Love
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He
answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” Luke 10:25-28
Do
you think much about this command from God? It is pretty easy to think
it as something simple, but in the end how simple is it? You can
probably say it is easy to love God because He gave us life, gave us
this creation, and gave us His Son. But look at the second part of the
command. If you can't love your neighbor, can you really love God fully
with all your heart, strength and mind? I used this is an example to
two young men this week, and I think it hit home more to me as I was
discussing this with them. It is very important to love others because I
think this only helps us love God more. We need to find where we fall
short in our love and remember how we should love.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, December 26, 2014
Friday, December 19, 2014
Fantastic Friday #450 - Herald
Herald
5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles. 1 Timothy 2:5-7
Hark the Herald Angels sing. That song is a wonderful melodic verse, and when you really break down the phrase, it says the following. Listen, the Announcing Celestial Beings Vocalize Melodically. Now that doesn't have the same ring to it or roll off the tongue like Hark the Herald Angels Sing, but it does have the same meaning. When we look at this scripture the Herald, Timothy, was bringing the Word of God to the Gentiles about how Jesus Christ is our mediator between God and us. Can you think of how many Heralds there are in the Bible who announced the coming of Christ to be that mediator for us? What kind of Herald are you regarding Christ and His return. You don't have to vocalize melodically the return of our Savior, but you can announce to others how He has changed you. Be a Herald to people you meet and if you so choose, sing of His Grace.
Have a great weekend.
5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles. 1 Timothy 2:5-7
Hark the Herald Angels sing. That song is a wonderful melodic verse, and when you really break down the phrase, it says the following. Listen, the Announcing Celestial Beings Vocalize Melodically. Now that doesn't have the same ring to it or roll off the tongue like Hark the Herald Angels Sing, but it does have the same meaning. When we look at this scripture the Herald, Timothy, was bringing the Word of God to the Gentiles about how Jesus Christ is our mediator between God and us. Can you think of how many Heralds there are in the Bible who announced the coming of Christ to be that mediator for us? What kind of Herald are you regarding Christ and His return. You don't have to vocalize melodically the return of our Savior, but you can announce to others how He has changed you. Be a Herald to people you meet and if you so choose, sing of His Grace.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Fantastic Friday #449 - Prithee
Prithee
Some of you might know what this means but to those of us less educated in vocabulary, prithee means the following: I pray thee. Prithee is an archaic word that is rarely used today. Now, if you break things down a bit we all know what pray means, right? One definition of Pray is to make earnest petition. We all know that when we pray we should do so humbly and respectfully, but do we ever pray without making earnest petitions? If we don't make earnest petitions with our prayer, I am afraid that the Lord's ears are not going to be attentive to our prayers. My challenge to you in your prayer life is the following: Prithee(I pray you) humbly and respectfully lay your requests before God so His ears are attentive. Do good this Christmas season.
Have a great weekend.
10 For, whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 1 Peter 3:10-13and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Some of you might know what this means but to those of us less educated in vocabulary, prithee means the following: I pray thee. Prithee is an archaic word that is rarely used today. Now, if you break things down a bit we all know what pray means, right? One definition of Pray is to make earnest petition. We all know that when we pray we should do so humbly and respectfully, but do we ever pray without making earnest petitions? If we don't make earnest petitions with our prayer, I am afraid that the Lord's ears are not going to be attentive to our prayers. My challenge to you in your prayer life is the following: Prithee(I pray you) humbly and respectfully lay your requests before God so His ears are attentive. Do good this Christmas season.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, December 5, 2014
Fantastic Friday #448 - Useless
Useless
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58
Do you ever get to that point when whatever you are working on, or doing for someone, or performing something feels useless? At times the enemy will put these thoughts in your head to make you think whatever you are working on really isn't going to have an impact. According to scripture however, this is completely untrue. Standing firm in our beliefs for whatever we are involved in is always where we need to start. The firmness we have, as the scripture states, allows nothing to move us and that includes the thoughts the enemy puts in our mind. As long as we start with the firm foundation, everything we work on, do for someone or perform should be useful, if not to everyone at least to someone. Remember, God has us work daily to make people aware of Him through our actions and our words, so whatever we do it is not in vain as the scripture states. Don't let the enemy make you think differently but let your actions and words speak useful things.
Have a great weekend.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58
Do you ever get to that point when whatever you are working on, or doing for someone, or performing something feels useless? At times the enemy will put these thoughts in your head to make you think whatever you are working on really isn't going to have an impact. According to scripture however, this is completely untrue. Standing firm in our beliefs for whatever we are involved in is always where we need to start. The firmness we have, as the scripture states, allows nothing to move us and that includes the thoughts the enemy puts in our mind. As long as we start with the firm foundation, everything we work on, do for someone or perform should be useful, if not to everyone at least to someone. Remember, God has us work daily to make people aware of Him through our actions and our words, so whatever we do it is not in vain as the scripture states. Don't let the enemy make you think differently but let your actions and words speak useful things.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Fantastic Friday #447 - Blessings
Blessings
16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:16-17
Giving thanks is something we shouldn't just reserve for that one day out of the year, although there is nothing wrong with remembering to sit down with family and give thanks. I also see the one month lists of thanks permeating social media by many folks and there is good to reflect on there too. So, what prevents most people from giving thanks on a regular basis, or even daily? Most of the time, it is everything else that is going on that interferes in our thoughts of giving thanks. So how do we counteract that part of our life to give thanks, it is as simple as looking at the smallest blessings. The one blessing we might start with is giving God thanks for His Son's sacrifice and then go from there. It could be as simple as a roof over your head, a job, your kids, your spouse, water, food, electricity, heat, a/c, transportation, close-toed shoes, zippers, trees, dirt, people in your life, and the list of blessings could go on and on. So, when you think things are tough, thank God for the small blessings in your life and the big things may not seem like such a big deal. Remember, God can handle everything.
Have a great weekend.
16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:16-17
Giving thanks is something we shouldn't just reserve for that one day out of the year, although there is nothing wrong with remembering to sit down with family and give thanks. I also see the one month lists of thanks permeating social media by many folks and there is good to reflect on there too. So, what prevents most people from giving thanks on a regular basis, or even daily? Most of the time, it is everything else that is going on that interferes in our thoughts of giving thanks. So how do we counteract that part of our life to give thanks, it is as simple as looking at the smallest blessings. The one blessing we might start with is giving God thanks for His Son's sacrifice and then go from there. It could be as simple as a roof over your head, a job, your kids, your spouse, water, food, electricity, heat, a/c, transportation, close-toed shoes, zippers, trees, dirt, people in your life, and the list of blessings could go on and on. So, when you think things are tough, thank God for the small blessings in your life and the big things may not seem like such a big deal. Remember, God can handle everything.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Fantastic Friday #446 - Topple
Topple
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. Psalm 62:3-6
I watched my youngest son put together quite the Lego masterpiece this week. It happened to be one of the Star Wars walkers, and if you know anything about Star Wars you know that the smallest grappling hook and wire made one of these beasts fall in the movie. While I was watching my son put together this walker, it toppled a couple of times until he had every piece attached correctly, then it was a sturdy piece to maneuver around the living room. Our lives are much like this walker as we pass through this existence. When we have God in our life, we have a sturdy foundation to keep us from toppling over. However, when we don't have the regular pieces of God in our life, prayer, scripture study and worship then we can tend to lean away from His sturdy foundation and could eventually topple over and crash. The thing about God is that He is a forgiving God and can raise us back up if we lean into Him and His teachings. Don't let the grappling hooks and wire of this world topple you.
Have a great weekend.
3 How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.
5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. Psalm 62:3-6
I watched my youngest son put together quite the Lego masterpiece this week. It happened to be one of the Star Wars walkers, and if you know anything about Star Wars you know that the smallest grappling hook and wire made one of these beasts fall in the movie. While I was watching my son put together this walker, it toppled a couple of times until he had every piece attached correctly, then it was a sturdy piece to maneuver around the living room. Our lives are much like this walker as we pass through this existence. When we have God in our life, we have a sturdy foundation to keep us from toppling over. However, when we don't have the regular pieces of God in our life, prayer, scripture study and worship then we can tend to lean away from His sturdy foundation and could eventually topple over and crash. The thing about God is that He is a forgiving God and can raise us back up if we lean into Him and His teachings. Don't let the grappling hooks and wire of this world topple you.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Fantastic Friday #445 - Whole Story
Whole Story
4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’
8 “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
9 “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. Acts 11:4-10
Do you sometimes only listen to part of something or read small piece of something? When you only receive bits and pieces to something, it can be very hard to follow or understand. I know that sometimes in my life I get information that is not complete so I don't get a true picture of the whole story. I also know that I make mistakes and don't listen like I should or pay attention to the people I love most. This has a very serious negative consequence and one that I must overcome, however I cannot do it on my own. I stopped Peter's story in verse 10 above. Didn't it feel incomplete and don't you feel like you wanted more? God wants us and has given us a whole story that provides a way for us to be back with him. It is up to us to finish the story He has already written for us and allow us to be changed by him. We must remember we need the whole story and not part of it. Now, go back and read the whole story Peter is telling in Acts 11 and I guarantee you will see where you fit into this story.
Have a great weekend.
4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’
8 “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
9 “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. Acts 11:4-10
Do you sometimes only listen to part of something or read small piece of something? When you only receive bits and pieces to something, it can be very hard to follow or understand. I know that sometimes in my life I get information that is not complete so I don't get a true picture of the whole story. I also know that I make mistakes and don't listen like I should or pay attention to the people I love most. This has a very serious negative consequence and one that I must overcome, however I cannot do it on my own. I stopped Peter's story in verse 10 above. Didn't it feel incomplete and don't you feel like you wanted more? God wants us and has given us a whole story that provides a way for us to be back with him. It is up to us to finish the story He has already written for us and allow us to be changed by him. We must remember we need the whole story and not part of it. Now, go back and read the whole story Peter is telling in Acts 11 and I guarantee you will see where you fit into this story.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Fantastic Friday #444 - Eager
Eager
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. Titus 2:11-14
Have a great weekend.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Fantastic Friday #443 - Overwhelm
Overwhelm
1 Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
How many of you have felt overwhelmed this week? If you break down the word into two parts and look at the word "whelm" it means to submerge and engulf. So when you put the word "over" back with it, most of us think of being overly burdened with something. In this scripture the word overwhelmed by sin can give us a good picture of being submerged and engulfed by sin. So let's think about your week where you were overwhelmed with something and last week's word of being watchful. When we are watchful, the burden might not seem so strong because we are spending time with God in prayer. Now read this verse again, it refers to God as One who answers prayer and forgives our transgressions. How wonderful it is that God has the Love for us to lift our burdens and think about what happens when we whelm ourselves with God in prayer and thought. I assume that when we whelm ourselves in God, He will Overwhelm the burden dragging us down and we won't feel the negative overwhelming feelings but positive ones. Overwhelm yourself in God's love.
