I have removed the post from Aug. 25th, titled "Christian Life".
I also must apologize first to my readers, as in that posting I used some incorrect information. This was in no way intentional, it was just a matter of me misreading something, because I really did not understand how to read what I was looking at.
More importantly, I managed to hurt the feelings of a very good friend. I called myself trying to downplay her role in things, and to make sure to state the fact that she had done exactly what she should have done. However, I apparently did not put myself in her place, when proofreading.
Sometimes, despite my best efforts I fail to remember that just because something sounds right to me, that does not mean that it is the correct way to say it.
I could sit here and try to explain how all of this happened, however I feel that would just be insulting to everyone involved. So I am just going to ask that you pray for all those directly involved, and those that might have been indirectly hurt because of my mistakes.
Thank you
Robby
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Giving
Good morning, God is good. I am sorry about yesterday, but as I posted on Facebook, I was actually getting up off the couch to move to the computer to post the devotion, and somehow I moved wrong. I felt a pull, and a pop in my back, and that was it, I was useless the rest of the day. It still hurts this morning but I am here, praise God.
This morning I want to start in Lk 12:16-21, where we see the parable of the rich fool. If you remember the story, Jesus said this man's farm was blessed and brought forth plentifully. So he being greedy, decided to tear down his barns, and build bigger barns, so that he could store the excess. This way he could be rich for years to come. However, instead God in vs 20 said to him, "Thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be". PS. 62:10 says "...if riches increase set not your heart upon them". You see, there is nothing wrong with having earthly riches, as long as we keep our hearts on God, and not on those earthly riches. I know a lot of people that are what I consider "rich", however, even though they enjoy the finer things in life, a nice house, a Cadillac, cruises and such, they remember where those blessings come from. They are faithful to give above and beyond their tithes, they are quick to offer financial support to the church, and it's members. There was one Sunday morning before church, I saw a particular man, pick up my Bible and place something inside, then walk away innocently. So I purposely waited to open my Bible until the preaching started. I pulled out an envelope, and stuck it in my pocket. I knew how the man was, I knew he was always doing something to help others, but he did not ever want anyone to know that he was responsible. After I got in the car, I opened the envelope, and there was $200 inside. This man knew that I was not able to work at that moment, he knew we were facing financial problems, and he wanted to help. He had the money, so he helped. But, he did not receive any kind of praise, he did not want to be exalted for doing what God commands us to do. His treasure is in heaven, and not on earth.
Luke 6:30 says "give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again". There is a story of a missionary who was translating the Bible into the language of the people of an African country. When he got to this passage, he was afraid to translate this verse because these people would always take everything literately, instead of spiritually. But, he obeyed God, and translated it anyway, and just as he expected the natives, looked at all the stuff he had that they had never seen, and one by one they began to ask him for things. He felt he had no choice but to give them what they asked for. Soon he had nothing, and they had everything. It did not take long, until the natives began to talk amongst themselves, and they all agreed that surely this was a man of God, as they had never seen anyone so selfless. They then began to feel guilty for taking all of his prized belongings. So the next morning, the missionary woke up to the entire village waiting at the door to his tent, bringing back everything they had taken from him. They all also wanted to know how to have what he had, the entire village was converted because of this one selfless act. His treasure was in heaven, and not on earth. He did not want to depart with some of his prized possessions, but he did so for the LORD, and was rewarded abundantly.
We are not only told to be giving, and selfless, but we are also told to be discerning. There are so many people out there that will take advantage of our goodness, and we must discern the difference between a real need and a scam, in order to be good stewards. Even, so if we are saved, our treasure should be in heaven. The widow had enough for one meal for her and her son, and yet she fed the man of God first, and was blessed. Elijah was able to take a small cruise of oil and get enough out of it, to fill hundreds, if not thousands of vessels, all because someone was willing to share.
I believe you all know this story, but several years ago, at a time when we were not able to buy groceries and pay our bills, God sent a young man to us that needed a place to live. I did not hesitate to make him move in, I knew the boy and knew that he was a good Christian man that could not live at home with his parents that were drunks, and were always fighting. So with it 20degrees at night he was sleeping in a camper trailer with no heat. Now we have another mouth to feed, and boy could he eat. The next morning I thought about it, and almost got worried, after all I could not make our money go far enough as it was, how could I stretch it any farther. Two days later, Dawn got paid, and I went and bought enough groceries, and then went and paid all the bills, and had money left over. And it was that way the entire time he lived with us. I was faithful to share what God blessed us with, (even if at the time we didn't think we were being blessed), and He blessed our faithfulness. But, I must also mention, that this boy was living with another friend of his. I originally told this boy to stay with us also, but after a couple of weeks I realized that this boy was in the position he was in, because of his own actions. Or, maybe I should say in-actions. You see he was lazy, and wanted to depend on others to take care of him. He wanted to run around and get in trouble, and have fun and live off others. I talked to him about this, and gave him another chance. When he pretended to change, even though he was refusing to change, I told him he had to find somewhere else to live. I was discerning about the boys. Over the years, I helped many people, and refused to help others because I knew they did not want to help themselves.
God gives us the opportunities to serve Him, are we watching for those opportunities so we can serve Him.
This morning I want to start in Lk 12:16-21, where we see the parable of the rich fool. If you remember the story, Jesus said this man's farm was blessed and brought forth plentifully. So he being greedy, decided to tear down his barns, and build bigger barns, so that he could store the excess. This way he could be rich for years to come. However, instead God in vs 20 said to him, "Thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be". PS. 62:10 says "...if riches increase set not your heart upon them". You see, there is nothing wrong with having earthly riches, as long as we keep our hearts on God, and not on those earthly riches. I know a lot of people that are what I consider "rich", however, even though they enjoy the finer things in life, a nice house, a Cadillac, cruises and such, they remember where those blessings come from. They are faithful to give above and beyond their tithes, they are quick to offer financial support to the church, and it's members. There was one Sunday morning before church, I saw a particular man, pick up my Bible and place something inside, then walk away innocently. So I purposely waited to open my Bible until the preaching started. I pulled out an envelope, and stuck it in my pocket. I knew how the man was, I knew he was always doing something to help others, but he did not ever want anyone to know that he was responsible. After I got in the car, I opened the envelope, and there was $200 inside. This man knew that I was not able to work at that moment, he knew we were facing financial problems, and he wanted to help. He had the money, so he helped. But, he did not receive any kind of praise, he did not want to be exalted for doing what God commands us to do. His treasure is in heaven, and not on earth.
Luke 6:30 says "give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again". There is a story of a missionary who was translating the Bible into the language of the people of an African country. When he got to this passage, he was afraid to translate this verse because these people would always take everything literately, instead of spiritually. But, he obeyed God, and translated it anyway, and just as he expected the natives, looked at all the stuff he had that they had never seen, and one by one they began to ask him for things. He felt he had no choice but to give them what they asked for. Soon he had nothing, and they had everything. It did not take long, until the natives began to talk amongst themselves, and they all agreed that surely this was a man of God, as they had never seen anyone so selfless. They then began to feel guilty for taking all of his prized belongings. So the next morning, the missionary woke up to the entire village waiting at the door to his tent, bringing back everything they had taken from him. They all also wanted to know how to have what he had, the entire village was converted because of this one selfless act. His treasure was in heaven, and not on earth. He did not want to depart with some of his prized possessions, but he did so for the LORD, and was rewarded abundantly.
We are not only told to be giving, and selfless, but we are also told to be discerning. There are so many people out there that will take advantage of our goodness, and we must discern the difference between a real need and a scam, in order to be good stewards. Even, so if we are saved, our treasure should be in heaven. The widow had enough for one meal for her and her son, and yet she fed the man of God first, and was blessed. Elijah was able to take a small cruise of oil and get enough out of it, to fill hundreds, if not thousands of vessels, all because someone was willing to share.
I believe you all know this story, but several years ago, at a time when we were not able to buy groceries and pay our bills, God sent a young man to us that needed a place to live. I did not hesitate to make him move in, I knew the boy and knew that he was a good Christian man that could not live at home with his parents that were drunks, and were always fighting. So with it 20degrees at night he was sleeping in a camper trailer with no heat. Now we have another mouth to feed, and boy could he eat. The next morning I thought about it, and almost got worried, after all I could not make our money go far enough as it was, how could I stretch it any farther. Two days later, Dawn got paid, and I went and bought enough groceries, and then went and paid all the bills, and had money left over. And it was that way the entire time he lived with us. I was faithful to share what God blessed us with, (even if at the time we didn't think we were being blessed), and He blessed our faithfulness. But, I must also mention, that this boy was living with another friend of his. I originally told this boy to stay with us also, but after a couple of weeks I realized that this boy was in the position he was in, because of his own actions. Or, maybe I should say in-actions. You see he was lazy, and wanted to depend on others to take care of him. He wanted to run around and get in trouble, and have fun and live off others. I talked to him about this, and gave him another chance. When he pretended to change, even though he was refusing to change, I told him he had to find somewhere else to live. I was discerning about the boys. Over the years, I helped many people, and refused to help others because I knew they did not want to help themselves.
God gives us the opportunities to serve Him, are we watching for those opportunities so we can serve Him.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Don't Let Them Feel Like a Failure
Good morning on this glorious LORD's Day. I pray that we will all experience the Spirit of God moving in our churches this morning.
Turn to Gal. 6:1-5, this morning we are going to look at what appears to be a contradiction, but we all know the Bible does not contradict itself. The first thing we see in verse 1 is that when a Christian brother or sister makes a mistake, of any size we the church are to come together and crucify them. NO! That is not what it says, it says to restore them. In other words forgive them, and help them get back where they are supposed to be. Here is the thing, don't do this thinking you are so much better than them because you've never done anything that bad. Do this realizing that at any moment we could fall into a temptation of our own. A few years back, a member of our church, who was also a teacher at the churches school, was arrested for being a peeping tom. He was on the news, and it was even told where he taught. This was horrible news for the school, and the church. This was on a Tuesday, Wednesday night the church was packed with both members, and school parents wanting to know what now. As the service started the pastor announced this man was there and had something to say. He humbly came from the back of the church, and proceeded to apologize and ask for our forgiveness. Then went on to say that he understood if we wanted him to leave, but admitted that he, and his family really needed the support of their church family. I was really happy when the meanest person in the church stood up to say that there was no need to apologize because he had already been forgiven, and that we were just waiting for him to show up, so we could began healing. The church then unanimously agreed, and crowded around their family to hug them and support them.
This shows the meaning of both verses 1 & 2. vs 1 "Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. (vs2) Bear ye one another burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ". There are different types of burdens, and we are to help each other carry those burdens, whatever they are. Vs 3 tells us that if we are conceited then we are lying to ourselves. It warns us not to think more of ourselves than we should. Vs.4 "But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another". In other words we are to rely on ourselves, instead of expecting handouts from others. That way we can have pride in ourselves. Vs. 5 "For every man shall bear his own burden". Here is the contradiction I spoke of earlier. Verse 2 says bear each others burdens, verse 5 says to bear our own burden. Here is why there is no contradiction, just as with this man there are times when we are not able to carry the burden we are under, it is just too heavy, or to hard. At these times we are to help each other, we are to support each other and help carry part of each others burden. We are to do this until and only until the other person can carry it on their own. Then once we give it back to them, and they are able to survive under it's weight, and even thrive, then at that point he will be able to rejoice knowing that he is able to take care of his own. Instead of getting discouraged because he is crushed by the weight of his life.
Think about this, most people never consider this, after Peter walked on the water, and had to be rescued by Jesus, they were still out on the water and had to make it back to the boat. How did Peter get back to the boat? You see when Peter began to sink, Jesus bore his burden, then I believe (this if found nowhere in Scripture, it is just my own thoughts), I believe that once Jesus plucked him from the waves, they both walked back to the ship. Jesus, holding Peter's hand so he would not sink again. This allowed Peter to help get himself out of the mess. Jesus could have just carried him, or teleported them back to the ship, but I need to believe that instead of Jesus just fixing the situation, He allowed Peter to help bear his own burden. By doing this He allowed Peter the opportunity to overcome his failure, so that he did not feel like a failure. Yes, he failed and he had to live with that, but at least he had a hand in correcting his failure instead of being bailed out.
Turn to Gal. 6:1-5, this morning we are going to look at what appears to be a contradiction, but we all know the Bible does not contradict itself. The first thing we see in verse 1 is that when a Christian brother or sister makes a mistake, of any size we the church are to come together and crucify them. NO! That is not what it says, it says to restore them. In other words forgive them, and help them get back where they are supposed to be. Here is the thing, don't do this thinking you are so much better than them because you've never done anything that bad. Do this realizing that at any moment we could fall into a temptation of our own. A few years back, a member of our church, who was also a teacher at the churches school, was arrested for being a peeping tom. He was on the news, and it was even told where he taught. This was horrible news for the school, and the church. This was on a Tuesday, Wednesday night the church was packed with both members, and school parents wanting to know what now. As the service started the pastor announced this man was there and had something to say. He humbly came from the back of the church, and proceeded to apologize and ask for our forgiveness. Then went on to say that he understood if we wanted him to leave, but admitted that he, and his family really needed the support of their church family. I was really happy when the meanest person in the church stood up to say that there was no need to apologize because he had already been forgiven, and that we were just waiting for him to show up, so we could began healing. The church then unanimously agreed, and crowded around their family to hug them and support them.
This shows the meaning of both verses 1 & 2. vs 1 "Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. (vs2) Bear ye one another burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ". There are different types of burdens, and we are to help each other carry those burdens, whatever they are. Vs 3 tells us that if we are conceited then we are lying to ourselves. It warns us not to think more of ourselves than we should. Vs.4 "But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another". In other words we are to rely on ourselves, instead of expecting handouts from others. That way we can have pride in ourselves. Vs. 5 "For every man shall bear his own burden". Here is the contradiction I spoke of earlier. Verse 2 says bear each others burdens, verse 5 says to bear our own burden. Here is why there is no contradiction, just as with this man there are times when we are not able to carry the burden we are under, it is just too heavy, or to hard. At these times we are to help each other, we are to support each other and help carry part of each others burden. We are to do this until and only until the other person can carry it on their own. Then once we give it back to them, and they are able to survive under it's weight, and even thrive, then at that point he will be able to rejoice knowing that he is able to take care of his own. Instead of getting discouraged because he is crushed by the weight of his life.
Think about this, most people never consider this, after Peter walked on the water, and had to be rescued by Jesus, they were still out on the water and had to make it back to the boat. How did Peter get back to the boat? You see when Peter began to sink, Jesus bore his burden, then I believe (this if found nowhere in Scripture, it is just my own thoughts), I believe that once Jesus plucked him from the waves, they both walked back to the ship. Jesus, holding Peter's hand so he would not sink again. This allowed Peter to help get himself out of the mess. Jesus could have just carried him, or teleported them back to the ship, but I need to believe that instead of Jesus just fixing the situation, He allowed Peter to help bear his own burden. By doing this He allowed Peter the opportunity to overcome his failure, so that he did not feel like a failure. Yes, he failed and he had to live with that, but at least he had a hand in correcting his failure instead of being bailed out.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Our Church
This is a hard devotion for me to write. There are emotions here that I want to accurately convey, this is not an easy task. You see, I went to a meeting this morning for a church that had some problems. The members that were there this morning, arrived at church one Sunday morning to find the doors locked, and the pastor nowhere to be found. Now they were faced with the decision of whether to disband, or put in some hard work to get the church back up where it should be. When the members began to talk about that morning, and they began to talk about their beloved church and all that they were doing, even when they were just talking about the building and the condition it is in now, they began to weep. All of them, began to weep. I saw something then that I think many of us tend to forget and take for granted. Turn to Eph. 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it". Christ loved the church, should we do any less? Vs27 "The He might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" I believe that from what I saw this morning that this church will be a glorious church. I believe that these people love their church, because it is where they worship their LORD.
