"Though Thick And Thin"

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother".  Proverbs 18:24

It is a rare thing to have someone in your life who will stick with you through "thick and thin".  I have been blessed to have a wonderful family that is always there for me no matter what.  I also have been blessed with loving and caring friendships.  Not everyone has that though.  Some people have no one to turn to.  Some have no one to help them.  Some have no one to defend them or come to their aid.  Some feel abandoned in their time of need and unwanted. 

I don't know which group you are in this morning.  You may have someone who will "stick" with you regardless of what you are going through.  You may not have anyone to stand by your side at all.  But whichever group you are in I have some good news.  There is someone who will stick with you when everyone runs out on you.  There is someone who will be with you when others are gone.  There is someone who will come to your aide when all human help is exhausted.  His name is Jesus. 

He sticks closer than a friend, a brother, a spouse, a parent, a confidant, or the most trusted person in your life.  He doesn't leave you when the going gets tough.  He doesn't walk out on you when you fail.  He doesn't turn away from you when you make a mistake.  He doesn't abandon ship when the storm comes.  He doesn't stay away when things in your life are out of control.  He is with you in the fire, in the pit, in the prison, in the lion's den, in the wilderness, in the storm, in the pig pen, in the good times and in the bad times.  All others may leave you, but He never will.  All others may forsake you, but He won't.  All others may turn their backs on you, but He will still be there. 

Have a great day.  Jesus will stick with you through "thick and thin", even if no one else does.  

"Content And Satisfied"

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."  Philippians 4:11,12 

I would like to read this verse to you in the Amplified Bible:  "Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.  I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want."

If ever a person went through hardships it was Paul.  He was beaten on more than one occasion.  He was shipwrecked three times; left for dead; stoned; imprisoned; hungry; thirsty and in perils.  (2 Corinthians 11:23-28) Yet he was "content".  He wasn't vengeful wanting to get back at those who had beaten, stoned or imprisoned him.  He wasn't bitter and angry.  He wasn't fearful.  He didn't accuse God of not taking care of him.  He didn't turn his back on God.  He wasn't anxious, depressed or despondent.  He was content though he was in personal lack and want; in hunger; in dire circumstances; physically hurting; in chains between Roman guards; floating in a sea; etc.  He was actually "satisfied".  He wasn't disturbed by it all or disquieted. 

 

How is that possible?  We might say, "Well, that was Paul.  He was 'Super Christian'.  He was an apostle".   No, Paul was like the rest of us.  But he had learned something that many of us don't learn or don't allow ourselves to learn.  He had learned how to be content.  How had he learned this "contentment"?  By learning who his God was.  (That I might know Him. - Philippians 3:10)

 

He knew that the Lord was his strength.  He knew that no matter what happened to him, the Lord was with him.  He knew that his God was able to do whatever He wanted to do on Paul's behalf.  He had completely surrendered to the will of God for his life.  He knew that Christ was in him and working through him.  He knew that there was nothing that the Lord could not enable him to do, give him grace to go through and strengthen him to endure.  "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]." (verse 13) He knew the Christ that lived in him, and he knew it was the Christ that lived in him that would help him make it through anything.  Do you know that?  That is where the contentment in whatever you face and go through comes. 

 

Have a great day.  Are you content in trying situations?  Do you know how to be satisfied where you are?  Or are you disturbed and disquieted by the trials that are going on around you?    

 

"Leaving A Mark"

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"  Mark 8:36

Recently, I was talking with someone and the conversation turned to us telling each other some of the works we were involved in.  This person has done much volunteer work with several "big" organizations that have helped masses of people.  They made the statement that they felt complete and like they had "left their mark" on society through all the helpful things they have done.

What this person said triggered a thought.  We should be "leaving a mark" for good behind us.  When we leave this earth, we should leave a part of it better than it was before we got involved.  We should be interested in helping others and making life better for mankind and those around us.  I hope to leave a mark for good behind me when I die.  I hope I have made life better for someone else because of the help that I have given them.   

But just leaving a mark here is not enough.  Leaving a mark in history, no matter how good a mark it is, is not good enough.  You can leave a mark that will further a social cause, establish a nation, free people, secure equality for all people groups, leave an invention that will help multitudes, feed thousands of hungry people, leave a legacy of peace or come up with a cure for a deadly disease.  But the greatest mark you should have is not left in this world.  It is not one that you leave behind.  It is one that proceeds you and is waiting for you when you leave this life.

