Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
You lust and you have not. You kill and desire to have but you do not attain what you want. You ask and receive not because you ask amiss, that you may consume what you ask for upon your lusts. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever is a friend of the world is the enemy to God. Do you think the scriptures say in vain, “The spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy?”
Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
James is speaking some very direct words to us today. The majority of our problems from divorce to war can be found right here. You lust and you have not. When we let our desires run our lives, we lose the foundation that we need to make the right decision and when we fail to make the right decisions, the direction that our lives take is altered and the quality of our lives is affected.
When we let our desires run our lives, the things we desire to have do not deliver. The reason they do not deliver, is they cannot deliver. As we attain the things that we think we want, what we want changes and when what we have becomes more and more important, what we have will never be enough! The more we get, the more we want.
James makes a very good point in this passage. The Bible does say, we have not because we ask not. However, James tells us here, the problem is not in the asking, but in what we ask for. Some people do not have because they fail to look to God for what they really need, in other words, they have not because they ask not. However closely akin to that problem is the second problem, of asking but asking amiss. “You ask amiss so that you can get what you ask for to satisfy your lusts.”
God is not going to give us the desires of our heart when our focus is on our own lusts, not if we are His children and in a relationship with Him. “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?” Our focus is not to be on the world and the things of the world. Our focus is to be on God and the things that He has planned for us. Our thoughts are to be His thoughts so that His ways can be our ways and His blessings can be our blessings! You cannot seek to find happiness chasing the things of this world and expect the things of God to chase you down! God is not going to shower us with His blessings when we are looking to the things of the world and the desires of the flesh to satisfy our lives.
We need to submit ourselves to God and resist the devil and he will flee from us. We need to draw near to God and when we do, He will draw near to us. Remember a very important truth. When God’s presence comes into our lives, so do His power and His provisions and that is what we really want and need in our hearts and in our lives and in the lives of our families and our churches and in our communities! That is what really makes a difference that others can see and will respond to.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you and you will be so glad that you did!
A Pastor's thoughts about the Scripture and it's influence in our lives.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Draw Near to God James 4:8
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Abide In Christ John 15:4-5
Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine. No more can you, except you abide in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in Me the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Jesus is speaking and His admonition to us is to abide in Him. As we abide in Him, He is able to abide in us. It is our responsibility to respond to His Word and to follow His direction. God gives us the help that we need in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to say no to sin and to follow the Lord’s direction. When we surrender ourselves to the Lord’s leadership, we are like the branch that is attached to the vine and the real meaning of the illustration is the fact that the branch by itself cannot do anything on its own. When the branch comes off, it dies.
Jesus is the vine. Jesus is the single source of life for us. When we are grafted into Him, we have life. When we abide in Him, He is able to give us the life that He came to give to us. He told His disciples, “I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” As we abide in Him, He is able to give us this life. Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches; He who abides in Me the same brings forth much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing.”
When we abide in Christ, we will bear much fruit. This fruit comes in a variety of ways. First of all, our lives will be fruitful to ourselves. When Christ is able to be all in all that we are and all that we do, our lives will reflect His presence and His glory. We will experience peace in our hearts and joy in our walk as God is able to bless us and do what only He can do for us. We will then be fruitful in our witness.
As God molds and shapes our daily walk by influencing our decisions, our witness changes. As our lives take on new meaning and purpose and our priorities change, people will see the difference and it is that difference in our attitudes and our actions that God is able to use to prick the hearts of those that need Him. As we abide in Him, His life flows into us and that life flows out of us to touch all those that come in contact with us.
Life is at its fullest when it is shared with others. Jesus wants us to abide in Him so that He can share Himself with us. He wants us to abide in Him so that He can give us life to share with others as well. Prayer brings God’s presence into our lives. God’s presence in our life gives us life.
Jesus is speaking and His admonition to us is to abide in Him. As we abide in Him, He is able to abide in us. It is our responsibility to respond to His Word and to follow His direction. God gives us the help that we need in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to say no to sin and to follow the Lord’s direction. When we surrender ourselves to the Lord’s leadership, we are like the branch that is attached to the vine and the real meaning of the illustration is the fact that the branch by itself cannot do anything on its own. When the branch comes off, it dies.
Jesus is the vine. Jesus is the single source of life for us. When we are grafted into Him, we have life. When we abide in Him, He is able to give us the life that He came to give to us. He told His disciples, “I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” As we abide in Him, He is able to give us this life. Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches; He who abides in Me the same brings forth much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing.”
When we abide in Christ, we will bear much fruit. This fruit comes in a variety of ways. First of all, our lives will be fruitful to ourselves. When Christ is able to be all in all that we are and all that we do, our lives will reflect His presence and His glory. We will experience peace in our hearts and joy in our walk as God is able to bless us and do what only He can do for us. We will then be fruitful in our witness.
As God molds and shapes our daily walk by influencing our decisions, our witness changes. As our lives take on new meaning and purpose and our priorities change, people will see the difference and it is that difference in our attitudes and our actions that God is able to use to prick the hearts of those that need Him. As we abide in Him, His life flows into us and that life flows out of us to touch all those that come in contact with us.
Life is at its fullest when it is shared with others. Jesus wants us to abide in Him so that He can share Himself with us. He wants us to abide in Him so that He can give us life to share with others as well. Prayer brings God’s presence into our lives. God’s presence in our life gives us life.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Grateful Psalms 18:49-50
49Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name. 50Great deliverance He gives to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed,
Listen to the writer of the Psalms…. He is struggling every day… but his trust is in the Lord regardless of the outcome… but… God is fighting his battles for him because David was a man after God’s own heart… and look at What David does and he does this over and over again in the Psalms…. I will give thanks to You, Oh Lord and sing praises to Your name,
David is thankful not only for the things that God has already done in his life, but he is thankful for what God is doing in His life as well as what God has planned to do for his as well! David knew that his strength came from the Lord. He knew that the blessings that he had in his life were all because of the Lord’s mercy and His grace to him. He gave credit where credit was due for his life and all that his life had become.
Perhaps one of the biggest problems we have as God’s children is the sin of ungratefulness… God blesses us and we go on about our living our lives with the “business as usual” attitude. It is so easy to receive a blessing from God and then think… I worked hard to get that or I really do deserve that blessing. It is easy to think, “it is about time!” It is no wonder that God is not able to bless us as He so much wants to!
We need to be like David and always be thankful for all that God has done and wants to do for us. It is not so much that God wants to be thanked as much as it is the attitude that we have which says… “I did this or I did that…” We have to learn to give God the credit… so that the whole world might know that it is God that we depend on and not our own ability…
It is impossible to pray without first being grateful!
