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Every Moment

23 Jan

Every Moment

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I have been writing this week in Philippians, and I was excited to know one of my favorite statements by Paul would likely be where I found myself today. Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. There are so many roads to travel down with Paul in his example of a life focused on Christ. Paul was writing this letter from prison; prison could bring death; and all that mattered to him was that Christ was glorified in his life or in his death. Paul lived a life so incredibly sold out for Christ that he saw God’s hand in his every situation of every day. He knew he was exactly where God wanted him for that very moment, and he poured himself into drawing the attention to Christ for every moment. There was no difference, no matter to Paul, if he lived or died as long as Christ was exalted and glorified in it.

One of my daily devo’s came to my inbox with Matthew 6:34 above this morning. Matthew 6 is one of my favorite passages of scripture, where Christ lays out so much of an application of how to live our lives for him. I right now have some really big things demanding my thoughts, and it is easy to become distracted from the worry about the days and things that MAY come. I saw the similarity in Paul’s statement and Christ’s words to us. A life focused on the present situation, and serving Christ in that situation, is a life dedicated to the moment with God. This life produces a lack of concern for the next day; for the next day may not come. James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. How many moments with and for Christ are lost in the worry of the tomorrow that may never come.

Satan is the author of these doubts and worries of your tomorrows. He slides into your mind and steals your daily focus; he replaces it with an anxiety of the unknown future; he steals your joy for the day and replaces it with the worry of tomorrow. John 10:10a The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  When you feel those anxieties press, deny them through the power of prayer with a heart for God. Claim the day and the moment for your life to be focused on drawing glory to Christ in that moment. This will likely prove to be a continual process throughout each day as Satan continues to try and distract you. This will prove to be a day closer to Christ as a result of your seeking Him in every moment for focus and strength. In those moments your eyes are opened, and you may see and hear the voice and plans He has for your for that time with and for Him. John 10:10b. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. This abundant life is a life dedicated to glorifying Christ in every moment of your day with Him.

 
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Posted by on January 23, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Who gets the glory?

22 Jan

Who gets the glory?

Philippians 1:15-18   Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will: 16 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; 17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

The outpouring of the gospel in ones life that it has changed is a natural work of that Good Work. It should so stir your soul that you cannot contain the good news. You have felt that change that salvation has brought, and the desire to share that good news is a work of Christ’s Spirit that now lives inside of you. We all have a seed of evangelism sown in us with the knowledge of Christ that dwells in us. That need to spread the story of salvation should always come from a pure heart driven by the motive of attention to the Savior; not the soul saved. Our testimony is the proof of the act of salvation, but should not be the focal point of our witness.

Paul was in prison and the gospel was spreading outside of the walls. The news was getting back to him of those seeking to bring glory to themselves in their preaching of it. It is unclear of exactly what was being taught, but they seemed to be preaching salvation through Christ. It did not seem to be the heretical preaching of the Judiaizers Paul spoke of in Galatians. These people may have been jealous of the attention Paul was receiving; they may have sown their dissension from lack of respect for Paul; for some reasons they seemed against him and in their preaching the gospel and sowed division with it. 6 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely,. Many of today’s preachers in the media have these same selfish motives that hide in pride and money behind their ministries. A good friend of mine came to know Christ listening to one of them, but he also came to see the trouble in that ministry as he grew closer to Christ himself.

Paul rejoiced in all the news of the gospel being spread. He knew that those who were preaching the word must answer with the motives of their hearts to only God. God knows the heart and knows the reason behind every word and action. As we grow closer to God ourselves, we gain a knowledge and understanding of Him as Paul spoke of in Philippians 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment. This knowledge that is used in the context of our relationship with God, is used in the discernment of our relationships with each other. God may shed the light on ministry motives; He may open our eyes to those in the media. We like Paul can rejoice in the spreading of the gospel, but like Paul we must only seek to draw glory to Christ.

 
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Posted by on January 22, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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From start to finish

19 Jan

From start to finish

2 Corinthians 8:10-11   And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; 11 but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have.

Paul was writing his second letter to the Corinthians. He was here trying to encourage them to give to support the needy in Jerusalem and Judea. The Jews there due to sieges, famine, and persecution were in dire need. Although Paul was called to deliver the Gospel to the Gentiles, he still had a heart for his fellow Jew and took the opportunity to express the brotherhood of Christians in sacrificial giving that knows no bounds. Paul had used the example of the churches in Macedonia that had given so sacrificially. Paul spends much time in chapters 8 & 9 on the subject of giving; more than anywhere else in the New Testament.

