The Wonder of it all

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta

Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. (Psalm 40:5)

This past weekend my pastor encouraged us not to lose the wonder of God in our midst, especially during this Christmas season when we celebrate the miracle birth of our savior.

But as I left church that day, I couldn’t shake what my pastor said.  After some honest soul searching, I realized that I had lost the wonder of God.

I lost the wonder of Emmanuel (God with us).  This Christmas season, like so many before it, was all about the shopping, the gifts, the time off from work, and parties with my family.  Jesus was more of an after-thought.

Yet it was Jesus who left the glory of heaven to willingly come to earth, walk among men, and lay down His life in the greatest expression of love ever demonstrated.

I lost the wonder of His Word.  I have more bibles than I care to admit, but I often treat the word of God like so many other books on my shelf. 

Yet the word of God has the power to transform the hardest heart.  It is alive and active with the ability to reveal our innermost thoughts and desires (Hebrews 4:12).  It was carefully crafted and protected over thousands of years by God himself for the purpose of teaching us who He is and how to live a life pleasing to Him.

I lost the wonder of God’s spirit dwelling within me.  Yet the very presence of the God dwells within me (I Corinthians 6:19) and lives in union with my spirit.  Wherever I go, the Spirit of God goes with me.  That’s the same God who created the universe and uses earth as His footstool (Isaiah 66:1)

As I began to reflect on these truths and others, the wonder of God grew within me again.  If you too have lost the wonder of God in your life, I encourage you to also meditate on these truths.

May we never lose the wonder of how much God loves us and great lengths He has gone through to have fellowship with us.

Look – It’s a Miracle!

“He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,

miracles that cannot be counted.”

Job 5:9

  

So how would you define a miracle?

Would you know one if you saw it?

Be careful how you answer...

What God calls miraculous could be right under our noses but missed by our own expectations and definitions.

Someone crippled for years suddenly walking might be a miracle, wouldn’t you agree?

But what if that same someone had been crippled by unforgiveness for years too?

Suppose they quietly surrendered that to God and were set free – wouldn’t that be a miracle?

Perhaps even more so than the physical healing and yet we might easily miss it.

Short of revelation that miracle may be known only to that person and the Lord.

My point is there are miracles all around us.

Not just the dramatic but even the quiet, yet equally important ones that never seem to make our radar.  

Ask God to open your eyes to all that is miraculous in family, friends, neighbors and yes, even your enemies.

You may be startled by all God is doing that you had missed.

Don’t ever lose the wonder for the miraculous – even the ones that may have been missed in the past.

God is only capable of doing wondrous things!

Let Him open your eyes to the miracles all around you!

Look for the Unexpected

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise:

When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph,

before they came together,

she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”

Matthew 1:19 KJV

Do you search for the unexpected?

Gideon wasn’t expecting the angelic visitor as he hid from the Midianites.

Certainly John the Baptist’s father Zechariah did not expect the news he received as he served in the temple that day.

What about Mary?

She certainly was not anticipating hearing the message Gabriel delivered.

Yet each of them, and many more, played a part in the unfolding of God’s plans on the earth.

What about you?

If God sent an unexpected message, what would your response be?

Would you respond with a fleece as Gideon did, doubt like Zechariah or an obedient “Be it done unto me according to your word” like Mary?

We serve a King who sometimes comes in unexpected ways to bring about His purposes.

Even his trusted prophet Samuel favored the other sons of Jesse but God chose the unexpected David.

Let God be God in your life and in the coming days ahead.

Don’t panic when His plans unfold a little differently than you had expected.

Begin to look for the unexpected!

Why Be Normal

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

I Peter 2:9

Why be normal indeed?

We are called to something much greater than normal!

We are a chosen people and a royal priesthood.

We are a holy nation and God’s chosen people.

Do those callings sound normal to you?

Certainly not!

Too often we live below our calling.

We live the normal life to fit in, to be accepted.

But how much better to be accepted by the Father and live in our calling?

We are called out of the darkness of this world into God’s wonderful light.

I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions so let’s just do this –

Let’s determine to be anything but normal each and every day and lets pursue God with our all...

2017; Here We Come!

“But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”

Luke 2:19 KJV

Looking back – what would you have changed in your life if you could?

What kinds of regrets might you have?

