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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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Hotter than ……..

30 Jun

Hotter than ……..

Isaiah 66:24 “And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

Hotter than Hell….not even close. The popular term is an insult to the eternal heat and fire of Hell. Hell is a real place, and a place that the world has it’s invitation written in many ways. The book of Isaiah closes with this stern warning. This was brought about describing Jerusalem’s garbage dump outside the city with constant fires and rotting corpses that burned continuously. A pretty grim picture, but one that can’t touch purgatory. Eternal fire…..just grasp those two words alone. Psalm 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God.

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. Christ came into the world to rescue you from that fire. He paid for your life with His, and all you must do is to honor that sacrifice by placing your life in His. A humble repentant heart, a true heart that seeks to serve God with all your mind, body and soul, is a heart that will never fear the fires of Hell. Living a life for our short time here in the pursuit of God, and not the things of this world will give you paradise for eternity. Matthew 25:46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 
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Posted by on June 30, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Thristy?

29 Jun

Thristy?

John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

I swear sometimes I think God has a sense of humor. As I lay there this morning watching all the weather channels speak of extreme heat, all they spoke about was hydrating. I then moved over to Reflections and the scripture above was the first one on the screen. I laughed out loud.

Christ was speaking at a great feast (Feast of the Tabernacles), and a large part of that feast was a ritual honoring when God had produced water from a rock for the Israelites when they were in the desert for 40 years. But Christ was telling them of things to come after His departure; and the gift of the Holy Spirit whom He gives to us. John 7:39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. We not only benefit from all that Christ gave us on the Cross for Salvation, we also with that are given His Spirit that comes to live inside us. Christ’s Spirit living inside of you. Do you get the weight of those few words?

That gift is the second greatest gift anyone could ever receive. It comes without even asking with a repentant heart seeking Christ as the Savior of our souls. Once He dwells within us, we begin to live a transformed life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. We begin to see things differently, act differently, speak differently, all because He is living inside us. Those around us take notice and are given that living water to drink that He pours out from us. John 7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” You can have all these things too. Humble your heart before God, repent of your sins, and ask Christ to forgive you and become the Lord of your life. You will never thirst again.

 
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Posted by on June 29, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Freaky weird weather

28 Jun

Freaky weird weather

Daniel 2:21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.

Freaky weird weather seems to be becoming the ‘norm’ over recent years. Even yesterday we set a record low temp of 130 years, and 48-72hrs later we will flirt with the all time record high of 104. Almost a 50 degree temperature swing in a couple of days. Are these not strange enough to begin to question? What if it had snowed and then came back to blazing heat? Every prophet true or not would have been on the street preaching the end of days. Are the days just not “biblical” enough to warrant concern? All of this radical weather we have seen in recent years should simply point us to the One who is in control of it. Man can never control the weather, he just improves his abilities to adapt.

Christ was preaching to the multitudes in the gospel of Luke of how the people could forecast the coming weather from the signs God gave them, but they could not see the signs and Him standing before them. Luke 12:56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time? Are we not discerning the times laid before us now? Are we so concerned with ourselves that we are simply pushing aside what God is writing on the walls of the sky? Countless natural disaster have filled our history books over very recent years that should point us to the power of God. Matthew 24:7-8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. All of these things simply point you to the power of God and His creation. They point you to something you cannot control, yet can dwell in His presence through the power of the Cross. Do not sit in the comfort of your ability to cope with the seasons, but grasp what the season brings.

Matthew Henry put it like this: Even in regard to changes of the weather God gives warning to us what is coming, and art has improved the notices of nature in weather-glasses. The prognostications here referred to had their origin in repeated observations upon the chain of causes: from what has been we conjecture what will be. See the benefit of experience; by taking notice we may come to give notice. Whose is wise will observe and learn.

 
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Posted by on June 28, 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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A dark place, but with a great Light

26 Jun

A dark place, but with a great Light

Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

I had a good friend, a brother in Christ, leave me a message yesterday about someone close to him that died. His voice told of how he was hurting as expected, but his voice spoke of the peace and comfort God brings. He asked me of writing about it, and I have struggled of how to write about one of the toughest subjects – death. We will or have all dealt with it’s pain in our lifetime. The pain that it brings many times seems unbearable, but how is it that some seem to cope better? Without a doubt they will tell you it is always their faith. 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. When we are going through these difficult times resting on God’s comfort, He is glorified. Those around us are drawn to Him through the toughest of tribulations, by those of us who are held in His arms of comfort.

