Romans 12:2 - Don't copy the behaviors and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
We don't have to change our lives in order to come before God in repentance. We don't have to change to be redeemed. We have already been redeemed. We just have to be willing to let God into our hearts, and He will do the heavy work of transforming our lives according to His good, pleasing, and perfect will for us.
This is something that a lot of people struggle with. They say they can't go to church until they get their life right, or they can't accept Christ until they make amends for the things they've done. It simply isn't true though. If we could get our life right without Christ, then He didn't need to die. If we are trying to get our life right without involving Christ, then we will continue to make the same mistakes over and over because we are operating according to the customs and behaviors of the world, and not the Word.
All we have to do is say yes to Him. We just have to let Him into our hearts and surrender our lives to Him, and He will make our lives right. That is all we need to do to make amends for anything. Just say yes to His transformation, and everything will get worked out. This doesn't mean it will always be easy, because it won't. There will be tough times, but once we invite Him in and surrender to Him, He gives us something the world could never give us. He give us the power, strength, and wisdom to persevere through anything.
Am I still trying to do it my way, or am I surrendering my will to Christ daily?
Dear Lord, thank You for giving me what I need to not just survive, but thrive. I don't expect everything to be easy, but I know with You taking the lead in my life, I can overcome anything. I pray for those that haven't surrendered to You because they have the belief that they need to change first. My prayer is that they will see that there is nothing they can to do be right with You other than inviting You in and surrendering their will to Your good, perfect, and pleasing way. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
A Big Step
Genesis 12:1 - The Lord said to Abram, "Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you."
God was asking a lot of Abram. He was asking him to give up every comfort He knew and become a stranger in a foreign land. That required a big leap of of faith for Abram.
The beauty of it, is that he did it. Verse 4 tells us that he did as the Lord instructed. He didn't try to bargain and ask God for a compromise. He just did it. How much do we try to bargain when we feel God asking us to step out of our comfort zone for something? Do we simply get up and do it, or do we say things like, "Really, all of that? How about we start with just this first?" God isn't in the compromise business.
More often than not, God isn't asking us to do something big like Abram. He is usually asking us to give up things that have no value anyway, at least not from an eternal perspective. Things that take away from our focus and worship on Him. How important are they to us really? He gave up His only Son for us, I don't think it is asking much for us to give up the minor (very minor by comparison) creature comforts we are holding on to. God will reward our steps of faith. The Bible is full of those stories. Look what He did for Abram.
Dear Abba Father, thank You for giving up so much just for me. I pray that if there is anything that I am holding on to that is drawing away from my focus and worship on You, that You will point it out to me so that I may do away with it. I pray for those that are holding on to things that are meaningless in the big picture of Your Kingdom. My prayer is that they will take the step of faith that You are asking, and give it up for You, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
God was asking a lot of Abram. He was asking him to give up every comfort He knew and become a stranger in a foreign land. That required a big leap of of faith for Abram.
The beauty of it, is that he did it. Verse 4 tells us that he did as the Lord instructed. He didn't try to bargain and ask God for a compromise. He just did it. How much do we try to bargain when we feel God asking us to step out of our comfort zone for something? Do we simply get up and do it, or do we say things like, "Really, all of that? How about we start with just this first?" God isn't in the compromise business.
More often than not, God isn't asking us to do something big like Abram. He is usually asking us to give up things that have no value anyway, at least not from an eternal perspective. Things that take away from our focus and worship on Him. How important are they to us really? He gave up His only Son for us, I don't think it is asking much for us to give up the minor (very minor by comparison) creature comforts we are holding on to. God will reward our steps of faith. The Bible is full of those stories. Look what He did for Abram.
Dear Abba Father, thank You for giving up so much just for me. I pray that if there is anything that I am holding on to that is drawing away from my focus and worship on You, that You will point it out to me so that I may do away with it. I pray for those that are holding on to things that are meaningless in the big picture of Your Kingdom. My prayer is that they will take the step of faith that You are asking, and give it up for You, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Friday, March 28, 2014
New Life
Colossians 3:1 - Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of Heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand.
We have been given a second chance at life. When Christ rose from the dead, we were raised with Him so that we may focus on Him and His glorious plans for His people.
