Jeremiah 15:19 - This is how the Lord responds: "If you return to Me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve Me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be My spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you."
No matter what we have done, God still wants us back. He always wants His children to be with their family - God's family.
When I read this passage and think about it in this context, it makes me think of a teacher with a class on a field trip. No matter how hard the teacher tries to keep the class together, inevitably there is going to be one or two stragglers. The teacher will say, "Hang on, we have to wait for Wayne to catch up." (or whatever the kid's name may be...) ;-). That's what God does for us. He waits for us to catch up to the rest of the crowd.
Even when we backslide, He still waits. The Pastor at my church once spoke about backsliding. He said that no matter how many steps we may slide back in our faith, it only takes one step forward to be back in God's arms. As I struggled with my faith for nearly 10 years after I was first saved, I almost had myself convinced that God gave me all the chances He was going to give me, and I was on my own. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. He was right where I had left Him, waiting for me to catch up.
My prayer tonight, as the clock gets ready to turn over to the New Year, is that anyone who may read this (all five of you) will remember that God is always there for you. He is just waiting for you to catch up and join the rest of the family.
For those of you that I have gotten to know over the last year, thank you. Thank you for the honor and privilege of your friendship, and for being amazing brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that this next year and beyond will be filled with God's amazing blessings on you and your families.
Dear Abba Father, thank You for waiting. I gave you no reason whatsoever to sit around and wait for this late bloomer, and gave You every reason to just keep walking. I love when You show me passages like this that remind me that You always want us back no matter what. Thank You so much for loving me, and allowing me the opportunity to serve You and Your people. In Jesus' precious, powerful, and Holy name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Wear It On Your Sleeve
Matthew 10:33 - "But everyone who denies Me here on earth, I will also deny before My Father in Heaven."
Ever know anyone who seems to be living two lives? Their church life, and their other life? When they get confronted with it, often their response is, "I go to Church. I read the Bible. I'm a good person." If the people outside of our Church can't tell that we're Christians, then chances are that we're not.
I come across people on various social media sites like Twitter, who are great about sharing God's Word and encouraging others in their faith. Then they make mention that they have a second Twitter account for other people in their lives. My question is why? If the Gospel is offending someone, I believe that is because the Holy Spirit is moving in their hearts and convicting them of their sin, and they don't know how to respond to it.
I knew a Pastor who was hesitant to share too many faith based messages on his Facebook because he was worried about alienating his non-Christian friends. Really?! Paul tells us that we are not to be ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God (Romans 1:16). If we are hesitating to share the Word and witness with everyone in our lives, then we aren't doing our job.
How about me? Am I living two lives, or do I wear my faith on my sleeve? I know that I am far from perfect, but I will never deny my faith to anyone because I am worried that it might offend them. If hearing God's Word and His Message offends them, that means it's working. I know I have a tendency to let my temper get the better of me, my language could definitely use some improvement, and I can be selfish at times, but I could never deny the power of God.
Dear Lord, I pray for Your power and strength to be a strong witness of the Good News that You have given us all. It is not a message that is meant to be kept secret, but shared with everyone. Please use me in whatever way I can be useful, to be a faithful witness for the glory of Your Kingdom. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Ever know anyone who seems to be living two lives? Their church life, and their other life? When they get confronted with it, often their response is, "I go to Church. I read the Bible. I'm a good person." If the people outside of our Church can't tell that we're Christians, then chances are that we're not.
I come across people on various social media sites like Twitter, who are great about sharing God's Word and encouraging others in their faith. Then they make mention that they have a second Twitter account for other people in their lives. My question is why? If the Gospel is offending someone, I believe that is because the Holy Spirit is moving in their hearts and convicting them of their sin, and they don't know how to respond to it.
I knew a Pastor who was hesitant to share too many faith based messages on his Facebook because he was worried about alienating his non-Christian friends. Really?! Paul tells us that we are not to be ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God (Romans 1:16). If we are hesitating to share the Word and witness with everyone in our lives, then we aren't doing our job.
How about me? Am I living two lives, or do I wear my faith on my sleeve? I know that I am far from perfect, but I will never deny my faith to anyone because I am worried that it might offend them. If hearing God's Word and His Message offends them, that means it's working. I know I have a tendency to let my temper get the better of me, my language could definitely use some improvement, and I can be selfish at times, but I could never deny the power of God.
