Sacrificing the Best for the Good

Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. (I Samuel 15:9)

Prior to going to battle with the Amalekites, God gave Saul clear direction not to spare anything, but after a decisive victory, Saul brought the spoils home.

What’s wrong with that you might ask?  Could taking the spoils really be a bad thing?  After all, they represented what was sure to be significant wealth for the country, not to mention warm clothing and plenty of food for the people. I’m sure the people of Israel had a lot of needs.  Couldn’t those spoils be God’s provision for His people?  Even scripture referred to the spoils as “all that was good.”

But instead, God severely chastised Saul for his decision, eventually costing him his position as king.

Why?  Because Saul chose to sacrifice the best (God’s direction and plan) for what appeared to be good.  Saul was lulled into choosing what looked good on the outside and popular to the people.

Be wary of the good things in your life if they keep you from God’s best.  Good things can come in neat little packages.  They might even appear to fill an existing need in your life at that moment.  How could that be a bad thing you ask?  After all, doesn’t God want to prosper us, both spiritually and physically? He does!  The bible declares that.

However, there are times where what appears to be good may not be God’s best.  God specifically told Saul not to keep the spoils, because it wasn’t God best for Israel at that time.

Is God calling you to give up some things in your life, even “good” things, so that He can pour out His best upon you?  Even some things that were blessing in the old season can become a hindrance if they are brought into the new season.

If God has given you clear instruction or a clear path to follow, stay the course, even if the path is littered with other “good” options along the way.  It will be tempting, but don’t stray to the right or the left.  Don’t sacrifice the best for the good.

Bringing the Holy Spirit into the Equation

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.…”

II Corinthians 3:18

 

 

Remember those simple equations in math?

1+1=2

There was always an expected outcome wasn’t there?

You had the task of solving the equation  - 1+1= X

We all remember “X”.

Here is something else you must remember-

If you’re going to thrive in a season of transition then what you need to remember is God has a desired outcome for every transition in your life.

We are not called to surrender to a “what will be, will be” moment

As we got older the equations in math got harder.

Solving for “X” wasn’t as simple as one plus one anymore.

As you grow in your relationship with God the seasons of transition may seem longer and harder.

It is during those seasons you must remind yourself – He has a plan for me, for us.

It is not luck, coincidence or chance that happens in our lives if you belong to Him.

He is bringing you through this transition and transforming you in the process.

A fully surrendered believer will come out the other side looking a little more like Christ.

A believer who handles transitions kicking and screaming?

A little less so!

A believer who refuses the transition?

Your own image is intact.

At great expense!

You have refused the opportunity to be changed “…from glory to glory…”

 Let’s walk through this season together with the understanding that He is in control. He has a plan and a desired outcome.

It brings hope and it brings purpose in the midst of transition.

Best of all it brings the Holy Spirit into the equation!

Will You Thrive?

“…    but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.”

Proverbs 11:28b

 

 

 

If any of us were faced with a “good-better-best” option in life we would undoubtedly choose the “best” option, right?

Maybe not!

Ask that same question again but add the ingredient of cost.

I recently was in a store to purchase a router.

This particular router had a chart on the back of the package showing

options for each model and listing them as:

Good, Better or Best.

The “Good” had some options, the “Better” had more, while the “Best had the most.

And of course the price increased with the number of available options.

Based on my specific needs we chose the “Better”.

Transitions in our walk with Christ as individuals and as a church also come with options.

We can choose, through that transition, to die, to survive or to thrive.

Now, you may be thinking – no one would “choose” to die.

But, by our choices that is exactly what some may do.

Just as some, also by their choices, will survive while others will thrive.

We aren’t ‘comfortable’ with this or that aspect of change and so we shrink back and die in the process.

The wilderness was a place of transition for the Israelites.

Some died there.

“Well”, you say, “That was because of what God said would happen and not because of a choice that they made.”

But I would point you to the choice of which of the 12 spy’s reports they chose to believe.

When seasons of transition come – not if but when – will you die,

merely survive or will you thrive?

God’s desire is that you thrive.

“If God be for you…”

But you must make the choice. 

