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It’s gonna be ok

13 Apr

It’s gonna be ok

Matthew 6:25-34    “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (ESV)

I have written in bold print in the margin of my Bible beside this passage, “DO NOT WORRY”. I openly struggle with anxiety and depression, but I do not believe there are many others out there that can say before God they do not worry. Satan is the master deceiver, and a strong tool in his arsenal is the deception wrapped in doubt. When you look at worry in its simplest form it is fear, fear of the unknown. Fear is not from God but from the author of deception and death. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Satan is planting in your mind that you have no security; that your life and the outcome of it could fall at any time. He wants you to think you are a failure, and all your eternity is in question. He may even planted the ultimate deception in your head of life without eternity. This is all there is; get all you can while you are here.

It is no coincidence that this passage falls on the heels of the passage about wealth (Matthew 6:19-25). I bet that the majority of your fears fall under the heading of money. Will I have enough to pay my bills; will I have enough saved for college; will I be able to get that new…….; the list is endless in our lives wrapped around our finances. Believe me, my house of cards fell, and the money worries have been a big part of my life in recent years. But God has shown me that he will never fail me; just enough in the nick of time, every time, to do or pay what must be done. God is even letting that doubt Satan is planting to work for good when you are humbled and must look to Him for it all. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. There can be a new found strength and relationship with God built as you see Him never fail you. Satan’s plan was to draw you away from God, but if you turn to God you will come to understand this passage about not worrying. When you worry you become introverted, and when you are self absorbed you are not an effective disciple to spread the Good News that He calls you to do.

It has been proven that worry and stress are bad for your physical health. They take years off your life. Christ told us that in this Sermon on the Mount 2000 years ago. 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? Spend today focused on the promise in Matthew 6:33, and do not worry about tomorrow, for you may miss the promise of today.

 
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Posted by on April 13, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Get to work

08 Apr

Get to work

Ephesians 2:8-10    For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Yesterday I had three instances where Ephesian 2 came before me. Very early this morning I was tossing and turning getting sick; I felt God speak to me about “In His hands”. I have not slept all night, and have been thinking about what He was pressing on me. In Ephesians Two, the central meaning of the gift of the gospel is stated in verses eight and nine. God’s grace is what allowed you access to Him, through the giving of His Son to pay the penalty of your sins. There is no way you will ever do enough good works to earn access to God. If you think that you can earn access to God, you are saying you are better than the perfect sacrifice He gave; you feel your good deeds outweigh Christ’s blood…..really?

Verse ten speaks of that grace that follows the act of Salvation; you have been born again, renewed by that grace through Christ’s blood and you are a new man. Paul speaks much about becoming that new man that Christ created you to be in his letter to Ephesus. Ephesians 4:22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Matthew Henry writes: “Yet God, in his new creation, has designed and prepared us for good works: Created unto good works, with a design that we should be fruitful in them.” Our new man is created by His hand to live a life producing good works.

The apostle James spoke much about the faith and works debate. James understood that we are not saved by our works, but our salvation is to produce good works. James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. We are called by Christ to produce fruit, to make disciples, to live a life in pursuit of Him. If we live a life in true pursuit of Him, the natural product of that pursuit will be good works. We will feel that tug to share what we now possess as a new man in Christ. Jesus spoke to these good works that a come as a result of abiding in Him in John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. Is their evidence in your daily life that you are producing good works as a child of His? Let there be no doubt that you are called to live a life producing good works to honor His name and sacrifice. That is what His hands designed the new creation for, that has been born again of the water and Spirit. John 3:7

 
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Posted by on April 8, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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It is all about the hope

06 Apr

It is all about the hope

Ephesians 1:17-19     that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power

The apostle Paul had been called by Christ to spread the gospel to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were simply those nations that were not of Jewish descent. The Jews had lived as God’s promised people throughout history, and those outside their culture came to understand that. But Paul was teaching that Christ, the Son of their God, was now available to everyone. He was teaching that Christ had died on a Cross to pay for everyone’s sins, and to make Himself, by the grace of His Father, available to everyone. Those that feared the Jewish God, could now be accepted, welcomed,  and free to worship Him. They got it; they got what Paul was preaching, and their hearts were stirred by God in their pursuit of Him. 18a the eyes of your understanding being enlightened.

