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Open eyes & giving heart

18 Feb

Open eyes & giving heart

1 John 3:16-18    By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

I have been spending a lot of my time in a church project; a remodeling project in an old church where my best friend was called to be the pastor. God placed on my heart to step up and take some of the responsibilities off his shoulders as the project manager, so that he could concentrate on his pastoral duties. I have seen an outpouring of servant hearts in this restoration project. I have seen tireless hours cleaning, painting, polishing, and pouring love back into that old church. I have seen clothing and food donations to start those ministries. I have seen people pour themselves into this project; I have seen their hearts for Christ in the service and skills they provide in the giving of themselves.

John uses four different forms of the word love a total of 46 times in the short epistle of 1 John. He speaks of what do we hold dear; do we place our love in our possessions? Do we love the things of this world? I lived by the motto “The one who dies with the most toys wins” for most of my life. I worked hard to achieve what I thought was happiness in all that I could obtain. That false security, happiness, and pursuit only brought debt, and the realization that it all was meaningless in eternity. 1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. There was a point in my growth as a Christian that Christ showed me the truth; that all of this stuff was idols in my life that I placed above Him; with that understanding came a change of heart.

If you have, and you see a brother that is in need, there should be a conviction to help that person in need. That outpouring of love in a deed is a means to show your love of Christ to all that see. That outpouring of your heart is a means to show that the hope you have is in Him, not in the stuff you once held dear. It may be monetary, it make be a good deed, it may be an encouraging word, but it all shows a heart for Christ and the desire to share the hope that lies within you. 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Open your eyes and give with your heart. Christ may use you to make an eternal difference in someones life by filling that need He shows you.

 
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Posted by on February 18, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Field 4 Sale

16 Feb

Field 4 Sale

Jeremiah 33:2-3   “Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name): 3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Jeremiah was a great prophet of God. He was under house arrest at the king Zedekiah’s palace for speaking against the king. He had prophesied to the king of the coming fall of the kingdom, and it was taking place outside at that time. God’s wrath was bearing down on Israel for turning their backs on God; they had lived in idol worship and sin for generations in the land God had promised them. It was time to pay the price for their sin; yet in the middle of this siege God had delivered a promise of restoration to Jeremiah. He had told Jeremiah to purchase a field, and God would use that in the future for the coming restoration of Israel. It made no sense to Jeremiah, but he also know God had told him to do this, and he was obedient to that calling of God.

When God places something on your heart, sin tries to insert logic into the pathway of faith. Logic tries to wrap our minds around what God is telling us. “Buying a field that is about to be captured in war? Throwing money away for something surely to be lost?” Satan takes that little thing called pride, and inserts it into the idea of we may understand what God is showing us. That hinders our step of faith, which in reality the hindrance is disobedience.  Delayed obedience is still disobedience. Jeremiah went to God in prayer; poured out his heart to God, and God gave him a glimpse of His plan. How will we know if we try to reason on our own? How will we know if we don’t step out in faith to see what is the result of that obedience?

When Jeremiah was praying for understanding, God’s first response was simply encompassing: Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?” Logic is halted in the understanding of God’s power in that statement. Our minds simply cannot understand the plans of God; we are not called to understand, we are called to obey. Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” My God is placing a call on my life similar to Jeremiah’s. I feel God is telling me to sell my field in a time that the world says not to. My God is telling me to be faithful in what He is showing me; to not try to reason with Him, but to be obedient to Him. In these acts of obedience we will see God at work; God’s plans revealed; God’s loving arms woven throughout our lives in the acts of obedience to what he places on our hearts.

 
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Posted by on February 16, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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14 Feb

Can’t reason with God

Genesis 12:1-4    Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

“Just do it. Just do the thing I am placing on your heart. Just do the thing that requires great faith in Me, and not your own abilities. You don’t have all the answers, but I do.” That still small voice has the ability to be very loud and clear sometimes. You cannot run from your conscience speaking to you, for His Spirit is the one there. He seemingly comes in waves; He will press these things upon your heart, then lighten the load, and see how you respond. Do you go back to “normal” and act like nothing happened? Do you act like God has not spoken to you regarding anything he has set before you? Oh yea…..I have too. I justify it over and over again, but in reality is is plainly being disobedient. I am saying no to God.