What a great reminder on my birthday. I may be 39 years old today (did I just say that out loud?!), but I am still an infant in my new life with Christ. And that's cool with me.
He has given me a new chance and a new life to do things for His Kingdom and His glory. What greater purpose could possibly be found. One of the things that I always lacked before I came to Christ, was purpose. Even before I knew Him, I always believed that there was something more for me in the world. I always felt stuck in whatever position I was in, and I was always looking for that bigger, better thing. When I found myself at the feet of Jesus in repentance and giving my life to Him a few years ago, I finally realized what that bigger better thing was. It was Him.
Now, I certainly don't have everything figured out, but that's fine with me. I don't have to have everything figured out. The great thing about this new life is that He already has it figured out, and He reveals it to me piece by piece. It can be hard to be patient sometimes, but it is worth the wait. He makes it worth the wait. I know I don't have all the answers, and that I am a work in progress, but I know that the work He is doing in me is preparing me for the day when I will finally be in His presence and perfected. Now that's a birthday blessing I am excited for!
Dear Lord, thank You for the new life You have given me. I pray that I will remain focused on Your realities, and not the realities of this world which will all be rendered meaningless. I am blessed beyond words that You are such an amazing God of second chances. I pray that I will bring You the glory and honor that You deserve by the way I live my life to love You and everyone I encounter. I know I am not perfect, and You do not expect me to be. I just want to serve You and Your people to the best of the abilities You have given me. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
We have been given a second chance at life. When Christ rose from the dead, we were raised with Him so that we may focus on Him and His glorious plans for His people.
What a great reminder on my birthday. I may be 39 years old today (did I just say that out loud?!), but I am still an infant in my new life with Christ. And that's cool with me.
He has given me a new chance and a new life to do things for His Kingdom and His glory. What greater purpose could possibly be found. One of the things that I always lacked before I came to Christ, was purpose. Even before I knew Him, I always believed that there was something more for me in the world. I always felt stuck in whatever position I was in, and I was always looking for that bigger, better thing. When I found myself at the feet of Jesus in repentance and giving my life to Him a few years ago, I finally realized what that bigger better thing was. It was Him.
Now, I certainly don't have everything figured out, but that's fine with me. I don't have to have everything figured out. The great thing about this new life is that He already has it figured out, and He reveals it to me piece by piece. It can be hard to be patient sometimes, but it is worth the wait. He makes it worth the wait. I know I don't have all the answers, and that I am a work in progress, but I know that the work He is doing in me is preparing me for the day when I will finally be in His presence and perfected. Now that's a birthday blessing I am excited for!
Dear Lord, thank You for the new life You have given me. I pray that I will remain focused on Your realities, and not the realities of this world which will all be rendered meaningless. I am blessed beyond words that You are such an amazing God of second chances. I pray that I will bring You the glory and honor that You deserve by the way I live my life to love You and everyone I encounter. I know I am not perfect, and You do not expect me to be. I just want to serve You and Your people to the best of the abilities You have given me. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Let Him In
Joshua 1:8 - Study this book of instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
God's instructions to Joshua are great instructions to us as well. We should be reading the Bible every day. It's the best way to start to understand God's character and how much love He has for us.
I recently wrote a brief essay for a Philosophy class about the practice of being in God's word every day. One of the prompts I had to address was how do the inner goods that I get from this practice relate to the outer goods.
Talk about a conviction. Am I just going through the motions of reading God's word every day so that I can say I am being a good Christian, or am I letting Him into my heart? Paul reminded us of this in Colossians 3:16 when he said, "Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives." At church recently, one of the Pastors was talking about this and said, "You're in the word of God every day, but is the word of God in you?" That was the crux of my essay too.
We need to remember to let God in, so that everything we are reading and studying in His word about His love for us, should be reflected in our daily lives in how we show His love to others. It isn't good enough to be a 'good Christian'. I have to remember that the idea is to be a 'good and faithful servant'. And not just to Him, but to His people as well.
Dear Lord, thank You for this conviction that I need to be taking in the wise instruction You give me every day in Your Word. I pray that I will let You in and let You reflect Your love through me to those around me. I pray that I will not just gloss over the words as I read them, but that I let them deep into my heart. I pray for those that are not completely committed to You. My prayer is that they will make the time to spend some time with You every day, in Your word and in prayer, so that they can know You more deeply, and reflect Your love to others. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
God's instructions to Joshua are great instructions to us as well. We should be reading the Bible every day. It's the best way to start to understand God's character and how much love He has for us.
