"When Christ, who is our life..." Colossians 3:4a
For weeks there has been a song that periodically keeps coming to my mind. I want to sing it for you this morning. Let me prepared you first. It is not a Christian song, it's a song from the past and there is only one line that keeps repeating itself. Let me also say that God can use anything that He chooses- even a worldly song- to get His message across. The song says, "If anyone should ever write my life story. For whatever reason there might be. Oh, you'll be there between each line of pain and glory. 'Cause you're the best thing that ever happened to me."
If your life story were to be written, what would it say? What would it reveal about you? What would be included in it? Would Jesus be in it? Would people know that He was "the best thing that ever happened to you"? Would they be able to say they saw Jesus in the good times of your life and in the bad times, in times of pain and times of glory, in times of trials as well as in times of blessings?
In this song the theme and focus was on a person that the writer considered to be the best thing that had ever happened to them. Let me ask you another question- if the story of your life was never written, would anyone still know that Jesus is the best thing, the greatest thing, the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to you just by the way you live your life and conduct yourself?
Just where is He in your life? Is He there at all? If He isn't, He can be- repent of your sins and invite Him into your life as Savior and Lord. If He is, is He the theme of your life? Is He the focus of your life? What would be said about you if the story of your life was written? What is being said about you now in regard to your relationship with Jesus?
Have a great day. Where is Jesus in your life story?
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
"False Labels - Part 2"
"And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." Judges 6:12
Yesterday we talked about the fact that just because something is labeled one thing doesn't necessarily mean it is what the label says it is. I used the example of my automatic dishwasher. The label says that it is the "Quiet Pack", but it is any thing but quiet while it is running. We compared that analogy to those people who profess to be Christians but their actions don't back up their claim- they only have a label of Christianity, but it's a false label.
This morning I want to talk again about "false labels" but I want us to look at the subject in a different area- the labels other people put on us. When I read the account of Gideon, I immediately label him a coward. When the Lord called him, he was threshing wheat in a wine vat so that the enemy would not see him. He was fearful of the enemy so he was doing his work in hiding. I am not alone in my estimation of Gideon because I have heard many sermons refer to him the same way.
People, even in our own families, are always labeling us. They label us by what we do and even by what we have done in the past. They did it in the Bible: Mary Magdalene, who was possessed of seven devils; Jephthah, the son of a harlot; Matthew, the tax collector; Jesus, the son of a carpenter, etc. Some of the labels given to us by other people may have been true in the past, but when we have come to Christ those labels change. We are no longer the people we once were.
People remember what you do, and some of them won't let you forget it. Just like with Gideon, we labeled him a coward based on past performance. The labels that people give you are not the ones that count. It's the label that God places on you that really matters. God labeled Gideon a might man of valor so that was Gideon's true label. This morning other people may be labeling you according to your past, but their label is false. Who you really are is who God says you are- the label He places on you. And His label is a true label, not a false one.
Have a great day. They may still label you by what you once were, but it's the label that God places on you that is the true label.
Yesterday we talked about the fact that just because something is labeled one thing doesn't necessarily mean it is what the label says it is. I used the example of my automatic dishwasher. The label says that it is the "Quiet Pack", but it is any thing but quiet while it is running. We compared that analogy to those people who profess to be Christians but their actions don't back up their claim- they only have a label of Christianity, but it's a false label.
This morning I want to talk again about "false labels" but I want us to look at the subject in a different area- the labels other people put on us. When I read the account of Gideon, I immediately label him a coward. When the Lord called him, he was threshing wheat in a wine vat so that the enemy would not see him. He was fearful of the enemy so he was doing his work in hiding. I am not alone in my estimation of Gideon because I have heard many sermons refer to him the same way.
People, even in our own families, are always labeling us. They label us by what we do and even by what we have done in the past. They did it in the Bible: Mary Magdalene, who was possessed of seven devils; Jephthah, the son of a harlot; Matthew, the tax collector; Jesus, the son of a carpenter, etc. Some of the labels given to us by other people may have been true in the past, but when we have come to Christ those labels change. We are no longer the people we once were.
People remember what you do, and some of them won't let you forget it. Just like with Gideon, we labeled him a coward based on past performance. The labels that people give you are not the ones that count. It's the label that God places on you that really matters. God labeled Gideon a might man of valor so that was Gideon's true label. This morning other people may be labeling you according to your past, but their label is false. Who you really are is who God says you are- the label He places on you. And His label is a true label, not a false one.
Have a great day. They may still label you by what you once were, but it's the label that God places on you that is the true label.
Monday, August 5, 2019
"False Labels"
"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Luke 6:46
A few years ago I had to replace the automatic dishwasher in my kitchen. I went to the store and found one that was called a "Quiet Pack". Supposedly it meant that it didn't make any, or much, noise while it was running. I had seen these "quiet" models advertised on television and thought that I would get one since I had to replace it anyway. Let me tell you something about that dishwasher-- it is anything but quiet!!! If I run it at all, I run it during the middle of the night because it is so loud that you can hear it all over the house when it's running.