Will you thrive? 

 

http://youtu.be/3jNJ59o4QgE

Keep Marching!

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God,

you will receive what he has promised.”

Hebrews 10:36

 

Giving up can be so easy.

But when you are running the race set before you – easy doesn’t win it!

Perseverance does!

During seasons of transition, as our church is experiencing now,

the temptation to quit can be even greater.

“Too much change, why put in the effort” we say as we lick our imaginary wounds.

Yet this is the very season to press on and not give up.

I want to share with you an impression/vision from the Lord that

one of the ladies at His Place received this past Sunday

 

“I felt the bottom of my shoes sticking to the ground as if I had gum on the bottom of them or the floor was sticky.  I felt God impressing on me that we are entering into a season of perseverance and building our endurance.  I felt the Lord say,  "This army needs to keep marching. Even if it seems you're not moving. Keep marching in place."  If we stop marching, our feet will get stuck.  I, then,  felt like we were riding a bike.  We are to keep pedaling until God leaves us breathless.”

Heidi  S

 

“…Even if it seems you’re not moving…”

Perseverance is most necessary when you are walking into the wind –

not when the wind is at your back!

Perseverance is most necessary when the test is the greatest.

Maybe you feel like your feet are sticking to the ground.

Keep marching.

Perhaps it’s like running in loose sand.

Don’t stop – keep marching.

Can you hear the cadence call of heaven?

Keep marching saints! -

You Can Never Make a Better Choice

 

He had a lot going for him – at least by the worlds’ standards.

He was rich, he was young and he was a ruler.

But still there was emptiness, there was something missing.

He came to Jesus and they had this conversation…

“Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

You know the commandments…’

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

Jesus looked at him and loved him.

“One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell.

He went away sad, because he had great wealth.”

Jesus offered him the opportunity he had asked for.

There was a transition coming to his life if he would choose it.

But we are told he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

It was a season of transition for him.

It was an opportunity that was presented but not taken.

You and I can miss those opportunities of transition that God offers.

He missed his.

You see Jesus does not come into our lives to leave us as we are.

He comes to transform us.

He comes to do His work in us.

We can receive or reject that transition, that transformation.

It may not be easy but consider the alternative.

God is transitioning His church.

We are to impact the globe.

Don’t go away sad when Jesus presents the opportunity.

Receive ALL that God has for you.

You can never make a better choice.

Never In My Wildest Dreams

Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]
(Ephesians 3:20 - Amplified Bible)

Have you ever dreamed about God using you in a great way, only to have the very next thought go something like this - “that would be really cool, but I’m too ordinary for God to ever use me like that.”

Well, I’ve got news for you!  God wants to do superabundantly more than you can ask or think and go infinitely beyond your biggest dreams.  God is so big that even our dreams and imagination can’t contain what He has in store for us.

We’ve all been surprised in our lives.  At some point, I’m sure we’ve all uttered the phrase “I never saw that coming” or “I would not have expected that in a million years” or “Never in my wildest dreams did I think that would happen.”

God wants to surprise us like that, and as we surrender to Him, He will do just that. 

I bet not in his wildest dreams did Gideon ever imagine defeating an army of tens of thousands with a band of 300 warriors.  I bet Moses never saw that coming as he stood in front of a parting Red Sea.  I bet Peter never thought he would walk on water, not in a million years.

God chose to surprise ordinary people like Gideon, Moses, and Peter by performing extraordinary acts through them, and He wants to do the same through us.

The next time you doubt that God can bring to pass a dream or desire He put in your heart, meditate on the above verse.  Then step out in obedience and wait in expectation for God to blow your hair back.  He will leave you saying “never in my wildest dreams…”

"Here is the Church, Here is the Steeple..."

Today's blog post is contributed by Denise Friedman:

Here is the church . . .

Perhaps you learned the following chant when you were a child:

Here is the church

Here is the steeple

Open the door

And see all the people.

 

 

Let’s look at what exactly is church?  The first definition cited by Merriam Webster is a building that is used for public, especially Christian worship.  This definition confines church to the four walls and contains it within a building.  Today, let’s challenge that definition of “church.” 

