will be free of worries, and that makes it all worth it.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promises. Thank You for overcoming this world so that I wouldn't have to. I pray that I will remain faithful and committed to You when I am faced with the temptations of the enemy. I know I will fall from time to time, but I know that You will be there to pick me up when I call out to You for Your forgiveness and mercy. I pray that those calls are kept to a minimum so that I can remain focused on serving Your Kingdom while I'm here on earth. I pray for those that are struggling to understand why their lives aren't easier now that they have confessed and repented of their sins, and committed their lives to You. My prayer is that they will remember that Jesus never promised that life in this world would be easier with Him, but that it would definitely be worth it. I pray we will all stay strong in our faith in You in the face of the enemy. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
What exactly did David mean by 'walking in the midst of trouble'? The NLT translates it as being surrounded by troubles.
I recently heard a Pastor on the radio talking about this verse, and he said it meant that David was in constant trouble. That made sense to me, and it got me to thinking about David's life. From what we read about him in the Bible, he was in constant trouble. Or at least in a constant struggle.
But the question I have is why? Wasn't he considered a man after God's heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22). Why did he struggle so much and have so much trouble? Aside from the fact that he was still a human being like all of us and still a sinner, he was anointed by God to lead his people. Shouldn't have life been easier for him? That's what made me think about some of my own struggles.
When I sin, I often catch myself thinking, "What is wrong with me? Why do I do this? I should know better!" While this is true, I have to remember that I am also a human being and I a sinner. It is true that my soul has been saved when I confessed my faith in Jesus Christ, and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. But that doesn't mean that I won't make the occasional mistake. This doesn't give me a license to sin, but it does remind me that I need to remember that I need Jesus more and more. I need to remain committed to Him, and confess my sins to Him regularly.
That is why I believe that David was considered so special to God. Sure, he made mistakes, but he always confessed them. He always sought the Lord's forgiveness, wisdom, and direction for everything he did. He recognized his need for God in his everyday life, and he recognized the power of God's hand in everything. That is what God wants from us more than anything, I believe. He wants us to come to Him for everything. That intimate loving relationship with our Creator is what He seeks with us more than anything. He doesn't expect us to be perfect, because He knows we can't be. Jesus told us that He came to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners (Mark 2:17). That definitely includes me. I recognize that I am a sinner who needs Jesus Christ in my life daily. I tried it my own way for a long time, and saw where it got me. My way of doing things doesn't work for me.
What we don't read much of regarding David is his life before he was anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel, other than he was the youngest of his brothers, and he was a shepherd. He definitely had a relationship with God, which is why Samuel was sent to seek him out. While he was young, and I'm sure that being a shepherd is not an easy life, I don't believe there is any way that the troubles he had during those years prior to his anointing were worse than he suffered for the 10 or 15 years after and before he became king. I believe that there were plenty of times that David wondered that life should be easier since he was anointed by God's Prophet to be the next king, so why wasn't it?
Jesus answered that question in John 16:33 when He said that we would have many trials and sorrows in this world, but to take heart because He has already overcome them. Life will not always be easy for those of us that believe in Jesus Christ. The daily struggle to remain true to our Lord and Savior while dealing with the temptation of sin from the enemy is real, and it is tough. There is no doubt that Satan works harder on those of us who identify ourselves as Christians. That is to be expected. We have to remember that our reward is in Heaven. Shouldn't this life be easier? Perhaps, but the next one will be free of worries, and that makes it all worth it.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promises. Thank You for overcoming this world so that I wouldn't have to. I pray that I will remain faithful and committed to You when I am faced with the temptations of the enemy. I know I will fall from time to time, but I know that You will be there to pick me up when I call out to You for Your forgiveness and mercy. I pray that those calls are kept to a minimum so that I can remain focused on serving Your Kingdom while I'm here on earth. I pray for those that are struggling to understand why their lives aren't easier now that they have confessed and repented of their sins, and committed their lives to You. My prayer is that they will remember that Jesus never promised that life in this world would be easier with Him, but that it would definitely be worth it. I pray we will all stay strong in our faith in You in the face of the enemy. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Friday, September 12, 2014
It's For Everyone!
Daniel 4:37 - "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of Heaven. All His acts are just and true, and He is able to humble the proud."
It goes without saying, that Nebuchadnezzar was not the nicest of people. That much is obvious. He was downright brutal against his enemies, and was very prideful. Yet God was able to use him. How is that possible?! He was also redeemed and restored by God when he believed. How is that possible?! Because the redemption and restoration that God offers is for everyone! Even those we least likely realize.
Most of us believe that throughout the Old Testament, God is only trying to help His chosen people. While that is His main focus, it's not the only thing He is doing. He does show us from time to time that He was interested in saving all of humanity, as we see in this chapter of Daniel. Paul tells us in Romans that the Good News of Christ is for the Jew first and also the Gentile (Romans 1:16). This wasn't groundbreaking news. At least it shouldn't have been. God had already showed us that He could and would use anyone, and He could and would save anyone who believed.
