Today as I am writing this, there is a part of me that is hesitant. But I must be obedient to the Holy Spirit. I have learned that what I write may not apply to every one that is reading it that day but it is necessary for someone. Take a minute and read Hebrews 5:11 - 6:2. I remember the first time I read these verses. It was in a Sunday school class. It didn't hit me that day but I read it again a few years later and I decided it was time for me to make a change. Let me start by asking you a few questions. 1. How long have you been a Christian? 2. Do you pick up the phone to call someone every time something major is going on in your life? 3. What do you do when that person doesn't answer? 4. Do you get mad when you can get ahold of your Pastor?
As a young Christian I started out on fire for the Lord. It was something new. It made me feel good. I loved how the choir sang. I especially loved that part at the end where the preacher got happy and the older saints began to shout. I had no idea what they were shouting about but it still gave me a good feeling on the inside. But that soon died out. Sometimes the message didn't do anything for me and the preacher was boring. When the older saints starting shouting, I started to think things like it doesn't take all that. Part of the reason for my response was I didn't have any idea what they were shouting about. The extent of my relationship with God was what I received on Sunday. Surprised? Don't be. When I was young I went to church seven days a week and two or three times on Sunday. My parents made me learn entire chapters of the bible. I didn't know what the words meant but I had it memorized. (By the way, I thank them all the time for that today. They were helping to build my foundation.) But now that I was calling all the shots I decided that I needed a break. I remember the years I went to college . I didn't come home much and the only time I went to church was when I needed a home cooked meal. But while I was taking my break, life didn't wait around on me. Things began to happen. I started to experience my own set of trials. One trial in particular was when I became a single mom. While I thank God for the foundation my parents and childhood church had instilled in me, it was about time that I got to know Him a little bit better for myself. It was time for me to move from milk to meat.
Let's talk about going from milk to meat. You see, when you accepted Christ as your personal Savior, He came to live in your heart. You now have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. You no longer have to go thru the High Priest, you can talk directly to the Father. You own a Bible. Some of you, like me, own several. You have everything you need to move to solid food. Yet you are still drinking milk. You are relying on others to feed you, like a mother with a newborn child. Why? I cannot answer that for you but take a moment and think about it. Do you not have the desire? Is it that you have other more pressing priorities? You have a husband. A wife. You have children. Your children's extracurricular activities. You have a full-time job. Not to mention you want your own time. So with all that when do you have to time to spend in the Word? When do you have time to spend talking to the Lord and listening for direction? You probably give God a couple of hours on Sunday. You may even go to Bible Study during the week. But that's it. No more than that. Besides isn't it the preachers job to study the Bible and teach it to you. "But Sister Ramona, you say, you don't understand everything that I am going thru right now. It's really tough. I'm doing all I can to hang on." And my response to you would be, "Yes I do." Been there and done that. All the more reason you should want to move to solid food.
You see, I believe that we make time for whatever we feel is important to us. And many of us have not made studying the Word and spending time in communion with God a priority. Especially those of us whose lives seem to be going okay right now. Even some of us in a storm don't realize that you are there because God is trying to get your attention. He misses you. He wishes you talked to Him more. He has some important information that He wants to share with you. He is urging you, like the writer of Hebrews, that the time has come for you to move from spiritual infancy to maturity. It's time to stop letting every storm catch you by surprise. It's time for you to stand up to the devil with the Word of God. I am here to tell you, Spiritual Maturity has its benefits. You don't have to worry as much. You can actually get some sleep. Yes, you are in a storm but because you read in His Word that 'His anger lasts for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.' (Psalms 30:5); you can go to sleep. You've come to keep verses like, 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever' (Hebrews 13:8) in your vault. That let's you know that if He did it for the three Hebrew boys who were right in the midst of the fire, He can do it for you. There has been no greater revelation to me than when I sit down to learn first hand from God himself in my personal study time. It encourages me. It gives me the strength that I need to run on and see what the end will be. I don't have to be taught the basics over and over again. I see the big picture. I know that 'my present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for me an immeasurably great glory that will last forever. (II Corinthians 4:17)
I don't know how long you have been a Christian. It is not for me to judge whether you are still an infant or how spiritually mature you are. I did, however, want to give you something to think about. This is a personal decision only you can make. I will tell you that you have everything you need to make the move from milk to solid foods. My last question for you is - Will you make the time?
Dear Lord,
What a word! I confess right off the bat that I did not want to hear this. I know that I have remained safely in my comfort zone. I can tell you several reasons why now is not the time for me to make this move. I have a wonderful Pastor, a great Sunday school teacher. I receive daily words of encouragement in my inbox. But even as I say these words, I realize that nothing is better than me talking to you. It's time for me to grow up Lord. I submit my time to you. No more milk for me. It's time for solid food. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Christian Love
Over and over again in the Bible we are told to love one another. Hebrews 13:1 tells us, 'Continue to love each other with true Christian love'. Christian love? What is that? And how is it different from the type of love we are born with. Or is there a difference? And why does the author tell us to 'continue to love each other'? These are all the questions I had when I read this verse. I could even get to verse two because of all the questions running thru my mind. I encourage you to read the entire thirteenth chapter.
What is Christian love? For me the first thing that popped out from that phrase was the word Christ. Which tells me that you cannot be a Christian without Christ. So in order to best understand Christian love we must understand who Christ is and how did he love. I believe the greatest description of Christ's love was said in John 15:13 which reads, 'Greater love hath no man than this, that he would lay down his life for a friend'. Another verse that shows the depth of Christ's love is Romans 5:8. 'But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners'. You see God's love was a sacrificial type of love. The kind of love that showed his main focus was US, not himself. We live in a different day and age where we probably won't have to die for someone else. Nevertheless, there are many different ways that we can demonstrate God's love. Just the other day my heart was so heavy. Not for myself but for a dear friend. I wanted to do whatever I could for that person to take away the pain. Physically there was nothing that I could do. But because of Christ, who lives within me, I knew of one thing I could do and that was to pray. It didn't matter at the time what was going on in my own life. What mattered is that my sister was standing in need. When I think about the pain that Jesus endured on that cross just for me, loving others is the least I can do. And this applies to those we don't know on a first name basis. I did finally move to verse two of Hebrews 13. Which tells us to show hospitality to strangers because we never know when we have entertained angels without our knowledge (my paraphrase) .
I got a little ahead of myself so let me back track for a second and go back to verse one. It still puzzled me about why the writer said 'continue'. Then it clicked. I'll use my own life as an example and when it sounds familiar to you then you can chime in with an Amen. I thought about the last time someone did me wrong and then I saw them at the altar. My first mind was to say, 'They shouldn't be so mean and maybe they wouldn't be going thru that." I thought about the beggar on the street who I passed every day on my way to work, and while I may not be rich I could have spared a few dollars or even given them my lunch that I had just went to pick up. I thought about my own family members who when I became offended I just decided not to them for a while. I thought about the people living in my own house when I believed they had done me wrong and they should be the ones to ask for forgiveness and so I didn't apologize. Heck I didn't even talk to them for several days. Any of this sound familiar. You see, I believe the reason we are told to 'continue' is because in and of ourselves, most days we have an 'if' kind of love. Remember those if/then statements we learned about in school. That's how we operate. If you treat me right then I'll love you. I'll forgive you. I'll be there for you when you are in need. But that's not the kind of love that God showed us. We are instructed to continue because God knew that some days it wouldn't be easy for us to show that kind of love. You see, too many times we let our emotions control us. And most of us never want it to be said that someone took advantage of us.
But I am once again reminded of my Savior who showed His love for me and died a horrible death while I was still a sinner. And then He continues to love me when I mess up daily. I may not do it in my actions. But I know my thoughts and sometimes I'm not right in what I think. So how do we get to the point that it becomes our first nature to show that Christian type of love. We choose to love. All of us have been hurt and have been tempted to say to heck with love. But if you are a Christian then you don't have that option. Remember the Jesus in you may be the only Jesus that someone may see. It is God who lives inside of you and He is able to replace that spirit of bitterness with love. That spirit of unforgiveness with love. That spirit of selfishness with love. Where do you start? Right in your on home. On your job. At church. (Yes I said at church. Unfortunately I have encountered some unloving people at church.) But that's all in the past. I believe the love of Christ is contagious. It only takes a few of to show it to others and for that person to show it to someone else. Will you be that one?
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your love. It is truly amazing. I admit that I have been guilty of showing if/then love and not Christ-like love. Sometimes I let my emotions control my actions. Occasionally I am known for holding a grudge, throwing a temper tantrum and not helping my neighbor. But Lord I want to do better. I am so thankful for the love you showed me when you sent your son Jesus to die for my sins. I am even more thankful for the love you show me everyday when I fall short. Help me to show love in the ways that I know I can. Help me just to pray for my sister and brother more. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
What is Christian love? For me the first thing that popped out from that phrase was the word Christ. Which tells me that you cannot be a Christian without Christ. So in order to best understand Christian love we must understand who Christ is and how did he love. I believe the greatest description of Christ's love was said in John 15:13 which reads, 'Greater love hath no man than this, that he would lay down his life for a friend'. Another verse that shows the depth of Christ's love is Romans 5:8. 'But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners'. You see God's love was a sacrificial type of love. The kind of love that showed his main focus was US, not himself. We live in a different day and age where we probably won't have to die for someone else. Nevertheless, there are many different ways that we can demonstrate God's love. Just the other day my heart was so heavy. Not for myself but for a dear friend. I wanted to do whatever I could for that person to take away the pain. Physically there was nothing that I could do. But because of Christ, who lives within me, I knew of one thing I could do and that was to pray. It didn't matter at the time what was going on in my own life. What mattered is that my sister was standing in need. When I think about the pain that Jesus endured on that cross just for me, loving others is the least I can do. And this applies to those we don't know on a first name basis. I did finally move to verse two of Hebrews 13. Which tells us to show hospitality to strangers because we never know when we have entertained angels without our knowledge (my paraphrase) .
I got a little ahead of myself so let me back track for a second and go back to verse one. It still puzzled me about why the writer said 'continue'. Then it clicked. I'll use my own life as an example and when it sounds familiar to you then you can chime in with an Amen. I thought about the last time someone did me wrong and then I saw them at the altar. My first mind was to say, 'They shouldn't be so mean and maybe they wouldn't be going thru that." I thought about the beggar on the street who I passed every day on my way to work, and while I may not be rich I could have spared a few dollars or even given them my lunch that I had just went to pick up. I thought about my own family members who when I became offended I just decided not to them for a while. I thought about the people living in my own house when I believed they had done me wrong and they should be the ones to ask for forgiveness and so I didn't apologize. Heck I didn't even talk to them for several days. Any of this sound familiar. You see, I believe the reason we are told to 'continue' is because in and of ourselves, most days we have an 'if' kind of love. Remember those if/then statements we learned about in school. That's how we operate. If you treat me right then I'll love you. I'll forgive you. I'll be there for you when you are in need. But that's not the kind of love that God showed us. We are instructed to continue because God knew that some days it wouldn't be easy for us to show that kind of love. You see, too many times we let our emotions control us. And most of us never want it to be said that someone took advantage of us.
But I am once again reminded of my Savior who showed His love for me and died a horrible death while I was still a sinner. And then He continues to love me when I mess up daily. I may not do it in my actions. But I know my thoughts and sometimes I'm not right in what I think. So how do we get to the point that it becomes our first nature to show that Christian type of love. We choose to love. All of us have been hurt and have been tempted to say to heck with love. But if you are a Christian then you don't have that option. Remember the Jesus in you may be the only Jesus that someone may see. It is God who lives inside of you and He is able to replace that spirit of bitterness with love. That spirit of unforgiveness with love. That spirit of selfishness with love. Where do you start? Right in your on home. On your job. At church. (Yes I said at church. Unfortunately I have encountered some unloving people at church.) But that's all in the past. I believe the love of Christ is contagious. It only takes a few of to show it to others and for that person to show it to someone else. Will you be that one?
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your love. It is truly amazing. I admit that I have been guilty of showing if/then love and not Christ-like love. Sometimes I let my emotions control my actions. Occasionally I am known for holding a grudge, throwing a temper tantrum and not helping my neighbor. But Lord I want to do better. I am so thankful for the love you showed me when you sent your son Jesus to die for my sins. I am even more thankful for the love you show me everyday when I fall short. Help me to show love in the ways that I know I can. Help me just to pray for my sister and brother more. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Rock Solid
There are not too many things that I am 100% sure of. And believe me, I took a moment and really thought about this. At one point I was sure of my job. It came and it went. At another point I was sure of my friends, some of them went. I had a pretty nice truck. It was damaged in a hail storm and now I can't even drive it. I had relationships that I once thought were pretty sturdy. They are also no longer. But there is one thing that I can say is rock solid and that is my relationship with God. I learned a long time ago that His Word will not return void. Out of the same mouth that he promises blessings, he also speaks of curses. The same God that speaks of His mercy will also be passing out judgment. What I am glad about is that even in the midst of judgment when God returns and the heavens and earth are shaken, I need not worry. My salvation is secure. I have built my house on a solid rock. (Matthew 7:24-27) That rock is Jesus.
Read Hebrews 12:25-29. We learn something very important about God in these verses. We have security. We can trust that what God says will come to pass. Living in Oklahoma you don't expect earthquakes. However, a couple of months ago while sitting in my living room, I experienced my first earthquake. This earthquake was not as bad as the ones experienced regularly in California, but it was strong enough to knock a picture off the wall. It was enough to make me a little bit nervous. After it was over I didn't feel so secure. It was nothing like the earthquake that was described in these verses in Hebrews. The one described in Exodus 19:18. The one where God descended upon Mount Sinai to give the law to the children of Israel. And I'm sure it was nothing like the one described in these verses that will happen upon the Lord's return.
Since we know all of this, the question that I pose to you today is then why don't we listen. Why are we not heeding God's warning. We read about what happened to the children of Israel who did not heed the warning and obey the law. While it is clear that we no longer live under the law for we are saved by grace. Nevertheless, we are given clear instructions on how we are supposed to live and what we are supposed to do. All the things that will actually make our life easier, yet we continue to be hard-headed. We have seen what God can do thru our 'cloud of witnesses'. And for those of us who have been walking with him for a long time, we've seen repeatedly what He can do in our own lives. I believe we do this because there is still a little bit of doubt lingering in our minds. We can testify that God has never failed us but when the new situation arises, we don't go to Him with confidence. I also believe we do this because we hate to give up complete control. We say I'm right here. I'm the one actually dealing with the situation. There has to be something I can do to make this go away sooner, rather than later. We are not truly trusting in God. Our internal engine is not running properly. You see, when our internal engine is running properly there is no room for worry or doubt. We can take our hands off the steering wheel and let Jesus drive.
I have a nine year old daughter who wants to grow up so fast. In fact ever since she was born she has done things early. She walked early. She started talking early. She has always been advanced for her age. This past Mother's Day I had a talk with her about enjoying the benefits of being a child. And while I may not have the power that God has, as her mother I am in control of her well-being. She doesn't have to worry about what she will eat, where she will sleep, if she is going to have clean clothes. She can safely trust that I am going to make sure those things are taken care of. Just like our Heavenly Father. He is rock solid. I don't have to worry about what I am going to eat, where I am going to sleep, if this storm will pass. I can safely trust that He will provide and this too shall pass. And because I know this, out of respect and reverence for the One who made all this possible, I thank Him. When He speaks to me, I listen. I may not always like what He is saying but I know that it will benefit me in the end. Just like my daughter, who wants to be grown, she may not understand or even like the things I say to her but out of respect for me as her mother, she listens and obeys. And believe it or not, just as I did, she will thank me one day.
