We know that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord, to them who are called according to His purpose.
If we live long enough, we will all face disappointment and difficulty. I do not know anyone who likes to go through the valley or face the storms that life seems to throw at us from time to time. Accidents are going to happen. Life will have its pitfalls. One of the aspects of life is death. The ratio of death to life is still one to one. Everyone that has been born will die until the rapture takes place. Grandparents will die. Moms and dads will die. Teenagers will die and yes, even infants will die. There are parents who will stand over their children's caskets.
Where is God when these things happen? The answer is simple. God is still on His throne and He is still in charge and our responsibility is to trust Him and look to Him for strength to make it past the moment to live another day. You and I cannot control what happens to us in a lot of cases, but we can control how we respond to what happens. I am convinced that this is where God wants us to shine the brightest. When you and I look to the Lord in the midst of our greatest need, we will find Him and His presence and His power will be more than enough to take us from where we are to the place that he wants us to be.
Story is told of a man who was a passenger on an ocean going ship and the ship took on water and sank. This man survived the shipwreck alone and washed up on an uninhabited island. The man built a hut from limbs and leaves. He put everything that he has in the hut and while he was out looking for food to eat, the hut caught on fire and burned up. The man felt as if God had turned His back on him and that his life was not worth the living. His tragedy was more than he thought he could bear.
After sitting by the smoldering embers left by the fire for an hour or so, this man heard a whistle and ran to the edge of the island and there he saw a ship trying to dock near the island. When the man got on board the ship, the captain told him that they had seen his smoke signal and they came to his rescue.
God knows our loss and He is aware of our circumstances and His promise is that He will give us victory and work things out for good id we will lean on Him and allow him to do what only He can do. Remember, the question is never "can we trust God"; the question is always, "Will we trust God."
Trust God no matter what and He will give you victory over the difficult events that you will face in your life. To God be the glory for the great things that He is doing and will continue to do for those who love Him and trust Him with their lives!
A Pastor's thoughts about the Scripture and it's influence in our lives.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Brownies Proverbs 20:9
9 Who can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin"?
As Christians we don't like sin but we don't mind temptation! Who among us can say, "I am pure from my sin?" We try to rationalize and excuse our sin when we know deep down in our hearts, this is not at all what we need or even really want in our lives.
One of the best illustrations of flirting with sin that I have ever heard comes from James Dobson's daughter, Danae. I listened to Focus on the Family's broadcast today and heard Danae and her dada talk about a recent book that she had written. She told of one of the stories in her book for teen girls.
She told a story of a father who raised his children not to go to R rated movies because they needed to keep their minds pure and not put bad things into their minds. The kids were in their mid teens and a very popular movie came out and all their friends were going to go to the movie. They wanted to go. The movie had an R rating. They knew their dad's rule and so they began to build a case to present to their father about going.
They interviewed friends at church that had seen the movie. They found out that there was some cursing in it but not that much. There was some violence in it but nothing that they had not seen on television at home. There was a steamy scene but no nudity or sex; the sex was mostly hinted to and left to the imagination. The movie was not that bad. They wrote down all the bad things and all the good things about the movie that they could gather and then they went to their dad with their request, "Please dad just this once, can we go see this movie; all of our friends are going and it is not that bad."
The dad listened to their request and their argument and asked to think about it overnight. The teens were elated! They had presented their case and they knew that their dad would grant their wish. The next day the dad called a family meeting to announce his decision.
"I have thought about your request. I will let you make the final decision on whether or not you go to this movie. I made you some brownies. If you decide to eat these brownies you can go to the movie." Wow! That is easy enough; we love brownies!
The dad said before you eat these brownies, let me tell you how I made them. I carefully whipped the ingredients together. I have added nuts and some extra chocolate; I know how much you like chocolate. I have added some powered sugar to make the brownies look better and be a little sweeterbut I have to tell you there is a little dog poop in there. Not much, but it is mixed in there so that you will not know it.
I cooked the brownies at 350 degrees so the heat will have killed anything in the brownies that would hurt you. There is nothing to worry about ok, who wants a brownie?
Sin is subtle. It is well hidden. It won't hurt us. It is surrounded by so much wonderful stuff. Who wants to take the first bite?