Dear Lord, I pray for Your power and strength to be a strong witness of the Good News that You have given us all. It is not a message that is meant to be kept secret, but shared with everyone. Please use me in whatever way I can be useful, to be a faithful witness for the glory of Your Kingdom. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Choices
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
This is probably the most recognized and quoted passage in the entire Bible. And it is just as important for what it does not say as much as what it does.
It's all about choices. Choices for us as well as God. We made a choice as to whether or not we believe this passage and everything else in the Bible. We chose to accept Christ as our Savior and invite Him into our hearts and lives. But God chose first!
As sin entered the world through a man (Adam), so it was also defeated by a man (Jesus) (Romans 5). While it does mean that the only way for us to be redeemed to God was through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it does not mean that God had to do it. He chose to do it. He chose us before we ever chose Him. He could have easily just said, "Forget it, these people are long gone. I'll just start over." But He didn't do that. He loves us too much to let us go without a fight. As John said later in the book of 1 John, we love each other because He loved us first (1 John 4:19). God showed us what unfailing love and forgiveness look like. We should be trying to model that to everyone else.
Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me that You chose me long before I was ever here. You chose me because You love me. You made the choice because of Your unfailing love and forgiveness. Please give me the strength and wisdom to model that same love and forgiveness to everyone I encounter every day. I can only do this by Your power and strength. I can only love because You loved me first. Thank You for loving me. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
This is probably the most recognized and quoted passage in the entire Bible. And it is just as important for what it does not say as much as what it does.
It's all about choices. Choices for us as well as God. We made a choice as to whether or not we believe this passage and everything else in the Bible. We chose to accept Christ as our Savior and invite Him into our hearts and lives. But God chose first!
As sin entered the world through a man (Adam), so it was also defeated by a man (Jesus) (Romans 5). While it does mean that the only way for us to be redeemed to God was through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it does not mean that God had to do it. He chose to do it. He chose us before we ever chose Him. He could have easily just said, "Forget it, these people are long gone. I'll just start over." But He didn't do that. He loves us too much to let us go without a fight. As John said later in the book of 1 John, we love each other because He loved us first (1 John 4:19). God showed us what unfailing love and forgiveness look like. We should be trying to model that to everyone else.
Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me that You chose me long before I was ever here. You chose me because You love me. You made the choice because of Your unfailing love and forgiveness. Please give me the strength and wisdom to model that same love and forgiveness to everyone I encounter every day. I can only do this by Your power and strength. I can only love because You loved me first. Thank You for loving me. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Action Not Words
James 2:20 - How foolish! Can't you see that faith without good deeds is useless?
I read in a devotional recently a great definition of faith. It said that faith is a verb. What's a verb? An action.
If you've never read the book Love Does by Bob Goff, or heard him speak, he says that our faith should entail loving God, loving others, and doing stuff (paraphrasing).
Our faith in God should be expressed not just in our prayer and quiet time with Him (both actions), but also in how we serve and love others (actions).
God has always loved us, and always will. He has always had faith that we would seek Him for our redemption. In order to help us with that, He did something. He sent His Son into the world to show us the path to that redemption. He loved us, so He did something about it. He had faith in us, so He did something about it.
I have had the privilege to serve in a couple of ministries at my Church. One for over a year now, and the other for about the last 6 months. Both are run by two very amazing men of God. These two Pastors show their love for God and others in such great ways. I was speaking to one of them recently, and said something about working in ministry. He said something that really resonated with me. He said, "It's all ministry." How true...We're all serving in God's ministry. We're all called to love and do for others. When we are doing that, we are showing that our faith is alive, and not just a lot of talk.
Dear Lord, thank You for showing me how much You really love me by doing something about it. You sent Your Son to show me the way, and to redeem me. I have been blessed to serve You and Your chosen people with some great and gifted people after Your heart. I pray that You will keep my heart focused on You and Your people, so that my faith will be about action, and not just words. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
I read in a devotional recently a great definition of faith. It said that faith is a verb. What's a verb? An action.
If you've never read the book Love Does by Bob Goff, or heard him speak, he says that our faith should entail loving God, loving others, and doing stuff (paraphrasing).
Our faith in God should be expressed not just in our prayer and quiet time with Him (both actions), but also in how we serve and love others (actions).