The scripture above speaks of walking through that valley, and Matthew Henry put it so well. “It is a walk through it; they shall not be lost in this valley, but get safely to the mountain of spices on the other side of it. Because there is no evil in it to a child of God; death cannot separate us from the love of God, and therefore it can do us no real harm; it kills the body, but cannot touch the soul. Why should it be dreadful when there is nothing in it hurtful? Because the saints have God’s gracious presence with them in their dying moments; he is then at their right hand, and therefore why should they be moved?” There is great comfort in those words to the believer without attaching all the cliche’s to them.

There is immeasurable comfort in God’s Word. Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. The Spirit will seem to press us into God’s Word during these difficult times, and we will find comfort in the Scriptures. There is no comfort to those who do not know God, but they may be drawn to God by how a believer copes. God’s plans are beyond our understanding, and death is a part of that eternal plan. But as a child of God we can rest in His Sovereignty and the comfort of spending time with our loved ones for eternity in paradise.

 
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Posted by on June 26, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Daily Walk

23 Jun

Daily Walk

James 4:13-14  Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

It has been a crazy long week working over 12hr days in this 90 degree heat. On top of that, the hours I put in on both sides of work eventually catch up with me. God knew I needed the rest and granted me a couple extra hours this morning – Thank You Jesus. As I awoke Satan creeps in telling me I failed my ‘obligation’ (literally used that word) with God, and reminding me of my ‘to do’ list for today. He wants me to skip my time this morning with God. Last night one of the last sermons I heard was about someones last moments in an argument, and then an unexpected death. We never know when it will come, but what will be our last thoughts we carry into heaven? What will we put before a repent heart, a loving heart, a dedicated heart? Don’t carry the load of sin on your heart for any amount of time, for He will carry it for you. Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

We all have our ‘to do’ list, and we all have our plans for the future, but we must realize our future is NOT in our hands. God holds our every breath in His hands, and there is nothing that we can do to change that. We are to honor our bodies as the temples they are, but even that honor we place on them does not mean we control them. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” Spending time with God daily will allow you to refocus and understand that wherever you are, that is where He has placed or allowed you to be. The more time with Him will give you the ability to understand the importance and the peace of knowing He is in control. That peace will allow you to move forward with your plans; but knowing God may change the direction to fit His. Proverbs 4:26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.

 
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Posted by on June 23, 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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In the middle

20 Jun

In the middle

James 3:13-18 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

I have a lot of ‘big picture’ things going on in my life right now. It all can be overwhelming, and the tasks and decisions that lie ahead weigh heavily on my mind. The earthly way will tell us to take the road that brings self gratification at the least cost, but is that the path God would take? James in the scriptures above was speaking to Jewish Christians in the early church, and dealing with many of whom were likely self seeking in their works in the church. The sin of pride had likely crept in and was causing turmoil and confusion in the church. When we are looking for wisdom, the way to look is by bowing our heads, swallowing our pride, and seeking God.

The height of your pride will determine the depth of your confusion, for a humble heart is the ballast upon where you find God in the center. In other words the higher you elevate yourself, the farther you will fall. 1 Timothy 3:6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Seeing God and hearing from God all come with spending time with God. The more time you spend, the easier it is to hear His voice. Satan will creep in and the confusion will come, but that confusion is not from God, and you must just press in closer to God for discernment. 1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace.

The time is now to cultivate that relationship with God. The depth of that relationship will prepare you for the days of confusion and when the trials and turmoils come. Start today, for you do not know what tomorrow may hold, if it comes.

 
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Posted by on June 20, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Early morning peace

18 Jun

Early morning peace

Matthew 6:6-7   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. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

As I sat down here early this morning mentally and physically tired from a long week in many ways, I felt peace in my secret place. I always start my day in a dark room in prayer with only the first light of morn creeping in. Some mornings like today, I search for what to say, even stumbling through my quiet time. Satan can creep in our thoughts even in those times of prayer with feelings of inability or inadequacy. But that is Satan, and God knows your thoughts even before you ask Him. Matthew 6:8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. God just wants you to honor and seek Him daily; that relationship is what He created you for.

The busyness of the world rises with the sun, and the peace of the world flees. Gathering your thoughts in time with God in prayer and His Word will prepare you for the day greater than anything else. It is your personal alone time with God, reading His love letter to you, and praying for His guidance for the day to come. Even when we don’t know what to say, the Holy Spirit inside us communicates as our liaison. Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

This practice of early morning devotion will change your life as nothing else can promise or deliver. Time alone in a secret place with God and His Word will prepare you for the day and the troubles of the day that lie ahead. Following the principle of Matthew 6:33 (Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you) will seem to allow all of the other things of life to fall into place. If you seek God and the things of God first, what you placed before God will seen to have less value, and the lens by which you view them will be filtered and focus changed.

 
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Posted by on June 18, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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