"God Will Take Care of You"

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" Matthew 6:26

I woke up this morning with this chorus repeating over and over in my thoughts- "God will take care of you, through every day, o'er all the way; He will take care of you, God will take care of you." I knew the Lord wanted me to share it with you this morning as a reminder. A reminder that He will take care of you no matter what you are going through. He always has taken care of you and He always will. He is the same faithful Father today as He was yesterday. He hasn't changed. The situation may look overwhelming, but it isn't to God. It may look impossible, but not for the Lord. It may seem devastating, but it does not upset Him.

Remember too this morning that He feeds the birds daily and watches over them, meeting their every need. But He says you are of much more value to Him than they are. So if He is faithful to the fowls of the air, He will be much more faithful to you. You are His child. He doesn't abandon and leave His own. Take comfort today in the faithfulness of your loving Heavenly Father and His care for you.

Have a great day. God will take care of you.

For Further reading:
Matthew 10:29-31

"God Will Take Care Of You"

1. Be not dismayed whate'er betide, God will take care of you; beneath his wings of love abide, God will take care of you. Refrain: God will take care of you, through every day, o'er all the way; he will take care of you, God will take care of you.

2. Through days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you; when dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.

3. All you may need he will provide, God will take care of you; nothing you ask will be denied, God will take care of you.

4. No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you; lean, weary one, upon his breast, God will take care of you.

"My House"

"And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves." Mark 11:15

When Jesus comes into our lives (our temples- 1 Corinthians 3:16), don't expect Him to do any less than He did in the verse above. He "cleans house". He doesn't leave us the way He finds us.

Many Christians are of the opinion that Christianity is just mere religious duty- church attendance, singing in the choir, giving offerings, reading their Bible, and so on. How wrong they are. When Jesus cleaned out the temple, He also set things back in order, restored it to its original purpose and reestablished its priority- "My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer." (verse 17)

When Christ comes into our lives, He puts them back in order, restores us to our original purpose for which He created us and helps us to reestablish His priorities in our lives as well- "Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matthew 22:37) Up to that point, before He does, it is not about Him but about us. We were living for self and doing what was right and pleasing in our own eyes.

When Jesus got finished cleaning the temple that day, I can promise you it did not look the same. There was a definite "transformation" that took place. The moneychangers were gone, the merchant tables were no longer set up, the place was quieter, worship was heard again, prayer and holiness was restored.

As I said earlier, "He doesn't leave us the way He finds us." He brings the gift of salvation and eternal life to us and from that moment on He desires to bring about a "transformation" process in our lives. He doesn't leave us the same way and He doesn't leave us looking the same way. Instead the goal is that we look like His original intention for us. "Let us make man in our image." (Genesis 1:26) "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." (1 Cor. 15:49) The goal is that we look like Him-- "MY house".

Have a great day. Jesus doesn't come into our lives and leave us the same way-- He brings transformation.

For further reading:
2 Corinthians 3:18
Matthew 21:13
Romans 8:29; 12:2

"Guard Your Heart"

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

In this verse we find both a command and a warning. We are commanded to guard our hearts- in other words, protect them. And we are warned that there are consequences if we don't.

Let's start with the warning first. I won't spend much time on this because we all know that whatever we open our hearts up to will come in and take over them. This is why the Lord says to love Him with all our hearts- don't give place, or room, for anything else in our hearts because whatever is in there will be the governing factor of your life. So, if we don't guard/protect them, then we leave them open for the enemy's attack. We make them susceptible to his destructive devices. He will try to fill our hearts with bitterness, resentfulness, evil desires, lusts, immorality, selfishness, and so on- which will destroy us.

I want to talk a little more about the command to guard our hearts because this is the solution that will shut the door, and keep it shut, to the evil influences that would try to take over it. How do we guard our hearts? What can we do that will keep the door of our hearts closed and not give anything but the Lord access?

