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Monthly Archives: April 2015

Farming……..

30 Apr

Farming……

1 Peter 1:7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

This morning I was thanking God for a victory yesterday, starting my day in praise for a victory only we know about, but one that I praise him for I understand the weight of it. I also was reflecting on an interaction with another contractor regarding the Cross on my shirt that is part of our business logo. He came across very harsh early that morning as he said something along the lines of, “That cross is why we are having all the problems we are having.” It caught me off guard at 8am and I blurted out “now just wait a minute right there.” I think he knew he had offended me and changed gears somewhat; as I defended my faith, I still struggle to understand exactly what he was trying to say. I struggle with those that say they believe, but fail to witness or share their supposed faith with the rest of the world. When we are called to share, or called to defend, do we remain silent? Do we really have real faith if we cannot defend or witness of it? Would that not mean that we are denying our faith before men? Matthew 10:33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

For over a week now life has seemed to point me to the Parable of the Soils; the time in God’s Word has pointed me there from multiple passages. Do you understand that parable? Jesus explains it very clearly in Matthew 13:18-23. If you are a believer, or even begin to think you may be, you fall into one of those categories. If the gospel has no meaning to you, if God’s Bible is just a book to you, you are eternally lost. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.If you claim to be a Christian until it gets hard to be a Christian, you are not a Christian at all; Matthew 7:22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!‘ If you call yourself a Christian but only give him one hour of your life a week, pursuing all the pleasure of the world and living for it, you are not a Christian at all; Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. But, look at the promise to those who live their lives with an eternal focus! Those who recognize their need for Christ and the promises of eternity with him, sacrificing themselves for their short time here to reap the blessing. Listen how Jesus started explaining this parable to his disciples; Matthew 13:16 “But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Psalm 44:21 Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. God knows every reason behind every thing you think and do in your life. He knows your sin, he knows your faith, he knows if you are genuinely a Christian or just putting on facade. My prayer is that you know God has allowed everything in your life to draw you closer to him, and to build your testimony to him; he has not given you any reason to deny him. This world needs you to live your life for Jesus and let him produce fruit through living your life for him. What a joy it will be in heaven when we see the people we never knew that God used us to reach. Can you imagine sitting at His feet one day as he showed you how he used your life for his glory in a magnitude your mind cannot comprehend? Matthew 13:8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

 
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Posted by on April 30, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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It’s just Monday

27 Apr

It’s just Monday

Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Some days, especially some mornings, I have trouble praying. My mind is racing on usually work related pressure, and I just can’t seem to focus. I stumble around trying to get a clear train of thought, and sometimes the pressures of the morning sneak in to steal my joy of my early time with God. Satan even uses the ruse of writing this blog to pull me from prayer, or even to pull me from scripture to pen what I think, and not what God said. This morning I pled for God to just feed me, to help me just for today, to help me see something in his Word; I prayed for wisdom. I just continued reading in Matthew where my Bible was open. I continued reading through the parables of heaven, reading into how Jesus explained them to his disciples. I then read of how Jesus questioned the disciples of who everyone thought he was. The outspoken Peter, you can almost hear him shouting his response, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16.) It encouraged Jesus greatly to see and know that God had revealed this to Peter. Jesus encouraged Peter greatly and told him that he was the rock on which His church would be built. Then Jesus told them all how hard it was about to get for Him, and them as his followers. Peter was quick to be outspoken again, and received from Jesus a rebuke that stirs our souls. 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. If Satan can use Peter at the feet of Jesus, never underestimate Satan using anyone close to you. Those closest, can do the greatest harm to our eternal focus. Jesus speaks of that eternal focus after Peter’s rebuke. 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

It is Monday, and likely the pressures of the week and the world are commanding your attention also. How will you face the pressures; how will you face the week; how will you face the day? Concentrate on facing just the day alone, and pray for God to guide you through the day alone. We are told in Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Just seek to live for today, and not to miss God’s blessing for today. Seek to live your life for Him today; pray and find time to open God’s Word to you. There is nothing in this world that can provide you a taste of what is to come in heaven. That heavenly focus will enable you to let some of the pressures of the day not get to you as they once did. The way you handle the pressures of life with the strength of God is a witness to God; those around you cracking under the world’s pressures want to know more; there is your door opening to share your faith. Don’t let Satan, don’t let Monday, don’t let the pressures of a temporal world steal your eternal focus and joy. It is just Monday, and Jesus may return before the next one.