I started this post by saying that there are not too many things that I am 100% sure of. I end this post by saying there is one thing that I am 100% sure of and that is my relationship with my Heavenly Father. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. And because of this, I honor Him with my life and not a day goes by that I don't thank Him for what He has done, is doing and is going to do in my life. Are you standing on the same solid rock?
Dear Lord,
Thank you for being the one thing in my life that I can stand firmly on. When the storms of life are raging, I am so glad I can find safety in Your arms. Knowing that I have built my house on a solid foundation let's me know that I don't have to worry or doubt. I can put all my trust in You. Help me to not only listen and pay attention to Your voice but also to be obedient to Your Word. I know that I can do this with your help. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Read Hebrews 12:25-29. We learn something very important about God in these verses. We have security. We can trust that what God says will come to pass. Living in Oklahoma you don't expect earthquakes. However, a couple of months ago while sitting in my living room, I experienced my first earthquake. This earthquake was not as bad as the ones experienced regularly in California, but it was strong enough to knock a picture off the wall. It was enough to make me a little bit nervous. After it was over I didn't feel so secure. It was nothing like the earthquake that was described in these verses in Hebrews. The one described in Exodus 19:18. The one where God descended upon Mount Sinai to give the law to the children of Israel. And I'm sure it was nothing like the one described in these verses that will happen upon the Lord's return.
Since we know all of this, the question that I pose to you today is then why don't we listen. Why are we not heeding God's warning. We read about what happened to the children of Israel who did not heed the warning and obey the law. While it is clear that we no longer live under the law for we are saved by grace. Nevertheless, we are given clear instructions on how we are supposed to live and what we are supposed to do. All the things that will actually make our life easier, yet we continue to be hard-headed. We have seen what God can do thru our 'cloud of witnesses'. And for those of us who have been walking with him for a long time, we've seen repeatedly what He can do in our own lives. I believe we do this because there is still a little bit of doubt lingering in our minds. We can testify that God has never failed us but when the new situation arises, we don't go to Him with confidence. I also believe we do this because we hate to give up complete control. We say I'm right here. I'm the one actually dealing with the situation. There has to be something I can do to make this go away sooner, rather than later. We are not truly trusting in God. Our internal engine is not running properly. You see, when our internal engine is running properly there is no room for worry or doubt. We can take our hands off the steering wheel and let Jesus drive.
I have a nine year old daughter who wants to grow up so fast. In fact ever since she was born she has done things early. She walked early. She started talking early. She has always been advanced for her age. This past Mother's Day I had a talk with her about enjoying the benefits of being a child. And while I may not have the power that God has, as her mother I am in control of her well-being. She doesn't have to worry about what she will eat, where she will sleep, if she is going to have clean clothes. She can safely trust that I am going to make sure those things are taken care of. Just like our Heavenly Father. He is rock solid. I don't have to worry about what I am going to eat, where I am going to sleep, if this storm will pass. I can safely trust that He will provide and this too shall pass. And because I know this, out of respect and reverence for the One who made all this possible, I thank Him. When He speaks to me, I listen. I may not always like what He is saying but I know that it will benefit me in the end. Just like my daughter, who wants to be grown, she may not understand or even like the things I say to her but out of respect for me as her mother, she listens and obeys. And believe it or not, just as I did, she will thank me one day.
I started this post by saying that there are not too many things that I am 100% sure of. I end this post by saying there is one thing that I am 100% sure of and that is my relationship with my Heavenly Father. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. And because of this, I honor Him with my life and not a day goes by that I don't thank Him for what He has done, is doing and is going to do in my life. Are you standing on the same solid rock?
Dear Lord,
Thank you for being the one thing in my life that I can stand firmly on. When the storms of life are raging, I am so glad I can find safety in Your arms. Knowing that I have built my house on a solid foundation let's me know that I don't have to worry or doubt. I can put all my trust in You. Help me to not only listen and pay attention to Your voice but also to be obedient to Your Word. I know that I can do this with your help. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Our Heavenly Father
As I began to read the next few verses in the twelfth chapter of Hebrews, I became a little frightened. I envisioned a child who had done something terrible and because he knew the rules that his father had set for their home, he was afraid to go home and tell his father. Much like the children of Israel who viewed God more as distant and threatening. Strict and an enforcer. And then as I read a little more I came to a description of the God that we, as believers, have come to know and love, the one who thru Christ Jesus we now can go to for anything. We can confess all our wrong doing. We can go to him when we are scared or afraid. We don't have to be afraid to touch him. In fact, he tells us to hold firmly to him. We are told to come boldly to the the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) What a strong contrast!
Take a moment and read Hebrews 12:18-24. Thank God for the new covenant. The one in which we are no longer condemned under the law but saved by grace. It is nothing we do or can even earn. And because we have accepted him, we now have Jesus as our mediator. Such an awesome thing! We no longer have to be the child who dreaded going to his father to tell him anything. We actually have a relationship with our Heavenly Father. One that grows and grows as we spend more time with him. Another important thing. As you spend more time with him, you become more comfortable with him. You come to learn his mind and you grow to understand that he only wants what's best for you. I recall the time I messed up when I became pregnant with my son. The last person in the world I wanted to tell was my father. I'll never forget the day that I told him. (You see he, too, was a recipient of God's grace) And just like the grace that he himself had received, he accepted me with open arms of love and forgiveness. God does not want us to live in fear when it comes to approaching him. He wants us to bring everything to him. The good, the bad and the ugly. You see, as Christians we are justified, meaning just as if we had never sinned. Justification is instantaneous. The part we have to come to terms with is the sanctification process which is not done by God alone. We play a part in that process. Sanctification comes by God thru the work of the Holy Spirit in accordance with the Word. That is why we must continue to grow our relationship with God and not be afraid to go to him with everything. After all, he is the only one who can meet our every need.
Earlier I told you of the story of my father and when I told him I was pregnant with my son. What I didn't tell you was that he already knew. Just like our Heavenly Father who is Omniscient. That means All-Knowing. My father made it a point to know my business, after all I was his daughter. He was just waiting for me to tell him so he could relieve me of the burden I was carrying worrying about his reaction. He knew that I needed to concentrate all my energy to the task at hand, preparing to be a mother. Just like our Heavenly Father wants us to turn everything over to him so that we are free to go about spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Living a life free to serve our purpose. For those he predestined, them he also called. And whom He called them He also justified and those He justified, them He also glorified. (Romans 8:30) You see, I didn't tell you the last piece of the puzzle. There's justification and then sanctification. But all this is done so we can get to the glorification. There's a song that says, 'When we gone get to the good part, the good part?" The good part is the glorification. That time that Paul describes as, when the trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ shall rise and we will be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. (I Corinthians 15: 51-52) That's the part I'm looking forward to. What about you?
Dear Lord,
Today I just want to thank you! Thank you for your Son, Jesus, who died on the cross for my sins. He did this so I would no longer have to be afraid to come to you with everything. I thank you because I'm now justified. It wasn't because of anything I did but because you loved me. I'm working on this whole sanctification thing. But what I'm looking forward to is the glorification, the day when I'll get to see you face to face. What a glorious day that will be. All praise, honor and glory be to you. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Take a moment and read Hebrews 12:18-24. Thank God for the new covenant. The one in which we are no longer condemned under the law but saved by grace. It is nothing we do or can even earn. And because we have accepted him, we now have Jesus as our mediator. Such an awesome thing! We no longer have to be the child who dreaded going to his father to tell him anything. We actually have a relationship with our Heavenly Father. One that grows and grows as we spend more time with him. Another important thing. As you spend more time with him, you become more comfortable with him. You come to learn his mind and you grow to understand that he only wants what's best for you. I recall the time I messed up when I became pregnant with my son. The last person in the world I wanted to tell was my father. I'll never forget the day that I told him. (You see he, too, was a recipient of God's grace) And just like the grace that he himself had received, he accepted me with open arms of love and forgiveness. God does not want us to live in fear when it comes to approaching him. He wants us to bring everything to him. The good, the bad and the ugly. You see, as Christians we are justified, meaning just as if we had never sinned. Justification is instantaneous. The part we have to come to terms with is the sanctification process which is not done by God alone. We play a part in that process. Sanctification comes by God thru the work of the Holy Spirit in accordance with the Word. That is why we must continue to grow our relationship with God and not be afraid to go to him with everything. After all, he is the only one who can meet our every need.
Earlier I told you of the story of my father and when I told him I was pregnant with my son. What I didn't tell you was that he already knew. Just like our Heavenly Father who is Omniscient. That means All-Knowing. My father made it a point to know my business, after all I was his daughter. He was just waiting for me to tell him so he could relieve me of the burden I was carrying worrying about his reaction. He knew that I needed to concentrate all my energy to the task at hand, preparing to be a mother. Just like our Heavenly Father wants us to turn everything over to him so that we are free to go about spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Living a life free to serve our purpose. For those he predestined, them he also called. And whom He called them He also justified and those He justified, them He also glorified. (Romans 8:30) You see, I didn't tell you the last piece of the puzzle. There's justification and then sanctification. But all this is done so we can get to the glorification. There's a song that says, 'When we gone get to the good part, the good part?" The good part is the glorification. That time that Paul describes as, when the trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ shall rise and we will be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. (I Corinthians 15: 51-52) That's the part I'm looking forward to. What about you?
Dear Lord,
Today I just want to thank you! Thank you for your Son, Jesus, who died on the cross for my sins. He did this so I would no longer have to be afraid to come to you with everything. I thank you because I'm now justified. It wasn't because of anything I did but because you loved me. I'm working on this whole sanctification thing. But what I'm looking forward to is the glorification, the day when I'll get to see you face to face. What a glorious day that will be. All praise, honor and glory be to you. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
It's All About Me...Or Is it?
A few years back the phrase, It's All About Me, became extremely popular. Women who had sacrificed everything they had for family and friends decided that now it was their turn. Men who had spent all their time working eighty hours a week to provide for their families only to come home and feel unappreciated by their wives and children decided not anymore. I'm going to spend time with someone who appreciates me. Women and men alike began to do the things they wanted to do. The things that brought them the most enjoyment. After all, they deserved it, didn't they?
Continuing in the book of Hebrews, read verses 12 - 17 of Chapter 12. Now remember we have already discussed our wall of fame in Chapter 11 and what faith looks like and how it behaves. And then we went on to say Therefore, since we have this wall to look at and learn from then this should be the result. I want to continue on in that same area. Although there will never be another Bible because the one we have is living and powerful and doesn't grow old or stale, my question to you is what is our responsibility for those who come along after us. You see, Jacob had to learn from Isaac and Isaac had to learn from Abraham. Moses had to learn from his mother and so on and so forth. Which lets me know as Christians we have a responsibility as well. For those of you who are parents I know you know what I mean. Our children are our responsibility. They look to us for guidance and to be their example. But even for those of you who do not have children, these verses tell us that we all have a responsibility.
Now that we have knowledge of those who received God's stamp of approval by living a life of faith, we should have hope. Some of you reading this right now may be suffering from spiritual exhaustion. Your mind, body and spirit are tired. Today I encourage you to stand up straight and tall. Set your eyes on the target. Continue to fight the good fight of faith because there are unbelievers and believers alike who are watching you. They are waiting to see what your reaction to what you are facing will be. They are saying if Sister ___________ (fill in your name) can make it or Brother _____________ (fill in your name) is still praising him and I know what is going on in his life than I can too. We are supposed to be holding one another up and truly trying to get along with everyone. You see the phrase should read 'I'm accountable for me' instead of 'It's all about me'. We cannot control another person's actions but we can control how we respond to it. And when we give up our life to reflect that of our Lord and Savior then it 's no longer about us. It is about letting our light shine in a very dark world. Unfortunately, everyone is not going to like everyone but just because someone does not like you, doesn't mean you have to be mean and hateful towards them. From my experience, you can plant seeds of kindness and peace all day long but that one bitter root (or weed) pops up and it grows and spreads like crazy. But if you get our their in that garden and pull the weed up by the root then it doesn't have a chance to grow. How do we remove those roots? By growing the fruits of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control. I have been guilty of letting my emotions get the best of me and reacting in a way that was not Christ-like and others were watching. I did not do my part in stopping that bitter root from growing. It was definitely all about me that day. But through the Word and prayer and God's discipline I am learning to model the behavior of Christ. Never would I want to be a stumbling block for anyone.
That is my challenge for you today. You have a decision to make. Today, do I stand up straight and tall and get a firm grip on God so that I can run my race, planting seeds of kindness and peace all along my path? Or do I choose to grow bitter roots of selfishness, gossip, hatred, lack of self-control? My prayer is that you choose the first choice. While you are thinking about this I will tell you one thing that I have learned and it was even true for Jesus, the first shall be last and the last will be first. We are on this earth to serve others and bear one another's burdens. Living a clean and holy life will definitely have its reward.
Dear Lord,
Are you really trying to teach me that it's not all about me and that when someone mistreats me or does mean things to me I am supposed to respond in peace? Why does everyone have to be looking at me, after all, I'm human just like them. This is going to be tough for me Father. Please help me. I know that I cannot do this by myself. Thank you for showing me the right way to behave and I reaffirm my commitment to your way. I'm going to stand strong and firm and continue to run my race with my eyes fixed on you. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Continuing in the book of Hebrews, read verses 12 - 17 of Chapter 12. Now remember we have already discussed our wall of fame in Chapter 11 and what faith looks like and how it behaves. And then we went on to say Therefore, since we have this wall to look at and learn from then this should be the result. I want to continue on in that same area. Although there will never be another Bible because the one we have is living and powerful and doesn't grow old or stale, my question to you is what is our responsibility for those who come along after us. You see, Jacob had to learn from Isaac and Isaac had to learn from Abraham. Moses had to learn from his mother and so on and so forth. Which lets me know as Christians we have a responsibility as well. For those of you who are parents I know you know what I mean. Our children are our responsibility. They look to us for guidance and to be their example. But even for those of you who do not have children, these verses tell us that we all have a responsibility.
Now that we have knowledge of those who received God's stamp of approval by living a life of faith, we should have hope. Some of you reading this right now may be suffering from spiritual exhaustion. Your mind, body and spirit are tired. Today I encourage you to stand up straight and tall. Set your eyes on the target. Continue to fight the good fight of faith because there are unbelievers and believers alike who are watching you. They are waiting to see what your reaction to what you are facing will be. They are saying if Sister ___________ (fill in your name) can make it or Brother _____________ (fill in your name) is still praising him and I know what is going on in his life than I can too. We are supposed to be holding one another up and truly trying to get along with everyone. You see the phrase should read 'I'm accountable for me' instead of 'It's all about me'. We cannot control another person's actions but we can control how we respond to it. And when we give up our life to reflect that of our Lord and Savior then it 's no longer about us. It is about letting our light shine in a very dark world. Unfortunately, everyone is not going to like everyone but just because someone does not like you, doesn't mean you have to be mean and hateful towards them. From my experience, you can plant seeds of kindness and peace all day long but that one bitter root (or weed) pops up and it grows and spreads like crazy. But if you get our their in that garden and pull the weed up by the root then it doesn't have a chance to grow. How do we remove those roots? By growing the fruits of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control. I have been guilty of letting my emotions get the best of me and reacting in a way that was not Christ-like and others were watching. I did not do my part in stopping that bitter root from growing. It was definitely all about me that day. But through the Word and prayer and God's discipline I am learning to model the behavior of Christ. Never would I want to be a stumbling block for anyone.
