Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.
Here we find the 2nd Beatitude in Jesus' introduction to His Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes are somewhat of a presentation of contrasts. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Jesus wants us to understand that things are not at all what they seem. What seems right in our eyes is not reality when it comes to the blessings that God has for us.
Why is it important for us to know that, "Blessed or happy are those that mourn for they shall be comforted?" God wants us to know that when difficulty comes and trials face us, He will be there for us. Jesus' words, "Let not your heart be troubled" needs to ring over and over again in our hearts and in our minds for this is God sole desire for us all. He does not want us to worry and fret over the storms that we will have to face in our lives. In fact, when the storms begin to brew, we can actually find comfort in the Lord because of His promise that He will be there with us and He will be there for us.
You and I as God's children can rest on His promise to us, "Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted." It does not matter what we face, God's comfort is available to us and available for us. You and I can rest on the promise of His abiding presence in our lives and His comforting presence in our hearts. Jesus is the anointed and appointed Comforter. He is the anointed comforter because He Himself bore our sins and He endured temptation and He understands our needs and our sorrows and our difficulties.
Because Jesus ever lives to make intercession on our behalf He is the appointed comforter for us. He comforts us by pardoning our sin. He comforts us by giving us a new heart and a new life, changing our old nature to the new nature that is ours in Christ Jesus. He comforts us by reminding us of His precious promises that are many. He reminds us of His love for us and His abiding presence and power and provisions. He wants us to remember every moment of every day that He is there for us to give us life and to give it to us more abundantly.
Because we can know that God is always there with us and always there for us, there is comfort in times of sorrow. Because we know that God has everything in and under His control, we can be comforted in the fact that He loves us and He cares for us and He will provide for us in every situation that we will ever face. Nothing is impossible with God and there is nothing that He will not do for us.
A Pastor's thoughts about the Scripture and it's influence in our lives.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Lord Help Me Matthew 16 25
25Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"
22A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter has a demon in her, and it is severely tormenting her." 23But Jesus gave her no reply-not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. "Tell her to leave," they said. "She is bothering us with all her begging." 24Then he said to the woman, "I was sent only to help the people of Israel-God's lost sheep-not the Gentiles."
25But she came and worshiped him and pleaded again, "Lord, help me!" 26"It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs," he said. 27"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even dogs are permitted to eat crumbs that fall beneath their master's table." 28"Woman," Jesus said to her, "your faith is great. Your request is granted." And her daughter was instantly healed.
Jesus' response is a little confusing. At first He appears to ignore this woman's request. The disciples take this opportunity to chide her, saying, "send her away for her begging is bothering us." One of the reasons that Jesus appeared to ignore this woman was to see how the disciples would respond to her. They failed that test. We would do well to pay particular attention to their response and not make the same mistake.
Jesus told the woman, "I was sent only to help the people of Israel-God's lost sheep-not the Gentiles." Listen to her response; "Lord, help me; even dogs are permitted to eat crumbs that fall beneath their master's table." Jesus said to her, "your faith is great. Your request is granted."
Christ knew exactly what He was doing and He knew what He was going to do. Jesus failed to respond to her request so that she would ask Him again. Every accepted prayer is not immediately an answered prayer. Sometimes, God waits a moment to see if we will rely on Him or jump up and go our own way and do our own thing. I am personally convinced that there are a lot of unanswered prayers in our own lives because we did not get the answer we wanted and we turned to take care of things on our own instead of waiting on the Lord to do what we have asked Him to do.
This woman knew in her heart that Jesus could heal her daughter and she stood firm in her faith and the promises of God to the world and Jesus acknowledged her faith and extended His mercy to her and her daughter! He will do the same for you and me if we will just wait on Him to do so!
22A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter has a demon in her, and it is severely tormenting her." 23But Jesus gave her no reply-not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. "Tell her to leave," they said. "She is bothering us with all her begging." 24Then he said to the woman, "I was sent only to help the people of Israel-God's lost sheep-not the Gentiles."
25But she came and worshiped him and pleaded again, "Lord, help me!" 26"It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs," he said. 27"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even dogs are permitted to eat crumbs that fall beneath their master's table." 28"Woman," Jesus said to her, "your faith is great. Your request is granted." And her daughter was instantly healed.
Jesus' response is a little confusing. At first He appears to ignore this woman's request. The disciples take this opportunity to chide her, saying, "send her away for her begging is bothering us." One of the reasons that Jesus appeared to ignore this woman was to see how the disciples would respond to her. They failed that test. We would do well to pay particular attention to their response and not make the same mistake.
Jesus told the woman, "I was sent only to help the people of Israel-God's lost sheep-not the Gentiles." Listen to her response; "Lord, help me; even dogs are permitted to eat crumbs that fall beneath their master's table." Jesus said to her, "your faith is great. Your request is granted."
Christ knew exactly what He was doing and He knew what He was going to do. Jesus failed to respond to her request so that she would ask Him again. Every accepted prayer is not immediately an answered prayer. Sometimes, God waits a moment to see if we will rely on Him or jump up and go our own way and do our own thing. I am personally convinced that there are a lot of unanswered prayers in our own lives because we did not get the answer we wanted and we turned to take care of things on our own instead of waiting on the Lord to do what we have asked Him to do.
This woman knew in her heart that Jesus could heal her daughter and she stood firm in her faith and the promises of God to the world and Jesus acknowledged her faith and extended His mercy to her and her daughter! He will do the same for you and me if we will just wait on Him to do so!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Go Or Stay Acts 16:26
25But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.
Here is a great demonstration of the power of prayer. Paul and Silas are in shackles in prison. They have been beaten with rods and there is blood on their backs and every muscle in their bodies was no doubt pummeled with pain. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake and the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone chains loosened.
We do not know what Paul and Silas prayed but we do know what happened when they prayed! Their chains were loosed and then were able to get out of that place. However, no one left! It is apparent that Paul and Silas' prayers were not for personal freedom but rather spiritual freedom for those who needed Jesus in their hearts!
When God opened the doors to the prison and loosed the chains around the feet of all those who were in the prison, He did not set them free to go; He gave them the ability to stay! Because of the faithfulness of Paul and Silas, there were people in that jail on that night that gave their hearts to the Lord Jesus and then were was the Philippian jailer who instead of taking his life found life as gave his heart to Jesus as well.
Has God given you the freedom to go, to test your resolve to stay? Maybe you have been looking for a new church and the opportunity to go has you thinking in that direction but the need to stay is still heavy on your heart! We must look to the Lord and ask Him for His direction and His guidance so that we can be like Paul and Silas and know when we need to go and when we need to stay! God will tell us what we need to do! Ask Him for the strength to do what He wants us to do!
Here is a great demonstration of the power of prayer. Paul and Silas are in shackles in prison. They have been beaten with rods and there is blood on their backs and every muscle in their bodies was no doubt pummeled with pain. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake and the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone chains loosened.
We do not know what Paul and Silas prayed but we do know what happened when they prayed! Their chains were loosed and then were able to get out of that place. However, no one left! It is apparent that Paul and Silas' prayers were not for personal freedom but rather spiritual freedom for those who needed Jesus in their hearts!
When God opened the doors to the prison and loosed the chains around the feet of all those who were in the prison, He did not set them free to go; He gave them the ability to stay! Because of the faithfulness of Paul and Silas, there were people in that jail on that night that gave their hearts to the Lord Jesus and then were was the Philippian jailer who instead of taking his life found life as gave his heart to Jesus as well.