If we continue reading Merriam Webster’s definitons of church, we find church defined as a body or organization of religious believers.  Wait, so this means church can be a group of people, not defined by the building in which they are housed?  If that is true, then we could also conclude that church doesn’t have to happen just on Sunday morning, ending at noon?  Exactly!

As Christians, we should be looking for divine appointments and ways to serve God each and every day.  This might mean praying for an unsaved neighbor or coworker.  Daily. Weekly. Monthly.  Until you see Holy Spirit moving in their lives.  This might mean moving out of your comfort zone and serving meals to homeless people instead of hosting a dinner party or having dinner out with your friends.  This might mean serving at a food pantry instead of going out to a play or a movie.  This might mean volunteering time at a clothing ministry instead of spending time shopping. This might mean visitng someone who is sick or dying instead of playing video games or watching television.

Matthew 25:40:

"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Church should be something we strive to see in our lives.  Daily.   So as you move through this week, I challenge you to find an oppportunity to have church in your life each and every day.  Maybe if we rewrote the children’s rhyme, it could be written something like this:

I am the church

Sent from above

To serve God’s children daily

And show them His love.

The Perfect Picture of the Father

“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”

John 1:18

 

 

No more perfect image of the Father has ever been revealed to man than that which Jesus showed us. As we look and listen to Jesus the Father’s image comes most clearly into view.

Sometimes the church is accused of being a poor representation of God’s love.

The truth is, sometimes we are.

Jesus never was.

He perfectly revealed every aspect of His Father.

His showed us the Father’s love, His mercy, His compassion and His plan of redemption for all of us.

Never once did Jesus speak of bombings, beheadings or beatings to be carried out by His disciples in His Name.

Those who view the God of the Bible as no different from the gods of man-made religions do so because they fail to see the redemptive heart of God.

They do so out of a reluctance to surrender their lives as well as their lifestyles to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

But even in their rebellion, the command Jesus gave us was to love them, to extend His grace and His mercy to them.

The day will come when each of us is judged based on what we did with Jesus Christ.

Did we make Him Lord or did we make Him leave?

Did we embrace the love of the Father as revealed through the Son or did we push Him away content to live our own way and our own will?

Renew your commitment today to be one who, in the midst of a troubled world,

makes Him known!

The Something Greater in Our Walk

“I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.”

Matthew 12:6

 

 

Many, many years ago while serving in the military I had the opportunity to visit a local church in Naples, Italy.

While I could not understand the words I knew instantly when they began to sing that I was with believers.

You see, Jesus was there.

He is greater than any language barrier.

He is greater than any cultural barrier.

He is greater than any music style.

He is greater, as today’s verse reminds us, than any building.

About seven years ago I was blessed to pray with a Pastor and his wife in Davao City in the Philippines. We were standing on land that was cleared for their soon to be constructed church building.

Though I have seen pictures now of the completed building I tell you for sure that the most precious part of that night was that the Spirit of the Lord was already in our midst.

We did not need those four walls and a ceiling to be in His presence.

He was, and still is today, that something greater in our midst.

Don’t get caught up on the peripherals in your walk with Christ.

Don’t allow those things to define your relationship with Him.

Buildings will come and go.

Leaders will come and go in our lives.

We can certainly appreciate them when God brings them but never to the point that they become the something greater.

May He always remain so in your life!

I Just Want to Thank You…

“Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking,

which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”

Ephesians 5:4

 

 

Lord, there is so very much to be thankful for.

And yet it also very easy to get caught up in complaints and grumbling.

Forgive me when my choice is to recognize and uplift the negatives of life while failing to find your blessings in my midst.

 I choose to thank you…

Thank you for my beautiful wife with whom I celebrate thirty-five years of marriage today.

Thank you for a son who loves and serves you.

Thank you for entrusting us with a daughter through whom you show yourself faithful.

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of a church family that is alive with your love and moving in the Holy Spirit to honor you in all the ways you reveal yourself to us.

Thank you for extended friends and family.

Help me to grow in gratitude and crush complaining in my life.

