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Priceless treasure

06 Jul

Priceless treasure

1 John 2:27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

I have always been very open about my struggles with memory. Some mornings I use a website to search for a word on my heart. That search many mornings leads to quality time in my favorite Bible. Some mornings I simply park, and read, and study in it. My Bible is full of highlighted passages, notes, and my own words that God has shown me while spending time there. I have had this Bible for over five years, and there is nothing that can compare to the special place it holds in my heart. I left it at church one time, and almost had a panic attack fearing I had lost it forever. Even in my struggles with my memory, it just always seems that I can find what I need when I need it most there. It is truly like there is a direct connection with God in this Book, because there is; He lives between those pages and He knows my love for him and his word. This particular Bible is beyond special to me, it is a part of me.

John is speaking to the Holy Spirit that dwells in us; that Spirit gives us discernment to spiritual things. John was speaking of the anti-christ and the deceivers that are working in the world. There are many that preach a false gospels today in many varieties. Today they seem to be luring people away with the promises of an easy and blessed life, but not preaching the power of the convictions of sin. John is urging you to use the discernment that is given you to see this as a lie; to practice the truths that are found in His Word; to steer away from false teachers; to abide in the Spirit and dwell in His presence in His Word and truth. John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever– 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Christ was speaking to the disciples before he was to suffer for all of mankind at the Cross. He told them of the coming blessing of the Holy Spirit that will be given to all believers in Him. That is Christ’s Sprit that comes to live inside you; he comes to bless you beyond description for your time here. He comes to open up His Word to you like never before. He will take your Bible and communicate to your mind through your heart. You will begin to see Him as never before and be drawn back into His Word daily for another word from Him. You will be drawn to share with others what He has shown you. You will begin to look back at your own Bible and all the notes and highlights in it where He has spoken to you. It will become a priceless treasure to you too.

 
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Posted by on July 6, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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The Inevitable Penalty (borrowed)

02 Jul

The Inevitable Penalty (borrowed)
Matthew 5:26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
As I sat down this morning I saw the opened devotional from yesterday; one that struck a deep chord inside me. Mr. Chambers spoke of the power of the conviction of sin through the Spirit; he spoke of giving our lives up for Christ completely; he spoke of the desire of God to make us more like his Son at all costs. So much that is being preached in the pulpits today is lush Christianity; lost is the work of the Holy Spirit in the convictions of sin and all that come with it through a repentant heart. You cannot claim the promises of heaven and continue to live in sin today. An assurance of Salvation is a heart that desires to flee from that sin that ensnared us for so long. What do you believe? Are you submitting to those convictions, or are you denying that wrenching inside you to continue in that temporal pleasure of sin that has eternal consequence? Mr. Chambers wrote:
“There is no heaven that has a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment. He urged you to come to judgment immediately when He convicted you, but you did not obey. Then the inevitable process began to work, bringing its inevitable penalty. Now you have been “thrown into prison, [and] . . . you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny” (5:25-26). Yet you ask, “Is this a God of mercy and love?” When seen from God’s perspective, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure, spotless, and undefiled, but He wants you to recognize the nature you were exhibiting— the nature of demanding your right to yourself. The moment you are willing for God to change your nature, His recreating forces will begin to work. And the moment you realize that God’s purpose is to get you into the right relationship with Himself and then with others, He will reach to the very limits of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide to do it right now, saying, “Yes, Lord, I will write that letter,” or, “I will be reconciled to that person now.”
These sermons of Jesus Christ are meant for your will and your conscience, not for your head. If you dispute these verses from the Sermon on the Mount with your head, you will dull the appeal to your heart.
If you find yourself asking, “I wonder why I’m not growing spiritually with God?”— then ask yourself if you are paying your debts from God’s standpoint. Do now what you will have to do someday. Every moral question or call comes with an “ought” behind it— the knowledge of knowing what we ought to do.”
God’s goal is to make you more like Christ; period. All that He places on your heart requires that action that Mr. Chambers speaks of; the knowledge of knowing what we should or should not do. That response will determine your walk with God; that obedience either draws you closer to him, or lets you drift away if you deny it. Let the Spirit do His work in you. Respond with pleas for strength to fight the temptations of sin, the heart of forgiveness, the heart of compassion for others who struggle too. Let go and let God do his work in you. Your life will never be the same.

 
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Posted by on July 2, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Do you believe?

01 Jul

Do you believe?

John 12:44-47    Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.

I heard a really good sermon yesterday on Christ’s deity; of how manifested as God in the flesh. Of how He is a part of the Holy Trinity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We simply cannot wrap our minds around this concept, but yet do we believe this concept? Is not faith’s foundation in believing what we cannot see, or even possibly understand? Is the pride of our lives so great, that if we cannot explain it, we will not believe it? That is a deadly pride, the root of all sin, the basis on which there is a separation of heaven and hell. You cannot profess to believe in Christ and not understand that he walked this earth that He created in human form. He humbled himself and came to earth to pay your debt that you could not afford. He died for you to live eternally, with Him, in paradise.