God has always loved us, and always will. He has always had faith that we would seek Him for our redemption. In order to help us with that, He did something. He sent His Son into the world to show us the path to that redemption. He loved us, so He did something about it. He had faith in us, so He did something about it.
I have had the privilege to serve in a couple of ministries at my Church. One for over a year now, and the other for about the last 6 months. Both are run by two very amazing men of God. These two Pastors show their love for God and others in such great ways. I was speaking to one of them recently, and said something about working in ministry. He said something that really resonated with me. He said, "It's all ministry." How true...We're all serving in God's ministry. We're all called to love and do for others. When we are doing that, we are showing that our faith is alive, and not just a lot of talk.
Dear Lord, thank You for showing me how much You really love me by doing something about it. You sent Your Son to show me the way, and to redeem me. I have been blessed to serve You and Your chosen people with some great and gifted people after Your heart. I pray that You will keep my heart focused on You and Your people, so that my faith will be about action, and not just words. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Friday, December 27, 2013
Always Constant
Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
I love this promise. In a world that seems to be so out of control, it is so reassuring to know that the One who created the world is in control. He isn't going anywhere. He has promised to be with us forever (Matthew 28:20).
Our daily lives can be so hectic sometimes. We run around like chickens with our heads cut off, but when we take the time to pause and remember that God is in control, it has such a great calming effect on us. More often than not, we try to figure out ways to make things more manageable. We don't need to do that. God's job is already taken, and He does a fantastic job of doing it. We need to trust His plan for us. We need to quiet our minds, and spend some time talking to Him. He will tell us great and mighty things He has planned for us, and nothing is out of His control.
Am I quieting my mind so that I can listen to Him? I have gotten so much better about this in the last couple of years. I get so busy with work and school, that I can start to feel overwhelmed, and I don't feel like I'm making any progress on anything. But I am. God isn't going to give me more than I can handle, even though it feels like it sometimes. He gives me just enough to build me up stronger, and I have to trust Him and give Him the glory for it.
Dear Lord, thank You for giving me what I need to get through every day, and for showing me that You are always in control. I pray for Your continued strength to keep on trusting Your plan for me, because I know that I can and will accomplish everything You have for me by Your power. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
I love this promise. In a world that seems to be so out of control, it is so reassuring to know that the One who created the world is in control. He isn't going anywhere. He has promised to be with us forever (Matthew 28:20).
Our daily lives can be so hectic sometimes. We run around like chickens with our heads cut off, but when we take the time to pause and remember that God is in control, it has such a great calming effect on us. More often than not, we try to figure out ways to make things more manageable. We don't need to do that. God's job is already taken, and He does a fantastic job of doing it. We need to trust His plan for us. We need to quiet our minds, and spend some time talking to Him. He will tell us great and mighty things He has planned for us, and nothing is out of His control.
Am I quieting my mind so that I can listen to Him? I have gotten so much better about this in the last couple of years. I get so busy with work and school, that I can start to feel overwhelmed, and I don't feel like I'm making any progress on anything. But I am. God isn't going to give me more than I can handle, even though it feels like it sometimes. He gives me just enough to build me up stronger, and I have to trust Him and give Him the glory for it.
Dear Lord, thank You for giving me what I need to get through every day, and for showing me that You are always in control. I pray for Your continued strength to keep on trusting Your plan for me, because I know that I can and will accomplish everything You have for me by Your power. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Knock, Knock...Now What?
Revelation 3:20 - Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
So you've accepted Jesus' free gift of salvation. You've prayed the prayer and repented when you finally heard Jesus knocking on the door of your heart, so now what? For me, I figured I was good. I didn't know or understand anything about following up or taking the next step. Once I found out that faith without good deeds was useless (James 2:20), I was like, "Whoa! I gotta work at this too?!"
The book of James was very convicting to me; especially considering the source. This was Jesus' brother who didn't believe that Jesus was who He said He was for awhile. It wasn't until Jesus' resurrection that James believed in Him. James tells us that we are to help one another. The faith we have is supposed to move us to do good works and selfless acts of love for others.
When I started to realize this and take it to heart, I thought, "Man, this stuff is hard work. I don't know if I'm cut out for this." Then I thought about Jesus. Was it easy work for Him to carry the cross up to Golgotha? Was it easy for Him to allow Himself to be crucified? To take the punishment and afflictions that we all had and put them on Himself? I seriously doubt it. But He did it. Because it was God's will. Before He was arrested, He prayed for God to take the cup of suffering that He was about to bear, away from Him. But He also surrendered Himself to God's will.
