Saturday, October 30, 2010

We Are The Body And Christ Is The Head

A King with a Kingdom

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him
to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. 
Ephesians 1:22-23


All the glory of heaven and earth, both realms are entirely devoted to Jesus, the head of the Church. This was a gift given by the Father to the Son, which gave Him dominion in both the upper and lower world. But also, such a “head” is most certainly a gift to the body!

Not a thing stands beyond the reach of His power or knowledge, and He has been given to us. The Church, the body of Christ, is described as the “fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” He is our fullness, supplying strength where we are weak, even so much as making us stronger in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:10).

He is a king with a kingdom, as we find our completion in Him, so the Father has graciously used
us to complete Christ’s headship. We are ransomed to this His domain of light to His honor and glory (Colossians 1:13), as He rules and reigns. Understand today that we serve the literal King of kings! No matter the height to which man may ascend, there is only one head, and that is Christ.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Admitting we have messed up can be hard

Just Admit It

Return, faithless Israel, declares the Lord. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the Lord; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the Lord your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the Lord. Jeremiah 3:12-13 (ESV)

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Thoughts From The Word

Admitting we have messed up can be a hard thing to do. We usually don’t admit we messed up or sinned unless we get caught. It might be that we are ashamed of what we did and believe others will look down on us; and often, the sin we are struggling with is something we have looked down on others for.

Maybe we are afraid the person we sinned against will never forgive us for what we have done. These are all valid and real emotions that race through our minds after we have sinned and try to figure out how to get back on track with God. We are called to confess our sins and pray for each other even though it won’t be easy (James 5:16).

But, we should never have a hard time confessing our sins before God. All of these fears and doubts we harbor concerning what others will think should not cross our mind when it comes to God. In today’s text, he called Jeremiah to bring Israel to repentance through admitting their sin. God has called them faithless, whorish even, and much more. But, he still desires for them to return to him because of his great love and mercy for his people.

Christ has paid the penalty for our sins, and there is now no more condemnation for those in Him (Romans 8:1). Cry out to a merciful God and admit the sin in your life, knowing that he won’t judge or look down on you as fallen man does, but will respond in grace as we are counted righteous through Christ.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Baal Goes Against God...

The Show Down

I Kings 18:29

This went on until well past noon. They used every religious trick and strategy they knew to make something happen on the altar, but nothing happened—not so much as a whisper, not a flicker of response.



Here we find Elijah, a herald of the Lord, confronting a wicked King Ahab and the priests of the false gods Baal and Asherah. Elijah challenged the false worshipers to stack their gods against the one true God, and gathered King Ahab and the rest at a place called Mount Carmel and laid down the rules. He said,

“Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it…And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” (I Kings 18:22-24)

The false worshippers raved loudly and passionately from morning to night, but “no one answered; no one paid attention.” The text records that they even went so far as to “cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them” (I Kings 18:28). After all of the commotion, all of the seeming fervency and devotion, even after a daylong worship service “there was no voice.” Their gods answered in silence, the only real answer a false god can give. Elijah prayed, and even though his offering was soaked in water, God sent fire and consumed it.

When the people saw it they responded in amazement, “the Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” A great miracle was performed in front of a thousand people, and Elijah did not try and assert himself as king or leader. Elijah did not connive to use the Lord’s power for his benefit, but to the Master’s glory. Live your life in such a way that leaves those around you saying, “The Lord, He is God.”

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Who is God?

Would you like to learn about Him?

From the Word:  Nehemiah 9:1-36

 1.  He alone is God
 2.  He alone is Creator   vs 6
 3.  God is the Sustainer  vs 6b
 4.  God is Worthy  vs 6
 5.  God is a Good God   vs 7
 6.  God guides us to do His will  vs 12
 7.  He provides for us  vs 15
 8.  He blesses us abundantly  vs 25
 9.  He is the gracious and compassionate God  vs 17
10. He is the God of forgivness  vs 17
11. A God is from everlasting to everlasting  vs 6
12. A God who gives life to everything  vs 6
13. A God of patience  vs 30
14. A God of Mercy  vs 31
15. A Great God  vs 32

Monday, October 25, 2010

OUR HELP IS HERE

Luke 24:49-53

The Ascension of Christ

I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

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Notes on the Scripture

The location of the ascension was east of Jerusalem near Bethany. Forty days after His physical resurrection Jesus “was taken up” and disappeared into a cloud.