The church is just a building, but it is a building where we worship God, or should be. The church is not supposed to be a social gathering, nor is it supposed to be a place to have worldly things going on. It is the house of God, it is to be a place of worship. Heb. 10:25 tells us not to "forsake the assembling of ourselves together", I believe this verse is so much more than just about skipping church. Let's look at why someone would forsake the assembling of the church, of course there are times when someone is sick, or has to work, or some other commitment that can not be helped, that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about those people who just decide they don't want to go today. Why would someone decide to forsake church? It is because they don't love their church. If they loved the church they would be there every time the doors were open. I know a man, that is a huge football fan, I don't remember what team he likes. But, anyway he got tickets to see his team play, so he drove from Mississippi to Minnesota in January, with a cold. That cold turned into the flu, and yet he still went to the game, sat in the stadium with a fever of 102, and the outside temperature was below zero, wind chill something like 30 below, in the snow. Yet when he was at home, he would skip church for just a small headache. He loved football, but he did not love his church.
In Mt. 16:18 Jesus tells Peter "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it". These people I saw this morning, were also the rock that the church is built on. 1 Peter 2:5 "Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ". I am here to tell you this morning I saw lively stones, I saw the Spirit of God in these people, I saw Christ love for the church this morning.
I've got one more verse, in Ezra ch. 3, we see where the foundations of the Temple were being relaid, the nation of Israel was just coming out of captivity in Babylon. So in Ch 3 vs 12 the foundation was finished, and the Bible says, "But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy". These are people that loved their place of worship, they remembered how God had blessed them in the old Temple, and when they saw that it would not be long before they had a new Temple, a new place of worship, they were overcome with joy. They could not contain their emotions. This is how it should be for all of us we should weep when we miss church. We should weep when anything bad happens at our church. If a water line breaks, we should run to the church to clean up the mess before any damage is done. When vandals, desecrate the building, we should weep over it.
Do you love your church this much?
I know the building is just a building, a place to meet, but it is also where we meet, it is where we receive the blessing of the Word of God, it is where we spend time with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is where we are feed spiritually. But, it is more than that, it is the other members, it is the pastor, we should love these things more than the building, the building is just where we are surrounded by church family, our pastor, the Spirit of God dwells there. We should love our church, every part of it. I know I need to pray that God will give me this kind of love for my church, what about you?
The church is just a building, but it is a building where we worship God, or should be. The church is not supposed to be a social gathering, nor is it supposed to be a place to have worldly things going on. It is the house of God, it is to be a place of worship. Heb. 10:25 tells us not to "forsake the assembling of ourselves together", I believe this verse is so much more than just about skipping church. Let's look at why someone would forsake the assembling of the church, of course there are times when someone is sick, or has to work, or some other commitment that can not be helped, that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about those people who just decide they don't want to go today. Why would someone decide to forsake church? It is because they don't love their church. If they loved the church they would be there every time the doors were open. I know a man, that is a huge football fan, I don't remember what team he likes. But, anyway he got tickets to see his team play, so he drove from Mississippi to Minnesota in January, with a cold. That cold turned into the flu, and yet he still went to the game, sat in the stadium with a fever of 102, and the outside temperature was below zero, wind chill something like 30 below, in the snow. Yet when he was at home, he would skip church for just a small headache. He loved football, but he did not love his church.
In Mt. 16:18 Jesus tells Peter "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it". These people I saw this morning, were also the rock that the church is built on. 1 Peter 2:5 "Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ". I am here to tell you this morning I saw lively stones, I saw the Spirit of God in these people, I saw Christ love for the church this morning.
I've got one more verse, in Ezra ch. 3, we see where the foundations of the Temple were being relaid, the nation of Israel was just coming out of captivity in Babylon. So in Ch 3 vs 12 the foundation was finished, and the Bible says, "But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy". These are people that loved their place of worship, they remembered how God had blessed them in the old Temple, and when they saw that it would not be long before they had a new Temple, a new place of worship, they were overcome with joy. They could not contain their emotions. This is how it should be for all of us we should weep when we miss church. We should weep when anything bad happens at our church. If a water line breaks, we should run to the church to clean up the mess before any damage is done. When vandals, desecrate the building, we should weep over it.
Do you love your church this much?
I know the building is just a building, a place to meet, but it is also where we meet, it is where we receive the blessing of the Word of God, it is where we spend time with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is where we are feed spiritually. But, it is more than that, it is the other members, it is the pastor, we should love these things more than the building, the building is just where we are surrounded by church family, our pastor, the Spirit of God dwells there. We should love our church, every part of it. I know I need to pray that God will give me this kind of love for my church, what about you?
Friday, August 20, 2010
Is There a Roof on Your House
Good morning, we are going to start this morning in Genesis 12:8. There is a story of a devout Christian went to work for an unsaved farmer, back in the days when it was customary for the farmer to provide a room for the hired hands. Even though the job was easy, and the pay was generous the Christian believer did not stay long at the farm. When he was applying for another job, he was asked why he did not stay any longer than he did. He answered, "there is no roof on the house". "No roof", the surprised farmer said, "I've been in his house and there is a roof, where did he have you sleeping"? In order to explain, he quoted an old saying, "A dwelling in which regular prayer is not offered to God is like a house without a roof. Those who live there cannot have peace, comfort, or safety".
In Genesis we see where Abraham traveled to a far country. All the dangers, and unknown could have filled his days with fear and anxiety, but instead he worshiped God. In chapter 12:8 we see, "And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on east: and there he builded an alter unto the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD." He was showing his complete dependence on, and trust in God.
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil" Eph 5:15-16. VS20 "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ". Back when I was taking piano lessons, after a particularly bad lesson, my teacher asked me how often I was practicing. I responded at least one hour after school every day, sometimes more. "Oh, no don't do that". She said, then offered this advice, "Do your practicing in minutes, whenever you can find them. Five or ten minutes before school, 5 minutes before lunch, or in between chores. This way the music becomes part of your life, not just another chore, that requires you to miss out on other things".
John Erskine, wrote his most famous work "The Private Life of Helen of Troy", on streetcars while commuting between his home and the university. Do you carry your Bible, or a devotional book with you when you are out running errands? What about the wait at the doctors office? Do you use those times to pray, what about when standing in line at the grocery store? That is a great time to pray, instead of reading the covers of the smut magazines, talk to God. I have a 15 min. drive down a 4-lane highway every time I go to town, and back home, I use this time to pray. Now when I am in town, I am praying for safety, but it is a little different type of prayer. In town it's more like, "LORD have mercy on me. Keep me safe. Watch that car for me, they are trying to run me over, God make sure I see the cops before they see me". But, out on the highway I take a minute, and a deep breath to let go of all my other thoughts, (other than focusing on driving), and I just have a good conversation with God.
At home, while I am cooking I have a few moments to talk to God, I fall asleep every night talking to God. While others are watching tv, I have no idea what is happening, because I take that time also to pray. This does not include my "prayer time", when I go in the bedroom, close the door and just bask in His glory. But, more on that tomorrow. I never planned on doing these multiple day devotions, but lately that is what God has given me, and I for one am looking forward to what He has planned next.
In Genesis we see where Abraham traveled to a far country. All the dangers, and unknown could have filled his days with fear and anxiety, but instead he worshiped God. In chapter 12:8 we see, "And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on east: and there he builded an alter unto the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD." He was showing his complete dependence on, and trust in God.
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil" Eph 5:15-16. VS20 "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ". Back when I was taking piano lessons, after a particularly bad lesson, my teacher asked me how often I was practicing. I responded at least one hour after school every day, sometimes more. "Oh, no don't do that". She said, then offered this advice, "Do your practicing in minutes, whenever you can find them. Five or ten minutes before school, 5 minutes before lunch, or in between chores. This way the music becomes part of your life, not just another chore, that requires you to miss out on other things".
John Erskine, wrote his most famous work "The Private Life of Helen of Troy", on streetcars while commuting between his home and the university. Do you carry your Bible, or a devotional book with you when you are out running errands? What about the wait at the doctors office? Do you use those times to pray, what about when standing in line at the grocery store? That is a great time to pray, instead of reading the covers of the smut magazines, talk to God. I have a 15 min. drive down a 4-lane highway every time I go to town, and back home, I use this time to pray. Now when I am in town, I am praying for safety, but it is a little different type of prayer. In town it's more like, "LORD have mercy on me. Keep me safe. Watch that car for me, they are trying to run me over, God make sure I see the cops before they see me". But, out on the highway I take a minute, and a deep breath to let go of all my other thoughts, (other than focusing on driving), and I just have a good conversation with God.
At home, while I am cooking I have a few moments to talk to God, I fall asleep every night talking to God. While others are watching tv, I have no idea what is happening, because I take that time also to pray. This does not include my "prayer time", when I go in the bedroom, close the door and just bask in His glory. But, more on that tomorrow. I never planned on doing these multiple day devotions, but lately that is what God has given me, and I for one am looking forward to what He has planned next.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Cannibalism
Good morning, I pray all is well with you today. My insomnia was acting up last night, so you may have to overlook some typo's or I may lose my train of thought momentarily, I think I managed to get about two hours and fifteen minutes sleep last night.
Let's start today in Gal. 5:13-15, the key verse is 15, "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another". Years ago, I took Garrett out on a "Dad and Me" day, after running some errands we stopped to get some hamburgers. After getting our order and sitting down, we had gotten about halfway through our meal, when I began to hear some arguing from the booth behind me. At first I could hear them, but could not understand what they were saying, then I heard the old man snarl, "what did you say". A woman shot back, "I said, I'd never come crawling to you. I couldn't get that low." He returned her compliment by calling her a "fat slob, that no other man would put up with", and continued with a lot of cursing, telling her he didn't know why he put up with her. After she said something else he said that he "didn't know why he brought her to such a nice restaurant, it was above her". "I do", she hollered, "you've got a guilty conscience!"
During all of this I noticed Garrett staring over my shoulder, worried I was about to ask him what he was thinking, and if he wanted to leave. But before I could, he said "Dad, I don't think they know Jesus. If they did they would love each other, instead of talking to each other like that". Out of the mouth of a baby, came the truth in the word of God. Christ came into the world to save us from the lust and foolishness of the flesh. Had this couple known the peace and love of Christ, they would not have resorted to the cannibalism they did, instead they would have chewed up their food, instead of each other. We have been forgiven and have received a spirit of love.
Now turn over to James 3:2-13 "...If any man offend not in word,...and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold we put bits in the horses" mouths...and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great...yet are they turned about with a very small helm...Even so the tongue is a little member...Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire...that it defileth the whole body...and it is set on fire of hell...But the tongue can no man tame; it is unruly evil, full of deadly poison...Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree my brethren bear olive berries?...So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom".
The great fire of London in 1666 began in a small shop, but as it spread out of control, it left most of that sprawling city in ashes. The fire of 1871 in Chicago is said to have started in a shed when a kerosene lamp was accidentally overturned. Yet it devastated approximately 2,000 acres, left 90,000 people homeless, and destroyed 196 million dollars' worth of property. A tiny spark can easily cause a raging fire. So too, one small sin of the tongue can start a frightening chain of events that often ends in catastrophe. The preacher and founder of the Radio Bible Class, Dr. M. R. De Haan once said, "The most deadly member in the human body is the tongue. We can kick with our feet and strike with our fist, but neither can do as much damage as a loose tongue. The bruise of a kick will heal, the black eye caused by a blow from a fist will clear up, but the wounds inflicted by unkind words, idle gossip, outright lying, and vicious slandering can never be completely healed."
How many times have you seen someone say something ugly about someone else, and the hurt feelings, and fighting's have lasted for years after? How many times have you seen careless words destroy whole families, and split churches? Are you like me, and try to avoid being around those people that only have negative things to say about other people? Do you listen to rumors, or worse help spread them, under the guise of "finding the truth"? I believe I told you how a while back, before I realized what was happening, I was told a rumor about something that supposedly happened at the church. Instead of going to the people supposedly involved, because of the serious possibility of hurt feelings, I went to the pastor, because he was supposed to know about this. I sat down in his office behind closed doors, and I said, "I was told that about two months ago there was something very bad happened here at the church, something bad enough that if the whole church was to find out, it would split the church. I was also told you know about it. Now I don't want to know any details, nor am I going to give any, I am just here to ask you if you know about anything this serious happening?" He said that right off the top of his head, he did not know what I was talking about, then asked who was supposedly involved, because knowing this might help him know what I was talking about. I responded, "If I tell you that, just that little bit, I feel I would be helping to spread the rumor, so I can't do that." Then I said, "this is serious enough that it could split the church, if anything that serious happened, you would know what I am talking about, I don't care if it did or not as far as that goes, but if it happened, and if it comes out there could be legal repercussions, and I just want to be prepared, so that I can help fight whatever legal battles comes up."
You see, I felt that from a legal standpoint I needed to know the truth, however even though I was talking to the pastor and knew for a fact he would not repeat anything, I still felt it was wrong to tell anything I heard. Because, if he knew which church member was spreading rumors of this magnitude, it could cause hurt feelings between them. If he knew who was supposedly involved (even if this was not true), it could cause hurt feelings there also. But, more importantly we are told in the Bible that we are not too spread rumors, so I could not tell anything, not even "to find the truth".
Whether or not this happened was actually none of my business, I did not need to know. However, once it came to the point that it could cause a church split, and cause legal problems for the church, I needed to know if at some point, whether or not I might be involved in a legal battle was my concern and that I needed to know. When He was unable to think of anything happening that was that serious that told me all I needed to know. Because of how I handled the situation, the only hurt feelings are between me, and the person that told me. However, this is not the first time this person has done something to lose my respect, so really it did not make things any worse, just added to the list of reasons for me to avoid them. The way I handled the situation, I was able to put out the fire, instead of adding fuel to it. I was able to prevent the cannibalism that this person was trying to cause.
The only way I was able to handle the situation correctly, is that as soon as I heard this rumor, I got on my knees (figuratively speaking), and I asked God for wisdom, I asked for guidance, and I asked for Him to be with me, I asked for Him to go with me so that I could go in a spirit of love, and for Him to prepare the pastors heart, and to be with him so that he could accept my questions in the spirit of love I intended them to be asked in.
