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Monthly Archives: September 2013

OH, Have I got something to tell you!

30 Sep

OH, Have I got something to tell you!

John 4:32-38     But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

Jesus had just witnessed to the Samaritan women at the well. He had told her of the Living Water that he possessed; he had shared with her the hope that lied in him. She was getting a first person account of the Gospel, she was learning of the hope that lie in Christ. She was so moved by Christ that she rushed back to town to tell everyone; it seems as the whole city was saved! Christ was explaining to the disciples of how they are to share their faith, and the rewards that come from sharing their faith. They may be the first person to share their hope; they may sow, or plant the seed in someone of the Gospel. They may reap that seed which another has sown too. They are told by Christ of the joy that is spreading the Good News; the eternal rewards that lie for us, not to mention the joy that we get when we see their faith grow right before us. No joy can surpass leading someone to Salvation; them answering that tug that Christ has placed on their heart in your presence is the highest honor bestowed on us as disciples. You will never experience that joy and honor if you do not share your faith; you are being disobedient at trying to keep Him to yourself; we are commanded to go and make disciples by Christ in his last words to us before ascending to heaven to sit at the right hand of his Father. (Matthew 28:19-20)

There is no “right time, or wrong time” to share your faith. You are to be ready to share your faith at all times. When Paul was charging Timothy to become a preacher, he spoke of this readiness to share in 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. When you are standing before someone and feel led to share, it is in that instant you either obey the Holy Spirit living inside of you and respond, or you deny the Spirit and remain quiet. You may miss the opportunity to deliver a word that God had already given them, a God orchestrated coincidence that they see God’s work in repeating that which they had just heard. Inexplicable acts that even the lost come to see as God at work around them. This might be the time they are humbled to the point of breaking and confessing their sins to Christ in a plea of forgiveness and hope. This world around us in slipping away from God and it is your responsibility as a believer to point them back to God. You cannot save, but you can share who does, and let Him do the work he has planned since before time began. The greatest honor is to become a small part of his redemptive work for humanity.

 
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Posted by on September 30, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

Out of my comfort zone

29 Sep

Out of my comfort zone

John 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

God has me at a place in my life right now where I am way out of my comfort zone. He has me in a place where I can only rely on Him; I am nothing without him; the place where Jesus lives as this song says. This song speaks volumes to me, and I felt led to share it this morning.

“Voice Of Truth”by Casting Crowns

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I’m in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He’s holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. ‘Boy, you’ll never win!’
“You’ll never win”

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says “Do not be afraid!”
And the voice of truth says “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a Sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they’d have had the strength to stand

But the giant’s calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again “boy, you’ll never win!
“You’ll never win”

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don’t seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

 
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Posted by on September 29, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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The Lords Supper

28 Sep

The Lords Supper

1 Corinthians 11:26-29     For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

There is a good possibility that tomorrow churches will be serving the Lords Supper. I have been asked to lead it for the first time in my life; nervous would be a huge understatement. I grasp a small portion of the weight of what this represents; of Christ’s sacrifice of his body and blood for my, and our, sins. A sacrifice that paid for all our sins, past, present, and future. A sacrifice that He bore the weight of all the sins of the world on his body; a weight and pain unimaginable in any way to us. We flinch or scream at the slightest physical pain, yet he bore a spiritual pain for all mankind for which we have no understanding of. He bore pains of the world’s souls, and we cannot bear the pains of headaches, cuts, bruises, or the mis-guided ill’s that require help. We are weak, and He is strong enough to pay the price for us; He is God.

Paul is writing to the Corinthian church that had come to look upon the Lords Supper as a party. It had turned into an excuse to get drunk and have a party. Paul was condemning their conduct at the time they should be in Holy reverence for what it represents. These scriptures above represent what we should all do before we participate in the Lords Supper. It should be a time of self reflection, of forgiveness, of repentance, of thanksgiving. It should not be looked at as a simple ritual wrapped up in religion; it should be a personal way for you to honor the sacrifice that He died for you. This is the symbol that ushers in the New Covenant that God is making with mankind; He is providing the Perfect sacrifice to Atone for our sins. Luke 22:20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. The writer of Hebrews establishes this new promise from God; this New Covenant found in Christ. Hebrews 8:8 For he finds fault with them when he says:”Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. The next opportunity you have to partake in the Lords Supper, take a deep spiritual self reflection. If you know that you have been forgiven by this sacrifice, and you understand the weight of what this ceremony represents, humbly partake after a quiet time of repentance, forgiveness, and thanksgiving. When you grasp this, it takes on an entire new meaning.