God raised Christ from the dead “and made Him sit at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:20). He sits “at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3).


The ascension made it possible for Christ to enter into His heavenly “glorification” and sit at the right hand of the Father until His enemies are made His footstool (Ps. 110:1).


The evidence for the glorification of Christ and His superiority over the Old Testament saints is His ascension (Acts 2:33-36). When He arrived into heaven He received “the name that is above every name” (Phil. 2:9-11). Jesus is superior to angels, authorities, principalities, powers and dominions because He is the ascended Lord (Heb. 1:13; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 Pet. 3:22).


The important message for every believer is that even though Jesus is absent physically from the earth, He is still spiritually present with His church. He can be anywhere and everywhere with His followers all the time.


Jesus told His disciples the Holy Spirit could not come until Jesus died, rose from the dead and ascended to heaven (Jn. 16:7). “If I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”


Without the ascension Jesus would be in one location on the earth, but not spiritually present everywhere. Because Jesus ascended to heaven He is “wherever two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in your midst” (Matt. 18:20). At His ascension He said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Because Jesus is in heaven He is everywhere all the time through His Spirit.


The ascension proves that Jesus really did rise from the dead. Where is the body of Jesus? He is at the right side of His Father seated in power and authority (Eph. 1:20; Heb. 1:30). He is alive.


The ascension gives us a steadfast assurance that God the Father as the perfect atonement accepted the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ for sinners. Jesus is in the presence of the Father and no other sacrifice for sin ever needs to be made again (Heb. 4:14; 6:20; 9:24). Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice for sin never has to be repeated (Heb. 1:3; 9:12; 10:12; 12:2). He sits on the throne. His atoning work is finished.


The ascension of Jesus gives us assurance that everything is now complete and one day we, too, will reign with Him in His kingdom. Jesus returned to heaven “to prepare a place for you” (Jn. 14:2). The ascension guarantees the promise, “I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (v. 3). One day every believer in Christ will ascend to be with Him (2 Cor. 5:1-10; 2 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:50-58).


The ascension of Jesus makes it possible for us to go boldly into the presence of God in prayer (Heb. 4:14-16). We have an advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1-2) who has experienced everything we experience in this life. He understands and is always ready to help in our time of need (Heb. 2:17; 5:7-10). Our Help, Comforter, our source of strength.





Saturday, October 23, 2010

Prayer

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.



O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

To my faithful followers:  Have an awesome weekend of worship.





Friday, October 22, 2010

The Wonder Of God's Word

Bible Reading

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Romans 1:20

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Psalm 85

You showed favor to your land, O LORD; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. Selah

You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.

Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.

Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?

Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.

I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints— but let them not return to folly.

Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, which his glory may dwell in our land.

Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.

The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.

Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Your Gifts

Ephesians 4:7-8,11-13

The Diversity of Gifts

Each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said,
"When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; He gave gifts to His people."
The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.



Notes on the Scripture

The line, "When He ascended on high He made captivity itself a captive", is a little difficult to understand. Picture a playground bully bossing around smaller children. Jesus is bigger than the bully, and tells the children that they can choose to be with Him instead of the bully. Then he takes the bully by the shoulder and tells him, "The ones who are with me -- Leave them alone". Evil and death have ensnared us and hold us in captivity, but Christ is more powerful. He has captured and dis-empowered evil and death; He defeated death through His resurrection.

To those who choose Him, He has given gifts so that they might help the group whom He has saved from captivity. We know how different people are. Some people are good at speaking and persuading others, while some are shy or embarrassed when they speak. Some of us can sing, while some of us are tone deaf. Some of us have the gift of humility and can find joy in sweeping a floor in Christ's service.

The point is, you DO have a gift to use in the service of Christ. We cannot complain about the gifts that we lack. Nobody is perfect. We must find what gifts we do have and rejoice in them, being convinced that the only important thing in our work for Christ is the glory of God, not how much we impress others or how rare our gift may be.