Abram is known as the great patriarch of faith. He was blindly obedient to all the calls God placed on his life. He was far from perfect in many of his decisions, especially those that seemingly always revolved around his wife, but when God said “go”, he went, always. Abram picked up and left all that was coming to him in the family inheritance. God was telling him that he would bless all his descendants, yet his wife was unable to have children. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. Abram was leaving everything to follow the call the Lord had given him. He simply could not make sense of it all; but his faith was so strong, how could he say no? Even later in his life he took the step of seemingly sacrificing his only son; in the understanding that the Lord will provide. Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The Lord it shall be provided.”

The Lord has been speaking to me in this season of my life regarding these leaps of faith. He has placed something on my heart that is outside my capability to reason through. He brought it before me and pressed; he let it lie in the undertone; he is pressing again because I went back to “normal”. It is no coincidence that he has had me spending so much time with His servant he has used to teach me obedience. I feel trapped and cannot reason of a means escape, yet I feel God is showing me a door that requires a leap of faith. I think things to death, but I cannot reason with God. Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

 
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Posted by on February 14, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Nah……I’m good.

11 Feb

Nah……I’m good.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

I will openly admit to my greatest sin, my greatest struggle, my sin of covetousness. I have always had the attitude that I could have anything that I wanted, if I wanted it bad enough. There came a time of financial means that it seemingly was possible; I am literally still paying for those mistakes. The ESV version of the Bible limits this scripture to money, but covetousness is the internal desire for something we do not possess; desiring that which is not our own, and it is far from limited to money. Most likely we all covet, but it is a hidden sin until Satan wins a battle in the pursuit of it. This morning I had a prayer of thanksgiving before I continued to read in Hebrews and found myself here; a direct word from God to answer my prayers. Thank you Jesus.

Pastor Alan’s sermon yesterday spoke of our testimony; our lives before and after answering Christ’s call upon our hearts. Mine is a testimony woven in pride, the pursuit of all things that I coveted. Of how God humbled me through my son, of how God humbled me in my finances, of how God humbled me physically in my shoulder; of how God showed me that He is all I must desire. My life changed when I made the conscious effort to spend time with God every day as a result of that calling He was placing on my heart. Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. That scripture is the focus of my life; the internal desire to share it with you; the power of the life changing message that is woven in the effort of that pursuit of God every day. All of your problems will be answered with that pursuit, for you will see the answers of God in your life through it.

There comes a point in your life that you realize you need help. That point in your life is many times seemingly at the bottom; for we rest in our pride when we are at the top. God lets us go down the road to the bottom, for then we only can look up. He does his greatest work there, and our testimonies of his work there are what He uses to encourage others there now. When the Gospel of Christ comes into your life, it brings a change in your life and your desires. You will not become a perfect person; you will still struggle in many of the same ways, but you will come to realize the power of Christ in the answer to these struggles. Hebrews 13:6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” When you come to realize that you have eternity secured through Christ; the troubles of the current situations in temporal life will have less power. The depth of that understanding is measured by the depth of your daily pursuit of Christ, and the power found in it.

 
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Posted by on February 11, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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The pain of the marathon

10 Feb

The pain of the marathon

Hebrews 12:12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

It is mornings like this I do believe God has a sense of humor. Yesterday I spent the day on a dirt bike racing around in the woods, and even had a pretty bad crash that I am feeling the soreness of today. This morning in prayer I thanked God for the joy and safety of yesterday, and I felt led to go to Hebrews 12. This chapter in the Bible speaks of the race of faith, the discipline & trials of faith, and all that we must endure as a part of it. I laughed as I came to verse 12 above; for God knew exactly how I was feeling today. I even wrote in my Bible “almost funny after dirt bike crash” beside this scripture.

Living the Christian life is not going to be easy. Hebrews 12 points us to all the evidences of that.  The author of Hebrews sets our life of faith as an endurance race; we must possess the strength to make it to the end, not the speed of the short sprint. We must focus our eyes on the goal of the prize that awaits us in eternal paradise; a life with God; a life without sin;  a life without pain; as perfect a life as you can possibly imagine cannot grasp the rewards of heaven. If you begin to grasp the power of the Cross, and what Christ endured there, you will be drawn to the understanding that all you must endure is small. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. There is strength that comes in that understanding of the Cross. That humble feeling you get in the pit of your stomach, is a gratitude that gives you strength to endure the temporary for the eternal reward.