More time with family, maybe a different career track or something else...

It is the rare man or woman who, when faced with this question, is unable to bring up any regrets.

We were asked to think about Mary at our Christmas Eve service.

Do you think the mother of Jesus would have had any regrets?

What might they have been?

And if she could have changed her life, how might that impact you and me?

I often say that I do not live in the land of “what if” but sometimes there is value in considering an “It’s a Wonderful Life” kind of scenario for yourself.

If God had allowed you to have your own way when you thought you knew best how would things be different for you now?

If stubbornness kept you from seeking or giving forgiveness how might that friend who once hurt you ever see the Jesus you alone could show him?

If our church follows the traditions of man at the expense of the leading of the Holy Spirit (ouch, that hurts!) what great adventures with God might we be walking away from?

These are some tough questions to ask but they are even harder to look back on as regrets.

Don’t live a life filled with regrets for the could have, should have and would have moments.

Let God take you (and us) where He will in 2017.

You won’t regret it!

Our Sincerest Prayers that Your Holiday and the Coming Year are Blessed by Christ in

Unexpected and Wonderful Ways

Wendy and Stephen Brisson

David and Carol Trotta

But Now I See You

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. (Job 42:5)

Job must have been a man who walked closely with the Lord.  After all, Job 1:1 says “There lived in the land of Uz a man named Job – a good man who feared God.”  Even God Himself declared in v8 of that same chapter that Job “was the finest man in all the earth.”

However, it wasn’t until after Job went through an incredible trial that took everyone he loved and everything he owned away from him that he declared “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”

In the midst of great pain and suffering, Job had an incredible encounter with God.  God spoke to him in the midst of his hardship.  He went from knowing “of” God to knowing God.

Job honored and revered God during a time of plenty, but it was the hardship he endured that birthed a greater understanding of God.

Without challenges and difficulties in our lives, our relationship with God can only grow so far.

Job’s struggles purified and refined his heart’s gaze toward the One who mattered most.  The fire of his trials brought into focus what was truly important – the sovereigntyof God.

If you are going through a difficult time, don’t become discouraged, but press into God with greater fervency.  He will use the challenges you are going through to birth a greater revelation of who He is.

In Job 42:12, the bible says “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part” and goes on to list the physical blessings that were restored to him, but I bet what held the most value to Job was the greater fellowship he enjoyed with God.

Hold Fast and Hold On!

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

Galatians 6:7

Have you ever thought about this verse?

If this is a biblical principal evident throughout scripture, which it is, why is it necessary to remind us in the New Testament that God cannot be mocked with regard to sowing and reaping?

Let me suggest to you one possible reason – the time between the sowing and the reaping may often be lengthy and we may forget – but God does not!

Also, the word ‘mocked’ used here carries the original Greek meaning of ‘to turn up the nose at’.

That implies that we may sow and yet somehow feel ourselves above God and His established principals and be convinced that we will not reap what we have sewn.

That is especially true when the reaping is (at least to us seems to be) delayed.

How many down through the ages have shaken their fist at God because they have interpreted judgment delayed as judgment never rendered?

For us as believers, how many have lost hope because we have sewn and not yet reaped?

Hold fast and hold on, God will not forget His promises to you and what you have sewn in faith you will reap in joy!

Harvest is coming for you!

Choice Words

“The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves,

    but a fool’s heart blurts out folly.”

Proverbs 12:23

It is not necessary or wise to voice an opinion or chime in on everything.

Sometimes wisdom is very quiet.

Do you find it difficult to s be a person of few words?

When or if you choose to speak without thinking then what may be blurted out either will not be received at all or is not meant for the moment.

I can’t help but notice such an interesting and descriptive choice of words used by the writer of this proverb –

the prudent man ‘keeps’ their knowledge while the fool ‘blurts out’ his folly.

One speaks of a disciplined man while the other speaks of a person who has no control over their spirit.

Finally, it must be noted that the folly originates in the fool’s heart.

Out of the abundance of that heart his folly is brought forth.

The abundance of your heart – what is it causing your mouth to speak?

Are you speaking wisdom and knowledge in season or are you blurting out foolish things?

Are you thinking before you speak or regretting after you speak?

 Are your words prudent or foolish?

Lord: Give us words of wisdom and knowledge.

