October 2006
October 19, 2006
I Corinthians 10:31b
...whatever you may do, do all for the honor and glory of God.
I was thinking this morning about how reward-oriented modern culture has become. "What's in it for me?" has become the modivating montra of many people in today's culture. It's unfortunate that people settle for such a low level of living, yet don't you sometimes catch yourself thinking that way? Don't panic - it just means you're alive. As I encouraged myself and my children this morning, I also encourage you.
Behave better for nothing - because it means something. In other words, live right for selfless reasons. Better yet, live right for Godly reasons. I don't know about you, but I can really get stuck in keeping charts, measuring progress, and so I have to really guard my heart that I do what I do for the right reasons. Years ago I began making myself, daily, say this little phrase of self-commitment: Every day I do what's right; unto God; on my own; when it hurts; without applause, because it's right.
Everyday - what is my motivation? Do I behave well or work hard for earthly rewards; money/ approval. If my behavior is motivated merely by worldly-rewards, how am I different than the world?
What is my #1 goal? Do I live & give for my own eventual fulfillment? If so, I've completely missed the purpose of life. What is that purpose? We live to glorify God, we give (deeds of any kind) not to fulfill our personal desires, but to honor Him, to put God first. God, in His goodness, delights to have us live out fulfilled lives. He grants us the desires of our hearts (Ps 37:4) and adds all good things into our lives (Matt 6:33)...... BUT....... ONLY when our #1 focus, target, desire, delight, goal, vision, and purpose is to know HIM, love HIM and walk in HIS ways. When money is our motivation or delight, no matter how much we have it is equal to poverty in comparison to delighting in the Lord. If knowing & pleasing God, loving Him and obeying Him is our aim & treasure, we will always be rich!
So then let us live RICHLY, everday, doing the things that please Him with this end in mind: In all we do, we do it for His honor and glory.
October 17, 2006
John 13:35
By this shall all men know that you are My disciples
if you love one another [if you keep on
showing love among yourselves].
A couple of days ago my Dad would have celebrated his 70th birthday. He passed away 30 years ago. I loved my Dad. I loved the way he made me feel about myself. When I was with my Dad I felt loved. Through out the years many people have come to me and told me about their connection with Dad. People from different areas of business, church, and fellow sportsmen, many different walks of life. Interestingly, they all had the same message. They loved my Dad, too. They loved how they felt with him. It was simple, Dad loved people, and that love marked their hearts.
Interestingly, no one ever commented on the greatness of his business achievements. He was a very successful business man, but that never entered into one comment. Every word was always the tesitmony of someone who was touched by love. A powerful legacy to leave a child.
Fellow children of God, leave a legacy of the great love of our heavenly Father. Let none of us get trapped by the world's definition of fame and success. Instead, let's really mark our generation with the indelible writing of God's love. So that for years to come, people are left with the memory of what it was like to be touched by love. Only then do we really show forth the nature of our true Daddy. Jehovah. God is love.
October 15, 2006
Revelation 4:8
(NIV)
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come!"
The Bible is clear. Our Lord is returning. As a young Christian the thought of the Lord’s return use to terrify me. I didn’t feel that I was ready for His return. First, I hadn’t accomplished all the good works I had hoped and dreamed about doing. Secondly, there were far too many worldly attractions and pleasures I hadn’t the opportunity to enjoy yet. My fear really had nothing to do with Godly reverential fear at the thought of Jesus’ holiness. My fear came from a misunderstanding of God’s grace and a misunderstanding of His goodness and the wonder of heaven. My fear came from focusing on myself and trusting in my own reasoning and not in the Word of God.
The only way to overcome this kind of fear is to read and meditate on God’s Word, and so that is what I did. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and .” (Romans 8:1-2) "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 3:20) These are just a few verses that the Lord continually uses to gently remind me that, for a Christian, His return is something glorious and something to be desired!
As Christians you and I have no need to be afraid of His return. It is the anticipation of His return that motivates us to purify ourselves. It is the anticipation of His return that drives us to share the love of Jesus to those who haven’t received it. It is the anticipation of His return that fills us with comfort and joy, an excitement and eagerness for life! It is the anticipation of His return that extends our hands toward heaven. It is the anticipation of His return that enables our voices to proclaim in reverence and awe, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!”
October 12, 2006
Mark 2:3-5, 11-12
(NIV)
“Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ ……..…. He said to the paralytic, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all.”
This chapter of Scripture never ceases to amaze me! Here is Jesus living out Psalm 103:3, “who forgives all you sins and heals all your diseases". I can’t even begin to wrap my mind around what it would have been like to actually witness it first hand. But, what also amazes me is this paralytic and those who carried him to Jesus. They pressed on to take hold of what Jesus had for them. (Phil.3:12) They pressed through the selfish crowd. They pressed through the physical obstacles and made a hole in the roof. They pressed and pushed and did not give up. They believed that Jesus could and would heal. They were determined to receive that love and miracle and that is exactly what they got. They pressed through to Jesus.