The old timers used to call their signature, or written name, their "mark".  Your name and your mark were the same.  The greatest "mark" you can have is having your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life.  Leaving a mark here is great... we all should.  But what will it profit you if that is the only mark you have?  It will profit others.  They will benefit by the mark for good that you leave behind.  But you will lose out if you haven't made sure your mark is in the Book.  Is it?

Have a great day.  Leave a mark for good behind you that will benefit mankind when you leave this earth.  But make sure you have a mark that will benefit you when you leave this life-- your name/mark in the Lamb's Book of Life.        

"Talking To God Or With God?"

"Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God".  Philippians 4:6

We tend to make prayer something we do "to" God.  We look at prayer as a time of talking "to" God about our needs.  Prayer is so much more than that.  It is not just a list that we present to God for Him to answer.  Prayer is communication with God.  We don't talk "to" God, we talk "with" God. 

Prayer is not one sided.  Prayer involves us talking with God.  We make our request known to Him, we bring our needs to Him, we tell Him what is on our mind, but we should always listen to Him and wait for Him to speak to us as well.  We listen to what He wants to say.  We wait for Him to respond.  We listen for His instructions, His direction and what He wants to convey to us.

How do you view prayer?  Is it a list that you talk "to" God about only? Or is it a time when you talk "with" the Lord? Do you tell Him what you want, or do you give Him the opportunity to tell you what He wants?  Prayer is a two-way street-- talking and listening. 

Have a great day.  Do you talk to God or with God?     

"Greater Understanding Of Him "

"And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, 'What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?'" Mark 4:41

When Jesus rebuked the storm and commanded it to be still, the disciples were amazed and wondered just who this man was.  The answer is-- He was the same one who got in the boat with them to begin with.  The presence of the storm didn't change who He was and had always been.  He was the same miracle working, power demonstrating, demon casting out, healer of the sick that He was before He got into the boat.

What I am trying to say is that the problems we face, the storms that threaten, the demons that rage, the fiery furnace trials, the pit of despair, the den of roaring lion's, the oppression of the enemy, the loss of possessions, the break in relationships, the fear of drowning does not change nor diminish who He is.  He is still God.  He is still Ruler over all the universe.  He is still the Deliverer, the Healer, the Savior. 

He hadn't changed in the boat.  Their revelation of who He was in a greater dimension had changed.  They saw Him in a "new light".  But He was the same Jesus.  He was already the ruler over nature when He got in the boat-- not when He rebuked it.

Our times of trials, problems and testing don't change Him.  They change our perspective of Him.  They change our understanding of who He is.  We see Him in a greater way than we saw Him in other situations.  I can remember being sick once and praying for the Lord to touch me--- He had on many occasions.  This time He spoke to my heart and told me that I already knew He was my Healer, this time He wanted to show me something different about Himself-- He wanted to give me another revelation of His greatness.  (And He did.) 

So remember, your circumstances don't change Him.  He is still Who He has always been.  But they change the way you see Him and give you a deeper, clearer revelation of Who this Glorious, Amazing, Wonderful, Almighty God is.

Have a great day.  The Lord is the same all-powerful God during the trials as He was before the trials.  They don't change Him.  They change our understanding of Who He is and broadens it.  

"I Call Him Lord"

"Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost".  1 Corinthians 12:3

I was thinking about a song I haven't heard in a long time.  The chorus says, "And if you can remember ask him what's his name, and if he tells you Jesus just say we're so glad you came.  But tell him you know someone who still calls him Lord, then send him on to me cause that's the man I'm looking' for". 

As I listened to the words, the line that says, "tell Him you know someone who still calls Him Lord", just "jumped" out at me and brought tears to my eyes. 

Does anyone truly call Him "Lord" anymore?  Is He Lord to those who profess to be a Christian?  Is He Lord to those who say they know Him? 

I hear so many people call Him "The Big Guy Upstairs"; their "Homey"; their "Best Bud"; their "Running Buddy"; etc.  Personally, He is my best friend who sticks closer to me than a brother.  He is my Elder Brother.  He is my Confidant.  But He is FIRST my GOD!  He is my Lord!  I still call Him Lord. 

