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Woven

31 Jul

Woven

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.

The parable of John 15 is that of the vine. It speaks of the relationship between the vinedresser (gardener), the vine, and the branch. God is the vinedresser, Christ is the vine, and we are the branch. The verb abide is found 10 times in this parable. What is ‘to abide’ – to remain stable or fixed in a state (Websters). I have also read it in study described as a ‘state of being’, or to stay, or to sink in. But how can we abide in Christ? That word being a verb requires an action correct? That action is found in verse 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. The way to abide is action of obeying.

That action is found in the pursuit of God and the things of God, through prayer and His Word. His Word will begin to shed light into your life, and as your relationship begins to grow you will begin to understand His Will for your life. It is not a life of limitations, but a freedom from the bondages you have endured until He came into your life. God is glorified through you and your changed life because of the testament to others of that freedom and change by following His Word and His Will for your life. Your life will produce fruit as a result of His work through you.  8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

A disciple is a big scary word to some. Your heart has the ability to become a disciple, through the pursuit and abiding in Christ. When you set your heart to follow God, to truly draw near and make a change through the lens of the gospel of Christ, your life will never be the same. It will become a testament to the power of God, the glory of God, and you will truly want to share with others what He has done for you. A disciple simply lives a life of obedience of God’s Will and commandments in a pursuit of that relationship. The fruit is a byproduct of God’s work in their lives. Abiding is clinging to the Vine, and letting the vinedresser direct your path in life. That branch that is intertwined with that vine is your life as a person abiding in Christ.

 
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Posted by on July 31, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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We all have our ‘legion’ he has freed us from

30 Jul

We all have our ‘legion’ he has freed us from

Mark 5:18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

In Mark 5 we are told of the maniac demon possessed madman who Christ healed. He was possessed by a legion of demons (perhaps as many as 6000). His story of woe was one of torment by Satan’s demons and incredible strength. But the day Christ arrived everything changed. The man approached Christ and the demon’s knew Christ and begged for His mercy. They entered a herd of pigs, ran off a cliff and into the sea. An incredible thing to witness for many that did see it happen. They feared Christ and asked Him to leave.

The one who was delivered begged to go with Christ. This is the only one of Christ’s miracles where He told the recipient to go tell others what had happened to him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” In my study materials the title is, “How a Madman became a Missionary”. The man went into a area of ten cities (Decapolis) and began to share the miracle of change that Christ had performed in Him. He shared his testimony.

Your testimony may not be of a deliverance from demons, but Christ has done His miraculous work in you, and changed your life from the inside out also.  1 Corinthians 1:6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you. Christ has produced a change, and that change should be evident in your every day life. You should articulate it in your words and your actions as a testament to His miracle in you. What you have experienced before and after in your life He allowed in your life. It all can be used in your testimony to encourage others of the miracle He can perform in their lives also. You too are a miracle living in God’s mercy and grace today. Spread the good news of His work for you to encourage someone today.

 
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Posted by on July 30, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Prayer for Aurora

21 Jul

Prayer for Aurora

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

I have really been struggling this morning on where to write. The thoughts in my head are dominated by the senseless tragedy in Aurora. As the days unfold we will learn many details of horror and heroism that unfolded that night. We will learn the media’s play on the killer’s life. There will be all sort of theories as to ‘why’. That is what everyone wants to know, yet it is not where our focus should be. There are evil people beyond our understanding near us every day, and they do not need glorified in their acts. The focus needs to be on comforting those affected as a result of their actions.

Many ask how could God allow this. I cannot begin to understand, but I can rest in the assurance of His Sovereignty, and the understanding of how evil can still be used to draw people to Him. Those that survived will realize the value of life, and many of them will change their lives for the better as a result with a humble thankful heart. The incredible story of the girl who had just survived another shooting months earlier, yet lost her life Thursday. There were some pics of people gathered in prayer that were gripping. Colossians 4:2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. In times like these we can only seek God for prayers for the lost, for the injured, and for the emotionally hurting. We can show them the compassion that God has shown us.

Please take time over the coming days to earnestly pray for those affected. Pray for them to seek Godly counsel for help in their pain. Pray for them to feel God’s touch and comfort that they will find the peace of God in this. Philippians 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Pray for healing both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Pray for them to seek God in all of this and not to fall into the snares of the world’s comfort. Let this tragedy bring them closer to Jesus. Amen.