Without clouds there could be no rain so may I rejoice in the sunny days and the cloud filled days as well.

Here is a challenge for each of us today.

Take a few moments and say “Thank you Lord for…”

Recognize the blessings even in the seemingly difficult things of life.

Corrie Ten Boom, in the book “The Hiding Place” which tells of her and her families time in the concentration camps as a result of hiding Jews in their home during WWII, tells of thanking God for an infestation of fleas in the particular building.

While it might seem odd to thank God for fleas, it was because of those fleas that the guards would not enter their building and thus allowed them the opportunity of Bible study and prayer.

Are you looking for God even in the ‘dark seasons’ of life?

Do you ask Him to open your eyes to His blessing on the ‘cloudy days’ of life?

If Corrie Ten Boom found something to thank God for in the infamous concentration camp, Ravensbruck, can you find something in the midst of your difficulties?

Thankfulness and gratitude catches God’s ear.

Let it Sink In

“The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord

and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.

He led me back and forth among them,

and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.  

He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

Ezekiel 37:1-3

 

 

Have you ever been in a troubling situation where all you can think about is that problem?

You rehearse over and over in your mind the despair and hopelessness.

You do not see any way out.

You don’t even see the proverbial tunnel with the light at the end of it.

As I read the text above I find one part a bit curious.

The scripture says that the Spirit of the Lord led the prophet Ezekiel back and forth in the valley full of bones.

Why would He do this?

I believe He wanted the gravity of the situation to settle into Ezekiel’s spirit.

These were dry, dead bones.

Dead as a doornail.

Hopeless and helpless.

Ezekiel notes that there were a great many bones and that they were very dry.

The message sank in and…

…it is at this point that the question is asked.

Now that you have seen the hopelessness and helplessness of the situation Son of Man let me ask you this question: Can these bones live?

Wisely the prophet recognizes that only by bringing the Sovereign Lord into it can there be any hope.

Are you facing a hopeless situation that has left you helpless?

Invite the power of the Sovereign Lord in.

Let His life bring new life to the old dried bones that problem has become.

Don’t pin your hopes on man.

Place your hope in the Sovereign Lord!

“…Sovereign Lord, you alone know…”

 

?????

“He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

Ezekiel 37:3

 

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”

Proverbs 19:2

 

Questions

Two questions asked and two answers given.

Two quite different questions I might add.

Why would God need to ask questions?

There is no question He could ever ask that He does not already know the answer to.

So why ask it in the first place?

Because it is more about ‘confession’ (on our part) than it is about His getting information.

In many ways, asking a question, God is drawing out of us an opportunity.

It may be an opportunity to agree with His plans or intentions.

It may be an opportunity to speak or declare faith.

It may be an opportunity to speak revelation.

I can’t help but think that Ezekiel’s answer to God’s question “…can these bones live?” was an act of worship in a way.

He ascribed to the ‘Sovereign Lord’ the wisdom to know the right answer.

Peter’s answer, it is made clear by Jesus, was not given by human wisdom or understanding but through revelation of the Holy Spirit.

When God asks you a question understand that it is more than just God seeking information.

He knew where and why Adam and Eve were hiding long before He called out

“Where are you”?

“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” was a question He asked of the prophet Isaiah.

He knew the answer, He was providing the answer.

How will you respond when God asks you a question?

Wait upon the Lord

Today's blog post is contributed by Denise Friedman:

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. - Isaiah 40:31

 

Have you been waiting upon God for something?  Perhaps you have been praying for days, weeks, or months. Maybe you have been praying for years or decades.  Often times, it seems as if we spend so much time waiting for an answer.  We just want a "yes" or a "no"!  Maybe we just want something made so crystal clear to us we cannot possibly doubt the direction we are heading.

 

God longs to answer our prayers.  He asks for us to walk in faith in the small steps he illuminates for us.  Often times, he does not simply say "yes" or "no", but instead asks us to be obedient in what he does give us.  This is the best answer we could hope for, since as we take each step, we can be confident we are walking in his perfect will.  If we listen for God's call, we will not stray to the right or to the left, what can be more assuring than that? As we step forward in faith to each of the divine appointments the Lord provides, we realize we are hearing his voice and responding, and we can look forward with anticipation to the next step He asks us to make.  