Give us the discernment to know when to speak and when not too.

May we keep our lips from ‘blurting out’ anything and may we be people whose words bring life, peace and encouragement.

In the Name of Jesus Christ we pray.

Amen!

Taking on the Day with Encouragement

Would you rather have someone fighting for you or against you?

Maybe you think: “Either way I’m engaged in a fight so – no difference?”

To others it seems like an easy enough question to answer – the fewer fighting against me the better and the more fighting with me is a distinct advantage!

Now suppose the enemy or ally joining you in the fight was your own character?

Huh? What am I talking about?

Proverbs 13:16 tells us:

“Righteousness guards the man of integrity,

but wickedness overthrows the sinner.”

There it is!

To put it in New Covenant terms, there is a protection –

a bodyguard if you will – to those who are ‘in Christ’ (righteous) that is not available to those who are not.

But didn’t Job in the Old Testament and Paul in the New Testament suffer some terrible things in their lives?

Yes they did.

We are not immune from troubles but none of those troubles can separate us from the love of God that is available to us through Jesus Christ.

His righteousness covers us like a coat of armor – a bodyguard that protects and keeps us.

You and I will face trials, struggles and tests to be sure.

But none of these things can move us out of that safe position in Christ.

His righteousness keeps us protected in that relationship with the Father.

What a tremendous encouragement when we go to take on whatever today brings us!

A Hallmark of the Kingdom

““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.’”

Matthew 25:40

Just because something is commonplace does not make it good,

acceptable or right in the eyes of God.

A case in point: Proverbs 14:20 declares –

“The poor are shunned by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.”

 You would be hard pressed to say that is not common place.

But the acceptable practice of shunning the poor is not good,

acceptable or right at all!

So what is?

Two more verses in that same chapter help to answer that question for us.

Verse 21 says:

 “He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.”

Further along we find verse 31 adding this counsel:

“He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”

How can you honor God today?

How can you honor Him during this season of good will?

Are you looking for opportunities beyond a once a month obligation?

Are you making care for others part of your lifestyle?

That is a hallmark of the Kingdom – claim it for yourself!

Meaningful! Meaningful!

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

King Solomon was the wisest man to ever live.  The bible says there was no one wiser.

Here is a man who had great riches, denied himself nothing, and boasted about doing everything under the sun, but at the end of his life he said everything was “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

He tried it all, but none of it mattered, except one thing.  King Solomon finished penning that same book of Ecclesiastes with these words “Here is my final conclusion: fear God and obey his commandments, for this is the entire duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Ecclesiastes should serve as a warning to all of us.  Think about how much time and energy we put into pursuing the things of this world.  Some of those pursuits can even be supposedly good things, but it can be the good things that cause us to stumble.  Eve saw that the “fruit of the tree was good,” but we know what that led to.

The world offers many attractive pursuits.  It did back in King Solomon’s time and nothing has changed.

But what also will not change is our response to those wordy pursuits at the end of our life – “meaningless, utterly meaningless.”  We can be confident of that.

So, let’s not fill our lives with empty pursuits only to look back at the end of our life with regret and missed God opportunities.  Instead, let’s put our heart and soul into pleasing God, so that at the end of our life, our declaration will be “meaningful, meaningful!”

Get Off the Fence

“..."How long will you waver between two opinions?

If the LORD is God, follow him;

but if Baal is God, follow him."...”

I Kings 18:21

You try and try to hold fast to a biblical world view.

But you don’t understand why it seems to be diluted.

Maybe it’s the 24/7 news cycle you absorb.

Maybe it’s all the other conversations that are prized above conversation with the Lord.

Maybe it’s a little here and a little there approach to believing the scriptures.

Maybe it’s our need to fit in.

All of these things and so many more can water down our biblical world view.

We guard some things as sacred that are not but when it comes to our faith in God and maintaining the biblical perspective on all things we relegate that to a lower rung on the priority ladder of our lives.

No wonder we then find ourselves struggling to make sense of our lives.

It’s hard to straddle the fence without incurring injury!

So don’t try, the fence is lukewarm territory.

For the Kingdom’s sake get off the fence!

Stand out in the crowd as “one of them”, the peculiar ones.

A biblical worldview has a way of doing that.

