Philippians 4:4 - Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice!
Paul's heart for Christ and for his fellow man is amazing. The whole book of Philippians is full of Paul's joy for his suffering for the Lord. No matter what he was going through, he considered it all joy for the Lord, because the Good News of Jesus Christ was being spread.
Finding joy in everything can be so tough sometimes. Things will come up that just frustrate me to no end, and I feel like I'm going to lose every bit of patience I have left. Reading about what Paul endured to share the Gospel really helps put things in perspective. During it all, he was happy. I struggle with that a lot.
During Bible study, a question was posed about which was toughest for us personally: being like Christ, trusting God's plan, or counting it all joy. I think most of us would go with counting it all joy, as I did, but one thing struck me during the conversation: I believe they're all interlinked. The way I see it, when we're able to count it all joy, we are able to trust God's plan more, which will make us more like Christ (the desired end result). It all starts with counting it all joy.
I have to work on that. When situations come up, particularly at work lately, I have to just count it as joy. I may not be happy there, and want to find a new job, but God has me there for a reason. I believe the main reason is for me to work on my joy. If I can find joy in the daily things that go on there (a real challenge), I can find joy in other things. Then my obedience in trusting God's plan more will increase, and I will become more like Christ every day, which will in turn make me a better witness for the Gospel and His glory. Thinking of the bigger picture like that makes me smile already. I can certainly count that as joy...
Dear Abba Father, thank You for working in and through me for Your glory, and the glory of Your Kingdom. I pray that my heart will seek You more every minute of every day so that I am able to count everything for joy, and become more like Christ in the end. I know that with Your strength and guidance, all things are possible. I pray for those that are struggling with the joy factor as well. It is not an easy one to overcome, but I know and trust they can and will when they turn to and rely on You. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Friday, February 7, 2014
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Keep On Truckin
Philippians 3:12 - I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already achieved perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.
I love how Paul wants to make it clear that he isn't attempting to be boastful or make himself seem better than anyone else. He lets the Philippians know that he is no different from them. He is still seeking to know God more intimately until the day comes when he goes to Heaven to be with God forever.
One of Paul's more endearing qualities (for me), is his humility. He didn't do what he did because he believed he was better than anyone else. He was commissioned by Jesus Himself, so it could be easy for him to say, "Hey, He sent me directly so I obviously know what I'm doing." Being a Pharisee, Paul no doubt had intimate knowledge of the Scriptures, but that doesn't mean anything without Christ. He was given the opportunity and second chance (grace) to have intimate knowledge of Christ.
When I was younger, the only people I knew that were Christians were the type of people that acted like they were better than everyone, because they were religious. As if they had some inside information that they weren't going to share and the rest of us weren't worth their time. People like that really turned me off of Jesus and church for a long time. Years later, when I started to read the Bible for myself, I saw that it wasn't supposed to be that way.
People who love Christ, love everyone else and want to share His Word and His promises with everyone. They understand that we are all in this together, and we have a responsibility to not just strive to know God more intimately, but also to share, lift up, and encourage others to do the same. The key is humility. Just like Paul.
Dear Lord, thank You for changing my heart to seek You and find out for myself what You really are all about, instead of going off my impressions of some misguided people. I am so blessed that I have sought You, and I will continue to seek You until my time comes to be with You in Heaven. I pray for those that are struggling with a misguided perception of You and Your people. I pray that their hearts will be changed, and they will see that You are a God of love and grace, and we are here to help and encourage them to know You more intimately. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
I love how Paul wants to make it clear that he isn't attempting to be boastful or make himself seem better than anyone else. He lets the Philippians know that he is no different from them. He is still seeking to know God more intimately until the day comes when he goes to Heaven to be with God forever.
One of Paul's more endearing qualities (for me), is his humility. He didn't do what he did because he believed he was better than anyone else. He was commissioned by Jesus Himself, so it could be easy for him to say, "Hey, He sent me directly so I obviously know what I'm doing." Being a Pharisee, Paul no doubt had intimate knowledge of the Scriptures, but that doesn't mean anything without Christ. He was given the opportunity and second chance (grace) to have intimate knowledge of Christ.
When I was younger, the only people I knew that were Christians were the type of people that acted like they were better than everyone, because they were religious. As if they had some inside information that they weren't going to share and the rest of us weren't worth their time. People like that really turned me off of Jesus and church for a long time. Years later, when I started to read the Bible for myself, I saw that it wasn't supposed to be that way.