Has God given you the freedom to go, to test your resolve to stay? Maybe you have been looking for a new church and the opportunity to go has you thinking in that direction but the need to stay is still heavy on your heart! We must look to the Lord and ask Him for His direction and His guidance so that we can be like Paul and Silas and know when we need to go and when we need to stay! God will tell us what we need to do! Ask Him for the strength to do what He wants us to do!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Acceptable in Your Sight Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
Here is one of David's great prayers. David was a man who is described as a "man after God's own heart." He wanted God to be pleased with his life. He wanted to make decisions that brought honor and glory to God. David knew that the secret to God's blessings was in his own thoughts. Many of God's promises to us are dependent on our response to Him. David knew that and he wanted the best that God had for him and he knew that what he did and what he said had so much to do with God's ability to meet his need and bless him as only God could do.
Jesus told His disciples what went into ones mouth did not defile them but rather the things that came out of the mouth because what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart and if the heart is wicked or looks to the world for its comfort, that is what defiles a man's life. (Matthew 15:18-20)
David wanted God's thoughts to be his thoughts. He knew that his actions and the things that he said were a great indicator of where his heart was. The things that we say and the things that we do work a lot like the temperature gauge on our car. As the temperature goes up, it can be an indication that there is a problem. The problem that most of us have with our lives is the same we have with our cars; we have a warning light on the dash but when the light comes on, most of the time it is too late; our lives are already overheated!
David wanted to keep a check on his life. He wanted the words that he spoke and the thing that he thought to be pleasing to God because that meant that God's presence and His power and His promises would dictate and direct his life. More than anything else, David wanted his life to be all that God wanted it to be. He wanted his life to be pleasing to God.
You and I can have that same attitude. We can develop a heart after God. All we have to do is repeat this prayer over and over again during the coarse of the day. We can begin to ask God for wisdom to know what to do and then ask Him for the power to do what He directs us to do. God's blessings are worth the effort in our lives. There is nothing that can begin to compare with the provisions that He has in store for your life and mine. Ask God to examine your heart and your thoughts and the things that you say and the decisions that you make. Pay attention to your thoughts and the things that you say as if they were a temperature gauge into your heart to make sure that you do not overheat! God will bless you as you seek to please Him in all that you do!
Here is one of David's great prayers. David was a man who is described as a "man after God's own heart." He wanted God to be pleased with his life. He wanted to make decisions that brought honor and glory to God. David knew that the secret to God's blessings was in his own thoughts. Many of God's promises to us are dependent on our response to Him. David knew that and he wanted the best that God had for him and he knew that what he did and what he said had so much to do with God's ability to meet his need and bless him as only God could do.
Jesus told His disciples what went into ones mouth did not defile them but rather the things that came out of the mouth because what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart and if the heart is wicked or looks to the world for its comfort, that is what defiles a man's life. (Matthew 15:18-20)
David wanted God's thoughts to be his thoughts. He knew that his actions and the things that he said were a great indicator of where his heart was. The things that we say and the things that we do work a lot like the temperature gauge on our car. As the temperature goes up, it can be an indication that there is a problem. The problem that most of us have with our lives is the same we have with our cars; we have a warning light on the dash but when the light comes on, most of the time it is too late; our lives are already overheated!
David wanted to keep a check on his life. He wanted the words that he spoke and the thing that he thought to be pleasing to God because that meant that God's presence and His power and His promises would dictate and direct his life. More than anything else, David wanted his life to be all that God wanted it to be. He wanted his life to be pleasing to God.
You and I can have that same attitude. We can develop a heart after God. All we have to do is repeat this prayer over and over again during the coarse of the day. We can begin to ask God for wisdom to know what to do and then ask Him for the power to do what He directs us to do. God's blessings are worth the effort in our lives. There is nothing that can begin to compare with the provisions that He has in store for your life and mine. Ask God to examine your heart and your thoughts and the things that you say and the decisions that you make. Pay attention to your thoughts and the things that you say as if they were a temperature gauge into your heart to make sure that you do not overheat! God will bless you as you seek to please Him in all that you do!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Crown of Life James 1:12
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love Him.
Every good gift comes from God. Temptation seeks to keep God from giving us those good gifts. Temptation comes when a man is drawn away by his own lust and is enticed to satisfy those selfish desires in carnal and worldly ways. However, when lust takes it own coarse, it brings forth sin and sin when it is finished, brings forth death. (James 1:15-16)
In verse 3 we read, "the trying of your faith works patience." What tries our faith? In verse 2 we find the answer; "My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different temptations." Temptations test our faith. As we are tempted to take matters into our own hands and do what seems right in our own eye, we head down a dead end road for temptation leads to sin and sin causes death. Sin never pays permanent dividends.
Someone has written, sin will take you farther than you want to go; sin will cost you more than you want to pay and sin will keep you longer than you want to stay. Sin destroys life. God gives life. His Words are life. Blessed is the man who endures temptation for it tests our faith and gives us patience, which makes our lives perfect, wanting for nothing!
When our faith is put to the test by temptation, how does that benefit us? Well temptation whispers in one ear and the Holy Spirit whispers in our other ear and reminds us of God's perfect way for our lives. The Holy Spirit lets us know what God's thoughts are so that we can make His thoughts our thoughts. As we come to a decision, we are forced to choose between God's way and the way of the world. God wants us to think back to His faithfulness. He wants us to remember that He is everything that He says He is and that He will do everything that He says He will do and that is what motivates us to stand on His Word because He is the giver of life and all good things.
He wants us to remember that temptation is nothing more than a distraction and a diversion that gets us off the path where His benefits and His blessings can be found and that leads to death, which is the absence of life. There are a lot of people who are alive physically but are dead in every other aspect of their lives. There is no peace or any joy in their lives. They are miserable because of the decisions that they have made and the direction that their lives have taken them and they cannot understand why their lives are in the shape that they are in.
The only thing that can satisfy the longings that are deep in our souls is the Lord and the blessings that only He can give. When we face temptation and we stand with God and on His Word, we shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised those that love Him. How do we know that we love Him? We keep His commandments! Isn't it amazing how consistent the Bible is from cover to cover?
Every good gift comes from God. Temptation seeks to keep God from giving us those good gifts. Temptation comes when a man is drawn away by his own lust and is enticed to satisfy those selfish desires in carnal and worldly ways. However, when lust takes it own coarse, it brings forth sin and sin when it is finished, brings forth death. (James 1:15-16)
In verse 3 we read, "the trying of your faith works patience." What tries our faith? In verse 2 we find the answer; "My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different temptations." Temptations test our faith. As we are tempted to take matters into our own hands and do what seems right in our own eye, we head down a dead end road for temptation leads to sin and sin causes death. Sin never pays permanent dividends.
Someone has written, sin will take you farther than you want to go; sin will cost you more than you want to pay and sin will keep you longer than you want to stay. Sin destroys life. God gives life. His Words are life. Blessed is the man who endures temptation for it tests our faith and gives us patience, which makes our lives perfect, wanting for nothing!
When our faith is put to the test by temptation, how does that benefit us? Well temptation whispers in one ear and the Holy Spirit whispers in our other ear and reminds us of God's perfect way for our lives. The Holy Spirit lets us know what God's thoughts are so that we can make His thoughts our thoughts. As we come to a decision, we are forced to choose between God's way and the way of the world. God wants us to think back to His faithfulness. He wants us to remember that He is everything that He says He is and that He will do everything that He says He will do and that is what motivates us to stand on His Word because He is the giver of life and all good things.
He wants us to remember that temptation is nothing more than a distraction and a diversion that gets us off the path where His benefits and His blessings can be found and that leads to death, which is the absence of life. There are a lot of people who are alive physically but are dead in every other aspect of their lives. There is no peace or any joy in their lives. They are miserable because of the decisions that they have made and the direction that their lives have taken them and they cannot understand why their lives are in the shape that they are in.