 
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Posted by on September 28, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

Better than sight

27 Sep

Better than sight

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith shows there is no difference
In your eyes open or not;
Faith is the invisible handle
On what you have got.

Faith does not need to see
God’s writing on the wall;
Faith does not need proof
Faith does not need to see at all.

To seek to see shows lacking
Your faith is not that strong;
If sight is what you rely on
Your missing it all along.

Anyone can see
Only His can feel;
His presence in themselves
Never doubting He is real.

A heart can see the proofs
As the eyes never can attain;
The soul becomes strengthened
Passing the intellect of the brain.

Faith cannot be taught
In books it can never be learned;
Faith is a move of God
With Him it is earned.

Faith is possessed
It cannot be taken away;
The hope that you have
Must be on display.

Your faith encourages others
They want what you proclaim;
Make your when you share it
The glory is in His name

 
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Posted by on September 27, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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A Bottomless Well

26 Sep

A Bottomless Well

John 7:37-39     On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

It was this time of year, early Fall, at the Feast of the Booths, or Tabernacles; a feast to celebrate the Harvest and God’s protection in the Jews delivery from slavery out of Egypt. Those in Christ midst were wanting to go up to the feast, and Christ had told them to go ahead without him. He had left and gone secretly up to the feast; he had heard people talking about him secretly to themselves; he had heart them speaking of who he was, or was not. He boldly entered the Temple and began to teach. In this instance is one of those times they sought to arrest Him, yet they never laid hands on him; 30 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. There was becoming division everywhere over Christ; they all marveled at his “uneducated” teaching; they marveled at the signs he performed; they argued whether he was the Christ they were seeking. They did not understand so much of his teaching, for God had not opened their eyes to the mystery that was found in Christ. Only a few truly believed that He was the Son of God.

On the last day of the Feast, Christ proclaimed the scriptures above in John. He spoke of the Holy Spirit which would be given to believers after Christ was glorified on the Cross. Christ’s Spirit would come to dwell inside all of those that believed in Him. The Holy Spirit that dwells inside of you is the river of living water that flows out of you. Christ spoke to the Samaritan women at the well of this living water; John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” This living water is a water that fills you with something that the world cannot; fills you to the point of overflowing into the lives of others; give you something you seemingly don’t want to contain, but want to share with others what you possess.

Christ spoke of this gift in John 14:15-31, he speaks of the Helper that God is giving us when Christ ascends back into heaven. 14:25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. If God is tugging on your heart, answer that desire that is welling up inside you. Repent of your sins, plea for forgiveness, and open your heart to the living water that fills it. Your life will never be the same, and likely those God has placed around you will not be either.

 
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Posted by on September 26, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Daily Planning

24 Sep

Daily Planning

Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

My life right now seems as a whirlwind; in fact I jokingly said yesterday it feels as though it has moved to an F2 tornado. There have been so many big things that God has laid in front of me, that I am simply amazed. It can be quite overwhelming to be honest. We all have had those days, those weeks, those seasons in life where it just seems like we wanna hold up our hands and plead  for it to slow down. It can move to where we don’t get sleep, for our minds never seem to rest. I am somewhat of a visionary, seeing out into the big picture, but as part of that you must be able to accomplish the task at hand that leads to accomplishing that vision. The vision can never go before, or without the tasks, if they are working together. Does your today’s “to do list”, work towards that ultimate goal that you wish to attain? In the simplest form of the understanding of planning, if it does not, it should not make the list.