1) Be careful about what you set before your eyes. ("I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. - Psalm 101:3) What you see really does influence you and that "image" will find its way into your heart. If not dealt with, it will breed lust and when lust is conceived it brings forth sin. ("Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.- James 1:15)

2) Don't allow the standards and ideology of this world to mold your heart. You do this by renewing your mind with the word of God. ("And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. - Romans 12:2)

3) Follow the word of God. It is one thing to read it, or know it, but it is in the doing of it that we guard our hearts. ("But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. - James 1:22)

4) Keep yourself in the love of God. ("Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."- Jude 1:21) You do this by staying close to the Lord through communing with Him in prayer and worship, through His word, through repentance when you sin, by constantly drawing near to Him and through self denial.

If we will heed the warning and follow the command, then we are being the "guard at the door" of our hearts and governing what comes in and what doesn't.

Have a great day. Guard your heart- that is a command and a warning.

"Fearful Things"

"They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever." Psalm 125:1

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." (Luke 21:25,26)  We are living in "distressful" times. It is so seldom that you hear any good news. There are wars and rumors of wars, talk of economic collapse on a global scale, violence is plaguing the land, diseases, natural disasters seem to never end but instead seem to be getting worse.

If you listen to all the ominous reports it would be easy to allow yourself to become fearful. But this morning, may I remind you, if you are a Child of God/ follower of Jesus/ His disciple (whatever you chose to call it) you have nothing to fear. Our trust is not in the things of this world. It is not in material resources. It is not in the wisdom of this world. It is not in man's knowledge or abilities. Our hope is in the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Our hope is in the One who created this world to begin with. He is our Savior, Deliverer, Fortress, Strong Tower of Refuge and our Source.

He was "Goshen" for the Israelites while the plagues were coming upon Egypt. He was the "Ark" that protected Noah and his family during the flood. He was the fourth man in the fire with the three Hebrews. He was the Angel who shut the lions' mouths for Daniel while in the lion's den. He was the "Smooth Stone" in the sling shot of David which brought down the giant.

Biblical history has recorded from Genesis to Revelation that the Lord has always been with His people- watching over, protecting and providing for them. He has always been there, He will not change now and leave us when we need Him. He is a Faithful Father to all His children throughout all generations. Therefore, we have no reason to fear- though the earth be removed and the powers of heaven be shaken. Our hope is in the Lord and we will look to Him.

Have a great day. Fearful things are happening, but we will be like Mount Zion which cannot be moved because our faith and trust is in the right place- it is in the Lord.

For further reading:
Psalm 91; 46
Isaiah 43:1,2

"The Price of Discipleship"

"They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" Mark 10:37,38

Most Christians tend to think that being a disciple of Jesus is about what we can "get" from God. We think it is about all the blessings He gives. We are always after the "good" things and good gifts that He will send our way. There is more to it though than just receiving blessings. There is a price to pay.

When we think about "the price" in Christianity, we tend to confine it to the price Jesus paid for our salvation. We forget that there is a price to discipleship as well. If you are going to follow Jesus, if you are going to be a partaker of His inheritance, if you are going to enjoy the blessings, then you are also going to have to pay a price.

Let me clarify that I am not talking about us paying a price for our salvation through works and by doing good deeds. I am talking about the price that comes from following Jesus. He told us in His word that there was a price and what the price was. "And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, if any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?" (Luke 14:25-28)

The price is:
1) Love Him with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. (and hate not... cannot be my disciple)
2) Don't allow anything or anyone besides Him to have first place in your life. (not father, mother, wife, children, brothers or sisters) He is your family now.
3) Surrender your own will to Him. (hate his own life also)
4) Die to self- (bear his cross)

Jesus wasn't telling us to hate others or self. The true evidence that we are Christians is our love for others. Besides if He told us to "hate" our families in the sense that we define hate, He would be telling us to break the greatest commandment. He was telling us that we cannot let our love for people (including family), ourselves, or material things come ahead of our love for Him. Our love for Him must be willing to sacrifice all other relationships for the relationship we have with Him. The cross is the place of death and sacrifice. This is the price that we are called to pay as disciples- the sacrifice of all for a relationship with Him. (Isn't that exactly what He did- sacrifice all in order to have a relationship with us?) This was the price that He told James and John when they were arguing about "position" in our verses above- "can ye drink of the cup that I drink of?"