How many times do we believe we are unworthy? I think most of us have gone through periods of our lives where we just could not believe that God would want to spend His valuable time on someone like ourselves. I know I felt that way for years. Part of the reason I spent 10 years after I was saved not having any kind of relationship with Christ, was because I didn't believe that He wanted to hear from me.
Fortunately, I was wrong. Jesus didn't die JUST to save us. He died also so that we could be with Him for eternity. He died so that we could be as close as brothers. Even though I do not believe that I am the most interesting person in the world, it warms my heart that the God of the universe and all creation, desires an intimate loving relationship with me. It makes everything I do to spend time in His Word, and in prayer talking to Him, completely and totally worth it.
God loves everyone. God will always love everyone. He is willing to save, redeem, and restore everyone. If you are ever going through one of those periods of self-doubt, take a minute to pause and remember that God desires nothing but the best for You. And He will give you nothing but His best when You are faithful and obedient to Him. He already sacrificed His only Son so that He could spend eternity with you and me, and everyone who would believe. He believes you're worth it. It's time for you to start believing it too.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me that I was worth it. I know there is nothing I could do that would make me worth it. Only Your love and grace can do that, and I am eternally grateful. I pray for those that can't get over that struggle to believe that You truly love them and want nothing but great things for them. My prayer is that they will stop and take a minute to talk with You, so that You can show them just how much You love them. I pray that we all take a minute to reflect on Your love for us, and believe that it really is for everyone. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
It goes without saying, that Nebuchadnezzar was not the nicest of people. That much is obvious. He was downright brutal against his enemies, and was very prideful. Yet God was able to use him. How is that possible?! He was also redeemed and restored by God when he believed. How is that possible?! Because the redemption and restoration that God offers is for everyone! Even those we least likely realize.
Most of us believe that throughout the Old Testament, God is only trying to help His chosen people. While that is His main focus, it's not the only thing He is doing. He does show us from time to time that He was interested in saving all of humanity, as we see in this chapter of Daniel. Paul tells us in Romans that the Good News of Christ is for the Jew first and also the Gentile (Romans 1:16). This wasn't groundbreaking news. At least it shouldn't have been. God had already showed us that He could and would use anyone, and He could and would save anyone who believed.
How many times do we believe we are unworthy? I think most of us have gone through periods of our lives where we just could not believe that God would want to spend His valuable time on someone like ourselves. I know I felt that way for years. Part of the reason I spent 10 years after I was saved not having any kind of relationship with Christ, was because I didn't believe that He wanted to hear from me.
Fortunately, I was wrong. Jesus didn't die JUST to save us. He died also so that we could be with Him for eternity. He died so that we could be as close as brothers. Even though I do not believe that I am the most interesting person in the world, it warms my heart that the God of the universe and all creation, desires an intimate loving relationship with me. It makes everything I do to spend time in His Word, and in prayer talking to Him, completely and totally worth it.
God loves everyone. God will always love everyone. He is willing to save, redeem, and restore everyone. If you are ever going through one of those periods of self-doubt, take a minute to pause and remember that God desires nothing but the best for You. And He will give you nothing but His best when You are faithful and obedient to Him. He already sacrificed His only Son so that He could spend eternity with you and me, and everyone who would believe. He believes you're worth it. It's time for you to start believing it too.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me that I was worth it. I know there is nothing I could do that would make me worth it. Only Your love and grace can do that, and I am eternally grateful. I pray for those that can't get over that struggle to believe that You truly love them and want nothing but great things for them. My prayer is that they will stop and take a minute to talk with You, so that You can show them just how much You love them. I pray that we all take a minute to reflect on Your love for us, and believe that it really is for everyone. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Letting It Go
Ephesians 4:31-32 - Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
It can be so hard sometimes to let it go, and get over it. Regardless of what that "IT" may be, it's not easy. One thing I have learned about my Lord and Savior over the last few years, is that He never said it would be easy. In fact, he said the opposite. He promised that we would have many trials and tribulations (John 16:33). But one of the promises that He has made repeatedly since the beginning, was that He would always be there with me as I go through my trials. He will never leave or forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6; Matthew 28:20).
As I begin the process of repairing and restoring one of my most treasured relationships I have on this earth, I look to Jesus to guide and comfort me through it all. Regardless of how much I have been hurt over the last year and a half, it doesn't matter. I cannot hold onto that hurt, because it will just consume me and eat me up inside.
I am reminded of the story of Joseph. This guy was betrayed and sold as a slave by his own brothers. He spent over a decade in prison because of false charges that never would have occurred if his brothers had not have done what they did. Did he hold any grudges? When they came to him during the famine in Israel, did he point to the door and tell them, "Don't let it hit you in the butt on the way out!"? No, he didn't. He recognized that God was at work the whole time, and used his circumstances to bless his family as well as his native land (Genesis 45:5).