As Christians we don't like sin but we don't mind temptation! Who among us can say, "I am pure from my sin?" We try to rationalize and excuse our sin when we know deep down in our hearts, this is not at all what we need or even really want in our lives.
One of the best illustrations of flirting with sin that I have ever heard comes from James Dobson's daughter, Danae. I listened to Focus on the Family's broadcast today and heard Danae and her dada talk about a recent book that she had written. She told of one of the stories in her book for teen girls.
She told a story of a father who raised his children not to go to R rated movies because they needed to keep their minds pure and not put bad things into their minds. The kids were in their mid teens and a very popular movie came out and all their friends were going to go to the movie. They wanted to go. The movie had an R rating. They knew their dad's rule and so they began to build a case to present to their father about going.
They interviewed friends at church that had seen the movie. They found out that there was some cursing in it but not that much. There was some violence in it but nothing that they had not seen on television at home. There was a steamy scene but no nudity or sex; the sex was mostly hinted to and left to the imagination. The movie was not that bad. They wrote down all the bad things and all the good things about the movie that they could gather and then they went to their dad with their request, "Please dad just this once, can we go see this movie; all of our friends are going and it is not that bad."
The dad listened to their request and their argument and asked to think about it overnight. The teens were elated! They had presented their case and they knew that their dad would grant their wish. The next day the dad called a family meeting to announce his decision.
"I have thought about your request. I will let you make the final decision on whether or not you go to this movie. I made you some brownies. If you decide to eat these brownies you can go to the movie." Wow! That is easy enough; we love brownies!
The dad said before you eat these brownies, let me tell you how I made them. I carefully whipped the ingredients together. I have added nuts and some extra chocolate; I know how much you like chocolate. I have added some powered sugar to make the brownies look better and be a little sweeterbut I have to tell you there is a little dog poop in there. Not much, but it is mixed in there so that you will not know it.
I cooked the brownies at 350 degrees so the heat will have killed anything in the brownies that would hurt you. There is nothing to worry about ok, who wants a brownie?
Sin is subtle. It is well hidden. It won't hurt us. It is surrounded by so much wonderful stuff. Who wants to take the first bite?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Watch and Pray Luke 21:36
36"Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."
Jesus warns His disciples to watch and pray. We are to be careful about what we do. We are to watch and make sure that we live our lives, as we ought to live them. We are to guard ourselves against the things of the world. We are to watch and guard ourselves against temptation and sin. We are to make sure that our relationship with the Lord remains what it ought to be. We are to watch and look for opportunities to do the things we are supposed to do. We are to look for opportunities to do good to those around us.
Watching and praying always seem to go together. Watching leads us to prayer! The more we see the more we realize our need for God's guidance and His help! It is not enough to simply watch. There is only so much we can do as individuals to overcome temptation and sin. Prayer allows God to strengthen us and lead us away from sin and death to righteousness and life. Prayer allows us to maintain our relationship with the Lord.
When we make prayer a priority in this life, God is able to mold us for service in the life to come. Prayer is such a wonderful privilege that we ought all take hold of and never let go. We all need to be watching always and we need to be praying always so that we will escape all the things concerning judgment that will come to pass as we all stand before the Lord one day.
Watch and Pray!
Jesus warns His disciples to watch and pray. We are to be careful about what we do. We are to watch and make sure that we live our lives, as we ought to live them. We are to guard ourselves against the things of the world. We are to watch and guard ourselves against temptation and sin. We are to make sure that our relationship with the Lord remains what it ought to be. We are to watch and look for opportunities to do the things we are supposed to do. We are to look for opportunities to do good to those around us.
Watching and praying always seem to go together. Watching leads us to prayer! The more we see the more we realize our need for God's guidance and His help! It is not enough to simply watch. There is only so much we can do as individuals to overcome temptation and sin. Prayer allows God to strengthen us and lead us away from sin and death to righteousness and life. Prayer allows us to maintain our relationship with the Lord.
When we make prayer a priority in this life, God is able to mold us for service in the life to come. Prayer is such a wonderful privilege that we ought all take hold of and never let go. We all need to be watching always and we need to be praying always so that we will escape all the things concerning judgment that will come to pass as we all stand before the Lord one day.