I recently wrote a brief essay for a Philosophy class about the practice of being in God's word every day. One of the prompts I had to address was how do the inner goods that I get from this practice relate to the outer goods.
Talk about a conviction. Am I just going through the motions of reading God's word every day so that I can say I am being a good Christian, or am I letting Him into my heart? Paul reminded us of this in Colossians 3:16 when he said, "Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives." At church recently, one of the Pastors was talking about this and said, "You're in the word of God every day, but is the word of God in you?" That was the crux of my essay too.
We need to remember to let God in, so that everything we are reading and studying in His word about His love for us, should be reflected in our daily lives in how we show His love to others. It isn't good enough to be a 'good Christian'. I have to remember that the idea is to be a 'good and faithful servant'. And not just to Him, but to His people as well.
Dear Lord, thank You for this conviction that I need to be taking in the wise instruction You give me every day in Your Word. I pray that I will let You in and let You reflect Your love through me to those around me. I pray that I will not just gloss over the words as I read them, but that I let them deep into my heart. I pray for those that are not completely committed to You. My prayer is that they will make the time to spend some time with You every day, in Your word and in prayer, so that they can know You more deeply, and reflect Your love to others. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
His Favor
Isaiah 61:2 - He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord's favor has come, and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.
Jesus fulfilled this Scripture when He came to be a sacrifice for our sin. He has come once and He will come again.
I love the promises that God has made to us. Not just because they're amazing and He always follows through on them, but mostly because He made them when He didn't have to. He made them because He loves us, and wants us to be close to Him.
What did we do, or could we ever do, to deserve these amazing gifts and promises from our Creator? Absolutely nothing. That's the beauty of it. A lot of people are hesitant to believe in something that doesn't have a price tag attached to it, or a catch. Well the fact is, there was a price tag attached to our redemption. It was the cost of Jesus' life. But even that was given freely by God because of His love. Some people have a trouble wrapping their head around the concept of being given something just out of love (I was one of them). How great is it for those that believe in the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the atonement for our sins, and redemption to our Heavenly Father. More promises are coming our way (Jeremiah 33:3), and I look forward to what God has in store for us.
Dear Father, thank You for Your amazing and unfailing love. Thank You for for faithfully promising and following through even though I don't deserve anything but judgment and punishment for my sins and transgressions. I pray for those that are struggling to accept Your unmerited love and forgiveness. My prayer is that they will take the step of faith and accept Your loving grace, and begin a relationship with You. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Jesus fulfilled this Scripture when He came to be a sacrifice for our sin. He has come once and He will come again.
I love the promises that God has made to us. Not just because they're amazing and He always follows through on them, but mostly because He made them when He didn't have to. He made them because He loves us, and wants us to be close to Him.
What did we do, or could we ever do, to deserve these amazing gifts and promises from our Creator? Absolutely nothing. That's the beauty of it. A lot of people are hesitant to believe in something that doesn't have a price tag attached to it, or a catch. Well the fact is, there was a price tag attached to our redemption. It was the cost of Jesus' life. But even that was given freely by God because of His love. Some people have a trouble wrapping their head around the concept of being given something just out of love (I was one of them). How great is it for those that believe in the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the atonement for our sins, and redemption to our Heavenly Father. More promises are coming our way (Jeremiah 33:3), and I look forward to what God has in store for us.
Dear Father, thank You for Your amazing and unfailing love. Thank You for for faithfully promising and following through even though I don't deserve anything but judgment and punishment for my sins and transgressions. I pray for those that are struggling to accept Your unmerited love and forgiveness. My prayer is that they will take the step of faith and accept Your loving grace, and begin a relationship with You. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Trusting Him
1 Corinthians 10:13 - The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.
God will never allow us to be tempted beyond our limits of what we can endure. His faithful love for us will always show us a way through the temptation, and it begins with trusting Him to deliver on His promises.