The false teacher throughout the day taught of special sects, only the privileged or selected could gain access to God. Christ paid the price for all; none are special, but all are special that step forward with a humble heart to answer that call that God places on it. If you have felt that tug on your heart, and denied it for any reason, you will pay for your mistake eternally. God chose you, he is pursuing you, and how you respond has eternal consequence. If you respond  with a humble repentant heart, your life will never be the same. 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is Christ living inside of you. The Spirit is the one who brings understanding to the things of God. He begins to open your eyes and mind to the scriptures that seemingly had no meaning before. The light goes on above your head with “ah-ha” moments in what He shows to you. He begins to show you how he has been at work all around you; you just never noticed before. He puts Godly influences in your life to speak words of wisdom to you as messengers of God. He orchestrates coincidences that are better described as, God orchestrated circumstances. All of these place the hope of eternity with Him in you. 18b that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. This eternal hope is what is needed in a world far from God. This hope of your eternal blessing and life guaranteed with Him will allow you to handle your short time here. There is nothing you cannot face that the hope that lies within you cannot overcome as a child of His.

 
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Posted by on April 6, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Nooowww I get it.

03 Apr

Nooowww I get it.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Christ was telling his disciples of the days to come, of his death, of their betrayal, of Him leaving them to return to heaven. In all of this they became afraid, for they did not understand the meaning of all of this. But wrapped up in all of this was a promise; a promise of the Holy Spirit that was coming to be with them. They did not even understand how great that gift was, but the Spirit was about to open their minds and understanding to the things of God, and the things that Christ had been telling them. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. It all would soon make sense when their minds were opened to the things of God.

Do you remember a time in your life that the Bible did not make sense to you? Do you have friends that are lost that don’t understand the Bible; that claim it was just a book written by men? Now that you have repented of your sin and accepted Christ as your savior, you now desire to read your Bible, and the same pages bring understanding into your heart. That is the Holy Spirit living inside you revealing the scriptures to you as in John 14:26 above. 1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. The apostle Paul teaches much about this in 1 Corinthians 2:1-15. You must understand that the Spirit is God living inside you; a member of the Holy Trinity coming to dwell with you; you are a temple of the Holy Spirit. An understanding of that brings about a new revelation of how you go about your day when you realize you are in God’s presence all day.

God can do great works in the salvation of a lost soul when the humble heart desires Him by opening His word and seeking Him. He can reveal himself to the previously blind in the pages of his Holy book that the lost soul had read before. He can save a soul from the pit of hell when one truly, humbly, seeks Him there. But, with a hardened heart the Bible will all make no sense; it will be a seemingly book of no meaning to that person. 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. In this book is found the peace in life that the world cannot understand or take away. In this book are found the words and promises of God that bring about hope for eternity, and peace for the day, with the understanding He is in control of all of it.

 
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Posted by on April 3, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Your turn

01 Apr

Your turn

Titus 2:11-14     For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

I am pressed today in a tight work timetable. I have been reading and studying in Titus this morning, stopping at this passage – how to live a life as a disciple. I simply cannot hammer out a few words on such an important passage as this. Do you see the gospel presented; the deity of the presenter; the reasons for, and the expectations of? How are you to live your life as a Christian, or yet as a disciple you ask. The how and why of your expectations are found here. I urge you to spend time here yourself, to pray for God to open your eyes, mind, and heart to the truths found here. My goal is always to provoke you into the Word of God on your own. Here lies the passage of how to pattern your life after Christ; a great place to park and let God reveal His truths to you.

What does He say to you?

 
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Posted by on April 1, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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The Day Between

30 Mar

The Day Between

1 Peter 3:18-20   For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.

Where did Christ go the day between his crucifixion and resurrection? Many think he descended into hell. I am not an educated scholar, and not qualified to take on that debate, but from my understanding he did not. He may have descended in to Sheol (the place where the dead lie awaiting final judgement), but Hell is reserved in the future tense as punishment for eternity. Where did He go; what does it matter when had paid your sin debt in full at the cross? Your sins had been atoned for in the shedding of Holy blood; the perfect sacrifice for a fallen society. God became fully man and died an unfathomable death to provide you the opportunity to dwell with Him for eternity.