That is my challenge for you today. You have a decision to make. Today, do I stand up straight and tall and get a firm grip on God so that I can run my race, planting seeds of kindness and peace all along my path? Or do I choose to grow bitter roots of selfishness, gossip, hatred, lack of self-control? My prayer is that you choose the first choice. While you are thinking about this I will tell you one thing that I have learned and it was even true for Jesus, the first shall be last and the last will be first. We are on this earth to serve others and bear one another's burdens. Living a clean and holy life will definitely have its reward.
Dear Lord,
Are you really trying to teach me that it's not all about me and that when someone mistreats me or does mean things to me I am supposed to respond in peace? Why does everyone have to be looking at me, after all, I'm human just like them. This is going to be tough for me Father. Please help me. I know that I cannot do this by myself. Thank you for showing me the right way to behave and I reaffirm my commitment to your way. I'm going to stand strong and firm and continue to run my race with my eyes fixed on you. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Only Because I Love You
How many of you can remember your parents saying these words - 'I'm only doing this because I love you'. And right after they said these words you got a spanking, they grounded you for a week, they took the car keys. They may have told you that you couldn't go to that party or they withheld your allowance. I'm sure you have your own stories that you could contribute at this moment. Now that you are an adult, have you stopped to think about what the purpose was for the discipline. And even to take it a step further, have you thanked them for the discipline you received. I know that sounds kind of strange. But if you really think about it they are the ones responsible for making you the person you are today.
For the past few days we have been in the book of Hebrews and we will continue there today. Read Hebrews 12:5-11. Pay close attention to verses 5 -6 My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children. Sound familiar. These words have a striking resemblance to the words I started with at the beginning of the post. 'I'm doing this because I love you'.
The writer begins these verses with an endearing statement, showing ownership - My child. But then he says two just as important words, 'don't ignore'. That means pay attention. I'm not just disciplining you for the heck of it, there is a purpose behind it. Which let's me know that when God disciplines you, TAKE NOTICE. Take the time to ask him what is the purpose for this discipline. Discipline in its truest sense has two different meanings. The one that probably comes to your minds first is punishment. I want to look at it from a different perspective. Instead of automatically thinking punishment, let's look at it from the area of child development. In child development, discipline refers to methods of modeling character and developing self-control and acceptable behavior. God's discipline serves a greater purpose than the pain that you feel in the moment it takes place. He is working to shape you into the man or woman he wants you to be. He is teaching you self-control against those fits of road rage and co-workers who don't do any work. He is causing that cell phone not to work so he can have some quiet time with you. Just like when I tell my daughters that they are to clean their room everyday and they think mama's being mean, I'm teaching them acceptable behavior. You see, I know that if you develop a habit of being messy it will overflow into other areas of your life.
When God disciplines you he is trying to develop you to become more like him. Think about this. If he didn't care, why would he bother. He would just leave you to your own devices and let you run wild. But because you are his child, he cares enough to tell you when you are doing wrong. Not only does he tell you but he sometimes withholds, chastises, spanks. My challenge for you today is the next time you are experiencing the discipline of the Lord, instead of complaining, whining and getting mad about it, take a step back. Ask God what is the purpose for the discipline. Did the discipline prevent something from happening? As a mother, I know that my discipline is out of love. I see the things I want my children to avoid and I also know a little bit about acceptable behavior. I can only see with human eyes. Our Heavenly Father sees with spiritual eyes and knows the plan he has for each of us. Why not become more accepting of his discipline?
Dear Lord,
I didn't like to be disciplined as a child and really have not handled the discipline I have received from you in the best way that I could. It just seems so unfair at the time. I know that I am not always right. Temptation is present all around me. Help me to understand that only you can see down the road. And when I can't see the purpose, let me come to you and ask what your purpose is. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
For the past few days we have been in the book of Hebrews and we will continue there today. Read Hebrews 12:5-11. Pay close attention to verses 5 -6 My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children. Sound familiar. These words have a striking resemblance to the words I started with at the beginning of the post. 'I'm doing this because I love you'.
The writer begins these verses with an endearing statement, showing ownership - My child. But then he says two just as important words, 'don't ignore'. That means pay attention. I'm not just disciplining you for the heck of it, there is a purpose behind it. Which let's me know that when God disciplines you, TAKE NOTICE. Take the time to ask him what is the purpose for this discipline. Discipline in its truest sense has two different meanings. The one that probably comes to your minds first is punishment. I want to look at it from a different perspective. Instead of automatically thinking punishment, let's look at it from the area of child development. In child development, discipline refers to methods of modeling character and developing self-control and acceptable behavior. God's discipline serves a greater purpose than the pain that you feel in the moment it takes place. He is working to shape you into the man or woman he wants you to be. He is teaching you self-control against those fits of road rage and co-workers who don't do any work. He is causing that cell phone not to work so he can have some quiet time with you. Just like when I tell my daughters that they are to clean their room everyday and they think mama's being mean, I'm teaching them acceptable behavior. You see, I know that if you develop a habit of being messy it will overflow into other areas of your life.
When God disciplines you he is trying to develop you to become more like him. Think about this. If he didn't care, why would he bother. He would just leave you to your own devices and let you run wild. But because you are his child, he cares enough to tell you when you are doing wrong. Not only does he tell you but he sometimes withholds, chastises, spanks. My challenge for you today is the next time you are experiencing the discipline of the Lord, instead of complaining, whining and getting mad about it, take a step back. Ask God what is the purpose for the discipline. Did the discipline prevent something from happening? As a mother, I know that my discipline is out of love. I see the things I want my children to avoid and I also know a little bit about acceptable behavior. I can only see with human eyes. Our Heavenly Father sees with spiritual eyes and knows the plan he has for each of us. Why not become more accepting of his discipline?
Dear Lord,
I didn't like to be disciplined as a child and really have not handled the discipline I have received from you in the best way that I could. It just seems so unfair at the time. I know that I am not always right. Temptation is present all around me. Help me to understand that only you can see down the road. And when I can't see the purpose, let me come to you and ask what your purpose is. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Therefore
Yesterday I wrote about faith being the believer's internal engine. Today I want to continue to talk about that faith and move to Hebrews 12:1-4.
'Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven. Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don't become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.'
Would you agree with me that life is a race? This race is not a sprint. It's a marathon. This passage begins with the word, therefore. One of the things my Pastor helped to show me was the importance of word study. So I decided to dig a little deeper as to why this particular word. Why not and or but or however. Why the word, therefore. Therefore is a conjunctive adverb. Conjunctive adverbs show cause and effect or sequence. It draws a logical conclusion. In other words, because of what was previously stated this is the logical action that should be taken. The before statement was Hebrews Chapter 11. In that chapter, the author gives us Cliffs Notes of what faith is and how it behaves. We are given a list of those who came before us and how they demonstrated their faith. It was indeed their internal engine. So therefore, because of this, here is what we should do to run our race to the end.
First we must strip off every weight that slows us down. You do realize the lighter you are the better you run. (Notice I didn't say the faster you run - remember marathon, not sprint.) What is this weight the writer is talking about? Hmmmmm. I can only use examples in my life and maybe some of these you can relate to. Things like doubt, fear, friends who don't mean you any good, Bubba, Shante', a stressful job, your cell phone, your computer. Other things like alcohol, cigarettes, premarital sex. Those things that tempt you and hinder your race. We know that sin can be a struggle. That is why we must confess our sins to the one who is faithful to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Confession represents laying down that weight. (I do understand that some of you may not be ready to lay down that weight for whatever reason but don't be alarmed at how much more difficult your race may be.)
Even the writer understood that this may be a difficult task because you have become accustomed to that weight. So he went on to tell us what we must do next in order to rid ourselves of that weight. Secondly, we must fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. You see, your faith did not begin before you accepted Christ and it won't end until we meet him in glory. (Had to pause for a second at just the thought of that - what a wonderful day that will be!) Remember Peter who walked on the water. Wasn't that an amazing thing to do? It was a part of his race and he was able to do so because he had faith. Do you remember what happened when he took his eyes off Jesus? He begin to sink. Some authors speculate that he took his eyes off Jesus because he wanted every body to look at what he was doing instead of seeing Jesus thru him. Whatever the case may be, one thing we know for sure is that he begin to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus. See when you are looking ahead to the one who is able to make all things possible, the one who is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than you could ever imagine or think, the one who died on the cross for our sins because he loved us so much, it makes the task a little easier. Which brings us back to faith - our internal engine.
Think we me for a second and let's use our sanctified imagination. Jesus, who left glory, a place where the streets are paved with gold. A place where he had a mansion and the angels praised and worshiped him all day, every day. He left all that to die for my sins. And then he leaves me a record in the Bible of those I can look to as witnesses, made of the very same make and model as me. There was no need for an upgrade or a better version. He also gave me the Holy Spirit to dwell inside me, who prays for me when I can't find the word to say. Do you think a God who has already shown so much compassion and an unconditional love would want me to fail? Instead wouldn't it make more since that he is rooting for me to win. And then he gave us our own set of cheerleaders to cheer us on to victory. Let me name them for you again. Abel. Abraham. Sarah. Isaac. Jacob. Joseph. Moses. Rahab. Gideon. Barak. Samson. Jephthah. David. Samuel. They are all cheering you on. Telling you that you can do it! Keep running! When you start to get a little weary they are there with your water bottle and a towel to wipe the sweat. Chanting....DON"T GIVE UP! DON'T GIVE UP! And that is what I am saying to you today. When you grow tired and weary and feel like you can't go on, remember THEREFORE. Think about those who came before you. They made it and so can you.
Dear Lord,
I want to first start by saying thank you. Thank you for giving me your word that I can go to when I'm feeling discouraged. I can go to it when I'm feeling tired. I can feed off those whom you have given your approval for encouragement. I know I haven't always kept my eyes focused on you. I have had many distractions. Today I want to start anew. Help me to stay focused on you. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
'Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven. Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don't become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.'
Would you agree with me that life is a race? This race is not a sprint. It's a marathon. This passage begins with the word, therefore. One of the things my Pastor helped to show me was the importance of word study. So I decided to dig a little deeper as to why this particular word. Why not and or but or however. Why the word, therefore. Therefore is a conjunctive adverb. Conjunctive adverbs show cause and effect or sequence. It draws a logical conclusion. In other words, because of what was previously stated this is the logical action that should be taken. The before statement was Hebrews Chapter 11. In that chapter, the author gives us Cliffs Notes of what faith is and how it behaves. We are given a list of those who came before us and how they demonstrated their faith. It was indeed their internal engine. So therefore, because of this, here is what we should do to run our race to the end.
First we must strip off every weight that slows us down. You do realize the lighter you are the better you run. (Notice I didn't say the faster you run - remember marathon, not sprint.) What is this weight the writer is talking about? Hmmmmm. I can only use examples in my life and maybe some of these you can relate to. Things like doubt, fear, friends who don't mean you any good, Bubba, Shante', a stressful job, your cell phone, your computer. Other things like alcohol, cigarettes, premarital sex. Those things that tempt you and hinder your race. We know that sin can be a struggle. That is why we must confess our sins to the one who is faithful to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Confession represents laying down that weight. (I do understand that some of you may not be ready to lay down that weight for whatever reason but don't be alarmed at how much more difficult your race may be.)
Even the writer understood that this may be a difficult task because you have become accustomed to that weight. So he went on to tell us what we must do next in order to rid ourselves of that weight. Secondly, we must fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. You see, your faith did not begin before you accepted Christ and it won't end until we meet him in glory. (Had to pause for a second at just the thought of that - what a wonderful day that will be!) Remember Peter who walked on the water. Wasn't that an amazing thing to do? It was a part of his race and he was able to do so because he had faith. Do you remember what happened when he took his eyes off Jesus? He begin to sink. Some authors speculate that he took his eyes off Jesus because he wanted every body to look at what he was doing instead of seeing Jesus thru him. Whatever the case may be, one thing we know for sure is that he begin to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus. See when you are looking ahead to the one who is able to make all things possible, the one who is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than you could ever imagine or think, the one who died on the cross for our sins because he loved us so much, it makes the task a little easier. Which brings us back to faith - our internal engine.
Think we me for a second and let's use our sanctified imagination. Jesus, who left glory, a place where the streets are paved with gold. A place where he had a mansion and the angels praised and worshiped him all day, every day. He left all that to die for my sins. And then he leaves me a record in the Bible of those I can look to as witnesses, made of the very same make and model as me. There was no need for an upgrade or a better version. He also gave me the Holy Spirit to dwell inside me, who prays for me when I can't find the word to say. Do you think a God who has already shown so much compassion and an unconditional love would want me to fail? Instead wouldn't it make more since that he is rooting for me to win. And then he gave us our own set of cheerleaders to cheer us on to victory. Let me name them for you again. Abel. Abraham. Sarah. Isaac. Jacob. Joseph. Moses. Rahab. Gideon. Barak. Samson. Jephthah. David. Samuel. They are all cheering you on. Telling you that you can do it! Keep running! When you start to get a little weary they are there with your water bottle and a towel to wipe the sweat. Chanting....DON"T GIVE UP! DON'T GIVE UP! And that is what I am saying to you today. When you grow tired and weary and feel like you can't go on, remember THEREFORE. Think about those who came before you. They made it and so can you.
Dear Lord,
I want to first start by saying thank you. Thank you for giving me your word that I can go to when I'm feeling discouraged. I can go to it when I'm feeling tired. I can feed off those whom you have given your approval for encouragement. I know I haven't always kept my eyes focused on you. I have had many distractions. Today I want to start anew. Help me to stay focused on you. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Faith - Your Internal Engine
"So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith". (Hebrews 11:6)
Yesterday we had family dinner at my sister's house after church. That morning as we arrived at church I commented about what a beautiful day it was. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. My husband responded, yes it is but see those clouds over there, there's a storm coming. And man, was he right. By the time we walked out the church doors the sky had changed and although I am no meteorologist, I knew they were storm clouds. We went on over to my sisters and everything was fine but my younger sister had not arrived. She was waiting on my brother to get off work. The sky was getting darker and darker and about three-thirty she called and asked, "Is everything okay over that way. Those clouds look so dark". I didn't want to frighten her so I told her to keep driving and let her know she would make it okay. As soon as I hung up the phone the rain started and about two minutes later, the hail came. My nieces and nephews came running in the house frightened. The hail was so loud on the windows and the wind was so strong, one could only think tornado. As the garage was coming down I saw the front end of my sister's car. But the hail was so strong that they could have gotten a concussion if they got out of the car. So they stayed in the car. With high winds and golf ball size hail. There was a panic for most of my family in the house. The children were in the hallway crying. No one knew what to do. But I knew what to do. I started to pray! And as I was praying, I told the children that everyone would be okay. No one would be harmed. And I believed it! In the midst of the storm I stood firm on my faith that God would protect my family. My response was instinctive. It came natural.
