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All to Him I owe

03 Oct

All to Him I owe

1 Timothy 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

I wish I knew……..I wish I knew so many things, yet I only know one thing; God has a plan for my life. I wish I knew what that plan was so I could try to the best of my ability to follow it. For most of my life I know I went against it as Paul says; but God extended me grace also. My list of sins past, current, and future will always outweigh my good deeds. The balance on the scales of good and evil will never tip into my favor of earning my way into heaven; neither will yours. The realization of one’s sin brings upon it a broken heart for God; a realization of a life lost eternally without Christ; a humility that breeds thanksgiving. A humility that desires to work out ones salvation in honor for receiving it, not trying to earn it.

James 4:17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.  When Christ really starts stirring in your heart, His Spirit starts to reveal your sinful nature to you. It is a painful process, but one necessary in the sanctification process of your life; or the process of making you more like Christ. God’s desire is for you to resemble His Son, and only through His Son can you ever get to God. When He brings these things to light the pain is part of the healing process through the confession of them. This process never ends; but that is a blessing for it keeps the heart humble, realizing our daily need for forgiveness.

In my study this week it has been so hard trying to focus on God’s Will for my life. I had a heartfelt plea this morning with God for clarity. I so desire to be in the center of God’s path, that it pains me. I have that need to “pay back” for all my sins as I believe Paul did. The conviction of a life before Christ drives the life after Christ in service and obedience to Him. 1 Timothy 1:16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (ESV) My prayer is for you to also realize how lost you are without Christ as the focus of your life. For Him to reveal to your sins to you as He has mine, and for the conviction of those sins to weigh on your heart. That heart transformed through that conviction is a heart transformed eternally to pursue God and the things of God.

All to Him I owe, sin had left it’s crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

 

 

 
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Posted by on October 3, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Changing sticks into stones

02 Oct

Changing sticks into stones

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 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?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Jesus is coming to a close of His sermon on the mount. He has told them many things of how to live their lives as a believer in Him. He had pointed them to the dangers of sin and the false religions that were so prevalent at the time. The ritualistic society was being replaced, or fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah the Jews sought, but did not see standing before them. Even after Christ death on the cross and the Atonement for our sin, the false teachers entered and corrupted the churches even unto this day. Many are led astray by their false philosophies, miracles, rituals, and feel good messages. Nothing can ever replace the power of the Word of God that He has given to us. Those that teach, and or mislead, will have to answer to God and a higher standard.

But the fear that comes in Matthew 7:21-23 is from being mislead. How are we to know if we are being lead astray by false teachers? Test them by comparing their words to the Word of God. If they do not agree, they are misleading you. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the truth as you spend time searching God’s Word. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. You will get those gut feelings that something is wrong if their words do not agree. That gut feeling is the Spirit guiding you to the truth. The key is that realization and the action that follows it.

Many of the false prophets of today only preach “feel good” sermons that do not rely on the power of the conviction of sin from the Holy Spirit. Those convictions that make you stir; should make you confess, repent, and move one step closer to Christ. When we spend time in prayer and God’s Word, there will be pain involved in the attention to sin in our lives that is revealed. This is where many put the Bible down; to flee from that pain of the conviction of sin. With that pain can come inexpressible joy with the forgiveness and release of that sin to Christ. Through the pain when we are obedient to that stick, that stick becomes a rock set on the cornerstone of Christ in the foundation of our lives secured in Him. 24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Our house becomes not one of rubble, but build to stand through eternity in paradise.

 
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Posted by on October 2, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Pahleeessse get it…..

01 Oct

Pahleeessse get it…..

John 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

As I laid in bed this morning listening to the rain I was silently thanking God for it. We have been blessed all summer in a year of drought with plentiful rain here in the south. As I came into my study God began to press on my heart the lost and the Living Water that they are without for eternity. Sometimes I get so passionate I want to grab those close to me and just shake them asking “why don’t you just get it?” Our world right here in America is experiencing a falling away in every area from the God centered nation that we were founded upon. Our president to our preachers are not standing upon the ground of Christian morals; with only Christ as the way to eternal paradise. The ideas that all roads lead to God will lead many straight to hell.