Just because something has a label doesn't mean that it is what the label says it is. There are many people who wear the label "Christian" but their conduct is any thing but Christ like. They say they are a Christian but they are mean tempered, full of pride, jealousy, hate, always seeking revenge, they make threats and bully others in order to get their way, they are hard-hearted, critical, complaining, seeking to destroy others, spiteful, uncaring, fearful, greedy, adulterers, liars, blasphemers, immoral, and so on. They may profess to be a Christian, but the proof is in their actions. Just like my dishwasher- its label "professes" to be quiet but when it goes into action it is totally the opposite.
Do your actions portray something different than what you are professing? Are you labeled as a Christian but don't act like one? Do you say you are a Christian but you don't walk in love, you have no joy, are always tearing people down with your comments, or you aren't following Jesus wholeheartedly? Then all you have is a label and no proof to back it up.
A label doesn't make it so. There could be a dozen labels on my dishwasher that make claims of being a quiet running one, but when you turn it on and it makes a lot of noise, the label means nothing, it makes a false claim. You can wear a dozen or more labels that make claims to Christianity- church member, sing in the choir, give to missions, have been baptized, etc, etc- but if you don't back up what you profess with the actions that support the claim, then your profession is nothing more than a false label.
Have a great day. The proof of something is not in the label it has, but in the actions that back up the claim.
A few years ago I had to replace the automatic dishwasher in my kitchen. I went to the store and found one that was called a "Quiet Pack". Supposedly it meant that it didn't make any, or much, noise while it was running. I had seen these "quiet" models advertised on television and thought that I would get one since I had to replace it anyway. Let me tell you something about that dishwasher-- it is anything but quiet!!! If I run it at all, I run it during the middle of the night because it is so loud that you can hear it all over the house when it's running.
Just because something has a label doesn't mean that it is what the label says it is. There are many people who wear the label "Christian" but their conduct is any thing but Christ like. They say they are a Christian but they are mean tempered, full of pride, jealousy, hate, always seeking revenge, they make threats and bully others in order to get their way, they are hard-hearted, critical, complaining, seeking to destroy others, spiteful, uncaring, fearful, greedy, adulterers, liars, blasphemers, immoral, and so on. They may profess to be a Christian, but the proof is in their actions. Just like my dishwasher- its label "professes" to be quiet but when it goes into action it is totally the opposite.
Do your actions portray something different than what you are professing? Are you labeled as a Christian but don't act like one? Do you say you are a Christian but you don't walk in love, you have no joy, are always tearing people down with your comments, or you aren't following Jesus wholeheartedly? Then all you have is a label and no proof to back it up.
A label doesn't make it so. There could be a dozen labels on my dishwasher that make claims of being a quiet running one, but when you turn it on and it makes a lot of noise, the label means nothing, it makes a false claim. You can wear a dozen or more labels that make claims to Christianity- church member, sing in the choir, give to missions, have been baptized, etc, etc- but if you don't back up what you profess with the actions that support the claim, then your profession is nothing more than a false label.
Have a great day. The proof of something is not in the label it has, but in the actions that back up the claim.
Friday, August 2, 2019
"Don't Receive What You Hear"
"And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them." 1 Samuel 17:23
There was a war going on between the Israelites and the Philistines. For forty days Goliath would stand before the Israelite army and threaten them. King Saul and the soldiers would shrink back in fear each time his threats came. None of them would go out and fight him- they were all too afraid. One day while David was there Goliath came out and made his threats again. David's response was different than that of the other Israelites. While they were all fearful at hearing his words, David was not. Instead, he wanted to go out and fight him.
Here we have two different reactions to Goliath's threats- David's and the Israelite army. David acted with courage and trust in the Lord. The Israelite army acted in fear and unbelief. They both heard the same words. They both heard the same threats. They both heard the taunts and accusations of the enemy, yet, their reaction was different. Why? What made the difference?
The difference was- David did not receive the giant's words, the soldiers did. They listened and believed them, therefore, they were afraid. Fear would not let them go out to fight him and so they hid in the bushes. David heard what he said also but he did not receive it. He did not take his words to heart. He did not believe them. Instead he believed God's words and placed them above the words of Goliath.
There are many voices out there. The enemy has one and he will use it to speak to you. He speaks words of fear, accusation, condemnation, doubt and confusion. But his words only effect us if we receive them by believing them. And if we believe them, they will cause us to react the same way the army did-- in defeat.
When the enemy "speaks" to you, you may hear what he says, David did, but don't accept what he is saying. Reject it. Turn your attention to what God says instead. Listen to God's word and your reaction will be like David's- "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." (verses 45,46)-- one of victory!
Have a great day. You may hear what the enemy is saying, but don't receive it.
There was a war going on between the Israelites and the Philistines. For forty days Goliath would stand before the Israelite army and threaten them. King Saul and the soldiers would shrink back in fear each time his threats came. None of them would go out and fight him- they were all too afraid. One day while David was there Goliath came out and made his threats again. David's response was different than that of the other Israelites. While they were all fearful at hearing his words, David was not. Instead, he wanted to go out and fight him.
