Working
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, Ephesians 3:7-8
Many of us find ourselves working long hours in our jobs to serve our fellow man, support our families and hopefully honor God. Do you really see yourself working and contributing to those around you? Do you get frustrated when those around you don't seem to care or work hard enough? Do you think it is really you working or is it something else that drives you to complete the tasks set out before you? I don't think we ever stop and process how God is working through us by His power. I know just like God has given us grace through His work, He also works through us daily to meet His plan. If we would just stop to think about His power working through us, our work would seem less like work and more like honoring our Father. Let the Lord work through you and rejoice in His righteousness.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, December 18, 2015
Friday, December 11, 2015
Fantastic Friday #501 - Take care of...
Take care of...
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. John 21:15-17
What do you find yourself taking care of or do you look to be taken care of by someone? As parents we take care of our children over the years. As children we take care of our chores, sometimes not before being asked. As friends we take care of each other when we need something if our friends truly mean something to us. I listened to an interesting story this week about a man who was told by God in a dream that He was coming to visit him. Instead of seeing God come to his door, three different people came to his door he was not expecting whom he took in and cared for their needs. When God didn't come, the man asked why didn't you come Lord. I won't finish the story, but think about what God expects us to do on a daily basis. He expects us to Love others and take care of others in whatever way we can. Take a moment at this season in your life to find a way to take care of sheep that are around you every day.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, December 4, 2015
Fantastic Friday #500- Perseverance
Perseverance
17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 17-21
What keeps you from relying on your faith when you are in a difficult situation? Is it the people around you who seem to be doing just a little bit better than you, both in life and in their faith? Maybe when you look at these people it is not the good they are doing in life, it is how you are perceiving they view you and your life. Or maybe those people through their actions have a negative impact on you and you act in ways that are unholy and unfaithful. Here's the thing, God has warned us that people will be scoffers in living a good life and try to have us follow our natural instincts which are typically driven by the enemy. But we have something that those people don't have and that is being clothed with the Holy Spirit to guide us. All we need to do is lean into the Spirit regularly when we feel less than adequate. We are more than adequate in many ways, and if we keep our faith in God and persevere through the difficult times we will be rewarded because God loves us. Keep the faith and stay on the right path and don't let the scoffers push you further away from God.
Have a great weekend.
17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 17-21
What keeps you from relying on your faith when you are in a difficult situation? Is it the people around you who seem to be doing just a little bit better than you, both in life and in their faith? Maybe when you look at these people it is not the good they are doing in life, it is how you are perceiving they view you and your life. Or maybe those people through their actions have a negative impact on you and you act in ways that are unholy and unfaithful. Here's the thing, God has warned us that people will be scoffers in living a good life and try to have us follow our natural instincts which are typically driven by the enemy. But we have something that those people don't have and that is being clothed with the Holy Spirit to guide us. All we need to do is lean into the Spirit regularly when we feel less than adequate. We are more than adequate in many ways, and if we keep our faith in God and persevere through the difficult times we will be rewarded because God loves us. Keep the faith and stay on the right path and don't let the scoffers push you further away from God.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, November 27, 2015
Fantastic Friday #499 - Power
Power
43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.Go in peace.” Luke 8:43-48
Today we see people suffering around the world and I bet if you look around you closely you will find someone you know that has suffered for some time. What keeps these people in these places of suffering? Is it that they aren't taking care of themselves or are they just not wanting to get better? I think the key missing ingredient in most cases is faith. Faith is the key ingredient to ease our suffering because we know we cannot deal with it on our own. We must rely on our heavenly father, just like the woman in this scripture. We must have faith to have our suffering eased, and let him lead us through our valleys. Power that comes from God is what comes when we have faith. Be thankful and vigilant, and rely on the faith in our Lord to see you through whatever struggles you may be having.
Have a great weekend.
43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.Go in peace.” Luke 8:43-48
Today we see people suffering around the world and I bet if you look around you closely you will find someone you know that has suffered for some time. What keeps these people in these places of suffering? Is it that they aren't taking care of themselves or are they just not wanting to get better? I think the key missing ingredient in most cases is faith. Faith is the key ingredient to ease our suffering because we know we cannot deal with it on our own. We must rely on our heavenly father, just like the woman in this scripture. We must have faith to have our suffering eased, and let him lead us through our valleys. Power that comes from God is what comes when we have faith. Be thankful and vigilant, and rely on the faith in our Lord to see you through whatever struggles you may be having.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, November 20, 2015
Fantastic Friday #498 - Glad
Glad
1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2
Do you ever think about being "glad"? Our lives are always filled with different emotions and challenges when things just aren't going our way. Many times in our darkest moments, we tend to forget about being glad about something. When someone we know is sick and suffering, we turn to the pain rather than thinking about the parts of their life that have made us glad. If you think about it, being glad isn't that complicated. I think we complicate things when we push out the positive and let the negative take over, in fact I am certainly guilty of this and have been this week. What does it take to be glad? It takes an intentional effort to think of the things that make us find pleasure in life and focus on those things over the negative moment in time. I guarantee you that it is whole lot easier to be glad than mad, and being glad can have a positive impact on those around us. I challenge myself and you this week to be glad and find gladness however deep it is buried.