Sometimes the cares of this world become my focus. Sometimes the voice of discouragement is the loudest I hear. Sometimes physical limitations are in my way. But what stirs in my heart today is to PRESS ON. Press through the doubt, the fear, the worry and what is seen in the natural. Believe God! He doesn’t want us to turn away and give up just because things can be difficult or obstacles are in our way. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) Today may we be like those in Mark 2. Today may we PRESS ON!
October 10, 2006
Psalm 103
Of David.
(NIV)
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
I don’t know what’s going on in your world. I don’t know the situations that you face. I don’t know the depth of your pain or the height of your success. But what I do know is that the Lord loves you and me. And because we can so easily doubt that love and view Him completely opposite of who He truly is, He tells us in this Psalm to, forget not all His benefits. God wants us to remember who He is, what He does and that He loves us no matter what.
Today may we forget not who our Lord truly is. Today may we remember and meditate on the goodness of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Today may we say, "Praise the Lord, O my soul !"
October 7, 2006
II Corinthians 3:5b-6a (AMP)
...our power and ability and sufficiency are from God. [It is He] Who has qualified us [making us fit and worthy and sufficient] as ministers and dispensers of a new covenant [salvation through Christ]...
Today I am praying for you and I, that we would not be moved by challenges or triumphs. That challenges would not shake us into "survival mode" where we start to reason our way through a trial in the hope of avoiding personal discomfort. I pray that we will look to and trust God for the good outcome He has promised (Jer 29:11). I pray that He will remain our treasure and sweet delight even in the storm. For we know its possible to face trials and still be of good cheer (John 16:33) because our Savior has conquered all!
I pray that as we have triumphs we will not be deluded by them into thinking that it was our efforts that brought the success. I pray that we will recognize, soberly, that it is only by His power that we live & minister. Our obedience to our great God and His power working through us creates the fruit. Let us not measure by earthly success but by rather by obedience to God. I am convinced that the peaks and valleys will become level ground when all that matters is Him and His will.
I am praying for you and I that we would have revelation understanding; that kind of knowledge that only comes through God's living Word, recognizing and resting in the fact that ALL is accomplished by His Spirit. He draws us to Himself, causes us to desire His will and enables us to do it. He has made us fit for the life He has called us to. That revelation will steady us for the journey ahead and cause us to be faithful, stable ministers of the gospel.
October 6, 2006
Philippians 1:22b(AMP)
...so I can say nothing as to my personal preference...
Phillipians chapter one is to me, of all the scriptures, the greatest example of absolute human surrender to God. To be willing to surrender one's desired destiny and personal preferences to cling to the will of God is something rare; something I try to wrap my mind around; a maturity I long to see brought to completion within my own life.
Personal preference is a god in this generation. Only through the leading, teaching and conviction of the Holy Spirit can we enter into such a place of trust, where we can see God's ways as higher than our own and live with the conviction that Paul displays. To be completely abandoned to God's will generates a personal security beyond natural comprehension. It is not a work of the flesh, it is a work of the Spirit.
Paul states in Phil 1:23 that he does have a "yearning desire" of his own, but he submits it to God, in obedient service to His Kingdom. He speaks of his motivation in vs. 24 as he tells his fellow believers, this commitment is "for your sake". He abandons his personal preferences for the well being of the body. He surrenders for the same reasons we must surrender our "desires"; (vs 25) that someone else's "progress" and "joy in believing" (God) would be "promoted", and that others would exult and glorify Christ Jesus. To live in obedience to God and service to man, like Paul, completely defies humanistic thinking yet is the key to living life to the fullest. The greatest joy we can ever experience comes from living a life surrendered to the Father, a life of love toward mankind. Christ has exemplified this for us. He has shown us the way and told us the truth.
John 15:11-12 - I have told you these things, that My joy and delight many be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure....This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you.
I encourage you today, to join me in the journey of absolute trust and obedience. Let us live life full throttle and believe that God's preferences, His ways, will lead us to the higher life we truly desire; surpassing all that we could "dare ask.. or dream"(Eph 3:20). Not dreams of grandueur or fame, but the greatness of a surrendered life - obedience to God and service within the Kingdom. Let us throw off the weight of personal preferences and follow Him.
October 3, 2006
James 5:8
So you also must be patient. Establish your hearts [strengthen and confirm them in the final certainty], for the coming of the Lord is very near.
As you endeavor to live out your life for God, don't be shaken by the challenges or the disappointments that come your way. They will come, that's part of life. Jesus said "In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties..."(John 16:33 MSG) When these difficulties come, keep your footing fixed. Don't be hasty- seek God. Don't jump ahead - wait for the Lord. Fix your eyes on Christ and guard that focus. This will help you to have the patience to endure. When your eyes are on Him your faith will rise up. Your patience and resolve will be strengthened. You will experience the end of that same verse. You will be able to "...take heart!" because Christ has conquered all! Establish you heart in this today and revel in His love for you! He is for you! You are NOT alone!