The only thing that can satisfy the longings that are deep in our souls is the Lord and the blessings that only He can give. When we face temptation and we stand with God and on His Word, we shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised those that love Him. How do we know that we love Him? We keep His commandments! Isn't it amazing how consistent the Bible is from cover to cover?
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Elijah's Prayer I Kings 18:36
"Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37"Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."
God told Elijah to go to Ahab and tell him that He is going to send rain to Israel. It has not rained in 3 years. Elijah tells Ahab the news and he also tells Ahab to gather all the prophets of Baal at Mt Carmel and there they will have a showdown before all the people of Israel as to who is the God in Israel.
The prophets of Baal pray and sing and dance to get their god to consume the altar that they had set up. There was no response. Elijah finally says, "My turn." He has the altar set up and then soaked with water. The Elijah prays before all of Israel the following prayer, ""Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37"Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."
Listen to what Elijah said to the people before he prayed this prayer, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him."
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the God who keeps His promises. He is everything He says He is and He will do everything He says He will do. He always has done so and He always will do so.
"Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." God wants us to know that He still loves us. He wants us to know that He still cares for us. He wants us to know that He stands ready to bless us and to protect us and He is ready to turn our hearts back to Him. All we have to do is listen to His Word and see what He has done and what He is doing and simply turn to Him and follow Him!
How long shall we continue to falter between two opinions; how long shall we look to the gods of the world instead of the God of our fathers and the God of the Bible? What is it going to take for God to get our attention and gain our trust for Him for good?
God told Elijah to go to Ahab and tell him that He is going to send rain to Israel. It has not rained in 3 years. Elijah tells Ahab the news and he also tells Ahab to gather all the prophets of Baal at Mt Carmel and there they will have a showdown before all the people of Israel as to who is the God in Israel.
The prophets of Baal pray and sing and dance to get their god to consume the altar that they had set up. There was no response. Elijah finally says, "My turn." He has the altar set up and then soaked with water. The Elijah prays before all of Israel the following prayer, ""Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37"Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."
Listen to what Elijah said to the people before he prayed this prayer, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him."
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the God who keeps His promises. He is everything He says He is and He will do everything He says He will do. He always has done so and He always will do so.
"Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." God wants us to know that He still loves us. He wants us to know that He still cares for us. He wants us to know that He stands ready to bless us and to protect us and He is ready to turn our hearts back to Him. All we have to do is listen to His Word and see what He has done and what He is doing and simply turn to Him and follow Him!
How long shall we continue to falter between two opinions; how long shall we look to the gods of the world instead of the God of our fathers and the God of the Bible? What is it going to take for God to get our attention and gain our trust for Him for good?
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Stand With God I Kings 17:1
1And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word."
God instructed Elijah to go to Ahab, who was king of Israel. He was married to a wicked woman named Jezebel who influenced her husband to give the gods of Baal equal status with God. He had temples built in various parts of the country for the worship of Baal. At Jezebel's urging, Ahab opposed the worship of the Lord, destroyed His altars, and killed His prophets.
God sent Elijah to tell Ahab that there would be no rain in the land until God told Elijah to say so. And so we see the power of the spoken word demonstrated to Elijah. Elijah said, there shall not be any dew or any rain in the years to come until I say it will rain." Things can get pretty dry when we go without rain for a month or two. However, there is still some dew. Elijah said there would be neither, not for months but for years. This was indeed a powerful word.
The statement I want us to focus on today is, "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand." The power in the spoken word comes when it is the Word of God. Elijah spoke the words that God gave him to speak. He did not decide on his own to go to Ahab. He spoke as God gave Him authority to speak.
God spoke to Elijah because Elijah walked with God. Elijah had a personal relationship with God. Listen to what he said, "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand." Elijah stood before the Lord. He walked with God. He was obedient to God's Word. As Elijah stood beside the Lord, God stood beside him and He spoke to Elijah and He spoke through Elijah.
God will do the same with you and me today if we will just do as Elijah did and "stand beside the Lord" in all that we do. It is not that difficult to do; all we have to do is determine in our heads and in our hearts to do it! Standing beside God is the easiest thing in the world to do. All we have to do is just do it! When we do, we will be amazed at what God will do in us and with us and through us!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Bless Me God Ephesians 3: 20
Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we could ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, Amen.
Here is one of my favorite promises in the Bible. Paul is praising God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or (hope for) think. I like the phrase "hope for" because that is what we think. When we surrender our lives to the Lord by following His Word in each and every decision that we make, God is then able to do for us as only He can do. When we come into His presence, we are going to experience His power. When God works in our lives, our lives are going to reflect His glory!
Paul makes an interesting comment here that is worth looking at. He says, "unto Him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages." What is the glory of God? God's glory encompasses a lot of things but I see it as that which makes God's countenance beam its brightest. When is God in His "zone" or at His best? Is God at His best when we are blessing Him or when He is blessing us? It is the latter.
The desire of God's heart is to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves; thus blessing us exceedingly abundantly more than we could ask or hope for. When He looks into our hearts and lives and sees us blessed because of what He has been able to do for us, I believe His heart is filled to overflowing and His glory is abounding. That is why our faith in Him is so vital. Faith is believing that God is everything that He says He is and that He will do everything that He says He will do. When we exercise our faith, what do we do? We surrender control of our decisions to Him and His Word so He can bless us as we follow Him and that is why God created us in the first place! He created us so that we could be an outlet for His abounding love.
Lets get back to His glory in the church. As we surrender control of our lives to Him, His glory is expressed in our hearts. As we come together to worship Him because of all that He has done, His glory in us becomes an example to others and an encouragement for them to surrender their lives to the Lord as well! So, as believers come together, we fill His house with His glory and His presence comes into our midst and with His presence comes His power and that is what touches the hearts of men and changes their lives!
Where is God in your heart today? How important is His Word in your decisions? How much influence is the Holy Spirit making in your decisions? God does not want part time visitation in your life; He wants full custody! Give Him complete control of your heart today and let Him direct your decisions and let God bless you exceedingly abundantly more than you could ask or hope for today! Your life and the life of your family and the life of your church will never be the same!
Here is one of my favorite promises in the Bible. Paul is praising God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or (hope for) think. I like the phrase "hope for" because that is what we think. When we surrender our lives to the Lord by following His Word in each and every decision that we make, God is then able to do for us as only He can do. When we come into His presence, we are going to experience His power. When God works in our lives, our lives are going to reflect His glory!
Paul makes an interesting comment here that is worth looking at. He says, "unto Him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages." What is the glory of God? God's glory encompasses a lot of things but I see it as that which makes God's countenance beam its brightest. When is God in His "zone" or at His best? Is God at His best when we are blessing Him or when He is blessing us? It is the latter.
The desire of God's heart is to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves; thus blessing us exceedingly abundantly more than we could ask or hope for. When He looks into our hearts and lives and sees us blessed because of what He has been able to do for us, I believe His heart is filled to overflowing and His glory is abounding. That is why our faith in Him is so vital. Faith is believing that God is everything that He says He is and that He will do everything that He says He will do. When we exercise our faith, what do we do? We surrender control of our decisions to Him and His Word so He can bless us as we follow Him and that is why God created us in the first place! He created us so that we could be an outlet for His abounding love.
Lets get back to His glory in the church. As we surrender control of our lives to Him, His glory is expressed in our hearts. As we come together to worship Him because of all that He has done, His glory in us becomes an example to others and an encouragement for them to surrender their lives to the Lord as well! So, as believers come together, we fill His house with His glory and His presence comes into our midst and with His presence comes His power and that is what touches the hearts of men and changes their lives!
