Lord, you have breathed life into each thing that lives and with that gift you have also given us a job to do. Some have come to understand that but many have not. The animals, birds, and fish do not comprehend but simply do what they were created to do but people You have given another gift, the gift of free will. With greater freedom comes greater responsibility and the task You have given us can only be fulfilled by humbly asking for Your help.
Lord, help us not to think we are self-sufficient and don’t let the world blind us from the truth but lead us and guide us to a deeper understanding of who You are and who You meant for us to be. Help us to be sensitive to the leading of Your Holy Spirit and put other’s needs ahead of our own. Walk with us as we travel this unseen path and lovingly wait for us when we fall down. The ultimate goal is to please You because in the end nothing else matters, there is nothing else we have been tasked with. Thank You Lord for loving us enough to send Your Son Jesus to show us how to live, help us not to take Your holy example for granted. Help us not to be short-sighted by our own selfishness but eagerly await Your confirmation in a job well done.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Perfect love
Revelation 2:8-11
To the church in Smyrna suffering and poverty seem to go hand in hand with God’s blessings. It is in our suffering that if we are paying attention we’ll notice God’s presence increases. We may even talk with Him and hear His reply on a more regular basis than our prior formal prays we use to offer up and strangely enough not really realize what is going on between us and God is nothing short of amazing as you tell Him of your troubles. Perfect love casts out all fear 1 John 4:18 and knowing God on this level enables the follower of Christ Jesus to do things that fear would not have allowed previously, even face death, because you know your eternal soul is secure. Not relying on the false hope of once saved always saved but because of the relationship you now have with Christ, you are following Him where He leads and your eyes are steadfast upon your Savior. So hold tight to what you believe, for the race will be ran and soon all that was sacrificed will have been worth it to see the Father and know that you are His and the life you lived pleased Him.
To the church in Smyrna suffering and poverty seem to go hand in hand with God’s blessings. It is in our suffering that if we are paying attention we’ll notice God’s presence increases. We may even talk with Him and hear His reply on a more regular basis than our prior formal prays we use to offer up and strangely enough not really realize what is going on between us and God is nothing short of amazing as you tell Him of your troubles. Perfect love casts out all fear 1 John 4:18 and knowing God on this level enables the follower of Christ Jesus to do things that fear would not have allowed previously, even face death, because you know your eternal soul is secure. Not relying on the false hope of once saved always saved but because of the relationship you now have with Christ, you are following Him where He leads and your eyes are steadfast upon your Savior. So hold tight to what you believe, for the race will be ran and soon all that was sacrificed will have been worth it to see the Father and know that you are His and the life you lived pleased Him.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Your first love
Revelation 2:1-7
To the church in Ephesus though they diligently hated what God hated and loved what He loved God still had this one thing against them – they left their first love. It seems odd that you can diligently do the right things with patient endurance but your reason why is lost in the mechanics of the whole thing. Odd yes but impossible no, as a leader volunteer in charge of all media production for a church of four to five hundred and having teams of other volunteers and leaders there were times when the reason why I was doing the whole thing got pushed into a corner as I became consumed with the business of it all. God would quickly bring it to my attention and I remained humble and obedient and because of that He blessed my work and the people in the church. I managed that balancing act by training others to become leaders and by giving away what God had given me. For more than four years I did this faithfully until God said my work there was complete.
It’s not what you do but how you do it that matters. In all things be faithful to the One who calls you and love people enough to give away what seems to belong to you, after all it was your vision that you put your heart and soul into to bring it to the place that others have recognized. Did Jesus not do the same; did He not give everything for the sake of His Father’s call? In the end God has more than you could ever give away and that is why I believe the church at Ephesus was blinded by false limitations. They had become fixated on the work of the call and not the One who called them. If we believe this life is a journey that God uses so that we might experience relationship with Him and so that we become who He has called us to be then we simply cannot become attached to shiny things we find along the way. Yes, God will use you in mighty ways to teach others what relationship with Him looks like but don’t get stuck there. It would be like going to see the Grand Canyon and being mesmerized at the first sight of it and stopping there. It is only by continuing your adventure do you understand more about the Grand Canyon and see more wonderful sights than you did at first. Keep your first love new every morning by seeking Him whole-heartedly and the limits to how He uses you or more accurately the perceived limits you have placed on yourself, on your relationship with Him, and ultimately God Himself will keep getting pushed back and your faith will become strong in Him as you see God move mountains in your life.