Here we have two different reactions to Goliath's threats- David's and the Israelite army. David acted with courage and trust in the Lord. The Israelite army acted in fear and unbelief. They both heard the same words. They both heard the same threats. They both heard the taunts and accusations of the enemy, yet, their reaction was different. Why? What made the difference?
The difference was- David did not receive the giant's words, the soldiers did. They listened and believed them, therefore, they were afraid. Fear would not let them go out to fight him and so they hid in the bushes. David heard what he said also but he did not receive it. He did not take his words to heart. He did not believe them. Instead he believed God's words and placed them above the words of Goliath.
There are many voices out there. The enemy has one and he will use it to speak to you. He speaks words of fear, accusation, condemnation, doubt and confusion. But his words only effect us if we receive them by believing them. And if we believe them, they will cause us to react the same way the army did-- in defeat.
When the enemy "speaks" to you, you may hear what he says, David did, but don't accept what he is saying. Reject it. Turn your attention to what God says instead. Listen to God's word and your reaction will be like David's- "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." (verses 45,46)-- one of victory!
Have a great day. You may hear what the enemy is saying, but don't receive it.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
"Jesus Helpless?"
"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." John 19:30
As an on-looker in the crowd watching Jesus' crucifixion, you may have thought that Jesus was at the mercy of the angry crowd. You may have thought that He was helpless, a poor victim with no power over what was happening to Him. But you would have thought wrong. From Gethsemane, to Pilate's judgment hall, to the cross, Jesus was in complete control- the crowd wasn't, Pilate wasn't, the priests weren't.
Remember Jesus said that His hour was come. He also said that this was the cause/reason why He came into the world. He told Pilate that he could have no power over Him if it weren't given to him from heaven. He also said that He could call legions of angels to take Him down from the cross. In the garden when Peter pulled out his sword, Jesus told him to put it up instead of fighting to keep them from taking Him. No, Jesus wasn't powerless over what was happening to Him- He was in control of the situation the whole time. "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." (John 10:17,18)
He was in control even to His last breath- He gave up the ghost. He bowed His head and died when His reason for coming was finished. His reason for going to the cross was to carry out a plan that He and His Father had devised before the foundation of the world- the plan to redeem mankind, to give us eternal life, to give us access to the Father, to reconcile us back to the Father, to provide a way that we could be saved from our sins and come into right relationship with Him. When the plan was accomplished, when the way had been made, when every element of the plan was provided, He cried out for all to hear- "It is finished", then gave up the ghost/His life and died.
So never think that Jesus was helpless to save Himself like those onlookers who made the same accusations- He saved others, He couldn't save Himself. He could have saved Himself. He could have stopped it before it proceeded that far. But because He, not the crowd, was in control, He went through with it until it was finished. When He said, "It is finished", the Father's plan was finished, the way to the Father was finished, it was completed and there was nothing left to do.
This morning, Jesus finished His task. He has provided everything you need to have eternal life and abundant life. He did it all for your sake and on your behalf. He finished His part. Have you done yours in order to benefit from what He did? Have you received Him as Savior and Lord?
Have a great day. Jesus was never out of control of the situation at the cross, and He remained in control until it was finished.
As an on-looker in the crowd watching Jesus' crucifixion, you may have thought that Jesus was at the mercy of the angry crowd. You may have thought that He was helpless, a poor victim with no power over what was happening to Him. But you would have thought wrong. From Gethsemane, to Pilate's judgment hall, to the cross, Jesus was in complete control- the crowd wasn't, Pilate wasn't, the priests weren't.
Remember Jesus said that His hour was come. He also said that this was the cause/reason why He came into the world. He told Pilate that he could have no power over Him if it weren't given to him from heaven. He also said that He could call legions of angels to take Him down from the cross. In the garden when Peter pulled out his sword, Jesus told him to put it up instead of fighting to keep them from taking Him. No, Jesus wasn't powerless over what was happening to Him- He was in control of the situation the whole time. "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." (John 10:17,18)
He was in control even to His last breath- He gave up the ghost. He bowed His head and died when His reason for coming was finished. His reason for going to the cross was to carry out a plan that He and His Father had devised before the foundation of the world- the plan to redeem mankind, to give us eternal life, to give us access to the Father, to reconcile us back to the Father, to provide a way that we could be saved from our sins and come into right relationship with Him. When the plan was accomplished, when the way had been made, when every element of the plan was provided, He cried out for all to hear- "It is finished", then gave up the ghost/His life and died.
So never think that Jesus was helpless to save Himself like those onlookers who made the same accusations- He saved others, He couldn't save Himself. He could have saved Himself. He could have stopped it before it proceeded that far. But because He, not the crowd, was in control, He went through with it until it was finished. When He said, "It is finished", the Father's plan was finished, the way to the Father was finished, it was completed and there was nothing left to do.
This morning, Jesus finished His task. He has provided everything you need to have eternal life and abundant life. He did it all for your sake and on your behalf. He finished His part. Have you done yours in order to benefit from what He did? Have you received Him as Savior and Lord?
Have a great day. Jesus was never out of control of the situation at the cross, and He remained in control until it was finished.
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