Have a great weekend.
1 Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
2 You who answer prayer,
to you all people will come.
3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave our transgressions.
4 Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple. Psalm 65:1-4
to you all people will come.
3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave our transgressions.
4 Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple. Psalm 65:1-4
How many of you have felt overwhelmed this week? If you break down the word into two parts and look at the word "whelm" it means to submerge and engulf. So when you put the word "over" back with it, most of us think of being overly burdened with something. In this scripture the word overwhelmed by sin can give us a good picture of being submerged and engulfed by sin. So let's think about your week where you were overwhelmed with something and last week's word of being watchful. When we are watchful, the burden might not seem so strong because we are spending time with God in prayer. Now read this verse again, it refers to God as One who answers prayer and forgives our transgressions. How wonderful it is that God has the Love for us to lift our burdens and think about what happens when we whelm ourselves with God in prayer and thought. I assume that when we whelm ourselves in God, He will Overwhelm the burden dragging us down and we won't feel the negative overwhelming feelings but positive ones. Overwhelm yourself in God's love.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Fantastic Friiday #442 - Watchful
Watchful
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2
What do you watch during your time alone? When we are alone is when we are most vulnerable to what the enemy wants from us. The enemy wants our attention drawn to him and what he wants. The enemy wants our thoughts off the Lord and focused solely on ourselves and our own needs. This is why prayer is so important to be part of our daily lives. With prayer, we are closer to God as we communicate to Him. As we are praying we need to be watchful not to let the enemy sneak in and steal our joy, and we also need to remember to be thankful for all God has provided. Even when we are being attacked daily, it is important to thank God for being there and showing us the way. Be watchful, thankful and prayerful.
Have a great weekend.
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2
What do you watch during your time alone? When we are alone is when we are most vulnerable to what the enemy wants from us. The enemy wants our attention drawn to him and what he wants. The enemy wants our thoughts off the Lord and focused solely on ourselves and our own needs. This is why prayer is so important to be part of our daily lives. With prayer, we are closer to God as we communicate to Him. As we are praying we need to be watchful not to let the enemy sneak in and steal our joy, and we also need to remember to be thankful for all God has provided. Even when we are being attacked daily, it is important to thank God for being there and showing us the way. Be watchful, thankful and prayerful.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Fantastic Friday #441 - Well
Well
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13
Are you well-fed? Does this make you think of food or can you think of what things other than food you are taking in. I overheard a woman talking about some commercials and shows in the early evening that were pretty bad and she wondered how this could be on TV. It made me stop and think about how much bad there is around us on TV, the Internet, and the world and how much we are taking it in. Are we getting bites of things that make us sometimes want more or are we taking huge gulps and letting ourselves get filled with the wrong things. Think about how quickly we can be filled with the small bites and gulps of the world, and then think of how quickly we can be filled with the small bites and gulps of God's Word and messages. The problem with the things of this world is they don't digest and just sit there and don't make us well-fed. With God, if we are regularly digesting the bites and gulps of His Word, we are filled with nutrition that can make us well-fed. We can be strengthened through Him.
Have a great weekend.
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13
Are you well-fed? Does this make you think of food or can you think of what things other than food you are taking in. I overheard a woman talking about some commercials and shows in the early evening that were pretty bad and she wondered how this could be on TV. It made me stop and think about how much bad there is around us on TV, the Internet, and the world and how much we are taking it in. Are we getting bites of things that make us sometimes want more or are we taking huge gulps and letting ourselves get filled with the wrong things. Think about how quickly we can be filled with the small bites and gulps of the world, and then think of how quickly we can be filled with the small bites and gulps of God's Word and messages. The problem with the things of this world is they don't digest and just sit there and don't make us well-fed. With God, if we are regularly digesting the bites and gulps of His Word, we are filled with nutrition that can make us well-fed. We can be strengthened through Him.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Fantastic Friday #440 - Compassion
Compassion
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Having a deep sympathy for others and a strong desire to alleviate suffering is not one of my strong suits. Do you ever find yourself wondering what makes some people have so much compassion, when others seem to have little or none. Many might not find this applies to you because you are compassionate in some way or have a deep feeling to alleviate suffering in this world. Whether we have a lot of compassion or a little, we can all learn something from all people. An easy way to look at this is how much are we really focusing on the people and world around us. When the news comes on about the wars in the world or starving people in Africa, Asia or even the U.S., do we distract ourselves with something else or just not acknowledge what is going on around the other side of the world. We also might think those people here in the U.S. have more opportunity than the rest of the world, so you might ask yourself what is their problem? The interesting thing about all of this is that we all want to be closer to Jesus or become more like Him. If you look at Jesus during His ministry on earth, he was full of compassion for all. Today we have the Holy Spirit to comfort us, and we know that God will comfort us in all our troubles just as the scripture says. All we need is belief and faith in our Lord and Savior, and we will be comforted. In turn, by His compassion and recognizing it as true compassion, it should show us how we can give compassion to others because He had compassion on us.
Have a great weekend.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Having a deep sympathy for others and a strong desire to alleviate suffering is not one of my strong suits. Do you ever find yourself wondering what makes some people have so much compassion, when others seem to have little or none. Many might not find this applies to you because you are compassionate in some way or have a deep feeling to alleviate suffering in this world. Whether we have a lot of compassion or a little, we can all learn something from all people. An easy way to look at this is how much are we really focusing on the people and world around us. When the news comes on about the wars in the world or starving people in Africa, Asia or even the U.S., do we distract ourselves with something else or just not acknowledge what is going on around the other side of the world. We also might think those people here in the U.S. have more opportunity than the rest of the world, so you might ask yourself what is their problem? The interesting thing about all of this is that we all want to be closer to Jesus or become more like Him. If you look at Jesus during His ministry on earth, he was full of compassion for all. Today we have the Holy Spirit to comfort us, and we know that God will comfort us in all our troubles just as the scripture says. All we need is belief and faith in our Lord and Savior, and we will be comforted. In turn, by His compassion and recognizing it as true compassion, it should show us how we can give compassion to others because He had compassion on us.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Fantastic Friday #439 - Storm
Storm
Have a great weekend.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven. Psalm 107:28-30
We had a significant storm run through our area and boy it caused some damage. There have also been storms taking place all around us all week, whether they be storms in our work, school, family or with friends. The thing we need to remember is what we do with and in these storms. A lot of people's first reaction about storms is fear and concern with what is going to happen to them or their stuff. Some people face storms head on and attack the storm with a positive attitude and think that they can manage the storm themselves. Truly how many of us cry out to the Lord as a first response? Take a moment the next time you anticipate or experience a storm and cry out first to allow Him to still the storm. Have faith that He will make it calm and guide you to your haven.
and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven. Psalm 107:28-30
We had a significant storm run through our area and boy it caused some damage. There have also been storms taking place all around us all week, whether they be storms in our work, school, family or with friends. The thing we need to remember is what we do with and in these storms. A lot of people's first reaction about storms is fear and concern with what is going to happen to them or their stuff. Some people face storms head on and attack the storm with a positive attitude and think that they can manage the storm themselves. Truly how many of us cry out to the Lord as a first response? Take a moment the next time you anticipate or experience a storm and cry out first to allow Him to still the storm. Have faith that He will make it calm and guide you to your haven.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Fantastic Friday #438- Attitude
Attitude
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Philippians 2:3-5
I umpired a game this week of young 10-12 year old kids and what I saw was something very interesting. In the beginning, both teams were playing very hard, doing their best and seemed to be having a good time. As the game progressed, I began to see attitudes, hard feelings, negative speech, and some boys physically acting out. As the game went on, I addressed these things with kids when I saw or heard them, but something else interesting happened. None of the kids seemed to be having fun anymore and their negativity that started out as team against team began to seep into their own dugouts. At the end of the game I called both teams together and spoke to them about their negative attitudes and reminded them that baseball is fun. Life is kind of the same way. We can tend to focus on our own selfish ambitions at times and only on what we are doing and lose focus of the good around us. The enemy has us focus on the bad and not the good, and you could see how the enemy was working even among these 10-12 year old kids. We should focus daily on how Christ wants us to act, and have the same mindset as the scripture says, so we don't fall into vanity. Something as simple as a baseball game helped remind me of humility tonight and something I will take into this next week.
Have a great weekend.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Philippians 2:3-5
I umpired a game this week of young 10-12 year old kids and what I saw was something very interesting. In the beginning, both teams were playing very hard, doing their best and seemed to be having a good time. As the game progressed, I began to see attitudes, hard feelings, negative speech, and some boys physically acting out. As the game went on, I addressed these things with kids when I saw or heard them, but something else interesting happened. None of the kids seemed to be having fun anymore and their negativity that started out as team against team began to seep into their own dugouts. At the end of the game I called both teams together and spoke to them about their negative attitudes and reminded them that baseball is fun. Life is kind of the same way. We can tend to focus on our own selfish ambitions at times and only on what we are doing and lose focus of the good around us. The enemy has us focus on the bad and not the good, and you could see how the enemy was working even among these 10-12 year old kids. We should focus daily on how Christ wants us to act, and have the same mindset as the scripture says, so we don't fall into vanity. Something as simple as a baseball game helped remind me of humility tonight and something I will take into this next week.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Fantastic Friday #437 - Express
Express
8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. Colossians 4:8
What do you think about when you hear the word express? Maybe it is something fast or something dealing with sharing a feeling or emotion. Do you think about the word "singular"? When we have a purpose, does it typically have express in front of it, or is it filled with multiple other things. Do you have a singular purpose in your life that is focused on others or yourself? Tychicus had a singular purpose to encourage others hearts. What is your express purpose in life? I would say if we really thought about it, our true express purpose would be to honor God in the way we live our life. I encourage you to look for and find that express purpose and utilize it to God's glory and not your own. If you don't have one, find one and if you can't find one pray that God reveals an Express Purpose in your life. We all have one besides honoring God.
