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All of creation longs

18 Nov

All of creation longs

Romans 8:22-25  For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

There are underlying tones of sin and hope in humanity. Our entire structure is captured in the travail of sin; the inescapable pain of a soul lost; a soul that was created for intimacy and yet  a chasm came between the Creator and the creation. The divide that sin brought came with pain that all of creation feels. In the scriptures prior, (19-22), the commentaries seem to feel all of God’s creation suffers due to the fall of man into sin. All of creation groans and awaits the return of Christ; the renewal of God’s perfection in the new earth and new heaven. This hope lies in all; this hope of all God’s creatures to return to His original design.

Do you have that hope of Christ’s return? Is there something deep inside your soul that desires for that intimacy and perfection as a child of His in the renewed creation upon His return? Does this world sicken you at their apostasy in the pursuit of selfish, idolistic, material gains? The world around us is consumed by selfish; by placing everything before God. There are separations  growing in society; the rich getting richer, the dissolution of the middle class, and the growth of those classified as poor. Those poor today will become rich in eternity if they place their souls today in Christ. Matthew 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

This hope of things to come; when genuine, will make the travails of today seem small. This hope when nourished daily will see the bigger picture, the reason to perceiver for this short time. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. The strength gained in this nourishment of daily time with God builds that hope that lies within you. It makes the sacrifices seem bearable; it makes the promises of God real. Christ promised the disciples of this in Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. All that you face today, may be all that you face. Tomorrow is a day closer to His return; and the promises that come to those who place their hope in Him. Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

 
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Posted by on November 18, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Heeerrrrre’s your sign……….(in my best Bill Engvall voice)

17 Nov

Heeerrrrre’s your sign……….(in my best Bill Engvall voice)

Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

I am not the “news nerd” I once was. I now usually watch the first 15 minutes of the local news to catch the weather, for it plays a major roll in my business load and schedule. Many times I have to change it and come back to the weather to shield the mayhem from my boys. The world scene I catch mostly by chance online and radio. But the world scene this week has demanded greater attention with the imminent outlook of escalating war in Israel. The stage is being set for an elevated warfront during a time of uncertainty of allies and leadership of that region and abroad. Israel is known throughout the world as God’s people, and God promised Abraham that He would protect them eternally. Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” The Bible is full of proof of this promise of God to the Jewish nation.

We all know of how fragile our nations economy is right now. Most likely many of us have felt it’s pain on a very personal scale. The world’s economy is teetering also on the brink of collapse. We have seen weather phenomena recently that have seemed extraordinary;  great storms, fires, and earthquakes of recent years. All of these are signs of God’s power, not mother nature. He is in control and He is giving us signs to point us to Himself. Are we living in the times of Matthew 24? Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Can you see how much of this could fall onto the timetable of today’s generation?

How can we turn our back blindly on what we see unfolding before us? How can we not be pressed to share the hope that lies within us? Those around us just may seem to not notice, or worse yet to deny God’s work around them. Christ tells us in Matthew His return will catch many by surprise; and they will pay for their mistake eternally. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. The signs are here, the time is now. Can you really afford to go about your day and pretend it is not really happening? It is not too late, until it is.

 
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Posted by on November 17, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Pick up the Word and fight

28 Oct

Pick up the Word and fight

Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.

This has been one of the roughest weeks of inner battles I can remember. The strains of the inner world peaked yesterday with a bought of depression. I have had an incredible life load this week with big discussions with the banking industry about life changes. All of them are geared towards life changes that are more focused on God. Satan sees my plans and has sent his armies of spiritual warfare on the offensive. I have kept these battles to myself, and this is not the place for the details either; we all are battling something; mine are none greater. I had never battled anxiety and depression until the last five years or so; but it has shed a new light on the unseen. There are many types of these; some chemical, some spiritual, some mental. The point of my battle is to open it up to you and share with you how cope, as in the scripture above.

I am not a doctor, I only know my side of this experience; the anxiety feeds the depression. The anxiety is where the war begins, and the anxiety is where the war is either won or lost in the attitude change. The battle cannot be won without a heart that is seeking God in the realm of this spiritual war. This battle is fought on a plain we are not; so we must fight with the only weapon we have, God’s Word. Ephesians 6:17 and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; When the strains become great, we must go to God.