People who love Christ, love everyone else and want to share His Word and His promises with everyone. They understand that we are all in this together, and we have a responsibility to not just strive to know God more intimately, but also to share, lift up, and encourage others to do the same. The key is humility. Just like Paul.
Dear Lord, thank You for changing my heart to seek You and find out for myself what You really are all about, instead of going off my impressions of some misguided people. I am so blessed that I have sought You, and I will continue to seek You until my time comes to be with You in Heaven. I pray for those that are struggling with a misguided perception of You and Your people. I pray that their hearts will be changed, and they will see that You are a God of love and grace, and we are here to help and encourage them to know You more intimately. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Just Like Family
Philippians 1:4 - Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy.
Paul had a deep affection for the church and fellow believers at Philippi. They were just like family to him, and praying for them brought him great joy.
Having a close relationship with a group of people can feel like a family. You love each other, laugh, and argue. You pray for each other to be certain, and it makes you happy when someone from the group succeeds in something.
I had the privilege of being a part of a group like that. I was part of a Bible study group that formed for what was originally intended to be a 6 month study that we were doing along with our church. That 6 months lasted just shy of 18 months. We had such great studies together during that initial 6 month period, that we didn't want it to end. As it happens, life changes and things do end. We recently ended the group, but that doesn't mean that we ended our love for each other.
A friend told me once that God puts people in our lives for either a reason, a season, or a lifetime. These people will be lifelong friends. They are just like family to me. I grew so much closer to God, and learned so much during our time together because of the great insight and perspective I got during our meetings. I have been beyond blessed by God through them.
I know that when I pray, I will continue making my requests for all of them with great joy.
Dear Abba Father, I thank You so much for putting the people in our group together. Thank You for putting them in my life, and blessing me through them. They are such amazing people. They are so gifted and talented and so in love with You, and I am confident that You will continue to bless them as You have. I thank You for the great leadership we had in the group, and thank You for giving me the joy I get when I pray for them. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Paul had a deep affection for the church and fellow believers at Philippi. They were just like family to him, and praying for them brought him great joy.
Having a close relationship with a group of people can feel like a family. You love each other, laugh, and argue. You pray for each other to be certain, and it makes you happy when someone from the group succeeds in something.
I had the privilege of being a part of a group like that. I was part of a Bible study group that formed for what was originally intended to be a 6 month study that we were doing along with our church. That 6 months lasted just shy of 18 months. We had such great studies together during that initial 6 month period, that we didn't want it to end. As it happens, life changes and things do end. We recently ended the group, but that doesn't mean that we ended our love for each other.
A friend told me once that God puts people in our lives for either a reason, a season, or a lifetime. These people will be lifelong friends. They are just like family to me. I grew so much closer to God, and learned so much during our time together because of the great insight and perspective I got during our meetings. I have been beyond blessed by God through them.
I know that when I pray, I will continue making my requests for all of them with great joy.
Dear Abba Father, I thank You so much for putting the people in our group together. Thank You for putting them in my life, and blessing me through them. They are such amazing people. They are so gifted and talented and so in love with You, and I am confident that You will continue to bless them as You have. I thank You for the great leadership we had in the group, and thank You for giving me the joy I get when I pray for them. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Being Patient With Myself
Hebrews 5:8 - Even though Jesus was God's Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered.
Even though Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life, He still needed to learn about being obedient. He was fully God, but He was also fully man.
Jesus' prayers in the garden of Gethsemane before His arrest are a good example of how He was suffering and learning to be obedient. In Matthew 26:38, He says how His soul was crushed to the point of death. He even asked God to take away His suffering. But a key thing there, was that He asked God's will to be done regardless of what it meant for Him. That is being obedient to God's will.
God doesn't expect us to be perfect. We are still works in progress. He is perfecting us slowly but surely, until the day of Jesus' return (Philippians 1:6). He will keep working on us, but we have to do our part, and keeping working on the obedience part. We will make mistakes from time to time (one of my specialties), but God is okay with that as long as we repent and work to turn away from our behaviors that cause the mistakes.
Dear Lord, thank You for working on me and perfecting me little by little every day. Please give me the strength and wisdom I need to be obedient to Your will and purpose for my life. I lift up those that are struggling to be obedient to You. I pray they will seek and find the strength that only You can provide. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Even though Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life, He still needed to learn about being obedient. He was fully God, but He was also fully man.
Jesus' prayers in the garden of Gethsemane before His arrest are a good example of how He was suffering and learning to be obedient. In Matthew 26:38, He says how His soul was crushed to the point of death. He even asked God to take away His suffering. But a key thing there, was that He asked God's will to be done regardless of what it meant for Him. That is being obedient to God's will.