What is faith? 'It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see'. (Hebrews 11:1) For the longest time I thought that faith was synonymous with believe. Which would imply that if I simply believed that something would happen it would. And, furthermore, the more I believed the more faith I would have. But as I begin to dig a little deeper, I found out that faith and believe are not synonymous. Believe is a verb while faith is a noun. Faith comes from the Greek word 'pistis'. It means persuasion, i.e. credence, moral conviction. It is not an action. It is the very thing that makes a Christian run. It is the internal engine of a believer. It is what enables us to live a Christian life. It helps us to display the character of our Lord and Savior. Our engine grows as we study his Word and it becomes a part of our very being. In other words, faith should be who you are. You see faith is the creed believers should live by. In every situation we face, no matter how big or how small, we should have faith that it will turn out okay. Just like Abraham, when God told him to take the son he had given him and offer him as a sacrifice, he did. He didn't stop to think about what he was doing. How crazy it may have sounded. How hurt his wife would be when he had to go home and tell her what he had done. He simply did it. His internal engine began to work instinctively. He had FAITH! Just like Noah when God told him to build an ark because the earth would be destroyed by a flood. Everyone around him laughed and talked about him, called him crazy. But he didn't let that stop him. He had FAITH! It was by faith that Moses, who was royalty, the son of Pharaoh's daughter, gave all of it up to lead God's people to the promised land. I mean, think about this, really. He had the best of everything. People waiting on him, women daunting after him, the best clothes, the finest foods. But his internal engine was working and he gave it all up. He, too, had FAITH!
That is why when the storm was raging that day and my sister and her family were trapped inside that Toyota Camry, glass window at the front, the back and on the side, I didn't worry. My God could calm the storm! I told everyone in the house they would be okay. My internal engine began to work instinctively. I didn't panic. No worry in my eyes. I did not doubt. I knew it would be alright. My fellow brothers and sisters, the time has come for a tune-up. When problems arise we must be working on all cylinders. Our internal FAITH engine has to kick in. No need to worry or fret. God is in control. Read Hebrews 11. Take a walk with our fellow believers. They were our same make and model. Created in the image of God. No different than you and I. And they gained God's approval. Will you?
Dear Lord,
I say I have faith but I must confess that when situations arise, I often times let my fear get the best of me. Doubt creeps in. I try to take control. No more. I live to please you in everything I do. I want my life to be a living testimony to others around me. Once again I am calling on you for help because I know that in areas where I am weak, You, Oh Lord, are strong. Thank you! In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Yesterday we had family dinner at my sister's house after church. That morning as we arrived at church I commented about what a beautiful day it was. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. My husband responded, yes it is but see those clouds over there, there's a storm coming. And man, was he right. By the time we walked out the church doors the sky had changed and although I am no meteorologist, I knew they were storm clouds. We went on over to my sisters and everything was fine but my younger sister had not arrived. She was waiting on my brother to get off work. The sky was getting darker and darker and about three-thirty she called and asked, "Is everything okay over that way. Those clouds look so dark". I didn't want to frighten her so I told her to keep driving and let her know she would make it okay. As soon as I hung up the phone the rain started and about two minutes later, the hail came. My nieces and nephews came running in the house frightened. The hail was so loud on the windows and the wind was so strong, one could only think tornado. As the garage was coming down I saw the front end of my sister's car. But the hail was so strong that they could have gotten a concussion if they got out of the car. So they stayed in the car. With high winds and golf ball size hail. There was a panic for most of my family in the house. The children were in the hallway crying. No one knew what to do. But I knew what to do. I started to pray! And as I was praying, I told the children that everyone would be okay. No one would be harmed. And I believed it! In the midst of the storm I stood firm on my faith that God would protect my family. My response was instinctive. It came natural.
What is faith? 'It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see'. (Hebrews 11:1) For the longest time I thought that faith was synonymous with believe. Which would imply that if I simply believed that something would happen it would. And, furthermore, the more I believed the more faith I would have. But as I begin to dig a little deeper, I found out that faith and believe are not synonymous. Believe is a verb while faith is a noun. Faith comes from the Greek word 'pistis'. It means persuasion, i.e. credence, moral conviction. It is not an action. It is the very thing that makes a Christian run. It is the internal engine of a believer. It is what enables us to live a Christian life. It helps us to display the character of our Lord and Savior. Our engine grows as we study his Word and it becomes a part of our very being. In other words, faith should be who you are. You see faith is the creed believers should live by. In every situation we face, no matter how big or how small, we should have faith that it will turn out okay. Just like Abraham, when God told him to take the son he had given him and offer him as a sacrifice, he did. He didn't stop to think about what he was doing. How crazy it may have sounded. How hurt his wife would be when he had to go home and tell her what he had done. He simply did it. His internal engine began to work instinctively. He had FAITH! Just like Noah when God told him to build an ark because the earth would be destroyed by a flood. Everyone around him laughed and talked about him, called him crazy. But he didn't let that stop him. He had FAITH! It was by faith that Moses, who was royalty, the son of Pharaoh's daughter, gave all of it up to lead God's people to the promised land. I mean, think about this, really. He had the best of everything. People waiting on him, women daunting after him, the best clothes, the finest foods. But his internal engine was working and he gave it all up. He, too, had FAITH!
That is why when the storm was raging that day and my sister and her family were trapped inside that Toyota Camry, glass window at the front, the back and on the side, I didn't worry. My God could calm the storm! I told everyone in the house they would be okay. My internal engine began to work instinctively. I didn't panic. No worry in my eyes. I did not doubt. I knew it would be alright. My fellow brothers and sisters, the time has come for a tune-up. When problems arise we must be working on all cylinders. Our internal FAITH engine has to kick in. No need to worry or fret. God is in control. Read Hebrews 11. Take a walk with our fellow believers. They were our same make and model. Created in the image of God. No different than you and I. And they gained God's approval. Will you?
Dear Lord,
I say I have faith but I must confess that when situations arise, I often times let my fear get the best of me. Doubt creeps in. I try to take control. No more. I live to please you in everything I do. I want my life to be a living testimony to others around me. Once again I am calling on you for help because I know that in areas where I am weak, You, Oh Lord, are strong. Thank you! In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Human Nature vs. Spiritual Nature
There is a question that I have pondered for a while - Why are people so quick to spread bad news and not good news? One person finds something out about someone and it spreads like a wild fire. I have been told it's just human nature. And while this may be true for the unbeliever, what about when it's us, the saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost individuals spreading the bad news. And the news we are spreading is about another saved individual. We are born into this world with human nature but when we are born again our nature should be more like that of Christ.
How do we accomplish this seemingly impossible task? How do we control our human nature? You know those natural tendencies to think negative thoughts, spread gossip, react in anger, etc. The Bible tells us to 'let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus'. (Philippians 2:5) And last week we talked about the fact that we must always have our armor on in order to fight against the devil. So is this really all we have to do? Is it really that simple? Yes it is. My grandmother used to always tell me, 'If you know better than you ought to do better'. II Timothy 3:16 tells us that 'all scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right'. As we journey to know God better and we dig deeper into his Word we replace our nature for the very nature of God. Our responses to the situations of life become reflective of our Lord and Saviour. We don't have to ask, What would Jesus Do? We already know and we act accordingly. What benefit is given from you tearing someone else down? James 5:16b tells us to 'pray ye one for another that ye may be healed'. Have you every thought what would happen if every time you found out some negative information about someone or someone comes to you with some gossip or unfavorable information about another person, you stopped and prayed? All I can say is WOW! What a change would come about in the world today.
This post may not reach the entire world but for those that it does reach today, I challenge you. I challenge you that for the rest of the week, each and every time you are faced with the temptation to say a bad word about someone else, PRAY! As much as I've tried to change things on my own, situations and circumstances and, yes, even people, I have failed. But one thing I know that has brought about change is prayer. Just try it. You see, those people I tried to change and failed I started to pray for and truth be told I don't know if they changed, but I know I did! Accept the challenge and see what I mean!
Dear Lord,
Boy, this is hard! Every day it seems like there are people who are out to get me. They don't mean me any good. I'm trying to get them to see things my way. They don't. And since I am being honest, there are some people I just don't like. They have been mean to me or maybe I'm just a little envious of what they have. I don't want to be that person anymore. Help me to pray for my brother or my sister. I want to be more like you. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
How do we accomplish this seemingly impossible task? How do we control our human nature? You know those natural tendencies to think negative thoughts, spread gossip, react in anger, etc. The Bible tells us to 'let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus'. (Philippians 2:5) And last week we talked about the fact that we must always have our armor on in order to fight against the devil. So is this really all we have to do? Is it really that simple? Yes it is. My grandmother used to always tell me, 'If you know better than you ought to do better'. II Timothy 3:16 tells us that 'all scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right'. As we journey to know God better and we dig deeper into his Word we replace our nature for the very nature of God. Our responses to the situations of life become reflective of our Lord and Saviour. We don't have to ask, What would Jesus Do? We already know and we act accordingly. What benefit is given from you tearing someone else down? James 5:16b tells us to 'pray ye one for another that ye may be healed'. Have you every thought what would happen if every time you found out some negative information about someone or someone comes to you with some gossip or unfavorable information about another person, you stopped and prayed? All I can say is WOW! What a change would come about in the world today.
This post may not reach the entire world but for those that it does reach today, I challenge you. I challenge you that for the rest of the week, each and every time you are faced with the temptation to say a bad word about someone else, PRAY! As much as I've tried to change things on my own, situations and circumstances and, yes, even people, I have failed. But one thing I know that has brought about change is prayer. Just try it. You see, those people I tried to change and failed I started to pray for and truth be told I don't know if they changed, but I know I did! Accept the challenge and see what I mean!
Dear Lord,
Boy, this is hard! Every day it seems like there are people who are out to get me. They don't mean me any good. I'm trying to get them to see things my way. They don't. And since I am being honest, there are some people I just don't like. They have been mean to me or maybe I'm just a little envious of what they have. I don't want to be that person anymore. Help me to pray for my brother or my sister. I want to be more like you. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Making the Grade
Most recently I completed a course in Income Tax Accounting. This course proved to be one of the most difficult courses I have every taken. I don't know if it was because I had been out of school for so long or because of the content but in the beginning I struggled with it alot. I remember the first day of class. I sat down in a class of about twenty-five, nervous but anxious. I have always loved school. The instructor walked in and handed me a syllabus. I glanced over it. He began to speak and the words that stuck out to me the most were "This can be a difficult course if you do not study. While most of you will wait until test time to open up your books, I recommend at least two hours a day, reading and working the homework problems and examples in the book." He went on to say that, "After the first test about seventy-five percent of you will come to me crying. You won't understand why you made the grade that you did. I will ask one question, How much time did you spend studying? I won't be surprised at the answer. So if you are serious about getting a good grade in this course, you will put in the work."
These words really hit home with me and maybe they mean something to you. I know that many of you reading this blog have decided to embark on a new chapter of your life. You have a strong desire to grow spiritually. Some of you may be on the journey with me for twenty-one days of spiritual renewal. You opened up the Bible and begin to read and did not understand at all what you read. But you kept reading. You didn't quite understand the wording and you definitely didn't see how it applied to your life. This may just be your first or second day and you have already been tempted to give up. Let me give you some encouragement - DON'T! The Bible was written to be understood and we have the best instructor at our disposal, morning, noon or night. I practice three steps that have helped me in my understanding of the Word. First, before I begin, I pray. I ask God to show me what to read. I ask him to open my ears to hear his voice. We are told in Jeremiah 33:3, 'Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things that thou dost not know'. That tells me in order for me to truly understand the Word I must consult the author. Ask God to show me what he wants me to know. The second thing I do is read out loud. And then I read it again. And sometimes I read it a third time. After which I am silent. One of the greatest tools to memorization is repetition. I have often times amazed at the things I am able to recall during times of crisis simple because I read it out loud several times. Just like when I was studying for each exam in Income Tax. I read and reread the chapters and believe it or not when test time came I was able to recall the necessary information each and every examination. Now don't get me wrong, I didn't start out the semester that way. You see, I was one of the individuals who got my first exam back and my grade wasn't that great. I believe I was overwhelmed. But it only took that one exam. I immediately changed my approach. I set up an appointment with my instructor for some one-on-one help because the lecture was good but when faced with doing the homework it was what I learned on my own that helped me with the concepts and helped me to better my grade with each test. Much like it is with our lives. We have been told at the beginning of the course that we will have tests and trials. We are also told how to prepare for those tests. Some of us follow the instructions and others are like me and we do a little to get by and when the first test comes we don't do as well as we would have liked. We go to church on Sunday and we leave feeling good. The choir sang and the preacher sho' did preach. We feel like we can handle anything. But when the test comes on Monday, we realize that we weren't as prepared as we thought we were. What we must learn to do when this happens is change our approach. We must dig deeper into our class materials - The Word of God. Every one of us is capable of being that 'A' student. So after we pray and read, then we must be silent and listen. Wait for God to reveal what he wants us to know. Draw from the examples of faith in his Word. Finally after you have done these things then pray again. Thank God for his revelation. Believe me when I tell you it works. It took me only one time in my class to not achieve the results I wanted to change my approach. And when I did and my final grade was posted, I had received one of the highest grades in the class. Some of my fellow classmates did not make it. Remember I told you we started out with about twenty-five students. We ended up with about fifteen or sixteen. Some students didn't want to put in the work but the ones who did are better because of it. One step closer to receiving the fruit from their labor. Don't give up my brother and my sister! You have the material! You know the author personally. You don't even have to receive second-hand knowledge. You are in control of what your final grade will be. 1. Pray 2. Read 3. Listen 4. Pray again
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your Word. At times I am overwhelmed by what I read and I want to give up. Help me to pull from your strength to continue on. I may not have done so good in my class. I'm no longer making excuses. I am determined to finish strong and receive the prize that you have set me for me. Thank you for those things you have already began to reveal to me during this time of study. I know that with you I CAN do all things. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
These words really hit home with me and maybe they mean something to you. I know that many of you reading this blog have decided to embark on a new chapter of your life. You have a strong desire to grow spiritually. Some of you may be on the journey with me for twenty-one days of spiritual renewal. You opened up the Bible and begin to read and did not understand at all what you read. But you kept reading. You didn't quite understand the wording and you definitely didn't see how it applied to your life. This may just be your first or second day and you have already been tempted to give up. Let me give you some encouragement - DON'T! The Bible was written to be understood and we have the best instructor at our disposal, morning, noon or night. I practice three steps that have helped me in my understanding of the Word. First, before I begin, I pray. I ask God to show me what to read. I ask him to open my ears to hear his voice. We are told in Jeremiah 33:3, 'Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things that thou dost not know'. That tells me in order for me to truly understand the Word I must consult the author. Ask God to show me what he wants me to know. The second thing I do is read out loud. And then I read it again. And sometimes I read it a third time. After which I am silent. One of the greatest tools to memorization is repetition. I have often times amazed at the things I am able to recall during times of crisis simple because I read it out loud several times. Just like when I was studying for each exam in Income Tax. I read and reread the chapters and believe it or not when test time came I was able to recall the necessary information each and every examination. Now don't get me wrong, I didn't start out the semester that way. You see, I was one of the individuals who got my first exam back and my grade wasn't that great. I believe I was overwhelmed. But it only took that one exam. I immediately changed my approach. I set up an appointment with my instructor for some one-on-one help because the lecture was good but when faced with doing the homework it was what I learned on my own that helped me with the concepts and helped me to better my grade with each test. Much like it is with our lives. We have been told at the beginning of the course that we will have tests and trials. We are also told how to prepare for those tests. Some of us follow the instructions and others are like me and we do a little to get by and when the first test comes we don't do as well as we would have liked. We go to church on Sunday and we leave feeling good. The choir sang and the preacher sho' did preach. We feel like we can handle anything. But when the test comes on Monday, we realize that we weren't as prepared as we thought we were. What we must learn to do when this happens is change our approach. We must dig deeper into our class materials - The Word of God. Every one of us is capable of being that 'A' student. So after we pray and read, then we must be silent and listen. Wait for God to reveal what he wants us to know. Draw from the examples of faith in his Word. Finally after you have done these things then pray again. Thank God for his revelation. Believe me when I tell you it works. It took me only one time in my class to not achieve the results I wanted to change my approach. And when I did and my final grade was posted, I had received one of the highest grades in the class. Some of my fellow classmates did not make it. Remember I told you we started out with about twenty-five students. We ended up with about fifteen or sixteen. Some students didn't want to put in the work but the ones who did are better because of it. One step closer to receiving the fruit from their labor. Don't give up my brother and my sister! You have the material! You know the author personally. You don't even have to receive second-hand knowledge. You are in control of what your final grade will be. 1. Pray 2. Read 3. Listen 4. Pray again
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your Word. At times I am overwhelmed by what I read and I want to give up. Help me to pull from your strength to continue on. I may not have done so good in my class. I'm no longer making excuses. I am determined to finish strong and receive the prize that you have set me for me. Thank you for those things you have already began to reveal to me during this time of study. I know that with you I CAN do all things. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Your Latter Will Be Your Greater!
