Where He Leads...

“Since you are my rock and my fortress,

for the sake of your name lead and guide me.”    

Psalm 31:3

Recently, as we traveled along the NYS Thruway on our way to Michigan we stopped at a thruway rest stop for a few minutes.

As we were there I watched two older gentleman walking in, one behind the other.

The gentleman following was blind.

He held a cane in one hand and the other hand was on the shoulder of the other gentleman who was leading him through the busy halls filled with travelers.

He had to trust his guide,

Isaiah 42:16 tells us:

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,

along unfamiliar paths I will lead them.”

God is your God, sometimes He leads along ways you have not known and along unfamiliar paths.

You will not reach your destination if we do not trust Him and follow where He leads.

Natural sight will not take you down the path set for you.

It may actually hinder or distract you.

It is only through your hand planted firmly on the shoulder of God and trusting as you follow Him that you will go where He wants you to go!

A Child of the Promise

“It is not as though God’s word had failed.

For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.

Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children.

On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”

 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. For this was how the promise was stated:

“At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”    

Romans 9:6-9

Romans 9:6-9 (see above) makes it very clear that the promises of the covenant are given to those of the children of faith in the promise and not simply given because of who you were ‘physically’ born to.

Being a Jew carries some blessing from God to be sure, but being a child of God through faith in His promised redemption through His Son is what brings adoption into the family of God.

To be sure – these is a love that God has for Israel and a special place in His heart for its’ people but there is no short cut into His Kingdom.

All must enter through that gate which is Jesus Christ.

Born, not of natural descent, but of the Spirit!

Are you a child of the promise?

The Choice Places

“A voice of one calling:

“In the wilderness prepare

    the way for the Lord;

make straight in the desert

    a highway for our God.”

Isaiah 40:3

We’d like to think that it is the mountaintop experiences in our lives that make wide the entrance to welcome the Spirit of the Lord.

The verse above says otherwise.

In our lives, it is the desert and wilderness experiences that are far more able to prepare the way for the Lord than those wonderfully blissful mountaintop experiences.

Sure, who would deny the exhilaration of standing and looking out from the high peaks and survey the landscape.

Certainly that has to be far more exciting than the wilderness.

We would likely be moved greatly by Gods’ creation and stand in awe of His handiwork in the rarified atmosphere of the mountaintop, but, in the valleys, in the dry places and loneliness of the wilderness our souls cry out in earnest anguish for His presence to accompany us.

That is where, unlike any other place, we seek and find intimate fellowship in His presence.

The mountaintop – like a scenic highway overlook – is often crowded with others.

Not so the desert or the wilderness.

Press in at those seasons and know the company of His presence!

What Were You Thinking?

“Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked,

“What did those men say, and where did they come from?”

“From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came to me from Babylon.”

 The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”

“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said.

“There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

Isaiah 39: 3-4

Take a moment and read Isaiah Chapter 39.

Perhaps the greatest lesson from this chapter is:

Beware of Babylonians bearing gifts!

Maybe it was boasting, maybe it was gratitude.

Maybe it was flattery for a gift having been received.

Whatever the reason, King Hezekiah never should have shown the Babylonian envoy from their king all the riches, wealth and even the defenses for his country.

But show him he did and without holding anything back!

Then he got a visit from the prophet of God.

If I could paraphrase –

King, what were you thinking?!

King Hezekiah lacked (or at least had a lapse of) discernment.

He opened every kingdom door and cubby to those who would later carry it all off as spoils from victory over the nation.

Hezekiah had previously sought God over his own personal well-being but seemed to lack the wisdom to do the same for his nation.

He did not seek Gods’ direction for his own country.

Sometimes, like Hezekiah, we withhold nothing from the enemy.

Like Hezekiah or Samson we freely show him where our strengths and weaknesses lie.

This is not wise.

Mere Dust

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.  For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:13-14)

I can be pretty hard on myself when I fail.  I tend to dwell on my mistakes and even engage in some excessive self-scolding for allowing it to happen.

I can quickly forgive others, but forgive myself? That’s a different story.

Does that strike a familiar chord with you?

