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Get through today

23 Dec

Matthew six is highlighted, underlined, circled, and worn out in my Bible. It is in the middle of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and verses 25-34 speak directly about worrying. I am no different from you; my list is long and this is a very real struggle for me. When I get overwhelmed, I go back to this passage and just try to concentrate on today.

 

Get through today

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Dear Lord I love you
I am yours today,
I want to abide with you
Please show me the way.

Satan wants me to worry
But in Matthew six you say,
Don’t worry about tomorrow
Just concentrate on today.

You show how you will provide
For all that we need,
Your analogies of fields
And the birds that you feed.

Satan wants to take
Our minds off of You,
Satan wants us to think
Of all WE must do.

Satan wants us to think
That we create our way,
He doesn’t want us to grasp
Understanding YOU provide the way.

Dear Lord I ask you
That you will help me today,
To understand you are in control
And the part I may play.

I know we all have big things
Decisions and responsibilities abound,
I know we must dig deep
In your Word answers are found.

Concentrate on just today
A blessing itself in that act,
Worrying about tomorrow
Will change the way you react.

 
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Posted by on December 23, 2014 in Daily Devotions

 

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Have you ever Fasted?

27 Jun

Have you ever Fasted?

Matthew 6:16-18    “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Some friends and myself are doing a one-day liquid fast today. I don’t typically reveal that I am fasting, but today I felt that tug to share, for many of you may not understand. It was only a few years ago that I had never heard of it, much less ever tried it. Today I am before you to testify of it. What is a Fast? A fast is the denial of self in an attempt to draw closer to God. It is typically the denial of food and the pleasures found in it. The hunger pains serve as a reminder to seek God in prayer for nourishment. Simplified, the hungrier you get, the more you pray, the closer you get to God; it works through the power of prayer and God’s understanding of the sacrifice you are trying to make with your hearts desire of drawing closer to him. It is not a diet, and will never be honored as such.

Fasting is all throughout the Old Testament. It was part of the traditions of the Israelites and past down for generations. Christ is speaking of it here in his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew above. He is speaking of those that desire the pity of men during a fast, and of how they will receive that pity as their only reward. But He is also speaking of those that privately fast seeking only God, and of how God will reward them. This passage is closely related to the passage before on prayer. Matthew 6:5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Prayer and Fasting are meant to be private conversations between you and God. They are never meant to draw attention to you. They serve as a means to get you closer to God.

There is not a rulebook for Fasting. There is a lot of information out there of peoples opinions on the rules of Fasting; it is an act between only you and God. It should be entered into with prayer, for a heart, mind, body, and soul seeking Him. It should be viewed as holy; it is not a flippant act taking with light regard. If you “cheat”, or treat it as such, the One who you are trying to honor is dis-honored. What would you do; what would you sacrifice to draw closer to God? Is your hearts desire for Him great enough to make a sacrifice? Think of the sacrifices He made for you.

 
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Posted by on June 27, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Satan’s alarm clock

24 Jun

Satan’s alarm clock

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

My life is really hectic this time of year; my wife calls herself an “air conditioning widow”, for work demands regular 80hr weeks in the summer. We really don’t get to spend much quality time together. Yesterday we actually got to talk some about some of the big things going on in our life; just like you, we have a lot on our plate. The whole family went to bed early, and I went right to sleep. My mind evidently continued to race on, for at about 11pm I woke up and prepared to get up like it was morning until she asked what I was doing. As we all know, worrying many times plays into our sleep, or lack of it. I openly struggle with anxiety, which is a brother of worry, which both are sons of Satan. Satan is the author of fear and all the torment it brings in our lives.

I decided to read the Sermon on the Mount this morning. I stopped at this scripture above. It falls on the heels of my favorite verse, Matthew 6:33 Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. That scripture speaks of a focused life, of a life centered on seeking God in all that you do for each and every day. To seek Him and his Will for your life, every single day. To spend time in His Word and prayer, every single day. With that heart will bring strength and peace for that day, especially when you start the day early with Him. It seems that the later in the day is when worry seems to grow. Is that why Daniel prayed three times every day? Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. Daniel practiced the life that Christ spoke about at His sermon on the Mount. Daniel knew those had plotted against him and his faith; he should have worried about what to do in regards to the law that would ultimately have him thrown into the lions den. But in his great faith he did not worry about tomorrow, he sought God today. God was glorified in and through all of Daniels life.

We do not know what tomorrow might bring; we do not know if we are given tomorrow. Why should we worry about what we are not guaranteed? We loose the opportunity for the blessings for today in the worry about tomorrow. We may miss or pass on an opportunity to be used or blessed by God because our focus is on what we cannot control. This is something that requires the diligence of Daniel; a heart such as his that seeks God throughout the day. Keep Satan and his angels at bay with the power of a heart for God and prayer. Today when the stress and worry  of the world press, push back with the strength of prayer. The worry Satan brings can ultimately be used by God against him. Every stress can be an alarm that awakens your need for seeking God in prayer for strength for the day. Satan’s plans backfire and your faith grows.