Now, I don't have any grand designs on what God may have in store for me. I am merely going to be obedient and reconcile (Matthew 5:23-24). I can only hope and pray that my prayers are heard as I take these baby steps. I know that God loves me, and because I have given my heart to him completely, I don't have any room for the bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, or slander. I have let it all go so that He can fill it up with kindness, tenderheartedness, forgiveness, and love.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me. I pray for your protection during my travels today, and the calm and peace that I can only get from You, for the task ahead of me. I know that You love me, and You want to bless me. I pray that I will only speak words of love today, and I ask You to cast out any bitterness and anger that may be in my heart and get in my way. I know You will be with me always, and never leave or forsake me, because You said You would. And I know that You always keep Your promises. I pray for others that are struggling with some of these same issues and need to be reconciled. Not only to someone else, but they also need to be reconciled to You. My prayer is that they will take the first step towards redemption and reconciliation, and invite You into their hearts and lives. And through this process, they will lose all bitterness and anger and rage, and be filled with Your love and kindness towards everyone else; forgiving others as You have forgiven us. All things through You are possible, Lord. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ I ask this. Amen!
God Bless!!!
It can be so hard sometimes to let it go, and get over it. Regardless of what that "IT" may be, it's not easy. One thing I have learned about my Lord and Savior over the last few years, is that He never said it would be easy. In fact, he said the opposite. He promised that we would have many trials and tribulations (John 16:33). But one of the promises that He has made repeatedly since the beginning, was that He would always be there with me as I go through my trials. He will never leave or forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6; Matthew 28:20).
As I begin the process of repairing and restoring one of my most treasured relationships I have on this earth, I look to Jesus to guide and comfort me through it all. Regardless of how much I have been hurt over the last year and a half, it doesn't matter. I cannot hold onto that hurt, because it will just consume me and eat me up inside.
I am reminded of the story of Joseph. This guy was betrayed and sold as a slave by his own brothers. He spent over a decade in prison because of false charges that never would have occurred if his brothers had not have done what they did. Did he hold any grudges? When they came to him during the famine in Israel, did he point to the door and tell them, "Don't let it hit you in the butt on the way out!"? No, he didn't. He recognized that God was at work the whole time, and used his circumstances to bless his family as well as his native land (Genesis 45:5).
Now, I don't have any grand designs on what God may have in store for me. I am merely going to be obedient and reconcile (Matthew 5:23-24). I can only hope and pray that my prayers are heard as I take these baby steps. I know that God loves me, and because I have given my heart to him completely, I don't have any room for the bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, or slander. I have let it all go so that He can fill it up with kindness, tenderheartedness, forgiveness, and love.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me. I pray for your protection during my travels today, and the calm and peace that I can only get from You, for the task ahead of me. I know that You love me, and You want to bless me. I pray that I will only speak words of love today, and I ask You to cast out any bitterness and anger that may be in my heart and get in my way. I know You will be with me always, and never leave or forsake me, because You said You would. And I know that You always keep Your promises. I pray for others that are struggling with some of these same issues and need to be reconciled. Not only to someone else, but they also need to be reconciled to You. My prayer is that they will take the first step towards redemption and reconciliation, and invite You into their hearts and lives. And through this process, they will lose all bitterness and anger and rage, and be filled with Your love and kindness towards everyone else; forgiving others as You have forgiven us. All things through You are possible, Lord. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ I ask this. Amen!
God Bless!!!
Monday, September 8, 2014
Going Left Instead of Right
Jeremiah 44:16 - "As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen."
The level of stubbornness that God's people displayed in Jeremiah 42-44 just blows me away sometimes. In chapter 42, they recognize that God regularly speaks through Jeremiah so they ask him to pray to God to guide them. This is a good start.
At the risk of sounding a bit mean, I find Jeremiah's response at the end of the chapter 42 kind of funny. He gives them God's instructions and says that he knows they won't obey anyways (verse 21). He basically says, I don't know why you asked, or why I prayed, because you're too hard headed to listen. In chapter 43, the people call Jeremiah a liar, and in chapter 44, they flat out tell him that they won't obey.
It's like being on vacation, and asking a local for directions. They tell you to turn right on a certain street, and you say, "You don't know what you're talking about. I'm turning left instead of right." Well, if you're going to go wherever you want to go, why did you bother to stop and ask directions in the first place? So you could hear what you wanted to hear?
God doesn't work that way. He speaks the Truth to us at all times, and He does it in love. He doesn't tell us what He wants us to do because He's mad and wants to lead us down a dark path of destruction. He wants that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9). Paul told us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). That's what Jesus did, and that is one way for us to become more like Christ. Telling someone what they want to hear, especially when you know it is untrue, just to coddle their feelings does them a great disservice, and could lead them down a path towards greater problems.