Have a great weekend.
8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. Colossians 4:8
What do you think about when you hear the word express? Maybe it is something fast or something dealing with sharing a feeling or emotion. Do you think about the word "singular"? When we have a purpose, does it typically have express in front of it, or is it filled with multiple other things. Do you have a singular purpose in your life that is focused on others or yourself? Tychicus had a singular purpose to encourage others hearts. What is your express purpose in life? I would say if we really thought about it, our true express purpose would be to honor God in the way we live our life. I encourage you to look for and find that express purpose and utilize it to God's glory and not your own. If you don't have one, find one and if you can't find one pray that God reveals an Express Purpose in your life. We all have one besides honoring God.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Fantastic Friday #436 - Careful
Careful
5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Haggai 1:5-7
Sometimes we are careful and sometimes we aren't. We tend to not be careful when we let the world tell us what we need, how much we need and when we need it. Interestingly enough, God gives us exactly what we need, never too much or never too little, just enough to complete His plan for each of us. So, when we hear the scripture "give careful thought to your ways" from now on, I think we should probably give careful thought to our ways especially if God said it twice. When we aren't careful with our ways, God is typically silent until we come back to Him in prayer and petition and with a humble heart. We need to be careful, specifically because God loves us and wants a relationship with us.
Have a great weekend.
5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Haggai 1:5-7
Sometimes we are careful and sometimes we aren't. We tend to not be careful when we let the world tell us what we need, how much we need and when we need it. Interestingly enough, God gives us exactly what we need, never too much or never too little, just enough to complete His plan for each of us. So, when we hear the scripture "give careful thought to your ways" from now on, I think we should probably give careful thought to our ways especially if God said it twice. When we aren't careful with our ways, God is typically silent until we come back to Him in prayer and petition and with a humble heart. We need to be careful, specifically because God loves us and wants a relationship with us.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Fantastic Friday #435 - Drift
Drift
We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Hebrews 2:1-4
If you have ever been on a boat in the open water without an engine, have you ever paid attention to how far you will drift away from the location where you started? When you are in the water on a boat, you really can't control where you are going unless you have a paddle or a motor, so without these devices you could just continue to drift. The same thing can be said about our spiritual life and paying attention to what God has said regarding salvation and what we should be doing in our lives here on earth. We also need to be paying attention to the Holy Spirit, because God has given us this special gift to help keep us from drifting away. The Holy Spirit is like our paddle or motor that helps right the ship from drifting further and further away from our Father in Heaven. We just need to remember that each time we take our boat out that we all have the necessary paddles to stay on course.
Have a great weekend.
We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Hebrews 2:1-4
If you have ever been on a boat in the open water without an engine, have you ever paid attention to how far you will drift away from the location where you started? When you are in the water on a boat, you really can't control where you are going unless you have a paddle or a motor, so without these devices you could just continue to drift. The same thing can be said about our spiritual life and paying attention to what God has said regarding salvation and what we should be doing in our lives here on earth. We also need to be paying attention to the Holy Spirit, because God has given us this special gift to help keep us from drifting away. The Holy Spirit is like our paddle or motor that helps right the ship from drifting further and further away from our Father in Heaven. We just need to remember that each time we take our boat out that we all have the necessary paddles to stay on course.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Fantastic Friday #434 - Ebbing
Ebbing
turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” Jonah 2:7-9
Do you ever feel like your life is ebbing away? To ebb is to flow backward or away; decline or decay. Now I ask you again, do you feel like your life is full of decay, so much that you see your life ebbing away. The times when we feel this are probably those times when God is quiet and you are far away from Him. We also might feel like there is no way we can be renewed or begin flowing in the right direction that God wants us to. As always, we tend to look at these things from the wrong viewpoint. We need to remember as Jonah did in this verse that our salvation comes from the Lord and He loves us. We need to turn to Him even more when that undercurrent of our life starts dragging us away which only leads to decay. Remember salvation can only be found in our Lord and not the worthless idols of our day. Turn to him as your anchor so you aren't caught in the ebb of this world.
Have a great weekend.
7 “When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.
8 “Those who cling to worthless idolsI remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.
turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” Jonah 2:7-9
Do you ever feel like your life is ebbing away? To ebb is to flow backward or away; decline or decay. Now I ask you again, do you feel like your life is full of decay, so much that you see your life ebbing away. The times when we feel this are probably those times when God is quiet and you are far away from Him. We also might feel like there is no way we can be renewed or begin flowing in the right direction that God wants us to. As always, we tend to look at these things from the wrong viewpoint. We need to remember as Jonah did in this verse that our salvation comes from the Lord and He loves us. We need to turn to Him even more when that undercurrent of our life starts dragging us away which only leads to decay. Remember salvation can only be found in our Lord and not the worthless idols of our day. Turn to him as your anchor so you aren't caught in the ebb of this world.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Fantastic Friday #433 - COG
COG
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3
If you think of a Cog, it is a minor part in a large organization or more commonly a part of a wheel that makes a gear move which is something small that helps make a large impact. Is it any wonder that a COG can also be an abbreviation for Children of God. Now let's sit and think about it for a second. While God is all-powerful and amazing, He still has us as His children to spread His gospel and share His Word. We, as His Children, are an extension of Him and therefore a minor part in His major machine. We as Christians can help His gears move forward. So, as Children of God, we are not just a person among many, we are COG in the wheel of life where we can help make God's message be moved forward with just a little effort. Don't just be a follower of Christ, but be a Child of God to help spread His message.
Have a great weekend.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3
If you think of a Cog, it is a minor part in a large organization or more commonly a part of a wheel that makes a gear move which is something small that helps make a large impact. Is it any wonder that a COG can also be an abbreviation for Children of God. Now let's sit and think about it for a second. While God is all-powerful and amazing, He still has us as His children to spread His gospel and share His Word. We, as His Children, are an extension of Him and therefore a minor part in His major machine. We as Christians can help His gears move forward. So, as Children of God, we are not just a person among many, we are COG in the wheel of life where we can help make God's message be moved forward with just a little effort. Don't just be a follower of Christ, but be a Child of God to help spread His message.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, August 15, 2014
Fantastic Friday #432 - Rend
Rend
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:12-13
Rend, a very interesting word. Now be honest, how many of you looked at that word and had to Google it or look it up in a dictionary. Maybe if you were an English major or a Bible scholar you recognized the word right off, but if you didn't this definition I found quite humbling, "to tear (one's garments or hair) in grief, rage, etc." Keep the jokes coming, but truly this one hits more to home, "to harrow or distress (the heart) with painful feelings." Do you know those times when you find yourself distant from God, and do you ever cry out to Him asking for Him to show up with an almighty miracle? Do you ever find yourself expressing rage or grief in physical ways? God doesn't want us to act out physically or create an over-emotional response. He wants us, and He wants our hearts to be in the right place. He wants us to return to Him away from a life of sin, anger and frustration. He wants us to lean into Him so He can help us see where we should be. He is gracious and compassionate. So, no more ripping up our clothes(acting out in rage), but let's be more cognizant of where God wants us in our life. He is slow to anger, and very compassionate and full of love.
Have a great weekend.
12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:12-13
Rend, a very interesting word. Now be honest, how many of you looked at that word and had to Google it or look it up in a dictionary. Maybe if you were an English major or a Bible scholar you recognized the word right off, but if you didn't this definition I found quite humbling, "to tear (one's garments or hair) in grief, rage, etc." Keep the jokes coming, but truly this one hits more to home, "to harrow or distress (the heart) with painful feelings." Do you know those times when you find yourself distant from God, and do you ever cry out to Him asking for Him to show up with an almighty miracle? Do you ever find yourself expressing rage or grief in physical ways? God doesn't want us to act out physically or create an over-emotional response. He wants us, and He wants our hearts to be in the right place. He wants us to return to Him away from a life of sin, anger and frustration. He wants us to lean into Him so He can help us see where we should be. He is gracious and compassionate. So, no more ripping up our clothes(acting out in rage), but let's be more cognizant of where God wants us in our life. He is slow to anger, and very compassionate and full of love.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Fantastic Friday #431 - Attentive
Attentive
11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” Nehemiah 1:11
How attentive are you during the day? Do you pay attention to the right things? Do you find yourself paying half attention to people and things because you always think something else is more important? We can find ourselves hearing only half the conversation and sometimes missing the main point completely depending on how engaged we are in the relationship. Relationships are where we develop attentiveness in our lives. How engaged we are with others will reflect how attentive we are to those same people when they engage you. How attentive to you do you think God is to our needs? How attentive to God are you? It all depends on how engaged you are with God. He is always there to listen attentively to us, but we have to be attentive to Him and His teachings. We have to be attentive to Him when He speaks. I know in my life, my attentiveness waivers with the flow of the day, but I know in my heart I should always be ready to hear Him speak. Be more attentive or you might miss something important.
Have a great weekend.