Christ was entering into Jerusalem in this passage; he was coming into town with the knowledge he as going to die the most excruciating death imaginable. He was coming into town to the praise and worship of men; those same men that would soon turn on him and crucify him in very short time. He boldly claims his deity; he understands what this means to those that do not believe. But he also tells them they must believe to be saved; for He will return and judge the world when He comes the second time. John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 12:48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. Are you prepared to kneel before God on that day of judgement? Are you living your life now in preparation for that day? Your sins, past, present, and future can be forgiven by the One who came to save the world; you must believe and grasp that understanding of Him as your Lord and your God.

I guess I don’t get it how someone doesn’t believe. I, even at my worst and greatest sin stages of my life believed in Christ. I chose to run from God and pursue the temporal pleasures of sin, denying the eternal price I would pay for those decisions. I blatantly lived my life against all that I knew to be true. I was captured by the enemy, deep behind enemy lines. How could I say that I believed, and continue to live in sin? I didn’t really believe I guess. For if I had understood what awaited me in hell as a result of my life, I would have stopped and pled for it immediately. Please understand you are not guaranteed tomorrow, but you are guaranteed forgiveness today. It is never to late……until it is.

 
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Posted by on July 1, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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About my magnet

28 Jun

About my magnet

1 Corinthians 2:1-5    And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

I had a talk yesterday with one of my best friends, and the Godliest man I know. He always encourages me, and I always know God is using him to do so. His discernment is incredible; we were talking about God’s calling on our lives and the different calls, but all called to preach. This morning in a favorite devotional, it spoke of being apprehended by God. “We are not here to work for God because we have chose to do so, but because God has apprehended us….What you preach is determined by God, not by your own natural inclinations.” (Oswald Chambers). When God gets that grip on your heart like never before, you come to realize He has you at this moment right were He wants you. As a child of His, Free Will may allow you to wonder from that center line of your life for Him, but the magnetism of His Sovereignty draws you right back to center.

I live in the present tense; my memory and lack of it trouble me deeply. It comes as a result of genetics, abuses, and stresses in my life. It has gotten much worse in recent years. My mornings out here are many times seeking the things I should remember. I felt that pain in our conversation yesterday in speaking of Old Testament stories. I struggle much more than I can ever reveal, but in it I have also seen God renew that desire for the new each day. I cannot rely on any supposed wisdom, for I cannot remember it. That hearts desire for the new word from Him keeps me seeking Him every day. I only want you to see Christ in me, just as Paul says above. I am a “unedjumicated” man; I am enrolled in seminary, but I am far from scholarly. I only seek to know more of God, and the things of God found in deeper study of Him.

There is nothing special about me; all have have, and all I lack, is all God’s Will for my life. My life is found in the pursuit of Him now. My hearts desire is to encourage you to do the same. My life changed when I simply began to read my Bible every day. That act will change you too, for you cannot be unchanged by the Word of God. All that you desire in life is found in that book. All that you desire in life will change in that book. You do not have to go to seminary to become a disciple; you do not have to be educated to preach the Word of God. You only must live your life as found in Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. That hearts desire is the opposite polar magnet that will align you with the magnetism of His Will for your life.

 
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Posted by on June 28, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Mirror First

25 Jun

Mirror First

Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.

I have so much on my mind. I sometimes wonder if all that is on my mind is the distractions of the world, or ways that God draws me closer to Him. In all of it do I stress out with the worry of it, or in it, am I drawn to God through it? Does He allow all of this to keep me seeking Him continually; not to feel as though I can do life on my own? Could I become so comfortable that I don’t see the need for God? This morning in prayer I asked God to help me see my life as He does. To be on the outside looking in at all of my struggles and things that I stress about. I thought of the Brandon Heath song, “Give Me Your Eyes”. It speaks so clearly of the compassion the Lord has for the lost and broken; what we seem to miss so many times stuck in our own worlds of selfish focus on our struggles.

I spent time in Proverbs and came to the passage above. The study of it led to Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. 8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. Reverent fear of the Lord will produce a life that leads to righteousness. That life with it’s pursuit of righteousness will lead to a deeper understanding of how He sees the world. It will strengthen you from the inside out; feeding and nourishing your soul for what the body needs. It will not feed it with worldly “stuff” that blurs our vision from the things as God sees them. The junk that this world seeks to penetrate our minds numbs us to the things of Christ. You know of what I speak; you surely have your own battles just as I. The level of reverent fear of the Lord is directly related to your struggle with those evils.