There is deep theology wrapped up in this proverb of Solomon, the wisest person to ever live. God’s Sovereignty is in full view in the understanding of his plans for each of our lives. We can’t argue, for we simply cannot understand how our Free Will, and God’s Will, can work hand in hand. If my God can BREATHE billions of stars into existence, the details of my daily life are simple. He can let me wander around in Free Will, but still keep me on the path he has laid before me. Jeremiah understood how God directed the paths of his people; he understood in all things that God’s power is evident and at work. He understood the coming days of judgement from the Lord, for his people that had strayed from God. Sin was evident, and God was going to allow Judah to be captured. The Message translates it as this; Jeremiah 10:23 I know, God, that mere mortals can’t run their own lives, That men and women don’t have what it takes to take charge of life. 24 So correct us, God, as you see best. Don’t lose your temper. That would be the end of us.

So, if God has a plan for each of our lives, would it not be in our best interest to try and follow that plan? Would that not follow the simple understanding that we discussed about vision casting? Taking today for example; seeking God early in the day, in prayer and His Word. Seeing where He speaks to us and looking for the examples and opportunities that he places before us as we go through the day. Most likely we will see the evidence of Him throughout the day, the evidence we had missed when we tried to do life without him each day. Henry Blackaby teaches in the Experiencing God studies, that we are to see where God is working, and join him, not asking him to join us. Most likely the heart that seeks God daily will see the evidence of of God working around them already. This puts you in the center of His Will for the day, and one step closer to accomplishing that vision he has laid out for your life.

 
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Posted by on September 24, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Open doors

23 Sep

Open doors

Hebrews 10:24-25    And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

What happened? Why don’t you go to church anymore? What hurt did you experience; what hypocrisy steered you away; what victory did Satan have in your life to keep you from being involved in church this long? God has blessed me with the transformation of my Air Conditioning business into a ministry. My truck boldly proclaims my faith, and I am sure it offends as many as it inspires. I never go into peoples home Bible Thumping their heads, but God just seems to open doors to conversations sometimes, and so many times, I hear their stories of why they don’t attend church any longer. It typically involves some painful incident that Satan keeps reminding them of to keep them away. He knows the strength of a believer is much greater in the company of other believers. Sadly now I hear so many times of people trying to do Christianity alone; Christianity is not a solo sport. Many people have come to doing church in front of a TV, listening to smiling preachers that speak of only the good things in life; of a loving God, and if you aren’t blessed, you don’t have enough faith. They only tell people what they want to hear (2Timothy 4:3-4); they don’t preach the coming judgement of God because that will hurt their popularity, ratings, and pocketbooks. They may preach Christ, but they are personally profiting greatly, and I question their hearts in that pursuit.

Church is full of imperfect people; that is why we are in church. We are seeking the “hope that does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5), the support system of those with the same struggles as you are facing. We need the support of each other to do this thing called life. I spoke yesterday of being the “light in the world”(Matthew 5:14) that Christ told us to be. To let our light shine for others; to be His light to help others along their dark paths. Why would you sit at home and keep His light to yourself? Whatever pain you suffered, is a victory for your enemy if you are not moving past it going back to church. You must move past it and claim a victory over Satan when you pass through the doors of church this coming week.

You may not find, the church where God wants you the first time you open the doors. You will know, the church He wants you at the first time you open the doors. God wants you to be encouraged each week in the body of believers. He wants you to come and worship in in song, praise, teaching, prayer, and fellowship. He wants your candle to be so bright that all the world sees it on Monday morning. He wants them to see Christ in you. Don’t let that memory that Satan keeps bringing up, keep you from stomping it under your feet as you pass through the doors this coming week.

 
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Posted by on September 23, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Get up and get God

22 Sep

Today is a really big day. I was asked to preach for the next three weeks at a small church. My heart lies in encouraging others to spend daily time with God; if that is done, they will move their lives to discipleship, what we are called to be in Christ. I looked back at one year ago today, and felt led to share this devotional; how God changed my life in this pursuit.