If yes, those feelings don’t come from our heavenly Father.  He is quick to show compassion.  Why?  Because He knows our frailty.

That’s right, our frailty.

I know, I know, all the self-help books are written to tell us how great we are and how much  potential we have, but in reality, the only true potential in us comes from God’s spirit that dwell within us.

Maybe it’s time we understand that we have many shortcomings as humans and that’s ok.  We have a fallen nature that we will struggle with until death sets us free.

Sometimes I think the unwillingness to forgive ourselves stems from an inflated view of who we are.  God brings us back to reality by reminding us of our origin – mere dust before He breathed life into us.  It’s all about Him.  We are just the vessel.

It’s healthy to have a realistic view of ourselves.  When we do, we won’t take our weaknesses and failures too seriously.  We may even be able to chuckle at some of our bonehead mistakes, instead of taking ourselves out to the whipping shed.

I am going to take it a step farther and say that we should rejoice over our shortcomings, because they allow us to celebrate God’s grace.  It also reinforces in us a healthy reminder of our frailty and our utter dependency on Him.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, the apostle Paul said “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

I am not advocating taking our sin lightly.  On the contrary, we should seek to always live a holy life in thought and deed, which only can be done by surrendering our hearts and minds to the lordship of Jesus.

But we will never be perfect, so when your human frailty rears its head, show compassion and remember you are but mere dust.  Then lean on God.

Are You Convinced?

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:37-39

The verses above are likely very familiar to most of us.

We have probably quoted a time or too as well.

But I can’t help wondering if we miss a point that is so vital to the verses application in our own personal lives.

Paul included some words that are key to appropriating the promise contained in the verses. He said:

“...for I am convinced...”

He was convinced.

Am I?

Are you?

Do we always believe that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God or do I live as if every little thing I say, think or do seperates me?

His love is stronger than that and His word is true!

Even in our failures, even in our sin, He loves us.

That is not to say we should continue in those things but rather that I recognize that God does not turn His love ‘on’ or ‘off’ toward us based on our less than perfect behavior.

God is not fickle and His love is not conditional.

He loves you.

He loved you yesterday, He loves you today and He will love you tomorrow.

He loves you!

Are you convinced of that?

Delivered and Received!

“Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.”

Isaiah 38:4-5

Isaiah 38 gives us some lessons on delivering and receiving a word from the Lord.

Isaiah delivered a word to the King that was a difficult word to give and to receive.

He told the King he needed to get himself ready because he was going to die.

Just delivering the word could have cost Isaiah his life nonetheless he was faithful to deliver it just as he had received it.

King Hezekiah received the word but did not ‘kill the messenger’.

He received it as from the Lord.

His response was to take it back to the Lord in prayer.

There is no record of an additional conversation between the King and the Prophet of God until the Prophet returns and delivers the good news that God has given the King 15 more years of life.

Again the King showed his great respect for the office of the Prophet by receiving the word delivered but offering, in prayer, his thanksgiving to the Lord who originated the word.

So much we can learn from those examples but lets’ take just one lesson away today and that is to recognize that God still speaks to His people prophetically and through the office of the Prophet.

Let’s honor the Lord by acknowledging that!

No Comparison

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing

with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Romans 8:18

I suppose if I compare my life with that of Pauls’ I can certainly say that I have suffered nowhere nearly as Paul had in his ministry.

No comparison whatsoever.

Yet, in spite of all he had suffered he still wrote that all of those sufferings could not compare with what was yet to come for him and for all believers.

It’s easy to complain about our trials, our ‘suffering’ and it is also easy (while complaining) to miss the blessings.

In the absence of gratitude complaining and griping will always fill the void!

Paul encourages us o hold fast in the midst of all our struggles, trials and persecutions knowing himself full well that what we are going through is nothing compared to what we will receive.

Don’t abort your blessing.

Live in the hope of His promises every day.

Remind yourself frequently, in the midst of your troubles,

the hope you have in Christ!

A Lesson For Today From the Book of Isaiah

“When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.”

Isaiah 37:5-7

Isaiah 36 (take a moment to read the 36^th and 37^th chapter for the background) records the efforts of the Assyrian army to capture Jerusalem.

King Hezekiah is ruling at the time.