Today was the Sabbath 2000 years ago; no believing Jew could do anything but morn and remain idle in what had happened. They were torn and confused over the events that had just taken place. They had not the gift of the Holy Spirit placed in them yet for the understanding that would come to them as a result of it. The apostles had abandoned Him in his greatest time of need; their pain must have been great. Today was a great day of morning 2000 years ago. Luke 22:61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly. They had to be questioning every thing that they had experienced the last couple of years; today would be a great day to put yourself in their shoes.

We all mourn differently. We all will come to a place where we are faced with life when we loose someone that is close to us. As Christians we are to morn for the personal loss we feel, but to rejoice in the hope of eternity for those that have passed. If they are believers in Christ; they have passed into paradise; no more pain of these bodies trapped in sin for eternity. Your future and mine changed 2000 years ago; your destiny awaits you at the foot of the cross. This day between is a day to morn the pain of death; but tomorrow is a day to rejoice for resurrection.

 
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Posted by on March 30, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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You are the Christ

28 Mar

You are the Christ

Luke 22:31-32     And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

Christ had gather all his disciples for the Passover feast. They had met in the upper room, and Christ had revealed his destiny to them; they had celebrated their last meal together. This meal became known as the Lord’s supper where Christ symbolized his body and blood to do in remembrance of Him. The gospel accountants of this meal summarize the events of it, and the events leading up to Christ heading out to the Garden of Gethsemene to pray before Judas betrayed Him. Christ had told them of one who will betray Him; he then later rocks Peter’s world by telling him that he will betray Him. Peter in all his zeal denies it; even says he would die to prevent it; but Christ knows it, and Peter will come to painfully realize it. 33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” 34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

There is so much going on in the world around us that places us in a position to stand for our faith, or deny it. The marriage equality debate is being held in the highest court of the nation; a debate that would never take place in a nation that lived by the commandments of God. A God fearing Christian does not hate homosexuals as they preach; but that does not mean that we support breaking the sanctity of marriage as God designed it. Are you willing to stand for your faith even in fear of the consequences? Do you say that you are a Christian but support homosexuality? That leaves you in the place Peter was. You are claiming what is convenient, but not when it comes to taking a stand for Christ. You are called to love your brother; Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ In our love for all our neighbors, therein lies a call to repentance of sin, and for them to come to know Christ. Luke 5:32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

This holy week represents all that you claim in Christ. Who do you say that He is to you? Christ asked that question to his disciples when they were in the region of Caesarea Philippi; Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16). Is He that to you? Is He your deliverer from sin, your eternal Savior? Almost every religion out there teaches a pathway to paradise. They place a hope in the life after this one; but their failure is they tell you what you must do to obtain it by your good deeds. Christianity teaches that you can never do enough good to reach God; it is obtainable only in a humble, repentant heart that see the sacrifice of Christ as the only way to eternal paradise. John 14:6 I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but through Me. Christ encouraged Peter in the midst of that disclosure; “when you return to me”; it is not too late to return to Christ. He waits with open arms for those that understand the hope that lies in them.

 
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Posted by on March 28, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Take a deep breath and read

24 Mar

Take a deep breath and read

James 1:18-21      Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. 19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

In this epistle James begins with writing about the trials of life. We all have them, we all endure them, we all go somewhere to deal with them. Do you self-medicate with any type of substance such as alcohol or drugs? Do you just become angry and lash out constantly when you are under the pressure of a trial? Do you simply just retreat into depression and hide from the world? There are so many ways that we find ourselves coping when life gets hard. God allows these things to draw us closer to Him, and at some point in your life when you come to realize that, you will also find you are the closest to God when you are under these great strains in life. You will even likely at some point cherish the strain for the intimacy it brings with God.

James is a great place to spend in God’s Word when you are facing these troubles. As he spoke of these trials, he transitions into how to prepare ourselves in hearing from God in them. When we go to God’s Word, are we already mad at God; are we angry and have our defenses up? Have we come at God with the “how, or why, or anger” in our souls? James tells us to come to Him in meekness, with a humble heart, with a mind that desires to listen, not to debate. With that spirit we can come to see the greatness of God’s grace in His Word, and even the situation. It may also be a time that we see the discipline of God in these trials, but we must be prepared and accept that possibility.