Let's start today in Gal. 5:13-15, the key verse is 15, "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another". Years ago, I took Garrett out on a "Dad and Me" day, after running some errands we stopped to get some hamburgers. After getting our order and sitting down, we had gotten about halfway through our meal, when I began to hear some arguing from the booth behind me. At first I could hear them, but could not understand what they were saying, then I heard the old man snarl, "what did you say". A woman shot back, "I said, I'd never come crawling to you. I couldn't get that low." He returned her compliment by calling her a "fat slob, that no other man would put up with", and continued with a lot of cursing, telling her he didn't know why he put up with her. After she said something else he said that he "didn't know why he brought her to such a nice restaurant, it was above her". "I do", she hollered, "you've got a guilty conscience!"
During all of this I noticed Garrett staring over my shoulder, worried I was about to ask him what he was thinking, and if he wanted to leave. But before I could, he said "Dad, I don't think they know Jesus. If they did they would love each other, instead of talking to each other like that". Out of the mouth of a baby, came the truth in the word of God. Christ came into the world to save us from the lust and foolishness of the flesh. Had this couple known the peace and love of Christ, they would not have resorted to the cannibalism they did, instead they would have chewed up their food, instead of each other. We have been forgiven and have received a spirit of love.
Now turn over to James 3:2-13 "...If any man offend not in word,...and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold we put bits in the horses" mouths...and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great...yet are they turned about with a very small helm...Even so the tongue is a little member...Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire...that it defileth the whole body...and it is set on fire of hell...But the tongue can no man tame; it is unruly evil, full of deadly poison...Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree my brethren bear olive berries?...So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom".
The great fire of London in 1666 began in a small shop, but as it spread out of control, it left most of that sprawling city in ashes. The fire of 1871 in Chicago is said to have started in a shed when a kerosene lamp was accidentally overturned. Yet it devastated approximately 2,000 acres, left 90,000 people homeless, and destroyed 196 million dollars' worth of property. A tiny spark can easily cause a raging fire. So too, one small sin of the tongue can start a frightening chain of events that often ends in catastrophe. The preacher and founder of the Radio Bible Class, Dr. M. R. De Haan once said, "The most deadly member in the human body is the tongue. We can kick with our feet and strike with our fist, but neither can do as much damage as a loose tongue. The bruise of a kick will heal, the black eye caused by a blow from a fist will clear up, but the wounds inflicted by unkind words, idle gossip, outright lying, and vicious slandering can never be completely healed."
How many times have you seen someone say something ugly about someone else, and the hurt feelings, and fighting's have lasted for years after? How many times have you seen careless words destroy whole families, and split churches? Are you like me, and try to avoid being around those people that only have negative things to say about other people? Do you listen to rumors, or worse help spread them, under the guise of "finding the truth"? I believe I told you how a while back, before I realized what was happening, I was told a rumor about something that supposedly happened at the church. Instead of going to the people supposedly involved, because of the serious possibility of hurt feelings, I went to the pastor, because he was supposed to know about this. I sat down in his office behind closed doors, and I said, "I was told that about two months ago there was something very bad happened here at the church, something bad enough that if the whole church was to find out, it would split the church. I was also told you know about it. Now I don't want to know any details, nor am I going to give any, I am just here to ask you if you know about anything this serious happening?" He said that right off the top of his head, he did not know what I was talking about, then asked who was supposedly involved, because knowing this might help him know what I was talking about. I responded, "If I tell you that, just that little bit, I feel I would be helping to spread the rumor, so I can't do that." Then I said, "this is serious enough that it could split the church, if anything that serious happened, you would know what I am talking about, I don't care if it did or not as far as that goes, but if it happened, and if it comes out there could be legal repercussions, and I just want to be prepared, so that I can help fight whatever legal battles comes up."
You see, I felt that from a legal standpoint I needed to know the truth, however even though I was talking to the pastor and knew for a fact he would not repeat anything, I still felt it was wrong to tell anything I heard. Because, if he knew which church member was spreading rumors of this magnitude, it could cause hurt feelings between them. If he knew who was supposedly involved (even if this was not true), it could cause hurt feelings there also. But, more importantly we are told in the Bible that we are not too spread rumors, so I could not tell anything, not even "to find the truth".
Whether or not this happened was actually none of my business, I did not need to know. However, once it came to the point that it could cause a church split, and cause legal problems for the church, I needed to know if at some point, whether or not I might be involved in a legal battle was my concern and that I needed to know. When He was unable to think of anything happening that was that serious that told me all I needed to know. Because of how I handled the situation, the only hurt feelings are between me, and the person that told me. However, this is not the first time this person has done something to lose my respect, so really it did not make things any worse, just added to the list of reasons for me to avoid them. The way I handled the situation, I was able to put out the fire, instead of adding fuel to it. I was able to prevent the cannibalism that this person was trying to cause.
The only way I was able to handle the situation correctly, is that as soon as I heard this rumor, I got on my knees (figuratively speaking), and I asked God for wisdom, I asked for guidance, and I asked for Him to be with me, I asked for Him to go with me so that I could go in a spirit of love, and for Him to prepare the pastors heart, and to be with him so that he could accept my questions in the spirit of love I intended them to be asked in.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tail Wagging the Dog
Good morning, I pray all is well with you. I want to give you a little poem first this morning, then I'll get into the devotion.
There was a dachshund once, so long/ He hadn't any notion/ How long it took to notify/ His tail of his emotion;/ And so it happened, while his eyes/ Were filled with woe and sadness,/ His little tail went wagging on/ Because of previous gladness.
Now I know you are asking what in the world that poem has to do with a Bible devotion. Let's look at today's passage, Deut. 7:12-19, vs 18 "Thou shalt not be afraid of them; but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt:". Moses was talking to the Israelites about when they actually entered the promised land, and he was describing how they would face enemies that were larger, and more powerful than they were. He said, that when you look at them you will get scared that we will not be able to defeat them, however, remember what God has already done for you. Remember all the ways God has already blessed you, remember all the ways God has already protected you. If you will do this, then there will be no reason for you to be afraid.
If we are facing famine, remember how God has already fed us. If we are facing defeat, remember all the battles He has placed in our hands. If we are facing ridicule remember how many times the tables have turned already. If your bank account is empty remember how many times, and all the ways He has provided for you in the past. No matter what difficulty you are facing, no matter how bad things seem, If you will stop and remember the goodness, greatness, and love of God you will have reason to rejoice over your trouble.
Romans 8:31 "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" Another way to look at that verse, "If God be for us, what can be against us?" There is power in prayer. Some people say that the most powerful thing on earth is the Atom Bomb, they say that splitting the atom that way produces more power than any other thing possible to exist. And, it is a horrible power, just look at Hiroshima. However, I am here to tell you there is something more powerful, the power of prayer to the one and only, Holy Righteous LORD God.
Look at it this way, "God gave us memories so that we might have roses in January". Roses are very beautiful flowers, probably the most beautiful. Unfortunately they only grow during the summer, but stop and think for a minute, try to remember a rose you saw on your bush, or a friends bush last summer. It is the same way with the blessings of God, just try to remember one time God blessed you. Now I imagine by now, you could probably list somewhere close to 10 times He blessed you. When it comes to remembering God's blessings, you can't stop at just one, if you ever get started you will be there a while. How can you be scared, worried, upset, anything other than joyous when you are remembering all the ways you have been blessed?
There was a dachshund once, so long/ He hadn't any notion/ How long it took to notify/ His tail of his emotion;/ And so it happened, while his eyes/ Were filled with woe and sadness,/ His little tail went wagging on/ Because of previous gladness.
Now I know you are asking what in the world that poem has to do with a Bible devotion. Let's look at today's passage, Deut. 7:12-19, vs 18 "Thou shalt not be afraid of them; but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt:". Moses was talking to the Israelites about when they actually entered the promised land, and he was describing how they would face enemies that were larger, and more powerful than they were. He said, that when you look at them you will get scared that we will not be able to defeat them, however, remember what God has already done for you. Remember all the ways God has already blessed you, remember all the ways God has already protected you. If you will do this, then there will be no reason for you to be afraid.
If we are facing famine, remember how God has already fed us. If we are facing defeat, remember all the battles He has placed in our hands. If we are facing ridicule remember how many times the tables have turned already. If your bank account is empty remember how many times, and all the ways He has provided for you in the past. No matter what difficulty you are facing, no matter how bad things seem, If you will stop and remember the goodness, greatness, and love of God you will have reason to rejoice over your trouble.
Romans 8:31 "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" Another way to look at that verse, "If God be for us, what can be against us?" There is power in prayer. Some people say that the most powerful thing on earth is the Atom Bomb, they say that splitting the atom that way produces more power than any other thing possible to exist. And, it is a horrible power, just look at Hiroshima. However, I am here to tell you there is something more powerful, the power of prayer to the one and only, Holy Righteous LORD God.
Look at it this way, "God gave us memories so that we might have roses in January". Roses are very beautiful flowers, probably the most beautiful. Unfortunately they only grow during the summer, but stop and think for a minute, try to remember a rose you saw on your bush, or a friends bush last summer. It is the same way with the blessings of God, just try to remember one time God blessed you. Now I imagine by now, you could probably list somewhere close to 10 times He blessed you. When it comes to remembering God's blessings, you can't stop at just one, if you ever get started you will be there a while. How can you be scared, worried, upset, anything other than joyous when you are remembering all the ways you have been blessed?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Still Small Voice pt. 2
Good Tuesday morning to all of you. First thing we see in our passage this morning, in 1 Kg chapter 19, is that an angel ministered to Elijah and prepared him for the journey he was about to take. Then once Elijah arrived at Horeb, the mount of God, the word of the LORD came to him. In verse 11, we see where Elijah was told to "Go stand upon the mount before the LORD". Then the Bible says that the LORD himself passed by, and that a great and strong wind "rent" the mountain. I don't know about you, but if I was to experience a wind strong enough to tear rock, I would probably pass out from fear, either that or forget I was not in the bathroom. But the terror was not over yet, next there was an earthquake, then a fire, each time the Bible says that the LORD was not in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire. Then there was a still small voice. And, God was in the voice, because it was the voice of God. The voice asked "What doest thou here Elijah?"
1.First I want to look at the first three things that happened, the strongest tornado in the history of the world, an earthquake, and a fire. All of these happened after Elijah was told to leave the safety of his cave and stand on the mount. God wanted him in the danger zone, God wanted him where things were happening, where the power of God was going to be made known. He also wants us to leave the safety of the cave and to get out where those things are going on.
2. No matter what happens God will keep us safe, as long as that is His plan. And as long as He still has something for you to do, His plan will be to keep you safe.
3. Despite everything that happened, despite all the danger around him, Elijah did not move. He could have ran for cover, but he stayed put. He stayed right where God wanted him to be.
4. Because Elijah did what he was told to do, because he was where he was supposed to be, he received a great blessing. If you have ever heard that still small voice, then you will understand what I mean about this being a blessing.
There have been several times in my life, I obeyed God and went where He wanted me, and then managed to stay there despite what happened while I was there, until He told me it was time to go somewhere else and I received a blessing because of it. Other times my obedience fell apart at some point along the line. At times, I never obeyed to start with, other times I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, but I got scared, or frustrated, or embarrassed, or whatever emotion, and I stopped obeying. Because of that I either missed out on a blessing, or I had to undergo chastisement due to my disobedience.
What has God asked you to do? Are you doing it? Are you willing to stand in the wind, to stand through an earthquake, or stand the heat of a fire in order to be in the spot God wants you? Elijah was in no danger from any of these occurrences, God was both testing Elijah, and teaching him a lesson. If you remember Jezebel was trying to kill him, and Elijah was scared so bad that he wanted to die. God was telling him, as long as you are where I want you, doing what I want you to do, you have nothing to fear. I have not completely learned this, have you?
Don't get me wrong, bad things happen to God's children, especially those that are doing His will, just remember Job if you don't believe it. However even with Job, Satan could only do what God allowed. As long as you are doing God's will, nothing can happen to you that God does not allow, and He will not allow it, unless He wants it to happen. So what am I afraid of? Why do I find it so hard sometimes to obey what He tells me?
1.First I want to look at the first three things that happened, the strongest tornado in the history of the world, an earthquake, and a fire. All of these happened after Elijah was told to leave the safety of his cave and stand on the mount. God wanted him in the danger zone, God wanted him where things were happening, where the power of God was going to be made known. He also wants us to leave the safety of the cave and to get out where those things are going on.
2. No matter what happens God will keep us safe, as long as that is His plan. And as long as He still has something for you to do, His plan will be to keep you safe.
3. Despite everything that happened, despite all the danger around him, Elijah did not move. He could have ran for cover, but he stayed put. He stayed right where God wanted him to be.
4. Because Elijah did what he was told to do, because he was where he was supposed to be, he received a great blessing. If you have ever heard that still small voice, then you will understand what I mean about this being a blessing.
There have been several times in my life, I obeyed God and went where He wanted me, and then managed to stay there despite what happened while I was there, until He told me it was time to go somewhere else and I received a blessing because of it. Other times my obedience fell apart at some point along the line. At times, I never obeyed to start with, other times I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, but I got scared, or frustrated, or embarrassed, or whatever emotion, and I stopped obeying. Because of that I either missed out on a blessing, or I had to undergo chastisement due to my disobedience.
What has God asked you to do? Are you doing it? Are you willing to stand in the wind, to stand through an earthquake, or stand the heat of a fire in order to be in the spot God wants you? Elijah was in no danger from any of these occurrences, God was both testing Elijah, and teaching him a lesson. If you remember Jezebel was trying to kill him, and Elijah was scared so bad that he wanted to die. God was telling him, as long as you are where I want you, doing what I want you to do, you have nothing to fear. I have not completely learned this, have you?
Don't get me wrong, bad things happen to God's children, especially those that are doing His will, just remember Job if you don't believe it. However even with Job, Satan could only do what God allowed. As long as you are doing God's will, nothing can happen to you that God does not allow, and He will not allow it, unless He wants it to happen. So what am I afraid of? Why do I find it so hard sometimes to obey what He tells me?
Monday, August 16, 2010
I was Ashamed of Myself.
Good Monday morning, once again Mr. Insomnia showed up last night, so you may have to overlook me, if something does not make sense. Once again we will spend two days looking at two different things in the same verse.
You see yesterday morning I was having one of those pity party moments, just wondering why I had not seen God working in my life lately. There have been a lot of different things that I have been praying about, and yet I have not seen that many answers to my prayers. Actually in some of those situations the situation has gotten worse instead of better.
Then as I was getting in the shower to go to church, I heard that still small voice ask me, "what about all the times I have spoken to you lately?". Immediately I was ashamed of myself, you see I have been looking for God to work in some miraculous way, and I completely overlooked all the times that I have heard His voice directing my path. It wasn't that He hasn't worked in my life, it's that I got caught up looking for one thing, when He was doing something else. Then as I was praying, thanking Him for showing me what He has been doing, and asking forgiveness for not seeing what He had been doing, He first gave me today's devotion, and then showed me tomorrow's also. This should be a familiar passage to you, I have used it a couple of times already, but apparently I need it again, and I imagine someone else needs it too.