 
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Posted by on April 27, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

His Spirit, his Word, his saints

26 Apr

His Spirit, his Word, his saints

Galatians 5:16-17 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
The battle of good and evil is portrayed, evident, and real in all our lives and in every part of our lives. It is a battle from within, and a battle that plays out in front of us every day. This battle has been around since the Fall of Man at the Garden of Eden; sin came into this world and paradise was lost until Jesus Christ returns to eternally restore his creation. There is no one of us that does not struggle with sin every, single, day. There is no lofty pastor in any pulpit that does not struggle; even the great apostle Paul wondered why he did the things he did; he wrote in Romans 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. There is so much to unpack in this chapter, but Paul is speaking about the struggle of good and evil, the struggle that all of us face, one that even himself battles from within. Paul goes on to explain how sin has such a hold over us, that he really can’t explain. My study Bible puts it like this, “Being fleshly, sold over to sin, involves a conflict that mystifies Paul and other believers. Paul feels he does not understand himself. He finds himself defeated, not doing what he wants to do, and doing what he hates to do. the conflict indicates that there is a battle between two identities in the believer. First there is something that acknowledges that the law is good. Second there is something within, called sin, which produces evil.” The battle of good and evil inside of us.

God uses his Spirit, his Word (the Bible), and his saints to convict us of sin. He uses the Spirit to put that tug in our conscious, the same Spirit that tugs at our conscious when we read our Bible, and his saints (pastors and friends) to bring those convictions to us. Are we listening, or are we wrapped up in the temporal pleasures of it? I am no different; sin creates many temporal pleasures for me too; the convictions sting and produce great pains. I would be much more scared if I didn’t feel convicted of sin. Can you imagine the realization that one day you did not feel any inward pain related to sin? Romans 1:24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. One of the best sermons I have ever heard was from Dr. Adrian Rogers on when God gave up on us and let us die in sin; conviction and reverent fear does not do that message justice.

You are going to fail, but you can be eternally forgiven. You are never going to be sinless, and the battle of good and evil will always be present until you die. You can only seek with your heart to draw closer to God today than you were yesterday, and to seek him for the strength to resist sin. There is just as much power of God in the conviction of sin as there is in the hope of the Gospel. Paul puts that promise on the heels of Romans seven. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Just take life with an eternal view; rest in your Salvation and seek to work out your salvation by abiding each day with Him. The more you seek him with your heart, the closer you draw to him, and the more sin will sting and produce a cleansing effect on your soul. All of this work is accomplished by his Spirit, his Word, and his Saints.

 
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Posted by on April 26, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Time Lost

21 Apr

Time Lost

Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

I used to think I could solve all the world’s problems with time on my tractor; the solitude of it or long solo car trips are something I value and enjoy. I just returned from an 800 mile day trip to visit one of my closest friends. We had the best time, and other than trying to pack two years of life into an afternoon, it was like nothing had changed. We talked a lot about the busyness of life and the importance of a Sabbath rest. You can feel the hectic pace of the area; I spent time revealing the hectic pace of my own life on the way home. It was a painful self-evaluation as I looked at where my time was spent, and where my time lacked. I did come home with a vow to change and improve in the area of my family, both my wife and my boys. We do not get back the time lost in those we love.

