Monthly Archives: November 2017

Good Gifts

John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Tis the season of gifts
We may give and receive
But all fail to compare
To those who believe.

Those chosen by God
Eternal paradise he will give
Basking in the glory of Heaven
In the next life they will live.

This passage speaks of God’s gift
Not of anything we may earn
The false prophecies of works
From which sin-filled hearts yearn.

We cannot pay the price
Heaven has a steep cost
Jesus died and rose again
The perfect for the lost.

We see those around us
Who have not yet received grace
We pray they haven’t denied it
So not to go to the other place.

It pains us to see the lost
Consumed by this life today
Wrapped up in themselves
Wasting eternity away.

Be the gospel to them
Be the light of Jesus today
Grace may about through you
He may use you to show the way.

Gifts from God are eternal
Not measured by worldly means
Moths and rust will destroy
Every worldly blessing it seems.
Nothing in this life compares
To the next life it will be
I hope God grants you grace
That Jesus opens your eyes to see.

All hope and paradise eternal
Today’s highs and lows are nill
When in Heaven you look down
And at his feet you remain still.

This life is but a speck
In the hourglass of time,
Grace abounds to those who believe
Even through this simple rhyme.

A Call to Repent

Hosea 6:3 Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord, his going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.

I have had the tug for three days to arise early with time to write a 1MM, but for two straight days for different reasons, I did not have the time. This morning God awoke me clearly at 3am with a tug upon my heart; I joyfully awoke and spent time in prayer and his Word in the book of Hosea. Hosea was a prophet called by God to proclaim repentance to God’s people who were steep in rebellion, idolatry, and headlong into sin. Israel was again turning her back upon God again. Hosea’s book is one of the most vivid pictures of God’s judgement and mercy upon those he loves. Hosea’s life is the picture of the adultery we commit against God, and how he chastens, loves, and forgives those who truly love him. Hosea is a book that should not only make us reflect on our relationship to our Lord, but also to reflect on the mercy we have, or have not bestowed, upon those who have wronged us in this life. How can we ask to receive what we are not willing to give?

Our nation continually reminds me of the great nations that have fallen throughout the Bible. We continually read in history, even history “outside” of religion, where great nations have fallen, and all have fallen filtered through God’s sovereign design of humanity. The proof of His judgement on sin in this lifetime are clearly portrayed throughout the Old Testament. The Bible is a historical account of the sovereignty of a Just God; he will not let sin go but so long, and then we begin to pay for our mistakes. The evidence of God’s blessing, the imagery of how we ignore it, are throughout this book of Hosea 2:8 For she did not know That I gave her grain, new wine, and oil, And multiplied her silver and gold– Which they prepared for Baal….. 13 I will punish her For the days of the Baals to which she burned incense. She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry, And went after her lovers; But Me she forgot,” says the Lord. God even through Hosea proclaims the judgement upon the priests of that day, of how they were not proclaiming the truth. This is happening in our pulpits today; many pastors have just become entertainers, showmen, rock stars, rich beyond their wildest dreams, proclaiming false gospels that tell people what they want to hear, of riches and prosperity and the blessings of God……..yet never preach on sin, never talk of Hell, and they themselves will spend eternity there unless they repent. If your pastor never preaches on the conviction of sin, and you have never heard a sermon on the punishment of Hell, you need to find another pastor, for you are sitting under the teaching of a false prophet. If they are afraid to address sin and it’s final destination, they are scared they will offend, and you will leave the church, and your money with it……do you see that?

Without going into much detail, the blessings of God are woven throughout Hosea’s proclamation to repent. God shows his love through his discipline, and he is eager to return to the relationship he has designed for us. He uses these tough times of disciple to draw us near to himself; think of how the Bible clearly calls us as parents to not withhold the rod from our children; we discipline whom we love. 5:15 I will return again to My place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” 6:1 Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. 2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. Just as we see here, God is eager to restore every humble repentant heart to a place of intimacy with him. God wants the best for each of us, but he is a jealous God who demands our whole devotion to him. He knows our hearts, our idols, or secret sins and desires, we cannot hide anything from God. Spend some time in prayer and God’s Word today. Let him do a work in your heart that nothing else can. Let the sting of sin penetrate and call you to a closer relationship with the One who died, and rose from sin, conquering death and sin forever……..for you.

