"This Isn't Right - part 2"

"I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee." Luke 15:18

Yesterday I gave you my translation of what the prodigal son was saying when he finally came to his senses while in the pigpen and decided to go home. He realized that "this wasn't right" for him to be sitting in the pigpen starving when he was his father's son and should be living in his father's house.

We discussed that as Christians having some things in our lives just "isn't right". As a matter of fact, it is just "wrong" for us to be (or call ourselves) Christians and be living in adultery, involved in homosexuality, rude and unkind, drunks, thieves, hateful, proud, unforgiving, liars, cheating, cursing people out, and so on. If these things are in our lives, then we are living in the "pigpen of sin".

After having discussed that "this isn't right" for a Christian to be practicing sin, let's now look at what "is right". As His children we are to be "imitators" of God. Our lives should reflect and represent who our Father is. What would that be like? What type of character, attitude and lifestyle would be right for a Christian to possess? It's called the Fruit of the Spirit. The right character for a Christian is love- not hate; joy- not depression; peace- not confusion; gentleness- not rudeness; goodness- not mean tempered; meekness- not pride or arrogance; faith- not fear and condemnation; longsuffering- not impatience and anxiety; temperance- not self indulgence.

If you are a Christian, is what's in your life "right" or "wrong"? If it is wrong (and that would be because you are living in sin or doing sinful things) then there is only one way out of it. The prodigal son showed us the way out of the "pigpen"- it comes through repentance, then drawing near to the Father, and staying near the Father.

Have a great day. There are some things that are just "wrong" for Christians to be doing, but there are some things that are "right" because they are evidence that we are our Heavenly Father's children.

For further reading:
Galatians 5:19-26

"This Isn't Right"

"And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!" Luke 15:17

Our verse is taken from the story of the prodigal son. At this point he is in the pigpen and starving to death. Finally, he comes to his senses and decides to make a change. Let me give you my "translation" of what he was saying in the verse above. He was saying, "This isn't right, even the servants in my father's house have more it eat than I do. This isn't right, I have all I need at home and I am sitting here in need. This isn't right, I am an heir but I am living worse than a beggar."

I am wondering this morning if you can relate to the young man? Are there things going on in your life to which you can say, "This isn't right!"? As Christians there are things that just "aren't right" for us. They have no place in our lives- yet they may be in our lives. Here are some examples of what I am talking about- some "this isn't right" things.

This isn't right-- for you to be living with unforgiveness.
This isn't right-- for you to be blessing God and cursing men.
This isn't right-- to be living after your own fleshy desires, selfish wants and a self-centered agenda; focused on self.
This isn't right-- that you put what you want before what God wants for you.
This isn't right-- that Christ isn't the center of your life.
This isn't right-- that you are living in adultery and fornication.
This isn't right-- that you are stealing and coveting.
This isn't right-- that you aren't making time for the Lord (in prayer, Bible reading and worship).
This isn't right-- that you are spending everything on yourself and not helping meet the need of those who are hurting.
This isn't right-- that you are not walking in love.
This isn't right-- that you aren't loving God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind.
This isn't right-- that you are ignoring God, not listening to His voice, not keeping His commands.

The son in the pigpen came to his senses because he remembered who he was and knew that this was not where he was suppose to be. He remembered that he was his father's son and should be living in his father's house- loving and serving his father. As children of the Lord, we need to stop and look at our lives and do some remembering also. We need to remember who we are and what that means. It means that we are to live close to the Father, love Him, follow Him, serve Him, do those things that please, honor and glorify Him, and don't have any part of those things that don't. When we live our lives in a manner that is contrary to who we are in Him, then nothing is going to be right.

Have a great day. For those who are the children of God, there are some things that just aren't right and should have no place in your life.

For further reading:
Ephesians 5:1-5
Luke 15
James 3:9-11

"Trying To Hear"

"And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." Acts 9:5

How many times have you said, or heard someone else say, "The Lord is trying to tell us something."? I have been guilty of saying it. It almost conjures up the idea that God is having a hard time saying something- that is never true. It is not, "God is trying" to say something, instead we should be saying, "We are trying to hear what He is saying".