Have a great day. We want the blessings, benefits and glory that come along with being His disciple, but we don't hear much about the price that comes along with it too. "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:17)

For further reading:
1 Peter 4:12-14
Matthew 22:36-40

"Out of Focus"

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

I woke up this morning with this chorus repeating over and over in my thoughts- "Savior, worthy of honor and glory, worthy of all our praise, You overcame Jesus, awesome in power forever, awesome and great is Your name, You overcame." The words of this song were taken directly from the scriptures, therefore, they are truth. Jesus has overcome. He is awesome in power- He is the Omnipotent One. He is no "wimpy" little "Casper milk toast" God. He is not a "ninety-eight pound weakling". He is not limited in power- with Him nothing is impossible. May I remind you this morning that He is the Creator of the Universe. He is the Ruler of all creation. He is so powerful that He did not even have to take something in hand to create all that is, all He had to do was speak and it came into existence. His throne is eternal- He will always be though everything else may pass away. He always has been- when nothing else was.

I think that sometimes we need to readjust our focus- and thinking. Have you ever starred at something for so long that once you got your eyes off of it, everything else seemed blurry? When we look at our problems for too long without taking our eyes off of them, the same thing happens. Once we finally look somewhere else, everything else is out of focus-- including our view of God. We don't see Him as He really is- but as a distorted figure who is weak, not in control, unable to meet the need, unfaithful, etc.

Today turn your eyes for a moment from your problem, and start "starring" at Jesus. Get refocused on Him. If you "stare" at Him long enough, once you look back at your problem, it will be blurry- it will now look distorted and unclear. It won't look as intimidating, as big, as hopeless and as impossible, because it will be a true image of the problem compared to God.

Have great day. Readjust your focus and place it on the One who is awesome in power and overcame.

For further reading:
Philippians 2:10
Revelation 5:12
2 Samuel 7:22
Psalm 86:10; 121:1
Jeremiah 10:6

"Without Favoritism"

"He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill." Psalm 113:7

How wonderful it is to know that no matter what our station in life or our financial status is God loves and cares about us. He is not a respecter of persons. He doesn't look at our bank account to determine our worth or value. We are valuable to Him whether we are an aged widow who gives her last mite or the wealthiest person on earth. God doesn't look at us the way we look at others. This is why we are admonished time and time again in the scriptures not to show favoritism. "My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?" (James 2:1-4) James goes on to say, "But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors." (James 2:9) How sobering is that! If we show respect of persons then we are committing sin.

Why would He call it sin? Because you are breaking the royal law of love. "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (James 2:8) Once Jesus was asked the question, "Who is my neighbor?" He defined it through the story of the Good Samaritan. Basically, the answer was- your neighbor is anyone you share the planet with. The next question, "How do we show love to our neighbor?" When they are in need, do whatever is in your power to help them. And do it without partiality. Don't help them only because they are poor or wealthy, share the same culture, have the same color skin, in the same age group, etc. Jesus used the characters that He did in His illustration because the Samaritans and Jews had no dealings with each other at all- they did not think very highly of each other. But the Samaritan was the one who stopped to help. The first two men would not stop and help, even though the one hurting was a fellow country man.

Jesus commanded His followers to love their neighbor as themselves, love those who are of the household of faith, and He even commanded us to love our enemies. And our love is not to be with partiality, favoritism or respect of persons. Why? Because it is not our love that we are to love them with, but His love that has been placed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Have a great day. Do you show favoritism or love for all?

For further reading:
Matthew 5:44
Galatians 6:10
Luke 10:29-37

"Revelation of the Father"

"For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 2 Peter 1:17

There is a song entitled, "Fire Fall Down". One of the choruses in that song repeats the lines- "Show me Your heart; show me Your way; show me Your glory." Is it your desire that the Lord show you His heart, His way, and His glory? Well, He already has - we saw it in Jesus.