Those of you who know me well enough, know that I tend to have issues with stubbornness. It's an inherited trait, that I have perfected over 39 years of practice (I mean 21...). The one thing that keeps me out of big trouble is God's love and grace. His love and protection over me have rescued me more times than I could count. He knows my heart, and He knows when my humanity has a tendency to take over and steer me down the wrong path. He knows that I will mess up regularly, but He still loves me anyway because of His unending grace. I am often reminded of His promise from Psalm 91:1 that says, "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
Promises like this help me get back on the right road after that unexpected, and inexplicable, left turn. I have made, and will make more, wrong turns during my journey (as I'm sure we all have). The Great News, is that when we seek His forgiveness through confession and repentance, and seek shelter in Him to find rest in His shadow, He is just to forgive us and restore us to Him because of the price paid by Jesus on the cross. A price paid in blood because of perfect love.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me to take the right when I keep trying to take the left. Thank You for Your forgiveness and grace for the times when I do disobey You and go left instead of right. I pray for those that always ignore Your warnings and instructions. My prayer is that they will remember that You have nothing but great plans for them that will give them a future and a hope. I pray that when we do make mistakes, we are mindful to seek Your forgiveness through confession and repentance, and that through Your love and grace, You will restore us. I cannot thank you enough for Your love and grace. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
The level of stubbornness that God's people displayed in Jeremiah 42-44 just blows me away sometimes. In chapter 42, they recognize that God regularly speaks through Jeremiah so they ask him to pray to God to guide them. This is a good start.
At the risk of sounding a bit mean, I find Jeremiah's response at the end of the chapter 42 kind of funny. He gives them God's instructions and says that he knows they won't obey anyways (verse 21). He basically says, I don't know why you asked, or why I prayed, because you're too hard headed to listen. In chapter 43, the people call Jeremiah a liar, and in chapter 44, they flat out tell him that they won't obey.
It's like being on vacation, and asking a local for directions. They tell you to turn right on a certain street, and you say, "You don't know what you're talking about. I'm turning left instead of right." Well, if you're going to go wherever you want to go, why did you bother to stop and ask directions in the first place? So you could hear what you wanted to hear?
God doesn't work that way. He speaks the Truth to us at all times, and He does it in love. He doesn't tell us what He wants us to do because He's mad and wants to lead us down a dark path of destruction. He wants that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9). Paul told us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). That's what Jesus did, and that is one way for us to become more like Christ. Telling someone what they want to hear, especially when you know it is untrue, just to coddle their feelings does them a great disservice, and could lead them down a path towards greater problems.
Those of you who know me well enough, know that I tend to have issues with stubbornness. It's an inherited trait, that I have perfected over 39 years of practice (I mean 21...). The one thing that keeps me out of big trouble is God's love and grace. His love and protection over me have rescued me more times than I could count. He knows my heart, and He knows when my humanity has a tendency to take over and steer me down the wrong path. He knows that I will mess up regularly, but He still loves me anyway because of His unending grace. I am often reminded of His promise from Psalm 91:1 that says, "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
Promises like this help me get back on the right road after that unexpected, and inexplicable, left turn. I have made, and will make more, wrong turns during my journey (as I'm sure we all have). The Great News, is that when we seek His forgiveness through confession and repentance, and seek shelter in Him to find rest in His shadow, He is just to forgive us and restore us to Him because of the price paid by Jesus on the cross. A price paid in blood because of perfect love.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me to take the right when I keep trying to take the left. Thank You for Your forgiveness and grace for the times when I do disobey You and go left instead of right. I pray for those that always ignore Your warnings and instructions. My prayer is that they will remember that You have nothing but great plans for them that will give them a future and a hope. I pray that when we do make mistakes, we are mindful to seek Your forgiveness through confession and repentance, and that through Your love and grace, You will restore us. I cannot thank you enough for Your love and grace. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Friday, September 5, 2014
What Good Can Only One Do?
Luke 15:7 - In the same way, there is more joy in Heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!
This verse is a favorite of mine. It speaks about the personal attention that each one of us gets from all of Heaven when we repent and turn our hearts over to God. But I heard something recently that made me think of this verse in a different way.
I was listening to a Pastor on the radio, and he made mention of a missionary. I believe this missionary was in China, although I don't know when exactly. In his 30 years of missionary work in China, he helped convert exactly one person. How hard must his life have been to know that in 30 years, he only reached one open and repentant heart with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Pastor that was talking about him was honest and said he probably would have quit. I can't blame him for that, because I probably would have too. Wouldn't you want to quit?
It's hard to believe that only one person can make any difference. Even though we hear that often, it doesn't make it any easier to believe. The great part of this story about this missionary, is that the one person he helped convert, went on to reach (and convert) millions with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As much as I'm sure this missionary wanted to give up during those 30 years, I am positive that God kept telling him not to. Fortunately for those millions that went on to be saved, He obeyed.
When I first really took my relationship with God seriously a few years ago, I didn't share my faith with hardly anyone. If someone had asked me if I believed in God, I would have happily said yes, but I wasn't a sharer (is that a word?). Talking to people about it wasn't my thing. I believed that God would understand my shy or introverted tendencies. After all, He made me this way. I would often justify it to myself by asking, "What difference can I make?" and "What good can only one person do?"
The answer is A LOT. By the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Gospel, one person truly can make a difference. The funny thing is, it's not even the people that make the difference, it's God working through them. God tells us, "It is the same with my Word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper wherever I send it" (Isaiah 55:11). We are simply the vehicles transporting God's Word to others. Through us, God can and will make a significant impact in people's lives.