Listen to the writer of the Psalms…. He is struggling every day… but his trust is in the Lord regardless of the outcome… but… God is fighting his battles for him because David was a man after God’s own heart… and look at What David does and he does this over and over again in the Psalms…. I will give thanks to You, Oh Lord and sing praises to Your name,
David is thankful not only for the things that God has already done in his life, but he is thankful for what God is doing in His life as well as what God has planned to do for his as well! David knew that his strength came from the Lord. He knew that the blessings that he had in his life were all because of the Lord’s mercy and His grace to him. He gave credit where credit was due for his life and all that his life had become.
Perhaps one of the biggest problems we have as God’s children is the sin of ungratefulness… God blesses us and we go on about our living our lives with the “business as usual” attitude. It is so easy to receive a blessing from God and then think… I worked hard to get that or I really do deserve that blessing. It is easy to think, “it is about time!” It is no wonder that God is not able to bless us as He so much wants to!
We need to be like David and always be thankful for all that God has done and wants to do for us. It is not so much that God wants to be thanked as much as it is the attitude that we have which says… “I did this or I did that…” We have to learn to give God the credit… so that the whole world might know that it is God that we depend on and not our own ability…
It is impossible to pray without first being grateful!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Please the Lord I Samuel 12:20
20 Samuel said to the people, Fear not: you have done all this wickedness; yet turn not aside from following the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart. Turn not aside and go after vain things that cannot profit nor deliver. They are in vain. The Lord will not forsake His people for His great namesake. It has pleased the Lord to make you His people.
The children of Israel came to Samuel and demanded that he anoint them a king. This was a terrible mistake for God had led them and protected them and provided for them. However, God told Samuel to let the people have their way. They wanted to “be like other nations.” Doesn’t that sound familiar today? We want to be like everyone else instead of being unique and set apart to God and His righteousness.
Notice what Samuel tells the children of Israel. “Fear not.” Even though the children of Israel had made a very serious mistake, his words from God to them were fear not. Even though we make bad decisions and serious mistakes before the Lord, He does not want us to be afraid to come to Him. God can take the mistakes that we make and turn them into good if we will just do as Samuel instructs the children of Israel to do here. “Do not turn aside from following the Lord.” There is nothing that we have done in the past that will keep us from being able to turn to the Lord today. God is more concerned about what direction we are headed in today than He is the direction that we were going yesterday.
One of the mistakes that too many people make today is thinking, “I made a mistake yesterday and I might as well do it again. “ Samuel warns against that. In fact, he speaks to its futility. He says, do not go after vain things that cannot profit nor deliver.” Folks, listen sin can never profit nor deliver. It may seem to deliver but when the story is over and everything is finished we are the losers not some of the time, not most of the time, but all of the time. Sin causes death. Sin always takes us farther than we want to go; sin always costs us more than we want to pay and sin always keeps us longer than we want to stay.
The Lord will not forsake His people. We are His namesake and He cares about us as well as His own reputation if you will. God is pleased to make us His people. He wants to bless us. He wants to meet our need and He will if we will determine to follow His direction found in His Word without compromise and without turning to the left or the right. God’s glory is contained in His ability to be God in our lives. When we follow after Him and allow Him to do for us as He so much wants to do, then His joy is made full and His heart is filled to over flowing and God is blessed as He is able to bless us.
Please the Lord with your prayers to Him today and follow after Him and allow Him to move the mountains that are in front of you today. Try Him; you WILL like Him!
The children of Israel came to Samuel and demanded that he anoint them a king. This was a terrible mistake for God had led them and protected them and provided for them. However, God told Samuel to let the people have their way. They wanted to “be like other nations.” Doesn’t that sound familiar today? We want to be like everyone else instead of being unique and set apart to God and His righteousness.
Notice what Samuel tells the children of Israel. “Fear not.” Even though the children of Israel had made a very serious mistake, his words from God to them were fear not. Even though we make bad decisions and serious mistakes before the Lord, He does not want us to be afraid to come to Him. God can take the mistakes that we make and turn them into good if we will just do as Samuel instructs the children of Israel to do here. “Do not turn aside from following the Lord.” There is nothing that we have done in the past that will keep us from being able to turn to the Lord today. God is more concerned about what direction we are headed in today than He is the direction that we were going yesterday.
One of the mistakes that too many people make today is thinking, “I made a mistake yesterday and I might as well do it again. “ Samuel warns against that. In fact, he speaks to its futility. He says, do not go after vain things that cannot profit nor deliver.” Folks, listen sin can never profit nor deliver. It may seem to deliver but when the story is over and everything is finished we are the losers not some of the time, not most of the time, but all of the time. Sin causes death. Sin always takes us farther than we want to go; sin always costs us more than we want to pay and sin always keeps us longer than we want to stay.
The Lord will not forsake His people. We are His namesake and He cares about us as well as His own reputation if you will. God is pleased to make us His people. He wants to bless us. He wants to meet our need and He will if we will determine to follow His direction found in His Word without compromise and without turning to the left or the right. God’s glory is contained in His ability to be God in our lives. When we follow after Him and allow Him to do for us as He so much wants to do, then His joy is made full and His heart is filled to over flowing and God is blessed as He is able to bless us.
Please the Lord with your prayers to Him today and follow after Him and allow Him to move the mountains that are in front of you today. Try Him; you WILL like Him!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Hear My Prayer Psalm 4:1
1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
Hear me when I call; have you ever gone to God and thought, “I am afraid that prayer didn’t even get above the ceiling?” David was in one of those times. He calls God the “God of my righteousness.” David knew that God had protected him in the past. He knew that he was where he was because God was indeed with him but things were not going the way that he would have liked for them to!
Listen to David’s question to God, “How long will these people ruin my reputation? How long will they make these groundless accusations? How long will they pursue lies?” David was discouraged and disappointed. He was tired of running for his life. He was tired of watching men refuse to stand up and be the men that they knew they ought to be. God, “Please, hear me when I call! God please hear my prayer and do something about all this!”
We all have experienced these lean times when it seemed as if God was nowhere to be found. We have all reached down and cried out to God, “Please God, hear my cry!” I like the prayer, “God, please give me patience and GIVE IT TO ME NOW!”
David knew that God had met his needs before when he was in distress. He could look back in his life and see how God reached down and met his need and delivered him from his distress. David knew that God had been faithful to him in the past and he knew that God would be faithful to him in the future.
You and I need that kind of resolve. God has proven Himself to be faithful to us in the past and we need to trust Him and allow Him to be faithful to us in our future as well. God is a merciful God. He will give us His grace even though we do not deserve it. He will hear our prayer if we will just take time to pray to Him! One of the reasons that our lives are in the shape that they are in has more to do with our lack of prayer than His lack of answering our prayers.
Lets determine to take God by the hand and walk with Him and spend time with Him in prayer and see if He does not answer those prayers!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
God Come Down Psalm 143:11
11 Revive me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake! For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
“Revive me” David cried out. What is revival? Revival is when God comes down. Listen to what David has already said. Cause me to know Your loving kindness in the morning. Cause me to know Your way that I should walk. Deliver me from my enemies. Teach me to do Your will; lead me in the way of uprightness. In all of these prayers, David is asking God for His presence in his life.