In the words spoken by the Assyrian commander we can see so many traits of our own adversary revealed.

The commander speaks in order to try and divide the people of the city from their leader (divisiveness).

He speaks boastfully of the Assyrian armies strength (pride).

He tells of all of their conquests (intimidation).

To their credit the people on the wall of the city listened to King Hezekiah and not to the enemy – even when they heard the commander belittle Gods’ ability to save them (sowing seeds of doubt and fear).

The enemy of our souls and the enemies of our nation has not changed his tactics and still will use all of these things and more against us.

(What is stirring up racial strife attempting to do but divide us?)

The enemies tactics didn’t work then, don’t let them work now!

Listen to the King of Kings and not to the enemy of our souls and of this nation.

Always on the Move

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working. (John 5:17)

Jesus spoke those words 2000 years ago and nothing has changed.

God is always working on behalf of mankind, especially His bride, the church.  But if we aren’t careful, we will miss him.

We often don’t see God’s hand in our life, but it’s not because he’s asleep, rather it’s because we are so preoccupied and busy that we don’t recognize Him in our midst.

In Genesis, chapter 28, Jacob had a visitation from God, but he wasn’t aware of it.  Verse 16 says - When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

God is moving in our home, at our place of work, in our church family, and in the life of the people we encounter every day.  As Jesus said, God is always at work.

What a tragedy then to have God working in our midst, only to miss Him.  It doesn’t cost God anything.  He is still accomplishing what He wants to accomplish, but we miss the privilege of partnering with him.  And when we partner with Him, we become more like Him as a result.

As my pastor always says, our goal in life should be to find out what God is doing and then partner with Him in His work.

Earlier in his life, a friend of mine had a great opportunity to be mentored by a man who had a business laying fiber optic cable, but repeatedly showed up late for work or didn’t show up at all.

The owner didn’t delay starting work because of my friend’s absence, but my friend kept missing the opportunity to be mentored by someone who was a master at his trade.  Eventually he lost the job.

We are the only losers when we don’t partner with God in what He is doing in the world today.  He is eager to work alongside, but He is always on the move, with or without us. 

May it be with us.

An Intimate Walk

“...the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.

 And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Romans 8:15b

We are His children and He is our Father.

He longs for us to know Him and trust Him as the loving Father that He is.

Imagine if all we had was the written Word of God but never had the opportunity to walk with Him daily in intimate fellowship.

It would be like a person who never met his natural father but could only read about him in a book written by the father.

While he might treasure that book, even as we treasure His book, how he would long for opportunities to spend time with his father and get to know him by walking and talking with him every day.

Our walk with the Lord need not be limited to the pages of the Bible, as precious as those pages are!

He has put His Spirit in us and we can walk with Him and talk with Him moment-by-moment.

Don’t just learn of your Father through the Book, learn of Him as you walk by His side and talk with Him.

Learn to let Him speak and to guide you in His ways.

Yes, His Word is to be honored but His presence is made available to each of His children too!

We Have an Obligation

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

Romans 8:12-13

“...we have an obligation...”

The Apostle Paul writes these words to believers, not to the unsaved.

We know that God saves us through the shed blood of His Son but we still, beyond that work of grace, have an obligation to,

“...by the Spirit...put to death the misdeeds of the body...”

It is poor theology that teaches that once we are saved all is done and we need do no more.

Think of salvation as the initial entrance into the Kingdom of God.

However, once in the Kingdom, we are not expected to live a life ruled by our old nature but one ruled by the Spirit of God who is the King of the Kingdom!

This is an annual event with music, free food and a speaker providing encouraging words of hope and blessing to the people of Rochester, NY

Wednesday August 16, 2017 at 6:00 P.M.

Rochester Public Market

See You There!

I Know, I Know

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”

Psalm 119:18

The two words “I know” can be quite dangerous to our spiritual growth when they are spoken in pride.

We may hear the preacher cite a familiar passage of scripture and our mind shuts down because of course ‘we know’ all there is to know about that passage!

Oh, really?

So the Creator of the Universe who spoke galaxies into existence can’t possibly reveal something new to you from a passage of scripture?

Come on now.