 

Get up and get God

22 Sep

Get up and get God

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Here where I live it used to be in the country. Our family farm was very large and the area was very rural. The only consistent noise was the low drone of air compressors in the milking barns. At night and early morning it was peaceful and still. Progress caught us the last 15 years and finding a quiet time is next to impossible. As I sit hear early each morn I get only rare moments when cars are not speeding down the road to destinations unknown. I am up early each day for my alone time with God; to seek that peace only early morning time brings; and with it intimacy.

1 Kings 19:11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. The great prophet Elijah was fleeing for his life, running from the pressures of life, desperate to hear God. He got alone and God came to encourage him. God is not in the static of the world, but in the peace of it. He demands a heart that seeks Him wholly, not a heart of flippant prayer and petition. He demands your undivided attention and He is most likely using circumstances in your life to get your attention. They are not by chance, but by His allowance or design.

Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. All that noise and distractions in your life is like the speeding cars down the highway to nowhere. Satan provides all the daily distractions to keep your heart focus away from God. Do you rise late when all the distractions already have begun? Do you seek to find God in five minutes with the TV on; with the kids awake; with the cell phone at your side, etc? How can you hear the still small voice in the midst of all the winds, earthquakes, and fires? Be like Elijah and get alone and seek God. When you find Him, your ability to rise early will never be a problem again; but a expectant passion for your Creator to speak to you.

 
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Posted by on September 22, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Get up and get God

22 Sep

Today is a really big day. I was asked to preach for the next three weeks at a small church. My heart lies in encouraging others to spend daily time with God; if that is done, they will move their lives to discipleship, what we are called to be in Christ. I looked back at one year ago today, and felt led to share this devotional; how God changed my life in this pursuit.

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Get up and get God

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Here where I live it used to be in the country. Our family farm was very large and the area was very rural. The only consistent noise was the low drone of air compressors in the milking barns. At night and early morning it was peaceful and still. Progress caught us the last 15 years and finding a quiet time is next to impossible. As I sit hear early each morn I get only rare moments when cars are not speeding down the road to destinations unknown. I am up early each day for my alone time with God; to seek that peace only early morning time brings; and with it intimacy.

1 Kings 19:11 Then He said, “Go out, and…

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Posted by on September 22, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

The mice shouldn’t play

21 Sep

The mice shouldn’t play

1 John 2:28-29    And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

I was hanging out with a group of friends last night getting together to show support for part of the family that is dedicating their lives to missionary work in Africa. It was a night full of good food, laughter, children playing, and testimonies of God’s work in each others lives. It is funny how parties used to be sharing all the “remember when’s”, that included some story of likely intoxicating shenanigans. Now the talks are the evidences of God’s hand in each of our lives. Of deliveries from all those addictions and lives steep in sins. Of evidences of redeemed lives that see and feel the proofs of God in them. Of encouraging others to do the same; of sharing the new found lives in Christ. It is so good to be in the fellowship of other believers; God uses each other to encourage each other in the evidences of His handiwork in their lives.

Being a Christians is not the mentality of, “When the cats away, the mice play.” Early in your Christian life, you begin to understand that you cannot hide from God. All that you do, He sees; all that you think, He knows; nothing is hidden, and all will be revealed at that day of judgement. Romans 2:16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. That is a scary thought, but we also must rest in knowing we are seen through the blood of Christ at the Cross as forgiven. When we being to grow in our faith, and that understanding, we should desire to live more righteous lives every day. We should pursue that faith and relationship that we abide with Christ as John says; we should be in a “state of being in Christ.” That intimate relationship will be guarded from the snares of sins that used to tempt us. That intimate relationship is prepared for His return.

What if today is the day that Christ returns? Looking back from this hour, into the past days, and weeks, how will your life account to God? “Well, God I was going to seek you a little harder after I got done with this project for work, after I got done with this tournament ball game, after I……………., after……….., after………….. We all have fallen in those pauses, we all have put other things before God. My prayer is that it is only for a short season, that you come to realize the weight of your life and the pursuit of God and the things of God with it. There is no playing while He is away, for He may return at this instant.

He came – He died – He arose – He ascended – He is coming back!

 
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Posted by on September 21, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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