November 2008 Blog Archive
November 27, 2008
Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing!
Know that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!
For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.
November 22, 2008
1 Cor 13:4-8 Condensed
Love is patient, love is kind... it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs... Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...
I am going to be very transparent here... I have never felt so drawn, so assigned to a task as I do at this moment. As I was preparing to create this blog entry, I began to pray and God turned my heart very profoundly to the hearts of you, our readers, and said "Tell them I love them." I then opened up my Bible directly to this passage and felt a strong sense of destiny. This moment is just for you.
God wants you to know and always remember that He created you because He wanted to be near you and share His love and life with you. There is no one on earth that is just like you and you fill a place in His heart - a dearly loved child. His love for you is unconditional; there are no scales to measure you and no strings attached. He loves you; it's that simple.
I am paraphrasing today's passage to help you personalize it. My prayer... no... no, I really believe today it's God's prayer that you will gain a deeper understanding of how His love pursues and embraces you. Read it again and again until you are convinced! You are dearly loved!
God's Love toward me is patient and so kind... He is not easily angered, and He keeps no record of my wrongs. By the Blood of Christ I am clean... God's Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth and He teaches me to do the same. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres in every matter concerning my life. Yes, God's Love for me never fails...
November 15, 2008
John 11:1, 14, 15 & 40
Now a certain man named Lazarus was ill. He was of Bethany... Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there; it will help you to believe (to trust and rely on Me)... Did I not tell you and promise you that if you would believe and rely on Me, you would see the glory of God?
It all happened in Bethany. Bethany is such a beautiful name but translated it means "house of poverty". Mary, Martha and the disciples must have thought that was an appropriate title when they lost their brother and friend.
Right in the middle of that trauma Jesus says something that was highly unconventional, "I am glad that I was not there...". Ouch, that doesn't seem very compassionate; I mean really, they all just lost someone they loved. But Jesus was very full of compassion and He was about to display that love in a very real way.
Have you lost something precious - something dear to you? Maybe it was a loved one; maybe a portion of your life's savings; maybe a job that you enjoyed. Whatever has been lost; whatever seems to have found residence in the "house of poverty" is not lost forever. God is here, He is with you. He will turn your "house of poverty" into a place of peace by providing a resurrection, a new life. Believe in the goodness of God and turn your eyes toward Him. He will use this event to show Himself strong in your life. He will display His love and compassion for you and make your faith strong.
November 14, 2008
Luke 4:18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed...
Have you ever tried to help a resistant child? You may clearly see exactly what is needed yet your offer is turned away.
Have you ever seen a promise in God's Word that would alleviate the pressure in your life, yet you breeze by it unmoved by the offer? He calls us "children of God" and sometimes we can be tempted to think like a child and underestimate God's ever present help in our time of need.
God has given us His Son, our Savior, to minister to us in truly great ways. He is empowered by the Father to bring our lives into perfect wholeness. Don't be a resistant child struggling on their own; receive the gift and enjoy the promise. He has come to teach us the good news, to set us free and to give us the vision we need to walk in victory.
God is compassionate to come to our rescue; generous to give us unlimited salvation. Don't resist Him; enjoy the offer!
November 5, 2008
Acts 9:36
Now there was at Joppa a disciple [a woman] named [in Aramaic] Tabitha, which [in Greek] means Dorcas. She was abounding in good deeds and acts of charity.
Sometimes when I look at my life I think "I am so insignificant, how can God use me?" I am a simple woman; a wife and mother who has stayed at home for over seventeen years to make her house a home. I've done my utmost to help my family and those around me.
Through some miracle of God the door opened for me to be able to minister to thousands of people each week through the development of this website. It's amazing to me! However, I still feel very small. Sometimes my smallness is a target to the enemy. The devil tries to discourage by pointing out my weaknesses.
Today, as he was doing his 'thing', I rose up with indignation and answered back. I am not the Good Shepherd, I am His helper. The Holy Spirit is the One who works great things in the lives of humanity. God is the Great One! He leads people in triumph and victory. My role is very small. I find people who hesitate on the border of triumph; who have followed the Holy Spirit so far and are temporarily stuck on the fence overlooking freedom. I am a pusher - I take the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and give people the final nudge they need to go all the way with God. It's not a huge, glossy, glamorous job - but I love it!
Yes, I am a pusher, and proud of it! If you are feeling small today - take your stand and shine! Even the smallest light can illuminate an entire room! Let your little light SHINE!
November 4, 2008
John 5:39-40
You search and investigate and pore over the Scriptures diligently, because you suppose and trust that you have eternal life through them. And these [very Scriptures] testify about Me! And still you are not willing [but refuse] to come to Me, so that you might have life.
The Bible contains a wealth of wise precepts for living. Any life based on the wisdom of God's Word is a life destined to succeed. The book of Proverbs still holds the #1 position as the success manual of all time. But just following some wise tips for living does not add up to life.
Success, as we know it, is a short term goal. Every human life contains an eternal soul; life long objectives are simply not enough. Not only are they short sighted, but most success principles are largely off balance with a huge emphasis on achievement and rewards alone. We could gain the whole world and still be impoverished. Want to be wealthy?
The Bible tells us clearly that life is better than success. Life, as defined by God's standard is when we are in the sweetest position possible; knowing and enjoying Him, our family and friends, creating and working for the good of many people and making an investment into our generation.
If you have never made the commitment to pursue real life, ask Jesus Christ to be the Lord and CEO of your existence. He will give you real life and teach you how to make the most of it. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. When you have Jesus and live by His precepts, you have everything!
November 1, 2008
Job 22:21
Acquaint now yourself with Him [agree with God and show yourself to be conformed to His will] and be at peace; by that [you shall prosper and great] good shall come to you.
Recently I spent some time with some very ambitious, quite inspirational business people. They had such enthusiasm for the quest for success. I was inspired by their positive attitude and thirst for excellence. As I listened to them and their ideology I noticed a common denominator in their "mantra". Though they knew some of the best portions of the Bible they had no real knowledge of God Himself.
I felt such compassion for these people. They were so determined to live life to the fullest and though they look toward God, they sought only wisdom and not God Himself. I carefully looked for opportunity to point to God as the true treasure and the source for life. Sometimes the message was received; sometimes not. How can a person come so close yet miss the whole message of the Bible?
Success is a full life and the Bible clearly instructs this key to success - Jesus is Life!
Success is ours through this simple formula:
Our lives x God's saving grace + God's wisdom + Our obedience = Success.