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

What Does It Mean To Trust God ?

Hello my faithful readers!! Today's devotion is one I read on line this week and I enjoyed it, so I thought I would share it with you faithful readers. It you enjoy it and God speaks to you through this devotional, please let me know. Thanks....Pastor Don


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T-R-U-S-T  

You may wonder, what does trust really mean? Let me help you understand by using the word T-R-U-S-T as an acronym.

 

"T" stands for trust…which means that if you are going to trust Him, you have to take Him at His word. Even if it seems like it is not true, you take Him at His word. If we will take Him at His word, He will guide us through the course of life and bring us across the finish line safely.

 

"R" stands for rest. The Bible tells us to rest in the Lord. 1 Peter 5:7 says, Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Do not worry. Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but you don't get anywhere.

 

"U" stands for understanding. Proverbs 3:5 says, Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Sometimes things just won't make sense to your understanding.

 

"S" stands for speech. Our speech is an expression of our faith. In Mark 11, Jesus said, "Have faith in God." And then the very next thing Jesus said is, "Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says." Our faith in God is expressed through our speech.


The final "T" stands for thanksgiving. We offer thanks to God in advance. Philippians 4:6 says, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. When we offer thanks to God, it is an expression of our faith.


That's T-R-U-S-T!


Bayless Conley










Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Are You In Need Of....

COMFORT....

Isaiah 40:1
"Comfort, comfort my people," says your God.


God's people still had 100 years of trouble before Jerusalem would fall, then 70 years of exile. So God told Isaiah to speak tenderly and to comfort Jerusalem.

When your life seems to be falling apart, ask God to comfort you. You will not escape hard times, however you can find God's comfort during those difficult days. Sometimes, however, the only comfort we have to lean on is in the knowledge that someday we will be with God. When your world is falling apart, we need to appreciate the comfort and encouragement found in God's Word, His presence, His love, and His people. God walks with us in the good times of life and also the bad times of life. In times when we feel alone, take comfort in knowing God is there with you.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Has Anyone Told You Lately

How Amazing You Are?

It's about time you heard it again.

I hear you saying, "Who me?" I'm saying right back, "Yep, you.

You... the one doing your thing, making your difference, being a glorious mess that God can use.

You... getting back up when you fall down, trying again when it doesn't work out, doing the hard, the different, taking those steps of faith.

You... wonderfully made just like you are, and on your way to becoming all He made you to be. I see you squirming in that chair, squinting a little at that screen and thinking, "That's for others but I'm not so sure about me." Believe it, receive it, it's true. This is for YOU.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14 NIV

Friday, October 15, 2010

Stop And Listen

Hearing the Still Small Voice of God


“After the earthquake came a fire, but The Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

I Kings 19:12



After his encounter with Jezebel, Elijah, the prophet, was stressed out, to say the least. He said to the Lord, “I have had enough, Lord, Take my life: I am no better than my ancestors” (I Kings 19:4).
In his depression he found himself sitting under a juniper tree where an angel came to him and provided bread and water. After he was strengthened enough physically, he traveled for 40 days and came to a cave at Mt. Horeb. He was at this point still running, but God was able to ask him the soul searching question, “Why are you here Elijah?”


Even though he was physically strengthened, his spiritual life was in a shambles; and he was not where the Lord wanted him to be. Elijah answered God’s question by telling God all about his failures and disappointments and said that he was the only person left. He had worked so hard, and now this was happening. Elijah was in a state of depression and irrational thinking.


The Lord revealed himself to Elijah in four ways:

1 . A rock shattering wind

2 . A dreadful earthquake

3 . A sudden fire

4 . A still small voice



The Lord was not in any of the first three spectacular events. It was only at the still small voice that Elijah immediately recognized God, and this voice is what brought him out of the cave where he could be restored. “When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave” (I Kings 19:13).

At this point God asked the same question again, “What are you doing here Elijah?” Elijah still answered the same way, speaking from his deep-seated failures. But at this point God was able to talk with him and explain some things.

When we are stressed out by the pressures of life, we often speak irrationally, just as Elijah did. We may lose our focus and recognize that our spiritual life is in a shambles. We recite our litany of troubles over and over to our friends and to God. When God tries to speak to us, we are so focused on our own remedies that He can’t get through. We are still rehashing our numerous problems or looking for Him in all the wrong places.