Do you understand that no matter how good you think you are, you are eternally lost without the realization of your sin under God as the righteous judge whom we will all stand before? You only have one way for your sin debt to be paid for; through a humble repentant heart and a plea for forgiveness by Christ sacrificial death for you. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. You will stand guilty before a righteous God in an eternal court and either headed to paradise or hell; we all will stand before Him regardless of our lives or faith. But you can stand before Him as a child of His covered by the blood of the sacrifice He gave for you under His Son. Imagine if you gave your sons life for someone; only for them to say it did not matter and they denied that sacrifice you gave for them.

The women at the well in John above was an outcast of society and all she desired was water. Her encounter with Christ changed her life as she found someone who truly loved her, not as the men that had passed through her life before Him. She found a hope in Christ and what He spoke to her. John 4:13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 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.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

I would encourage you to take a few minutes and visit this link:

http://viewthestory.com/viewer/?c=6765&p=t&quality=high&t=false

 
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Posted by on October 1, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Imprecatory Prayers?

30 Sep

Imprecatory Prayers?

Matthew 5:44-45 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

The topic of imprecatory prayer versus a heart full of love is a difficult one in today’s society. We live in a society that breeds selfishness, instead of selflessness that comes with encompassing love for one another. Today we are told to reach for the goal at all cost and we can do anything we put our mind to. These drives push us towards these goals and sacrifice relationships along the way. Those who do not aid us in the pursuit become deterrents and most likely no longer friends. Many of these relationships may be moved against each other. There are many scenarios that cross our paths where others seem to go against the winds of our lives. If they become adversaries, are we taught we can use our faith to pray against them? – No.

When Christ paid the price for our sin at the Cross, we have moved to living under the law of Grace; getting something we did not deserve. On that principle cannot pray invoking judgmental prayers against anything. Christ has told us plainly in Mark that we are forgiven to the amount we forgive.  Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” These are the hard things in life; to let go of our strong sinful desires to lash out at those who hurt us. To defend our honor, or most likely our pride that is being damaged. But when we look at our sins in God’s eyes; what if He took the same approach with us? Every part of our being may want to lash out, but the inner being of His Spirit can keep us still. He whispers to let it go, to let Him deal with the injustice in His Way and His time. We must rest in His Sovereignty, and understand there is most likely a greater work going on than just our pain. He can be using our pain to reach someone who is hurt more.

Luke 6:27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 32 But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. These things move you up the ladder of sainthood, and closer to God with every blow. A life full of His love and the denial of self is a life He will use to become a disciple that reaches many. You move towards a relationship with your Father that will release you of the pain that these sinful circumstances tend to bring.

 
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Posted by on September 30, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Dirt or Gold?

29 Sep

Dirt or Gold?

2nd Corinthians 4:8-10   We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed– always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

God knows our struggles even before we go to Him in prayer. He desires for us to come to Him in these struggles and prayers to draw closer to Him; to grow that relationship deeper. The world presses in with its busyness, problems, and demands that every day life bring. These daily trials bring about the mental strains that breed stress and anxieties. These are all tools of Satan to keep us from focused on God. These inner battles can affect outward circumstances, and the daily grind becomes inwardly overbearing. There must be a crutch to keep us from falling. I pray that crutch for you is Christ. 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

It has been a rough week in many ways; I could pour out a lengthy explanation, but it is no worse than what you are facing yourselves; it is called life. But when my mind starts to wonder, when it struggles with the strain, I have to turn my attention back to Christ. There is nothing here that truly matters; for it will all fade away; I live with eternity in mind. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14) All of struggles that life brings, all of the pain that life brings, is temporary. The roads of today’s despair will become streets paved with gold. Revelation 21:21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

Paul has told us of being the light in this dark world in the verses prior. 2 Corinthians 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. These strains of daily life can become on of your best witnessing tools for Christ to those lost around you. They see the strains you are under and yet how you can handle them differently. The natural inclination is to ask how or why you handle them differently. There is the open door through the darkness to let His light shine through.