Where is God in your heart today? How important is His Word in your decisions? How much influence is the Holy Spirit making in your decisions? God does not want part time visitation in your life; He wants full custody! Give Him complete control of your heart today and let Him direct your decisions and let God bless you exceedingly abundantly more than you could ask or hope for today! Your life and the life of your family and the life of your church will never be the same!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Way of Life Psalm 16:11
11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.
When we look to God in prayer, He will be found! David knew this all too well. He knew that God would show him the way of life. David knew that God would grant him the joy of His presence and the pleasures of living in Him forever. There is no greater feeling than to know the joy of the Lord in our heart and in our lives. Nothing can begin to compare with that!
It is one thing to know the joy that God has for us but how do we find it and how can we have it? David tells us, "God will show us the way of life." Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)
We are able to know the way of life through the reading of God's Word. Listen to Proverbs 6, "20My son, keep your father's command, And do not forsake the law of your mother. 21 Bind them continually upon your heart; Tie them around your neck. 22 When you roam, they will lead you; When you sleep, they will keep you; And when you awake, they will speak with you." God's Word becomes a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths as we open it and we read it.
Once we read the Word of God, we must apply it in our decisions. As a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, we are admonished to follow on that path! Just because it is lit up, it does not mean we will follow. The choice seems pretty simple; we should walk in the light but the truth is the temptations are forever trying to get us away from the path where the light is not. As God shows us the path of life, our responsibility is to follow it.
As we stay on the path of life, God will grant us the joy of His presence and the pleasures of living with Him forever! What a precious promise this is from the Giver of Life himself! My prayer today is that we will all seek to follow Him and walk on the way of life together!
When we look to God in prayer, He will be found! David knew this all too well. He knew that God would show him the way of life. David knew that God would grant him the joy of His presence and the pleasures of living in Him forever. There is no greater feeling than to know the joy of the Lord in our heart and in our lives. Nothing can begin to compare with that!
It is one thing to know the joy that God has for us but how do we find it and how can we have it? David tells us, "God will show us the way of life." Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)
We are able to know the way of life through the reading of God's Word. Listen to Proverbs 6, "20My son, keep your father's command, And do not forsake the law of your mother. 21 Bind them continually upon your heart; Tie them around your neck. 22 When you roam, they will lead you; When you sleep, they will keep you; And when you awake, they will speak with you." God's Word becomes a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths as we open it and we read it.
Once we read the Word of God, we must apply it in our decisions. As a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, we are admonished to follow on that path! Just because it is lit up, it does not mean we will follow. The choice seems pretty simple; we should walk in the light but the truth is the temptations are forever trying to get us away from the path where the light is not. As God shows us the path of life, our responsibility is to follow it.
As we stay on the path of life, God will grant us the joy of His presence and the pleasures of living with Him forever! What a precious promise this is from the Giver of Life himself! My prayer today is that we will all seek to follow Him and walk on the way of life together!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
When Job Prayed Job 42:10
10And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Job experienced as much grief as a man could ever experience. He lost almost everything he could lose except his life and through it all, the Bible tells us that Job never once failed to trust God. What a testimony to the faith in God that Job held onto.
Job had three close friends who came to him and offered him all kinds of advice as to why he had fallen on such difficult times and they offered him words of instruction. The whole book is a record of the events that transpired and the instruction that these three men gave to Job and his response to them.
At the close of the book, we find God's strong words of warning to one of the three men. God spoke to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. 8"Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly;"
The men did as God had instructed them to do and the Bible tells us that Job prayed for his friends. When Job prayed for these men, God restored Job's losses and gave him twice as much as he had before his great loss.
It is interesting that God restored Job after he prayed for his friends. God instructed Eliphaz to go to Job but there is no mention of God telling Job to pray for his friends. He could have just accepted their apologies and gone on in his misery. Job did not do that. In the height of his misery, he prayed for his friends who had not really been such good friends to him at all.
Prayer is powerful. Prayer no doubt held Job up in this great time of testing. There were times when it seemed as if prayer was the only thing that Job had left. This is no better demonstrated than right here in our scripture passage for today. Even in his misery, Job prayed for his friends. Prayer allowed Job to persevere and prayer provided Job his release and his relief.
Pray for wisdom to know what to do and for the power to do it. Ask God for His direction for your life and then take time to pray for those around you. You never know when that next prayer may well open the windows of Heaven and allow the blessings of God to flow into your life and the life of your family and your church!
Job experienced as much grief as a man could ever experience. He lost almost everything he could lose except his life and through it all, the Bible tells us that Job never once failed to trust God. What a testimony to the faith in God that Job held onto.
Job had three close friends who came to him and offered him all kinds of advice as to why he had fallen on such difficult times and they offered him words of instruction. The whole book is a record of the events that transpired and the instruction that these three men gave to Job and his response to them.
At the close of the book, we find God's strong words of warning to one of the three men. God spoke to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. 8"Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly;"
The men did as God had instructed them to do and the Bible tells us that Job prayed for his friends. When Job prayed for these men, God restored Job's losses and gave him twice as much as he had before his great loss.
It is interesting that God restored Job after he prayed for his friends. God instructed Eliphaz to go to Job but there is no mention of God telling Job to pray for his friends. He could have just accepted their apologies and gone on in his misery. Job did not do that. In the height of his misery, he prayed for his friends who had not really been such good friends to him at all.
Prayer is powerful. Prayer no doubt held Job up in this great time of testing. There were times when it seemed as if prayer was the only thing that Job had left. This is no better demonstrated than right here in our scripture passage for today. Even in his misery, Job prayed for his friends. Prayer allowed Job to persevere and prayer provided Job his release and his relief.
Pray for wisdom to know what to do and for the power to do it. Ask God for His direction for your life and then take time to pray for those around you. You never know when that next prayer may well open the windows of Heaven and allow the blessings of God to flow into your life and the life of your family and your church!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Love Your Enemies Matthew 5:45
45"that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Here we find the greatest preacher that ever lived delivering the greatest sermon ever preached. He tells His disciples, "43"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44"But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."
Jesus is telling us that we need to be different from the rest of the world. We need to stand out, not as the Pharisee who went into the temple and stood along side a tax collector and thanked God for all the good things that he had done and that he was not like the tax collector who stood beside him praying, "God be merciful to me a sinner."
We are to love our neighbor and our enemies! We are to bless those who bless us and bless those who curse us as well. We are to pray for everyone, those who like us and those who don't. Jesus goes on to make what seems to be a very unusual comment with respect to our relationships with those around us. He says, ""that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."
God makes the sun to shine on the evil person just as He does the good or righteous person. He sends rain on the just as well as the unjust. We tend to think, "God will look on the just or the righteous person and refuse to look down on the unjust person." There are two thoughts that come to my mind as I think on this statement as it relates to our relationships one to another.
First of all, as God sends the rain on the just and the unjust, He is being merciful as well as redemptive; because the unjust man may well come to realize that God must love him for God has blessed him in spite of his failure to look to God and allow His mercy and grace to make a difference in his life.
The second aspect of this sunshine and rain falling on the just and unjust has to do with the strengthening of just. People are watching everything we do as God's children. How we respond to the lack of rain is just as important to that person who is on the outside looking in. The world needs to see God's children acting differently as we live our lives and we learn to lean on the Lord for His strength and His guidance as we go through this life. We must learn to lean on the Lord in prayer so that our response will be one that will be seen by others who will know that what they have seen could have only come from the Lord!