Prepare your heart and mind to receive and you will.

Shut down in pride and I promise you, you will receive nothing.

We’ve all been there.

We sit through the reading of a familiar bible story that we have heard a hundred and one times and we convince ourselves we can learn nothing more about it.

And you will be right because the expectation for the Spirit of God to speak to you has been quenched.

Instead, why not ask God to open your spiritual eyes and ears to hear and see what you have not known before or perhaps to impress upon you again a vital lesson you need to hear again.

After all God reward those who diligently seek Him even when it is a passage you’ve heard a hundred and one times!

Gods’ ‘To Do’ List

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

So many people struggle with finding the will of God for their lives that they miss the will of God for their lives.

What do I mean by that?

We walk past the obvious will of God in order to try to find the personal will of God.

We are so determined to find the “I” or “Me” will that we miss His will.

God has a ‘to do’ list for all of us.

As a matter of fact it was prepared in advance and it consists of good works.

Look around you every day and you will see plenty of opportunities to do good!

We often become paralyzed by wanting to be sure it is the will of God for our lives that we wait for the proverbial lightning bolt to hit us before we act.

But doing good in His name will always be the right thing to do.

A kindness extended, generosity of heart, a comforting word to a hurting heart; each of these are opportunities to do good works that we might otherwise pass up while we are waiting for the Spirit to speak.

I am not advocating that we not live by the Spirit but so often the Holy Spirit presents us with chances to be a blessing but we walk away claiming we did not hear an audible voice instructing us to do good.  

Look today for those opportunities to do good.

Tackle a few items on Gods’ to do list written by Him for you!

3:1 Ratio

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. (Proverbs 10:11)

Do you live your life in agreement with what God says about you?  An easy way to tell is by the words you speak every day.  Do they carry life or death?

Experts say it takes 3 positive words or thoughts to overcome each negative word we speak or think about yourselves.  That’s how damaging negative thoughts and words can be.

Every time you agree with a lie about who you are in Christ, it takes 3 confessions of truth to set you mind back on the path of believing what God says about you.

This past Sunday, my pastor said it this way – “The false things that you are constantly thinking, saying, and seeing will always overcome the truth of God that you are occasionally thinking, saying, and seeing.

We can’t afford to occasionally think about God’s truths.  We must be very purposeful about spending time focusing on what God says about us and generating as many God-centered thoughts, feelings, and words as possible.

It’s amazing how quickly plants and flowers can wilt without rain.  My wife and I have some tomato plants, and if they only go a couple days without rain, we can see the leaves start to droop.  But as soon as the rain comes, it doesn’t take long before the leaves once again look healthy and strong.

Our lives are no different.  Without a steady flow of positive words and thoughts that line up with what God says about us, we will quickly begin to wilt and become discouraged and disheartened with life.

But with a steady flow of God’s truths in our lives, we will become a refreshing fountain of life to ourselves and those around us.

In Accordance With the Spirit

“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 5:8

Paul speaks of two different mind sets at work in our lives.

Which one we have determines whether we are carnal or spiritual in our responses to life.

Paul does not speak of a ‘generic’ spirituality but specifically of the Spirit of God.

Many people consider themselves spiritual but are anything but followers of Christ.

I imagine many New Age proponents consider themselves spiritual.

A good question to ask might be: “What spirit is guiding you?”

When Paul spoke of a spiritual man, he was speaking of those who live in accordance with the Spirit of God and not opposed to Him through man made theology and denials of the deity of Christ.

What is your mind set on today?

Worth

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?

Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Luke 12:6-7

How much are you worth to God?

Luke recorded the words of Jesus above to let us know the answer.

Sparrows were abundant in Jesus’ day even as they are today.

To an agrarian culture they were also a nuisance.

Yet, God did more than just take note of them – not one of them was forgotten by Him.

How much more so the worth of a man or woman in Gods’ eyes?

Perhaps you’ve had someone tell you that you were worthless.  

Worse yet is when you believe it to be true.

But to believe that of yourself or anyone else is to make Jesus a liar.

You are loved and have great worth to God.

Some may try to make you believe otherwise but they cannot change the intent or the heart of God concerning you.