God taught Elijah that He was not in the other things—the rock shattering wind, the dreadful earthquake, or the fire. He was not in the spectacular. God is not in the things where people search. When the still, small voice came, Elijah knew immediately that it was God.

When we quiet our spirits long enough, we will hear God speak to us. When He gets our attention, He can tell us where to go and what to do next. God brought Elijah out of the cave and out of his depression. He can do the same for you today. Just Trust and Obey Him.



THINK: It is better to hear God in the whisper—that still small voice—because if you are close enough to the Lord, you can hear the whisper.










Thursday, October 14, 2010

Your Own Obituary

You Decide Your Legacy

What would you like to be remembered for after you die? One man saw a glimpse of his legacy and decided to change it. Alfred Nobel was a prolific inventor who discovered dynamite. In 1888, a French newspaper erroneously published his obituary while he was still living. In it they condemned him for inventing dynamite, something so dangerous and potentially disastrous for mankind.

Nobel decided that is not how he wanted to be remembered. It is said that this incident influenced him to establish the Nobel Prizes with his fortune. The Nobel Peace Prize is still one of the most coveted and prestigious after more than a hundred years. The first one was given in 1901. What a great legacy!

Now it's your turn. If you read your own obituary is there something in there that you would rather not? It is not too late to think about a way to change it. You aren't dead yet! Listen to this advice in scripture. "Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
 (1 Timothy 6:18-19)



How will you be remembered? You decide!





Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:1-9


The Tower of Babel

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar [Babylonia] and settled there.

They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."

So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel —because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Notes on the Scripture

"Babel" The Hebrew word for "confusion"; the passage says that Babel was named because it was the place where God confused the languages of the world. In 1700 B.C., Babylonia was probably the largest city in the world. In the period when it was ruled by Nebuchadnezzar and his descendants (@ 600-450 B.C.), it again became the largest and one of the richest cities in the world. It was a city given to grand structures, including one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the great Hanging Gardens.

The story of the Tower of Babel would have made sense to anyone living in the Middle East. It was a great crossroads of trade, a meeting place for cultures with widely disparate languages, and was repeatedly conquered and re - conquered by great empires.

An ancient Sumerian story, which is known only in fragments, speaks of the building of a great tower (ziggurat), although it would have been 100 miles to the south of Babylonia; this was originally Sumeria but later became part of Babylon; it was certainly, at the time, the greatest architectural center in the world, and many structures were built for heathen gods.

There was also a great tower built in ancient Babylonia proper, known as the Etemenanki (Sumerian "temple of the foundation of heaven and earth") . Nebuchadnezzar wrote that the original tower had been built in antiquity: "A former king built the Temple of the Seven Lights of the Earth, but he did not complete its head. Since a remote time, people had abandoned it, without order expressing their words. Since that time earthquakes and lightning had dispersed its sun-dried clay; the bricks of the casing had split, and the earth of the interior had been scattered in heaps."






At any rate, the Tower of Babel was not built for the worship of God, but for the glory of man. It was temple dedicated to sinful pride. Even the materials used were man made, a locally invented brick rather than stone. So God stopped them by giving them different languages and scattering them around in tribes and the tower was abandoned.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-18

The Armor of God

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.

With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Notes on the Scripture

This is a wonderful passage and has such a powerful truth to it. This is one of those passages that should be read loud and with a since of urgencies. The ideas of a real hell and fighting forces of evil with God’s power are not so popular today. Mainstream theologians and ministers are not so dramatic, but in tempering their message to the sensibilities of the modern congregation, they have lost some truth. The power of evil is great; and it takes the strength of God to overcome it.

But even fighting the small struggles in ourselves, we are wise to put on God's armor in advance. If we encounter temptation unprepared, we will likely give into it. We must read, and pray, and realize every day is a spiritual battle. The battle is over your soul. In the morning we must fasten the belt of truth around our waist, no less than we fasten a belt around our pants. The allure of adultery, the automatic flash of anger when someone offends us, the moment when it is easier to ignore someone who needs a kind word — only if we have prepared ourselves can we fight the voices of evil when the time for action arrives. We need to obey the Holy Spirits voice and leading. We must be prepared in season and out of season.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Does The Holy Spirit Dwell Within You?