When I love the unloving person and I reach out to that individual who has done everything that he can to hurt me, then I have gone beyond my own abilities and demonstrated God's abilities and that is what a lost and dying world needs to see in all of us!
Here we find the greatest preacher that ever lived delivering the greatest sermon ever preached. He tells His disciples, "43"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44"But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."
Jesus is telling us that we need to be different from the rest of the world. We need to stand out, not as the Pharisee who went into the temple and stood along side a tax collector and thanked God for all the good things that he had done and that he was not like the tax collector who stood beside him praying, "God be merciful to me a sinner."
We are to love our neighbor and our enemies! We are to bless those who bless us and bless those who curse us as well. We are to pray for everyone, those who like us and those who don't. Jesus goes on to make what seems to be a very unusual comment with respect to our relationships with those around us. He says, ""that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."
God makes the sun to shine on the evil person just as He does the good or righteous person. He sends rain on the just as well as the unjust. We tend to think, "God will look on the just or the righteous person and refuse to look down on the unjust person." There are two thoughts that come to my mind as I think on this statement as it relates to our relationships one to another.
First of all, as God sends the rain on the just and the unjust, He is being merciful as well as redemptive; because the unjust man may well come to realize that God must love him for God has blessed him in spite of his failure to look to God and allow His mercy and grace to make a difference in his life.
The second aspect of this sunshine and rain falling on the just and unjust has to do with the strengthening of just. People are watching everything we do as God's children. How we respond to the lack of rain is just as important to that person who is on the outside looking in. The world needs to see God's children acting differently as we live our lives and we learn to lean on the Lord for His strength and His guidance as we go through this life. We must learn to lean on the Lord in prayer so that our response will be one that will be seen by others who will know that what they have seen could have only come from the Lord!
When I love the unloving person and I reach out to that individual who has done everything that he can to hurt me, then I have gone beyond my own abilities and demonstrated God's abilities and that is what a lost and dying world needs to see in all of us!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Guide and Teach Me Psalm 25:9
9 The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.
God promises His guidance to those who are humble. He promises us that He will teach His ways to the humble. What are characteristics of humility?
A person who is humble is a person who is teachable and leadable. Humility is a state of mind that recognizes one's need for God. In verse 8, David writes, "God teaches sinners His way." Humility recognizes that we all are sinners and we need God in our lives. We come to the place in our lives where we realize that Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross was for us and that it was what He did for us at Calvary that secures our future as well as our present.
Humility requires prayer. Prayer is the catalyst for our faith. Faith recognizes the need that we have for God in our lives and that allows God to guide us and then teach us. As the Holy Spirit begins to work in our hearts and in our minds, the conviction that sin brings causes us to cry out to God, "Be merciful to me a sinner! Forgive me of my sin" and this is where our lives really begin! The Bible promises that God will hear our cry from heaven and He will forgive our sin and He will make us part of His forever family! God promises us that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Prayer puts us in the right place to receive God's leadership and His guidance. When you and I are willing to come to the Lord and acknowledge our need for Him in our lives, He will bless us with His presence. He will guide us and He will teach us.
Humility also involves being led. It involves being taught. So, as we respond to God's leadership and His guidance in obedience, our humility is broadened. This allows God to teach us more and guide us farther down the pathway to life.
We need to continually be going to God in prayer acknowledging our need for Him and then seeking His guidance and His strength so that we can be all that He would have us be. He will do His part; all we have to do is do ours.
God promises His guidance to those who are humble. He promises us that He will teach His ways to the humble. What are characteristics of humility?
A person who is humble is a person who is teachable and leadable. Humility is a state of mind that recognizes one's need for God. In verse 8, David writes, "God teaches sinners His way." Humility recognizes that we all are sinners and we need God in our lives. We come to the place in our lives where we realize that Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross was for us and that it was what He did for us at Calvary that secures our future as well as our present.
Humility requires prayer. Prayer is the catalyst for our faith. Faith recognizes the need that we have for God in our lives and that allows God to guide us and then teach us. As the Holy Spirit begins to work in our hearts and in our minds, the conviction that sin brings causes us to cry out to God, "Be merciful to me a sinner! Forgive me of my sin" and this is where our lives really begin! The Bible promises that God will hear our cry from heaven and He will forgive our sin and He will make us part of His forever family! God promises us that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Prayer puts us in the right place to receive God's leadership and His guidance. When you and I are willing to come to the Lord and acknowledge our need for Him in our lives, He will bless us with His presence. He will guide us and He will teach us.
Humility also involves being led. It involves being taught. So, as we respond to God's leadership and His guidance in obedience, our humility is broadened. This allows God to teach us more and guide us farther down the pathway to life.
We need to continually be going to God in prayer acknowledging our need for Him and then seeking His guidance and His strength so that we can be all that He would have us be. He will do His part; all we have to do is do ours.
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Whole Law Luke 10:27
27So he answered and said, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,'
To love God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind is to give Him our all. This means that we are to walk with God in every decision we make; if I follow my mind, I will certainly know that God is supreme and that there is nothing that He cannot do. Since God knows all and can do all, I ought to go where He tells me to go. That is a common sense decision.
To follow Him with my soul is an indication that I need to follow God because of what I know He has already done for me in my life. My own experiences tell me that I can trust Him.
To follow God with my heart is to do so with passion. The Holy Spirit dwells in my heart so to follow Him is to listen to the urging and leading of the Holy Spirit and follow Him without reservation and hesitation.
Prayer is where this whole process begins. Without a prayer life, there is no chance we will be able to "love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind." It is impossible.
We can no more love God without taking time to talk to Him and then listen to Him than we can be in a relationship with someone in this life without taking the time to speak and listen and try to understand that other person. Communication is the key to successful relationships, whether they are one with another or between God and us. Loving Him requires our time alone with Him.
We need to make sure we "love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind" for that is the whole law of God!
To love God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind is to give Him our all. This means that we are to walk with God in every decision we make; if I follow my mind, I will certainly know that God is supreme and that there is nothing that He cannot do. Since God knows all and can do all, I ought to go where He tells me to go. That is a common sense decision.
To follow Him with my soul is an indication that I need to follow God because of what I know He has already done for me in my life. My own experiences tell me that I can trust Him.
To follow God with my heart is to do so with passion. The Holy Spirit dwells in my heart so to follow Him is to listen to the urging and leading of the Holy Spirit and follow Him without reservation and hesitation.
Prayer is where this whole process begins. Without a prayer life, there is no chance we will be able to "love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind." It is impossible.
We can no more love God without taking time to talk to Him and then listen to Him than we can be in a relationship with someone in this life without taking the time to speak and listen and try to understand that other person. Communication is the key to successful relationships, whether they are one with another or between God and us. Loving Him requires our time alone with Him.
We need to make sure we "love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind" for that is the whole law of God!
Sunday, April 11, 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!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Enter Not into Temptation Luke 22:40
39Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. 40When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."
Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane and is about to be betrayed and arrested. He is headed to the cross. Just before He goes into the garden to be alone He tells His disciples to pray that they "not enter into temptation." Jesus knew what was about to happen. He knew the terrible position that the disciples were about to find themselves in. Jesus even told Simon Peter, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." The disciples had no idea what was about to take place and His instruction to pray was their only source of strength.
The disciples were about to be in a position that they would not be able to control. They were about to see Jesus arrested and taken away and then crucified. He was the Messiah; they were to be at His side as He ruled and returned Israel to its place of prominence. He was dead. They went back home dejected and discouraged. They did not know what to think. Their faith had been tested and their foundation rocked.