11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” Nehemiah 1:11
How attentive are you during the day? Do you pay attention to the right things? Do you find yourself paying half attention to people and things because you always think something else is more important? We can find ourselves hearing only half the conversation and sometimes missing the main point completely depending on how engaged we are in the relationship. Relationships are where we develop attentiveness in our lives. How engaged we are with others will reflect how attentive we are to those same people when they engage you. How attentive to you do you think God is to our needs? How attentive to God are you? It all depends on how engaged you are with God. He is always there to listen attentively to us, but we have to be attentive to Him and His teachings. We have to be attentive to Him when He speaks. I know in my life, my attentiveness waivers with the flow of the day, but I know in my heart I should always be ready to hear Him speak. Be more attentive or you might miss something important.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Fantastic Friday #430 - Changes
Changes
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” Daniel 3:28-29
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” Daniel 3:28-29
What
does it take to make a life change? Is it a friend who tells you that
you need to make changes in your lifestyle to improve yourself, or is it
a family member encouraging you to change a habit that impacts you and
your family. Or better yet, is it a miracle that you experience that
changes your perspective on how you should live. We might have things in
our life that we might find more important than God, and those things
end up becoming idols. Everyone can identify an idol that has been or
is a part of their life. In this scripture Nebuchadnezzar changed his
view on his idols and his gods when he saw the one and only true God
perform a miracle of saving these three young men who wouldn't worship
his gods. It shouldn't take a miracle to make changes in our life but a
simple step of faith in God and His plan for our life. Make changes to
put down those idols in your life that are so distracting and live a
life in faith.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Fantastic Friday #429 - Practice
Practice
30 “As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ 31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.
33 “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.” Ezekiel 33:30-33
How many people do you know that rave on social media and to their friends in person about how wonderful a sermon was, or a lesson that was taught, or the worship music experience they just had at their church. Then how many of you see the same people do something completely against what Christ teaches when they leave the church doors and enter the gates of the world. I am not here to judge, because I have been that person many times in my past. Many times we can go to church meetings, services and small groups to hear the Word of God preached, taught or worship, but I wonder how many of those times we are actually listening to what is being shared from God. I think there are times when the true meaning of God's Word is overlooked because of where we place our emphasis when we are in God's church. Maybe we just love that charismatic church leader who is poetic in the way he speaks every single week, or maybe the worship pastor really knows how to move me with the songs he chooses and can really rock the house, or maybe that teacher we listen to in Sunday School has really got a way with cross-referencing scripture the way no one else can. I mean no offense to anyone here but there is a point. I want to bring to light where we might be as followers of Christ. We shouldn't merely hear the word as presented, but delve deep into what God wants us to know. We shouldn't focus so much on the way God's Word is presented but more on how we should hear the Word and then act on it when we leave the doors of the church. We can't walk away and not put God's Word into practice, because that just puts us back to where we were before hearing the Word. We can be someone enamored by presentation or someone enamored by God.
Have a great weekend.
30 “As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ 31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.
33 “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.” Ezekiel 33:30-33
How many people do you know that rave on social media and to their friends in person about how wonderful a sermon was, or a lesson that was taught, or the worship music experience they just had at their church. Then how many of you see the same people do something completely against what Christ teaches when they leave the church doors and enter the gates of the world. I am not here to judge, because I have been that person many times in my past. Many times we can go to church meetings, services and small groups to hear the Word of God preached, taught or worship, but I wonder how many of those times we are actually listening to what is being shared from God. I think there are times when the true meaning of God's Word is overlooked because of where we place our emphasis when we are in God's church. Maybe we just love that charismatic church leader who is poetic in the way he speaks every single week, or maybe the worship pastor really knows how to move me with the songs he chooses and can really rock the house, or maybe that teacher we listen to in Sunday School has really got a way with cross-referencing scripture the way no one else can. I mean no offense to anyone here but there is a point. I want to bring to light where we might be as followers of Christ. We shouldn't merely hear the word as presented, but delve deep into what God wants us to know. We shouldn't focus so much on the way God's Word is presented but more on how we should hear the Word and then act on it when we leave the doors of the church. We can't walk away and not put God's Word into practice, because that just puts us back to where we were before hearing the Word. We can be someone enamored by presentation or someone enamored by God.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Fantastic Friday #428 - Anxiety
Anxiety
7Light is sweet,
and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
8 However many years anyone may live,
let them enjoy them all.
But let them remember the days of darkness,
for there will be many.
Everything to come is meaningless.
9 You who are young, be happy while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you into judgment.
10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart
and cast off the troubles of your body,
for youth and vigor are meaningless. Ecclesiastes 11:7-10
When I think about anxiety and how I struggle with it regularly, I always am reminded to listen to my friends and my God who show me those great scriptures in 1 Peter and Philippians. When I came across this scripture this week, it reminded me of absolutely how useless this anxiety is in my life and how I can battle it with God on my side. God shows up at the most opportune times, and He is always faithful, yet the enemy pushes doubt into our thoughts which can lead to anxiety. In this scripture the command is simple, be happy while you are young and let our heart give us joy. That is what we fail to recognize many times is reveling in the joy. We let our heart be attacked by this doubt and then we fail to recognize how wonderful God is and how we can always count on Him. We cannot continue to fill our hearts with the negativity that the enemy wants, only the light that God wants which will lift that anxiety we can all feel from time to time.
Have a great weekend.
7Light is sweet,
and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
8 However many years anyone may live,
let them enjoy them all.
But let them remember the days of darkness,
for there will be many.
Everything to come is meaningless.
9 You who are young, be happy while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you into judgment.
10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart
and cast off the troubles of your body,
for youth and vigor are meaningless. Ecclesiastes 11:7-10
When I think about anxiety and how I struggle with it regularly, I always am reminded to listen to my friends and my God who show me those great scriptures in 1 Peter and Philippians. When I came across this scripture this week, it reminded me of absolutely how useless this anxiety is in my life and how I can battle it with God on my side. God shows up at the most opportune times, and He is always faithful, yet the enemy pushes doubt into our thoughts which can lead to anxiety. In this scripture the command is simple, be happy while you are young and let our heart give us joy. That is what we fail to recognize many times is reveling in the joy. We let our heart be attacked by this doubt and then we fail to recognize how wonderful God is and how we can always count on Him. We cannot continue to fill our hearts with the negativity that the enemy wants, only the light that God wants which will lift that anxiety we can all feel from time to time.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Fantastic Friday #427- Trials
Trials
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9
Trials come and when they come it almost seems as they come in waves. Not little, small trials that we can easily overcome ourselves, but trials that are large and expansive and test our true faith in God. When reading this scripture this week it reminded me of how often we try to push through a trial with leaning into God and His great power. I look at these trials and wonder why so many, why all at once, and why do we have to go through these things. This scripture reminded me of why we cannot look to ourselves to overcome these things, and why God does allow trials to take place. "Genuineness of Faith". How many of us say, yeah I have faith but try to fix things by yourself? How many of us genuinely believe God can take care of it all, or think that I am only one person in a very large world. If we think these things, we don't have genuine faith because God is big and He allowed His son to die on the cross for our sins. Our God who allows us to have is trials big enough and cares enough to help us through our trials so that His Glory can be revealed. However don't sit idle, but act on what God wants you to do.
Have a great weekend.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9
Trials come and when they come it almost seems as they come in waves. Not little, small trials that we can easily overcome ourselves, but trials that are large and expansive and test our true faith in God. When reading this scripture this week it reminded me of how often we try to push through a trial with leaning into God and His great power. I look at these trials and wonder why so many, why all at once, and why do we have to go through these things. This scripture reminded me of why we cannot look to ourselves to overcome these things, and why God does allow trials to take place. "Genuineness of Faith". How many of us say, yeah I have faith but try to fix things by yourself? How many of us genuinely believe God can take care of it all, or think that I am only one person in a very large world. If we think these things, we don't have genuine faith because God is big and He allowed His son to die on the cross for our sins. Our God who allows us to have is trials big enough and cares enough to help us through our trials so that His Glory can be revealed. However don't sit idle, but act on what God wants you to do.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Fantastic Friday #426
Devoted
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6: 22-24
Do you ever sit down and take a look at what you are devoted to? Does your devotion rest in worldly passions around you where you are fashioning a life that can lead to boasting? Or, does your devotion rest in Godly passions around you where you are fashioning a life that can lead to humble obedience? Humbleness vs. boasting are at two completely different ends of the spectrum, but many times our society tells us it is OK to boast because we deserve it. You know what, we don't deserve anything in this life, and it is by God's grace that we live the life God has given us. On this Fantastic fourth of July, maybe we should reevaluate who or what we are devoted to. A life of boasting can only lead to pain, but a life of humble obedience certainly has greater rewards in the end.
Have a great weekend.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6: 22-24
Do you ever sit down and take a look at what you are devoted to? Does your devotion rest in worldly passions around you where you are fashioning a life that can lead to boasting? Or, does your devotion rest in Godly passions around you where you are fashioning a life that can lead to humble obedience? Humbleness vs. boasting are at two completely different ends of the spectrum, but many times our society tells us it is OK to boast because we deserve it. You know what, we don't deserve anything in this life, and it is by God's grace that we live the life God has given us. On this Fantastic fourth of July, maybe we should reevaluate who or what we are devoted to. A life of boasting can only lead to pain, but a life of humble obedience certainly has greater rewards in the end.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Fantastic Friday #425 - Deliver
Deliver
2 And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. 2 Thessalonians 3:2-4
There are many people and spiritual forces fighting against us daily. Throughout this, we are expected in life to deliver on a daily basis. We are expected to deliver our best in many ways and sometimes people require us to deliver quickly without pondering or praying. When we deliver sub-par performances we can disappoint others and sometimes we can be super hard on ourselves. When you find yourself around negative and emotionally draining people, do you find it easy to get swallowed in by their negativity? Do you have it within your own power to deliver yourself from this environment? I have seen a number of times how God is faithful in my life and sometimes I get so caught up in trying to deliver myself out of a situation where I cannot see how God has been faithful in the past. We need to remember to daily have confidence and faith in the Lord that He will deliver us from anything that is fighting against us. Even when the enemy battles against our delivery, we need to rely on the on-time delivery of our Father in Heaven. For His delivery is always on time.
Have a great weekend.