The Power of the Holy Spirit 

 
Several years ago, a young man wanted to attend a men's breakfast at his church. He really wanted to sleep-in that morning, but something told him to get up and go. It never registered with him that it was the Spirit that was telling him to get out of bed, but he realized afterwards that God had something to say that morning that He wanted him to hear. He now wonders how many times he might have missed out on an important message from the Lord because he didn’t recognize His voice.

His church had invited a member to give his testimony after breakfast. He spoke for over an hour and kept him on the edge of his seat. God had delivered him from the bondage of sin. He was delivered from a life of drug abuse and adultery as well. He admitted to the group that after he became a Christian, he continued to live in an adulterous relationship with his ex-wife. But the Lord spoke to him one night just before he climbed into bed with her. “Have you ever stood in a room and thought someone was looking at you?” he asked. “Well, that’s the feeling I had that night as I looked at her in the bed. Someone else was in that room with me. I finally realized that I had the Spirit of God dwelling in me.”

 For the first time in his new life, he understood what it meant when he asked Jesus to come live in his heart. His whole perspective about his adulterous relationship changed when he remembered what the Bible says about our relationship with the Lord. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:17)

All of us are able to experience the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit has the ability to be present in every place at the same time. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalms 139:7)

When Jesus walked among us, He was not able to be everywhere at the same time. But when He ascended to heaven, He promised that He would always be with us. And so He is, through the power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, Jesus and the Father dwell in us through the Holy Spirit.

Paul once said, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” (Colossians 2:9-10) But it was Jesus who tied it all together when He said, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)

The Holy Spirit can and will change our lives if we allow Him. But remember, apart from Jesus we will never experience the fullness of life that God promises. That’s what prompted another Christian writer to observe, “If you have the Spirit without the Word, you blow up. If you have the Word without the Spirit, you dry up. If you have both the Word and the Spirit, you grow up.”
  
PRAYER...

Father thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit so that we can be holy because you are holy. Help us Lord to be Holy in all and in everything we do and say. Thank you Lord that we can live out a holy life style every day. Help us to hear your voice and be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Continue to guide us as we walk with you. Amen

Saturday, October 9, 2010

You Must Follow God....

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him.  Deuteronomy 13:4


Thoughts On Today's Verse...

 So many people want us to follow their lead and obey their voice. Only God alone has proved Himself faithful and loving through the ages. In His might He is to be revered*. But rather than seeing reverence as a "church thing," we are reminded by Moses it is a "life thing." We are to obey and keep His commandments, we are to serve Him and depend upon Him in our daily lives. Rather than silence in the assembly, reverence is action to His glory!



*regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of....



Prayer For Today...

Holy and Righteous Father, help me take my worship outside the church building into my day to day life as I try to live what I sing, practice what I say, and pursue what I pray. In Jesus' name. Amen.



Friday, October 8, 2010

Clocky

Psalms 39:4 & 5b   NLT

Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.  Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.  Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.


"The Clock is Ticking"

We say that "time flies" but a wise person observed that "time stays and we fly"!

Life is short no matter how long we live.  If there is something important we want to do, we must not put it off for a better day.  Ask yourself, "If I had only six months to live, what would I do?"  Tell someone that you love him or her?  Deal with an undisciplined area in your spiritual life?  Tell someone about Jesus?  Life is short - don't neglect what is truly important.  Life is short, but God is strong.  Live your life today as it is your last.

" DON'T SPEND TIME; INVEST IT "

Prayer:  Father help us make the most of life's opportunities before us - living holy lives, serving others before ourselves, glorify You in word and deed.  Let us be reminded that time is Yours and we need to be prepared for the end of time, because time is short, help us again to do your utmost for you.  In Your Name.  Amen

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Why The Cross? Part II

Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” On the cross Jesus received the punishment our sins deserved. As the perfect God – man, He alone was in a position to do that. Jesus stood in the chasm between God and man, which was created by our sins, and brought us back together by His blood. As horrible as the physical agony must have been, the spiritual agony of this transformation and punishment was worse. No wonder He scream out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus was deserted by God so that you and I never have to be. That’s the second fact you need to know. Jesus took your place cross and bore the terrible brunt of the sentence God could have imposed on you. It was you that should have been on the cross.