Because He is so personal with us and desires to have a personal intimate relationship with us, calling us His children, we have forgotten the reverence that He is due.  While He is all that to me, He is my Lord.  He is the object of my worship.  He is the Potter and I am the clay-- He can mold and make of me anything He desires.  He commands me.  He gives me my marching orders.  He is the one I submit my will to.  He tells me what to do, not vice versa. 

I praise Him for a close relationship with Him.  I am so thankful that I can approach Him without fear of being "consumed".  I am thankful that He is a God who is near and not far away.  I am so glad I have access to come to Him.  I am so blessed and appreciative to be allowed to be His child.  I am indeed thankful that I can share the deepest secrets of my heart with Him.  But I must never forget that He is first my Lord and not be flippant about that relationship. 

Have a great day.  I still call Jesus Lord!  Because He is!  Do you?   

"The Direction Of Choices"

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live".  Deuteronomy 30:19

Life is made up of choices.  Some are simple and don't affect us much-- such as choosing what to eat for lunch.  Others are major and carry lifelong consequences with them.  I want to start with a question this morning.  "Are the choices you're making bringing you closer to the Lord or taking you further away from Him?".

David made the choice to commit adultery with Bathsheba.  It didn't bring him closer to the Lord.  King Saul made the choice to disobey the words of Samuel the prophet.  His choice didn't bring him closer to God.  Mary made the choice to submit to the will of God to give birth to the Messiah.  That choice brought her closer to the Lord.  Adam made a choice to disobey God, and it took him and all of mankind away from God.

The Bible admonishes us to "acknowledge the Lord in all our ways and He would direct our steps".  We are to seek Him in every decision we make, every choice we make, every direction we go and let Him direct us.  When we do, He will always lead us in not only making the right choice, but in making the choice that will bring us closer to Him at the same time.

Have a great day.  Are the choices you are making bringing you closer to the Lord or taking you further away from Him?  

"Present Not Absent"

"... and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen".  Matthew 28:20b

When we go through difficult and trying times in our lives, we should have a confidence that no matter what it is we are facing the Lord will be with us. I believe He is wanting us more and more as the "evil days" approach to be confident and unshaken in our faith that His presence is with us in every situation. 

The presence of trials does not mean the absence of God.  The presence of pain doesn't mean the absence of God.  The presence of financial want doesn't mean the absence of God.  The presence of grief, the passing of a loved one, a bad physical report, the loss of a job, the rebellion of a child, the attack of an enemy does not mean that God is not present with you. 

He is there in the valley of the shadow of death.  He is there in the fiery furnace.  He is there in the lion's den.  He is there when Pharaoh's army is behind you and a Red Sea in front of you.  He is there in the storm.  He is there when all the demons of hell are waging war against you.  Just because you go through these places and situations does not mean that He is not there.  He is not absent.  He is present.   

Have a great day.  The presence of problems does not mean the absence of God.

"The Simple Answer"

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest".  Matthew 11:28

When we are burdened down by the cares of this life, by problems or by unpleasant circumstances, we tend to run here, there and everywhere looking for answers.  We often miss our true source of help because the answer to the help we need is too "simple"-- "Come unto Me".

Is going to the Lord the first place you turn to for help or the last?  Do you go to Him after you have exhausted every other avenue of help?  Is He at the top of your list for help or the bottom?  Or is He somewhere in the middle? 

The Psalmist said, "I will look unto the hills from where my help comes.  My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth".  (Psalm 121:2) Hebrews tells us, "The Lord is my helper". (Hebrews 13:6)

The Lord is our helper, not only for the big problems or not only for the small problems.  He is our help for all problems.  Whether the problem is a spiritual one, a physical problem, a financial one or a problem with a relationship.  He is our help, our answer and our guide in every problem we face.   

Have a great day.  Got a problem?  There is an answer.  The answer is so simple we often miss it-- Come unto Me.  

"Don't Wait"

"(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)"  2 Corinthians 6:2

There is one thing I have noticed about human nature-- we tend to put things off until the last minute.  I tend to do it myself.  