I cannot help but believe Jesus' statement to them in the garden, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." resounded over and over again in their minds. I am sure that they tried to pray and found praying difficult. They needed to be bale to make some sense of all that had happened in the last 3 years. They needed something that they could hold onto that would fill the void that was in their hearts in this terrible, dark hour. Prayer no doubt became their closest friend.
This statement from Jesus is recorded for us today for a very simple reason; we need to pray so that we do not enter into temptation. There is a tremendous truth that is found in this one short sentence. "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." When we pray, there is no place for temptation! It does not matter what kind of circumstances and situations we may find ourselves in, prayer is the answer for them all. It is virtually impossible to intentionally sin while you are in an attitude of prayer.
It is possible to "want" to do God's will and then fall short of that goal. It is however, almost impossible to be in an attitude of prayer and asking God for His will and His way in your life and then in the same breath, turn and contemplate sin as if you had every option in the world. God has a way of giving us the strength that we need to stand against temptation if we will just look to Him in prayer. Prayer is one of the most powerful forces in all of the universe. It is also one of the most misused and underused privilege that we have as well.
The disciples had just eaten; they were tired. They fell asleep in the garden while Jesus wrestled with His will in the garden. They should have prayed as Jesus instructed tem to do.
One quick note; "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."
If we do not pray, then we cannot complain because we did not follow Jesus' prescription and pray, before the storm instead of during or even after the storm as passed.
Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane and is about to be betrayed and arrested. He is headed to the cross. Just before He goes into the garden to be alone He tells His disciples to pray that they "not enter into temptation." Jesus knew what was about to happen. He knew the terrible position that the disciples were about to find themselves in. Jesus even told Simon Peter, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." The disciples had no idea what was about to take place and His instruction to pray was their only source of strength.
The disciples were about to be in a position that they would not be able to control. They were about to see Jesus arrested and taken away and then crucified. He was the Messiah; they were to be at His side as He ruled and returned Israel to its place of prominence. He was dead. They went back home dejected and discouraged. They did not know what to think. Their faith had been tested and their foundation rocked.
I cannot help but believe Jesus' statement to them in the garden, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." resounded over and over again in their minds. I am sure that they tried to pray and found praying difficult. They needed to be bale to make some sense of all that had happened in the last 3 years. They needed something that they could hold onto that would fill the void that was in their hearts in this terrible, dark hour. Prayer no doubt became their closest friend.
This statement from Jesus is recorded for us today for a very simple reason; we need to pray so that we do not enter into temptation. There is a tremendous truth that is found in this one short sentence. "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." When we pray, there is no place for temptation! It does not matter what kind of circumstances and situations we may find ourselves in, prayer is the answer for them all. It is virtually impossible to intentionally sin while you are in an attitude of prayer.
It is possible to "want" to do God's will and then fall short of that goal. It is however, almost impossible to be in an attitude of prayer and asking God for His will and His way in your life and then in the same breath, turn and contemplate sin as if you had every option in the world. God has a way of giving us the strength that we need to stand against temptation if we will just look to Him in prayer. Prayer is one of the most powerful forces in all of the universe. It is also one of the most misused and underused privilege that we have as well.
The disciples had just eaten; they were tired. They fell asleep in the garden while Jesus wrestled with His will in the garden. They should have prayed as Jesus instructed tem to do.
One quick note; "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."
If we do not pray, then we cannot complain because we did not follow Jesus' prescription and pray, before the storm instead of during or even after the storm as passed.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Prayer or Perseverance Luke 10:27
" 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'
Prayer is not something that just happens in the life of a child of God. Powerful prayers are the product of a life that has been tried in the fire and is still standing. Loving God with all our heart, soul and mind requires a relationship with God that has stood the test of time and temptation.
God wants us to learn to stand with Him. We learn this by persevering and by prayer. When we pray, God gives us the strength and the stability that we need to weather the storm. When we fail to pray, we usually fail to stand. The storm more often than not, sweeps us off our feet and we end up crying out Like Simon Peter, "Lord Save me!"
God does reach down and He does pull us out of the storm just in the nick of time in a lot of cases. This is where persevering comes in. We persevere when we find out that even though the storms are dangerous and destructive, there is deliverance. God wants us to realize that He is the source of that deliverance. If we think, "It was tough but I finally made it" or "I sure am glad I had my education to fall back on or that money in the bank" then we are indeed in deep trouble. For the day will come when there will not be a human solution to the storm that we will be forced to face. The only solution will be the solution that comes to us from God Himself.
At some point, prayer has to replace perseverance. The whole purpose of persevering is to get us to the point where we reach up and take God by the hand because we have learned that God is more than able to give us life and give it to us more abundantly. We learn that prayer is a better sustainer than persevering! We learn that standing with God is so much better than facing the storms and being dragged out by the collar with nothing but the shirt on our backs.
Love God with "all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind." Love Him with all you have and all you are. Let Him be all in your life. Let Him mold and shape you through the privilege of prayer as He helps you learn to love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind."
Let prayer be your guide instead of the storms. Let God use you through the practice of prayer instead of the promise or perseverance and holding on through the storms that force us to look to Him.
Prayer is not something that just happens in the life of a child of God. Powerful prayers are the product of a life that has been tried in the fire and is still standing. Loving God with all our heart, soul and mind requires a relationship with God that has stood the test of time and temptation.
God wants us to learn to stand with Him. We learn this by persevering and by prayer. When we pray, God gives us the strength and the stability that we need to weather the storm. When we fail to pray, we usually fail to stand. The storm more often than not, sweeps us off our feet and we end up crying out Like Simon Peter, "Lord Save me!"
God does reach down and He does pull us out of the storm just in the nick of time in a lot of cases. This is where persevering comes in. We persevere when we find out that even though the storms are dangerous and destructive, there is deliverance. God wants us to realize that He is the source of that deliverance. If we think, "It was tough but I finally made it" or "I sure am glad I had my education to fall back on or that money in the bank" then we are indeed in deep trouble. For the day will come when there will not be a human solution to the storm that we will be forced to face. The only solution will be the solution that comes to us from God Himself.
At some point, prayer has to replace perseverance. The whole purpose of persevering is to get us to the point where we reach up and take God by the hand because we have learned that God is more than able to give us life and give it to us more abundantly. We learn that prayer is a better sustainer than persevering! We learn that standing with God is so much better than facing the storms and being dragged out by the collar with nothing but the shirt on our backs.
Love God with "all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind." Love Him with all you have and all you are. Let Him be all in your life. Let Him mold and shape you through the privilege of prayer as He helps you learn to love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind."
Let prayer be your guide instead of the storms. Let God use you through the practice of prayer instead of the promise or perseverance and holding on through the storms that force us to look to Him.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
True Perfection Psalm 119:96
96 I have seen the consummation of all perfection, but Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
David says something here that is very important for us to understand. He writes, "I have seen the consummation of all perfection." David has seen life at its best. He has experienced life in its fullest. He had opportunities that few will ever experience. He was able to do almost anything that he wanted to do with no worry about civil repercussion. If he wanted something, he got it. If he wanted to do something, he did it. David's life was full of opportunity and he had the world at his beckon call. David had seen it all.
Look at what he says next, "but Your commandment is exceedingly broad." At first, I read this and thought David was saying that God's provisions and His blessings were responsible for the perfection in life that David had seen. The reality of it is, this is exactly what he is saying but he is being even more emphatic than that. Notice he writes, "BUT" Your commandment is exceedingly broad. Davis is saying, I have experienced the best that life itself has to offer. I have done it all, "BUT" Your commandment is exceedingly broad. The best that the world has to offer, the best that he could do on his own could not begin to compare to what God had done for him!
