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Do your knees hurt?

22 Oct

Do your knees hurt?

Luke 6:12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

I have been having some trouble sleeping recently. I think we all go through these seasons, and I seem to be in the middle of one. Many times the anxieties and pressures on our lives will not let our minds rest and get good sleep. That may be my reason for restlessness; for I have a lot on my mind personally and deep concern for those close to me. In the times I awake I try to pay close attention to my thoughts when I awake, for it could be God knocking on the door of my mind. God will speak to you in the silence of the night; throughout the Bible visions and dreams are spoken of.

Christ had gotten alone at an important time in His life before choosing the Apostles in the scripture above. He had went before God all night in prayer before making this decision. He went before God for guidance of that decision; not to take it lightly, or by impulse in fact. How many times do we make major decisions in seconds, without prayer? I could stand at the top of the list, and the list of failure would almost duplicate. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. How are we to go through life without God; without seeking God through more than flippant pleas for things we don’t truly need? Have you truly gotten alone and poured your heart out to God? Better yet, have you gotten with another believer and poured your hearts out to Him? We are assured in Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

We are living in perilous times in a nation that is headed down the road to hell. We are seeing the collapse of our economy, a president that has become a celebrity instead of a respected leader; we have become a nation of tolerance in all arenas with no backbone; we are seeing the separation of social classes, the dying of the middle class; we are seeing the false religions take hold in feel good TV preachers; we are seeing the result of a nation that has severed it’s root of faith in God. God is pressing on my heart the pain of those close to me. Do any of these warrant prayer? Do you feel you can handle the pressures of life on your own wisdom?

Paul was writing to the Colossians and pointing them to Christ and away from the false teachers of the day. He diligently prayed for them. Colossians 1:9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. He wanted them to understand that everything they needed was central in Christ alone. “God is enough” as Dr. Gravely taught us recently. This is only attained by a humble heart that is truly seeking God in prayer and His Word. We must draw to our knees and earnestly pray for God to guide our lives in today’s world that is headed the opposite direction.

 
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Posted by on October 22, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Is there a Before & After?

19 Oct

Is there a Before & After?

Philippians 3:7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. (ESV)

The Apostle Paul was writing to refute the Judiazers, and their teaching that everyone had to become Jewish and adhere to the law to be saved. This went directly against what Christ had fulfilled in the law, and God’s saving grace to all people alike. There is no special sect, but God’s saving grace, (giving us what we do not deserve) is openly available to all who will believe. Paul was writing a strong letter revealing his testimony and conversion through Christ. Paul was a former persecutor of those who followed Christ, and was held in high regard as a Jew with his education and zeal. Christ grabbed ahold of his heart, and that zeal led him to become one of the greatest apostles and writer of the much of the New Testament.

I prepared and gave a long version of my testimony recently. It forced me to reflect of my life before Christ, and that reflection brought about the humbling realization of many and great sins. I fell away from the church in my late teens, and lived for all the temporal pleasures of the world in many areas, far from, and headlong against God. I can’t even look back and call any of it gain; like Paul, I count it as loss. There is a true before and after Christ in my life. Do you have that line in the sand? Can you look back and see change in your life after you came to claim Him? There must be a conversion with change, or it is not true conversion. There must be a Before & After.

There is no sin that you cannot be forgiven for with a humble repentant heart. Romans 6:14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Paul was murdering Christians and through God’s grace he was forgiven. 1 Timothy 1:15 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.  God’s mercy can be defined as not giving us what we deserve. God’s grace can be defined as giving us what we do not deserve. When we become followers of Christ, the realization of Mercy and Grace should impact our heart. It should move us to a focus on Christ and not the things of this world. It should move us to the After and pursuit of growing our lives as disciples of His. We should feel so pressed to share with those that are in our circle of influence Mercy and Grace. All else should be left in the Before of our lives as loss.

 
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Posted by on October 19, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Play your part

16 Oct

Play your part

Mark 13:10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

Peter, James, John, and Andrew sat down with Jesus on the Mount of Olives and questioned Him privately about His return, and the signs to know of its coming. Mark in chapter 13 begins to speak about Christ revealing the signs of His return. There will be persecutions, deceptions, waring between nations, earthquakes, and famines. The times will be tough, but it all will be used as a tool to spread the Good News of Christ. The scripture above speaks to the importance of the spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Christ’s last words before He ascended were found in Matthew 28:9 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.