2 And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. 2 Thessalonians 3:2-4
There are many people and spiritual forces fighting against us daily. Throughout this, we are expected in life to deliver on a daily basis. We are expected to deliver our best in many ways and sometimes people require us to deliver quickly without pondering or praying. When we deliver sub-par performances we can disappoint others and sometimes we can be super hard on ourselves. When you find yourself around negative and emotionally draining people, do you find it easy to get swallowed in by their negativity? Do you have it within your own power to deliver yourself from this environment? I have seen a number of times how God is faithful in my life and sometimes I get so caught up in trying to deliver myself out of a situation where I cannot see how God has been faithful in the past. We need to remember to daily have confidence and faith in the Lord that He will deliver us from anything that is fighting against us. Even when the enemy battles against our delivery, we need to rely on the on-time delivery of our Father in Heaven. For His delivery is always on time.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Fantastic Friday #424 - Similar
Similar
20 Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them. 1 Corinthians 7:20-24
20 Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them. 1 Corinthians 7:20-24
Do you remember the person you were when God
called you? Do you remember what environment you found yourself in
after God called you? Most likely you were a person that was a slave to
this world and all it had to offer. You also might have found yourself
still attached to environments that might not have been the best in
your life. Since Christ already paid the price for your life, it is
important that when God called you that you would leave the other life
behind. What happens all too often is we can easily become a slave to
the world and have a similar existence to what we had before God's call.
The key thing we need to remember is how God prefaces this scripture
and that is found in verse 19 of this chapter.
"Keeping God’s commands is what counts." 1 Corinthians 7:19b
"Keeping God’s commands is what counts." 1 Corinthians 7:19b
If
we can remember this little tidbit, our life would be one of glorifying
God and not ourselves. We would be in a similar world as the one we
left after accepting God's calling, it is just how we choose to live in
this world. Not a slave to the world but a slave to righteousness and
God's plan for us. These two paths have similar tendencies but very
different. One is fulfilling and one is not, and we should be alert to
these differences.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Fantastic Friday #423 - Unchanging
Unchanging
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. Hebrews 16:16-18
Have you experienced where a person said one thing and then completely changed their mind and did the opposite? Have you ever experienced a person in a leadership role or a coach, teach one thing and do completely the opposite of what they teach? Many in our world would label that person a hypocrite or a liar, but what about you? Do you find yourself trying to set an example of how things should be done, and then do something that goes against everything you had said? Self reflection on how you act in these situations might highlight some shortcomings of your own behavior that everyone sees and some might judge. Now take a moment to reflect on who God is and what He promises. He is unchanging and tells us exactly what we should do. Instead of trying to forge or own path, we should follow the path God has put in front of us and quit trying to change it. God doesn't change, but we should change to become more like God and love our brothers and sisters for who they are, someone just like us.
Have a great weekend.
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. Hebrews 16:16-18
Have you experienced where a person said one thing and then completely changed their mind and did the opposite? Have you ever experienced a person in a leadership role or a coach, teach one thing and do completely the opposite of what they teach? Many in our world would label that person a hypocrite or a liar, but what about you? Do you find yourself trying to set an example of how things should be done, and then do something that goes against everything you had said? Self reflection on how you act in these situations might highlight some shortcomings of your own behavior that everyone sees and some might judge. Now take a moment to reflect on who God is and what He promises. He is unchanging and tells us exactly what we should do. Instead of trying to forge or own path, we should follow the path God has put in front of us and quit trying to change it. God doesn't change, but we should change to become more like God and love our brothers and sisters for who they are, someone just like us.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Fantastic Friday #422 - Protection
Protection
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you. 12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Psalm 5:11-12
Where do you turn for protection? Sometimes we aren't protected from things that can harm us. It may be the random viewing of something we shouldn't be looking at, or it may be some outside random object that can knock us down. The thing that we need to remember is who we turn to when we are knocked down physically and spiritually. Sometimes tragic accidents happen, but through all the tragedy God can be seen as the One who repairs and protects us. God performed some amazing work this week on a young man, and through all the tragedy and pain, I know we can turn to Him and take refuge in Him. Think about those times when you need protection from tragedy and pain, and look to our Lord who will surely bless the righteous as the scripture states. Use the shield provided and rely on His protection.
Have a great weekend.
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you. 12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Psalm 5:11-12
Where do you turn for protection? Sometimes we aren't protected from things that can harm us. It may be the random viewing of something we shouldn't be looking at, or it may be some outside random object that can knock us down. The thing that we need to remember is who we turn to when we are knocked down physically and spiritually. Sometimes tragic accidents happen, but through all the tragedy God can be seen as the One who repairs and protects us. God performed some amazing work this week on a young man, and through all the tragedy and pain, I know we can turn to Him and take refuge in Him. Think about those times when you need protection from tragedy and pain, and look to our Lord who will surely bless the righteous as the scripture states. Use the shield provided and rely on His protection.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Fantastic Friday #421 - Mouth
Mouth
2 Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;
an outsider, and not your own lips. Proverbs 27:2
Do you ever feel so accomplished that you think to yourself, man I just did that, I am good? Or are you an individual who pushes the accomplishment on to someone else so the spotlight is not on you? I have witnessed several accomplishments this week, by my children, by others and by myself. I had to stop and think during and after these periods of accomplishment that none of this was anything any of us have done. Although I praised my kids externally and to the community, I failed to praise with my mouth who really accomplished it. Many times we let our own lips praise ourselves instead of sitting back humbly and taking the compliments of others, but I know I also don't praise God quite enough for what He has done. Take a moment to bask in what God does for you daily, in the small things and in the big things, and don't let your own mouth praise yourself. Be humble.
Have a great weekend.
2 Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;
an outsider, and not your own lips. Proverbs 27:2
Do you ever feel so accomplished that you think to yourself, man I just did that, I am good? Or are you an individual who pushes the accomplishment on to someone else so the spotlight is not on you? I have witnessed several accomplishments this week, by my children, by others and by myself. I had to stop and think during and after these periods of accomplishment that none of this was anything any of us have done. Although I praised my kids externally and to the community, I failed to praise with my mouth who really accomplished it. Many times we let our own lips praise ourselves instead of sitting back humbly and taking the compliments of others, but I know I also don't praise God quite enough for what He has done. Take a moment to bask in what God does for you daily, in the small things and in the big things, and don't let your own mouth praise yourself. Be humble.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Fantastic Friday #420 - Doors
Doors
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11:9-10
Why is it we think we can do things on our own or change the plans of others? We all have paths we are following, yet we allow our flesh to gain a foothold in our life. All of us have a path that God has placed before us, and many times we get impatient with the fact that God is quiet, unresponsive, or hasn't opened that door for us yet. So, what do we do? We try to open that door ourselves, by forcing it open, picking the lock or just plan knocking the door down. When we do this, we are trying to manipulate His path for us. We need to know that God doesn't like us forcing our path on Him, because He is not going to change it. He will allow us to stumble and fall in order to realize we need to Ask Him, Seek Him and Find Him to help us in our time of need. Maybe we should stop trying to force doors open and allow Him to gently open those doors for us, because in the proper time He will.
Have a great weekend.
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11:9-10
Why is it we think we can do things on our own or change the plans of others? We all have paths we are following, yet we allow our flesh to gain a foothold in our life. All of us have a path that God has placed before us, and many times we get impatient with the fact that God is quiet, unresponsive, or hasn't opened that door for us yet. So, what do we do? We try to open that door ourselves, by forcing it open, picking the lock or just plan knocking the door down. When we do this, we are trying to manipulate His path for us. We need to know that God doesn't like us forcing our path on Him, because He is not going to change it. He will allow us to stumble and fall in order to realize we need to Ask Him, Seek Him and Find Him to help us in our time of need. Maybe we should stop trying to force doors open and allow Him to gently open those doors for us, because in the proper time He will.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Fantastic Friday #419 - Hurry
Hurry
for I see violence and strife in the city. Psalm 55:7-9
Have a great weekend.
7 I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.”
9 Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,and stay in the desert;
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.”
for I see violence and strife in the city. Psalm 55:7-9
I
saw a lot of people in a hurry this week. People weaving in and out of
traffic, almost causing accidents, and people that were running to get
somewhere quickly. I can be one of those people also, but I try really
hard to be someone who slows down and drinks the coffee. Sorry, I don't
care for smelling roses, although they are a very beautiful flower.
David hurried away to a place of shelter when he was trying to flee his
enemies. I wonder sometimes if when we are hurrying if we think we are
going to our own place of shelter. When in reality, we are only running
away from the Lord's presence and His covering. Maybe if we spent less
time hurrying and more time focusing on what God wants us to do, we
would see less of what the enemy wants us to see. Slow down and hurry
into God's shelter and not our own shelter.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Fantastic Friday #418 - Suit
Suit
2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:2-5
Have a great weekend.
2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:2-5
Do you ever hear this? Suit yourself. If
you have, someone has probably just offered you something and you have
declined their offer. Maybe you declined because you didn't like what
they had to offer, you didn't have time for the offer, or you just plain
didn't want to mess with their offer and had other things on your mind.
When God's Word is shared, we really can't ignore his presence to suit
our own desires. God has something to share with all of us, and we can't
turn away from the truth to serve our selfish desires which others try
to do regularly. We have to sacrifice our time to suit God's needs and
not our own. Take a moment to tell yourself, today I am not going to
suit myself but suit others through God.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Fantastic Friday #417 - Perform
Perform
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver....12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 2 Corinthians 6-7, 12-13
When you perform certain actions throughout the day, do you feel like someone is watching you or judging you? Depending on what you are performing, someone might be keeping an eye on you. Maybe this is because they know you are a follower of Christ and they just want to see how you act. I think many of us today think so much about how we are going to perform in front of others and what these other people are going to think, we end up over-performing or trying too hard to be good. The thing we tend to forget about is our performance should really come from the outflow of our heart and not about pleasing others. This is where many people have it wrong these days, they might be a cheerful giver, but they want to make sure everyone notices what they give, whether it be time or money. Someone might also have a heart of giving, but then they want to make sure they are acknowledged for all the effort they put in. We all want to be appreciated as human beings, but we need to get to the point where whatever we perform, we do it humbly and without asking for anything in return including acknowledgement from others. Remember, there is one that is watching you closely. While you might be giving on the outside, He can see where you want to be acknowledged or rewarded. Why not let God acknowledge your performance and not worry about what other people think, he knows your heart and can see through the performance.