 

By waiting upon the Lord, instead of barging ahead in desperation, we renew our strength.  Have you ever moved forward with "your plan" because you weren't hearing from God soon enough?  Chances are this left you exhausted, because you were moving by YOUR strength instead of the supernatural strength of Holy Spirit.  As you move through this week, I encourage you to wait upon the Lord, taking each day one day at a time.  When you move in response to His call, know with confidence He will give you the strength to take the step he is asking of you.

“It’s All Your Fault, God!”

“A person’s own folly leads to their ruin,

    yet their heart rages against the Lord.”

Proverbs 19:3

 

 

 

Have you ever blamed God for a situation you put yourself in?

I would guess most all of us have.

We move quickly to do something we never heard God tell us to do and when it fails to prosper we start complaining to God!

These are all things we might say in the midst of our self-inflicted trouble:

“Woe is me.

Why is this happening to me.

God, it’s all your fault.

I was only doing what you told me to do.”

These aren’t even original complaints.

We have read a similar indictment against God being spoken by Adam way back in the Garden…

“The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Genesis 3:12

“It’s as if he were saying – “See God, I’m not really to blame – you are!”

We are such copy cats aren’t we?

So how do we know when it’s our own fault?

Look at today’s verse again.

The fruit of our own folly is ruin.

That is not the fruit of a life obedient to God.  

We know that His plans and His purposes for us ae good.

They do not lead to our ruin.

The next time you are tempted to lift a fist toward heaven and rage toward God look back at what His direction was.

Did He truly lead you?

If it is leading to your ruin the honest answer has to be no!

The good news is He can redeem your life from destruction – even the destruction you set in motion – when you repent and call upon His name.

Nothing More and Nothing Less

“Desire without knowledge is not good—

    how much more will hasty feet miss the way!”

Proverbs 19:2

 

 

Hasty feet make mistakes.

Hasty feet walk in ways they should not go.

There is a time for urgency to be sure.

But urgency is not the same as haste.

Hasty is defined as: acting too quickly while urgency is defined as:

a force or impulse that impels or constrains.

As believers we need to know the urgency of the hour but never to act hastily based only on urgency apart from knowledge.

The scriptures teach us that hasty feet miss the way.

These hasty feet can be sincere and full of good intentions but they must not move apart from the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Led by Him are feet walk in His way, in fruitful and abundant ministry.

We are not to be spinning our wheels doing what we think is right but instead are to be led in all that we do by His Holy Spirit.

Can this be an excuse?

Sure, some will do nothing and say they were not led!

But this response reveals more about a lack of relationship than anything else.

If you spend time at His feet, there will also come a time when He sends you forth.

Both are necessary.

Both are essential in each of our lives.

Jesus knew how to spend time with the Father.

That time with the Father gave Him marching orders for the day.

When He said: “It is finished!” He was certainly speaking of more than just good intentions.

He was speaking of completing the work the Father gave Him to do.

Nothing more and nothing less!

Every Six Steps

Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. (2 Samuel 6:13)

Imagine that!  King David so revered the Lord that he sacrificed a bull every six steps while transporting the ark of God’s presence. David wanted to be absolutely sure that he was honoring and worshiping God every step of the journey.

Now, I don’t know how far it was from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David, but regardless of the distance, that was an incredible act of sacrificial worship on David’s part and a strong declaration of his desire to honor God.

Let me suggest that we too are an ark of sorts, because as God moved from the Old Testament to the New Testament, He chose to no longer dwell in physical structures, but instead, He chose to make His home in our hearts through Jesus.  We are God’s New Testament arks, because we carry the presence of God everywhere we go.

Now, with that said, let’s take that a step further (pun intended).  What if we made a conscious effort to pause continually as we step throughout our journey to acknowledge the Lord as David did?  It doesn’t have to be anything lengthy.  Maybe just a quick glance of our inward eyes toward heaven or a quick thought that says “I love you” or “be thou exalted.”