If your child, or grandchild (as some of you are that old, I'm not yet), comes to you scared, how do you talk to them? If they just come to you, just because they want to show you something, or they just want a moment of attention from you, how do you talk to them? Do you use the same large, booming voice you use when you are trying to stop them from doing something that can hurt them, or do you lower your voice, and try to soften it up to show your love. I know when Aaron comes running up to me saying, "daddydaddydaddydaddy" I always ask softly "what is it?". Usually he just says "see" and holds up one of his toys, and I will softly say "yea, I see". Then he goes back to his room, he just wanted to know that he could still get my attention. In 1 Kings 19:12, after a series of a strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire, the Bible says that God was not in any of those, "and after the fire a still small voice". That is where God was, showing His love for Elijah.
With everything going on around Elijah, God was showing His love by being a comfort, Elijah was expecting God to work in some big extraordinary way, and yet God found it more important to be a comfort to Elijah. However Elijah knew immediately the call of God, I had to be reminded of how many times He has spoken to me, how many times He has directed my path lately, how many times He has shown His love for me, and comforted me lately. I thought I knew how He should be working in my life, but of course He knows more than I do, He knows better than I do what I need. I wanted Him to do something that would ease our financial problems, I was looking for something that would ease my physical problems, I was looking for other problems to be resolved. However, God said, "I'm just going to comfort you, and lead you in the way you should go. My grace is sufficient".
I thank God, for reminding me that I should be thankful for all the times that He has shown His love for me, by being a calming presence in a time of trouble. And for showing me what His will is for my life, after all I want to stay in the center of His will. Sometimes we have to discern what His will is, lately He has told me what He wanted from me. I guess He knew that I probably would not be able to discern correctly, because of the things going on in my life, and rather than have to chastise me for not doing right He made it clear enough that I could understand. I don't know about you, but I love to hear that still small voice. Not only is it the most beautiful sound I've ever heard, but it is so calming, after all it is the voice of my God, making His presence known in my life, how can I be affected by the world, when I know that God is beside me, loving me, when I know that He considers me worthy to hear His voice. I am extremely humbled, knowing that He considers me worthy.
Tomorrow, part two of this, even though I am going to look at something totally different, it does go right along with today's lesson.
You see yesterday morning I was having one of those pity party moments, just wondering why I had not seen God working in my life lately. There have been a lot of different things that I have been praying about, and yet I have not seen that many answers to my prayers. Actually in some of those situations the situation has gotten worse instead of better.
Then as I was getting in the shower to go to church, I heard that still small voice ask me, "what about all the times I have spoken to you lately?". Immediately I was ashamed of myself, you see I have been looking for God to work in some miraculous way, and I completely overlooked all the times that I have heard His voice directing my path. It wasn't that He hasn't worked in my life, it's that I got caught up looking for one thing, when He was doing something else. Then as I was praying, thanking Him for showing me what He has been doing, and asking forgiveness for not seeing what He had been doing, He first gave me today's devotion, and then showed me tomorrow's also. This should be a familiar passage to you, I have used it a couple of times already, but apparently I need it again, and I imagine someone else needs it too.
If your child, or grandchild (as some of you are that old, I'm not yet), comes to you scared, how do you talk to them? If they just come to you, just because they want to show you something, or they just want a moment of attention from you, how do you talk to them? Do you use the same large, booming voice you use when you are trying to stop them from doing something that can hurt them, or do you lower your voice, and try to soften it up to show your love. I know when Aaron comes running up to me saying, "daddydaddydaddydaddy" I always ask softly "what is it?". Usually he just says "see" and holds up one of his toys, and I will softly say "yea, I see". Then he goes back to his room, he just wanted to know that he could still get my attention. In 1 Kings 19:12, after a series of a strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire, the Bible says that God was not in any of those, "and after the fire a still small voice". That is where God was, showing His love for Elijah.
With everything going on around Elijah, God was showing His love by being a comfort, Elijah was expecting God to work in some big extraordinary way, and yet God found it more important to be a comfort to Elijah. However Elijah knew immediately the call of God, I had to be reminded of how many times He has spoken to me, how many times He has directed my path lately, how many times He has shown His love for me, and comforted me lately. I thought I knew how He should be working in my life, but of course He knows more than I do, He knows better than I do what I need. I wanted Him to do something that would ease our financial problems, I was looking for something that would ease my physical problems, I was looking for other problems to be resolved. However, God said, "I'm just going to comfort you, and lead you in the way you should go. My grace is sufficient".
I thank God, for reminding me that I should be thankful for all the times that He has shown His love for me, by being a calming presence in a time of trouble. And for showing me what His will is for my life, after all I want to stay in the center of His will. Sometimes we have to discern what His will is, lately He has told me what He wanted from me. I guess He knew that I probably would not be able to discern correctly, because of the things going on in my life, and rather than have to chastise me for not doing right He made it clear enough that I could understand. I don't know about you, but I love to hear that still small voice. Not only is it the most beautiful sound I've ever heard, but it is so calming, after all it is the voice of my God, making His presence known in my life, how can I be affected by the world, when I know that God is beside me, loving me, when I know that He considers me worthy to hear His voice. I am extremely humbled, knowing that He considers me worthy.
Tomorrow, part two of this, even though I am going to look at something totally different, it does go right along with today's lesson.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Extraordinary Faith Pt. 2
Good Sunday morning to all of you, I pray that as we go to church today we all see the Shekinah glory of God.
Now back to Moses, starting in vs 23, the first thing we notice is that Moses had parents that not only loved and cared about him, but they feared, and loved God more than they feared men. They chanced prison and death in order to protect him from the world, and to set him aside for use by God. If we had more parents today that were willing to do this, then the world could return to the former glory of this country.
In vs 24-25, we see the results of Moses parents work, in that he had grown up and he was willing to suffer the affliction and the "shame" (as far as they were slaves in Egypt at the time) of being called an Israelite, and a child of God. He gave up all the riches of the world, in order to obtain the riches of eternity. This leads us right into vs. 26-27, because of where his treasure was laid up, he followed God into the desert, he was willing to go, and do what and where God wanted him. We are told in vs. 28-29 that he obeyed God through all, and everything in both Egypt and the wilderness. Even down to crossing the Red Sea on dry land, while the waters raged on either side of the Israelites.
Let's go back to vs. 26-27 for just a few moments, there is so much contained in these verse that I wanted to look at them separately.
1. "Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt:"
First we need to remember Christ had not yet come. And yet Moses in his faith still considered the service of God to be of greater value than all the riches Egypt had to offer. When we go to work, are we willing to actually live like Christians, are do we "try not to rock the boat", when others start to act like the world? What about when we go to church? Are we real Christians, or do we act the way other people think that Christians are supposed to act?
2. Are we willing to suffer as Moses did? Are we willing to give up the riches of the world, in order to stay true to God? What do we do for entertainment, does it glorify God, or the world? Going to the lake on the weekend is fine, as long as Sunday we are in both church services. Going to the movies, technically is ok, depending on what we are going to watch. (This is getting increasingly more difficult, as even the "childrens" movies have so many innuendo's and references to drugs, alcohol and sex).
3. "for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible". Throughout everything, Moses endured. He endured what? Endured as though he had seen God. Moses faith was so strong, that even through his sin, his exile, and everything else, he kept his eyes on God. He believed God was real so strongly that it was as if he had seen Him in the flesh. I would love to hear someone say my faith was that strong.
I pray that one day, I will hear God tell me that my faith rivaled that of Moses, Paul, Abraham, Noah, Enoch, or any of the other great men and women mentioned in these verses, in the Bible. I pray that I will do as He ask me to do, no matter what it is. What about you, do you want to see miracles like those seen by these men and women? Do you want to see a miracle the size of those mentioned here? We can see miracles this big, and bigger, God is not out of the miracle business. He still has the power, and desire, however He tells us, that first we must have faith in Him, the size of the faith these people had.
I do want to point out that no matter how much faith we have, we are not going to change God's will, or His plan just because we have faith that something is going to happen. For a few years, I had faith I would be healed. I knew I would be healed, not think I might, or hope I might, I knew, I had faith I would be. Then I realized that God's plan was not for me to be healed, but that I have faith that His grace would be sufficient. And it always has been, and always will be. You can have all the faith in the world that your child will get home from school between 3:30-4:00, but that does not mean that they will. They might get home at 3:20, or the might get home at 3:40 or, well let's not go there.
See we have to make sure that what we have faith in is in God's will to be done, for His plan to carried out, and not in what we think should happen. Just like a missionary about to leave on his first deportation must have faith that God will supply his needs, and not that a specific number of churches will give him a specific amount of money each month, we must have faith that God's will, will be done the way He wants it done. Moses prayed that God would rescue them when they were faced with the Red Sea, not that He would supply them with boats.
I know in my life, I have sometimes missed God working in my life, because I was looking for the wrong thing to happen. Instead of looking for whatever He would do, I was looking for what my human mind could come up with. God told me, that I would be changing churches soon, so I took that to mean it was time. So I went looking, trying to make His will happen. When I found what I wanted, I prayed that God would show me if that was where He wanted me, but in my heart I was hoping that it was. So He gave me the desire of my heart. Specifically I was praying, because the church pastor wanted to start a bus ministry, that if God wanted me to join that church and start a ministry that He would show me that is what He wanted. Knowing the whole time that I wanted to do this no matter what. So, after talking with the pastor on Saturday, Monday morning he received a phone call from another church wanting to give away a bus, for free. God gave me the desire of my heart, even though it was not what He had planned for us. I had my faith in the wrong place, in the wrong thing, and for the wrong reason. I wanted to be used by Him in this great big way, so that I could be recognized as a great man of God, instead of being used however He wanted, and being recognized because of my obedience, instead of the type of work I had done.
We are commanded to have faith in Him. He expects us to have faith on the scale of these people. However we are also commanded to make sure the desires of our heart are the same as His desires. The only way to do this is by prayer, and study of His Holy Word. By opening our hearts, and minds, and waiting on Him to tell us what we are too do. Not by telling Him what we want Him to want us to do. We are to discern what His will is. This is done by praying for wisdom, praying that He will clear our hearts and minds of our self, and then filling it with His Spirit.
Now back to Moses, starting in vs 23, the first thing we notice is that Moses had parents that not only loved and cared about him, but they feared, and loved God more than they feared men. They chanced prison and death in order to protect him from the world, and to set him aside for use by God. If we had more parents today that were willing to do this, then the world could return to the former glory of this country.
In vs 24-25, we see the results of Moses parents work, in that he had grown up and he was willing to suffer the affliction and the "shame" (as far as they were slaves in Egypt at the time) of being called an Israelite, and a child of God. He gave up all the riches of the world, in order to obtain the riches of eternity. This leads us right into vs. 26-27, because of where his treasure was laid up, he followed God into the desert, he was willing to go, and do what and where God wanted him. We are told in vs. 28-29 that he obeyed God through all, and everything in both Egypt and the wilderness. Even down to crossing the Red Sea on dry land, while the waters raged on either side of the Israelites.
Let's go back to vs. 26-27 for just a few moments, there is so much contained in these verse that I wanted to look at them separately.
1. "Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt:"
First we need to remember Christ had not yet come. And yet Moses in his faith still considered the service of God to be of greater value than all the riches Egypt had to offer. When we go to work, are we willing to actually live like Christians, are do we "try not to rock the boat", when others start to act like the world? What about when we go to church? Are we real Christians, or do we act the way other people think that Christians are supposed to act?
2. Are we willing to suffer as Moses did? Are we willing to give up the riches of the world, in order to stay true to God? What do we do for entertainment, does it glorify God, or the world? Going to the lake on the weekend is fine, as long as Sunday we are in both church services. Going to the movies, technically is ok, depending on what we are going to watch. (This is getting increasingly more difficult, as even the "childrens" movies have so many innuendo's and references to drugs, alcohol and sex).
3. "for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible". Throughout everything, Moses endured. He endured what? Endured as though he had seen God. Moses faith was so strong, that even through his sin, his exile, and everything else, he kept his eyes on God. He believed God was real so strongly that it was as if he had seen Him in the flesh. I would love to hear someone say my faith was that strong.
I pray that one day, I will hear God tell me that my faith rivaled that of Moses, Paul, Abraham, Noah, Enoch, or any of the other great men and women mentioned in these verses, in the Bible. I pray that I will do as He ask me to do, no matter what it is. What about you, do you want to see miracles like those seen by these men and women? Do you want to see a miracle the size of those mentioned here? We can see miracles this big, and bigger, God is not out of the miracle business. He still has the power, and desire, however He tells us, that first we must have faith in Him, the size of the faith these people had.
I do want to point out that no matter how much faith we have, we are not going to change God's will, or His plan just because we have faith that something is going to happen. For a few years, I had faith I would be healed. I knew I would be healed, not think I might, or hope I might, I knew, I had faith I would be. Then I realized that God's plan was not for me to be healed, but that I have faith that His grace would be sufficient. And it always has been, and always will be. You can have all the faith in the world that your child will get home from school between 3:30-4:00, but that does not mean that they will. They might get home at 3:20, or the might get home at 3:40 or, well let's not go there.
See we have to make sure that what we have faith in is in God's will to be done, for His plan to carried out, and not in what we think should happen. Just like a missionary about to leave on his first deportation must have faith that God will supply his needs, and not that a specific number of churches will give him a specific amount of money each month, we must have faith that God's will, will be done the way He wants it done. Moses prayed that God would rescue them when they were faced with the Red Sea, not that He would supply them with boats.
I know in my life, I have sometimes missed God working in my life, because I was looking for the wrong thing to happen. Instead of looking for whatever He would do, I was looking for what my human mind could come up with. God told me, that I would be changing churches soon, so I took that to mean it was time. So I went looking, trying to make His will happen. When I found what I wanted, I prayed that God would show me if that was where He wanted me, but in my heart I was hoping that it was. So He gave me the desire of my heart. Specifically I was praying, because the church pastor wanted to start a bus ministry, that if God wanted me to join that church and start a ministry that He would show me that is what He wanted. Knowing the whole time that I wanted to do this no matter what. So, after talking with the pastor on Saturday, Monday morning he received a phone call from another church wanting to give away a bus, for free. God gave me the desire of my heart, even though it was not what He had planned for us. I had my faith in the wrong place, in the wrong thing, and for the wrong reason. I wanted to be used by Him in this great big way, so that I could be recognized as a great man of God, instead of being used however He wanted, and being recognized because of my obedience, instead of the type of work I had done.
We are commanded to have faith in Him. He expects us to have faith on the scale of these people. However we are also commanded to make sure the desires of our heart are the same as His desires. The only way to do this is by prayer, and study of His Holy Word. By opening our hearts, and minds, and waiting on Him to tell us what we are too do. Not by telling Him what we want Him to want us to do. We are to discern what His will is. This is done by praying for wisdom, praying that He will clear our hearts and minds of our self, and then filling it with His Spirit.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Faith
Good Saturday morning, hope you have a good weekend. We've got a lot of ground to cover this morning so let's get started. In a way I don't like to try to do this much at one time, but I really could not find a better way of doing it. We are going to cover Hebrews chapter 11 this morning, better known as "The Faith Chapter".
The first thing I want to make clear is, just what is faith? Read vs. 1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". Years ago, I heard a missionary tell a story about when he first went into the jungles of Africa, he had been trying to teach the natives about how to have faith in God. After he finished talking one day, the chief of the tribe came to him, and said, I really don't understand the whole idea of this faith, can you explain it better? The missionary thought for a moment, and said, Chief, if you'll come over here and sit down in this chair, I think you will understand. So the chief walked over and sat down, the missionary said, when you sat down you had faith the chair would hold you, you had faith that it would not fall over, faith that you would not fall through, and faith that you would land squarely on it. The chief thought for a moment and said tell me more about your God, I think I can have faith in Him, because I have seen the faith you have in Him.