Jesus died for you. Take it personally. It’s still a mystery how death of one righteous Man – the only righteous Man – pays for the sins of the world. Still, though we may not understand it, we can depend upon it for our salvation. It is the only way to have peace with God and eternal life. We must go through the cross. It’s fitting that God took the cross of Christ – the single darkest hour in the history of humanity – and turned it into the bridge that leads to redemption for all people everywhere. That is the kind of God the Bible talks about. From Genesis through Revelation it speaks of God who loves you so very much He would even die on a cross for you.


For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16


I will take this verse and place my name in it…example…. you might try it…. It’s Personal remember?


For God so loved Don that He gave His one and only Son, If Don believes in Him, Don shall not perish but have eternal life. AMEN

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Why The Cross? Part I

A youth pastor was talking to a group of junior highers about the cross of Christ, explaining how Jesus’ death had provided for their individual forgiveness and salvation. “It’s Personal,” he said. “Jesus didn’t just die for people in general, He died for you.” He paused to let the impact of the statement sink in. Suddenly one-seventh-grade girl blurted out: “so?” “So?” As irreverent and inappropriate as that question seems, that seventh grader’s response is sadly representative of how people think today.

We know Jesus died on a cross for us; we just don’t see the connection between that event 2,000 years ago and our lives today. What is the cross about? Why did Jesus have to die such a horrible death? The cross has inspired endless debates, wars, books, songs, and lives through the centuries. I hope this short note may help you gain some insight into why Jesus had to die and why He died in such a gruesome way.

First of all, there’s humanity’s problem. All humans are sinners. We’ve broken God’s law, so we stand guilty before God and deserving of punishment. Sin has warped every aspect of human life; it has had such a radical effect on us that we stand in open rebellion and defiance of the God who made us and loves us. Consider this: God made Himself vulnerable to human beings one time, and we murdered Him.

Because of our sinful nature, we are incapable of pleasing God or doing anything on our own to change the situation, We are, as Paul writes in Ephesians 2:5 and Colossians 2:13, dead in our sins and dead people can’t exactly help themselves. We desperately need help from someone who can please God, who can do something about the desperate state of human souls.

Jesus, by virtue of His sinless life, is that Someone. But helping us is a terribly expensive process. Again, we are guilty before God - we deserve His anger and punishment. However God took the wrath we deserve and poured it out on Jesus, on the cross. In some ways, it is beyond human understanding. Jesus took upon Himself our sins – every mean, dishonest, disgusting thought or action – and was transformed from the perfect, holy, righteous person He was into utter sin itself.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Just a Mustard Seed

Matthew 17:19-20

Then the followers came to Jesus alone. They said, "We tried to force the demon out of the boy, but we could not. Why were we not able to make the demon go out?" Jesus answered, "You were not able to make the demon go out, because your faith is too small. I tell you the truth. If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, then you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there.' And it will move. All things will be possible for you."


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Small mindedness is not the worst of things. Smallness in faith is the worst thing. Small mindedness keeps us from seeing the grandeur, the expanse, and the plan of God. Small in faith means we see little more than what we can pull off ourselves.

Jesus had said that He gave His followers authority to cast out demons and cure diseases. The issue is not whether they were capable or had the power. They simply had very small faith. Now I'm not sure if the problem was caused by Jesus' absence, the seriousness of the boy's condition, the hardness of their hearts, or all three combined. However, they lost faith that Jesus would do what He said he would do.

So many of us lost that faith. Jesus reminds us that it doesn't take a lot -- just a mustard seed amount. What amount of faith do you have today? Put that amount in His hands and with your obedience it becomes powerful and mighty. Just think you can do anything through Christ who gives you strength.



Today's Prayer

Father, We ask you to grow our faith stronger and bolder. We believe Father, but help us believe even more! We will seek to serve you trusting in your supply of power and strength. We ask you from the depths of our soul in Jesus' name. Amen.