 
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Posted by on September 29, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Heavenly Wisdom

28 Sep

Heavenly Wisdom

James 3:17-18   But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

As many of you know I entered seminary this year as a response to a call I felt on my life. I wanted to know more, a deeper understanding, yet school is against the grain of my past. I hated school and did just enough to get by. I am paying for those poor decisions now. The wisdom that James is speaking of here is not the knowledge gained in a book, but gained in a relationship and grown in the heart. The Gospel is where the change must begin, and only through Christ is the wisdom of the heart ever attained. We can fill our minds full of seminary knowledge, but unless it produces fruit from that relationship; it is a useless endeavor.

This passage in James in similar to the Gospel in that you must understand the bad news, (you are dead in sin without Christ), before you understand the good news, (Christ provided a way of forgiving that sin for eternity). The scriptures before in James show earthly, self seeking wisdom. James 3:14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. These passages speak of a prideful person who seeks the glory of their wisdom. They are more concerned with their opinions and beliefs that pointing the lost to Christ through their testimonies. This is a wisdom based in pride and straight from hell as James says.

Matthew Henry spoke of this heavenly wisdom: “It is gentle, not standing upon extreme right in matters of property; not saying nor doing any thing rigorous in points of censure; not being furious about opinions, urging our own beyond their weight nor theirs who oppose us beyond their intention; not being rude and overbearing in conversation, nor harsh and cruel in temper. Gentleness may thus be opposed to all these.” Humility is a backbone in heavenly wisdom. Pride cannot co-exist with heavenly wisdom. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6). To attain this heavenly wisdom requires no college degree, but only a humble heart and the desire to draw near. The pursuit of God and the things of God, will make you wise and tug your heart to share what you have gained with others.

 
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Posted by on September 28, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Upward climb

27 Sep

Upward climb

Matthew 10:38-39  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

My best friend (aka:adopted big brother) ends a chapter in his life today, and turns the page on a new chapter tomorrow as a pastor of a church. He stepped out of a successful career and has endured many large trials over the past few years following God’s plan for his life. Even in this new chapter he is going where we might see as unfitting, but he knows God sees him there, and that is where he must go. God has used him in my life over the past 4-5 years to teach me obedience. A special bond and deep friendship has developed in seeing God work in the acts of that obedience.

Why would God call you to where you were comfortable? How could God be glorified if it just seemed to “fit in” to your abilities and lifestyle? Following God will always require change. That change begins at Salvation with a new heart, and the lifestyle you lead before Him should remain in the past. Becoming a disciple of Christ requires these acts of obedience; Romans 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?(ESV). God created you for a relationship with Him, but He requires an obedient heart in that relationship. You are rewarded for that obedience here with a peace and joy living in His Will for your life.

The steps of obedience lead up the ladder of a heavenly relationship. You must obey on the first step, to move to the next step closer to Him. The next step may be more difficult; may be requiring more sacrifice; may be requiring less of you and more of Him. Each step brings you closer to Him, and the ability to hear His voice becomes clearer. John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. Christ spoke of these steps of obedience in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Each step of obedience draws you closer to Christ. Matthew 25:21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ The testing of your faith climbing the steps of obedience is the only way you will ever move your relationship forward with the One who created you for it. Seek, listen, and obey.

 
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Posted by on September 27, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Rudder or Sail?

26 Sep

Rudder or Sail?

John 5:39-40   You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

They were missing it; missing the Messiah they had been looking for that was standing before them. The Jews searched the scriptures, yet didn’t open their eyes to see God witnessing of Himself in their midst. What do you find yourself searching for? When that is asked the most common answer would be happiness. Another might be answers to questions; for those answers might bring happiness. Are eternal questions something that you seek? You are wired with that inquisitiveness by your Creator. You have that need to know to question of life after this one, embedded in your soul. We all have it for God “placed eternity in their hearts” (Ecc. 2:11).