Hebrews 12:3-11 speaks directly to how God disciplines those that he loves. Of how our earthly fathers perform the expected same, yet do we believe our heavenly Father will not? Our Father knows us better than anyone for He created us, and He knows where we need disciplining. This too is painful for a time, but in it he desires to make us more like Christ. If you claiming Christ, knowingly living in sin; yet God seems to be letting you slide without discipline; you should be very afraid. 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. (ESV) Claiming Christianity carries no weight; there must be evidence in your life. Your claim may be only your own. Hebrews 12:8 speaks directly in line with Luke 13:27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ Put your eyes on the eternal reward; put your heart on the price Christ paid; strengthen yourself in them for the race of faith that lies before us.

 
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Posted by on February 10, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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I will ___________

09 Feb

I will ______________

Matthew 5:37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Writing on this passage is extremely difficult; everyone feels the conviction in this scripture, and everyone close to me will take it personally, feeling it is directed at them. We all have friends and people that continually disappoint us. They make commitments and break them. They make make promises that are broken. They are only there when they need something. The list could go on and on with your personal experiences. I too know that I fail seemingly every day. I downsized a business by 90%, and now I simply cannot meet my expectations every time. I make promises to my boys that get pushed further down my list. I fail others just as much as they fail me. This is the evidence of how deep our sin is rooted in how weak our words have become. We continually let down those close to us; our integrity suffers as a result.

This scripture is in the context of concerning oaths, and even more directly an exposition of the third commandment; Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Exodus 20:7). There is no gray area here, the line of judgement is clearly stated that God will hold us accountable for how we misuse His name. We will stand before God on judgement day, and they will be seemingly replayed before us in His presence; fearfully humbling for we most likely have all done it. This passage of scripture commands much deeper exposition; but we must clearly understand the reverence and context of every time we invoke God’s name.

The context of this passage is proving the legal and eternal binding of our oaths. But should not our integrity uphold our own word? Should not our “yes” have the weight to carry most necessities? If the subject was of dire importance, our “Yes Yes” should invoke the understanding of it’s critical nature. Christ used the words “Verily, Verily I say unto you”(Gospel of John) when he needed to press the significance of what He was speaking. You are only as good as your word. You integrity is held in the words that are followed by the responses to them. It becomes easier and easier to disappoint those that are close to us. It becomes expected for them to disappoint us, for the patterns are proving themselves. Satan smiles at the continual disappointments, for he knows it is not the evidence of Christ in our lives.

 
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Posted by on February 9, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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A Cheerful Giver

08 Feb

A Cheerful Giver

Philippians 4:16-19    For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. 18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Paul is closing out his letter to the Philippians. Their gift brought to him by Epaphroditus had been well received by Paul; this thank you letter was penned to encourage all of history to come. The encouragements Paul had penned throughout the letter had most likely stemmed through his heart to thank them for the gift. They had done so much for him, continued to support him when none of the other churches did. They were always there when he needed them most. Paul loved them, loved their service, loved their hearts for Christ that he saw in them. He knew that they possessed the love of Christ that he spent so much of his time teaching about. The spine of Paul’s letter is the joy of serving Christ, and the ability to do so in all situations.

I am seeing a small group of people exemplify this type of joy in serving at Hoskins church. Small groups that come in on Sundays, to a core group tirelessly committed to accomplishing the tasks required. All these people are doing this to show their love for Christ. A heart desiring to present a warm loving church, with warm loving people, to a community that needs Christ’s love and the examples of it. Taking your heart and gifts into the service of the Lord is what it all is about. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Matthew Henry put it well; “that you may be enabled to make such a good use of your worldly possessions that you may give an account of them with joy.’ It is not with any design to draw more from you, but to encourage you to such an exercise of beneficence as will meet with a glorious reward hereafter.”

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Have you ever considered that the more you do “for God”, the more you are indebted to Him? You can never out-give God; it will not happen. You do not give to God to expect to receive from God; he knows your heart and will not reward a deceitful one. You give out of the heart that desires to express your love for Him; you are drawn to service as a act of thanksgiving. 2 Corinthians 9:6 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.

 
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Posted by on February 8, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Strength in contentment

07 Feb

Strength in contentment

Philippians 4:11-13     Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

This point in Paul’s letter was most likely the reason he wrote the letter; he had received a gift from the Philippians, and he wanted to express his gratitude. It seems as those this church had continually sought to take care of Paul, even when others had forgotten him; he recognized this and he wanted to show his genuine thanks for it in this epistle. Paul was encouraging them to be content themselves in this epistle, and he used his life as an example of it. He found his every need satisfied in Christ. Contentment is a state of being that is not bred into our society of today: we are either feeling we are entitled to more, or we are so focused on our own abilities, that we feel we can obtain anything we desire. We are never happy with our current state.