I read somewhere that God sometimes calms the storm, and sometimes allows the storm to continue in order to calm His child. I love that He is always trying to teach me and show me how to rely on Him more. He does it because He loves me. He doesn't do it because I'm a stubborn pain in the butt (okay that may be part of it).
There have been more than a few times where I have tried to rely on my own abilities to get me through whatever issue I was dealing with, and almost always without fail, I would usually make the problem worse (it's a gift, really). But the more I rely on God's faithful promise to see me through, the more I understand that He is refining me like gold in the fire to become more like Christ. He knows my shortcomings, and He doesn't expect me to be perfect. He just wants me to trust Him, and have the mustard seed faith that He will give me what I need to endure.
Dear Lord, thank You for loving me enough to see me through. I know I can be stubborn and hard-headed, but You look past that and see something in me that I don't. You patiently work on me every day to refine me to be more like Your Son every day. I pray for those that struggle with that trust issue with You. My prayer is that once they begin to trust You, even in the tiniest things, they will see that You are indeed powerful, faithful, and full of love for them, and that You will pull them through everything when they trust in You more. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
God will never allow us to be tempted beyond our limits of what we can endure. His faithful love for us will always show us a way through the temptation, and it begins with trusting Him to deliver on His promises.
I read somewhere that God sometimes calms the storm, and sometimes allows the storm to continue in order to calm His child. I love that He is always trying to teach me and show me how to rely on Him more. He does it because He loves me. He doesn't do it because I'm a stubborn pain in the butt (okay that may be part of it).
There have been more than a few times where I have tried to rely on my own abilities to get me through whatever issue I was dealing with, and almost always without fail, I would usually make the problem worse (it's a gift, really). But the more I rely on God's faithful promise to see me through, the more I understand that He is refining me like gold in the fire to become more like Christ. He knows my shortcomings, and He doesn't expect me to be perfect. He just wants me to trust Him, and have the mustard seed faith that He will give me what I need to endure.
Dear Lord, thank You for loving me enough to see me through. I know I can be stubborn and hard-headed, but You look past that and see something in me that I don't. You patiently work on me every day to refine me to be more like Your Son every day. I pray for those that struggle with that trust issue with You. My prayer is that once they begin to trust You, even in the tiniest things, they will see that You are indeed powerful, faithful, and full of love for them, and that You will pull them through everything when they trust in You more. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
Monday, March 24, 2014
New Citizenship
Philippians 3:20 - But we are citizens of Heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior.
How awesome is it that we have been given eternal citizenship in Heaven because of our faith in Jesus Christ?!
Because of our faith, God grants us so much in return. Eternal citizenship and new glorious bodies (v. 21). He has that kind of power. That is citizenship we can be proud of possessing not just for a few weeks every four years, but every minute of every day. At Church, one of the Pastor's was talking about this passage, and said we should be proud to be Christians and we should represent our citizenship in Heaven. That's being boastful in the Lord, because it is only because of His love and grace that we have been granted these things.
Am I proud of my citizenship? Am I representing God and His Son Jesus Christ properly by the way I live to all those around me?
Dear Lord, thank You for the eternal gifts You have given us because of Your love for us. I pray that I will remember that I am a citizen of Heaven, and I will act accordingly so that I represent that citizenship properly. I pray for those that haven't been granted this new citizenship because of unbelief. My prayer is that they will open their hearts to You and see all that You have waiting for them in their new home. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
How awesome is it that we have been given eternal citizenship in Heaven because of our faith in Jesus Christ?!
Because of our faith, God grants us so much in return. Eternal citizenship and new glorious bodies (v. 21). He has that kind of power. That is citizenship we can be proud of possessing not just for a few weeks every four years, but every minute of every day. At Church, one of the Pastor's was talking about this passage, and said we should be proud to be Christians and we should represent our citizenship in Heaven. That's being boastful in the Lord, because it is only because of His love and grace that we have been granted these things.
Am I proud of my citizenship? Am I representing God and His Son Jesus Christ properly by the way I live to all those around me?
Dear Lord, thank You for the eternal gifts You have given us because of Your love for us. I pray that I will remember that I am a citizen of Heaven, and I will act accordingly so that I represent that citizenship properly. I pray for those that haven't been granted this new citizenship because of unbelief. My prayer is that they will open their hearts to You and see all that You have waiting for them in their new home. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
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