Jesus showed and demonstrated to us the heart of God. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) The heart of God is love. It is the very core of His being; who He is, not only what He possesses. "...for God is love." (1 John 4:8,16)

Jesus showed us the Father's way. His way is obedience. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:5-8) "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." (Hebrews 5:8,9) "Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." (Luke 22:42)

Jesus showed us the Father's glory. He was and is the glory of God. "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." (John 17:4,5) "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10,11) "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Hebrews 1:2,3)

The next time you desire a deeper revelation of who God the Father is, look at His Son Jesus, in Him was the fullness of the Godhead bodily. When you saw Him, you saw the Father- the Father's heart, His way and His glory.

Have a great day. All that the Father is, is seen in Jesus.

For further reading:
Colossians 2:9
John 14:8,9

"Loyalty"

"And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” - Luke 4:8

Several nights ago I watched a movie about the life of Marco Polo.  Upon his first trip to China, with his father and uncle, the Emperor requested that he stay in China. Marco was appointed as a diplomatic representative of the Emperor Kublai Khan.  He conducted much business for the Emperor although he was a European.  After being there for some time, the movie did not say how long, the Empress said to the Emperor that it was time for Marco’s loyalty to China to be tested.  He was sent on a trip to represent the Emperor but wasn’t told that he was being tested to see if he would handle the situation in the best interest of China or betray them. (He passed the test.)

During this part of the movie, the Holy Spirit began to speak to me something that I need to share with you.  The whole world is in turmoil.  Evil is being called good; good is being called evil.  The world is changing daily.  Evil men are getting worse and worse.  Lies and manipulation is running rampant.  Our freedoms are being taken away from us at an alarming rate. Fear has taken the driver’s seat. We truly are living in the last days and events that have been prophesied are being fulfilled before our eyes. 

The thing I need to share is this:  Through these events our loyalty to Jesus is being tested. There’s an old song which says, “Who is on the Lord’s side among you?”  Jesus is returning soon.  He is coming back for those whose sole allegiance is to Him.  If your allegiance to a certain political party, to a race, to a culture, to a nation, to a philosophy, to a popular opinion, to a person or to your own personal agenda is above your allegiance to Jesus, then you are failing the test.   

Our allegiance and loyalty have to be to Him first above everything and everyone else.  We can’t serve two masters.  If you love anything/anyone above Him, you are not worthy of Him. This is why He said the greatest commandment was to love the LORD your God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, ALL your strength and ALL your mind.  Our hearts can’t be divided.  Our loyalty to Him can’t be divided and it can’t be divided between Him and anything else.  Check your loyalty.  There is nothing wrong with being loyal to the right things (the things that are approved by God) but even at that, our loyalty is always to the Lord first and foremost.  

Have a great day.  Your loyalty and allegiance to the Lord is being put to the test.  Are you passing or failing?

For further reading:

Matthew 6:24; 10:37, 38

Luke 10:27

Psalm 86:11

 

"Praise Him"

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." Hebrews 13:15

It is so easy to run to God for help in a time of need, and He wants us to. He has told us time and time again in His word to "ask", "pray", and "seek Him". But I want to ask you this morning, "Is the only communication you have with the Lord is when you are in need?" Do you ever just go into His presence and tell Him that you are there to just "love on" and worship Him? Do you ever sit there determined to do nothing (no asking for anything) but to give Him praise and tell Him how wonderful He is?

Yes, we are always in need, and because He loves and cares for us so deeply, He graciously allows us to come to Him with those needs and make our requests known. But don't you think His heart would be overjoyed if just once our prayer wasn't about "us" but about "Him"?

If you never have times alone with the Lord when you don't ask for something but instead express your love and adoration for Him, perhaps that is something you should think about-- and start doing. After all, He is worthy of our praise!

Have a great day. We should all have times when we give God praise and thanksgiving instead of always just asking Him for something.

For further reading:
Jeremiah 33:11
Psalm 118:28; 99:5; 132:7

"Your Response"

"And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." 1 Samuel 30:6

There come times in all of our lives when we face problems, troubles, dark days, overwhelming circumstances, distress, grief and pain. No one is exempt- no matter how closely we may walk to the Lord. When we face them, there will always be a response to them. The question is, "What will your response be?" Will it be to "blame God" for the problem? Will it be to get bitter and angry? Will the response be to close yourself off and shut out the rest of the world? Will it be to try to "pick yourself up"?