Likely the most abused scripture in the Bible: 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We take this scripture, weave it in with pride, and believe that with Christ on our side we can do anything we put our minds to. We believe we can hit home runs, secure business deals, run a marathon, be successful by worldly standards, be anything we put our minds to. This is the opposite of what Paul is teaching! Paul is saying he cannot do anything without Christ! He is saying that through Christ’s strength he can face whatever state he finds himself for the day; he is content in that strength of Christ. Here is is teaching contentment, obedience, and strength, not empowerment of oneself for the means of accomplishing a self satisfying goal.

Matthew Henry says of this contentment; “This is a special act of grace, to accommodate ourselves to every condition of life, and carry an equal temper of mind through all varieties of our state. This was an account of Paul’s learning, not which he learned at the feet of Gamaliel, but at the feet of Christ.” The strength you need to face whatever you may, is the strength found in the contentment of abiding in Christ in that current situation. He has taken you to, what He will deliver you through. That strength in contentment is the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7).

 
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Posted by on February 7, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Peace in an out of control world

05 Feb

Peace in an out of control world

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Christ was giving his disciples their marching orders. He was telling them of how he was about to leave them and return to heaven. He was telling them that it was about to get really hard for them as followers of Christ. He told them of persecutions and death to come, as those who hated Him, persecuted those who loved him. He told them they must suffer as his disciples, but to rejoice in this suffering; in the honor of this suffering. John 15:18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” They had spent time in the wonder of walking with Christ; now they must take that knowledge and witness of Him, and stand on their own in the strength He provides.

If you are sliding down the highway of life without a trouble in the world, you are most likely a child of this world. What is a child of this world? It is not a child of God, for a child of God is not of this world as Christ spoke in John 15:19. Therefore, Satan,  the ruler of this world, that is on a leash held by God; takes no worry with you, for he has no regard for loosing you. If you dig deep into your heart, the cares of your heart will reveal where you place your hope. Your hope can be in anything you feel as though you can attain; or your hope can be in the realization of how lost you are in sin without Christ. That epiphany is eternally life changing once you come to Christ in it. Once your hope is placed in eternity, the tribulations that will come will only be seen as temporary, and a means to draw closer to God.

Eternal security will bring about that peace that Christ describes. Knowing that you will spend your life in heaven will overcome all that you face today. All that Satan throws at you will only draw you closer to God; backfiring the plans of the enemy. Once you accept the free gift of Salvation, there should be evidence of change in your life. You should have the desire to draw closer to Christ; the Holy Spirit begins to convict you of sin; you will begin to see things differently upon Salvation. Satan immediately tries to convince you that you obtained nothing. He is the father of lies; God is the father of truth, and your eternity is secure. Romans 8:38 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.

 
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Posted by on February 5, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Preparing Sinners and Soul Winners

03 Feb

Preparing Sinners and Soul Winners

Acts 10:17-21   Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate. 18 And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there. 19 While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. 20 Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.” 21 Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”

My best friend has been called to pastor a struggling church in the inner city of downtown Charlotte. I have been at his side serving. and loving seeing God move and work in the early stages of reaching the community for Christ. I am seeing God bring in people from the community that have a heart and a zeal for God; they are surely to be used by God to reach their neighbors. There are plans of how to do community outreach events in the works; there is the front door ministries; care ministries; the pastor is already beginning the shepherding of his flock; there are many aspects of spreading the Gospel, of seeking to see the church grow. By God’s grace in my current schoolwork I am in the book of Acts, and seeing the plans God had for growing the early church.

God was preparing Peter for the unthinkable of his peers as a Jew. God was preparing Peter to deliver the Gospel to the Gentiles. Jews were not even supposed to hang out with non-Jews, much less break bread to sit and eat with them. God had given Peter a vision of breaking the old Jewish law and eating the unclean. 28 Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.” At the same time God had given a Roman soldier Cornelius a vision of seeking out Simon Peter. Cornelius was 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. Cornelius feared God, but was not yet saved. God was preparing the sinner and soul winner.

God is always at work behind the scenes. He is preparing the hearts of the lost. He is seeking them and hopefully they are responding to His call on their lives. He is working in the lives of the believers. He may be pointing out sin in their lives; he is showing them truths in his Word and prayer;  he is preparing them for his work through them. The Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and his entire household of faith that day. Christ was brought out into the Gentile world for 34b “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.” The Good News is available for all to have, and for all to share in what they possess. God has most likely prepared that persons heart that stands before you today; to hear the Good News which you possess.

 
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Posted by on February 3, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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