Watch and Pray!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Don't Be Weighed Down Luke 21:34
34"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
Jesus cautions His disciples to "take heed to yourselves". He will tell them in verse 35 to "watch and pray." It is imperative that we watch or take a good look at where we are and where we are headed when it comes to living our lives. Temptation can strike at any moment. We have to be aware of our surroundings and aware of the circumstances that can get us off track.
Not only do we have to be aware of temptations that come upon us, we must also be aware of our own sinful nature that will lead us to sin as well. Jesus mentions "carousing and drunkenness and cares of this life." It is so easy for things to come between us and our relationship with the Lord. We understand the carousing and the drunkenness but the "cares of life" are with us at every step we take.
It is so easy for our hearts to get weighed down. It is so easy for us to let our priorities get out of place and since it is a gradual process in a lot of cases, our hearts can get heavy and we fail to realize it until it is too late! Notice this is the general thrust of this passage. Jesus' word of warning to us is to not let that day come upon us unexpectedly.
The whole purpose of our lives is to prepare us for eternity. For when this day of death and judgment comes upon us unexpectedly it finds us unprepared for it. There is one reason that this happens. We want to look at life and take care of the cares of the world. We want to be successful. We want to find happiness. We want to take care of the here and now and we fail to take care of the hereafter!
Prayer keeps our feet planted so that our hearts do not get weighed down with the cares of life. Prayer helps us keep our priorities where they should be focused and when our eyes are focused on Jesus, He is able to take care of our hearts and our lives go as He would have them go!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Thoroughly Furnished II Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
The Bible not only contains a number of promises from God to us, the Word of God itself is a promise from God to us. All scripture is given by inspiration of God to us. The Bible is not the work of men but solely the work of God to us and for us. The Bible is given to us so that we can know who God is and what He wants to do in and with our lives.
The Bible is profitable to us in a number of ways. First of all, it is profitable for doctrine or teaching. When we take the Bible and let it direct our paths, then we are going to find life and find it more abundantly. It is impossible to get where we need to be when we are headed in the wrong direction. The Bible leads us and guides us in the right direction. When we are headed in the right direction, we will find God's blessings and then we will avoid a lot of the pitfalls that the world can throw at us.
The Bible is profitable for reproof and correction. The Bible helps us to examine ourselves and see the error of our ways because it sets a standard in front of us in the person of Jesus that is consistent and steadfast. He is our rock and our fortress and He will never fail us and we can trust in Him and we can aspire to be like Him. The Bible has a correcting aspect to it for one reason; God wants to move us from where we are to the place that He wants us to be. He wants to turn us around and head us in the right direction and it is all for our benefit! The benefit that God gets from it all is blessing us.
The Bible is profitable for instruction in righteousness. God wants us to be able to stand before Him justified and to do that He sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sin. All we need to do is to accept that free pardon for our sin and ask Jesus to forgive our sin and come into our heart and be our Savior and Lord. When we have done that, the Word of God directs us and teaches us who God is and what He has promised to do for us so that our faith might be made perfect in our lives. As we exercise that faith in the decisions that we make, our righteousness is perfected and God is able to be God in our lives and He is glorified in us and others are able to see Him through us.
The goal that God has set forth for us in His Word is that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works. God wants us to prosper and to benefit from His blessings. He wants our lives to be filled to overflowing, full of His grace and His glory. He wants every moment that we live to be its absolute best. When we take His Word and His instruction to heart, He takes our heart and makes something wonderful out of it and He gives us life and the good works that He promises us are His and not ours and that makes life really worth the living!
Ask God to speak to you today and give you the strength to take His Word and make it a lamp unto your feet, a light unto your path so you may be able to walk where He would have you walk!
The Bible not only contains a number of promises from God to us, the Word of God itself is a promise from God to us. All scripture is given by inspiration of God to us. The Bible is not the work of men but solely the work of God to us and for us. The Bible is given to us so that we can know who God is and what He wants to do in and with our lives.
The Bible is profitable to us in a number of ways. First of all, it is profitable for doctrine or teaching. When we take the Bible and let it direct our paths, then we are going to find life and find it more abundantly. It is impossible to get where we need to be when we are headed in the wrong direction. The Bible leads us and guides us in the right direction. When we are headed in the right direction, we will find God's blessings and then we will avoid a lot of the pitfalls that the world can throw at us.
