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Accepts and assists

15 Mar

Accepts and assists

Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

The last 36 hours are a blur. I had some sort of illness that resulted in a fever, and almost no sleep the night before. On top of all that my mind was racing with thoughts of my testimony coming up this weekend; I knew this time was different, and I know God is laying the word disciple on my heart. Webster’s dictionary defines a disciple as: one who accepts and assists in the spreading of the doctrines of another. Do you? Are you? Is being a Christian different from being a disciple? It should not be for Christ last commands called us to go forth and spread the Good News that He brought to a dying world (Matthew 28:19-20). Christianity does not mean that you claim the security of Salvation and live a life unchanged after it. There should be such a change in your heart and life that the evidences of His Spirit living inside of you are there for all to see.

Take a real look at yourself; list your top five priorities in life. The true order of the things that matter to you the most. If you are placing your career, success, family, health, security, even your own life at number one, you are not a disciple of Christ. The realization of your eternal damnation as a sinner, and that God himself came to earth for your redemption, should humble your heart to a point of living a life dedicated to Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. The only way to justify sin before a Holy and righteous God is a holy and righteous sacrifice. There was only one that could do that; Jesus Christ came as fully God and fully man. He lived a life that we were originally designed to live, perfect and sinless. He died upon that cross and bore the weight of all sin upon Himself that God might see you righteous through His Son. He paved the way in a free gift of grace, and He will present the invitation to join him to humble, repentant hearts.

There must be a point in your life you realize that scale of your life condemned in sin. With this comes the realization of the need of a Savior; and the means of this which Christ provided for you. GOD sacrificed His Son for you! John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. You have no means by which you are ever to earn it, but you are called to work it out in the acts of being a disciple. You are called to “accept and assist” the ministry of spreading the Gospel. James 2:17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. You are to live a life in daily pursuit of God and the things of God. You are to live a life with an eternal focus; a life that sees the struggles in it as temporary, as means to draw you closer to God. You are to place Christ above everything and everyone; He humbled himself to the point of death for you; can’t you die to Him?

 
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Posted by on March 15, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Dare to be different (Jesus Freak #2)

08 Mar

Dare to be different (Jesus Freak #2)

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

All through history you find those that deny the power of God, even denying that there is a God. There is theology wrapped up in those that believe, and those that deny. Those who believe are considered the “elect”, and those that deny are not. Therein lies a basis for deep doctrinal argument on the biggest topic of Predestination. That is not a topic for a morning devotional. Paul was writing to a church troubled and divided. The church was claiming to be followers of different leaders, and taking their eyes off Christ. They were placing their trust in the wisdom of men, and not the power of God. This today even happens when we place more hope in the man delivering the message, and not the message itself. The message of the cross is the Gospel itself.

Those who deny the power of God are simply placing more faith in themselves than they are the Creator of the universe. They believe their own wisdom is so great, they have figured it all out. They believe that only the ignorant believe in God; how dumb we must be for placing our faith in an unknown God. Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. The proof of God is all around us in creation; the evolution ideal takes more faith to believe in that the ideal of a supreme being. The pride in ones wisdom, is the road paved to eternal damnation. That pride will lead you down a path of destruction without the humbling of your heart, and the realization that you don’t have it all figured out.

Do you smile at the opportunities to share your faith, or do you withdraw for the fear of ridicule? That is a small victory for Satan every time you withdraw. You should never be ashamed of sharing your faith, most likely that urge you feel is because the Holy Spirit is wanting to use you to encourage that person who stands before you. Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.You don’t want to miss that opportunity; it is a step closer to God for you, and most likely them too. You will experience God in your life, and see the fruit of His work through your life. If your message comes with ridicule for your faith, smile and shake the dust off your feet. God has prepared your heart, but maybe not theirs yet. John 15:18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Dare to be different from all those out there who say they believe, yet there is no evidence in their lives. Share your faith whenever possible, and let God perform the increase.

 
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Posted by on March 8, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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HeartLight

11 Dec

HeartLight

Zephaniah 1:12 “And it shall come to pass at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And punish the men Who are settled in complacency, Who say in their heart, ‘The Lord will not do good, Nor will He do evil.’

I am finishing up a semester in school of studying the prophets of the Old Testament. Time after time they warn Israel and other nations of the coming judgement of God. Some nations heed the warning and repent; in their pride other nations stand, only to crumble in God’s wrath. Many of these prophecies have two fold meanings; the immediate historical intent of the nations receiving the word of God from the prophet, and the future intent of the time to come at The Day of the Lord when God passes judgement on the sin of the earth. That day is coming when we all must stand and account for our lives before Him in a holy court. We must answer what we did with the knowledge of Christ; of what we put before becoming disciples of His. How will you answer?

The more time I spend in these prophecies, the more I became concerned for those God has placed in my life. People close to me; co-workers, friends, even family. Do I be bold and share with them not only the Good News; but the wrath of eternal damnation in their apostate views of it? Zephaniah is speaking of how God will search out all that is hidden in that day of judgement on Judah; of the complacency of those resting in religion. Judah had slipped farther and farther away from God and they believed God would never punish His own people. Zephaniah 1:4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests, 5 those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by Milcom, 6 those who have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.” God will always punish un-repented sin.

Remember that test we took as a kids when the first line was to read all the directions before beginning? Most of us began the seemingly endless tasks to be completed in the alloted time. Some of us just sat back and smiled while the others worked feverishly; yet they wondered what we knew. The last line on the test was to put your paper down and to disregard all the previous directions. God is showing you what He has planned for the world throughout the Bible. He has shown you why you struggle; why He gave you Christ to free you from that struggle; what will happen if you deny Him, and the eternal blessings in store if you humble yourself before Him. Do not pass through life thinking God will not search your heart with His Light upon judgement day. Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the Lord is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out.

 
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Posted by on December 11, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Turn the Light on 01/16/12

26 Jan

Turn the Light On

Luke 1:79    To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.

God is light. Light will dis-spell darkness, for  the two cannot coexist. Darkness here is thought of as those eternally lost, living in the shadow of Satan’s eternal damnation without finding the eternal Light. Something as simple as the lights we turn on every night to light our path, are an example of what God has done for us. We are truly lost stumbling around in the darkness without   finding the Way, and lighting our path. Experiment with it yourself one night. That is the representation of your life without Christ.

But with finding the Light, comes a peace that surpasses all understanding. If I were to ask to describe my “religion” in one word, it would be Peace. Salvation brings something that this crazy world in no way can provide. No self help program, no material possession, no book, can provide an indescribable feeling of security that Christ will give you. Once your eternity is set, things here become trivial, and your only focus is to want to share the Good News you possess with others.

 
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Posted by on January 26, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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