When we respond to God as David has done, we can expect His presence and where the presence of God is, there is revival! When we are willing to know God’s loving kindness in the morning of each and every day; when we come to know the way that we should walk and then walk in that way, God will hear our cry from heaven and He will come down and walk with us and He will guide us personally and He will revive our sin sick souls and He will give us a new life and a new direction in that life.
Notice too that David says, “Revive me for Your name’s sake.” Wow. Revival is not just for us it is for God too! David writes, “For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.” How is this possible? How can revival in me be for God’s righteousness’ sake? Simple. This is God’s goal and purpose for your life and mine that we allow Him to come down and dwell with us and us with Him. We allow Him to revive us and to give our lives a new direction because that is what He intended from the very foundation of this world. God wants to be our God and He wants us to be His people, When we allow Him to be God in our lives, then His glory is magnified and His joy is made full and His righteousness is seen in His faithfulness to us as His children!
When God is able to reach down from heaven and do something that can only be explained by the words, “God did it” then and only then does the world sit up and take notice and begin to respond to the call of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. When God is able to be God in our lives then and only then will people around us respond and begin to inquire about the secret to the success in our lives. When God comes down in our church services because we have allowed Him to come down into our lives, we will have more smiling faces in our church services than empty spaces in our pews. People will come where the presence and power of God is being demonstrated!
Monday, February 22, 2010
God With Me! Genesis 28:15
Behold I am with you and I will keep you in all places where ever you go. I will bring you again to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.
Jacob was one of the patriarchs of the Old Testament. He was Isaac’s son. He was Abraham’s grandson. You would think that Jacob would be a special person with amazing characteristics. However, he was a lot like some of us. He tricked his older brother out of his birthright and then he deceived his aged father by dressing up like his older brother to receive the patriarchal blessing. Jacob lied. He stole and he failed to love his brother like he should have. He was greedy and had a tendency to care about himself. Sounds a lot like a commentary on the 21st Century American doesn’t it?
When Esau found out that his little brother had tricked his father into giving him his blessing, he got angry and sought to take Jacob’s life. His mother and father told him to leave home for his own safety. He did. As he made the journey to his mother’s homeland and family, Jacob laid down to go to sleep and he had a dream. In this dream he saw God and God told him, “I am the Lord God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac; the land upon which you are laying I will give to you and your descendants. Behold I am with you and I will keep you in all places where ever you go. I will bring you again to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
Here is the message of this story. God can take imperfect people and do wonderful things with them. Jacob had made some very poor decisions. His mother played a role in his deception. In fact, it was her idea. However, God is bigger than our faults and our failures. His plans are more important than our plans and our actions. God came to Jacob as he was running for his life and He assured him of His presence in his life. God let Jacob know that He had plans for his life. Even in the darkest hours of his life, Jacob found that God loved him and He had plans and promises for him.
Through prayer you and I can find comfort in God’s love for us as well. We can know that God is with us no matter what. He will keep us in “all places.” We can know that God will be with us in the difficult times but we can also know that God will be with us in the good times as well. Perhaps the biggest mistake we make is failing to go to God through prayer in the good times. The temptation to say, “Good-Bye God” when we turn onto “Easy Street” ought to be the first sigh that we are headed in the wrong direction! God is with us at all times, good and bad and we need to seek to walk with Him on both.
We need to understand and remember that we do not need to take a vacation from God or take a vacation without Him! God needs to be in charge of our lives in the good times as well as the bad. When we let Him take charge in the good times, we might discover that the bad times are not as bad! I like the advice I saw on a bumper sticker some time ago; “If God is your Co-Pilot; Change seats!”
Thank You God for the privilege of prayer!
Jacob was one of the patriarchs of the Old Testament. He was Isaac’s son. He was Abraham’s grandson. You would think that Jacob would be a special person with amazing characteristics. However, he was a lot like some of us. He tricked his older brother out of his birthright and then he deceived his aged father by dressing up like his older brother to receive the patriarchal blessing. Jacob lied. He stole and he failed to love his brother like he should have. He was greedy and had a tendency to care about himself. Sounds a lot like a commentary on the 21st Century American doesn’t it?
When Esau found out that his little brother had tricked his father into giving him his blessing, he got angry and sought to take Jacob’s life. His mother and father told him to leave home for his own safety. He did. As he made the journey to his mother’s homeland and family, Jacob laid down to go to sleep and he had a dream. In this dream he saw God and God told him, “I am the Lord God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac; the land upon which you are laying I will give to you and your descendants. Behold I am with you and I will keep you in all places where ever you go. I will bring you again to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
Here is the message of this story. God can take imperfect people and do wonderful things with them. Jacob had made some very poor decisions. His mother played a role in his deception. In fact, it was her idea. However, God is bigger than our faults and our failures. His plans are more important than our plans and our actions. God came to Jacob as he was running for his life and He assured him of His presence in his life. God let Jacob know that He had plans for his life. Even in the darkest hours of his life, Jacob found that God loved him and He had plans and promises for him.
Through prayer you and I can find comfort in God’s love for us as well. We can know that God is with us no matter what. He will keep us in “all places.” We can know that God will be with us in the difficult times but we can also know that God will be with us in the good times as well. Perhaps the biggest mistake we make is failing to go to God through prayer in the good times. The temptation to say, “Good-Bye God” when we turn onto “Easy Street” ought to be the first sigh that we are headed in the wrong direction! God is with us at all times, good and bad and we need to seek to walk with Him on both.
We need to understand and remember that we do not need to take a vacation from God or take a vacation without Him! God needs to be in charge of our lives in the good times as well as the bad. When we let Him take charge in the good times, we might discover that the bad times are not as bad! I like the advice I saw on a bumper sticker some time ago; “If God is your Co-Pilot; Change seats!”
Thank You God for the privilege of prayer!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Watch and Pray Matthew 26:41
41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Temptation is something that the child of God ought to avoid at all cost. Temptation leads to sin and sin is always the wrong choice. There is never a time when sin is the best option. Sin is a lie. Sin never benefits us. In fact, every temptation is nothing more than a lie. So, when we decide to flirt with temptation and we walk in that direction we are following after a boldfaced lie. When we commit sin we are accepting a lie; not most of the time but in every single situation. We settle from what the devil offers and we turn away from what God has in store for us.
God’s way is always the right way. Jesus tells us to watch and pray so that we will not enter into temptation. When we keep our eyes wide open and we pray, temptation does not have the effect on our lives it does when we are not praying. Our spirit may be willing to walk alongside the temptation and we may think we can handle it. However our flesh is not so strong; in fact, Jesus tells us it is weak. Prayer is the only way to defeat temptation and avoid sin in our lives.
Prayer is the key to a victorious Christian life. The world, the flesh and the devil are hard at work warring against the Spirit that is within you. Prayer takes charge of that battle for your mind and the decisions that you make and the direction that your life goes in. As we surrender our desires and our passions to the Lord, and we begin to watch and pray and we start to see sin for what it is; our lives begin to take on a whole new perspective.