A product of the heart of a Christian is a desire to give; to serve; to perform a good deed out of love for what Christ has given us; a desire to repay and extend our love to others. The Corinthians excelled in many gifts, and Paul encouraged them to use them. 2 Corinthians 8:7 But as you abound in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us–see that you abound in this grace also. 8 I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. The giving of ourselves in any way in the name of Christ is an act of Christ through us; it lets His light shine through us to a dark world. These examples of our love for our fellow man are examples of Christian love; providing for those in need. Christ gave us the ultimate gift when we were spiritually bankrupt; He paid our eternal debt and gave us the opportunity to become eternally rich.

The scripture above could be paraphrased simply, “Finish what you started”. So many times we are spurred on to the impulse of acts of kindness only to have Satan block our paths of completion. Satan indeed will give you every reason and opportunity to not see them through to completion; many of them will even seem under good pretense. When you are given the thought of the act; God knows what he has supplied you for that thought. 2 Corinthians 8:12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. That is your enemy trying to convince you you cannot do it; you will not complete it; you will not succeed with it. Christ is telling you to start and finish it; He will provide.

 
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Posted by on January 19, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Is He or isn’t he?

17 Jan

Is He or isn’t he?

John 11:25-26    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?”

John 11 is the chapter in the Bible that even most lost people know; it is where we find the story of Christ raising Lazarus from the dead. There are so many points in the scripture; so many ways Christ describes the power of the Father; his Sovereignty, or all knowing and control over our lives. The free will that He has given us allows us to waiver, but He is in control of all things. Christ knew that Lazarus was going to die, and Christ knew there was a purpose of God behind it; for Christ to glorify God in it. John 4:4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” In my Bible I have written beside this scripture Romans 8:28; a reference to the control God has over all His creation.

Do you believe in Christ as the Son of God? Do you believe He came to earth as 100% God, 100% man, all to provide you a means to reach heaven? He was not a good man, was not a great prophet, was not the archangel Michael; He was and is God. You must get this right; you must not waiver on your believe in Christ as the eternal Son of God; sitting right now at His Father’s right hand on the throne in heaven. He alone holds the key to your forgiveness of sin and eternal paradise with Him. 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 must believe that there is no other means by which you will enter heaven; but by all other means you will be denied and punished eternally in hell.

There are so many false religions out there. All of them point to many ways to God. All of them point to you doing something to earn your way to God. All of them point to the power of yourself to puff your chest out in pride for that accomplishment. What kind of god do they have who could not do it on his own; their god makes you work your way in to help him? My God is so great that all it requires is the faith in Him to do what I cannot. To humble myself and understand that He is God and He sacrificed His Son for me. That faith and humble repentance is the key to eternal paradise and security. The Apostle John’s gospel focal point is the deity of Christ; he begins his writings with this statement of Christ in the beginning of time as the Word. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. There is no middle ground; either He is God to you, or He is not. This decision and understanding is eternal.

 
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Posted by on January 17, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Either……Or…….

11 Jan

Either……Or…….

Philippians 3:7-8    But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

This scripture will always bring a reflection; always make you want to take a look at your life from the outside; look in to reflect on what you have held, and do hold dear. What is important to you? For so many of us it would fall under the heading of success. Success typically brings with it the perks of it; material possessions that flaunt our success. Working all our lives to impress those that surround us, to chase dreams of happiness that are never found in material possessions. I for so long lived in this circle of destruction. It is painful to look back at the last 25 years with the labor, the pain, the false financial security, the cost to my family, the cost to my health, the list of damage that fell in the path of empty pursuits under the heading of success.

Paul was very successful by worldly standards. His accomplishments even from birth had molded him into a great man to those that knew him and even in his own eyes. He had gained knowledge and power, and was growing in power in the church; Paul (then Saul) was full of pride. Philippians 3:4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. He had it all he thought, yet he lacked the one thing that mattered; Christ. Jesus came to him on the Damascus road and changed his outlook on life forever. He saw his sin, and he saw the need for a Savior. He became the great apostle Paul who’s life was used by God to write most of the New Testament and give us the example of a disciple; a life dedicated to Christ.

James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. You can work 80hrs a week to enjoy your trophies of success for a few hours a week. You can work yourself to the bone, only to have a illness rob you of your plans for the rewards of retirement. You can pour your entire life into the pursuit of success and leave a wake of destruction in those close to you that truly matter. You can also pursue a life dedicated to becoming a disciple of Christ’s just like Paul and enjoy an eternity of retirement in heaven. Will you spend your time here pursuing the eternal, or the temporary? You have a choice to make. Either invest your energies in the temporal, or the eternal.