In the continued study of that passage it led to a parable that Christ spoke of in Luke 18:10-14. It was about a self-righteous man and a tax collector who went to the temple and prayed. The self-righteous man elevated himself, but the tax collector humbled himself and asked God for forgiveness of his sin. Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” When we want to see things as God sees them, we have to be brave enough for the mirror. A reverent fear of the Lord is knowing how He sees ourselves; knowing that in our hearts are we pursuing righteousness or living for the world? If we are in humble pursuit of righteousness, that we are getting glimpses of His eyes. Those glimpses typically start in the mirror.

 
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Posted by on June 25, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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You are special too

23 Jun

You are special too

Galatians 1:11-24     For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.(ESV)

You can’t unpack Paul’s story in a OneMinuteMinistry. There is something grand to see and understand in this passage; Paul understood that he was chosen by God, even chosen before birth (vs15). So much of Paul’s early life was a life a faith by works, earning his salvation by his intellect and his deeds; he felt he was earning his way into heaven. He led even unto persecution those that did not believe what he did. His world changed when Christ came to him on the Damascus road. Christ told him of how he would be called to preach to those he had been persecuting, of how he must suffer for His name. Acts 9:16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Paul understood that all of his life before Christ, all that he had experienced and performed, could now be drawn to glorify Christ. God had let him walk down that road of life to ultimately show the grace of God, and the glory of God in Paul’s life.

God can and will forgive all of your great sins you have ever committed. You can never repay or work out a penance plan for the repayment of sin. On God’s grace alone are you provided through Christ the payment of sin; it was all settled at the cross. Paul understood the err of his ways, he understood that God had chosen him, not that he had chosen God. With that tug in your heart that comes an incredible understanding that God wants you. Can you really deny that One who is asking for your heart? All it takes is a humble repentant plea asking for forgiveness by the only Way to obtain it. John 14:6 I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but through Me.

Today is not meant for deep theological debate on Election. It is meant in the simplicity of the understanding that you have never sinned so greatly, as not to obtain grace. It is meant in the simplicity of how a humble, repentant heart is all it takes to receive that grace found in Christ. That question, that tug in your heart, is God pursuing you. You are a chosen one. You are able to obtain forgiveness; all of your past life can be used to show God’s grace too. He is knocking at the door of your heart, will you open the door?

 
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Posted by on June 23, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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His Word – not mine

22 Jun

His Word – not mine

Galatians 1:10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (ESV)

Oh how I wish I could tell you how much this scripture encouraged me this morning. Of how God gave me the exact words I needed to hear upon opening his Word. Of how I prayed for that encouraging word from Him; and he directly spoke to me with his reply. Thank you Jesus! The self-inflicted pressures of this ministry have been great recently. They come as a result of the demands of the world, and they come as the result of the demands I put upon myself. This ministry is my heartbeat, but whom is it beating for? After a year and a half of this daily diligence, I am my own worst critic. I feel a failure when it does not happen….and pride creeps in. God knows my heart, he knows my load, he gives the means for it’s birth every day.

Paul got it; he never made his ministry about anything but Christ. He could have easily elevated himself with his background and education, but he only sought to remain humble and elevate only Christ. Philippians 3:13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.(ESV) Pride has creeped in and destroyed many a great ministries. They began to feel that they either made it all, or they feel the tug to please men in it all; they seek approval through it. Paul only sought to point others to Christ in it. It is all about Him; it is never about the messenger, it is about the message.

The experiences I have out here every morning are the reason I am out here every morning. How God has changed my heart in recent years all after that conscious effort to start reading my Bible every day. Of how He transformed a life steep in sin, headed down hells highway, to a life with only the goal of pleasing Him and sharing with others the hope I have found in Him. He gave me this ministry and this forgiven heart; I am forever thankful for them both. All I want to do is to encourage you to spend time every day seeking Him on your own. Never let this ministry substitute for time in His Word alone. Matthew 6:33 Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. I am a living proof of how your life will change when you start to read your Bible every day. Make today that day.

 
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Posted by on June 22, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Passionate Devotion

