"Will With Conditions"

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven".  Mathew 6:10

"Thy will be done".  How many times have we prayed that?  But what are we really praying when we do?  What we usually pray is full of conditions.  "Thy will be done... if". 

We want His will if it doesn't cost us anything.  If it doesn't take us out of our comfort zone.  If it fits into our plans.  If it is part of our agenda.  If it is what we want.  If there is no test or trial attached to it.  If it lines up with our own will.  If we don't have to give up anything. 

"Thy will be done" means exactly what it says-- His will be done.  There are no conditions.  There is no argument.  There is no question about it.  The most perfect example of the meaning of this verse is found in Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He knew the will of God would cost Him, would bring Him pain, shame, beating and crucifixion.  He knew it would cost Him His life, but He made no bargains and set no conditions on it.  He simply submitted to it.  He removed His own will out of the way and obeyed the will of the Father.

The next time you are praying, "Thy will be done", check yourself and see if you truly mean "Thy" or "mine"?  Pay attention to see if you are placing conditions on it.  Or are you without question submitting to His will and without trying to bargain with Him no matter what the price of obedience?   Do you truly want His will and nothing but His will? 

Have a great day.  "Thy will be done", means just that. 

"The Warning Signs"

"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth". Revelation 3:16

We live in a world of "signs".  Each indicates the state or level of something else.  For example, contractions for a pregnant woman are a sign that indicates the baby is soon to arrive.  A red light on appliances indicate that the power is turned on.  A "check engine" light in your automobile indicates that you need to have it checked for a problem.

If we have signs in the natural realm that give us an indication of something else, then we also have signs in the spiritual realm that serve as indicators as well.  These "spiritual signs" indicate our spiritual condition.  They let us know that we are in danger of becoming lukewarm in our relationship with the Lord.  Being lukewarm doesn't just happen overnight.  It is a process, and during that process there are signs that are trying to get our attention and warn us.

What are those signs?  The first sign is in our prayer life.  Our prayer times become less and less.  It begins to be "on the go" instead of "in the closet".  We once prayed when we first got up in the morning and we prayed about everything.  Now our prayer comes when we can "squeeze" it in, and we no longer pray for instruction in our situations-- we try to figure them out ourselves.

Bible study, or lack of it, is another indicator.  Watching television, playing sports, being entertained, etc., have become more desirable than sitting down and reading our Bibles.  That is a sure sign that indicates we are growing lukewarm. 

Lack of prayer and Bible reading are the first two signs.  There are others.  The lack of these are warning signs.  They indicate to us that our spiritual life is getting in need of attention.  These signs are not to condemn us and hold us to a strict set of rules and regulations.  They are there to warn us, help us and show us that we need to make some changes before it is too late. 

Are you experiencing either of these signs in your own life?  Is your prayer time getting less and less?  Are you reading your Bible and studying it like you once did?  Can you hardly wait to talk to the Lord in prayer?  Are these still the things you love to do?  If not, you should not ignore the "warning signs".  You need to heed them because they are telling you something.

Have a great day.  Don't ignore the warning signs. 

"Today Not Tomorrow"

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

"This is the day".  It doesn't say tomorrow is the day, but it says this is the day that the Lord has made.  Of course, we know that every day is made by the Lord, but this is the day He has made for and given us now.

We talk a lot about not living in the past.  But we also need to talk about not living in the future.  So many people miss what the Lord wants to do for them and in them because they are looking at tomorrow-- the future.  We seem to be more concerned about what is to come than enjoying what is now. 

When we are children, we can't wait to grow up.  We can't wait to get our driver's license.  We can't wait to graduate.  We can't wait to get married.  We can't wait to start having a family.  We can't wait to start our career.  We can't wait to retire.  We are always living in the future.  Well, the Bible has as much to say about living in the future as it does about living in the past.  It tells us not to take thought (don't be anxious or troubled) about either.  That doesn't mean that we shouldn't make plans or occupy.  It means that we shouldn't be so preoccupied with it that we miss out on what we have now. 

God has a plan for you today.  He has a purpose for you to fulfill today.  He has a blessing for you today.  He has an assignment for you today.  He has good gifts He wants to bestow on you today.  He has a work for you to accomplish today.  He has a calling for you today.  But you will miss it if you are always looking to tomorrow or some other day far out in the future.  Now is the time.  Be content today and live today to the fullest.  One day our future will become our past-- sooner than we think and when we look back, we will see how much we have missed out on by not enjoying each day.

Have a great day.  Don't miss out on enjoying today because you are preoccupied with tomorrow. 

"Call For An Answer"

"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not".  Jeremiah 33:3

There is an amazing two-fold promise in this verse:  I will answer you; I will show you great and mighty things that you don't know.  Do you want the Lord to give you answers?  Do you want Him to show you great things?  Do you want Him to give you revelation into things that you need understanding about?  He tells you how to get it-- call unto Me. 

The problem with us is that we want the promise without the condition.  We want what God has for us but we don't want to do what it takes to get it.  We want the benefits but we don't want to pay the price.  In the case of this verse, we want these promises but we are more willing to do everything else than we are to simply "call on Him".

We are willing to run here and there.  We are willing to seek out someone who will help us.  We will go to great lengths to try to find our own solution.  We will pay high prices to get some sort of understanding or aid.  But we won't, or don't, call on the Lord.  Why?

Why won't we just "break down" and call upon Him and ask Him for what we need?  We each have our own reasons.  Some may feel unworthy.  Some may feel condemnation and guilt.  Some may have too much pride to call upon Him-- they think they can do it themselves.  Some don't believe He really loves and cares about them.  Others just aren't willing to take the time.  And the lists of reasons goes on. 

If you are in need and you are wanting some answers and you are wanting God to show you some great and mighty things, then call on Him.  Yes, it is as simple as that.  Stop making it hard and complicated.  He knows how we are so He made it easy for us-- just simply "call on Me".

Have a great day.  If you will call on Him, He will answer you.  

"Your Last Day"

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment".  Hebrews 9:27

If you knew this was your last day on earth and that you were going to die today, how would you live it?  If you had the ability, the funds and the health to do anything you wanted to do, what would you do?  Most would answer that question by naming a list of activities that they wanted to do, dreams they wanted to fulfill, places they wanted to go and people they wanted to spend it with. 

The truth is that each day we live could be our last one.  We have no promise of tomorrow.  So while we are answering that question with a "bucket list", most neglect the most important thing they should do-- make sure it is well with their eternal soul. 

The truth is that each day we live could be our last one, but we don't like thinking about that.  We think we are going to live forever.  We don't think about death until we get old and gray headed.  In reality, today might very well be your last day-- it might be mine.  We don't know.  Death is certain but its timing isn't.  We don't always have the luxury of knowing when our time here is up.  So, while we are busy making plans on how to spend our lives, we should be making plans on where we will spend eternity.  That is more important than fulfilling dreams of great accomplishments, etc. 

This life is short.  This life is temporary.  This life will come to an end-- often, sooner than later.  What comes after this life is long.  It is eternal.  It has no end.  So why do we focus so much on this temporary life and neglect the eternal one?  Once the temporary is over and the eternal begins, it is too late to do anything about it.  It is too late to get it right.  It is too late to change your mind.  It is too late.  You can't go back and redo it.  You can't go back and change it.  So, back to the question I asked you originally.  How would you spend today if you knew it was your last day?  Hopefully, your answer would be that you would spend it making sure it was well with you eternally.

Have a great day.  If this was your last day on earth, are you ready for the eternal one that is coming after it?