I understand what we mean when we say that, but the truth is that God never has to "try" to say anything, He just comes right out and says it. He doesn't have a hard time communicating or articulating His words or their meaning. When He wants to speak to us or get a message across to us, He knows just how to say it and He speaks plainly. Look in the Bible, every time God spoke to the people He spoke plainly and didn't "try" to give the message to them. He spoke plainly to Moses out of the burning bush. When Balaam was going to curse God's people, God spoke very clearly to him not to do it. When Saul encountered Him on the road to Damascus, He didn't try to tell Saul something, He spoke so clearly that immediately Saul repented of what he was doing and turned to wholeheartedly follow Jesus. The Lord spoke to David at Ziklag to pursue the enemy and take back what was stolen from him. He spoke clearly to the prophets-- He didn't "try" to tell them what He wanted to tell them.

Like I said earlier, we are the ones who are "trying to hear" what He is saying. For some reason we make it so difficult when really it isn't hard to hear. Jesus told us that His sheep would hear His voice. When we read His word, we are hearing Him speak, and speak plainly. For example, how much plainer can He get we He says, "Love you enemies, or do not commit adultery"?

He biggest hindrance to us hearing is called-- distraction. I can remember when I was growing up, if I was watching television and my mother came in and told me something, most of the time I would not hear what she said. It wasn't because she wasn't saying something I didn't understand (I knew what she meant when she said, "Go clean up your room."). But the television had my attention so I was not fully listening to what she was saying. I believe this (distraction in various forms) is what hinders us and keeps us "trying" to figure out what God is saying.

God has always spoken plainly. He has never had a hard time or struggled with what to say, how to say it or how to get the message across. It is us who are having the hard time hearing, but that is because we are either not listening or not listening attentively.

Have a great day. God is not having to try to tell us something, we are having a hard time trying to listen to what He is saying.

For further reading:
John 1:37;10:16;27
Revelation 3:20
Mark 12:37

"By Faith"

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

What a simple, straight forward verse, very plain and to the point. What is so hard about understanding what this verse says? It isn't hard to understand its meaning, but applying it and living your life by it isn't always easy.

We, being human, like to try to "figure" things out. We want to know exactly how the problem is going to be solved. This is often a "hurdle" that we have to get over when it comes to putting our trust in God in a situation. Our trust is attached to what we can see, understand, comprehend and figure out. As long as we can figure it out, we trust Him. In reality, that is not trust. True trust and faith in God has nothing to do with whether we understand it or not. It has nothing to do with whether we can see the solution or not. True faith and trust in God is linked it His character. Our trust is, or should be, based on who He is and the fact that He is faithful to do what He says He will do.

The just live by faith, not by our ability to understand everything because the truth is- we won't always understand everything. Faith has nothing to do with seeing or understanding, it is the evidence of what we don't see. Mary didn't understand how she could conceive a child when she had not been with a man, and even though it happened to her, she still couldn't tell you how it was possible except through God. But she put her trust in God's word about the situation and conceived.

We can't figure out how God is going to do a thing or answer a prayer. We just have to trust that He will do it and that He will do it in the best way.

Have a great day. If we could figure it out, we wouldn't need to have faith in God and we could solve our own problems.

For further reading:
Luke 1:34-38
Isaiah 55:8,9
Hebrews 10:38; 11:1,6

I Am Back

Good morning, everyone, it seems like it has been forever since I sent out the Coffee Break devotional.  I want to thank you all for your patience.   A couple of weeks ago I sat down to write it and send it out and my computer decided to "rebel".  It would not do anything!  It completely died.  I can't complain, it was getting old.  It just wasn't a good time for it to happen... but when is it ever a good time for things to go wrong or mess up.  But that's how life is... everything is going well or the next moment it is falling apart.  Thankfully, when things in life hit us out of no where and they don't go as we plan, there is the Lord.  He is right there with us.  We don't face it alone as His children.  Whether it's a computer quitting or a tragedy. 

I finally have a new computer... just got it today.  It is quite different from my last one, so I am trying to figure it all out.  But I plan on tomorrow starting back to sending out the devotional.  I may not have been sending them, but the Lord has been speaking to me and I will be sharing what He has laid on my heart with you.  

Have a great day.