Jesus was addressing the burden of religion here in Matthew’s gospel. Jesus was addressing the inability to keep the law, the inability to perform the law to it’s perfect requirement of religion. The law pointed to our need for a Savior, but the law bent towards a religion that based our salvation on our works; if you want to get to heaven, this is what you must do. Sadly many outside of Christianity believe the Bible is a book of rules, what to do and what not to do. The Bible clearly states sins and consequences of it, but the Bible is the story of God’s plan to get you to an eternal paradise. An eternal paradise that will surpass your wildest dreams. Heaven is a word that none compares; heaven is a place without sin, and your mind cannot comprehend it because it is limited by sin. The religions and any works based blend of it produce the burden that Jesus is offering to free you from.

When you keep reading in Matthew, you find where Jesus and his disciples walked through the grain fields one Sabbath picking the heads off the wheat because they were hungry. Jesus had just spoken about the binds of religion, and then he gave the example. Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!” Jesus rebuked the religious leaders telling them the unimaginable. 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Jesus had said he was greater than the temple, and Lord over the Sabbath. Verse seven had been quoted from Hosea 6:6, where the prophet had told Israel that God desired a relationship with them based from their love for him; a heartfelt relationship of reverent awe, not the one built on the religious duties of sacrifices and such of the day. They were fulfilling their duties, but living in sin and outside of a love for God.

Your life for your short time here is preparation for the next eternal one. Your life here is measure by your heart for God and your investment in eternal things. Your life here is measured by the gospel and how you live through it. How do you share the hope of Jesus Christ? How do you invest in your family, friends, and those God puts in your circle of influence? How is he made known through your life? Are you bound in religious duty such as the Pharisees? Are you not taking time to rest from work and life to invest in those closest to you? You do not get your time back from that lost with those we love. Take some solitude, and pray for God to let you look at your life as he does; from the outside in.

 
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Posted by on April 21, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

Reset & Made New

17 Apr

Reset & Made New

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

How often have you heard the term “renewal of the mind?” Think about what that means; starting over, refresh is a common term now, it would indicate likely a large change in the core of our being if our mind was renewed to what we had learned in our lifetime. I do believe I was saved as a child, but my heartfelt plea of repentance and faith to believe came about 10 years ago. I prayed the sinners prayer over and over feeling the weight of sin on my soul. My life truly transformed when I began to read my Bible every, single, day. My mind was transformed by the Word of God; you cannot remain the same person you were the day before if you read your Bible every day; I am a living testimony to the power of God through His Word alone.

I love Matthew Henry’s commentary on this passage. “Conversion and sanctification are the renewing of the mind, a change not of the substance, but of the qualities of the soul. It is the same with making a new heart and a new spirit-new dispositions and inclinations, new sympathies and antipathies; the understanding enlightened, the conscience softened, the thoughts rectified; the will bowed to the will of God, and the affections made spiritual and heavenly: so that the man is not what he was-old things are passed away, all things are become new; he acts from new principles, by new rules, with new designs. The mind is the acting ruling part of us; so that the renewing of the mind is the renewing of the whole man.” The conversion is the gospel at work in the repentant plea of a sinner to salvation, and sanctification is the lifelong process of the evidence of God at work in their lives. There is such a liberty as the apostle Paul wrote in the heart of the believer; a freedom found in Christ alone that the world does not comprehend but desires. The world sees something in you, those in your circle of influence see the change in you that only could come from God. God uses your sanctification process to work the power of the gospel and draw others to a heavenly eternal paradise. He desires for all to be saved and works in countless ways to accomplish his will.

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Do you see the transforming power of the word of God in that passage? The world conforms us to all those evil qualities in verse one, but the power of God’s Word in verse two transforms our mind and soul from them. Peter writes how we grow as a result of our desire to read God’s pure Word. I promise you, your life will change when you begin to read your Bible every day as Peter and Paul have written. Satan is content with your Christian profession and your Sunday religion, but he fears the power of prayer and the heart that seeks the wisdom found in the Bible. Satan knows you will be transformed and a threat to his earthly kingdom. Will you pick up the only offensive weapon in your spiritual arsenal, become a new person, and live your life for the One who gives you eternal life? Pray and seek Him today and let him renew your mind and transform you for tomorrow.

 
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Posted by on April 17, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Will you take a bullet for Jesus?