Many people treat their eternity the same way.  They are waiting until the "last minute" to get things right with God.  Many are waiting until after they have lived their lives and finished doing all the "fun things" they had planned to do before giving their lives to the Lord.  Some are waiting until their "death bed" to do it.  Some are just waiting with the idea that "one day" they will do it. These people are gambling with the state of their eternal souls. 

We can't think that we have plenty of time to get things right with God.  We are not promised tomorrow.  We are not promised the next breath.  We are not promised we will have a "death bed" opportunity.  We are not promised to live to a "ripe old age".  We only have now.  We only have this moment.  We only have this breath. 

Are you waiting?  Are you holding out until you have done all you want to do?  Are you putting God off until you are ready?  If so, you are taking a big chance.  If so, you are on dangerous ground.  If you are you may wind up falling short of eternity.

Have a great day.  Don't wait until the last minute to get right with God.  You aren't promised to have that last minute. 

"Fallen From Grace"

"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace".  Galatians 5:4

"Fallen from grace".  Usually, we say that someone has fallen from grace when they turn from serving Jesus and go back into a lifestyle of sin.  I want us to look at another aspect of what it means to "fall from grace" that may be more accurate.

The Apostle warns the people that once they had accepted salvation by grace through faith, if they went back to working out their salvation according to the law they had "fallen from grace". 

We are saved by faith in what Jesus did at the cross.  Salvation is the gift of God.  We don't earn it.  We can't work hard enough to obtain it.  It is given by grace.  It is unmerited.  If it is received by grace, then it is also kept by grace.  If we try to keep it any other way, then we have "fallen from grace".  "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?".  (Galatians 3:3)

Grace is not a license; it is a gift.  You can't do enough good works to stay saved-- although we should be doing works which cause our lights to shine and bring glory to our Father in heaven.

You can't be holy enough to stay saved-- although we are to live holy lives.

You can't be religious enough to stay saved-- although we should be tending to what we consider our religious duties:  church attendance, Bible reading, fasting and prayer. 

If you are trying to be saved through your own goodness and works, then you won't receive the gift of eternal life-- it is given by grace. If you are trying to stay saved by your own goodness and works, then you have fallen from grace. It ceases to be about what Jesus did and becomes about what you can do.

Have a great day.  If you are trying to stay saved through your works, you are "fallen from grace". 

"What Do You Know About The Lord?"

"And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?"  Psalm 73:11

When I read this verse, I got a chuckle out of it.  I wanted to say, "It's because He is God".  Of course God knows.  Of course He has knowledge.  He knows everything.  But when you read it in context you see that the ones who asked these questions are the wicked.  What other answer would you expect from them, seeing they don't know God nor have a relationship with Him.

What becomes sad, instead of funny, is when one of His own children doesn't even know Him.  It is sad when they profess to know Him but can't even answer basic questions about Him. 

Just how much do you know about the Lord?  I can say upfront that none of us will know everything there is to know about Him.  If we could, He wouldn't be God.  Although we can't, and won't ever, know all there is to know about Him, He desires that we have a relationship with Him and in that relationship He will show us great and mighty things about Himself that we don't know.  He will also take us into His confidence as He did Abraham.  He will make known His ways to us like He did to Moses.  He will reveal secrets to us the way He did to Daniel.  He will walk with us in such a close manner as He did with Enoch.  He will demonstrate His power through us like He did through Paul. 

So, how content are you in your knowledge of God?  Do you not know Him?  Do you have limited knowledge of Him?  Do you only know "facts and figures" about Him?  Or do you know Him in an intimate and personal way?  Do you have a relationship with Him where He communicates more and more about Himself to you? 

Have a great day.  Just how well do you know the Lord?  How well do you want to know Him?

"God's Power Or His Faithfulness"

"....  great is thy faithfulness".  Lamentations 3:23B

I woke up thinking about the faithfulness of God this morning.  That is my favorite attribute of His.  I have found Him faithful on every occasion, every situation, every day and in every way.  He has always been faithful to do and be all that He has said He would do and be.

Many accuse Him of not being faithful because He didn't do what they thought He was going to do for them.  Or because He didn't deliver them when they thought He would.  Or He "allowed" something bad to happen.  God's faithfulness is not based on His ability to deliver, remove, take care of, eradicate or defeat your circumstance.  That is His power.  His faithfulness is something else.

