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R & R, how?

16 Nov

R & R, how?

Matthew 11:28-30   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.”

Most of us related R&R to rest & relaxation; a common term sought but rarely found in today’s society.  There is an underlying tone growing in our society; a tone of security lost. The lives we once were accustomed to vanish in an instant. Careers that we pour our lives into gone in a flash; and our lives and securities as we knew them vanish before us. The words secure and career have become an oxymoron; impossible to be used in the same sentence. These pains I know firsthand. There are many in my circle of friends experiencing it currently. We are at a point in our lives where we only know to look for God in the days to come; and to only rely on the understanding He will never forsake us. The writer of Hebrews reminds us to keep our eyes only on God; to rest in that security. Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” My study Bible says of this scripture, “This is one of the most emphatic statements in the New Testament. In Greek it contains two double negatives, as if to say, ‘I will never, ever, ever forsake you.” In the times when you struggle and wonder the why’s of life; instill this scripture in your heart to find peace in it.

Christ in the scriptures above had been speaking of John the Baptist and rebuking all the cities where He had performed many miracles, yet they refused to believe. He told them of how they would suffer greatly for turning their backs on Him. Then He went to prayer and thanked His Father for hardening the hearts of the prideful, and blessing the hearts of the humble. The humble found the peace and strength in Christ. They understood their need for Him. Christ sought to take that worry from them, and provide rest for them in their time of need. All that life throws at you; yanks out from under you; all of it can be of no merit when you rest in the security of Christ.

The wisest man who ever lived penned these words of peace in Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. The R&R of life is only, truly, found in Christ.

 
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Posted by on November 16, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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The time is now; a call to action

14 Nov

The time is now; a call to action

Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.

The prophet Joel is also quoted here in Acts 2:17 by Peter at the day of Pentecost when the Spirit came upon all who were gathered (it is not known how many). The Holy Spirit is given in different measures at different times in the Bible. Matthew Henry explains: “We often read in the Old Testament of the Spirit of the Lord coming by drops, as it were, upon the judges and prophets whom God raised up for extraordinary services; but now the Spirit shall be poured out plentifully in a full stream, as was promised with an eye to gospel-times,(Isa. 44:3). I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed. 2. The time fixed for this is afterwards; after the fulfilling of the foregoing promises this shall be fulfilled. St. Peter expounds this of the last days, the days of the Messiah, by whom the world was to have its last revelation of the divine will and grace in the last days of the Jewish church, a little before its dissolution. 3. The extent of this blessing, in respect of the persons on whom it shall be bestowed. The Spirit shall be poured out upon all flesh, not as hitherto upon Jews only, but upon Gentiles also; for in Christ there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.”

Yesterday I listened to a sermon by David Platt on how so many Christians who are in our nations churches today are not truly saved. God has placed that same burden on my soul. God is pressing an urgency into this burden; an anguish for those who think they are saved, but they are not. Christ did not call us to say a prayer or sign a card, but to become disciples. Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. The start of your life as a disciple begins with a humble heart, repentance, and a plea for forgiveness. It does not stop there. You are called to change and called to action. You are called to leave your sinful ways and to spread the Good News of Christ’s work in your testimony and the promise of eternal hope He gives freely to others. You are to be a vessel of encouragement for those who feel Christ knocking at their souls door; to answer His call for the same call to action.

Are their evidences in your life of Christ? Do you question your Salvation? Do you question your Salvation because their is little evidence of Christ, but much proof of a life still bound by sin? Paul had come to the Corinthians a third time warning them against continued living in sin and those leading them astray. He told them to do a self check: 2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you fail to meet the test! There is security in your Salvation, you cannot loose it, nor it be taken from you. The doubt of it is from Satan to steal your joy. If you do a self check and have doubt; repent and ask God to make the changes in your life to become a disciple of His and with that comes the security of it.

 
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Posted by on November 14, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Square pegs in round holes

11 Nov

Square pegs in round holes

Ephesians 5:15-17    Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (ESV)

Do you ever have that feeling of being an outsider? That feeling of just not belonging where you are? The closer you get to God; the closer you get to understanding how far this world we live in is apart from God. I could go down the path of listing the evidences of this reality, but if you argue with them, or you are blind to them, you are not grounded in the Word, but in the world. The more you surround yourself with the things of God on a daily basis, the more you will realize how your spiritual senses have been numbed before. All of the media that invades our minds daily dulls our senses to God. There are ways to heighten your senses and become more keen to how God sees the world; but it takes effort on your part.