 
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Posted by on January 11, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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When to hold; when to fold

09 Jan

When to hold; when to fold

2 John 1:9-11    Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

Hospitality was a big part of Bible times; welcoming strangers into their homes and towns. Throughout the Bible we are told to entertain strangers, to welcome sinners, to show them the love of Christ. Christ even speaks of being that stranger that was welcomed in (Matthew 25:35). During those days of the early church there were many traveling teachers and preachers also. There were groups that were modifying the good news of Christ, and leading people astray. John is warning the believers to take a stand against those false teachers; do not show them hospitality. If as a believer you show them that hospitality, you are being seen as supporting their cause. John is saying to test their doctrine, and deny it and them if it goes against Christ.

In today’s society we are far from an open door for strangers. It was even in my lifetime that doors were never locked, hitchhiking was a mode of transportation, and if a stranger came to your door they were likely welcomed in. Today we live in fear of the evil that lurks in our midst. The traveling teachers and preachers of our day are most likely on the TV, radio, and internet. They fill our airways and minds with their doctrines; are we welcoming them in? Are we testing what they preach with the God’s Word? 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Do not believe every thing you hear. Go to God’s Word and investigate it for yourself.

When you are hearing a good sermon in the pulpit, the radio, or any other means; take notes if possible. Write down what God is pressing on your heart. It may be that you find in your research that God is showing you the answer to a question you had been asking him. You may find that the teacher was wrong in what they spoke. God may be showing you to stay away from that teacher; to not welcome them into your mind as they did in the times of the Bible into their homes. Through your testing of things in God’s Word and prayer you gain discernment. You begin to understand the differences between good and false teachings. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. You know what to hold onto, and what to let go of.

 
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Posted by on January 9, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Loosing a battle for ultimate victory

06 Jan

Loosing a battle for ultimate victory

Acts 5:38-39    And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it–lest you even be found to fight against God.”

Peter and the apostles were spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sin that he had provided on the cross. The early Christian church was growing, and the leaders in the Jewish church were taking notice. The apostles were being thrown into prison and brought before the council. God was moving in a mighty way and was freeing them from prison miraculously. Although they apostles may have been temporarily chained, God’s Word was never deterred. The leaders of the Jewish church began to move cautiously, for they feared the power of the people. Gamaliel was a respected leader on the Jewish Sanhedrin counsel and spoke these words in Acts above, which led to the release of the apostles. 40 And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

Gamaliel was simply saying that if these men were doing this on their own, they would ultimately fail on their own. But he was also saying with what they had seen; they may be under God’s direction, and they will never be stopped. There is no work of men that can stop an act of God. You may feel God stirring in your heart; prodding you to do something. You may feel as though you can’t do it; but in reality you are fighting against God. This I personally know, and still battle myself; following God’s Will for my life. When Christ came down miraculously to Paul in a blinding light, He asked Paul why he was trying to stop the will of God; the one who he was persecuting. Acts 9:5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” A goad was a tillage tool; also known as something pointed. Easton’s dictionary, “against the goad, was proverbial for unavailing resistance to superior power.”

There are so many ways to read what you see and feel God doing in your life. There is only one way to discern what that is. You must live a life in constant pursuit of God and the things of God in prayer and His Word. This pursuit will lead you to understand, and hopefully submit to God. Once you begin to understand, if you deny what you now understand, you are fighting God. There are many stories in the Bible of people who have struggled with God; in fact most of the people who God did great work with battled in some way with Him. This in some way humbled them, and prepared them for God’s work through them. If God is for it; no man shall prevail or win his own war against it…..not even you

 
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Posted by on January 6, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Loving to the point of loosing

05 Jan

Loving to the point of loosing

Luke 9:23-24   Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

Christ was speaking to “them all”; all that desired to become his disciples. He was not only addressing the chosen 12, but the crowds that followed him in that day, and even to this day. He spoke of denying ourselves daily, and following him with abandonment. Loosing our lives to a life of becoming a slave to him. There must come a point in your life as a Christian that you realize what becoming a Christian truly means. You must come to the point of the realization of the ultimate sacrifice; you must come to the realization of your need for a Savior; you must remove the pride that builds the wall between; you must be drawn to sacrifice your temporal life here for that Savior to reap the eternal rewards. It is as simple as honoring the sacrifice that He gave you.