If we developed the habit of doing that, can you imagine the incredible awareness of God that would follow us throughout the day?  We would be in constant communion with God, which would have a big impact on our lives and the lives of those around us.

The Bible encourages us to “continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15).  David put that truth into practice many years ago on his journey from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David.  Will you join me in doing the same while we carry the presence of God on our journey through life?

Unity, not Conformity

Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

In an age where people are worshipped and adored because of their physical appearance and talents, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of wishing we were like someone else.  We look at our shortcomings and say “if I can only be more like him or her.”  We are not satisfied with how God created us.  That thought process has also infiltrated the church where the focus is often on how well someone preaches or how gifted they are in ministry.  We can look at another person’s gifting and say “I wish I could pray as eloquently as him” or “I wish I could sing like her.”

But, when we do that, we question God’s sovereignty.  The bible tells us we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).  God didn’t make any mistakes when He created you and me.  He didn’t forget to endow us with certain giftings or talents.  No, He knew exactly what He was doing when He created us in our mother’s womb.  As a matter of fact, like any master builder, He had a blueprint of us before we were even conceived (Jeremiah 1:5).

God doesn’t need ten Billy Graham’s.  He needs one Billy Graham and then one of you, me and the person sitting next to us in church.  Romans 12:4-5 paints the perfect picture - “For as in one physical body we have many parts (organs, members) and all of these parts do not have the same function or use.  So we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ (the Messiah) and individually we are parts one of another [mutually dependent on one another].” And then to emphasize the importance of each part, God goes on to say in 1 Corinthians 12:21 – “The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

What God desires is unified individuals who respect and embrace the uniquely packaged, God-given abilities that each of us possess.  That unity empowers the church to function on the earth as it was designed to.

God created you to be you!  He didn’t create you to look, talk, or act like anyone else.  Out of the billions of people on the earth, no two are exactly alike.  That’s the way God designed it.  And, by joining our unique talents, giftings, strengths, and weaknesses (yes, I said weaknesses), with a spirit of unity and commitment to one another, God is able to build something special – His spotless bride!

Listen

“He will glorify me because it is from me that he

will receive what he will make known to you.”

John 16:14

 

 

The “he” that Jesus is speaking of is the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit brings to us the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Just as He did for the Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos, He does for us today.

It is a revelation that glorifies Jesus.

It is a revelation that opens the spiritual eyes of believers to better understand who Jesus is.

I am not talking about revealing the length or color of his hair, his skin tone or height and weight.

The Holy Spirit reveals the heart and the will of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit reveals the divine nature and authority of the Son of God.

It is as if the Holy Spirit was in the role of the Prophet – revealing what has been spoken to Him by Jesus.

And as He, the Holy Spirit, whispers in our ear we are to make known what He reveals to us that Christ might be glorified.

But what does that require on our part?

That we spend the time to listen.

That we desire to hear His words.

That, in hearing them, we are willing to share them as He directs.

Are you in a place right now where you need to hear from Him?

I hope your answer was yes because we all always should be in that place.

Then set aside the t.v. shows tonight.

Cancel the night out.

Turn away from all the distractions and…

…listen.

 

Home is Where the Heart Is

“…the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands…”

Acts 7:48

 

“Home is where the heart is.”

The Lord brought this expression to mind this morning.

In scripture the ‘heart’ is often used to describe our seat of affections, i.e., where our affections, our love, is focused.

Where is your heart today?

Is it focused on four walls, a roof and a floor or is it focused on Him?

So often today we use the word ‘church’ merely to speak of the bricks and mortar

The Bible speaks of church as the ‘called out’ ones.

I believe God is calling His true church out of the brick and mortar into the public squares and marketplaces of the world.

Of course we need to assemble together as encouraged in the Word but as we do remember this:

It is the assembled people who are the church.

There are likely not any ‘church’ buildings still in existence today dating from the 1^st century.

But His church, not made with human hands, is very much alive and active in the earth today!

Where is your heart today?

Where do your affections lie?

Are they in a building, a place, an address?

Or are they with the one who made heaven and earth?

Is your affection given to a place or a person?

A construct or a Creator?