“You are what you believe” a best friend once told me. That drive is what propels us down the road of life and affects every decision that we make. If we are pursuing happiness in careers it drives the ethics of decisions; if it is through possessions it drives the debt and idolatry; if it is through sexual pleasure it drives the hearts we destroy; if it is through Christ it blesses those He places in your path. Our faith should be the rudder of life, not the wind that drives the sail. Search your heart to find that core and examine it. Pray that God will reveal it to you, and change it through Him.

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Christ was speaking to Martha, and He was about to go raise her brother Lazarus from the dead. But in these scriptures is the Gospel, or the Good News of Christ. When you believe in Him you gain everlasting life. He demands a humble, repentant heart of your life as a sinner. Luke 13:3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. When you gain this Salvation, your heart is transformed, your faith is changed, and your eyes opened. You should see life in a different light, and should be humbly moved to a life of thanksgiving to the One who gave you eternal life. A life lived in that faith is a life headed down the path as a disciple of Christ and those daily decisions are made through the discernment He provides.

 
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Posted by on September 26, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Are you in the right gear?

25 Sep

Are you in the right gear?

Ecclesiastes 3:10-12   I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,

Solomon, the wisest man to ever live is believed to have written Ecclesiastes. He is believed to have written it near the end of his life after his return to God through confession and a repentant heart after falling into deep sin. The book points to the very real pursuit of things of this world, things without God, and the futility of a life without God. It is full of wisdom just as many of the Proverbs, and speaks to our world today in the pursuit of all things that do not pertain to God. In the commentary it states this book should be read in the light of it’s conclusion: 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

I have pursued all the stuff that the American dream dictates we do: careers, money, materials, success, excess, idolatry, and the list goes on. I have tried and poured my heart into these pursuits which may have brought temporal pleasure, but it always faded or failed entirely. I was in the end always disappointed in these pursuits. When God starts stirring in your heart you tend to loose the drive for these pursuits. You discern the eventual disappointment that will come, and your bent to Him that does not disappoint. That joy and understanding of a heart bent towards God and the things of God will drive you to verse 12; I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives.

11 Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. By God’s design you are wired with an internal drive for your destiny of the future and eternity. This is a gear that drives the motion of your life. This is in everyone, and a heart that recognizes God in their plans is a heart that desires to follow God’s Will for their life. This small understanding of His Sovereignty produces hope, and this hope does not disappoint as earthly pursuits will. Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. What are you going to pour your heart and energy into today; temporal or eternal?

 
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Posted by on September 25, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Symbols

24 Sep

Symbols

Colossians 2:11-14   In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

The apostle Paul is speaking to the Gentiles in regards to much of the false teachings prevalent in their society in many ways. The Jews were taught under the law that circumcision was a requirement as a public profession of faith, but Christ had fulfilled the law with atonement of sin at the cross of Calvary. The circumcision made without hands was the work done by God at the point of their Salvation. This was a separation from their lives dead in their sin, to a life in eternal paradise with Him. This is the Atonement of your sins; paid by Christ as the only pure sacrifice required for you as the central message in the Bible.

11: In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ. There is a direct reference to this scripture found in Deuteronomy 10:16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. The outward markings or symbols of dedication to Christ is meaningless without an inward change of the heart. There should be an inner work in you first that will come to reflect an outward change. You can profess Christ however you choose to outwardly, but God discerns your heart; and their is no saving grace in outward appearances without Christ’s inward cleansing. Christ does His work from the inside out.

All these outward things we may do to profess Christ may look good, or even make us feel good about ourselves. Crosses around our necks, fish symbols on our cars, clothing we wear, Christian tattoos; all seem to profess we are Christian. But then we put ourselves under the microscope of the lost, and many times our testimony is weakened by our outward actions. A true change of heart needs not to profess Christ symbolically, but reflect Christ. This is how we should live and keep our focus on Christ. Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. A heart truly focused on God will need no symbol, for their heart for Christ will be shown through their chest, on their face, and in their deeds throughout their lives.

 
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Posted by on September 24, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 
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