If you spending your time pursuing earthy rewards, would you say that you are loosing your life here for Christ? If you work 80hrs per week to pay for those rewards, and give Christ maybe a couple hours on Sunday, where is that sacrifice? How will you answer that question when you stand before Him and God asks “What did you do with my Son?” There comes a time of question; there comes a time for growth; there comes a time for commitment of your life in serving Him. His last words to you before ascending into Heaven was to become a disciple and to make disciples; to spread his name throughout the earth. 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.

God has placed you and gifted you where you find yourself today. He has put you in a circle of influence to share your heart for Him. He may have blessed you financially so that you may bless others who are not so fortunate. In these acts of kindness and giving people who may not know Christ, may come to know Christ. How glorious it appears when you give to or for something that is unexpected. That is the heart of a Christian; a sacrificial gift that is bound up in their love for Christ. Loving to the point of loosing their lives to the One whom gave them life.

 
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Posted by on January 5, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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That light hurts my eyes

31 Dec

That light hurts my eyes

John 1:4-5    In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

God woke me up early this morning. I wish I could say it was pleasant, but it was far from it. I woke up in a self-reflection and a deep conviction of sin. I lay there thinking and God kept pointing out sin in my life. The more I reflected; the more He revealed. In my pride I feel like I have come a long way from my old self; but God showed me the journey has only begun. I looked back at recent years in almost a defensive plea; but God knows me and shows me the present struggles; He presses where it hurts to reveal that sin. God knows that my pride will grow if He does not humble me; He knows my struggles. He humbled me in a great way this morning.

The one whom Christ loved was the Apostle John. Their relationship seemed to be special in some way. John spends his gospel pointing to Christ’s deity; that Christ was God. John speaks of Christ as the Light many times in his Gospel. Light will dis-spell darkness, the two cannot co-exist. This light that lives within us not only brings eternal life, but also reveals our sin to us. This light shines in our darkness, and our darkness is revealed to us. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There is no point in your life as a Christian that you get to the point of no need for Christ. When He begins to point out your sin to you He is confirming your need for Him. The conviction of sin is a powerful tool in the work of Sanctification by God in your life.

I had thought I might write of the reflections of 2012 on the last day of it today. I found myself in a reflection and need for a Savior today; a need for a daily deeper walk with God. I found myself humbled by God’s grace and thankful for His mercy. I found myself wanting to draw closer to Him as a result of what He has shown me in my need for Him this morning. The Godliest man I know,  and one of my best friends, has shown me how to emulate Christ. You cannot be around him for five minutes and not know that he is a man of God. My prayer is for God to continue to press me where it hurts, and to mold me into what He desires; to show the reflection of His Son in me. The apostle Paul puts it well: Ephesians 3:8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,. I pray that 2013 brings less of me and more of Him

 
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Posted by on December 31, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Two steps forward; one back

27 Dec

Two steps forward; one back

Galatians 2:18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.

The Apostle Paul begins Galatians giving a timeline of his testimony. He speaks of his life of sin persecuting Christians, his conversion, and the early years after that seeking God. More than 10 years later he goes to Jerusalem again and even has a confrontation with Peter about some hypocrisy he sees in the Apostle Peter. Peter had been called by Christ to witness to the Jews; Paul had been called to witness to the Gentiles. Peter’s acts were damaging his ministry. Paul begins to preach of how they must lead in their dying to the Law’s of tradition; the Law that Christ came to fulfill. The Law did not produce righteousness, and Peter was stepping back into traditions, back into sin.

As I read these scriptures this morning, the Holy Spirit spoke to me of how I easily do the same thing sometimes. The power of the Living Word at work in my soul. I am far from perfect; struggle and fail every day; and need God to prick me every now and then to remind me of it. Those convictions hurt, but in them should bring humble repentance and healing. If I let sin build back into my life, as Paul did in those Jewish traditions, I stand condemned. The law points us to our need for Christ; for we cannot satisfy it’s requirements. Paul explains this in Galatians 3:19-25. Galatians 3:24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. The Law points us to our need for Christ; it is that simple.

Paul continues to pour out his heart in one of the most powerful statements of a person sold out for Christ. He shows he has a life with no other focus than to be a slave to Christ; a sold out disciple with his only purpose to share the hope that lies within him. Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Paul saw nothing else with any purpose than Christ in his life. He was so sold out to he says he “lives by faith in the Son of God”. He recognizes the sacrifice Christ made; he recognizes the life of sin he led; he recognizes his need for Christ every single day to live. Christ will let you fall, only to pick you up again. Seek Him every day, for you need Him every day to live as Paul says. Thank you Lord for your grace you provide every single day.

 
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Posted by on December 27, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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