Missionaries called by God have been living their lives as disciples and going into the remoteness of the earth spreading the Good News to all that will hear. The internet has brought about the gospel in a new age to all those that will hear. The news of Christ is being spread to all nations, and this should be a sign of things to come. I am not a prophet, but surely you too can see the world and the sin in the world that surrounds you. A world far from God that He had created as a Garden of Eden. How much longer will He let Satan tug away with the power of sin? Does He have a target number? 1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

What are you doing today that will let those in your circle of influence know that you are a Christian? Do they see Christ in you by your works? If you live your life as an example of Christ’s saving grace in your life; people are drawn to you. You are different from the self-centered world that surrounds you. Your testimony is your life before Christ; your deliverance from sin through Christ; and your life as the result after Christ. God has prepared your testimony uniquely to help draw another to Him. But you play a part in that roll of God’s work in your daily walk and word. When someone wants to know what, or why; share with them your story. You may have played your part in Christ’s return for the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. You may have put us one step closer with God’s work in that one person of whom you just shared Grace with. You played your part in eternity.

 
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Posted by on October 16, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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He who dies with the most toys, still dies.

14 Oct

He who dies with the most toys, still dies.

Mark 8:36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

I watched the custom bike get detailed a week ago. I watched the new car detailed this weekend. I thought to myself of my life before Christ and of how that was my life. God has been putting before me lots of people who are getting new “stuff”. The list would be long and personal, but God has been showing me these things, opening my eyes and putting anguish in my heart. I lived for so long with the idea of “he who dies with the most toys wins.” My culture that surrounds me here in Charlotte is sliding down the road to hell in the pursuit of material possessions. They have so many idols that are placed before their relationship with Christ if they even know Him. Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

There is nothing wrong with “stuff” and the joys of life. There is a problem with the “stuff” when it comes your pursuit in life. Do you wish to have a new toy more than anything else in the world? Does that new car mean so much to you that you work long hours sacrificing all else around you to get it? Do you not tithe at church where you are every Sunday to feel good about yourself? You are stealing from God! Malachi 3:8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. I have watched my pastor give heartfelt pleas to his flock where the facts are dismal of those that give weekly back to God what God gave to them. How will you answer to Him, if you see Him, of how He entrusted you with the money He gave you?

There was another popular cliche, “He who dies with the most toys, still dies.” That sentence has eternal meaning and truth embedded in it. Get it. There is nothing that you attain in life that you will be able to take with you. There is nothing in life that will not perish after you are gone. The only things that matter are the lives you invest in, and Christ that you share with them. The pursuit of your life here should be in the light of the life after. Even a hundred years here in material wealth, cannot compare to one day in heaven; much less it will be eternal. There comes a point in your Christian life you must get it. You must understand Christ is calling you to put Him first in every detail of your life. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. I plea that you will see that new toy as rust, and invest in eternal riches. Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Get it.

 
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Posted by on October 14, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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I got rest; even with little sleep

12 Oct

I got rest; even with little sleep

Hebrews 4:1-2   Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

Almost like clockwork as expected, I wrote about the pressures of the world yesterday; and so they set in on me last night. Little sleep, morning headache, and the daunting lists of tasks presses on my mind as I lay awake. Mine are just as yours; age and responsibility brings demands on us that press on us all. These headaches I can do without. Our team in India has really been on my mind as they reach out to the lost there. Of how they are teaching pastors, equipment them for ministry. Of how they are taking Christ into the streets into places where Satan and pain are thriving; and bringing the Good News of Christ to a dying world. They are bringing the word of life that no matter how bad it is now; it gets better for an eternity.

Hebrews 4:1-13 speaks about the promise of God’s rest. The content of this passage is questioned to whether it is written for the entirely present or the entirely future. The commentary states it is best understood if read in the context of already started, yet not consummated. Once you believe, your soul rests in Him. There is a peace about you that the world cannot steal. If I were to describe my faith in one word it would be peace. Satan and his angels try to steal your rest or peace on a daily basis. They are fighting a battle already won for your soul by Christ on the Cross. You have rest today that will last for eternity in paradise with Him.

The author of Hebrews points to the importance of that day you hear the good news and the promise of that rest in Him. He quotes Psalm 95: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” It is critical time when you hear these messages and feel God stirring in your heart. You cannot deny Him but for so long. How many times will He knock at your door and you refuse to answer? The decisions you make today will have eternal consequences. What if tomorrow never comes; and you denied opening the door to your heart today? I would plea that you surrender your sins to the One who died to forgive them and place your faith in Him for the rest He provides for eternity. It is never too late, until it is.

 
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Posted by on October 12, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Who’s on First?

10 Oct

Who’s on First?