16 Apr

Will you take a bullet for Jesus?

1 Peter 3:13-17 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

I am struggling this morning if to write or not. Today my mind is racing and trying to unpack dreams and scripture. I am only writing because I have always sought to be transparent; I do not hide the sinner that I am, I seek no lofty goal, I only want to show you I am no different from you, and that you too can be saved by Grace and have every blessing that God desires for you also. I am a man humbled greatly by God, stripped of pride and rooted in the love and reverent fear I have for Him. I only seek to point you to your need for Jesus also; I only seek to prod you to living your life daily seeking his will for your life, and knowing you will reap a heavenly reward for your life as a disciple here.

I do not remember my dreams, but I remember part of one vividly from last night; being shot at by a sniper and a bullet grazing my back. I woke up thinking about it, and I prayed for wisdom as I entered God’s Word this morning; I felt the Holy Spirit tell me 1st Peter 3, and the passage above seemed like it was in bold print. The obvious speaks to suffering for Christ, but there also is the addressing of sin and suffering. The deep convictions of sin are ever pressing; the only way to cope is to pray for forgiveness and healing. This is part of my daily walk; I must repent daily for my struggles the day before. I stand amazed by the level of mercy that God shows me as I am ashamed of the sinner I still am. I thank him for those convictions and pray for the strength through him to improve my daily life. I am a different person than I was only a few years ago, but sanctification is a lifelong process that we must endure.

In the middle of this passage is the question of will you stand for what you believe? Will you take a stand and witness of Jesus Christ, even as the passages is bookended by asking if you are willing to suffer for your response? Do you see evil killing Christians at a rate my generation has never seen? Do you see that you may be called to profess or renounce your faith with your life in the balance? Will you die for your faith in Jesus Christ? Matthew 10:33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Will you take a bullet for Jesus? The world we live in is changing; Satan and evil are peaking before his final demise by Christ. The day is coming when you are going to see the world economy change to one central system, and a person arise with the promise of a solution of peace. You can see this work around you coming to these “solutions.” This is biblical and all God’s plan to provide an eternal paradise free from sin. Your generation too is playing a part; which side are you on? Will you stand for what you believe no matter the cost?

 
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Posted by on April 16, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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he told me to _________

15 Apr

he told me to _________

James 1:12-13 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

You really ought to have a bookmark in your Bible for the first chapter of James. It is such clear, practical teachings of what you deal with in daily life. James speaks about how the world reaches out and grabs our attention, and how we struggle with so many temptations of the world that take our eyes off Jesus. James talks about the trials of life that God designs, or allows for our spiritual growth and maturity. James talks about the struggles of sin that Satan uses to draw us deeper into sin. James talks about the value we put on wealth, and clearly states that earthly wealth is temporal and will fade away just as the suns heat fades flowers in the field (James 1:11)

James moves to from talking about the trials, to the temptations that may play a role in them. God either designs or allows every single thing you face, every single day in your life. Let me be clear here; God does not tempt you to sin in any way, but Satan has asked God to tempt you with any sin that you face. God would be going against his holy nature if he enticed you to sin; his goal is to transform you into the image of his Son. Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. You are born into sin, you have a sin-nature because you are a descendant of Adam; you are enticed to sin because Satan tempts you with the pleasures of sin. We all know that sin has a temporary pleasure, but the conviction of the sin carries a weight or a penalty with it that is eternal. We must answer for every thought, word, and action of our life here at the judgement seat of Christ. We will either be kneeling before him forgiven, or we will be kneeling before him condemned, because we never repented of our sin and lived our lives full of temporary pleasure. Then we will pay eternally for our mistake.