Perfection in the world is nothing compared to the perfection that God provides for us! Here is the thing that we need to understand. We will never be able, for the most part, to do the things that David was able to do. We will never have the opportunity or the resources to experience life as the "rich and famous" do. This is not bad at all! In fact, David is saying, it is of no consequence at all because keeping God commandments is the real deal when it comes to true perfection in life!
The great thing about this is we all can experience perfection in life! All we have to do is walk in God's commandments and keep His Law and delight in His Word! When we do that, we will find His commandment exceedingly broad and His provisions perfectly satisfying! What a great God we do serve because His soul desire is to serve us!
David says something here that is very important for us to understand. He writes, "I have seen the consummation of all perfection." David has seen life at its best. He has experienced life in its fullest. He had opportunities that few will ever experience. He was able to do almost anything that he wanted to do with no worry about civil repercussion. If he wanted something, he got it. If he wanted to do something, he did it. David's life was full of opportunity and he had the world at his beckon call. David had seen it all.
Look at what he says next, "but Your commandment is exceedingly broad." At first, I read this and thought David was saying that God's provisions and His blessings were responsible for the perfection in life that David had seen. The reality of it is, this is exactly what he is saying but he is being even more emphatic than that. Notice he writes, "BUT" Your commandment is exceedingly broad. Davis is saying, I have experienced the best that life itself has to offer. I have done it all, "BUT" Your commandment is exceedingly broad. The best that the world has to offer, the best that he could do on his own could not begin to compare to what God had done for him!
Perfection in the world is nothing compared to the perfection that God provides for us! Here is the thing that we need to understand. We will never be able, for the most part, to do the things that David was able to do. We will never have the opportunity or the resources to experience life as the "rich and famous" do. This is not bad at all! In fact, David is saying, it is of no consequence at all because keeping God commandments is the real deal when it comes to true perfection in life!
The great thing about this is we all can experience perfection in life! All we have to do is walk in God's commandments and keep His Law and delight in His Word! When we do that, we will find His commandment exceedingly broad and His provisions perfectly satisfying! What a great God we do serve because His soul desire is to serve us!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Every Knee Will Bow Philippians 2:9
9 Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. |
Monday, April 5, 2010
As He Was Praying Luke 11:1
1And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
The disciples watched Jesus get alone with God in prayer time after time. On one of those occasions, Jesus finished praying and one of His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. The disciples recognized the value of prayer to Jesus and they wanted to experience the value of prayer for themselves.
Notice something. Jesus prayed and the disciples came and requested that He teach them to pray. Jesus had no doubt prayed with the disciples on a number of occasions. They saw Him get alone to pray as well. Jesus waited until the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray and then He gave them the model prayer. Jesus was already teaching the disciples the value of prayer; now He would begin to teach them how to pray. There is a big difference between the value of something and the application of it.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them He no doubt smiled on the inside. When we come to God seeking Him and His will for our lives, He will reveal Himself to us. When we ask for His instruction, He will give us the instruction that we need. The value of prayer itself is seen in the asking! When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, they learned the first lesson of prayer; that God grants our requests to know Him and to come closer to Him.
The disciples watched Jesus get alone with God in prayer time after time. On one of those occasions, Jesus finished praying and one of His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. The disciples recognized the value of prayer to Jesus and they wanted to experience the value of prayer for themselves.
Notice something. Jesus prayed and the disciples came and requested that He teach them to pray. Jesus had no doubt prayed with the disciples on a number of occasions. They saw Him get alone to pray as well. Jesus waited until the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray and then He gave them the model prayer. Jesus was already teaching the disciples the value of prayer; now He would begin to teach them how to pray. There is a big difference between the value of something and the application of it.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them He no doubt smiled on the inside. When we come to God seeking Him and His will for our lives, He will reveal Himself to us. When we ask for His instruction, He will give us the instruction that we need. The value of prayer itself is seen in the asking! When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, they learned the first lesson of prayer; that God grants our requests to know Him and to come closer to Him.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Adoration in Prayer Psalm 86:12
10For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone. 11Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. 12I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
12I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. The Psalmist has hit the nail on the head here! When we come before the Lord in confession and find forgiveness for our sin, our praise for Him and adoration for Him escalate! It is almost impossible to come into His presence and fail to worship and adore Him and praise Him for who He is and all that He has done for us!
Prayer is such a precious privilege! It is such an honor to know that God delights in the praises of His people. He wants to hear from us. He wants us to take time to confess our sin and then worship Him and sing praises unto His name.
Many people are confused when it comes to praising and worshipping God. God and God alone deserves our worship and our praise. However, God desires our praise and our adoration for Him not because He is God and not because He deserves it. God desires our praise because it puts us in a position where His blessings can be found!
Praise and adoration are kind of like stepping under a showerhead. When the water is turned on, if you are in the right place at the right time you are going to get wet. Well in much the same way, when you and I as God’s children come to Him in prayer and adoration and an attitude of real worship, it is like stepping under the shower of God’s blessing! There is no place any more sacred than the place of adoration and praise for our Father!
Our prayer time must include a time of adoration and praise for God and to God. It is like getting up into His lap and putting our arms around Him and saying, “God I love You” and I can tell you, there is nothing that is any more pleasing to Him than that kind of attitude when it is backed up in obedience to His will and His Word in our lives.
Make confession and adoration and praise part of your prayer time with God. There is never an excuse for us to come to God without adoration and praise for who He is and what He has done. Never.
12I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. The Psalmist has hit the nail on the head here! When we come before the Lord in confession and find forgiveness for our sin, our praise for Him and adoration for Him escalate! It is almost impossible to come into His presence and fail to worship and adore Him and praise Him for who He is and all that He has done for us!
Prayer is such a precious privilege! It is such an honor to know that God delights in the praises of His people. He wants to hear from us. He wants us to take time to confess our sin and then worship Him and sing praises unto His name.
Many people are confused when it comes to praising and worshipping God. God and God alone deserves our worship and our praise. However, God desires our praise and our adoration for Him not because He is God and not because He deserves it. God desires our praise because it puts us in a position where His blessings can be found!
Praise and adoration are kind of like stepping under a showerhead. When the water is turned on, if you are in the right place at the right time you are going to get wet. Well in much the same way, when you and I as God’s children come to Him in prayer and adoration and an attitude of real worship, it is like stepping under the shower of God’s blessing! There is no place any more sacred than the place of adoration and praise for our Father!
Our prayer time must include a time of adoration and praise for God and to God. It is like getting up into His lap and putting our arms around Him and saying, “God I love You” and I can tell you, there is nothing that is any more pleasing to Him than that kind of attitude when it is backed up in obedience to His will and His Word in our lives.
Make confession and adoration and praise part of your prayer time with God. There is never an excuse for us to come to God without adoration and praise for who He is and what He has done. Never.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Bow Those Knees Ephesians 3:14
14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Here we find the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus. He says, “for this cause” twice, once here and once in verse 1, which refers back to chapter 2 where Paul writes, “4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
It is the riches of His grace to the church at Ephesus that compelled Paul to get on His knees before God on their behalf that God might show them His loving kindness toward them.
This ought to be our prayer as well. We need to learn to spend time “on our knees”, perhaps literally but most certainly figuratively as we find a quiet place to get alone with God to talk to Him. God deserves our praise and our prayers. There is a purpose for those prayers and that purpose is that God might strengthen us with His might by His Spirit.
Prayer allows God to grant us that strength. This prayer is not to earn God’s favor; it is an opportunity for Him to tune our hearts toward Him and help us to walk where He would have us walk. This daily process of submission to God’s will for our lives brings us closer and closer to Him and His perfect will for our lives.