Have a great weekend.
1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2
Do you ever think about being "glad"? Our lives are always filled with different emotions and challenges when things just aren't going our way. Many times in our darkest moments, we tend to forget about being glad about something. When someone we know is sick and suffering, we turn to the pain rather than thinking about the parts of their life that have made us glad. If you think about it, being glad isn't that complicated. I think we complicate things when we push out the positive and let the negative take over, in fact I am certainly guilty of this and have been this week. What does it take to be glad? It takes an intentional effort to think of the things that make us find pleasure in life and focus on those things over the negative moment in time. I guarantee you that it is whole lot easier to be glad than mad, and being glad can have a positive impact on those around us. I challenge myself and you this week to be glad and find gladness however deep it is buried.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Fantastic Friday #497 - Harmony
Harmony
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Romans 12:15-16
Do you ever listen to people when they sing, I mean truly listen? Can you hear those times when people are in perfect harmony? In 1971, there was this great coke commercial that spoke to signing in perfect harmony and I bet you are hearing it right now as you read this. I'd like to teach the world to sing..., a catchy tune that people even know today as they reinvented the commercial recently for a super bowl. The thing about that commercial is it showed people from different backgrounds and ethnicity all singing a song together, and they sound pretty good even though they aren't the same. You know, God didn't make any of us the same but created us in a way that is unique. He also places people in our lives that aren't exactly like us and it is up to us to live with these individuals in a harmonious relationship. In fact, I am glad that God created us differently, because if he didn't I wouldn't be able to stand myself. Reach out of your conceited area, and we all have one, to associate with those around us who help define us. Who knows, you might have a positive influence on these people.
Have a great weekend.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Romans 12:15-16
Do you ever listen to people when they sing, I mean truly listen? Can you hear those times when people are in perfect harmony? In 1971, there was this great coke commercial that spoke to signing in perfect harmony and I bet you are hearing it right now as you read this. I'd like to teach the world to sing..., a catchy tune that people even know today as they reinvented the commercial recently for a super bowl. The thing about that commercial is it showed people from different backgrounds and ethnicity all singing a song together, and they sound pretty good even though they aren't the same. You know, God didn't make any of us the same but created us in a way that is unique. He also places people in our lives that aren't exactly like us and it is up to us to live with these individuals in a harmonious relationship. In fact, I am glad that God created us differently, because if he didn't I wouldn't be able to stand myself. Reach out of your conceited area, and we all have one, to associate with those around us who help define us. Who knows, you might have a positive influence on these people.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Fantastic Friday #496 - Friend
Friend
10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
1 John 4:10-12
I was able to see a good friend this week that I haven't seen in a year. This is a friendship that has spanned more than 20 years, but the interesting thing about this meeting is this week is we picked up like it was only 20 years ago. He was always someone who was easy to get to know and share with, in fact we discussed our concerns about what happens when the preacher makes himself more important than God. We often get too caught up in the man on the stage than the man who died for us and this can lead to idolization. In fact, we all know that God has stated that there should be no other gods before Him, and when you idolize, worship and celebrate someone presenting God's Word, that can be a big problem. While I don't idolize my friend, he is an important part of my life and I know we can always be open with each other without judgement. Praise God for good friends.
Have a great weekend.
I was able to see a good friend this week that I haven't seen in a year. This is a friendship that has spanned more than 20 years, but the interesting thing about this meeting is this week is we picked up like it was only 20 years ago. He was always someone who was easy to get to know and share with, in fact we discussed our concerns about what happens when the preacher makes himself more important than God. We often get too caught up in the man on the stage than the man who died for us and this can lead to idolization. In fact, we all know that God has stated that there should be no other gods before Him, and when you idolize, worship and celebrate someone presenting God's Word, that can be a big problem. While I don't idolize my friend, he is an important part of my life and I know we can always be open with each other without judgement. Praise God for good friends.
Have a great weekend.
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