How do we avoid temptation and abstain from sin? We watch and pray!
When temptation comes, pray.
When discouragement comes, pray.
When disappointments come, pray.
When you are all alone, pray.
When you are alone with someone, PRAY!
When you are in a crowd, pray.
When you are facing the impossible, pray.
If there is a reason to be concerned about something or someone, take time to say a prayer over that situation or person. God will hear your prayer and He will respond to that prayer in a miraculous way and He will bless that request where He can without touching on His integrity, which includes what you might do 20 – 25 years from now.
There is no need that is so small that we do not need to pray for it nor is there a need that is so big that God cannot meet it for our benefit and His glory! 41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Temptation is something that the child of God ought to avoid at all cost. Temptation leads to sin and sin is always the wrong choice. There is never a time when sin is the best option. Sin is a lie. Sin never benefits us. In fact, every temptation is nothing more than a lie. So, when we decide to flirt with temptation and we walk in that direction we are following after a boldfaced lie. When we commit sin we are accepting a lie; not most of the time but in every single situation. We settle from what the devil offers and we turn away from what God has in store for us.
God’s way is always the right way. Jesus tells us to watch and pray so that we will not enter into temptation. When we keep our eyes wide open and we pray, temptation does not have the effect on our lives it does when we are not praying. Our spirit may be willing to walk alongside the temptation and we may think we can handle it. However our flesh is not so strong; in fact, Jesus tells us it is weak. Prayer is the only way to defeat temptation and avoid sin in our lives.
Prayer is the key to a victorious Christian life. The world, the flesh and the devil are hard at work warring against the Spirit that is within you. Prayer takes charge of that battle for your mind and the decisions that you make and the direction that your life goes in. As we surrender our desires and our passions to the Lord, and we begin to watch and pray and we start to see sin for what it is; our lives begin to take on a whole new perspective.
How do we avoid temptation and abstain from sin? We watch and pray!
When temptation comes, pray.
When discouragement comes, pray.
When disappointments come, pray.
When you are all alone, pray.
When you are alone with someone, PRAY!
When you are in a crowd, pray.
When you are facing the impossible, pray.
If there is a reason to be concerned about something or someone, take time to say a prayer over that situation or person. God will hear your prayer and He will respond to that prayer in a miraculous way and He will bless that request where He can without touching on His integrity, which includes what you might do 20 – 25 years from now.
There is no need that is so small that we do not need to pray for it nor is there a need that is so big that God cannot meet it for our benefit and His glory! 41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
God’s Power Matthew 6:13
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
There is no greater reason for us to pray to our heavenly Father than the reason that Jesus gives to us in this final phrase in the Lord’s Prayer. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
We are all part of God’s kingdom. We exist because He chose to create us. Life itself exists because of God’s love for us. God created us so that He would have an outlet for His abundant love. Love has to have an outlet and God has chosen you and me as outlets for His love.
Since we are part of God’s kingdom and created as outlets for His love, His power is available to us. This power is the result of God’s love as well as the means of receiving His love! As God’s power is demonstrated in our lives, we experience His love in our lives. There is nothing any more wonderful than the love of God demonstrated by His power in our lives.
As God’s love is given to us by the exercise of His power for us, God’s glory is magnified by our response to His love. It is no wonder that Jesus tells us, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” God’s expression of His love to us is demonstrated to us by His power. Our love for Him is demonstrated to Him by our obedience. As we express our lives to God, He is glorified and He is able to do even more with us and for us.
There is nothing that pleases God any more than the opportunity to show His love for us as He demonstrates His power to us! Prayer allows God’s power to flow into our lives. Prayer is the switch that directs His power into our lives and allows God to bless us exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or hope for!
What a mighty God we do serve!
><> Pastor Bob
There is no greater reason for us to pray to our heavenly Father than the reason that Jesus gives to us in this final phrase in the Lord’s Prayer. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
We are all part of God’s kingdom. We exist because He chose to create us. Life itself exists because of God’s love for us. God created us so that He would have an outlet for His abundant love. Love has to have an outlet and God has chosen you and me as outlets for His love.
Since we are part of God’s kingdom and created as outlets for His love, His power is available to us. This power is the result of God’s love as well as the means of receiving His love! As God’s power is demonstrated in our lives, we experience His love in our lives. There is nothing any more wonderful than the love of God demonstrated by His power in our lives.
As God’s love is given to us by the exercise of His power for us, God’s glory is magnified by our response to His love. It is no wonder that Jesus tells us, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” God’s expression of His love to us is demonstrated to us by His power. Our love for Him is demonstrated to Him by our obedience. As we express our lives to God, He is glorified and He is able to do even more with us and for us.
There is nothing that pleases God any more than the opportunity to show His love for us as He demonstrates His power to us! Prayer allows God’s power to flow into our lives. Prayer is the switch that directs His power into our lives and allows God to bless us exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or hope for!
What a mighty God we do serve!
><> Pastor Bob
Friday, February 19, 2010
God’s Pathway Matthew 6:13
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
The King James says, “Lead us not.” God does not lead us to temptation; He does lead us from temptation and prayer is one of the ways that God is able to do that. One of the reasons that God gives us the instructions that He gives us in His Word is this very issue. In order to lead us away from temptation and deliver us from evil, God has given us instructions to help us avoid those pitfalls.
When you and I fail to follow God’s Word and those instructions, we are subject to falling into temptation. So as Jesus teaches us to pray that God would lead us from temptation, He is in effect causing us to think about our relationship to the Lord and His instructions for us and this gives us the encouragement we need to follow God and His instructions for us for the moment. In fact, it is virtually impossible to sin against God while we are in an attitude of prayer in the first place!
There is another aspect that prayer lends itself to and that is as God leads we are to follow. Leadership is God’s responsibility and following is our responsibility. As we follow God’s leadership, we avoid temptation and God Himself delivers us from the evil one. As you and I follow the Lord’s leadership we benefit tremendously in so many areas and deliverance is one of those areas that Jesus highlights for us here.
Following God is always to our benefit. God’s pathway is always the way that you and I need to go. The benefits of following God are always worth the effort!
The King James says, “Lead us not.” God does not lead us to temptation; He does lead us from temptation and prayer is one of the ways that God is able to do that. One of the reasons that God gives us the instructions that He gives us in His Word is this very issue. In order to lead us away from temptation and deliver us from evil, God has given us instructions to help us avoid those pitfalls.
When you and I fail to follow God’s Word and those instructions, we are subject to falling into temptation. So as Jesus teaches us to pray that God would lead us from temptation, He is in effect causing us to think about our relationship to the Lord and His instructions for us and this gives us the encouragement we need to follow God and His instructions for us for the moment. In fact, it is virtually impossible to sin against God while we are in an attitude of prayer in the first place!