The struggle with sin and the temptation of sin are with us until we reach heaven. The closer you draw to God, the deeper your desire to remove yourself from sin becomes. Satan will continually seek to tempt you; he will continually raise the level of your temptations and the trials of life to try and get you to renounce your faith in God. Do you remember how the trials of Job escalated? Even those closest to Job begged him to renounce his faith. Job was rewarded with earthly pleasures and likely and an incredible heavenly reward for the depth and steadfastness of his faith in God. As children when we got in trouble, likely we blamed it on somebody else. We claimed they were at fault for our fault. Satan is at fault for your sin, but by seeking God daily in prayer and his Word, he will give you the strength to resist. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Paul also wrote in his epistles how we were not to continue in sin; sadly today many live misunderstanding grace, and think they have a pass to sin. Don’t let Satan convince you of that untruth. Spend enough time with God to recognize what is truth and error. Spend enough time with God that your only desire is to not sin. That desire is the strength to face the sins and temptation of the world with your shield of faith; to resist the schemes of the devil, and to stand fast for truth. You will become a light in a dark world that God uses to draw others to himself. You will become a Job of sorts, enduring trials and temptations, and drawing glory to God through them. Instead of blaming the other kid on the playground, you will be saying your faith in God gave you the strength to endure this trial of life.

 
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Posted by on April 15, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Pass the Blessing

14 Apr

Pass the Blessing

Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

In this day of the state of our world, the state of our lives, how much do you need daily encouragement? How much do you need to hear something to lift you up because all the world is trying to drag you down? The stresses and strains of daily life no matter where you are in life, can become overwhelming sometimes. It doesn’t matter if we are children learning of the stresses of responsibility, adults dealing with countless anxieties, or our seniors wondering of health and well being in their latter years; this life breeds daily strain for most of our life. But, when we grasp the joy of Jesus Christ, the hope of heaven and eternal paradise found in him alone, these daily strains are just ripples in the water as we sail towards paradise. I promise you, once you begin to understand this life is temporal and only preparation for the eternal, this life will take on new meaning. We need as Christians to encourage each other of that hope.

Paul’s epistles are full of the hope that lies within him. Paul speaks truth as plainly as any man to walk to face of the earth next to Christ. Paul’s letters are full of warnings, but Paul’s letter always are full of his heart of love for the brethren. Paul consistently opens and closes his letters with those edifications. He encourages his readers to live in the grace and mercy of the hope of heaven together found in the gospel. Paul opened this letter to the church of the Thessalonians; 1:2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. Paul truly understood the importance of encouragement even when he was rebuking this church for great sexual sins later in this letter. We as Christians must seek to encourage one another. Paul is writing here in chapter five about the Lord’s return, the Day of His second coming; the warning to live in expectation of it. Paul is encouraging his readers to live with an eternal view, to live for the hope of His return. 5:8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

You will always hear me point you to God’s Word and the encouragement found there. Without the hope and peace found in daily time there, I do not understand how people cope with the strains of life. I must also exhort you though to be bold in the sharing of your faith; not only the gospel with the lost, but the personal experiences you have had with God to other believers. Satan gives us countless reasons to take our eyes off God, and we as brethren need to encourage others to refocus their eyes on Him. I have been blessed immeasurably the last two weeks with these instances. God using people to encourage me, and I hope using me to encourage them. It has kept me grounded with an eternal view when the business world is commanding my attention. This is a dark world we live in; a dark sin-filled world with an ever growing evil presence; we as brethren need to encourage one another. Let God use what he has been doing or showing you in your life to encourage someone today. He might be doing that work through you with an eternal purpose and reward to each other. It is so humbling to see God use you to encourage somebody else. Keep passing that blessing along.

 
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Posted by on April 14, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

Vanity of Success

13 Apr

Vanity of Success

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words. 4 When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 6 Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear. (ESV)