You are worth so much to God!

The Humble

“For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.”

Psalm 149:4

The Lord takes delight in His people.

What characterizes those people?

They are humble and they are victorious.

But they do not take pride in themselves in those victories, knowing that God fights their battles.

It’s so much easier to gloat, isn’t it?

So much easier to boast of what WE have done!

But the proud and the boastful are not a people God delights in.

When God goes before you making a way where there was no way how can we lay claim to what He has done?

The honest man cannot.

Instead, He recognizes that God crowns the humble with victory.

“He has shown you, O man, 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

Judge, Jury and Redeemer!

“For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.”

Isaiah 33:22

I have never had to stand before a judge in the courtroom.

I think if I did, it might be a bit intimidating for me.

Someone who has the ability to give or take away your freedom can certainly intimidate.

Isaiah tells us that the Lord is our judge.

If that is all we know of Him then indeed we need to be afraid!

But the end of the verse brings hope – it declares “...it is He who will save us.”

Yes, indeed the wages of our sin is death.

But we do not receive the sentence we deserve.

Mercy is extended to us by the Judge, the Lawgiver and our King.

The judge is our savior.

He stepped off the bench, removed His royal robes and took our sentence of guilt and shame on Himself.

He paid – in full – the debt of our sentence and now pronounces us innocent.

That is the King we serve.

No wonder we offer Him praise and He is worthy of worship!

Seeing yourself as God sees you

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

As a parent, it has always bothered me when I heard my kids put themselves down.  It might have been a negative comment about their appearance or lack of ability.  It might have been a comment on how they didn’t quite measure up to the other kids in school.

It brought sadness to my heart to hear such things because I knew the great potential that lay within them and I knew how beautiful they were in the eyes of the only person that mattered – God.

I wonder if it makes God’s heart sad when we, as His children, speak negatively about ourselves.  How often have we thought we are not gifted or spiritual enough to accomplish something?  I wonder if He thinks “child if you only knew what we could accomplish together!”

The sky is truly the limit when it comes what we can achieve when we partner with God.  But in order to realize that potential, we must start with thinking about ourselves the way God thinks about us.

In the Song of Solomon 4:7, God says “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.”

God’s love won’t allow Him to see our flaws.  He sees Jesus in us.  He sees a royal priesthood, a joint heir, a friend.  He sees what we can become.

Ephesians 1:4 says He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.

The next time you look in the mirror, see yourself as God sees you.  Agree with His assessment of who you are.

What we say and think about ourselves must be in agreement with God’s word or we will never realize our full potential in Him.

God is Enough

“You who fear him, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield.”

Psalm 115:11

There is such a rich storehouse of wisdom on the Old Testament for us and Isaiah Chapter 31 is one such example.

It is filled with warnings, to those who would listen, not to trust in the wisdom, strength or strategies of men but to trust in the Lord.

Verse 1 says:

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horseman.”

Our trust, both as individuals and as nations, must be in the Lord.

God does not condemn a national defense but He can be one who is our strength and on whom we rely.

Gideon is a great example.

His tiny army defeated the Midianites with pitchers, trumpets and most importantly – the Lord and His direction!

As unorthodox a strategy as that might seem to the most battle tested warriors it worked.

Gideon was faithful to obey the Lord and saw God bring a great victory.

We, too, must trust God more than we trust our own strength and might in the battle.

Mighty nations have been brought down when they stand against just one who stands with God.

Trust God in your battles today!

Get Understanding

“For this is a people without understanding;

    so their Maker has no compassion on them,

    and their Creator shows them no favor.”

Isaiah 27:11b

Why would scriptures record such seemingly harsh words for people without understanding?

After all, as a parent of a special needs adult I know how much she struggles to understand what you and I don’t give a second thought too.

Could these words be directed at her?

No, I don’t think so.

Rather, they are spoken to a people who have the capacity to understand but choose not to seek that understanding.

God surely has compassion on those, who through no fault of their own, cannot understand (like my developmentally disabled daughter).

But God liberally gives wisdom and understanding to those who seek after it.

Are you seeking wisdom from God today?

Let me remind you of His promise to you –

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

James 1:5