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OK God, you asked……

04 Jan

OK God, you asked……

Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

I have been really struggling the past couple of months with the inner wars in my head. The struggles that many of us face that are handled in the seen, but warred in the unseen. The struggles of life that command our thoughts even when we do no let them become visible. Like many of you, financial security is a thing of the past. I have seen people close to me deeply hurt. I have struggled in the church I call home. I have struggled with those close to me and how they turn their backs on God. I have struggled when God humbled me in great ways showing me my sin. I could go on and on and make the weight of the list too personal, but we all have a personal list. All of these weights bear down on me; bear down in a place of my mind that begin to affect the outer self. I know this load that I bear is becoming too much to bear alone. I must take the weight of this and lay it at the foot of the cross, daily.

Luke 9:23 can mean so many things in so many ways. It is a personal message from Christ that can apply to every struggle you face. It is broad enough, and personal enough, to apply to what you are trying to face; trying to carry; trying to hide; trying to resolve; trying to handle on your own. Pride is at the root of that sin of selfishness, and it will keep you from lightening that load by letting Christ take it from you. Christ desires for us to share what we face with Him, for in Him is strength to face the struggle He has allowed or designed. Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. All you face in life is not meant to handle alone; it is meant to draw you to Jesus.

I have a deep desire to draw closer to God this year. The last morning of 2012 God pressed down on me the sins in my life; the struggles in my life, many of which are unseen, many of which are in the mind. The inner wars of pride and covetousness are a huge battle I face. These inner wars are only fixed in a spiritual plain, and that is only in releasing them daily to God. In my heart for God I must pray for grace and mercy for the day I face. I must pray for the strength to give up my pride and become humble as a lifestyle. Proverbs 29:33 A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor. I must approach Christ every day and release my struggles to Him, give it all to Him, and pray for the guidance to follow His will for me for the day. (Paraphrased Luke:9:23)

 
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Posted by on January 4, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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How bad to you want it?

02 Jan

How bad to you want it?

Matthew 17:20-21    So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

It is day two of the New Year and most likely the second day of some sort of resolution for you. I  hope that in your goals God is in there somewhere. The last couple of years I typically Fasted during this time of the year. This year Pastor Alan is calling for a 3 Day Fast for the church to do together; to seek guidance and God’s Will for the church, community, and each individual role in it. “God where do you want me to serve you?” The power of a church fasting together and seeking God on the same subject can produce mighty works of God.It is a humble self-sacrifice to honor God and concentrate fully on the time in prayer and His Word seeking Him. Fasting is a way to draw nearer to God; to hear the direction of God; to silence the white noise of the world by whole heartedly seeking Him in prayer and His Word.

We all love Matthew 17:20; for it speaks of the ability of the depth of our faith to move mountains. It speaks of the power of our faith; it speaks of the power of God at work in us; but it also is in a rebuke by Christ to His disciples for their lack of it. They had been unable earlier to cast out a demon due to their lack of faith. They had just come down from the Mount of Transfiguration with Christ and they were on their final journey with Him to Jerusalem. Their faith must had grown in these days, and Christ was showing them the power of it.; “and nothing will be impossible for you.” Christ was using these last days with them to strengthen them for their work to come serving Him. He again was using analogies with the smallest seed, doing the greatest work, with the inner strength, the inner faith in Him.

Matthew Henry has a great description of fasting: Fasting is of use to put an edge upon prayer; it is an evidence and instance of humiliation which is necessary in prayer, and is a means of mortifying some corrupt habits, and of disposing the body to serve the soul in prayer.” Do you really want to get close to God? Do you really want to seek God with all your heart, mind, body and soul? Would you replace that hunger pain you are feeling with prayer and time in His Word? Would you ask God for spiritual food in the place of junk that you put in your body every day? Are you ready to act of what you hear? Matthew 6 speaks of prayer and fasting; Christ gives us the example of how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13 in the Lord’s Prayer. We also receive the instruction of fasting as the private act between us and God. Matthew 6:8 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. How bad do you want to get closer to God?

 
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Posted by on January 2, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Eternal resolution

01 Jan

Eternal resolution

1 Thessalonians 4:1 -2  Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

This morning is sort of weird. I seemingly have a lot on my mind, yet in the same sentence I feel blank. I have really felt burdened after yesterday with God, and His showing me how much I need Him and how far I must go for Him. Pride creeps in and makes us feel proud, yet at no point in the Christian life should ourselves feel elevated. Pride is at the root of all sin and a great tool of our enemy who uses it to draw our attention away from God. This morning is the day of resolutions; a day of all the things we will say we desire to do or change by our willpower to achieve that goal. Goals are a great thing if we seek God in them. Do we rely on 12 step programs or prayer to achieve them? Programs elevate us, prayer elevates God.