Starting in vs 4 we see Abel, who obeyed God in the type of sacrifice, Enoch who we saw a few weeks ago was translated because his faith pleased God. Then there was Noah, in the history of the world it had never rained, he did not know what rain was, but God said build an ark, so he did.
Look at vs' 8-19 you see all the ways that Abraham and Sara had faith in God, and were blessed because of it. First they were told to move from their home land into a strange country, they did not even know where they were going, God said He would tell them when they got there. I can't imagine leaving Mississippi, with my family and what few possessions I have, and heading toward Alaska, and just trusting that God would tell me one day to stop traveling. Then of course they were both right at 100 years old, when God told them they would have a child, and they did. But, then one day God told Abraham to take Isaac their only child and place him on an alter and sacrifice him. I don't think I would have the faith Abraham did, because he did as God commanded. Except God stopped him at the last minute.
Then there was Isaac and Jacob, who both showed great faith in God, and all the things they did. Now I am going to skip over Moses and cover him tomorrow, because there is some things I want to bring out that is both going to take a while, and are a little different than today's devotion. So look on down to vs 30, Joshua and Israel in the promised land, Paul mentions the walls of Jericho, but there are so many other times that could have been mentioned. Times when Joshua and nation of Israel showed great faith in God. But, by mentioning Jericho he was able to mention Rahab the harlot, who also believed in God and hid the spies, thereby saving herself and her family. Then there was so many other great examples of faith that Paul just did not have time to cover, but he did mention some of them, but not all of them.
Look at vs' 33-34 "Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword,out waxed valiant in fight turned to flight the armies of the aliens." This was just some of the things that ordinary people did through extraordinary faith. Vs. 39-40 "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." Look closely at these verses, all these people showed faith that is just not seen these days, and yet they knew that they were not able to know God in the way that we are able to know Him today. The Messiah had not yet appeared, Christ had not made His sacrifice, they could not know the second birth. They knew this, and yet they still had more faith in God than anyone I know today.
Now I want to go one step farther and look at ch12 vs 1-2, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God". Paul said, the whole world is watching us, so let's forget about all the problems, and avoid all the sin that can hold us back. And, let us live our life, depending on Jesus, who is the creator and perfecter of our faith in Him. After all, He was happy to go to the cross and suffer the physical pain, and the pain of sin so that we might have eternal life with Him. But, He is not dead, he arose again, and is now sitting at the right hand of God. So if He could die for us, we should be able to live for Him.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for the lesson on Moses.
The first thing I want to make clear is, just what is faith? Read vs. 1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". Years ago, I heard a missionary tell a story about when he first went into the jungles of Africa, he had been trying to teach the natives about how to have faith in God. After he finished talking one day, the chief of the tribe came to him, and said, I really don't understand the whole idea of this faith, can you explain it better? The missionary thought for a moment, and said, Chief, if you'll come over here and sit down in this chair, I think you will understand. So the chief walked over and sat down, the missionary said, when you sat down you had faith the chair would hold you, you had faith that it would not fall over, faith that you would not fall through, and faith that you would land squarely on it. The chief thought for a moment and said tell me more about your God, I think I can have faith in Him, because I have seen the faith you have in Him.
Starting in vs 4 we see Abel, who obeyed God in the type of sacrifice, Enoch who we saw a few weeks ago was translated because his faith pleased God. Then there was Noah, in the history of the world it had never rained, he did not know what rain was, but God said build an ark, so he did.
Look at vs' 8-19 you see all the ways that Abraham and Sara had faith in God, and were blessed because of it. First they were told to move from their home land into a strange country, they did not even know where they were going, God said He would tell them when they got there. I can't imagine leaving Mississippi, with my family and what few possessions I have, and heading toward Alaska, and just trusting that God would tell me one day to stop traveling. Then of course they were both right at 100 years old, when God told them they would have a child, and they did. But, then one day God told Abraham to take Isaac their only child and place him on an alter and sacrifice him. I don't think I would have the faith Abraham did, because he did as God commanded. Except God stopped him at the last minute.
Then there was Isaac and Jacob, who both showed great faith in God, and all the things they did. Now I am going to skip over Moses and cover him tomorrow, because there is some things I want to bring out that is both going to take a while, and are a little different than today's devotion. So look on down to vs 30, Joshua and Israel in the promised land, Paul mentions the walls of Jericho, but there are so many other times that could have been mentioned. Times when Joshua and nation of Israel showed great faith in God. But, by mentioning Jericho he was able to mention Rahab the harlot, who also believed in God and hid the spies, thereby saving herself and her family. Then there was so many other great examples of faith that Paul just did not have time to cover, but he did mention some of them, but not all of them.
Look at vs' 33-34 "Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword,out waxed valiant in fight turned to flight the armies of the aliens." This was just some of the things that ordinary people did through extraordinary faith. Vs. 39-40 "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." Look closely at these verses, all these people showed faith that is just not seen these days, and yet they knew that they were not able to know God in the way that we are able to know Him today. The Messiah had not yet appeared, Christ had not made His sacrifice, they could not know the second birth. They knew this, and yet they still had more faith in God than anyone I know today.
Now I want to go one step farther and look at ch12 vs 1-2, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God". Paul said, the whole world is watching us, so let's forget about all the problems, and avoid all the sin that can hold us back. And, let us live our life, depending on Jesus, who is the creator and perfecter of our faith in Him. After all, He was happy to go to the cross and suffer the physical pain, and the pain of sin so that we might have eternal life with Him. But, He is not dead, he arose again, and is now sitting at the right hand of God. So if He could die for us, we should be able to live for Him.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for the lesson on Moses.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Mine Unbelief
Good morning, this morning let's finish the lesson we started yesterday. We are going to be back in Mark ch 9 starting at verse 23. "Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. (vs24) And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, LORD I believe, help thou mine unbelief." Then of course, Jesus cast out the demon. Then later on the disciples in verse 28 asked why they could not cast out the demon, and verse 29 again, "This kind can come forth by nothing, buy by prayer and fasting". In other words the disciples had not been doing what they were supposed to be doing, and their faith had gotten weak, and they did not ask for God to help their unbelief.
What I am about to tell you is probably going to cause some controversy, but that's ok. I always hear about how in order to have God's power in our lives we have to believe that He is going to be there, and He is going to work in some way. But, I don't believe that, I believe that if you go to God, and you tell Him that you are trying to believe, but because you are human, you are having trouble understanding, which is causing you trouble in believing, and that you want Him to help you believe, you want Him to increase your belief, you want Him to give you a desire to believe, then I really believe that He will do just that. Then despite your unbelief, He will bless you, and answer your prayer so that you are able to believe. You see I don't think it's so much our ability to believe that God rewards as it is our desire to believe. We are human after all, it is not humanly possible for us to believe everything that is possible with God. We have a finite mind, His is infinite. His abilities are infinite, everything about Him is infinite, and yet we are still finite. It is not possible for us to believe everything He is able to do. But, if we express to Him a desire to understand, and believe that something is possible with Him, He will honor that desire, and He will give us the ability to believe. Sometimes we get the ability before He acts, sometimes after everything is over, but He will honor our desire, and give us what our heart desires.
Turn over to Eph. 2:8 for a moment, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yoursleves; it is the gift of God". Let's read that again, "Because you believe, you are saved", NO, "For by your belief in everything possible with God" NO, it say's, "For by GRACE,...IT IS THE GIFT of God". Turn back to Jn 6:44 "No man can come to me, except the Father draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day". "No man can come to me, except by his humanness he believe?" No, it says that "except the Father draw him", translation, except the Father give him a desire to believe.
Look on over at verse 63 "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing...(vs64)But there are some of you that believe not...(vs65) Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father". Help mine unbelief, help me to understand the things that are spiritual and not of the flesh, help me to believe, give me a desire to understand and believe, send your Spirit to quicken my dead heart so that it may believe.
We all need to pray daily, that God will give us that desire to believe, and that He will help our unbelief. If you want to see God work in your life, just ask Him to help your unbelief, and you will see Him work in ways that you never could have imagined. Without prayer we have no power, without prayer we have no relationship with God, how can we expect to have any standing in His court if we are a stranger to Him. Think about your job, who has the most pull with the boss, the person who comes to work and goes to their station and stays there all day, never speaking to anyone, or the person that spends as much time talking to the boss as they do working? It's the same with God, we need to spend as much time in prayer as we do in everything else in our life. That way when we say help mine unbelief, He knows that our desire is to believe, and He will help us. Remember the old saying, "God helps those who help them self", praying is helping our self.
Looking at one more verse, Eph. 6:18 "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,". Praying always, in the Spirit. Well, one more verse Mt 21:22 "And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing ye shall receive". When you pray, you have to believe for it to be answered, but how shall you believe unless God give you the ability because of your desire?
What I am about to tell you is probably going to cause some controversy, but that's ok. I always hear about how in order to have God's power in our lives we have to believe that He is going to be there, and He is going to work in some way. But, I don't believe that, I believe that if you go to God, and you tell Him that you are trying to believe, but because you are human, you are having trouble understanding, which is causing you trouble in believing, and that you want Him to help you believe, you want Him to increase your belief, you want Him to give you a desire to believe, then I really believe that He will do just that. Then despite your unbelief, He will bless you, and answer your prayer so that you are able to believe. You see I don't think it's so much our ability to believe that God rewards as it is our desire to believe. We are human after all, it is not humanly possible for us to believe everything that is possible with God. We have a finite mind, His is infinite. His abilities are infinite, everything about Him is infinite, and yet we are still finite. It is not possible for us to believe everything He is able to do. But, if we express to Him a desire to understand, and believe that something is possible with Him, He will honor that desire, and He will give us the ability to believe. Sometimes we get the ability before He acts, sometimes after everything is over, but He will honor our desire, and give us what our heart desires.
Turn over to Eph. 2:8 for a moment, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yoursleves; it is the gift of God". Let's read that again, "Because you believe, you are saved", NO, "For by your belief in everything possible with God" NO, it say's, "For by GRACE,...IT IS THE GIFT of God". Turn back to Jn 6:44 "No man can come to me, except the Father draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day". "No man can come to me, except by his humanness he believe?" No, it says that "except the Father draw him", translation, except the Father give him a desire to believe.
Look on over at verse 63 "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing...(vs64)But there are some of you that believe not...(vs65) Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father". Help mine unbelief, help me to understand the things that are spiritual and not of the flesh, help me to believe, give me a desire to understand and believe, send your Spirit to quicken my dead heart so that it may believe.
We all need to pray daily, that God will give us that desire to believe, and that He will help our unbelief. If you want to see God work in your life, just ask Him to help your unbelief, and you will see Him work in ways that you never could have imagined. Without prayer we have no power, without prayer we have no relationship with God, how can we expect to have any standing in His court if we are a stranger to Him. Think about your job, who has the most pull with the boss, the person who comes to work and goes to their station and stays there all day, never speaking to anyone, or the person that spends as much time talking to the boss as they do working? It's the same with God, we need to spend as much time in prayer as we do in everything else in our life. That way when we say help mine unbelief, He knows that our desire is to believe, and He will help us. Remember the old saying, "God helps those who help them self", praying is helping our self.
Looking at one more verse, Eph. 6:18 "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,". Praying always, in the Spirit. Well, one more verse Mt 21:22 "And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing ye shall receive". When you pray, you have to believe for it to be answered, but how shall you believe unless God give you the ability because of your desire?
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Do you annoy God
Good Thursday morning to you. I want to you to know how much I appreciate my faithful readers, and the feedback I get from them. But, I especially want to say thanks for all the prayers you give for me.
This morning we are going to be in the New Testament, and this is actually going to be a two part devotion, there is just to much to cover in one day. Let's start this morning in Luke ch. 9 vs. 37-43. A little background on this setting, Jesus has sent the twelve out to preach, and they have returned. The disciples have just witnessed the 5000 fed, Peter has made the great confession that Christ is the Son of God. And then the three disciples saw the transfiguration. Then immediately as they came down off the mountain there was a man who had brought his son to them, because the child was possessed by a demon. Unfortunately they could not cast out this demon, then Jesus arrived. In verse 41 we see His response to their weakness, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you?" Translated "You have no faith, you are perverted, how long do I have to put up with you?"
Jesus was annoyed with them. After all the things they had seen and experienced, after they themselves had cast out demons, they were unable to cast out this one. They did not have enough faith to cast out this demon. Like most of us, anytime there is a great victory of faith, it will immediately followed by a great defeat. Why? Why is there always a defeat that follows a victory? It is because we get complaisant.
Look at Mk. 9:29, here we see Marks account of the story, and he tells more of what happened after the father and son had left. At this time the disciples asked why they could not cast out the demon. (vs29) And He said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting". The disciples had experienced all this great stuff, and had failed to remember to spend time in prayer, so they had gotten weak in faith.
I know in my life there have been times in my life when I went through a battle, and had learned how to pray without ceasing, taking everything to God with prayer and supplication (to ask for humbly). To ask for humbly, key word humbly. How many times have we had a great victory and then gotten proud of our self. Then the next thing to happen we thought to ourselves, I can handle this all by myself, no need to bother God with this? So we did not pray about it, we did not seek His will, and His direction, and His help, and as a result we failed miserably.
How many times has God asked "How long do I have to put up with you"? How many more times are we going to make the same mistake? If we want God's power, and we want His victories in our lives, we have to remember to stay in His word, we have to pray about everything. Don't forget, when you pick up your Bible, always pray for Him to open your heart, and mind, and ask Him to show you what He wants you to see. Otherwise, you are reading and studying under your own power, and are not receiving the blessings He has in store for you.
This morning we are going to be in the New Testament, and this is actually going to be a two part devotion, there is just to much to cover in one day. Let's start this morning in Luke ch. 9 vs. 37-43. A little background on this setting, Jesus has sent the twelve out to preach, and they have returned. The disciples have just witnessed the 5000 fed, Peter has made the great confession that Christ is the Son of God. And then the three disciples saw the transfiguration. Then immediately as they came down off the mountain there was a man who had brought his son to them, because the child was possessed by a demon. Unfortunately they could not cast out this demon, then Jesus arrived. In verse 41 we see His response to their weakness, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you?" Translated "You have no faith, you are perverted, how long do I have to put up with you?"
Jesus was annoyed with them. After all the things they had seen and experienced, after they themselves had cast out demons, they were unable to cast out this one. They did not have enough faith to cast out this demon. Like most of us, anytime there is a great victory of faith, it will immediately followed by a great defeat. Why? Why is there always a defeat that follows a victory? It is because we get complaisant.
Look at Mk. 9:29, here we see Marks account of the story, and he tells more of what happened after the father and son had left. At this time the disciples asked why they could not cast out the demon. (vs29) And He said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting". The disciples had experienced all this great stuff, and had failed to remember to spend time in prayer, so they had gotten weak in faith.