 
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Posted by on June 24, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Simple songs of praise

12 Jun

Simple songs of praise

Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

I am really tired today; been putting in some very long hours for a couple of weeks getting ramped up for summer in the air conditioning business. I have also been wrapped up in a self-study of Revelation 3, and the Laodecian church that is a very heavy passage. The language is very strong, and the emotion and disgust that Christ shows towards indifference is painfully clear. I did not know if I had the “energy” for it this morning. As I sat down to pray, a bird began it’s morning praise song right outside my window; peace came over me with it’s song. A simple joy in life, to listen to it’s song of praise and and joy for the dawning of a new day. I thanked God for that little reminder He had placed before me this morning.

In the context of the passage above, it comes from the Sermon on the Mount when Christ is speaking to us about worry. It is also in the more direct context of worrying about money; this is especially relevant to me working 80hrs a week now in my busiest time of the year. 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. 25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? I will make 60-70% of my yearly income in the summer months. Brutally honest, I am in the pursuit of money during this time of the year; making hay when the sun shines, as they say. It pulls me away from so many things, and is incredibly demanding physically and mentally. Inside it is the pressures of a service business and all the worry that come with a business that can qualify many times as emergent with the heat. The worry can put great strain on my life in all areas of my life.

Then God gives me simple blessings to encourage me along the way. He gives me a bird singing this morning; He gives me front porch conversation with a pastor friend full of encouragement; He gives me opportunities to share my faith and pray with customers along the way. Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. These little things that He places in my path give me the energy to press on to another day. Why should I worry? God has placed the smallest creatures under his care, and they sing praises to him as the day arises. I sing my praises to Him at this keyboard every morning. Thank you Jesus!

 
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Posted by on June 12, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Only when it works for me

19 Apr

Only when it works for me

Matthew 8:19-22     Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Christ had preached his great Sermon on the Mount; his sermon in response to those who had followed his call of repentance. This sermon was of how to live as a Christian. The large crowd had followed Jesus as he came down from the mountain at the sermons end. Christ had performed miraculous healings, even by only His spoken word from afar for a Roman officers ill servant. Christ was astonished at the level of his faith. Matthew 8:8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! The crowds were growing much larger, everyone wanted to be close to Him, to hear what he had to say and to witness or receive the miracles. Many were caught up in the moment of it all.

Christ told the disciples that it was time for them to get into their boats and go to the other side of the Sea of Tiberias, it was much more that departing to flee the crowds. He knew that he must spread himself to all that would hear his words everywhere, but it was also a testing of those that would follow him. Many of us want all of Him when it is convenient, when He is at our door, or our church; but what about when He asks us to follow Him across the sea, across the street, to step out into the unknown in faith? Is your faith real, or convenient? This scripture above points to two individuals who seemed to want to step out in faith, to go the distance to follow Christ, to draw near to Him. Christ spoke clearly to each individual of the cost of discipleship. To my knowledge it is unknown how they responded. How would you?

Christ spoke to his disciples telling them of the cost of following him. Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Christ has called us to discipleship, not to life resting on the grace that came at the cost of His blood on the Cross. Can you claim the prize without running the race? Can you claim Salvation yet continue to live in sin, or let their be no evidence of Him in your life? If you are zealous on this side of the sea with Him, will you go to the other side of the sea to follow Him? Will you forsake all that you have in a temporal life for an eternal reward? What will you do, or the harder question, what will you not do to follow Christ? He may press upon you heart a great thing to gauge where your heart is with Him. Do you follow, or do you walk away? The rich young ruler was zealous, when it was convenient. Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

 
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Posted by on April 19, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Changing sticks into stones

02 Oct

Changing sticks into stones

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Jesus is coming to a close of His sermon on the mount. He has told them many things of how to live their lives as a believer in Him. He had pointed them to the dangers of sin and the false religions that were so prevalent at the time. The ritualistic society was being replaced, or fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah the Jews sought, but did not see standing before them. Even after Christ death on the cross and the Atonement for our sin, the false teachers entered and corrupted the churches even unto this day. Many are led astray by their false philosophies, miracles, rituals, and feel good messages. Nothing can ever replace the power of the Word of God that He has given to us. Those that teach, and or mislead, will have to answer to God and a higher standard.

But the fear that comes in Matthew 7:21-23 is from being mislead. How are we to know if we are being lead astray by false teachers? Test them by comparing their words to the Word of God. If they do not agree, they are misleading you. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the truth as you spend time searching God’s Word. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. You will get those gut feelings that something is wrong if their words do not agree. That gut feeling is the Spirit guiding you to the truth. The key is that realization and the action that follows it.

Many of the false prophets of today only preach “feel good” sermons that do not rely on the power of the conviction of sin from the Holy Spirit. Those convictions that make you stir; should make you confess, repent, and move one step closer to Christ. When we spend time in prayer and God’s Word, there will be pain involved in the attention to sin in our lives that is revealed. This is where many put the Bible down; to flee from that pain of the conviction of sin. With that pain can come inexpressible joy with the forgiveness and release of that sin to Christ. Through the pain when we are obedient to that stick, that stick becomes a rock set on the cornerstone of Christ in the foundation of our lives secured in Him. 24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Our house becomes not one of rubble, but build to stand through eternity in paradise.

 
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Posted by on October 2, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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