There is another aspect that prayer lends itself to and that is as God leads we are to follow. Leadership is God’s responsibility and following is our responsibility. As we follow God’s leadership, we avoid temptation and God Himself delivers us from the evil one. As you and I follow the Lord’s leadership we benefit tremendously in so many areas and deliverance is one of those areas that Jesus highlights for us here.
Following God is always to our benefit. God’s pathway is always the way that you and I need to go. The benefits of following God are always worth the effort!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
God’s Pardon Matthew 6:12
12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
There are two types of people in the world; there are lost sinners and there are saved sinners. There sinners who have had their sins forgiven and then there are those who have not. It is God’s will that all would come unto repentance and that none should perish. The only real prayer that a lost person has is that God would forgive him or her of their sin and come into their heart and save them. Jesus told Nicodemus who came to Him asking what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, “Nicodemus, you must be born again.” What we do with Jesus is the most important decision that we will ever make in this life.
In Jesus’ model prayer, He is speaking to us who are Christians about God’s Pardon for our continued sin. He teaches us that we are to pray, “forgive us our debts”. We need to learn to come to God on a daily basis asking Him for His forgiveness for our sin that are the result of our sinful attitudes and actions. As we come to God and ask for His forgiveness, He promises us that He will not only forgive our sin, He forgets our sin as well. The Psalmist tells us that God removes our sin from us as far as the east is from the west.
What a great promise it is to know that God will hear our prayer and He will forgive our sin. Jesus did not stop there. This is somewhat of a conditional statement. Jesus teaches us to pray, “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
We receive forgiveness as we practice forgiveness. This is somewhat of an unusual command. However, for a child of God our forgiveness comes at a cost to us; that cost is our willingness to forgive those around us. Our salvation comes at no cost to us; Jesus bore that cost on the cross. Our continued forgiveness does require our willingness to forgive those around us.
Listen to a story that Jesus had with Peter concerning this very issue of forgiving others. 21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 23Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Forgiveness is to be practiced as it is received. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
There are two types of people in the world; there are lost sinners and there are saved sinners. There sinners who have had their sins forgiven and then there are those who have not. It is God’s will that all would come unto repentance and that none should perish. The only real prayer that a lost person has is that God would forgive him or her of their sin and come into their heart and save them. Jesus told Nicodemus who came to Him asking what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, “Nicodemus, you must be born again.” What we do with Jesus is the most important decision that we will ever make in this life.
In Jesus’ model prayer, He is speaking to us who are Christians about God’s Pardon for our continued sin. He teaches us that we are to pray, “forgive us our debts”. We need to learn to come to God on a daily basis asking Him for His forgiveness for our sin that are the result of our sinful attitudes and actions. As we come to God and ask for His forgiveness, He promises us that He will not only forgive our sin, He forgets our sin as well. The Psalmist tells us that God removes our sin from us as far as the east is from the west.
What a great promise it is to know that God will hear our prayer and He will forgive our sin. Jesus did not stop there. This is somewhat of a conditional statement. Jesus teaches us to pray, “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
We receive forgiveness as we practice forgiveness. This is somewhat of an unusual command. However, for a child of God our forgiveness comes at a cost to us; that cost is our willingness to forgive those around us. Our salvation comes at no cost to us; Jesus bore that cost on the cross. Our continued forgiveness does require our willingness to forgive those around us.
Listen to a story that Jesus had with Peter concerning this very issue of forgiving others. 21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 23Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Forgiveness is to be practiced as it is received. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
God’s Provisions Matthew 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread.
In Jesus’ model prayer, we are to ask for God’s provisions. Give us this day our daily bread. There are a couple of things that stand out in these seven words.
First of all, Jesus uses the term “bread.” He said, “I am the Bread of Life. If any man eats of this bread he shall live forever.” God’s provisions are forever. Sometimes we get our priorities out of place. When we think of our needs we think in the present; God is more concerned with eternity than He is the present.
This is not to say that God is not concerned with our present needs as well. Jesus does pray here, “Give us our ‘daily’ bread.” God will bless us as we allow Him to do so. Our obedience is imperative when it comes to God’s provisions. Notice, Jesus prays, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our obedience is absolutely essential when it comes to God’s ability to bless us and meet our need, especially as He would like to do.
In Jesus’ model prayer He teaches us to pray for our “daily bread”. This represents our need as opposed to our wants. God will give us the desires of our heart. God wants to do much more than just meet our need. He wants to give us the desires of His heart. God wants to bless us exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or hope for. Prayer is the vehicle that allows Gods blessings to flow into our lives.
In Jesus’ model prayer, we are to ask for God’s provisions. Give us this day our daily bread. There are a couple of things that stand out in these seven words.
First of all, Jesus uses the term “bread.” He said, “I am the Bread of Life. If any man eats of this bread he shall live forever.” God’s provisions are forever. Sometimes we get our priorities out of place. When we think of our needs we think in the present; God is more concerned with eternity than He is the present.
This is not to say that God is not concerned with our present needs as well. Jesus does pray here, “Give us our ‘daily’ bread.” God will bless us as we allow Him to do so. Our obedience is imperative when it comes to God’s provisions. Notice, Jesus prays, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our obedience is absolutely essential when it comes to God’s ability to bless us and meet our need, especially as He would like to do.
In Jesus’ model prayer He teaches us to pray for our “daily bread”. This represents our need as opposed to our wants. God will give us the desires of our heart. God wants to do much more than just meet our need. He wants to give us the desires of His heart. God wants to bless us exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or hope for. Prayer is the vehicle that allows Gods blessings to flow into our lives.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
God's Preeminence Matthew 6:10
Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus begins His model prayer with a declaration of God’s Presence and then gives us a declaration of God’s Praise and here He gives us a declaration of God’s Preeminence. What do we mean when we say “God’s Preeminence?” This is a term that refers to God’s eternal characteristics.
God told Moses to tell the children of Israel that “I Am” has sent you. God told Abraham, “I am Yahweh, the great I Am… I always have been; I am who I am and I always will be from everlasting to everlasting.” When I hear the name, “I Am” I think of what I call my working definition of faith. Faith is believing that God is everything that He says He is and that He will do everything that He says He will do. This sums up what I believe God was saying when He said, “I Am.”
Because He is the Great I Am, it is His creation and kingdom that we are a part of. God created all that we know and all that we have and all that we are. He not only created all that we encounter, He created all that we experience. It is His preeminence that deserves our praise and delivers His provisions.
Our prayer needs to be “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This needs to be our prayer for our lives as well as for the rest of the world. We cannot ask that God’s will be done on earth until we are first willing to let it be done in our lives first. Revival comes as we ask for God’s Spirit to be loosed in our land or in our church and when our prayer is, “let it begin in me.”
We want God’s will in our lives. It will no doubt be different from our will. God’s will is not going to be what we would ask for on our own nor is it likely to be what we would desire on our own. It will be what is best for us as well as His glory and His honor and it will be what is best for our families and our friends and all those who come in contact with our lives on a daily basis.