I know in my life there have been times in my life when I went through a battle, and had learned how to pray without ceasing, taking everything to God with prayer and supplication (to ask for humbly). To ask for humbly, key word humbly. How many times have we had a great victory and then gotten proud of our self. Then the next thing to happen we thought to ourselves, I can handle this all by myself, no need to bother God with this? So we did not pray about it, we did not seek His will, and His direction, and His help, and as a result we failed miserably.
How many times has God asked "How long do I have to put up with you"? How many more times are we going to make the same mistake? If we want God's power, and we want His victories in our lives, we have to remember to stay in His word, we have to pray about everything. Don't forget, when you pick up your Bible, always pray for Him to open your heart, and mind, and ask Him to show you what He wants you to see. Otherwise, you are reading and studying under your own power, and are not receiving the blessings He has in store for you.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Bruise his Head
Once again, I have been reminded that "All Scripture is given by inspiration, and is profitable". You see, I have a habit of just skipping over the genealogies, and a real bad habit of getting to the end of a New Testament book, and skipping over the closing formalities, and good by's and such. However, yesterday I read all the way through the end of the 16th chapter of Romans, and found a uplifting passage.
Let's start at verse 17, and I am going to highlight a few important phrases, and verses. "Now I beseech you, brethren mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they are such serve not our LORD Jesus Christ, but their own belly;...I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. (vs20) And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly."
The first thing we need to notice, is that we are too avoid people that cause problems within the church. We see other places that the church was told to "put away" someone who was causing problems, or sinning within the church. In other words they were supposed to ask that person to leave the church. Now we see that we are not to keep company with someone who is what I call two-faced, or a gossiper, or just causes problems in any other way. Especially if they are trying to teach something other than the Gospel of Christ. Because they are not of Christ, but Satan is using them to try to destroy the church. The person them self may not be "evil", but they could have been tricked by Satan into believing an untruth, but they will destroy the church just the same, if they are allowed to remain.
Then we are told something that almost seems contrary to Genesis where God told Eve that Jesus would bruise the head of Satan. But, what Paul is saying is that Christ, through the church of true Christians would bruise Satan. God would use the church, if they kept them self pure, and kept out those agents of Satan that would seek to destroy the church.
We see this so much today, not only in those churches that teach false doctrine, but in our good old fashioned Bible believing, God fearing churches, when someone starts to spread rumors, and causing strife between members and then there is a church split. Not only is the church not as effective because of the problems, but the testimony of all the members is also affected. So we must keep our churches pure, even if that means making someone mad, when we ask them to leave the church because of the problems they are causing. But, before that step we need to pray for God's intervention and guidance.
Let's start at verse 17, and I am going to highlight a few important phrases, and verses. "Now I beseech you, brethren mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they are such serve not our LORD Jesus Christ, but their own belly;...I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. (vs20) And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly."
The first thing we need to notice, is that we are too avoid people that cause problems within the church. We see other places that the church was told to "put away" someone who was causing problems, or sinning within the church. In other words they were supposed to ask that person to leave the church. Now we see that we are not to keep company with someone who is what I call two-faced, or a gossiper, or just causes problems in any other way. Especially if they are trying to teach something other than the Gospel of Christ. Because they are not of Christ, but Satan is using them to try to destroy the church. The person them self may not be "evil", but they could have been tricked by Satan into believing an untruth, but they will destroy the church just the same, if they are allowed to remain.
Then we are told something that almost seems contrary to Genesis where God told Eve that Jesus would bruise the head of Satan. But, what Paul is saying is that Christ, through the church of true Christians would bruise Satan. God would use the church, if they kept them self pure, and kept out those agents of Satan that would seek to destroy the church.
We see this so much today, not only in those churches that teach false doctrine, but in our good old fashioned Bible believing, God fearing churches, when someone starts to spread rumors, and causing strife between members and then there is a church split. Not only is the church not as effective because of the problems, but the testimony of all the members is also affected. So we must keep our churches pure, even if that means making someone mad, when we ask them to leave the church because of the problems they are causing. But, before that step we need to pray for God's intervention and guidance.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Hey Dummy
This morning we are back in Malachi, and might be there another day or two, just depending on what God tells me. Turn to ch. 3 of Malachi the text is vs. 7-15. However I am going to start in vs 8 "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say wherein have we robbed thee? In thithes and offerings. (vs9) Ye are cursed with a curse for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. (vs10) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."
Let's go back to the beginning of vs 10, and I want you to write this in the margin of your Bible, vs 10 "(Dummy) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse...". The choice is rob God, or have the windows of heaven opened to you. Sin, or riches beyond comprehension. The choice is yours, what will your choice be.
A few weeks ago I opened my wallet to get my tithe to put in the plate, I had a $20, and a $10, that $30 had to last us until Friday. So I pulled the $20 out and prayed and said "God, I need this back, because that is the only way I am going to support my family this week.", then dropped it in the plate. On the way home, I stopped to get some gas, pulled up to the only open pump, opened my door, and there lay a $20 dollar bill. I said Thank you LORD. Then Tuesday, while going to the doctor's office, I ran into a friend, while we were talking, all of a sudden he reached in his back pocket, grabbed his wallet, and said "I almost forget again, here is that $20 I borrowed a few months ago".
This is not the first time something like this has happened to me, or to someone I know. When you give your tithe, and especially when you go above what is required, and give an offering, God will open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing. He says, give it to me, so I can double, even triple it, and then give it all back to you.
As many times as I have been blessed, and as many times as I have seen others blessed, you would think I would have great faith when it comes to the tithe. However, I have to admit that when it comes to money, even with all that I have seen and experienced, my faith is not that strong, actually it is almost non-existent. I have no problem having faith about the tithe when I have enough money for the week, but when I am already short, I have real problems handing over that money.
With almost anything else I can have faith that moves mountains. However, even though when it comes time to hand over the thithe, I can tell myself and everyone else just how faithful God is, and how He will bless us, I just don't have enough faith to actually obey.
We are commanded by God to give a tenth of our gross income back to Him, through the church. In other words, don't look at your paycheck, look at your paystub, it is the amount before taxes or any other deductions. That is the law of God. If you remember several weeks ago I told you about a time that we did not have money for your light bill, and I had faith that He was going to provide the money. My faith never actually wavered. That last day, I had doubts come into my head, but I never doubted, and there is a difference in the two. There have been many other times, I was able to depend on Him to take care of us financially. I had faith in Him. But, when it comes to the tithe, I have not been able to have the victory.
I have never admitted this to anyone before, and I hope that by doing so, it will no longer be a secret sin, it will be out in the open, and I will be able to find that faith I need. I have given myself all the excuses, and He has shown me where all those excuses are worthless. I believe that our current financial situation is due to the fact that we have robbed God of His tithe. I believe that if I start giving my tithes, then He will bless us so that we are not running out of money before payday, and wondering how we are going to feed our family, or buy new clothes for the baby, or pay our light bill. I believe that I have been under His chastisement for a while, and I am just now getting the desire to have enough faith in Him to obey His command. As you can see, I do not plan on shying away from the subjects that condemn me, or bring out my sins, after all that is what we are supposed to do in our devotions. I thank God, that He has given me this opportunity to repent, and follow what He has commanded.
Let's go back to the beginning of vs 10, and I want you to write this in the margin of your Bible, vs 10 "(Dummy) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse...". The choice is rob God, or have the windows of heaven opened to you. Sin, or riches beyond comprehension. The choice is yours, what will your choice be.
A few weeks ago I opened my wallet to get my tithe to put in the plate, I had a $20, and a $10, that $30 had to last us until Friday. So I pulled the $20 out and prayed and said "God, I need this back, because that is the only way I am going to support my family this week.", then dropped it in the plate. On the way home, I stopped to get some gas, pulled up to the only open pump, opened my door, and there lay a $20 dollar bill. I said Thank you LORD. Then Tuesday, while going to the doctor's office, I ran into a friend, while we were talking, all of a sudden he reached in his back pocket, grabbed his wallet, and said "I almost forget again, here is that $20 I borrowed a few months ago".
This is not the first time something like this has happened to me, or to someone I know. When you give your tithe, and especially when you go above what is required, and give an offering, God will open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing. He says, give it to me, so I can double, even triple it, and then give it all back to you.
As many times as I have been blessed, and as many times as I have seen others blessed, you would think I would have great faith when it comes to the tithe. However, I have to admit that when it comes to money, even with all that I have seen and experienced, my faith is not that strong, actually it is almost non-existent. I have no problem having faith about the tithe when I have enough money for the week, but when I am already short, I have real problems handing over that money.
With almost anything else I can have faith that moves mountains. However, even though when it comes time to hand over the thithe, I can tell myself and everyone else just how faithful God is, and how He will bless us, I just don't have enough faith to actually obey.
We are commanded by God to give a tenth of our gross income back to Him, through the church. In other words, don't look at your paycheck, look at your paystub, it is the amount before taxes or any other deductions. That is the law of God. If you remember several weeks ago I told you about a time that we did not have money for your light bill, and I had faith that He was going to provide the money. My faith never actually wavered. That last day, I had doubts come into my head, but I never doubted, and there is a difference in the two. There have been many other times, I was able to depend on Him to take care of us financially. I had faith in Him. But, when it comes to the tithe, I have not been able to have the victory.
I have never admitted this to anyone before, and I hope that by doing so, it will no longer be a secret sin, it will be out in the open, and I will be able to find that faith I need. I have given myself all the excuses, and He has shown me where all those excuses are worthless. I believe that our current financial situation is due to the fact that we have robbed God of His tithe. I believe that if I start giving my tithes, then He will bless us so that we are not running out of money before payday, and wondering how we are going to feed our family, or buy new clothes for the baby, or pay our light bill. I believe that I have been under His chastisement for a while, and I am just now getting the desire to have enough faith in Him to obey His command. As you can see, I do not plan on shying away from the subjects that condemn me, or bring out my sins, after all that is what we are supposed to do in our devotions. I thank God, that He has given me this opportunity to repent, and follow what He has commanded.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Pitching a hissey fit
I completely forget to mention this, even though I see at least one person found it. At the end of each post is a few check boxes, so you can leave your opinion without having to comment. It only takes a second to click on a box or two. I am encouraged and blessed by hearing your feedback, so please take a moment, if your not already and check a box on every post to let me know whether you enjoyed the post or not. You won't hurt my feelings if you tell me I am completely off base, that will just tell me to go back and study that passage some more, which will make me better at what I am doing. But, if you mark on of the other boxes, it will let me know I am listening to what God is telling me. Thanks.
This morning I want to look at how ancient Israel resembles America today. Turn to Zech. 7 starting with verse 8, "And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying" First thing we see is the word of the LORD, what follows is a commandment of God. (vs9) "Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother" Who is your brother? Every person you have contact with is your brother. (vs10) "And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart". In other words treat everyone you meet with the love of God, what is so hard about that?
But look at verse 11, "But they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears that they should not hear. Yea they made their hearts as an adamant stone lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets; therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts."
Those Israelites sound like most Christians today, not to mention the Atheist and such. Refusing to listen to the word of the LORD, preferring instead to be coddled and cuddled, by those preaching the goodness of God, but the the righteousness of God. There are those that go to church every Sunday and sit under the preaching of the word, and yet their minds are somewhere else, so they leave the church having not heard a word the preacher said. So they spend their week no better than they started it, and then repeat the whole thing the next week, and the next. Of course there or those that just flat out refuse to even acknowledge that God exist.
How many times have you seen a teenager pitching a fit, when mom, or dad is trying to talk to them, places their hand on the kids shoulder, possibly trying to hug them, and the child jerks away, and sticks their fingers in their ears, and starts saying lalalalalalala? That is the picture God painted of the Israelites, and it fits Christians today so well.
Now turn over to Mal. 2:17 "Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, wherein have we wearied Him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?"
This follows right along with our other text, how many preachers are preaching something other than the gospel, and yet they have one of these mega-churches? How many "Christians", that live like the devil all week, yet show up for church on Sunday, and talk about how wicked the other church members are?
Now I want to look at the last statement just a moment, "Where is the God of judgment?". This is not the cry of righteous people looking for God to avenge His chosen people. This is the sarcastic statement of evil people making fun of those that still believed in the LORD God Jehovah. They are asking, "If God exist why hasn't He done something to the enemies (without, and within) of Israel?". It is not for us to know when, or how God will work, we are to believe that He is going to, and wait patiently for Him to move among us.
Go back to the last statement in Zech., "therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts." If the church in America does not wake up, and sit up, and take notice, and start to obey the word of the LORD, there will be a serious price to pay. And I don't think that day if very far off.
We need to be praying daily for His mercy and grace to fall on America. We need to be praying for those true believers that have left His path to return, and for conviction and burden to fall on all Christians. That is the only hope this country has. I may be wrong but I believe that the current state of the church in America, and the country in general is Biblical. I believe that the country must go down this path in order to make way for the events that will signal His return. So this is a mixed feeling I have toward the current state. I want to pray for the church, and the country to return to it's previous glory, and yet I am so looking forward to His return, I want things to get worse even quicker, so that glorious day of His reappearing will get here. However, I know that we are to pray for the healing of the church, while looking forward to that day, even though the two are opposites.
This morning I want to look at how ancient Israel resembles America today. Turn to Zech. 7 starting with verse 8, "And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying" First thing we see is the word of the LORD, what follows is a commandment of God. (vs9) "Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother" Who is your brother? Every person you have contact with is your brother. (vs10) "And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart". In other words treat everyone you meet with the love of God, what is so hard about that?
But look at verse 11, "But they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears that they should not hear. Yea they made their hearts as an adamant stone lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets; therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts."
Those Israelites sound like most Christians today, not to mention the Atheist and such. Refusing to listen to the word of the LORD, preferring instead to be coddled and cuddled, by those preaching the goodness of God, but the the righteousness of God. There are those that go to church every Sunday and sit under the preaching of the word, and yet their minds are somewhere else, so they leave the church having not heard a word the preacher said. So they spend their week no better than they started it, and then repeat the whole thing the next week, and the next. Of course there or those that just flat out refuse to even acknowledge that God exist.
How many times have you seen a teenager pitching a fit, when mom, or dad is trying to talk to them, places their hand on the kids shoulder, possibly trying to hug them, and the child jerks away, and sticks their fingers in their ears, and starts saying lalalalalalala? That is the picture God painted of the Israelites, and it fits Christians today so well.
Now turn over to Mal. 2:17 "Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, wherein have we wearied Him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?"
This follows right along with our other text, how many preachers are preaching something other than the gospel, and yet they have one of these mega-churches? How many "Christians", that live like the devil all week, yet show up for church on Sunday, and talk about how wicked the other church members are?
Now I want to look at the last statement just a moment, "Where is the God of judgment?". This is not the cry of righteous people looking for God to avenge His chosen people. This is the sarcastic statement of evil people making fun of those that still believed in the LORD God Jehovah. They are asking, "If God exist why hasn't He done something to the enemies (without, and within) of Israel?". It is not for us to know when, or how God will work, we are to believe that He is going to, and wait patiently for Him to move among us.
Go back to the last statement in Zech., "therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts." If the church in America does not wake up, and sit up, and take notice, and start to obey the word of the LORD, there will be a serious price to pay. And I don't think that day if very far off.