Ephesians 6 speaks of this warfare of which I am entangled; and the requirements as a soldier of Christ’s army.  11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

All I face every day; all I share every day here; all I try to do is to point you to God. I am no different from you; I face the same struggles as you, I have many of the same pains as you; I only wish to show you where my eternal hope lies, in Christ. This small ministry is a rock in my strained world right now. God laid this ministry on my heart, and Satan knows God is using it, so he comes at the vessel of it. I can only know he is a defeated enemy, for I am a soldier for Christ.

 
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Posted by on October 28, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Humility breeds wisdom

18 Oct

Humility breeds wisdom

Isaiah 55:8-9  “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

I think things to death. I try to look at every angle, which results in every possibility, before making decisions. This sometimes takes only seconds, sometimes days. Anyone that has ever been in a leadership role must possess this quality as a leader, for the effects of those decisions have a ripple effect in the wake behind them. The pressures of these thoughts and processes can put a weight upon the leader that they cannot bear. I cannot begin to describe how tough leadership can be, and how leaders must have a crutch to lean on themselves. Hopefully that crutch is prayer and the Word of God.

God does not operate on the same plain as we do. How could He as the Creator and ruler of all? Isaiah points us to His divine, sovereign, wisdom in these scriptures. Everything the Apostle Paul did was to point the lost to the power of God through the saving grace He provided through Jesus Christ. So many of his day fell into two categories: works and wisdom. The Jews felt they earned their faith through works, the Greeks felt they earned their faith through their wisdom. Paul plead with them; “5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:5). No seminary degree is required to gain the wisdom that may be found in the Bible. God has given you everything you need to grow in your faith and knowledge of Him there. A humble heart that prays for His revelation before reading it is a heart that will be opened to it.

Isaiah’s scripture above can speak to our lack of understanding in the circumstances of our lives. God has laid out intricate details of our lives even with the ability of free will intertwined. We begin to question the paths and struggles we are facing, yet we have not the ability to see the outcome He has planned for us. He thinks outside our box. Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. The more time you spend in God’s Word, the more reverent awe of Him you become. A desire develops that continues to draw you there, to plea for Him to reveal more of Himself, to open your eyes through your heart. Your heart changes; your mind changes; He changes you from the inside out with His Word. This produces a behavior that draws the lost to Him through you. James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. Humility through His Word breeds wisdom.

 
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Posted by on October 18, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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He who dies with the most toys, still dies.

14 Oct

He who dies with the most toys, still dies.

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

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

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

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

 
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Posted by on October 14, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Give your cares away

11 Oct

Give your cares away

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.

Are you stressed out? Are the pressures of life and the decisions of life bearing down on your mind to the point of effecting you physically? It can be the demands of the world for our time;(of which there never seems to be enough of). It can be the questions and decisions in life that there never seem to be the answers to. It can become a pressure on our minds that begins to reflect in our outward selves. We may snap easily; we may not feel well; we may loose sleep; we may not remember……where was I going with this? I can give you multiple examples for each and many more of these. The difference in the pressures of life is how you cope. Proverbs 16:3 Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.

If you cope by running away you will eventually run head on into what you are running from. If you cope with some sort of substance to numb the pain, you are creating a new problem that will ultimately destroy you. If you are releasing, (maybe venting would be a better word), your pains on those around you, then you are destroying those around you. You can release your pain to God and the opposite happens; you strengthen your relationship. Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. You find this rest in the time you spend in prayer and God’s Word. These are the two things in life that God has given you to provide you a means of peace when you are with Him. The more time you spend doing both, the better you are able to handle the stresses of life.

God gave me a HUGE encouraging word this morning while researching this passage. Isaiah 50:4 “The Lord God has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned. It is so hard to articulate my mornings with God. This ministry that He has put on my heart is so very humbling, yet gives me strength to face each day. Satan comes at me with both fists, but yet I know how to hand those strains over to God; and Satan’s ploys backfire because I draw nearer instead of coping as in the past. I am nothing special, I just have a heart for God and I live as in Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Wouldn’t you love for today to be the day that you gave your cares away?

 
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Posted by on October 11, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Here. I love to……

27 Jun

Here. I love to……

2 Corinthians 9:6-8   But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

“OoooK; I will give it up if I must. I mean that is what God wants me to do right?” I think we could agree that is not the sound of a cheerful giver, but of one doing what they feel is right, grudgingly. We all have been in that situation of giving a material possession, or invested time in something that we knew we should, but we reeeally didn’t want to. Although it is a ‘good deed’ it is not one that we should expect God to bless. Cheerfulness comes from the heart, and a heart that is in tune with God expels His love cheerfully in outward expressions of that love by giving. This cheerful heart is the one God approves. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

John MacArhur wrote, “While it is possible to give without loving, it is not possible to love with out giving. God gives His Son to all believers, but as previously noted, He blesses in a unique way generous, cheerful givers. In fact, He blesses such believers on such a grand, immense, staggering scale that it beggars language to express it.” 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.  God knows your heart, so He knows why you do what you do. A heart that is after Gods, is a heart that loves to invest freely in gifts and time to draw glory to God, and none to self. The greatest gifts are those done anonymously seeking none for self, but all for His glory.

