RSS

Tag Archives: hebrews 13

One thing remains

14 Dec

One thing remains

Hebrews 13:7-8   Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

It is a whole lot easier to follow than to lead. This statement could go into almost any aspect of your life. I always related it to racing bikes; you could pick the lines and the speed of the guy in front of you much easier because you were not making those split second decisions; you were following his lead. As a business owner every decision you make directly affects your employees, and most likely their families. As a leader in your family every decision directly affects the family unit. We all make mistakes, and their is always a consequence to that action. We must learn from these mistakes in preparation for the next time; and their will be a next time.

The writer of Hebrews is speaking of our leaders in the church; those that teach the Word of God to us. Those who lead us are held to a higher standard by God. James 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. They must answer to the CEO of the universe when they fail, and they will fail, for they are human too. Their hearts should be a heart for God alone, and to emulate Christ in every aspect of their lives. They should have love as the bond that holds them together. They should pray to keep pride at bay, and we should do all we can to pray for our leaders, and all the struggles they face in that position.

The writer of Hebrews shows us in the following verse who will never change, and will never fail us – Jesus Christ. Those who lead us here may fail; Christ will never, ever, fail us. If we keep our eyes on Him in all of life’s trials; all of life’s trials will simply draw us closer to Him. Whatever you are facing, you are either looking upwards to Christ, or hanging your head looking down into the trouble. We should seek to keep our focus even in the good times on Christ. These times strengthen us for the trouble to come. Hebrews 13:6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Please watch this encouraging video that brought me to tears of thanksgiving before 6am today.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on December 14, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

R & R, how?

16 Nov

R & R, how?

Matthew 11:28-30   Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Most of us related R&R to rest & relaxation; a common term sought but rarely found in today’s society.  There is an underlying tone growing in our society; a tone of security lost. The lives we once were accustomed to vanish in an instant. Careers that we pour our lives into gone in a flash; and our lives and securities as we knew them vanish before us. The words secure and career have become an oxymoron; impossible to be used in the same sentence. These pains I know firsthand. There are many in my circle of friends experiencing it currently. We are at a point in our lives where we only know to look for God in the days to come; and to only rely on the understanding He will never forsake us. The writer of Hebrews reminds us to keep our eyes only on God; to rest in that security. Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” My study Bible says of this scripture, “This is one of the most emphatic statements in the New Testament. In Greek it contains two double negatives, as if to say, ‘I will never, ever, ever forsake you.” In the times when you struggle and wonder the why’s of life; instill this scripture in your heart to find peace in it.

Christ in the scriptures above had been speaking of John the Baptist and rebuking all the cities where He had performed many miracles, yet they refused to believe. He told them of how they would suffer greatly for turning their backs on Him. Then He went to prayer and thanked His Father for hardening the hearts of the prideful, and blessing the hearts of the humble. The humble found the peace and strength in Christ. They understood their need for Him. Christ sought to take that worry from them, and provide rest for them in their time of need. All that life throws at you; yanks out from under you; all of it can be of no merit when you rest in the security of Christ.

The wisest man who ever lived penned these words of peace in Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. The R&R of life is only, truly, found in Christ.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on November 16, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Press on through it

26 Jul

Press on through it

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

I have a customer God has placed in my path that has suffered the trial of cancer. It has taken away her joy of playing music, but not her faith. I saw her pre-surgery about six months ago, and again yesterday. We have prayed together both times. She is now cancer free, but her face is suffering from a lymph condition, leaving it partially paralyzed. She is scared, but she is also seeing God at work all around her. She shared great stories of people helping her and seeing God at work through it all.

I am a guy who pushes my limits in all that I do. I just don’t know how to do anything half-way. God has allowed me many tests of faith as a result of that  DNA to test my faith’s strength. If you say you believe, and your faith fails at the first problem; did you truly have faith to begin? God will never leave you, never put you out there to face anything alone. Whatever you are facing today, no matter how large or life changing it may be, He is there with you. Hebrews 13:5 For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Many times He may have allowed these things in your life to draw you closer to Him. We have a tendency to not see God at work around us when our life is full of blessings and all is well. We tend to forget that it all flows through His hands when we are being blessed. James 1:17 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.

We are living in a world far from God that is glorifying sin in every media and walk of life. Satan is peaking in His limited power, and God is surely to return to claim all His creation. If you will truly keep your eye on eternity, the problems will become small you are facing now. What is bigger: Your problem or your God? Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.  Keep your eye on the prize and press yourself towards the goal of eternity in paradise with no problems ever again. This too will have been temporary.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on July 26, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Just Go

21 Feb

This morning I awoke not feeling too good, and have been in Genesis reading here, and studying the scriptures. I have had that “pit” feeling all morning like something is wrong. I hope that it is just the Holy Spirit working His conviction work in me, for my disobedience for going against what I am speaking of here.

 

Just Go

Genesis 12:1    Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.

We all know Nike’s famous slogan, “Just do it”. It seems as though God all the way back in Genesis coined that phrase when speaking to Abram, who will later be called Abraham, and a patriarch of faith. God was telling him to leave all he knew. He was with his entire family and is about to become the leader of the family when his father dies, and inherit all that he leaves. Only criminals in that time would flee their clans and run. He was going against traditions, but following God as an act of great faith. God was simply telling him to ‘Just Go’, and not laying out the entire plans before him, as a test of faith for Abram.

We get so scared when we feel God is asking us to do something out of our comfort zone, or even better worded as out of our control. As a business owner, I too struggled with God’s calling to just go, out of my control and comfort zone. The delayed obedience is an act of disobedience in God’s eyes. We can’t wait to move when we are ready. When you feel those tugs of God to move into the unknown, remember what Hebrews 13:5-6 says” Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me? We too can become a leader of faith by demonstrating it to those around us, and moving when God is telling us, by just going out on faith.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on February 21, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,