The Apostle Paul was trying to unify the church at Ephesus to live like Christians. He writes in Ephesians 4-6 of how we “were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”(5:8). Paul is writing to those that are being persecuted; himself being in prison at the time of this Epistle. There was evidence in his life of his belief in Christ. There should be a before and after point in the testimony of your life with Christ. You cannot remain idle once you become saved; idleness is backsliding. You are either moving forward in your pursuit of Him, or you are falling away from Him; you cannot sit still. This pursuit is gained in the time God has given us and how we utilize that time. Matthew Henry said, “Our time is a talent given us by God for some good end, and it is misspent and lost when it is not employed according to his design. If we have lost our time heretofore, we must endeavour to redeem it by doubling our diligence in doing our duty for the future.”

The more you begin to seek God every day; the more you will begin to remove yourself from the ways of the world. There will be a hunger that grows, a desire to know more of Him. If you follow that desire in a conscious effort, God will open your mind through your heart. 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. Your life will never be the same once you begin to pursue God every day. You will find joy in being that outsider; apart from the world; separated to God. Romans 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God.

Application: I felt God work in my life in the music I listened to. When I changed my radio to contemporary Christian music and left it there, it made a huge difference in my life. You cannot seek God’s heart one moment and listen to Highway to Hell the next.

 
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Posted by on November 11, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Whack! Chip chip chip…..

05 Nov

Whack! Chip chip chip……

1 Peter 5:6-7   Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Yesterday Dana gave her testimony to our small group. It was a heartfelt cry from a woman who was seeing God work in her life. I told everyone I wanted to hear it too; I had only witnessed half her life of it. As I listening intently, she opened up of pains of death, family struggles, personality and career struggles. I began to notice a common thread in our testimonies, that until I heard her say it, I guess had only been noticed. Her testimony is also rooted in pride. This morning as this scripture above was on my phone inbox, I felt God open my eyes to our similarities even more. God has designed the changes in the securities of both our careers & lives to strip away that pride.

The Apostle John points us to this; to the draw of living for a temporal world vs living for an eternal God. 1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. When your drive is the pride of your ability to reach the goal, the goal is useless and laden in sin. The walls that you build, the roads that you pave to reach what drives you take your eyes off the One who is providing the means to attain it. Everything you think you can do; all that you accomplish that is not for the kingdom of God will fade away. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

God has humbled both Dana and myself the past couple of years. He has stripped away what we held dear; taken away what we placed above Him. He is showing us what truly matters, and showing us our sins in that pride of life. Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom. God may bring His hammer and chisel to chip away at what you consider your rock of pride. He took away my ability in physical strength of my right arm. He took away Dana’s career that she worked for since childhood. God got our attention, and now our attention is focused solely on God. Every day that you spend puffed up in the goals you attain; may be a day closer to God pointing out your sin of pride. The realization of that sin, with a humble repentant heart before Him in a plea for forgiveness, could prevent the hammer and chisel effects. The realization of how big God is, and how small you are, is a life changing step for the remainder of your time here and into eternity.

 
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Posted by on November 5, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Well, to make the sale I……..

01 Nov

Well, to make the sale I……..

Proverbs 11:1-3  Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight. 2 When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom. 3 The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.

I own a heating and air company and in the past 10 years the value of the metals in the equipment has also pulled me into the scrap business. Scrapyards can tend to be a shady business of sorts now, for the value of these metals have brought about theft. But something early on I realized what the integrity of the owner and his scales meant they could be thieves also; stealing with tampered weights of the metals being brought in. The scales of any merchant even in biblical times were a mark of integrity of that person; a mark of trust. The only one who may truly know that mark is the only one who sees all; for you cannot fool God.

That integrity in business is what the Lord speaks of here. That integrity is many times lost in an struggling economy; where corner cuts and shady deals are the norm for profitable business. Today where everyone is struggling; integrity seems to be a lost treasure. Do you seem to loose what you hold as values if that is what it takes to make a deal? Integrity is not a quality that you posses partially; you either have it or you don’t.  Integrity is a measuring tool of the Lord, and many times He will let the lack of it be revealed. 3 The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.

God takes our daily lives in the business world very seriously. This is where He has placed us every day for us to influence those around us. How does He feel when that circle of influence see the Christian acting worse that the atheist? God calls that dishonesty an “abomination” to Him; a gut wrenching hatred as my study Bible says. When you profess Christ to those around you, you are put under a microscope to be viewed how you handle every situation. The next time you are tempted to lie to make the deal; know that you are turning God’s stomach doing so. Integrity in business is not a lost trait these days; you either have it or you don’t. Integrity is not for your personal life only. Proverbs 28:6 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

 
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Posted by on November 1, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Break THAT appointment?

31 Oct

Break THAT appointment?

Psalm 63:1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

Psalm 63 was written by David and believed to have been when he was fleeing from either Saul or Absalom, which may have led to him hiding out in the caves. David was missing the worship that he found in the sanctuary. His heart yearned for that time of gathering together to praise God. But the Psalm also speaks of the expectancy and assurance that David has in God. He desires his time with God early in the day and into the night; 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. David truly has a heart for God; he is focused on God even when everything else around him is failing.