Even if we reach only one person in our entire lives, think of the impact that one person can have on everyone else. Who knows who that person might turn out to be. The rejoicing in heaven over that one soul that was saved, is all that should matter to us for the work we did for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me that it isn't the quantity of who is reached as much as it is the quality. I understand that quality will always produce quantity when Your Holy Spirit is involved. I trust Your Word to accomplish all You set it out to accomplish, and will always bear fruit even when I may not necessarily see it. I pray for those that believe that they can't make any significant impact for Your Kingdom. My prayer is that they will remember that it is not them that is working, but You and Your Word working through them. And that by the power of Your Word, everyone can be saved. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen!
God Bless!!!
This verse is a favorite of mine. It speaks about the personal attention that each one of us gets from all of Heaven when we repent and turn our hearts over to God. But I heard something recently that made me think of this verse in a different way.
I was listening to a Pastor on the radio, and he made mention of a missionary. I believe this missionary was in China, although I don't know when exactly. In his 30 years of missionary work in China, he helped convert exactly one person. How hard must his life have been to know that in 30 years, he only reached one open and repentant heart with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Pastor that was talking about him was honest and said he probably would have quit. I can't blame him for that, because I probably would have too. Wouldn't you want to quit?
It's hard to believe that only one person can make any difference. Even though we hear that often, it doesn't make it any easier to believe. The great part of this story about this missionary, is that the one person he helped convert, went on to reach (and convert) millions with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As much as I'm sure this missionary wanted to give up during those 30 years, I am positive that God kept telling him not to. Fortunately for those millions that went on to be saved, He obeyed.
When I first really took my relationship with God seriously a few years ago, I didn't share my faith with hardly anyone. If someone had asked me if I believed in God, I would have happily said yes, but I wasn't a sharer (is that a word?). Talking to people about it wasn't my thing. I believed that God would understand my shy or introverted tendencies. After all, He made me this way. I would often justify it to myself by asking, "What difference can I make?" and "What good can only one person do?"
The answer is A LOT. By the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Gospel, one person truly can make a difference. The funny thing is, it's not even the people that make the difference, it's God working through them. God tells us, "It is the same with my Word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper wherever I send it" (Isaiah 55:11). We are simply the vehicles transporting God's Word to others. Through us, God can and will make a significant impact in people's lives.
Even if we reach only one person in our entire lives, think of the impact that one person can have on everyone else. Who knows who that person might turn out to be. The rejoicing in heaven over that one soul that was saved, is all that should matter to us for the work we did for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me that it isn't the quantity of who is reached as much as it is the quality. I understand that quality will always produce quantity when Your Holy Spirit is involved. I trust Your Word to accomplish all You set it out to accomplish, and will always bear fruit even when I may not necessarily see it. I pray for those that believe that they can't make any significant impact for Your Kingdom. My prayer is that they will remember that it is not them that is working, but You and Your Word working through them. And that by the power of Your Word, everyone can be saved. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen!
God Bless!!!
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Light It Up
Matthew 5:16 - In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father.
What's the best way to share the Gospel with someone? Live it. I am sure we have all heard the saying, "You might be the only Bible that some people read." It may be a cliche, but how do you think a cliche becomes a cliche?
It's a very accurate statement. Some people might never crack open a Bible, or attend a church for something other than a wedding or a funeral. How are they supposed to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ that promises to redeem and save us all? By observing how we live our lives.
This doesn't mean that we should never share the words in the Bible, or the meanings that God reveals to us. But the more we are able to back up those words and meanings with practical application in our daily lives, the more effective they become. I'm not saying the Bible isn't enough. I'm saying that some people just require a little extra sometimes. Some people are a little more hard headed or stubborn than others (yes, I'm talking about me).
Jesus wanted us to be beacons that shine His light on the world, like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). Well how do we do that? By letting His love shine through us for all to see. When people see us acting different than everyone else, believe me they will ask questions. They may think that we're crazy, or perhaps it's just a phase we're going through. But they will ask questions. It's certainly not a phase we're going through, but a world we're passing through on our way to our eternal home in Heaven.
I've been trying to share the Gospel with my Sister for the last couple of years. It's been difficult to get through to her with words sometimes. What I do when I can't find the words? I share the words of the One who said it best. Recently, I invited her to church again (as I do frequently), to which she replied, "No thanks, I'm good for now." To which I replied that I hoped it wasn't too late, meaning that when she realized that she wasn't 'good for now' anymore, I hoped it wouldn't be too late for her. And then I shared with her Jesus' words from the Gospel of Mark. He said, "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in Heaven or the Son Himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don't know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!" (Mark 13:32-33).
I wasn't trying to scare her into anything, I was trying to get through to her. I was trying to be realistic with her. I see that a lot of times, people are so afraid of offending others, that they hold back from being honest with them. They are so afraid of upsetting someone that they are more inclined to tell them what they want to hear, instead of the truth. What help is that? It does such a disservice to the ones we love when we hold back the truth. This doesn't mean be rude about it, but don't be afraid to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). That's what Jesus did.
When it comes to shining brightly for the world, don't be afraid! Some people may not like it, or may even be offended by our unashamed love for God and His people. Who cares! Light the world up anyway! If they say that the Gospel is offensive, then I say GOOD! It should offend us all right into confession, repentance, and salvation! James tells us that faith by itself isn't enough, and if it doesn't produce good deeds, it is dead and useless (James 2:17). What better good deed could we possibly do than to share the Gospel with someone by being an shining example of how much God's love can really transform all of our lives? God's love lights us up so that we are that shining city on the hilltop for everyone to see.