The Bible is profitable for reproof and correction. The Bible helps us to examine ourselves and see the error of our ways because it sets a standard in front of us in the person of Jesus that is consistent and steadfast. He is our rock and our fortress and He will never fail us and we can trust in Him and we can aspire to be like Him. The Bible has a correcting aspect to it for one reason; God wants to move us from where we are to the place that He wants us to be. He wants to turn us around and head us in the right direction and it is all for our benefit! The benefit that God gets from it all is blessing us.
The Bible is profitable for instruction in righteousness. God wants us to be able to stand before Him justified and to do that He sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sin. All we need to do is to accept that free pardon for our sin and ask Jesus to forgive our sin and come into our heart and be our Savior and Lord. When we have done that, the Word of God directs us and teaches us who God is and what He has promised to do for us so that our faith might be made perfect in our lives. As we exercise that faith in the decisions that we make, our righteousness is perfected and God is able to be God in our lives and He is glorified in us and others are able to see Him through us.
The goal that God has set forth for us in His Word is that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works. God wants us to prosper and to benefit from His blessings. He wants our lives to be filled to overflowing, full of His grace and His glory. He wants every moment that we live to be its absolute best. When we take His Word and His instruction to heart, He takes our heart and makes something wonderful out of it and He gives us life and the good works that He promises us are His and not ours and that makes life really worth the living!
Ask God to speak to you today and give you the strength to take His Word and make it a lamp unto your feet, a light unto your path so you may be able to walk where He would have you walk!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
I Will Bless Them Numbers 6:27
And they shall put My name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them.
God told Moses to speak to Aaron and to his sons with reference to blessing the children of Israel. He was to say to the children of Israel, "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance unto you and give you peace and they shall put My name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them."
The desire of God's heart is to bless His children exceedingly abundantly more than they could ask or hope for. Everything that God does He has done so that He might prove His love for us. His desire is to protect us and provide for us. God wants our lives to be filled with all the goodness that He has at His disposal. He wants to bless and keep us. He wants to be gracious to us. He wants to give us peace and joy. So, why is there so much trouble in our world and in our lives today?
The Bible tells us that God causes to rain to fall on the just and the unjust. He allows trials and tribulation to come on us all. His plan is that his children will find comfort and strength in Him in spite of those trials. I heard a parent of a child with cancer at St Jude hospital in Memphis, say something that stuck with me. He said of all that he and his family had been through, "We do not know what God's purpose has been in all of this but we have seen His blessings."
And they shall put My name upon My children and I will bless them. When you and I take on Christ's name we are His and He is ours. He promises that He will be with us and that He will bless us. God wants us to live for Him so that He can do for us all the things that we cannot do for ourselves. He will do His part. In fact, I can tell you that He has done more than His part in my life. God has protected me even when I was headed wide open in the wrong direction. God has blessed me even though I refused to follow His instruction and direction for my life.
God was patient and let me run and run and run doing things my way until I came to the place where I finally realized that it was what God did for me that made my life worth living. My obedience to Him simply says to God, "I trust You and Your provisions for my life." I have taken His name and He has blessed me and continues to bless me because I am His and He is mine.
My prayer for you today is that "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance unto you and give you peace and they shall put My name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them."
God told Moses to speak to Aaron and to his sons with reference to blessing the children of Israel. He was to say to the children of Israel, "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance unto you and give you peace and they shall put My name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them."
The desire of God's heart is to bless His children exceedingly abundantly more than they could ask or hope for. Everything that God does He has done so that He might prove His love for us. His desire is to protect us and provide for us. God wants our lives to be filled with all the goodness that He has at His disposal. He wants to bless and keep us. He wants to be gracious to us. He wants to give us peace and joy. So, why is there so much trouble in our world and in our lives today?
The Bible tells us that God causes to rain to fall on the just and the unjust. He allows trials and tribulation to come on us all. His plan is that his children will find comfort and strength in Him in spite of those trials. I heard a parent of a child with cancer at St Jude hospital in Memphis, say something that stuck with me. He said of all that he and his family had been through, "We do not know what God's purpose has been in all of this but we have seen His blessings."