To the church in Ephesus though they diligently hated what God hated and loved what He loved God still had this one thing against them – they left their first love. It seems odd that you can diligently do the right things with patient endurance but your reason why is lost in the mechanics of the whole thing. Odd yes but impossible no, as a leader volunteer in charge of all media production for a church of four to five hundred and having teams of other volunteers and leaders there were times when the reason why I was doing the whole thing got pushed into a corner as I became consumed with the business of it all. God would quickly bring it to my attention and I remained humble and obedient and because of that He blessed my work and the people in the church. I managed that balancing act by training others to become leaders and by giving away what God had given me. For more than four years I did this faithfully until God said my work there was complete.
It’s not what you do but how you do it that matters. In all things be faithful to the One who calls you and love people enough to give away what seems to belong to you, after all it was your vision that you put your heart and soul into to bring it to the place that others have recognized. Did Jesus not do the same; did He not give everything for the sake of His Father’s call? In the end God has more than you could ever give away and that is why I believe the church at Ephesus was blinded by false limitations. They had become fixated on the work of the call and not the One who called them. If we believe this life is a journey that God uses so that we might experience relationship with Him and so that we become who He has called us to be then we simply cannot become attached to shiny things we find along the way. Yes, God will use you in mighty ways to teach others what relationship with Him looks like but don’t get stuck there. It would be like going to see the Grand Canyon and being mesmerized at the first sight of it and stopping there. It is only by continuing your adventure do you understand more about the Grand Canyon and see more wonderful sights than you did at first. Keep your first love new every morning by seeking Him whole-heartedly and the limits to how He uses you or more accurately the perceived limits you have placed on yourself, on your relationship with Him, and ultimately God Himself will keep getting pushed back and your faith will become strong in Him as you see God move mountains in your life.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Not remaining faithful
So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later He destroyed those who did not remain faithful.
(Jude 1:5 NLT)
There was an evangelist who would visit the church I grew up in who sang and played the guitar. I don’t recall anything else he said but this one thing stuck with me. He would pick up his guitar and as he started to tune it would say, “I don’t believe once in tune always in tune.” Truer words have not been spoken! I still see him on Facebook from time to time, though I’m not sure that is what he would want to be remembered by I believe those words were branded on my soul for a reason.
In my journey with the Lord there have been both times of intimacy and solitude, times of knowing Him and hearing His voice and times of wondering where He was, even if God existed (very early as a new believer). Very few times I feel as if I was being tested to see if I would grow in my faith or turn away but more frequently and later in my walk with the Lord it has been because of disobedience i.e. hearing the leading of the Holy Spirit and not following. It was in those times that I knew if I continued I would in affect walk out on God, closing the door behind me. Yes, I have had many opportunities to walk away and if it were not for the Holy Spirit lighting my path I have no doubt I would have wondered into outer darkness, alone and scared but perfect love cast out all fear.
Not all put their trust in the Lord and many do fall away. Does that mean they were never saved? To be honest I’m not sure I can only tell you of my own experiences and I know at age nine I met the Lord and asked Him into my life and by faith I know He accepted me. I also know there have been many forks in the road and by faith God has led me to this place I am now. However, at any time I could have went my own way and refused to listen to His leading and at that moment I would have backslide and been lost. So it stands to reason people can know God, have relationship with Him as His child, and then for whatever reason turn from God. If we look at the nation of Israel, God’s chosen race, we see how sin and rebellion takes people to a place that shuts the door to God’s grace. It wasn’t God giving up on them it was a people who ran from God as if to lock themselves in a room apart from God and as a result His grace no longer covered them.
But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction.
(Jude 1:10 NLT)
In many ways America is like Israel, we have been blessed by God and we have seen Him do many miraculous things through us and for us still there is a worm in the apple so to speak and if we are not careful the whole apple will turn rotten. One day America will go so far, as Israel did, to lock ourselves away from God’s grace and the result will bring a darkness that cannot be easily escaped. Read what Enoch prophesied and see if it does sound familiar.
Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, "Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.
(Jude 1:14-16 NLT)
But there is a remnant that will remain faithful and to guard against this coming darkness we must know God, recognize His voice, and humbly love and obey. It will be these who can depend upon the mercy of our Heavenly Father to sustain us through whatever storm comes our way so that on the Day of Judgment we may be counted as His. Know that this grace isn’t just for us but God intended it for all and as His ambassadors it is our mission, our purpose to love others with God’s love so they may know Him as well. We are not saved from wrath solely for the purpose of inching our way into heaven but to victoriously bring others with us.