19 Jun

Passionate Devotion
John 21:17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.”
I needed an encouraging word this morning; in my prayer time I pled for God to do so. So much on my mind, the pressures of life come, everything to take my focus off Him. I am no different that you; I struggle just like you in many of the same ways as you. My heart was changed no so long ago, and now my heart yearns for the life after this one, with the One who forgave me and provided that opportunity. That realization has produced in me a passion to seek, serve, and obey my Savior. It is against the current in all that a heart for this world produces. It goes against all that the sin in this world glorifies. That driving force, that love for Christ, must be strong enough to withstand all that comes against that devotion. It must go where it is led by Him; it must endure what is allowed by Him; it must be enabled by Him to continue on at all costs. A disciples heart is a devoted heart to only one cause; their love for Christ, and all that comes with it.
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Service Of Passionate Devotion
Lovest thou Me? . . . Feed My sheep. — John 21:16
Jesus did not say – Make converts to your way of thinking, but look after My sheep, see that they get nourished in the knowledge of Me. We count as service what we do in the way of Christian work; Jesus Christ calls service what we are to Him, not what we do for Him. Discipleship is based on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on adherence to a belief or a creed. “If any man come to Me and hate not . . . , he cannot be My disciple.” There is no argument and no compulsion, but simply – If you would be My disciple, you must be devoted to Me. A man touched by the Spirit of God suddenly says – “Now I see Who Jesus is,” and that is the source of devotion.
Today we have substituted credal belief for personal belief, and that is why so many are devoted to causes and so few devoted to Jesus Christ. People do not want to be devoted to Jesus, but only to the cause He started. Jesus Christ is a source of deep offence to the educated mind of to-day that does not want Him in any other way than as a Comrade. Our Lord’s first obedience was to the will of His Father, not to the needs of men; the saving of men was the natural outcome of His obedience to the Father. If I am devoted to the cause of humanity only, I will soon be exhausted and come to the place where my love will falter; but if I love Jesus Christ personally and passionately, I can serve humanity though men treat me as a door-mat. The secret of a disciple’s life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of the life is its unobtrusiveness. It is like a corn of wheat, which falls into the ground and dies, but presently it will spring up and alter the whole landscape (John 12:24).

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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It’s hard sometimes

17 Jun

It’s hard sometimes

1 Peter 5:8 -9  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

This summer has seemed to bring much more stress and problems than usual. Everything that can go wrong has; odd problems, problems rarely seen, things that just don’t happen, seem to happen anyhow. I have gotten to the breaking point over and over again, ready to lash out at the world and just scream. The flesh inside of me screams “why me?” I have even found myself curse; which by God’s hand he delivered me from that sin early in the sanctification process of my life. By God’s mercy and grace, I have not snapped yet; only through his provision and my hearts desire to stay abiding as his disciple have I not. It has been very hard…….

I read this passage above in my daily devotional this morning. I do understand and see much of my life through a spiritual lens; a lens of discernment from which many of my problems arise. My adversary knows my heart for God and his goal is to keep my heart from God; to cause me to lash out at God; to return to my old sinful self that he was proud of. When you turn your life over to Christ, you do not get to press the “Easy Button”. Satan has a real reason to pursue you with increased diligence, for you have “switched sides”. It is a lie from hell being preached in the world today of a life of ease as a Christian. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that. We are taught to live for eternity.

2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. All that our outward man, that is all that we battle in the flesh, is the result of sin. Satan is in control of this world; the outward world, the one that is flesh and perishing. God has him on a leash, he can only go as far as God allows, but all his work is perishing. Only those that are in Christ are living for the world to come; a world perfect without Satan & sin, with renewed heavenly bodies, a world with Christ alone in his kingdom. Keeping our eyes on the eternal goal gives us the strength to understand all these problems are from a defeated enemy. Know that you are not alone in your struggles, but seek the brotherhood of faith to assist you in them.

 
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Posted by on June 17, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Get back up

16 Jun

Get back up

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.

Satan loves to find that which troubles us and press us there. He works his evil by continuing to strike us where is hurts. I could go down three or four roads where I am taking his blows right now. All of them hurt, and he seeks to take my eyes off Christ and concentrate on the pain. He wants me to lash out at God with the “why me”; or the anger that comes in it. He wants me to rebel against God and all that He has planned for me. Satan wants me to concentrate on the temporal situations, and not the eternal solution. God is allowing these trials to show me his work in them. I am so tired; mentally and physically in so many ways. I feel like the prize fighter who is entering the 12th round, battered and bruised but determined to win the fight.

I understand how lucky I am in so many ways compared to most. I know the blessings I have outweigh those that have not so much. I know that my troubles seem small to so many that face real struggles. I know that Satan is just as good at striking you as he is me. Paul was one who suffered immeasurably for Christ; yet through all of it he gave us most of the New Testament. When Ananias was called by God to go see Paul, the Lord told him the plans he had for Paul. Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Sometimes when I look at my life before Christ, I feel that I too should have to suffer for His name.

So much I read talks about suffering for Christ. Are you willing to suffer for Him? Are you wanting the life of ease and the blessings that all these false prophets preach today? Are you truly swept away by their feel good gospel that never talks of suffering? Do you believe that Christ paid the ultimate price for you to have everything you wanted on this temporal earth that Satan rules? Don’t you think that He is more concerned with your eternal destiny, than at best a 100 years here? Philippians 1:29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

 
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Posted by on June 16, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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