 
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Posted by on July 21, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Draw the Line

19 Jul

Draw the Line

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

I was reading Psalm 51 this morning; a powerful poem from David in his plea to God for forgiveness. His sins with Bathsheba and the murder that followed haunted him. The prophet Nathan had spoken to him a word from God in conviction. David pours out his heart to God in this Psalm begging for God’s grace.

My life before Christ haunts me. Satan loves to stir the memories of the great sins and the thousands of less ones. But regardless they are all sin. Satan wants to weaken my faith in fear and doubt, but God uses it to strengthen my faith in the assurance of Salvation; living now by God’s grace. I find myself resting on the words of Paul in 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.  You must understand their is no sin that you have committed that a repentant heart before God will not be forgiven.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart– These, O God, You will not despise. The weight of sin you feel is God pressing in to draw you close to Him. The conviction you feel will either push you away, or pull you in through a humble repentant heart in a plea for forgiveness. Romans 6 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You can have a “do over” with your life. You can repent of the past sin and be forgiven of the future sin. It all can be a line in the sand when you go before God in the plea for His grace, through the blood of His Son. Is there any reason you would want to continue without taking the stick and drawing the line in the sand of your heart?

 
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Posted by on July 19, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Thankfullness

15 Jul

Thankfullness

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

This morning I woke up with a heart full of thanks for the great day with friends yesterday God had blessed me with. I began to think of how could I write about being thankful to God. How could I possibly sum up “Thankfulness” in a OneMinuteMinsitry?

Everything you have is a gift from God. In that simple sentence, the breath you take, the eyes you read with, the mind you comprehend with, the place you are at, the sun that arose to give you the day, the luxuries that surround you…………should I keep going? My mind started to bend in trying to simplify something so complex, yet so simple. Every single thing in your life was filtered through Gods hands to draw you closer to him. It is that simple.

Psalm 106:1 Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. David wrote most of the Psalms, and poured his heart out to God many times when he did not understand why he was facing the trials he was, yet he understood to give thanks for them for they served God’s purpose. “Give thanks” is found 26 times in the Psalms. Colossians 3:14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. The Apostle Paul was speaking to unity in the church and of how we are to be filled with God’s love and that breeds a heart full of thanksgiving.

A prideful heart will not breed thanksgiving. A humble heart will breed thanksgiving with the realization of everything comes from above. James 1:7 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Stop, drop, and pray a prayer of thanksgiving today.

 
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Posted by on July 15, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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The climb

08 Jul

The climb

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

Christ was beginning his Sermon on the Mount here in Matthew. He began with what we call the ‘Beatitudes’. Christ is going against all the world is teaching in a way with words of simple summaries. He is teaching that His way of living will bring blessing eternal and not temporal. He is extending His invitation to them early in this sermon to prepare them for what He is about to teach.

Do you hunger for God? Is there something inside you that wants to know more, to draw closer, to pursue a relationship that grows daily? God has given you that ability through Christ. 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. At the day of Pentecost the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit, and that same Spirit lives within you today, urging you to draw closer to God. Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. That feeling inside you is the Holy Spirit tugging you towards righteousness in your daily life. Are you following His lead, or denying Him and grieving the Spirit?

A hunger for God is a pang that should never subside. He will fill you with His Spirit and His Word, but you should always desire more. Your relationship with God is never to stagnate, for still is falling away. You are either moving upward in pursuit of Him, or you are sliding backwards; the climb has not grip, but God has the rope. That pursuit of righteousness is God’s arms pulling you up the climb closer to him and eternal blessing.

 
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Posted by on July 8, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Let’s talk God

02 Jul

Let’s talk God

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18   Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I was thinking this morning while I was praying about a ‘little thing’; and of how lucky I was on ‘big things’. I have even found myself praying over service calls more this past week due to the extreme heat and even some nightmare calls. Yes, I do pray over air conditioners for God to help me have the ability to fix them, and to provide comfort to those in need. I ask God for guidance in so many areas of my daily walk seeking His Will.

So many times we only go to God with our pleas and not our gratitude. Does God go, “I wonder what they want this time” when you pray? Is that the only time you go to Him in prayer? He knows what you want before you ask it, but think of the joy He has when you don’t ask for, but pray a prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude. He gave you the very breath of life, and the breath to pray. 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. There is much in that verse, for wherever we are in our lives, God has designed or allowed it. All of it can be used to draw you closer to Him, and to glorify Him as a result of where you are today.