He is Able

“But if Christ is in you,

then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”

Romans 8:10-11

What a wonderful promise: “...but if Christ is in you...the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.”

It is all from Him!

The life and righteousness of Christ is working in you.

What then, can be accomplished through you today?

The blind see?

Not just physical blindness, but a blindness to the truth is wiped away.

The deaf hear?

Those who once wanted nothing to do with the Gospel are now willing to listen.

The dead are raised to life?

Those who were once dead in their trespasses and sin receive resurrection life through the power at work in you!

Can these things be?

Absolutely, yes!

You see, what He did for and through the 1^st Century believers He can do through you.

Are you ready?

Are you willing?

He is able to do it!

Cooperation

“The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God;

it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”

Romans 8:7

Maybe you’ve read that scripture above before and thought to yourself:

“I’m not hostile to God so my mind must be governed by the Spirit of God!”

I think the word hostile can mislead us though because we often think it to mean anger toward another or even outright conflict.

But a mind hostile to God can be one who simply has different ideas and thoughts from what God has and acts on those thoughts.

A mind governed by the flesh has a mind which allows the flesh to rule.

The flesh has the say and not the Spirit.

Understand that a renewed mind is an on-going work of the Spirit in our lives and the length of that work is proportional to our cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

Some have been saved for many years and their mind today is still governed as much by the flesh as it was the day they invited Christ into their heart.

Others are making great strides even though they have been saved a much shorter time.

Does God play favorites in this area?

No!

It comes back to cooperation.

Do you cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the renewing of your mind?

Do you meditate on His Word?

Do you search out and study the scriptures?

Are you intentional in applying the teachings to your life?

Do you rehearse His promises in times of stress and trouble?

Be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.

Cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the work of renewing your mind!

Has Your Mind Wandered Off?

“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

Romans 8:5

Does your mind wander?

Where does it wander too?

Are your thoughts in undisciplined moments on the things of the earth or on the things of the Kingdom of God?

Putting it in a more understandable way – do you think more often find yourself thinking about the things God is doing or do you think about your own desires or maybe the things you need to do later in the day.

If our minds are always captivated with thoughts of ourselves and our own self-interests and we seldom, if ever, have time for the things of God then why would it be any wonder that we live ‘according to the flesh’?

When my energies and my focus is on only what I see and only what satisfies me, then my thought life will reflect that.

God has something better for us.

We can set our minds on what the Spirit desires.

We can shut off the outside influences and tune our spiritual ears to the things of the Holy Spirit.

Is it easy?

No!

Is it an instantaneous transformation?

Of course not!

But we are told in verse two of Romans chapter 12 how it is accomplished:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

It is through a renewed mind – a renewed thought life!

Let your mind dwell on and meditate on the Word of God.

Let the Word speak into all of the trials, circumstances and troubles of life.

As you do that – the Word begins to transform your thinking.

You have begun your journey to live in accordance with the Spirit of God.

Upside Down is Right Side Up

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

“And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’” (Luke 22:31-32)

My wife recently expressed a desire to put up an upside down Christmas tree this year during the holidays.  A what??? you ask.  That’s right, an upside down Christmas tree.  I guess its new fad.

Anyway, against my better judgment (what do I know), I agreed to hang an upside down Christmas tree from our ceiling in the dining room.

To my surprise, after my wife finished decorating it, the tree came out quite beautiful.  It grows on me more and more each day.  It is unique, a real eye catcher.  I am enjoying it more than our traditional Christmas tree.

Sometimes it feels like our lives are upside down and we can’t see how any beauty will come out of such a difficult time, but hang in there, God has a plan.  He is a master at creating beauty from ashes.

Desperate times call for desperate trusting.  Jesus, our High Priest, is interceding for you so that your faith shall not fail.

God is doing something wonderful in you.  It may not be in the traditional sense or the way you expect it, but the end result will be beautiful.

Your upside down may just be God’s right side up.

And when it’s over, God will use you to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to others.

Guard Your Heart and Live

“Then he taught me, and he said to me,

    “Take hold of my words with all your heart;

    keep my commands, and you will live.”

Proverbs 4:4

Reading through Proverbs 4 we find it chock full of life-affirming commands!

Just skimming through it you will find commands such as:

Listen, pay attention, do not forsake, lay hold of, do not forget, do not swerve; all of these just in the first five verses...and from there the list goes on!