Our prayer ought always to be “God let me do what is pleasing in Your sight. God give me the grace to be all that You would have me be. Help me to not surrender to my own will or the way of the world but rather help me do Your will. Help me be obedient to Your will and Your Word for my life. Help me O God to please You in everything that I do.”
This is what it means to declare God’s Preeminence in our prayers. This is what we need to be doing each and every morning when we get up and all through out the day. There is no better way to begin our day than with the Lord of glory who always has been and always will be!
Jesus begins His model prayer with a declaration of God’s Presence and then gives us a declaration of God’s Praise and here He gives us a declaration of God’s Preeminence. What do we mean when we say “God’s Preeminence?” This is a term that refers to God’s eternal characteristics.
God told Moses to tell the children of Israel that “I Am” has sent you. God told Abraham, “I am Yahweh, the great I Am… I always have been; I am who I am and I always will be from everlasting to everlasting.” When I hear the name, “I Am” I think of what I call my working definition of faith. Faith is believing that God is everything that He says He is and that He will do everything that He says He will do. This sums up what I believe God was saying when He said, “I Am.”
Because He is the Great I Am, it is His creation and kingdom that we are a part of. God created all that we know and all that we have and all that we are. He not only created all that we encounter, He created all that we experience. It is His preeminence that deserves our praise and delivers His provisions.
Our prayer needs to be “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This needs to be our prayer for our lives as well as for the rest of the world. We cannot ask that God’s will be done on earth until we are first willing to let it be done in our lives first. Revival comes as we ask for God’s Spirit to be loosed in our land or in our church and when our prayer is, “let it begin in me.”
We want God’s will in our lives. It will no doubt be different from our will. God’s will is not going to be what we would ask for on our own nor is it likely to be what we would desire on our own. It will be what is best for us as well as His glory and His honor and it will be what is best for our families and our friends and all those who come in contact with our lives on a daily basis.
Our prayer ought always to be “God let me do what is pleasing in Your sight. God give me the grace to be all that You would have me be. Help me to not surrender to my own will or the way of the world but rather help me do Your will. Help me be obedient to Your will and Your Word for my life. Help me O God to please You in everything that I do.”
This is what it means to declare God’s Preeminence in our prayers. This is what we need to be doing each and every morning when we get up and all through out the day. There is no better way to begin our day than with the Lord of glory who always has been and always will be!
Monday, February 15, 2010
God’s Praise Matthew 6:9
Hallowed be Your name.
Jesus continues the Lord’s Prayer with a declaration of God’s Praise. He begins the Lord’s Prayer with a Declaration of God’s Presence and follows it with this Declaration of God’s Praise. Jesus says, “Hallowed be Your name.”
God’s Name is to be hallowed or glorified or magnified or lifted up in praise and adoration. There is no other way to begin our prayers than in glorifying God’s name. When we take time to remember who God is and all that He has done for us it sets the tone for prayer that has great power. As we serve God in giving Him the glory that He deserves, He is able to give us His grace and His blessings, which we do not deserve. All of our requests really come secondary to this declaration; however, when this declaration is made, God’s attention is gained and our requests become a priority from God’s perspective.
God and God alone is worthy of our praise and our adoration. David wrote in the Psalms, “God delights in the praises of His people.”
There is a second aspect to this phrase that deserves our attention. When we make our prayer “God let Your name be glorified or sanctified” we are acknowledging God’s supreme will and way in our world and in our lives. God will honor His name. He will accomplish His will in our lives, whether we want it or not in a lot of cases.
In Psalms 46:10 we read, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” In Philippians 2:10 we read, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, ofthings in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
When our prayers acknowledge God and all that He is and all that He has done, it allows Him to do even more in us and with us and for us! Our requests and our supplications must come secondary to our praise for His precious Name.
><> Pastor Bob
Jesus continues the Lord’s Prayer with a declaration of God’s Praise. He begins the Lord’s Prayer with a Declaration of God’s Presence and follows it with this Declaration of God’s Praise. Jesus says, “Hallowed be Your name.”
God’s Name is to be hallowed or glorified or magnified or lifted up in praise and adoration. There is no other way to begin our prayers than in glorifying God’s name. When we take time to remember who God is and all that He has done for us it sets the tone for prayer that has great power. As we serve God in giving Him the glory that He deserves, He is able to give us His grace and His blessings, which we do not deserve. All of our requests really come secondary to this declaration; however, when this declaration is made, God’s attention is gained and our requests become a priority from God’s perspective.
God and God alone is worthy of our praise and our adoration. David wrote in the Psalms, “God delights in the praises of His people.”
There is a second aspect to this phrase that deserves our attention. When we make our prayer “God let Your name be glorified or sanctified” we are acknowledging God’s supreme will and way in our world and in our lives. God will honor His name. He will accomplish His will in our lives, whether we want it or not in a lot of cases.
In Psalms 46:10 we read, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” In Philippians 2:10 we read, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, ofthings in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
When our prayers acknowledge God and all that He is and all that He has done, it allows Him to do even more in us and with us and for us! Our requests and our supplications must come secondary to our praise for His precious Name.
><> Pastor Bob
Sunday, February 14, 2010
God's Presence Matthew 6:9
Our Father who is in heaven,
Here we find Jesus’ model prayer that He taught His disciples to pray. He said, “In this manner, therefore, pray:” The first thing that we need to notice is this prayer is addressed to the Father. God is always present with His children. He may be in heaven but He is ever present with us as His children. As a father, He is always looking out for us. He wants to meet every single need that you and I have. God wants to make our lives the absolute best that they can possibly be. Of all the special names that the Bible uses to describe God for us, Jesus uses this name in the model prayer to portray the special relationship that God wants to have with each of us.
There is a second thing that is important to see. Jesus did not say, “My Father.” He said, “Our Father.” When an individual opens his or her heart to the Lord and becomes part of God’s forever family, God becomes “our Father.” He becomes our Father just as He was Jesus’ Father. We become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus and we are adopted into God’s precious family forever. There is no relationship that is any more important nor any more special than the relationship that is ours in Christ Jesus and that is no better demonstrated than right here as Jesus teaches us to pray, “Our Father.”
Our Father is in heaven. Jesus tells us that. However, He is as I said a moment ago ever present with us. He is in heaven ready to open the windows of heaven for us to bless us and protect us as we seek to walk with Him. As you and I choose to walk with the Lord according to the instruction found in His precious Word, God is able to be our Father and He is able to do things in us and for us that we can not begin to imagine.
What a tremendous privilege and blessing it is indeed to be able to call God “Our Father.” God’s presence is available to us all at any and every moment in our lives. It is no wonder that Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who is in heaven.” What a wonderful privilege it is to know that He is ours and we are His!