Paul prayed for this group of people that he loved very much. We need to make it a practice to do the same thing for those that we love! As we begin praying that God will meet the needs of those that we love, a couple things start to happen. First of all, we will begin to love more people! We will discover that there is a world out there that needs Jesus and all that He can do for them. We will begin to discover those people and begin to care about those needs and take them to the Lord for His care.
A second thing that we will discover is that as we take the needs of others to the Lord, we will discover that God is able to take care of the needs that we have without really having to ask Him to do so! When our focus is on the needs of those around us, our needs oftentimes seem to fade away. This happens for two reasons; first, we discover that our needs are not as bad as we thought they were compared to the needs of those around us and second, God is able to meet our needs as we reach out to meet the needs of others!
It is no wonder that Jesus said in Luke chapter 6, “38Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
Here we find the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus. He says, “for this cause” twice, once here and once in verse 1, which refers back to chapter 2 where Paul writes, “4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
It is the riches of His grace to the church at Ephesus that compelled Paul to get on His knees before God on their behalf that God might show them His loving kindness toward them.
This ought to be our prayer as well. We need to learn to spend time “on our knees”, perhaps literally but most certainly figuratively as we find a quiet place to get alone with God to talk to Him. God deserves our praise and our prayers. There is a purpose for those prayers and that purpose is that God might strengthen us with His might by His Spirit.
Prayer allows God to grant us that strength. This prayer is not to earn God’s favor; it is an opportunity for Him to tune our hearts toward Him and help us to walk where He would have us walk. This daily process of submission to God’s will for our lives brings us closer and closer to Him and His perfect will for our lives.
Paul prayed for this group of people that he loved very much. We need to make it a practice to do the same thing for those that we love! As we begin praying that God will meet the needs of those that we love, a couple things start to happen. First of all, we will begin to love more people! We will discover that there is a world out there that needs Jesus and all that He can do for them. We will begin to discover those people and begin to care about those needs and take them to the Lord for His care.
A second thing that we will discover is that as we take the needs of others to the Lord, we will discover that God is able to take care of the needs that we have without really having to ask Him to do so! When our focus is on the needs of those around us, our needs oftentimes seem to fade away. This happens for two reasons; first, we discover that our needs are not as bad as we thought they were compared to the needs of those around us and second, God is able to meet our needs as we reach out to meet the needs of others!
It is no wonder that Jesus said in Luke chapter 6, “38Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
Friday, April 2, 2010
Abstain from Evil I Thessalonians 5:21
16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not despise prophecies. 21Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22Abstain from every form of evil.
Paul begins this dialogue with “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks. He then says, “Test all things; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
Prayer is the foundation to this whole series of verses. Prayer really is an attitude. Prayer is more than something we do; prayer needs to be the spiritual air that we breathe! We rejoice as we inhale and we give thanks as we exhale! Pretty good advice!
As we test this attitude of prayer and we learn that God can be trusted, we are to hold fast to that which is good or that which works. We are to abstain from everything that is evil. This is ought not be that much of an eye opening revelation. It only makes sense that if we are to hold fast to what is good, we ought certainly do everything we can to abstain from those things, which are not good.
This is really a conscious decision as to how I am going to live my life. Paul is stressing the importance of standing with God. Put God to the test; just determine in your heart that you will build your life on what you learn. Prayer gives us the strength we need to hold fast to what is good and to abstain from what is evil.
Listen to God’s promise to those who will do as He has instructed; “23Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
Paul begins this dialogue with “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks. He then says, “Test all things; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
Prayer is the foundation to this whole series of verses. Prayer really is an attitude. Prayer is more than something we do; prayer needs to be the spiritual air that we breathe! We rejoice as we inhale and we give thanks as we exhale! Pretty good advice!
As we test this attitude of prayer and we learn that God can be trusted, we are to hold fast to that which is good or that which works. We are to abstain from everything that is evil. This is ought not be that much of an eye opening revelation. It only makes sense that if we are to hold fast to what is good, we ought certainly do everything we can to abstain from those things, which are not good.
This is really a conscious decision as to how I am going to live my life. Paul is stressing the importance of standing with God. Put God to the test; just determine in your heart that you will build your life on what you learn. Prayer gives us the strength we need to hold fast to what is good and to abstain from what is evil.
Listen to God’s promise to those who will do as He has instructed; “23Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Abide in Christ John 15:10
10“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
Here is a very special word of instruction for us as God’s children. We all want to live a victorious life. We all want to enjoy life in all of its joy and all the happiness that we can experience and have for ourselves. Here Jesus gives us the key to having the life that we all want so much.
Jesus tells us 10“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. Jesus enjoyed life in all its fullness. Even in His death, He experienced life in all of its glory for the Bible tells us,. 13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Jesus mentions several time, “abide in Me” in John 15. What does it mean to “abide in Me?” This abiding in Jesus is the key to the life that we all want so much. To abide in Christ is more than living with Him. Abiding in Christ is an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ.
One of the best illustrations of abiding in Christ is a digital clock. As long as the clock is plugged into an electrical source, it works. If the clock is unplugged and then plugged back in, it has to be reset so it will read the right time. Otherwise, it will start over at 12:00 and begin showing time from that point.
We are to abide in Christ; we are to stay plugged into Him every moment of our lives; we are to be plugged into Christ in every decision that we make. When we decide to go in our own direction or do what we want to instead of what Christ would have us do, we unplug ourselves from Him; we are no longer abiding in Him and our lives get out of sink with the Lord and His purpose and will for our lives.
Our lives have to be “reset” just like that electric clock. We spend so much time resetting our lives spiritually because we are not abiding in Christ. Most of us come and get a dose of Christ and then we turn Him off and on when we want Him in our lives! Prayer keeps us plugged into God and His will and way for our lives. Prayer allows us to remain connected to Him; prayer allows us to abide in Him and ironically it helps us keep His commandments so that His joy might remain in us and that our joy might be full. This life is worth the effort!
Here is a very special word of instruction for us as God’s children. We all want to live a victorious life. We all want to enjoy life in all of its joy and all the happiness that we can experience and have for ourselves. Here Jesus gives us the key to having the life that we all want so much.
Jesus tells us 10“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. Jesus enjoyed life in all its fullness. Even in His death, He experienced life in all of its glory for the Bible tells us,. 13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Jesus mentions several time, “abide in Me” in John 15. What does it mean to “abide in Me?” This abiding in Jesus is the key to the life that we all want so much. To abide in Christ is more than living with Him. Abiding in Christ is an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ.
One of the best illustrations of abiding in Christ is a digital clock. As long as the clock is plugged into an electrical source, it works. If the clock is unplugged and then plugged back in, it has to be reset so it will read the right time. Otherwise, it will start over at 12:00 and begin showing time from that point.
We are to abide in Christ; we are to stay plugged into Him every moment of our lives; we are to be plugged into Christ in every decision that we make. When we decide to go in our own direction or do what we want to instead of what Christ would have us do, we unplug ourselves from Him; we are no longer abiding in Him and our lives get out of sink with the Lord and His purpose and will for our lives.
Our lives have to be “reset” just like that electric clock. We spend so much time resetting our lives spiritually because we are not abiding in Christ. Most of us come and get a dose of Christ and then we turn Him off and on when we want Him in our lives! Prayer keeps us plugged into God and His will and way for our lives. Prayer allows us to remain connected to Him; prayer allows us to abide in Him and ironically it helps us keep His commandments so that His joy might remain in us and that our joy might be full. This life is worth the effort!
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