God doesn't expect us to be perfect. We are still works in progress. He is perfecting us slowly but surely, until the day of Jesus' return (Philippians 1:6). He will keep working on us, but we have to do our part, and keeping working on the obedience part. We will make mistakes from time to time (one of my specialties), but God is okay with that as long as we repent and work to turn away from our behaviors that cause the mistakes.
Dear Lord, thank You for working on me and perfecting me little by little every day. Please give me the strength and wisdom I need to be obedient to Your will and purpose for my life. I lift up those that are struggling to be obedient to You. I pray they will seek and find the strength that only You can provide. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Monday, February 3, 2014
His Favorites
Acts 10:34-35 - Then Peter replied, "I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation He accepts those who fear Him and do what is right."
The first preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles was God's way of showing that He loves us all no matter where we come from. Our identity isn't in our nationality or race, but in Jesus Christ our Savior. We are all children of God.
Am I accepting and loving everyone regardless of where they come from? Yes I do. If it's good enough for God, it's good enough for me. That's the way I look at it. It's not my place to decide who God should accept into His Kingdom. We're all His favorites.
I often tell my parents when I do something good that makes them happy, that I'm their favorite son. Their response is, "You're my only son." I always reply, "Well that doesn't mean I can't still be your favorite son." That's how it is with God. He treats each one of us as the unique individuals He created us to be, and loves us just as much as the next person. In the Bible, it tells us that Heaven rejoices over one person that is saved and brought into the family of God. It doesn't say that it has to be a certain kind of person. Just the kind that fears and loves God and wants to live for Him.
Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me that we are all Your favorites regardless of our background. Thank You for rejoicing over my salvation, as You have over everyone's. I pray for those that haven't received Your salvation yet. I pray they will hear the Good News and understand that it is for them as well, no matter where they may have come from. I pray they will hear it and accept it so that we can all rejoice over our new family members. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
The first preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles was God's way of showing that He loves us all no matter where we come from. Our identity isn't in our nationality or race, but in Jesus Christ our Savior. We are all children of God.
Am I accepting and loving everyone regardless of where they come from? Yes I do. If it's good enough for God, it's good enough for me. That's the way I look at it. It's not my place to decide who God should accept into His Kingdom. We're all His favorites.
I often tell my parents when I do something good that makes them happy, that I'm their favorite son. Their response is, "You're my only son." I always reply, "Well that doesn't mean I can't still be your favorite son." That's how it is with God. He treats each one of us as the unique individuals He created us to be, and loves us just as much as the next person. In the Bible, it tells us that Heaven rejoices over one person that is saved and brought into the family of God. It doesn't say that it has to be a certain kind of person. Just the kind that fears and loves God and wants to live for Him.
Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me that we are all Your favorites regardless of our background. Thank You for rejoicing over my salvation, as You have over everyone's. I pray for those that haven't received Your salvation yet. I pray they will hear the Good News and understand that it is for them as well, no matter where they may have come from. I pray they will hear it and accept it so that we can all rejoice over our new family members. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Great Joy
Psalm 16:11 - You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever.
God showed us the Way of Life by sending Jesus to earth (John 14:6). When we accept His free gift of salvation by believing that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we are granted the joy of His presence and given life eternal in God's Kingdom.
But it isn't always easy. Living for Jesus can be a real challenge in the world today. It seems as though we hear of more persecution going on somewhere every week. James tells us that we should consider it all joy when our faith is tested, because it is giving the Holy Spirit the chance to perfect us (James 1:2-4). That can be easier said than done sometimes when you're staring down the barrel of a gun.
But it is true, and it is worth it. I haven't had to stare down the barrel of a gun and speak up for my faith, but I know there are plenty who have. What would I do? Would I consider it great joy that I am enduring the toughest test of my faith, or would I give in to the pressure of life or death. There is no way of knowing that for sure without it happening, but I like to believe that I would proclaim my love for Jesus no matter the consequences. He did it for me and paid the ultimate price for it on the cross...
Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me of the great joy I receive by living for You every day. I pray that I will never back down from proclaiming my love for and faith in You. I trust that You will always provide me the strength I need to overcome ANY obstacle put in my way, no matter the earthly consequences. I pray for those that struggle to live for You because of the oppression they suffer at the hands of those that want to persecute Your chosen people. I pray they will stay strong in their faith in You. I pray that they will proclaim their love for You to the end as You did for them. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
God showed us the Way of Life by sending Jesus to earth (John 14:6). When we accept His free gift of salvation by believing that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we are granted the joy of His presence and given life eternal in God's Kingdom.