><> Pastor Bob
Here we find Jesus’ model prayer that He taught His disciples to pray. He said, “In this manner, therefore, pray:” The first thing that we need to notice is this prayer is addressed to the Father. God is always present with His children. He may be in heaven but He is ever present with us as His children. As a father, He is always looking out for us. He wants to meet every single need that you and I have. God wants to make our lives the absolute best that they can possibly be. Of all the special names that the Bible uses to describe God for us, Jesus uses this name in the model prayer to portray the special relationship that God wants to have with each of us.
There is a second thing that is important to see. Jesus did not say, “My Father.” He said, “Our Father.” When an individual opens his or her heart to the Lord and becomes part of God’s forever family, God becomes “our Father.” He becomes our Father just as He was Jesus’ Father. We become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus and we are adopted into God’s precious family forever. There is no relationship that is any more important nor any more special than the relationship that is ours in Christ Jesus and that is no better demonstrated than right here as Jesus teaches us to pray, “Our Father.”
Our Father is in heaven. Jesus tells us that. However, He is as I said a moment ago ever present with us. He is in heaven ready to open the windows of heaven for us to bless us and protect us as we seek to walk with Him. As you and I choose to walk with the Lord according to the instruction found in His precious Word, God is able to be our Father and He is able to do things in us and for us that we can not begin to imagine.
What a tremendous privilege and blessing it is indeed to be able to call God “Our Father.” God’s presence is available to us all at any and every moment in our lives. It is no wonder that Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who is in heaven.” What a wonderful privilege it is to know that He is ours and we are His!
><> Pastor Bob
Friday, February 12, 2010
Too Busy To Pray Psalm 102:1
1 Hear my prayer, Oh Lord, and let my cry come to You. Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble.
David prays this prayer over and over again. He asks God for protection against his enemies. He asks God for healing when he is sick. He asks God to bless the nation. He asks God to be patient with him and he asks God to give him patience. David goes to God on his knees crying out to God again and again and again. It is as if he is praying to God or singing to God songs of thanksgiving and praise. It is as if David cannot get through a day without making God a part of it.
Perhaps this is what is wrong with our lives today. David’s life was consumed with God’s presence and with God’s power. He wanted God’s divine favor to guide him. David wanted God’s grace to surround him. He wanted God’s blessings in his life. David wanted what God had for him more than what the world had for him.
Look at what is so important in our lives. We get up in the morning and rush to get everyone up to go in their respective directions. We go to work or to school and we barely take time to consider the blessing of life that we so much take for granted. We are not thankful to God for all that He has done for us. we don’t take the time to praise Him for all that He has done for us and all that He is doing for us even at this moment. We are not even thankful, as we should be. Too many of us fail to even thank Him for the food that we eat; we are too busy to give thanks at the table or we are in public and are ashamed to bow our heads and give Him thanks for what we are about to eat and ask Him for His blessings on the rest of our day.
How many of us take some time during the day to sit down and spend time in His word because He is an important part of our lives and His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light for our path so we might not sin against Him. It is no wonder that our faith is so shallow; we do not know Who He is and we are not aware of His promises to us.
How many times do we lay our heads down to go to sleep and we are so exhausted to even say a prayer of thanksgiving for the blessings of the day? How many days do we go through and it is as if there are no blessings for us to be thankful for when we lay down? Our lives are all messed up. Our families are in trouble. Our finances are a wreck. Our jobs are not fulfilling. It is as if our lives are running at full throttle headed nowhere.
Perhaps the reason is we are trying to do things on our own instead of taking the time to give God our prayers and our praise. Perhaps the reason that our lives are so difficult is we don’t take the time to give God His due place in our lives and in our days. He is not interested in our service to Him on Sunday. He wants our devotion on a daily basis.
Time is precious. Days go by so fast. There is never enough time to get everything done that we want to get done. so, why should we eliminate the most important part of our day and our lives? Why should we fail to give God the glory and the honor that He so much deserves in our lives? Perhaps if we did, our lives would slow down and our joy would increase and our troubles decrease and our blessings begin to overflow!
There are two things that are certain. If we continue doing what we have always done, we will continue to get what we have always gotten. If we are to busy for God, we are too busy and we need to do something about it and we need to do something today.
><> Pastor Bob
David prays this prayer over and over again. He asks God for protection against his enemies. He asks God for healing when he is sick. He asks God to bless the nation. He asks God to be patient with him and he asks God to give him patience. David goes to God on his knees crying out to God again and again and again. It is as if he is praying to God or singing to God songs of thanksgiving and praise. It is as if David cannot get through a day without making God a part of it.
Perhaps this is what is wrong with our lives today. David’s life was consumed with God’s presence and with God’s power. He wanted God’s divine favor to guide him. David wanted God’s grace to surround him. He wanted God’s blessings in his life. David wanted what God had for him more than what the world had for him.
Look at what is so important in our lives. We get up in the morning and rush to get everyone up to go in their respective directions. We go to work or to school and we barely take time to consider the blessing of life that we so much take for granted. We are not thankful to God for all that He has done for us. we don’t take the time to praise Him for all that He has done for us and all that He is doing for us even at this moment. We are not even thankful, as we should be. Too many of us fail to even thank Him for the food that we eat; we are too busy to give thanks at the table or we are in public and are ashamed to bow our heads and give Him thanks for what we are about to eat and ask Him for His blessings on the rest of our day.
How many of us take some time during the day to sit down and spend time in His word because He is an important part of our lives and His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light for our path so we might not sin against Him. It is no wonder that our faith is so shallow; we do not know Who He is and we are not aware of His promises to us.
How many times do we lay our heads down to go to sleep and we are so exhausted to even say a prayer of thanksgiving for the blessings of the day? How many days do we go through and it is as if there are no blessings for us to be thankful for when we lay down? Our lives are all messed up. Our families are in trouble. Our finances are a wreck. Our jobs are not fulfilling. It is as if our lives are running at full throttle headed nowhere.
Perhaps the reason is we are trying to do things on our own instead of taking the time to give God our prayers and our praise. Perhaps the reason that our lives are so difficult is we don’t take the time to give God His due place in our lives and in our days. He is not interested in our service to Him on Sunday. He wants our devotion on a daily basis.
Time is precious. Days go by so fast. There is never enough time to get everything done that we want to get done. so, why should we eliminate the most important part of our day and our lives? Why should we fail to give God the glory and the honor that He so much deserves in our lives? Perhaps if we did, our lives would slow down and our joy would increase and our troubles decrease and our blessings begin to overflow!
There are two things that are certain. If we continue doing what we have always done, we will continue to get what we have always gotten. If we are to busy for God, we are too busy and we need to do something about it and we need to do something today.
><> Pastor Bob
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Draw Near to God James 4:7
7Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
“Submit yourself to God.” That statement sounds good but how well do we actually do it? It is amazing that the Bible is so detailed in its wisdom. You see, it is not enough to resist the devil. In order to resist the devil, there is something that has to take place first! We must submit ourselves to God. It is not even possible to resist the devil and THEN submit ourselves to God… in order to have victory in our lives, we must first, submit ourselves to God and THEN… resist the devil.