I have been asked of the why and how of this ministry recently. Why do I get up early every day, never sleeping in? How do I get up and write early every day? The best answer is expecting to hear from God. I am nothing special in God’s eyes; I just pen the experiences to encourage you to do the same; to experience the same relationship as I. Just as David above, we are living in a dry and thirsty land that is far from God. Satan is seeking to draw your attention away from God every single day in many ways. Do you think you can have a heart for God if you only spend an hour one day a week with Him? Satan get 167hrs; God gets only 1; really? The more time you spend every day seeking God, the easier it is to face the troubles of the day and life. When your focus changes to God and the things of God, you gain God’s strength and peace to fight the daily distractions that Satan places before you.

Do you really want to change; really want to grow closer to God? It only requires a humble heart and a conscious effort on your part. You must first change your habits, break cycles, truly show God you desire to grown closer to Him. Put something aside that you had been putting before Him. Arise earlier in the day to get alone time with Him. Set the clock 15 minutes early to start with, and make tomorrow the day that changes your life. I promise you if you will “Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), the rest will fall into place. God will show up to meet with you in those quiet times every day. Your heart will become expectant of those alone times with Him every day. The ‘why’ becomes very easy to do; for how could you dare to break an appointment with God? Proverbs 8:17 I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.

 
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Posted by on October 31, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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A favorite book

29 Oct

A favorite book

2 Timothy 3:16-17    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.

Do you have a favorite book? It doesn’t seem like too long ago I would have said no, simply because I did not read at all. Maybe the occasional magazine or newspaper article, but never an entire book. The list of them in a lifetime was counted on one hand. When God began to stir in my heart, I wanted to know more; and I knew where to find more, between the pages of the Bible. I made the effort to start reading my Bible a small bit every day. An employee and now very close friend gave me a NLT(New Living Translation) Bible, for he had heard me speak about having trouble understanding. The language was much clearer and God began to open my mind through my heart with it.

Everything you need; everything you want to know; everything about God is found in the Word of God. You will never begin to understand; you will never grow in your faith; you will never learn more about God until you seek God in the Bible. God’s words through the prophet Jeremiah to Israel still apply to us today; Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  What does with all your heart mean to you? It can’t mean to expect God to leap off the page with a revelation given to you in a flippant effort grudgingly performed. It takes a humble heart seeking God in prayer before opening the Word. That effort comes from an act of love and expectancy from God revealing Himself to you in the pages the times before. Once God begins to open your eyes in His Word, you heart leaps at the opportunity to see and hear Him again.

You want your faith to grow don’t you? It will not grow out of experiences, it will grow out of time in God’s Word. No experience can ever take the place of God’s Word. The experience may excite for a time, but the experience can be moved to a point of worship and seeking it again. I personally can attest to that. God is found in your heart; and your heart must be prepared and opened to receiving what He reveals to you in the time you spend in His Word. You will begin to hear Him, and hearing Him changes everything. Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. My library may be growing, but I have one favorite book that stays on my desk and goes with me to church. It is a rainbow of color with highlights, underlined texts, my own comments, my own heart between the pages of Gods revelations. Select you one copy, and make a consistent effort to seek God with it. Your life will never be the same for you will hear God in it.

 
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Posted by on October 29, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Sign me up

27 Oct

Sign me up

Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Isaiah was called to a very discouraging ministry. He was called to point out the sins and need for repentance to a nation that would not listen. Israel had split into two kingdoms, and both kingdoms had rulers that turned their hearts from God. It was a turbulent time for Israel, and Isaiah was called by God to point out them to repentance. Isaiah calling came in a vision from God; he visited the heavens and saw God’s glory on the Throne, and his own sin became to bear down on him. As his humility wrought him, an angel of God touched his lips with a live coal from the alter and purged his sin. Isaiah was moved to thanksgiving and service with that realization of the cleansing. God spoke in the heavenly court with the question above to draw Isaiah zeal in service to Him as a prophet.

Do you get that idea of humble thanksgiving in the act of your Salvation? An angel of God may have not touched your lips, but Christ gave His life for you by dying on a Cross! The lesser of the two moved Isaiah to dedicate his life to serving the King; how can we dishonor the ultimate sacrifice by simply resting in it? There must come a point in the life of the believer that we realize it is not about us; or what God can do for us. It is about a life dedicated to service for our time here, to be vessels for God to draw others to Himself. Romans 12:1 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. If your faith lies in the ideal of God as a gift giver; of material blessings that overflow as a result of your faith; you are sadly, eternally mistaken. Your life here in service to Him will pay the way for your eternal rewards in His kingdom. A marker of your faith is not the external worth, but the internal self sacrifice out of love for Him.