There is only one response to the troubles that we face that will make us victorious and successful in them-- "but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God". You have to learn how to encourage yourself in the Lord- that's your response. We encourage ourselves in the Lord by praying- talk to Him about the situation. We encourage ourselves in Him through His written word- read and meditate on His promises. And we encourage ourselves in Him by remembering- remembering that He loves us, that He is faithful, that He is all powerful and by remembering what He has done for us in the past. I have a feeling that at this distressful place in his life, David remembered how God had delivered him from the lion, the bear, Goliath, King Saul and saved him in every other battle he had fought. As he remembered God's faithfulness he was encouraged because he knew that the Lord does not change and if He was faithful to him then, He will still be faithful to him now in this situation.

Take time today to think about, and examine, how you respond to times like these. Is your response one that encourages yourself in the Lord or something else? There is only one way to respond to trying times if we expect to walk in victory over them instead of being buried by them.

Have a great day. Encourage yourself in the Lord.

For further reading:
Psalm 119:52; 36:5

"The Right Hand of the Lord"

"The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly." Psalm 118:16

There are two characteristics of the Lord that I want to talk about this morning:
1) His authority. "The right hand of the Lord is exalted."
2) His power. "The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly."

The right hand or right arm speaks of authority. In God Himself all authority resides. There is no one who is over Him. There is none who can tell Him what to do. There is none who can rule over Him. He has no "boss" - He IS the "boss". It is at His name every knee bows. It is at His word all creation was formed. It is in His presence that demons tremble. All He has to do is "speak" the word and situations change. He does not possess a portion of authority, but all authority is given unto Him.

The right hand of the Lord speaks also of power. It is by His strong right arm that the victory is won. There is no weakness in Him. There is none who has more strength than He does. The sea even fled when it saw His power displayed, the mountains shake, all of heaven falls prostrate before His throne. There is none who can stand against Him. He does not back down from anyone or anything. He has nothing to fear, but is Himself feared.

I often wonder who we think God is by the way we act. We act as if He is weak and defeated. We act as if there are things that are too hard for God to do. On the contrary just the opposite is true. Perhaps it's time that we renew our vision of Him. He is an awesome, mighty God who is before all and above all and by whom all things exist. His power is displayed in all creation, for without Him was not made anything that was made and He holds it all together.

Have a great day. God has all authority and all power! (That means He is not weak and powerless!)

For further reading:
Ephesians 4:6
Colossians 1:16-18
Matthew 19:26; 28:18; 8:8
1 Corinthians 1:26
Psalm 98:1; 114; 24:8

"Chosen"

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you..." John 15:16a

The Bible says that the Lord uses the weak and foolish things of this world to accomplish His purposes through. As you look in the scriptures you discover that most of the people that He chose to fulfill His plan through were murders, prostitutes, weak, uneducated, fearful, and so on. When God uses the weak to display His strength through, when He uses the unlearned to display His wisdom through, when He uses the outcast and reveals His grace and mercy through them, then it is evident that what ever was accomplished could not have been the person who accomplished it but God. There can only be one testimony to come out of it-- "That was God"! Therefore, no man can take the glory for himself. "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13)

Wherever you are, whatever you may have done, whatever faults you may have, you are still a candidate for the Lord's service. It blesses, encourages and causes me to love Him more, knowing that I can be so weak and yet He chose me. That should encourage you as well.

Have a great day. Regardless of who we are and what we have done, God still loves and chooses us as instruments to reveal His glory to the world.

For further reading:
Genesis 18:18; 22:18; 26:4
1 Corinthians 1:26-29
John 15:16
Deuteronomy 7:7

"The Cost of Love"

"And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her." Genesis 29:20

From reading this whole chapter we know that Jacob actually served a total of fourteen years in order to have Rachel as his wife. Jacob "sold" himself to his Uncle Laban for fourteen years because he loved and desired her so deeply. When you truly love and desire something, or someone, you will pay any price you have to in order to have them/it. No price seems too large. No sacrifice is too great. You don't mind doing whatever it takes. We do that with material things- we will get a second job just to pay for "things" because we "want" them. When we find "Mr." or "Miss Right", we rearrange our schedules, loose sleep, go places we would not usually go, make sacrifices that we would not normally make just to be with them.