Even in the Wilderness

“When you, God, went out before your people,

    when you marched through the wilderness,”

Psalm 68:7

 

“My Lord knows the way through the wilderness

All I have to do is follow…”

I’m reaching way back for the lyrics to that chorus.

But the words have present day relevance for us.

He DOES know the way.

We do not.

A wilderness experience is seldom a joyous time.

But it also is not always because of disobedience.

Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted of the devil.

It was not disobedience, but rather obedience, that landed Him where He was.

There is no place in all of creation that I can go where God will not be with me.

Remember David’s words?

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; …”

He is with us there.

Listen to these words from Psalm 139: 7-12

 

“Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,”

even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

 

Are you in a wilderness today?

He is there with you there.

Let that comfort, strengthen and encourage you as you walk through the wilderness!

 

 

Choose Wisely

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”

Proverbs 29:25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus expanded on this thought from Proverbs when He spoke as recorded in Matthew 10:28

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

To fear the Lord and not man is wise.

To fear man and not the Lord is far more common.

Too often, in our lives, the immediacy of the judgment of man seems far more important to us than the eternal truth of God’s judgment.

We fear man because it might mean the loss of a job, a reputation or a comfortable position among others.

But really, what do these things mean in light of eternity?

It may be an easy question to answer but much, much more difficult at times to live with the reality of our answer.

We always want it both ways.

David wasn’t always popular with those in authority, those who

held control – or thought they did – and sometimes even with those closest to him (remember his own wife Michal’s disdain for his unabashed worship of God?).

Certainly Jesus fell out of fashion with the religious leaders.

But here’s the good news – He never, ever ‘fell out of fashion’ in His Father’s heart.

“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased…”

It’s your choice – to well please your heavenly Father may mean that, from time to time, you are anything but pleasing to man.

Is God asking you to make such a choice?

Choose wisely.

 

 

Working Out in God’s Gym

“The LORD had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you.”

Genesis 12:1

 

 

 

As we have discussed previously, the life of faith is one that unfolds before us one step at a time.

Today’s struggles are met with today’s faith that we might grow that faith in order to face tomorrow’s struggles.

We like all of life’s journey laid out before us in advance that we might see and know today what is in store for us tomorrow, next month, a year from now and a decade from now.

Seldom does that happen for us.

Does that mean we do not plan for the future?

Of course not!

Does that mean we can know nothing of what tomorrow will bring?

Again, the answer is certainly not!

The issue is that we want every detail, every circumstance, every step known.

Where is the faith in that?

Abraham had to leave for a land that God would show him.

God didn’t say ‘I have shown you…’ He said “… a land I will show you…”

That sure sounds to me like the ‘act of leaving’ had to precede the ‘act of knowing’.

We all face those steps of faith in our lives.

Can you identify that same thing happening in your life, or the life of your church, right now?

If so then take that next step in faith and not in fear.

He is leading you in a path that will grow that faith for the next challenge.

You are working out in God’s gym – adding the faith ‘muscle’ necessary for tomorrow, next week and next year!

 

 

Never Lose Sight- A Timely Reminder

“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ,

who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,

cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,

 so that we may serve the living God!”

Hebrews 9:14

 

 

The hymn writer of years gone by posed this question –

 

“Are you washed in the blood

In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?

Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?”

 

You can watch advertisements for laundry detergents that tout great ‘power’ to remove all kinds of stains from your clothes.

There is no power in the earth or the heavens that can do what the Blood of Jesus can do.

It can wash away your sin.

“That’s not news”, you say “I already know that!”

Wonderful, but it is also wonderful to remember it.

Recall when the disciples rejoiced over the power they were given in Jesus name?

What did Jesus remind them of?

 

"Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you."Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

Luke 10:19-20

 

Never lose sight of what the blood has made possible in you – it has washed away your sin, brought you back into fellowship with God, entrance into His family and given you eternal life.

 If ever you run out of things to rejoice over take a trip back to Calvary.

Let that ‘memory lane’ time remind you of the power of the Blood of Jesus.

Are you washed in the blood?

 

http://youtu.be/UyNP6Ni0fxQ