Do you remember what your life was like before you accepted Christ as your personal Saviour? Being raised in the church, I accepted Christ at the age of twelve. I don't remember what life was like before that because it seemed like church was all we did in our house. But as an adult I do remember a time period when the Lord didn't seem present and nothing but storm after storm came and I felt so alone. A time of total destruction of the life that I had built. Now before this time period came, life was wonderful. Everything seemed to be running on all cylinders. I didn't even see the storm approaching or total destruction heading my way. I'm sure there were warning signs but apparently I ignored them. But to make a long story short....destruction came. And I had to go through the process of rebuilding. Much like the people in the book of Haggai.
Read the entire book of Haggai. (It's only two chapters) The temple had been destroyed and they had been instructed to rebuild the temple. And amazingly enough, after fifteen years, it still was not completed. Why? Because they were more concerned with building their own houses then the house of the Lord. (Let me put a footnote here - You must get your priorities straight. Spiritual house, then earthly house.) But that's not what I want to talk about. The question was asked 'Is there anyone who can remember this house - the Temple - as it was before?' In comparison, how does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all. (Haggai 2:3) That is why I asked the question at the beginning, 'Do you remember how your life was before you accepted Christ as your personal Savior? I know that there are many Christians who did not grow up in the church or accept Him at an early age. I could also ask the question 'Do you remember what your life was like before you decided to fully commit to him'? You may have accepted him as a child but you didn't really start walking with him until you were older. Whatever the case may be, do you recognize a difference? Does it appear to be better or worse? You see, in the life before Christ you may had thought you were doing alright. Life was just rolling on. You didn't have too many problems. You had a job. Your health was alright. Your children were behaving. Your marriage was doing great. Great friends all around you. Things were wonderful. You can sit here today and reminisce over the good times. Now I want you to think about life after Christ. How have things changed for you? Have things gotten better? Is there a point where you can say 'because of Christ, my life is better'. In this story in the book of Haggai, God realized that there was a small remnant of people who remembered what the temple was like before destruction. And now they were looking at the temple now and it just didn't seem as grand. He wanted them to know that this temple would be even greater not because of the amount of gold or silver or the design of the temple but because God was with them. He had promised never to leave them. Even though they had experienced captivity and the temple had been destroyed, he was still with them. He kept his promise! And let me tell you something, there is no comparison when it comes to life with God versus life without God. What tools did you have to help you stand in the time of trouble? Did you have peace in the midst of a storm? When you set out to accomplish a task, were the results everything you wanted them to be? Or 'when you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, did you harvest only ten' , or when you expected to draw fifty gallons from the wine press, did you find only twenty. (Haggai 2:16) You see, God wants us to realize and appreciate the true impact he has on our lives. We should never be foolish enough to think we have accomplished anything, in and of ourselves. We must come to really know the meaning of Romans 8:28. And as the scripture says here in Haggai 2:9, "The future of this Temple will be greater than its past glory..." Your latter will be your greater. Don't be discouraged when you start to think about how your life used to be and that by outside appearance it seemed to be better than your life is now. Rest assured that with God in control of your life, things can and will only be better. Trust him to make it happen and be obedient to his will. Know that when you put him first EVERYTHING else will fall into place. (Matthew 6:33)
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your presence in my life. Thank you, because even though I may have experienced total destruction, trials and tribulations you have never left my side. I know that I can count on you to be with me thru it all. Help me to remember that when I look back over my life and I feel the urge to want to go back to my life before you I will stop and think and say no. I will continue to walk in your ways. Help me to rest on your promise that my latter will be my greater. Thank you Lord. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Read the entire book of Haggai. (It's only two chapters) The temple had been destroyed and they had been instructed to rebuild the temple. And amazingly enough, after fifteen years, it still was not completed. Why? Because they were more concerned with building their own houses then the house of the Lord. (Let me put a footnote here - You must get your priorities straight. Spiritual house, then earthly house.) But that's not what I want to talk about. The question was asked 'Is there anyone who can remember this house - the Temple - as it was before?' In comparison, how does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all. (Haggai 2:3) That is why I asked the question at the beginning, 'Do you remember how your life was before you accepted Christ as your personal Savior? I know that there are many Christians who did not grow up in the church or accept Him at an early age. I could also ask the question 'Do you remember what your life was like before you decided to fully commit to him'? You may have accepted him as a child but you didn't really start walking with him until you were older. Whatever the case may be, do you recognize a difference? Does it appear to be better or worse? You see, in the life before Christ you may had thought you were doing alright. Life was just rolling on. You didn't have too many problems. You had a job. Your health was alright. Your children were behaving. Your marriage was doing great. Great friends all around you. Things were wonderful. You can sit here today and reminisce over the good times. Now I want you to think about life after Christ. How have things changed for you? Have things gotten better? Is there a point where you can say 'because of Christ, my life is better'. In this story in the book of Haggai, God realized that there was a small remnant of people who remembered what the temple was like before destruction. And now they were looking at the temple now and it just didn't seem as grand. He wanted them to know that this temple would be even greater not because of the amount of gold or silver or the design of the temple but because God was with them. He had promised never to leave them. Even though they had experienced captivity and the temple had been destroyed, he was still with them. He kept his promise! And let me tell you something, there is no comparison when it comes to life with God versus life without God. What tools did you have to help you stand in the time of trouble? Did you have peace in the midst of a storm? When you set out to accomplish a task, were the results everything you wanted them to be? Or 'when you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, did you harvest only ten' , or when you expected to draw fifty gallons from the wine press, did you find only twenty. (Haggai 2:16) You see, God wants us to realize and appreciate the true impact he has on our lives. We should never be foolish enough to think we have accomplished anything, in and of ourselves. We must come to really know the meaning of Romans 8:28. And as the scripture says here in Haggai 2:9, "The future of this Temple will be greater than its past glory..." Your latter will be your greater. Don't be discouraged when you start to think about how your life used to be and that by outside appearance it seemed to be better than your life is now. Rest assured that with God in control of your life, things can and will only be better. Trust him to make it happen and be obedient to his will. Know that when you put him first EVERYTHING else will fall into place. (Matthew 6:33)
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your presence in my life. Thank you, because even though I may have experienced total destruction, trials and tribulations you have never left my side. I know that I can count on you to be with me thru it all. Help me to remember that when I look back over my life and I feel the urge to want to go back to my life before you I will stop and think and say no. I will continue to walk in your ways. Help me to rest on your promise that my latter will be my greater. Thank you Lord. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Got Your Armor On?
I am a huge Law and Order fan, so much so that my nine year old daughter has grown to love it as well. There was one particular episode where a soldier died because he was given a faulty bullet-proof vest. This vest was supposed to protect him against the enemy. He didn't feel the need to test it out. He trusted the manufacturer and because of this he lost his life. It made me think about my armor and if it is strong enough to stand against the enemy, Satan.
We are told as Christians to put on the 'whole armor of God so that we will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the devil'. This armor is composed of several pieces - the belt of truth, the body armor of God's righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. The Bible tells us in verse 13 to 'use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will be standing firm'.
Every piece?! This is the first time I really paid attention to this. In order to fight against Satan and be victorious I needed to put on the entire armor of God? Won't that be heavy? Let me think about this. I really must wear this armor at all times. Yes! Why? Because Satan is trying his hardest to defeat you. He wants to catch you slipping. He wants to find even the smallest part of your body that is uncovered that he can sneak in. Go ahead take off your helmet and he will try to enter your mind. Remove your breastplate and he will try to enter your heart. With your breastplate of righteousness on you can standly boldly before God and against Satan. When Satan tries his hardest to come up against you with the lie of condemnation or that you aren't good enough you can fight back with God's righteousness which is covering you. Try to go without your shield of faith - in comes doubt. Is one more deadly than the other? I think not. You see, unlike the soldier who depended on someone else to give him his armor, we are responsible for picking it up and putting it on ourselves. And this armor must be authentic because when Satan is on the scene he has one objective - to kill, steal and destroy. We must be prepared to stand up and fight. We can't afford to slack off, even for a second. This fight is continuous. And our fighting is done on our knees and with the Word of God. We must be prepared. It is very easy to think that if we have all of our defensive weapons in place then we can leave off our offensive weapon, which is the sword of the spirit. But the Word is very effective at fighting off the enemy.
Feeling tired - Nehemiah 8:10; Jeremiah 16:19: Isaiah 40:31; Psalms 34:4; Matthew 11:28-31
Discouraged - Psalms 40:2-3; Hebrews 13:6; Isaiah 40:29
Afraid - Psalms 18:10; Isaiah 41:10
Angry - Isaiah 35:4-5; Ephesians 4:31-32; Hebrews 12:15
I can go on and on. Hopefully you get my point. It is imperative that you put on your armor and you must put it on daily. Never take it off. Satan is real and he is trying his best to defeat you. Will you give him the opportunity?
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your salvation. Thank you for righteousness. And most importantly thank you for your Word. I know that I have not worn every piece at all times and some days I don't put it on at all. I have been foolish enough to think I could do it with my own strength. Not anymore. From this point on I will put on the whole armor so that I can adequately fight against Satan. Thank you for providing everything necessary so that I can come out victorious. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
We are told as Christians to put on the 'whole armor of God so that we will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the devil'. This armor is composed of several pieces - the belt of truth, the body armor of God's righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. The Bible tells us in verse 13 to 'use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will be standing firm'.
Every piece?! This is the first time I really paid attention to this. In order to fight against Satan and be victorious I needed to put on the entire armor of God? Won't that be heavy? Let me think about this. I really must wear this armor at all times. Yes! Why? Because Satan is trying his hardest to defeat you. He wants to catch you slipping. He wants to find even the smallest part of your body that is uncovered that he can sneak in. Go ahead take off your helmet and he will try to enter your mind. Remove your breastplate and he will try to enter your heart. With your breastplate of righteousness on you can standly boldly before God and against Satan. When Satan tries his hardest to come up against you with the lie of condemnation or that you aren't good enough you can fight back with God's righteousness which is covering you. Try to go without your shield of faith - in comes doubt. Is one more deadly than the other? I think not. You see, unlike the soldier who depended on someone else to give him his armor, we are responsible for picking it up and putting it on ourselves. And this armor must be authentic because when Satan is on the scene he has one objective - to kill, steal and destroy. We must be prepared to stand up and fight. We can't afford to slack off, even for a second. This fight is continuous. And our fighting is done on our knees and with the Word of God. We must be prepared. It is very easy to think that if we have all of our defensive weapons in place then we can leave off our offensive weapon, which is the sword of the spirit. But the Word is very effective at fighting off the enemy.
Feeling tired - Nehemiah 8:10; Jeremiah 16:19: Isaiah 40:31; Psalms 34:4; Matthew 11:28-31
Discouraged - Psalms 40:2-3; Hebrews 13:6; Isaiah 40:29
Afraid - Psalms 18:10; Isaiah 41:10
Angry - Isaiah 35:4-5; Ephesians 4:31-32; Hebrews 12:15
I can go on and on. Hopefully you get my point. It is imperative that you put on your armor and you must put it on daily. Never take it off. Satan is real and he is trying his best to defeat you. Will you give him the opportunity?
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your salvation. Thank you for righteousness. And most importantly thank you for your Word. I know that I have not worn every piece at all times and some days I don't put it on at all. I have been foolish enough to think I could do it with my own strength. Not anymore. From this point on I will put on the whole armor so that I can adequately fight against Satan. Thank you for providing everything necessary so that I can come out victorious. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Bold Assurance
I remember as a child being afraid to tell my parents when something was wrong. I especially hated to tell them when I knew I had been disobedient. If I was having a difficult time with a task or if I was struggling with schoolwork, I developed a habit of trying to figure it out myself. And for those of you that know me well, you know that even to this day, I have a difficult time asking for help. (Just as a side note - I am working on getting better at this)
Thank God for the privilege of prayer. In my recent study of the book of Hebrews I came across a verse that helped to set all my fears aside. Read Hebrews 4:14-16. In the days of the Old Testament, the Jews relied heavily on the priest. When you went to the priest he told you what needed to be done for forgiveness of sins. It was his responsibility to go before the Lord for you, sort of like a mediator. And let me point out, this was done once a year. For me this would be difficult because how could I be assured that no one else would find out the things I said. And some days, I'm a bit of a cynic. Who's to say that the action that you want me to perform will actually produce the necessary results that I am looking for. The priest were on such a pedestal that I didn't know if they could even sympathize with me. After all, a priest was just a man. My other issue would be the timing - once a year. I don't know about you, but for me, problems are daily. I often wake up in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep consumed with the worries of this world. Some of my best times with God have occurred between the hours of three and five in the morning.