Have a great weekend
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver....12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 2 Corinthians 6-7, 12-13
When you perform certain actions throughout the day, do you feel like someone is watching you or judging you? Depending on what you are performing, someone might be keeping an eye on you. Maybe this is because they know you are a follower of Christ and they just want to see how you act. I think many of us today think so much about how we are going to perform in front of others and what these other people are going to think, we end up over-performing or trying too hard to be good. The thing we tend to forget about is our performance should really come from the outflow of our heart and not about pleasing others. This is where many people have it wrong these days, they might be a cheerful giver, but they want to make sure everyone notices what they give, whether it be time or money. Someone might also have a heart of giving, but then they want to make sure they are acknowledged for all the effort they put in. We all want to be appreciated as human beings, but we need to get to the point where whatever we perform, we do it humbly and without asking for anything in return including acknowledgement from others. Remember, there is one that is watching you closely. While you might be giving on the outside, He can see where you want to be acknowledged or rewarded. Why not let God acknowledge your performance and not worry about what other people think, he knows your heart and can see through the performance.
Have a great weekend
Friday, April 25, 2014
Fantastic Friday #416- Useless
Useless
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 1 Corinthians 15:12-14
We just went through a period where we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior and with that celebration, potentially more have come to know Christ. Are you living your life as a changed person, and what does this look like? Do you ever think of how many things are useless in this life without someone to operate them? Think of a car, how useful is it unless you actually sit in the car and drive it. A baseball bat is another good example, what good is it without having a baseball to hit. Our faith in God is kind of like those things. Do you spend time sharing with others your faith and what this faith has done to change you? If not, then it would seem that your faith in God is useless unless we are actively sharing it with others. Our faith in God is very useful in our lives as long as we acknowledge that faith and let God lead our lives and share along the way.
Have a great weekend.
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 1 Corinthians 15:12-14
We just went through a period where we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior and with that celebration, potentially more have come to know Christ. Are you living your life as a changed person, and what does this look like? Do you ever think of how many things are useless in this life without someone to operate them? Think of a car, how useful is it unless you actually sit in the car and drive it. A baseball bat is another good example, what good is it without having a baseball to hit. Our faith in God is kind of like those things. Do you spend time sharing with others your faith and what this faith has done to change you? If not, then it would seem that your faith in God is useless unless we are actively sharing it with others. Our faith in God is very useful in our lives as long as we acknowledge that faith and let God lead our lives and share along the way.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Fantastic Friday #415 - Remove
Remove
and a silversmith can produce a vessel;
5 remove wicked officials from the king’s presence,
and his throne will be established through righteousness. Proverbs 25:3-5
Do
you ever really sit and think about the sacrifice God made by allowing
His Son to die on the cross for our sins? When He allowed this as part
of His plan, He was able to remove that separation we had from Him. Sin
separated us from God and we all know that man is a sinful creature, but
by the sacrifice of the blood of the Lamb, God removed that barrier
that was keeping us from having a close relationship with Him. Now, if
you have accepted Christ as your Savior, does that mean that you won't
sin? No, but as is it says in Romans we don't keep on sinning. Even
though we have Christ in our hearts it can be a challenge for all of us,
but I believe it is also important that we look at removing things from
our life which can distance us from the life God wants us to live. I
spoke a couple of weeks ago to a group of kids about small things, like
being mean, cheating a little bit, lying only occasionally, or just
being disobedient. But in reality these sins are sins, and you can't
look at sin as a "little" thing or an "occasional" thing, we have to
look at these things seriously and remove them from our life. God
removed the barrier through Christ's sacrifice and we need to remove the
sin to have the life that God wants us to. Just like you can remove
dross from silver to produce a vessel, we can remove sin to walk in
righteousness.
3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.
4 Remove the dross from the silver,so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.
and a silversmith can produce a vessel;
5 remove wicked officials from the king’s presence,
and his throne will be established through righteousness. Proverbs 25:3-5
Friday, April 11, 2014
Fantastic Friday #414 - Reward
Reward
7 I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 2 John 1:7-9
This last week I was rewarded with something.
The reward was very nice for a long period learning and growing, and I
very humbly accepted it. Can you remember the last time you were
rewarded? Maybe it was not what you were expecting or maybe something
came which you were totally expecting because you knew you deserved it,
or at least that is what you think to yourself. Rewards come in
different packages and sizes in today's world, but how many of us stop
and think of the actual rewards we are going to receive in Heaven if we
accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The reward that is coming
to us when we accept Christ we definitely don't deserve, but certainly
through Jesus' sacrifice God feels we deserves something grande.
However that reward doesn't come easy on this earth. We aren't expected
to accept Christ and then go about chasing the rewards of this world,
but we are expected to share what the Father has done in our life to
change the way we live and show others the difference Christ makes in
our life. Don't run ahead and think the rewards will come in this life,
but wait patiently for the rewards that will come in the next life.7 I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 2 John 1:7-9
Friday, April 4, 2014
Fantastic Friday #413 - Separation
Separation
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
Separation is not just a description of two things being apart, there are really some emotions that go along with separation. How many of us as children became separated from our parents in a store, park, or some other location when we were young? How many of us as adults have been separated from our children or spouse for a period of time. There is a deep emotion that I am sure all of us felt in these circumstances. A loneliness, a sadness, maybe fear and even desperation might have set in during this experience for all involved. Now, think of the time when you were reunited with that individual. I bet the emotions you felt changed to relief, exuberance, joy, and a deep-felt happiness that you were reunited. The enemy today wants you to experience a deep pain when you perceive you might have separation from the Lord, but you can't ever be separated from God's love. When you might think God is not there during your biggest time of grief and struggle, you have to look at what scripture says regarding God's love. Nothing can create that separation, not even the enemy. We need to remember that while we might feel separated because of our sin, we are not separated from His love. He is always connected to us through Christ if we can accept Him as our Lord and Savior.
Have a great weekend.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
Separation is not just a description of two things being apart, there are really some emotions that go along with separation. How many of us as children became separated from our parents in a store, park, or some other location when we were young? How many of us as adults have been separated from our children or spouse for a period of time. There is a deep emotion that I am sure all of us felt in these circumstances. A loneliness, a sadness, maybe fear and even desperation might have set in during this experience for all involved. Now, think of the time when you were reunited with that individual. I bet the emotions you felt changed to relief, exuberance, joy, and a deep-felt happiness that you were reunited. The enemy today wants you to experience a deep pain when you perceive you might have separation from the Lord, but you can't ever be separated from God's love. When you might think God is not there during your biggest time of grief and struggle, you have to look at what scripture says regarding God's love. Nothing can create that separation, not even the enemy. We need to remember that while we might feel separated because of our sin, we are not separated from His love. He is always connected to us through Christ if we can accept Him as our Lord and Savior.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Fantastic Friday #412 - Reach
Reach
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. Ephesians 1:7-10
Do you ever wonder how far your reach is? I am not talking about how long your arm is, but something a little bit different. When you share a kind word with someone or compliment them on performing well, what kind of impact do you think this makes? I know that any time someone compliments me it makes me feel good, but it also makes me realize how I can pass on something similar to someone else. We have all heard of passing it on; when we pass on something good we see how it impacts others who then impact other folks and so forth. Now, think about sharing something from God's Word, like His redemption through His blood. The smallest scripture or principle that could have a positive impact on one person could then be easily spread to others. Think about the discussions regarding Noah this past week. The same could be said for prayer, for stories of salvation and even stories about how God has changed you. You really never know how far your reach is in your life, but I know one thing, your reach is only as far as your effort to make a difference. Make a difference and increase your reach by doing something positive to impact someone this week. Then let God take your kindness and extend your reach.
Have a great weekend.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. Ephesians 1:7-10
Do you ever wonder how far your reach is? I am not talking about how long your arm is, but something a little bit different. When you share a kind word with someone or compliment them on performing well, what kind of impact do you think this makes? I know that any time someone compliments me it makes me feel good, but it also makes me realize how I can pass on something similar to someone else. We have all heard of passing it on; when we pass on something good we see how it impacts others who then impact other folks and so forth. Now, think about sharing something from God's Word, like His redemption through His blood. The smallest scripture or principle that could have a positive impact on one person could then be easily spread to others. Think about the discussions regarding Noah this past week. The same could be said for prayer, for stories of salvation and even stories about how God has changed you. You really never know how far your reach is in your life, but I know one thing, your reach is only as far as your effort to make a difference. Make a difference and increase your reach by doing something positive to impact someone this week. Then let God take your kindness and extend your reach.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Fantastic Friday #411 - Ready
Ready
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Titus 3:1-5a
What do you find yourself getting ready for during your week? Do you find yourself occupied with trying to ready yourself for the next thing around the corner even though you have no idea what it is? Do find time preparing for a major change in your life that never quite happens when you think it is or the manner which it is going to occur. I wonder how many of us leave our homes during the week saying to ourselves I am not going to slander anyone, or that I am going to be peaceable and considerate to everyone we come in contact with today. How many of us actual say I am going to be gentle towards everyone. The enemy places so many things in front of us that can distract us from being obedient, and focusing on the true reason God wants us to be kind to others. Being obedient to God and good to others readies us for the next thing that God will place in front of us, or the next major change in our lives. Instead of being ready for the next thing around the corner, ready yourself to be gentle towards others and show your obedience to our Lord. When we are obedient, we will always be ready.
Have a great weekend.
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Titus 3:1-5a
What do you find yourself getting ready for during your week? Do you find yourself occupied with trying to ready yourself for the next thing around the corner even though you have no idea what it is? Do find time preparing for a major change in your life that never quite happens when you think it is or the manner which it is going to occur. I wonder how many of us leave our homes during the week saying to ourselves I am not going to slander anyone, or that I am going to be peaceable and considerate to everyone we come in contact with today. How many of us actual say I am going to be gentle towards everyone. The enemy places so many things in front of us that can distract us from being obedient, and focusing on the true reason God wants us to be kind to others. Being obedient to God and good to others readies us for the next thing that God will place in front of us, or the next major change in our lives. Instead of being ready for the next thing around the corner, ready yourself to be gentle towards others and show your obedience to our Lord. When we are obedient, we will always be ready.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Fantastic Friday #410 - Give Up
Give Up
8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:8-10
Have you said to yourself this week, I give up? Have you ever thought about what the phrase give up actually means? It means to concede or relinquish and could even be seen as giving in to a desire. The word give, by itself, has a much different meaning. When you give, you perform this action voluntarily for someone or some thing not asking for anything in return. Looking at this phrase and word alone, which of them do you really practice. Do you regularly concede to the enemy because it is easier to please your flesh, or do you voluntarily sacrifice yourself and time to please the Spirit. These two are very different. One gives in and one doesn't. In one situation we are focused inwardly and the other we are focused outwardly. The main lesson we can take looking at these words should be that we should not give up, but give ourselves to the Spirit and let Him be our guide. By giving in to the Spirit, we give up our life that is full of desire and self-centeredness for a life that is God-centered and full of service to others.