Matthew 24:44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

“Yea, I need to get back involved at church; but I need to __________; or I know I should be reading my Bible but I am so busy; or my work requires so much of me that I just don’t have anything left; or the kids have a game and ______________.” I have said and done them all. I have put everything you have before Christ and finally came to the realization of it. God started showing me all these things when He showed me the true idol I had in my life as a motorcycle. It was my God; where I poured everything, what my life focus was on. It is one of the first steps of my testimony of God’s life transforming power. It is now a recreation I still enjoy, but it is not an idol any longer. My idol is my God; my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

When God could stand the evil of the world no longer, He spoke to Noah to prepare and save His elected few. We all know the story of the flood; but what about those who were left to perish? They too may must have been busy with life; even the possibility of a desire to change, but it was too late when God moved. Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. These are the words of Christ of His return and the warning of it. Matthew 24 is a powerful description of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ with a warning the must be heeded.

It is never too late until it is. Do your excuses merit the ticket for the boat, or the perils of the flood in the days of Moses? Anything that you have in your life that you put before your relationship with Christ is an idol. The first of the 10 Commandments is, You shall have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:3) It is so serious that is it #1 on the list. Pray for God to reveal your idols to you; it will come with a sting, but that sting is the conviction of the Holy Spirit of that sin. A repentance of that sin and the desire to move your relationship closer is the beginning of a changed heart. Make God first in your life, not down the list after everything else as a leftover. The day is coming when we have to answer for our priorities for eternity.

He came. He died. He arose. He ascended. He is coming back.

 
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Posted by on October 10, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Examine yourselves

06 Oct

Examine yourselves

2 Corinthians 13:5-9   Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you are disqualified. 6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified. 7 Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, that you may be made complete.

The Corinthians were questioning Paul’s authority as a result of the lies and deception by the false teachers that had infiltrated the church. They were doing the best they could to ruin Paul’s reputation, inflict doubt into their followers, and as a result damage the church. False teachers greatest tools are ones of doubt. Paul wrote to the Corinthians and reprimanded them for great sins in the church, and then challenged them to question themselves. If they found themselves a follower of Christ, that authority came from Paul as an Apostle, or a minister under the authority from Christ.

Do you ever ask yourself those really big questions? Where am I truly in my faith; my walk as a child of God? Am I maturing or simply still as a child nursing on the milk of the Word? Has my relationship ever moved forward with Christ? Are there any evidences in my daily life that I am a disciple for Christ? These big questions if asked humbly before God will bring true answers to the heart through the Holy Spirit. There will be feelings of conviction where He wants you to change. Through the pain, you will find joy in knowing you moved forward in the only relationship that truly matters. These revelations as a result of these self exams will stomp on that doubt when you act on what He shows you. 6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

So many religions today are all about “feel good faith”. They never speak of the power of the conviction of the Holy Spirit to draw us out of sin and closer to God. These religions are not true religions, but great heresies. Titus 1:13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. These wrong faiths have been around since Christ, but they always lead us to believe we are good people, and never the truth that we are all sinners. When you pray for God to open your eyes in that self exam, your heart will be humbled in the revelation. Your heart will be moved by the sacrifice on the Cross that Christ paid for your sins, and your heart will be drawn closer to him as a result of your obedience. That conviction of sin that He brings is an assurance of Salvation and a release of the doubt Satan planted.

 
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Posted by on October 6, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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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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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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I am…….

21 Sep

I am…….

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. 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.

The apostle Paul had spent the chapters leading up to this addressing the differences in Israel and the Gentiles, and the lack of difference. God had allowed much of Israel to fall away and presented the Gospel to the Gentiles whom where beginning to believe. Many wandered if God had forgotten Israel. He has not, and His plans for Israel are to be fulfilled in eternity. Romans 10: 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Paul is trying to explain how we must be moved to a place of worship and reverent fear for God’s grace and mercy. In the middle of this writing he is moved to praise. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” 35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

The next verse is Romans 12 above. When the Bible was written, there were no chapters, or breaks in chapters. Paul has been building to show God’s glory on all mankind and how that realization should move you to a place of humble, sacrificial worship. That work you feel inside of you once you realize your spiritual state of sin, will knock your knees out from under you with that realization.  The mystery is revealed and you realize you are nothing without the One who created you, and the One who saved you. 1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. If you have not come to the understanding of sin, and the need for a Savior from that sin, the Gospel of Christ has not done its work in your heart.

A religion that does not give you the bad news is not a religion that saves. It is a religion that “tickles your ears” and feels good, which results in the leading away. Broad is the path that leads to destruction, but narrow is the gate that finds paradise.  Once God opens your heart through the realization of Him; the realization of you in sin without Him; you will be truly transformed. Becoming a Romans 12 Christian will be the sacrificial acts you naturally desire to be for eternity.

 
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Posted by on September 21, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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