I'm so glad times are different now. We no longer have to go thru a priest. Jesus is now our Mediator. And we should have no doubt that he sympathizes with us because just like you and I, he was faced with some of the very temptations that you and I have had to face, yet he rose above his circumstances and situation and did not give in to that temptation. He who knew no sin, died for our sin. We know that when he was tired and weak, Jesus, himself, took it to the Father in prayer. And now he is sitting beside our Heavenly Father pleading out case. I couldn't have selected a better person if I had chosen him myself. You see when I know that I have done wrong, I don't have to be afraid. When I've committed the very sin that I had promised I would never do again, I can go boldly to the the throne and ask for forgiveness. When I don't know how I am going to pay my light bill or how I'm going to pass my college midterms, I can talk to God about it. When I'm sad, mistreated, angry, worried, unsure I can let it all out in my quiet time with the Lord. You see it's easier to do this because I know that I am placing it in the most capable hands. I have no fear of being judged. I know that the response is going to be one of compassion. I know that I am going to receive grace and mercy, and they are new every morning. All I have to do is grab hold of him and never let go. I must put all my trust in him. And when I do this I can come to him with bold assurance. I have a guarantee. I can be free of doubt. I don't know about you but there are not too many things that I can count on with that degree of certainty. I thank God for my great High Priest.
Dear Lord,
My heart is troubled. There are so many things going on in my life right now. Things that are beyond my control. My emotions are getting the best of me. When I would do good, evil is always present. And I admit that at times I give in to my temptation. I want to thank you Lord for your grace and your mercy. I am so grateful for your blessed assurance. I know that things will work out for my good. In Jesus' Wonderful Name. Amen.
Thank God for the privilege of prayer. In my recent study of the book of Hebrews I came across a verse that helped to set all my fears aside. Read Hebrews 4:14-16. In the days of the Old Testament, the Jews relied heavily on the priest. When you went to the priest he told you what needed to be done for forgiveness of sins. It was his responsibility to go before the Lord for you, sort of like a mediator. And let me point out, this was done once a year. For me this would be difficult because how could I be assured that no one else would find out the things I said. And some days, I'm a bit of a cynic. Who's to say that the action that you want me to perform will actually produce the necessary results that I am looking for. The priest were on such a pedestal that I didn't know if they could even sympathize with me. After all, a priest was just a man. My other issue would be the timing - once a year. I don't know about you, but for me, problems are daily. I often wake up in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep consumed with the worries of this world. Some of my best times with God have occurred between the hours of three and five in the morning.
I'm so glad times are different now. We no longer have to go thru a priest. Jesus is now our Mediator. And we should have no doubt that he sympathizes with us because just like you and I, he was faced with some of the very temptations that you and I have had to face, yet he rose above his circumstances and situation and did not give in to that temptation. He who knew no sin, died for our sin. We know that when he was tired and weak, Jesus, himself, took it to the Father in prayer. And now he is sitting beside our Heavenly Father pleading out case. I couldn't have selected a better person if I had chosen him myself. You see when I know that I have done wrong, I don't have to be afraid. When I've committed the very sin that I had promised I would never do again, I can go boldly to the the throne and ask for forgiveness. When I don't know how I am going to pay my light bill or how I'm going to pass my college midterms, I can talk to God about it. When I'm sad, mistreated, angry, worried, unsure I can let it all out in my quiet time with the Lord. You see it's easier to do this because I know that I am placing it in the most capable hands. I have no fear of being judged. I know that the response is going to be one of compassion. I know that I am going to receive grace and mercy, and they are new every morning. All I have to do is grab hold of him and never let go. I must put all my trust in him. And when I do this I can come to him with bold assurance. I have a guarantee. I can be free of doubt. I don't know about you but there are not too many things that I can count on with that degree of certainty. I thank God for my great High Priest.
Dear Lord,
My heart is troubled. There are so many things going on in my life right now. Things that are beyond my control. My emotions are getting the best of me. When I would do good, evil is always present. And I admit that at times I give in to my temptation. I want to thank you Lord for your grace and your mercy. I am so grateful for your blessed assurance. I know that things will work out for my good. In Jesus' Wonderful Name. Amen.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
What Will Your Reaction Be?
I have learned not to let too many things get a reaction out of me. By reaction, I mean cause me to respond, reflect, rebound. But there is one thing that always warrants a response from me and that is the Word of God. My childhood pastor the late Reverend H. A. Walker had a genuine love for the Word of God and one of the very first verse I remember learning from him was Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to dividing asunder of soul and spirit, of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. When I was a child reading the Bible was more about scripture memorization but as I grow older, reading the Bible became about me wanting to be a better Christian. I developed a genuine desire to want to me more like Jesus.
You see, the Word of God lives. It is not just a historical document. It is as applicable today as it was back then. The red-letter words of Jesus are able to breath life into an otherwise dead situation. Not only is it able to breathe life but it is also able to bring about good as well as as remove the bad. That's the purpose of a double-edged sword. It is capable of bringing about favorable and not so favorable outcomes. There are times when you read the Word and your respond with praise. You realize that the situation isn't as bad as it seems, you reflect on where the Lord has brought you from and you begin to offer up a praise of thanksgiving. There are other times when you read the Word and you realize some things need to change. It has cut you down to your soul. It sees the truth of who you are. It penetrates thru the mask. It sees your secret motives and knows your heart. Kinda scary, isn't it? Some of us have become masters of disguise. We smile at people, all the while we have bad intentions. We keep up our bad attitudes and the parts of our sinful nature that we believe is giving us temporary pleasure. And the truth of it all is that these ways may never be revealed to those around us but God knows. You know what I'm talking about. Those times when you pick up your Bible, in your quiet time with the Lord and the Holy Spirit begins to speak to you. You think about something you did, something you said. Simply put, it cut you. The question is - what is your reaction. How do you respond? From my experience, God has a way of keeping something on your mind. And you do realize that once you know it, he holds you accountable. But as I always state and one of the things I love so much about my Saviour is that after he cuts you, that same knife has the power to heal you. That's good news y'all!
I challenge you today to make a commitment to truly study the Word. There are countless stories of God's wonder-working power. Thought-provoking phrases. Praiseworthy passages. And unlike the fiction novel that you pick up from the bookstore for enjoyment, this dynamic read will have an impact on your life like no other. One proven to bring about true change. Will you stand and make a commitment with me. They say it takes twenty-one days to form a habit. Can you become dedicated to the word of God for the next twenty-one days. Set up a time daily for you, your Bible and God and watch the transformation. It will truly shape your life.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your Word. Thank you for leaving me a guide for everything and anything I might face in my life. I know that I have not always utilized it the way I should and I want to do better. As I embark on this new chapter of my life, help me to remain faithful. When I am tempted to slack off, help me to remember the benefit of knowing and living your Word. Help me to hide it in my heart. In Jesus' Wonderful Name. Amen.
You see, the Word of God lives. It is not just a historical document. It is as applicable today as it was back then. The red-letter words of Jesus are able to breath life into an otherwise dead situation. Not only is it able to breathe life but it is also able to bring about good as well as as remove the bad. That's the purpose of a double-edged sword. It is capable of bringing about favorable and not so favorable outcomes. There are times when you read the Word and your respond with praise. You realize that the situation isn't as bad as it seems, you reflect on where the Lord has brought you from and you begin to offer up a praise of thanksgiving. There are other times when you read the Word and you realize some things need to change. It has cut you down to your soul. It sees the truth of who you are. It penetrates thru the mask. It sees your secret motives and knows your heart. Kinda scary, isn't it? Some of us have become masters of disguise. We smile at people, all the while we have bad intentions. We keep up our bad attitudes and the parts of our sinful nature that we believe is giving us temporary pleasure. And the truth of it all is that these ways may never be revealed to those around us but God knows. You know what I'm talking about. Those times when you pick up your Bible, in your quiet time with the Lord and the Holy Spirit begins to speak to you. You think about something you did, something you said. Simply put, it cut you. The question is - what is your reaction. How do you respond? From my experience, God has a way of keeping something on your mind. And you do realize that once you know it, he holds you accountable. But as I always state and one of the things I love so much about my Saviour is that after he cuts you, that same knife has the power to heal you. That's good news y'all!
I challenge you today to make a commitment to truly study the Word. There are countless stories of God's wonder-working power. Thought-provoking phrases. Praiseworthy passages. And unlike the fiction novel that you pick up from the bookstore for enjoyment, this dynamic read will have an impact on your life like no other. One proven to bring about true change. Will you stand and make a commitment with me. They say it takes twenty-one days to form a habit. Can you become dedicated to the word of God for the next twenty-one days. Set up a time daily for you, your Bible and God and watch the transformation. It will truly shape your life.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your Word. Thank you for leaving me a guide for everything and anything I might face in my life. I know that I have not always utilized it the way I should and I want to do better. As I embark on this new chapter of my life, help me to remain faithful. When I am tempted to slack off, help me to remember the benefit of knowing and living your Word. Help me to hide it in my heart. In Jesus' Wonderful Name. Amen.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
In The Meanwhile
What do you do when God is silent? When the world around you continues to go on yet you live in a period of darkness. You are fully aware of the one who is in control, but he seems to be absent. During this period your world doesn't stop. You cannot take a leave of absence from work. You cannot shut yourself off from your spouse, your children, your family. But the pain is evident. It is so real that you are searching for that small ray of hope at this time. Because this period of silence has lasted so long you are no longer expecting anything big. No Red Sea Experience. No water into wine. Just a taste of water. Just a break in the clouds.
It reminds me of I Samuel 3:1. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel was serving the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days the messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. (Read I Samuel 2:27-36, 3:1-21) The word meanwhile let's me know something was going on in the midst of this. What was it? Evil. Darkness. Sin. Depression. Lack of Hope. God was silent. But still Samuel was still serving the Lord. Even though God's voice and his miraculous works were non-existent.
What about you? In this world we live in today where there is so much evil, so much darkness, war, terrorism do you continue to serve him. And even closer to home, your own personal period of darkness. You are a man of God. You are a woman of God. You're in a storm. The storm has lasted so long you're in a state of depression. Does your faith waiver or are you still trusting him in the meanwhile. I believe that when God is silent that is when he is doing the most work. In a great Broadway play we only see the finished product but the greater work goes on behind the scenes and the work being done in your life required the best stage master. The one capable of creating a wonderful masterpiece. In the meanwhile we must keep working, rehearsing, preparing for the performance of a lifetime. When God is able to show up in your life and make you a living testimony. It's when you dive into the Word. You may have periods of fasting and praying. You may need to have a good cleansing cry. These are necessary. But what I want you not to do it 'Give Up'. God is still at work. Remember he is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could every ask or imagine. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. He has a plan for you. You see, one day like Samuel, he will speak to you and tell you what the next move should be. As you become more engrossed in his work you will become more accepting of what these next steps are. The word is designed to show you the ways and the heart of the Lord. He may tell you that what you have prayed for is not what will happen but wrapped inside that message that seems earth-shattering is a a ray of hope. A reason to keep on serving him, trusting him, praising him. My question to you today is will you determine in your heart to continue to do all these things in your meanwhile.
Dear Lord,
I just want to scream. Darkness has consumed my life. There is evil all around me and I am at my wit's end. Help me to be strong and continue to do your work. Help me to hold on in my meanwhile. Help me to know that you are still at work and more importantly help me to accept whatever it is your response is. In the most wonderful name of Jesus. Amen.
It reminds me of I Samuel 3:1. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel was serving the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days the messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. (Read I Samuel 2:27-36, 3:1-21) The word meanwhile let's me know something was going on in the midst of this. What was it? Evil. Darkness. Sin. Depression. Lack of Hope. God was silent. But still Samuel was still serving the Lord. Even though God's voice and his miraculous works were non-existent.
What about you? In this world we live in today where there is so much evil, so much darkness, war, terrorism do you continue to serve him. And even closer to home, your own personal period of darkness. You are a man of God. You are a woman of God. You're in a storm. The storm has lasted so long you're in a state of depression. Does your faith waiver or are you still trusting him in the meanwhile. I believe that when God is silent that is when he is doing the most work. In a great Broadway play we only see the finished product but the greater work goes on behind the scenes and the work being done in your life required the best stage master. The one capable of creating a wonderful masterpiece. In the meanwhile we must keep working, rehearsing, preparing for the performance of a lifetime. When God is able to show up in your life and make you a living testimony. It's when you dive into the Word. You may have periods of fasting and praying. You may need to have a good cleansing cry. These are necessary. But what I want you not to do it 'Give Up'. God is still at work. Remember he is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could every ask or imagine. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. He has a plan for you. You see, one day like Samuel, he will speak to you and tell you what the next move should be. As you become more engrossed in his work you will become more accepting of what these next steps are. The word is designed to show you the ways and the heart of the Lord. He may tell you that what you have prayed for is not what will happen but wrapped inside that message that seems earth-shattering is a a ray of hope. A reason to keep on serving him, trusting him, praising him. My question to you today is will you determine in your heart to continue to do all these things in your meanwhile.
Dear Lord,
I just want to scream. Darkness has consumed my life. There is evil all around me and I am at my wit's end. Help me to be strong and continue to do your work. Help me to hold on in my meanwhile. Help me to know that you are still at work and more importantly help me to accept whatever it is your response is. In the most wonderful name of Jesus. Amen.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
God's Corrective Vision
For over thirty years I have worn glasses. For all intents and purpose, I am blind in one eye. The optometrist told me that if anything were to happen to that eye then I would be declared legally blind. Because of this I have worn glasses not only to help me see but to protect my right eye from dust and sharp objects.
Read Mark 10:46-52. This is the story of the blind beggar whom Jesus heals. There are several valuable lessons we can take from this blind man. First, he recognized his position. All his life he had been unable to see. Up until Jesus arrived on the scene his only means of sight was thru the eyes of others. But when he saw Jesus passing by he immediately cried out for the Lord to have mercy on him. He recognized his position and realized that he no longer wanted to live in that condition. You see before we accept Jesus into our lives we are blind. We are blind to the wrong in out lives. We are unable to see the purpose of the pain in our lives. We see our fight as against our brother and our sister instead of against Satan. And just like the beggar we must ask God for mercy. He didn't try to rattle off all the good deeds he had done or try to tell the Lord how much he deserved to see. He knew his position and secondly he recognized his need for corrective vision. I can only imagine waking up every morning and opening my eyes only to see darkness, the outline of images. Feeling every ounce of pain because of my lack of sight, my sense of touch is amplified. But this is only until I put on my glasses. It's only before I pray to the Lord and tell him, 'Teacher, I want to see.'
You see it was no accident that he referred to Jesus as Teacher at this time. He realized that after a lifetime of not being able to see he would have to be taught the correct way. In the past when he asked a question about what was ahead of him, he didn't know if the person answering was telling him the truth or a lie. He had no choice but to trust what was told to him. He didn't know anything different. When he fell and cut himself and experienced pain, he couldn't look at the scar to see if the wound had healed. He could only focus on the scar. When people walked by him and made fun of him because of the way he looked, his only defense was to build up hate. He had never been able to see the good from the bad that happened in his life. But now by looking at things through the eyes of Jesus he would be able to see divine reasoning for everything. He would be able to love those that had ridiculed him for his condition. And when the sharp objects of hate, distrust, trouble, jealousy, lust and anger tried to enter his life he would be able to combat them with the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control). He would be able to see God in everything. And so can you. Before you make a decision based on how you see things, take a second look thru the eyes of Jesus. Ask him to help you see the purpose in your pain. And just like the blind man, have faith that he will.