Have a great weekend.
8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:8-10
Have you said to yourself this week, I give up? Have you ever thought about what the phrase give up actually means? It means to concede or relinquish and could even be seen as giving in to a desire. The word give, by itself, has a much different meaning. When you give, you perform this action voluntarily for someone or some thing not asking for anything in return. Looking at this phrase and word alone, which of them do you really practice. Do you regularly concede to the enemy because it is easier to please your flesh, or do you voluntarily sacrifice yourself and time to please the Spirit. These two are very different. One gives in and one doesn't. In one situation we are focused inwardly and the other we are focused outwardly. The main lesson we can take looking at these words should be that we should not give up, but give ourselves to the Spirit and let Him be our guide. By giving in to the Spirit, we give up our life that is full of desire and self-centeredness for a life that is God-centered and full of service to others.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Fantastic Friday #409- Clear
Clear
17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
18 Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. Hebrews 13:17-18
Do you sometimes find things not to be really clear in your life? The world is not clear and we constantly see how often people or groups suffer around the world and in the U.S. when they don't have God as the central focus in their life. What is even more unclear is when God allows challenges or hardships in our lives when we were least expecting it. What is very clear to me is how we respond to these bumps in the road. I am very introspective when it comes to challenges, and I don't always react immediately to something so that I can have a clear mind and heart as I continue to grow and prepare myself for a response after seeking God's wisdom. In my younger years I would have responded quickly without giving much thought to how my response impacted others. What I have learned with age and my continued growth in Christ is that I need to be cognizant of God's plan for my life and not try change His path for me. My God is in control of all these things that seem so unclear to me, and some day they will be clear. Until then, allow God to guide you with the Holy Spirit and let Him clear things up that sometimes seem very murky.
Have a great weekend.
17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
18 Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. Hebrews 13:17-18
Do you sometimes find things not to be really clear in your life? The world is not clear and we constantly see how often people or groups suffer around the world and in the U.S. when they don't have God as the central focus in their life. What is even more unclear is when God allows challenges or hardships in our lives when we were least expecting it. What is very clear to me is how we respond to these bumps in the road. I am very introspective when it comes to challenges, and I don't always react immediately to something so that I can have a clear mind and heart as I continue to grow and prepare myself for a response after seeking God's wisdom. In my younger years I would have responded quickly without giving much thought to how my response impacted others. What I have learned with age and my continued growth in Christ is that I need to be cognizant of God's plan for my life and not try change His path for me. My God is in control of all these things that seem so unclear to me, and some day they will be clear. Until then, allow God to guide you with the Holy Spirit and let Him clear things up that sometimes seem very murky.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Fantastic Friday #408 Obedience
Obedience
16 The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’
17 “Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.’”
18 Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’ 19 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.’” Jeremiah 35:16-19
Do you find it hard sometimes to be obedient? Maybe at times you struggle and your mind tends to slip away from the focus being on what God wants for you. Or, it could be a time when you try and make a deal with God that you will do whatever it is later, whether reading His Word or helping someone who really needs it. With either scenario, your lack of obedience tends to create a separation you have made by turning your back on God and this falls right into the enemy's hands. He wants you to be disobedient and not follow the path God sets out for you. The enemy also wants you to make deals with God, when we all know God does not make deals. So how do we battle our own disobedience? Take a look at this scripture from Jeremiah. The Rekabites, a relatively obscure group of people in the Bible, were told many years earlier not to partake of wine, not by God, but by their forefathers. God uses these people as an example to the people of Judah who were being disobedient. If the Rekabites could be obedient to their forefathers, why couldn't the people of Judah be obedient to God who had provided them everything? Through their disobedience these people of Judah suffered and the Rekabites were promised to always be able to serve God because of their obedience. If you get a chance today, read the entire chapter in Jeremiah, I think you will see an interesting picture of obedience and reward. It is not easy sometimes to be obedient, because we let the enemy put doubt in our minds. It is now important to think about how you can be obedient to God and not turn your back on Him and all He has given us.
Have a great weekend.
16 The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’
17 “Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.’”
18 Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’ 19 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.’” Jeremiah 35:16-19
Do you find it hard sometimes to be obedient? Maybe at times you struggle and your mind tends to slip away from the focus being on what God wants for you. Or, it could be a time when you try and make a deal with God that you will do whatever it is later, whether reading His Word or helping someone who really needs it. With either scenario, your lack of obedience tends to create a separation you have made by turning your back on God and this falls right into the enemy's hands. He wants you to be disobedient and not follow the path God sets out for you. The enemy also wants you to make deals with God, when we all know God does not make deals. So how do we battle our own disobedience? Take a look at this scripture from Jeremiah. The Rekabites, a relatively obscure group of people in the Bible, were told many years earlier not to partake of wine, not by God, but by their forefathers. God uses these people as an example to the people of Judah who were being disobedient. If the Rekabites could be obedient to their forefathers, why couldn't the people of Judah be obedient to God who had provided them everything? Through their disobedience these people of Judah suffered and the Rekabites were promised to always be able to serve God because of their obedience. If you get a chance today, read the entire chapter in Jeremiah, I think you will see an interesting picture of obedience and reward. It is not easy sometimes to be obedient, because we let the enemy put doubt in our minds. It is now important to think about how you can be obedient to God and not turn your back on Him and all He has given us.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Fantastic Friday #407 - Complacent
Complacent
3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:3-6
Do you have the experience of knowing or seeing people who are really pleased with themselves, or they are overly satisfied with their situation? Do you know people who seem to act like they know it all about God and what God has planned for their life? I look at the life of Paul who was humble and never seemed satisfied with just living a life that focused on his needs, but more on needs of others and making sure others knew about Jesus. His friend Timothy was urged to give instructions to the church about opposing false teachers. He also gave instruction on how to worship, church leadership, and basically how to devote yourself to God. In some ways he was stern and bold, but he was not overly satisfied with his own circumstances and felt led to share what God wanted him to share. When people get overly satisfied with themselves, they tend to get complacent. Complacency can make them forget who they are in Christ. It is important not to be complacent, but focus your efforts on Godliness, because as verse 6 says, this along with contentment provides great gain. No complacency allowed.
Have a great weekend.
3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:3-6
Do you have the experience of knowing or seeing people who are really pleased with themselves, or they are overly satisfied with their situation? Do you know people who seem to act like they know it all about God and what God has planned for their life? I look at the life of Paul who was humble and never seemed satisfied with just living a life that focused on his needs, but more on needs of others and making sure others knew about Jesus. His friend Timothy was urged to give instructions to the church about opposing false teachers. He also gave instruction on how to worship, church leadership, and basically how to devote yourself to God. In some ways he was stern and bold, but he was not overly satisfied with his own circumstances and felt led to share what God wanted him to share. When people get overly satisfied with themselves, they tend to get complacent. Complacency can make them forget who they are in Christ. It is important not to be complacent, but focus your efforts on Godliness, because as verse 6 says, this along with contentment provides great gain. No complacency allowed.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Fantastic Friday #406 - Magnificence
Magnificence
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,
and cumin with a stick.
28 Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful,
whose wisdom is magnificent. Isaiah 28:23-29
When I began looking at this week's writing and scripture, I thought about just including verse 29. The more I read over and over again, I could not ignore verses 23-28 because of the full picture this grouping of verses show. I think magnificent is a great word that is underutilized in our society today. We may say that something is great, awesome, or just cool, but how many of us use the word magnificent to describe our view of something. If you look closely at this scripture, it paints a picture of a farmer who is being guided by the Lord to work and provide grain for food. It gives full credit to our Lord Almighty for all these actions that this farmer performs. How many of us look at our daily work or families as being full of magnificence. Maybe we don't look at these things in this way because we are looking at them as human-controlled and not God-controlled. If we view our Father as the Wonderful God He is; and we view His wisdom and creation as being full of magnificence, then maybe our view of work and family would be changed. Take a look at your magnificent life and family and realize that the magnificence comes from God and not you.
Have a great weekend.
23 Listen and hear my voice;
pay attention and hear what I say.
24 When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25 When he has leveled the surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?
Does he not plant wheat in its place,
barley in its plot,
and spelt in its field?
26 His God instructs him
and teaches him the right way.
27 Caraway is not threshed with a sledge,pay attention and hear what I say.
24 When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25 When he has leveled the surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?
Does he not plant wheat in its place,
barley in its plot,
and spelt in its field?
26 His God instructs him
and teaches him the right way.
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,
and cumin with a stick.
28 Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful,
whose wisdom is magnificent. Isaiah 28:23-29
When I began looking at this week's writing and scripture, I thought about just including verse 29. The more I read over and over again, I could not ignore verses 23-28 because of the full picture this grouping of verses show. I think magnificent is a great word that is underutilized in our society today. We may say that something is great, awesome, or just cool, but how many of us use the word magnificent to describe our view of something. If you look closely at this scripture, it paints a picture of a farmer who is being guided by the Lord to work and provide grain for food. It gives full credit to our Lord Almighty for all these actions that this farmer performs. How many of us look at our daily work or families as being full of magnificence. Maybe we don't look at these things in this way because we are looking at them as human-controlled and not God-controlled. If we view our Father as the Wonderful God He is; and we view His wisdom and creation as being full of magnificence, then maybe our view of work and family would be changed. Take a look at your magnificent life and family and realize that the magnificence comes from God and not you.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Fantastic Friday #405- Senses
Senses
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. 1 Corinthians 15:33-34
I wonder if when people say "come back to your senses" they actually know what they are saying. What are senses anyway? Touch, taste, see, smell and hear are all senses, and when they are put all together they are a very powerful force. What happens when we ignore what the Lord commands, and only focus on something bad that makes us feel good for a short period? Sometimes our senses deceive us to take the wrong path. Have you ever thought of the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit guides you and your senses? Sometimes we get caught up in what other people are doing by watching them and if these people are of bad character we can easily ignore what we should be doing and follow them. All the while the Holy Spirit is nudging us not to participate in this poor behavior. Kind of like a sense that overpowers the other five if we listen and feel what the Spirit is doing in us. Don't be misled by your senses or others, but be led by the Spirit.