Don't be discouraged. Light it all up for everyone to see.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the Good News of the salvation for us all through Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for putting it on our hearts to share the message through words and through how we live our lives. I pray that we all will let the light of Your love shine through us for everyone to sit up and take notice. I pray for those that need to hear or see Your message. My prayer is that they will come across someone who has Your love shining through them so bright that they have to squint their eyes. I pray that when they hear Your words, they will be convicted by Your Holy Spirit and turn their hearts and lives over to You for eternity. Thank You for any and every opportunity You provide to share Your love. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
What's the best way to share the Gospel with someone? Live it. I am sure we have all heard the saying, "You might be the only Bible that some people read." It may be a cliche, but how do you think a cliche becomes a cliche?
It's a very accurate statement. Some people might never crack open a Bible, or attend a church for something other than a wedding or a funeral. How are they supposed to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ that promises to redeem and save us all? By observing how we live our lives.
This doesn't mean that we should never share the words in the Bible, or the meanings that God reveals to us. But the more we are able to back up those words and meanings with practical application in our daily lives, the more effective they become. I'm not saying the Bible isn't enough. I'm saying that some people just require a little extra sometimes. Some people are a little more hard headed or stubborn than others (yes, I'm talking about me).
Jesus wanted us to be beacons that shine His light on the world, like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). Well how do we do that? By letting His love shine through us for all to see. When people see us acting different than everyone else, believe me they will ask questions. They may think that we're crazy, or perhaps it's just a phase we're going through. But they will ask questions. It's certainly not a phase we're going through, but a world we're passing through on our way to our eternal home in Heaven.
I've been trying to share the Gospel with my Sister for the last couple of years. It's been difficult to get through to her with words sometimes. What I do when I can't find the words? I share the words of the One who said it best. Recently, I invited her to church again (as I do frequently), to which she replied, "No thanks, I'm good for now." To which I replied that I hoped it wasn't too late, meaning that when she realized that she wasn't 'good for now' anymore, I hoped it wouldn't be too late for her. And then I shared with her Jesus' words from the Gospel of Mark. He said, "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in Heaven or the Son Himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don't know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!" (Mark 13:32-33).
I wasn't trying to scare her into anything, I was trying to get through to her. I was trying to be realistic with her. I see that a lot of times, people are so afraid of offending others, that they hold back from being honest with them. They are so afraid of upsetting someone that they are more inclined to tell them what they want to hear, instead of the truth. What help is that? It does such a disservice to the ones we love when we hold back the truth. This doesn't mean be rude about it, but don't be afraid to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). That's what Jesus did.
When it comes to shining brightly for the world, don't be afraid! Some people may not like it, or may even be offended by our unashamed love for God and His people. Who cares! Light the world up anyway! If they say that the Gospel is offensive, then I say GOOD! It should offend us all right into confession, repentance, and salvation! James tells us that faith by itself isn't enough, and if it doesn't produce good deeds, it is dead and useless (James 2:17). What better good deed could we possibly do than to share the Gospel with someone by being an shining example of how much God's love can really transform all of our lives? God's love lights us up so that we are that shining city on the hilltop for everyone to see.
Don't be discouraged. Light it all up for everyone to see.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the Good News of the salvation for us all through Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for putting it on our hearts to share the message through words and through how we live our lives. I pray that we all will let the light of Your love shine through us for everyone to sit up and take notice. I pray for those that need to hear or see Your message. My prayer is that they will come across someone who has Your love shining through them so bright that they have to squint their eyes. I pray that when they hear Your words, they will be convicted by Your Holy Spirit and turn their hearts and lives over to You for eternity. Thank You for any and every opportunity You provide to share Your love. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
A Remarkable Promise
John 5:24 - "I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life."
Jesus' promise of eternal life to those who believe in God who sent Him, is nothing short of remarkable. This is really all it takes to have eternal life in God's Heavenly Kingdom. No good works will save us, although our faith and belief in our new found redemption should produce good works (James 2:17-18). It is sometimes hard to imagine the hornet's nest that this new teaching stirred up when Jesus presented it (understatement of the year).
Some might say that it takes more than just believing. You have to confess and repent of your sins as well. Well of course you do. The belief in what Jesus teaches us should lead to our confession. The thief that died on the cross is a good example. While one of the thieves was taunting Jesus, the other one believed. He said that they deserved to die for their crimes (confession), but that Jesus was innocent, and he asked for Jesus' forgiveness by asking Him to remember him when He entered into His Kingdom. Because of this belief, which lead to his confession, Jesus promised him that he would be in paradise with Him (Luke 23:39-43). Where were his good works?
Many in that day, and still today to a very large degree, believe that it's important to show everyone how righteous you are. A great example of this was the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18. The Pharisee went through his laundry list of how "good" he was, while the Tax Collector knew he wasn't even worthy to lift his eyes to Heaven to pray (Luke 18:9-14). How many people do we hear that try to go over their list of how good they are or have been? I often say that there are going to be a lot of "good" people in Hell.