Paul was writing to the the Thessalonians encouraging them in the growing of their faith and spreading of the Gospel. Paul spends the first part of chapter 4 speaking to them about sexual purity, and how to live a Christian life (4:1-12). He encourages them to live peaceably with others; to set a good example in their work ethic; to not become wrapped up in the chaos of the world that surrounded them; to lead by example. 1 Thessalonians 4:11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you. Paul knew the struggles they faced and we face many of the same struggles today. We live in a sexual exploited society; we live in a entitlement society; we live in a selfish society; we live in a society that is beginning more and more to persecute the church, even in a nation founded on the freedoms of it.

If today is a day that you set your heart on a goal, why can you not make that goal to seek God and the things of God? Why can’t you make the conscious effort on something that matters eternally, much more than any bad habit that is temporal? Why can’t you make today the start of growing your relationship with your Creator and Savior the greatest resolution ever? Today could be the first day of the rest of your eternal life if you truly seek to change through the Good News of Jesus Christ. Have you been playing Christian but yet never sold your soul out for Christ as a disciple? Is your name on a Most Wanted poster at the gates of hell? Make today’s resolution on of a life consecrated to seeking God and the things of God and you will be eternally rewarded. Matthew 6:33 Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.  True change begins with Christ; true change continues daily in Christ; true change is rewarded eternally, but begins today.

 
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Posted by on January 1, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Two pawns in eternal Chess

30 Dec

Two pawns in eternal Chess

John 4:35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

Christ had just shared Himself with the Samaritan women at the well. She had realized who He was and hurried back to tell the everyone she believed she had met the promised Messiah. The disciples had just returned from town getting supplies. They had found Jesus talking to her, and when she left they urged Him to eat, for they knew He must be weak from the journey. Christ used the analogy of food to them, stressing the understanding of doing the Will of His Father is more important that physical nourishment. John 4:32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” The disciples seemed puzzled with this example and Christ began to explain the need for obedience, and the eternal rewards of it.

God will place those in our circle of influence before us with purpose. Circumstance is not by chance with whom God has placed before you. At some point you most likely will have burdens for the souls of friends, family, and even seemingly random encounters. You may become bold enough to share your faith with them; God smiles on that sowing of hope in Christ that you just shared with them. Many times it may become frustrating when it seems to fall on deaf ears; you may feel like they just don’t want to hear it; they just don’t want to respond. But the key here is that you are sowing the hope of Christ into their lives; you are being obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit that lives within you. John 4:37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ You must not become frustrated, but know that God is doing the greater work in their lives; you are just a vessel for Him to do that work.

What about the person outside of your circle that is also sowing hope in Christ into that person’s life? God may be using both of you to deliver the same message to that person. That person knows that the both of you do not know each other; how can the both of you be telling them the same exact thing? At some point their heart may open, and the realization that God is the one at work through the two of you. You could be playing a critical role in God’s work in a lost soul. You may also be the benefactor of seeing that person come to Christ; reaping what another sows. John 4:38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” You can only experience this when you are obedient to God’s calling on your life to share your faith; to become a disciple for Christ. There is no eternal rewards found in passivity; but great rewards in participation. John 4:36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.

 
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Posted by on December 30, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Entrusted

26 Dec

Entrusted

1 Thessalonians 2:4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.

I have been thinking again this morning of the words my 6yr old used Christmas morning. There was such a burden on his heart that he had to tell me something before he could even seemingly look at his presents. “I am not really entrusted with the presents, I am entrusted with Jesus’s birthday.” His words blew me out of the water, and the choice of the word “entrusted” was what grabbed me. He had been a typical 6yr old with the persistent mention of opening presents for about 72hrs durning family functions. He had been consistently reminded of what Christmas was really about; Jesus’s birthday. At some time it seemed to sink in and God placed that burden on his heart Christmas morning in a beautiful way that I even caught on video.

I searched “entrusted” this morning and found it 3 times in the Bible. The scripture above is what grabbed me. Paul was writing to the Thessalonians, almost defending his ministry. He was speaking of how God had entrusted him with the Good News, and of how He had called Paul to minister, to become a vessel for God to share it through him to others. God trusted Paul and knew Paul’s heart. Paul had a heart for God and the things of God; he did not seek any glory or personal gain as a result of what God had entrusted him with. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed–God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. Paul could have taken what God had given him for self gain, but Paul only sought to point people to Christ; even preaching the Gospel when he knew he would suffer for it.