Matthew Henry points to all that we hear in God’s Word is to the working of the gospel within us, as to the salvation of our souls. Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. The word of God has a central message; to point you to Him. It points to the grace of God found throughout it; it points to the provision through His Son Jesus Christ in it; it points to His Sovereignty throughout it. All through it He seeks to make you more like Christ; to live a life as a disciple of Christ, and to enable you to therefore reach others for Christ. In this book is found the love of Christ, and the keys to you living a life for Him. The more time you spend in God’s Word every single day, the better prepared you are when the trials of life come. Your spirit is already humbled from what He has shown you, and you understand this trial you are facing is another revelation you are about to receive.

 
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Posted by on March 24, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Edjumikashun

22 Mar

Edjumikashun

Proverbs 2:1-5     My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, 2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; 3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.

It is pretty much a standard of living that you will spend at least 12 years of your life in school. Therefore you will spend the first 18-20 years of your life seeking the minimum education required to “do life”. I stopped there with my diploma many years ago, only seeking the bare minimums to collect it and move on. I did not see the value in a further education, and I have paid for the mistakes of my youth. An education is a tool upon which the mind has doors opened to further the capabilities of it, and all those affected by it. This understanding has come from a lifetime of realizing mostly by error, the mistakes of things lost without knowledge found in that education.

Have you come to know Christ and desire to know more of Him? Have you answered that call He placed upon your soul in an act you still struggle to explain? So many times we come to know Christ, and feel that tug of desire to know what is next. We have felt that change that He brings, but we sometimes wonder how we are to get more understanding Him. It is all found in the heart that pursues him in prayer and his Word. The key to unlock to mysteries of God are found in the pages of God; through the power of the Holy Spirit he has given you. 1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

A high school diploma will get you just over 86,000 hours of education in that 12 years. You will have invested a good percentage of your early life in the pursuit of knowledge, and the hope and understanding of how it may be applied in your life. In Christ you have opened the door to eternity and all the endless possibilities that lie in it. For the remainder of your life here, the wisdom of God is given in the guidebook of life, the Bible. A heat that is genuinely seeking God every day will live a life in the rewards of the wisdom He reveals through His Word. Proverbs 2:10 When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, 11 Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you. Spend the rest of your life in the pursuit of a heavenly wisdom and understanding of God and the things of God found in His Word every day. The rewards for your time here are greater than any diploma recognized by man.

 
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Posted by on March 22, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Annual Performance Review

21 Mar

Annual Performance Review

Proverbs 16:11 Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s; All the weights in the bag are His work.

Good advice is something we all treasure. Wouldn’t a book of advice from the wisest man who ever lived be a best seller? King Solomon prayed to God for the wisdom to do a good job for God; he wanted to be the best ruler he could be. 2 Chronicles 1:10 Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” 11 And God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life–but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king. God granted his request and made Solomon the wisest man that ever lived. Solomon filled the book of Proverbs with very simple direct words of advice from what he learned as a man of God.

As a sidebar of my business, I deal in the scrap metal industry. I am at the mercy of their scales, and the integrity of their hearts. A dealer may present a much higher payout as a lure, but the scales upon which they are weighed are dishonest. Proverbs 11:1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight. The Lord knows the weights upon which the scales are measured, just as he knows the scales of our hearts. Integrity in business is becoming a thing of the past. Integrity is not a quality that you possess outside of the business world, and then let it slide to make the deal at whatever the cost. You either have integrity or you do not. Integrity is not a variable; it is not an option that you choose when it best suits your purpose. If you believe that it is, you are weighing your life and your heart on dishonest scales.

Have you ever stood your ground at work for something you believed in? Have you ever not participated in the deal that was shady to say the least? Have you stood up for what you knew was right before God, even though that decision cost you a payout? That payout will be rewarded in eternity on the Lord’s scales. He does not forget when you paid even a small price for standing up for what you knew was right in His eyes. Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits. The closer your heart is to God, the easier a life of integrity comes. You will be seeking God on all these decisions in prayer and His Word. He will direct your thoughts as a result of this time invested in seeking His wisdom. Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. The Lord is the CEO that you answer to above any manager here on earth; He is the one who knows all that goes on, and why it goes on. He is the one you must answer to on a daily basis for your actions at work, and in life.

 
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Posted by on March 21, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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