Later on in this same chapter we find this familiar and vital verse:

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

Some people have complained that the Christian life is nothing more than a list of “do’s” and “don’ts” but take the time to read some of the wisdom in this chapter.

You will discover that the reward of obeying the “do’s” (and the don’ts for that matter!) is life.

Who would refuse that?

Yet, many do.

Recommit your life today to the Lord and His life affirming commands.

Understand their role is not primarily restrictive but protective.

Guard your heart and live!

How Great That Is!

“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world,

but for those you have given me, for they are yours.”

John 17:9

In the verse above Jesus says He is praying for His disciples and not for the world.

Yet the word “world” dominates the first 19 verses of John Chapter 9 being mentioned by Jesus no less than 13 times!

Jesus was sending His disciples ‘...into the world...’ with a Kingdom message.

Jesus was not overcome by the world and its message but overcame it.

His prayer recorded in this chapter was, in part, that His disciples would be overcomers in the world and not overcome by it.

We are told elsewhere in scripture that Jesus is interceding on our behalf in heaven.

I believe that His prayer in John 17 is still being prayed in heaven on our behalf – for you and me.

We are not losers, we have already won and our seated with Christ in heavenly places.

Oh sure, there will be trials and our share of troubles as long as we are in the world but we have an advocate praying on our behalf at the right hand of the Father.

How great is that?

How great that is!

Fed Ex Won’t Deliver Buried Treasure

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13

Buried treasure is, well, it’s buried!

It is not readily apparent.

It is not delivered to your door step like an overnight package from FedEx.

The proverbial ‘Treasure Map’ must be followed in order to locate it.

Sometimes believers are frustrated by a God who seems to enjoy hide n’seek.

But consider the lukewarm.

How likely might they be to search for God – as the prophet says – with all their heart?

God loves us.

He delights in us.

But He often does ‘hide’ Himself from the superficial person.

The Psalmist said:

As the hart pants after the water brooks, so pants my soul after you, O God.

How hungry are you for God?

Do you search for Him as you would for buried treasure?

Or

Are you waiting like the person who waits and waits and waits and waits...for the lottery winnings to be dropped at their feet?

Are you waiting for the doorbell or are you headed out on a map quest?

More Hope for a Fool...

“Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool. 

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,

    an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!

Do not answer a fool according to his folly,

    or you yourself will be just like him.

Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.

Sending a message by the hands of a fool

    is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.

Like the useless legs of one who is lame is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.

Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

Like an archer who wounds at random is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.

As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.

Proverbs 26:1-11

Let me apologize in advance that this post is a bit longer than most but I felt it was necessary to the message.

You see, it is as if the first eleven verses of Proverbs 26 build up to verse 12.

All of the verses speak of the characteristics of a fool or of the person who trusts in a fool.

Then...along comes verse 12 which says:

“Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?

There is more hope for a fool than for them.”

We learn in the first eleven verses how bad it is to be a fool but then verse 12 tells us that there is a greater likelihood of reforming a fool than there is in reforming a man filled with pride.

Pride is destructive and it is not an easy thing to turn from it...

...but God!

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

    And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Micah 6:8

No Bull Horn

Todays’ blog post was contributed by David Trotta:

And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. (1 Kings 19:12)

If you were standing next to someone and you wanted to have a conversation with that person, would you use a bull horn?

Would you rent an airplane and pull the words across the sky?  (Probably not, unless you were proposing to someone on TV.)

Would you hire a singing telegram to communicate your message?

Sure, the above examples sound a little extreme, but that is how we often think God speaks.  We think He only speaks to us in some grandiose way, but quite the contrary.  He desires to speak in a still small voice, which represents friendship and intimacy.

Don’t be quick to dismiss the still small voice in your heart or the gently nudging you sense.  Instead, learn to discern and recognize His voice.

Sometimes it will be through trial and error, but the more you learn to recognize His voice, especially above the loud clamoring sounds of this world, the more you will realize that God is always speaking to His children.

He loves to share the secrets of His heart with us.  In John 15:15, Jesus said “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

Jesus has declared you to be His friend and He desires to whisper to your heart today.  Learn to cultivate a quietness before God and then listen carefully for His still small voice.