The Psalmist put it this way, " Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me". (Ps. 23:4)  He doesn't always deliver us out of the valley, although He is powerful and can.  He walks with us through the valley-- that's where His faithfulness comes in.  He never leaves us in our time of need, trial or testing. 

Immediate deliverance doesn't prove His faithfulness, just ask Daniel or the three Hebrews.  He didn't deliver Daniel until after a night in the lion's den.  But He faithfully stood with Daniel in that dark hole.  He didn't deliver the Hebrews from the fiery furnace until after their bonds fell off.  But He was with them-- the wicked king even saw Him in the fire. 

God's power is able to deliver us from ever trial, every desert, every valley, every furnace, every situation we find ourselves in.  But if He doesn't deliver you before, if He doesn't deliver you immediately, if He chooses to wait a while, if He chooses that you walk through it, it doesn't mean that He isn't faithful.  You can trust that He is faithful and will faithfully be there with you at the beginning and all the way until the end. 

Have a great day.  Some believe God is only faithful if He delivers them out of their trail.  That isn't faithfulness that is His power on display.  His faithfulness is the fact that He walks with you through the trial, watching over you and never leaving you until the trial is over. 

"God Gives Abundantly"

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly".  Psalm 84:11 

This verse is filled with glorious promises as well as hope. 

 

The Lord God is a sun--- He lights up our path so we can see clearly.  As the sun lights the earth and its arrival pushes back the darkness of night, so He lights our way and drives back the darkness.

 

The Lord God is a shield-- as a shield protects a warrior when in battle, the Lord protects us.  It didn't say He "gives" a shield.  It says He "is" a shield.  That means He Himself protects us.  He steps in between us and the enemy.  He puts Himself out in front of us.

 

The Lord will give grace--  He gives grace. Grace can't be earned. It can't be purchased.  It is a gift freely given to us by Him.  Grace is power and influence in our lives to be able to make it through anything.

 

The Lord gives glory-- glory means honor, abundance, splendor.  God clothes us with His own glory.  He places His honor upon us by exchanging our unrighteousness, which is like filthy rags, with His pure white robes of righteousness.  He gives honor to those who had no honor.  Abundance to those who were in lack.  He gives His own splendor to those who were once rebellious and far away from Him.  This glory came not by our own righteousness but by the righteousness of His Only Begotten Son Jesus.

 

No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly-- "No" good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.  When God says, "No", He means "No".  He will not withhold anything that we need.  He will supply all our need-- spirit, soul and body.  As we walk uprightly before Him, we are in actuality "seeking first His Kingdom" because we are walking in a manner which pleases Him.  As we do, "All these things shall be added unto us". 

 

Don't you agree these are wonder promises of hope and encouragement? He is a good God who loves us so deeply and so dearly.  He wants to bestow His blessings and goodness on us daily and always, and in abundance.

 

Have a great day.  The Lord God is all and gives all that we need. 

 

"Spending Time With Jesus"

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus".  Acts 4:13

"...they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus".  What was it about these disciples that made the people notice and acknowledge that they had been with Jesus?  Was it their ability to heal the sick?  Was it their preaching?  Was it the wisdom in which they answered the questions?  Was it their boldness to share the gospel?  All of the above.  The fact that they had spent time with Jesus was recognizable.  The same should be said of those of us who profess to be Christians.  People should be able to say that we have been with Jesus because of what they see and hear in us.

Sadly, most people don't see Jesus in those who profess to be Christians.  The reason is clear-- they profess to know Him but never spend time with Him.  We all know that whoever you spend the most time with has the greatest influence in your life.  The Bible even tells us to choose our companions carefully because hanging out with the wrong people will corrupt good morals.  Why?  Because of their influence. 

If you spend time with Jesus, it will be evident.  You won't have to go around telling people you do, they will know it.  But this doesn't happen "haphazardly".  It doesn't happen by spending time with Him only when you are in trouble or have a problem you need Him to solve.  This happens by spending time with Him day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.  It happens by keeping the fellowship with Him open all time.  It happens by constant communion with Him.  Spending time with Him is not something you can take or leave.  Spending time with Him is not negotiable-- or shouldn't be.  Spending time with Him is our lifeline and it is what causes people to believe what we profess about our relationship with Him.

Have a great day.  People will take note that you have been with Jesus, but only if you are spending time with Him.