I wonder, if we have this attitude about people, or things, do we have this same attitude when it comes to our love and desire to be with the Lord? Do we make the sacrifices that are needed in order to be with Him? Are we willing to "sell ourselves out" for Him? Do we have any sleepless nights because we have desired to stay up and be with Him in prayer? Do we get out of bed early enough to meet with Him before it is time to rush out the door?

The perfect picture of what I am talking about is Jesus' love for us. He loved us so much that He was willing to leave the splendor of heaven, remove His royal robe, clothe Himself in flesh and take on the role of a servant in order to "have" us for His own. He paid a bigger price for us than the fourteen years that Jacob gave to Laban so that he could have Rachel. He paid the greatest price and made the greatest sacrifice ever-- He gave up His life... and He did it for love's sake.

What Jacob did for Rachel was give up his life for fourteen years. What Jesus did for us was give up His life by dying on the cross. Will we not give up our life for Him... because of love?

Have a great day. Love never minds making sacrifices in order to be with the one you love.

For further reading:
John 15:13
John 3:16
Genesis 29:18-30
Romans 5:8

"The Making of a Vessel"

".... until Christ be formed in you." Galatians 4:19

In one of his writings Oswald Chambers wrote: "We are apt to think that everything that happens to us is to be turned into useful teaching; it is to be turned into something better than teaching, viz, into character. We shall find that the spheres God brings us into are not meant to teach us something but to make us something."

No doubt we can learn from the situations that come our way, but if that is all that is gleaned from them we have missed the whole point of trials, suffering, etc. The whole reason for the potter's wheel is to produce a certain kind of vessel. The purpose of the refiner's fire is to produce pure gold that is of great value. Putting coal under pressure produces a diamond. The reason for chastening is to produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness in us.

The purpose of the things that we encounter are not just meant to teach us something, but to make us into a "new man" and vessels fit for the Master's use. Job became a different man after he suffered. "I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23:10b) Joseph became a different man through what he went through. He went from being a prideful lad with no wisdom to a ruler with the wisdom to preserve nations during a time of famine. It was on the backside of the desert where Moses was transformed from a murdering coward to a mighty deliverer. All the suffering he went through made him into a vessel that could fulfill God's purpose.

If we see our trials and suffering in one light only- lessons to teach us something, a test of our faith, or an attack of the enemy- then we will have missed the purpose that is in the trial. "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." (2 Corinthians 4:17) What is that "greater weight of glory"? "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world." (Philippians 2:15) And more specifically, "until Christ be formed in us."

Have a great day. God has a purpose for you, but in order to fulfill that purpose you have to be made into the vessel that He can use to fulfill that purpose.

For further reading:
Hebrews 12:11
2 Timothy 2:21
James 1:1-4
Colossians 1:27

"Not Forgotten"

"Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance." Psalm 112:6

"...the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance." You may feel as though the Lord has forgotten you. You may feel as if He has left you. You may be thinking that He doesn't know your name any more. But you are wrong. You are His child and He will never forget you. He said it this way to reaffirm His love and continual awareness of you, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee." (Isaiah 49:15)

The circumstances of life often shroud the presence of God from sight. We wonder where He is, has He abandoned us in our time of need? Let me reassure you this morning. It may feel as though He is no where to be found, but He is right there. He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you. He is with you always, even unto the ends of the world.

He was there with the Israelites when they were hemmed in between the Red Sea and Pharaoh's army. He was there with Daniel when he was in the lion's den. He was with the three Hebrews while they were in the fiery furnace. He was with Mary during her time of travail in the stable. He was with Gideon on the battlefield. He was with David when he stood before the giant.

Remember for a moment that He was not with Jesus when He hung on the cross-- "And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:33,34) He forsook His own Son as He hung on the cross because He was paying the price for our sins as well as the rejection that we should have suffered. Through His act, we can rest assure that we will not be forsaken or abandoned by our Heavenly Father because Jesus took that upon Himself too.