But it isn't always easy. Living for Jesus can be a real challenge in the world today. It seems as though we hear of more persecution going on somewhere every week. James tells us that we should consider it all joy when our faith is tested, because it is giving the Holy Spirit the chance to perfect us (James 1:2-4). That can be easier said than done sometimes when you're staring down the barrel of a gun.
But it is true, and it is worth it. I haven't had to stare down the barrel of a gun and speak up for my faith, but I know there are plenty who have. What would I do? Would I consider it great joy that I am enduring the toughest test of my faith, or would I give in to the pressure of life or death. There is no way of knowing that for sure without it happening, but I like to believe that I would proclaim my love for Jesus no matter the consequences. He did it for me and paid the ultimate price for it on the cross...
Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me of the great joy I receive by living for You every day. I pray that I will never back down from proclaiming my love for and faith in You. I trust that You will always provide me the strength I need to overcome ANY obstacle put in my way, no matter the earthly consequences. I pray for those that struggle to live for You because of the oppression they suffer at the hands of those that want to persecute Your chosen people. I pray they will stay strong in their faith in You. I pray that they will proclaim their love for You to the end as You did for them. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Saturday, February 1, 2014
What A Difference
Exodus 32:32 - "But now, if You will only forgive their sin - but if not, erase my name from the record You have written!"
The same Moses from Exodus 4 that tried to come up with every excuse he could think of to keep from leading and serving God's people has come to the point where he tries to offer himself up as a sacrifice for their sins. What brought this change about? An intimate relationship with God.
An intimate relationship with God is what truly makes us unique from those that just say they believe but don't really do anything about it. Once we have accepted His free gift of salvation from Jesus Christ, repented of our sins, and received the Holy Spirit into our hearts, it's up to us to stay close to Him. It was a little different for Moses since this was before Jesus came into the world, but he still had to work on the relationship with God.
God doesn't expect us to be perfect, He expects us to meet Him half way. He even bends down to listen to us (Psalm 116:2). He is willing to meet us more than half way. For a long time I believed that since I believed in God, I was good to go. I was a relatively good person, so I didn't really need to read the Bible or go to Church or pray a lot.
What a difference a prayer makes. During a time when I just felt confused about my purpose and direction, I prayed. God put it on my heart to open His Word and start to study Him. He wanted that intimate relationship with me, but I needed to do my part. My life hasn't been the same since, and I never want it to be either. He has shown me so much over the last 5 years, and I cannot imagine my life without being intimately connected to Him.
Dear Abba Father, thank You for showing me the Way. Thank You for showing me that You wanted to be intimately close with me. I have been so blessed by Your love and grace. I pray for those that don't have that intimate relationship with You. I pray their hearts will soften, and they will seek You. I want them to receive the amazing blessings You have for them. We know You will always love us and bend down to listen to us. Thank You for meeting us more than half way. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
The same Moses from Exodus 4 that tried to come up with every excuse he could think of to keep from leading and serving God's people has come to the point where he tries to offer himself up as a sacrifice for their sins. What brought this change about? An intimate relationship with God.
An intimate relationship with God is what truly makes us unique from those that just say they believe but don't really do anything about it. Once we have accepted His free gift of salvation from Jesus Christ, repented of our sins, and received the Holy Spirit into our hearts, it's up to us to stay close to Him. It was a little different for Moses since this was before Jesus came into the world, but he still had to work on the relationship with God.
God doesn't expect us to be perfect, He expects us to meet Him half way. He even bends down to listen to us (Psalm 116:2). He is willing to meet us more than half way. For a long time I believed that since I believed in God, I was good to go. I was a relatively good person, so I didn't really need to read the Bible or go to Church or pray a lot.
What a difference a prayer makes. During a time when I just felt confused about my purpose and direction, I prayed. God put it on my heart to open His Word and start to study Him. He wanted that intimate relationship with me, but I needed to do my part. My life hasn't been the same since, and I never want it to be either. He has shown me so much over the last 5 years, and I cannot imagine my life without being intimately connected to Him.
Dear Abba Father, thank You for showing me the Way. Thank You for showing me that You wanted to be intimately close with me. I have been so blessed by Your love and grace. I pray for those that don't have that intimate relationship with You. I pray their hearts will soften, and they will seek You. I want them to receive the amazing blessings You have for them. We know You will always love us and bend down to listen to us. Thank You for meeting us more than half way. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
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