When we share our faith with others, we have a responsibility to make sure we are sharing it accurately. God doesn't want people brought into the Kingdom under false pretenses anymore than we should be doing it that way. If we are being disingenuous with others, how can we expect them to come to trust the Lord if they think that we are being blessed for doing it wrong. God won't bless us for doing it wrong. The Gospel message (promise) of Jesus Christ doesn't need our editing skills.
All we need to do is share the remarkable promise that Jesus Christ gave us, and live our lives like we believe it. It's not nearly as hard as it may seem.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for redeeming and saving us through Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for showing us all the only way to eternal life in Your Kingdom. I pray that I will share Your message of salvation accurately and without any additional editing on my part. I know that Your Gospel contains the power of salvation to those who believe, and I pray that I will be blessed to share it with whomever You put in my path. I pray for those that aren't being honest in their sharing. My prayer is that Your Holy Spirit will convict them of the error of their ways, so that they can confess, repent, and do it right. I pray that we are all found to be doing it right when it comes time to go before You in judgment. In the precious name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Jesus' promise of eternal life to those who believe in God who sent Him, is nothing short of remarkable. This is really all it takes to have eternal life in God's Heavenly Kingdom. No good works will save us, although our faith and belief in our new found redemption should produce good works (James 2:17-18). It is sometimes hard to imagine the hornet's nest that this new teaching stirred up when Jesus presented it (understatement of the year).
Some might say that it takes more than just believing. You have to confess and repent of your sins as well. Well of course you do. The belief in what Jesus teaches us should lead to our confession. The thief that died on the cross is a good example. While one of the thieves was taunting Jesus, the other one believed. He said that they deserved to die for their crimes (confession), but that Jesus was innocent, and he asked for Jesus' forgiveness by asking Him to remember him when He entered into His Kingdom. Because of this belief, which lead to his confession, Jesus promised him that he would be in paradise with Him (Luke 23:39-43). Where were his good works?
Many in that day, and still today to a very large degree, believe that it's important to show everyone how righteous you are. A great example of this was the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18. The Pharisee went through his laundry list of how "good" he was, while the Tax Collector knew he wasn't even worthy to lift his eyes to Heaven to pray (Luke 18:9-14). How many people do we hear that try to go over their list of how good they are or have been? I often say that there are going to be a lot of "good" people in Hell.
When we share our faith with others, we have a responsibility to make sure we are sharing it accurately. God doesn't want people brought into the Kingdom under false pretenses anymore than we should be doing it that way. If we are being disingenuous with others, how can we expect them to come to trust the Lord if they think that we are being blessed for doing it wrong. God won't bless us for doing it wrong. The Gospel message (promise) of Jesus Christ doesn't need our editing skills.
All we need to do is share the remarkable promise that Jesus Christ gave us, and live our lives like we believe it. It's not nearly as hard as it may seem.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for redeeming and saving us through Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for showing us all the only way to eternal life in Your Kingdom. I pray that I will share Your message of salvation accurately and without any additional editing on my part. I know that Your Gospel contains the power of salvation to those who believe, and I pray that I will be blessed to share it with whomever You put in my path. I pray for those that aren't being honest in their sharing. My prayer is that Your Holy Spirit will convict them of the error of their ways, so that they can confess, repent, and do it right. I pray that we are all found to be doing it right when it comes time to go before You in judgment. In the precious name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Monday, September 1, 2014
Revival
Colossians 4:3 - Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about His mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains.
One of the things that I have always admired about the Apostle Paul (and there are many), was his zeal. This guy was just excited to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with any and everyone he could. I think society today would benefit tremendously if we had some more Paul's in our lives. Don't get me wrong, because there definitely are some, but not nearly as many as we could use. As Jesus said, The harvest is great, but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37).
We certainly have our share of Paul's in society today, but we need more. We need more people that are willing to go out into the streets and share the message that Jesus Christ can and will save us from the certain eternal death that we are headed for by being apart from Him. We hear many excuses as to why people aren't doing this.
Many people say, I don't know how to share the Gospel with people. Jesus told us not to worry about what we needed to say, because the Holy Spirit would give us the words to say (Mark 13:11). In this particular passage, He was referring to when His disciples were arrested for sharing the Gospel, but it applies to every facet of spreading His message. Jesus didn't say that He would only be with us whenever we were in trouble, He said He would be with us always (Matthew 28:20). We aren't the ones that are doing the work of salvation and redemption, it's the power of the Holy Spirit. All we are, are facilitators. It is our job to share the Gospel, and let the power of the message convict them and lead them to be saved. Like Paul said, "It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16).
I have actually heard people say that it was easier for Paul to spread the word in his time, because people were more open to hearing it. They had a stronger thirst for it. Was it easier for him? Did these people have a stronger thirst/desire to be saved? Last I checked, Paul wrote more than a couple of his Epistles from prison. Doesn't sound like too many people were really desiring to hear what he had to say about Jesus. This guy was so bold and zealous for preaching God's word, that he was sharing it with the Roman guards he was chained to in prison (Philippians 1:13-14). I can just imagine shift change for the guards the first few days Paul was there. "This guy's a talker, just to give you a head's up."