That's what I, and all of us, have to do. It is God's will for us to love each other, and serve each other selflessly. Yes, it can be hard work sometimes, but Jesus already did the heavy lifting for us when He carried that cross up the hill.
Dear Father, thank You for reminding me that my work for Your Kingdom was not completed when I simply accepted You into my heart and life. I pray I will have the servant's heart for Your people, and that by doing for them, they will see the love of Jesus in me. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
So you've accepted Jesus' free gift of salvation. You've prayed the prayer and repented when you finally heard Jesus knocking on the door of your heart, so now what? For me, I figured I was good. I didn't know or understand anything about following up or taking the next step. Once I found out that faith without good deeds was useless (James 2:20), I was like, "Whoa! I gotta work at this too?!"
The book of James was very convicting to me; especially considering the source. This was Jesus' brother who didn't believe that Jesus was who He said He was for awhile. It wasn't until Jesus' resurrection that James believed in Him. James tells us that we are to help one another. The faith we have is supposed to move us to do good works and selfless acts of love for others.
When I started to realize this and take it to heart, I thought, "Man, this stuff is hard work. I don't know if I'm cut out for this." Then I thought about Jesus. Was it easy work for Him to carry the cross up to Golgotha? Was it easy for Him to allow Himself to be crucified? To take the punishment and afflictions that we all had and put them on Himself? I seriously doubt it. But He did it. Because it was God's will. Before He was arrested, He prayed for God to take the cup of suffering that He was about to bear, away from Him. But He also surrendered Himself to God's will.
That's what I, and all of us, have to do. It is God's will for us to love each other, and serve each other selflessly. Yes, it can be hard work sometimes, but Jesus already did the heavy lifting for us when He carried that cross up the hill.
Dear Father, thank You for reminding me that my work for Your Kingdom was not completed when I simply accepted You into my heart and life. I pray I will have the servant's heart for Your people, and that by doing for them, they will see the love of Jesus in me. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Just Love
Proverbs 25: 21-22 - If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.
The reason we are being told to treat our enemies well isn't to shame them in the strict sense of the word. That isn't our job necessarily. The idea being put forth by Solomon here was to love our enemies (sound familiar?). Treat them better than they would treat you. The love of Christ that we show them will soften their hearts so they can see the shame of their sin and turn to God for healing and redemption.
Jesus spoke of this as well. In Luke 6:35, He commanded us to love our enemies and to do good to them. He wanted us to show them the love of God, for which we will be rewarded in Heaven. That is the reward that Solomon spoke of as well. God won't reward us for trying to do His job and punishing those who sin. He rewards us for being the watchmen that He commanded us to be (Ezekiel 33:9).
Am I being a watchman or trying to be a judge? Am I trying to love people to Christ or shame them? I have to be mindful that I don't fall into the dangerous trap of being judgmental. It isn't my place to judge, it's my place to just love.
Dear Abba Father, thank You for reminding me of this today. I am so grateful for the lessons You give me every day, and I thank You for allowing me to share them so that hopefully someone will find something helpful in my thoughts and words. Thank You for loving me like no one can, and I pray that I can show that love to others every day. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
The reason we are being told to treat our enemies well isn't to shame them in the strict sense of the word. That isn't our job necessarily. The idea being put forth by Solomon here was to love our enemies (sound familiar?). Treat them better than they would treat you. The love of Christ that we show them will soften their hearts so they can see the shame of their sin and turn to God for healing and redemption.
Jesus spoke of this as well. In Luke 6:35, He commanded us to love our enemies and to do good to them. He wanted us to show them the love of God, for which we will be rewarded in Heaven. That is the reward that Solomon spoke of as well. God won't reward us for trying to do His job and punishing those who sin. He rewards us for being the watchmen that He commanded us to be (Ezekiel 33:9).
Am I being a watchman or trying to be a judge? Am I trying to love people to Christ or shame them? I have to be mindful that I don't fall into the dangerous trap of being judgmental. It isn't my place to judge, it's my place to just love.
Dear Abba Father, thank You for reminding me of this today. I am so grateful for the lessons You give me every day, and I thank You for allowing me to share them so that hopefully someone will find something helpful in my thoughts and words. Thank You for loving me like no one can, and I pray that I can show that love to others every day. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
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