"Those Hard Places"

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me".  Matthew 16:24

The Christian life is a life of surrender-- surrender to the plan of God, to the will of God, and to the leading of God to follow Him.  Sometimes He leads us beside still waters-- pleasant places of rest.  Sometimes He leads us into the wilderness to be tried and tested.  Sometimes He leads us up "Calvary's hill" where self is denied and crucified.  The point is that He doesn't always lead us into easy places.  Sometimes He leads us into hard places where we would not choose to go ourselves.

There are two things that you need to know, remember and hold on to when His leading takes you into hard places.  First, He will never leave you.  He may lead you there, but He will not leave you there alone.  He will be with you each and every step of the way.  Secondly, He will never lead you into a place that is harder than He has already walked through Himself.  He walked through some hard places while here on earth-- the wilderness, the place of shame, the place of pain, the place of betrayal, Pilate's Judgment Hall, the Garden of Gethsemane, and Calvary.  When He leads you into a hard place, He knows exactly how you feel.  He is acquainted with what you are going through.  He has "been there" and "done that" already Himself.  This is why He can be touched with the feelings of your weaknesses-- He has already been through that place, and worse.

Have a great day.  The Lord will not always lead us into easy places, but when He does, He will be there and has already been there.     

"Focused On The Important"

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone".  Matthew 23:23

Jesus rebuked the religious leaders, for many reasons, but here He rebuked them because they were more concerned about focusing on what was least important than what was most important.  They made sure they gave their titles all the way down to each little leaf of an herb.  Jesus told them not to neglect the requirements of the law but to give more attention to what was really important in the eyes of God.

They were concerned about doing religious works but not about the heart of the gospel.  What the Pharisees were doing was focusing on the "natural" side of religion.  What Jesus told them to do and focus on was the "spiritual" side-- matters of the heart.  They were focused on paying tithes on mint leaves.  He was focused on them showing mercy.  They were focused on paying tithes on cumin seeds.  He was focused on their faith. 

This sounds like many in the church today.  They are more concerned about showing up at church, singing in the choir, paying titles, teaching a small group or Sunday school class, their daily Bible reading plan, working in the church, etc.  But the "weightier" part of the gospel is not there in their lives.  The heart of the gospel is not in them.  They are like Pharisees caught up in the work but not demonstrating the spirit. 

Which group are you in?  Are you keeping the Lord's commandments?  Are you keeping them out of love or duty-- hoping that they will "earn" you something?  Are you walking in love?  Are you judging correctly-- between that which is holy and pleasing to the Lord and that which is not (especially in your own life)?  Are you walking in faith?  Are you fully trusting in the Lord as your Savior and living out a life that honors Him through faith?  Are you merciful-- remembering how merciful He was to you by saving you?  Are you focusing more on the spirit than the flesh?  Is the Fruit of the Spirit being cultivated in your life or are you more concerned about religious duty?  Do you portray Christ's attitude or fleshly behavior?  Are you more concerned about what you are doing for the Lord than you are about being like Him?

Have a great day.  Are you more focused on doing the exterior works of the gospel than you are on the interior work that reveals Christ in you?  

"Serious Prayer"

"And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God".  Luke 6:12

The majority of the Christian community knows little about how to "really" pray.  Oh, we pray, but our prayers are so shallow and hurried.  We don't do what I call "serious praying".  This kind of prayer is called, "praying until you pray through".  It is called "tarrying" until the answer comes. 

We throw up prayers on the run- as we are leaving the house, while we are brushing our teeth, when we are in bed and our eyes are getting heavy with sleep.  There are times when we pray a "quick" prayer because we are in a situation and need help from the Lord at that moment.  But most all Biblical examples of prayer involved praying until you have the answer-- no matter how long it takes. 

Jesus often prayed all night.  He prayed for three hours in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Hannah prayed for a child until she appeared to be "drunk" because of the intensity of her prayer.  David prayed for his child until the answer came.  Jeremiah prayed ten days for an answer from the Lord for the people.  Jacob wrestled in prayer with the Lord all night.  These are only a few examples. 

Am I suggesting that we won't get our prayers answered if we don't tarry in prayer for hours or days?  No, but I am saying that if we would learn how to get serious about our prayers and spend whatever time it took to get an answer, we might see more answers than we do.  If we would take prayer seriously things might be a lot different than they are.  After all, isn't the need and the answer worth doing whatever you need to do to see the Lord answer?  Isn't it important enough?

Have a great day.  Is the answer you need important enough to get serious about your praying and spend whatever time it takes in prayer until you get the answer? 

"Starting Point"

"Pray without ceasing".  1 Thessalonians 5:17

There are times in all our lives when we feel as though we have to "regroup".  There are times when we don't know what to do.  There are times when we need guidance and direction.  There are times when we need a "word".  There are times when we need a "fresh start".  We feel as though we have grown weary, negligent and cold.  But how does that happen?  What do we do to get it?  We go back to the "starting point".

The starting point is the foot of the cross.  It is at the foot of the cross, when we humbled ourselves in prayer, that our Christian life began.  In other words, we go back to the Lord in prayer.  Prayer is what got us started-- we prayed to the Lord a prayer of repentance and acceptance of Him as our Savior and Lord.  Now, we have to do the same thing.  We have to go to prayer. 

There are no short cuts.  There is no "quick fix".  There is no alternate route.  Prayer is your answer.  Prayer got you "in".  Prayer will keep you in.  Prayer will direct you.  Prayer will guide you.  Prayer will lift you up.  Prayer will re-align you.  Prayer will give you clarity.  Prayer will give you a fresh start again.

What is your answer?  What do you do?  How do you get refreshed?  How do you get revived?  How do you get direction?  How do you get answers?  You pray.  Sounds simple, but it is the answer and solution.

Have a great day.  Your answer is:  pray!

"Choose Your Priorities"

"But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her".  Luke 10:42

Life is made up of choices.  Choices are based on priorities.  If something is a priority to you then you will more than likely chose to do that. 

Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus.  She made being in His presence her priority.  She chose it first above being in the kitchen working to prepare a meal for Him. 

I am in no way saying that we should neglect our responsibilities.  But we must make sure that when it comes to spiritual things we have our priorities in correct order.  The Lord will not force our priorities on us.  He will not make us chose what is best.  He let Mary and Martha both chose their own priorities when He was in their house.  He will, however, tell us what our priorities ought to be.  He tells us to "seek first His kingdom" and to "love Him" first with all our heart, soul, strength and mind.  But it is up to us whether we do so or not.

Look at your life and assess your priorities.  Is living for self your priority or living for the Lord?  Is following His plan your first priority or following your own plan the priority of your life?  Is it more important for you to seek His will first or do your own thing?  Would you choose to spend time with Him first as opposed to spending time working for Him?  Are you like Mary, choosing the good part first-- being in His presence-- because that is your priority.  His presence should be our first priority.  Then everything else will flow in its proper order from that.

Have a great day.  What is your number one priority?  Is it the Lord's presence?