Have a great weekend.
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. 1 Corinthians 15:33-34
I wonder if when people say "come back to your senses" they actually know what they are saying. What are senses anyway? Touch, taste, see, smell and hear are all senses, and when they are put all together they are a very powerful force. What happens when we ignore what the Lord commands, and only focus on something bad that makes us feel good for a short period? Sometimes our senses deceive us to take the wrong path. Have you ever thought of the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit guides you and your senses? Sometimes we get caught up in what other people are doing by watching them and if these people are of bad character we can easily ignore what we should be doing and follow them. All the while the Holy Spirit is nudging us not to participate in this poor behavior. Kind of like a sense that overpowers the other five if we listen and feel what the Spirit is doing in us. Don't be misled by your senses or others, but be led by the Spirit.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Fantastic Friday #404 - Reverence
Reverence
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29
This past few weeks I have observed athletes, stars, and musicians achieve great earthly feats. Some of them thank God for their gifts, and some definitely do not thank anyone but their friends, colleagues or they acknowledge their own efforts. When we begin to think of our own accomplishments in a self aggrandizing way, this totally ignores the true One who we should be considering when we achieve great things and puts the focus solely on us. While God should be number one on our thankful list, we often allow ourselves to get caught up in our own success. When you hear the word reverence, what comes to mind? Maybe it is holiness, humbleness, calmness, or genuineness. All of these words may or may not describe what you were thinking, but they give a good picture of what reverence could or should be. We definitely know that it is not a loud, boisterous, "I am Awesome" environment when we hear this word and try to describe it. When you think of humbling yourself in a reverent manner and thank God for His gifts He has provided, you would be surprised about how much more you notice of God's influence in your life. We all can be shaken at one time or another with the focus of self, but we also can be calmed with a reverent and solemn worship of our Father in Heaven.
Have a great weekend.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29
This past few weeks I have observed athletes, stars, and musicians achieve great earthly feats. Some of them thank God for their gifts, and some definitely do not thank anyone but their friends, colleagues or they acknowledge their own efforts. When we begin to think of our own accomplishments in a self aggrandizing way, this totally ignores the true One who we should be considering when we achieve great things and puts the focus solely on us. While God should be number one on our thankful list, we often allow ourselves to get caught up in our own success. When you hear the word reverence, what comes to mind? Maybe it is holiness, humbleness, calmness, or genuineness. All of these words may or may not describe what you were thinking, but they give a good picture of what reverence could or should be. We definitely know that it is not a loud, boisterous, "I am Awesome" environment when we hear this word and try to describe it. When you think of humbling yourself in a reverent manner and thank God for His gifts He has provided, you would be surprised about how much more you notice of God's influence in your life. We all can be shaken at one time or another with the focus of self, but we also can be calmed with a reverent and solemn worship of our Father in Heaven.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Fantastic Friday #403 - Undying
Undying
24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. Ephesians 6:24
17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:17
I came across this first scripture this week and it made me think, what actually is undying and what does it mean. I know it means unending, but can you put this into perspective when you think about loving God in an unending way. How many of us look at our family members with an undying love? My guess is most of us love our family members unconditionally and look past their faults and shortcomings, but how many of us love our Father in Heaven with an undying love. Jesus commanded us to Love the Lord with all our heart. If we tend to love things and desires of this world, how hard should it be to have an undying love for the Lord? I am not saying because the things of this world pass away that we shouldn't love our family. However, we need to think of who our unending love should be for, and if we do the will of our Father, look at how we truly will end up living. Undying Love, Living Forever. I can see the correlation, and hope that you can too.
Have a great weekend.
24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. Ephesians 6:24
17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:17
I came across this first scripture this week and it made me think, what actually is undying and what does it mean. I know it means unending, but can you put this into perspective when you think about loving God in an unending way. How many of us look at our family members with an undying love? My guess is most of us love our family members unconditionally and look past their faults and shortcomings, but how many of us love our Father in Heaven with an undying love. Jesus commanded us to Love the Lord with all our heart. If we tend to love things and desires of this world, how hard should it be to have an undying love for the Lord? I am not saying because the things of this world pass away that we shouldn't love our family. However, we need to think of who our unending love should be for, and if we do the will of our Father, look at how we truly will end up living. Undying Love, Living Forever. I can see the correlation, and hope that you can too.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Fantastic Friday #402 - Hole
Hole
9 It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.
Who will condemn me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
the moths will eat them up.
10 Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys the word of his servant?
Let the one who walks in the dark,
who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on their God. Isaiah 50:9-10
9 It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.
Who will condemn me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
the moths will eat them up.
10 Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys the word of his servant?
Let the one who walks in the dark,
who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on their God. Isaiah 50:9-10
Do
find those people in your life that wear you out or take a toll on
you? It's almost like that hole in your pocket that things fall out of,
and the more you mess with it, the larger the hole gets. Maybe it
isn't people that annoy you that wear you out, but people that attack
what you believe in or find any way to place their own hole in your
moral code. They aren't doing it to you directly, but you see it on the
news, in the media, or in social media and it makes you question where
you are and what you believe in when they start poking around. There
are people in our lives every day, whether you know them or not, who
will attack your belief in God and how He guides your life. The thing
is, these kinds of people who are near and far should not take a toll on
us or wear us out, because they can only get in our pocket to start a
hole if we let them in. If you fear God and are humbly obedient to His
commands, you will walk in the light and nothing these people say or do
can extinguish that light. They won't be able to punch holes in our
belief system and they definitely won't make that hole larger. As the
scripture says, Our "Sovereign Lord helps me", he doesn't allow the hole in our pocket to grow bigger and allow things to fall out.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Fantastic Friday #401 - Arrogant
Arrogant
Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. 3 Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 4:1-3
Arrogance is an interesting trait. How many people do you know that have a complex of self-importance? Maybe you, like me, can tend to have a superiority complex from time to time. You are probably thinking, no not me. I am person of humbleness and filled with grace. Well the funny thing is, we all have some sense of superiority in our lives. Maybe it is with that person that you aren't really sure about their actions and you begin to judge their actions against your beliefs. Can sense a feeling of superiority sneak in? Maybe it is that person struggling with providing for their family, yet you are doing pretty well for your family. Feeling a bit superior? Arrogance comes out when we forget our humble beginnings, and I am not talking about where we grew up. I am talking about our humble beginnings before we had Christ in our life. Having Christ in our lives provides that feeling of security and that sense of love and lack of importance on the the things of this world, especially when we see what He did on the cross for us. Picture this, a person with an arrogance for what "they" provided for themselves, versus someone who recognizes what is provided by God and who also has a humbleness knowing where their true reward is in the end. Who do you think is less arrogant? Take a moment to rid yourselves of your arrogance, for we all have some of it however small it might be, and humble yourselves to God for His righteousness.
Have a great weekend.
Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. 3 Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 4:1-3
Arrogance is an interesting trait. How many people do you know that have a complex of self-importance? Maybe you, like me, can tend to have a superiority complex from time to time. You are probably thinking, no not me. I am person of humbleness and filled with grace. Well the funny thing is, we all have some sense of superiority in our lives. Maybe it is with that person that you aren't really sure about their actions and you begin to judge their actions against your beliefs. Can sense a feeling of superiority sneak in? Maybe it is that person struggling with providing for their family, yet you are doing pretty well for your family. Feeling a bit superior? Arrogance comes out when we forget our humble beginnings, and I am not talking about where we grew up. I am talking about our humble beginnings before we had Christ in our life. Having Christ in our lives provides that feeling of security and that sense of love and lack of importance on the the things of this world, especially when we see what He did on the cross for us. Picture this, a person with an arrogance for what "they" provided for themselves, versus someone who recognizes what is provided by God and who also has a humbleness knowing where their true reward is in the end. Who do you think is less arrogant? Take a moment to rid yourselves of your arrogance, for we all have some of it however small it might be, and humble yourselves to God for His righteousness.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Fantastic Friday #400 - Days
Days
7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered. Hebrews 5:7-8
The days in our lives come and go. The days in our life pass sometimes with no notice of the things around us depending on what is going on, or they pass with a great deal of observance of our surroundings. Do the days ever go by without you taking a moment to offer up a prayer and petition to God? If they do, you aren't unlike a lot of people who struggle daily to make sure God is a focus of their day. Many of us have a great desire to be like Jesus or live like Jesus, but we always fall short because we aren't Jesus. However, we can take steps to come closer to our Lord and Savior daily if we just take those few moments to thank God for who He is, and ask God what He wants in our life. Notice, I said what God wants in our life, and not what we want. Many times what we think is obedience to God ends up being more of a checklist for us. Take a moment and every day humbly pray and petition our Father in Heaven for what He wants in our life. They are really His days in the end, and nothing is really ours.
Have a great weekend.
7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered. Hebrews 5:7-8
The days in our lives come and go. The days in our life pass sometimes with no notice of the things around us depending on what is going on, or they pass with a great deal of observance of our surroundings. Do the days ever go by without you taking a moment to offer up a prayer and petition to God? If they do, you aren't unlike a lot of people who struggle daily to make sure God is a focus of their day. Many of us have a great desire to be like Jesus or live like Jesus, but we always fall short because we aren't Jesus. However, we can take steps to come closer to our Lord and Savior daily if we just take those few moments to thank God for who He is, and ask God what He wants in our life. Notice, I said what God wants in our life, and not what we want. Many times what we think is obedience to God ends up being more of a checklist for us. Take a moment and every day humbly pray and petition our Father in Heaven for what He wants in our life. They are really His days in the end, and nothing is really ours.
Have a great weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)