I really loved how Paul talked about how many times he was beaten, whipped, and stoned (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). Not because I'm sadistic, but because he never let that dissuade him from sharing the Good News of the saving and redeeming power of Jesus Christ.
In the society we live in today, there are more people that are more connected in so many ways than they were in Paul's day. It is much easier to share the Gospel with those who need to hear it, and with the population significantly higher than it was in Paul's day (big understatement), there are more that need to hear it. And with the technology we have available, we are definitely able to reach more of them.
While there are certainly areas that it is more dangerous (watch the news a little), that should never keep us from the Great Commission that Jesus gave us (Matthew 28:19). I'm sure we have all been taught that the action command in His instructions was "make disciples", and this is true. But we still have to "go". That doesn't mean that we are all expected to reach every far corner of the earth with the Gospel message. Some are called to that, and some aren't. Some of us are just being asked to share it with our neighbors, our children (very important), or the guy at the bus stop, or the lady at the checkout counter at the grocery store.
That is the beginning of our commission. That will lead to the revival we should all want to see.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the promise of salvation and redemption You have given us through Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for the amazing examples You have given us throughout the Bible, particularly people like Paul. I pray that I will become as zealous for sharing the Great News of Your Word to everyone I can. I don't know where that may lead me, but I am happy to go wherever You lead. I pray for those that are worried or nervous about sharing Your message. My prayer is that You will give them the calm and peace they need to get the words out, because sometimes that is all it takes. I pray that we will all trust You to speak through us by the power of Your Holy Spirit, and that we can lead someone down that narrow road to the beginning of an amazing and intimate love relationship with You that will last an eternity. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
One of the things that I have always admired about the Apostle Paul (and there are many), was his zeal. This guy was just excited to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with any and everyone he could. I think society today would benefit tremendously if we had some more Paul's in our lives. Don't get me wrong, because there definitely are some, but not nearly as many as we could use. As Jesus said, The harvest is great, but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37).
We certainly have our share of Paul's in society today, but we need more. We need more people that are willing to go out into the streets and share the message that Jesus Christ can and will save us from the certain eternal death that we are headed for by being apart from Him. We hear many excuses as to why people aren't doing this.
Many people say, I don't know how to share the Gospel with people. Jesus told us not to worry about what we needed to say, because the Holy Spirit would give us the words to say (Mark 13:11). In this particular passage, He was referring to when His disciples were arrested for sharing the Gospel, but it applies to every facet of spreading His message. Jesus didn't say that He would only be with us whenever we were in trouble, He said He would be with us always (Matthew 28:20). We aren't the ones that are doing the work of salvation and redemption, it's the power of the Holy Spirit. All we are, are facilitators. It is our job to share the Gospel, and let the power of the message convict them and lead them to be saved. Like Paul said, "It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16).
I have actually heard people say that it was easier for Paul to spread the word in his time, because people were more open to hearing it. They had a stronger thirst for it. Was it easier for him? Did these people have a stronger thirst/desire to be saved? Last I checked, Paul wrote more than a couple of his Epistles from prison. Doesn't sound like too many people were really desiring to hear what he had to say about Jesus. This guy was so bold and zealous for preaching God's word, that he was sharing it with the Roman guards he was chained to in prison (Philippians 1:13-14). I can just imagine shift change for the guards the first few days Paul was there. "This guy's a talker, just to give you a head's up."
I really loved how Paul talked about how many times he was beaten, whipped, and stoned (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). Not because I'm sadistic, but because he never let that dissuade him from sharing the Good News of the saving and redeeming power of Jesus Christ.
In the society we live in today, there are more people that are more connected in so many ways than they were in Paul's day. It is much easier to share the Gospel with those who need to hear it, and with the population significantly higher than it was in Paul's day (big understatement), there are more that need to hear it. And with the technology we have available, we are definitely able to reach more of them.
While there are certainly areas that it is more dangerous (watch the news a little), that should never keep us from the Great Commission that Jesus gave us (Matthew 28:19). I'm sure we have all been taught that the action command in His instructions was "make disciples", and this is true. But we still have to "go". That doesn't mean that we are all expected to reach every far corner of the earth with the Gospel message. Some are called to that, and some aren't. Some of us are just being asked to share it with our neighbors, our children (very important), or the guy at the bus stop, or the lady at the checkout counter at the grocery store.
That is the beginning of our commission. That will lead to the revival we should all want to see.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the promise of salvation and redemption You have given us through Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for the amazing examples You have given us throughout the Bible, particularly people like Paul. I pray that I will become as zealous for sharing the Great News of Your Word to everyone I can. I don't know where that may lead me, but I am happy to go wherever You lead. I pray for those that are worried or nervous about sharing Your message. My prayer is that You will give them the calm and peace they need to get the words out, because sometimes that is all it takes. I pray that we will all trust You to speak through us by the power of Your Holy Spirit, and that we can lead someone down that narrow road to the beginning of an amazing and intimate love relationship with You that will last an eternity. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
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