And they shall put My name upon My children and I will bless them. When you and I take on Christ's name we are His and He is ours. He promises that He will be with us and that He will bless us. God wants us to live for Him so that He can do for us all the things that we cannot do for ourselves. He will do His part. In fact, I can tell you that He has done more than His part in my life. God has protected me even when I was headed wide open in the wrong direction. God has blessed me even though I refused to follow His instruction and direction for my life.
God was patient and let me run and run and run doing things my way until I came to the place where I finally realized that it was what God did for me that made my life worth living. My obedience to Him simply says to God, "I trust You and Your provisions for my life." I have taken His name and He has blessed me and continues to bless me because I am His and He is mine.
My prayer for you today is that "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance unto you and give you peace and they shall put My name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them."
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The Perfect Way Psalm 101:6
My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land that they may dwell with Me, those that walk in a perfect way.
Do you want God's eyes on you? There is first of all the reality that His eyes are on us whether we want them to be or not! However, when His eyes see our faithfulness to His Word and His way for our lives, His hand goes with us as well. As we dwell with the Lord, He becomes our protector and our provider. There is no better place for us to be than to be dwelling with the Lord; not in this life nor in the life to come.
This is a conditional statement or promise. God's eyes are on those who are faithful. Lets expand that statement a little bit. God's eyes are on those who believe that He is everything that He says He is and that He will do everything that He says He will do. When we live our lives according to the Words and the promises of the Lord, God sees that commitment on our part and He responds and rewards us accordingly. God tells us that, "we may dwell with Him."
In the New Testament we learn that when we turn our hearts over to the Lord, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts and He dwells with us. God dwells with us because of our faith in Him! Our faith in Him allows us to "walk in a perfect way."
God's Word does not say that we become perfect when we place our faith in the Lord it says that we begin to walk in the perfect way and there is a big difference in the two statements. I can be as imperfect as a person could be and am but I can also walk in the perfect way. The key to this statement is really very important for us to understand.
As I walk in the Lord and in the light of His Word, I am in the best possible place that I can be at that moment in my life. It is while I am walking in the way of the Word that God is able to lead me from where I am to the place that He would have me be. This place is the perfect way for me at that moment in my life. The challenge for us all is to see how much of our lives we can spend in that perfect way!
That is why it is so important for us to make decisions on a daily basis that reflect God's glory and are based on His precious Word. God is able to dwell with us and He is able to provide for us and protect us and make us what we cannot make ourselves. God's provisions are sure and they are more than satisfying! Lets ask God to help us walk in that perfect way today and every day for the rest of our lives!
Do you want God's eyes on you? There is first of all the reality that His eyes are on us whether we want them to be or not! However, when His eyes see our faithfulness to His Word and His way for our lives, His hand goes with us as well. As we dwell with the Lord, He becomes our protector and our provider. There is no better place for us to be than to be dwelling with the Lord; not in this life nor in the life to come.
This is a conditional statement or promise. God's eyes are on those who are faithful. Lets expand that statement a little bit. God's eyes are on those who believe that He is everything that He says He is and that He will do everything that He says He will do. When we live our lives according to the Words and the promises of the Lord, God sees that commitment on our part and He responds and rewards us accordingly. God tells us that, "we may dwell with Him."
In the New Testament we learn that when we turn our hearts over to the Lord, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts and He dwells with us. God dwells with us because of our faith in Him! Our faith in Him allows us to "walk in a perfect way."
God's Word does not say that we become perfect when we place our faith in the Lord it says that we begin to walk in the perfect way and there is a big difference in the two statements. I can be as imperfect as a person could be and am but I can also walk in the perfect way. The key to this statement is really very important for us to understand.
As I walk in the Lord and in the light of His Word, I am in the best possible place that I can be at that moment in my life. It is while I am walking in the way of the Word that God is able to lead me from where I am to the place that He would have me be. This place is the perfect way for me at that moment in my life. The challenge for us all is to see how much of our lives we can spend in that perfect way!
That is why it is so important for us to make decisions on a daily basis that reflect God's glory and are based on His precious Word. God is able to dwell with us and He is able to provide for us and protect us and make us what we cannot make ourselves. God's provisions are sure and they are more than satisfying! Lets ask God to help us walk in that perfect way today and every day for the rest of our lives!
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