"No Way"

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."   John 14:6

You have heard the expression, "The Lord makes a way where there seems to be no way".  There are situations that we face where there seems to be no way that it will work out.  Or there seems to be no way of escape.  There seemed to be no way for the disciples to escape death during the storm, but Jesus made a way by calming the storm.  There seemed to be no way of survival for the three Hebrews in the furnace, but the Lord made a way for them to come out unharmed. 

But when it comes to our salvation the phrase is not-- there seemed to be no way.  The truth is-- there was no way.  When man sinned against God in the garden, there was no way for him to make it right with God.  There was no way for him to be saved from his now sinful state.  There was no way for him to be forgiven and restored to right relationship with God.  There was no way for him to have eternal life.

Man tried to make a way by sewing fig leaves together to cover his nakedness/sin.  Man has tried to make his own way by keeping a set of laws, rules and commandments.  Man has tried to make a way through religious deeds.  He has tried through his own goodness.  He has tried everything, but to no avail.  There was no way! 

There was no way until God sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus into the world to make a way for us.  He became the way through His death on the cross, burial and resurrection.  The question is not whether there only seems to be a way, but "is there a way?"  The answer-- there is a way.  The next question is, "Have you gotten on that way? Have you received the way that was provided for you?".  All the ways you can come up with will never be good enough-- although they may seem to be.  There is only one way--- Jesus.

Have a great day.  There was no way to be saved before Jesus came, and then He made the way.     

"Get Up And Move On"

"And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons".  1 Samuel 16:1

Samuel had anointed Saul as the first king of Israel.  Saul disobeyed God and the Lord removed the kingdom from him.  Because of this, Samuel was grieved and mourned for Saul.  The word mourn means to feel deep sorrow, lament and regret. 

Evidently, God thought that Samuel had mourned for Saul long enough and before Samuel became totally consumed with the sorrow and regret, God told him it was time for him to get up and move on. 

I believe the Lord is saying to someone today the same thing He said to Samuel-- "How long?".  How long will you continue to mourn over this situation?  How long are you going to grieve over what is over?  How long will you continue to "beat yourself up about it"?  How long are you going to hold onto regret for the past?  How long are you going to sit there and let it consume you-- your thoughts, your time, your energy, your future, your productivity, your peace and your joy?  How long are you going to let it hinder you from going to the next thing God has for you?  How long are you going to let it hold you back from your destiny?  How long are you going to let it depress you, keep you in anger, steal from you, frustrate you, confuse you and keep you a prisoner?

Basically, God was telling Samuel-- enough is enough, get up and move on, I have more for you to do than sit here mourning over the past and what has already been done.  It is finished.  It is over.  I have something else for you-- get up and move on!  I believe I heard from the Lord and this is for someone today, if you will receive it.  Stop "mourning" over it.  Move on and let the Lord do a new thing in your life.  Samuel got up and anointed the new king of Israel-- the king that was a man after God's own heart; a king through whom the Messiah would come; a king whose throne would be established forever.  That was much better than what he was mourning over.

Have a great day.  Get up and move on! 

"Drinking From The Well"

"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life".  John 4:14

As Jesus sat by a well in Samaria a woman came to draw water from the well.  Jesus invited her to drink the water that He had to offer.  His water would satisfy the longing, emptiness and desire of her soul and she would never thirst again.  The water that He was referring to was Himself.  He was the well that she could drink from and find contentment and peace in her heart.

This woman was looking for something to satisfy a longing in her soul.  She was trying to quench the emptiness, dryness, discontentment and lack that was inside of her through relationships.  She had been married five times and was living with a man who was not her husband, but that wasn't quenching her thirst.

Many people today are trying to quench what is thirsty inside of them by the water that the world gives. They are trying through relationships, through sex, drugs and alcohol.  They are trying through education, through money, through prestige, through popularity, through power, through forms of entertainment, and so on.  All of these things may satisfy, but only for a short while. 

Jesus offers us what will satisfy.  He gives us the water of life-- eternal life so we will never thirst again.  He gives us every good and perfect gift.  He gives us godliness with contentment.  He gives us peace that passes understanding.  He gives us power and strength.  He gives us grace and liberty.  He gives us joy that is unspeakable.   

When we drink of this water of life (the salvation that He offers freely), we will never thirst again.  All that we are seeking, and all that we lack will be found in Him.  So go to the Well and drink the waters of eternal life. 

Have a great day.  Are you thirsty?  Drink water from the well... Jesus is the well of living water. 

"It Won't Go Well"

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves".  James 1:22

When Zedekiah was king of Judah, the nation was already under Babylonian captivity.  During the ninth year of his reign, he decided to rebel against the king of Babylon.  The prophet Jeremiah went to the king and gave him a word from the Lord.  The word was that he should turn himself over to king Nebuchadrezzar.  But he didn't.  He continued to rebel and fight.  Jeremiah went to the king again on a couple of other occasions telling him to surrender but he still would not.  Finally, Nebuchadrezzar gained full control over Jerusalem and took king Zedekiah prisoner.  He killed his children before his eyes, then he plucked his eyes out and killed him.  The prophet had warned him to surrender, and it would go well for him, but he just would not listen and obey the word, therefore, it did not go well for him.

The prophet was the one who spoke for God, giving His word to the people.  Today God speaks to us through prophets, ministers and primarily His Word.  The story of Zedekiah is an applicable word for us to today.  And that is:  if we will not harken to the word of the Lord, if we will not obey it, if we are only hearers and not doers of the Word, like Zedekiah things will not go well with us. 

Blessings are attached to obedience.  "If we are willing and obedient we will eat the good of the land." (Isaiah 1:19) The Bible is full of promises with blessings attached to them for those who will obey.  It also warns of curses that are attached for those who don't.  Are you obeying the Word of God?  Are you hearing it but not doing it?  Where do you stand in your obedience to the Word?  Hopefully, we will heed the example of king Zedekiah and learn that obedience is better than sacrifice. 

Have a great day.  When we obey the Word of God, it will go well with us.  When we don't obey, it won't go very well.

"Sing, Sing, Sing"

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise".  Psalm 98:4

Let's sing this morning.  I woke up with a song on my heart.  Did you know that singing is good for you?  Even studies have shown that it has emotional, physical and social benefits.  It is also a stress reliever.  Therefore, you need to sing.

I have a couple of regular customers who come into my shop and from the moment they come in the door until they leave you can hear them singing.  I love it, it blesses me.  I was talking with someone else the other day and realized I have never heard them sing.  Their replied when I asked was--- I don't sing.  This was sad to me because singing is good for the soul. 

Often, we won't sing, especially in public, because we don't think we can sing or are embarrassed to sing where anyone will hear us.  Not all of us have amazing, professional sounding voices.  Not all of us can sing out loud in public.  Not all of us can carry a tune.  But we can all make a joyful noise and that noise needs to start in our heart.  And it doesn't have to be in public; it can remain in private. 

You may not be a "singer", but you should.  Especially when it comes to singing praise to the Lord.  It may sound off key, it may sound ear-piercing, it may not sound good, but when you sing to the Lord, it sounds like "music to His ears"-- He loves it.  And in return you will get some tremendous benefits from it-- in body, soul and spirit.  By the way, the song that was on my heart was-- "How Great Thou Art".  Who can't help but sing that out loud!

Have a great day.  Singing should be part of your life because there are so many benefits connected with it-- especially when you sing to the Lord.