Has God laid a vision on your heart? Has He shown you the measure of your sin? In these has He pressed into you the need for you to realize what He has done for you in the pinnacle act of grace? The term “bondservant” is used throughout the Bible as a term of dedication. Romans 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God. The Apostle Paul even shows himself here “separated” to a life dedicated to God. Paul is not different from that idea for you and I in a life dedicated to Christ. Our lives are not to be in pursuit of the things that will pass away, but lives working for the eternal. What in your life today will make a difference eternally? Will it be the relationship with God in a life in pursuit of Him? Today could be the day that makes a difference in your life for eternity; and those lives around you that see the change, and they join you there.

 
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Posted by on October 27, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Eternal Blessings

25 Oct

Eternal Blessings

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Christ had left the large crowds and gathered His disciples to teach them. This teaching became the great Sermon on the Mount as the crowds gathered to hear His Words of Matthew 5-7. The disciples had many questions, and Christ began with the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. He began by showing them how to live, and the eternal blessings that came as a result of their lives as followers of His. The Beatitudes go against the grain of the world and the lusts of it. The pursuit of joy in earthly terms is self gratification and glorification in many ways. Elevation of self is the entrance of pride, and the absence of Christ’s blessings promised here.

This is the beginning of Christ’s ministry and He is setting the tone of going against the false pleasures of the world; the covetousness, the idolatry, the pride, the sin, the works, the list goes on. Matthew Henry states; “This is designed to rectify the ruinous mistakes of a blind and carnal world. Blessedness is the thing which men pretend to pursue; Who will make us to see good? Ps. 4:6 . But most mistake the end, and form a wrong notion of happiness; and then no wonder that they miss the way; they choose their own delusions, and court a shadow.” What is your pursuit in life? What drives you to get up every day and trudge ahead? If it does not fall under the heading of Christ, as a disciple of Christ, it is leading you astray. Matthew 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.” Any thing that is set above your pursuit of God, and the things of God, is a deterrent to the blessings stated in Matthew 5:6 above.

The Beatitudes begin with a verse about humility; Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This sets the tone for them; for one cannot be a true disciple for Christ if pride is at the root of their inner being. I have personally become a living example of Christ showing me my great sin. He has taken out His hammer and chisel to put my pride in it’s place. It is a huge part of my testimony of His work in my life, and putting my eyes on Him, and Him alone. I look at the scripture of Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me in the light of I cannot do ANY THING without Him. This realization has produced a hunger to draw closer to Him in all things. A heart that is focused is a heart that will receive the blessings promised in the Beatitudes. These blessings are not superficial, but internal and eternal, from the closeness of the relationship of my Savior, Jesus Christ. All these are available to you too, beginning with a humble repentant heart that truly seeks Him above all.

 
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Posted by on October 25, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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What matters?

23 Oct

What matters?

Matthew 22:37-38   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.

I am not a person who seeks the spotlight. I want no attention drawn to me in the light of this ministry. God knows this, and keeps the ministry silent to me. He performs the work He desires with it; my circle of encouragers small; and pride at bay. I humbly am thankful for His design for it to only draw attention to Him. This ministry is to show you God’s work in my life daily, and to encourage you in the pursuit of Him daily. A heart that is in constant pursuit is a heart that will find God. God speaks through the prophet Jeremiah to Israel reminding us all;  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13).

This scripture in Matthew aligns with the first commandment that God gave Moses to Israel. Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me. Matthew is trying to stress the ideal that every part of our being should be solely focused on God. Every essence of our being, the present of our heart, the eternal of our soul, and the focus of our mind should be on the One whom created and sustains us for the day unto eternity with Him. Everything that you place in your life above your relationship with Christ is a God to you. The realization of it, and the desire to lower its statue, is a heart that seeks God. We have in today’s society an ever growing list of pressing demands on our time that Satan has deceived us into believing their priority. When we stand before God, how will we explain the, “well I know, but I had to ……..”

Our country is facing an election that is dividing us as never before. Our president has become a celebrity and poor leader; and his opponent is a Mormon, and Mormon’s are not Christians. This is an election of truly the lesser of two evils. Our focus should not be on the political arena for either will not be a candidate that runs the office on his knees. Our focus should be on our relationship with God, and how we can be disciples of His, to draw others to Him who will never disappoint. The hope that God places in your heart when you are focused on Him, is the hope that will carry you when all else fails you. 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. If you will truly turn your heart, your soul, and your mind over to God; you will see the events around you in a different light. You will begin to see what matters eternal, and become focused on sharing that love you have with those that God places in your life. That priority shift is an eternal shift that the woes and worldly stresses cannot take away; for it is the hope that does not disappoint.

 
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Posted by on October 23, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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