Have you been “entrusted” with the Gospel? Do you claim Christianity yet live with no evidence of it in your life? What would those that surround you every day say about your faith if they were asked? How many of them might say they don’t want to be a Christian if that is how they act? We will all stand before God when we die and answer what we did with the knowledge of Christ; what we had been entrusted with. Paul spoke of a heart transformed by Christ to those in Philippians 3:8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Paul got it; he lived a life transformed by what he was entrusted with. He lived a life full of the evidence of Christ dwelling in him. He took was God had given him and treated it like a treasure. Nothing else matter in Paul’s life except the gift that he had been given through Christ; and all his life he sought to share what he had been entrusted to with others.

 
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Posted by on December 26, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Learning to read

24 Dec

Learning to read

Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

I don’t gamble; I don’t play the lottery, I don’t win; I loose. There is really no gambling in the stakes for me you see; I would really be just donating my proceeds to whatever cause. I am not scared to “gamble” with God’s Word through. I have jokingly even heard it called Bible roulette. Some people go to God and flippantly tell God to show them something and randomly open the Bible expecting it to be a word from God. Hopefully it doesn’t land on the swine filled with sin that ran off the cliff into the sea (Mark 5:12-13). This morning I was in prayer, even more of a meditation really seeking God on something. I prayed for God to “use me” and to please give me a word of confirmation in His Word. When I opened my Bible the scriptures above was what I saw in only a few verses. Isaiah was telling God “use me”.

God’s Word can speak to you like none other can. No book has ever been written like it, for no other book has been directed by God on how to write it. The Bible is the inspired words of God, where the Spirit lead each man to write what he felt God telling him. Each book incorporates their personality, styles, doctrine, faith, and hope. The Bible contains everything that God knows you will need to live a life of faith in service to Him. 2 Timothy 3:6 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. The more you want your life to change; to honor God; to become a disciple; is all relative to how much time you spend in God’s Word. The more time you spend there, the more you will reflect the image of Christ; which is God’s goal for your life; to emulate His Son.

Pastor Dean spoke yesterday of how we want Christ to be our “buddy, ole’ pal”. He also spoke of how we can never get to that place until Christ is our Lord. The more time you spend in God’s Word, the greater your reverence and awe of Christ as your Lord and Savior become. You should be moved to reverent fear and awe of how great God is through His Word. Isaiah continues to speak to Israel, to prophesy of their coming judgements and then restoration. There is no difference between the Jew and Greek now; Christ came to save us all. We should be witnesses to that; to be used by God to point the lost to Christ. Isaiah 43:10 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior. Prayerfully seek God to grant you wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in the scriptures He has given you. Then make the conscious effort to spend time there. You will not be disappointed, for your life will never be the same.

 
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Posted by on December 24, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Light gathered in Words

23 Dec

Light gathered in Words

2 Peter 1:19-21    And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Some days in prayer and Gods Word, I feel this pressing upon me. A weight almost; a feeling I cannot describe. I do not feel as these scriptures above describe, but I do feel the weight of God speaking to me through them. I fully believe everything that I feel in God’s Word is available to you also. This is the power of God’s Word, a living word, that you can experience also when you seek Him in it every day. There are times in the Word that you cannot escape the scripture that lies before you. It stops you in your tracks; may convict you of sin; may shed light on a struggle; may open your eyes through your heart. When you take the time to slow down and read word for word, you gain a knowledge of your Lord. Peter was speaking as an eyewitness of God speaking to Christ in the verses prior; but the written Word is more powerful than the eyewitness account.

Our world is a dark place right now. Our world needs Christ’s lamps to shine light in this dark place right now. The more time you spend in God’s Word, the brighter your light becomes. God’s Word gives you a discernment for the darkness that lies in the world; it gives you the ability to see things for what the truly are; and many times this may be painful. Paul in Romans 12-14 speaks of putting on this Light and living like Christians. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. The time is at hand to act like a Christian, to walk the talk.

This time of the holidays bring us closer to family. Time to reconnect once or twice a year. Time to share life and love for each other. Do you share your faith with each other? Do you share everything else but your faith? If this is truly the meaning of Christmas, to share the birth of our Savior with all those we meet; are you the light in the darkness? This time of year is the best time of year to bring up your faith. You have the perfect reason to share it; for it is the season for it. God may place one of your family at your feet for this reason. Matthew 5:15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Share the hope and the Light that lives inside you; a light that someone that is very close to you needs in this dark world.

 
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Posted by on December 23, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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JD SOLD (because I am sold out

21 Dec

JD SOLD (because I am sold out)

Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.

I wish I could articulate my mornings to you. I wish I could explain to you my heart, my desire for you to know God, for you to seek God with all your might. For you to arise early, open His Word, pray, and humbly seek Him. My heart lies in Matthew 6:33 Seek Ye First the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. If there is one thing I can share with you outside of the Salvation of Christ, it is the daily pursuit of God. For if you will do this one thing every day, He will take care of all the rest. Satan will give you every reason and every detour to keep this from happening, but you must realize that, and press on. If the focus of your life becomes God and the things of God, there will be little else in your life that matters. When He begins His work in you as a result of that pursuit, true life change happens.