Dear Lord,
Lately I admit that things have been so rough that I am having difficulty seeing the purpose in all the pain. I start out with a little bit of faith and hope but when things seem to come one after another, it's more difficult for me to see things thru your eyes. Today I am putting on my divine glasses. Help me to see the good in people around me. Also help me to see the good in myself so that I can work to achieve the purpose you have for my life. In the most wonderful name of Jesus. Amen
Read Mark 10:46-52. This is the story of the blind beggar whom Jesus heals. There are several valuable lessons we can take from this blind man. First, he recognized his position. All his life he had been unable to see. Up until Jesus arrived on the scene his only means of sight was thru the eyes of others. But when he saw Jesus passing by he immediately cried out for the Lord to have mercy on him. He recognized his position and realized that he no longer wanted to live in that condition. You see before we accept Jesus into our lives we are blind. We are blind to the wrong in out lives. We are unable to see the purpose of the pain in our lives. We see our fight as against our brother and our sister instead of against Satan. And just like the beggar we must ask God for mercy. He didn't try to rattle off all the good deeds he had done or try to tell the Lord how much he deserved to see. He knew his position and secondly he recognized his need for corrective vision. I can only imagine waking up every morning and opening my eyes only to see darkness, the outline of images. Feeling every ounce of pain because of my lack of sight, my sense of touch is amplified. But this is only until I put on my glasses. It's only before I pray to the Lord and tell him, 'Teacher, I want to see.'
You see it was no accident that he referred to Jesus as Teacher at this time. He realized that after a lifetime of not being able to see he would have to be taught the correct way. In the past when he asked a question about what was ahead of him, he didn't know if the person answering was telling him the truth or a lie. He had no choice but to trust what was told to him. He didn't know anything different. When he fell and cut himself and experienced pain, he couldn't look at the scar to see if the wound had healed. He could only focus on the scar. When people walked by him and made fun of him because of the way he looked, his only defense was to build up hate. He had never been able to see the good from the bad that happened in his life. But now by looking at things through the eyes of Jesus he would be able to see divine reasoning for everything. He would be able to love those that had ridiculed him for his condition. And when the sharp objects of hate, distrust, trouble, jealousy, lust and anger tried to enter his life he would be able to combat them with the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control). He would be able to see God in everything. And so can you. Before you make a decision based on how you see things, take a second look thru the eyes of Jesus. Ask him to help you see the purpose in your pain. And just like the blind man, have faith that he will.
Dear Lord,
Lately I admit that things have been so rough that I am having difficulty seeing the purpose in all the pain. I start out with a little bit of faith and hope but when things seem to come one after another, it's more difficult for me to see things thru your eyes. Today I am putting on my divine glasses. Help me to see the good in people around me. Also help me to see the good in myself so that I can work to achieve the purpose you have for my life. In the most wonderful name of Jesus. Amen
Monday, May 10, 2010
Who's Standing Guard?
Have you heard the saying 'you are what you eat' and 'if you put nothing but garbage in, then you will get nothing but garbage out'. Who in your life have you become a permanent dumping ground for? Have you become so consumed with negative thoughts that you walk around with a bad attitude all day, every day?
The Bible tells us in Phillipians 4:8-9, "And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter, Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you". I would suggest that you read the all of Phillipians Chapter 4. Right before Paul talks to us about our thoughts he tells us not to worry about anything but in everything with prayer and petition present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I don't know about you but most of my negative thought come from worrying. I worry about whether or not I am going to pass my test. I worry about whether or not I'm going to have enough finances to pay my bills for the month. I worry about my family. And not only do I sometimes let those thoughts consume me but I also allow the worries of others to consume me as well. Then on top of that I have the thoughts that don't have anything to do with the worries of life but just with the people and things that frustrate me. And once I start to think one negative thing it amazes me how much it grows.
What I must learn to do is guard my heart against those thoughts of negativity. I have to learn how to bring those thoughts under submission to the Lord. I must pray daily, and sometimes several times a day to ask God to take over my mind and fill my heart with things above. I must change my diet from that of junk to that of the Word of God. I have to stop answering the phone for those people who I know never have anything good to say about anything or anybody. I must think about the things that are excellent and praiseworthy. Did you know that if you make it a point to thing about the things God has done for you even before you start to tell him about your problems that most of the time you will forget about your problems? Stop allowing negativity to consume your heart and your mind.
This week I challenge you, don't allow those normal thoughts of negativity to creep into your mind. Begin each day with prayer and submit your thoughts to God. Even in your darkest hour you can always find a reason to praise the Lord. He's been just that good.
Dear Lord,
It's just so natural for me to worry but I don't want to do it anymore. I don't like how I behave when I let those thoughts consume me. It doesn't make me a very nice person. (Take a moment and tell God those things that you are worried about.) Today, I submit all of those thoughts to you, my worries, my feelings of frustration. I ask you to stand guard at the gate of my heart and my mind. Thank you Lord for your insulation power. In the most Wonderful Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
The Bible tells us in Phillipians 4:8-9, "And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter, Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you". I would suggest that you read the all of Phillipians Chapter 4. Right before Paul talks to us about our thoughts he tells us not to worry about anything but in everything with prayer and petition present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I don't know about you but most of my negative thought come from worrying. I worry about whether or not I am going to pass my test. I worry about whether or not I'm going to have enough finances to pay my bills for the month. I worry about my family. And not only do I sometimes let those thoughts consume me but I also allow the worries of others to consume me as well. Then on top of that I have the thoughts that don't have anything to do with the worries of life but just with the people and things that frustrate me. And once I start to think one negative thing it amazes me how much it grows.
What I must learn to do is guard my heart against those thoughts of negativity. I have to learn how to bring those thoughts under submission to the Lord. I must pray daily, and sometimes several times a day to ask God to take over my mind and fill my heart with things above. I must change my diet from that of junk to that of the Word of God. I have to stop answering the phone for those people who I know never have anything good to say about anything or anybody. I must think about the things that are excellent and praiseworthy. Did you know that if you make it a point to thing about the things God has done for you even before you start to tell him about your problems that most of the time you will forget about your problems? Stop allowing negativity to consume your heart and your mind.
This week I challenge you, don't allow those normal thoughts of negativity to creep into your mind. Begin each day with prayer and submit your thoughts to God. Even in your darkest hour you can always find a reason to praise the Lord. He's been just that good.
Dear Lord,
It's just so natural for me to worry but I don't want to do it anymore. I don't like how I behave when I let those thoughts consume me. It doesn't make me a very nice person. (Take a moment and tell God those things that you are worried about.) Today, I submit all of those thoughts to you, my worries, my feelings of frustration. I ask you to stand guard at the gate of my heart and my mind. Thank you Lord for your insulation power. In the most Wonderful Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Friday, May 7, 2010
I Trust You Lord
Do you trust God? I mean really trust God. When times are tough and you can't see your way out do you pray about it and leave it in God's hands? Or do you take it upon yourself to try and fix the situation. If I am being completely honest I would have to say that I often times pick it back up and try to handle it myself.
By the time I was five years old I had learned Proverbs 3:5-6. My parents were really big on scripture memorization, so right along with our school work we had to learn scriptures. (Thank you mom and dad for that.) This verse was an easy one to learn but I have to say that I didn't learn the true concept of trusting in the Lord until I was in my 30's. I said I trusted him but most of the time that was just words. If there was something that I ultimately believed I could do myself then I said I trust you Lord. Like when I had a bill due that I knew I wouldn't be able to pay this month but I knew that I could call the utility company and get an extension until the next month when my bonus check was coming. But what about the things I didn't have control over - like when I lost my job and wasn't geting any hits on my resume for months and the bills started piling up. Sure I could call and get the extension but I didn't have that bonus check coming in. As a matter of fact, I didn't even have a paycheck coming in. Or when I went to the doctor and the initial results were okay but then two days later I received a call from the doctor with not so favorable news. I didn't have any control over that. What was I supposed to do? I didn't realize that true trust in the Lord came when I realized nothing was in my control. I had to get to the point that no matter what, and in everything, I came to rely completely on the Lord.
Let's take a closer look at Proverbs 3:5-6. These two verses are full of verbs - action words. That means you need to do something. First you need to trust. Trust is defined as assured reliance on the character, ability or strength of someone. Let's take a logical look at this. It means that you have looked at the gains and losses, calculated the expected utility based on hard performance data, and concluded that the person in question will behave in a predictable manner. In laymen terms, it means you looked at your life with and without the Lord, you thought about what he has already done for you and you decided that he is faithful to do what he has promised. Then we are told to 'lean not unto thy own understanding'. I'll say it again - sometimes we are our own worse enemies. Sometimes we don't see things clearly. We have a one-sided view. When someone has done me wrong, I just want to get them back. Not realizing that I am only making matters worse. When you lean on something, you place all your weight on that object. My mom just had knee surgery and has to use crutches. It was funny because she had to be taught to use the crutches. Why? Because she was used to relying on the use of both her legs. We are no different. We have come to rely on our own ability, even in times of crisis. Instead of putting our trust in God, we continue to worry. We are in pain, yet we think we can make it on our own, when all we have to do is lean. Then we are told to acknowledge him in all our ways. This means in everything we do. We give God credit and 'carte blanche' permission to act on our behalf. Now I don't know about you but if there is anyone I feel comfortable giving this kind of access to every facet of my life - it's the Lord.
So after trusting, leaning and acknowledging, God then tells us what he will do for us. He will direct our paths. That's good new ya'll. Because I don't know about you, but as I travel along this journey called life and I think about how many times God has directed me around some roadblocks, over some mountains and thru some valleys, I am so grateful. He didn't leave me to my own devices. He told me when to stop, when to yield and when to move forward. And each and every time I came out victorious. Now when I say I trust you Lord, I mean it. I believe Jesus can work it out, if you let him. You see that problem that I had, I could not seem to solve I tried and I tried, I just kept getting deeper involved. Then I turned it over to Jesus. And I stopped worrying about it. I gave it over to the Lord and he worked it out!
Dear Lord,
I admit that I struggle with trusting you with every aspect of my life. I still want to have control. Today I am turning everything over to you. I'm not gonna worry about it anymore. I believe you will work it out for me. Thank you for your guidance. In Jesus' Name Amen.
By the time I was five years old I had learned Proverbs 3:5-6. My parents were really big on scripture memorization, so right along with our school work we had to learn scriptures. (Thank you mom and dad for that.) This verse was an easy one to learn but I have to say that I didn't learn the true concept of trusting in the Lord until I was in my 30's. I said I trusted him but most of the time that was just words. If there was something that I ultimately believed I could do myself then I said I trust you Lord. Like when I had a bill due that I knew I wouldn't be able to pay this month but I knew that I could call the utility company and get an extension until the next month when my bonus check was coming. But what about the things I didn't have control over - like when I lost my job and wasn't geting any hits on my resume for months and the bills started piling up. Sure I could call and get the extension but I didn't have that bonus check coming in. As a matter of fact, I didn't even have a paycheck coming in. Or when I went to the doctor and the initial results were okay but then two days later I received a call from the doctor with not so favorable news. I didn't have any control over that. What was I supposed to do? I didn't realize that true trust in the Lord came when I realized nothing was in my control. I had to get to the point that no matter what, and in everything, I came to rely completely on the Lord.
Let's take a closer look at Proverbs 3:5-6. These two verses are full of verbs - action words. That means you need to do something. First you need to trust. Trust is defined as assured reliance on the character, ability or strength of someone. Let's take a logical look at this. It means that you have looked at the gains and losses, calculated the expected utility based on hard performance data, and concluded that the person in question will behave in a predictable manner. In laymen terms, it means you looked at your life with and without the Lord, you thought about what he has already done for you and you decided that he is faithful to do what he has promised. Then we are told to 'lean not unto thy own understanding'. I'll say it again - sometimes we are our own worse enemies. Sometimes we don't see things clearly. We have a one-sided view. When someone has done me wrong, I just want to get them back. Not realizing that I am only making matters worse. When you lean on something, you place all your weight on that object. My mom just had knee surgery and has to use crutches. It was funny because she had to be taught to use the crutches. Why? Because she was used to relying on the use of both her legs. We are no different. We have come to rely on our own ability, even in times of crisis. Instead of putting our trust in God, we continue to worry. We are in pain, yet we think we can make it on our own, when all we have to do is lean. Then we are told to acknowledge him in all our ways. This means in everything we do. We give God credit and 'carte blanche' permission to act on our behalf. Now I don't know about you but if there is anyone I feel comfortable giving this kind of access to every facet of my life - it's the Lord.
So after trusting, leaning and acknowledging, God then tells us what he will do for us. He will direct our paths. That's good new ya'll. Because I don't know about you, but as I travel along this journey called life and I think about how many times God has directed me around some roadblocks, over some mountains and thru some valleys, I am so grateful. He didn't leave me to my own devices. He told me when to stop, when to yield and when to move forward. And each and every time I came out victorious. Now when I say I trust you Lord, I mean it. I believe Jesus can work it out, if you let him. You see that problem that I had, I could not seem to solve I tried and I tried, I just kept getting deeper involved. Then I turned it over to Jesus. And I stopped worrying about it. I gave it over to the Lord and he worked it out!
Dear Lord,
I admit that I struggle with trusting you with every aspect of my life. I still want to have control. Today I am turning everything over to you. I'm not gonna worry about it anymore. I believe you will work it out for me. Thank you for your guidance. In Jesus' Name Amen.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So!
A question was posed on Facebook as to why must people post a Bible verse every two seconds or is it really necessary to be praising the Lord like that at a stop light. My response was simple...you don't know my story.
Read Psalms 107. Take a moment to truly reflect on the words and how they apply to your life. I'll give you just a tidbit. 'Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has saved you from your enemies.....some wandered in the desert, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. "Lord, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. (v1-2,4-6)
The mere words of this Psalms bring a shout to my lips. You see, these words are the story of my life. I know that I am what I am because of the grace of God. He saved me from the very jaws of death. God wants you to share what he has done for you. And he will provide just the right opportunity for you to do so. Whether at work, at school, at the grocery store, at church or even in your own home. God wants to be a constant thought in your mind and when he is then you can't help but talk about him. You begin to acknowledge him and thank him for the little things. That 'A' you made on your final exam. The close parking space at Walmart. Your quick reflexes that caused you to avoid that car accident. That time you know you didn't do the right thing, yet when you called to the Lord he came and rescued you. He didn't say, 'I told you so'.
Whatever God has done in your life, you need to share it. Whatever platform God gives you is prime time to tell of God's goodness. Use every available opportunity you have to be a blessing to someone in need. And don't worry about the naysayers and those who may become irritated by your profession of faith...if you can just help one somebody as you travel along, if you can cheer somebody with a word or a song, if you can show somebody that he's traveling wrong, then your living shall not be in vain.
Dear Lord,
I just want to say thank you. (Take the time to tell the Lord specifically what you thank him for.) Sometimes I have been a little hesitant to share my testimony. Help me to be more aware of the platform you have given me to be a witness for you so that others may come to know the wonderful God I serve. In Jesus' Name Amen.
Read Psalms 107. Take a moment to truly reflect on the words and how they apply to your life. I'll give you just a tidbit. 'Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has saved you from your enemies.....some wandered in the desert, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. "Lord, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. (v1-2,4-6)
The mere words of this Psalms bring a shout to my lips. You see, these words are the story of my life. I know that I am what I am because of the grace of God. He saved me from the very jaws of death. God wants you to share what he has done for you. And he will provide just the right opportunity for you to do so. Whether at work, at school, at the grocery store, at church or even in your own home. God wants to be a constant thought in your mind and when he is then you can't help but talk about him. You begin to acknowledge him and thank him for the little things. That 'A' you made on your final exam. The close parking space at Walmart. Your quick reflexes that caused you to avoid that car accident. That time you know you didn't do the right thing, yet when you called to the Lord he came and rescued you. He didn't say, 'I told you so'.