We need to be praying daily for His mercy and grace to fall on America. We need to be praying for those true believers that have left His path to return, and for conviction and burden to fall on all Christians. That is the only hope this country has. I may be wrong but I believe that the current state of the church in America, and the country in general is Biblical. I believe that the country must go down this path in order to make way for the events that will signal His return. So this is a mixed feeling I have toward the current state. I want to pray for the church, and the country to return to it's previous glory, and yet I am so looking forward to His return, I want things to get worse even quicker, so that glorious day of His reappearing will get here. However, I know that we are to pray for the healing of the church, while looking forward to that day, even though the two are opposites.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Modern Christianity
Yesterday, I was involved in a discussion on facebook, that has prompted me to bring this devotion this morning. I do hope those other people involved will come and read my response to the thread. What started the discussion is someone trying to be humorous and sarcastic asked the question, "When did an ear ring, flip flops and a feaux (mo)hawk become the official uniform of youth pastors?" Even though I know this person well enough to know that they were not actually serious, the question hit home hard. As you know I have visited several churches lately that this type youth pastor would fit in a little too well, so my response was something to the effect of "I've seen a few "church" pastors almost that bad. It's that old "to save a drunk, you have to go drinking" school of thought." Unfortunately someone took offense at both the question and response, saying we were being judgmental, and that Jesus spent time with drunks, so there is nothing wrong with that.
I am going to start my response in Rom. 6:1-2, where Paul ask, now that we are saved, and under grace, should we continue to sin so that grace may be more abundant? Then answers himself saying, God forbid, how shall we being dead to sin, continue to live in it? (Robby paraphrase). Eph. 5:1-7, names several sins that we are not to allow to be among the church, ending in vs 7 saying "be ye not partakers with them". 2 Cor. 6:14&17 tells us not to be unequally yoked together with sinners, but to come out and "Be ye separate".
Phil. 4:8 says "Finally, brethren whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, just, pure, lovely, are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things". In other words if it does not fit one of these things, stay away from it. 1 Thess 5:22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil". A few years ago, my car broke down one Saturday afternoon, the only place close by that I could find a phone, (This was before cell phones), was a bar. So I went in used the phone, and called for help and went straight back to my car. The next day at church, a church member asked my why they saw me coming out of the bar, what they saw had the appearance of evil, even though it was totally innocent. All I could think about was what if I had been trying to witness to an alcoholic, and that person was the one to see me leaving the bar it would totally ruin any chance I had of being a witness. Now most of the people I have seen with mohawks, both those I knew personally and those I didn't, were drug addicts. Not all but most. Very few if any of them went to church, preferring to go to the worst kind of rock music concerts. So why would a Christian want to look like a drug addict, and a Satanic rock musician? Especially since we are commanded to avoid such behavior.
Don't forget how sin evolves, it starts out with Lott placing his tent so that it faced Sodom, and ends up with him living in the middle of town, offering his virgin daughters as whores to the men of the city.
Gal. 1:10 ask the question "do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ". Jesus said, we can not serve two masters, it is either Him, or Satan. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 says that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, so we are to glorify God in our bodies. How can we glorify God with our bodies, when our bodies look like we are full of sin? Turn over to ch. 11 vs. 14 "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" If long hair is a shame to a man, what else could a mohawk be.
Now over in Eph 5 vs. 10 "Proving what is acceptable unto the LORD". vs. 11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them". Something does not have to be a "major" sin in order to be the works of darkness, most of the time Satan would rather work in subtle ways, that Christians won't notice until it's too late. Vs. 18 "Be not drunk with strong wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit", there is only room in your body for one or the other not both. In years past there were a couple of my friends, that would call me between midnight and 2am, when the bar closed, and they were too drunk to drive home. I would go pick them up, and then sit with them the rest of the night until they sobered up. I did not sin by spending time with them, just the opposite, I showed them compassion, and once they sobered up I had a chance to witness to them. However, if I had drank with them, that would have been a sin, and I would have lost my testimony with them.
Lastly, back over to 1 Cor. ch 5. In vs. 1-5 we see that in the Corinthian church was a man that was an adulterer, with his own mother no less. Paul was rebuking the church, not because the man was doing this, but because the church had not kicked him out of the church. Verses 6-7 repeat an analogy from the Old Testament, that "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump". The leaven representing sin. Verse 11 tells us not to keep company with people that is a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer (troublemaker, loud mouth), or a drunkard, or an extortioner. In verses 12&13 we are told that God will judge the world, however we are to judge those within the church, and to put away from among ourselves any wicked person. We have already seen where just the appearance of wrong doing is evil. 2 Thess. 3:14-15 tells us that if any man will not obey the word of God, we are not to have any company with him. We are not to count him as an enemy, but to admonish him as a brother.
What we see here is that this concept of witnessing to people by dressing like the world, acting like the world, listening to music that sounds like the world, and just trying to be as close to the world as possible without being in it is evil. And eventually those people who are doing this will end up in the world. We are commanded to be separate from the world, we are to look different, sound different, talk different, act different, and just be different in general. We are to be a peculiar people, we are not to be accepted by the world. Our lives, and testimony's should make the world uncomfortable because they can see Jesus Christ in us, which will convict them of their sin.
I have no hard feelings toward anyone who follows this "modern Christianity", I have some good friends that believe this way. However, I still try to show them that they too are living in sin, I do this with love for them. Today I tried to just give verses that explain how we should live, and keep my words out of it. Because I do not want anyone to say that Robby said that is sin. Robby did not say it was sin, the Bible, written by God said it was sin, Robby just delivered the message. I do not believe in arguing about what the Bible says, I will give you the verse that tells you why I believe what I believe, then you can argue with God about it, if you wish. I have no problem listening to someone try to show me I am wrong, and if God tells me I am wrong, I will change quickly. But God has to be the one to tell me I am wrong.
I am going to start my response in Rom. 6:1-2, where Paul ask, now that we are saved, and under grace, should we continue to sin so that grace may be more abundant? Then answers himself saying, God forbid, how shall we being dead to sin, continue to live in it? (Robby paraphrase). Eph. 5:1-7, names several sins that we are not to allow to be among the church, ending in vs 7 saying "be ye not partakers with them". 2 Cor. 6:14&17 tells us not to be unequally yoked together with sinners, but to come out and "Be ye separate".
Phil. 4:8 says "Finally, brethren whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, just, pure, lovely, are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things". In other words if it does not fit one of these things, stay away from it. 1 Thess 5:22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil". A few years ago, my car broke down one Saturday afternoon, the only place close by that I could find a phone, (This was before cell phones), was a bar. So I went in used the phone, and called for help and went straight back to my car. The next day at church, a church member asked my why they saw me coming out of the bar, what they saw had the appearance of evil, even though it was totally innocent. All I could think about was what if I had been trying to witness to an alcoholic, and that person was the one to see me leaving the bar it would totally ruin any chance I had of being a witness. Now most of the people I have seen with mohawks, both those I knew personally and those I didn't, were drug addicts. Not all but most. Very few if any of them went to church, preferring to go to the worst kind of rock music concerts. So why would a Christian want to look like a drug addict, and a Satanic rock musician? Especially since we are commanded to avoid such behavior.
Don't forget how sin evolves, it starts out with Lott placing his tent so that it faced Sodom, and ends up with him living in the middle of town, offering his virgin daughters as whores to the men of the city.
Gal. 1:10 ask the question "do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ". Jesus said, we can not serve two masters, it is either Him, or Satan. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 says that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, so we are to glorify God in our bodies. How can we glorify God with our bodies, when our bodies look like we are full of sin? Turn over to ch. 11 vs. 14 "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" If long hair is a shame to a man, what else could a mohawk be.
Now over in Eph 5 vs. 10 "Proving what is acceptable unto the LORD". vs. 11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them". Something does not have to be a "major" sin in order to be the works of darkness, most of the time Satan would rather work in subtle ways, that Christians won't notice until it's too late. Vs. 18 "Be not drunk with strong wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit", there is only room in your body for one or the other not both. In years past there were a couple of my friends, that would call me between midnight and 2am, when the bar closed, and they were too drunk to drive home. I would go pick them up, and then sit with them the rest of the night until they sobered up. I did not sin by spending time with them, just the opposite, I showed them compassion, and once they sobered up I had a chance to witness to them. However, if I had drank with them, that would have been a sin, and I would have lost my testimony with them.
Lastly, back over to 1 Cor. ch 5. In vs. 1-5 we see that in the Corinthian church was a man that was an adulterer, with his own mother no less. Paul was rebuking the church, not because the man was doing this, but because the church had not kicked him out of the church. Verses 6-7 repeat an analogy from the Old Testament, that "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump". The leaven representing sin. Verse 11 tells us not to keep company with people that is a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer (troublemaker, loud mouth), or a drunkard, or an extortioner. In verses 12&13 we are told that God will judge the world, however we are to judge those within the church, and to put away from among ourselves any wicked person. We have already seen where just the appearance of wrong doing is evil. 2 Thess. 3:14-15 tells us that if any man will not obey the word of God, we are not to have any company with him. We are not to count him as an enemy, but to admonish him as a brother.
What we see here is that this concept of witnessing to people by dressing like the world, acting like the world, listening to music that sounds like the world, and just trying to be as close to the world as possible without being in it is evil. And eventually those people who are doing this will end up in the world. We are commanded to be separate from the world, we are to look different, sound different, talk different, act different, and just be different in general. We are to be a peculiar people, we are not to be accepted by the world. Our lives, and testimony's should make the world uncomfortable because they can see Jesus Christ in us, which will convict them of their sin.
I have no hard feelings toward anyone who follows this "modern Christianity", I have some good friends that believe this way. However, I still try to show them that they too are living in sin, I do this with love for them. Today I tried to just give verses that explain how we should live, and keep my words out of it. Because I do not want anyone to say that Robby said that is sin. Robby did not say it was sin, the Bible, written by God said it was sin, Robby just delivered the message. I do not believe in arguing about what the Bible says, I will give you the verse that tells you why I believe what I believe, then you can argue with God about it, if you wish. I have no problem listening to someone try to show me I am wrong, and if God tells me I am wrong, I will change quickly. But God has to be the one to tell me I am wrong.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Compassion
I recently read a news story about a homeless Jewish man in New York city, the poor man was attacked by a group of Arin Brotherhood teenagers. The beat the man almost to death, stole what few valuables he had, stripped most of his clothes off, leaving only his Yarmulke on his head, in order to disgrace the Jewish race.
A little while later, as the sun began to come up, there was a lot of people who walked by, some looking at him and pretending they did not see him, others, making sure to let others know they were not interested in helping, in case his attackers were watching. The passerby's soon included a Catholic Priest, who decided that he would call the cops when he arrived at the church, but first he had a few stops to make. Then there was a group of pastors from a protestant interdenominational work group. Then finally there was a Jewish Priest who stopped and looked, and apparently decided that it was none of his business.
About an hour later, after many, many people had walked by, a dark brown skinned man walked by and saw the Jewish man almost at death's door. Knowing there was no time to call an ambulance, the Muslim man carried the Jewish man in his arms, the five blocks to the nearest Emergency Room. Once he arrived, the hospital did not want to admit him, because they did not know if he had insurance or not. So the Muslim, agreed to sign papers saying he would be responsible for the mans bill.
The men became good friends over the next week, as the Muslim man, visited the Jewish man in the hospital every day.
As you have probably imagined, I have just told a modern version of the story of the Good Samaritan found in Lk 10:30-37. I hope telling it in this context helps to bring it to reality for you today. Look at vs 33 the Bible says the Samaritan "had compassion" on the other man. How often do we have compassion on those around us?
By nature I am a helper, by nature my first instinct is to offer my assistance to anyone around me, whether or not I know them. I have pulled over to change a flat for elderly people, and women by them self. I have given rides to hitch hikers, I have left the house in the middle of the night to pick up friends who had gotten into bad situations. However, there have been times that I have seen people I know that were in need of a friend's help, and yet I would look the other way, because that person had gotten on my bad side.
I failed to have compassion. In that moment I decided to look away, I sinned. What about you? Have you ever turned your back on someone you knew? What about someone you did not know? God will never turn His back on us, and commands us to show compassion to others, whether or not we know them. Are we obeying His command?
A little while later, as the sun began to come up, there was a lot of people who walked by, some looking at him and pretending they did not see him, others, making sure to let others know they were not interested in helping, in case his attackers were watching. The passerby's soon included a Catholic Priest, who decided that he would call the cops when he arrived at the church, but first he had a few stops to make. Then there was a group of pastors from a protestant interdenominational work group. Then finally there was a Jewish Priest who stopped and looked, and apparently decided that it was none of his business.
About an hour later, after many, many people had walked by, a dark brown skinned man walked by and saw the Jewish man almost at death's door. Knowing there was no time to call an ambulance, the Muslim man carried the Jewish man in his arms, the five blocks to the nearest Emergency Room. Once he arrived, the hospital did not want to admit him, because they did not know if he had insurance or not. So the Muslim, agreed to sign papers saying he would be responsible for the mans bill.
The men became good friends over the next week, as the Muslim man, visited the Jewish man in the hospital every day.
As you have probably imagined, I have just told a modern version of the story of the Good Samaritan found in Lk 10:30-37. I hope telling it in this context helps to bring it to reality for you today. Look at vs 33 the Bible says the Samaritan "had compassion" on the other man. How often do we have compassion on those around us?
By nature I am a helper, by nature my first instinct is to offer my assistance to anyone around me, whether or not I know them. I have pulled over to change a flat for elderly people, and women by them self. I have given rides to hitch hikers, I have left the house in the middle of the night to pick up friends who had gotten into bad situations. However, there have been times that I have seen people I know that were in need of a friend's help, and yet I would look the other way, because that person had gotten on my bad side.
I failed to have compassion. In that moment I decided to look away, I sinned. What about you? Have you ever turned your back on someone you knew? What about someone you did not know? God will never turn His back on us, and commands us to show compassion to others, whether or not we know them. Are we obeying His command?
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Answer to Everything
First I need to say that if there are any places in today's devotion, that don't exactly sound right, or even make sense, I was up most of the night. As you know this last couple of weeks has been rough on me. Anytime you start doing something for God, Satan is going to attack, and I am ashamed to say that he has had some victories in my life during this time, especially the last few days. Please pray for me, that God and I will regain the victory, and that Satan will have to back off.
Having said that turn to Ex. 40, we will be looking at the setting up of the tabernacle. This is covered in verses 16-38, however I am just going to be discussing the items located inside the tabernacle, and will give you the verse I am looking at. The first thing we see in vs 18-19 is the building itself. The important thing to see is that Moses did as he was commanded. Then in vs 20-21 we see the tablets containing the Ten Commandments being placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, and the Mercy Seat being placed on top. The tablet represents the Law, which is engulfed by the promise, and giving of the blood of Christ. In vs. 22-23 Moses places a table inside the tabernacle, and places just some bread on it.
Next in vs 24-25 he places a candlestick next to the table, signifying the Light of the World. Verses 26-27, describe a golden alter which was used to burn sweet incense, showing how God is everywhere. Then he hangs a door across the opening to the Holy of Holies, in vs 28. Next is the alter of Burnt offering in vs. 29 also signifying the sacrifice Christ would make. And finally in vs 30 is the laver, that the priest used to wash their hands and feet, showing how our sins would be washed away.