I am selling one of what I would call my top three possessions today. Something that I love, something I hold dear, but something I can do without. Those that know me well know I love to escape on a JD Mower and cut grass; today I let go of that cherished possession. This may seem trivial to some, but it is God at work in my life. There is a point in your whole heart pursuit that God will begin to show you that stuff really doesn’t matter, and many times the stuff is placed before Him. These realities only come to you when you come to God. You do not want to stand before God and try to explain your stuff that got in the way of your heart. Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me. (The first of the Ten Commandments). The proof of our nation that is so far from God is the evidence of all the material possessions that we live our lives in tireless pursuit of.

There seems to be an urgency in the air for our nation to humble itself before God. We are seeing horrific acts of violence that have torn our hearts apart. We are seeing poorly run governments and businesses that are crippling our nations economies and healthcare systems. We are seeing evidences every day of a nation turning it’s back on God. We are promised by God that He will hear us and heal us, if as a nation we will seek Him first. 2 Chronicles 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. This begins with you; begins with you arising earlier than your household, finding a quiet place, and opening God’s Word and your heart by seeking Him. Change begins with you, and real change is only found in God.

 
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Posted by on December 21, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Good News in evil’s wake

19 Dec

Good News in evil’s wake

Acts 10:15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”

There is so much to unpack in this story of the Apostle Peter’s vision from God on the rooftop that day. God had given him a vision of a sheet from heaven rolled down to him, and all of God’s creatures descending down to him. Peter was hungry, and God told him in vs. 13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter was confused, and refused. All of his life as a Jew he was told to abstain from eating certain things set forth in the Mosaic Covenant with God. 14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” 15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” God was showing him many things, including the New Covenant given in Christ to both the Jew and the Greek; all were open to receive God’s grace. God repeated this three times to Peter.

There is no hierarchy in Christianity; no elite ethnic group you are born into; no special church you must attend; no religious system of practices you must follow to become a child of God. You must only humble yourself before God in a plea of forgiveness of your sin, and acceptance of Christ is the only way to God. You can never do any thing that will earn your Salvation with God. You will die in your pride if you feel you have earned it, or become elite with it. Salvation is available to every saint and sinner the same. Romans 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Christ spent His time in His ministry in the company of what we might call the bottom of the barrel; for He knew their hearts.

In all the emotion of the last weeks tragedy, our hearts have been torn. An anger wells up inside of us with no outlet; a grief wells up inside us that spills into memorials. We want to blame something or someone for this tragedy; many even ask where God was in it all. He was right there picking up those children, comforting them, and escorting them to His home for eternity. As Christians we should seek to share the hope we have in eternity with everyone God gives us a chance to. This tragedy opens the door for discussions on life, death, pain, and comfort. You have been given a means to share the hope that lies within you. 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. Do not miss the opportunity to share the Good News with everyone in the wake of the horror Satan meant to steal our hope.

 
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Posted by on December 19, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Strength found in peace

18 Dec

Strength found in peace

Romans 8:38-39   For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I have tried to remove myself and my family from the horror of last Friday. We are not watching the news, for the pain of the victims hits so hard at home with our boys those ages. We do not want to see the sensationalism that the killer receives. We do not want to see political agenda’s take spotlights and advantages of such tragedies. We can only pray for the God’s comfort to all those involved; for them to see and seek the need for God in their lives. I did hear of another teacher yesterday using this as an example to share her faith to her students. She spoke of how she would defend them at all costs; for the hope that lies in her is greater than her hope that lies in the world. That confidence as a Christian breeds hero’s in adversity; that confidence goes against the selfishness that society breeds today.

The Apostle Paul is stating in the scriptures above in every way he can, that nothing can separate us from the security of God’s love. Anything and everything may come against us, but God will never leave us once we are His. Hebrews 13:5 For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” The security you feel when you know, that you know, that you are going to heaven, is an inner strength to face the unthinkable. This inner strength is something Satan continues to try to rob you of, but the more time you spend with God in His Word and prayer, the stronger that secure feeling becomes. This security breeds an inner peace to face the world and the troubles of it. That peace is my one word description of my faith.

Paul speaks a powerful prayer over those at Ephesus. His long prayer of thanksgiving and for their spiritual wisdom, speaks of that peace gained in the knowledge of Christ’s love and power. Ephesians 1:15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. There is obtainable peace to you in a world spinning out of control around you. This peace in you will comfort you, and enable to comfort those around you in their time of need.

 
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Posted by on December 18, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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