But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
(Jude 1:20-23 NLT)
(Jude 1:5 NLT)
There was an evangelist who would visit the church I grew up in who sang and played the guitar. I don’t recall anything else he said but this one thing stuck with me. He would pick up his guitar and as he started to tune it would say, “I don’t believe once in tune always in tune.” Truer words have not been spoken! I still see him on Facebook from time to time, though I’m not sure that is what he would want to be remembered by I believe those words were branded on my soul for a reason.
In my journey with the Lord there have been both times of intimacy and solitude, times of knowing Him and hearing His voice and times of wondering where He was, even if God existed (very early as a new believer). Very few times I feel as if I was being tested to see if I would grow in my faith or turn away but more frequently and later in my walk with the Lord it has been because of disobedience i.e. hearing the leading of the Holy Spirit and not following. It was in those times that I knew if I continued I would in affect walk out on God, closing the door behind me. Yes, I have had many opportunities to walk away and if it were not for the Holy Spirit lighting my path I have no doubt I would have wondered into outer darkness, alone and scared but perfect love cast out all fear.
Not all put their trust in the Lord and many do fall away. Does that mean they were never saved? To be honest I’m not sure I can only tell you of my own experiences and I know at age nine I met the Lord and asked Him into my life and by faith I know He accepted me. I also know there have been many forks in the road and by faith God has led me to this place I am now. However, at any time I could have went my own way and refused to listen to His leading and at that moment I would have backslide and been lost. So it stands to reason people can know God, have relationship with Him as His child, and then for whatever reason turn from God. If we look at the nation of Israel, God’s chosen race, we see how sin and rebellion takes people to a place that shuts the door to God’s grace. It wasn’t God giving up on them it was a people who ran from God as if to lock themselves in a room apart from God and as a result His grace no longer covered them.
But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction.
(Jude 1:10 NLT)
In many ways America is like Israel, we have been blessed by God and we have seen Him do many miraculous things through us and for us still there is a worm in the apple so to speak and if we are not careful the whole apple will turn rotten. One day America will go so far, as Israel did, to lock ourselves away from God’s grace and the result will bring a darkness that cannot be easily escaped. Read what Enoch prophesied and see if it does sound familiar.
Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, "Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.
(Jude 1:14-16 NLT)
But there is a remnant that will remain faithful and to guard against this coming darkness we must know God, recognize His voice, and humbly love and obey. It will be these who can depend upon the mercy of our Heavenly Father to sustain us through whatever storm comes our way so that on the Day of Judgment we may be counted as His. Know that this grace isn’t just for us but God intended it for all and as His ambassadors it is our mission, our purpose to love others with God’s love so they may know Him as well. We are not saved from wrath solely for the purpose of inching our way into heaven but to victoriously bring others with us.
But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
(Jude 1:20-23 NLT)
Monday, June 9, 2014
Loving God
Loving God means keeping His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.
(1Jn 5:3 NLT)
Do we love God by the words of our mouth alone? If our love for him does not move us to action then we do not love Him but if our hands and feet are busy doing the work He has purposed for us then we know our love for Him is real. Because He first loved us and we in turn have come to know Him by His Word we can be confident when asking for His help. We only need our eyes opened by His Holy Spirit to know we cannot make it on our own.
And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him.
(1Jn 5:14 NLT)
The closer you get to the light the more cracks and crevices are revealed but that’s okay because if God has revealed these things then He has already started working on them so that your faith might be perfected in Him. We all know what sin looks like when it comes to outward actions but did you know to hear God’s Holy Spirit tell you to do something and choosing not to do it is not pleasing to God either? If God moves on your heart to minister to someone and you remain quiet that is direct disobedience, as much so as Jonah had refused the Lord when he was told to minister to the people of Nineveh (Jonah 1) but God had a plan for Jonah and He has a plan for us. So we are to pray for each other so that we might have the courage to do what the Lord asks of us.
We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.
(1Jn 5:18 NLT)
If Jonah would have been allowed to get away with disobeying what do you think that would have done to his relationship with God? Eventually, his selfish desires would have taken the place of God and he would have found himself in a place much worse than the belly of that big fish. It may not have been as dramatic but to truly face life without God is no place I want to be and I know this because each time I willingly sin I turn from Him and God allows me to see where my plans lead but He is faithful to hold me not because I always want to be held but because He knows what is best for me and I love Him because of it.
Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts.
(1Jn 5:21 NLT)
(1Jn 5:3 NLT)
Do we love God by the words of our mouth alone? If our love for him does not move us to action then we do not love Him but if our hands and feet are busy doing the work He has purposed for us then we know our love for Him is real. Because He first loved us and we in turn have come to know Him by His Word we can be confident when asking for His help. We only need our eyes opened by His Holy Spirit to know we cannot make it on our own.
And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him.
(1Jn 5:14 NLT)
The closer you get to the light the more cracks and crevices are revealed but that’s okay because if God has revealed these things then He has already started working on them so that your faith might be perfected in Him. We all know what sin looks like when it comes to outward actions but did you know to hear God’s Holy Spirit tell you to do something and choosing not to do it is not pleasing to God either? If God moves on your heart to minister to someone and you remain quiet that is direct disobedience, as much so as Jonah had refused the Lord when he was told to minister to the people of Nineveh (Jonah 1) but God had a plan for Jonah and He has a plan for us. So we are to pray for each other so that we might have the courage to do what the Lord asks of us.
We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.
(1Jn 5:18 NLT)
If Jonah would have been allowed to get away with disobeying what do you think that would have done to his relationship with God? Eventually, his selfish desires would have taken the place of God and he would have found himself in a place much worse than the belly of that big fish. It may not have been as dramatic but to truly face life without God is no place I want to be and I know this because each time I willingly sin I turn from Him and God allows me to see where my plans lead but He is faithful to hold me not because I always want to be held but because He knows what is best for me and I love Him because of it.
Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts.
(1Jn 5:21 NLT)
Friday, June 6, 2014
Of God or not
Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
(1Jn 4:1-3 NLT)
This is how you know if the teacher is of God or of the world, read the Antichrist. Strong words indeed, but they indicate just how serious it is that you listen to the truth. By the same standard the teacher can know who he/she is speaking to. Look at verse six.
But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
(1Jn 4:6 NLT)
I have been guilty of trying to win over people’s hearts and minds as I teach and I have found myself becoming frustrated as I presented the truth because no action would follow. What I did not understand, according to 1 John 4 is that I had come face to face with a natural, spiritual boundary between those who are of God and those who are not. As I walked through this with my instructor he reminded me that it was neither his job nor mine to determine the outcome for those who came to the class but rather simply present the truth and when the time was right God’s Holy Spirit would remind them of the truth they heard.
1 John 4 goes on to talk about God’s great love and because He has loved us so much we surely ought to love one another, if God lives in us. Do you struggle with that person that has seemingly set themselves against you, regardless of what you do, good or bad? You should know that God’s love is not in them and surely the enemy is in the attack. Do not get caught up in retaliation; instead be found in God so that God may be found in you. Show love, not the conditional love the world gives but God’s love that has no strings attached. Remember you are not fighting a battle of the flesh but of the spirit and to win you must use spiritual weapons mentioned in Ephesians 6. As we learn to live this way God says our love will grow more perfect, therefore we will not fear the Day of Judgment that all mankind will one day face. What a reward that will be to stand before God and all mankind and be found as one of His children! Not only that but there will be those who hated you that gave into God’s love because of the love they saw in you who also will be called God’s children and you will be able to celebrate with them because of the things the Lord has done. So live a life filled with God’s love, free from fear because perfect love expels all fear, in this way also we show others that we know God.
If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?
(1Jn 4:20 NLT)
(1Jn 4:1-3 NLT)
This is how you know if the teacher is of God or of the world, read the Antichrist. Strong words indeed, but they indicate just how serious it is that you listen to the truth. By the same standard the teacher can know who he/she is speaking to. Look at verse six.
But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
(1Jn 4:6 NLT)
I have been guilty of trying to win over people’s hearts and minds as I teach and I have found myself becoming frustrated as I presented the truth because no action would follow. What I did not understand, according to 1 John 4 is that I had come face to face with a natural, spiritual boundary between those who are of God and those who are not. As I walked through this with my instructor he reminded me that it was neither his job nor mine to determine the outcome for those who came to the class but rather simply present the truth and when the time was right God’s Holy Spirit would remind them of the truth they heard.