When we submit ourselves to God, something happens in our heart. First of all, our way does not seem to be so important because God’s Way is The Way, which becomes our way. When my hand is firmly tucked into God’s Hand, and my walk is in the direction that God wants me to walk, then something happens… and it is this… God gets hold of our want to and changes that and all of a sudden we all start wanting the same things!
It is no problem to send the devil running when there is rejoicing in your heart and you have a song on your lips because He lives and we have committed ourselves to Him. Prayer and Bible Study are the best medicine that we have when it comes to spending time alone with God! That is what James is talking about when he says… “draw near to God and He will draw near unto you…. “
When we take the Bible and put its words in our mind that is commendable. However, God wants us to put those Words into our heart! The Holy Spirit is in the heart of every believer and His job is to teach us, to protect us, to help us remember things that He would have us say… in short, His purpose is for our lives to become so intertwined with His spirit that lives inside us that it is hard to tell the difference between where the Spirit leads and where we go!
When we draw near to Him, seeking His wisdom, He draws near to us giving us that wisdom to know what to do… so that we can be all that He so much wants us to be!
Submit… resist… and draw near to God through prayer and spending time with the Lord in His Word.
“Submit yourself to God.” That statement sounds good but how well do we actually do it? It is amazing that the Bible is so detailed in its wisdom. You see, it is not enough to resist the devil. In order to resist the devil, there is something that has to take place first! We must submit ourselves to God. It is not even possible to resist the devil and THEN submit ourselves to God… in order to have victory in our lives, we must first, submit ourselves to God and THEN… resist the devil.
When we submit ourselves to God, something happens in our heart. First of all, our way does not seem to be so important because God’s Way is The Way, which becomes our way. When my hand is firmly tucked into God’s Hand, and my walk is in the direction that God wants me to walk, then something happens… and it is this… God gets hold of our want to and changes that and all of a sudden we all start wanting the same things!
It is no problem to send the devil running when there is rejoicing in your heart and you have a song on your lips because He lives and we have committed ourselves to Him. Prayer and Bible Study are the best medicine that we have when it comes to spending time alone with God! That is what James is talking about when he says… “draw near to God and He will draw near unto you…. “
When we take the Bible and put its words in our mind that is commendable. However, God wants us to put those Words into our heart! The Holy Spirit is in the heart of every believer and His job is to teach us, to protect us, to help us remember things that He would have us say… in short, His purpose is for our lives to become so intertwined with His spirit that lives inside us that it is hard to tell the difference between where the Spirit leads and where we go!
When we draw near to Him, seeking His wisdom, He draws near to us giving us that wisdom to know what to do… so that we can be all that He so much wants us to be!
Submit… resist… and draw near to God through prayer and spending time with the Lord in His Word.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Abide In His Word John 8:31
Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”
Jesus had met with the Jewish leaders and He told them that He was the Light of the World. They heard Him and asked Him many questions and He repeatedly told them that they would not believe in Him and those that did not believe in Him would die in their sin and could not go where He was going. He told them that He was not alone for He had been sent from above from the Father, that they would have known was the God of Israel. As He spoke these words, the Bible tells us that many of the Jews that heard Him believed in Him.
Jesus looked to that group and told them “If you will abide in My Word, then you are My disciples.” These Jews knew God’s Word. It is not enough to “know the Word”. The thing that Jesus is looking for are those that abide in His Word. A lot of people today “know” the Word of God. However, just like the unbelieving Jews, they refuse to believe and accept God’s Word for what it is and follow it as It says we should do.
A lot of people tell me that they find the Bible hard to read. I am personally convinced that the Bible is not as difficult to read as many would say but rather it is difficult to follow and that makes it difficult to read. I tell people who want to know more about God and about His Word, to begin to do what you know the Bible teaches and it will become easier to read and understand!
To abide is to live in His Word, to walk and rest and find our being in His Word. God’s Word is designed to affect every single aspect of our lives. As we learn to let His Word direct our every decision, we will begin to experience God’s peace that passes all understanding and we will find life full to overflowing and more satisfying than we could ever imagine.
This is what Jesus was trying to tell those Jews and this is the same message that He has for you and me today. When we abide in His Word, we shall know the truth because that truth shall set us free. It is not enough to just know the truth for the truth does not set us free in and of itself. It is when we abide in that truth that the truth sets us free.
Jesus lived and abided in the Truth and He endured every single temptation that the devil could throw at Him but He stood firm because He knew the truth. You and I have that same truth and the same Spirit that led Jesus dwelling in us as His disciples if we will just abide in His truth. If we will abide in Him, we shall come to know the truth in a personal way as that truth indeed does set us free! What a glorious promise from the Lord above!
As we seek to know Him in His Word and we walk with Him in an attitude of prayer on a moment by moment basis, God is able to make a profound difference in the lives that we life.
><> Pastor Bob
Jesus had met with the Jewish leaders and He told them that He was the Light of the World. They heard Him and asked Him many questions and He repeatedly told them that they would not believe in Him and those that did not believe in Him would die in their sin and could not go where He was going. He told them that He was not alone for He had been sent from above from the Father, that they would have known was the God of Israel. As He spoke these words, the Bible tells us that many of the Jews that heard Him believed in Him.
Jesus looked to that group and told them “If you will abide in My Word, then you are My disciples.” These Jews knew God’s Word. It is not enough to “know the Word”. The thing that Jesus is looking for are those that abide in His Word. A lot of people today “know” the Word of God. However, just like the unbelieving Jews, they refuse to believe and accept God’s Word for what it is and follow it as It says we should do.
A lot of people tell me that they find the Bible hard to read. I am personally convinced that the Bible is not as difficult to read as many would say but rather it is difficult to follow and that makes it difficult to read. I tell people who want to know more about God and about His Word, to begin to do what you know the Bible teaches and it will become easier to read and understand!
To abide is to live in His Word, to walk and rest and find our being in His Word. God’s Word is designed to affect every single aspect of our lives. As we learn to let His Word direct our every decision, we will begin to experience God’s peace that passes all understanding and we will find life full to overflowing and more satisfying than we could ever imagine.
This is what Jesus was trying to tell those Jews and this is the same message that He has for you and me today. When we abide in His Word, we shall know the truth because that truth shall set us free. It is not enough to just know the truth for the truth does not set us free in and of itself. It is when we abide in that truth that the truth sets us free.
Jesus lived and abided in the Truth and He endured every single temptation that the devil could throw at Him but He stood firm because He knew the truth. You and I have that same truth and the same Spirit that led Jesus dwelling in us as His disciples if we will just abide in His truth. If we will abide in Him, we shall come to know the truth in a personal way as that truth indeed does set us free! What a glorious promise from the Lord above!
As we seek to know Him in His Word and we walk with Him in an attitude of prayer on a moment by moment basis, God is able to make a profound difference in the lives that we life.
><> Pastor Bob
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