I bet you think I forget to cover the table and bread, actually I just wanted to cover everything else first. What you need to notice is there was nothing on the table but the bread. Bread? The bread was not to be ate, so why was it there? The answer is in John 6:35 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst". Then if vs 51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven;if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world". There was nothing on the table except the bread, because it was a picture of Jesus, who is all we need. No matter what we will never need anything more than Jesus.
Some people would say, we need more than just Jesus, we need a job, food, shelter etc., what they don't realize is that if you have Jesus, He will give you all that other stuff. "Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for you life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on." Matt 6:25, vs 33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you". There was no need for anything else on the table. Jesus is the answer to everything.
Having said that turn to Ex. 40, we will be looking at the setting up of the tabernacle. This is covered in verses 16-38, however I am just going to be discussing the items located inside the tabernacle, and will give you the verse I am looking at. The first thing we see in vs 18-19 is the building itself. The important thing to see is that Moses did as he was commanded. Then in vs 20-21 we see the tablets containing the Ten Commandments being placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, and the Mercy Seat being placed on top. The tablet represents the Law, which is engulfed by the promise, and giving of the blood of Christ. In vs. 22-23 Moses places a table inside the tabernacle, and places just some bread on it.
Next in vs 24-25 he places a candlestick next to the table, signifying the Light of the World. Verses 26-27, describe a golden alter which was used to burn sweet incense, showing how God is everywhere. Then he hangs a door across the opening to the Holy of Holies, in vs 28. Next is the alter of Burnt offering in vs. 29 also signifying the sacrifice Christ would make. And finally in vs 30 is the laver, that the priest used to wash their hands and feet, showing how our sins would be washed away.
I bet you think I forget to cover the table and bread, actually I just wanted to cover everything else first. What you need to notice is there was nothing on the table but the bread. Bread? The bread was not to be ate, so why was it there? The answer is in John 6:35 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst". Then if vs 51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven;if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world". There was nothing on the table except the bread, because it was a picture of Jesus, who is all we need. No matter what we will never need anything more than Jesus.
Some people would say, we need more than just Jesus, we need a job, food, shelter etc., what they don't realize is that if you have Jesus, He will give you all that other stuff. "Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for you life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on." Matt 6:25, vs 33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you". There was no need for anything else on the table. Jesus is the answer to everything.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Getting your Feet Wet
This morning I want to look at Matthew's account of Jesus walking on the water, and since it is such a long passage, I ask that you read it for yourself, then I will paraphrase what I want you to see this morning. This passage is found in Mat. 14:22-33.
In vs 22, Jesus asked the disciples to get on a ship and set sail without Him, and immediately they obeyed. Isn't it always easy to obey God in the small things He ask us to do? Now look down at vs 24, they were in the midst of the sea, and just when it seemed that God was not there with them a storm arose. I imagine they were worried, they might not make it. But in vs 25 we see that Jesus went to them, they did not expect Him to be there, so they thought it was a ghost. Notice now that when Jesus called out to them, only Peter believed it was actually Jesus. Then Peter, and Peter alone stepped out on faith to go to Jesus. Peter had no way of knowing for a fact it was Jesus, he had no reason to believe that he would be safe, and yet over the side of the boat he went, walking on the water. Peter had a great moment of faith, and as a result he is the only human to ever walk on water.
But, just like most of us, right in the middle of his great victory, he took his eyes off of God, just for a moment, just because he was curious what was going on around him. And, of course he saw the trouble, and danger around him and he panicked. When he panicked, he forget that God was there, and he began to sink. Immediately Jesus reached out and saved him. I can't count how many times He has had to reach out and save me. Then Jesus rebukes Peter for not having enough faith. At first glance this may seem strange, after all Peter had enough faith to walk on water. Maybe so, but he did not have enough faith to trust God, once he noticed the trouble around him.
As soon as they reached the ship, immediately the storm ceased. There is always peace with Jesus in our life, it's just sometimes we have to have faith that it is there in order to access it. The thing to notice here is that the disciples believed after they had seen but not before, all but Peter. Who believed then took his eyes off Jesus.
I hear so many people talk bad about Peter because he took his eyes off of Jesus, however we have to remember he had more faith than any of us, because he actually stepped out on faith and walked on the water, for a moment at least. Don't misunderstand me, Peter sinned when he looked away, I just don't want his victory to get lost in his failure. In order to fail the way Peter did, we have to have enough faith to step out to start with.
How many times has God asked you to do something that would require you to step out on faith and enter the unknown? How many of those times did you obey? In my life I can point to several times when I failed to do what I was asked because I did not have enough faith. I was to afraid to trust that He would take care of me, that I would be able to walk on water.
The next time you are faced with staying in the boat, or getting your feet wet, remember Peter, as long as you keep your eyes on Jesus, your feet is all that get wet.
In vs 22, Jesus asked the disciples to get on a ship and set sail without Him, and immediately they obeyed. Isn't it always easy to obey God in the small things He ask us to do? Now look down at vs 24, they were in the midst of the sea, and just when it seemed that God was not there with them a storm arose. I imagine they were worried, they might not make it. But in vs 25 we see that Jesus went to them, they did not expect Him to be there, so they thought it was a ghost. Notice now that when Jesus called out to them, only Peter believed it was actually Jesus. Then Peter, and Peter alone stepped out on faith to go to Jesus. Peter had no way of knowing for a fact it was Jesus, he had no reason to believe that he would be safe, and yet over the side of the boat he went, walking on the water. Peter had a great moment of faith, and as a result he is the only human to ever walk on water.
But, just like most of us, right in the middle of his great victory, he took his eyes off of God, just for a moment, just because he was curious what was going on around him. And, of course he saw the trouble, and danger around him and he panicked. When he panicked, he forget that God was there, and he began to sink. Immediately Jesus reached out and saved him. I can't count how many times He has had to reach out and save me. Then Jesus rebukes Peter for not having enough faith. At first glance this may seem strange, after all Peter had enough faith to walk on water. Maybe so, but he did not have enough faith to trust God, once he noticed the trouble around him.
As soon as they reached the ship, immediately the storm ceased. There is always peace with Jesus in our life, it's just sometimes we have to have faith that it is there in order to access it. The thing to notice here is that the disciples believed after they had seen but not before, all but Peter. Who believed then took his eyes off Jesus.
I hear so many people talk bad about Peter because he took his eyes off of Jesus, however we have to remember he had more faith than any of us, because he actually stepped out on faith and walked on the water, for a moment at least. Don't misunderstand me, Peter sinned when he looked away, I just don't want his victory to get lost in his failure. In order to fail the way Peter did, we have to have enough faith to step out to start with.
How many times has God asked you to do something that would require you to step out on faith and enter the unknown? How many of those times did you obey? In my life I can point to several times when I failed to do what I was asked because I did not have enough faith. I was to afraid to trust that He would take care of me, that I would be able to walk on water.
The next time you are faced with staying in the boat, or getting your feet wet, remember Peter, as long as you keep your eyes on Jesus, your feet is all that get wet.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Humble Service
Good morning, this is the first post with the new computer, I look forward to many more. Today's, and yesterdays devotions both have came from a really old copy of the "Our Daily Bread" devotion book. I don't plan on borrowing devotions that often, but if God blesses my heart with something, I will share it with you.
Today's scripture reading comes from Lk 22:24-30, with vs 27 being the meat of the lesson "For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at meat? But I am among you as he that serveth".
I knew a young woman, that lived with her parents, her only income was a small government welfare check. She was always complaining about being bored, being broke, being depressed and just not liking her life. Since there was actually nothing wrong with her, I would tell her to go get a job, or do some volunteer work or something. That was not going to work, because she was too good to clean bathrooms, or flip burgers, or work with homeless people. However, Jesus did not think that He was too good to do those things.
Another example, during World War 1, a famous theologian, and counselor did some volunteer work at a hospital for injured soldiers. Even though the administrator knew who the man was, he was assigned the job of making hot chocolate in the mornings. Since the beverage's needed to be ready by 7am, he would get up before 5. He'd take chocolate bars, shave them into small pieces, then melt them, mixing them with condensed milk and water. Then from 7 until 9 he kept busy serving the soldiers, never getting his own breakfast until after 9. Now it seems that he would have been better utilized counseling the soldiers. Even so, he honored God by not only doing the menial job, but by doing it the best he could.
"And I thank Christ Jesus our LORD, who hath enabled me, for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry" 1 Tim. 1:12. Gal. 5:13 "but by love serve one another", Eph. 6:1-9, again tells us how we should serve one another in love, doing everything we do to the best of our abilities as if we were asked by God Himself to do it, and not as we are doing it for another man.
If you ever get discouraged with something you are doing because it seems beneath you, or because of some obstacle, or because you don't see any fruit from your service (ouch), look again. Remember today's text, just knowing that Christ counts you faithful makes any sacrifice for Him worthwhile.
I had no idea that I was going to step on my own toes, right there at the end. Not until I actually typed it, then it hit me. I can now see the fruit of my labor, even if I don't see any physical results, I see heavenly results. And that is all that matters in the long run, isn't it?
Today's scripture reading comes from Lk 22:24-30, with vs 27 being the meat of the lesson "For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at meat? But I am among you as he that serveth".
I knew a young woman, that lived with her parents, her only income was a small government welfare check. She was always complaining about being bored, being broke, being depressed and just not liking her life. Since there was actually nothing wrong with her, I would tell her to go get a job, or do some volunteer work or something. That was not going to work, because she was too good to clean bathrooms, or flip burgers, or work with homeless people. However, Jesus did not think that He was too good to do those things.
Another example, during World War 1, a famous theologian, and counselor did some volunteer work at a hospital for injured soldiers. Even though the administrator knew who the man was, he was assigned the job of making hot chocolate in the mornings. Since the beverage's needed to be ready by 7am, he would get up before 5. He'd take chocolate bars, shave them into small pieces, then melt them, mixing them with condensed milk and water. Then from 7 until 9 he kept busy serving the soldiers, never getting his own breakfast until after 9. Now it seems that he would have been better utilized counseling the soldiers. Even so, he honored God by not only doing the menial job, but by doing it the best he could.
"And I thank Christ Jesus our LORD, who hath enabled me, for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry" 1 Tim. 1:12. Gal. 5:13 "but by love serve one another", Eph. 6:1-9, again tells us how we should serve one another in love, doing everything we do to the best of our abilities as if we were asked by God Himself to do it, and not as we are doing it for another man.
If you ever get discouraged with something you are doing because it seems beneath you, or because of some obstacle, or because you don't see any fruit from your service (ouch), look again. Remember today's text, just knowing that Christ counts you faithful makes any sacrifice for Him worthwhile.
I had no idea that I was going to step on my own toes, right there at the end. Not until I actually typed it, then it hit me. I can now see the fruit of my labor, even if I don't see any physical results, I see heavenly results. And that is all that matters in the long run, isn't it?
Monday, August 2, 2010
Grass on the Path
A missionary told a story about going to S. Africa and preaching to a number of tribes in the jungle. He saw a lot of people saved, in several different villages that were within a few miles of each other. These new Christians were excited about learning more about Jesus, but none of them had a place to worship, and unfortunately none of the tribes had the resources to build a church. Besides, how was the missionary going to be in all the tribes at the same time.
So the new Christians all got together, from all the tribes, which in itself was amazing considering they had always been in conflict with each other. They all came together and cleared some land right in the middle of all the tribes, and erected a crude church to worship in.
I could stop right here and talk about the desire to worship once we are saved. But, the story goes on. You see the people all walked to the church every chance they could get, and so there was some well worn paths leading to and from the worship center. However like most of us, eventually the time came when the new Christians became lazy about their worship. Occasionally someone would start missing services, and after missing a few too many, that person would receive a visit from friends from the other tribes. They would tell how they were concerned about the person, and wanted to make sure they were not ill, or injured or anything. Then they would tell that person, "brother, there is grass growing on your path, there must be sin growing in your heart".
In Lk 18:1-5 we see a parable Jesus taught about a woman who had been wronged. She went to the judge, but he told her that he would not do anything. But, she would not take no for an answer she kept going back to him, asking him to avenge her. He refused for a while, but she finally got on his nerves, and so in order to make her shut up and leave him alone, he did what she was asking for. Verse 1 tells us "that men ought always to pray, and not to faint", even if it seems that your prayers are not, and will not be answered do no give up, keep on keeping on. There are times God will test our faith by waiting to answer our prayer, He wants us to keep praying in order to make our faith stronger. Not only that but with some of His children the only time He hears their voice is when they need something, so He makes them keep coming back so that He can hear from them.
If you look at Phil. 4:6 you will read "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God". Now we have seen when and what we are to pray for. We are to pray non-stop for everything.
Is there grass growing on your path? Or do you take all your needs, troubles, worries and your praises, and the things that you are thankful for to your Heavenly Father?
Now, this is what I had planned for Sunday, before my trip to the ER, this was planned even before I found out about the computer I was given. Isn't it funny how God works in our lives? We are told that He knows what we need, even before we ask Him. Then He gives us a devotion that is going to cover something that will happen to us in the future. I serve a good God, a wise God, and a loving God.
So the new Christians all got together, from all the tribes, which in itself was amazing considering they had always been in conflict with each other. They all came together and cleared some land right in the middle of all the tribes, and erected a crude church to worship in.
I could stop right here and talk about the desire to worship once we are saved. But, the story goes on. You see the people all walked to the church every chance they could get, and so there was some well worn paths leading to and from the worship center. However like most of us, eventually the time came when the new Christians became lazy about their worship. Occasionally someone would start missing services, and after missing a few too many, that person would receive a visit from friends from the other tribes. They would tell how they were concerned about the person, and wanted to make sure they were not ill, or injured or anything. Then they would tell that person, "brother, there is grass growing on your path, there must be sin growing in your heart".
In Lk 18:1-5 we see a parable Jesus taught about a woman who had been wronged. She went to the judge, but he told her that he would not do anything. But, she would not take no for an answer she kept going back to him, asking him to avenge her. He refused for a while, but she finally got on his nerves, and so in order to make her shut up and leave him alone, he did what she was asking for. Verse 1 tells us "that men ought always to pray, and not to faint", even if it seems that your prayers are not, and will not be answered do no give up, keep on keeping on. There are times God will test our faith by waiting to answer our prayer, He wants us to keep praying in order to make our faith stronger. Not only that but with some of His children the only time He hears their voice is when they need something, so He makes them keep coming back so that He can hear from them.
If you look at Phil. 4:6 you will read "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God". Now we have seen when and what we are to pray for. We are to pray non-stop for everything.
Is there grass growing on your path? Or do you take all your needs, troubles, worries and your praises, and the things that you are thankful for to your Heavenly Father?
Now, this is what I had planned for Sunday, before my trip to the ER, this was planned even before I found out about the computer I was given. Isn't it funny how God works in our lives? We are told that He knows what we need, even before we ask Him. Then He gives us a devotion that is going to cover something that will happen to us in the future. I serve a good God, a wise God, and a loving God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)