The book of Ecclesiastes is my go-to book for keeping me grounded when the busyness of business creeps in. The demands of running a service business means that most every customer wants you now; everybody wants to know why not now; everybody gets upset the longer they must wait. In my business you either have 10 people standing around wanting something to do, or you work 3 to death; there is no balance. The business world creeps in and steals our joy of early mornings with God. The business world will creep in to your prayer life; it happens to us all when we can’t get the demands of our careers off our minds even to pray. The only solution I have found is to seek God harder than the business world seeks me. It is a very real battle that most of us face. Satan will curse you with demanding thoughts of work, or he may be disguised as blessings that take your eyes off God. Anything that takes your eyes off God and puts your focus of life anywhere other than eternal, is an idol. Let me be perfectly clear; if you are awaking early each day, staying up late at night, doing anything it takes for your career, and not doing anything it takes to do the same for drawing closer to God, you are serving the idol of success. Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.
The root of the book of Ecclesiastes is the holy, reverent fear of God. This is not a shaking in your boots fear, but the awe and respect that encompasses everything he is. All throughout this book by Solomon (the wisest man who ever lived) is the term vanity. Solomon loves to use the term “chasing after the wind” as a description of the futileness of so many things we desire. Ecclesiastes 1:1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” 3 What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun? 4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. 5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose. 6 The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit. 7 All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again. Can you imagine the level of your faith, the level of your life as a disciple, the level that God could use you if you spent the energy seeking him that you spend seeking the vanity of success? Can you imagine the height of heavenly success you will enjoy eternally when you spend your little time here working for things that eternally matter; spending your time investing in kingdom work; investing in lives and pouring your blessings into ministries? Take a hard look at your calendar today, make time for God today, and make time for investing your time in something that truly matters. Success is measured by hearing those words when you meet Jesus; “Well done good and faithful servant.”

 
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Posted by on April 13, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Easter Sunday – Checked off the list

06 Apr

Easter Sunday – Checked off the list

Matthew 28:28 -30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Ok, you made it to church for the supposed requirement to be in church on Easter Sunday. That is what all good people do, right? I mean, no matter where we are in our supposed Christian life, we are to be in church yesterday, right? If we have said a prayer, signed a card, or made any commitment at any point in our life, it has to be a law somewhere to be in church on Easter Sunday? Isn’t that in the Ten Commandments? Wasn’t it a rule for the Jews in the Bible? Isn’t it a duty of mine to show up at least once or twice a year to confirm before God and everybody else that I am still a Christian? Isn’t it a rule of some kind either spoken or unspoken? Didn’t, well, don’t people still, get in trouble for breaking the rules? Isn’t Christianity based on a rulebook called the Bible? Isn’t Christianity all about the do’s and the don’t do’s? What if I don’t follow the rules? Will I get to heaven?

That was the question that every Jew asked themselves; will I get to heaven if I don’t follow the rules. That is still the question that haunts Christianity in an underlying tone today. Let me put it this way. If getting to heaven is about following the rules, you are getting to heaven on your own accomplishments, and Jesus died on the Cross for nothing. It was a waste of God’s time, and God’s Son’s life, if you believe following the rules gets you into heaven. The Laws that God had given Moses had grown through religious leaders to a point of absurdity; it was impossible for anyone to fulfill them. God had given the Law to point to their need for a Savior, and Jesus came to fulfill it. Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. Jesus completed the task, the requirement of a Holy God, that you can by no means ever accomplish. Without Jesus, you will never be good enough to get into heaven. Jesus was speaking in Matthew 28 to those Jews who felt the weight of the Law, felt the burden of trying to hard, and failing daily. He pled for them to come to him and find rest from the burden of religion. Religion kills, for it teaches self-accomplishment or failure. Jesus saves, for he fulfilled the Law which was impossible for you to do in the first place.

Once you realize that Jesus did what you cannot, their is the freedom he describes. You and I fail daily in the religion and moral laws of the land. We can plea for forgiveness, be thankful for his mercy, and pray for the strength to walk to the next day closer to Him learning from our mistakes. That growing relationship, every high and every low, grows into an abiding walk with Jesus. That Christian life sins less because they are closer to Christ. That Christian life grieves when they do sin, because they know they grieved the Holy Spirit living inside of them. There is no burden of law, but joy found daily in that cultivating relationship with the One who died for them. Easter Sunday just became an opportunity to celebrate the anniversary, instead of the drudgery duty of religion.

 
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Posted by on April 6, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 
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