 
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Posted by on June 27, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Love as He does

10 May

Love as He does

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

I was saying yesterday on Facebook how I don’t mix politics and religion; I pick religion. The passion that was in so many posts yesterday regarding Amendment 1 was coming through on both sides. It was on many stations that I listen to also. I did not vote, therefore I am not allowed to have an opinion, but I can understand some of the viewpoints on both sides. It does however hurt me to see the political arena bring such strong emotions and many times as Christians we begin to not act like Christians. We are to emulate Christ and the love of Christ. We must look past our differences on many fronts and have love for one another. 1 Peter 4:And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

God is a God of love and the book of 1 John is a great place to read of God’s love for us. In this short book John uses different forms of the word love 46 times trying to press the understanding of the importance of love we are to emulate. The more time you spend with God and begin to develop that relationship, the more you will begin to emulate Christ. You begin to see how you walk every day in His grace and mercy. That realization produces an outpouring of thanksgiving of a grateful heart full of love for Him. You will begin to see things in a different light and that hate that the world produces will flee from you. Light dis-spells darkness and in “that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

 
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Posted by on May 10, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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How can ya’ love…….?

13 Apr

How can ya’ love…….?

1 John 4:17-19  Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.

John was the apostle whom Jesus loved, and much of John’s writings are an expression of that love. In the verses before this (1 John 4: 12-16) John is speaking of knowing and seeing God through love, and how our lives are a reflection of Him in that. If we truly abide with Him, we will love one another and become an outpouring of that love, in a self centered world far from it. 1 John 4:12-13 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. The world we live in preaches self at all costs, and Christ preaches humble love through selflessness. When we abide in Him, we begin to reflect His love for others through our actions and reactions that go against what the world expects. They begin to wonder what makes you different.

So much of the world right now is in a state of elevated fear in all arena’s. The wars and rumors of wars are on the forefront of the world stage. The world economy is on the verge of collapse, and most of us have seen drastic changes in our own financial struggles over the recent years. All this is creating fear, but you can possess an inner strength that can overcome that fear. Love and fear are an oxymoron from God’s eyes. Fear is not from God, but from Satan. 2 Timothy 1:For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. When we rest in the eternal security of Salvation, not even war or poverty can tug us down the road of fear Satan wants us to take. He who is in us is greater than He who is in the world. Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Seek the relationship with your heavenly Father daily that will produce a heart full of love, and a sound mind full of peace, that can face the daunting days with a smile that will reflect Christ.

 
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Posted by on April 13, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Even that?

11 Apr

Even that?

Philemon 1:4-7   I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

Yesterday I was sharing my love for God with a customer. He is a brother in Christ and we were just having a great talk. But the reason we started talking was the prompting of the Holy Spirit to do so. When you feel those nudges inside to share your faith, do you respond or immediately begin to argue why this is not the time? Many times we get scared or “cold feet” when we feel led to share out faith. But we are actually saddening the Spirit that lives inside us, for He seeks to edify and share Himself with others. Ephesians 4:29-30 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Christ told the disciples in Matthew 4:19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” This was and is not accomplished by remaining silent.

God can use you in ways you don’t realize, understand, or maybe even conscious of. In Philemon Paul was making a plea to him regarding someone whom had wronged Philemon. Paul was also edifying him for he knew of his love for God and even had a local church meeting at his house. Paul was pleading for forgiveness for the one who had sinned against Philemon. When we speak with someone it should always reflect the love that Christ has instilled in us. These are accomplished through our deeds also. In 2 Corinthians 9:8-15  Paul is speaking of giving to the poor and sharing Christ with them in doing so; how the sharing of our faith through deeds all brings glory to Him. But it is accomplished in our daily routines of life also. Those every day meaningless tasks that occupy time can are even used by God to draw those surrounding you to Him. Nothing is wasted in every breath of your life if you live to glorify Christ. This life in pursuit of Him will not grieve, but please Him that lives within you.

 
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Posted by on April 11, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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