Have a great day. It may feel as though He is not there, but there is never a moment that He does not remember you- you are not forgotten.

For further reading:
Matthew 28:20; 27:46
Hebrews 13:5
Psalm 23:4

"Thank You"

"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever." 1 Chronicles 16:34

When I was growing up, people had good manners- at least better than they seem to have now. When someone did something nice for you, gave you a gift or showed you kindness, you always showed how appreciative you were by saying, "Thank you". They are just two little words but they let others know that what they did for you was noticed and not taken for granted.

The lack of expressing thankfulness has "rubbed off" in the area of our relationship with the Heavenly Father as well. How often do we tell Him, "Thank You"? When He bestows His blessings and grace on us, do we take it for granted? Do we let Him know how much we appreciate it?

When we don't express our thanksgiving to the Lord for what He does for us, it reveals an attitude of ingratitude. It also conveys the message that we think that what we received was owed to us anyway. That's how spoiled children act.

Are you acting like a "spoiled child"? Are you taking for granted what the Lord does for you? Do you feel like He owes it to you anyway? Is that why you don't tell Him, "Thank You"? The first thing we should do each morning before we even put our feet on the floor is tell God thank You-- thank You for protecting and watching over us through the night; thank You for waking us up today; thank You for being with us and supplying all our needs today. Don't take it for granted. Everything He gives us is not because it is owed to us, but because of His love, grace and mercy that He so generously decides to give to us.

Have a great day. Did you forget to tell the Lord, "Thank You"?

For further reading:
Psalm 26:7; 95:2; 100:4; 116:17
Revelation 7:12

"Rejoice"

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

This is not a "conditional" verse. What I mean by that is it is not specific as to when you should rejoice, or under what conditions you should rejoice or not. It doesn't say to rejoice only in the good times when things are going well, or refrain from it when things aren't. The reason why is because no matter what comes our way today the Lord has promised to be with us, not to forsake us and to provide everything that we need.

It is not a matter of "can" you rejoice but "will" you. We can because of the reasons I have already listed. But will we? Will we rejoice? Will we look past the things that are happening in our lives and look to the One who loves us, cares about us, meets our needs and is faithful to fulfill His promises to us?  Will we exercise our faith by rejoicing in His goodness even when we aren't seeing it? When we take a moment, even in a bad situation, to acknowledge the Lord, then our acknowledging will pretty soon turn to rejoicing.

Have a great day. We can rejoice today no matter what may be happening when we remember that the Lord is with us.

For further reading:
Psalm 63:5,6
Hebrews 13:5
Joshua 23:14
Habakkuk 3:18

"Unplugged"

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." John 15:5

I have a small electric heater in my office that I turn on some mornings while I am at my desk to help heat the room up quickly. The other morning I turned it on and after a period of time I noticed that it was not heating up. I rechecked to make sure the control was turned on the right position. Upon further examination I discovered that it was unplugged. No wonder it wasn't heating, it was disconnected from the power source.

Even though it is a heater and designed to heat, even though the manufacturer created it for that purpose, even though it has all the elements that give it the ability to heat, it will never heat if it is not plugged in. It has to have a power source. We are no different. We have been created for a purpose. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10) We have been designed by God in such a way as to be able to fulfill that purpose, but unless we are "plugged" into Him- the source of the power to fulfill what we were created to do- we will be unable and fail at the attempt.

This is why Jesus said, "Without Me you can do nothing". He said the same thing while He was on earth of His own work, "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things." (John 8:28) He knew He needed the Father. He knew that from the Father "flowed" all that He needed- strength, wisdom, direction, grace, power- to fulfill the task.

Are you trying to do the work on your own? Are you trying to accomplish it by yourself? Does it look like the "controls" are turned on, but you are unplugged from the "power"? Be sure you are connected to the Father and the power that you need to accomplish His purpose, plan and commission will be there to do it.

Have a great day. You were created for good works in Christ, but you can't do them unless you are "plugged" into Him.

For further reading:
John 14:10; 5:19-20
Acts 1:8
Mark 16:20