17 pray without ceasing. Does this mean to stop your car, to bow your head at work, or to do nothing else but meditate? No; the Apostle Paul is trying to convey to be persistent and consistent in your prayer. A person who is abiding in Christ will be a person who is not afraid to pray at any time about any thing. The closer your relationship grows to God, the more you will be drawn to talk to Him. You will gain a respect and an ability to open the lines of communication with the One whom created you. How will you ever get to know anybody better if you don’t first talk to them? Start today by giving thanks for the breath He gave you today.

 
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Posted by on July 2, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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I wanna Abide

25 Jun

I wanna Abide

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.

God granted me a good nights sleep, and I lay there this morning with my mind ramping up. I was also watching Reflections that scrolls scripture as I do most mornings. John 15:5 came across and it was clearly a word from God for me.  “Without me you can do nothing”. There are endless roads to go down with that scripture with eternal implications, but for today it was God’s reassurance to keep my eyes on Him. When the load that lies before you is daunting, where do you lean? Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Leaning on God in the practical application is surrounding yourself in His Word, and turning over your concerns to Him in prayer.

How much time you spend with God is directly related to how you handle the stress and strain of life. The closer you get to God the more Satan tries to pull you away in both turmoil and even blessings to draw your attention away from God. Start your day in prayer and His Word. Matthew 6:33 Seek ye first the kingdom of God…. Surround yourself with God’s Word all day. There is Christian radio, podcast’s, TV, CD’s, on YOUR PHONE….you name it in this digital age. God can speak to you anytime His Word is read or spoken, but how can you hear from God if you are not seeking Him? Romans 10:7 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Abiding in the scripture above is a state of ‘being’. Abiding is only found in the heart of those continually seeking God. Abiding in Christ is where you find rest in a world that is out of control. Abiding is where you find God and the peace of God. Abiding starts with the heart that seeks…….daily.

 
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Posted by on June 25, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Can I help you?

21 Jun

Can I help you?

1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

Someone near you, someone placed in your presence, is in need. Need of _______________. The blank could be filled in by countless means, but do YOU fill in the blank? Is that desire in your heart to help those in need, to show love and compassion toward those around you? It may be easy to talk the talk, but do we act and walk the walk? All these situations are placed before us by God to gauge our hearts by our reactions. If we preach love, yet deny helping those in need, we are preaching a false gospel and our hearts are not right with God. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things . If you deny that tug in your heart when it comes time to help by filling in the blank above, you could be denying God.

There is great comfort and assurance of the heart that moves forward in these deeds. The reaching out to offer help is the first step of acting in the love we possess. That going out of our comfort zone is where we meet God on the field of discipleship. When they see the love of Christ in us by these selfless acts of kindness. We may be a light that they needed in a very dark time through a simple act of kindness. Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. You may be the only Bible someone has ever opened, but you may also be the reason they open the Bible. Reach out today and simply show an act of the love you possess, and spread the love of Christ in doing so. You will gain even more than you give, for your heart will be right with God. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

 
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Posted by on June 21, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Supreme Commander

19 Jun

Supreme Commander

Joshua 5:13-15 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

I expect most of us have heard the Biblical story as children of when Joshua and his army marched around the city of Jericho seven times. Then on the seventh time the priest blew their trumpets, and the warriors shouted, and the cities walls came crumbling down. There is not another victory in the battles of history that can claim that method. But before that battle Joshua had a divine encounter, or a Christophany; a vision of the preincarnate appearance of Jesus Christ in these verses above. Joshua was probably in prayer or meditation and became aware of someone near him. But in His courage as a leader he approached the figure that had His sword drawn to ask if he was a friend or foe. Imagine his surprise at His realization of to Whom he was speaking.

Christ was giving Joshua a glimpse into the spiritual world and the armies of heaven were being lead by the Supreme commander. Another verse that speaks of these glimpses is found in 2 Kings 6:16-17 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. This invisible world is all around us every day, and many times there is a warfare that surrounds us on that plain which we cannot see, but feel. Countless stories in the Bible speak of this warfare, and the story of Job is another. If we are believers in Christ, followers of Christ, and seeking the things of Christ; then Christ is our Supreme commander of His angelic armies on our behalf also. You are not alone in this thing called life; but you may rest in His assurance that He has a plan, and it is all under His control. If you proclaim Christ as your Savior and fall under His command, you will ultimately rest in eternal victory because the victory is assured in the Word of God.

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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