Whatever God has done in your life, you need to share it. Whatever platform God gives you is prime time to tell of God's goodness. Use every available opportunity you have to be a blessing to someone in need. And don't worry about the naysayers and those who may become irritated by your profession of faith...if you can just help one somebody as you travel along, if you can cheer somebody with a word or a song, if you can show somebody that he's traveling wrong, then your living shall not be in vain.
Dear Lord,
I just want to say thank you. (Take the time to tell the Lord specifically what you thank him for.) Sometimes I have been a little hesitant to share my testimony. Help me to be more aware of the platform you have given me to be a witness for you so that others may come to know the wonderful God I serve. In Jesus' Name Amen.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
What Kind of Friend Are You?
I have often heard the expression, 'Jesus is a friend that sticks closer than any brother'. So I decided to look deeper into the Word and see what it had to say about friendship. You see, in my life I have had friends come and friends go. Some I considered to be a great loss and was deeply hurt by it and others I didn't feel anything because in my reflection I realized that they had not been true friends in the first place.
As I looked in the Bible, I came across the story of David and Jonathan. What a great story about true friendship. When you have time ready I Samuel Chapter 18 - 20. Even though Jonathan was the son of David's enemy, King Saul, he remained faithful to his friend. Theres was a bond that was not easily broken. And when their friendship was tested it only became stronger. You see their friendship was built on their commitment to God. I have found that is difficult to treat someone bad when you think about all God has done for you, in spite of you. There friendship was also built on honesty. They were able to share everything. When Jonathan learned of his father's plot to kill David he didn't keep that information from him. He even spoke to his father on David's behalf. Now how easy would it have been for him to move to the side of his father, his own flesh and blood. Yet he valued the friendship that he and David shared. It was about more than what they could do for one another. It was about a love that was shared between the two of them. A love that didn't want to see any harm come to either one of them. Proverbs 18:24 says that in order to have a friend, you must first show yourself friendly. Often times we have more of a 'what's in it for me mentality'. Don't get me wrong there are times that your friendships may require you to give more, depending on the situation. Just remember that friendships are not one-sided. There is mutual bond that joins you together. There is a desire to want what's best for the other person. Outside forces can't stop you from having a relationship with that person. There may be times you have to ask for forgiveness. There may be times when you have to forgive. But before you start to cut off a friend, ask yourself the question - 'What Kind of Friend Are You?' John 15:13 says, ' the greatest love is show when people lay down their lives for their friends'.
My challenge for you today is to take a close look at the friendships in your life. Are they a value-add? Before you answer this, first ask yourself what type of friend have you been. A true friend listens, encourages, gives and even sacrifices. This is not an exercise for you to start cutting people out of your life, for I believe the Bible is about self-improvement, but about another chance for you to be the type of friend God wants us to be. Make a conscious effort to reach out to someone, and if necessary asks for forgiveness, renew your commitment to that person before the Lord, as David and Jonathan did.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for the sacrifice you made for me. I confess that I have not always been a good friend. (If led by the Spirit, be specific and name the person who you have not been a good friend to.) I value my friendships and I want them to continue to grow. I realize that I need your help to put myself aside and put someone else's needs before my own. Help me to be a better friend. In Jesus' Name Amen.
As I looked in the Bible, I came across the story of David and Jonathan. What a great story about true friendship. When you have time ready I Samuel Chapter 18 - 20. Even though Jonathan was the son of David's enemy, King Saul, he remained faithful to his friend. Theres was a bond that was not easily broken. And when their friendship was tested it only became stronger. You see their friendship was built on their commitment to God. I have found that is difficult to treat someone bad when you think about all God has done for you, in spite of you. There friendship was also built on honesty. They were able to share everything. When Jonathan learned of his father's plot to kill David he didn't keep that information from him. He even spoke to his father on David's behalf. Now how easy would it have been for him to move to the side of his father, his own flesh and blood. Yet he valued the friendship that he and David shared. It was about more than what they could do for one another. It was about a love that was shared between the two of them. A love that didn't want to see any harm come to either one of them. Proverbs 18:24 says that in order to have a friend, you must first show yourself friendly. Often times we have more of a 'what's in it for me mentality'. Don't get me wrong there are times that your friendships may require you to give more, depending on the situation. Just remember that friendships are not one-sided. There is mutual bond that joins you together. There is a desire to want what's best for the other person. Outside forces can't stop you from having a relationship with that person. There may be times you have to ask for forgiveness. There may be times when you have to forgive. But before you start to cut off a friend, ask yourself the question - 'What Kind of Friend Are You?' John 15:13 says, ' the greatest love is show when people lay down their lives for their friends'.
My challenge for you today is to take a close look at the friendships in your life. Are they a value-add? Before you answer this, first ask yourself what type of friend have you been. A true friend listens, encourages, gives and even sacrifices. This is not an exercise for you to start cutting people out of your life, for I believe the Bible is about self-improvement, but about another chance for you to be the type of friend God wants us to be. Make a conscious effort to reach out to someone, and if necessary asks for forgiveness, renew your commitment to that person before the Lord, as David and Jonathan did.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for the sacrifice you made for me. I confess that I have not always been a good friend. (If led by the Spirit, be specific and name the person who you have not been a good friend to.) I value my friendships and I want them to continue to grow. I realize that I need your help to put myself aside and put someone else's needs before my own. Help me to be a better friend. In Jesus' Name Amen.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Ordinary to Extraordinary
James Cleveland sang a song my parents used to play on our record player titled, 'Ordinary People'. The words of the song go like this: 'Ordinary people, ordinary people. God uses plain, old ordinary people. He uses people that will give their all. No matter how small your all may seem to you. Little becomes much, when you place it in the Master's hand'. What a powerful message!
It made me think of certain individuals in the Bible who went on to do great things for the Lord. Look at David, a mere shepherd boy, Jesse's son. One day, with the power of the Lord, was able to defeat Goliath ( a giant who stood about nine feet tall). Take a look at Moses, we all know he had a stuttering problem, but he was able to stand boldly before God's chosen people to lead them out of Egypt. Then there's Joshua, who out of obedience to the Lord, simply blew horns and marched and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. I could go on and on. But the question that I want to pose you today is what was the one similarity in all of these stories - they had the Lord on their side. Out of obedience to him they were able to defeat their opposition. They were able to move past obstacles standing in there way. Read Psalms 124.
There wasn't anything special about any of these individuals. Just like there isn't anything special about me and you. But when we turn our lives over to the touch of the Master and make an active decision to serve him, he is able to turn our ordinary into extraordinary. We are able to accomplish things that we couldn't have done by ourselves. Doors are opened that were once closed. We are able to help those that are in need of a little encouragement. Our enemies are left speechless, in awe of the power of the God we serve.
But we must remember that submission is key! God gave us free will and the only way he is able to work in our lives is that we must turn them over to him. None of these stories would have been possible if they hadn't listened to the voice of the Lord. Notice that there were often times others around them were telling them that they were crazy and that there was no way they could accomplish their mission. For some of them they had to fight against the voice in their own head, telling them they were nobody. Even so, they held on to the promises of God. They were obedient to his voice and because of this we all know the outcome. Ordinary became extraordinary!
My challenge to you today is take some time and just listen. Listen to what it is God is calling you to do. What opposition are you facing? Whether it's your own fears or those around you, submit it all to the Lord. When you are ready, let God know you up for the task. And then stand confidently knowing the Lord is on your side.
Dear Lord,
Today I admit my fear. I hear you speaking to me and yet I still hear all the noise around me. As of right now, I am turning it all over to you. I want to accomplish what it is you have planned for me to do. I know that I can with you on my side. I realize the skills and talents I possess are mediocre at best without you but I also know that with you, they become magnificent. Help me to walk in my purpose to achieve what it is you have set out for me to do. In Jesus' Wonderful Name. Amen.
It made me think of certain individuals in the Bible who went on to do great things for the Lord. Look at David, a mere shepherd boy, Jesse's son. One day, with the power of the Lord, was able to defeat Goliath ( a giant who stood about nine feet tall). Take a look at Moses, we all know he had a stuttering problem, but he was able to stand boldly before God's chosen people to lead them out of Egypt. Then there's Joshua, who out of obedience to the Lord, simply blew horns and marched and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. I could go on and on. But the question that I want to pose you today is what was the one similarity in all of these stories - they had the Lord on their side. Out of obedience to him they were able to defeat their opposition. They were able to move past obstacles standing in there way. Read Psalms 124.
There wasn't anything special about any of these individuals. Just like there isn't anything special about me and you. But when we turn our lives over to the touch of the Master and make an active decision to serve him, he is able to turn our ordinary into extraordinary. We are able to accomplish things that we couldn't have done by ourselves. Doors are opened that were once closed. We are able to help those that are in need of a little encouragement. Our enemies are left speechless, in awe of the power of the God we serve.
But we must remember that submission is key! God gave us free will and the only way he is able to work in our lives is that we must turn them over to him. None of these stories would have been possible if they hadn't listened to the voice of the Lord. Notice that there were often times others around them were telling them that they were crazy and that there was no way they could accomplish their mission. For some of them they had to fight against the voice in their own head, telling them they were nobody. Even so, they held on to the promises of God. They were obedient to his voice and because of this we all know the outcome. Ordinary became extraordinary!
My challenge to you today is take some time and just listen. Listen to what it is God is calling you to do. What opposition are you facing? Whether it's your own fears or those around you, submit it all to the Lord. When you are ready, let God know you up for the task. And then stand confidently knowing the Lord is on your side.
Dear Lord,
Today I admit my fear. I hear you speaking to me and yet I still hear all the noise around me. As of right now, I am turning it all over to you. I want to accomplish what it is you have planned for me to do. I know that I can with you on my side. I realize the skills and talents I possess are mediocre at best without you but I also know that with you, they become magnificent. Help me to walk in my purpose to achieve what it is you have set out for me to do. In Jesus' Wonderful Name. Amen.
Monday, May 3, 2010
And Thy Neighbor As Thyself
I have a good friend who always tells me how good I am, how much I encourage her and how much she loves me. Sometimes when she tells me I look at her like, 'you're kidding right'. I'm nobody. There is nothing special about me. And then I would take the focus off me and put it back on her. Now there is nothing wrong with this on the surface. But there was a problem at the root of it all. I was having a problem with loving myself. I didn't see in me what God saw in me. I thought I was just being selfless, not trying to be too proud. I knew I had a long way to go, so no need to thank me. The one thing that she saw in me that I didn't see in myself was the outpouring of God's love.
It made me think about my life. Why didn't I love myself? Part of the reason was because I had come to rely on what others thought of me. You see while this one particular friend had kind words to say to me, there were several others who did not. I had learned to believe more of the bad than the good. There must be something wrong with me because Mary Jane doesn't like me. Bobby doesn't love me anymore. The one thing I didn't stop to do, while I was allowing all this to build up on the inside of me, was ask God how he saw me.
What does God see when he looks at his children? He sees the same thing that I see when I look at my children - someone he loves unconditionally. He see someone who has faults that he looks beyond to the true need. He sees someone who desires to be better. He sees someone that he loved so much that he sacrificed his only son so that I might have the right to the tree of life. And in the words of Marvin Sapp, 'He saw the best in me'.
The Bible tells us, 'Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. but anyone who does not love does not know God - for God is love. (I John 4:7-8) Read I John 4:7-21. As a child of God you have God living inside you and God is love. It took me a long time to learn that you must have God in order to love. And in order to give God's type of love to others, you must first learn to love yourself. Have you ever heard the expression - you can't truly love somebody else until you love yourself. This is very true. When you are really able to accept and appreciate the love God has for you, that selfless kind of love, then you will be able to give that same love to others around you. It reminds me of verse I learned in Bible school, 'Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, soul and mind, and thy neighbor as thyself'. You see if I was only seeing my faults and flaws, instead of a work in progress, then that is all I would be able to see in others. I might be able to say that I loved him/her but would I be able to forgive. Would I be able to sacrifice for the betterment of the relationship? These are all questions I encourage you to think about. Take a naked look at yourself (this doesn't mean take off your clothes). It simply means take off the masks and uncover the scars you work so hard to cover-up and take a good look in the mirror and see yourself as God sees you. And after you do this then make a conscious choice to give that same type of love to someone else.
Dear Lord,
I confess that I am broken, scarred, bruised up and tired. Tired of making the same mistakes. Tired of not forgiving myself for those mistakes even though I've confessed them to you and I know that you have already forgiven me. Please help me to see myself thru your eyes. I want to love myself. And Lord help me to show true love, love that only comes from you to ___________. I realize that without a clear understanding and acceptance of your love I could not love ________________ anyway. Thank you Lord for loving me. In Jesus' Name Amen.
It made me think about my life. Why didn't I love myself? Part of the reason was because I had come to rely on what others thought of me. You see while this one particular friend had kind words to say to me, there were several others who did not. I had learned to believe more of the bad than the good. There must be something wrong with me because Mary Jane doesn't like me. Bobby doesn't love me anymore. The one thing I didn't stop to do, while I was allowing all this to build up on the inside of me, was ask God how he saw me.
What does God see when he looks at his children? He sees the same thing that I see when I look at my children - someone he loves unconditionally. He see someone who has faults that he looks beyond to the true need. He sees someone who desires to be better. He sees someone that he loved so much that he sacrificed his only son so that I might have the right to the tree of life. And in the words of Marvin Sapp, 'He saw the best in me'.
The Bible tells us, 'Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. but anyone who does not love does not know God - for God is love. (I John 4:7-8) Read I John 4:7-21. As a child of God you have God living inside you and God is love. It took me a long time to learn that you must have God in order to love. And in order to give God's type of love to others, you must first learn to love yourself. Have you ever heard the expression - you can't truly love somebody else until you love yourself. This is very true. When you are really able to accept and appreciate the love God has for you, that selfless kind of love, then you will be able to give that same love to others around you. It reminds me of verse I learned in Bible school, 'Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, soul and mind, and thy neighbor as thyself'. You see if I was only seeing my faults and flaws, instead of a work in progress, then that is all I would be able to see in others. I might be able to say that I loved him/her but would I be able to forgive. Would I be able to sacrifice for the betterment of the relationship? These are all questions I encourage you to think about. Take a naked look at yourself (this doesn't mean take off your clothes). It simply means take off the masks and uncover the scars you work so hard to cover-up and take a good look in the mirror and see yourself as God sees you. And after you do this then make a conscious choice to give that same type of love to someone else.
Dear Lord,
I confess that I am broken, scarred, bruised up and tired. Tired of making the same mistakes. Tired of not forgiving myself for those mistakes even though I've confessed them to you and I know that you have already forgiven me. Please help me to see myself thru your eyes. I want to love myself. And Lord help me to show true love, love that only comes from you to ___________. I realize that without a clear understanding and acceptance of your love I could not love ________________ anyway. Thank you Lord for loving me. In Jesus' Name Amen.
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