The Second Half

Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

I turned 50 today. I demanded no party, no hoopla’ for I knew the struggle that I have been feeling with this mid-life crisis for the last six months. My thirties and forties really brought no change, but fifty has in my own words, has kicked me in the teeth. Satan has used my battles with anxiety and depression to open the doors to elevated torment; he has taken the battles of the mind to battles of the flesh, spiritual warfare played out on physical plains. Only those closest to me understand the level of my greatest struggles, for they see the pain it brings. The highs of the anxieties bring inner stains that get tighter; and many times are followed by the lowest of lows as the solitude of depression looms, directly relevant to the height of the anxiety. Society wants to fix it with pills, and that is what is wrong with society today, they believe in their own power, not the power of God and prayer. I accept my lot in life, and only seek to draw closer to God as a result of this path he has allowed me to walk upon. “His ways are not our ways, and his thoughts higher than our thoughts,” so I choose to let him keep me humble, such as Paul’s thorn in his flesh that God left to torment him, and I choose to seek him daily as a result of my struggles. “When I am weak, He is strong.”

If I were to die today, my only hope would be that all understood my heart for Christ and the importance of living this life in preparation for the next. As I intercede for friends on the mission fields this week, we talk and pray about the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we share. We cannot preach a different gospel in America that we preach in India or Africa. The gospel in it’s simplest form is the answer to life’s biggest problem, where we spend eternity. No matter our lot in this life, no matter how low or how high, we all must answer to God on the Day of Judgement, and that day determines Heaven or Hell, for all, for all of time. Philippians 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. No matter who, no matter what nation or tribe, no matter what status we have in this life, we all will bow to the same God, the One true God, on that day. Those who have worshiped any other gods will be condemned; they will have broken the greatest commandment to place no other gods before Him. Those who have placed all their energies into this life will see them pass away as they have eternity to regret their decisions. Those who have answered the call of Christ upon their souls, recognizing what Jesus did for them, and lived their lives as his disciples, will pass into the gates of eternal paradise with him to live with Jesus beyond their wildest dreams.

Fifty may have brought painful reflection, but it also has focused my sight. Fifty may have brought pains physical and mental, but it has brought renewed strength for the next half. The second half of my life, I choose to take the first half and learn from it’s mistakes. I choose to become bolder, clearer, and more direct in the call to repent and believe, to live as Jesus’ disciples. God has given me a gift, a minuscule glimpse of the power of prayer, his Word, and his sovereignty. Why would I not spend the second half of my life all for his glory? I want to finish strong, and spend eternity with Jesus, and you.

Life’s Answers

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 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.

So much on my mind…..I know not which road to travel in my writing. I am in the midst of God stirring my soul, of questioning much of life, battling spiritual warfare on a physical plain, death has touched my door, and I find myself up most of the night pondering; even talking and praying for friends on the mission field in India. I have been interceding heavily for a few people this week, and as with any intercession, we are dedicating ourselves to the cause, lifting up others to God in their times of need. We anger the enemy, for he likely only fears prayers, for he knows Who possess the powers to answer them. Satan never fears what we stand on our own with, the pride of life we seemingly have built upon even in the ruse of good intent. Satan never fears the powers of our mind that have been gained through countless hours of study and preparation, he only fears the humble soul that bows asking for God’s help.

Where are you at in your life? Are you like me questioning what you have accumulated, accomplished, gained or lost, the results of decisions for your first 50 years? A mid-life crisis if you will, a reflection that has brought upon a roller-coaster of emotions. The flesh in me, the critic within myself, is unhappy by the worlds policies of accomplishments. The list doesn’t matter, because my conformation to this world is not what I live for. As I sat through a funeral yesterday, as funerals always do, the brevity and finality of life set in. The only thing that matters in life is our investment in those God places in our life. The circle of your influence is your ministry. You can encourage them for worldly pursuits, that bring eternal losses, or encourage them to live their lives as Paul writes here in Romans; a life dedicated to God in preparation for the next life with him. Life is truly that simple, and in it’s simplicity we gain the liberty that floods Paul’s New Testament epistles.

How we gain that eternal focus is as simple as the focus we place on it? What did Jesus say the greatest commandment was? Matthew 22:36-40 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Until you begin to understand that your life will change when you begin to read your Bible daily, your not living with eternity in view. Until you understand that your heart for God is gauged upon one’s pursuit of him, you are living for the world. Until you understand that anything you want to change in life, begins with Christ and the pursuit of him in prayer and his Word, you will remain the same person focused on all your problems and positions in this world. Remember heaven will flip everything upside down; “the last will become first, and the first become last.” (Jesus’ words) Today, whatever you are facing, humble yourself in prayer, and spend some time in God’s Word; life’s answers are there waiting.