1 John 4 goes on to talk about God’s great love and because He has loved us so much we surely ought to love one another, if God lives in us. Do you struggle with that person that has seemingly set themselves against you, regardless of what you do, good or bad? You should know that God’s love is not in them and surely the enemy is in the attack. Do not get caught up in retaliation; instead be found in God so that God may be found in you. Show love, not the conditional love the world gives but God’s love that has no strings attached. Remember you are not fighting a battle of the flesh but of the spirit and to win you must use spiritual weapons mentioned in Ephesians 6. As we learn to live this way God says our love will grow more perfect, therefore we will not fear the Day of Judgment that all mankind will one day face. What a reward that will be to stand before God and all mankind and be found as one of His children! Not only that but there will be those who hated you that gave into God’s love because of the love they saw in you who also will be called God’s children and you will be able to celebrate with them because of the things the Lord has done. So live a life filled with God’s love, free from fear because perfect love expels all fear, in this way also we show others that we know God.
If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?
(1Jn 4:20 NLT)
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
God's blessings
Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
(1Jn 3:18 NLT)
And we will receive from Him whatever we ask because we obey Him and do the things that please Him.
(1Jn 3:22 NLT)
We work so hard to live “the good life” that sometimes we forget the best life is a blessed life. As a father I have tried to instill in my children that in order to be blessed they had to do what was right – work hard at school, do their chores, be kind to one another, and listen and obey their parents. It has not always worked, too often I’ve seen them pick up an attitude of entitlement from their peers and to be honest we do the same with God many times as adults. Just as this attitude discussed me as a parent because it was dishonoring and disrespectful and took what I offered for granted I imagine God feels much the same way when we, as His children act this way. The results of this behavior yielded the opposite of blessings, which often caused frustration in the child.
Have you ever seen an adult who was so driven and self-motivated that the world placed them on a pedestal as an example of what a successful person looks like? Many times this adult was a child who did not understand the correlation between obedience and blessings and so he/she relied on themselves to obtain what they wanted out of life but does their striving make them strong, does their endless pushing bring them any closer to what they are missing or does it send them down a dead end road, further from the truth? You see we were created to desire our Creator’s blessings but they are only obtained through listening and obeying but the enemy lies to us, telling us there is a shortcut but no matter how hard we work the best we can do is obtain stuff that temporarily brings happiness. King David’s son Solomon said this…
"Everything is meaningless," says the Teacher, "completely meaningless!" What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes.
(Ecc 1:2-4 NLT)
Solomon was the wisest person who ever lived and had riches beyond compare if anyone could obtain enough stuff to make them happy surely it was him but through arrogance or ignorance we strive just the same unless we are listening to God’s still small voice, which leads us to the truth and to fulfillment in this life.
(1Jn 3:18 NLT)
And we will receive from Him whatever we ask because we obey Him and do the things that please Him.
(1Jn 3:22 NLT)
We work so hard to live “the good life” that sometimes we forget the best life is a blessed life. As a father I have tried to instill in my children that in order to be blessed they had to do what was right – work hard at school, do their chores, be kind to one another, and listen and obey their parents. It has not always worked, too often I’ve seen them pick up an attitude of entitlement from their peers and to be honest we do the same with God many times as adults. Just as this attitude discussed me as a parent because it was dishonoring and disrespectful and took what I offered for granted I imagine God feels much the same way when we, as His children act this way. The results of this behavior yielded the opposite of blessings, which often caused frustration in the child.
Have you ever seen an adult who was so driven and self-motivated that the world placed them on a pedestal as an example of what a successful person looks like? Many times this adult was a child who did not understand the correlation between obedience and blessings and so he/she relied on themselves to obtain what they wanted out of life but does their striving make them strong, does their endless pushing bring them any closer to what they are missing or does it send them down a dead end road, further from the truth? You see we were created to desire our Creator’s blessings but they are only obtained through listening and obeying but the enemy lies to us, telling us there is a shortcut but no matter how hard we work the best we can do is obtain stuff that temporarily brings happiness. King David’s son Solomon said this…
"Everything is meaningless," says the Teacher, "completely meaningless!" What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes.
(Ecc 1:2-4 NLT)
Solomon was the wisest person who ever lived and had riches beyond compare if anyone could obtain enough stuff to make them happy surely it was him but through arrogance or ignorance we strive just the same unless we are listening to God’s still small voice, which leads us to the truth and to fulfillment in this life.
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